Adult Sulpher Mayfly Part 1
We hear so much about “getting your fly down in the surface film” ad nauseam. Currently, there is so much editorial and video content focused on getting your fly into low-rider stage rather than in sport mode. I honestly believe the old hackled mayfly on its tippy toes is being overlooked. Let's face it, the quintessential standard adult mayfly with a traditional hackle collar just isn't getting the accolades it used to nowadays. Don't get me wrong, getting your fly down in the surface film has its advantages, but depending on the hatch and phase, the old standard collared hackled adult mayfly is a must-have. This is especially true when the airplanes are coming off the carrier deck, and the trout are zeroed in on the adults taking flight. Having the adult duns queued up alongside your emergers is a must in every mayfly seection in your fly box. Having these very petite adult mayflies in your box is an absolute must.
Speaking of mayfly patterns in this entry, I'm specifically talking about sulphurs, those creamy little mayflies that sporadically come up and rear their tiny heads just when you think the mayfly hatches have come and gone. May and June are the typical months, but wait, there's more! Hatches in July and August in spring creeks and cold tailwaters in the Northeast continue till fall. Now to clarify Sulphurs and PMD's are counterparts, Sulphurs refer to our Eastern variants, and PMDs refer to the Western variants. For the sake of this entry, I am referring to and speaking specifically about our Eastern patterns.
Sulphurs tend to be on the subcompact size in general and lean towards a watery yellow, often with an orange-yellow or peach cast. The sulphur is truly the southern belle of the Ephemerella family. Speaking of glamour pusses, often these flies are overdressed. These are very petite mayflies, and if you're fishing in spring creeks, one needs to be mindful of proportion. They are not as demonstrative as, let's say, a March Brown, which in my mind is the hyperactive middle child of mayflies.
So let's be real: if you are living in the eastern half of the U.S., sizes #16 down to, let's say, #20 as a general standard. One of the most popular fly patterns for the sulphur over the last two decades is the Breadline. It is popularly viewed as an emerger pattern, but the profile of this fly from below can easily be deciphered as an adult resting in the surface film. I will go out on a limb and say this pattern is a very successful general-purpose sulfur pattern. Although when you are knee deep in crystal clear water with very educated brown trout, all bets are off.
The keyword is “gossamer,” and proportion is key! Don't chuck out the very trendy impressionistic fur balls that riddle the latest and greatest YouTube videos using swills of dubbing mixtures coupled with enough UV flash to signal a ground attack from a passing drone. Keep it simple and sparse, and it will pay dividends. This is a very simple pattern that packs a punch in smaller hook sizes.
In Sulphurs Part 2, I will be taking the popular Breadline pattern developed in 2006 by Grant Bench and using as a benchmark for a sulphur emerger pattern that I have tinkered with for quite some time. In Part 3 will be a sulpher sub-surface pattern that is a selective trout killer.
Thanks for letting me share~ Clint Bova. www.cjbovarods.com
