# Green Drake or Hexagenia?



## Utard (Dec 10, 2006)

(PICS ADDED to end of post)
For you entomologist types out there, I wanted to share an interesting picture with you. On my walk into work this morning I saw these lovely morsels lying on the parking lot. Now, here is what is interesting. I saw only these two (and believe me, I searched for more); they are both about 1.5 inches long; with light greenish/yellowish bodies; one has opaque yellow wings and one has darker green/almost olive wings; the closest body of water that they could come from is a pond about 500 yards away. It is a private pond in a business park, so I haven't ever been able to fish it but I've never seen mayflies this big in my life. In reading on troutnut.com I wonder if these guys are Eastern Green Drakes (Ephemera guttulata), but their info says they hatch only in PA and NY. 

My second thought was the Hex, mayfly or Hexagenia Limbata. I'm a newbie to the midwest/east and have never seen either of these mayflies in person until now. What do you guys think they are? Anyone else seen any lately?
(please keep in mind that this was taken with my camera phone. I kept the flies so that I could photograph them when I get home, so I'll post those pics later and you can get a better look at them then)


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## mikeschmidt (May 6, 2008)

it i a little early and small for Hexes even down here, but brown drakes are slated to be coming off on the Mad any time so could be...
They do loko to be browns to me, but hard to tell without a sharper pic.


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## riverKing (Jan 26, 2007)

i think those may be hex's, i dont know if green or brown drakes get quite that big, and though its a little early there are always a few eager ones. though i really dont know enough about the different species to be sure. take some to the tying desk and make some ties i dont think the fish will care what you call it.


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## Utard (Dec 10, 2006)

riverKing said:


> make some ties i dont think the fish will care what you call it.



Aint that the truth!
I'm really into finding out what these might be though, for the simple reason that I have never seen mayflies this big in my life. I have hopper patterns that are smaller than these babies!


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## sevenx (Apr 21, 2005)

Its likely a hex. They can hatch in early June in still waters across the mid-west and east. Primary hatchs happen in July creating the famous swarms we here about showing up on dopplar radar. These appear to be the sexually imature duns. The mature dun or spinners will be the yellow/green or brown color and the immature duns are genrally opaque in color. Judging by the size I would guess hex. We typically don't get the big eastern drakes they tend to be smaller in the mid-west. With the pond near by I would investigate it to see if there are more hatching right at dark. They will live approx. two days as they mate and will be active at night as well as hatch at night. I see them here at the shop from the lmr in mid summer and have heard reports of large hatch's on the Ohio as well. We just don't have the big ole browns to eat em. Interesting facts, they number as many as 500 per square foot of bottem in still waters and can reach up to 2" in length. The nymphs can be found in water 2" deep to as deep as 50'. The massive hatch on Erie is said to be supported by the perfect bottom composistion for these guys. They burrow in to the soft silted bottem and may spend as much as two years in the nymph stage before emergence. S


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## steelheader007 (Apr 8, 2004)

Hex..... ..........................


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## riverKing (Jan 26, 2007)

my dad gave me a call this evening, the poor man just happens to be traveling by the ausable for work this week, jerk. while on the phone with him he was talking about the giant hex's all around him, so I guess they are out. think they hatch on the mad:B , oh whatever i wont catch much there even if there was a hex hatch


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## Utard (Dec 10, 2006)

sevenx said:


> Primary hatchs happen in July creating the famous swarms we here about showing up on dopplar radar. S


I wonder if the super hot weather we've had has warmed the water up enough to start a little bit of a premature hatch.

Guys, I didn't get the chance to photograph them last night, but I kept them so I will really try to tonight and get the pics up. Thanks for everyone's insights and information.


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## sevenx (Apr 21, 2005)

U, they will begin to hatch as early as June in still waters, So my guess would be yes they could be out and about with the very hot few days warming the shallower ponds quickly. You never know what tricks mother nature will play thats the only thing I know for sure. S


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## Tall cool one (Jul 13, 2006)

That's Hexagenia marilandica,the southern version of the Michigan hex,paler and sometimes to 2".I've had some awesome surface action from LMB for them,up to 5-6 lbs as well as tons of panfish and carp. Ponds,lakes and slow sections of larger rivers are where they reside. The hatch starts right at dusk and there will be spinners mating/falling concurrent w/ the duns and it will be all spinners toward the end,probably 50-75 min at most for the action on top. The spiners will be from the night before's hatch. Nymphs are good from early evening as they start swimming around before they hatch and the fish know tto expect them and some nice LMBs can be had this way to as well as plenty of panfish.They hatch through July but they start later and later ea nt till they are after midnight,TC1


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## Utard (Dec 10, 2006)

I finally got some clearer pictures of these guys. Because I waited so long to take these the bodies really dried out and kind of shriveled a little bit. Also, I saw one last night flying around at 9:45. Anyone else noticing these behemoths out lately? I also saw my first fire fly of the year two nights ago. I guess summer is finally here eh?
If you want to see more of the pictures just click on any of them to see the album.




and for some really close shots...


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## Flyfish Dog (Nov 6, 2007)

Defintely a Hex.
Here is some pictures of a green drakes before I left for my trip about 2 weeks ago on a brookie stream. Thought it might help.


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## Huron River Dan (Oct 19, 2007)

Notice the two tails...colors vary depending on the water they come from.

Dan


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