Western Black Quills

According to Fred Arbona in Mayflies, the Angler, and the Trout, this is an excellent hatch and one of the most common fast-water mayflies in the West.

Leptophlebia mayflies do not generate superhatches, but their medium-large size and other properties make them a relevant part of the early season.

The information below was mostly discovered in Leptophlebia cupida, the most important species, but it is not known to differ in the others.

Despite the reputation of Rhithrogena as being the most tenacious of clingers, Rhithrogena morrisoni or Western March Brown has the greatest populations in moderate runs over cobble. It can reach amazing densities in this water type on rivers like the Rogue in Oregon, Lower Yuba In California, and the Henry's Fork in Idaho.

These large flies range between 9mm and 12mm and are the first important hatch of the year. Generally speaking, they have two distinct color phases and hatching periods, with the Coastal states having the lighter version emerging late February through April in lower elevation tailwaters and the darker version in the Rocky mountain states emerging a month or two later. This has led to much confusion as these significant regional differences are seldom pointed out in angling literature.

They offer the western angler some of the finest fishing of the year during moderate precipitation cycles. It's biggest spoiler is high water or early runoff. On many rivers, there is also a fine hatch of a large late Winter stonefly (Skwala spc.) that usually precedes it that helps to get the fish "looking up". It is the West's equivalent of the East's mottle winged Macaffertium vicarium (American March Brown), both in terms of appearance and importance. Primarily due to western fishing seasons of the past that excluded this mayfly's activity, reporting on this species in angling literature is a relatively recent phenomenon. Thus, it lags in tradition compared to the blotchy winged Heptageniidae of the East and Midwest. But given time...