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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 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.
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 Kenai River

Slow backwater

From the Kenai River in Alaska
The Kenai River in Alaska
The Kenai River in Alaska
The Kenai River in Alaska
The Kenai River in Alaska
Dad playing a big fish

From the Kenai River in Alaska
Big rainbow (estimated 25") in the middle Kenai River. Our drift boat guide (Jeff from Alaska Troutfitters) had a policy that he holds the fish instead of the clients, which felt weird to me but is completely understandable given the diverse clientele and the amount of pressure on these fish. Mishandling by inexperienced clients could add up to a lot of mortality.
The Kenai River in Alaska
The Kenai River in Alaska
The Kenai River in Alaska
Some of these Kenai River rainbows have serious battle scars from being hooked and released so many times, as the mouth on this one clearly shows.
The Kenai River in Alaska
Dad fishing the Kenai

From the Kenai River in Alaska
The Kenai River in Alaska
Put-in at Skilak Lake

From the Kenai River in Alaska
The Kenai River in Alaska
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