Hatches 2011: Emerging Patterns – Tying the Missing Link by Russ Forney

Magazine — By HatchesMagazine on September 29, 2011 9:08 am

For some, a flurry of mayflies hovering over the water is the initial sign of a hatch. In reality, though, insect activity might have been churning frenetically below the water’s surface for many hours before.

Emergence begins well before the first dun pops off the water, and so does some of the most productive fishing. Unseen and largely unknown triggers rouse thousands of nymphs from the stream bed to begin their remarkable transformation to a terrestrial life. The onset of emergence creates a bounty of vulnerable prey for local fish populations, and often elicits an unbridled feeding frenzy.