Salmonflies
Pteronarcys californica
The giant Salmonflies of the Western mountains are legendary for their proclivity to elicit consistent dry-fly action and ferocious strikes.
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This is a striking caddis larva with an interesting color pattern on the head. Here are some characteristics I was able to see under the microscope, but could not easily expose for a picture:
- The prosternal horn is present.
- The mandible is clearly toothed, not formed into a uniform scraper blade.
- The seems to be only 2 major setae on the ventral edge of the hind femur.
- Chloride epithelia seem to be absent from the dorsal side of any abdominal segments.
Based on these characteristics and the ones more easily visible from the pictures, this seems to be Grammotaulius. The key's description of the case is spot-on: "Case cylindrical, made of longitudinally arranged sedge or similar leaves," as is the description of the markings on the head, "Dorsum of head light brownish yellow with numerous discrete, small, dark spots." The spot pattern on the head is a very good match to figure 19.312 of Merritt R.W., Cummins, K.W., and Berg, M.B. (2019). The species ID is based on Grammotaulius betteni being the only species of this genus known in Washington state.
- The prosternal horn is present.
- The mandible is clearly toothed, not formed into a uniform scraper blade.
- The seems to be only 2 major setae on the ventral edge of the hind femur.
- Chloride epithelia seem to be absent from the dorsal side of any abdominal segments.
Based on these characteristics and the ones more easily visible from the pictures, this seems to be Grammotaulius. The key's description of the case is spot-on: "Case cylindrical, made of longitudinally arranged sedge or similar leaves," as is the description of the markings on the head, "Dorsum of head light brownish yellow with numerous discrete, small, dark spots." The spot pattern on the head is a very good match to figure 19.312 of Merritt R.W., Cummins, K.W., and Berg, M.B. (2019). The species ID is based on Grammotaulius betteni being the only species of this genus known in Washington state.
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Report at a Glance
| General Region | Yetna River drainage |
| Specific Location | Lake Marie Lodge |
| Dates Fished | August 20 - 27 |
| Time of Day | 9:00 - 5:00 every day |
| Fish Caught | Silver salmon, chum & pink salmon, rainbows |
| Conditions & Hatches | none. |
Details and Discussion
Wbranch on Aug 31, 2011August 31st, 2011, 8:34 pm EDT
I had an unexpected opportunity to go to Alaska last week so I asked my wife and she said "Go for it!" It was not a fly-out lodge but it was 100 miles north of Anchorage and we got there in a 4 seater bush plane. That ride alone was a hoot! I'll be creating a new album at my Facebook page within the next few days if anyone wishes to view them.
Jason told me this Facebook address can be viewed by "Friends Only". I don't want to change it so the unwashed internet masses can view it so if you want to see the pictures you'll have to become one of my"Friends" on FB.
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1949395729876.2093624.1092066617&type=1
Jason told me this Facebook address can be viewed by "Friends Only". I don't want to change it so the unwashed internet masses can view it so if you want to see the pictures you'll have to become one of my"Friends" on FB.
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1949395729876.2093624.1092066617&type=1
Catskill fly fisher for fifty-five years.
Troutnut on Aug 31, 2011August 31st, 2011, 8:59 pm EDT
Very cool! Gotta love those views from Denali from the south on a clear day. I think you caught more salmon that week than I have in four years living in Alaska, not counting my dipnetting.
The Facebook link you posted was broken, so I looked it up on Facebook and fixed it for you. You have sharing on that album set to Friends-only I think, so if you want everyone to be able to see it you'd need to change that album setting.
The Facebook link you posted was broken, so I looked it up on Facebook and fixed it for you. You have sharing on that album set to Friends-only I think, so if you want everyone to be able to see it you'd need to change that album setting.
Jason Neuswanger, Ph.D.
Troutnut and salmonid ecologist
Troutnut and salmonid ecologist
Wbranch on Sep 1, 2011September 1st, 2011, 10:41 am EDT
Hello Jason,
You wrote; "but this year the sockeye run greatly exceeded expectations, so the Alaska Department of Fish & Game increased everyone's limit by 10 for several weeks."
The fellow seating next to me on the way to Anchorage told me his son had heard that a Alaska Fish plane had been flying around the mouths of some of the rivers and found a school of sockeye's that was an amazing 26 miles long by 18 miles wide. It was the largest run of sockeye's since 1958 and Alaska Fish thought that tremendous quantity of fish would significantly contribute to fouling the river systems with all their effluent so they decided to relax the daily bag limits.
He also told me his son owned a trucking business that hauls fresh caught halibut from the commercial vessels to the markets. He had aldreay hauled 29 million pounds of halibut this season. He told me that halibut was going at $15.00 per pound but I never verified that price which sounds quite steep to me.
You wrote; "but this year the sockeye run greatly exceeded expectations, so the Alaska Department of Fish & Game increased everyone's limit by 10 for several weeks."
The fellow seating next to me on the way to Anchorage told me his son had heard that a Alaska Fish plane had been flying around the mouths of some of the rivers and found a school of sockeye's that was an amazing 26 miles long by 18 miles wide. It was the largest run of sockeye's since 1958 and Alaska Fish thought that tremendous quantity of fish would significantly contribute to fouling the river systems with all their effluent so they decided to relax the daily bag limits.
He also told me his son owned a trucking business that hauls fresh caught halibut from the commercial vessels to the markets. He had aldreay hauled 29 million pounds of halibut this season. He told me that halibut was going at $15.00 per pound but I never verified that price which sounds quite steep to me.
Catskill fly fisher for fifty-five years.
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