Pale Morning Dun (Emphemerella excrucians)
The Pale Morning Dun, or PMD, is a summer mayfly hatch occurring from late June to late July on the blue-ribbon trout waters of Montana. Size #14-#18 are the most common with the larger flies coming earlier in the season.
PMD nymphs live in the riverbed for about a year before emerging as winged adults. Warmer water temperatures bring the adults to life on Montana rivers as well as the trout who home in on them.
These mayflies like the soft inside corners of riverbends on the upper Madison and Yellowstone rivers, which can be a tough spot to see rising fish given the choppy water but keep looking and you’ll likely find numerous fish rising to eat these insects. They will emerge in and below the long riffles of the Bighorn and Missouri rivers.
Trout are highly active during this hatch and will be consistently rising for 2+ hours. Often it can be difficult to tell which size they are keying in on, so try 2 dries in different sizes to cover your options. It is also wise to have all stages including adults, cripples, and emergers to ensure you can properly target feeding fish. Watch the rise forms carefully to help clue you in what stage is most prevalent.
If a cloudy day occurs during summer when PMD hatches are heavy, call in to work as it can provide an epic day of fishing.
Timing your guided trip to coincide with PMD hatches is great strategy to ensure excellent dry fly fishing with our Bozeman fly fishing guides.
5 Top Montana Fly Fishing Rivers for Fishing the PMD Hatch
Top 5 PMD Flies For Fly Fishing in Montana
