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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 Ephemerella mucronata (Ephemerellidae) Mayfly Nymph from the Yakima River in Washington
This is an interesting one. Following the keys in Merritt R.W., Cummins, K.W., and Berg, M.B. (2019) and Jacobus et al. (2014), it keys clearly to Ephemerella. Jacobus et al provide a key to species, but some of the characteristics are tricky to interpret without illustrations. If I didn't make any mistakes, this one keys to Ephemerella mucronata, which has not previously been reported any closer to here than Montana and Alberta. The main character seems to fit well: "Abdominal terga with prominent, paired, subparallel, spiculate ridges." Several illustrations or descriptions of this holarctic species from the US and Europe seem to match, including the body length, tarsal claws and denticles, labial palp, and gill shapes. These sources include including Richard Allen's original description of this species in North America under the now-defunct name E. moffatae in Allen RK (1977) and the figures in this description of the species in Italy.
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 Gulkana River

The Gulkana River in Alaska
The Gulkana River in Alaska
Wolf tracks we found on the trial during the slog out

From the Gulkana River in Alaska
A 17-inch rainbow I caught Thursday evening
Canyon Rapids

From the Gulkana River in Alaska
One of the next casts after that 21-incher produced this 18-incher
The Gulkana River in Alaska
And another
The Gulkana River in Alaska
A very typical section of the six miles of "trail"

From the Gulkana River in Alaska
Another view of Josh's big one
I spent at least an hour standing on this rock trying to launch ~75-foot casts of a big streamer and split shot (with a narrow windoer for the backcast) into a piece of deep, calm water across the river, where at least two rainbows kept chasing my fly but missing as the whitewater in between grabbed my line and ripped it away from them. A great trial-by-fire for my new 5-weight rod. When I finally got the hang of the casting and presentation, I caught one around 13 inches and eventually hooked the one I was after, a beast in the 21-23" range or so. But it took off downstream on me faster than I could follow and got the angle it needed to spit the hook.

From the Gulkana River in Alaska
Josh's first Gulkana rainbow, small but colorful
The target of those long casts was the far end of that dark piece of flat water behind the rear boulder.

From the Gulkana River in Alaska
While I was taking pictures of the whitefish I caught, I heard loud splashing in the water upstream.  Two caribou cows and their calves were crossing the river.  (Only one calf is visible here.)

From the Gulkana River in Alaska
The upper Gulkana, moonlit shortly after midnight.

From the Gulkana River in Alaska
I think this is Lena's nicest grayling yet, around 16 inches.

References

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