Perlodes microcephala - Large Stonefly

Although common in many rivers, the large stonefly nymphs live beneath stones and hatch into winged adults by crawling onto exposed rocks in the shallows. It is difficult to mimic this behaviour with an artificial fly.

The nymphs prefer well oxygenated water, and in warm weather they often congregate in the fast riffles. They take two years or more to reach maturity, unlike many of the smaller species which have a one-year life cycle. Trout rummage among the smaller stones to disturb stonefly nymphs from their hideouts.

These big flies appear from the end of March until the middle of June, with the peak of the hatch usually occuring in May. The males have very short wings and are unable to fly, and so the females go about the business of courting before they fly across the river and dip down to lay their eggs.

Matching the Hatch

Melvin Grey devised this realistic imitation of the Large Stonefly; it uses a long-shank size 12 hook.

Special Offer - author-signed copies: £14-00 + £2-00 P&P = £16
	Signed copies of Matching the Hatch - Pat O'Reilly's best selling 245-page full colour book on aquatic flies and their imitation - are available by print-and-post form or by  Credit Card or Debit Card via the PayPal Secure Server for just £16 including P&P.

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