Baetis Mayfly

Baetis Mayfly hatch matching patterns.

Compiled by: Mark Bachmann
Baetis mayflies are an extremely widespread genus. Several species are multi-brooded and may have two or more generations per season. The west's great fly fishing entomologist Rick Hafele, tells us that there are at least five sub-species of baetis that hatch from Oregon's streams and lakes. Hatches can occur nearly any time of year. This makes them common trout food and therefore very important to fly anglers. all of the streams in the Deschutes Basin have strong reoccurring Baetis hatches. Baetis are found in both the western and eastern United States. The Latin name is the popular name used by the angling public. They are also commonly called blue-winged olives. However Baetis can also have tan or gray bellies as well. Trout can be very selective and prefer one shade over another. Most Baetis look gray on the water and can be quite deceptive. It pays to catch a hatched insect and examine it closely under magnification. Baetis are small, #16–20, but they hatch in big numbers. The best hatches occur heaviest on over-cast, rainy days. This makes them significant early season and late season hatches. Baetis hatches go on all winter. Hatches can start in late morning and extend into early after noon.
Baetis nymphs are swimmers. They inhabit many water types in streams, but prefer weedy riffles and runs. Use a "kick screen" in the morning. If you find Baetis nymphs with wing pads that are very dark, chances are there will be a hatch during that day. Nymphs will start getting restless in the morning. This is a good time to pound the bottom with Baetis Nymph patterns. Nymphs start drifting down the river and swimming to the surface in the late morning. Some nymphs might make several attempts to reach the surface before they actually make it. These insects are very small and don't provide much food value unless they can be taken easily in a large quantity. The best places to fish are where riffles with small graveled weedy runs enter slow pools or slow back-eddies. The nymphs leave the bottom of the riffle and drive along the bottom for a distance. Then they attempt to swim to the surface were the water velocity slows down. When the nymphs reach the surface of the water, their wing pads break through the meniscus. They can hang there for several minutes as floating nymphs. As the skin splits down the back of the head and between the wing pads the dun starts to emerge through this tear. At this point the insect can neither swim nor fly. It is completely helpless and a perfect target for trout. The hatching duns can collect in quieter flows in very large numbers. The trout know where these conditions regularly occur and also collect in large numbers. Feeding is usually slow and quiet. Look for snouts and fin tips. Some Baetis hatch before reaching the surface of the water. Watch for bulging trout that don't quite reach the surface. If you observe such activity and your dry fly or emerger isn't working, try trimming down a dry fly to fish it wet. Target individual fish with pin-point casting.
The following was copied from:
Stable Isotopes Resolve the Drift Paradox for Baetis Mayflies in an Arctic River
By: Anne E. Hershey, John Pastor, Bruce J. Peterson, and George W. Kling
The colonization cycle hypothesis states that stream ecosystems would become depleted of insects if flying adults did not compensate for drifting immatures. Using long—term drift and benthic abundance data, we show that a Baetis mayfly nymph population moves downstream during development in the Kuparuk River in arctic Alaska. Baetis relative benthic abundance decreased from early to late season in an upstream unfertilized river section, while simultaneously increasing in the downstream fertilized section. Baetis nymphs drifted significantly more in the upstream unfertilized section, compared to the downstream fertilized section where food was more abundant. Approximately one—third to one—half of the nymph population drifted at least 2.1 km downstream during the arctic summer. A stable isotope tracer experiment and mathematical models show that about one—third to one—half of the adult Baetis population flew 1.6—1.9 km upstream from where they emerged. These results provide a quantitative test of the colonization cycle for the dominant grazer/collector in the Kuparuk River. Quantifying the colonization cycle is essential to understanding stream ecosystem function because offspring of downstream insects are needed for nutrient cycling and carbon processing upstream. Since downstream drift and upstream flight are important components in recovery of streams from disturbances, our results provide a quantitative method for predicting re-colonization rates from downstream, essential to estimating recovery.

Want to know more about Baetis Mayflies? Check out the following items:
WESTERN MAYFLY HATCHES By: Dave Hughes and Rick Hafele
Deschutes River Trout School Featuring Mark Bachmann & Rick Hafele

		Baetis Nymph Baetis nymphs are swimmers. They prefer weedy riffles and runs. Use a "kick screen" in the morning. If you find Baetis nymphs with wing pads that are very dark, chances are there will be a hatch during that day. Nymphs will start getting restless in the morning. This is a good time to pound the bottom with Baetis Nymph patterns. Tied for the winter hatch. Mark Bachmann pattern.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
06558-18	Baetis Nymph	18	3 for $5.85

		Baetis Surface Emerger Winter Baetis Mayflies can be very dark colored. Many are jet black. As the nymph swims to the surface The adult insect is already separating itself from the nypmphal shuck. Bright green bands form at each abdominal segment. As the skin splits down the back of the head and between the wing pads of the nymph, the dun starts to emerge through this tear. At this point the insect can neither swim nor fly. It is completely helpless and a perfect target. Mark Bachmann pattern.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
06556-16	Baetis Surface Emerger	16	3 for $5.85
06556-18	Baetis Surface Emerger	18	3 for $5.85

		Baetis Floating Nymph When Baetis nymphs reach the surface of the water, their wing pads break through the meniscus. They can hang there for several minutes as floating nymphs. If this happens in slower water, trout can target them at this stage and ignore emergers and duns. A must have fly for summer hatches.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
1018-18	Baetis Floating Nymph	18	3 for $5.85
1018-20	Baetis Floating Nymph	20	3 for $5.85

		Baetis Sparkle Dun Baetis duns slide from the inside of the nymphal skin out onto the surface of the water. Their wings assume an upright position while the shuck still hangs from the rear of the abdomen. Some are exhausted and are trapped with this shuck attached. They become easy prey for trout. This is a proven fly for Baetis hatches, winter and summer.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
1016-16	Baetis Sparkle Dun	16	3 for $5.85
1016-18	Baetis Sparkle Dun	18	3 for $5.85
1016-20	Baetis Sparkle Dun	20	3 for $5.85

		Baetis Hackle Stacker Sparkle Dun This dainty pattern was designed by bob Quigley and is especially useful on spring creeks where trout are particularly selective.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
Q1021-16	Baetis H.S. Sparkle Dun	16	3 for $5.85
Q1021-18	Baetis H.S. Sparkle Dun	18	3 for $5.85
Q1021-20	Baetis H.S. Sparkle Dun	20	3 for $5.85

		Baetis Dun, Traditional This old pattern is still very effective under a wide variety of conditions. It can be fished as a high floater with all of the hackle intact or the bottom of the hackle can be snipped off with your leader clipper to set the fly closer to the water. In the extreme, the hackle and wings can be trimmed down to form an emerger pattern.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
1019-14	Baetis Dun, Traditional	14	3 for $5.85
1019-16	Baetis Dun, Traditional	16	3 for $5.85
1019-18	Baetis Dun, Traditional	18	3 for $5.85

		Baetis Thorax Dun This pattern positions the wing coming out of the thorax which gives the fly a life-like silhouette and balance. The tail is tied in as a "V" and the hackle has been trimmed on the bottom for even more realism. This is a very popular style dry fly for both anglers and trout.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
1011-16	Baetis Thorax Dun	16	3 for $5.85
1011-18	Baetis Thorax Dun	18	3 for $5.85
1011-20	Baetis Thorax Dun	20	3 for $5.85

		Baetis Loop Wing Paradun This quill body, loop wing parachute is an especially good match for Baetis with lighter colored bellies.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
Q200-16	Baetis Loop Wing Paradun	16	3 for $5.85
Q200-18	Baetis Loop Wing Paradun	18	3 for $5.85
Q200-20	Baetis Loop Wing Paradun	20	3 for $5.85

		Baetis Hair Wing Dun Many of the Baetis that hatch in the late fall and winter from our local streams have gray banded bellies. This quill body hair-wing-dun is a very good match. It is an extremely hard fly to see on the water, so we have added a fluorescent orange wing spot. If the trout are extremely selective, you may trim the wing spot.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
1021-18	Baetis Hair Wing Dun	18	3 for $5.85

		Baetis Twilight Parachute This is another hi-vis dry fly. Remember that Baetis like to hatch on dark overcast days. These are conditions which make it tough for the angler to distinguish his fly from the real ones. Being able to see your fly can be a critical factor for success.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
1022-16	Baetis Twilight Parachute	16	3 for $5.85
1022-18	Baetis Twilight Parachute	18	3 for $5.85

		Baetis CDC Angel Wing Spinner Baetis emergence and spinner falls may happen during the same period of the day. One "hatch" can mask the other. Duns are easy to see. Low floating or submerged spinners are very difficult to see. Some times when you see hatching duns and rising trout, but can't get strikes, the fish may be feeding on spinners. This fly may be fished dry or wet. It matches olive color spinners.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
1014-18	Baetis CDC Angel Wing Spinner	18	3 for $5.85
1014-20	Baetis CDC Angel Wing Spinner	20	3 for $5.85

		Baetis Poly Wing Spinner Some Baetis spinners, especially the ones that hatch during the late fall and winter, are gray toned. This fly can be fished dry or wet and can extend your productive fishing time.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
1024-18	Baetis Poly Wing Spinner	18	3 for $5.85
1024-20	Baetis Poly Wing Spinner	20	3 for $5.85

The key to success is "understanding". You can never know enough.
Understanding the organisms that trout feed on is one of the keys to catching trout.
The Hatch Guide For Western Streams by Jim Schollmeyer
is great reference material for the trout fisher.
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Baetis Nymph	Baetis Hackle Stacker	Baetis Hair Wing Dun
Baetis Surface Emerger	Baetis Dun, Traditional	Baetis Twilight Parachute
Baetis Floating Nymph	Baetis Thorax Dun	CDC Angel Wing Spinner
Baetis Sparkle Dun	Baetis Loop Wing Paradun	Poly Wing Spinner