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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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Glossosoma (Little Brown Short-horned Sedge) Caddisfly Larva Glossosoma (Little Brown Short-horned Sedge) Caddisfly Larva

Dorsal view of a Glossosoma (Glossosomatidae) (Little Brown Short-horned Sedge) Caddisfly Larva from the Yakima River in Washington

I caught this tiny larva without a case, but it seems to key pretty clearly to to Glossosomatidae. From there, the lack of sclerites on the mesonotum points to either Glossosoma or Anagapetus. Although it's difficult to see in a 2D image from the microscope, it's pretty clear in the live 3D view that the pronotum is only excised about 1/3 of its length to accommodate the forecoxa, not 2/3, which points to Glossosoma at Couplet 5 of the Key to Genera of Glossosomatidae 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.

July 4th getaway to a small stream

July 4th getaway to a small stream

By Troutnut on July 3rd, 2020

Looking to do something outdoors and asocial during July 4th of the year of Covid-19, I took my wife to a small stream full of feisty westslope cutthroat trout. Of course, being July 4th, there were a few people around the easy-to-access spots (i.e. places to drive and set up a cushy camp ten feet from the truck), but it was easy to walk past them and have a beautiful little stream to ourselves. I'm both baffled and grateful that so few people see the value in chasing little trout in pretty little streams.

Videos by Troutnut from Mystery Creek #249 in Washington

Cinygmula par mating flight

It's remarkable what thick hatches, and especially spinner flights, can come from a species few anglers have ever heard of. The genus Cinygmula is thought to produce unremarkable spinner flights, but this one would certainly have gotten the trout going if it weren't happening just before dark on a small stream where there isn't a lot of nocturnal feeding.

Featuring: Mayfly Species Cinygmula par

Shot on Jul 3, 2020 from Mystery Creek #249 in Washington

Added by Troutnut on Jul 11, 2020

Photos by Troutnut from Mystery Creek #249 in Washington

Mystery Creek # 249 in Washington

Closeup insects by Troutnut from Mystery Creek #249 in Washington

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Female Ephemerella excrucians (Pale Morning Dun) Mayfly Dun

Lateral view of a Female Ephemerella excrucians (Ephemerellidae) (Pale Morning Dun) Mayfly Dun from Mystery Creek #249 in Washington

Although there is no key to female duns, I'm calling this dun Ephemerella excrucians because I collected several mature nymphs of that species on the same trip.

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Drunella grandis (Western Green Drake) Mayfly Nymph

Dorsal view of a Drunella grandis (Ephemerellidae) (Western Green Drake) Mayfly Nymph from Mystery Creek #249 in Washington

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Drunella doddsii (Western Green Drake) Mayfly Nymph

Dorsal view of a Drunella doddsii (Ephemerellidae) (Western Green Drake) Mayfly Nymph from Mystery Creek #249 in Washington

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Epeorus longimanus (Slate Brown Dun) Mayfly Nymph

Dorsal view of a Epeorus longimanus (Heptageniidae) (Slate Brown Dun) Mayfly Nymph from Mystery Creek #249 in Washington

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Chironomidae (Midge) True Fly Larva

Lateral view of a Chironomidae (Midge) True Fly Larva from Mystery Creek #249 in Washington

I don't see a lot of green Chironomidae larvae in my samples, so I photographed this one.

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Rhithrogena hageni (Western Black Quill) Mayfly Nymph

Dorsal view of a Rhithrogena hageni (Heptageniidae) (Western Black Quill) Mayfly Nymph from Mystery Creek #249 in Washington

I'm basing the ID of this near-mature nymph on a male spinner with similar size and markings, collected on the same trip. There isn't a key to reliably identify the nymphs of most Rhithrogena species otherwise.

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Male Rhithrogena hageni (Western Black Quill) Mayfly Spinner

Lateral view of a Male Rhithrogena hageni (Heptageniidae) (Western Black Quill) Mayfly Spinner from Mystery Creek #249 in Washington

I collected this spinner from the trail (old logging road) above a whitewater canyon on a small stream in the Cascades. I'm using its positive ID to put a species ID on a female dun and [speclink id]1217]mature nymph collected on the same trip.

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Female Rhithrogena hageni (Western Black Quill) Mayfly Dun

Lateral view of a Female Rhithrogena hageni (Heptageniidae) (Western Black Quill) Mayfly Dun from Mystery Creek #249 in Washington

I was surprised by the olive cast on the body of this female Rhithrogena dun, which led me to mistake it for a western green drake (Drunella) in the field. I was pleasantly surprised to get a closer look and find something I hadn't collected yet. Its species ID is based on proximity to male spinner collected on the same trip, as well as physical similarity (size, tergite coloration, dark streaks on the femora) to that specimen.

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Female Suwallia pallidula (Sallfly) Stonefly Adult

Lateral view of a Female Suwallia pallidula (Chloroperlidae) (Sallfly) Stonefly Adult from Mystery Creek #249 in Washington

I didn't key this one out under the microscope, but I just keyed a similar one from Montana and this one matches the macroscopic appearance closely enough that I'm guessing it's the same thing.

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Male Ephemerella excrucians (Pale Morning Dun) Mayfly Nymph

Dorsal view of a Male Ephemerella excrucians (Ephemerellidae) (Pale Morning Dun) Mayfly Nymph from Mystery Creek #249 in Washington

I used the ID of this nymph (and some others like it) to infer the identity of a female dun collected on the same trip.

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Male Cinygmula par Mayfly Spinner

Lateral view of a Male Cinygmula par (Heptageniidae) Mayfly Spinner from Mystery Creek #249 in Washington

This specimen was collected from a swarm with a female and another male.

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Male Cinygmula par Mayfly Spinner

Unfortunately these spinners were really fragile and it was hard to get one completely intact. This one's missing some legs.

Lateral view of a Male Cinygmula par (Heptageniidae) Mayfly Spinner from Mystery Creek #249 in Washington

This spinner came from one of those huge swarms that make one just stop fishing and admire the spectacle. Not bad for a little-known species. In the same swarm I collected a female and another male.

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Hexatoma True Fly Larva

Hexatoma (Limoniidae) True Fly Larva from Mystery Creek #249 in Washington

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Dolichopodidae True Fly Larva

Dolichopodidae True Fly Larva from Mystery Creek #249 in Washington

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Female Cinygmula par Mayfly Spinner

Lateral view of a Female Cinygmula par (Heptageniidae) Mayfly Spinner from Mystery Creek #249 in Washington

This female spinner was captured in a swarm with this male and this other male, allowing for identification.

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