Blue Quill Emerger

Blue quill nymphs often have a difficult time shedding their shucks, often times surfacing numerous times in the process. This difficulty is more likely in very calm water and during the colder water associated with the beginning of the hatch. Typically, they will move to slow moving, calm water to prior to attempting to emerge, and the hatch will normally take place in the early afternoon during the warmest part of the day.

It is often hard to ascertain when the trout are actively eating the emerging blue quills, though in shallow water, you may see the trout scurrying around feeding on them. However, it's more likely you will notice a flash of light reflecting from the fish's side and underbelly as the trout feeds on the emergers. Consequently, you will need to be vigilant to fish the emergers. If there is a sudden warming to 50 degrees or higher in the water temperature during the hatch, the duns, rather than the emergers, will be the trout's primary target. However, when fishing cold water (45 – 50 degrees), the emerger imitations may be your only chance at catching a trout.