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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Roguerat on Oct 3, 2016October 3rd, 2016, 3:38 pm EDT
I'm going to replace the grip and reel seat on my 6', 3 wt bamboo resto-rod over the winter (don't like thinking about the white stuff this early,though) and considering a one-piece grip/reel seat with slip rings to mount the reel. Couple things driving this, a) lower cost b) a lot simpler and fewer components and c) it should make resto-rod more period looking. Do any troutnuts have an opinion on or experience with sliding rings- do they hold the reel without slipping or allowing the reel-foot to spin, or do they gouge up the cork over time? I've seen pictures of electrical tape wrapped around sliding rings and I'm not sure I want things to deteriorate to that degree.
No time on the water for a couple weeks now, work and family obligations BUT I'm headed north for a 4-day weekend soon...hope the sz 24 BWO's are still out and about then.
Roguerat
'Less is more...'
Ludwig Mies Vande Rohe
No time on the water for a couple weeks now, work and family obligations BUT I'm headed north for a 4-day weekend soon...hope the sz 24 BWO's are still out and about then.
Roguerat
'Less is more...'
Ludwig Mies Vande Rohe
Wiflyfisher on Oct 3, 2016October 3rd, 2016, 4:02 pm EDT
If you mean like this, I have had no issues at all...
John S.
https://WiFlyFisher.com
https://WiFlyFisher.com
Roguerat on Oct 3, 2016October 3rd, 2016, 4:52 pm EDT
John-
the rings are the same but on the grip I'm considering the reel seat and grip are continuous cork- a one-piece unit. I'm wondering if the rings will chew up the cork of the seat over time. There are commercially made ultralight fly rods on the market with all cork, one-piece grip/seats as well.
Nice bamboo rod, too!
My resto-rod is kind of an orphan, something my wife's grandfather had squirreled away and I was presented with it years ago...the wraps were dry-rotted, cork was pitted and falling apart, and I refurbished it to usable although somewhat utility condition using mail-order components.
tight lines,
Roguerat
the rings are the same but on the grip I'm considering the reel seat and grip are continuous cork- a one-piece unit. I'm wondering if the rings will chew up the cork of the seat over time. There are commercially made ultralight fly rods on the market with all cork, one-piece grip/seats as well.
Nice bamboo rod, too!
My resto-rod is kind of an orphan, something my wife's grandfather had squirreled away and I was presented with it years ago...the wraps were dry-rotted, cork was pitted and falling apart, and I refurbished it to usable although somewhat utility condition using mail-order components.
tight lines,
Roguerat
Partsman on Oct 3, 2016October 3rd, 2016, 6:00 pm EDT
Rogue, check out the fiberglassflyrodders.com website, go to the rod building index, these guys are very helpful and many of them build the grip/reel seat you are thinking of doing. I built a 6'6" fiberglass rod with a bamboo ring type seat, It works great.
Mike
Mike
Jmd123 on Oct 4, 2016October 4th, 2016, 5:53 am EDT
Rogue, I used to have a Cortland 7' 3-wt with that type of handle, all cork with sliding rings on the cork. Most of the time it worked pretty well, but I found it a good idea to check the tightness of the rings periodically. I did not find that it affected the cork very much, so don't worry about that. That rod was my first 3-weight and I have many fond memories of it...and it met it's demise the same way all of my rods do, busted (and that was back in the days before replacement warranties were common).
All of the trout I caught in the latter part of the season were small, so I'm not sure if you missed much by not fishing lately. My most satisfying fishing as of late was a trip to the pond at Clark's Marsh on Sunday (when it FINALLY stopped raining for a few hours) where huge, colorful sunfish fell in numbers to hoppers and poppers, bending the little three and diving into thick weeds so it was messy but a hell of a lot of fun. No bass but the sunnies fought so hard I didn't care...
Tight lines and many tiny flies on your next trip north, sir!
Jonathon
All of the trout I caught in the latter part of the season were small, so I'm not sure if you missed much by not fishing lately. My most satisfying fishing as of late was a trip to the pond at Clark's Marsh on Sunday (when it FINALLY stopped raining for a few hours) where huge, colorful sunfish fell in numbers to hoppers and poppers, bending the little three and diving into thick weeds so it was messy but a hell of a lot of fun. No bass but the sunnies fought so hard I didn't care...
Tight lines and many tiny flies on your next trip north, sir!
Jonathon
No matter how big the one you just caught is, there's always a bigger one out there somewhere...
Roguerat on Oct 4, 2016October 4th, 2016, 7:03 am EDT
re: tiny flies..
I'm tying some indicator parachute BWO's in 22 and 24, hoping the hot-orange post helps my ability to track them. 'We'll see' what happens!
Roguerat
I'm tying some indicator parachute BWO's in 22 and 24, hoping the hot-orange post helps my ability to track them. 'We'll see' what happens!
Roguerat
Oldredbarn on Oct 11, 2016October 11th, 2016, 9:10 am EDT
hope the sz 24 BWO's are still out and about then.
Rouge...Any word on the larger Fall Baetid showing up yet?
Eric...That's a fine looking rod!
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
"Envy not the man who lives beside the river, but the man the river flows through." Joseph T Heywood
Roguerat on Oct 11, 2016October 11th, 2016, 11:12 am EDT
Spence-
not sure what constitutes 'larger', since a 20 is larger than a 24...!
Seriously, I'm headed north for 4 days this coming weekend, and (hopefully) will have adequate time on the Class 4 streams still open to fishing. I'll check the hatch charts and glom tips from local shops, see what's on the water. The Upper Big Man at the Hodenpyl stretch and Flower Flats, and the lower Boardman, for sure. I'll holler about any hatches and what's happening.
Not sure if much color will be on the trees but I'll do some photos all the same, post anything that looks worthy of this site. The TN's set the bar pretty high...
Tight lines,
Roguerat
'Less is more...'
Ludwig Mies Vande Rohe
not sure what constitutes 'larger', since a 20 is larger than a 24...!
Seriously, I'm headed north for 4 days this coming weekend, and (hopefully) will have adequate time on the Class 4 streams still open to fishing. I'll check the hatch charts and glom tips from local shops, see what's on the water. The Upper Big Man at the Hodenpyl stretch and Flower Flats, and the lower Boardman, for sure. I'll holler about any hatches and what's happening.
Not sure if much color will be on the trees but I'll do some photos all the same, post anything that looks worthy of this site. The TN's set the bar pretty high...
Tight lines,
Roguerat
'Less is more...'
Ludwig Mies Vande Rohe
Roguerat on Oct 12, 2016October 12th, 2016, 1:07 pm EDT
Spence, re larger fall Baetids-
I had to do some searching on these guys and found Baetis tricaudatus and heimalis are late September-mid October hatches on some northern MI streams, and they run big for Olives- 16's and 18's. I've got Drunella dries that just might pass for the Baetids but I'll spend some time at the vice just in case.
And yeah, a 16 or 18 is easier to pick out any day...the 22's and 24's tend to get lost if I blink.
Headin' out Friday night, I'll hole up north of Baldwin and within an hour or two's drive from some of the best streams in the Lower Peninsula!
tight lines,
Roguerat
'Less is more...'
Ludwig Mies Vande Rohe
I had to do some searching on these guys and found Baetis tricaudatus and heimalis are late September-mid October hatches on some northern MI streams, and they run big for Olives- 16's and 18's. I've got Drunella dries that just might pass for the Baetids but I'll spend some time at the vice just in case.
And yeah, a 16 or 18 is easier to pick out any day...the 22's and 24's tend to get lost if I blink.
Headin' out Friday night, I'll hole up north of Baldwin and within an hour or two's drive from some of the best streams in the Lower Peninsula!
tight lines,
Roguerat
'Less is more...'
Ludwig Mies Vande Rohe
Crepuscular on Oct 13, 2016October 13th, 2016, 5:26 pm EDT
I'm going to replace the grip and reel seat on my 6', 3 wt bamboo resto-rod over the winter (don't like thinking about the white stuff this early,though) and considering a one-piece grip/reel seat with slip rings to mount the reel. Couple things driving this, a) lower cost b) a lot simpler and fewer components and c) it should make resto-rod more period looking. Do any troutnuts have an opinion on or experience with sliding rings- do they hold the reel without slipping or allowing the reel-foot to spin, or do they gouge up the cork over time? I've seen pictures of electrical tape wrapped around sliding rings and I'm not sure I want things to deteriorate to that degree.
N
I don't think you have to worry about a cap and ring over a cork grip. If it was good enough for Payne and Young, I think you'll be fine. I think the all cork grips actually hold a little better than the wood spacers.But the wood seats hold just fine too. Many of the Paul young rods came with all cork grips and reel seats and many of those rods many are still around and working just fine today. Cork is incredible in its ability to be compressed and bounce right back. Cork reel drags have been in use for years and they are put under much more compression for longer periods of time than a reel seat and as long as they are maintained every year or so with a little neatsfoot oil, they will last my lifetime I'm sure.
I have a few cap and ring reel seats and they work well. never any issues for me.
As far as the tiny Baetids go, I have a snowshoe thorax pattern that is easily visible. #22 Tiemco 2488
.
Roguerat on Oct 14, 2016October 14th, 2016, 8:46 am EDT
Thanks to all for the input on sliding rings and cork seats, I'm headed toward ordering the cork rings and then comes work with a mandrel and sandpaper on the lathe (it helps that I'm a serious woodworker with a fairly well outfitted shop, all things considered!).
Eric, that's a really nice pattern and I'm going to tie a half-dozen or so tonight before heading out- I may fudge the hooks and use an equivalent Mustad but the rest will be verbatim.
tight lines, all,
Roguerat
'Less is more...'
Ludwig Mies Vande Rohe
Eric, that's a really nice pattern and I'm going to tie a half-dozen or so tonight before heading out- I may fudge the hooks and use an equivalent Mustad but the rest will be verbatim.
tight lines, all,
Roguerat
'Less is more...'
Ludwig Mies Vande Rohe
Crepuscular on Oct 14, 2016October 14th, 2016, 11:11 am EDT
Eric, that's a really nice pattern and I'm going to tie a half-dozen or so tonight before heading out- I may fudge the hooks and use an equivalent Mustad but the rest will be verbatim.
Does mustad make a 3x wide 2x short hook in a size 22? if so I'd be interested in knowing the number. The tails are microfibbits, abdomen is Tommi Fly floating thread. Abdomen is superfine dubbing, wing is snowshoe.Hackle is whiting med tan dun.
Roguerat on Oct 14, 2016October 14th, 2016, 11:33 am EDT
Eric-
No Mustad equivalent; I did find TMC 2488's, in sz 22 no less way in the back of my hook storage drawers...got them at Cabela's a while back and then forgot about them. I'd tied some olives on them but thought the shank was too short to render an acceptable abdomen for a dry.
Where do you find the Tommi Fly floating thread? I'm not familiar with this product, a new one.
regards,
Roguerat
No Mustad equivalent; I did find TMC 2488's, in sz 22 no less way in the back of my hook storage drawers...got them at Cabela's a while back and then forgot about them. I'd tied some olives on them but thought the shank was too short to render an acceptable abdomen for a dry.
Where do you find the Tommi Fly floating thread? I'm not familiar with this product, a new one.
regards,
Roguerat
Roguerat on Oct 14, 2016October 14th, 2016, 4:12 pm EDT
sz 22 Baetids- mine don't look as nice as Eric's but it's a start, just need to manage dubbing build for a nicer taper on the abdomen.
Headin' north!
tight lines,
Rogue
Headin' north!
tight lines,
Rogue
Oldredbarn on Oct 14, 2016October 14th, 2016, 5:11 pm EDT
I had to do some searching on these guys and found Baetis tricaudatus and heimalis are late September-mid October hatches on some northern MI streams, and they run big for Olives- 16's and 18's. I've got Drunella dries that just might pass for the Baetids but I'll spend some time at the vice just in case.
Yes...heimalis was what us "older" guys called it before the Purdue Boys educated me. :) B tricaudatus is the critters current nom de plume...
Good luck with your fishing...We expect a report.
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
"Envy not the man who lives beside the river, but the man the river flows through." Joseph T Heywood
Roguerat on Oct 19, 2016October 19th, 2016, 9:04 am EDT
Trout Nuts,
This was an abbreviated trip north, as Saturday night, and I DO mean night as in 11 pm or so, our newest grandson Lucas Jay decided he wanted out and out NOW. A flurry of phone calls and messages and all is well, mom, dad, and the little guy all did what they were supposed to do.
I got in a couple hours Saturday (zip) and an hour or so Sunday morning (a 12" Rainbow for this effort) before headin' home to meet the little character.
How old is old enough to hold a fly rod?
Roguerat
This was an abbreviated trip north, as Saturday night, and I DO mean night as in 11 pm or so, our newest grandson Lucas Jay decided he wanted out and out NOW. A flurry of phone calls and messages and all is well, mom, dad, and the little guy all did what they were supposed to do.
I got in a couple hours Saturday (zip) and an hour or so Sunday morning (a 12" Rainbow for this effort) before headin' home to meet the little character.
How old is old enough to hold a fly rod?
Roguerat
Crepuscular on Oct 21, 2016October 21st, 2016, 8:43 pm EDT
Congratulations!
Jmd123 on Oct 22, 2016October 22nd, 2016, 7:01 am EDT
Hey Rogue, congrats on your new grandson! How many grandkids is that for you? It will probably be a while yet for me, as my daughter is only 20 and we seem to have about a 30-ish-year generation time in my family (Dad is 31 years older than me, and I'm 32 years older than my daughter). So I'm guessing another 10 years before I'm holding a baby again...
Congrats on the fishing too. I'm getting in my last few trout fishing trips of the year as things are slowing down pretty good now, saw one single caddisfly on my last outing so dry-flying is just about done, but the Rifle threw me a couple of nice brownies the other night. I feel like anything one can catch in the post-season is always a bonus. I have a few more kayak trips to make and then it's waiting for the ice, get out the tip-ups and untangle them all.
Jonathon
Congrats on the fishing too. I'm getting in my last few trout fishing trips of the year as things are slowing down pretty good now, saw one single caddisfly on my last outing so dry-flying is just about done, but the Rifle threw me a couple of nice brownies the other night. I feel like anything one can catch in the post-season is always a bonus. I have a few more kayak trips to make and then it's waiting for the ice, get out the tip-ups and untangle them all.
Jonathon
No matter how big the one you just caught is, there's always a bigger one out there somewhere...
Roguerat on Oct 22, 2016October 22nd, 2016, 10:54 am EDT
I'm the proud grandpapa of 6 beautiful grandkids...oldest is a teenager just this year. Thee 13, 10, 8, and 7 yr old's all fish...the 2 little stinkers are just that, but I have plans for them as well.
Fishy stuff, we were at Tippy Dam on the Big Man this past Monday and I was appalled then disgusted; pizza boxes floating in the river, snarls of mono and beer cans all over the banks, bait containers thrown into the bushes...sad.
I hustled back upriver to the 'Pyl' stretch between the dams and some peace of mind, ran into a couple engineers for the Utility that manages Tippy and Hodenpyl dams and shot the breeze with them for a good while. I told them I'd just come from Tippy and that it was a zoo and they said 'we're glad we don't work that stretch, it's just plain nasty, it's like that every Fall...but you guys really take care of THIS water'. I took that as a compliment to pretty much all fly-fishers since those were the only anglers on that particular stretch water at the time.
I thanked them for their efforts and the compliment, waded in and caught my only trout of the trip...but that's OK!
Roguerat
'Less is more...'
Ludwig Mies Vande Rohe
Fishy stuff, we were at Tippy Dam on the Big Man this past Monday and I was appalled then disgusted; pizza boxes floating in the river, snarls of mono and beer cans all over the banks, bait containers thrown into the bushes...sad.
I hustled back upriver to the 'Pyl' stretch between the dams and some peace of mind, ran into a couple engineers for the Utility that manages Tippy and Hodenpyl dams and shot the breeze with them for a good while. I told them I'd just come from Tippy and that it was a zoo and they said 'we're glad we don't work that stretch, it's just plain nasty, it's like that every Fall...but you guys really take care of THIS water'. I took that as a compliment to pretty much all fly-fishers since those were the only anglers on that particular stretch water at the time.
I thanked them for their efforts and the compliment, waded in and caught my only trout of the trip...but that's OK!
Roguerat
'Less is more...'
Ludwig Mies Vande Rohe
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