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.
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With a bit of help from the microscope, this specimen keys clearly and unsurprisingly to Hydropsyche.
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Tiny White-Winged Curses
This common name refers to only one genus. Click its scientific name to learn more.
Mayfly Genus Caenis
These are very rarely called Tiny White-Winged Curses.
When the important hatches of Tricorythodes were first discovered by anglers, Caenis was given the credit. We now know that the Caenis mayflies are a different group, smaller and less common in trout streams, and they hatch in the evening instead of the morning.
They very rarely elicit selective feeding, but when they do they're very tough to match because they're often much smaller than size 28. This difficulty has earned them the nickname "Angler's Curse."
They very rarely elicit selective feeding, but when they do they're very tough to match because they're often much smaller than size 28. This difficulty has earned them the nickname "Angler's Curse."
I confirmed the identity of this nymph by looking at it under a microscope to be certain of the shape of its gills and head.
See 8 more specimens...