Eastern Fly Hatches have been on the decline for many years.  However here is a list of Eastern Fly Hatches (that I am working on) that you will run into on most streams:

1) The Blue Winged Olive (Baetis : many different species with the most important being Baetis tricaudatus Dodds.  These mayflies come off in some extreme weather and have multiple generations.  The size range from 12 to 20 and on some streams (especially spring creeks) they may start off large early in the season and get smaller as the season progresses. The best imitation for the nymph on some stream is the Sawyer’s Pheasant Tail. The nymphs tend to emerge from the sides of the stream because they are current specific and may only come off in certain pockets of water.  The nymphs  will float  listless in the drift or they will sometimes crawl to the surface on a stick or vegetation where they float in a gas bubble.  They are often hard to see especially for  neophyte fly fisherman.

The adult duns are still hard to see on some days because of their grey wings against the sky.  The female spinners (imagoes) usually will crawl into the water and lay their eggs usually on the side and underside of rocks and debris.  This is a good place for a little wet fly.  All types of patterns can be used including floating nymphs, emergers, sunken patterns etc.

The spinners return in a few hours to a few days.  They often return in little swarms under trees and are tough to see but the trout look for the females crawling underneath to lay their eggs.

TO BE CONTINUED:  Next UP The SULFURs