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.

Of all the pools I've fished, this one was most deserving of the colorful little brook trout it held.

From Mystery Creek # 89 in New York

Stream photos

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Ephemerella mucronata Mayfly Nymph Ephemerella mucronata Mayfly Nymph

Dorsal view of a Ephemerella mucronata (Ephemerellidae) Mayfly Nymph from the Yakima River in Washington

This is an interesting one. Following the keys in Merritt R.W., Cummins, K.W., and Berg, M.B. (2019) and Jacobus et al. (2014), it keys clearly to Ephemerella. Jacobus et al provide a key to species, but some of the characteristics are tricky to interpret without illustrations. If I didn't make any mistakes, this one keys to Ephemerella mucronata, which has not previously been reported any closer to here than Montana and Alberta. The main character seems to fit well: "Abdominal terga with prominent, paired, subparallel, spiculate ridges." Several illustrations or descriptions of this holarctic species from the US and Europe seem to match, including the body length, tarsal claws and denticles, labial palp, and gill shapes. These sources include including Richard Allen's original description of this species in North America under the now-defunct name E. moffatae in Allen RK (1977) and the figures in this description of the species in Italy.

17 Recently Added Photos

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 boys were back in town, part 3 - Clark's Marsh

Jmd123 has attached these 17 pictures. The message is below.

Launching into destination number two, the bass pond at Clark's Marsh

The boys with the first fall colors, red maples of course

These lily pads were full of boils and swirls as we paddled through

Success at last! Nice fat 16-er from the Marsh, in a deeper back channel on a #10 KBF

Wildflower bouquet in the middle of the marshlands (Bidens sp., possibly beckii?)

Serious wetland habitat, beautiful and diverse

Whorled loosestrife (Decodon verticellatus), a beautiful native relative of the evil purple loosestrife

Major habitat - this place sees a LOT of bird activity at various times, including bald eagles, trumpeter swans, blue herons, pileated woodpeckers, wood ducks, hooded mergansers, yellow-rumped warblers...

Low-rider...flipped my kayak for the first time ever

More flies - these are my main two boxes I carry in the sling-pack, the previous two are "add-ons" as needed

Finally...the wreckage! This is (part of) what Joe & Todd killed during their visit...oh yes, a good time was had by all!

Jmd123

Oscoda, MI

Posts: 2474

Jmd123 on Sep 18, 2017September 18th, 2017, 5:41 am EDT

Here's the photos from our Marsh paddle. Note that this place is less than 10 miles from my house, in fact I can walk here in 45 minutes or drive here in less than 10...but you can't reach what we saw without a boat, the place is surrounded by marsh...but oh, the biodiversity! Didn't see much invasive either, almost all native plants. Even got a nice fish. Enjoy!

Jonathon

P.S. The KBF works its magic once again...

P.P.S. ALWAYS WEAR YOUR PFD!!!

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

Partsman

bancroft michigan

Posts: 321

Partsman on Sep 29, 2017September 29th, 2017, 12:33 pm EDT

Believe it or not Jonathon that is what the south end of Cedar lake used to look like. It was wild and beautiful and very hard to get into, huge sunfish and big pike and bass lived there. Things changed for the worse in the late 60,s when Brownell reality got permits to dredge, they did good job of screwing things up! I really miss going up to my grandparents place on the lake and how much fun we had growing up, fishing the lake and the pine river at my great aunts place. Things were sure a lot simpler then, I'm getting pretty fed up with everything going on now a days.

Mike.