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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.

Dorsal view of a Skwala (Perlodidae) (Large Springfly) Stonefly Nymph from the Yakima River in Washington
This Skwala nymph still has a couple months left to go before hatching, but it's still a good representative of its species, which was extremely abundant in my sample for a stonefly of this size. It's obvious why the Yakima is known for its Skwala hatch.
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.
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By Troutnut on July 5th, 2018
I made a quick trip Friday after work to the mountains, hoping to teach a friend how to fly fish. The South Fork Snoqualmie looked inviting, and we drove to a set of pools that were full of eager fish around this time last year. Unfortunately, they seemed almost empty this time. I missed a couple hits, and my friend will have to wait until next time to catch his first trout. After he had to leave, I explored a new stretch of the river and found a few willing fish, including the first two Westslope Cutthroat I've caught on the west slope of the Cascades. (They're named for a different west slope.)

Photos by Troutnut from the South Fork Snoqualmie River in Washington

Pretty little Coastal Cutthroat.
The South Fork Snoqualmie River in Washington
The South Fork Snoqualmie River in Washington
This was the first Westslope Cutthroat I caught in the South Fork Snoqualmie, which contains mostly Coastal Cutthroat.
The South Fork Snoqualmie River in Washington

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