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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.

Case view of a Pycnopsyche guttifera (Limnephilidae) (Great Autumn Brown Sedge) Caddisfly Larva from the Yakima River in Washington
It's only barely visible in one of my pictures, but I confirmed under the microscope that this one has a prosternal horn and the antennae are mid-way between the eyes and front of the head capsule.

I'm calling this one Pycnopsyche, but it's a bit perplexing. It seems to key definitively to at least Couplet 8 of the Key to Genera of Limnephilidae Larvae. That narrows it down to three genera, and the case seems wrong for the other two. The case looks right for Pycnopsyche, and it fits one of the key characteristics: "Abdominal sternum II without chloride epithelium and abdominal segment IX with only single seta on each side of dorsal sclerite." However, the characteristic "metanotal sa1 sclerites not fused, although often contiguous" does not seem to fit well. Those sclerites sure look fused to me, although I can make out a thin groove in the touching halves in the anterior half under the microscope. Perhaps this is a regional variation.

The only species of Pycnopsyche documented in Washington state is Pycnopsyche guttifera, and the colors and markings around the head of this specimen seem to match very well a specimen of that species from Massachusetts on Bugguide. So I am placing it in that species for now.

Whatever species this is, I photographed another specimen of seemingly the same species from the same spot a couple months later.
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.

Oldredbarn
Oldredbarn's profile picture
Novi, MI

Posts: 2600
Oldredbarn on Sep 4, 2015September 4th, 2015, 5:48 am EDT
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcY_3Bvx0l8

Watching the market station this morning. Noticed that the market is about to take another dip down, and thought we could use some humor this morning.

I have seen this ad several times and was wondering who their fly fishing adviser was...They are not wearing vests of any kind, no hats, no eye protection...And their casting is horrendous...One guy is just moving his wrist back-and-forth, no arm action at all, and the other guy is just holding his rod pointed downstream and never makes a cast...

I know the ad isn't about fly fishing, but come on! :)

Spence
"Even when my best efforts fail it's a satisfying challenge, and that, after all, is the essence of fly fishing." -Chauncy Lively

"Envy not the man who lives beside the river, but the man the river flows through." Joseph T Heywood
Kschaefer3
Kschaefer3's profile picture
St. Paul, MN

Posts: 376
Kschaefer3 on Sep 4, 2015September 4th, 2015, 6:48 am EDT
Thanks for this, Spence! I love watching people FF in non FF commercials. I needed a little humor this Friday morning as well. I'm sitting and waiting for the day to be over so I can run to the fly shop and tie a bit. I'm taking my dad out tomorrow for some hopper action (hopefully)! I'm hoping I can get his casting better than those guys too. :)
PaulRoberts
PaulRoberts's profile picture
Colorado

Posts: 1776
PaulRoberts on Sep 4, 2015September 4th, 2015, 7:09 am EDT
Yeah, pretty cheesy -at several levels. Target audience isn’t real anglers of course (did you hear the piped in conventional gear cast and plunk sound in the beginning of the vid?). It’s for wannabes –wannabe wealthy with time for leisure, I mean. (Sorry for the caustic take –junkyard dog thing again. Maybe I need to get some fishing in -and a better portfolio.)

Interestingly, investing and fishing share more than one might imagine. Ever peruse The Economist? Interesting rag that digs down to cover the intersection of natural resources and economics. Did you know that a number of hedge fund "superstars" are fly-fisherman? One, a top competitive fly-fisherman named his hedge fund "Ferox". Salmo ferox is a large predacious lake dwelling brown trout. I believe his fund was a rather aggressive one. It eventually went belly up for a time, like so many superstars have in the financial, gambling, and fishing worlds. Hey, we all get our butts kicked on the water, especially if we don't "play it safe".
Kschaefer3
Kschaefer3's profile picture
St. Paul, MN

Posts: 376
Kschaefer3 on Sep 4, 2015September 4th, 2015, 9:29 am EDT
Yeah, pretty cheesy -at several levels. Target audience isn’t real anglers of course (did you hear the piped in conventional gear cast and plunk sound in the beginning of the vid?). It’s for wannabes –wannabe wealthy with time for leisure, I mean. (Sorry for the caustic take –junkyard dog thing again. Maybe I need to get some fishing in -and a better portfolio.)

Interestingly, investing and fishing share more than one might imagine. Ever peruse The Economist? Interesting rag that digs down to cover the intersection of natural resources and economics. Did you know that a number of hedge fund "superstars" are fly-fisherman? One, a top competitive fly-fisherman named his hedge fund "Ferox". Salmo ferox is a large predacious lake dwelling brown trout. I believe his fund was a rather aggressive one. It eventually went belly up for a time, like so many superstars have in the financial, gambling, and fishing worlds. Hey, we all get our butts kicked on the water, especially if we don't "play it safe".


Really interesting comparison between fly fishing and finance. I happen to love finance and regularly read on the topic. I never drew that parallel, although I was aware that many top folks in finance (beyond just hedge funds) fly fish.

Fish make an "investment" decision each time they eat. They invest time and energy, and risk being spotted and killed. The implications of a poor decision are considerably more dire than losing money, even if the magnitude is in the billions. Our easy life has made us complacent. Just think about the easy money to be made in the run up to the financial crisis in '08. Next time I'm fishing I'll be sure to ask the fish what my portfolio allocations should look like. :)

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