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.

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Skwala (Large Springfly) Stonefly Nymph Skwala (Large Springfly) Stonefly Nymph

Dorsal view of a Skwala (Perlodidae) (Large Springfly) Stonefly Nymph from the Yakima River in Washington

This Skwala nymph still has a couple months left to go before hatching, but it's still a good representative of its species, which was extremely abundant in my sample for a stonefly of this size. It's obvious why the Yakima is known for its Skwala hatch.

6 Recently Added Photos

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.

Site updates from September 4, 2020

Photos by Troutnut from Silver Creek and Trail Creek in Idaho

On-stream insect photos by Troutnut from Silver Creek in Idaho

Female Baetid spinners were abundant subsurface looking for substrates to lay their eggs, and they found my waders. I'll update the ID for this picture after identifying the associated male spinner. I caught several fish on a small brown soft-hackle fished as a crude imitation of these spinners before the fish all started taking Tricorythodes spinners instead.

From Silver Creek in Idaho

Closeup insects by Troutnut from Silver Creek in Idaho

Female Callibaetis ferrugineus (Speckled Dun) Mayfly Spinner

9 Pictures

Artistic view of a Female Callibaetis ferrugineus (Baetidae) (Speckled Dun) Mayfly Spinner from Silver Creek in Idaho

Collected September 3, 2020 from Silver Creek in Idaho

Added by Troutnut on September 18, 2020

Collected September 3, 2020 from Silver Creek in Idaho and added by Troutnut on September 18, 2020

Male Baetis tricaudatus (Blue-Winged Olive) Mayfly Spinner

12 Pictures

Male Baetis tricaudatus (Baetidae) (Blue-Winged Olive) Mayfly Spinner from Silver Creek in Idaho

Some notes from identifying this specimen under the microscope:

1. The hind wing has three longitudinal veins, but the third is faint, short (about half the length of the wing), and close to the wing margin.
2. Then antenna is brown fading into white at the tip, and the base is ringed with white.
3. The joints of the tarsal segments on the middle and hind leg have fine black markings.

It was also collected in association with a female spinner.

Collected September 3, 2020 from Silver Creek in Idaho

Added by Troutnut on September 18, 2020

Collected September 3, 2020 from Silver Creek in Idaho and added by Troutnut on September 18, 2020

Female Baetis tricaudatus (Blue-Winged Olive) Mayfly Spinner

5 Pictures

Lateral view of a Female Baetis tricaudatus (Baetidae) (Blue-Winged Olive) Mayfly Spinner from Silver Creek in Idaho

This female spinner was deceased when photographed, so the posture is unnatural, but it was a substantial hatch and clearly worth imitating (with wet flies to imitate the sunken ovipositing females) so I went ahead with the photos.

It was collected in association with a male spinner.

Collected September 3, 2020 from Silver Creek in Idaho

Added by Troutnut on September 18, 2020

Collected September 3, 2020 from Silver Creek in Idaho and added by Troutnut on September 18, 2020