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On Esopus yesterday--mayfly--size 18, grey wings, grey body, legs/head yellow, 3 tails. ID ?
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Mayfly ID
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#5
sapentio 
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Posted 03 July 2010 - 05:04 PM
Esopus Guy, on 02 July 2010 - 07:24 PM, said:
Why??? Why throw dries in arguably the best nymph water in the Cats?
several reasons: 1. I fish with cane. 6ft 3wt. I like casting--the feel, athleticism,making different kinds of
casts. (Also, I fish above the portal--clear water. If I can't see to the bottom of a trout
stream, I won't fish it)
2. I like to watch the fly float and the fish take. I'm very visual
3. The one time I tried nymphing on Esopus, I caught a sucker.
4. Although true that Nymphs produce bigger fish, I'm not in the hunt for big fish.
(I do enjoy emerger and wet fly, when appropriate. But bouncing a nymph along the stream
bottom gives me little pleasure. To wit: When I fished the storied tailwaters out West--
Big Horn, Frying Pan, San Juan--I stubbornly stuck with dries. I didn't catch nearly as many
big fish as the nymphers did, but I caught enough to satisfy.
5. I'm an effete, uptight, narrow-minded, self-absorbed snob?? LOL, or maybe not.
#9
JB
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Posted 24 July 2010 - 11:03 PM
sapentio,
Was this only 1 fly you observed, or a hatch of flies?
E. Cornuta for the most part are a morning hatch, approx 8 a.m. - noon. So time of day could help with the ID.
If it was a slightly larger size say 16 - 14 that would bring it closer to be a E. Cornuta.
However, the E. Cornuta is an Olive bodied fly. Medium Olive at the hatch and then they darken to a dark dirty olive.
Did you get a good look at it, say like on your rod or in your hand?
Or did you see it in flight, in flight it might have appeared gray to you, that's why I am asking.
Hope this helps.
JB
Was this only 1 fly you observed, or a hatch of flies?
E. Cornuta for the most part are a morning hatch, approx 8 a.m. - noon. So time of day could help with the ID.
If it was a slightly larger size say 16 - 14 that would bring it closer to be a E. Cornuta.
However, the E. Cornuta is an Olive bodied fly. Medium Olive at the hatch and then they darken to a dark dirty olive.
Did you get a good look at it, say like on your rod or in your hand?
Or did you see it in flight, in flight it might have appeared gray to you, that's why I am asking.
Hope this helps.
JB
#11 Guest_Esopus Guy_*
Posted 26 July 2010 - 11:51 AM
THE WRONG time of year for Paraleps/ Blue Quill on the E........ I think I know exactly what bug you are talking about as I have encountered a few on the Neversink lately. I chalked them up as an obscure mayfly as there was no real hatch nor have I ever seen a hatch of that particular fly. I have come across a few ARMORED mayflies on the E also known as Batwing Mayflies. These tend to be smaller and in solid greys with no real mass hatch, An easy I.D. on these is they have a bit of a bulge behind the head unlike any other may flies and the wings are bat like in appearance. But.............. Flies like the Wullf series which were created for the Esopus are ALWAYS a good choice. Lee created them the way they are for a reason, and I doubt any one ties them down to 18........again for a reason. Floatability and visability are paramount for fly choices when fishing the swifter flows. Many flies created for the Ausable also work well like Fran Betters Bomber as I previously mentioned. Again a high floating and very visable pattern.
Smaller patterns tend to go thru the drifts relatively unoticed or not worth the effort of the fish to rise for it. The ends must out justify the means. The meal must give more energy to the fish than the fish expends to capture that meal. And in the faster flows of the E you see few rising fish for this reason. There are exceptions in the rivers few pools but that's the exception not the rule.
"Nymphs catch more/bigger fish". This goes back to the ends out justifying the means. A larger fish will not waste the energy to rise thru currents for such small meals specially when they can sit in their lie and pick off their meals as they drift by with little energy spent. This changes in rivers like the WB ect. where flows are relitively slow. A bigger fish can easily patrol and rise to small flies making it worth the fishes while.
This scenario is also shown in lakes that hold trout. While large trout are fond of baitfish there becomes a time (now) that the trout abandon their hunt for baitfish for more easily captured prey like the midge. Why would a trout pass up a protein packed meal like a baitfish for a midge? Easy..... Pound for pound insects have more protein than a meat source like a baitfish and they are much easier to capture. Ends justifying the means.
Would you rather sprint for every bite of pizza or would you rather sit at the counter and have the slices dropped in front of you? Fish are no different.
Smaller patterns tend to go thru the drifts relatively unoticed or not worth the effort of the fish to rise for it. The ends must out justify the means. The meal must give more energy to the fish than the fish expends to capture that meal. And in the faster flows of the E you see few rising fish for this reason. There are exceptions in the rivers few pools but that's the exception not the rule.
"Nymphs catch more/bigger fish". This goes back to the ends out justifying the means. A larger fish will not waste the energy to rise thru currents for such small meals specially when they can sit in their lie and pick off their meals as they drift by with little energy spent. This changes in rivers like the WB ect. where flows are relitively slow. A bigger fish can easily patrol and rise to small flies making it worth the fishes while.
This scenario is also shown in lakes that hold trout. While large trout are fond of baitfish there becomes a time (now) that the trout abandon their hunt for baitfish for more easily captured prey like the midge. Why would a trout pass up a protein packed meal like a baitfish for a midge? Easy..... Pound for pound insects have more protein than a meat source like a baitfish and they are much easier to capture. Ends justifying the means.
Would you rather sprint for every bite of pizza or would you rather sit at the counter and have the slices dropped in front of you? Fish are no different.
#12
kflies
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Posted 26 July 2010 - 03:49 PM
Brandon, there is a species of Paraleps that hatch thru August although you may be right and this isn't it. - It's the Paralep Mollis and they are on Eastern streams this time of year, including the WB.
Best, Ken
Best, Ken
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