Spring Blue Quills
The most underrated hatch in the early season is the Blue Quill (Paraleptophlebia adoptiva). These small Paraleptophlebia mayflies are prolific throughout the East and Midwest, but the popular Hendrickson (Ephemerella subvaria) hatch overshadows them. The Blue Quill plays second fiddle to those larger Ephemerella mayflies, and most fly fishers miss it because the chilly weather and adverse conditions that are common during the hatch turns them off. Unfortunately, this means they miss out on some of the best and easiest dry-fly fishing of the year.
The action surrounding the emergence of these small Paraleptophlebia mayflies has become my favorite in an unpredictable early season. They are the first mayflies (along with the Baetis) to greet winter-weary anglers, and they instill new life into my old bones. I have bright memories of Blue Quills hatching in a moody season of sunny days and unexpected late-afternoon snow flurries.
Blue Quill, Slate-winged Mahogany Dun, Dark Blue Quill, Iron Blue Dun, and Paraleps are the common names used for Paraleptophlebia adoptiva duns over the past century. The Blue Quill and Mahogany Dun names have stuck. Paraleps is the scientific nickname preferred by most hatch-matchers. Whatever you call them, these little bugs get the trout looking up early in the season due to their great numbers and consistent daily hatching. And they move large trout.
Meeting Midday Hatches
Shortly after the early April hatches of Early Black Stoneflies (Taeniopteryx) and Early Brown Stoneflies (Brachyptera) and just before the Hendricksons start, you can expect heavy hatches of Paraleptophlebia adoptiva. They hatch when the water temperature is approximately 50 degrees F. for a few days, which can occur in late March or early June, depending on geographical location and water level. Daily hatches start as early as 11:00 A.M. and continue throughout most of the afternoon, with the best activity occurring at midday during the warmest part of the day. On days when the air temperature is cold, the duns have difficulty getting their wing muscles going and they ride the current for long periods, resulting in easy meals for trout. Once the hatching has started, it usually continues daily even if a sudden cold snap drops the water temperature back into the low forties.
P. adoptiva is important in both Eastern and Midwestern streams, such as those in the Poconos, Catskills, Adirondacks, and southern Appalachians, as well as rivers in northern Wisconsin and Michigan, including the Upper Peninsula. The West Branch of the Delaware, my home water, has excellent Blue Quill hatches in April and early May. I have experienced excellent dry-fly action annually during the last two weeks of April on the upper Delaware system, prior to the Hendrickson hatch, when there are few anglers on the rivers. During this time, the trout are usually less selective, due to a long, quiet winter when they were undisturbed by anglers.
Once the Hendricksons get going, the trout sometimes lose their interest in the smaller Paraleptophlebia mayflies, especially if the larger Hendricksons are available in great numbers. But prior to the Hendrickson hatch, the fishing can be great with nymphs, emergers, duns, and spinners.
Fish Nymphs Early
Paralep nymphs are easily identified by their forked gills. They are feeble-legged crawlers that usually prefer quiet water, such as pools and side currents. They are also found in eddies of faster water and moderate, gravelly runs. Look for them where detritus has accumulated. The detritus provides an excellent hiding place and a food supply. On the upper Delaware system, a few kicks in a riffle with a seine can produce hundreds of nymphs, especially in early April.
The good fishing may start as early as 10:00 A.M., but the hatching usually begins in earnest around 11:00, peaks at midday, and continues past 3:00 P.M. On warm spring days, when the water temperature remains favorable, sporadic hatching may take place throughout the afternoon.
During the earliest hatches of the season, Blue Quills may hatch simultaneously with Baetis. This is usually the case in more alkaline waters with abundant subaquatic growth, where Baetis thrive. On less alkaline or freestone waters, especially those with a bottom aggregate of gravel and rocks, P. adoptiva nymphs are more prevalent. I’ve found that if one of these species gains a foothold in a particular stream or stretch of river, it will usually result in the other’s population decline to the point of being a less important hatch. This can change from year to year, depending on changes in the bottom habitat.
During the hatch, P. adoptiva nymphs swim clumsily to the surface. From the moment they leave their hiding places on the bottom, they are vulnerable to the currents and eager trout, which often show a preference for them over several other larger spring-hatching species.
The tendency of trout to gorge themselves on this insect makes nymph imitations deadly. During the first hour of activity, a #16 Bead-head Pheasant-tail Nymph or a #16 Compara-nymph, dressed on a heavy wire hook, is effective when fished dead-drift through gentle riffles, medium runs, slow pockets, and side eddies. This type of fishing demands intense concentration and a quick hook-set at the slightest indication of a take. A pause of the leader or a subtle flash in the current is usually the only key to a strike. High-sticking with an indicator is an easier and effective technique, as is a two-fly rig with the nymph as a dropper and a dry fly as the indicator. The latter technique is best for shallow water.
Later, when duns are emerging and trout are rising, the same nymph patterns tied on fine-wire hooks and fished dead-drift in the surface film can score more consistently than a dry fly.
Copyright © 2012 Intermedia Outdoors
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