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3. Latin Help

I'm trying to learn some of the scientific names for the major hatches I encounter in Central PA. I was reading Schwiebert's "Matching the Hatch," which has been somewhat helpful. A few of our major hatches, however, don't seem to appear in the book. The ones missing (or at least that I can't find) that I'm most curious about are the two sulphur hatches we get, a larger (size 12-14) sulphur in May that has an orangish-brown mottled nymph and a smaller one (size 14-16) that comes in June and has a tannish-orange mottled nymph. The first hatch results in some of the greatest feeding frenzies I've ever seen, and I really want to know a little more about the insects.

Thanks for your help,
Shawn

Hey Shawn,

The large one is probably Ephemerella invaria and the small one is probably Ephemerella dorothea. I've got quite a bit of detail on those pages.

Each one is usually said to be one hook size smaller than what you've mentioned. I usually find that flies are actually larger than the common hook sizes, too, so that doesn't really surprise me. The nymph colors for both species are widely variable, so a species judgement can't be made on that basis.

Check out the common names section on this site for general questions like this, but feel free to ask for any detail or clarification like this on the forum.

Thanks, Jason. I hadn't seen the 'Common Names' link, though not for lack of its prominent display on the top of every page of your site. I'll read the pages you've mentioned carefully.

-Shawn

Shawn,

"Hatches II" should give you a lot better info on the sulphurs than you will find in "Matching the Hatch". Caucci & Natasi are from the PA/NY area and have a lot of first hand information for the mayfly hatches in that entire area.

John S.

Thank you, Wifly. I already have a number of classic books (LaFontaine's Caddisflies, Marinaro's Modern Dry Fly Code, etc.) that I still haven't read, so I'll probably wait until I've finished them before I buy any more books. After multiple recommendations, though, Hatches II and Flyfishing Pressured Waters are definitely at the top of my list. I appreciate your help.

-Shawn