Summer Dry Fly Hatches: What to Expect in June

June is the transition month — Hendricksons wind down, Sulfurs take over, and PMDs emerge almost everywhere. Water temps on tailwaters settle into the sweet spot (56-62°F) where trout are comfortable and active all day rather than just in the afternoon windows of spring.

The shift from May to June means three things on any given river:

• Sulfurs (Ephemerella invaria) — the defining hatch of early summer. Duns come off in the afternoon, spinners return at dusk. This is the hatch to key on.
• PMDs (Ephemerella excrutians) — a week behind Sulfurs on most rivers, running slightly smaller and concentrated in the early afternoon. Trout key on these when Sulfurs thin out.
• Caddis (Hydropsyche, Brachycentrus) — evening Caddis continue strong through June. After a day of fine-tuned mayfly matching, many fishermen's best fish of the day comes on a Caddis at 6pm.

Water levels drop as snowmelt fades. Freestone rivers clear and become more wadeable than May. Tailwaters hold steady. The fishing window stretches earlier and later in the day — June is the longest-day-month, and the extended twilight is real fishing time.

Sulfurs (Ephemerella invaria) are the hatch that defines early summer on Northeast tailwaters. They emerge in the afternoon — typically 1pm to 5pm on warm days — and the spinner fall follows at dusk. On the Farmington, Housatonic, and Delaware West Branch, the Sulfur emergence is often dense enough to trigger selective feeding, which means a correct pattern and good drift matter more than in May.

What to Watch For

• Sulfur duns appear as light-colored mayflies, cream to pale orange, on the water surface. Sizes run #16-18.
• Spinner falls occur 30-60 minutes after the dun emergence — look for fish slashing at smaller, darker mayflies near the end of a rise.
• Best timing: warm, partly-cloudy afternoons. Full sun days push the hatch earlier (12-3pm). Overcast days extend it.

Best Patterns for Sulfurs

• Sulfur Comparadun #16-18 — the go-to for most conditions. Works in calm water and light riffles.
• Sulfur Dry (wired para) #16-18 — high float, good for heavy祖 current or longer casts.
• Sulfur Spinner #16-18 — for the dusk spinner fall. Carry 2-3 dozen; they get crushed.
• RS2 Emerger #18 — subsurface match when fish are taking duns just below the surface film.

Get Sulfur picks for your river →

Pale Morning Duns (Ephemerella excrutians) run 1-2 weeks behind Sulfurs on most rivers. They are slightly smaller (#16-18, occasionally #14) and tend to cluster in early afternoon (12-4pm) on warm days. PMDs are often confused with Sulfurs in anglers' minds — the trout do not confuse them, and a correct PMD pattern can outperform a Sulfur pattern in the late afternoon when Sulfurs are winding down.

Key Differences from Sulfurs

• PMDs are a brighter, cleaner olive-cream color. Sulfurs run more orange-buff.
• PMD spinner falls are less dramatic than Sulfur spinners — fewer bodies on water, but trout still key on them.
• PMDs hold in slower water longer than Sulfurs. Look for them in the tail-outs and slower runs.

Best Patterns for PMDs

• PMD Comparadun #16-18 — close imitation in most conditions.
• PMD Sparkle Dun #16-18 — great for calm water and selective fish.
• PMD Emerger #18 — emerger pattern for the subsurface phase.
• BWO (Parachute or Sparkle) #18-20 — close enough to use when PMDs are sparse and fish are focused on small mayflies.

June on the Farmington means Sulfurs, then PMDs, with a heavy Caddis curtain every evening. It is one of the most consistent rivers in the Northeast — water temps stabilize, flows stay manageable, and the hatch sequence is predictable enough to plan a trip around.

June Hatches

• Sulfurs — June 1-20, peak 1-5pm. Comparadun #16-18 is your go-to. Fish the foam lines and slow seams. Spinner fall from 6:30-8pm on warm evenings — Sulfur Spinner #16-18.
• PMDs — June 15 - July 10, afternoons 12-4pm. PMD Comparadun #16-18, PMD Emerger #18.
• Green Caddis / Mother's Day Caddis — still going early June, then fades. Elk Hair Caddis #14-16 for trailing water.
• Evening Caddis — Hydropsyche Caddis June through August, 5:30-8pm. Elk Hair Caddis #12-16, Green Caddis Larva #14.

Water Conditions

June flows on the Farmington TMA: 150-350 cfs typically. Spring rains can spike it — check the Pleasant Valley gauge before heading out. Low water (below 150 cfs) means fish are more selective and longer leaders are warranted (6X). High water (500+ cfs) narrows the hatch windows but dries streamer options are still productive.

Access: Route 44 through the TMA, Whittemore Bridge, Campground Bend. Parking fills by 7am on weekends — plan accordingly.

The Housatonic in June is a different animal than May. The Caddis blitz winds down, Sulfurs take center stage, and the big browns in the TMA turn their attention to PMDs and smaller mayfly patterns. June fishing is excellent if you time it right — early mornings can be slow until the water warms, so target afternoon hatches.

June Hatches

• Sulfurs — June 5-30, 2-6pm. Comparadun #16-18. The Housatonic's Sulfur hatch tends to be slightly later in the afternoon than the Farmington's.
• PMDs — June 20 - July 20, 12-4pm. PMD Comparadun #16-18. Strong on warm days with cloud cover.
• March Browns — early June only, fading fast. March Brown Dry #10-12 if you see them.
• Evening Caddis — June 1 - August, 5:30-8pm. Elk Hair Caddis #14-16, X-Caddis #14.

Water Conditions

June clarity on the Housatonic is generally good but rain events push color in quickly. After a storm, wait 2-3 days for it to clear. Ideal flows: 200-400 cfs in the TMA. Water temps can hit the upper 50s to low 60s by afternoon — comfortable for trout, productive for hatches.

Access: Cornwall Bridge, Pine Knob, Route 7 through the TMA. Morning hatches are sparse — plan to arrive by noon or fish the evening Caddis window.

June on the West Branch Delaware is one of the finest dry fly fishing windows of the year. The big Cannonsville releases keep water temps cool even as air temps climb, and the hatch calendar marches forward on its own schedule — Sulfurs peak here a week later than southern Connecticut rivers.

June Hatches

• Sulfurs — June 5-25, peak 2-5pm. Comparadun #16-18 is the primary dry. Don't forget the Sulfur Spinner for the dusk fall — the Delaware's evening spinner falls can be as good as the dun emergence.
• March Browns — early June, afternoons. March Brown Comparadun #10-12. This is one of the West Branch's better hatches; don't skip it.
• PMDs — mid-June through early July, 12-4pm. PMD Comparadun #16-18.
• Grannom Caddis — mid to late June, evenings. Elk Hair Caddis #14-16.

Water Conditions

June flows on the West Branch: typically 500-1,400 cfs. Cannonsville releases fluctuate with NYC water demand, so check the Stilesville gauge (01413500) the morning of your trip. Wading is manageable below 800 cfs in most places — above that, focus on the banks and pocket water.

Access: Hale Eddy, Sheffield, MA (downstream), Balls Eddy. Much of the prime water is private — respect posted boundaries and use public access points.

The Deerfield's catch-and-release section is one of the most underrated June fisheries in New England. Dam-controlled flows mean consistent water temps and hatches that follow a reliable calendar. Sulfurs come off every afternoon, PMDs overlap mid-month, and the evening Caddis are thick enough to make picking out individual rises difficult.

June Hatches

• Sulfurs — June 5-30, 1-5pm. Sulfur Comparadun #16-18. Afternoon hatch from Fife Brook downstream to the Route 2 bridge.
• PMDs — June 15 - July 20, afternoons 12-4pm. PMD Comparadun #16-18, emerger patterns #18.
• Evening Caddis — June 1 - August, 5-8pm. Elk Hair Caddis #12-16. Excellent and consistent every evening.
• Blue Wing Olive — still present on overcast days, early to mid-June. Parachute BWO #18-20.

Water Conditions

Deerfield C&R section flows: 125-350 cfs typical in June. Check the Fife Brook release schedule posted on USGenNE's site before heading out. At lower flows (125-175 cfs), the river fishes smaller and more technical — go to 6X tippet. Higher flows (250-350 cfs) open up more water and bigger, more aggressive trout.

Access: Fife Brook Road, Zoar Gap, Route 2 pulloffs through the C&R section. Parking is limited — weekday mornings are your best bet.

June on Catskills freestones is later and more technical than the tailwaters — water temps take longer to climb, hatches run behind schedule, and the fish are as spooky as anywhere in the Northeast. The Willowemoc and Beaverkill are not for beginners, but for anglers who can read water and manage fine tippet, June on these rivers is exceptional.

June Hatches

• Light Cahill / March Brown — early June, still producing on warmer afternoons. Light Cahill Dry #12-14, March Brown Comparadun #10-12.
• Golden Dun (Sulfur) — mid to late June, 2-5pm. Golden Comparadun #16-18. This is the classic Catskills Sulfur — slightly more gold/amber than the Connecticut version.
• PMDs — mid-June through July, afternoons. PMD Comparadun #16-18.
• Evening Caddis — June through August, 5:30-8pm. Elk Hair Caddis #14-16, Irresistible Adams #14-16.

Water Conditions

June flows on the Willowemoc and Beaverkill depend heavily on recent rain. In dry periods, both rivers drop and clear significantly — low, slow water means selective fish and fine tippet is non-negotiable. After rain, give 24-48 hours for color to clear. The Beaverkill below Junction Pool fishes well even in lower flows; above the junction, the Willowemoc requires more water to be productive.

Access: Junction Pool (Beaverkill/Willowemoc confluence) is public but heavily pressured. Public access below the confluence on the Beaverkill. Upper Willowemoc has limited public access — know before you go.

The 6-Fly June Box

Build your June selection around three hatches with backup patterns:

• Sulfur Comparadun #16-18 — primary dry for tailwaters and most freestones. Fish this first, all afternoon.
• Sulfur Spinner #16-18 — dusk. Carry 2-3 dozen. The spinner fall is often better than the dun hatch on tailwaters.
• PMD Comparadun #16-18 — afternoon overlap when Sulfurs thin. Good 12-4pm on warm days.
• Elk Hair Caddis #14-16 — every evening, June through August. Rig it as a dropper behind your dry or fish it alone.
• Pheasant Tail Nymph #16-18 — for the 20 minutes after the dun hatch when fish are still feeding subsurface.
• RS2 Emerger #18 — when hatch is on but fish are not taking the dry. Fish it in the film.

Presentation Changes for June

• Leader length: 12-15 feet in June. Fish are line-shy after months of light pressure. Longer = better drifts.
• Tippet: 5X for Caddis, 6X for Sulfurs and PMDs. June trout are selective — 6X is not overkill on clear water.
• Timing shift: June has real fishing at 8am (water warmed) through 8:30pm (Caddis spinner fall). The window is wide — use it.
• Cloud cover: Overcast days extend the hatch and make fish less selective. A flat-overcast June afternoon can be the best fishing of the year.

June conditions on Northeast rivers are generally more stable than May — snowmelt is done, water levels are lower, and hatches follow a more predictable calendar. Still, always check the USGS gauge for your river before you leave home. A warm week followed by a thunderstorm can spike a freestone river for 24-36 hours.

WhatsMyFly cross-references live USGS discharge and water temperature data with the current hatch calendar to give you a real-time, hatch-adjusted fly recommendation for your specific river. Open it the morning of your trip — conditions change fast in June.