Ephemerella subvaria

[crepuscular]

Ephemerella subvaria nymph it won't be long...

 

[SBecker]

Really cool thanks for sharing.

 

[Fishidiot]

Some gorgeous photography.
Looking forward to seeing some of these guys soon.

 

[lv2nymph]

Nice, another one for the books.

 

[InCahoots]

Are there Hendricksons on Spring Creek? I watched a guy do well fishing a Hendrickson nymph but afterwards a number of people told me they are not found on that stream. What gives? Putting together a little fly selection for the stream. Thanks!

 

[troutbert]

InCahoots wrote:
Are there Hendricksons on Spring Creek? I watched a guy do well fishing a Hendrickson nymph but afterwards a number of people told me they are not found on that stream. What gives? Putting together a little fly selection for the stream. Thanks!

There is not a Hendrickson hatch on Spring Creek.

Never think that because someone catches a trout on a particular imitation, whether nymph or dry or whatever, that it means that that insect exists there.

The larger Sulphur nymphs look very similar to Hendrickson nymphs. The two bugs are closely related.

But even in a stream that had zero mayflies, you could catch trout on a Hendrickson nymph. To a trout it just looks like a bug to eat.

 

[InCahoots]

Thanks Troutbert, I understand. Can I assume they don't exist on Penns Creek, Big Spring, or the Yellow Breeches since they are limestone streams too?

 

[troutbert]

InCahoots wrote:
Thanks Troutbert, I understand. Can I assume they don't exist on Penns Creek, Big Spring, or the Yellow Breeches since they are limestone streams too?

They are on Penns Creek and Yellow Breeches Creek.

Not on Big Spring Creek.

I think it is extremely likely that they were on Spring Creek in the past, but were lost, along with many other species. Spring Creek is an urban stream.

 

[InCahoots]

Thanks. You've been very helpful. Most of my fishing has been on mountain freestone streams. I have much to learn about limestoners.

 

[LeTortAngler2]

Hatch charts will help you. Most famous steams have them and a simple google search should bring one up.

 

[addictedangler]

Hatches can come and all but disappear then make a come back. The Yellowbreeches had a great Hendrickson hatch 30 plus years ago. Then for I am guessing 25 yrs or so not many if any at all. The last 5 or 6 years they have been strong and dependable. Last years cold winter delayed them but they were still there in fair numbers. Also we have good grannom caddis at the same time frame so dry and wet fly fishing can be excellent early in the year for us.

 

[pcray1231]

Limestone vs. freestone doesn't come into it that much, other than as a predictor for other things.

Water quality is one. For instance, as TB says, many hatches that Spring Creek historically had, it no longer does. This is common throughout the state. Some bugs (such as sulphers) are more tolerant of water quality issues and thus hung on through some abuse, and as a result, are now much more widespread than some other bugs.

The other big one is physical habitat. Substrate, current, etc. Some bugs thrive in rocky pools, others in rocky riffles, others in gravel, others in silt, etc. Certainly, limestone vs. freestone is correlated with some of those things, but it doesn't cause them, per se. Penns Creek in the canyon, for instance, is a limestoner by water chemistry but the character of the habitat is considered more typical of a freestoner. BFC is a similar situation. But the Letort, well, you won't find the rocky riffle type bugs there. You will find plenty of bugs associated with vegetation, like cressbugs. You'll also find mayflies associated with silt/fine gravel and slow water, like Baetis variety BWO's.

 

[Chaz]

The bugs were pretty much wiped out during chemical spills, some have come back most have not.