Dan Fallon's October 2009 Fly Fishing Column
By Dan Fallon

Ephemerella Infrequens

A California late season fly that almost always performs if the hatch gods allow ! Pale Morning Dunn, Ephemerella infrequens is one of the most popular often imitated patterns here in northern California and around the fly fishing galaxy. Simple to tie and usually only created in the smaller barbless hook size’s, lighter color the better. I like to tie many versions of this old standard in either light yellow or slightly darker to be used depending on the time of day and available light.

I have used this pattern on the fabled Fall River in upper California by letting it drift downstream into rising trout in the clearest artesian waters. It will need a bit of dressing to keep it up high and visible which is why one ought to tie it with as much hackle as possible to enhance the float time of a tried and true performer.

Brothers Of The Long Rod Mythology Baby !

No question the humble PMD is often confused by hungry trout for any number of insects including mosquitos, nats, flies etc. In upper California where temperatures can vary greatly within a twenty four hour frame one can work a well tied PMD under almost any dry fly conditions. Much mythology exists in regard to where particular fly patterns were originally created with either chalk stream early New England or the English countryside bucolic old gents in tweed suits and so forth.... My life in fly fishing and tying has taught me one fine lesson, patterns in general evolve and are rarely the original thought of one person. Of course exceptions exist as with the famous clouser minnows imitations ( pure genius! ). Indigenous native peoples in north America and around the world in the Amazon and the Mekong Delta Vietnam created many ingenious methods to catch wild fish including nets, long poles with sharp triple spears baited with red feathers and chicken guts were used very early in man’s hunter gathering history. I think its typically glib self serving egoistic Bullshit that modern man takes so much credit for fly fishing techniques and original innovation, a myth crimefighters!. Our far more qualified educated ancestors ( seasoned experts with a few million years of practicle experience ) forgot more about attracting wild fish then any living or deceased fly fisher egoist could imagine period !

Wolf Ginger Pale Morning Dun

Hackle: Grizzly tied dry fly style cowboy!




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