I was fishing last night on a 2 acre lake and some “yellowish” colored mayflys started “hatching” ??. What do you call the “remains” that they leave on the surface of the water? It was really cool!
I believe they call it a “shuck”. Or you can say it “shed its skin”.
The act of shredding or casting the old skin is called ecdysis and the cast skin is called an exuvium (plural=exuviae), commonly referred to as the “shuck”
CrappieCrazy-
i think Mato nailed it. Another possibility could be the spinners, which are the last stage in the mayfly life cycle. the wings are often very clear, unlike the duns which have upright opaque wings. The wings of the spinners are held are out like airplane wings not upright like the wings on the dun, which look like little sails. When spinners hit the water, sometimes their wings seem to disappear and all you see are the bodies, unless you look very closely.
If those mayflies were kinda big, it could be a white fly hatch. They come out in evenings and into the dark during August in many parts of the country east and midwest. Sometimes the swarms are so dense they’re picked up on radar. Did they look like this?:
http://www.wiflyfisher.com/ephoron-leukon-mayfly-hatch.asp
If so, a good imitation is a White Wulff size 12 or 14 (or Light Cahill). Sometimes when the spinner swarms are dense it will bring up every fish in the water—trout and bass. Look for swarms of spinners flying at the tree line late afternoon and evening. The fishing can be great when they hit the water and may last well into dark.
Good luck!
peregrines
Are they called “shuck” for all aquatic insects or just mayflys?
CrappieCrazie
Yes, the shuck is the exoskeleton left behind when the insect molts into it?s next stage.
Most caddis and mayflies emerge in the water and are very vulnerable to trout as they?re unzipping themselves out of their nymphal exoskeleton (shuck). There are some dry flies that are designed to imitate this:
Sparkle Dun (mayfly with shuck)
http://www.flyanglersonline.com/flytying/fotw2/050205fotw.php
X Caddis (adult caddis emerging from shuck)
http://www.westfly.com/fly-pattern-recipe/dry/xcaddis.shtml
Here?s a mayfly trapped in its shuck and some caddis shucks:
http://www.troutnut.com/hatch/502/Mayfly-Litobrancha-recurvata-Dark-Green-Drake
Emergers, and wet fly patterns like Sparkle Pupa are also designed to imitate the stage where the mayfly nymphs or caddis pupae are transforming into the winged stage/adult stage.
Stoneflies don?t emerge in the water, the nymphs crawl out onto shore or rocks, so you?ll often see their shucks there rather than in the water. They look like nymphs, except there is nobody home. It?s a good clue that there maybe some action later in the evening and after dark when the adults fly over the water to drop eggs. Here?s a pic:
http://www.troutnut.com/fullsize/picture-im_extax/85
Hope this helps
peregrines
JC has the scientific name correct. You won’t hear it on the stream too much though. Shuck is commonly used for the term with all insects.
Speaking of… If you ever get to boat on Lake St. Clair when the hex and drakes start hatching… the shucks collect in huge brown carpets about an inch thick …and boy does it ever stink.
Thanks guys!!! That’s good stuff. I knew most of it, but never have seen it discussed as well in brief.
Thank you for the info!