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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This one seems to tentatively key to Holocentropus, although I can't make out the anal spines in Couplet 7 of the Key to Genera of Polycentropodidae Larvae nor the dark bands in Couplet 4 of the Key to Genera of Polycentropodidae Larvae, making me wonder if I went wrong somewhere in keying it out. I don't see where that could have happened, though. It might also be that it's a very immature larva and doesn't possess all the identifying characteristics in the key yet. If Holocentropus is correct, then Holocentropus flavus and Holocentropus interruptus are the two likely possibilities based on range, but I was not able to find a description of their larvae.
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Report at a Glance
| General Region | Central PA |
| Specific Location | One of PA's many spring creeks |
| Dates Fished | December 27 |
| Time of Day | afternoon |
| Fish Caught | a bow and a brown |
| Conditions & Hatches | Some snow still on the ground, and the water was a bit high and cloudy; there were a few midges coming off, but little if any surface activity. |
Details and Discussion
Martinlf on Dec 29, 2008December 29th, 2008, 5:55 am EST
I had promised Jason I'd make amends for my bass report from last autumn, but it took a while.
My brother-in-law and I had scrapped a trip to Erie due to high waters there, and he proposed we do a little trout fishing. I was anxious to give the hairy honeybug some employment, so it was easy to agree. Fishing was slow, but the bug found a 17" rainbow and a 9-10 inch wild brown, so all in all a good day for my first trout outing in months.
My brother-in-law and I had scrapped a trip to Erie due to high waters there, and he proposed we do a little trout fishing. I was anxious to give the hairy honeybug some employment, so it was easy to agree. Fishing was slow, but the bug found a 17" rainbow and a 9-10 inch wild brown, so all in all a good day for my first trout outing in months.
"He spread them a yard and a half. 'And every one that got away is this big.'"
--Fred Chappell
--Fred Chappell