Black Drakes

The important Eastern species are Siphlonurus quebecensis, Siphlonurus alternatus, and to a lesser extent Siphlonurus rapidus. All may produce fishable spinner falls, often with more than one species in the same swarm, but these are generally localized and minor events compared to the classic superhatches.

The main Western species, Siphlonurus occidentalis, is much more valuable. Its importance in the West is often compared to that of Isonychia in the East.

Ephemera guttulata's size, numbers, and hatching characteristics have made it a favorite of fly fishermen since the sport first came to our waters. Caucci and Nastasi described the addiction in Hatches II:

"To many afflicted Eastern fishermen, the 'Green Drake Hatch' is as irresistable and habit-forming as black jack, whiskey, or easy women."

It is on par with the Midwest's Hexagenia limbata hatch for its ability to lure huge piscivorous (Piscivorous: Anything which eats primarily fish is a piscivore.) brown trout to eat insects at the surface once a year. The special charm of the Green Drake hatch is that it often takes place during pleasant Spring afternoons. It can be challenging because the large flies are easy for trout to inspect in the daylight and they feed very selectively, especially late in the hatch.

The Green Drakes are on the decline due to environmental degradation.