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A mayfly hatch is the grand finale in the year long seasonal
play that
returns annually for trout and anglers. This show
begins the previous season with
mature female mayflies,
called spinners, laying their eggs on the surface of
the
water. The eggs shortly hatch into small larvae and
quickly change into nymphs.
The nymph phase of the mayfly is the longest and will
last just about one
year. During this time the nymph will
grow and molt regularly. Molting is when
the mayfly breaks
out of it's old skin and a larger one is exposed underneath
to
protect it during the next growth cycle. A mayfly will
molt many times during the
several phases of it's life.
The emergence stage can be a quick and dangerous time for
these
transitional nymphs. Trout can find and aggressively
feed on these insects that
hide or burrow at the bottom of a stream. Once the emerger
swims to the
surface film these nymphs molt there skins and
expose there wings. The cloudy,
grayish wings they emerge with give them there
name: dun. The duns sit on top
of the water and
prepares it's wings for flight. Once the dun escapes the
water,
it will head for the trees for several days.
While maturing, a dun may molt
several more times until it becomes a
spinner. As
spinners, male and female mayflies will seek each other out
to
mate. The females will quickly lay her eggs back
in the
water, starting the cycle
over again.
The year long cycle ends when the dead and dying mayflies drop to
the
stream. The spent wing spinner is the one final
opportunity for tout to feed on
the Mayfly.
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