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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.

Case view of a Pycnopsyche guttifera (Limnephilidae) (Great Autumn Brown Sedge) Caddisfly Larva from the Yakima River in Washington
It's only barely visible in one of my pictures, but I confirmed under the microscope that this one has a prosternal horn and the antennae are mid-way between the eyes and front of the head capsule.

I'm calling this one Pycnopsyche, but it's a bit perplexing. It seems to key definitively to at least Couplet 8 of the Key to Genera of Limnephilidae Larvae. That narrows it down to three genera, and the case seems wrong for the other two. The case looks right for Pycnopsyche, and it fits one of the key characteristics: "Abdominal sternum II without chloride epithelium and abdominal segment IX with only single seta on each side of dorsal sclerite." However, the characteristic "metanotal sa1 sclerites not fused, although often contiguous" does not seem to fit well. Those sclerites sure look fused to me, although I can make out a thin groove in the touching halves in the anterior half under the microscope. Perhaps this is a regional variation.

The only species of Pycnopsyche documented in Washington state is Pycnopsyche guttifera, and the colors and markings around the head of this specimen seem to match very well a specimen of that species from Massachusetts on Bugguide. So I am placing it in that species for now.

Whatever species this is, I photographed another specimen of seemingly the same species from the same spot a couple months later.
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.
Troutnut is a project started in 2003 by salmonid ecologist Jason "Troutnut" Neuswanger to help anglers and fly tyers unabashedly embrace the entomological side of the sport. Learn more about Troutnut or support the project for an enhanced experience here.

Updates from July 13, 2003

Closeup insects by Troutnut from Miscellaneous Wisconsin and Bearsdale Springs in Wisconsin

Lateral view of a Cyprinidae (Minnow) Fish Adult from unknown in Wisconsin
Bluntnose Minnow
Pimephales notatus
Salmonidae (Trout, Salmon, and Whitefish) Fish Adult from unknown in Wisconsin
Brook Trout
Salvenilus fontinalis

This is a young of the year brook trout that I caught and released after a quick picture. I included it here since it's about of the size one might imitate with a streamer.

I apologize for the horrible quality of the picture; this was taken a year or two (and a camera or two) before I started Troutnut.com and learned how to do photography.
Lateral view of a Cyprinidae (Minnow) Fish Adult from Bearsdale Springs in Wisconsin
Finescale Dace
Phoxinus neogaeus

Updates from June 30, 2003

Closeup insects by Troutnut from the Marengo River in Wisconsin

Lateral view of a Centrarchidae (Sunfish and Bass) Fish Adult from the Marengo River in Wisconsin
This is a Pumpkinseed sunfish, Lepomis gibbosus, which I caught unexpectedly in a trout stream a year before I started this site.

Updates from June 14, 2002

Closeup insects by Bnewell from Willow Creek in Oregon

Tricorythodes (Leptohyphidae) (Trico) Mayfly Nymph from Willow Creek in Oregon

Updates from February 26, 0209

Updates from November 29, 1999

Photos by Bnewell and Troutnut

Photo by Les Korcala

From the Bitterroot River in Montana

Underwater photos by Bnewell

On-stream insect photos by Troutnut

Lake Owen in Wisconsin

Closeup insects by Bnewell from the Big Thompson River and the Grande Rhonde River in Montana and Washington

Rhithrogena virilis (Heptageniidae) Mayfly Nymph from the Big Thompson River in Montana
A photo showing the minor details on the nymph of this rarely collected mayfly
Female Hesperoperla pacifica (Perlidae) (Golden Stone) Stonefly Adult from the Grande Rhonde River in Washington
Fly fishermen refer to this stonefly as one of "golden stones".
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