Secrets of the Best Early Season Mayfly Hatch, with Blake Katchur

Secrets of the Best Early Season Mayfly Hatch, with Blake Katchur

From The Orvis Fly-Fishing Podcast by Tom Rosenbauer, The Orvis Company

March 19, 2026 · 1h 20m

About this episode

The episode explores early season olive hatches with expert Blake Katchur, discussing effective fishing tactics and answering listener questions.

Join me as we explore the fascinating world of early season olive hatches with expert fly fisherman Blake Katchur [35:42] of Anglers All in Denver. No matter where you fish, you'll find this hatch any time from early March to early June. Discover effective tactics, fly patterns, and timing tips to enhance your fishing success during this prolific hatch. In the Fly Box this week, we have these questions and more: Can I use my 7-weight fiberglass rod for bonefish in Belize? Why can I catch brook trout in smaller streams during the winter but not in a bigger river? If I leave off the trailing hook in articulated flies, how do I compensate for the lack of weight? Will it affect the swimming action of my flies? For Alaska silver salmon and big rainbows, should I get a 9-foot or 10-foot 8-weight Helios rod? And should I pick Helios D or F? Do the scents from resins and glues put off the fish? Is there anything that can cover up these scents? Are wings on dry flies absolutely necessary? Where did we get the "X" system we use for leader and tippet diameters? What do you have on your fly-tying bench that you can't do without?

People in this episode

Host: Tom Rosenbauer

Guest: Blake Katchur

Topics covered

  • early season hatches
  • fly fishing tactics
  • fly patterns
  • fishing success
  • Q&A

Keywords

  • mayfly hatch
  • fly fishing
  • olive hatches
  • fishing tactics
  • fly patterns
  • Alaska silver salmon
  • brook trout
  • articulated flies

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Anglers All

Places: Denver

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