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3. Studying Insects.

Hey everybody,

I took an aquatic invert class at college last spring and while the class itself was fairly dry the actual field work involved and collection of the aquatic insects was fascinating. Having been toying with the idea of starting to collect specimens or at the least be able to identify streamside a little more proficiently I decided to ask the most obvious people around, fly fisherman/entemologists, for a little advice on where to start. Obviously a net and maybe a few jars are in order, and some id guides. Pretty much wondering what I'm getting myself into, haha. Any advice is appreciated since I've found the best way to learn about anything is to learn from someone who knows something about the anything that you want to learn.

Ryan

Here is some info on mayflies that I put together a few years ago. Still needs work in a few places, but it is a start.

http://mypage.iu.edu/~lmjacobu/collecting.html
http://mypage.iu.edu/~lmjacobu/rearing.html

If you only knew...My advice would be to run for the hills before the obsessive compulsive thing raises it's ugly head...My wife has a saying when someone, in her opinion, makes the mistake of asking me something about this "bug thing" in fly fishing...She simply says to them "You didn't!"

Wait to you have a party in your newly finished basement and someones wanders over by your fly tying bench and see's some book you have that is filled with close-up pictures of mayflies...Pin-ups they may be able to understand but Hatches II will raise an eyebrow...And earn you the label "Weirdo!"...:)

Unfortunately I have a brother-in-law with serious health issues and he is heavily medicated...We haven't always seen the world through the same lens and I use to bring up "the life cycle of the mayfly" just to watch my soothing baritone drone nod him off in to dreamland...He would sit there in his chair nodding like a junkie in a warm methadone clinic...

My bit of advice...Enjoy your pastime but pretty much keep it to yourself...You are free to express yourself of course, on good old Troutnut, and bask in the knowledge that you are in the same zoo as weirdo's of a similar species...But be careful not to overly excite some of the more excitable denizens here with heated conversation pertaining to aquatic insects...What I'm saying is you are not supposed to feed the animals, especially Konchu, Taxon, & "The Gonzo" when he returns...;) I'm missing the tips from a few of my fingers on my right hand.

I didn't!!!..."He sure did!"

Spence the Prince

Oh...Do not forget the pickle jar lid, the macro lens, the aquarium net, ethyl alcohol, we want to see the underside of the critter, maybe next to a milimeter rule, date & time, temp, a killing jar, maybe a small microscope, a butterfly net, GPS coordinates from where the specimen was taken, sample jars, water proof pen, labels,...etc...etc...and during all this focused observation don't forget your rod & reel laying there on the bank...We are always finding shit poor anglers are somehow leaving behind...There is actually a "Lost & Found" on the Lodges' web page and you wouldn't believe what someone forgot they had with them before they left the river...Good luck kid-o and welcome to the club!

Animals, you say? Well, I suppose that's at least taxonomically correct.

Doing this stuff for a living again, as we speak...

Get a good dissecting microscope and I can recommend some textbooks if you are interested. Beware, "bugology" has it's own unique terminology, but I would be more than happy to answer questions as I am having to refamiliarize myself with the technical language.

Jonathon

P.S. Spence, I am horrified...HORRIFIED...that you neglected to include me in your list of "entomological wierdos" on this site! Must be because I chewed you out unnecessarily during my last rant...which I'm sure you'll get over after I've put you on some nice big crappies after ice-out in March (they just love Woolly Buggers and KBFs).

Oops! Roger. I was hoping to sneak this by you...thinking maybe I could slip it through while you were peering down the barrel of a microscope or something... :) I can't slip anything by you can I? I knew that Mr. G was busy elsewhere and I was probably safe there, but I guess I was living dangerously...Konchu lives closer to Detroit than you do and is probably driving down I-94 in my direction as I write this intent on straightening my ass out...Oh no! A vehicle with Indiana plates just pulled in the drive...Gotta go!!!

Spence

I wondered why nobody answered the door: you were on trout nut!

I was climbing out the window on the back side of the house running for the woods and my life...He, he! Who says entomologist don't have a sense of humor? ;)

Spence

Well I had a break from baseball today and the temperature was above 0 so I decided to go to some of the small creeks and try my hand at collecting again. I went out for an hour or so and caught some stoneflies, mayflies, and caddisflies in nymph and larvae forms...and some isopods and amphipods. Hopefully I can get some pictures or something soon.

I have to take two lab sciences for general education for my degree. I could take an Aquatic Entomolgy course, but it's a 400 level biology elective. My question to the experts here: could a non-biology major withstand the rigor of a 400 level undergraduate aquatic entomology course? I have a pretty strong interest in entomology and I think I could study some before the class, but I'm a little afraid of the language you entomologists use.

Brent, it's up to you, but if you're a reasonably intelligent individual, you take good notes, and you study the diagrams in the books, you shouldn't have too many problems. You also obviously have an interest in the subject which helps a great deal. And, you can always ask us entomologist types on here for help, I for one am glad to be of assistance as I am now getting back into this field in a big way myself.

Jonathon

if you "have to" take two courses in the sciences for your general degree, i would recommend a lower lever invertebrate course first, and then the more advanced aquatic entomology.
you have to remember that the aquatic course is advanced (400 level), and the material will be geared towards science majors who have already taken and passed the lower level courses.
not a good way to boost your GPA or to spend those precious tuition dollars, in my opinion.

Are you sure your school will even allow you to do that? When I was in school (a little after the Civil War) they wouldn't let me. I was so nuts on the topic that the professor kindly let me monitor it (in those days there was no shortage of seats for a course like this). Back then, I think most of the grant money for the dept. was pest eradication studies and such. I think they were still spraying DDT all over the place! As I remember, the focus wasn't on fishing bugs as much as I had hoped. No way would I have wanted the tests to affect my grade! Gutcutters advice is VERY sound. Anyway that's my 2 cents for what it's worth.