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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Nymphs of this species were fairly common in late-winter kick net samples from the upper Yakima River. Although I could not find a key to species of Zapada nymphs, a revision of the Nemouridae family by Baumann (1975) includes the following helpful sentence: "2 cervical gills on each side of midline, 1 arising inside and 1 outside of lateral cervical sclerites, usually single and elongate, sometimes constricted but with 3 or 4 branches arising beyond gill base in Zapada cinctipes." This specimen clearly has the branches and is within the range of that species.
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Martinlf on Apr 4, 2009April 4th, 2009, 11:09 am EDT
Jason, thanks. I did look on the site, but somehow overlooked these photos. This is helpful. I also did a general Google image search and got all sorts of colors, but most of the lighter BQ nymphs looked immature, with light wing pads. You and others responding are getting me closer to an answer about my emerger question.
"He spread them a yard and a half. 'And every one that got away is this big.'"
--Fred Chappell
--Fred Chappell