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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As far as I can tell, this species has only previously been reported from one site in Oregon along the Columbia gorge. However, the key characteristics are fairly unmistakable in all except for one minor detail:
— 4 small yellow spots on frons visible in photos
— Narrow occipital spinule row curves forward (but doesn’t quite meet on stem of ecdysial suture, as it's supposed to in this species)
— Short spinules on anterior margin of front legs
— Short rposterior row of blunt spinules on abdominal tergae, rather than elongated spinules dorsally
I caught several of these mature nymphs in the fishless, tiny headwaters of a creek high in the Wenatchee Mountains.
— 4 small yellow spots on frons visible in photos
— Narrow occipital spinule row curves forward (but doesn’t quite meet on stem of ecdysial suture, as it's supposed to in this species)
— Short spinules on anterior margin of front legs
— Short rposterior row of blunt spinules on abdominal tergae, rather than elongated spinules dorsally
I caught several of these mature nymphs in the fishless, tiny headwaters of a creek high in the Wenatchee Mountains.
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Photos by Troutnut from Ruby Creek, the Delta River, and the Tanana River in Alaska
Comments / replies
Falsifly on Jun 14, 2011June 14th, 2011, 5:10 pm EDT
So, the trout in Alaska are carnivorous, taking down unsuspecting moose as they cross the rivers, akin to the African crocs feeding on the wildebeests?
Falsifly
When asked what I just caught that monster on I showed him. He put on his magnifiers and said, "I can't believe they can see that."
When asked what I just caught that monster on I showed him. He put on his magnifiers and said, "I can't believe they can see that."
GONZO on Jun 14, 2011June 14th, 2011, 5:21 pm EDT
Fantastic photos, Jason. There are probably some things that you won't miss about Alaska when you leave (the long dark winters, Sarah Palin--I'm just guessing), but I'm sure that images like these will not be among them.
Falsifly on Jun 14, 2011June 14th, 2011, 6:06 pm EDT
(the long dark winters, Sarah Palin--I'm just guessing)
Dang it Gonzo, just when I thought it was safe to go outside.
Falsifly
When asked what I just caught that monster on I showed him. He put on his magnifiers and said, "I can't believe they can see that."
When asked what I just caught that monster on I showed him. He put on his magnifiers and said, "I can't believe they can see that."
GONZO on Jun 14, 2011June 14th, 2011, 6:21 pm EDT
Yeah, sorry about that, Allan. I apologize to all fans of Ms. Palin...and long dark winters.
Oldredbarn on Jun 14, 2011June 14th, 2011, 6:34 pm EDT
Jason,
Thanks for sharing you experiences etc since you have been way up there. We here at TroutNut have had wonderful stories, photos, something of an education on Alaska and it's fishery, and even got to share a bit in a love story...Can't beat that...And to think most of us came here for the bugs?! Go figure...
Spence
I'm enjoying the trip back to Alyeska right here from my living room in Detroit.
Thanks for sharing you experiences etc since you have been way up there. We here at TroutNut have had wonderful stories, photos, something of an education on Alaska and it's fishery, and even got to share a bit in a love story...Can't beat that...And to think most of us came here for the bugs?! Go figure...
Spence
I'm enjoying the trip back to Alyeska right here from my living room in Detroit.
"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
"Envy not the man who lives beside the river, but the man the river flows through." Joseph T Heywood
Troutnut on Jun 14, 2011June 14th, 2011, 9:51 pm EDT
There are probably some things that you won't miss about Alaska when you leave (the long dark winters, Sarah Palin--I'm just guessing)
Good guesses!
One less expected thing I won't miss is the lack of ordinary hatch-matching fishing. The grayling are almost too easy to catch.
Jason Neuswanger, Ph.D.
Troutnut and salmonid ecologist
Troutnut and salmonid ecologist
Jmd123 on Jun 15, 2011June 15th, 2011, 6:44 pm EDT
Jason, NEVER fret about fish that are "too easy to catch". Some of us live for those days! Especially on those days when you couldn't catch a fish using dynamite...
Spectacular scenery! Great golden eagle shot! Moose poop! And thanks for the scientific plant names, from this botany geek.
Jonathon
Spectacular scenery! Great golden eagle shot! Moose poop! And thanks for the scientific plant names, from this botany geek.
Jonathon
No matter how big the one you just caught is, there's always a bigger one out there somewhere...
PaulRoberts on Jun 15, 2011June 15th, 2011, 7:31 pm EDT
Very nice photos.
Troutnut on Jun 15, 2011June 15th, 2011, 8:07 pm EDT
Jason, NEVER fret about fish that are "too easy to catch". Some of us live for those days! Especially on those days when you couldn't catch a fish using dynamite...
It's just nice to have a little mystery about what you're going to catch. Grayling fishing around here, I can pretty much map out how many and what size I will catch before I leave the house. It's still fun, but it's made me appreciate the excitement that comes with the element of uncertainty in fishing for difficult trout.
Jason Neuswanger, Ph.D.
Troutnut and salmonid ecologist
Troutnut and salmonid ecologist
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