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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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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By Troutnut on April 30th, 2015, 11:49 am EDT
Four senior fisheries scientists, including the executive director of the American Fisheries Society and my dad, have just published an editorial in multiple newspapers about right-wing extremist governor Scott Walker's efforts to severely diminish Wisconsin's fisheries research capabilities. It's a must-read for anyone in Wisconsin, and perhaps nationally if Walker runs for President.
Falsifly on Jul 27, 2015July 27th, 2015, 10:09 am EDT
I have, up until this time, kept this to myself, but in light of the ever increasing divisiveness which seems to be sweeping across this country I think it’s time to share. Let me first of all state that I do not have one of those string of consonants which I can attach to my name. So if you are looking for “scientific proof” you can move on now and refrain from wasting time.
(1): Can fish, more specifically “trout” react emotionally to a stimulus?
(2): Can trout be further classified into political preference through a reaction.
For the last seven years I have traveled across the country trout fishing and as noted earlier in this thread I have had success in the Democrat controlled states using
The Obama Fly. However, during this same time, I have given great thought, study and experimentation into my “RIGHT WING vs LEFT WING” theory.
First I think it would be helpful if we could come to terms on a few things I think we, as a whole, can agree with.
My observations:
OK, so in those states which the government is controlled by a majority of Democrats the Obama Fly out performed by a huge margin as opposed to those states controlled by a Republican majority. Those fish fed on the Obama Fly and loved it. These trout are left leaning. Now this does not mean that there is no right leaning trout in those states it just means that they didn’t fall for the bait. I suppose one could argue “coincidence” that the Obama Fly was more effective in the Blue states but ponder this:
I tied up dry flies all matching except for one thing. Each fly contained only one right wing or one left wing, other than that, identical. These flies were not fished during a hatch because during a hatch the fish are feeding and all bets are off. These flies were fished as a stimulator during those times when the fish are said to be opportunistic. Beyond all doubt I found that in the “Blue” states the right winged flies were attacked by a vast majority and in the “Red” states the left winged flies were attacked by a vast majority. Yes you read that right.
Now obviously the next question is why. I think it’s the education these fish are getting in the nurseries.
(1): Can fish, more specifically “trout” react emotionally to a stimulus?
(2): Can trout be further classified into political preference through a reaction.
For the last seven years I have traveled across the country trout fishing and as noted earlier in this thread I have had success in the Democrat controlled states using
The Obama Fly. However, during this same time, I have given great thought, study and experimentation into my “RIGHT WING vs LEFT WING” theory.
First I think it would be helpful if we could come to terms on a few things I think we, as a whole, can agree with.
- During a hatch trout are feeding.
- It is generally accepted that the better we “match the hatch” the better our chances of catching fish.
- During those non-hatch times trout are considered opportunistic and we often employ a “stimulator”.
My observations:
OK, so in those states which the government is controlled by a majority of Democrats the Obama Fly out performed by a huge margin as opposed to those states controlled by a Republican majority. Those fish fed on the Obama Fly and loved it. These trout are left leaning. Now this does not mean that there is no right leaning trout in those states it just means that they didn’t fall for the bait. I suppose one could argue “coincidence” that the Obama Fly was more effective in the Blue states but ponder this:
I tied up dry flies all matching except for one thing. Each fly contained only one right wing or one left wing, other than that, identical. These flies were not fished during a hatch because during a hatch the fish are feeding and all bets are off. These flies were fished as a stimulator during those times when the fish are said to be opportunistic. Beyond all doubt I found that in the “Blue” states the right winged flies were attacked by a vast majority and in the “Red” states the left winged flies were attacked by a vast majority. Yes you read that right.
Now obviously the next question is why. I think it’s the education these fish are getting in the nurseries.
Falsifly
When asked what I just caught that monster on I showed him. He put on his magnifiers and said, "I can't believe they can see that."
When asked what I just caught that monster on I showed him. He put on his magnifiers and said, "I can't believe they can see that."
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