Mayfly nymph size and color?

[Steeltrap]

There have been a few mayfly hatches on the stream I've been fishing and I can see the trout moving\flashing\feeding on something drifting down the stream. I've tossed out several nymphs with no success. (Success has been with a Walt's worm, a sunken Stimulator, Wooly bug) and I'm fairly certain it's the mayfly nymph they are after.

Any suggestions on size\color and design of tying up a Mayfly nymph??

Thanks

 

[troutbert]

Check out Sulphur Nymphs. At your local fly shop, or by Googling it. Size 12-18 are useful, but size 14 and 16 is what I use the most, and of those size 16 is tops.

But are you sure those "turning" fish are trout? Many times they are other fish. Suckers, fallfish, chubs.

 

[Steeltrap]

There are suckers in the stream for sure. Now you have me guessing at what I was looking at, but I'm pretty certain I saw "jaw" on the fish head.

Sulpher Nymphs are in my box......They just never got on the end of the leader.

 

[Tigereye]

Fish feeding on nymphs aren't nearly as selective as when feeding on duns. A #16 PT, Hares ear, walts worm, or green weenie will usually turn the trick. I'd be very surprised if you got past the hares ear.

 

[JeffK]

If bugs are hatching, go with the size of the hatching bugs. 14 and 16 pheasant tails cover a lot of ground. The nymphs about to hatch may be swimming around and are available to hungry trout. An old guide was to pick up a rock and get a general impression of the nymphs. Ask two questions: are they big or small and are they dark or light? Fish appropriate size and shade nymph in line with general impression.

That said, nymphs start with an egg and grow to maximum size just before they hatch. Therefore, there will be plenty of smaller nymphs this time of year. For example, Hendrickson nymphs are listed as size 10 or 12 and they are in April just before they hatch. Now they are youngsters about a size 20.

And keep some cream nymphs in your arsenal as well. Nymph shells cannot grow so they must shed their shells to grow, just like crabs or crayfish. Each stage with its own size shell is called an instar and mayflies may have a dozen or so. So what? Well the freshly shed nymphs will be a lighter color and trout love "soft shell" nymphs.

 

[use2wuz]

Fish feeding on nymphs aren't nearly as selective as when feeding on duns. A #16 PT, Hares ear, walts worm, or green weenie will usually turn the trick. I'd be very surprised if you got past the hares ear.

+1 on the GRHE and/or Sawyer Pheasant Tail too

 

[Dave_W]

Any suggestions on size\color and design of tying up a Mayfly nymph??

Thanks

Take some time to pick up some rocks on the streams you fish and observe the nymphs you see on them (worthwhile endeavor on bass rivers too, BTW).

You will note that the mayfly nymphs you see in PA are generally on the small side and typically dark earth tones. Most of the nymphs will have a body size, not counting tail, in the range of 1/4 to 1/2 inch. Dark brown is the most prevalent color with some species nearly black.