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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Zapada cinctipes (Tiny Winter Black) Stonefly Nymph Zapada cinctipes (Tiny Winter Black) Stonefly Nymph

Dorsal view of a Zapada cinctipes (Nemouridae) (Tiny Winter Black) Stonefly Nymph from the Yakima River in Washington

Nymphs of this species were fairly common in late-winter kick net samples from the upper Yakima River. Although I could not find a key to species of Zapada nymphs, a revision of the Nemouridae family by Baumann (1975) includes the following helpful sentence: "2 cervical gills on each side of midline, 1 arising inside and 1 outside of lateral cervical sclerites, usually single and elongate, sometimes constricted but with 3 or 4 branches arising beyond gill base in Zapada cinctipes." This specimen clearly has the branches and is within the range of that species.

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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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CDC Ant

Coha

Cazin, Bosnia

Posts: 2

Coha on Mar 4, 2021March 4th, 2021, 7:28 am EST

A lovely little pattern, that is tied with only one CDC puff and a few turns of hackle. CDC Ant

Wbranch

York & Starlight PA

Posts: 2635

Wbranch on Mar 5, 2021March 5th, 2021, 12:09 am EST

Looks like an easy and effective ant to tie.

Catskill fly fisher for fifty-five years.

Martinlf

Moderator
Palmyra PA

Posts: 3047

Martinlf on Mar 5, 2021March 5th, 2021, 12:44 am EST

Yes, I liked the look. I'm actually partial to Gary Borger's in the film ant for the tiny ones. See what he says in Designing Trout Flies about how they need to sit in the film. He's a biologist, and his analysis makes sense.

"He spread them a yard and a half. 'And every one that got away is this big.'"

--Fred Chappell

Wbranch

York & Starlight PA

Posts: 2635

Wbranch on Mar 5, 2021March 5th, 2021, 11:18 am EST

I have that book. There is one paragraph that kind of made he was high when he wrote it. He talks about how the sun shone a certain way on a rock in a pool out West and he felt he needed to tie a fly that embodied some of those colors. That is probably out of context but you can get my drift. I thought it was over the top. I do like his color charts and I put a lot of faith into them.

Catskill fly fisher for fifty-five years.

Martinlf

Moderator
Palmyra PA

Posts: 3047

Martinlf on Mar 5, 2021March 5th, 2021, 2:20 pm EST

Could have been, Matt. I actually met Borger at a fly fishing show in Seven Springs many years ago. He signed my copy of the book then. I've had good luck with those parachute ants on tough fish. The CDC ant has some of the same elements, putting the body on top of the hook. Clipping the hackle a bit more would put the whole thing flush in the film. If I remember I'll tie a few of these when I get to ants for Montana.

"He spread them a yard and a half. 'And every one that got away is this big.'"

--Fred Chappell