The famous nocturnal Hex hatch of the Midwest (and a few other lucky locations) stirs to the surface mythically large brown trout that only touch streamers for the rest of the year.
By the way I've been seeing them since last Wed... I don't keep great records but when I go back this is the earliest I think I've seen them.
Maybe it's just me but it seems like I see the most color variation of all of the major mayfly adults in the Ephemerella subvaria. Am I crazy?
It was just assumed by most of us that a given species was pretty much a certain color and size and lived in a certain type of habitat.
When I think back about this issue, It became very apparent to me at an early age that the photographs I was seeing in fly pattern books did not always, and actually very infrequently, matched what I was seeing on the stream.
Does anyone have any idea why the differences in color? Diet? Water chemistry? Genetics?
Does anyone have any idea why the differences in color? Diet? Water chemistry? Genetics?
Definitely the last two. Another factor is substrate. Many of the species that inhabit the clear West Slope rivers out here are dark and light blotched to match the granite substrate. The same species that live in other waters with weeds or algea covered cobble are more solid colored. Check out these two examples from the D. grandis/spinifera species group:
http://www.flyfishingentomology.com/forum/Replies_Display.php?t=0144
http://www.flyfishingentomology.com/forum/Replies_Display.php?t=0025
Such an explanation works for nymphs, but for duns I think there's something else at play with the Hennies.
Yes, water chemistry and genetics are probably the biggies. I just included the substrate influence to round out our discussion regarding variability by covering all the life stages. I thought it was interesting, and not mentioned much.
BTW - regarding the lack of info for us poor westerners until very recently (in terms of historical perspective), I don't feel too sorry for us. The truth is very few cared and it wasn't all that important. My dad fished in the 40's and 50's with only a handful of patterns and caught all the fish he wanted, and in numbers we rarely see anymore. He was a dry fly purist when it came to flies. He used a Gray Hackle Yellow to match the sulfurs, the Professor to match the olives, and the California Mosquito to match all the rest. He only resorted to these though if they wouldn't take a California Coachman or Rio Grande King.:) They all had red tails (he explained the fish were attracted to red). He also carried some Trudes and the Lt. & Dk. Caddis Bucktails for caddis & stones. That was his whole selection. Before the tailwaters and big Interstates, trout fishing was largely a Summer proposition after runoff. The numbers of fly fisherman were few, and he often told me he VERY rarely ran into another one, let alone a very competent one. This was still true on many of our lakes well into the 80's. Those were simpler times... Exploding population and that movie changed everything.:)
Guys -
John's funny about sunburn reminded me of another theory for the dark duns. The dark ones are better adapted for absorbing heat on cold blustery spring days. Not a factor this year, I guess...:)