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.
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