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Lateral view of a Female Hexagenia limbata (Ephemeridae) (Hex) Mayfly Dun from the Namekagon River in Wisconsin
Hex Mayflies
Hexagenia limbata

The famous nocturnal Hex hatch of the Midwest (and a few other lucky locations) stirs to the surface mythically large brown trout that only touch streamers for the rest of the year.

Case view of a Pycnopsyche guttifera (Limnephilidae) (Great Autumn Brown Sedge) Caddisfly Larva from the Yakima River in Washington
It's only barely visible in one of my pictures, but I confirmed under the microscope that this one has a prosternal horn and the antennae are mid-way between the eyes and front of the head capsule.

I'm calling this one Pycnopsyche, but it's a bit perplexing. It seems to key definitively to at least Couplet 8 of the Key to Genera of Limnephilidae Larvae. That narrows it down to three genera, and the case seems wrong for the other two. The case looks right for Pycnopsyche, and it fits one of the key characteristics: "Abdominal sternum II without chloride epithelium and abdominal segment IX with only single seta on each side of dorsal sclerite." However, the characteristic "metanotal sa1 sclerites not fused, although often contiguous" does not seem to fit well. Those sclerites sure look fused to me, although I can make out a thin groove in the touching halves in the anterior half under the microscope. Perhaps this is a regional variation.

The only species of Pycnopsyche documented in Washington state is Pycnopsyche guttifera, and the colors and markings around the head of this specimen seem to match very well a specimen of that species from Massachusetts on Bugguide. So I am placing it in that species for now.

Whatever species this is, I photographed another specimen of seemingly the same species from the same spot a couple months later.
27" brown trout, my largest ever. It was the sub-dominant fish in its pool. After this, I hooked the bigger one, but I couldn't land it.
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Steps25
Steps25's profile picture
Connecticut

Posts: 31
Steps25 on Aug 3, 2015August 3rd, 2015, 8:57 am EDT
Wbranch
Wbranch's profile picture
York & Starlight PA

Posts: 2635
Wbranch on Aug 3, 2015August 3rd, 2015, 10:48 am EDT
No video.
Catskill fly fisher for fifty-five years.
Steps25
Steps25's profile picture
Connecticut

Posts: 31
Steps25 on Aug 3, 2015August 3rd, 2015, 11:29 am EDT
Not sure why the youtube code didn't work. Switched to link code. Thanks
MiltRPowell
Posts: 106
MiltRPowell on Aug 3, 2015August 3rd, 2015, 11:48 am EDT
no video, punch it in on my phone. Comes up not found, oh well!!!!
flyfishingthecreekM.R.P.
Steps25
Steps25's profile picture
Connecticut

Posts: 31
Steps25 on Aug 3, 2015August 3rd, 2015, 6:04 pm EDT
Sorry about that. I followed the forum code guide. Link seems to work now.? I'll figure it out someday. Feel free to comment or make suggestions, still learning the fly and the photo/videos. Thanks
Wbranch
Wbranch's profile picture
York & Starlight PA

Posts: 2635
Wbranch on Aug 3, 2015August 3rd, 2015, 6:15 pm EDT
You had some very amazing fly fishing! Would you mind sharing with us the name of that river, what state it is in and what section you fished? Were all those trout caught in one day or was that video a compilation of a couple days of fishing? Do you know if they are wild or stocked trout?
Catskill fly fisher for fifty-five years.
Steps25
Steps25's profile picture
Connecticut

Posts: 31
Steps25 on Aug 3, 2015August 3rd, 2015, 6:24 pm EDT
Thanks wbranch. - I'm in Connecticut, the main trout fisheries in Connecticut are the Housatonic & Farmington River +lakes etc. I'm local on the Farmington River and fish the small streams as well. Fished it for over 30 years mainly with spinners but have been learning the fly last two years. We are well-stocked but have wilds,natives,browns, rainbows, brookies juvenile salmon. This was a few days compiled in July.
Jmd123
Jmd123's profile picture
Oscoda, MI

Posts: 2474
Jmd123 on Aug 3, 2015August 3rd, 2015
WOW, what a great video! Shot with a Go-Pro or other wearable camera, I really felt like I was there, I swear I could feel some of those fish fighting! Probably helps that I'm watching it on a 22" home flatscreen versus a tiny mobile device screen...Does look like a mix of stockers and wild fish, but most seemed to put a good bend in your rod! What outfit were you using?

And danged, you have a good doggie, he listens pretty well! I read a story some years ago about a couple of guys who took a dog fishing and the darned pooch went after every single fish they hooked, in fact retrieving a few in his jaws...

It can be amazing how deadly the dry fly can be, and not just on trout, caught many a fat panfish and some really good-sized smallmouth (18") on dries. I've actually fished right next to worm dunkers with a fly rod, in some instances all dry, and pulled in panfish 10 or 20 to one compared to them..."What are you using??"

:oD

Jonathon
No matter how big the one you just caught is, there's always a bigger one out there somewhere...
Oldredbarn
Oldredbarn's profile picture
Novi, MI

Posts: 2600
Oldredbarn on Aug 4, 2015August 4th, 2015, 4:37 am EDT
Looks like fun! Got to love them Iso's! :)

Spence
"Even when my best efforts fail it's a satisfying challenge, and that, after all, is the essence of fly fishing." -Chauncy Lively

"Envy not the man who lives beside the river, but the man the river flows through." Joseph T Heywood
Steps25
Steps25's profile picture
Connecticut

Posts: 31
Steps25 on Aug 4, 2015August 4th, 2015, 10:27 am EDT
WOW, what a great video! Shot with a Go-Pro or other wearable camera, I really felt like I was there, I swear I could feel some of those fish fighting! Probably helps that I'm watching it on a 22" home flatscreen versus a tiny mobile device screen...Does look like a mix of stockers and wild fish, but most seemed to put a good bend in your rod! What outfit were you using?

And danged, you have a good doggie, he listens pretty well! I read a story some years ago about a couple of guys who took a dog fishing and the darned pooch went after every single fish they hooked, in fact retrieving a few in his jaws...

It can be amazing how deadly the dry fly can be, and not just on trout, caught many a fat panfish and some really good-sized smallmouth (18") on dries. I've actually fished right next to worm dunkers with a fly rod, in some instances all dry, and pulled in panfish 10 or 20 to one compared to them..."What are you using??"

:oD

Jonathon


Thanks JMD - My work horse outfit for my main spots is an Orvis Access 9' 5wt.

The dog is very well trained and a good fishing buddy, who listens most of the time. But, as John Gierach once wrote (paraphrasing) "There's no such thing as a good fishing dog, we're just blinded by the love of our dog" still, he's my buddy and he deserves to come out sometimes.

I try to match the hatch (BWO, Hendricksons, Sulphurs, ISO, Caddis) but sometimes the hatch is simply Adams, Royals, nymphs, streamer etc.
Jmd123
Jmd123's profile picture
Oscoda, MI

Posts: 2474
Jmd123 on Aug 4, 2015August 4th, 2015, 11:45 am EDT
"I try to match the hatch (BWO, Hendricksons, Sulphurs, ISO, Caddis) but sometimes the hatch is simply Adams, Royals, nymphs, streamer etc."

The Adams is an old favorite of mine, works when there are no hatches and sometimes when there is one! The Royal Wulff is a particular favorite, have had it work when many other flies were refused and got an 18" smallmouth on a big #6 last summer on it. If I don't see much hatching, my favorite searching pattern besides those two is the good old Elkhair Caddis, usually a #12-16 in various colors but tan/light brown is usually a good bet.

Again, great video, like I said, felt like I was there! You have some nice water to fish there.

Jonathon
No matter how big the one you just caught is, there's always a bigger one out there somewhere...
MiltRPowell
Posts: 106
MiltRPowell on Aug 4, 2015August 4th, 2015, 1:08 pm EDT
Yup, got ta see it now. Was great,nice water, nice fishing, even your dog looked ta be having fun hanging out. liked the shot of the flower,& frog. I also don't go fishing just for the fishing. I love looking around,& more. But great video, nice job...
Later, Milt...
flyfishingthecreekM.R.P.
Steps25
Steps25's profile picture
Connecticut

Posts: 31
Steps25 on Aug 5, 2015August 5th, 2015, 6:20 am EDT
Yup, got ta see it now. Was great,nice water, nice fishing, even your dog looked ta be having fun hanging out. liked the shot of the flower,& frog. I also don't go fishing just for the fishing. I love looking around,& more. But great video, nice job...
Later, Milt...


Thanks. Yes, fishing is more than just fishing... ;)
ps, there's a couple more videos on my channel. One of 24" brown trophy caught spin fishing this year.
MiltRPowell
Posts: 106
MiltRPowell on Aug 5, 2015August 5th, 2015, 8:08 am EDT
Yeah, I gotta ck that out. I' m racking & packing moving, I hate it. On my brakes I been popping on the site, ta rest my stress of the move. I also used ta spin fish, back in the day. Got bored with it, so I went & got hooked on the fly, and really ain't looked back. My fish are smaller now, but my rewards are un-explain-able... I still have all my spin gear, still have my memories of some slamming trout, but on the fly,I found the peace,& pleasures this guy was looking for. And by the looks of your video,your hooked as well. Hell a blind man peaking threw muddy water could see all that.. So ya have fun with bro, it is what it is. A wonderful sport, if ya play right. And never stop, stopping ta photo the flowers & the frogs, nice touch.
later Milt....
flyfishingthecreekM.R.P.
Catskilljon
Upstate NY

Posts: 160
Catskilljon on Aug 16, 2015August 16th, 2015, 1:28 pm EDT
What a great video! Excellent editing too, not a bunch of dead footage of you walking around in the woods...action packed!

Those camera's are really cool, someday I will step up to one. CJ

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