The sweet of the year

“I chose my cast, a March Brown dun, and ran down to the river, chasing hope.”

—Wilfred S. Blunt, “A New Pilgrimage,” 1889

Well, here it comes ladies and gentlemen, what R. Palmer Baker, the author, referred to as “the sweet of the year.” By the time this is printed, March Brown mayflies will be hatching from all of the Catskill and Pocono waters. They will be quickly followed by the size-16 Sulphur Duns, or if you prefer Latin, the Ephemerella dorotheas. Well before that hatch peters out, fly fishers will be seeing both Green and Brown Drakes. These are the largest mayflies we will see locally, unless you are fishing a trout pond where you might possibly find the Hexagenia limbata mayfly emerging from the surface of the pond. This fly is truly a monster among mayflies. Flyfishers refer to it simply as the “Hex.” Our mayfly hatches have so diminished over the years it may be hard for eastern fishermen to imagine the great number of flies that occur during Hexagenia hatches. The swarm of flies is often so numerous that they can actually be picked up by Doppler radar. I have often wondered if Crystal Lake has this mayfly in its waters. If so, I would expect that the brook trout in that pond would feed voraciously when these insects are hatching.

Just about every fly fisher is familiar with the fly known as the Green Drake. They look forward to its emergence with great anticipation. Some say the dun of this mayfly does not provide good fishing. They claim that the fall of the female spinners after they have mated and fall to the water to lay their eggs provides the best fishing opportunities. The female spinners are known as Coffin Flies. (The term spinner refers to the mature, adult fly.) The large wings of the Coffin Fly are blotched with dark brown markings, while the body is a bright creamy white. It is a beautiful insect, which the trout apparently consider to be quite tasty.

I have been told by several fly fishers, who have forgotten more than I have learned, that the Brown Drake exists in the Delaware River system in good numbers. Most fishers tend to miss seeing this fly because it often hatches just at, or slightly after, dark. This fly is slightly smaller than the Green Drake. Like the Green Drake, it carries three tails, but the body varies from a light to a dark brown while the body of the Green Drake is more of a creamy olive shade.

Various chores either around the cabin or on local trout streams have prevented the Tangler from doing any fishing this past week. Tom Brown, my neighbor upstream, and Mark Rando, both members of the Upper Delaware Chapter of Trout Unlimited, have taken several nice fish up to 22 inches. Tom tells me he saw a few March Browns on the Main Stem of the Delaware. While planting willow slips on the banks of Hankins Creek, I spied a large fly perched on a streamside rock. A close inspection showed that this big fellow was indeed a March Brown dun. (The term dun refers to the immature form of the mayfly.) On the same stone, only inches away from the March Brown sat a tiny Blue Winged Olive, a tenth the size of the larger fly. A titan and a pygmy in close proximity.

As I was planting the last of the willow slips, I suddenly became aware that I had unexpected company. Conservation Officer Winnick had been observing my labors for some ten minutes. He admitted he had been puzzled by my actions, for it seemed to him that perhaps I was panning for gold in Hankins Creek. I laughingly assured him that this was not the case. While at times I have done some downright silly things while fooling around in trout streams, this time I was planting willows in order to try to stabilize the stream bank. Once the officer realized I was not involved in some nefarious business, we had a pleasant chat. I’m always delighted to meet one of the dedicated, hard-working conservation officers who keep the poachers at bay. An active conservation officer is the best deterrent to those who would break the fish and game laws. I hope to run into Officer Winnick frequently.

Now is the time folks. Take your fly rod and visit the nearest brook or river. Let nothing deter you. Remember, the trout do not rise in Greenwood Cemetery.