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.

Cedar sweepers line the fertile spring creek headwaters of a famous trout stream.

From the Bois Brule River in Wisconsin

Stream photos

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Clostoeca disjuncta (Northern Caddisfly) Caddisfly Larva Clostoeca disjuncta (Northern Caddisfly) Caddisfly Larva

Lateral view of a Clostoeca disjuncta (Limnephilidae) (Northern Caddisfly) Caddisfly Larva from the Yakima River in Washington

This one was surprisingly straightforward to identify. The lack of a sclerite at the base of the lateral hump narrows the field quite a bit, and the other options followed fairly obvious characteristics to Clostoeca, which only has one species, Clostoeca disjuncta.

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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.

Quick stop at Silver Creek between deer hunting

By Troutnut on October 16th, 2019

I spent ten mid-October days in central Idaho almost-but-not-quite getting shots at mule deer bucks, and at one point I found a free evening (the 17th) to wet a line in the famous Nature Conservancy stretch of scenic Silver Creek. I don't know that I've ever seen so many fish, especially nice fish, in one place. That explains why so many other anglers were also there on a very windy October afternoon.

However, the conditions were tough and my skills weren't quite up to the task. Strong wind ripped relentlessly through the valley, suppressing insect activity as well as making stealthy casting a challenge. Fish occasionally rose to tiny BWOs, but only a handful rose consistently. Trying various techniques, I missed some strikes and caught one small brown.