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Artistic view of a Male Pteronarcys californica (Pteronarcyidae) (Giant Salmonfly) Stonefly Adult from the Gallatin River in Montana
Salmonflies
Pteronarcys californica

The giant Salmonflies of the Western mountains are legendary for their proclivity to elicit consistent dry-fly action and ferocious strikes.

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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Light Rusty Spinners

Like most common names,"Light Rusty Spinner" can refer to more than one taxon. They're previewed below, along with 4 specimens. For more detail click through to the scientific names.

Mayfly Species Baetis bicaudatus

These are very rarely called Light Rusty Spinners.
Baetis bicaudatus is a western taxon of some local importance.
The J-shaped light mark on the first femur and L-shaped marks on the next two are telltale signs of Baetis bicaudatus according to the original species description.

Dorsal view of a Baetis bicaudatus (Baetidae) (BWO) Mayfly Nymph from Green Lake Outlet in Idaho
Here I'm just copying and pasting, without cleaning up, my notes from spending a long time with this one under the microscope (and keying with Merritt & Cummins 5th Ed) only to end up confirming the most likely guess.

7. Baetis bicaudatus nymph
1. Hind wingpad present but small and hidden beneath forewing pad
2. Segment 2 of labial palp with well-developed medially projecting corner --> Baetis (couple 44). BUT no sign of scale-like setae on abdominal terga. Conflicts at this couplet.
3. Gills on segments I-VII
4. Tarsal claws with denticles, seemingly 2 rows but very hard to tell… and the key options with 2 rows don’t make sense
5. Assuming no villipore, we land confidently at couplet 48
6. Leads to Fallceon, except antennal scape doesn't have robust setae
7. Treated as Baetis, leads to brunneicolor, but McDunnough et al 1932 (Can Ent 64) suggests middle tail should be 5/6 as long as outer ones
8. Keys VERY confidently to couplet 36 in M&C (villipore)
9. If assuming villipore present:
1. 37 --> Scape of antennae has no distal lobe --> rules out Labiobaetis (100 % certain)
2. 38 --> Terminal filament much shorter than cerci --> not Barbaetis benfieldi (100 % certain)
3. 39 --> Terminal filament reduced (100 % certain)
4. 40 --> Tarsal claw denticle count couplet. If two rows of denticles: Either Iswaeon or Heterocloeon. Can't be Iswaeon because cerci lack dark median band. Can't be heterocloeon because it's not in the Platte drainage or in Texas. Thus, it must be one row of denticles. Moving on to 42.
5. 42 --> Hind wing pads present (100 % certain)
6. 44 --> Segment 2 of labial palpi with well-developed medially projecting corner (80 % certain), scale-like setae not evident on terga but maybe limitation of my scope --> Baetis (alternative would be Acentrella, but pronotum shape is all wrong for those, although not an official characteristic)
7. CONFIDENT in Baetis bicaudatus after distinctive leg markings (J-shaped light mark on first femur, L-shaped on second and third) matches original species description to a tee.

Mayfly Species Baetis tricaudatus

These are very rarely called Light Rusty Spinners.
Baetis tricaudatus is undeniably the most widespread and abundant baetid on the continent and arguably the most important mayfly species to trout and anglers alike. Eastern anglers used to know these important mayflies by the storied name of Baetis vagans. Conversely, the usually much larger and late Fall hatching brood of Baetis tricaudatus was considered an important Western species with its own tradition. But, entomologists recently determined that they are both in fact the same species. The nomenclature conventions guiding entomologists do not account for a name's regional fame among fishermen, and new or obscure species names may replace their old favorites. Sometimes taxa with disparate traditions are combined. Baetis vagans is one such casualty. Fortunately, trout think like Shakespeare: A rose by any other name would smell as sweet. The rose that was vagans has lost none of its charm. This species is multibrooded with the hatches of Spring being larger flies. As the weather warms the following broods are composed of progressively smaller flies. In the East, they range in size from 16 to 20. In the West, they may run a size larger.
This first picture is in the dun stage.

Male Baetis tricaudatus (Baetidae) (Blue-Winged Olive) Mayfly Dun from the  Touchet River in Washington
Male Baetis tricaudatus (Baetidae) (Blue-Winged Olive) Mayfly Spinner from the Flathead River-Lower in Montana

Light Rusty Spinners

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