Clarks Creek FFO Dauphin county 5/23/11

[flyers18]

Fished Clarks today from about 12 til 4. Caught 12 fish majority on march brown flymph. Water was high but clear only saw a few yellow stones. Wanted to stay late to see if there was any sulfur activity but t-storms were approaching. Was miffed that I didnt see any march browns hatching and I'm hoping to see the dark green drake again this year it was about this time last year that I ran into them on clarks.

 

[flyfishinx2]

green drakes and march browns on Clarks ??? I never knew that creek had those hatches

 

[PaulG]

Clarks has a nice MB hatch, as far as GD's, I never seen any myself, but other guys have told me they seen them in small numbers.

PaulG

 

[Fredrick]

I have seen a couple last year here's a pic

 

[flyers18]

Yes Frederick that is it. I seen quite a few of them last year on clarks. I was very suprised on how many were hatching the day I was there. The only other stream I had seen these hatch on before was Big Fishing Creek in Lamar.

 

[Gorosaurus]

Excellent info. I hope that the rain takes a bit of a rain check and holds off for the evening today. I'm hoping to head up there this evening and trying my hand in the FF section. March Browns locked and loaded!

 

[flyers18]

If your gonna fish the evening take some sulfurs along. The water was high but clear yesterday but I don't know how hard it got hit with last evenings thunderstorms.

 

[RonB]

I could be wrong but that looks like a brown drawke to me....Looks a little dark to be a green drake. I live along the lower end of Big Buffalo creek and the brown drake hatches good there.

 

[jayL]

After looking at a few photos of brown drakes (I have never seen one in person), I agree.

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

Thats a Hex fly spinner IMO, but brown drakes do look vary similar. Hard to tell.

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

Related link to another thread.


Seems Clarks has this fly from time to time.
I thought we discussed this fly before. Some think Hex, some think yellow drake. I said yellow drake for the dun last time.......

Just throw a big yellow thing ;-)

 

[jayL]

salvelinusfontinalis wrote:
Thats a Hex fly spinner IMO, but brown drakes do look vary similar. Hard to tell.

I don't think it's a hex spinner. The wings aren't clear enough to be a spinner of any kind. I'll say that it's almost certainly a dun of some species, but who knows what.

http://www.troutnut.com/hatch/32/Mayfly-Hexagenia-limbata-Hex

 

[mrchunk]

I actually fished Clarks on Saturday with a friend of mine who lives in the Burg and fishes it regularly. I saw a few of these and questioned him on the species. I thought it was either a MB or Hendricksen. He said that there is a rare hatch of - forgetting exactly how he put it but something along the lines of a speckled Hendricksen.

I'd never heard of it and kind of blew it off because the fish werent eatin em anyways 😉

Throw another possibility into the mix. Not saying that's what it is cuz I didn't have as good a look at them as the pic in this thread. I tend to agree with it being a Brown or Yellow drake. It's certainly the right size.

 

[njk3395]

I'm pretty positive that is a hex.

 

[flyfishinx2]

I have to say that the fly in the pic looks like a hendrickson to me . Like mr Chunk I have also been told about some mysterious speckled mayfly on that stream.

 

[flyers18]

Its common name is Dark Green Drake. Its latin name is Litobrancha recurvata. Don't want to sound rude but some of you guys need to study up on your insects. Try reading Mayflies by Ted Fauceglia its got great photos of insects or Al Caucci's Hatches these books will help u identify mayflies

 

[wbranch]

It is not a spinner of any of the larger Ephemera mayflies indigenous to our waters. The wings aren't transparent as wings on Brown Drake spinners appear. The veining may be apparent but the wings wouldn't be that dark on a brown drake spinner. It is most assuredly not Ep guttulata.

flyers18 makes a good point about learning more about the insects on our waters. I've seen some of the comments made on these forums about what guys think is the name of the bug and they are often so far off base that it is comical. I'm by no means an entomologist but have a pretty good knowledge of most of the mayflies that are found on the waters that I frequent.

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

That is in no way a Dark Green Drake.

I only said spinner because the wings are clearer than what a hex dun or Yellow Drake would be.

I really dont need to study flies. I find it pointless. Match the size and color for christ sake and youll catch fish. I dont really care what bug it is as long as I have one in my box to match ;-)

 

[Nymph-O-Maniac]

Fished Clarks this evening for a few hours. The water is higher than usual but very gin clear and there is a bunch of fish in the FF only section. Not a person around and lots of rises. I did very well on various sizes of dark nymphs.

 

[Gorosaurus]

I also did Clarks Creek this evening. I was in the regular section, maybe a mile or so from the bridge. The water was much higher than I liked (with hip waders), but I managed to get some fishing done. I could get no action on my dry flies (march brown, ant, and sulfur), and some interest in nymphs. Beyond a fingerling brown and a 6 inch brookie, not much of an evening. A few junk fish like suckers as well.

As soon as it hit 8:30 the sulfurs rose hard! Fish were jumping and eating all around, but I must have had mine sized poorly. I suppose I will try again tomorrow