The mayfly is synonomous with dry fly fishing. There are several different species and they can be found on most rivers in the UK and often on lakes and reservoirs. They hatch most prolifically in late May and early June but the so called Duffer’s Fortnight is not as easy as some would have you believe! The unusual mayfly life cycle has two winged adult stages. The first is the dun stage and the second is the spinner.
The duns start hatching from the nymphs around mid-morning with a preference for still, warm, humid conditions. By late afternoon the hatch is normally over. Temperature has a big effect on the hatch period with cooler weather causing the hatches to shift towards the afternoon or evening and in really cold weather they will stop altogether. Warm weather has the opposite effect and can cause hatches to be over by early afternoon. The fly fisherman’s friend during mayfly dun hatches can be drizzle or light rain. This makes it harder for the duns to leave the water’s surface making them easy prey for trout. It is not uncommon during these conditions for trout to feed in a frenzy on thousands of duns struggling to take off.
Purchase Mayfly Dun Dry Flies
The three patterns below are all highly effective but each have their unique niche. Choose carefully for the conditions you expect to find.
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CDC Mayfly
 CDC Mayfly |
Grey Wulff
 Grey Wulff |
Para Mayfly
 Parachute Mayfly |
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Sizes 8-10 |
Sizes 8-10 |
Sizes 8-10 |
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The CDC Mayfly is a mayfly dun pattern. Although traditionally it hatches in May, the more prolific hatches tend to be late May and early June. Small numbers actually hatch well into the summer when a CDC Mayfly can be deadly. The mayfly can be found on most rivers and lakes in the UK. |
The Grey Wulff is a versatile year round fly but is most commonly used as mayfly dun pattern. Like the CDC Mayfly it can be used to deadly effect when there are late mayfly hatches. It is a more generic fly than the CDC Mayfly which gives it the advantage of fooling trout that are feeding on other flies. |
The Parachute Mayfly is a mayfly dun pattern. It is best used when trout are more easily startled towards the end of the mayfly period. It is quite a difficult dry fly to use delicately so practice beforehand will pay dividends. The fly is also effective during late hatches. |
| Rivers - Yes
Lakes - Yes Time of Year - Spring, Early Summer Weather/Time - Late Morning, Afternoon Rod – 9ft AFTM 5 Reel – AFTM 5, lightweight Line – AFTM 5, floating Leader – 8ft, floating polyleader Tippet – 3ft, 4.4lb fluorocarbon |
Rivers - Yes Lakes - Yes Time of Year - Spring, Early Summer Weather/Time - Late Morning, Afternoon Rod - 9ft AFTM 5 Reel - AFTM 5, lightweight Line - AFTM 5, floating Leader - 8ft, floating polyleader Tippet - 3ft, 4.4lb fluorocarbon |
Rivers - Yes Lakes - Yes Time of Year - Spring, Early Summer Weather/Time - Late Morning, Afternoon Rod - 9ft AFTM 5 Reel - AFTM 5, lightweight Line - AFTM 5, floating Leader - 8ft, floating polyleader Tippet - 3ft, 4.4lb fluorocarbon |
