Brown Drake

Overview

The Brown Drake is a large, robust mayfly (order Ephemeroptera) found in streams and rivers across the U.S. and Canada. Its hatch is dramatic and short-lived, drawing intense surface feeding from trout. Adults show a brown body, large wings, and an upright posture at emergence. Hatches run late spring into early summer. Hook sizes: 8 to 14.

Nymph

The nymph runs 1 to 1.5 inches, brown to olive with a dark thorax and a stout, segmented abdomen. As a burrower rather than a clinger, it lives in soft, silty or sandy substrate — typically slower, log-strewn stretches rather than fast riffles — surfacing to emerge. Hook sizes: 10 to 14.

Dry/Dun/Spinner

The dun measures 1 to 1.5 inches, brown to olive with large, faintly translucent wings. It emerges in late afternoon or evening, often in heavy waves, holding an upright posture before laying eggs. Hook sizes: 8 to 12. Traditional dries, parachutes, and comparaduns all match the hatch well.

Curated by the IdentaFly fly fishing team.