Entomology

pedro7

Hi guys,

I was out this weekend and noticed the a lot of insect life around the river for the first time this year. This got me thinking about what the flies and crawlies were and how best to imitate them.

Maybe this would be worth consideration for a sticky?

971248_665022906974_282470003_n.jpg

This was one of the creatures I found. Any ideas what it is? and whats a good imitation?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

It seems to be an Ephemera of some sort - a Mayfly.

Zzippy

It's an olive (stonefly). Mayflies have 3 tails, stoneflies have 2. Couldn't tell you what species it is, someone else might know it.

pedro7

I reckoned it was an olive myself. I tied on a sooty olive dry fly and had a few hits but didn't hook anything with it. Then tried a team wet olives and they were having none of it. I got 1 on a zulu in the end and 1 on a cochybondu. Its a funny old sport!

I would have guessed it was a large dark olive but its a lighter colour than many i have seen before.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

I'm talking from a taxonomic and nonmenclaturic point of view. Anglers refers to Ephemeridae as Mayfly (with 3 "tails") but Mayfly also encompasses others like Potamanthidae, Siphlonuridae, and Heptageniidae with 2 "tails". Stoneflies (Plecoptera) rest with wings folded. The hind wings are much larger than those of Mayflies. The hind wings tend to be slightly broader than the fore wings, and the wings beat out of sync. Some males may be wingless, or have short, non-functional wings.

An adult stonefly can be recognised by the "double ladder" down its wings.
The body of a Stonefly is also much more blunted than Mayfly.

Outside of terms used in Angling there are no insects called Olives.

Anglers reserve the term Mayfly for a particular species but there are in Nature many under that classification.

No help I know in a fishing context but the creature pictured is technically a Mayfly.

pedro7

Thats very interesting thanks!

So in actual fact some creatures we would refer to as olives are usually species of other 'mayfly'? Or are olives separate again?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

pedro7 wrote: »

Thats very interesting thanks!

So in actual fact some creatures we would refer to as olives are usually species of other 'mayfly'? Or are olives separate again?

What anglers call the Small Dark Olive is in fact Baetis scambus which is a Mayfly. There is no insect family called Olives.

pedro7

Ah I see! Can you recommend any decent books or websites on the subject Srameen?

Thanks again!

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Any books I have on it are very technical. Collins field guide Insects of Britain and northern Europe is probably the best for a beginner but to be honest I wouldn't recommend it. Insects cover a huge filed and unlike birds or mammals is extremely difficult if you're not at it every day. I happen to have a background in Nature and environmental studies and I struggle when it comes to insects. 20,000 species in the British Isles and 100,000+ in Europe!

whelzer

From an angling stand point Matching the Hatch
by p o reilly takes some beating.

wgsten

I would go for Large Dark Olive (Baetis Rhodani) as it usually hatches at this time of the season.


Large Dark Olive Dun (baetis rhodani) by irishfly-fisher, on Flickr


Large Dark Olive Spinner Male (baetis Rhodani) by irishfly-fisher, on Flickr

Here are some books i would recommend;
An Anglers Entomology by JR Harris
Trout fly recognition by John Goddard
John Goddards Waterside Guide

pedro7

Thanks wgsten! I thought as much myself. I've been having great success with them in Kildare lately.

Love your blog by the way!