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.

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Epeorus albertae (Pink Lady) Mayfly Nymph Epeorus albertae (Pink Lady) Mayfly Nymph

Dorsal view of a Epeorus albertae (Heptageniidae) (Pink Lady) Mayfly Nymph from the East Fork Issaquah Creek in Washington

This specimen keys to the Epeorus albertae group of species. Of the five species in that group, the two known in Washington state are Epeorus albertae and Epeorus dulciana. Of the two, albertae has been collected in vastly more locations in Washington than dulciana, suggesting it is far more common. On that basis alone I'm tentatively putting this nymph in albertae, with the large caveat that there's no real information to rule out dulciana.

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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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Isonychia

Crepuscular

Boiling Springs, PA

Posts: 920

Crepuscular on Feb 23, 2013February 23rd, 2013, 1:43 pm EST

Entoman

Northern CA & ID

Posts: 2604

Entoman on Feb 26, 2013February 26th, 2013, 4:25 am EST

Isonychiids are tough for you guys. We've only got one out here to worry about. This specimen has the overall light color of rufa and the leg banding and prominent full length dorsal stripe of some forms of bicolor. The latter is my opinion. They are all so similar in this species group that there aren't any morphological characters (that I'm aware of) reliable enough to tell them apart in the nymph stage. Kondratieff came up with a few provisionally back in the 80's that were largely shot down a few years later by McCafferty. Depending on color and maculation patterns with species so variable (at least in this regard) is shaky diagnostic ground. :)

"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

Crepuscular

Boiling Springs, PA

Posts: 920

Crepuscular on Feb 26, 2013February 26th, 2013, 4:34 am EST

Ah yeah. But what I take from this photo is that I need to look at some from the streams I fish and maybe incorporate some yellow into the gills on my nymphs.

Entoman

Northern CA & ID

Posts: 2604

Entoman on Feb 26, 2013February 26th, 2013, 4:41 am EST

Do you see many this color? I'm wondering if this could be another example of recent molting.

"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

Crepuscular

Boiling Springs, PA

Posts: 920

Crepuscular on Feb 26, 2013February 26th, 2013, 4:57 am EST

you know i don't think i do, but that Ameletus nymph had yellow trachea as well, and was collected from the same location. Diet? O2 levels? Neither the Heptageniids nor the Paralept had any yellow. I do see a yellow hue in the stripe sometimes though.