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.

I spent more than an hour casting to several rising trout in this pool and caught only two. Its clear water and tricky currents harbor dozens of free-rising, usually very hard-to-catch fish.

From Enfield Creek in New York

Stream photos

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Tricorythodes (Trico) Mayfly Nymph Tricorythodes (Trico) Mayfly Nymph

Dorsal view of a Tricorythodes (Leptohyphidae) (Trico) Mayfly Nymph from Mystery Creek #308 in Washington

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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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Definition of 'membraneous'

Membraneous: Made of a membrane. This term is often used to distinguish the kind of soft tissue that makes up the body of a grub from the harder, sclerotized parts that make up the exoskeleton of a nymph, although hard-bodied insects often have small membraneous parts too.

Hex MayfliesHexagenia limbata

Definition of 'membraneous'

Definition of 'membraneous'

Hex Mayflies
Hexagenia limbata