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 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.
- 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.
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Report at a Glance
| General Region | Lower Susquehanna River |
| Specific Location | Near Columbia, PA |
| Dates Fished | October 23 |
| Time of Day | 11 - 3 |
| Fish Caught | A bunch of smallmouth |
| Conditions & Hatches | Very low water, virtually no flow. Very clear. |
Details and Discussion
Wbranch on Oct 26, 2015October 26th, 2015, 3:39 pm EDT
My last boat trip of 2015. Nice day on the water.
Catskill fly fisher for fifty-five years.
Roguerat on Oct 27, 2015October 27th, 2015, 8:33 am EDT
Matt-
nice fish! I'm willing to bet you hooked them on the ubiquitous Clouser Minnow, too!
Roguerat
nice fish! I'm willing to bet you hooked them on the ubiquitous Clouser Minnow, too!
Roguerat
Wbranch on Oct 27, 2015October 27th, 2015, 8:56 am EDT
Yep, and my best producer too, blue over white with lots of silver flash in the middle.
Catskill fly fisher for fifty-five years.
Jmd123 on Oct 27, 2015October 27th, 2015, 10:08 am EDT
Nice fishies and nice flies too, Matt! Do the red pupils work better or about the same?
Jonathon
Jonathon
No matter how big the one you just caught is, there's always a bigger one out there somewhere...
Wbranch on Oct 27, 2015October 27th, 2015, 11:18 am EDT
No, the color of the pupils does not seem to have any bearing on catching more than another color.
I like the red/black in this style. You can't see from the picture but this eye is cast from aluminum or some other light metal and the pupil/iris are molded into a cavity on either side of the body. I don't think these are being made any longer.
They were sold in three sizes; small, the size on these flies, and a really big one. They came in red/black and yellow/black. Back when I had lots of disposable income I bought a couple of dozen of each size. I still have about a dozen of the medium and large but no small. But I have hundreds of Clousers already tied and many have this style eye. So I should have enough for the rest of my life.
I like the red/black in this style. You can't see from the picture but this eye is cast from aluminum or some other light metal and the pupil/iris are molded into a cavity on either side of the body. I don't think these are being made any longer.
They were sold in three sizes; small, the size on these flies, and a really big one. They came in red/black and yellow/black. Back when I had lots of disposable income I bought a couple of dozen of each size. I still have about a dozen of the medium and large but no small. But I have hundreds of Clousers already tied and many have this style eye. So I should have enough for the rest of my life.
Catskill fly fisher for fifty-five years.
Partsman on Oct 27, 2015October 27th, 2015, 3:37 pm EDT
Nice Matt, smallies are awesome, and beautiful fish. Love those rods and reels, what wt. line? Sinking or floating? Thanks, Mike.
Wbranch on Oct 27, 2015October 27th, 2015, 5:14 pm EDT
Mike,
Thanks, Both rods are Gatti's (Italian) The upper rod is a 9' #7 factory rod and the lower rod is a 9' #8 that I built from a blank. I'm using a WF#6 floating line on it. Sometimes when I'm fishing water that is a constant 5' - 8' deep I d prefer a streamer sink tip. I catch far more fish with the sinking tip in constant deeper water than with a floater.
The only reason I was using the WF#6 on the #8 rod was because I was lazy. I have a couple dozen rods but only so many reels with #7 or #8 lines. I would of preferred to use a #7 on the #8 rod. I throw a lot of line with the Clouser, 50' - 60' over and over. I can carry the #7 line a lot better than the #8 with those big flies.
I had the Battenkill larger arbor reel with a WF#7 on one of my 9' #7 steelhead rods and it was all rigged up with an indicator, micro swivel, tippet, split shot and little #10 emerald shiner. I didn't want to tear it down for just an afternoon of bass fishing so I took the easy way out with a #6 on the #8 rod.
Thanks, Both rods are Gatti's (Italian) The upper rod is a 9' #7 factory rod and the lower rod is a 9' #8 that I built from a blank. I'm using a WF#6 floating line on it. Sometimes when I'm fishing water that is a constant 5' - 8' deep I d prefer a streamer sink tip. I catch far more fish with the sinking tip in constant deeper water than with a floater.
The only reason I was using the WF#6 on the #8 rod was because I was lazy. I have a couple dozen rods but only so many reels with #7 or #8 lines. I would of preferred to use a #7 on the #8 rod. I throw a lot of line with the Clouser, 50' - 60' over and over. I can carry the #7 line a lot better than the #8 with those big flies.
I had the Battenkill larger arbor reel with a WF#7 on one of my 9' #7 steelhead rods and it was all rigged up with an indicator, micro swivel, tippet, split shot and little #10 emerald shiner. I didn't want to tear it down for just an afternoon of bass fishing so I took the easy way out with a #6 on the #8 rod.
Catskill fly fisher for fifty-five years.
Jmd123 on Oct 27, 2015October 27th, 2015, 7:02 pm EDT
http://www.cabelas.com/product/fishing/fly-fishing/fly-tying/thread-beads-eyes%7C/pc/104793480/c/104721480/sc/104340780/i/103886280/real-eyes-8482-plus/744069.uts?destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fbrowse%2Fthread-beads-eyes%2F_%2FN-1100440%2B4294387204%2FNe-4294387204%2FNs-CATEGORY_SEQ_103886280%3FWTz_st%3DGuidedNav%26WTz_stype%3DGNU
Matt, something like these? I like them for my KBFs (Comets) and occasionally on Woolly Buggers. And of course for Clousers...
Jonathon
Matt, something like these? I like them for my KBFs (Comets) and occasionally on Woolly Buggers. And of course for Clousers...
Jonathon
No matter how big the one you just caught is, there's always a bigger one out there somewhere...
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