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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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.
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Miataliker
Posts: 3
Posts: 3
Miataliker on Nov 23, 2011November 23rd, 2011, 6:54 pm EST
Alright well i just started fly fishing and my strings seems to not fly so far even though i let out alot of strings out before i cast it out. When it lands the strings looks like it tangles alittle. Strings doesnt look tighten and straight. Any ideas?
Troutnut on Nov 23, 2011November 23rd, 2011, 7:11 pm EST
Fly casting requires getting many things right at once. If anything goes wrong, the problems you described will happen. It's very difficult to diagnose your problems or provide tips over the internet. I would highly recommend taking a beginner's fly fishing class of some sort, or at least finding a friend who fly fishes and can teach you the basics. If you don't know of anyone, check with local sporting goods stores (or fly shops, if you have any) and see if they know about anyone who teaches beginners.
Jason Neuswanger, Ph.D.
Troutnut and salmonid ecologist
Troutnut and salmonid ecologist
Miataliker
Posts: 3
Posts: 3
Miataliker on Nov 23, 2011November 23rd, 2011, 7:44 pm EST
That is very true. Maybe you could give me some clues on what lines to use? What fly lines, leader, tippet? Thanks.
Sayfu
Posts: 560
Posts: 560
Sayfu on Nov 24, 2011November 24th, 2011, 3:30 am EST
In Math terms, you are losing a lot of your casting energy applied to the line VERTICALLY,,(up and down), and not much of it directed out to your target.The result in line piled up rather than laying out towards the target.
To eliminate that fault, you need lessons, OR, get on a U-tube lesson, and be an A plus student in a 400 level course. Not all that hard really. You need good mechanics, and it takes some practice, practicing the right things. I haven't watched them all, but the last one I saw was by Joan Wulff, and she is an exceptional instructor.
Jesse on Nov 24, 2011November 24th, 2011, 5:14 am EST
Looky here mayne, i have been fly fishing now for a good bit of time and consider myself a pretty legit caster. I didn't have anyone to help me out with casting when i started, just a few youtube videos and books descriptions. If you want to get better, simiply put a lot of time into it. Go in the yard and practice, or even better yet, the river. Don't use flies, and put time into practicing on the water to imitate a more realistic situation. Practice!
Most of us fish our whole lives..not knowing its not the fish that we are after.
http://www.filingoflyfishing.com
http://www.filingoflyfishing.com
Sayfu
Posts: 560
Posts: 560
Sayfu on Nov 24, 2011November 24th, 2011, 7:14 am EST
Jesse! You have to practice the right things! You need to know from the loop that is formed, or the absence of a loop that doesn't get formed, the way to correct your faults. Creating motor skills doing the wrong things are hard to break. Start out right, knowing the basics of the casting stroke. From my experience, and it has been a long one, a very high percentage of fly anglers on the water are not good casters. Ends in frustration...broken off flies, or worse a barb that you didn't know you broke off on the rocks behind you,.. tangles in the brush; sitting on the bank trying to remove a tangle. Many quit, and go back to their spinning outfit.
GldstrmSam on Nov 24, 2011November 24th, 2011, 8:01 am EST
Welcome Aboard Miataliker!
A hint that a friend gave me was when you're whipping your line back out of the water make sure you don't snap your line like a whip!!! Let your fly go all the way back before you whip it back foreword, but don't let your fly hit the ground. When practicing your casts take the butt end off the rod and use duck tape or equivalent to tape it strongly to your wrist. This will help you as a beginner to keep your arm as straight as the rod. Make sure the tip of the rod never goes beyond the twelve o'clock position.
I'm sorry if I wasn't that clear, but it is kind of hard to describe somethings without being there in person.
If any of you more you more experienced fly fishers see any thing wrong with what I said than please post.
Happy Thanksgiving to you all,
Sam
P.S. I tied a cheap Wall-Mart streamer on my line and practiced in the lawn aiming for logs set about twenty to thirty feet away
P.P.S. Wear safety glasses!!!!!!! I learned from experience. Fortunately it didn't quite hit my eye.
A hint that a friend gave me was when you're whipping your line back out of the water make sure you don't snap your line like a whip!!! Let your fly go all the way back before you whip it back foreword, but don't let your fly hit the ground. When practicing your casts take the butt end off the rod and use duck tape or equivalent to tape it strongly to your wrist. This will help you as a beginner to keep your arm as straight as the rod. Make sure the tip of the rod never goes beyond the twelve o'clock position.
I'm sorry if I wasn't that clear, but it is kind of hard to describe somethings without being there in person.
If any of you more you more experienced fly fishers see any thing wrong with what I said than please post.
Happy Thanksgiving to you all,
Sam
P.S. I tied a cheap Wall-Mart streamer on my line and practiced in the lawn aiming for logs set about twenty to thirty feet away
P.P.S. Wear safety glasses!!!!!!! I learned from experience. Fortunately it didn't quite hit my eye.
There is no greater fan of fly fishing than the worm. ~Patrick F. McManus
Miataliker
Posts: 3
Posts: 3
Miataliker on Nov 24, 2011November 24th, 2011, 9:34 am EST
Hah thanks to all. Ill sure try them. And yea i have been looking at videos on youtube for awhile now.
Troutnut on Nov 24, 2011November 24th, 2011, 10:18 am EST
Looky here mayne, i have been fly fishing now for a good bit of time and consider myself a pretty legit caster. I didn't have anyone to help me out with casting when i started, just a few youtube videos and books descriptions.
That's how I did it too... reading Ernest Schwiebert's 2-volume Trout. I wouldn't recommend that method to most beginners, though. Videos are a good idea, and some sort of instruction is even better. Also Miatalker, you might want to try videotaping yourself and comparing to videos of effective casting. Combine that with reading about the subject and you'll be able to figure out where you're going wrong.
Jason Neuswanger, Ph.D.
Troutnut and salmonid ecologist
Troutnut and salmonid ecologist
Sayfu
Posts: 560
Posts: 560
Sayfu on Nov 24, 2011November 24th, 2011, 1:19 pm EST
lefty Kreh comes to mind. I have a thin paper back by Lefty on casting, and he lists about 5 basics that need to be followed to make a good backcast/forecast, and if followed, you will make a good cast.
Jesse on Nov 24, 2011November 24th, 2011, 2:50 pm EST
Thats it you got it bud, a video and book here or there, then the application to your skills by practice. Right on JasoOn!
Most of us fish our whole lives..not knowing its not the fish that we are after.
http://www.filingoflyfishing.com
http://www.filingoflyfishing.com
Bug_slinger on Mar 24, 2012March 24th, 2012, 7:01 pm EDT
When I started to flyfishing/casting I used the teach yourself approach through books and video and over time became quite proficient at it. Like most things if you do it frequently you will become better. It wasn't until I received a guided fishing trip for a gift and observed my guide casting that I would have ever considered lessons. I then took lessons from a local pro named Brian Chan that gave me new insight into the world of casting. I suggest if you take lessons, get them out of the way early as I found my habits were hard to break.
Entoman on Mar 24, 2012March 24th, 2012, 10:11 pm EDT
Hi Bugslinger,
Welcome to the forum! I like your choice of handles, BTW.
Is the Brian Chan you mention by any chance the same fellow as the one of Kamloops stillwater fame?
Best regards.
Welcome to the forum! I like your choice of handles, BTW.
Is the Brian Chan you mention by any chance the same fellow as the one of Kamloops stillwater fame?
Best regards.
"It's not that I find fishing so important, it's just that I find all other endeavors of Man equally unimportant... And not nearly as much fun!" Robert Traver, Anatomy of a Fisherman
Bug_slinger on Mar 25, 2012March 25th, 2012, 6:28 am EDT
Hi Entoman,
Yes this is the Brian Chan you speak of. Before moving to kamloops I lived in South Eastern British Columbia and had little experience fishing stillwater.I then moved to Kamploops where all of natures factors seem to align and stillwater fishing is very popular and productive. I attended a few of Brian's seminars, specifically those on chronomid tactics and took casting lessons as well. Money well spent.
Yes this is the Brian Chan you speak of. Before moving to kamloops I lived in South Eastern British Columbia and had little experience fishing stillwater.I then moved to Kamploops where all of natures factors seem to align and stillwater fishing is very popular and productive. I attended a few of Brian's seminars, specifically those on chronomid tactics and took casting lessons as well. Money well spent.
PaulRoberts on Mar 25, 2012March 25th, 2012, 7:47 am EDT
Fly casting is not intuitive. Agree with Bug_slinger that the fastest route is through lessons. That said, there is an awful lot of creative stuff you can pick up through others that you can apply to your own problem solving on-stream, so it pays to research fly-casting from many perspectives.
Bug_slinger on Mar 25, 2012March 25th, 2012, 9:48 am EDT
Fly casting is not intuitive. Agree with Bug_slinger that the fastest route is through lessons. That said, there is an awful lot of creative stuff you can pick up through others that you can apply to your own problem solving on-stream, so it pays to research fly-casting from many perspectives.
Completely agree, lessons create a great foundation for casting and from there your love of the sport will take you as far as you want to go.
Entoman on Mar 25, 2012March 25th, 2012, 11:51 am EDT
Ah... I didn't think he relocated to Calgary. Your address line confused me a little.
"It's not that I find fishing so important, it's just that I find all other endeavors of Man equally unimportant... And not nearly as much fun!" Robert Traver, Anatomy of a Fisherman
Motrout on Mar 25, 2012March 25th, 2012, 3:58 pm EDT
Looky here mayne, i have been fly fishing now for a good bit of time and consider myself a pretty legit caster. I didn't have anyone to help me out with casting when i started, just a few youtube videos and books descriptions. If you want to get better, simiply put a lot of time into it. Go in the yard and practice, or even better yet, the river. Don't use flies, and put time into practicing on the water to imitate a more realistic situation. Practice!
Exactly how I learned too. Can't practice enough!
"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/
Bug_slinger on Mar 25, 2012March 25th, 2012, 7:20 pm EDT
Ah... I didn't think he relocated to Calgary. Your address line confused me a little.
Work relocated me to Calgary which in hindsight wasn't as bad as I thought. The Bow,waterton,and crowsnest are close.
Bug_slinger on Mar 25, 2012March 25th, 2012, 7:34 pm EDT
Hi Bugslinger,
Welcome to the forum! I like your choice of handles, BTW.
Is the Brian Chan you mention by any chance the same fellow as the one of Kamloops stillwater fame?
Best regards.
Hi Entoman,
I take it you know of Mr. Chan. Have you read much on his stillwater philosophy?
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