This is the first of it's family I've seen, collected from a tiny, fishless stream in the Cascades. The three species of this genus all live in the Northwest and are predators that primarily eat stonefly nymphs Merritt R.W., Cummins, K.W., and Berg, M.B. (2019).
Your mayfly is an unusually dark male Stenacron spinner (Heptageniidae). The primary tip-off to its identity is the dark mark connecting cross veins in the forward portion of the forewing. This is one of the many genera/species sometimes called Light Cahills by fly fishers. The female spinners are sometimes called Salmon Spinners because of the bright pinkish-orange color of their abdomens (caused by underlying egg masses).
Vinlflyfish on Jun 5, 2010June 5th, 2010, 2:04 pm EDT
i need to get better with identifying flies all i do is look at the natural flies and create on like it do u no any sites with a guide to the flies
im only 14 so i dont worrie about that i started tieing flies 3 years ago and started fly fishing 2 years ago i woud use a bobber with my flies
on a altra lite rod
Oldredbarn on Jun 5, 2010June 5th, 2010, 2:33 pm EDT
[do u no any sites with a guide to the flies]
Your on it big fella...Just go and check out the insect section and Jason's wonderful photos of bugs...If only we had photo's like these when we started years ago...They blow the color plate section of Justin Leonards "Mayflies of Michigan Trout Streams" to shreads, but they were wonderful pre the new technology.
Spence
Once you check them out and have some serious questions just ask Gonzo or Taxon and they will explain it all to you...
"Even when my best efforts fail it's a satisfying challenge, and that, after all, is the essence of fly fishing." -Chauncy Lively
"Envy not the man who lives beside the river, but the man the river flows through." Joseph T Heywood
Hey Vinnie, I think I've seen your flies on Hacklehead.com. Keep up the good work, pal!
This site is great for those wanting to learn more about the flies that trout eat, although I'll admit that the "stuff" does pile up pretty deep at times--usually my fault. Roger (Taxon) has a great "intro" section on his website that might help (click on the "The Basics" when the homepage comes up): http://www.flyfishingentomology.com/
And here are two hatch guides for PA that might (or might not) also help: http://www.skyblueoutfitters.com/Fly_tying.html http://www.djlflyfishers.org/hatches.htm