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.

The Clark's Fork of the Yellowstone River in Wyoming

Stream photos

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Pycnopsyche guttifera (Great Autumn Brown Sedge) Caddisfly Larva Pycnopsyche guttifera (Great Autumn Brown Sedge) Caddisfly Larva

Dorsal view of a Pycnopsyche guttifera (Limnephilidae) (Great Autumn Brown Sedge) Caddisfly Larva from the Yakima River in Washington

This specimen appears to be of the same species as this one collected in the same spot two months earlier. The identification of both is tentative. This one suffered some physical damage before being photographed, too, so the colors aren't totally natural. I was mostly photographing it to test out some new camera setting idea, which worked really well for a couple of closeups.

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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.

The HEX is on all over the Midwest now

Jmd123

Oscoda, MI

Posts: 2474

Jmd123 on Jun 27, 2016June 27th, 2016, 12:49 pm EDT

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/mayflies-swarm-bridges-cars_us_57712d50e4b0f168323a0c41?section=

Well, I'm sorry for all of the people who don't like this perfectly natural event, because I sure do!!! On Saturday night in Tawas City we came out of the bar after the band played their first set and the parking lot was FILLED with mayflies. I was of course delighted and told my buddies, "The fish are eating good tonight!!"

Jonathon

No matter how big the one you just caught is, there's always a bigger one out there somewhere...

Oldredbarn

Novi, MI

Posts: 2600

Oldredbarn on Jun 27, 2016June 27th, 2016, 5:53 pm EDT

:) Hex-o-mania!!!

How cool is that?! They show up on doppler...

"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

Roguerat

Posts: 456

Roguerat on Jun 29, 2016June 29th, 2016, 4:20 am EDT

The boob tube had a blurb last night, one of the tabloid shows after the national news..."Havana, Illinois suffers massive bug nightmare with 4-6" of 'mayflies' (HEXES!!!) piling up on bridges and roads." They made it sound like the bugs from hell were loose, lots of (heavily edited?) negative comments...

They showed the obligatory radar image of clouds of bugs that gave the impression of an approaching storm...

I guess its all in the eye of the beholder, all things considered.

Regarding Hexes in general, I'm tying some very traditional Michigan patterns lately, the Clark Lynn aka Spring Wiggler among them. Decades of history with these guys.

Roguerat

'Less is more...'

Ludwig Mies Vande Rohe

Gilsau