A More Then One Hatch River ...

August 2nd Mayfly Activity ....

Elk River & Sulphurs . The two have become almost like saying bread & butter ! Mention the 1st and the second comes immediately to mind and that isn't surprising given the fact that the #16 Sulphurs are an incredible hatch here and produce spinner falls that simply have to be experienced to be believed !  Millions of insects , blankets of spent wings and a sea of snouts (hundreds of rising trout . These are what you can expect to encounter on a late May evening , a full blown cauldren of Snout Soup , the good stuff :) ...

The thing is though it has gotten to the point that for many that is the only time they visit the Lady not realizing that there is almost always a fishable hatch to be enjoyed here . This seems a shame to me .... The Elk River is a bug factory that should be treasured for the diversity of her hatches perhaps even more then for the sheer numbers she produces of her most famous one ...

Come here in March and there are flotillas of #16 black stoneflies . Visit in April and swing softhackles with Grannom Caddis and Quill Gordons hatching . Come here in early May and find yourself floating big March Brown duns . Come here fron mid-May - the end of June and you need several fly boxes just to have a few of everything you will encounter . Visit in July and strip Iso nymphs or hit the pocket water with a Light Cahill tandem or fish the Cornuta hatch  . August & September you will hit both the Caenis and the Paraleps along with a variety of caddis . October brings us the big Autumn caddis . Now throw in the many different subspecies of Baetis (BWO's)( at least 1 of which is almost always hatching here) and the year round midge fishing and you start to get the picture of a more well rounded river and the above is just a sampling of all that hatches here  . 

Yesterday , August 2nd , I encountered the following mayflies  ... #14 Isos , #14 Light Cahills , #14 Epeorus Vitreas (looks just like its cousin the Quill Gordon) , #22 Bwo's , #28 Bwo's , #18 Paraleps and a #18 or20 white spinner that I have no idea what it is . If we look at what I have encountered in the last week you can throw in giant Hexagenia and tiny Caenis . That's 9 different mayflies hatching the 1st week of August :) ! I also encountered a huge variety of midges and rising trout that were completely locked in on the tiny flies . 
The Lady is not a one trick pony ;) ... 

One of the benefits of paying a visit here before (or after ) the Sulphur hatch is that you will often be able to have great match the hatch fishing without the crowds . I am not saying avoid the Sulphur hatch ! It is a great time filled with incredible rises of fish and with fellowship . You will make new friends and catch up with old ones  while you share the soup and this is of course a good thing . It is so over the top that there is room for all . That being said there is something equally special about having large sections of this wonderful river to yourself at times and still being able to stand in the presence of pods of rising fish at dark :) . I have done this most evenings the last couple weeks , almost feeling guilty ... 

The point of all this is take some time and check out the seasons on either side of Sulphur season . I am guessing you will be glad you did !