Green Drake’s

(Aug, 09) Here in the West, Green Drakes are Ephemerella grandis and Ephemerella dodsi, together commonly
known as Western Green Drakes or simply Green Drakes.
The Ephemerellidae mayfly family includes Hendrickson’s, Sulphurs, PMDs, and BWOs, and is notorious for prolific hatches which cause trout to feed selectively on the most available and vulnerable stages of emergence.
Green Drake hatches are often unpredictable. Many variables affect the timing and density of the
hatch. Drought, unseasonably warm weather, and low water may accelerate emergence by as much as two or three weeks. Hatch schedules vary dramatically based on local weather conditions and latitude.
These large insects are trout candy on our western streams. Green drakes are the largest mayflies
that provide fishable hatches in our fast local waters. Hatches occur during mid-day and are usually easily visible. Windless, cloud-cover days are best. Green Drakes are large insects and evidently taste really good to trout. When Green Drakes hatch in good numbers the trout forget all
other foods and target them only. A dense hatch of Green Drakes can bring the largest trout to thesurface. But, Green Drakes are fickle and somewhat unpredictable. Some days have heavy
hatches others very light. Some regions of a stream will have more insects than others.
Emergences typically start in late June or early July on most Western streams, with the smaller
flavinea hatching in July and August. On hot sunny days, Green Drakes may not emerge, but
nymphs still catch fish. Since Green Drake nymphs live in rough, fast water with vegetation, rocks,
and snags, bring lots of flies. If your fly does not hang up occasionally, you're not fishing deep
enough.
The strongest Green Drake hatches occur on cool, cloudy, humid days. When they reach the surface, Green Drake emergers may hang, suspended vertically, caught in a transition between nymph and dun while attempting to fully free their bodies and long silvery wings from the remaining nymphal shuck. Dangling in the surface film, unable to fly or swim away, they provide easy targets for foraging trout. Because of this vulnerability, emergers frequently outperform typical dun imitations.
Because Western Green Drake spinner falls generally occur in the wee hours of the morning--about
4 A.M.--they hold little importance to most anglers.
For the best Green Drake success, keep these suggestions in mind: Fish the nymph from an hour
before the expected hatch time, and fish it deep. Add an ascending nymph, or emerger, as a dropper for increased action.
Switch to a dangling emerger or a newly emerged dun pattern floating in the meniscus during the
hatch. Or try a drowned adult when the big guys are reluctant to come to the surface. In addition,
be sure all your flies accurately portray living insects, not other fly patterns. Now is the time to
watch for the onset of the Green Drakes on your favorite trout stream.

Parachute Green Drake (Dry)

Hook: TMC 102 #10-12, Thread: 6/0 Olive, Tail: Moose mane fibers (3), Body: Olive Dubbing
(Fine), Wing: Moose Mane, Hackle: Grizzly dyed olive.


Green Drake Emerger

Hook: #8-12, dry fly, 2XL, Thread: Olive 3/0, Tail: Moose body hair, Rib: Yellow floss
strand, Body: Olive, dubbed, Wing: Black elk body hair, Hackle: Olive-dyed grizzly.

Hare’s Ear Nymph (Olive): Green Drake Nymph

Hook: #12 to #18 nymph or wet fly, Thread: 6/0 - 8/0 black, Tail: Pheasant Tail, Body: Olive
hare's ear dubbing, Rib: Gold thread or wire, Wingcase: Pheasant tail.
Good Luck and Tight Lines!

Midges - Part II

As I recall, my article last December focused on midges. Well, what can I say? They are
such an important food source for trout, in most cases the only food source for trout, in the
winter that I felt another look at midges was warranted. This being especially true as we
enter yet another winter season.
Midges are of the order Diptera, family Chironomidae…a prolific species of insect found
in our local streams, rivers and lakes. Midges are found in a number of various sizes and
color variations and the patterns used to imitate them are numerous. This month I will
highlight a few of my own personal favorites that I have found to produce consistently
when properly fished throughout the winter months.
As I stated previously, midges are predominant throughout the year in most waters and
make up a large part of a trout’s diet all year long. So, you should have a selection of
midge patterns in your fly box year round.
Midges don’t look like Mayflies with their distinctive “sailboat” wings nor do they look
like Caddisflies with their swept back “tent-like” wings. They typically have a double set
of wings but don’t present the same silhouette as mayflies or caddis.
Most commonly in fly fishing, midge patterns are represented by the larval and pupal
stages of the insect. The larvae of many midges are red, because hemoglobin is present in
blood, and are known as bloodworms. A red thread Midge Larva is one example of a
Midge Larva pattern. The Black Beauty and Rojo Midge are examples of the pupal stage.
The Griffith Gnat is an example of the midge adult…more accurately, a midge cluster
(several adult midges in a cluster). A typical midge dry fly would be a small gray parachute
midge. You could also use a small #24-26 Parachute Adams to fish a midge hatch on
the surface. Tying them that small challenges even the best tier!
Fishing Midges is very similar to fishing Mayflies. Fish Midge Larva and Pupae the
same way you would fish Mayfly Nymphs and Emergers…usually dead-drifted. For example,
I like to fish Midge Larva under a San Juan Worm or some other type of attractor pattern…
perhaps a bead headed PT? I typically like to fish the Black Beauty (in its various
configurations…the Mercury Black Beauty is my favorite), the Black Rojo Midge and the
Brassie under an attractor such as the Mercury Rainbow Warrior or the Gun Metal Midge.
I also like to fish a two midge pupa configuration such as a beaded zebra midge under a
beaded black beauty.
Remember, and this is crucial to all your nymph fishing, be mindful of the amount of
weight you are using in your rig depending on the depth of the water and speed of the
drift. Also, be mindful of your strike indicator placement depending on the depth of the
water…if you use one. The combinations are varied and many so I would encourage you to
experiment with various combinations.