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.
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As far as I can tell, this species has only previously been reported from one site in Oregon along the Columbia gorge. However, the key characteristics are fairly unmistakable in all except for one minor detail:
— 4 small yellow spots on frons visible in photos
— Narrow occipital spinule row curves forward (but doesn’t quite meet on stem of ecdysial suture, as it's supposed to in this species)
— Short spinules on anterior margin of front legs
— Short rposterior row of blunt spinules on abdominal tergae, rather than elongated spinules dorsally
I caught several of these mature nymphs in the fishless, tiny headwaters of a creek high in the Wenatchee Mountains.
— 4 small yellow spots on frons visible in photos
— Narrow occipital spinule row curves forward (but doesn’t quite meet on stem of ecdysial suture, as it's supposed to in this species)
— Short spinules on anterior margin of front legs
— Short rposterior row of blunt spinules on abdominal tergae, rather than elongated spinules dorsally
I caught several of these mature nymphs in the fishless, tiny headwaters of a creek high in the Wenatchee Mountains.
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Fishes
This common name refers to only one class. Click its scientific name to learn more.
Vertebrate Class Actinopterygii
These are pretty much always called Fishes.
Baitfish are a very important part of the diet of large trout, in both streams and rivers. Some streamer fishermen believe matching a particular species of baitfish may give an edge, just as hatch-matching helps fool insectivorous fish.
The specific properties of baitfish vary so widely that, given the relative unimportance of their differences, I have not yet put aside the time to write about them.
On this site, I the whole fishes section is deliberately incomplete. It's focused on possible prey for trout, and other taxa are left off the lists. I haven't put as much time into this fish section as I have into the insects, but I will start adding some good closeups of more baitfish species soon.
The specific properties of baitfish vary so widely that, given the relative unimportance of their differences, I have not yet put aside the time to write about them.
On this site, I the whole fishes section is deliberately incomplete. It's focused on possible prey for trout, and other taxa are left off the lists. I haven't put as much time into this fish section as I have into the insects, but I will start adding some good closeups of more baitfish species soon.
This seems to be a mottled sculpin, Cottus bairdi. Normally this species is more mottled.
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