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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.

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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Lateral view of a Female Baetis (Baetidae) (Blue-Winged Olive) Mayfly Dun from Mongaup Creek in New York
This little early-season dun molted into this spinner after I photographed her.
CaseyP
CaseyP's profile picture
Arlington, VA/ Mercersburg, PA

Posts: 653
CaseyP on Oct 16, 2009October 16th, 2009, 7:28 am EDT
read no further if stories of personal revelation are not your thing...

at last i have actually seen these little wonders hatching on a not-very-nice day (overcast and 46 degrees) on a very nice creek. gee, they are neat! the cold kept them on the water for quite a while and they did indeed look just like little sailboats. the small eddies and riffles seemed not to bother them at all, and made the whole assembly look like a tiny square dance. now i understand what all the fuss is about.

the best/worst part was letting my store-bought fly drift among them. it was the right size, but the wing was too short and the hackle should have been dun, not grizzley. stream-side tying was out of the question 'cause my fingers were numb. i did get one fish, but he might have been after the real one next the imitation...

so, back to the bench and those awful tiny hooks. lots of baseball to tie to these days...;-)
"You can observe a lot by watching." Yogi Berra
Martinlf
Martinlf's profile picture
Moderator
Palmyra PA

Posts: 3047
Martinlf on Oct 16, 2009October 16th, 2009, 8:36 am EDT
Casey, the olive emerger I sent in the fly swap often works when these little guys are out, especially in the spring when the bugs are a bit bigger. The barbless gamakatsu hooks I use for the spring emerger may not go down small enough for some of the fall varieties, but a small scud hook will work. Also, a Tiemco 921 hook in the smaller sizes is good sometimes for comparaduns and other dun patterns for these bugs. I also use it when I tie Gonzo's shucking emerger, but don't tell him! It is a 2X short hook, and it has a very wide gap for effective hooking. It's also a bit heavy, and helps the fly sit low in the film. Have fun; olives are just the best!
"He spread them a yard and a half. 'And every one that got away is this big.'"

--Fred Chappell
CaseyP
CaseyP's profile picture
Arlington, VA/ Mercersburg, PA

Posts: 653
CaseyP on Oct 17, 2009October 17th, 2009, 11:09 am EDT
thanks, Louis! when i went to look at the bug pictures, there was a recipe from you, and i can add the hook info to that. a heavier hook seems to be a good idea in these teeny sizes since the heft of the material grows as the hook size shrinks, it seems to me. the heavier hook would make it float right. the gamakatsu hooks are pretty fine--though they make a wonderful little klinkhamer.

thanks for the help!
"You can observe a lot by watching." Yogi Berra
RedQuill27
Wisconsin

Posts: 13
RedQuill27 on Nov 15, 2009November 15th, 2009, 2:30 am EST
Olives are the best and most plentiful hatch that I have ever fished. I almost always have the best luck with a Quill Bodied parachute. The trick with this hatch is just like the trico hatch, don't flock shoot. You have to pick a fish a find out the pattern in which he is rising.

Tight Lines!
Fishing is like sex, when its good its great, and when its bad its still pretty good.

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