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.

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Female Sweltsa borealis (Boreal Sallfly) Stonefly Adult Female Sweltsa borealis (Boreal Sallfly) Stonefly Adult

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.

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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.

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Olives

Martinlf

Moderator
Palmyra PA

Posts: 3047

Martinlf on Mar 14, 2021March 14th, 2021, 9:17 am EDT

We're seeing blue wing olives on local spring creeks, but on at least one the hatch has been sporadic so far. The first day I saw them there the weather was colder, in the 40's, and cloudy. Fishing was pretty good that day, despite a somewhat sparse and brief hatch. Then the weather brightened and got warmer, climbing into the 50's, 60, and finally 70's. Fishing was poor for everyone I talked with on those days, and folks said that like me, they didn't see many olives. It didn't help (in terms of the fishing) that it also got breezy. Some writers claim olives hatch equally on warm bright days and on cooler dreary days, or that even more hatch on sunny days everything else being equal. These folks say they just get off the water faster on bright warm days, so the fishing isn't as good, but my experience is that more olives (the early baetids anyway) actually hatch in cooler, darker, and especially drizzly or rainy weather. Can anyone shed some light on this topic?

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

--Fred Chappell

Wiflyfisher

Wisconsin

Posts: 622

Wiflyfisher on Mar 14, 2021March 14th, 2021, 9:37 am EDT

Louis, I am with you on this subject. The best BWO hatches I have experienced have been in the Fall on the Madison River. The weather is always cold and crappy when the olives start to really pop.

John S.
https://WiFlyFisher.com