With the Catskills fishing season coming up everyone is getting exited for the big hatches to come around. For me and many others, that means Isonychia! Isonychias are prevalent in the Catskills and can be found on almost every rock during their hatching season. Another great thing about these bugs is that they are whats considered a swimming mayfly which means they can be found moving freely throughout the water column and fish do notice.
The Isonychia genus of the family Siphlonuridae consists of three recognizable species in the East and Midwest and three others in the West, Isonychia Bicolor, Isonychia Sadleri, and Isonychia Harperi are our eastern bugs and Isonychia Velma, Isonychia Campestris, and Isonychia Sicca are out western bugs.
For the fisherman in the northeast Bicolor seems to be the predominant species and Sadleri seems to be the predominant species in the Midwest. They are more commonly known and most anglers know them as the leadwing coachman, the slate drake or the mahogany dun. These bugs are strong swimmers as nymphs and seem to prefer faster moving water, most likely because they are a predacious mayfly that is equipped with good forelegs for trapping prey in the current. Isonychia nymphs are easily recognizable by the gills lining the sides of their abdomen as well as by the seemingly white stripe running the length of their back. These nymphs are know to be fast swimmers as I mentioned before but they are also known to be shy quickly diving down into the rocks when danger shows itself. During the hatch the insects make their way to slower moving water where they crawl out onto the rocks or stay right in the shallows to emerge,. Expect to start seeing them in early June into mid July.
No comments:
Post a Comment