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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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.
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.
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Oldredbarn has attached these 10 pictures. The message is below.
Oldredbarn on Jun 13, 2017June 13th, 2017, 6:05 am EDT
June 3rd on the Manistee
"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
Crepuscular on Jun 13, 2017June 13th, 2017, 6:30 am EDT
nice. so are all those wild fish or do they stock the Manistee?
Oldredbarn on Jun 13, 2017June 13th, 2017, 6:38 am EDT
June 4th we floated again...We fished down the river targeting good spots and catching fish. We paused for lunch and decided to play "Nods" from then on out...
Each guy gets a turn at a rising fish...We go head hunting...Stopping at nice feeders only.
We hear this baritone rise and saw it moving water and it was my turn up to bat. I sat my Iso spinner down in the bubble stream above the fish and we were off to the races! He basically ran every where he could with me making attempts to keep him out of the brush.
I had to stand up in the boat as the fish ran to hide under it. Twice I had it alongside only to have it run again when it saw the boat.
Finally I pulled the fish back towards the rear of the boat and lifted my arm up and the fish surfaced, all 22"+ of it, only to have it see the boat, me, and the net, and it shook its head no! and spit out my fly!
We stood there stunned and I let out a shout, "Nooooooo!!!!!
It was wonderful really. All I missed was the grip and grin...
That evening was beyond belief beautiful. I sat in the back of the boat as we drifted along with me thinking of and thanking my grandfather for showing me the woods. We had a partial moon, a few puff clouds, and a pleasant temp...We had a few different species of frogs singing to us.
We had a Barred Owl fly over the rive ahead of us and started to call..."Who cooks for you, who cooks for you all" and Eddie called back. A few bends down we heard the pair "caterwauling" with each other...Loudly. It sounded like they were fighting.
It was an evening I won't soon forget. I could of floated all night. As it was I had to drive us home after and we rolled into the yard around 4:00am. I used to be able to do that stuff standing on my hands, but now I will admit it was a tad rough...I slept like a rock!
Each guy gets a turn at a rising fish...We go head hunting...Stopping at nice feeders only.
We hear this baritone rise and saw it moving water and it was my turn up to bat. I sat my Iso spinner down in the bubble stream above the fish and we were off to the races! He basically ran every where he could with me making attempts to keep him out of the brush.
I had to stand up in the boat as the fish ran to hide under it. Twice I had it alongside only to have it run again when it saw the boat.
Finally I pulled the fish back towards the rear of the boat and lifted my arm up and the fish surfaced, all 22"+ of it, only to have it see the boat, me, and the net, and it shook its head no! and spit out my fly!
We stood there stunned and I let out a shout, "Nooooooo!!!!!
It was wonderful really. All I missed was the grip and grin...
That evening was beyond belief beautiful. I sat in the back of the boat as we drifted along with me thinking of and thanking my grandfather for showing me the woods. We had a partial moon, a few puff clouds, and a pleasant temp...We had a few different species of frogs singing to us.
We had a Barred Owl fly over the rive ahead of us and started to call..."Who cooks for you, who cooks for you all" and Eddie called back. A few bends down we heard the pair "caterwauling" with each other...Loudly. It sounded like they were fighting.
It was an evening I won't soon forget. I could of floated all night. As it was I had to drive us home after and we rolled into the yard around 4:00am. I used to be able to do that stuff standing on my hands, but now I will admit it was a tad rough...I slept like a rock!
"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
Oldredbarn on Jun 13, 2017June 13th, 2017, 6:41 am EDT
Eric...They are wild fish.
If I can ever tempt you away from your PA trout...You would love it here...Special guide on a special river...It has you written all over it, sir...
Spence
If I can ever tempt you away from your PA trout...You would love it here...Special guide on a special river...It has you written all over it, sir...
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
Jmd123 on Jun 13, 2017June 13th, 2017, 7:33 am EDT
Very nice Spence! Especially love that big brookie, but they're all beautiful. Good birding too, you can't beat that!
Meanwhile, I sit here watching the trees in my backyard whip around...gonna wait until this evening to see if it calms down. We just had a really good soaker too, 1-2" last night, good thing as my grass is turning brown.
See many wildflowers while drifting?
Jonathon
Meanwhile, I sit here watching the trees in my backyard whip around...gonna wait until this evening to see if it calms down. We just had a really good soaker too, 1-2" last night, good thing as my grass is turning brown.
See many wildflowers while drifting?
Jonathon
No matter how big the one you just caught is, there's always a bigger one out there somewhere...
TimCat on Jun 13, 2017June 13th, 2017, 7:55 am EDT
Whoah! Nice fish, but you got to chat it up with Joe Humphreys too? Looks like you had a nice outing. Cheers
"If I'm not going to catch anything, then I 'd rather not catch anything on flies" - Bob Lawless
Oldredbarn on Jun 13, 2017June 13th, 2017, 8:22 am EDT
Brandon. The Humphrey's pick was from mid-May at my club's annual banquet. He was our guest speaker.
Spence
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
Partsman on Jun 13, 2017June 13th, 2017, 9:35 am EDT
Thanks for the beautiful pics and wonderful description of your trip, I'm feeling that same age thing.
Mike.
Mike.
Martinlf on Jun 18, 2017June 18th, 2017, 10:52 pm EDT
Nice work, Spence. Beautiful pics and fish.
"He spread them a yard and a half. 'And every one that got away is this big.'"
--Fred Chappell
--Fred Chappell
TNEAL on Jun 23, 2017June 23rd, 2017, 6:20 am EDT
nice pics; nice trip. Spence, you sure you didn't photo that same fish twice?
Oldredbarn on Jun 24, 2017June 24th, 2017, 7:40 am EDT
Tim...You know, I can't really tell. One is definitely clearer...I caught two fish rather close to each other and one seemed a tad larger than the other, but those could be the same fish? Or its twin ;).
Went further downstream, below Croton Dan, with Kevin Feenstra last Monday. I didn't catch any monsters, but we caught fish all day save for a little lull before we stopped for lunch. Most of the day was trout, but we fished for smallies as well.
I had never been down below Croton. Big water down that way. An interesting fishery. Open 40+ miles from Lake Michigan to the dam and it gets just about anything in it...We saw Gar Pike, there is Pike, Steelies and Salmon from Fall-Spring. Perch and walleye runs...Up that way it is mostly spawning gravel.
Had a great time...My head is spinning a bit with some "new" helpful stuff I learned. Also...Great watching down from the boat when fishing for small mouth. You can really watch the action of the fly and the fish as it chases it. It was cool tossing the streamer up into dark places and watch as it was attacked!
Also interesting how other small mouth will follow when another fish is hooked and fighting. Would like to hear from Paul Roberts along these lines...Was told that the hooked fish sometimes will cough up its meal and they follow to snag it, but there seemed like something else was going on there.
As you know I'm fond of dry fly fishing, but the visual of watching the whole process from the boat was great. Sometimes they smashed it, and at other times they would pursue and stop...Close to hopper fishing out west when you can spot the fish and cast to them...
Any way...
Spence
Went further downstream, below Croton Dan, with Kevin Feenstra last Monday. I didn't catch any monsters, but we caught fish all day save for a little lull before we stopped for lunch. Most of the day was trout, but we fished for smallies as well.
I had never been down below Croton. Big water down that way. An interesting fishery. Open 40+ miles from Lake Michigan to the dam and it gets just about anything in it...We saw Gar Pike, there is Pike, Steelies and Salmon from Fall-Spring. Perch and walleye runs...Up that way it is mostly spawning gravel.
Had a great time...My head is spinning a bit with some "new" helpful stuff I learned. Also...Great watching down from the boat when fishing for small mouth. You can really watch the action of the fly and the fish as it chases it. It was cool tossing the streamer up into dark places and watch as it was attacked!
Also interesting how other small mouth will follow when another fish is hooked and fighting. Would like to hear from Paul Roberts along these lines...Was told that the hooked fish sometimes will cough up its meal and they follow to snag it, but there seemed like something else was going on there.
As you know I'm fond of dry fly fishing, but the visual of watching the whole process from the boat was great. Sometimes they smashed it, and at other times they would pursue and stop...Close to hopper fishing out west when you can spot the fish and cast to them...
Any way...
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 Jun 24, 2017June 24th, 2017, 8:33 am EDT
Spence,
Good to hear you were near the 'west coast' of MI, on my second-favorite stream no less (after the Rogue, of course...).
I've spent a fair amount time 'trout driving' the roads and 2-tracks of the stretch you were on, looking for DNR accesses and wadeable water...lots of these spots to get in to fish, then out to drive to the next one minutes away. You're spot-on saying its big water and a really varied fishery. We usually hit the Smallies by mid-July when the hatches are pretty much done, raking the rock piles south and west of Newaygo with poppers and divers, whatever they'll hit.
If you're ever on the 'Mo again keep an eye out for a whiskered character flogging the water...I'm prone to fish Mondays since I figure most everybody else should be working or doing something else!
Tight lines, and again, good to hear you were out and about 'over here'!
Roguerat
"Less is more...'
Ludwig Mies Vande Rohe
Good to hear you were near the 'west coast' of MI, on my second-favorite stream no less (after the Rogue, of course...).
I've spent a fair amount time 'trout driving' the roads and 2-tracks of the stretch you were on, looking for DNR accesses and wadeable water...lots of these spots to get in to fish, then out to drive to the next one minutes away. You're spot-on saying its big water and a really varied fishery. We usually hit the Smallies by mid-July when the hatches are pretty much done, raking the rock piles south and west of Newaygo with poppers and divers, whatever they'll hit.
If you're ever on the 'Mo again keep an eye out for a whiskered character flogging the water...I'm prone to fish Mondays since I figure most everybody else should be working or doing something else!
Tight lines, and again, good to hear you were out and about 'over here'!
Roguerat
"Less is more...'
Ludwig Mies Vande Rohe
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