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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.

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.
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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Catskilljon
Upstate NY

Posts: 160
Catskilljon on Jul 27, 2014July 27th, 2014, 12:05 pm EDT
Got my second hat trick last weekend, 3 species on the same stream. The conditions up there are remarkable for this time of year as the freestones still have high 50* water in the morning and flows have been consistently good all year.

A couple shots...

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The bugs are scarce but the fishing still has been good.

CJ
Martinlf
Martinlf's profile picture
Moderator
Palmyra PA

Posts: 3047
Martinlf on Jul 27, 2014July 27th, 2014, 1:27 pm EDT
Nice work, especially for this time of year!
"He spread them a yard and a half. 'And every one that got away is this big.'"

--Fred Chappell
Jmd123
Jmd123's profile picture
Oscoda, MI

Posts: 2474
Jmd123 on Jul 27, 2014July 27th, 2014, 4:47 pm EDT
Very well done!! Always fun to catch a variety. What did you get them on? Looks like bead-heads?

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

Posts: 920
Crepuscular on Jul 31, 2014July 31st, 2014, 9:04 am EDT
nice John! good to hear everything is staying fishable up there.
Catskilljon
Upstate NY

Posts: 160
Catskilljon on Jul 31, 2014July 31st, 2014, 4:11 pm EDT
What did you get them on? Looks like bead-heads?

Jonathon


Yea Johnny, almost everything on #12-#18 BH hares ears and PT's. I have really trimmed down my fly selection this year and have been focusing on putting standard flies in better places on the stream. I am starting to think the fly isn't really a factor [on the freestones I fish anyway] as much as getting it where its supposed to be.

I know that sounds a little generic, but its taken me this long to actually do it! CJ
Catskilljon
Upstate NY

Posts: 160
Catskilljon on Jul 31, 2014July 31st, 2014, 4:13 pm EDT
nice John! good to hear everything is staying fishable up there.


Everything has been fantastic up there all year so far. I was just talking to some guys the other day that I have not seen a "low water" condition all year [so far!] CJ
Jmd123
Jmd123's profile picture
Oscoda, MI

Posts: 2474
Jmd123 on Jul 31, 2014July 31st, 2014, 5:27 pm EDT
CJ, I did my first "hat trick" way back in my formative years, we're talking 1990 here...one night on the Maple River in Emmet County, MI (near the University of Michigan Biological Station, where I was doing Masters research for the summer), I got one of each, and if memory serves me they were all on a #10 Royal Wulff. This fly continues to serve me to this day in various sizes (see my last two posts)...anyway, I was thrilled, they weren't big (10-12" if I remember correctly) but catching three very different looking fish in the fading twilight of a summer's evening was pure joy. And I went to the local bar (Hoppie's) afterwards and celebrated on the dance floor with my fellow biologists!

"I have really trimmed down my fly selection this year and have been focusing on putting standard flies in better places on the stream."

My approach exactly! Except I am primarily a dry-fly fisherman, but like you, I have pared down my selection over the years to those patterns that consistently produce for me over the long run. Sometimes I get caught off guard and run into a hatch that I have a hard time matching, but it's ridiculous how well an Adams will work in such circumstances (as I did with Red Quills for Little Black Quills this spring on the Rifle and Pine). The streams that I fish are not fly-pounded, more likely worm-drowners and hardware slingers, so I do not run into "extreme hatch-matching" except perhaps during Hendricksons in spring or Light Cahills or hoppers in summer. Just give them something good-looking and they'll take a whack at it! Maybe that's why Wulff patterns work so well...

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

Posts: 920
Crepuscular on Jul 31, 2014July 31st, 2014, 6:53 pm EDT
Things are good here as well. Fished a yellow drake hatch tonight. Plenty of flies. I was thinking of coming up for summerfest this weekend. Maybe I'll bump into ya?
Catskilljon
Upstate NY

Posts: 160
Catskilljon on Jul 31, 2014July 31st, 2014, 7:07 pm EDT
Things are good here as well. Fished a yellow drake hatch tonight. Plenty of flies. I was thinking of coming up for summerfest this weekend. Maybe I'll bump into ya?


If you do decide to go, and you go on Saturday you will in fact bump into me, whether you like it or not! I am working the bridge taking donations, so I see every single patron who comes by! Hope you go man! CJ

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