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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.

Case view of a Pycnopsyche guttifera (Limnephilidae) (Great Autumn Brown Sedge) Caddisfly Larva from the Yakima River in Washington
It's only barely visible in one of my pictures, but I confirmed under the microscope that this one has a prosternal horn and the antennae are mid-way between the eyes and front of the head capsule.

I'm calling this one Pycnopsyche, but it's a bit perplexing. It seems to key definitively to at least Couplet 8 of the Key to Genera of Limnephilidae Larvae. That narrows it down to three genera, and the case seems wrong for the other two. The case looks right for Pycnopsyche, and it fits one of the key characteristics: "Abdominal sternum II without chloride epithelium and abdominal segment IX with only single seta on each side of dorsal sclerite." However, the characteristic "metanotal sa1 sclerites not fused, although often contiguous" does not seem to fit well. Those sclerites sure look fused to me, although I can make out a thin groove in the touching halves in the anterior half under the microscope. Perhaps this is a regional variation.

The only species of Pycnopsyche documented in Washington state is Pycnopsyche guttifera, and the colors and markings around the head of this specimen seem to match very well a specimen of that species from Massachusetts on Bugguide. So I am placing it in that species for now.

Whatever species this is, I photographed another specimen of seemingly the same species from the same spot a couple months later.
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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Fishingguru
Southeastern PA

Posts: 5
Fishingguru on Jan 31, 2008January 31st, 2008, 3:39 pm EST
Has anyone fished twisted hackle emergers and how did they fare? I saw an article some time back and it sounded interesting. Twist the hackle with the dubbing used for the thorax. Seems like it would give a nice splay for legs.
Lav
Lonehunter
UPSTATE NY

Posts: 6
Lonehunter on Feb 8, 2008February 8th, 2008, 5:32 am EST
Hi
Never have.. I would love to see a picture on one done correctly.
Love to steel others ideas LOL
Thanks
TIGHT LINES
PRACTICE CATCH AND RELEASE
JACK

ENJOY THE JOURNEY NOT THE FINISH
Martinlf
Martinlf's profile picture
Moderator
Palmyra PA

Posts: 3047
Martinlf on Feb 8, 2008February 8th, 2008, 3:01 pm EST
I tried to look this one up and learned it's a Shane Stalcup pattern. Does anyone have directions for it, or for another favorite emerger?

I've mentioned the Little Lehigh Flyshop BWO CDC emerger a few times, which gave me a spectacular day once, and I recently had a buddy send me a Pat Dorsey BWO emerger that I'm using as a model for a new fly that combines the winging method on the Compoly Dun (A Google search will take you to a recipe) with Lloyd Gonzales method of tying an emerger shuck, except I'm trying CDC on some instead of synthetics, and cutting the wing short after slanting it back. I may add a wrap or two of hackle on some too. I also think a parachute with shorter hackles and a shuck makes a superb emerger. What are some other favorite patterns out there?
"He spread them a yard and a half. 'And every one that got away is this big.'"

--Fred Chappell
Dano
Vanderbilt, Michigan

Posts: 101
Dano on Feb 8, 2008February 8th, 2008, 5:32 pm EST
Can't say that I've tried this twisted hackle technique...Seems to me, though, that it would be worth a shot on nymphs rather than emegers. Most I've seen have a beard style soft hackle. Which, IMSHO, would be a more realistic impression of the legs...

In answer to Louis' last question: My favorite emerger pattern is the one they're biting on. Not trying to be a smartass, really. My "emergers" are the traditional wets that I carry. But, when things are going fast and furious during a hatch caught with a dry on the end of my tippet and all I'm gettin' are bulges with no hits, I simply nip back the wings and hackles, put a dab of mud on the fly, then get back to business.

However, back in the early 80s when these things were just becoming the rage and I got the Supplement II for my Index of Orvis Fly Patterns, I used this pattern:

Note that Orvis forgot to include the beard style hackle (Wood Duck) in the recipe.

After a couple of seasons in not seeing any difference in my catch ratios, I stopped using 'em. FWIW.

Dano


Eventually, all things merge into one...and a river runs through it.

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