1. Troutnut Forum
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2. Specimen Discussion
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3. Another sulphur for comment

And this one, also from the midwest, is more green than the sulphurs I recall seeing this season. My limited experience in PA streams suggests that many, if not most, of the sulphurs here are best imitated by pale yellow, bright yellow, or orange bodies. Gene, and others, am I far off?

Yes, I believe that the mayfly may be more greenish because of the reflection of green from the leaf during the flash. Sometimes depending upon the angle of the flash the insect will pick up certain colors. You can prove this to yourself by simply get a piece of green paper and reflecting the light onto your hand or face with it. This is what some fly fisherman use to call the "light sulfur." Remember that the pH of the water has a lot to do with color of insects especially mayflies. You are correct that most of the sulfur female bodies are some shade of the colors you suggested. This color will vary with time of year, stream, ph, and a host of other things. That's why I have to laugh sometimes when someone declares in a book that a certain species of insect is this exact color. It's the clearest sign that this person hasn't fished much and is another armchair outdoors man. I would like to know which stream this mayfly was collected from, just for the heck of it.

tight lines and big rising trout

gene
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