Mayfly Genus Ephemera
Taxonomic Navigation -?-
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
» Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
» Class Insecta (Insects)
» Order Ephemeroptera (Mayflies)
» Family Ephemeridae (Hexes and Big Drakes)
» Genus Ephemera
| Species in Ephemera |  |  |
| Ephemera blanda | 0 | 0 |
| Ephemera guttulataGreen Drake | 3 | 36 |
| Ephemera simulansBrown Drake | 15 | 83 |
| Ephemera variaYellow Drake | 3 | 17 |
1 species isn't included.
Ephemera blanda is a very localized species and unimportant to most anglers. Ephemera compar, sometimes mentioned in older books as a minor Western hatch, is now considered to be extinct.
Several important characteristics vary between the three important species. Read about each one for details.
Nymph Biology
Most Ephemera species burrow into rougher substrate than Hexagenia nymphs do. They inhabit sand and fine gravel more frequently than firm silt, although they are found in those environments too.21 Mayfly Specimens in the Genus Ephemera:
Ephemera guttulata (Green Drake) Mayfly Dun
View 16 PicturesIt's about time I got a green drake on this site!
View 16 PicturesIt's about time I got a green drake on this site!Region: Catskills
Collected Jun 1, 2007
Added Jun 4, 2007
Ephemera simulans (Brown Drake) Mayfly Spinner
View 7 Pictures
View 7 PicturesRegion: Upper Midwest
Collected Jun 2, 2005
Added May 25, 2006
Ephemera guttulata (Green Drake) Mayfly Spinner
View 12 PicturesThis spinner was the only member of its species I saw all night during an incredibly thick and tricky mixed hatch on Penn's Creek a few days before the real start of its famous green drake hatch.
View 12 PicturesThis spinner was the only member of its species I saw all night during an incredibly thick and tricky mixed hatch on Penn's Creek a few days before the real start of its famous green drake hatch.Region: PA Limestone
Collected May 26, 2007
Added Jun 4, 2007
3 Streamside Pictures of Ephemera Mayflies:
View Full Size
Two Ephemera simulans (Brown Drake) spinners hang from tree leaves along the river. It's worthwhile to look for these in afternoons during the Brown Drake hatch, because their presence may reveal the best place to fish in the evening.
In this picture: Mayfly Species Ephemera simulans (Brown Drake).
In this picture: Mayfly Species Ephemera simulans (Brown Drake).
This is the skin a brown drake dun shed when it molted into a spinner. Many of these were on the surface one afternoon, having been blown in after the flies molted on overhanging alders. They were our most noticeable sign of an intense brown drake hatch the previous night and a spinner fall to come.
In this picture: Mayfly Species Ephemera simulans (Brown Drake).
In this picture: Mayfly Species Ephemera simulans (Brown Drake).
I didn't manage to collect a nymph, but here's the hollow shuck (
Shuck: The shed exoskeleton left over when an insect molts into its next stage or instar. Most often it describes the last nymphal or pupal skin exited during emergence into a winged adult.) left over from an emerged dun, showing the basic pattern of the nymph.
In this picture: Mayfly Species Ephemera guttulata (Green Drake).
View Full SizeHere's an underwater view of the pupal shucks of several already-emerged Brachycentrus numerosus caddisflies.
In this picture: Mayfly Species Ephemera guttulata (Green Drake).
2 Underwater Pictures of Ephemera Mayflies:
I lifted a rock in pursuit of a stonefly nymph that had scurried beneath it, and instead I found this Ephemera simulans burrowing mayfly nymph waiting to be photographed.
In this picture: Mayfly Species Ephemera simulans (Brown Drake).
In this picture: Mayfly Species Ephemera simulans (Brown Drake).
Recent Discussions of Ephemera
Green Drake Hatch Frustrations 7 Replies »
Posted by Billy on Jun 6, 2007 in the species Ephemera guttulata
Last reply on Jun 12, 2007 by GONZO
We were fortunate this past weekend to be on Pine Creek during the Green Drake hatch. The spinner fall was incredible. A question I have is why do we miss so many strikes and yet, using the same techniques, the ones we do catch and release practically hook themselves. We were getting strikes on Green Drake Duns and Cripples and Spinners.
One individual described it to us that after observing the trout underwater during a Green Drake hatch, many of the strikes pull a small part of the fly (wing, leg) underwater and they swirl and swallow it there. If that is true, then I can rationalize missing more than 18 fish this weekend. If anyone has observed this please post your observations. Normally we do not have such a great contrast in miss to hookup ratio.
ReplyNix compar 8 Replies »One individual described it to us that after observing the trout underwater during a Green Drake hatch, many of the strikes pull a small part of the fly (wing, leg) underwater and they swirl and swallow it there. If that is true, then I can rationalize missing more than 18 fish this weekend. If anyone has observed this please post your observations. Normally we do not have such a great contrast in miss to hookup ratio.
Prior to Hatches or Hatches II, Ernie Schwiebert included E. compar in Nymphs and discussed their activity on the Frying Pan in CO. Unfortunately, the species has been listed as "recently extinct" for several years.
ReplyBrown Drake - emergence cycle??? 5 Replies »Posted by AftonAngler on Jun 5, 2006 in the species Ephemera simulans
Last reply on Jun 8, 2006 by Wiflyfisher
Well the Brown Drakes are happening up in Bayfield, Douglas and Sawyer County streams now.
I was talking with the Queen of the Brown Drakes - Chloe Manz the other day and she was insisting that the nymphs only emerge in the late evening. I was countering that I was under the impression that they emerge in the early morning hours and sometimes during the mid day hours.
Any acurate info???
Observation on my part has subimagos around during the daylight and taking refuge in the riprian foliage until a return to the water in the very late evening (under the right conditions) as imagos for a mating flight and egg laying.
I would be interested to know if anyone has had any success fishing the emerging nymphs. I have ties up some nice, big soft hackles and am itching to give em a whirl.
By the way....there is a masking hatch up near my home stream of Sulphurs that takes a trump card over the bigger Brown Drake most evenings...last night I mistakenly switched to a Brown Drake spinner after very successfully fishing a Sulphur dun for an hour.
I could hear the fish change the sucking noises as the evening progressed into darkness and spent a unfruitfull 1/2 hour steadily working a couple of very nice fish with the brown drake spent pattern before turning my attention to the evidence...I put the headlamp on the surface and saw that the Sulphur spinners were much more predominant.
I then switched to a more appropriate spent pattern and got a bit of redemption!
Glorious evening none the less and lesson well learned!
ReplyI was talking with the Queen of the Brown Drakes - Chloe Manz the other day and she was insisting that the nymphs only emerge in the late evening. I was countering that I was under the impression that they emerge in the early morning hours and sometimes during the mid day hours.
Any acurate info???
Observation on my part has subimagos around during the daylight and taking refuge in the riprian foliage until a return to the water in the very late evening (under the right conditions) as imagos for a mating flight and egg laying.
I would be interested to know if anyone has had any success fishing the emerging nymphs. I have ties up some nice, big soft hackles and am itching to give em a whirl.
By the way....there is a masking hatch up near my home stream of Sulphurs that takes a trump card over the bigger Brown Drake most evenings...last night I mistakenly switched to a Brown Drake spinner after very successfully fishing a Sulphur dun for an hour.
I could hear the fish change the sucking noises as the evening progressed into darkness and spent a unfruitfull 1/2 hour steadily working a couple of very nice fish with the brown drake spent pattern before turning my attention to the evidence...I put the headlamp on the surface and saw that the Sulphur spinners were much more predominant.
I then switched to a more appropriate spent pattern and got a bit of redemption!
Glorious evening none the less and lesson well learned!
New features!
