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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 Grammotaulius betteni (Limnephilidae) (Northern Caddisfly) Caddisfly Larva from the Yakima River in Washington
This is a striking caddis larva with an interesting color pattern on the head. Here are some characteristics I was able to see under the microscope, but could not easily expose for a picture:
- The prosternal horn is present.
- The mandible is clearly toothed, not formed into a uniform scraper blade.
- The seems to be only 2 major setae on the ventral edge of the hind femur.
- Chloride epithelia seem to be absent from the dorsal side of any abdominal segments.
Based on these characteristics and the ones more easily visible from the pictures, this seems to be Grammotaulius. The key's description of the case is spot-on: "Case cylindrical, made of longitudinally arranged sedge or similar leaves," as is the description of the markings on the head, "Dorsum of head light brownish yellow with numerous discrete, small, dark spots." The spot pattern on the head is a very good match to figure 19.312 of Merritt R.W., Cummins, K.W., and Berg, M.B. (2019). The species ID is based on Grammotaulius betteni being the only species of this genus known in Washington state.
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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Report at a Glance

General Regionunique area/gorge
Specific Locationabout 1-2 miles downstream from Katrina Falls Road parking lot
Dates Fished7/4/2007
Time of Day9:00 - 4:30
Fish Caught~25 browns 3 brookies 1 rainbow between 2 of us
Conditions & Hatchesintermittent rain turned into steady downpour. No significant hatches. saw some tiny (size 20?) light gray mayflies, I dont know what species. tons of stonefly casings on rocks.

Details and Discussion

Mcjames
Cortland Manor, NY

Posts: 139
Mcjames on Jul 5, 2007July 5th, 2007, 2:48 am EDT
first time ever on the Neversink... wow what a river. caught fish mainly on stonefly nymphs, pheasant tail, and hendrickson wet. we had to work pretty hard until about 1 pm when it was like somebody rang the dinner bell and we ended up catching half of them from just 2 pools. my partner caught most of them I got about 7 or 8. Will try to post some underwater pictures he took. the brook trout were large stocked fish I am pretty sure-- you can see the worn fins in one picture
I am haunted by waters

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