Sulphur Dun Emerger

Sulphur Dun Emerger:

Depending on the weather, the duns usually start to hatch about 1:00 PM and lasts until about 4:00 PM with most of the activity occurring just before 4:00 PM. In areas of waters that are usually smoothe, the Sulphur Dun nymph will emerge just under the surface skim. As the Sulphur nymphs propel themselves to the surface where they shed their nymphal shucks, they are helpless and particularly vulnerable to the trout.

Sulphur Dun Emerger Presentation:

Imitations of the emerger should be presented in the shallow, slower moving water adjacent to the slower moving ripples and runs or in areas of the pools the crawler nymphs live in. It will be necessary to make your first cast a good presentation to avoid spooking the trout.

If you see a trout rising, a down and across presentation will be necessary especially in the spring creeks or otherwise smoothe flowing waters like the tailwaters. In fact, the majority of the Sulphur Duns live in spring creeks and tailwaters.  In these types of waters, you usually are not able to get close to the feeding trout, so a longer cast is almost necessary. Use a 5X to 7X leader from 10 to 12 feet in length combined with a light tippet.

Try to keep the "Perfect Fly"  Emerger to float flush  in the surface film of the water. The emerger will imitate the nymph while the emerger with the trailing shuck will more closely imitate dun. Both flies will take trout during the hatch much more readily that will the dun imitation.

However, the emerger or the emerger with trailing shuck is more difficult than the dun to fish since they must float level with the surface skim. Of the two, the emerger with the trailing shuck is more visible for the angler and therefore easier to fish.