Artistic view of a Male Pteronarcys californica (Pteronarcyidae) (Giant Salmonfly) Stonefly Adult from the Gallatin River in Montana

Salmonflies
Pteronarcys californica

The giant Salmonflies of the Western mountains are legendary for their proclivity to elicit consistent dry-fly action and ferocious strikes.

The trees were leafing out and the trout were rising on this productive Wisconsin stream

From the Namekagon River in Wisconsin

Stream photos

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Ephemerella mucronata Mayfly Nymph Ephemerella mucronata Mayfly Nymph

Dorsal view of a Ephemerella mucronata (Ephemerellidae) Mayfly Nymph from the Yakima River in Washington

This is an interesting one. Following the keys in Merritt R.W., Cummins, K.W., and Berg, M.B. (2019) and Jacobus et al. (2014), it keys clearly to Ephemerella. Jacobus et al provide a key to species, but some of the characteristics are tricky to interpret without illustrations. If I didn't make any mistakes, this one keys to Ephemerella mucronata, which has not previously been reported any closer to here than Montana and Alberta. The main character seems to fit well: "Abdominal terga with prominent, paired, subparallel, spiculate ridges." Several illustrations or descriptions of this holarctic species from the US and Europe seem to match, including the body length, tarsal claws and denticles, labial palp, and gill shapes. These sources include including Richard Allen's original description of this species in North America under the now-defunct name E. moffatae in Allen RK (1977) and the figures in this description of the species in Italy.

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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.

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October Caddis

Dicosmoecus gilvipes (October Caddis) Caddisfly Adult

2 Pictures

Dicosmoecus gilvipes (Limnephilidae) (October Caddis) Caddisfly Adult from the Touchet River in Washington

Collected September 4, 2010 from the Touchet River in Washington

Added by Bnewell on June 27, 2011

Collected September 4, 2010 from the Touchet River in Washington and added by Bnewell on June 27, 2011

Gutcutter

Pennsylvania

Posts: 470

Gutcutter on Sep 8, 2011September 8th, 2011, 2:40 pm EDT

Is this the same large caddis that hatches in early October in Central PA? I don't recall them being that "orange", but the size is about right.

All men who fish may in turn be divided into two parts: those who fish for trout and those who don't. Trout fishermen are a race apart: they are a dedicated crew- indolent, improvident, and quietly mad.

-Robert Traver, Trout Madness

Taxon

Site Editor
Plano, TX

Posts: 1311

Taxon on Sep 8, 2011September 8th, 2011, 3:55 pm EDT

Tony-

Dicosmoecus is a genus found in the Pacific (NW and SW). You may be thinking of Pycnopsyche, a fall emerger in PA.

Best regards,
Roger Rohrbeck
www.FlyfishingEntomology.com

Sayfu
Posts: 560

Sayfu on Sep 8, 2011September 8th, 2011, 3:57 pm EDT

Dunno about Penn., but sure looks like Dicosmoecus that hatches out on many of our Western rivers. A popular steelhead pattern is an elk-haired skittered, swinging dry tied with a burnt orange body is how we describe the body color..tied on a #6 steelhead hook, or there abouts. It is also a very popular pattern for trout in a slightly smaller pattern fished mainly dead drifted. I generally see the adults on the water later in the day.