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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.

Dorsal view of a Ephemerella mucronata (Ephemerellidae) Mayfly Nymph from the Yakima River in Washington
This is an interesting one. Following the keys in Merritt R.W., Cummins, K.W., and Berg, M.B. (2019) and Jacobus et al. (2014), it keys clearly to Ephemerella. Jacobus et al provide a key to species, but some of the characteristics are tricky to interpret without illustrations. If I didn't make any mistakes, this one keys to Ephemerella mucronata, which has not previously been reported any closer to here than Montana and Alberta. The main character seems to fit well: "Abdominal terga with prominent, paired, subparallel, spiculate ridges." Several illustrations or descriptions of this holarctic species from the US and Europe seem to match, including the body length, tarsal claws and denticles, labial palp, and gill shapes. These sources include including Richard Allen's original description of this species in North America under the now-defunct name E. moffatae in Allen RK (1977) and the figures in this description of the species in Italy.
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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Landscape & scenery photos from the Gulkana River

The Gulkana River in Alaska
A Bonaparte's Gull perched on a rock.

From the Gulkana River in Alaska
The Gulkana River in Alaska
There's a fish-cleaning table right IN the river at this landing.  Driving out on the gravel bar is the norm, too.  It was a good place to field-dress my sockeye salmon.  Tossing the guts out into the river has them devoured by hungry gulls within seconds.  That's illegal in many places, but in Alaska it's the preferred way of dealing with fish waste: these ecosystems are driven by dead salmon and fully equipped to deal with it.

From the Gulkana River in Alaska
The fish really turned on Friday morning, and I caught this very pretty 17-incher
The Gulkana River in Alaska
This is my dad's first wild Alaskan rainbow trout.
Closeup of Josh's big rainbow
This isn't quite the size of salmon I was looking for on this trip...
The Gulkana River in Alaska
Turbulent Class III-IV waters.

From the Gulkana River in Alaska
The Gulkana River in Alaska
A Bonaparte's Gull cruises low over a rapids.

From the Gulkana River in Alaska
Here I'm netting a nice rainbow in the rapids.

From the Gulkana River in Alaska
The Gulkana River just below Summit Lake in Alaska
The Gulkana River in Alaska
The Gulkana River in Alaska
The Gulkana River in Alaska

References

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