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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 Female Sweltsa borealis (Chloroperlidae) (Boreal Sallfly) Stonefly Adult from Harris Creek in Washington
I was not fishing, but happened to be at an unrelated social event on a hill above this tiny creek (which I never even saw) when this stonefly flew by me. I assume it came from there. Some key characteristics are tricky to follow, but process of elimination ultimately led me to Sweltsa borealis. It is reassuringly similar to this specimen posted by Bob Newell years ago. It is also so strikingly similar to this nymph from the same river system that I'm comfortable identifying that nymph from this adult. I was especially pleased with the closeup photo of four mites parasitizing this one.
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.
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Rhithrogena virilis Mayfly Nymph Pictures

A photo showing the minor details on the nymph of this rarely collected mayfly

This mayfly was collected from the Big Thompson River in Montana on November 30th, 1999 and added to Troutnut.com by Bnewell on June 26th, 2011.


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Rhithrogena virilis Mayfly Nymph Pictures

Collection details
Location: Big Thompson River, Montana
Date: November 30th, 1999
Added to site: June 26th, 2011
Author: Bnewell
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