Mayfly Madness - Chalkstream Fishing Tips!

It’s that time of year again! Natures big aquatic feed will soon be underway – watching a big fat trout lazily sipping down juicy mayfly duns is a real spectacle, even better if you can slot a carefully prepared and accurately cast imitation into the procession of insects washed over the trout’s head. This is the very essence of dry fly fishing and a treat every trout angler should look forward to. Before you start it helps if you know a few of the terms used just so you understand a little about the mayfly’s life cycle.

Mayfly Nymph – This is the larval aquatic stage – fish feed enthusiastically on the nymphs and if rules allow should be fished if no adult mayfly are hatching.

Dun – The dun is the first stage in the adult mayfly’s life cycle and lasts only a short time. This is the newly emerged adult – it’s identified by being dull in colour and a matt finish on the wings.

Spinner – This is a female that has dropped back onto the water to die after laying her eggs. The wings are shiny and transparent.



The duns sit on the surface of the water letting their wings dry out in an upright position after emerging – they look like little sailing boats traveling downstream. The spinners usually drop their eggs from high then lie on the water usually with their wings prone (or "spent"), and lie motionless on the surface until they are eaten or drowned.

You need to carry imitations of each of these life cycle stages in your fly box ideally in a range of sizes and styles to cover every eventuality you will encounter.

Tackle Advice

Adult mayfly imitations are large and bushy and we generally recommend a 5 weight rod/reel/line outfit to cast them accurately. For larger southern chalkstreams an 8’6” or 9’ model is the perfect choice matched with a lightweight reel and good quality high floating flyline. We would always recommend tapered leaders – if your fly spins in the air when you cast it is generally because your leader is too light. You may need a 6lb b/s tippet to prevent the largest flies from spinning.



Other important accessories include a floatant system for your flies (drying flies with an Amadou pad then dipping them in dry shake works really well). You need them to sit perfectly on the surface – this fishing is all about presentation. Unless of course the trout are in an eat anything mood, in which case fill your boots! These opportunities don’t come along every day – it’s called duffers fortnight after all.