May is one of the finest months of the river trout season. Rivers are full of life, water temperatures are more settled and trout feed with growing confidence. The month builds towards the famous Mayfly hatch, but one of the biggest mistakes anglers make is becoming fixated on the Mayfly too early. For much of May, trout are still feeding on olives, sedges, emergers and nymphs long before the first Mayflies appear.
Large Dark Olives continue early in the month and are joined by Medium Olives, Yellow May Duns and increasing numbers of sedges as evenings become warmer. On rivers with a reliable Grannom hatch, fish may still take emerging caddis during the first part of May. Beneath the surface, Pheasant Tail Nymphs and Hare's Ear Nymphs remain two of the most useful searching patterns.
Towards the latter part of May, anglers should watch carefully for the first Mayfly, meaning Ephemera danica or Ephemera vulgata in UK terms. Do not use the word Mayfly to mean all up-winged flies. The hatch can begin in late May on some rivers, but often peaks in early June. The Peaks Fly Fishing Mayfly Emerger is the key pattern during the early stage, before trout commit fully to adult flies.
Recommended fly selection:
- Large Dark Olive
- Medium Olive
- Yellow May Dun
- Kite's Imperial
- Elk Hair Caddis
- Peaks Fly Fishing Cinnamon Sedge
- Peaks Fly Fishing Grannom Emerger
- Pheasant Tail Nymph
- Hare's Ear Nymph
- Sawyer's Killer Bug
- Peaks Fly Fishing Mayfly Emerger
- Grey Wulff
- Spent Mayfly
On the river:
The Mayfly hatch is not just about adult flies. It begins with emergers, builds into the adult hatch and often finishes with superb evening fishing to spent Mayflies. Fish what is actually happening, not what the calendar says should happen.
