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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Epeorus albertae (Pink Lady) Mayfly Nymph Epeorus albertae (Pink Lady) Mayfly Nymph

Dorsal view of a Epeorus albertae (Heptageniidae) (Pink Lady) Mayfly Nymph from the East Fork Issaquah Creek in Washington

This specimen keys to the Epeorus albertae group of species. Of the five species in that group, the two known in Washington state are Epeorus albertae and Epeorus dulciana. Of the two, albertae has been collected in vastly more locations in Washington than dulciana, suggesting it is far more common. On that basis alone I'm tentatively putting this nymph in albertae, with the large caveat that there's no real information to rule out dulciana.

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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.

Spectacular drive through Death Valley

By Troutnut on July 19th, 2021

On the way home from fishing the Golden Trout Wilderness, rather than going back the way we came (to Reno), we drove east to fly out of Las Vegas, providing an opportunity to see some new, really interesting country in Death Valley and the Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge.

Death Valley was geologically spectacular and ecologically fascinating, and Ash Meadows held Devil's Hole, a place famous in fish biology as the home of an entire species that evolved and remains in a single small (but very deep) hole in the ground, the Devil's Hope Pupfish. Because people are people (unfortunately), Devil's Hole can only be viewed from a cage, at a distance too far back to see any of the rare fish. It was still interesting to see. We got to see live pupfish, relatively close relatives of those in Devil's Hope, up close at a nearby springfed oasis, which held Ash Meadows Amargosa Pupfish.

This trip also gave me time to do everything I've ever wanted to do in Vegas itself, specifically 1) returning the rental car, and 2) flying home. That's the whole list.