"You've never
"matched the hatch" until you've fished the Delaware!"
As with any hatch chart, this is
only a guide to when you can expect certain flies to hatch. The weather,
water levels and just the overall type of season will affect the actual periods
of bug activity. Some of the hatches occur throughout the river system,
while others are more prolific in specific sections. Just another reason
why a full time professional fly fishing guide can make your visit to the river
more enjoyable and productive.
If you look through the chart you
will notice some overlap among the various hatches.
This often translates to having multiple insect species hatching at the same
time. On top of this, add fish that are keyed into one specific specie and
then into one specific life stage of that insect. It gets interesting.
Insect
Artificial
Size
Dates
*
Taeniopteryx
fasciata
Brown
Stone
12/14
3/25-5/5
Baetis
vagans
Blue
Winged Olive
18/20
3/25-
5/15
Chimarra
Little
Black Caddis
18/20
4/1
- 5/20
Paraleptophlebia
adoptiva
Blue
Quill, Mahogany Dun
18/20
4/10
- 5/10
Epeorus
pleuralis
Quill
Gordon
12/14
4/10
- 5/15
Ephemerella
subvaria
Hendrickson
12/14
4/15
- 5/25
Ephemerella
invaria
Sulfur
12/14
4/20
- 6/10
Brachycentrus
Shad
Fly, Grannom Caddis
16
4/25
- 5/25
Ephemerella
rotunda
Sulfur/Pale
Evening Dun
12/14
5/1
- 6/10
Stenonema
vicarium
March
Brown
10/12
5/15
- 6/5
Stenonema
fuscum
Gray
Fox
12/14
5/25
-6/20
Ephemerella
dorothea
Sulfur
16/18
5/25
- 7/15
Ephemera
guttulata
Green
Drake
8/10
6/1
- 6/15
Epeorus
vitreus
Sulfur
12/14
6/1
- 8/10
Isonychia
bicolor
Dun
Variant, Slate Drake
10/12
6/1
- 10/31
Stenonema
Ithaca & canadense
Light
Cahill
12/14
6/5-
9/10
Ephemerella
cornuta
Blue
Winged Olive
14
6/5
- 6/25
Ephemerella
atenuata
Blue
Winged Olive
18/20
6/15
- 7/15
Ephemera
simulans
Brown
Drake
8/10
6/5-
6/15
Potamanthus
Cream
Variant
10
6/15
- 8/25
Tricorythodes
Trico
24
6/28
- 10/15
Pseudocloeon
Blue
Winged Olive
24
6/28
- 11/20
Ephemerella
lata
Blue
Winged Olive
22
7/15
- 11/24
Paraleptophlebia
debilus
Blue
Quill
16/18
7/1
- 10/15
Ephoron
leukon
White
Fly
12/14
8/20
- 9/15
*The first date
listed is usually the earliest you can expect particular hatch, the
last date is generally the latest date.