Lateral view of a Male Baetis (Baetidae) (Blue-Winged Olive) Mayfly Dun from Mystery Creek #43 in New York

Blue-winged Olives
Baetis

Tiny Baetis mayflies are perhaps the most commonly encountered and imitated by anglers on all American trout streams due to their great abundance, widespread distribution, and trout-friendly emergence habits.

Stream photos

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Limnephilus (Summer Flier Sedge) Caddisfly Larva Limnephilus (Summer Flier Sedge) Caddisfly Larva

Case view of a Limnephilus (Limnephilidae) (Summer Flier Sedge) Caddisfly Larva from the Yakima River in Washington

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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.

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Small BWO

Lastchance
Portage, PA

Posts: 437

Lastchance on Aug 30, 2010August 30th, 2010, 11:41 am EDT

Are these tiny BWOs that are coming off now and through the Fall a size 24? Also, can someone direct me to some photos of them? I saw one Saturday, which I thought was a Blue Quill Spinner, but now I think it was a BWO spinner. It had a dark thorax, a clear translucent body and another dark segment at the end.
Thanks,
Bruce

GONZO
Site Editor
"Bear Swamp," PA

Posts: 1681

GONZO on Aug 30, 2010August 30th, 2010, 12:48 pm EDT

Bruce,

The spinner you saw was probably a male. A #24 seems a little too small for most Blue Quills (Paraleptophlebia), though many of the males have the "Jenny Spinner" coloration that you describe. (Blue Quill spinners have three tails.) That coloration is also common to many male baetids (two-tailed BWOs, if you will). The females will usually have a (mostly) solid color body that will range from olive to brown to light orange. Here are some photos of a few baetids that show the "Jenny Spinner" coloration in the males:

http://bugguide.net/node/view/249088/bgimage
http://bugguide.net/node/view/249089/bgimage
http://bugguide.net/node/view/249110/bgimage

For contrast, here is the female of the first species:

http://bugguide.net/node/view/249090/bgimage

I hope that helps, at least a little.

Lastchance
Portage, PA

Posts: 437

Lastchance on Aug 30, 2010August 30th, 2010, 3:30 pm EDT

Hi Gonzo: That's exactly what I saw on Saturday. So the the onlyu difference between those BWOs and Blue Quill spinners is basically the number of tails? Like many others in my beginning years of bug watching I always mistook Blue Quills for Tricos.
Thanks,
Bruce