1. Troutnut Forum
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2. Specimen Discussion
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3. Midwest/Great Lakes hatch reports anyone?

Saw a nice Leptophlebia cupida/nebulosa spinner today while I was sitting on the front porch; it met its demise in my wife's soda, unfortunately. That's the first one I've noticed this year. What else, if anything, is everyone seeing so far this spring? The Ameletus from the stream behind my house will be hatching soon, maybe yet this weekend, if the weather cooperates.

I just went nymph-collecting. Some very tiny stonefly adults (Nemouridae maybe) turned up in my kick-net sample, with a few matching nymphs.

The only nymphs I caught with darkened hatch-ready wingpads were Paraleptophlebia and some Baetid mayfly.

I'm photographing now.

Troutnut, I'd be interested to see the Paraleptophlebia nymph. Could you rear out some male spinners?

Unfortunately no... they died pretty quickly. :(

Hopefully I'll catch some more before it's time for them to hatch.

I believe this is the same species which hatches shortly after ice-out in many of our remote trout ponds in Maine and NH. I have experienced good fishing to both the duns and nymphs, no matter the weather. The hatch usually commences around memorial day. Does anyone else have experience with this hatch and do you think I have the genus at least correct? I am confused because much of which I have read suggests that leptophlebia are found in my region in lower elevation streams.
Any help is appreciated!

Joe-

It may (or may not) be the same species, as Maine and New Hampshire have (4) species of Leptophlebia, L. cupida, L. intermedia, L. johnsoni, and L. nebulosa. However, both the emergence timing and the water type you describe would seem appropriate. In answer to your stated confusion, Leptophlebia species are most often found in very slow moving pools of some streams, and in shallow ponds.

Thanks Roger. My pond-dwelling Leptophlebia is a much anticipated event especially in the Moosehead Lake region of Maine. There are countless ponds which contain these insects. Most local fly fishermen refer to this hatch as the "hendrickson hatch". Of course they call most all brown/rusty mayflies "hendricksons". In august on the Kennebec near Bingham there is a dependable spinner fall of Isonychia and these too are labeled "hendricksons". For the visiting fisherman obtaining accurate hatch info can be difficult. Things are changing, however slowly!

Joe-



Identifying stillwater inhabiting mayflies is somewhat less complicated than is identifying those inhabiting moving water, as there are only (6) genera of the former in N. America of which I am aware, those being Caenis, Callibaetis, Hexagenia, Leptophlebia, Siphlonurus, and Tricorythodes.

This isn't really relevant to the Leptophlebia topic, but I just wanted to comment that Roger left Ephemera and Ephoron off the list. There are major stillwater populations of both.

Of course, if we were nitpicking, I'm sure we could find dozens of obscure mayfly genera with a few stillwater populations here and there, but those two are pretty major.

Jason-

I stand corrected, as Ephemera simulans is found in mid-Western lakes. However, I believe Ephoron species require moving water. Which Ephoron species do you understand to inhabits ponds or lakes?

E. simulans is found in one of the Finger Lakes in upstate NY, too.

I don't know whether it was Ephoron leukon or Ephoron album, but I vividly recall motoring through a thick emergence of Ephoron across Lake Owen in northern WI. So that's personal experience; I don't remember reading something to back it up.

Jason-

I don't doubt your experience. When stoneflies can survive on constantly waveswept shores of certain large lakes, just about anything seems possible.