Michigan Flies

Hatches / mayfly

Little Sulphur

A

Ephemerella dorothea dorothea

Also called Pale Evening Dun, Little Yellow Sulphur, Dorothea.

The smaller, later sulphur, called the Pale Evening Dun on Michigan charts because it emerges from about 8 pm into darkness in June and early July. It follows or overlaps the larger E. invaria on the same riffles, so when trout start refusing your #14 sulphur in late June, drop to a #18 in the same pale yellow. On the Muskegon it runs #18-20; the Au Sable shops describe it as a miniature eastern sulphur with creamy yellow bodies shading to olive or orange. Fish a low-riding emerger or a CDC dun at dusk and a rusty spinner as it gets dark.

#16–20eveningdusknightemergerdunspinnercreamy yellow bodypale yellow-orange bodypale gray wingrusty spinner

© Jerry Schoen · CC BY-SA · iNaturalist · Erving, Massachusetts · 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 – Jul 1
    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 – Jul 5
    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 15
    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 15
    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 – Aug 5
    Peak
    —

Flies that match

Pheasant Tail Nymph (reference photo)Reference photo
Pheasant Tail Nymph
A
Nymph#10–20NaturalBeadheadFlashback

Old Au Sable Fly Shop names a #12 to #14 Pheasant Tail as the Hendrickson nymph, and it covers every Michigan Ephemerella and Baetis nymph before and during a hatch. A beadhead #10 is a standard trailer fly in U.P. steelhead rigs, and #12 to #20 versions take pink salmon in clear water. Fish it dead-drifted under an indicator or on a tight line in the weeks before each mayfly hatch.

Indicator nymphing · Euro / tight-line nymphing

Reserve · $2.75
Sulphur Emerger (reference photo)Reference photo
Sulphur Emerger
A
Emerger#14–20Yellow-orange with brown Z-Lon shuckCreamy yellow with pheasant tail shuck

Michigan Sulphurs emerge slowly through the film and trout often refuse duns, so emergers with a trailing shuck outfish the dry from mid May through July on the Au Sable, Pere Marquette and Muskegon. Fish it low in the film during the afternoon and evening emergence in 52 to 60 F water; size #16 for invaria and #18 to #20 for dorothea.

Dry fly

Reserve · $3.00
Rusty Spinner (reference photo)Reference photo
Rusty Spinner
A
Dry fly#12–20Rusty brownRust with clear wings

Supinski's Muskegon chart says 'rusty spinners at dark' for Sulphurs, and the same fly covers Hendrickson, Cahill and March Brown falls over riffles at sunset. Fish it flush in the film at dusk from May through July when you see spent wings in the foam lines.

Dry fly

Reserve · $3.00
Sulphur Comparadun (reference photo)Reference photo
Sulphur Comparadun
I
Dry fly#14–20Pale yellowYellow-oliveYellow-orange

A low-riding no-hackle dun for the Sulphur hatch that runs mid May into July on Michigan rivers, with an afternoon emergence window of one to two hours. Carry creamy yellow through olive and orange shades to match the Au Sable's variable naturals, in #14 to #16 for E. invaria and #18 to #20 for E. dorothea. Switch to an emerger or rusty spinner when fish refuse it.

Dry fly

Reserve · $3.00