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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 Zapada cinctipes (Nemouridae) (Tiny Winter Black) Stonefly Nymph from the Yakima River in Washington
Nymphs of this species were fairly common in late-winter kick net samples from the upper Yakima River. Although I could not find a key to species of Zapada nymphs, a revision of the Nemouridae family by Baumann (1975) includes the following helpful sentence: "2 cervical gills on each side of midline, 1 arising inside and 1 outside of lateral cervical sclerites, usually single and elongate, sometimes constricted but with 3 or 4 branches arising beyond gill base in Zapada cinctipes." This specimen clearly has the branches and is within the range of that species.
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 June 20, 2006

Photos by Troutnut

Irises and forget-me-nots grow all along this stretch of one of my favorite rivers.

Underwater photos by Troutnut

I spotted this very large leech freely tumbling, and occasionally stopping, along the bottom of a clear, cool trout stream.  I paid careful attention later and spotted two more like it, but this one was the largest -- probably over 7 inches stretched out.

There is one other picture of it.
I spotted this very large leech freely tumbling, and occasionally stopping, along the bottom of a clear, cool trout stream.  I paid careful attention later and spotted two more like it, but this one was the largest -- probably over 7 inches stretched out.

There is one other picture of it.

Updates from June 17, 2006

Photos by Troutnut from Mystery Creek #82 in Wisconsin

Here's a twilight picture of the upper end of a very remote old spring pond.  Miles from anything, it was once rumored to hold large brook trout, although access is almost impossible now and the habitat has changed dramatically.

From Mystery Creek # 82 in Wisconsin

Updates from June 15, 2006

Photos by Troutnut

Fish don't get any better than this.
This porcupine seemed to be feeding on the filamentous green algae that had accumulated around the tip of a fallen cedar sweeper on a classic piece of northwoods trout water.
Look at the hole in that thing's mouth... no wonder mergansers are a threat to trout.
These baby Canada geese are just beginning to grow their real feathers.
A two families of Canada geese flee our canoe.

On-stream insect photos by Troutnut

This is the skin a brown drake dun shed when it molted into a spinner.  Many of these were on the surface one afternoon, having been blown in after the flies molted on overhanging alders.  They were our most noticeable sign of an intense brown drake hatch the previous night and a spinner fall to come.

Updates from June 14, 2006

Photos by Troutnut from Grindstone Lake in Wisconsin

Here's a pretty sunset over a warmwater lake in the northwoods.  It may not be trout water, but I couldn't leave it off the site.

From Grindstone Lake in Wisconsin
Grindstone Lake in Wisconsin
Grindstone Lake in Wisconsin
Grindstone Lake in Wisconsin
Grindstone Lake in Wisconsin

Updates from June 13, 2006

Photos by Troutnut from the Namekagon River in Wisconsin

The Namekagon River near Seeley in Wisconsin
The Namekagon River near Seeley in Wisconsin
The Namekagon River near Seeley in Wisconsin

Underwater photos by Troutnut

A crayfish chews on a Hexagenia limbata nymph shortly after a small Hex emergence.  I didn't catch any fish, but playing around with my flashlight and camera in the rocks proved productive.

References

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