The Observant Angler

Any time you are out fly fishing you should always be on the lookout for signs of actively emerging bugs and be prepared to adapt to unexpected situations. This past weekend my expectations for the usual Green Drake and PMD hatches did not materialize. Rising fish were sporadic at best and my Green Drake and PMD patterns were completely ignored. As the morning wore on I noticed an increasing number of Ameletus exuvia on the stream-side rocks and a few duns fluttering about.

Fresh Ameletus exuvia along the edge of a small freestone river.

These mayflies crawl out to emerge so there are no nymphs rising to the surface, no emerger stage, and the duns are generally not available to feeding trout. Despite this, the hatch can still provide for some good action on the nymph. 

Ameletus nymphs tend to inhabit the slower margins of streams but still like to be in proximity to faster flows. Their habit of darting out into deeper and faster water during emergence migrations can get them into trouble with trout lurking along the seams and waiting to pounce.

I switched to a mottled Hare's Ear type pattern in size 14 and targeted the softer water along the edges. The presentation included the usual segment of dead drifting but at the end of the drift I would swing the fly towards shore to imitate the nymphs swimming back to safety. Takes were both on the dead drift and on the swing.

I connected with a reasonable number of fish through the afternoon but the catch rate could have been higher if I had not been so focused on what worked in the past or was supposed to work. It is the observant and adaptable angler that sees the most success.