Q.Freshwater Trout & Hatches
What is the green drake hatch and why is it so famous?
A.
The green drake hatch (Ephemera guttulata) is a brief but explosive emergence of large mayflies — size 8-10, much bigger than typical trout flies — in late May through mid-June on Eastern trout streams. The hatch produces some of the year's largest trout rises because the fly is too big for trout to ignore. The window is famously short, often under 2 weeks.
Penn's Creek and Spring Creek in Pennsylvania are legendary green drake fisheries. Hatch calendar pages cover green drake timing on specific rivers.