Michigan Flies

Hatches / other

Crane Fly

A

Tipulidae (Tipula and related genera; species not identified by Michigan sources)

Also called Yellow Crane Fly, Tipulidae, Crane Fly Larva.

Yellow crane flies show up with the Sulphurs in late May and June, and their long-legged, pale yellow adults skittering on the surface are often confused with mayflies. Adults are a minor surface food, but a #16 yellow crane fly or a light-colored skater can take fish that ignore the sulphur duns at dusk. The larger value is the larva: a one- to three-inch grub-like larva that lives in silt and bank mud and washes into the drift in high water, when a #8-12 crane fly larva dead-drifted deep is worth a try. Not treated as a major hatch by any Michigan source.

#8–16eveningdusklarvaadultyellow to tan adultlong pale legsgray-olive to tan grub-like larva

Adam Kranz · CC0 · iNaturalist · Farmington Hills, MI · 2018

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 1 – Jun 24
    Peak
    —
  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 5 – Jun 28
    Peak
    —
  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
    May 15 – Jul 8
    Peak
    —
  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
    May 15 – Jul 8
    Peak
    —
  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 5 – Jul 29
    Peak
    —

Flies that match

Crane Fly Larva
I
Larva / pupa#8–12TanOlive-gray

A worm-like one to three inch larva that gets dislodged in high water, when it is most useful as a heavy point fly. Michigan sources treat crane flies mainly as yellow adults beside the Sulphurs, so this is a generic high-water nymph for spring and fall flows.

Indicator nymphing · Euro / tight-line nymphing

Reserve · $2.75
Yellow Crane Fly Adult
A
Dry fly#14–16Pale yellow with long legs

Supinski's Muskegon chart notes #16 yellow crane flies hatching along with the Sulphurs in late May and June, often confused with mayflies by anglers. Skate or dead-drift a long-legged yellow adult in the evening when fish refuse Sulphur duns on the Muskegon.

Dry fly

Reserve · $3.00