Most species of the genus Ameletus are found in the smaller, fast water streams of the higher altitude streams of the Western and Pacific states. Four species are worth noting, the velox, of the Sierra Nevada drainage, the sparsatus, common in the Yellowstone River and the Cooki. The ludens species is an Eastern mayfly. There is only one stage of life that is real important to anglers - the nymph. These mayflies crawl out of the water to hatch so it is not necessary to imitate the emergers or duns. The spinners are ocassionally important. |
Fishing the Nymph: These nymphs are excellent swimmers. Like some of the other swimmers, these nymphs migrate to the shoreline and emerge into duns If you intend to fish the shoreline during a hatch the key is determining when the migration is occurring. This does concentrate the nymphs somewhat and increases your odds of success. Otherwise, fish the normal places nymphs may be found within the stream such as pools, pockets, runs and riffles. Presentation: Fish the nymph in the fast water up until the time they are ready to emerge. You can use a deep dead drift, on the swing or a strike indicator. When the nymphs move into shallow water to emerge, use a slighted weighted imitation or small split shot with an upstream approach. |