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.
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It's only barely visible in one of my pictures, but I confirmed under the microscope that this one has a prosternal horn and the antennae are mid-way between the eyes and front of the head capsule.
I'm calling this one Pycnopsyche, but it's a bit perplexing. It seems to key definitively to at least Couplet 8 of the Key to Genera of Limnephilidae Larvae. That narrows it down to three genera, and the case seems wrong for the other two. The case looks right for Pycnopsyche, and it fits one of the key characteristics: "Abdominal sternum II without chloride epithelium and abdominal segment IX with only single seta on each side of dorsal sclerite." However, the characteristic "metanotal sa1 sclerites not fused, although often contiguous" does not seem to fit well. Those sclerites sure look fused to me, although I can make out a thin groove in the touching halves in the anterior half under the microscope. Perhaps this is a regional variation.
The only species of Pycnopsyche documented in Washington state is Pycnopsyche guttifera, and the colors and markings around the head of this specimen seem to match very well a specimen of that species from Massachusetts on Bugguide. So I am placing it in that species for now.
Whatever species this is, I photographed another specimen of seemingly the same species from the same spot a couple months later.
I'm calling this one Pycnopsyche, but it's a bit perplexing. It seems to key definitively to at least Couplet 8 of the Key to Genera of Limnephilidae Larvae. That narrows it down to three genera, and the case seems wrong for the other two. The case looks right for Pycnopsyche, and it fits one of the key characteristics: "Abdominal sternum II without chloride epithelium and abdominal segment IX with only single seta on each side of dorsal sclerite." However, the characteristic "metanotal sa1 sclerites not fused, although often contiguous" does not seem to fit well. Those sclerites sure look fused to me, although I can make out a thin groove in the touching halves in the anterior half under the microscope. Perhaps this is a regional variation.
The only species of Pycnopsyche documented in Washington state is Pycnopsyche guttifera, and the colors and markings around the head of this specimen seem to match very well a specimen of that species from Massachusetts on Bugguide. So I am placing it in that species for now.
Whatever species this is, I photographed another specimen of seemingly the same species from the same spot a couple months later.
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Benjlan on Jan 11, 2011January 11th, 2011, 2:36 pm EST
I think I figured it out.
Benjlan on Jan 11, 2011January 11th, 2011, 2:36 pm EST
I think I figured it out.
Benjlan on Jan 11, 2011January 11th, 2011, 2:43 pm EST
The pic does not do this fish justice as he/she was very colorful. I think maybe the flash reflected. Just got a digital camera from x-mas, guess no more fish stories for me :)
PaulRoberts on Jan 12, 2011January 12th, 2011, 3:40 am EST
That's a nice 'bow. Colors look good from here -winter metallic and a little smoky on the flanks -likely a prespawn male. See the warped dorsal, indicating hatchery origin?
I usually shut the flash off. A weak fill flash can be nice but without control of it the reflections are too much. It seems many point-n-shoots don't handle this well.
I usually shut the flash off. A weak fill flash can be nice but without control of it the reflections are too much. It seems many point-n-shoots don't handle this well.
Ericd on Jan 12, 2011January 12th, 2011, 6:18 am EST
"See the warped dorsal, indicating hatchery origin?"
I think all Iowa streams in the Driftless Area are stocked. I don't know why there is no/little natural reproduction, if it's true. I'd be interested in knowing the facts though if anyone knows them.
Eric
I think all Iowa streams in the Driftless Area are stocked. I don't know why there is no/little natural reproduction, if it's true. I'd be interested in knowing the facts though if anyone knows them.
Eric
PaulRoberts on Jan 12, 2011January 12th, 2011, 7:10 am EST
In the small to mid-sized streams I fished back east, rainbow production was pretty good. But...most bows have a penchant to grow fast (too big for natal streams) and willingness to drop out downstream -more so than other species. They generally like larger water than many eastern and midwestern streams offer. If there's a big cold river or coldwater lake below they'd return BIGGER! But otherwise, they were gone and would simply not be stocked in such waters.
In the streams with cold lakes below, there were subpopulations of "resident" bows in the upper reaches that hit about 11 inches -most smaller -mixed in with the browns. In some streams I fished I located good numbers of bows downstream nearer the warmer mid-reaches that averaged a bit larger -mostly in the 11 to 13inch range. These stretches were notable in that there were very few other trout species there. These were "bow stretches" that were larger with deeper pools than upstream brown trout waters. If I wanted to catch "big" bows I had to go to the big waters -like the Delaware, or wait until lake fish ran into tribs. This is similar here in CO too -the big bows are caught in big waters.
I'm sure your state stream biologists could tell you the particulars in your waters. Likely it's the same there, unless your state has experimented with other rainbow stocks.
In the streams with cold lakes below, there were subpopulations of "resident" bows in the upper reaches that hit about 11 inches -most smaller -mixed in with the browns. In some streams I fished I located good numbers of bows downstream nearer the warmer mid-reaches that averaged a bit larger -mostly in the 11 to 13inch range. These stretches were notable in that there were very few other trout species there. These were "bow stretches" that were larger with deeper pools than upstream brown trout waters. If I wanted to catch "big" bows I had to go to the big waters -like the Delaware, or wait until lake fish ran into tribs. This is similar here in CO too -the big bows are caught in big waters.
I'm sure your state stream biologists could tell you the particulars in your waters. Likely it's the same there, unless your state has experimented with other rainbow stocks.
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