Hook Size: 10
The Perfect Fly Brown Drake Emerger with trailing shuck is an excellent imitation of the actual emerger as it sheds its skin near the surface of the water as it changes into a dun. Brown Drake Emergers, emerge in the afternoons. It looks more like the dun than the nymph. The fly should be fished just under the surface or in the surface skim.
It is during the time the emerging nymph is suspended just under the surface film that it is
most subject to being eaten by a feeding trout. The trout may eat the emerging mayfly
nymphs more than they do the dun and spinners combined. You should always watch for
rise forms to indicate trout feeding on the emergers. This will usually produce the typical
rise ring.
Be sure to check the shorelines and slower moving sections of the river or stream. The
emerging duns aren’t around for long period of time, so being there at the right time is
important if you are planning on fishing a brown drake hatch.
Presentation:
You should fish the Perfect Fly Brown Drake emerger in the surface skim to imitates the
real nymph suspended beneath the surface film. The CDC should just be level with the
surface of the water. In the slower moving water in which they are found, a downstream or
down and across approach is usually the best method of presentation. It is very important
to keep a good drag free drift.
If you can find trout feeding on the emergers, it is best to fish to individual trout. This is
not easy to do in the low light conditions the hatch usually takes place in. Most of the time
you will be blind casting.
We think the Perfect Fly Emerger with the trailing shuck is best for blind fishing the hatch.
If you are fishing to individual trout, the CDC emerger is probably best. You fish the
trailing shuck version the same way – in the surface skim on a dead drift. Trial and error
is the only sure way to determine which fly is best. The trailing shuck version is slightly
easier to fish than the CDC emerger. It is easier to keep track of and to detect strikes
from but all in all, it probably isn’t as effective, especially if the trout are very picky. Make
sure you use a tippet and leader that is light enough when fishing the CDC emerger
version. Heavy tippets can affect the way the fly drifts. I would not recommend anything
heavier than a 5X tippet for the CDC version. You can fish the trailing shuck version on a
4X tippet but most of the time, that would be pushing the limit.
Copyright 2013 James Marsh
