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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.

Dorsal view of a Pycnopsyche guttifera (Limnephilidae) (Great Autumn Brown Sedge) Caddisfly Larva from the Yakima River in Washington
This specimen appears to be of the same species as this one collected in the same spot two months earlier. The identification of both is tentative. This one suffered some physical damage before being photographed, too, so the colors aren't totally natural. I was mostly photographing it to test out some new camera setting idea, which worked really well for a couple of closeups.
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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Landscape & scenery photos from the Big Lost River

Road leading through the sagebrush BLM land down toward the public access on the Big Lost River.

From the Big Lost River in Idaho
The Big Lost River in Idaho
The Big Lost River in Idaho
The Big Lost River in Idaho
I was trying out my dedicated Euro nymphing rig, having left my regular rods half a mile back in the car. This fish and others were rising to some sparse evening hatch, and nothing would even take a passing interest in my nymphs. So I put on a more appropriate dry fly and flopped it out in ridiculous form with my nymphing line/leader. This was the first nice fish on the rod (16" rainbow) and great fun, but was it cheating to break in the new nymphing rod with a dry fly?
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