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.
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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.
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.
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Softhackle on Jun 9, 2009June 9th, 2009, 8:55 am EDT
This past weekend is usually our annual trip to Roscoe, NY, however to save us some money, we decided to skip the long trip and fish our home water, The Genesee River. The weekend started for Bill, my son-in-law, and I on Thursday evening. We fished one of our favorite spots, but there were so many insects, the fish kept switching preferences. We did catch fish, but the evening was a constant guessing game.
Friday morning was bright, sunny and cool. I had invited a friend, Ray Tucker, to join us. Ray lives a few hours away, and I thought it would be great for us to share some fishing time. The day clouded over in the afternoom, but there was no rain, and fishing continued to be fairly good through the day.We did get on and off showers in the evening, but continued to fish and took some nice browns before the sun sank behind the hills.
All the fish I took were taken on wingless wets.
It was great seeing Ray, and he supplied me with some of the photos.
Saturday morning was beautiful. Clear and sunny weather brought the water temps up a bit and the trout were very active. All my party, Mark, my son, Bill and my Grandson, Colin all took trout. I took two very nice browns on a cream colored flymph, fished just under the surface. Both fish were good size, with one of about 18". The other about 15".
Saturday evening found us searching for a place to fish. I have never seen so many fly fishermen on our river. (Looks like it's time to open a fly shop, here. It almost reminded me of being in Roscoe.) At any rate, we did find some water, and fishing was very good. The same Cream Flymph took most of my fish that evening, and again as the evening went on bug activity increased. The fish, once more, kept changing their preference, but we managed quite a few browns and feisty rainbows and the evening set in.
We returned home- 4 happy, tired, and contented fly fishermen. We could not have had a better weekend, even in Roscoe.
Check out the photos.
Tight lines, everyone,
Mark
Here's Bill working the water on Thursday evening.
Mark, myself and Colin checking out the water Friday morning.
Me-if my beard gets any whiter, I'll be playing Santa, soon.
Me, taking a fish off. Mark and Colin are downriver.
Me, playing one in.
An interesting stone fly Ray discovered.
Here's Ray, fishing upriver of me.
One of the beauties Ray took.
More of Ray's fish. Great photo Ray.
Here's Ray working a run in the Afternoon.
Mark and Colin in the run.
Where I fished Saturday Morining.
The first of two browns I took.
Second of the pair.
Mark
Friday morning was bright, sunny and cool. I had invited a friend, Ray Tucker, to join us. Ray lives a few hours away, and I thought it would be great for us to share some fishing time. The day clouded over in the afternoom, but there was no rain, and fishing continued to be fairly good through the day.We did get on and off showers in the evening, but continued to fish and took some nice browns before the sun sank behind the hills.
All the fish I took were taken on wingless wets.
It was great seeing Ray, and he supplied me with some of the photos.
Saturday morning was beautiful. Clear and sunny weather brought the water temps up a bit and the trout were very active. All my party, Mark, my son, Bill and my Grandson, Colin all took trout. I took two very nice browns on a cream colored flymph, fished just under the surface. Both fish were good size, with one of about 18". The other about 15".
Saturday evening found us searching for a place to fish. I have never seen so many fly fishermen on our river. (Looks like it's time to open a fly shop, here. It almost reminded me of being in Roscoe.) At any rate, we did find some water, and fishing was very good. The same Cream Flymph took most of my fish that evening, and again as the evening went on bug activity increased. The fish, once more, kept changing their preference, but we managed quite a few browns and feisty rainbows and the evening set in.
We returned home- 4 happy, tired, and contented fly fishermen. We could not have had a better weekend, even in Roscoe.
Check out the photos.
Tight lines, everyone,
Mark
Here's Bill working the water on Thursday evening.
Mark, myself and Colin checking out the water Friday morning.
Me-if my beard gets any whiter, I'll be playing Santa, soon.
Me, taking a fish off. Mark and Colin are downriver.
Me, playing one in.
An interesting stone fly Ray discovered.
Here's Ray, fishing upriver of me.
One of the beauties Ray took.
More of Ray's fish. Great photo Ray.
Here's Ray working a run in the Afternoon.
Mark and Colin in the run.
Where I fished Saturday Morining.
The first of two browns I took.
Second of the pair.
Mark
"I have the highest respect for the skilled wet-fly fisherman, as he has mastered an art of very great difficulty." Edward R. Hewitt
Flymphs, Soft-hackles and Spiders: http://www.troutnut.com/libstudio/FS&S/index.html
Flymphs, Soft-hackles and Spiders: http://www.troutnut.com/libstudio/FS&S/index.html
GONZO on Jun 9, 2009June 9th, 2009, 9:15 am EDT
Nice, Mark. Sounds like a good time was had by all. For what it's worth, I thought that Ray might like to know that the "stonefly" with the white bands on its wings is actually a fishfly (probably Nigronia fasciatus).
Softhackle on Jun 9, 2009June 9th, 2009, 1:40 pm EDT
Thanks, Lloyd. Ray had posted the photo on the Fly Tying Forum and Taxon identified it as well. I'd never seen that fly before on our water and found it very interesting. It was quite big.
Mark
Mark
"I have the highest respect for the skilled wet-fly fisherman, as he has mastered an art of very great difficulty." Edward R. Hewitt
Flymphs, Soft-hackles and Spiders: http://www.troutnut.com/libstudio/FS&S/index.html
Flymphs, Soft-hackles and Spiders: http://www.troutnut.com/libstudio/FS&S/index.html
Martinlf on Jun 10, 2009June 10th, 2009, 3:09 pm EDT
Way cool photos, thanks Mark.
"He spread them a yard and a half. 'And every one that got away is this big.'"
--Fred Chappell
--Fred Chappell
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