Mayfly Genus Anthopotamus (Golden Drakes)

Where & when

See the individual species pages for distribution and timing details. Anthopotamus distinctus is the main species in the East, and Anthopotamus myops is more common in the Midwest.

In 99 records from GBIF, adults of this genus have mostly been collected during June (48%), July (34%), and August (12%).

In 34 records from GBIF, this genus has been collected at elevations ranging from 618 to 5003 ft, with an average (median) of 3133 ft.

Hatching behavior

These mayflies emerge fairly quickly, but they may linger on the surface for a while as their wings dry, making dun patterns the imitation of choice. They can make some commotion which is worth imitating if a still pattern does not work.

Caucci and Nastasi in Hatches II say that the duns begin hatching when the temperature drops below 70°F in the evenings. However, in Matching the Hatch, Ernest Schwiebert reports a hatch when the water temperature was a steamy 78°F. The trout are unlikely to respond at such times.

Spinner behavior

Ted Fauceglia writes in Mayflies that the best trout activity associated with these spinner falls happens well after dark. This is the only mention of fishing to the spinners that I've found.

Nymph biology

The nymphs of this genus are the unique representatives of a transitional step between the crawler nymph group and the burrower nymphs. They don't dig U-shaped burrows into the sediment like Ephemeridae nymphs do, but they do settle down into indentations in the detritus.

They become active on the bottom shortly before emerging, and fishing nymph imitations before the hatch may reward the angler.