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The Specimen
Leptophlebia (Black Quills and Blue Quills) Mayfly Dun
View 7 PicturesI collected this mayfly after user Al514 tipped me off to the presence of some Leptophlebia mayflies I didn't seem to have yet with his ID request of a male dun. This seems to be of the same species. I also collected a female spinner. Based on that spinner, I can tell that this is either Leptophlebia cupida or Leptophlebia nebulosa, but I can't tell which.
Unfortunately none of the specimens I collected made it through the hot, sunny day very well. So the pictures aren't great, but they're better than nothing.
View 7 PicturesI collected this mayfly after user Al514 tipped me off to the presence of some Leptophlebia mayflies I didn't seem to have yet with his ID request of a male dun. This seems to be of the same species. I also collected a female spinner. Based on that spinner, I can tell that this is either Leptophlebia cupida or Leptophlebia nebulosa, but I can't tell which.Unfortunately none of the specimens I collected made it through the hot, sunny day very well. So the pictures aren't great, but they're better than nothing.
The Discussion
| Oldredbarn | May 10th, 2010, 8:04 am | |
 Posts: 2608 | I will apologise up front here for railing on about another "Michigan" thing, but here goes...There is a rather famous fly from the Au Sable area originally put together by Ernie Borchers called the Borchers Drake and it was designed to cover this bug. Originally the abdomen was wrapped condor quill but wrapped natural turkey tail fibers are used now. The tail is three moose mane fibers tied longer than normal and on these specimens of Jason's you can see why that works. It's tied in a Catskill style or as a parachute pattern. Hackle is Adams style and the wing is light blue dun...Have at it! Spence | |
| "Even when my best efforts fail it's a satisfying challenge, and that, after all, is the essence of fly fishing." -Chauncy Lively "Envy not the man who lives beside the river, but the man the river flows through." Joseph T Heywood | ||
| TNEAL | May 13th, 2010, 6:02 am | |
| GRAYLING. MICHIGAN Posts: 278 | Charlie Kroll, Fred Bear's son-in-law and a man who, according to him, has "fished on all the best rivers in the world", told me years ago that the Borcher's Special was the single best dry fly he ever used... this coming from a guy who caught brown trout in excess of 16 pounds and brook trout over 10 pounds on a fly. Needless to say, that got my attention. | |
| TNEAL | May 13th, 2010, 6:06 am | |
| GRAYLING. MICHIGAN Posts: 278 | This is an addendum to my last post re the Borcher's Special... It appears that this fly is an excellent imitation of any darker colored mayfly... guids use ti regularly in sizes 14-18 for our early season Hendricksons and Little Mahoganies... trout over 20" are regularly taken on #14's during the Hendrickson hatch.. bigger sizes are excellent when Isonychias begin.. I have added one slight variation to this fly which makes it even more effective.. Tim Neal | |
| TNEAL | May 13th, 2010, 6:08 am | |
| GRAYLING. MICHIGAN Posts: 278 | This is an addendum to my last post re the Borcher's Special... It appears that this fly is an excellent imitation of any darker colored mayfly... guides use it regularly in sizes 14-18 for our early season Hendricksons and Little Mahoganies... trout over 20" are regularly taken on #14's during the Hendrickson hatch.. bigger sizes are excellent when Isonychias begin.. I have added one slight variation to this fly which makes it even more effective.. Tim Neal | |
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