Mayfly Ephemera danica
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A huge rainbow trout even with hooked jaw ... caught on a dry fly ! To experience the benefit of a mayfly (E.Danica) hatch, it is not always mandatory to fish on the most known chalk streams. Although only this last type of rivers can offer the "spectacle" of thousends of insects hatching togheter, the ephemera danica is often present, less massively, in many rivers in our continent.
The right period may vary between end of May and end of June. Oftentimes one happens to notice their sporadic presence, in a very slow hatching pace, one or two insects throbbing on the surface or in almost vertical ascents in reach for the sky. Altough in appareance we seem to spot no activity of the fish, a mayfly pattern could awake unexpected attacks.
During the subimago phase the insect presents an overall intense yellow colour. The wings have also strong yellow olive reflexes. During the imago phase the abdomen turns to milky white, the wings are almost transparent with fine black veins. In this last phase the insect lies the eggs on the water, with rytmic flights over the surface or it is to be found as spent.
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