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.

CDC Ant

Coha

Cazin, Bosnia

Posts: 2

Coha on Mar 4, 2021March 4th, 2021, 7:28 am EST

A lovely little pattern, that is tied with only one CDC puff and a few turns of hackle. CDC Ant

Wbranch

York & Starlight PA

Posts: 2635

Wbranch on Mar 5, 2021March 5th, 2021, 12:09 am EST

Looks like an easy and effective ant to tie.

Catskill fly fisher for fifty-five years.

Martinlf

Moderator
Palmyra PA

Posts: 3047

Martinlf on Mar 5, 2021March 5th, 2021, 12:44 am EST

Yes, I liked the look. I'm actually partial to Gary Borger's in the film ant for the tiny ones. See what he says in Designing Trout Flies about how they need to sit in the film. He's a biologist, and his analysis makes sense.

"He spread them a yard and a half. 'And every one that got away is this big.'"

--Fred Chappell

Wbranch

York & Starlight PA

Posts: 2635

Wbranch on Mar 5, 2021March 5th, 2021, 11:18 am EST

I have that book. There is one paragraph that kind of made he was high when he wrote it. He talks about how the sun shone a certain way on a rock in a pool out West and he felt he needed to tie a fly that embodied some of those colors. That is probably out of context but you can get my drift. I thought it was over the top. I do like his color charts and I put a lot of faith into them.

Catskill fly fisher for fifty-five years.

Martinlf

Moderator
Palmyra PA

Posts: 3047

Martinlf on Mar 5, 2021March 5th, 2021, 2:20 pm EST

Could have been, Matt. I actually met Borger at a fly fishing show in Seven Springs many years ago. He signed my copy of the book then. I've had good luck with those parachute ants on tough fish. The CDC ant has some of the same elements, putting the body on top of the hook. Clipping the hackle a bit more would put the whole thing flush in the film. If I remember I'll tie a few of these when I get to ants for Montana.

"He spread them a yard and a half. 'And every one that got away is this big.'"

--Fred Chappell