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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.

Dorsal view of a Ephemerella mucronata (Ephemerellidae) Mayfly Nymph from the Yakima River in Washington
This is an interesting one. Following the keys in Merritt R.W., Cummins, K.W., and Berg, M.B. (2019) and Jacobus et al. (2014), it keys clearly to Ephemerella. Jacobus et al provide a key to species, but some of the characteristics are tricky to interpret without illustrations. If I didn't make any mistakes, this one keys to Ephemerella mucronata, which has not previously been reported any closer to here than Montana and Alberta. The main character seems to fit well: "Abdominal terga with prominent, paired, subparallel, spiculate ridges." Several illustrations or descriptions of this holarctic species from the US and Europe seem to match, including the body length, tarsal claws and denticles, labial palp, and gill shapes. These sources include including Richard Allen's original description of this species in North America under the now-defunct name E. moffatae in Allen RK (1977) and the figures in this description of the species in Italy.
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.

Wiflyfisher
Wiflyfisher's profile picture
Wisconsin

Posts: 622
Wiflyfisher on Mar 13, 2010March 13th, 2010, 12:04 am EST
Tying Catskill-Style Dry Flies is a great book for anyone looking to read about the history of the great Catskill trout streams and the famous Catskill fly tiers. The book also covers how to tie many of the original Catskill dry fly patterns.
Shawnny3
Moderator
Pleasant Gap, PA

Posts: 1197
Shawnny3 on Mar 13, 2010March 13th, 2010, 1:26 am EST
I know I could just look this up, but for the sake of the thread, who is the author?

-Shawn
Jewelry-Quality Artistic Salmon Flies, by Shawn Davis
www.davisflydesigns.com
Wiflyfisher
Wiflyfisher's profile picture
Wisconsin

Posts: 622
Wiflyfisher on Mar 13, 2010March 13th, 2010, 2:15 am EST
Mike Valla, in his youth he lived with the Dettes.
Wbranch
Wbranch's profile picture
York & Starlight PA

Posts: 2635
Wbranch on Mar 13, 2010March 13th, 2010, 11:04 pm EST
"Mike Valla, in his youth he lived with the Dettes."

He often posts at njflyfishing.com

He has been posting frequently to a recent thread there. Just do a search for his name. That site is set-up so you can actually see how many threads someone starts and how many posts a person contributes too.
Catskill fly fisher for fifty-five years.
Wiflyfisher
Wiflyfisher's profile picture
Wisconsin

Posts: 622
Wiflyfisher on Mar 13, 2010March 13th, 2010, 11:26 pm EST
The really cool Catskill fly tying website is Sparse Grey Matter...

http://www.sparsegreymatter.com/index.php

Lots of the old patterns are posted on Sparse Grey Matter by Mike, Joe Fox, Catskilljohn and others from the Catskills.

For Jason's sake... I believe Mike Valla went to Cornell.
Shawnny3
Moderator
Pleasant Gap, PA

Posts: 1197
Shawnny3 on Mar 14, 2010March 14th, 2010, 1:48 am EST
For Jason's sake... I believe Mike Valla went to Cornell.


Sounds like a good guy. Let's go Red!

For those interested in competitive sports, this winter has been a memorable one at Cornell, with the basketball team cracking the Top 25 and set to dance in the NCAAs, the men's hockey team crushing Harvard twice (four times, including the regular season) to advance in the ECAC tourney, the women's hockey team earning their first ever NCAA berth and subsequently crushing Harvard in the first round, and the wrestling team ranked #6 in the land entering the NCAAs. It's hard to imagine a better year in Cornell sports.

Sorry for the shameless rant. I'm a little excited. Oh, and Harvard sucks.

-Shawn
Jewelry-Quality Artistic Salmon Flies, by Shawn Davis
www.davisflydesigns.com

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