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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.

Sunlight perfectly strikes the trees at a bend in the Foss River in the Washington Cascades.

From the Foss River in Washington

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Onocosmoecus (Great Late-Summer Sedge) Caddisfly Larva Onocosmoecus (Great Late-Summer Sedge) Caddisfly Larva

Lateral view of a Onocosmoecus (Limnephilidae) (Great Late-Summer Sedge) Caddisfly Larva from the Yakima River in Washington

This specimen keys pretty easily to Onocosmoecus, and it closely resembles a specimen from Alaska which caddis expert Dave Ruiter recognized as this genus. As with that specimen, the only species in the genus documented in this area is Onocosmoecus unicolor, but Dave suggested for that specimen that there might be multiple not-yet-distinguished species under the unicolor umbrella and it would be best to stick with the genus-level ID. I'm doing the same for this one.

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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.

Troutnut is a project started in 2003 by salmonid ecologist Jason "Troutnut" Neuswanger to help anglers and fly tyers unabashedly embrace the entomological side of the sport. Learn more about Troutnut or support the project for an enhanced experience here.

Canoe float down the Brule with my mom

Canoe float down the Brule with my mom

By Troutnut on June 8th, 2005

This was a great trip down the classic trout water of the Brule, fishing and collecting bugs along the way. In one of the lakes, we got to watch the cutest little bear cub brutally maul the cutest little whitetail fawn—a salient reminder that nature doesn't particularly care about cuteness.

Photos by Troutnut from the Bois Brule River and in Wisconsin and

Here I'm looking through the sampling net for interesting nymphs, some of which ended up on this site.

From the Bois Brule River in Wisconsin

Cedar sweepers line the fertile spring creek headwaters of a famous trout stream.

From the Bois Brule River in Wisconsin

Here I'm tying on a fly in the middle of a warm summer day. Despite the conditions, the trout responded well.

From the Bois Brule River in Wisconsin

Gnarled cedars twist out over a nice trout stream.

From the Bois Brule River in Wisconsin

This tail end of a large glassy flat holds many nice rising trout most summer evenings, and it's extremely demanding of both stealth and fine casting.

From the Bois Brule River in Wisconsin

The Bois Brule River in Wisconsin

Lone tree on a rock in the middle of Big Lake. Fittingly, Big Lake is the largest of several short wide spots in the upper Brule River.

From the Bois Brule River in Wisconsin

A Canada goose and gosling poke their heads out of the grass along a trout stream.

A canada goose looks over some large, downy goslings.

Closeup insects by Troutnut from the Bois Brule River in Wisconsin

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Male Baetidae (Blue-Winged Olive) Mayfly Nymph

Dorsal view of a Male Baetidae (Blue-Winged Olive) Mayfly Nymph from the Bois Brule River in Wisconsin

This male nymph is probably in its final instar. The wing pads are extremely black and the large turbinate eyes are very apparent inside the nymph's head.

6
Teloganopsis deficiens (Little Black Quill) Mayfly Nymph

Dorsal view of a Teloganopsis deficiens (Ephemerellidae) (Little Black Quill) Mayfly Nymph from the Bois Brule River in Wisconsin

This nymph has tiny, barely detectable tubercles on its abdominal segments, and I could not find the maxillary palpi. I tentatively guessed that it is Serratella deficiens back when that was a thing; the species is now known as Teloganopsis deficiens. One of the key characteristics, tarsal claws with a subapical denticle being larger than the preceding denticles, seems to be visible in some of the pictures.

6
Ephemerella needhami (Little Dark Hendrickson) Mayfly Nymph

Dorsal view of a Ephemerella needhami (Ephemerellidae) (Little Dark Hendrickson) Mayfly Nymph from the Bois Brule River in Wisconsin

I photographed three strange striped Ephemerella nymphs from the same trip on the same river: this one, a brown one, and a very very striped one. I have tentatively put them all in Ephemerella needhami for now.

3
Stenonema vicarium (March Brown) Mayfly Nymph

Dorsal view of a Stenonema vicarium (Heptageniidae) (March Brown) Mayfly Nymph from the Bois Brule River in Wisconsin

I keyed this nymph to Stenonema fuscom, which is now synonymized with Maccaffertium vicarium. However, the size, markings, and time of year make me very skeptical of this identification.

5
Ephemerella excrucians (Pale Morning Dun) Mayfly Nymph

Dorsal view of a Ephemerella excrucians (Ephemerellidae) (Pale Morning Dun) Mayfly Nymph from the Bois Brule River in Wisconsin

I spent a while with a microscope to fairly positively identify this specimen as Ephemerella excrucians.

4
Leucrocuta hebe (Little Yellow Quill) Mayfly Nymph

Dorsal view of a Leucrocuta hebe (Heptageniidae) (Little Yellow Quill) Mayfly Nymph from the Bois Brule River in Wisconsin

3
Ephemerella needhami (Little Dark Hendrickson) Mayfly Nymph

Dorsal view of a Ephemerella needhami (Ephemerellidae) (Little Dark Hendrickson) Mayfly Nymph from the Bois Brule River in Wisconsin

I photographed three strange striped Ephemerella nymphs from the same trip on the same river: a black and olive one, a brown one, and this one. I have tentatively put them all in Ephemerella needhami for now.

2
Ephemerella needhami (Little Dark Hendrickson) Mayfly Nymph

Dorsal view of a Ephemerella needhami (Ephemerellidae) (Little Dark Hendrickson) Mayfly Nymph from the Bois Brule River in Wisconsin

I photographed three strange striped Ephemerella nymphs from the same trip on the same river: a black and olive one, this one, and a very very striped one. I have tentatively put them all in Ephemerella needhami for now.

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