Little Drakes of Summer
In the copper glow of twilight it appears only as an indistinct bump, but a wriggling on shiny water is an indication of life. The sudden protrusion of a single dark wing enlarges the image as an urgent struggle for freedom begins. Within seconds the shapeless mass transforms into a figure familiar to all who seek the riches of great dry-fly water.
Liberated from the anchor of its former self, the freshly emerged dun, substantial and robust, tests new wings that clumsily beat the water but provide no lift, no escape. Another wingbeat, and another, but full function in a foreign realm does not come quickly.
Resting now, it glides still on the current for a foot or so, waiting for wings to dry. Again, unsteady wings tap on the water anticipating flight, but there is no third attempt. Instead, the mayfly vanishes in a vicious swirl and a glint of silver that betrays the assailant’s identity and purpose. It is the way of the wild where life feeds life, and on a trout stream it is the beginning of the hatch.
During evening’s final hours, there will be countless repetitions of the act, and with it one of angling’s supreme pleasures. Tempted from the depths by a floating feast, big, aggressive trout put aside customary shyness in a feeding binge. The surging rise-forms aren’t subtle; neither is the sometimes frantic flailing of anglers fortunate enough to attend. Big trout on pressured waters are never suicidal, but there is something truly uncommon in the way they respond to the small, stout drakes of summer, Drunella flavilinea, or Flavs.
The Flav is no giant like the Brown, Green, or Gray drakes that also hatch in summer, but they loom large in Western fly fishing. A solid size 14, Flavs can lure the largest fish to the surface and provide welcome relief to the “squint flies” that typically dominate hatching activity. One of the many benefits of Flav fishing is that you can easily see your imitation and use a stout enough tippet (4X and 5X) to land most of your fish. Combine this with marathon sessions of fishing spinners, nymphs, and duns and a long spell of emergence in summer, and you have what some would consider to be the ultimate hatch.
Flavs are closely related to the legendary Western Green Drakes, and their appearance reflects this connection. They are compact, muscular insects with prominent slate-gray wings. Flav duns have similar silhouettes to the size 10 or 12 Green Drakes, but effectively matching the insect is more than simply tying a smaller version of its more famous counterpart. Freshly hatched Green Drakes are a deep jade green with vibrant green (almost chartreuse) markings on the abdomen, thorax, and legs; Flavs are a muted olive and brown.
My relationship with Flavs is based in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming, but friends and other sources indicate that good hatches also occur in Oregon, California, and Colorado. Ideal Flav habitat appears to be medium to fast water, but slow currents flowing over clean gravel have delivered outstanding Flav fishing. Meadow stretches of the Yellowstone, Firehole, and Madison in Yellowstone Park all hold vivid memories of dry-fly glory and excitement for me. On the Henry’s Fork catch-and-release water, Flavs are among the longest and most anticipated hatches of the year. Water level, elevation, and water temperature (or thermal activity, as is the case with some Yellowstone waters) all influence emergence dates; however, Flavs always hatch during the longest days of the year. June, July, and August are prime months for Flavs in the Rockies.
Copyright © 2012 Intermedia Outdoors
Comments