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.

Stream photos

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Onocosmoecus (Great Late-Summer Sedge) Caddisfly Larva Onocosmoecus (Great Late-Summer Sedge) Caddisfly Larva

Lateral view of a Onocosmoecus (Limnephilidae) (Great Late-Summer Sedge) Caddisfly Larva from the Yakima River in Washington

This specimen keys pretty easily to Onocosmoecus, and it closely resembles a specimen from Alaska which caddis expert Dave Ruiter recognized as this genus. As with that specimen, the only species in the genus documented in this area is Onocosmoecus unicolor, but Dave suggested for that specimen that there might be multiple not-yet-distinguished species under the unicolor umbrella and it would be best to stick with the genus-level ID. I'm doing the same for this one.

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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 August 16, 2018

Photos by Troutnut from the Madison River, Rock Creek, and the Jefferson River in Montana

The famous Madison River

From the Madison River in Montana

This little brown saved me from officially skunking on my first trip to the Madison, which saw several larger fish swipe at streamers or big dry flies but no hookups in the midday sun.

This cow moose watched me from a slough upstream while I fished a good pool on Rock Creek.

From Rock Creek in Montana

Closeup insects by Troutnut from Rock Creek in Montana

Male Cinygmula (Dark Red Quill) Mayfly Spinner

7 Pictures

Lateral view of a Male Cinygmula (Heptageniidae) (Dark Red Quill) Mayfly Spinner from Rock Creek in Montana

This male was collected from the same cloud of spinners as this female and is probably the same species. I'm tentatively calling them both Cinygmula for now, but I'm really not sure about that ID yet.

Collected August 16, 2018 from Rock Creek in Montana

Added by Troutnut on June 12, 2019

Collected August 16, 2018 from Rock Creek in Montana and added by Troutnut on June 12, 2019

Female Cinygmula (Dark Red Quill) Mayfly Spinner

7 Pictures