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Posts tagged "Black Quill"

Mid May Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - May 13, 2021

The past couple of weeks have had some cold overnight temperatures dropping water temps which in turn made for sporadic bug emergences and negatively affected the fishing.

Water temps had dropped on local rivers including the Manistee, AuSable and Boardman into the 40s. Already two days of sunshine is helping those temps stay in the mid-50s with more sun and normal night time temps forecast ahead which should help stabilize temps, improve emergences, and make for better trout fishing. Trout hate drops in water temps, especially when under 60 degrees so time of day and sunshine can make a difference on when to likely experience a hatch.

Already we are seeing the last of the dark Hendricksons (mostly spinners that didn’t freeze), light Hendricksons, caddis, and brown stones. Look for more bugs to show up including Sulphurs, black quills, Mahoganies, and more. This time of year can offer some really good dry fly fishing, but it’s technical fishing with clear water and educated fish – bring your A-game and a lot of different mayfly imitations including an assortment of Borcher’s Drakes.

The clear water is making streamer fishing a little tougher, too. Between hatches/emergences, fish the smaller patterns low and slow and cycle the colors until you find one that works for the day’s conditions. And the fish’s preference.

Lake fishing hasn’t been on fire but like the trout rivers, this warm weather will get those fish into the shallows any day if they haven’t already.

Good luck.

Ted

Trout Fishing – May and June offer some of the best streamer and dry fly hatches of the year.
Learn to Fly Fish – Tailor a half-day trip to learning how to fly fish –
perfect for beginners or those looking to dial in a new technique.
Fall Steelhead – Some good dates remain in November and into December

au sable, Black Quill, caddis, fly fishingreport, hendricksons, manistee river, sulphurs, traverse city fly fishing

Trout Fishing Before the Hex Hatch

Posted by Jeanne Kraimer - March 16, 2012
Fishing Before The Hex Hatch

Great Hatches & Fishing Before the Hex Hatch

The hex hatch that occurs every year from Mid-June and sometimes extending into Mid-July is no secret to anyone who has fished and/or read about Northern Michigan’s trout fishing. Just as the western rivers are known for the salmonfly or stonefly hatch, the hex is our claim to angling and fly fishing notoriety.

The large, nocturnal hatching hexagenia limbata mayflies bring out some of the largest and most-weary fish, but it also brings on big expectations, crowded riverbanks, and dark fishing condition. Do I dare suggest abandoning hex fishing? Absolutely not – just consider the great fishing opportunities just prior to the hex hatch for the year’s best dry fly fishing.

Fishing Before the Hex - Isonychia Dun

 

 

 

 

 

The Good News

Fishing Before the Hex

Spinner Fall

In early June, anglers can expect to find a smorgasbord of bugs on the water. Mayflies, stoneflies and caddis – often at the same time – can be floating down the river. As they often do, trout can key in on not only a particular insect, but also life-stage providing anglers with some great dry-fly challenges.

Here is a breakdown of what mayflies you can expect to find on the water in the weeks prior to the hex emergence:

Sulphurs

Before the Hex - Sulphur Dun

Ted’s Sulphur Emerger

  • Latin: Ephemerella subvaria, rotunda, invaria, & dorthea
  • Common Name: Sulphurs, Light Hendricksons, Pale Evening Dun
  • Hook Size: #14-16

The Sulphur hatch encompasses a number of similar looking bugs all rolled up into one, long lasting hatch. Starting as early as mid-May, look for the bugs to continue well into the first few weeks of June.

The prolific nature of these bugs is partly due to a wide range of conditions that the bugs call home. From slow moving water to the fastest of riffles, the nymphs crawl around until conditions are right to emerge. Typically in the last two-three hours of evening before dark, these easy to identify bugs will start to populate the water’s surface before flying off to mature in to adults. Duns vary in color; they can be: yellow, creamy yellow, orange, yellow with hints of olive, and light green. They dun’s wings are a true dun (grey) color and all stages of this bug have three tails.

Sulphur spinners love riffles and can range in color from “rusty spinners”/ maroon to a mix of brown and yellow while all Sulphurs spinners sport clear wings. They can build in numbers a few hours before dark and fall to the water even past dark making for some of the most challenging fishing – small sips from large fish in low light. Be there.

Tip: Emergers are deadly for Sulphurs since they typically leave the water’s surface immediately after shucking its nymphal exoskeleton. Spinners at dark can bring up great fish. Although difficult to see, look for them in fading seams. Crouch down low in the water to help locate those delicate sippers.

Mahogany Dun

Before the Hex - Mahogany Dun

Sparkle Dun Emerger

  • Latin: Paraleptophlebia Adoptiva
  • Common Name: Mahogany Dun, Small Slate Wing Dun
  • Hook Size: #16

Found in mixed water: slow, moderate and quick riffles, these bugs are difficult to see on the broken surface of riffles, so be sure to look in the smoother water for not only identification, but also feeding fish. With three tails, the duns have grayish wings and a reddish brown color (hence the name Mahogany) whereas the duns have a slightly darker body and a clear wing.

The small size of the Mahogany Dun can bring up some of the larger fish to feed. What makes this bug a little less known to most anglers is that fish gently sip on them and hearing them is unlikely – you need to look astutely for risers. Once you see fish in their teens and into twenty inches feeding on these you might not be a believer that such a small bug is of significance. Look closely at tail outs and glassy flats for the smallest ring of the rise for fish feeding. Because they often hatch the last couple of hours before dark, the fish can be very selective to your presentation. One blown cast or some drag on the fly that resembles a mayfly on water skis crossing the wake and its all over.

Tip: The Mahogany Dun is one of those flies that the fish just like to key on some days even though there are other bugs to choose from. Do these bugs sit in the water differently, dead-drift longer or simply taste better? It doesn’t matter; learn to recognize when this bug is on the water and have a skeleton key to some of the most selective trout.

Black Quills

Borcher’s Drake Parachute

  • Latin: Leptophlebia cupida
  • Common Name: Borchers Drake
  • Hook Size: #12-14

Black Quills are not one of our most prolific bugs populating our local rivers, but they are worth making note of. Starting in the first part of May, anglers will find these bugs on and above the water.

This bug consistently shows itself in daylight and because of its size it is significant to trout and trout anglers. Make some room in your fly box for some Borcher’s Drake Parachute imitations and don’t be afraid to fish them blindly as you cover water when no fish are rising.

Look for this three tailed bug to have a very dark colored body and a wing with black splotches. Spinners are clear winged and prefer riffles. The tails are noticeable on these flies as they are longer than most mayfly’s tails – approximately 2 times rather than 1 ½ times the body length.

Tip: The Borcher’s Drake pattern is a great imitation for Black Quills. Borchers also do a good job of suggesting other patterns that are dark in color when in spinner form – no fly box in Michigan should be without a collection of these flies in sizes 12-16.

Learn how to tie the Borcher’s Drake Parachute fly pattern »

Bat Flies

Before the Hex - Bat Fly

Jerry Regan’s Bat Fly

  • Latin: Baetisca
  • Common Name: Bat Fly, Armored Mayfly
  • Hook Size: # 16-18

Not much is known about this bug, but you should know this: if you fish the Upper Manistee, The Boardman or AuSable Rivers in June, have some. Have you ever experienced fish rising but not being able to determine what it was they were eating? Chances are it was the Bat Fly the fish were keyed in on.

Named for its shape, the Bat Fly has practically no abdomen – a lot like a bat itself; lots of wing and a robust thorax to support them. This bug has three tails with the middle one shorter than the others. Its body color is a golden brown to olive color and is slightly mottled as is the wing of the dun. Spinner’s wings are clear. The spinner is the pattern of most importance to anglers and they often are on the water for weeks becoming an important source of food for fish.

Fished to rising fish in slow to moderate flats in fading light is the best way to describe situations you are most-likely to experience. While I nor clients have been lucky enough to witness fish over twenty inches feeding on these bugs, I will say it is a staple diet of fish up to 18 inches in length.

Tip: Because this isn’t a well-known mayfly, your fishing buddy probably will be unprepared. Make some money on the water by selling him some extra flies or just make him green with envy at the success your small, “body-less” fly is bringing you.

Brown Drakes

Before the Hex - Neally's Brown Drake

Neally’s Brown Drake

  • Latin: Ephemera Simulans
  • Common Name: Brown Drakes, Roberts Yellow Drake
  • Hook Size: #10

The second largest mayfly we experience next to the hex – the Brown Drake is an emergence you don’t want to miss. When they come off, they typically do so heavily and the fish are taking clear advantage of the low-light gravy train. Not a long hatch – typically less than an hour just before dark and sometimes into dark – and for only a few days, trying to nail down and be on the water when they come off is well worth it.

The three tailed nymphs live in both silt in sand, but can be found in mixed sand and gravel areas. The emergers take a while to make the transition into an adult and therefore it’s a good stage to represent with a fly. Duns have a brown body with yellow/cream splotches and medium tan wings with darker splotches. Spinners with their clear wings with dark splotches usually return to the water a few days after emergence to mate over riffle areas where they become easy prey for trout. Because of their size, fishing a brown drake nymph during its hatch window can be effective – down and across with rising/jigging of the rod tip. The same holds true with Isonycias (see below).

Tip: Neally’s Brown Drake Pattern is simply an awesome imitation for this bug. Not only do the fish like it, but in low light, you will too!

Isonychias

Before the Hex - Isonychia

Ted’s Tilt-Shoot Iso

  • Latin: Isonychia Bicolor & Isonychia salderi
  • Common Name: Slate Wing Dun, Iso, White Glove Howdy, Maroon Duns
  • Hook Size: 12-14

Found on our rivers in two varieties – Iso’s are one of the most prolific bugs that rivers like the Manistee are enriched with. This fly loves riffles and according to entomology text books, they emerge into an adult after they crawl to the bank. I am confident in telling you that these bugs do float down the river and make the transition from nymph to adult. The fish take notice also. Their size helps make them an important food source and they are known to sometimes emerge in small numbers throughout the day.

Isonychia duns have two legs and can vary in color – from a light olive/gray to medium brown with hints of red (think large Mahogany); their wings are a milky dun color. Spinners often collect in the evening above riffles or any slight break in the water’s surface. Their bodies are much thinner now and are a dark maroon and clear wing fall to the water. These bugs are easy to identify as the front two legs are white/cream in color – pick one off the water and look.

Tip: Realistic looking patterns fished throughout the day – blindly (boon-dogging) can produce some surprising results. While streamer fishing is preferred by many during the light of day, it’s not for everyone. If this is the case, tie on a dun or spinner and work seams on top and be sure to set the hook slowly when you see a lot of trout come up and eat.

Learn how to tie the Tilt-Shoot Isonychia fly pattern »

Gray Drakes

Before the Hex - Gray Drake

Ted’s Gray Drake Spinner

  • Latin: Siphlonurus
  • Common Name: Gray Drake
  • Size: 10-12

Grey Drakes are a bug that build in prolific numbers above any type of broken water, but are rarely seen on the water as adults. These flies are Gray in color as their name suggests and often hit the water hard giving the fish a predominate choice in food. Like most spinners, look for them to collect in swarms up to two hours prior nightfall.

The spinners have two tails and are easily identified by a white ring around the bottom of their eye. Be ready to fish after dark as the spinners can continue to fall if the air temperatures stay warm.

Tip: A tandem rig of two flies works great – my favorite combo is a #12 Parachute Adams and a Gray Drake Spinner. Use the leading parachute to help you track the two flies and use it as an indicator since rises in broken water can be difficult to detect.

Presentation and Equipment

Fishing Before the Hex - Evening Hatch

The Magic Hour

Having the right fly in your box is only part of the equation that is going to make the night on the water memorable. Remember: presentation trumps fly selection.

If you have the right fly but don’t effectively present it to the fish, you are likely to miss out on hooking fish. A little practice during the day to make sure your flies and leaders are turning over, that your mends are proactive and that your casting accuracy is dialed in can pay off later when you might get your chance at rising fish.

Even though all of the flies listed vary in size, your favorite rods in 4 & 5 weight will work just fine. Length is a matter of preference – just make sure you have a rod that will assist you with good line control once it’s on the water. Leaders from 4x-6x are fine and should be at least 9ft in length. With the great mayfly hatches of June come other bugs; the mosquitoes and no-see-ums can be heavy so make sure you have your favorite bug repellent stashed in your vest. Note: Repellent containing DEET will damage leaders, line and other equipment so be careful applying it and be sure to keep it off of the insides of your hands. Even though it’s not the hex hatch, you will still want a headlamp because many of these bugs will still feed fish when it is difficult to see. Having a light makes it not only easy to tie your fly on, but also getting back to your car.

Weather or Not

All rivers have a different hatch calendar – that is the exact times that particular bugs emerge. Mostly dependent on water temperatures, “hatch-windows” can carry-on for weeks if an angler is looking to move to different sections of a river chasing bugs or even change which river to fish.

The weather, it seems, the past number of years has been more unstable and fairly inconsistent day to day through the month of June. Cooler evenings, hotter days, stretches of cool days and/or a mix of all of these has had an effect on what bugs hatch and when. The good news is, when we have the diversity of various bugs emerging at overlapping periods there are several possibilities to catch fish on. The end of May and the month of June is a great time of the year to experience some of the best dry fly fishing this State has to offer – get out there before the hex, the crowds and the dark.

Author’s Note: Most of the fly patterns used in this article are commercially tied and available locally at The Northern Angler, here in Traverse City, Michigan.

Upper Manistee & Boardman Rivers Hatch Chart

baetisca fly, bat fly, Black Quill, borcher drake, borcher's drake, brown drake, gray drakes, hex hatch, iso dun, isonychia, mahogany dun, manistee river hex, manistee river trout, nealleys brown drake, patterns, roberts yellow drake, rusty spinner fly, sulphur dun, the northern angler, traverse city, white glove howdy

Borcher’s Drake – Parachute

Posted by Jeanne Kraimer - March 15, 2012
Borchers Drake Fly Pattern - Parachute

Borcher's Drake - Parachute

The Borcher’s Drake represents a number of different flies that hatch in the region, not just one particular mayfly making it not only versitle, but also effective. You will want to tie this pattern in various sizes to imitate many of our early mayfly patterns which include but are not limited to: Hendricksons, Mahoganies, March Browns, Black Quills, Sulphurs & Isonychias. This list of mayflies vary in color however this pattern does a good job of imitating the spinner stage of the aforementioned mayflies which all tend to be dark in color, often a mahogany/rusty color.

The original drake pattern was tied with condor feather and was more of a traditional Cat-Skill style hackle with up-right wings. The recipe and directions for the drake pattern below uses easy to find materials and is tied in a parachute style.

Borchers Drake - Hendrickson

Parachutes are my favorite style of dry flies because they sit low in the water, have an excellent silhouette and provide an easy to see post. I also like how parachutes tend to land properly on the water and are – in my opinion – much easier to tie than the original.

Originally tied by Ernie Borcher of the Grayling area in the mid 1900’s, the drake pattern has been recognized as one of a few that should be in every angler’s fly box when fishing Michigan rivers in May and June. It’s easy to tie, effective to fish and a staple in my fly box. Not into fly tying? The Northern Angler in Traverse City stocks this custom-tied drake pattern in a variety of sizes.

 

Borcher’s Drake Recipe

Hook:              TMC 100 12 – 16
Thread:           Uni-8/0  Camel
Tail:                Moose Body
Body:              Cinnamon Tip Turkey Tail
Rib:                 x-small copper wire
Post:               Hi-Vis or Para-Post
Hackle:           Grizzly
Abdomen:       Brown Dry Fly Dubbing

 

Tying Instructions

Borchers Drake - Step 1Step 1. Wrap thread base from behind eye to above barb.

Borchers Drake - Step 2Step 2. Stack/even 4-5 moose body hairs and tie in so the
pointed ends extend 1 ½ times the length of the hook shank.

Borchers Drake - Step 3Step 3. Tie in rib/copper wire extending backward.

Borchers Drake - Step 4Step 4. Take a clump of turkey tail and remove/pull it from the stem. Tie in by the tips at the rear
of the hook where the rib is tied in. (Approximately ¼ -inch of fibers for a size 12)

Borchers Drake - Step 5Step 5. Tightly wrap the turkey forward slightly building a tapered body that gets thicker as
you approach the eye. Stop wrapping and tie off 1/3rd of the way back from the eye.

Borchers Drake - Step 7Step 6. Wrap the ribbing through the body in the opposite direction that you did the body material for
reinforcement. Then tie in your post material where the body ends. I like to make
a small loop out of the synthetic post material to keep a wing like profile.

Borchers Drake - Step 7Step 7. Tie in a hackle feather along the base and up the post.

Borchers Drake - Step 8Step 8. Dub a thorax that is slightly larger than the body. Most mayfly spinners
have a thin abdomen and a large thorax – keep that in mind when dubbing .

Borchers Drake - Step 9Step 9. Wrap a generous parachute wing with the hackle feather and tie off.

Borchers Drake Fly Pattern - ParachuteStep 10. Whip finish being careful not to trap any of the hackle in the process.

 

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