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.
I was in the area of the Icicle River on June 3, so I toured the scenery and admired the power of the river ripping down through the mountains as snowmelt peaks in the high country. I wanted to try some new photography gadgets, so I collected a few nymphs from the river and a tiny, probably fishless tributary called Chatter Creek. It took a long time just to find somewhere I could safely step onto gravel in the river to sample, and the creek that is probably ankle-deep most times was waist deep.