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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 Limnephilidae (Giant Sedges) Caddisfly Larva from the Yakima River in Washington
This specimen resembled several others of around the same size and perhaps the same species, which were pretty common in my February sample from the upper Yakima. Unfortunately, I misplaced the specimen before I could get it under a microscope for a definitive ID.
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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Worms

This common name refers to only one class. Click its scientific name to learn more.

Animal Class Clitelatta-Oligochaeta

These are pretty much always called Worms.
The subclass Oligochaeta in the class Clitelatta contains worms.
Dorsal view of a Clitelatta-Oligochaeta (Worm) Animal Adult from unknown in Wisconsin
I know most people know what a worm looks like, but when trying to tie an imitation, the memory is often a poor source of accurate color information, and a picture helps to get the right shade. One thing that surprised me in my sampling is that quite a few worms did turn up. Before I was a fly fisherman, when I used worms for bait, I always thought they were merely a tantalizing morsel and not a regular trout food, but I've since realized that there are quite a few worms that live in the sediment on a stream bottom.

Worms

Scientific Name
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