Thinking of making the journey down to fish the Avon Monday and Tuesday to enjoy a couple of days with the Mayfly. However the weather forecast is for rain pretty much all day for both days Do the conditions have to be perfect to provoke a hatch i.e. warm, slight sw breeze and NO RAIN or should i still expect good Mayfly sport in the rain? Have the Mayfly been hatching in any considerable numbers in the last couple of days? Will the late Spring this year mean that the main hatch will be well into June this year? Any advice or info would be gladly received. Tight Lines

Hi Double Badger

The danica were coming off in good numbers on Monday - see my earlier post.
The forecast is truly terrible for the coming Monday though!

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Tight Lines,

Dominic.
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I don't know about the Avon but elsewhere they seem to be popping up pretty much on schedule or maybe a little behind. The Irish lakes seem about a week late but the Monnow was pretty much bang on schedule

Mayfly will hatch in the rain but the rain might affect the fall of spent gnats unless the duns get to the undersides of leaves quickly enough and then, when changed to spents, perform the mating dance and return to lay without being waterlogged.

Sometimes this means that the gnat just stays on the trees for a day or two until the weather improves. In Ireland the last fall of gnat can often be several days after the last good hatch of dun, rather putting the "24 hour" adult life cycle of the mayfly under some doubt.

Saw quite a few mayfly, but no rises by trout to them on the Avon at Durnford last Thursday, but heard a report of one being taken on a grey wulff. I'd say this coming week will be better if it keeps dry!

regards,

Doc

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fished the avon on weds, thurs and friday near amesbury. Heavy surface fish activity on all days, even during the rain/wind on Friday (early afternoon all 3 days)

Caught and returned about 11 fish, all on mayfly patterns. Fish were taking the hatchng nymphs but with the heavy rain it was impossible for dry flies to not be at least partially in the surface film.

Missed dozens of takes by being too enthusiastic, but slowing down the strike worked wonders.

--edit-- forgot to add, no mayfly evident lower down on avon near salisbury

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