Blue-winged Olives
Baetis
Tiny Baetis mayflies are perhaps the most commonly encountered and imitated by anglers on all American trout streams due to their great abundance, widespread distribution, and trout-friendly emergence habits.
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Some characteristics from the microscope images for the tentative species id: The postero-lateral projections are found only on segment 9, not segment 8. Based on the key in Jacobus et al. (2014), it appears to key to Neoleptophlebia adoptiva or Neoleptophlebia heteronea, same as this specimen with pretty different abdominal markings. However, distinguishing between those calls for comparing the lengths of the second and third segment of the labial palp, and this one (like the other one) only seems to have two segments. So I'm stuck on them both. It's likely that the fact that they're immature nymphs stymies identification in some important way.
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Jmd123 on Jun 26, 2014June 26th, 2014, 7:44 pm EDT
As some of you on here may know, my trout season has been so far quite unspectacular. Admittedly, I haven't been on the waters as much as I normally do in spring, at least in part because of allergies I have never experienced before. The pollen really clobbered me this year and I had to switch from my beloved Allegra to Claritin on my doctor's advice as I had become too used to the former...anyway, last night I finally had a nice one on at [REDACTED] Pond, a brightly colored brookie in the foot-long range, but he got off under the kayak...at least larger fish are now willing to strike my flies, even if I still didn't get the net under them...
So, tonight I switched gears and went after smallmouth on Cooke Pond. Three years ago I found nice sized fish, in the 14- to 18-inch range, taking dry flies off the top, including Light Cahills, caddis, and Hex. This evening I didn't see any hatching activity early on (got there at 7, on the water by about 7:20 p.m.), yet there were some big swirls out in the middle of the channel I was fishing (at this point it is more like a river than a lake, there is appreciable current). Well, sure looks like feeding smallies to me! I tried a silver/gray KBF and an all-black eyed Woolly Bugger (both in size 10) but nothing paid attention to them. Pretty soon I had rises all around me, including a couple behind me between me and the shore of a small island. OK, easy targets, but what fly to throw at them? Seeing nothing on the water, I decided to go BIG. I pulled out my "big fly" box with all size 6 dry flies, including Hex, Brown Drakes, Green Drakes, and some big bushy attractors like Wulffs. First I dropped a White Wulff on one fish, and he boiled on it but did not take it down. "You son-of-a-bitch!" I said out loud. What's next? A huge bushy Royal Wulff - ah, he can't resist this one! And no he couldn't, sucked it down and then took off like a bulldog, bending the rod almost double. Oh yeah, he's a nice one, in fact 18 inches! And broad shoulders too, all the better to fight with in the current. My only other fish of the evening was a 5" bluegill, but I sure as heck didn't care! This is the biggest smallmouth I have caught in three years, and the last one of this size that I caught came out of here. Oh and by the way, this was again on the 7.5' three-weight, took the five-weight out in the boat but never needed it, did my damage with the light stick and man was it fun! I was also able to bring the fish in quickly enough that it revived within about 30 seconds and wanted nothing more of me, ever...
I may have left too early though, as I began to see some big mayflies on the wing in the sunset, and this place does get a good hex hatch, might have even been a few early ones I saw. But I also managed to get out before the major dusk mosquito attack, didn't have to juice all up with DEET. But I will soon, I have heard that there are walleye in there that will take Hex (according to a buddy of mine) and if I get one of them it isn't going back in the water...
Jonathon
So, tonight I switched gears and went after smallmouth on Cooke Pond. Three years ago I found nice sized fish, in the 14- to 18-inch range, taking dry flies off the top, including Light Cahills, caddis, and Hex. This evening I didn't see any hatching activity early on (got there at 7, on the water by about 7:20 p.m.), yet there were some big swirls out in the middle of the channel I was fishing (at this point it is more like a river than a lake, there is appreciable current). Well, sure looks like feeding smallies to me! I tried a silver/gray KBF and an all-black eyed Woolly Bugger (both in size 10) but nothing paid attention to them. Pretty soon I had rises all around me, including a couple behind me between me and the shore of a small island. OK, easy targets, but what fly to throw at them? Seeing nothing on the water, I decided to go BIG. I pulled out my "big fly" box with all size 6 dry flies, including Hex, Brown Drakes, Green Drakes, and some big bushy attractors like Wulffs. First I dropped a White Wulff on one fish, and he boiled on it but did not take it down. "You son-of-a-bitch!" I said out loud. What's next? A huge bushy Royal Wulff - ah, he can't resist this one! And no he couldn't, sucked it down and then took off like a bulldog, bending the rod almost double. Oh yeah, he's a nice one, in fact 18 inches! And broad shoulders too, all the better to fight with in the current. My only other fish of the evening was a 5" bluegill, but I sure as heck didn't care! This is the biggest smallmouth I have caught in three years, and the last one of this size that I caught came out of here. Oh and by the way, this was again on the 7.5' three-weight, took the five-weight out in the boat but never needed it, did my damage with the light stick and man was it fun! I was also able to bring the fish in quickly enough that it revived within about 30 seconds and wanted nothing more of me, ever...
I may have left too early though, as I began to see some big mayflies on the wing in the sunset, and this place does get a good hex hatch, might have even been a few early ones I saw. But I also managed to get out before the major dusk mosquito attack, didn't have to juice all up with DEET. But I will soon, I have heard that there are walleye in there that will take Hex (according to a buddy of mine) and if I get one of them it isn't going back in the water...
Jonathon
No matter how big the one you just caught is, there's always a bigger one out there somewhere...
Oldredbarn on Jun 27, 2014June 27th, 2014, 4:20 pm EDT
Looks like a very pleasant evening there, Jonathon!
Spence
Spence
"Even when my best efforts fail it's a satisfying challenge, and that, after all, is the essence of fly fishing." -Chauncy Lively
"Envy not the man who lives beside the river, but the man the river flows through." Joseph T Heywood
"Envy not the man who lives beside the river, but the man the river flows through." Joseph T Heywood
Jmd123 on Jun 27, 2014June 27th, 2014, 6:37 pm EDT
Brings back memories of a night not too long ago that you and I shared on the Huron River...remember, "Oh my God Spence, he's huge!!" I do have to say that having finally broken the 18" barrier on brown trout last year, this fish easily outfought that one - probably because this one is so damned fat! I will be back to this spot very soon, and it's been too long since I've done this.
You gotta love smallmouth bass man - they fight like hell and take dry flies just like trout!
Jonathon
You gotta love smallmouth bass man - they fight like hell and take dry flies just like trout!
Jonathon
No matter how big the one you just caught is, there's always a bigger one out there somewhere...
Martinlf on Jun 28, 2014June 28th, 2014, 7:31 pm EDT
Pretty fish; good work, Jonathon!
"He spread them a yard and a half. 'And every one that got away is this big.'"
--Fred Chappell
--Fred Chappell
RMlytle on Jul 4, 2014July 4th, 2014, 1:30 pm EDT
Gotta love smallmouth. I love to hit a nearby river when the Brown Drakes are on, The bronze backs key on them and go nuts! The action lasts until Midnight.
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