Ecdyonurus dispar - Autumn Dun

The nymphs of the autumn dun  are stone clingers, similar in size and shape to the March Brown nymph, but they emerge not at the surface in open water but by crawling onto exposed stones in the shallows. They are therefore of limited interest to flyfishers.

The dun

These are late season flies, appearing in the afternoons mainly in August and September. On breezy days they often get blown onto the surface of the water, and then a dry March Brown is an effective imitation. Apart from the size of the eyes (the male having the larger eyes), the sexes are very similar.

The spinner

On blustery evenings the spinners get blown onto the water; however, as the female spinner lays her eggs from the vantage point of emergent vegetation or stones in the shallows, it is the spent fly rather than the egg-laying spinner that appears prominently on the trout's menu.

The male and female spinners are sufficiently similar for a single imitative pattern to suffice; try a Pheasant-tail Spinner in size 12.

It is not common to see large quantities of March Brown spinners during the day, but a Pheasant Tail Spinner is a useful pattern when you do.

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