Spring Time Means Blue Winged Olives!

Dave Jolie Mar 20th 2019

It’s getting to be that time of year. Spring means hatches of Baetis mayflies. As water temps begin to rise, we get to see the first hatches of Blue Winged Olives. BWOs hatch in both Spring and Fall in good numbers throughout North America.

These little mayflies are perfectly adapted to the harsh weather conditions often encountered at these times of the year. The best emergences normally take place in late March and early April. Look for the duns about mid-day. The heaviest concentrations occur during cloudy, cool weather.

These hatches are very important part of the trout’s dies. The BWO has an unusually high vulnerability to trout. They emerge on the surface, and the nymphs may drift just under it for a while before breaking through. They have trouble escaping their shucks in the film, taking a long time and often becoming stuck in the process. Those which do escape may ride the water for quite a distance before taking flight.

Load yourself up with nymphs, emergers, cripples and duns. At various times of the hatch, trout will key in on certain stages, you don’t want to be unprepared on the water.