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.

Stream photos

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Amphizoa Beetle Larva Amphizoa Beetle Larva

Dorsal view of a Amphizoa (Amphizoidae) Beetle Larva from Sears Creek in Washington

This is the first of it's family I've seen, collected from a tiny, fishless stream in the Cascades. The three species of this genus all live in the Northwest and are predators that primarily eat stonefly nymphs Merritt R.W., Cummins, K.W., and Berg, M.B. (2019).

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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.

Troutnut is a project started in 2003 by salmonid ecologist Jason "Troutnut" Neuswanger to help anglers and fly tyers unabashedly embrace the entomological side of the sport. Learn more about Troutnut or support the project for an enhanced experience here.

Darn Caddis Eating Fish

Martinlf

Moderator
Palmyra PA

Posts: 3047

Martinlf on Apr 25, 2014April 25th, 2014, 9:56 pm EDT

Does anyone have a solution for that fish that is taking caddis after they bounce a time or two? I've tied some bivisible style flies (with all Cree hackle) and put sparse CDC wings on them to try out, but wonder if anyone else has already solved this one. The fish in mind is ignoring dead drifts and flies "twitched": it wants the fly to actually bounce a time or two above the surface, then it pounces on the caddis. You probably know the drill.

"He spread them a yard and a half. 'And every one that got away is this big.'"

--Fred Chappell

Taxon

Site Editor
Plano, TX

Posts: 1311

Taxon on Apr 26, 2014April 26th, 2014, 10:34 am EDT

Hi Louis-

Have you considered dapping? I believe that would be the most effective way to imitate the bouncing behavior of an egg-laying caddis.

Best regards,
Roger Rohrbeck
www.FlyfishingEntomology.com

Martinlf

Moderator
Palmyra PA

Posts: 3047

Martinlf on Apr 26, 2014April 26th, 2014, 4:28 pm EDT

Roger, I hadn't. Thanks. It may be difficult to get close enough to make this work, but it's worth a try. It did work for me a few weeks ago on a fish feeding on olives in an eddy whose currents defeated all other attempts.

"He spread them a yard and a half. 'And every one that got away is this big.'"

--Fred Chappell

JOHNW

Chambersburg, PA

Posts: 452

JOHNW on Apr 26, 2014April 26th, 2014, 6:30 pm EDT

Tenkara or as my redneck friends call them Crappie Poles (that 10' monstrosity of yours might do the trick.

"old habits are hard to kill once you have gray in your beard" -Old Red Barn

PaulRoberts

Colorado

Posts: 1776

PaulRoberts on Apr 29, 2014April 29th, 2014, 7:22 pm EDT

Lafontaine's "Dancing Caddis", fished on a 20ft Tenkara-style pole? Or maybe a hand-line lowered down from a bridge? Can't win em all I guess. But keep at it. :)

Reminds me of how we kids would tear the white tags from our shirt collars and dap them on hand-lines from the concrete walls lining the Barge Canal for rock bass and smallmouth during the drake emergences there. We would dance and vibrate the "fly" on the surface making a pretty lively and realistic presentation.