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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.

Lateral view of a Male Callibaetis ferrugineus (Baetidae) (Speckled Dun) Mayfly Spinner from Mystery Creek #304 in Idaho
This is one of four specimens I photographed together from the same hatch, also including a nymph, a male dun, and a female dun. According to the key in Check (1982), the clear wing venation on the associated dun shows that it is either Callibaetis ferrugineous or Callibaetis pallidus, and the characteristics to tell the difference between those two are maddening for both the nymph and adult. If the partial shading in the wing is "medium to dark brown," and the dots on the body are "fuscous to dark brown," then it's ferrugineous. If the wing shading is "chestnut brown" and dots on the body are "yellowish to chestnut brown," then it's pallidus. However, several spare specimens I collected alongside the one in the photo have no markings on the wing at all, which would seemingly indicate ferrugineous according to the key. It's enough for a contingent ID, but I still wouldn't rule out pallidus.
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 15, 2006

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.

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