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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.

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.

Landscape & scenery photos from the Bois Brule River

Here I'm looking through the sampling net for interesting nymphs, some of which ended up on this site.

From the Bois Brule River in Wisconsin
Cedar sweepers line the fertile spring creek headwaters of a famous trout stream.

From the Bois Brule River in Wisconsin
Here I'm tying on a fly in the middle of a warm summer day.  Despite the conditions, the trout responded well.

From the Bois Brule River in Wisconsin
Gnarled cedars twist out over a nice trout stream.

From the Bois Brule River in Wisconsin
This tail end of a large glassy flat holds many nice rising trout most summer evenings, and it's extremely demanding of both stealth and fine casting.

From the Bois Brule River in Wisconsin
The Bois Brule River in Wisconsin
Lone tree on a rock in the middle of Big Lake. Fittingly, Big Lake is the largest of several short wide spots in the upper Brule River.

From the Bois Brule River in Wisconsin
This colorful brown was my dad's first nice trout on a dry fly.  It was also the best of the day, taken with a nice cast after doing some slightly crazy wading through silt and deep water to get into position.

From the Bois Brule River in Wisconsin
Good trout, both browns and rainbows, sometimes reside in the calm pockets alongside roaring rapids like these where most of the canoe traffic shoots quickly past.  Few fishermen stop to cover these areas.

From the Bois Brule River, Little Joe Rapids in Wisconsin
The Bois Brule River in Wisconsin
The Bois Brule River in Wisconsin
The Bois Brule River in Wisconsin

Closeup insects by Troutnut from the Bois Brule River in Wisconsin

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