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Hatches › Mayfly
Ephemera simulans · species
A big burrowing mayfly that gives trout a strong surface target from emergence through the spinner fall.
Category
Mayfly
Category
The insect or forage category for this profile.
Size
Large; commonly imitated around hook sizes 8-12.
Size
Typical size range anglers imitate on the water.
Key stages
Eggs, Nymph, Emerger, Dun, Spinner, Egg Laying Spinner, Spent Spinner
Key stages
Life stages most relevant to fly fishing this hatch or forage.
Water types
trout streams, rivers, stream margins near slower seams
Water types
Water types where this bug or forage is commonly found.
Brown Drake, Ephemera simulans, is a large mayfly in the family Ephemeridae and one of the more important drake-style hatches in North America. Its nymphs burrow in soft bottom sediments, and both the emergence and mating activity are notable to anglers because fish key on the vulnerable insects at the surface.
Female mayflies lay hundreds to thousands of eggs in or near the water. These eggs then sink to the bottom of the stream.
Mayfly nymphs reside on the stream bottom, continuously feeding and growing. They undergo multiple molts before reaching maturity.
During this stage, the nymph ascends to the water's surface, where it transforms and hatches into an adult insect, ready to emerge from the water.
A freshly emerged adult, known as a dun, rests briefly on or just above the water's surface as it completes its transformation before flying off.
Once mature, the mayfly enters the spinner stage. Mated adults rise into the air for reproduction.
After mating, the female spinner returns to the water's surface to deposit her eggs, initiating the next generation.
Following egg-laying, adult mayflies die and can often be found floating on the water's surface, a common sight for anglers.
nymph
Fly Fish Food
Materials
emerger
The Weekly Fly
Materials
dun
henrysforkanglers
Materials
spinner
troutopia
Materials
Brown Drake
One species, multiple rivers.
