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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 Skwala (Perlodidae) (Large Springfly) Stonefly Nymph from the Yakima River in Washington
This Skwala nymph still has a couple months left to go before hatching, but it's still a good representative of its species, which was extremely abundant in my sample for a stonefly of this size. It's obvious why the Yakima is known for its Skwala hatch.
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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Mayfly Genus Nixe

The only species currently in this genus reported to produce fishable hatches is Nixe lucidipennis.

Angling books sometimes mention hatches of Nixe criddlei and Nixe simpliciodes. These species have been moved to the genus Ecdyonurus.

Where & when

In 68 records from GBIF, adults of this genus have mostly been collected during July (53%), June (21%), August (16%), and May (6%).

In 7 records from GBIF, this genus has been collected at elevations ranging from 3 to 2722 ft, with an average (median) of 1781 ft.

Genus Range

Hatching behavior

These species hatch in or near the surface in calm water. Emergence is quite fast, but the duns may drift a while.

Spinner behavior

Time of day: Dusk

Habitat: Riffles

The female spinners oviposit by flying over the water and dropping down to the surface to release some eggs, then taking off to do it again. They eventually fall spent.

Start a Discussion of Nixe

References

Mayfly Genus Nixe

Genus Range
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