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 one pretty clearly keys to Kogotus, but it also looks fairly different from specimens I caught in the same creek about a month later in the year. With only one species of the genus known in Washington, I'm not sure about the answer to this ID.
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Kennebago on Jan 7, 2012January 7th, 2012, 7:50 am EST
I've been told this could be a brown drake or a green drake.....any help on the correct identification please?
Fish Kennebago, you'll be glad you did.
Entoman on Jan 7, 2012January 7th, 2012, 10:30 am EST
Hi Kennebago -
Welcome to the forum!
The insect in your photo is a Hexagenia (probably limbata) male imago (spinner), usually referred to as "Hex" in current fly fishing journalism. Besides Hex, the most used common names seem to be Great Yellow Drake (in regions w/out E. varia), Big Yellow May, and Michigan Caddis. Great Lead-winged Olive or Lead-winged Drake are also common for the darker winged non-yellowish strains of this species. There is a lot of regional variation in appearance and the males are smaller and often much darker than the females. This is the reason for so many different descriptive names for the same species.
Though they do belong to the same family of mayflies (Ephemeridae), the names Green Drake and Brown Drake refer to three tailed species in the different genus Ephemera. Tail counts in the adults aside, all the nymphs of this family have a similar appearance. They can be easily identified by their large size, heavily gilled abdomens and tusks.
BTW - Nice photo.
Best Regards
Welcome to the forum!
The insect in your photo is a Hexagenia (probably limbata) male imago (spinner), usually referred to as "Hex" in current fly fishing journalism. Besides Hex, the most used common names seem to be Great Yellow Drake (in regions w/out E. varia), Big Yellow May, and Michigan Caddis. Great Lead-winged Olive or Lead-winged Drake are also common for the darker winged non-yellowish strains of this species. There is a lot of regional variation in appearance and the males are smaller and often much darker than the females. This is the reason for so many different descriptive names for the same species.
Though they do belong to the same family of mayflies (Ephemeridae), the names Green Drake and Brown Drake refer to three tailed species in the different genus Ephemera. Tail counts in the adults aside, all the nymphs of this family have a similar appearance. They can be easily identified by their large size, heavily gilled abdomens and tusks.
BTW - Nice photo.
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
Kennebago on Jan 8, 2012January 8th, 2012, 1:41 am EST
Thanks very much for the clarification. I use an Olympus 790 Stylus camera now. Had drowned two earlier digital cameras on the river before wising up to purchase a waterproof camera. It has a very nice closeup setting.
Fish Kennebago, you'll be glad you did.
Entoman on Jan 9, 2012January 9th, 2012, 10:30 pm EST
You're welcome. Your camera does a nice job with you at the controls. I look forward to more of your photos.
Click on this link to check out what I meant by regional variations. You wouldn't think it the same species, but it is. FWIW, if I fished your hatch, I'd call it a Lead-wing Drake. Don't like the name "Hex" and there's not much yellow or olive on your specimen.:)
http://www.troutnut.com/topic/745/Hex-in-NC
Also check out some of Jason's excellent photos under Hexagenia limbata in the hatch encyclopedia pages.
Click on this link to check out what I meant by regional variations. You wouldn't think it the same species, but it is. FWIW, if I fished your hatch, I'd call it a Lead-wing Drake. Don't like the name "Hex" and there's not much yellow or olive on your specimen.:)
http://www.troutnut.com/topic/745/Hex-in-NC
Also check out some of Jason's excellent photos under Hexagenia limbata in the hatch encyclopedia pages.
"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
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