The May Fly

                                                                             THE MAY FLY.

Like many Trout Fisherman, I have been waiting for the May Fly hatch to take place on our local waters. The unseasonal weather seems to be delaying this annual event but it will happen quite soon.
The common name "Mayfly" is quite misleading because they can appear throughout the year. The common comes from the habit of one species, 'Ephemera danica' which normally emerges as an adult when the blossom of the Hawthorn bush is in bloom which is now.

'Ephemera danica'
The Common May Fly.

It is not just the fisherman that waits for this annual event to take place, the Trout is also waiting for it to happen so that they can gorge on them as they fall onto the water when a feeding frenzy then takes place.

A Trout Takes A Mayfly.

The life cycle of the May Fly is only a few days once it has emerged from the river bed. It begins it's life as a 'Nymph' from an egg that has been laid by an adult that has sunk down to the bottom of the river, stream or brook where it lies amongst the stones and gravel until it has incubated for a short time before it then emerges as the nymph. They remain under the water feeding on small insects and even small fish, growing on until they eventually reach maturity. When this occurs they will begin the next stage of their lives transforming from the nymph into an adult fly, floating to the surface to emerge. They then shed the 'Nymph' skin to expose their wings, once they are dry they then fly into the trees where they remain for a few days.
They tend to hatch in large numbers simultaneously, this will cause the trout to go positively bonkers and it is one of the few times when most of the fish in the water are all visibly feeding. Some fish will take them as they are making their way to the surface of the water and this is when we call them Emergers.
After two or three days the Mayflies will start to gather above the water to mate. They will start high up above the water slowly working their way down, this is when they begin the breeding cycle a ritual called the 'Spinners Fall ' " The Holy Grail of the Trout Fisherman's Life " the flies mate laying their eggs on to the water in an 'orgy'.
Once they have finished breeding they fall into the water dead their life cycle now complete. This starts off another mad frenzy as the fish go insane feeding on thousands and thousands of flies lying on the water.

The Nymph Stage.

An Artificial May Fly.

A Brown Trout.

The Life Cycle Of The May Fly.