It’s the middle of may and the most important hatch of the year is on. At least in Northern Europe. There are plenty of hatches in the World, where huge insects hatch that can bring the big ones to the surface. In Europe, it’s the Ephemera danica and it’s slightly smaller still water cousin, Ephemera vulgata.
In a fly fisher’s year there are always seasonal highlights that usually occur either when fishing for a particular species open, when seasons turn and not least when certain hatches occur. Some hatches are more important than others and they are of course not the same all over. Streams and still waters have different hatches that happen on different times. Most of them of course begin when spring begins to heat up the water.
The fly tying season is well underway and everywhere flies are tied and the boxes are filled for the upcoming season and for the adventures out by the water.
Continue reading “Troutman Hex”
The two largest mayflies that hatch in Scandinavia are the E. Danica and it’s still water relative, E. Vulgata. Most commonly they are simply referred to as “may flies”. In this article, Andreas Larsson tells you more or less everything you need to know about the E. Vulgata, the imitations and the few tips on how to succeed in a hatch.
Continue reading “Green drakes and brown trout”
Not mayflies as such – but the mayfly, the E. Danica and it’s stillwater relative, E. Vulgata are hatching now – or will be in a matter of days. Writing a blog can be many things and repetitive to a degree is one of them. There are seasonal highlights that deserve a spot on the blog every year and I believe we’ve covered the big mayfly hatch every year since the blog began.
Continue reading “The Mayfly”
The elegant mayflies like drakes, danicas and vulgates deserve an elegant hook for the imitations. We have for a long time had a desire for a long-shanked yet light hook for the hatch of the largest species of mayflies that can fool the most skeptical trout or grayling, and we have launched it now – the FW538 / 539 Mayfly Dry.
Continue reading “NEW RELEASE – FW538/539 MAYFLY DRY”
“Kært barn har mange navne” – a Danish proverb for “Beloved child has many names”. And that of course is also true for the Green Drakes, the largest of may flies that hatch in Europe, an important hatch as it’s the trout- and grayling fly fisher’s best chance for some of the river’s largest fish on a dry fly. The Danica/Vulgata hatch is one of the season peaks we all look forward to.
The large and beautiful Ephemera vulgata lives in lakes and slow flowing rivers. It also lives in the large and dominating shadow of it’s close sibling, the Ephemera danica. I guess the focus on streams as the cradle of flyfishing culture has something to do with that. Continue reading “The second mayfly – and a skeleton diver”
Spring has turned directly into something that feels a lot like summer in our neck of the woods. We are still in May, though – and here in Scandinavia that means mayfly time. And it’s not just any mayfly I talk about. It is the large Ephemera danica that is commonly found in clear water rivers and lakes with sandy or gravelly bottoms throughout Europe and the British Isles. Together with it’s close relative, the lake-living Ephemera vulgata, this is flyfishing’s national bird around here. Continue reading “The Mayfly… Ephemera danica – fly fishing’s national bird around here”
