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.

Stream photos

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Holocentropus Caddisfly Larva Holocentropus Caddisfly Larva

Dorsal view of a Holocentropus (Polycentropodidae) Caddisfly Larva from the Yakima River in Washington

This one seems to tentatively key to Holocentropus, although I can't make out the anal spines in Couplet 7 of the Key to Genera of Polycentropodidae Larvae nor the dark bands in Couplet 4 of the Key to Genera of Polycentropodidae Larvae, making me wonder if I went wrong somewhere in keying it out. I don't see where that could have happened, though. It might also be that it's a very immature larva and doesn't possess all the identifying characteristics in the key yet. If Holocentropus is correct, then Holocentropus flavus and Holocentropus interruptus are the two likely possibilities based on range, but I was not able to find a description of their larvae.

11 Recently Added Photos

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.

Pursuing Golden Trout with my Wife

By Troutnut on June 13th, 2019, 11:25 am EDT

This blog post is just a quick teaser for the long-form photo-journal I wrote about my favorite trip of last summer (2018), in which my wife and I backpacked into some high mountains for three days in pursuit of Golden Trout and had one of the prettiest places on Earth all to ourselves.

A few favorite images will serve as teasers for the full story:

Read it here.

Note: The bugs showing up below this post on the front page are only there because I uploaded them on the same day I posted the note about this story. They're from a different state and time of year.

Closeup insects by Troutnut from the South Fork Snoqualmie River in Washington

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Drunella grandis (Western Green Drake) Mayfly Nymph

Dorsal view of a Drunella grandis (Ephemerellidae) (Western Green Drake) Mayfly Nymph from the South Fork Snoqualmie River in Washington

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Hesperophylax (Silver Striped Sedge) Caddisfly Larva

Case view of a Hesperophylax (Limnephilidae) (Silver Striped Sedge) Caddisfly Larva from the South Fork Snoqualmie River in Washington

Based on both range maps and key characteristics, this larva is either Hesperophylax designatus, Hesperophylax alaskensis, or Hesperophylax occidentalis. However, the species key in Parker & Wiggins (1985) cannot separate these species as larvae.

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Rhyacophila (Green Sedge) Caddisfly Larva

Lateral view of a Rhyacophila (Rhyacophilidae) (Green Sedge) Caddisfly Larva from the South Fork Snoqualmie River in Washington

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Male Baetis (Blue-Winged Olive) Mayfly Nymph

Lateral view of a Male Baetis (Baetidae) (Blue-Winged Olive) Mayfly Nymph from the South Fork Snoqualmie River in Washington

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Ameletus (Brown Dun) Mayfly Nymph

Dorsal view of a Ameletus (Ameletidae) (Brown Dun) Mayfly Nymph from the South Fork Snoqualmie River in Washington

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Osobenus yakimae (Yakima Springfly) Stonefly Nymph

Dorsal view of a Osobenus yakimae (Perlodidae) (Yakima Springfly) Stonefly Nymph from the South Fork Snoqualmie River in Washington

This nymph keys out to Osobenus yakimae, and a comparison of the markings with a specimen on flyfishingentomology.com provides a good verification. The size is about right, as that species has been described as 12 mm. The markings generally fit the original description of the nymph of that species (Jewett 1955) perfectly.

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Ephemerella excrucians (Pale Morning Dun) Mayfly Nymph

Dorsal view of a Ephemerella excrucians (Ephemerellidae) (Pale Morning Dun) Mayfly Nymph from the South Fork Snoqualmie River in Washington

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Cinygmula (Dark Red Quill) Mayfly Nymph

Dorsal view of a Cinygmula (Heptageniidae) (Dark Red Quill) Mayfly Nymph from the South Fork Snoqualmie River in Washington

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Platyhelminthes (Flatworm) Animal

Platyhelminthes (Flatworm) Animal from the South Fork Snoqualmie River in Washington

This specimen is in the subphylum Turbellaria, a non-parasitic flatworm.

Comments / replies

Wbranch

York & Starlight PA

Posts: 2635

Wbranch on Jun 14, 2019June 14th, 2019, 12:29 pm EDT

Is that your first alpine lake golden trout?

Catskill fly fisher for fifty-five years.

Troutnut

Administrator
Bellevue, WA

Posts: 2758

Troutnut on Jun 14, 2019June 14th, 2019, 12:59 pm EDT

Nope, I caught one the previous year (2017) in a much, much more difficult adventure here near Seattle. This trip was plenty of work but comparatively easy.

Jason Neuswanger, Ph.D.
Troutnut and salmonid ecologist

Martinlf