Spring Creek, Centre County, 5/12/09

[ezpickins]

Spring Creek, Centre County, 5/12/09Time Fished: Approx 10:30 - darkWeather: Sunny but Cool, High 50's to low 60's (best guess)Stream Conditions: Perfect - a bit high, but just how you'd like it.All of my fishing was in fast moving riffle/run type water HatchesCaddis: Size 16 gray/olive (drab - not bright green body), mottled gray/black wing; smaller caddis approx. size 18, light tan wing (didn't get a good look at the body)Mayflies Stenacron interpunctatum (Light Cahil): These were big. I'm saying size 12 verging on size 10 big. Body was pale-yellow on the bottom of thorax/abdomen with brown markings on top. Wing was bright yellow with black veins and speckles. These came off periodically through-out the day more-so in morning and early afternoon. Fish did not target duns voraciously, I think there just wasn't quite enough on the surface, but fish certainly did take duns. Ephemerella Invaria: This was the big story for me. These guys came off sporadically through-out the day providing continued dry-fly action. About 3:00 PM there was a brief burst of more concentrated activity, and good surface action. These bugs were small - size 16. Yellow-orange in color with more orange on the thorax. Pale gray/yellow wings . The best pattern for me was a size 16 with yellow-orange mix of dubbing, cream hackle (tied thorax style) and trimmed on bottom, thin deer-hair clump wing (single post). This was a very thin-bodied fly with very sparse hackle and wing. It out-fished any other style fly for me. I tried parachutes and comparaduns - but without much success. These were smaller than I expected - I though that they were Dorotheas until I got home and studied the photo that I took (see below). Please correct the taxonomy if it's wrong. Midges: I fished a great hatch of cream midges just a dark. These were super tiny, I couldn't really say - but if I was forced I'd say 28. It was tough fishing - due to zero visibilty of my fly - but I managed to hook six or seven in about 20 minutes on a size 20 "Midgehammer" style midge. Not easy to hook and land on the small flie though - only brought two to net on the midge.
Also there was no significant spinner fall of any kind that I witnessed (could have happened after dark).Hatching bugs, rising fish, beautiful weather - who could ask for more.

 

[JackM]

Nice report. That sulfur seems to be missing part of his hind leg and his tails as well.

 

[ezpickins]

JackM said "Nice report. That sulfur seems to be missing part of his hind leg and his tails as well."It's a rare sub-species. It's important to imitate the missing leg and tails when tying your flies.

 

[JackM]

"Ephemerella invaria is commonly mistaken for Ephemerella dorothea because of their closeness in size and apearence. Taking a closer look you will find the tails of Ephemerella invaria are striped, while the tails of Ephemerella dorothea are solid. "

 

[ezpickins]

Hey for any one who's interested - I finally finished a blog post to go along with the report above. It's more long-winded and has some more pics. See blog link in my signature. Here's a pic of the Hair-wing Thorax sulphur that I had luck with:

 

[CaptMatt]

Hi EZ,

Thats a killer looking little Sulphur pattern!

Cheers.