Mayfly Eggs

[MKern]

This is something I've wondered for a couple of years now, and decided to ask....

Do trout eat mayfly eggs after they are deposited?

I know that they eat them if they are still attached to bug.
But, lime green and floracent yellow seem to attract fish.

Or, once the egg sacks hit the water to they split apart and become almost microscopic?

 

[jayL]

Many years ago, I remembered reading one of the joke or literary last page articles in a fly fishing magazine. The guy was talking about fishing with midge eggs. Never caught anything. As for something like a mayfly or caddis egg sack... I'd imagine they would eat it. I doubt they'd chase it.

 

[flybop]

Many years ago there was an artical in one of the rags about may fly eggs. The author told of tying tiny dubbed balls to match the egg sacks of sulphurs, I think. Anyway, after reading this I tied a few size 26, orange egg balls and fished them as a trailer during a hatch on Penns. I did catch fish of them! The trick is to know how the females lay their eggs. Baetis females swimm or crawl underwater, I am pretty sure that sulphurs drop their egg sack in one shot over the water.

Thanks for the reminder. This actually did work and I should revisit it. The grannoms swim under water to lay eggs, but there is often masses of eggs floating in the river. I think I will try some bright green egg flies for them. This does open up that good old debate though: Will the anti glow bug guys jump all over this???

 

[sandfly]

Yes they do...I have watched trout feed on them behind a spinner that has fallen in the water. I think trout are after them tahn the spinner most times. What would rather eat a doz. eggs or a empty sausage casing for protein... most break apart within an inch or so of being dropped. try a small dubbed ball of fur a few inches behind a spinner.

 

[ryguyfi]

Pretty cool. I thought about during the caddis hatch a few weeks ago, but never got past that. Had some eggs stuck to my waders when I left the stream. Has to be pretty small though. good question!

 

[MKern]

I imagine at dusk/night you could still us a larger hook (18 or 20) and just use a small amount of dubbing. If they are truely keying on them, the hook should just blend away int eh duck right?

I was actually thinking of using colored hot glue...

 

[littlejuniata]

I feel confident that they do eat the White Fly egg mass, that is a tasty morsel for them

 

[David]

flybop wrote:
Many years ago there was an artical in one of the rags about may fly eggs. The author told of tying tiny dubbed balls to match the egg sacks of sulphurs, I think. Anyway, after reading this I tied a few size 26, orange egg balls and fished them as a trailer during a hatch on Penns. I did catch fish of them! The trick is to know how the females lay their eggs. Baetis females swimm or crawl underwater, I am pretty sure that sulphurs drop their egg sack in one shot over the water.
quote]





Good call, Flybop! I remember that article. By Art Lee on the Delaware..."The Egg and I" if memory serves.
I had the same success as you, but ran out at some point and never tied up more...

 

[Stone_Fly]

Sounds like a bunch of huey to me.

 

[osprey]

Saw a hatch awhile ago on the East branch of the first fork of the Sinnemehoning the trout were definaely targeting the females wit egg sacks and the Lady Beaverkill pattern was the ticket, the trout that time were absolutely after the eggs.