There are many celebrated hatches in fly fishing. From the on-the-hour arrival of bugs that come nearly every day, to those semi-annual mass emergences that give anglers a frisson of anticipation like they’re waiting for Christmas morning. Yet, if I had to choose one out of the menagerie that is the pinnacle of everything a hatch should be, it would be the arrival of the green drakes.
Emerging on the East Coast between early May and late June, the green drake is one of the largest species of mayfly, at nearly half an inch long. This makes it a significant meal which will draw even the largest, wiliest trout to the surface to feed. The bugs hatch in unbelievable numbers, causing fly anglers to flock to the shorelines of their favorite rivers in hopes of capitalizing on the chaotic dry fly action drakes provide. However, to truly take advantage of the green drake hatch, you must fish in at the right time, in the right place, and with the right flies.
A Short Temperature Window
Green drakes begin to emerge and hatch once river water temperatures reach around 55 degrees. The bugs will continue to come to the surface and then fly, breed, and die en masse until temps hit the low 60s, after which they will almost completely disappear. This gives angles only a short window to experience the true pinnacle of the green drake action, as it usually takes a few days of hatching for trout to key in on the insects.
To make sure you’re on the water at the right time, take the temperature of the river frequently and be ready to fish once temps hit roughly 58 degrees. Generally, drakes prefer to hatch in medium-to-fast running riffles and pools (i.e., flowing at about a walking pace speed), but they will also emerge from slow-moving, deep pools with rocky or gravelly bottoms.
Most of the time, the larger the run or pool, the more drakes will emerge once water temperatures are right. So, spend a bit of time wandering along the river to find a likely-looking spot. Then all you have to do is settle in on a comfortable place on the bank to wait for the drakes to appear and the trout to rise.
Low Light is The Right Light
Green drakes are low-light insects that are usually most active in the late evening. This makes hitting the river in the morning or afternoon almost a complete waste of time unless you’re fishing on an extremely overcast or rainy day. On clear days, wait on the bank in a good spot until dusk approaches, and then step into the water once you begin to see fluttering bugs.
Usually, trout won’t begin rising until drake spinners begin to fall into the water after they’re spent from breeding, which often won’t happen until well after dark. This makes getting into position early critical, as once drake spinners begin to fly, they will keep coming until they completely fill the night sky. This can create a target-rich environment so long as you’re in the right spot.
Once you begin to see drakes fluttering on or above the water, start looking for risers. If you can, try to get to an area of the river where groups of trout are continuously feeding, and not only where the odd fish is coming up. This is vital as the hatch will usually begin in earnest once the light is completely gone, so you want to make sure you have enough active fish in front of you so you can hear them rising, giving you a direction to cast even when it gets dark.
Sort of Matching the Hatch
One of the best parts about green drakes is that the insects are so large and plentiful that trout won’t be too picky once the action starts. Any fly that’s roughly the right shape and size of a green drake will be inhaled by the fish with gusto, so you can get away with using flies that don’t precisely match the hatch. Indeed, when there are a lot of natural insects on the water, it can actually be hard for both you and the fish to pick your fly out of the bunch. Therefore, it’s a good idea to think outside the box a bit and fish with patterns that seem a little unconventional.
So long as your fly imitates the basic shape of the insects on the water during a green drake hatch, you can use almost any large, thickly hackled flies that ride high on the surface. These can include traditional drake or even Hexagenia patterns, but often large attractor patterns, like the White Wulff and Yellow Humpy, that are one to two sizes larger than the hatching insects will do the job. Additionally, in low light, it can be hard for you to see smaller flies floating on the surface of the water, so don’t be afraid to try large, extended body patterns made of foam or deer hair, such as the Foam Hat Mayfly.
Finally, if you’re not having any luck on the surface, you can still catch a lot of trout during a green drake hatch by stripping a pair of large nymphs just under the surface. These can include Soft-Hackle Hare’s Ears and Pheasant Tails, and even stonefly nymphs in sizes 8 and 10, as they push a decent amount of water without being too obtrusive. Rig your nymphs about 8 inches apart and then retrieve them with long, slow strips or short pops, and it usually won’t be long before you get a hook-up.
Finally Unleashed
Part of what makes the green drake hatch so special is that it’s a culmination of sweet anticipation. You wait months for the bugs to arrive and then hours for them to appear over the water. Sitting quietly on the bank in the falling light, your entire being strains to watch and listen, suspended in a state of barely restrained expectancy like a child listening for Santa’s sleigh bells on Christmas Eve. Then, just as you’ve begun to fade with the sunlight, you’ll see a drake fly and hear trout rise and know that you’re finally about to let it all go in a single cast.