Ready ... Set ... Go ...
Mayfly Anyone?

I've started to hear of the odd Mayfly coming off the rivers of the South and South-West - I also saw a single on up here in North Yorkshire on Saturday when I was on the water - so thought it was about time that I started to turn your attention to the larger flies in our boxes - The Mayflies.

I always really look forward to this time of year, as it marks an important transition from early season sport (nymphs & spiders etc) to more top of the water, dry fly action - hopefully!

I recently wrote a couple of pieces about the Mayfly season over on our Learning Centre.

If you read to the end of this email, you will find links to them so you can read at your leisure:

We are starting this year's Mayfly season with our tried and tested Mayfly Lifecycle Selection which we've slightly tweaked / updated for 2026 - it includes all the essential lifecycle stages of the Mayfly in one handy selection.

As soon as the trout switch on to Mayflies, these are the flies you should be reaching for.

As a quick reminder, the Mayfly (or Ephemera danica to give it its scientific name) has a very specific lifecycle which all fly anglers need to know (please also see the end of this email for more details on each of the Mayflies lifecycle stages and how to fish them):

The Mayfly Selection was one of the very first selections of flies which we produced - all the way back in 2014.

Dave Wiltshire kindly reviewed our Mayfly Selection quite a few years ago and it is still exactly the same now (with only a few minor tweaks for 2026) - why change a successful selection of flies:

"These really are top quality flies. They are tied with fine attention to detail, good materials and perfect proportions. They are bespoke, beautiful flies with a price tag that would usually result in disappointment for the fly buyer. Not in this case." - Dave Wiltshire

We are supplying the whole Mayfly lifecycle (Nymph, Emerger, Dun & Spinner) in a selection of 16 flies (4 stages - 2 of each in sizes 10 & 12), see (and click on) images and links below for more details.

We have already stocked up on these Mayflies and they're available now - but they always sell out fast, for only £26 (that's a 16% discount on buying them individually)and also includes FREE delivery anywhere within the UK.

*** Get them while you can, as we did run out last year! ***

The Mayfly Lifecycle Selection

The Mayfly Nymph

A Mayfly nymph imitation in dark olive and weighted with a bead to help this large fly sink. These nymphs are tied on long-shank barbless hooks and correspond to the actual size of a Mayfly nymph.

The CdC Mayfly Emerger

This fly sits in the surface film of the water and immitates the emerging mayfly. These are best tied with CdC as this sits above the surface film and can be easily identified. A great pattern for those early hatches.

The Loopwing Mayfly

The most effective fly I used last year as a mayfly imitation. With its looped wing behind the thorax, this fly just needs a little floatant (easily added to the loop) and it will float all day!

The Mayfly Spinner

Once the mayfly has returned to the water to lay its eggs, they die and float on the surface, this is the spinner. The spinner is an easy target for Trout, and they can gorge on them in the early evenings.

Here's some reviews we received from happy customers of our Mayfly Lifecycle Selection last year:

1970's Fly Fishing At Its Best!

A few years ago we comissioned this handy Mayfly infographic - it's very retro - but choked full of info for your ventures to the water this month:

Tight lines and make sure you're ready for the annual Mayfly bonanza.

P.S. If you want to give my "Danica Dance" articles a read, you can find links to them both below:

"Beyond the natural phenomenon, this period has also evolved into something approaching religious observance within the fly fishing community. Anglers book their holiday time months in advance. Fishing clubs hold special events. Time-honoured traditions are maintained and passed to new generations.

What makes this period so culturally significant is how it connects modern anglers to centuries of tradition. When you cast a Mayfly pattern during Duffers Fortnight, you’re participating in a ritual that generations before you have experienced in nearly identical fashion. The same excitement, the same rises, the same satisfaction when a brown trout breaks the surface to take your fly – these experiences create a thread through time connecting today’s anglers with those who fished these same waters centuries ago."