Your complete guide to the mayflies of the Mataura | Chris Dore

They say that 10% of anglers catch 90% of the fish. This is never truer than when fishing the Mataura river in Southland.

Sourcing high in the Eyre Mountains, South of Queenstown, the Mataura winds its way towards the Pacific through some of Southlands most productive pastural land, offering anglers easy access to over 150 kilometres of world class fly fishing. It is the stability of the Mataura, as it flows from deep, willow lined pool to pool, interspersed with long, joggly rocky riffles, combined with Southlands plentiful rainfall and temperate climate which creates the optimal habitat for huge numbers of invertebrates and more importantly, high populations of wild brown trout.

Such is The Matauras reputation as a trout fishery that in 1989, the worlds largest brown trout statue at the time was erected along its banks, in the heart of Gore. In 1997 it was awarded a water conservation order declaring outstanding fisheries and angling amenity values for the Mataura river, Waikaia river and their many tributaries. Gore is known as the Brown Trout Capital of the World, and with good reason.

Many anglers have heard of äóÖMatch the Hatchäó» fly fishing, but yet relatively few have really experienced this to any extent. On many waters trout can be äóÖbrought upäó» to a general terrestrial
or something roughly similar in appearance to the natural, or maybe cajoled into accepting a standard size 12 nymph. There arenäó»t too many places in New Zealand where fish lock onto just the one specific food source to the degree that they do on the Mataura. A hatch is a hatch anywhere in NZ, but trout only feed specifically when a particular food item is present in sufficient numbers to make it efficient to position themselves and feed on these, to the exclusion of all else. You must match the size, shape, positioning on, in or below the surface film, and behaviour to a T to ensure success, and present it well. A well presented general pattern wont often cut it here when trout lock onto a huge drift of emergers, or a cloud of size 18 spinners falling onto a large flat. Even a pattern one size larger than the natural can see refusal. The difference between a 14 and a 16 my not seem much to you and I, but to the trout locked in on the mad Mataura rise, it can mean eat or ignore.

To be regularly successful upon the Mataura river, one must not only understand the fodder on which the trout feeds, but how to effectively imitate the different stages and present them flawlessly to well educated, selective trout.

Gear

My favourite All round Mataura rod is the 8äó»8, 5wt Scott G series matched with a matching 5wt Superflo, ridge 2.0 Tactical line. The rod is supple and discreet in its action yet has the balls when needed to drop an iron maiden across a distant drop off, and the Ridge 2.0 Tactical is a spectacular presentation line.

On the tributaries or in low water, summertime conditions the 8äó»8äó 4wt G is a hands down winner.

Its amazing, even in the gin clear waters of the upper river how effective euro nymphing can be to sighted trout, and for this its hard to beat the precision and accuracy of the 10äó»6äó 3wt Primal Zone. Slower, deeper drifts, super protection for lighter, finer tippets and more precise strike detection on quick spitting clear water browns are the reason Im rarely without a Zone combo when walking the Mataura.

The River Itself
In the Lower reaches below Gore the Mataura is a true fish factory. Longer, smoother pools, larger, joggly riffles and coal seams and plenty of technical water, the lower Mataura is reminiscent of many of the famous American trout rivers. With uncountable numbers of trout averaging a shade below 3lb this is the fly anglers mecca.

From Cattle flat to Gore the rivers becomes more gravelly, but stable, interspersed with the classic pool, riffle, pool configuration and a solid population of 3 lb browns intermingled with the more occasional larger specimen. This often meandering section is sprinkled with backwaters and characterised by its tightly willowed stretches, providing habitat and cover to a very healthy population of browns. Thia piece lends itself nicely to sight foshing techniques, with larger riffles and more
Productive blind water lower down.

The upper Mataura from cattle flat to its headwaters is your classical fly fishing water. Small to medium in size, normally gin clear, and with populations regularly recorded at around 30 - 40 fish per kilometre around the Garston area, this is where you go to truly test your skills. Long, light leaders, accurate presentations and a tight fly selection is the key to success along the upper Mataura, bit even on those tougher days, the scenery, and the homemade
Bacon and egg pie at The Coffee Bomb in Garston make it all worth while

Nymphing the riffles
There is a saying amongst the rivers locals that äóÖwhen the trout are not rising, nymph them in the ripplesäó», and this is just what we do.
In-between hatches, when no surface activity is apparent, indicator nymphing, äóÖcontact nymphingäó» with conventional fly gear, or specialist euro style nymphing among the Matauraäó»s fertile ripples can be highly rewarding.

Suspension nymphing

Whenever nymphing, I prefer to use two nymphs, separated by 10 äóñ 12 inches of trace material, tied directly off the bend of the top fly.

I set my indicator, normally of a yarn type material, the NZ strike Indicator system, between two to four feet above my top nymph, depending on water depth, and current velocity.

Any deeper than this and I feel I have lost contact with my flies, as strike detection comes with some delay, and your turnover can begin to hinge.

Keep your indicator small so that it turns over accurate and true, and catches less wind. The size of my little fingernail is usually about right, but can go up to thumbnail size if needed. A bright coloured indicator makes smaller bits of yarn easier to see and you can also follow their drift if the weight of the nymph pulls them under. Chartreuse and orange are my pics: the fish donäó»t know what they are and if you cant see them, theyäó»re not indicators right? Also
Consider dual tone indicators in variable, or low angle light conditions such as black/white, or yellow/orange to contrast off each other and stand out moreso in tough visibility.

I prefer to use longer, more powerful leaders when indicator nymphing to ensure consistent turnover of my indicator in often windy conditions. A 10äó» 2x Trouthunter nylon tapered leader with 2 or 3 feet or 3x nylon tippet leading to a tippet ring, then add your 5x tippet to there, length depending on conditions. 3äó» is ample in most situations I find, and can easily be switched out to dry droppers or singles dries in a second if the need arises.

If Im going to be nymphing all day I will employ a much shorter, cut down tapered leader to a tippet ring and back myself to turn over a much longer, finer diameter level tippet to cut through the water column and get lighter flies to greater depth, quicker.

äóÖContact nymphingäó» with conventional fly gear.

Often referred to as naked nymphing, removing your indicator is the first step to becoming a more astute nymph angler, for you then turn your endeavour from more so a visual activity into a sensical one. Longer leaders and more weight can now be employed to get your imitation down into the bingo zone, an area which may not have been achievable before whilst maintaining a reliable visual indicator. You are now utilizing a combination of senses to detect the moment of the take, rather than just watching for a sign that may be so subtle that you do not pick it up anyway. You are more likely to maintain a good drift whereas you would normally strike whenever a heavier nymph simply sinks your indicator.

The first step to contact nymphing is to be able to feel your fly, and the weight of the line. I often introduce clients to this with heavier streamers in practice, to provide a resistance they can easily feel, and get them to lead a short line through a riffle by tossing it upstream on a 45 degree angle, and dragging the streamer back through via a high rod tip. Your rod tip is not following the line, but subtly leading it downstream.

To begin, once the cast is made, do not follow through to the water as you normally would, instead, raising the rod tip a few inches as your presentation falls. Follow this with a couple of short, controlled strips of the line to remove any sag, or slack line which may develop at the point where your fly line touches the water. Immediately you will notice that what would have become a saggy äóÖLäó» shape in your line now resembles a tight curve from your raised rod tip to the point at which your line anchors to the stream.

Immediately begin the downstream swing of your rod, leading the line as it follows in the drift. Strip in any slack line as it develops to maintain a consistent curve below the rod tip. This tight curve acts as both a lifeline to your nymph (any bumps or knocks will be felt if constant tension is maintained) and a visual indicator of the slightest of takes (if the curve tightens at all, strike). Often you are left wondering whether you saw, or felt the tightening of the line as a fish hits.

It is important when contact nymphing to retain an anchor of fly line upon the surface. The grip of the surface film on your anchor will prevent your line from sagging back beneath your rod tip, and reduce the effect of wind on your curve.

Short line = shorter anchor, whereas longer line requires a longer anchor accordingly.

Another important note is that due to the rod tip remaining often at chest height or above, I use the rod tip more so to remove any slack from the line upon the take, and it is the downward strike of the line hand which hooks the fish. Thus said, when stripping line during the drift, I prefer shorter, quicker retrieves so as my line hand spends more time near the rod hand, to enable a quick and effective downward strike.

So next time you are working a riffle with little joy, remove that indicator, extend that tippet and give contact nymphing a go. Your flies will get a deeper, slower drift less affected by surface currents, and your success rate will thank you!

Euro Nymphing

There are many benefits of Euro nymphing on the Mataura with deeper, slower more natural drifts, and better detection of the subtlest of takes being the main benefits for me. Even in the clearest of riffles on the upper Mataura, its easy to get within range of a feeding fish, and deliver a better nymph drift using euro techniques.

The Primal Zone 10äó»6äó 3wt combo imo is the perfect euro nymphing set up for the Mataura and surrounding waters of Southland. It possesses the power to quickly subdue a 5lb brown in faster water, and the tippet protection to keep you in touch when using lighter tippet. Its easy to load and responsive to cast and offers much more feel through out the casting and drifting process than others I have been fortunate to try.

As Im generally fishing a rod length and a half to two rod lengths distant, I set up my leader with around 10äó» of stiff, Maxima Chameleon butt section in 12lb, attaching 5 feet of hi viz stren, or Flylab multi colour sighter material, leaving the tag ends of my knots long to aid visibility. Attached to this is a tippet ring, then 5 foot of fine diameter tippet, usually 5x.

A finer diameter leader is a little harder to cast and attain accuracy, however with a stiff butt section, smaller diameter leaders provide less sag and much more contact. When guiding
I generally begin with 20lb chameleon and build out my leader off that.

Im generally fishing two nymphs, one on point and one 200mm up off an independent dropper, the bottom tag of a surgeons knot providing ample reliability for my dropper. Keep your dropper trace short to avoid unnecessary tangling.

There are many ways to present your flies when euro nymphing, along with different angles of drift, degrees of contact, depth control, lifting and swinging which become an entire article series in themselves. For now, refer to the manic guide to euro nymphing to get up to speed and get yourself into more fish on the Mataura.

Mataura Nymph Patterns

I find most nymphs will work on the Mataura, as long as they are of the correct size, and of a slim, dark construction. Hares Ear, Pheasant Tail, Hare and Copper, any of the above will take fish. Trout dont know the difference between the aforementioned, they are all simply mayfly nymphs to their eyes, but matching the average size of the naturals, and getting them to the right depth are the keys to success. Kyles Deleatidium is a modern pattern available in the Manic Fly Collection which I personally believe to be the ultimate Mataura mayfly nymph. Super slim, non flashy with minute rubber legs and small tungsten bead, you will search far for a more deadly mayfly pattern than this for local waters.

My äóÖMataura Boxäó» is filled with various mayfly representations in sizes 14 through 18 in a variety of weights.

I utilise both tungsten, and brass beads on smaller nymphs to enable me to either get deeper, or fish through the shallowest of riffles and use multiple tungsten bead sizes on my standard 14äó»s and 16äó»s to cover a range of depth, and current speeds.

An example of this is carrying a size 14 pattern in 2mm, 2.4mm, and 3mm beads, and 16äó»s with 2mm and 2.4mm, along with 1.5 and 2mm brass for a lighter, shallower riffle option.
I carry unweighted patterns in sizes 14, 16 and 18 for use as a more naturally drifting point fly, and for use when äóÖsight fishingäó» to trout in the shallows, or up near the surface. Soft hackles come into their own providing imitation of life in lower flows and slower water.

My standard go to set up in normal river conditions consists of a size 16 beaded nymph as my top fly used in conjunction with a smaller, unweighted 16 or 18 drifting freely on the point. In general I prefer to use black beads, to avoid unnecessarily spooking shy fish, but will employ a gold, silver or red beaded, or flashback style nymph on overcast days, or when the river sports some color. It pays to carry a diversity of bling. Some days you may want to go to äóÖwhoah thats brightäó» flies, whereas somedays you may just need a subtle hotspot to ensure your flies stand out in the drift. Other days its the natural, non flash patterns that will seal the deal.

Along with huge populations of mayfly, the Mataura is a veritable food factory harbouring a plethora of caddis, black stoneflies, snails, chironomids and corixa, and anglers should stock their boxes accordingly.

Nymphing Tactics

Always start a little below the bottom of the ripple and slowly work your way into it, casting on an angle upstream. Youäó»ll be surprised at how many fish äóÖcruiseäó» the slower water near the base of the ripple, picking up invertebrate dispersed by the flow, especially in the calm, or gently swirling edgewaters at the very base of the riffle. It also pays to work out where / how high in the riffle fish are sitting.

Watch your indicator closely, and strike at any unnatural movement, bumps, minute changes of direction and brief hesitations. Sometimes it will
simply slowäó? Not always will your yarn take a dive.

Concentrate on the seams, or edge-water, where fast water meets slow, and do not disregard the extreme shallow water adjacent to your bank, especially mid afternoon when large numbers of nymphs enter the drift before emerging. A sure sign of an imminent hatch is when the fish move into these shallows, and often you will see an increased number of nymphs collecting along the slack, edge water. Look for prominent rocks, drop offs and holes and work them thoroughly.

Fish through the ripples slowly, covering any likely pockets, or seams with patience.

Trout will often not see your nymph on its first pass, or even your second, due to the large amount of food already in the drift, or
Maybe your drift just isnäó»t right. I find it is important to get your fly down to the depth where the fish are feeding. If the trout does not take your fly, yet continues to feed, odds are you just arenäó»t getting a deep enough drift.
Many anglers work through these ripples way too fast, anxious to cover ground. Little do they realize that a good ripple can be fished through time and time again, as many trout are passed by, and fresh fish move up from the pool below. Look for the more stable ripples offering both deeper guts and shallow edges, those which run into the deeper, more established pools. The pool provides cover and shelter to the trout, whilst the rocky, riffly above provides the food supply. To find a good ripple is to locate a goldmine, and often a highly productive day can be had by fishing just one ripple and the adjoining pool alone. Slow down and watch your catch rate increase!

The Rise

As the rise commences, be careful not to rush in.
By doing so you risk putting down the early risers, and pushing them outside of a comfortable casting distance.
Instead, sit and observe as more trout begin to rise, and move out towards the edges.
It is wise to target these edge feeders away from the main pod, which usually begin feeding out some distance from the bank.
The more times a trout rises the more confidently he feeds, and covering a fish before he loses his wares can often result in him going off the feed.

Pick one consistent riser and cover him repeatedly. When surrounded by rising fish it is easy to attempt to cover each one as they surface, but this often proves counter äóñ productive. You risk putting down more fish than you will inevitably deceive.

Is your targeted fish a rhythm riser, or does he feed sporadically? If he is the former then you can pick when he is about to surface and place your fly accordingly.

If he is the latter, then you can but cover the water surrounding his position systematically and hope for the best.

Whilst many anglers will swear that a direct upstream presentation is imperative when fishing out a hatch I disagree.
By casting directly upstream to a fish, you will inevitably be landing your tippet, and part of your leader across the troutäó»s window.
The finer tippet may appear transparent, but as your leader tapers, the line shadow increases, and Mataura browns are sensitive to this.

Additionally, any heavy presentations are likely to slap the water within close proximity of the fish, an action sure to put down your prey.
Instead, I aim to position myself directly opposite the fish and cast across to him wherever I can and employ reach mends where needed.
However, sometimes this is not possible without the fish seeing you, so casting at an angle from the downstream quarter is the solution for an unobtrusive presentation.
In doing this, your line, and leader will land well to the side of the fish, and as it drifts down the current your fly will be the first thing the trout will see.

If you are casting across-stream you can manipulate your drift so that the fly is the first object to enter the fishäó»s window.

When the hatch is heavy the trout will hold closer to the surface, so as to feed efficiently while expending minimal energy.
An inverted äóÖVäó» wake will often give away the troutäó»s presence when sitting high in the water column.

When at the surface the troutäó»s äóÖwindow of visionäó» is much smaller than it is when sitting deep.
This allows the angler to regularly approach to within a couple of rod lengths of his prey, but his presentation must now be delicate, and the fly must travel exactly down the troutäó»s preferred feed lane.

It is important to remember not to cast to the rise itself. This is where the trout took the natural, not where he was sitting when he first saw it.

A trout will often drift downstream some distance with the natural, scrutinizing his target before accepting it, especially if they have come up off the streambed.

With this in mind, it is imperative to present your artificial well upstream of the rise form if you see the fish came up from below, however not so far upstream to generate drag. The longer your fly is on the water, the more currents can push and pull on your leader. Micro drag may not be noticeable to the angler, but certainly is to the fish.

Learn from the rise form
Observe the rise form, for this can dictate just which stage of the hatch the trout are taking.
Trout will often äóÖlock onäó» to a particular phase of the mayfly life cycle when that phase is present in large nymbers, and this is where äóÖmatching the hatchäó» becomes essential to success.

A äóÖhead riseäó», where the nose protrudes above the surface indicates a dun has been taken. This will often be accompanied with an audible äóÖplopäó» type of sound, as the fish takes in an amount of air with the insect.

A äóÖsipäó» or 'bulge' signifies the trout are taking emergers, or nymphs in, or just below the surface film. This is often accompanied by the subtle äóÖkissingäó» sound of a fish gently sucking in a prey incapable of escape. At this point, the trout is likely to ignore any high floating, dry - fly presentation.

A porpoising äóÖhead and tailäó» rise indicates a leisurely rise to a spent spinner, an exciting rise form as often the length between the head, dorsal and tail can be gagued throughout the action. It can also signal a fish that has risen up from the streambed to eat, and is turning back downwards in the aftermath so it is important to consider this.

It is important to recognize each type of rise form, for each indicates a different stage of the hatch.

When duns are hatching, there may also be spinners upon the water, and if the aforementioned head / tailing behaviour is observed, any presentation with a dun imitation will often be futile.

If the trout are bulging, then an emerger pattern riding low in the surface film is called for, as the trout will usually ignore anything else.
This is the key äóÖmatch the hatchäó» stage upon the Mataura, and a sound understanding of the emerging dun is what keeps the successful 10% of anglers ahead of the rest.

When trout are locked on and rising to duns upon the surface will readily accept an emerger pattern sitting in the film.
However, the reverse is not true. A trout feeding within the surface on emergers, or cripples, will feed solely upon this phase from efficiency alone, and will unduly shun any traditional dry presentation.

Enter the äóÖselective troutäó» theoryäó?

The Emerging Dun

As mentioned, when trout are feeding upon the emerging mayfly they can become fixated with this phase of the hatch alone. Your pattern must not only resemble the natural in size and shape, but most importantly, its position in, on or below the meniscus. The emerger is the key to matching the hatch upon the Mataura, a time when the trout can be seen rising, but not taking cleanly off the top. This often creates confusion among anglers, who persevere with their traditionally tied Dad's Favorites, and Blue Dun patterns with minimal success.

The emerger is not quite a nymph, not yet a dun (sounds like a pop song), and thus a specialist imitation is required to fill the void left by the more traditional patterns of nymph, and dry fly variety.

Most dry flies available today imitate the adult dun. Tied to ride high upon the surface, they lack what I believe is the key trigger for selective trout - the sunken abdomen.
Even those tied 'parachute style' fail to correctly imitate this I feel, for whilst they permit the body to hold flush in the surface film, the lower abdomen does not hang invitingly below, on par with the natural.

Now many may think that this is taking things too far, but allow me to assure you, such inane details can, and will make all the difference upon the Mataura and many other waters where trout feed on large, synchronised hatches.

Bob Quigley, creator of the popular 'Quigleyäó»s Cripple' emerger wrote "On many occasions, traditional types of patterns will suffice, but during blanket hatchesäóîespecially on hard-fished watersäóîI've found fish that want neither nymph nor dun. They want both. A nymph can swim away, and a dun can fly away, but trout have learned that a dun caught trying to emerge from its nymphal shuck can do neither."

This could easily have been written of the Mataura, and not having a good emerger pattern in ones fly box is where many anglers fail.

So what makes an efficient emerger pattern?
Bob Wyatt in his book Trout Hunting claims "The significant visual aspects in these forms - size, silhouette, posture and behaviour - are all primary triggers to the troutäó»s predatory response. It is worth working out a strategy based on a reliable set of designs that fit the troutäó»s flexible and inclusive prey image and which incorporates one or more primary triggers."

Working on this theory, Bob then designed the Deer Hair Emerger (DHE). Tied to be simplistic and more durable than the Klinkheimer series and other parachute ties, the DHE incorporates an erect wing, and hanging abdomen, two of the aforementioned 'triggers'.

Tied on a curved, emerger style hook (kamisan B-100) Bob uses an olive / brown mix of seal and hare fur for the abdomen, fine deer hair for the erect wing, and spiky hares fur for the thorax. Floatant is applied only to the wing and thorax only to ensure the lower abdomen hangs subsurface.

I have been using variations of this pattern a lot over the past decade, favouring the more buoyant properties of the deer hair over my old faithful, the CDC Emerger.
Its more durable properties are also a desirable attribute, and as a guide, is something I require in all my flies. Whilst CDC patterns are often referred to as 'once and aways' (one fish and they are gunged up and out of action for the remainder of the day), the DHE can be used on a succession of fish without requiring replacement.
With its hollow fibres and resulting built in 'air pockets', deer hair seems to float longer than CDC and is easier to rejuvenate when waterlogged. A few false casts and your fly is again ready for a new drift.

The emerger should be fished in the same manner as a traditional dry fly - cast upstream and across at your target, and allowed to dead drift. Whilst the natural may be struggling in the meniscus, these movements are minimal, and I have not found this necessary to imitate.
At times however, you may be required to move the fly momentarily to catch the fishes' attention, as it drifts amongst a myriad of naturals. A single twitch is all that is required.

Not all emerging mayflies make it through the surface. Due to defects or lack of vigour, many will expire while at the surface, and will remain available long after the hatch has tapered off.
These will drift at the mercy of the currents and congregate in backwaters, eddies, and other slack water locations. Using a combination of the knowledge of such places, and a good emerger pattern, it is possible to rise fish long after the initial surface activity has ended. This is where the CDC floating nymph can excel.

The Spent Spinner
In Norman Marshäó»s book äóÖTrout Stream Insects of New Zealandäó» (Millwood press, 1983), he aptly describes the appearance of the spinner in one wordäó?äó»Brilliantäó».

Spinners are notably slimmer and more elegant than duns. In their final stages, Deleatidium spinners are a mahogany äóñ red in color with amber, or ginger colored legs and cerci.
They have clear, glassy wings, which reflect light when upon the water, giving off a äóÖshinyäó» appearance.

Again, the differences between the spinners of the two featured species are minimal, and both can be effectively imitated with the one pattern.

At times of little wind, male spinners will form äóÖmating swarmsäó» near the water to attract females. After mating the males will expire, while the female returns to the streamside grasses for her eggs to mature.

Female spinners require moderately warm, calm conditions in which to lay their eggs. Any wind stronger than a light breeze will bring difficulty to this process, and often precludes spinners from reaching the water. Thus, both dawn and dusk are favored times to experience a fall of returning, egg laden spinners.

Some of the most prolific spinner falls will occur within the final hour of daylight, a time when the wind will often drop along with the setting sun, and when most birds which prey upon mayflies have taken to their roost.

However, a spinner fall can occur at any time of the day providing the wind is kind, more so in overcast weather.

In his book, äóÖNorman Marshäó»s Fly boxäó» (Halcyon press 1995), Marsh suggests that while aquatic insects enjoy warm conditions, they dislike direct heat. This explains why spinner falls will occur throughout the day in cloudy conditions, and of course, at times when the sun is at its least intense.

Early morning spinner falls too are a regular occurrence upon the Mataura across the warmer months, coinciding with the rising sun warming the grasses in which the spinners rest.

Female spinners will invariably fly in an upstream direction before laying their eggs. This behavior, in conjunction with the downstream drift of her eggs ensures a stable colonization of mayfly within that section of water.
Without these upstream flight patterns, mayfly populations would eventually drift into the sea.

Spinners will land on the riffles, the sections of increased surface velocity to drop their eggs. The ripply surface minimizes the meniscus, enabling the egg äóÖclusteräó» to pass through the surface film with minimal difficulty.
The meniscus will be thicker upon the pools, and some smaller clusters may not successfully break through this.

After depositing her eggs the spinner will then expire herself, falling äóÖspentäó» upon the water to provide the trout with a final feast as they drift peacefully down through the pools.

Deleatidium vernale are often referred to locally as the äóÖMataura midgeäó», and will return to the river in many thousands, often inciting great sport at last light. Great swarms may be seen hovering above river, and then just falling like stones, as they meet their watery demise.
Trout will äóÖlock onäó» and feed selectively upon these spent spinners as they drift upon the surface in their thousands.

Spent mayflies drift at the mercy of the currents, and are often concentrated in great numbers amongst the backwaters, eddies and along the slower river margins, providing dry fly opportunities long after the initial rise has ended. These are also productive locations to prospect during the lighter spinner falls, as larger numbers of mayflies here will keep trout more interested than those few drifting down the main river.

Spent mayfly will not float forever and will eventually sink, more so in the more turbulent water of the ripples.

Trout will feed upon these sunken spinners well after the rise has ended, and the angler who targets the bases of ripples with a suitable imitation will increase his success as the rise tapers off.

To the chase...
So how do we imitate these creatures of which the trout scrutinize closely in glassy calm pools, and glides? The answer is carefully, and with an observant eye.

Size, I believe is the most important aspect of a spinner imitation, moreso than any other phase of the mayfly lifecycle. The difference between a 16 and an 18 pattern may not seem important to us, as anglers, but to the trout, these extra few millimeters can mean the difference between a sip, and a refusal. In their book, 'Selective Trout', Swisher and Richards suggest that as the size of the natural gets smaller, the trout will become more selective, and it becomes imperative that your imitation matches the hatch in both size and profile. Many trout IMO are put down by flies which are far too heavily dressed.

If in doubt as to which size to use, choose the smaller.

Worth mentioning is that I do not use an imitation of the upright spinner (those still alive, and returning to lay their egg sack), and find that fish will readily accept a suitable emerger, or a spent pattern when targeting these. My
upwing spinner, being a no hackle pattern sits low enough in the film to throw out the suggestion of spent wings. This all changes, however when the spinner expires and drifts helplessly upon the surface. Trout will now become extremely selective during th