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.
Conradjs on Oct 7, 2010October 7th, 2010, 5:34 am EDT
The other evening while fishing the Savage River in Western MD, I noticed some flying insects that I had never seen before. The were very fast fliers and, despite my best efforts, I could not collect any in my cap for closer observation. They flew approx. 6 inches above the water in groups of 6 to 8 and they flew in what appeared to be a figure-8 type pattern and, like I said, they were very quick. From what I could tell, they were about the size of a large mosquito or crane fly. Anyone have an idea of what this insect might be?
Taxon on Oct 7, 2010October 7th, 2010, 9:27 am EDT
Scott,
If they were dark in color and had longish antennae, my guess would be Black Dancer Caddisflies (Mystacides). Another possibility would be some type of aquatic beetle adults. Those would be the most likely candidates that I have personally seen behaving thusly.