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.

The North Fork Couer d'Alene River in Idaho

Stream photos

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Ephemerella mucronata Mayfly Nymph Ephemerella mucronata Mayfly Nymph

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.

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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.

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trapped steelhead

Msmith14

Posts: 10

Msmith14 on Apr 6, 2012April 6th, 2012, 3:21 am EDT

Hi I was steelhead fishing in my local trib. yesterday and saw a recently built beaver dam. their is still a bunch of steelhead in front of it. it is a pretty big dam and the fish can not get over it to get back to the lake. do you think these fish will die or adapt to living in the stream? the water gets really low in the summer but there is one deep hole they can go in. what do you guys think?

Pryal74

Escanaba, MI

Posts: 168

Pryal74 on Apr 6, 2012April 6th, 2012, 8:21 am EDT

If water is flowing through it, they will find a way back out. They can live in tiny streams all year long actually. When the water levels rise, they will find their way back out if they need to.

-James Pryal
Into The Wild Fly Fishing

Shanti
Sweden

Posts: 95

Shanti on Apr 6, 2012April 6th, 2012, 2:42 pm EDT

This happens where I live in Sweden too.
But not with steelhead since we don't have any. But with sea run browns, they swim up small tribs into even smaller tribs if they can. Every now and then they find themselves trapped for one reason or another.
They adapt, and some never leave because they like their new place.
Some of the big trout caught during Ephemera Danica-season are actually old seatrout that never bothered (or couldn't) making it's way back to the sea.
Don't know how things work with steelhead, though.

Somewhere, right now, a fish is rising.
And you´re at the computer..

Jesse

Posts: 378

Jesse on Apr 6, 2012April 6th, 2012, 8:24 pm EDT

Fish adaptions are so incredible. There are a few small tributary streams to some of the lakes i fish scattered across the east and west, and it blows my mind the trout behavior that takes place within these watersheds. Fish will move in, adapt to new habitats due to channel changes of whatever kind, and carry on with their business one way or the other. I wouldn't worry about those fish because whatever happens to them we'll be whats meant to happen, and i would bet that they will find a way to adapt and survive. Truly remarkable!

Most of us fish our whole lives..not knowing its not the fish that we are after.
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