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.

Lateral view of a Psychodidae True Fly Larva from Mystery Creek #308 in Washington
This wild-looking little thing completely puzzled me. At first I was thinking beetle or month larva, until I got a look at the pictures on the computer screen. I made a couple of incorrect guesses before entomologist Greg Courtney pointed me in the right direction with Psychodidae. He suggested a possible genus of Thornburghiella, but could not rule out some other members of the tribe Pericomini.
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 March 19, 2004

Updates from March 19, 2004

Photos by Troutnut

Several whitetail deer cross the river in front of me in the middle of winter.

Underwater photos by Troutnut

Three big Ephemerella subvaria mayfly nymphs share a rock with some cased caddis larvae.
There's a large Ephemerella subvaria nymph in the top left.
Some large Ephemerella mayfly nymphs cling to a log.  In the background, hundreds of Simuliidae black fly larvae swing in large clusters in the current.
There's a stonefly nymph in the bottom right corner of this picture, but what's really interesting is those white blotches. They're pretty common in my Wisconsin home river river, stuck flat onto the rocks--lots of rocks have a speckled look as a result. They are microcaddis cases, made by larvae of the caddisfly family Hydroptilidae. These are made by larvae of the subfamily Leucotrichiinae, most likely the genus Leucotrichia. They spin little flat oval cases of silk tight and immobile against the rocks.
The mayfly and stonefly nymphs in this picture blend in extremely well.
The strange tubes all over this rock house tiny midge larvae.
A couple Sulphur (Ephemerella invaria) nymphs cling to a log.
A large Ephemerella subvaria nymphs clings to a log along with a couple smaller mayfly nymphs.
A large crayfish lurks under a log which is home to several mayfly nymphs and caddisfly larvae.
An Ephemerella subvaria nymph clings to a white rock in the foreground, and there are other nymphs in the background.
The top of this stump is covered with mayfly and caddisfly life.
This picture shows some of the intricate homes woven by net-spinning caddis larvae.

Quick Reply

Related Discussions

Topic
Replies
Last Reply
9
Jun 28, 2007
by Troutnut
Re: Tup's Indispensible Featured Topic
In Fly Tying by Softhackle
34
Oct 1, 2011
by WestCO
12
Jul 31, 2016
by Jmd123
Troutnut.com is copyright © 2004-2024 (email Jason). privacy policy