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Lateral view of a Male Baetis (Baetidae) (Blue-Winged Olive) Mayfly Dun from Mystery Creek #43 in New York
Blue-winged Olives
Baetis

Tiny Baetis mayflies are perhaps the most commonly encountered and imitated by anglers on all American trout streams due to their great abundance, widespread distribution, and trout-friendly emergence habits.

Dorsal view of a Ephemerella mucronata (Ephemerellidae) Mayfly Nymph from the Yakima River in Washington
This is an interesting one. Following the keys in Merritt R.W., Cummins, K.W., and Berg, M.B. (2019) and Jacobus et al. (2014), it keys clearly to Ephemerella. Jacobus et al provide a key to species, but some of the characteristics are tricky to interpret without illustrations. If I didn't make any mistakes, this one keys to Ephemerella mucronata, which has not previously been reported any closer to here than Montana and Alberta. The main character seems to fit well: "Abdominal terga with prominent, paired, subparallel, spiculate ridges." Several illustrations or descriptions of this holarctic species from the US and Europe seem to match, including the body length, tarsal claws and denticles, labial palp, and gill shapes. These sources include including Richard Allen's original description of this species in North America under the now-defunct name E. moffatae in Allen RK (1977) and the figures in this description of the species in Italy.
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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Jjlyon01
SUNY Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse

Posts: 71
Jjlyon01 on Apr 6, 2008April 6th, 2008, 5:37 pm EDT
I recently accepted an intern position at the Attwater National Prairie Chicken Preserve. I have been researching the fishing opportunities down there and it looks pretty bleak for the trout fishing. Anyone have any input on what to fish for down there and maybe some useful patterns. I am normally a trout snob and usually will not fish for bass, but since my career takes me to the hot backwards land of Texas I must find another source for my art to continue. I am also thinking about maybe trying to fish for some saltwater species since I will be on the coast and maybe a toothy gar or two may be worth stalking.
"I now walk into the wild"

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