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.

This little pool in update New York is enjoyed by many tourists every day, and it still holds a few trout -- stockers mostly, but you can't complain about the setting!

From Mystery Creek # 62 in New York

Stream photos

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Psychodidae True Fly Larva Psychodidae True Fly Larva

Lateral view of a Psychodidae True Fly Larva from Mystery Creek #308 in Washington

This wild-looking little thing completely puzzled me. At first I was thinking beetle or month larva, until I got a look at the pictures on the computer screen. I made a couple of incorrect guesses before entomologist Greg Courtney pointed me in the right direction with Psychodidae. He suggested a possible genus of Thornburghiella, but could not rule out some other members of the tribe Pericomini.

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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.

Troutnut is a project started in 2003 by salmonid ecologist Jason "Troutnut" Neuswanger to help anglers and fly tyers unabashedly embrace the entomological side of the sport. Learn more about Troutnut or support the project for an enhanced experience here.

Trout fishing, Cheat River, WV - fly selection?

Paul123
Paul Balserak

Posts: 2

Paul123 on Jul 3, 2009July 3rd, 2009, 12:40 pm EDT

In a week I'll be on the Cheat River trying to catch some trout. I'm relatively new to fly fishing, how do I know what the best flies to try are?

Paul Balserak

CaseyP

Arlington, VA/ Mercersburg, PA

Posts: 653

CaseyP on Jul 4, 2009July 4th, 2009, 6:57 am EDT

Paul, welcome to the board.

this time of year ants, beetles, and grasshoppers are popular menu items for trout. ants are hard to see, so i tie one on behind a grasshopper. after a while the ant gets wet and sinks and sometimes that makes it better. the tiny flies called tricos are worth a try; they hatch early in the morning on a lot of rivers in July and August.

as far as other hatches, you could do worse than call or visit the nearest fly shop. that old-fashioned advice is getting harder to follow since so many shops have closed, but sometimes you'll find a "web presence" that will compensate.

"You can observe a lot by watching." Yogi Berra

Martinlf

Moderator
Palmyra PA

Posts: 3047

Martinlf on Jul 4, 2009July 4th, 2009, 6:58 am EDT

Paul, find some fly shops near the Cheat, and spend some time talking with the guys there. They'll know what's best for this time of year, and can not only provide you with good flies, they may be able to suggest some good spots to fish. Good luck.

"He spread them a yard and a half. 'And every one that got away is this big.'"

--Fred Chappell

Paul123
Paul Balserak

Posts: 2

Paul123 on Jul 18, 2009July 18th, 2009, 9:02 am EDT

Thanks for the replies to my question! Just got back. I had some good time fishing ... not as much as I'd have liked. Caught a few of what looked like Perch on a micro mayfly. Perhaps best was my 7 yr old caught a fish! He was dancing on the water he was so happy.

Paul

Paul Balserak

DocWet
Erie, PA

Posts: 15

DocWet on Jul 21, 2009July 21st, 2009, 2:26 am EDT

I thought the Cheat River was polluted by mine acid drainage.

My favorite trout stream picture; below, shows what a first class trout river looks like. The lack of stream gradient means that this river is not subject to the roaring scouring floods so common here in PA. that wipe out everything in the river.

DocWet
Erie, PA

Posts: 15

DocWet on Aug 6, 2009August 6th, 2009, 5:13 am EDT

Those are small yellow perch all right. I have talked to others who have caught the same fish. Apparently, there are lots of them.