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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This wild-looking little thing completely puzzled me. At first I was thinking beetle or month larva, until I got a look at the pictures on the computer screen. I made a couple of incorrect guesses before entomologist Greg Courtney pointed me in the right direction with Psychodidae. He suggested a possible genus of Thornburghiella, but could not rule out some other members of the tribe Pericomini.
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Angler's Curses
This common name refers to only one family. Click its scientific name to learn more.
Mayfly Family Caenidae
These are often called Angler's Curses.
The tiny mayflies of this family are usually found in warm, slow, marginal trout water, although some trout streams hold good populations too.
The only genus ever known to produce fishable hatches is Caenis. It turns up frequently for anglers who sample nymphs, but it is rarely of any practical importance for fly fishing because its emergence traits and tiny size (even smaller than Tricorythodes) make it relatively unimportant.
Brachycercus is even more focused on warm water than Caenis.
The only genus ever known to produce fishable hatches is Caenis. It turns up frequently for anglers who sample nymphs, but it is rarely of any practical importance for fly fishing because its emergence traits and tiny size (even smaller than Tricorythodes) make it relatively unimportant.
Brachycercus is even more focused on warm water than Caenis.
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...