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 wild-looking little thing completely puzzled me. At first I was thinking beetle or month larva, until I got a look at the pictures on the computer screen. I made a couple of incorrect guesses before entomologist Greg Courtney pointed me in the right direction with Psychodidae. He suggested a possible genus of Thornburghiella, but could not rule out some other members of the tribe Pericomini.
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Entoman on Mar 5, 2013March 5th, 2013, 9:32 am EST
"It's not that I find fishing so important, it's just that I find all other endeavors of Man equally unimportant... And not nearly as much fun!" Robert Traver, Anatomy of a Fisherman
Crepuscular on Mar 5, 2013March 5th, 2013, 9:55 am EST
I think I should not have bothered posting my photo. You already know what they look like. :)
Entoman on Mar 5, 2013March 5th, 2013, 10:55 am EST
:)
"It's not that I find fishing so important, it's just that I find all other endeavors of Man equally unimportant... And not nearly as much fun!" Robert Traver, Anatomy of a Fisherman
Oldredbarn on Mar 5, 2013March 5th, 2013, 11:21 am EST
Kurt...I'll take a dozen...;)
Is that wrapped partridge?
What size? Both of you...:)
Is that wrapped partridge?
What size? Both of you...:)
"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
Crepuscular on Mar 5, 2013March 5th, 2013, 12:53 pm EST
They come in all sizes from as small as you want to tie to about a 14 scud hook. This one was a size #16.
Entoman on Mar 5, 2013March 5th, 2013, 2:33 pm EST
We get 'em out here up to size 8! Most are in the 12 to 16 range. The partridge is spun in a loop, Spence. The hackles are too short and the barbules too long to wrap conventionally. First dub the thread, form a loop, and insert the barbules to the proper length horizontally on the dubbing and twist the loop up enough to trap them. then trim off the stems along the edge of the thread so the barbule bases don't show. Finish twisting up and wrap on the shank over copious quantities of lead. It's a bit tricky to do. I'm thinking of investing in one of those Petitjean tools to simplify and speed things up...
Most aren't speckled like Eric's specimen. They come in all shades of gray, tan, and olive (some greenish yellow or even peachy cream). I pretty much stick with this aqua tinted gray & partridge and a greenish olive version tied with plain hen hackle. For the tannish ones, I just use a Bird's Nest (as I probably would for Eric's). In sizes 12 - 18, they cover the spectrum for 90% of the ones I've ever run into (of which 75% are covered by the olive). Some of the lakes I have fished (particularly in OR) have the big boys. I just trim up a small Crystal Bugger to deal with those if I have to.
Most aren't speckled like Eric's specimen. They come in all shades of gray, tan, and olive (some greenish yellow or even peachy cream). I pretty much stick with this aqua tinted gray & partridge and a greenish olive version tied with plain hen hackle. For the tannish ones, I just use a Bird's Nest (as I probably would for Eric's). In sizes 12 - 18, they cover the spectrum for 90% of the ones I've ever run into (of which 75% are covered by the olive). Some of the lakes I have fished (particularly in OR) have the big boys. I just trim up a small Crystal Bugger to deal with those if I have to.
"It's not that I find fishing so important, it's just that I find all other endeavors of Man equally unimportant... And not nearly as much fun!" Robert Traver, Anatomy of a Fisherman
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Jan 27, 2017
by Mcflyangler
by Mcflyangler