PMD's Under the Bobber - Hatches of Northern CA
Hatch Highlight: PMDs under the bobber
It’s springtime, and on trout rivers across the west this means it’s PMD time. PMDs (Pale Morning Duns) are a mayfly loved by trout and trout anglers alike. Little cream colored helicopters, these bugs are often preferred by trout, even when the trout have a long menu of other appetizers and entrees. When nymphing during PMD time, it can vary from wide open pick any general mayfly nymph and get bit, to extremely picky fish why are there bugs everywhere and I’m not getting bit. In fishing there are never any certain answers, but here’s some tips that sometimes help us get an extra bite or two when imitating a PMD subsurface.
Mornings : Before you start seeing the little cream colored helicopters (Adult Pale Morning Duns) hatching, there are often spent spinners leftover from yesterday’s hatch. They are adults who laid their eggs already and are dead or dying, and usually look more rusty colored and skinny. Skinny Nymphs like the S&M and X-May imitate this well.
As the hatch begins: You are seeing an adult bug or two starting to come out, not a bad time to fish an emerger nymph. Frenchies, Crack Backs, Split Case PMDs, really anything with a dark body and a little bit of yellow showing. The bright cream / yellow PMDs are vulnerable as they shed their dark exoskeletons. Trout know this.
The main heat :
You are seeing bugs all over. This can be the hottest bite where any PMD nymph works, or a time when there’s so many options your flies have a hard time standing out. The Peaches n Cream nymph looks like these big bright adult duns, but often they still take the emerger nymphs as good or better. Sometimes a flashy attractor like a perdigon style nymph will also stand out better.
Post hatch :
Things are winding down. Not an easy time to get a ton of bites as the trout aren’t darting around expending energy feeding. This is a good time to get your flies deeper, as close to the bottom as possible. Patterns matter less here. Hit them on the nose with it. Spent spinners, attractors, emergers, or adults all can get you a bite or two here. Think perdigons or anything you have confidence in fishing.
What works for one fisherman might not work for another, so everything here comes with a grain of salt. Just go fishing and don’t overthink it.
