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 wild-looking little thing completely puzzled me. At first I was thinking beetle or month larva, until I got a look at the pictures on the computer screen. I made a couple of incorrect guesses before entomologist Greg Courtney pointed me in the right direction with Psychodidae. He suggested a possible genus of Thornburghiella, but could not rule out some other members of the tribe Pericomini.
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Red_green_h on Sep 7, 2019September 7th, 2019, 10:49 am EDT
I was fishing on this private pond that was made from a diversion of Beaver Creek by the southeast corner of the Pecos Wilderness in New Mexico. Previous trips I did very well with parachute adam's and royal wolff's. I wasn't getting any bites and then noticed all the water striders in the water. I had read that trout don't often go for striders (don't know if true or not). I have never seen a "strider" pattern in any terrestrial section of flies. I put a black foam beetle on and the first cast I caught a 14" inch brown. The very next cast I caught the biggest rainbow I've ever caught in this area. He fought me so hard it bent the hook on the fly. So it seems to me that trout go after striders and I say this because the foam beetle I used had four legs coming off of it and it somewhat looked like a strider. Why are there no strider patterns, or is there and I just haven't found it yet?
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Taxon on Sep 7, 2019September 7th, 2019, 12:26 pm EDT
Hi Ryan-
I believe the reason you have never seen a water strider pattern is because: a) water striders are so adept at avoiding being taken by fish that the fish learn early on that chasing them is a waste of time, and b): because fly tiers don't waste their time tying flies that are not productive. It is also said that water striders have an extremely bitter taste, but I have never been tempted to verify that for myself. :-)
I believe the reason you have never seen a water strider pattern is because: a) water striders are so adept at avoiding being taken by fish that the fish learn early on that chasing them is a waste of time, and b): because fly tiers don't waste their time tying flies that are not productive. It is also said that water striders have an extremely bitter taste, but I have never been tempted to verify that for myself. :-)
Adirman on Sep 8, 2019September 8th, 2019, 2:19 am EDT
Yeah I’ve seen a ton of them on the Neversink and never have I seen a trout go after one
Martinlf on Sep 9, 2019September 9th, 2019, 8:07 am EDT
Yes, I think it's just a coincidence that there were water striders there and fish were taking a beetle. Trout love beetles, and seem to go for them everywhere. A lot of protein in a fat beetle, vs. a slim mayfly.
"He spread them a yard and a half. 'And every one that got away is this big.'"
--Fred Chappell
--Fred Chappell
Wbranch on Sep 9, 2019September 9th, 2019, 9:49 am EDT
No trout don't eat Sliders. People do though.
Catskill fly fisher for fifty-five years.
Steamntrout
Posts: 3
Posts: 3
Steamntrout on Apr 7, 2021April 7th, 2021, 9:42 am EDT
Suggest readers use their favorite browser and do a search using "the effects of trout on water striders in streams & pools", I was surprised to find that an objective study was made on this topic.
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