Michigan Flies

Hatches / mayfly

Brown Drake

A

Ephemera simulans

Also called Ephemera simulans.

The third of the Au Sable's Big Five: short-lived, blizzard-like hatches from about 8 pm to midnight in the first half of June on the northern rivers, late May on the Pere Marquette and Muskegon. Each reach gets three to seven nights before the hatch moves upstream, so the trick is being on the right stretch. Duns emerge at dusk and the spinner fall into darkness is the best fishing; Brown Drakes and Sulphurs drive the evening rise on the South Branch. Fish a #10 Brown Drake dun or spinner, or a Robert's Yellow Drake, and a burrowing-nymph pattern over sand and silt before dark.

#8–12dusknightnymphemergerdunspinnerbrownish-tan body with dark markingsheavily mottled brown and tan wingpale burrowing nymph

© Chloe Robinson · CC BY-SA · iNaturalist · Guelph, ON · 2021

Timing by region

  1. Southeast Lower Peninsula
    1. J
    2. F
    3. M
    4. A
    5. M
    6. J
    7. J
    8. A
    9. S
    10. O
    11. N
    12. D
    Window
    May 18 – Jun 20
    Peak
    May 18 – May 31
  2. Southwest Lower Peninsula
    1. J
    2. F
    3. M
    4. A
    5. M
    6. J
    7. J
    8. A
    9. S
    10. O
    11. N
    12. D
    Window
    May 22 – Jun 24
    Peak
    May 22 – Jun 4
  3. Northeast Lower Peninsula
    1. J
    2. F
    3. M
    4. A
    5. M
    6. J
    7. J
    8. A
    9. S
    10. O
    11. N
    12. D
    Window
    Jun 1 – Jul 4
    Peak
    Jun 1 – Jun 14
  4. Northwest Lower Peninsula
    1. J
    2. F
    3. M
    4. A
    5. M
    6. J
    7. J
    8. A
    9. S
    10. O
    11. N
    12. D
    Window
    Jun 1 – Jul 4
    Peak
    Jun 1 – Jun 14
  5. Upper Peninsula
    1. J
    2. F
    3. M
    4. A
    5. M
    6. J
    7. J
    8. A
    9. S
    10. O
    11. N
    12. D
    Window
    Jun 22 – Jul 25
    Peak
    Jun 22 – Jul 5

Flies that match

Roberts Yellow Drake
A
Dry fly#4–18Yellow (deer-hair body)Yellow tied large for Hex

Grayling's all-purpose pale mayfly, an extended deer-hair body under a parachute post, sized #4 through #18 to cover Sulphurs, Cahills, Brown Drakes and the Hex. Hawkins names a large Roberts Yellow Drake as a Hex dun and spinner; fish it after dark in late June on a short 6 ft 2X leader. Every Au Sable shop stocks it.

Dry fly

Reserve · $3.00
Brown Drake Parachute (reference photo)Reference photo
Brown Drake Parachute
A
Dry fly#8–12Brownish tan body, mottled brown wing

Brown Drakes hatch at dusk into darkness for only three to seven nights per reach, moving upriver, from late May to mid June on the Au Sable, Pere Marquette and Upper Manistee (mid June to mid July in the U.P.). Fish a #8 to #12 extended-body parachute from 8 pm to midnight over sand and silt flats where the nymphs burrow.

Dry fly

Reserve · $3.00
Brown Drake Spinner (reference photo)Reference photo
Brown Drake Spinner
A
Dry fly#8–10Dark brown with blotched wings

The spinner fall at dusk into darkness is the best Brown Drake fishing, often on the same nights as the emergence in early June. Fish a #8 to #10 spent-wing pattern with a short leader on the South Branch Au Sable, Boardman and Pere Marquette, listening for rises after dark.

Dry fly

Reserve · $3.00