Masking Hatches and Spinner Falls
The snow was mostly gone and it was rainy and warm for a few days before winter came back again. I think I smelled Hendricksons the other day. I wish. Actually, it’s only a little less than ninety days before they will be hatching on the AuSable and other Midwest waters.
Anticipating that event reminds me that this is the time of year for the masking hatches. Depending on weather conditions, we can see the last of the Slate Wing Olives and certainly need to keep a sharp eye open for the Little Mahogany. On an overcast day, the SWO’s are nearly invisible on the water and it is still surprising how often the fish will feed on these little flies while the far bigger Hendricksons are floating by. It is generally thought to be a numbers thing. Be sure to have spinners in #12-#18 with you for the early season. There are times when the fish will be eating little spinners while you are over-focused on the bigger bugs. Be careful. You don’t have much time to figure it out.
Spinner falls don’t last long. Remember the evenings when there were clouds of Hendrickson spinners in the air, the conditions were seemingly perfect, yet they did not hit the water? I know, it drives me crazy too. Watch for a morning spinner fall the next day. If it is a sunny morning, the spinners will often gather as soon as the air temp hits about 60 degrees. And down they come. This is not a mating flight that took place the night before. They head for the fast water where you saw them the previous evening and they drop. It does not last long, so you have to eat a quick breakfast, head to the river, and wait for it.
Get your favorite nymphs together, both bead-head and non-weighted. Henny time is great nymph time. Head to the river pre-hatch with a weighted nymph when the Hendrickson nymphs are becoming active. It can be deadly. Also an unweighted Pheasant Tail or Dark Hare’s Ear can be very productive fished behind a parachute during the emergence.
Yippee Tie One On!