"Frankie Flav is in Town!"

Frankie Flav is another of my many pseudonyms.

Locally, amongst fishing buddies, the phrase is used when when one of us observes the first sighting on our local waters of the Drunella Flavilinea; the Little and/or Lesser Western Green Drake or simply the "Flav". A first, reliable report of their appearance was Saturday, August 25th. The...sparse...hatch will last 3-4 weeks.

*

It is smaller in size than its larger cousin the Green Drake (Drunella Grandis or Doddsi); I prefer a size 12 regardless of nymph, emerger, dun or spinner pattern. The adults emerge late afternoons during late August thru September. If "head-hunting", 4:30-6:30 PM is the optimum time to be on the water. They are "crawlers"  that emerge in the slow-margins of a riffle and the trout generally will set-up in the spill-in of riffles into quieter water or smoother flows. With clear skies and warm weather they can/do lift-off quickly...floating awhile during overcast and/or drizzly weather.
...HINT.

An Excerpt from an authored Sierra Fisherman magazine article:

 "...Green Drakes are largest, in sizes #6-#8. The duration of the hatch is short-lived; at most three weeks**. The daily emergences are unpredictable; sometimes 10:30-12 noon and other times 1-3PM. There are few adults; observing 2-3 dozen is considered a good number. Nevertheless, trout are aware that this high-caloric food-item is around and they are on the look-out. The Little Western Green* Drake ( “Flav” ), in #10-#12 sizes, hatches for 4-5 weeks. It also has sparse numbers. Time-wise, they are more predictable than their big brother; late afternoons from 4-6 PM, at most…then they’re gone..."  

 * image from Hatch Guide For Western Streams
**unbelievably this season they were in the immediate Truckee area for a bit over 7 weeks!! Adults on the BT first seen (confirmed) June 8th...to June 29; the LT June 26-August 1st!