Northeastern anglers praise this species because their arrival is one of the last predominant mayflies to hatch. This species will emerge from the middle of June through the second week of July, well past the peak hatches of mayflies in the east. For many years the ithaca species were mistaken for their cousins the S. fuscum and S. vicarium. This mistake is common and completely understandable. Most anglers do not really want to become too advanced in the technical aspects or their sport. The ithaca emergence takes place after the peak hatches of its cousin, S. fuscum by about a week or two. The two also share the same color but S. ithaca is slightly smaller in size. These clingers live most of their lives in the fast wasters of riffles and runs.

Some will migrate to the calmer waters of eddies and side-currents a few days prior to emergence. The duns are the same color as the S. fuscum but are actually larger. These nymphs will quickly rise to the surface film where they will split their nymphal shucks, then drift along with the current for a reasonably long period of time.

During the dog days of summer, you should look for any cooler, overcast or rainy days. This type of weather will promote active hatching of this species during both the mornings and early afternoons. The duns of the ithaca species have the same color as their cousins but are slightly larger in size and the same color, is pale in comparison. The real good news is that if you carry dark brown patterns in three sizes, you can imitate all three species.

Once the emergence starts and the emerging duns free themselves of their nymphal shucks, they will, like their cousins, drift along with the current for an extended period of time.

The delicate cream-colored duns will return to the riffles at dusk. These mating swarms will hover high above the rough water. Mating completed, the female will fly over the riffles and jettison the eggs onto the water, followed by both the males and females falling to the surface as spent-spinners. Once the spinner activity begins, it will only last for 30 to 45 minutes.

Tactic

Remember that during low water conditions, the fish are quickly spooked. Your attention should switch to the deeper runs and pools. Your leader will also change because the imitations are smaller and may require a smaller diameter tippet and a more accurate presentation. After a catch, always rest the water or go elsewhere. Prior to emergence, fish these nymphs on the bottom with occasional twitches to imitate the crawling motions of the nymph as it instinctively migrates to the quieter waters to await the urge to reach for the air-breathing world above. During the actual emergence, your patterns should be fished in the surface film and allowed to drift along drag free with the currents. Use fine-wired hooks for the surface work and the heavy-wired hooks for the sub-surface work.

These varia nymphs have plumage-like gills arranged dorsally in two rows on their abdomen and their heads are adorned with fearsome tusks. They are also long and slender, looking more like a swimmer than a burrower. Remember that these large insects take more than one season to mature to the point of emergence. Although they burrow into silt beds and mud bankings as do those of E. guttulata and E. simulans, but they can also be equally abundant in the faster runs and riffles where sand, silt and organic debris is collected between the rocks and boulders.

The cream-colored duns are erroneously referred to as the Yellow Drake and Yellow Dun. Oddly enough, the yellowish P. distinctus mayflies are commonly called Cream Duns and Cream Variants. This is why advanced anglers always use the less confusing scientific names to promote better and much more accurate communication.

During emergence, the varia nymphs wiggle temptingly towards the surface. Once there, the newly emerged dun will struggle to get air-borne. At this time, you should utilize as much imagination as possible when manipulating your imitation. The best emergence takes place on days that have both low humidity and a water temperature of less than 70 degrees.

Unlike the E. guttulata spinners that appear high at treetop level in swarms prior to ovipositing, the E. varia imagoes appear sporadically and are first sighted at shoulder height. The males will often appear prematurely and therefore must rest from time to time on the waters surface. During a good spinner-fall, many male spinners will rest intermittently on the surface film.

Once the females arrive and the mating activities are in full swing, the wise angler will select the best casting positions prior to the resultant spinner-fall. The first activity is when the female flies to the waters surface and rests on the surface trying to extrude her eggs. This in combination with the males falling spent on the waters surface plus the spent females is a real natures picnic for any fish around.

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