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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Neilstall on Jan 5, 2019January 5th, 2019, 4:52 am EST
Hey everyone!
Last summer I backpacked to an alpine lake in Western Washington and caught several fish. Elevation was 3800' and the lake was fairly small with snow runoff nearly year round. I caught two or three typical rainbows (picture included), but what really made me scratch my head was one that I assumed to be a cutthroat. It was a female and has the red gill plate, but no slash under the jaw. What really interested me was the DARK red fins with slightly white edges (but not on the dorsal or pectorals). She seemed to be an old timer based on the wear and tear on her fins and seemed to be losing scales sadly. Released her right away after snapping this picture, but the longer it's been since then, the more I wonder what she was.
I know there are cases of trout cross-breeding (Tiger Trout), especially in small lakes with little contact and it becomes their only option for survival, but I'm not finding any pictures like this anywhere online. Thanks for your help identifying this beauty!
Last summer I backpacked to an alpine lake in Western Washington and caught several fish. Elevation was 3800' and the lake was fairly small with snow runoff nearly year round. I caught two or three typical rainbows (picture included), but what really made me scratch my head was one that I assumed to be a cutthroat. It was a female and has the red gill plate, but no slash under the jaw. What really interested me was the DARK red fins with slightly white edges (but not on the dorsal or pectorals). She seemed to be an old timer based on the wear and tear on her fins and seemed to be losing scales sadly. Released her right away after snapping this picture, but the longer it's been since then, the more I wonder what she was.
I know there are cases of trout cross-breeding (Tiger Trout), especially in small lakes with little contact and it becomes their only option for survival, but I'm not finding any pictures like this anywhere online. Thanks for your help identifying this beauty!
Troutnut on Jan 5, 2019January 5th, 2019, 9:57 am EST
Hi Neilstall,
I'm really interested to see this picture, since I fish western WA high lakes too, but it looks like it didn't get posted somehow. Maybe try uploading it to imgur.com and posting the link here?
I'm really interested to see this picture, since I fish western WA high lakes too, but it looks like it didn't get posted somehow. Maybe try uploading it to imgur.com and posting the link here?
Jason Neuswanger, Ph.D.
Troutnut and salmonid ecologist
Troutnut and salmonid ecologist
Neilstall on Jan 5, 2019January 5th, 2019, 10:29 am EST
Sorry for the delay in posting the pictures, I somehow failed to include them originally!
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