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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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Grannom
Northwest PA

Posts: 87
Grannom on Mar 16, 2008March 16th, 2008, 12:07 pm EDT
I read in FlyFisherman about the possible removal of several dams on the Klamath, appearatly to improve anadromous fish migration. What's the news? Good? Bad?

Mike
"Be calm - you're there..." "...Tell yourself there's no rush, even if there is."

-John Gierach
Dano
Vanderbilt, Michigan

Posts: 101
Dano on Mar 18, 2008March 18th, 2008, 1:58 am EDT
Mike,

Sorry for the late reply; I just moved back to Michigan...

Any who, at the time I left all who were involved with this particular irrigation/water rights issue are in favor of and are recommending the removal of the four dams on the Klamath River. Naturally, Pacific Power is resistant to the recommendations. However, they do indicate that it would cost more to install fish ladders than dam removal. Next month it will all come to a head.

Even so, it will not happen overnight; property owners along the river do have very valid concerns in regard to the flooding that will occur as the dams are removed; if that ever does happen.

Probably the best place to go for current news would be Herald and News.com; the Klamath Falls newspaper. It is a fairly complex issue as their are a number of groups involved. FWIW.

Dano


Eventually, all things merge into one...and a river runs through it.

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