Header image
Enter a name
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.

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.

Common Names of Trout Stream Insects

Common Names of Trout Stream Insects

Common names are more confusing than Latin names, because there are usually many names for each bug and many bugs for each name. People like them anyway. Most of these names are better for talking about body colors (like Sulphur) or fly patterns (like Adams) than for discussing actual insect species. A common name might tell you roughly what an insect looks like. A few of them can tell you what species you're dealing with, especially if you're familiar with your area's hatches and what people call them. However, many common names aren't even common—they were just made up by authors trying to name a species for readers they imagine are deathly allergic to Latin, as if "pale white-winged watery dun" is really any more common in streamside conversations than Anafroptilum.

Troutnut.com is copyright © 2004-2024 (email Jason). privacy policy