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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.

Case view of a Pycnopsyche guttifera (Limnephilidae) (Great Autumn Brown Sedge) Caddisfly Larva from the Yakima River in Washington
It's only barely visible in one of my pictures, but I confirmed under the microscope that this one has a prosternal horn and the antennae are mid-way between the eyes and front of the head capsule.

I'm calling this one Pycnopsyche, but it's a bit perplexing. It seems to key definitively to at least Couplet 8 of the Key to Genera of Limnephilidae Larvae. That narrows it down to three genera, and the case seems wrong for the other two. The case looks right for Pycnopsyche, and it fits one of the key characteristics: "Abdominal sternum II without chloride epithelium and abdominal segment IX with only single seta on each side of dorsal sclerite." However, the characteristic "metanotal sa1 sclerites not fused, although often contiguous" does not seem to fit well. Those sclerites sure look fused to me, although I can make out a thin groove in the touching halves in the anterior half under the microscope. Perhaps this is a regional variation.

The only species of Pycnopsyche documented in Washington state is Pycnopsyche guttifera, and the colors and markings around the head of this specimen seem to match very well a specimen of that species from Massachusetts on Bugguide. So I am placing it in that species for now.

Whatever species this is, I photographed another specimen of seemingly the same species from the same spot a couple months later.
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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Crepuscular
Crepuscular's profile picture
Boiling Springs, PA

Posts: 920
Crepuscular on Apr 5, 2014April 5th, 2014, 7:45 pm EDT
Spring has arrived. Nice to see some upright wings and wild fish looking up!



Taxon
Taxon's profile picture
Site Editor
Plano, TX

Posts: 1311
Taxon on Apr 5, 2014April 5th, 2014, 10:02 pm EDT
Eric-

Ephemerella subvaria female subimago?
Best regards,
Roger Rohrbeck
www.FlyfishingEntomology.com
Crepuscular
Crepuscular's profile picture
Boiling Springs, PA

Posts: 920
Crepuscular on Apr 6, 2014April 6th, 2014, 3:59 am EDT
Eric-

Ephemerella subvaria female subimago?


Yes. I can't tell you how happy I was to see them.
Catskilljon
Upstate NY

Posts: 160
Catskilljon on Apr 6, 2014April 6th, 2014, 8:29 am EDT
Ohh man...I guess it had to happen soon somewhere. In the Catskill's, things are not looking as promising, at least for a few more weeks. I took some stream temps Saturday and didn't find any water over 36*. The ground water table is max full, and with 14" of snow on the headwater stream banks and air temps in the 20's at night, I don't predict even the quill gordons will show for a while.

How about some trout pics too Eric? :) CJ
Jmd123
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Oscoda, MI

Posts: 2474
Jmd123 on Apr 6, 2014April 6th, 2014, 9:39 am EDT
Yes, Eric, and how exactly was the fishing? We're gonna be slow around here for a while...show us some inspiration!

Jonathon
No matter how big the one you just caught is, there's always a bigger one out there somewhere...
Crepuscular
Crepuscular's profile picture
Boiling Springs, PA

Posts: 920
Crepuscular on Apr 6, 2014April 6th, 2014, 12:47 pm EDT
The fishing was excellent. I didn't take too many pics of fish. I caught a bunch and they were all nice wild fish.




JOHNW
JOHNW's profile picture
Chambersburg, PA

Posts: 452
JOHNW on Apr 6, 2014April 6th, 2014, 2:54 pm EDT
I'll vouch for Eric's report. I followed it up today and every fish was caught on top on either Hendrickson or Grannom.
Now if I could just figure out how to put photos in an existing thread.
"old habits are hard to kill once you have gray in your beard" -Old Red Barn
Catskilljon
Upstate NY

Posts: 160
Catskilljon on Apr 6, 2014April 6th, 2014, 4:41 pm EDT
You guys are my hero's! Thanks for the pics and reports, wont be long for us guys fishing up north! CJ
Oldredbarn
Oldredbarn's profile picture
Novi, MI

Posts: 2600
Oldredbarn on Apr 6, 2014April 6th, 2014, 5:21 pm EDT
If I weren't so fond of Eric and John I'd be jealous. :)

Good stuff boys! I know I feel just a tad warmer and hopeful.

Spence

Both of them sent me pics and I don't have a photo account anywhere or I'd post them for John...Should work on getting one. These boys are blessed to call the Cumberland home...It always seems to be a few weeks ahead of my neck of the woods.
"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
PaulRoberts
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Colorado

Posts: 1776
PaulRoberts on Apr 6, 2014April 6th, 2014, 7:01 pm EDT
Ahhhhhhhh. I can feel the joy and relief from here.
Jmd123
Jmd123's profile picture
Oscoda, MI

Posts: 2474
Jmd123 on Apr 7, 2014April 7th, 2014, 12:58 pm EDT
Pretty fish Eric! Those browns seem particularly crisp when they come out of cold waters. Any sizeable ones?

I just finished taking a walk on the trails along the lower Au Sable. LOTS of snow in some parts of the woods, not much to none in others. I don't expect to be seeing Hennies for a little while yet around here...

Jonathon
No matter how big the one you just caught is, there's always a bigger one out there somewhere...
Gus
Gus's profile picture
colorado

Posts: 59
Gus on Apr 14, 2014April 14th, 2014, 7:56 am EDT
Beautiful fish!
"How do you help that son of a bitch?"

"By taking him fishing"

-A River Runs Through It

www.jsrods.com

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