Overview
A sparse dry fly designed to sit flush in the film, typically tied with a dubbed body, CDC wing, and no hackle. It imitates emerging midges or mayflies and is excellent on calm water when fish are sipping softly.
Related patterns
Behavior & presentation
- Natural Behavior
- Insects pierce the surface film during emergence, their bodies half-submerged as they struggle to shed pupal shucks and unfold wings.
- Where Trout Eat It
- Fish hold in feeding lanes just below the film where emergers concentrate, intercepting vulnerable insects in riffles, runs, and pool tail-outs.
- How to Fish It
- Drag-free drift in the surface film with upstream or cross-stream casts, mending line to extend drift without skating the fly.
- Best Water
- Focus on seams between fast and slow currents, tail-outs, and foam lines where emerging insects collect.
- Strike Type
- Look for barely visible rings or tiny disturbances in the film—emerger takes are often imperceptible. You may see the CDC wing tip slightly or disappear into a gentle dimple. Set at the slightest movement near your fly's position.
Fishing strategy
- Rigging Suggestions
- Fish on 12-15 foot leaders with 5X-6X tippet. Works exceptionally well as a dropper 18-24 inches below a size 14-16 visible dry fly, combining searching pattern with emerger imitation.
- Seasonal Timing
- Most productive during major hatches from April through October, with peak effectiveness in May and September when emergences are concentrated. Fish it whenever water temperatures reach 45-65°F and insects are actively hatching.
- Pro Tips
- Apply floatant only to the trailing shuck to keep the body in the film while the indicator portion stays visible. When fish refuse traditional dries during a hatch, switch to this emerger profile for selective risers.
From River & Run
Open River & RunWhere to fish it
Rivers anglers pair with this fly, with local shops that stock it.
River details and fly shops from River & Run, our sister site.
Entomology
Various aquatic insects transition through the surface film during emergence, their bodies half-submerged as they struggle to break free from nymphal shucks. The Mole Fly's low-riding profile imitates this universal vulnerability phase across multiple species. Fish feeding on emergers often refuse fully emerged adults, focusing instead on these easier targets stuck in transition.
- Organism
- insect
- Life stage
- general
Pattern details
- Moving Water
- Rocky Mountain
- dead-drift
- baetis-hatch
- midge-hatch
