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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.

Dorsal view of a Kogotus (Perlodidae) Stonefly Nymph from Mystery Creek #199 in Washington
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.
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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Snowsquatch has attached these 3 pictures to aid in identification. The message is below.
Left side
Top
Bottom
Sorry for the photo quality I used my phoneand wacked it with the swater
Snowsquatch
Northern Ontario Canada

Posts: 5
Snowsquatch on Aug 30, 2012August 30th, 2012, 8:25 pm EDT
I found this in the house last night could I have some help to identify it
"It's not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves"
Taxon
Taxon's profile picture
Site Editor
Plano, TX

Posts: 1311
Taxon on Aug 31, 2012August 31st, 2012, 12:51 am EDT
Hi Showsquatch-

Sure, it's called a crane fly, probably of True Fly family Tipulidae. Some are aquatic, but the majority are terrestrial. It may well have come from the soil beneath your lawn, where they live as larvae feeding on grass roots, turning your grass brown in spots before pupating, and then emerging in as adults in their winged form.
Best regards,
Roger Rohrbeck
www.FlyfishingEntomology.com
Sayfu
Posts: 560
Sayfu on Aug 31, 2012August 31st, 2012, 6:10 am EDT

And aquatic, or terrestrial I do believe all crawl out and pupate in the soil. Never have I caught a fish on a crane fly adult imitation...unless maybe my inability to size my hackle properly was taken for an adult, and my drag free drift skittered a bit. :)
GONZO
Site Editor
"Bear Swamp," PA

Posts: 1681
GONZO on Aug 31, 2012August 31st, 2012, 7:23 am EDT
Snowsquatch, your crane fly appears to be Pedicia albivitta, also known as the Giant Eastern Crane Fly. As far as I know, the larvae of this species are aquatic (photos of larva identified as this species here: http://www.troutnut.com/specimen/442), and it usually has two adult flight periods, one in the spring and another in the late summer/fall.
Snowsquatch
Northern Ontario Canada

Posts: 5
Snowsquatch on Sep 3, 2012September 3rd, 2012, 12:47 pm EDT
Thanks all for your help,
I was thinking it was a crane fly but the usual variety I find are much smaller, Now to come up with a new pattern to tie?
"It's not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves"
Entoman
Entoman's profile picture
Northern CA & ID

Posts: 2604
Entoman on Sep 4, 2012September 4th, 2012, 12:53 pm EDT
Snowsquatch -

Click on the link to check this out. It's a long thread, so scroll down a ways to look at the pattern.

http://www.troutnut.com/topic/1430/Crane-fly-pattern#30182
"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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