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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.

Lateral view of a Onocosmoecus (Limnephilidae) (Great Late-Summer Sedge) Caddisfly Larva from the Yakima River in Washington
This specimen keys pretty easily to Onocosmoecus, and it closely resembles a specimen from Alaska which caddis expert Dave Ruiter recognized as this genus. As with that specimen, the only species in the genus documented in this area is Onocosmoecus unicolor, but Dave suggested for that specimen that there might be multiple not-yet-distinguished species under the unicolor umbrella and it would be best to stick with the genus-level ID. I'm doing the same for this one.
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 August 4th, 2020
Continuing my sightseeing tour of remote Idaho, I drove around a bunch of backroads and made a quick fishing stop at enticing-looking water on the Yankee Fork of the Salmon. I didn't even put waders on, just wandered out on a gravel bar in street shoes to take a few casts, aiming to keep my "at least one trout every day of the trip" streak alive on a day without any real fishing. The fishing wasn't good, but a 7-inch bull trout (quickly released unharmed) kept the streak alive.

Photos by Troutnut from the Yankee Fork Salmon River in Idaho

The Yankee Fork Salmon River in Idaho
The Yankee Fork Salmon River in Idaho
The Yankee Fork Salmon River in Idaho
I wasn't paying close attention at the time and released this fish very quickly after the picture, so I thought it was just a skinny brookie and didn't notice until looking at the photo that it's a juvenile bull trout. Good thing I was all-C&R on this trip anyway!
The Yankee Fork Salmon River in Idaho
The Yankee Fork Salmon River in Idaho

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