Mayfly · Aquatic insect
Gray Drake
Metretopodidae
Size
6–9mm
Hook size
#16–14
Hatch window
Season June–JulyPeak time 18:00–dark (spinner fall)
Water temperature
15° peak
11°20°
Hatches from 11°C, peaking at 15°C, tailing off by 20°C.How fish feed on it
By the time the spinners are down the fly has finished its job and is simply lying there, spent, wings flat in the film, going nowhere. Trout know the difference between something alive and something that's stopped trying, and they take spinners with a quiet, unbothered sip that's easy to miss if you're still watching for something splashier. Look for them on the glides and in the slack water, wherever the current gathers what's left.
Flies that imitate this
Gray Drake Spinner
Adams
Ecology
Where you'll find this
- North America — WestPresent
Present throughout
About the genus Metretopodidae
Metretopodidae is a family of cleftfooted minnow mayflies in the order Ephemeroptera. There are at least 3 genera and more than 20 described species in Metretopodidae.