The Mayfly Stages of Life 101

[fishbaithohaha]

An interesting article, The Mayfly Stages of Life 101, on the home page.

The article describes mayfly emerger's wings, while drying, as drab gray in color. This suggest, using only grayish materials for tying emerger patterns.

Is the trailing shuck, clear/grey or will it have a slight coloration?

Pictures of duns show mayflies with colored wings. When do the wings take on coloration?

 

[pcray1231]

The article describes mayfly emerger's wings, while drying, as drab gray in color. This suggest, using only grayish materials for tying emerger patterns.

Varies a little by species, but we use the color "dun" generally. We have light duns, dark duns, etc.

Is the trailing shuck, clear/grey or will it have a slight coloration?

Again, varies, but generally a clearish whitish gray. Think flaky dry skin, perhaps a little more reflective than human flaky dry skin.

Pictures of duns show mayflies with colored wings. When do the wings take on coloration?

Many are tinged shades of dun, or grayish. Some can be a bit more colored.

They take it on slowly after molting. At all lifestages a mayfly molts, i.e. leaves the previous stage's exoskeleton behind. It happens from nymph-->dun obviously, but also from dun-->spinner. Shortly after the molt the wings are usually a lighter grayish/dunnish shade. As the wings stiffen into shape they slowly take on their final color over a period of hours or even days.

 

[fishbaithohaha]

Thank you for answering my questions. Is the same true for legs?

 

[Chaz]

I use z-lon for trailing shucks in a sort of bronze color, which does reflect light from different angles and change colors as it drifts. It's the color of most exoskeletons.

 

[Maurice]

I read an article once about creating trailing shucks streamside when the need arose by just hanging a hunk of panty hose on the hook bend.

I am sure you could tie a piece onto the bend as well.