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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I was not fishing, but happened to be at an unrelated social event on a hill above this tiny creek (which I never even saw) when this stonefly flew by me. I assume it came from there. Some key characteristics are tricky to follow, but process of elimination ultimately led me to Sweltsa borealis. It is reassuringly similar to this specimen posted by Bob Newell years ago. It is also so strikingly similar to this nymph from the same river system that I'm comfortable identifying that nymph from this adult. I was especially pleased with the closeup photo of four mites parasitizing this one.
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Gutcutter on Sep 6, 2010September 6th, 2010, 2:53 am EDT
lastchance and i went trico fishing yesterday. we had a beautiful and productive morning catching a dozen or so wild browns from 8-14". we had some beautiful weather so we went to some "public" water where donny stocks the fat girls. and we harassed 'em pretty good...
All men who fish may in turn be divided into two parts: those who fish for trout and those who don't. Trout fishermen are a race apart: they are a dedicated crew- indolent, improvident, and quietly mad.
-Robert Traver, Trout Madness
-Robert Traver, Trout Madness
Shawnny3 on Sep 6, 2010September 6th, 2010, 4:20 am EDT
Congrats on all counts.
-Shawn
-Shawn
Jewelry-Quality Artistic Salmon Flies, by Shawn Davis
www.davisflydesigns.com
www.davisflydesigns.com
Motrout on Sep 6, 2010September 6th, 2010, 4:34 am EDT
Congrats... I hope fisherman get out in force on any place old Donny Beaver owns. I'm not even from Pennsylvania, and the very mention of the name "Spring Ridge Club" or "Donny Beavers" makes my blood boil.
"I don't know what fly fishing teaches us, but I think it's something we need to know."-John Gierach
http://fishingintheozarks.blogspot.com/
http://fishingintheozarks.blogspot.com/
Lastchance on Sep 6, 2010September 6th, 2010, 12:45 pm EDT
Had a really nice day fishing with Gutcutter. I tried the method of fishing my flies without a hook to determine, if indeed, it is a more sporting way to fish. Well, it's not and all I did was swear a lot. I even made up a few new swear words. Do yourself a favor and use hooks.
Bruce
Empirical study taught us 2 very important lessons:
(1.) Don't grab a live electric fence wire, and;
(2.) It's easier to catch a fish with a hook on the fly.
Bruce
Empirical study taught us 2 very important lessons:
(1.) Don't grab a live electric fence wire, and;
(2.) It's easier to catch a fish with a hook on the fly.
Oldredbarn on Sep 7, 2010September 7th, 2010, 4:25 am EDT
Don't grab a live electric fence wire
Tony & Bruce,
Hmmm...A couple really smart guys there :) I can almost here someone saying out-loud, "Damn! Now that wasn't smart!".
I had a real smart friend once who needed to take a crap in the woods and squatted down placing some of the more important parts of his anatomy in to some poison oak...Can we all say, "Uncomfortable!" I still winch when I think of it. He still tears up a bit when he retells the story.
Being serious for a moment...Nice photos guys! It looks like you both had a wonderful time once you were free of the electrical fence! I don't know which one of you touched the live wire but Bruce you need to watch over Tony, he's a doctor, and we don't need him developing a stammer during some important procedure ;).
Spence
Sorry boys! I just couldn't pass this one up.
"Even when my best efforts fail it's a satisfying challenge, and that, after all, is the essence of fly fishing." -Chauncy Lively
"Envy not the man who lives beside the river, but the man the river flows through." Joseph T Heywood
"Envy not the man who lives beside the river, but the man the river flows through." Joseph T Heywood
Gutcutter on Sep 7, 2010September 7th, 2010, 5:53 am EDT
spence
i don't know where you get the idea that either of us are smart. for example:
"hey tony, be careful. i think that wire might be hot"
"no bruce - i don't think so"
ZAP
"holy s$%t - it is!"
"yeah, i thought i felt it, too"
another example:
"you little mo!#er fu#$er. why can't i hook you?"
"bruce - you hit that bridge with 2 of your last ten casts - check your hook"
"no, he hit it twice already. he wants it bad..."
"You son of a b%^*h!" hey tony i missed it again"
"check your hook bruce"
"hey tony there isn't a hook on this fly"
after tying on a new fly - "now i got you ..."
i don't know where you get the idea that either of us are smart. for example:
"hey tony, be careful. i think that wire might be hot"
"no bruce - i don't think so"
ZAP
"holy s$%t - it is!"
"yeah, i thought i felt it, too"
another example:
"you little mo!#er fu#$er. why can't i hook you?"
"bruce - you hit that bridge with 2 of your last ten casts - check your hook"
"no, he hit it twice already. he wants it bad..."
"You son of a b%^*h!" hey tony i missed it again"
"check your hook bruce"
"hey tony there isn't a hook on this fly"
after tying on a new fly - "now i got you ..."
All men who fish may in turn be divided into two parts: those who fish for trout and those who don't. Trout fishermen are a race apart: they are a dedicated crew- indolent, improvident, and quietly mad.
-Robert Traver, Trout Madness
-Robert Traver, Trout Madness
Oldredbarn on Sep 7, 2010September 7th, 2010, 9:02 am EDT
That is funny! It's too damn bad those cameras mentioned at that club don't work...We would be millionaires if someone had filmed this "Mutt & Jeff Goes-A-Fishing"...:) At least the river was nice to you guys. May be the "river-gods" had pity on you?
I need to hook you guys up with my step-father! A few years back he was out ice-fishing up north and while standing up the wind blew his bucket across the ice...He took off after it, slipped on the ice, and cracked a couple ribs. He was around 75 at the time.
Later that following spring he was out on the Canadian side of Erie fishing with a young friend and they stayed out late, and when they went to start the snow mobile the cord pulled out...This made them even later getting back...By the time my step-father got the machine working the ice between them and shore had shifted and there was a thin layer of water across the top of the ice...They took off for shore hydo-planing on the water and hoping like hell there was still real ice under the water...When they finally reached the shore the younger fellow swore a bit at my step-father and told him he would never, ever go back out on the ice with him!
You guys need to add him to your group so we can call you the Three Stooges...Unfortunately his fly fishing skills are wanting...Last year when I took him to the Little Manistee I asked him what weight line he had on his fly rod..."Weight? What you mean weight? Hell if I know!" He didn't even know what weight the rod was! "What are you talking about, Spence?!"
When I tried to get him in to tying and bought him a starter kit for Christmas a few years back I later caught him wrapping some hackle near the eye of the hook and sticking on a rubber twister-jig on the back end...I have since pulled the materials from his basement! When I got the box of stuff home I found a large bag of rubber worms in there.
I will tell you two what I always tell him, "Hey! Goofus...Be careful out there...I don't want you hurting yourself!"
In defence of Bruce...We all have had "fly-free" moments...I have whipped off flies and continued fishing without realizing it for awhile. Had it disappear in a tag alder on my backcast and didn't know it was missing, or (I hate to admit this one) lost a perfectly good fly in a fishes lip because my terminal knot wasn't up-to-par!
Tony. I'm really sorry buddy, but I just can't stop laughing here...Give me a moment.
Spence
PS You know that Stockie Bruce has his hands on looks fairly healthy for not being stream-born...
I need to hook you guys up with my step-father! A few years back he was out ice-fishing up north and while standing up the wind blew his bucket across the ice...He took off after it, slipped on the ice, and cracked a couple ribs. He was around 75 at the time.
Later that following spring he was out on the Canadian side of Erie fishing with a young friend and they stayed out late, and when they went to start the snow mobile the cord pulled out...This made them even later getting back...By the time my step-father got the machine working the ice between them and shore had shifted and there was a thin layer of water across the top of the ice...They took off for shore hydo-planing on the water and hoping like hell there was still real ice under the water...When they finally reached the shore the younger fellow swore a bit at my step-father and told him he would never, ever go back out on the ice with him!
You guys need to add him to your group so we can call you the Three Stooges...Unfortunately his fly fishing skills are wanting...Last year when I took him to the Little Manistee I asked him what weight line he had on his fly rod..."Weight? What you mean weight? Hell if I know!" He didn't even know what weight the rod was! "What are you talking about, Spence?!"
When I tried to get him in to tying and bought him a starter kit for Christmas a few years back I later caught him wrapping some hackle near the eye of the hook and sticking on a rubber twister-jig on the back end...I have since pulled the materials from his basement! When I got the box of stuff home I found a large bag of rubber worms in there.
I will tell you two what I always tell him, "Hey! Goofus...Be careful out there...I don't want you hurting yourself!"
In defence of Bruce...We all have had "fly-free" moments...I have whipped off flies and continued fishing without realizing it for awhile. Had it disappear in a tag alder on my backcast and didn't know it was missing, or (I hate to admit this one) lost a perfectly good fly in a fishes lip because my terminal knot wasn't up-to-par!
Tony. I'm really sorry buddy, but I just can't stop laughing here...Give me a moment.
Spence
PS You know that Stockie Bruce has his hands on looks fairly healthy for not being stream-born...
"Even when my best efforts fail it's a satisfying challenge, and that, after all, is the essence of fly fishing." -Chauncy Lively
"Envy not the man who lives beside the river, but the man the river flows through." Joseph T Heywood
"Envy not the man who lives beside the river, but the man the river flows through." Joseph T Heywood
Lastchance on Sep 7, 2010September 7th, 2010, 10:40 am EDT
To think I was complaining about how small the stockies have been the past several years in PA.
Tony wanted me to post how he schooled me on the trico hatch, but I'm not going to do that. I have no excuse. If I would have hooked every fish that took my fly I think we would have been pretty even on the fish count. Not that we were counting.
Bruce
Lesson (3.) Don't grab a wire to see if it's live. There are better methods. I swear I grabbed that same wire last week and never felt a thing.
Tony wanted me to post how he schooled me on the trico hatch, but I'm not going to do that. I have no excuse. If I would have hooked every fish that took my fly I think we would have been pretty even on the fish count. Not that we were counting.
Bruce
Lesson (3.) Don't grab a wire to see if it's live. There are better methods. I swear I grabbed that same wire last week and never felt a thing.
Martinlf on Sep 7, 2010September 7th, 2010, 11:52 am EDT
Good work on those Trico eaters, guys, and very funny tales of fences and hooks!
"He spread them a yard and a half. 'And every one that got away is this big.'"
--Fred Chappell
--Fred Chappell
Jmd123 on Sep 8, 2010September 8th, 2010, 8:55 am EDT
My Dad once told me a story of how one of his woodchuck hunting buddies pissed on an electric fence without knowing it until...ZAPPP!!!!
Moral of the story? STAY AWAY FROM THE COWS!!! I was once run off of a piece of property I was working on in Texas by two big burly farm boys who claimed I had "scared their cows" from 500 feet away (doubtful - and it wasn't even their property, they were just renting it for grazing!), and I once saw a cow dump a load of poop directly into a nice little trout stream in Missouri (decided I had gone far enough downstream and that I had actually better go in the other direction if I actually wanted to find TROUT). IMHO, cows and trout don't mix...
Jonathon
Moral of the story? STAY AWAY FROM THE COWS!!! I was once run off of a piece of property I was working on in Texas by two big burly farm boys who claimed I had "scared their cows" from 500 feet away (doubtful - and it wasn't even their property, they were just renting it for grazing!), and I once saw a cow dump a load of poop directly into a nice little trout stream in Missouri (decided I had gone far enough downstream and that I had actually better go in the other direction if I actually wanted to find TROUT). IMHO, cows and trout don't mix...
Jonathon
No matter how big the one you just caught is, there's always a bigger one out there somewhere...
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