Mayfly Genus Ephoron (White Flies)
Taxonomic Navigation -?-
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
» Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
» Class Insecta (Insects)
» Order Ephemeroptera (Mayflies)
» Family Polymitarcyidae (White Flies)
» Genus Ephoron (White Flies)
| Species in Ephoron |  |  |
| Ephoron albumWhite Fly | 0 | 0 |
| Ephoron leukonWhite Fly | 0 | 0 |
Common Names
| Match | Common Name |
 | White Flies |
 | White Drakes |
 | White Millers |
Ephoron leukon is most important species in the East and Ephoron album in the West. They overlap in the Midwest. These are the only two mayflies of this genus recognized in the United States, but Caucci and Nastasi in Hatches II report inspecting specimens which did not fit the description of either species.
Where & When
Regions: East, Midwest, West
Time Of Year (?): August through October; best from late August through September
Preferred Waters: Lakes and rivers, warm and cool. Alkaline (Alkaline: Having a pH higher than 7 (opposite of acidic). Moderately alkaline water is ideal for trout because it's better for the growth of phytoplankton, the usual base of the aquatic food chain, and that's good for the growth of everything higher up the chain, including trout.) waters produce the best hatches.
Ephoron mayfly populations are very localized, often present in apocalyptic numbers in one river and virtually absent from the next drainage over. It pays to tap into a little local wisdom before trying to find this hatch.Time Of Year (?): August through October; best from late August through September
Preferred Waters: Lakes and rivers, warm and cool. Alkaline (Alkaline: Having a pH higher than 7 (opposite of acidic). Moderately alkaline water is ideal for trout because it's better for the growth of phytoplankton, the usual base of the aquatic food chain, and that's good for the growth of everything higher up the chain, including trout.) waters produce the best hatches.
Since these species thrive in warm water as well as cool, they are also important to smallmouth bass fishermen. These mayflies mark an excellent time for topwater fishing, often with Ephoron imitations.
Hatching Behavior
The nymphs are very fast to emerge once they reach the surface, and the duns quickly take to the air. They typically hatch, molt, oviposit, and fall spent (Spent: The wing position of many aquatic insects when they fall on the water after mating. The wings of both sides lay flat on the water. The word may be used to describe insects with their wings in that position, as well as the position itself.) within a couple hours, sometimes less, and trout are partial to all the adult stages. The males hatch first so that they have time to molt into spinners before the females arrive within the next thirty minutes.Unique among mayflies, the females don't molt -- they mate and die as duns. Because they go straight from the water to the mating flights and back to the water, their legs have atrophied (Atrophy: A body part which has shrunk or degenerated into a dysfunctional state is said to have atrophied. The mouth parts in adult mayflies are good examples.) to a weak and nearly useless state. Fred Arbona mentions in Mayflies, the Angler, and the Trout that the males may be so eager that they attempt to mate with emerging females before they even left the water. The amount of commotion caused by their antics makes twitching and skittering one's dry fly an excellent technique.
The Ephoron activity seems to occur everywhere on the river: every riffle, every pool, every run, upstream and down as far as the eye can see.
Spinner Behavior
Time Of Day: Dusk
Male spinners fall spent (Spent: The wing position of many aquatic insects when they fall on the water after mating. The wings of both sides lay flat on the water. The word may be used to describe insects with their wings in that position, as well as the position itself.) right after mating, but the females fly upstream to lay their eggs, sometimes for miles, and they fall spent (Spent: The wing position of many aquatic insects when they fall on the water after mating. The wings of both sides lay flat on the water. The word may be used to describe insects with their wings in that position, as well as the position itself.) far from where they emerged.There is a common misconception that Ephoron mayflies molt into spinners in mid-air almost as soon as they hatch. One of my streamside photos shows several male spinners still trailing their dun shucks (
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Here's an underwater view of the pupal shucks of several already-emerged Brachycentrus numerosus caddisflies.
Here's an underwater view of the pupal shucks of several already-emerged Brachycentrus numerosus caddisflies.
Nymph Biology
Current Speed: Slow to medium
Substrate: Silt or clay
Environmental Tolerance: High tolerance for temperatures warmer than trout can stand; low tolerance for pollution
According to Knopp and Cormier in Mayflies: An Angler's Study of Trout Water Ephemeroptera , the nymphs leave their burrows and become active on the bottom in the hour or so preceding emergence. They may also drift for a long time below the surface as they begin to hatch, creating good opportunities for hungry trout.Substrate: Silt or clay
Environmental Tolerance: High tolerance for temperatures warmer than trout can stand; low tolerance for pollution
Ephoron Fly Fishing Tips
Some fly shops sell "White Fly Nymph" imitations which look like snow-white Hendrickson nymphs, completely the wrong shape and color for real Ephoron nymphs. A better imitation would look something like a smaller Brown Drake (Ephemera) nymph.Dun imitations have also suffered a loss of realism due to the common names. The real duns have light gray wings over creamy white bodies, but most imitations have bright white wings. Perhaps this has tested better with the trout, but it seems unlikely.
1 Streamside Picture of Ephoron Mayflies:
View Full Size
This nighttime flash photograph shows a bunch of Ephoron mayflies flying around during the hatch. So many of them fly around with their dun shucks (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.) attached that it seems like they molt from the dun to spinner stage in mid-air. Actually they molt on streamside vegetation like other mayflies, but they sometimes take off to mate before they're completely finished.
In this picture: Mayfly Genus Ephoron (White Flies).
Here's an underwater view of the pupal shucks of several already-emerged Brachycentrus numerosus caddisflies.
In this picture: Mayfly Genus Ephoron (White Flies).
Recent Discussions of Ephoron
Fly choice during an Ephoron hatch 11 Replies »
Hey folks, what would you recommend as an imitation of these guys? They're hatching furiously in the Huron River in/near Ann Arbor, MI (smallmouth are leaping out of the water to eat them). How about a Light Cahill or White Wulff? Both have been major producers for me on other streams with white mayfly hatches in summer (e.g., Rifle River). If anyone has a particular recipe that works for them, I'd like to know. Thanks!
Jonathon
ReplyEphoron Leukon nymph photographs 12 Replies »Jonathon
Posted by BFornadley on Feb 8, 2007 in the species Ephoron leukon
Last reply on Aug 14, 2007 by Gene
I need some help here. I have been looking all over the web for someone who may have taken some Ephoron Leukon nymph underwater (or out of water) photos.I saw the description here at "Troutnut.com" and advice that a smaller Brown Drake (Ephemera) nymph would be a good natural to use as a tying model but I really want to see the real thing. Does any body have any of these pics or can anyone definitively tell me where to look?
Reply
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