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Lateral view of a Male Baetis (Baetidae) (Blue-Winged Olive) Mayfly Dun from Mystery Creek #43 in New York
Blue-winged Olives
Baetis

Tiny Baetis mayflies are perhaps the most commonly encountered and imitated by anglers on all American trout streams due to their great abundance, widespread distribution, and trout-friendly emergence habits.

Dorsal view of a Kogotus (Perlodidae) Stonefly Nymph from Mystery Creek #199 in Washington
This one pretty clearly keys to Kogotus, but it also looks fairly different from specimens I caught in the same creek about a month later in the year. With only one species of the genus known in Washington, I'm not sure about the answer to this ID.
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 Beaverkill River

A beautiful deep current tongue runs along a manmade wall on a famous Catskill river.

From the Beaverkill River in New York
The Beaverkill River (Upper) in New York
The Beaverkill River in New York
The Beaverkill River in New York
The Beaverkill River (Upper) in New York
The Beaverkill River, Chiloway Pool in New York
This is a really deep hole on a famous Catskill river.

From the Beaverkill River in New York
The Beaverkill River (Upper) in New York
The Beaverkill River in New York
The Beaverkill River in New York
The Beaverkill River in New York
The Beaverkill River in New York
I missed one strike in this pool after taking the picture. It was a good fish that first showed itself with a telltale bulge and eddies below my fly, the sign of a nice trout refusing without quite breaking the surface. Five or ten drifts later it took convincingly, but I missed the hookset. That was the story that day -- missed hooksets. I didn't stay to fish this pool very long, because I tried to cross to fish it from the side that's on the right in the picture, obviously the best angle, and I found that what looked like an easy crossing near the tail was a swift, bouldery flat of very deceptive depth in the clear water. I found myself half-way across, past what had originally looked like the deepest water, only to find that the water that looked easiest was even swifter and deeper. I thought surely I was in for a swim, but somehow I made it back to the near bank dry and jumped in the car to head for less treacherous wading.

From the Beaverkill River in New York
A great blue heron flaunts his contraband spey hackle.

From the Beaverkill River in New York
Distant anglers dunk worms outside a small Catskill town at the meeting of two great trout streams.

From the Beaverkill River, Junction Pool in New York
Here's my first trout of 2005, a 17-inch brown, photographed underwater after release.
I won't say where this picture was taken.  I wouldn't want to give away anyone's secret little stream.

From the Beaverkill River in New York
The Beaverkill River, Cairns Pool in New York
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