CALLIBAETIS: The Lake Mayfly of the West

The Callibaetis Mayfly is the most important mayfly in still waters of Western North America. In suitable climates the Callibaetis Mayfly can hatch up to 3 broods per year from April to October. Colder regions and higher elevations may have only 2 generations per year and in extreme elevations only one generation can hatch in the short season available. If the weather is suitable for you the fly fisher, then there is a good chance that the Callibaetis Mayfly are hatching. In temperate climates there will be peak emergence periods which taper off with time. But it is very common for one generation¹s emergence to overlap with the next. It can take as little as 6 weeks for the fertilized egg to grow to an emerging adult.

The first hatches of the season are the biggest specimens, often a size #12, the second goes to a #14 and the third a #16. If you were doing well in May with a #12 and you are going back in August, I would come with sizes #14 or #16. The preferred habitat for the callibaetis is weed beds. Their food sources are algae and diatoms that are in the vegetation. At maturity the nymphs develop a dark wing case. Just prior to emergence they begin to swim up towards the surface and fall back down to the weeds. After repeated attempts the nymphs finally make it to the surface and become airborne rather rapidly. The hatch often takes place in the afternoon or evening but in very warm weather I have seen it come off in the morning.

To fish this hatch my first choice is to fish a nymph (Lewiston Nymph, Hare¹s Ear, Pheasant Tail, Bead Head Mayfly Olive or Zug Bug ). The easiest meal for the trout is the nymph heading for the surface or falling back down to the weed tops. If the surface of the water is glassy the trout will tend to work the outside edges of the weeds close to the safety of deep water. With a wind chop on the water, the fish have the cover to move on top of the weeds or to the inside edges closer to shore. If you see rises that result in just swirls, the fish are probably taking nymphs below the surface. The nymphs are strong swimmers and move about in 6 inch bursts around and through the weed beds. The pre-emergers rise and fall through the water.

An excellent technique is to hang a nymph below an indicator. Once your fly and leader are thoroughly wet cast it close to shore and observe how long it takes for the fly to fall ( use the count down method ) then retrieve and see how many pulls of how long, it takes to get the nymph back to the surface. Cast out and count the fly down to full depth then retrieve it to the surface and count it back down again. The fish know that food rises to the surface and sometimes falls back down. If there is a strong wind chop on the water a bead head, hung below an indicator, will exhibit an enticing up and down jigging motion.

Many anglers think fishing dry flies are more fun than fishing nymphs. My first surface fly choices are emerger patterns. Adams Cripple, Callibaetis Emerger or various Parachutes (Adams, Light Cahill, or Gulper Special ) work well. Standard dry patterns such as Light Cahill, and Adams have been effective for years. The characteristic of the adult Callibaetis that is most noteworthy is the salt and pepper coloration. I believe that many mountain lake fishermen use the mosquito patterns because of what is buzzing around their heads but the trout take mosquito patterns because they are good callibaetis immitations.

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