Header image
Enter a name
Lateral view of a Male Baetis (Baetidae) (Blue-Winged Olive) Mayfly Dun from Mystery Creek #43 in New York
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.

Lateral view of a Female Sweltsa borealis (Chloroperlidae) (Boreal Sallfly) Stonefly Adult from Harris Creek in Washington
I was not fishing, but happened to be at an unrelated social event on a hill above this tiny creek (which I never even saw) when this stonefly flew by me. I assume it came from there. Some key characteristics are tricky to follow, but process of elimination ultimately led me to Sweltsa borealis. It is reassuringly similar to this specimen posted by Bob Newell years ago. It is also so strikingly similar to this nymph from the same river system that I'm comfortable identifying that nymph from this adult. I was especially pleased with the closeup photo of four mites parasitizing this one.
27" brown trout, my largest ever. It was the sub-dominant fish in its pool. After this, I hooked the bigger one, but I couldn't land it.
Troutnut is a project started in 2003 by salmonid ecologist Jason "Troutnut" Neuswanger to help anglers and fly tyers unabashedly embrace the entomological side of the sport. Learn more about Troutnut or support the project for an enhanced experience here.

Sayfu
Posts: 560
Sayfu on Sep 5, 2011September 5th, 2011, 4:21 pm EDT
Another unusual bug day for me today. When I took my boat out of the river there was a very large black bug with long antennae on the transom of my boat. Called a guy over, and he knew what it was, a certain kind of pine beetle, and I forgot what he said the first name was. He said they can pinch, and draw blood. It was a good two inches long, and before we left to float the river there was a bigger one on its back in the womens room that couldn't turn itself over.
Jmd123
Jmd123's profile picture
Oscoda, MI

Posts: 2474
Jmd123 on Sep 6, 2011September 6th, 2011, 12:07 pm EDT
That sounds like a pine sawyer, a beetle in the family Cerambycidae. Did the antennae curl up a bit at their ends? Some of them do have pretty strong mandibles so handle carefully! Some of them can also make noise by scraping their wings, its called stridulation, and they do it when you try to pick them up (happened to me at the U of M Bio Station when I found one sitting on my alarm clock one night).

Jonathon
No matter how big the one you just caught is, there's always a bigger one out there somewhere...
Sayfu
Posts: 560
Sayfu on Sep 6, 2011September 6th, 2011, 1:43 pm EDT

Yes, the antennae did curl up at the end. First one I have ever seen.

Quick Reply

Related Discussions

Topic
Replies
Last Reply
1
Apr 8, 2010
by Wbranch
3
Aug 26, 2020
by Martinlf
1
May 26, 2018
by Taxon
Troutnut.com is copyright © 2004-2024 (email Jason). privacy policy