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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.

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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PESCATORE
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Rancho Cordova, CA

Posts: 17
PESCATORE on Sep 15, 2016September 15th, 2016, 1:34 pm EDT
Returning from a fly fishing trip in the Eastern Sierras, I decided to take some shots on my way home traveling on Hwy 88. This is Caples Like in the high sierras about 80 miles S.E. of Sacramento. The tall peak in the near center and far background is Round Top @ 10,381 ASL.

Don
Don

Oldredbarn
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Novi, MI

Posts: 2600
Oldredbarn on Sep 16, 2016September 16th, 2016, 4:56 am EDT
Looks nice!
"Even when my best efforts fail it's a satisfying challenge, and that, after all, is the essence of fly fishing." -Chauncy Lively

"Envy not the man who lives beside the river, but the man the river flows through." Joseph T Heywood
PESCATORE
PESCATORE's profile picture
Rancho Cordova, CA

Posts: 17
PESCATORE on Sep 18, 2016September 18th, 2016, 1:43 pm EDT
Thanks for your reply. There used to be very large Trout in that lake until the CA DFG decided to make changes. Now mostly Put-N-Take fish in there.

d
Don

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