Fish This: the Sulphur

(TroutNut.com)

I recently caught my first trout on a sulphur dry. The water was clear, the trout was only about 15 feet away from me, and I could see it eye the fly and cautiously sip it. Then, all hell broke loose.

That’s always fun.

Though the sulphur hatch season seems to be winding down, anglers at the Swift continue to report good results with the fly, either as a dry or an emerger. I still see a few hatching in the morning. And, I think the Swift’s even water temperatures makes for a longer sulphur hatch season. I know an accomplished local angler, who pretty much fishes mostly sulphur flies during the summer.

So, I’ve been reading up on Ephemerella invaria. A good resource is the Thomas Ames book on New England hatches. In addition, Troutnut.com has some good content on the sulphur, too.

So, read up on this bug, tie some flies, and head out for some fishing. As for me, I’ve just tied up some sulphur cripples and Comparaduns in sizes 18 and 20. Am looking forward to trying them out.

 

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4 thoughts on “Fish This: the Sulphur

    1. Happy to help! It really was fun to try dry fly fishing and see a trout take in slow and clear water. Was like watching a movie….

      Also, FWIW, I tend to fish Comparadun dries, which float in the water film, vs. dry flies with hackles, which float on top of the water. From what I've heard and seen, trout are less wary of something floating in the film.

    1. IDK. There are different kinds of Ephemerella. One is larger and more cream-colored; one is smaller and more yellow. The Swift regulars all use the word "sulphur." At the end of the day, IMO, it is about: 1. A good presentation, 2. Size, 3. Profile, and, then, finally, 4. Color.

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