Salmonflies
Pteronarcys californica
The giant Salmonflies of the Western mountains are legendary for their proclivity to elicit consistent dry-fly action and ferocious strikes.
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This specimen resembled several others of around the same size and perhaps the same species, which were pretty common in my February sample from the upper Yakima. Unfortunately, I misplaced the specimen before I could get it under a microscope for a definitive ID.
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Phantom Crane Flies
This common name refers to only one family. Click its scientific name to learn more.
True Fly Family Ptychopteridae
These are pretty much always called Phantom Crane Flies.
See Tipulidae for details about craneflies. This family is not known to differ from them in any ways important to anglers except appearance.
This family has evolved a really unusual feature for an insect: its legs also serve the function of wings. The tibiae are greatly enlarged and help catch the wind. The legs usually have white tips, making them very easily identifiable in flight. There is a ghostly look to a dark, sparse insect flying around the stream, usually alone, with the fixed bright white points of its leg tips surrounding it like a halo.
This family has evolved a really unusual feature for an insect: its legs also serve the function of wings. The tibiae are greatly enlarged and help catch the wind. The legs usually have white tips, making them very easily identifiable in flight. There is a ghostly look to a dark, sparse insect flying around the stream, usually alone, with the fixed bright white points of its leg tips surrounding it like a halo.
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