Rise and Shine with Pale Morning Duns

Early to mid-June begins a great time on our streams and rivers in the Pikes Peak region – and throughout Colorado.  Why? Pale Morning Duns are added to the menu.  As water temps increase, PMDs become more prominent in our South Platte system as well as on the Arkansas tailwaters.  Because of their emergence, the Pale Morning Duns are our bug of the month for June.

The Lowdown on the PMD

Pale Morning Duns have a one-year life cycle similar to other mayflies. They evolve from larva to nymph, then emerger to dun, before descending in their spinner phase.  In their nymph stage, they are awkward swimmers, usually found primarily along the bottom of shallower riffles. After making weak attempts to work their way to the surface, they will make their way toward the bank and then head to the surface.

The hatch is usually most prolific when water temps reach the upper 50s.  As we continue to experience high flows in the Pikes Peak region, water temps may be a little behind our more typical temperatures.  PMDs, as a result, may not begin popping until a little later into June.

Because of the PMD’s size, the dun may take several minutes on the surface to dry its wings. Of course, this makes the dun much more vulnerable to feeding fish!

Spinners most often mate during the evening “golden hour.” Anglers may see a swarm of adults on the surface as females lay their eggs. 

How to Fish Pale Morning Duns

I like to fish the PMD in riffles, but I don’t limit myself there.  For me, the key to having a productive day is to fish it at different depths.  I’ll fish a Gold-Ribbed Hare’s Ear or Bead-Head Flashback Hare’s Ear or Pheasant Tail closer to the bottom. I’ll fish this with a size 16 or even a size 14 on some occasions.

From there, as emergers make their way to the surface, I will switch to one of my favorite patterns, Barr’s PMD Emerger.  Since Pale Morning Duns struggle in the film, trout will take advantage of this! If you see just the trout’s back but not their head, they are feeding just below the surface. A dry-dropper can be deadly when you see this rise form.

I have had great days with this PMD emergers on the South Platte. On one late afternoon, it also crushed it over on the Gunnison.  For the emergers, I will most likely start with a size 18 but may throw some 20s.

Once I see adults on the water, I will switch it up and go with a Sparkle Dun or Parachute PMD as either an emerger or adult.  For those low-light evenings, a Hi-Vis Parachute PMD is money. Watch for naturals on the water and match the size of your imitation accordingly. Size 18 is not out of the ordinary for PMD dry flies. 

Tying the PMD

Spotlighting three patterns from Hopper Juan Ramirez to take you through the PMD life cycle.

For more of Hopper Juan’s PMD patterns, check out his YouTube channel. 

Wrapping It Up

As we head into the summer months, make sure you dedicate some space in your fly box for Pale Morning Duns. You’ll want to carry patterns that cover the full life cycle. And don’t let the name deceive you! That PMD spinner phase at sunset can truly be the golden hour!

Interested in learning more? Check out our Dry Fly class offered on 6/17, 7/15, 8/19, and 9/16.  Read more about the class here.