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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.

Case view of a Pycnopsyche guttifera (Limnephilidae) (Great Autumn Brown Sedge) Caddisfly Larva from the Yakima River in Washington
It's only barely visible in one of my pictures, but I confirmed under the microscope that this one has a prosternal horn and the antennae are mid-way between the eyes and front of the head capsule.

I'm calling this one Pycnopsyche, but it's a bit perplexing. It seems to key definitively to at least Couplet 8 of the Key to Genera of Limnephilidae Larvae. That narrows it down to three genera, and the case seems wrong for the other two. The case looks right for Pycnopsyche, and it fits one of the key characteristics: "Abdominal sternum II without chloride epithelium and abdominal segment IX with only single seta on each side of dorsal sclerite." However, the characteristic "metanotal sa1 sclerites not fused, although often contiguous" does not seem to fit well. Those sclerites sure look fused to me, although I can make out a thin groove in the touching halves in the anterior half under the microscope. Perhaps this is a regional variation.

The only species of Pycnopsyche documented in Washington state is Pycnopsyche guttifera, and the colors and markings around the head of this specimen seem to match very well a specimen of that species from Massachusetts on Bugguide. So I am placing it in that species for now.

Whatever species this is, I photographed another specimen of seemingly the same species from the same spot a couple months later.
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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Report at a Glance

General RegionEastern USA
Specific LocationVirginia
Dates FishedSept 16, 2007
Time of Day1300 - 1700
Fish CaughtChubbs
Conditions & HatchesSunny, warm, no hatches

Details and Discussion

Switchfishe
Woodbridge, VA

Posts: 3
Switchfishe on Nov 6, 2007November 6th, 2007, 8:51 am EST
Just got around to getting the trip report on Smith Creek up on my blog. Visited the upper area and the special reg area in late September based on the recommendations in Flyfisher's Guide to Virginia.

While it was a pretty area as you can see from the picture, the fishing was terrible. This is stocked, but was stocked way back in April - pretty much nobody home at this point in the year.

There is good walk to get here down a steep hill. I advise against this spot unless you know it has been refreshed.
Steve
Blog: http://www.switchfisher.com
Switchfishe
Woodbridge, VA

Posts: 3
Switchfishe on Nov 6, 2007November 6th, 2007, 8:52 am EST
Sorry - the picture did not post. I'll figure out what I did wrong on the next post
Steve
Blog: http://www.switchfisher.com

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