The end of May
and early June sees the stately mayfly floating on the surface film like a
galleon in full sail. It is not a common fly on the usk as it prefers the
siltier bottoms of chalk streams or lakes rather than stony river beds. However,
it been increasingly latterly and you may be lucky and find it hatching in
the slower stretches of water.
As summer progresses hatches tend to die away in the middle of the day unless
there is a freshet of rain. A wider range of upwinged flies such as the iron
blue, pale watery olive, small spurwing , olive upright, blue winged olive
and many others come into their own. It is at this time that sedges make an
appearance in the failing light of evening. Busy, bushy flies dipping onto
the water to lay their eggs, they are often mistaken for moths. Splashy rises
mean that the trout are taking flies in mid flight and indicate to the fisherman
that it is time to put on a sedge imitation.
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