Fly Of The Week #2

Fly Of The Week: Green Drake

These large insects are trout candy on our western streams. Green drakes are the largest mayflies that provide fishable hatches in our fast local waters.  Hatches occur during mid-day and are usually easily visible.  Windless, cloud-cover days are best. Green Drakes are large insects and evidently taste really good to trout.  When Green Drakes hatch in good numbers the trout forget all other foods and target them only.  A dense hatch of Green Drakes can bring the largest trout to the surface.   But, Green Drakes are fickle and somewhat unpredictable.  Some days have heavy hatches others very light.  Some regions of a stream will have more insects than others.  Green Drake hatches are something that the fully armed angler prepares for, even though it may not be the main target.  However, if you ever encounter a major Green Drake hatch and are unprepared you will remember it with sorrow.