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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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PaulRoberts
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Colorado

Posts: 1776
PaulRoberts on Mar 6, 2016March 6th, 2016, 2:38 am EST
Nice day, Louis.
Wbranch
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York & Starlight PA

Posts: 2635
Wbranch on Mar 6, 2016March 6th, 2016, 12:50 pm EST
Oh, so that is a green fish, well here is a brown fish.

Catskill fly fisher for fifty-five years.
PaulRoberts
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Colorado

Posts: 1776
PaulRoberts on Mar 7, 2016March 7th, 2016, 5:35 am EST
Yes! I too am a bass nut as well as a Troutnut.
Jmd123
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Oscoda, MI

Posts: 2474
Jmd123 on Mar 7, 2016March 7th, 2016, 9:06 am EST
Make that three of us!! We are melting gloriously today and it is only a matter of time now before I can hit Clark's Marsh up here and Sylvan Glen Lake in my hometown. Woolly Buggers away!

Jonathon
No matter how big the one you just caught is, there's always a bigger one out there somewhere...
Roguerat
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Posts: 456
Roguerat on Mar 7, 2016March 7th, 2016, 11:17 am EST
(almost) Spring...

I spent midday on the Muskegon below Croton today, a good 3 hours on the water swinging streamers for uncooperative steelhead...first time out with the switch rod and despite some minor embarrassing moments a welcome relief from cabin fever and snow.

58 degrees by 1 pm and I didn't want to leave even though the kids are coming home from college today- hard choices!

Real spring is just a few weeks away now and I'm hoping the weather stays mild enough to get out more and more.

Tight lines, all!

Roguerat

'Less is more...'

Ludwig Mies Vande Rohe
Wbranch
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York & Starlight PA

Posts: 2635
Wbranch on Mar 7, 2016March 7th, 2016, 3:23 pm EST
Car is loaded with steelhead rods, gear, and food for four days. Leaving home at 1:00 a.m. plan to arrive at motel by 7:00 a.m and be fishing by 8:00. Hopefully a good report with pictures of chrome will be posted upon my return. Yippee!
Catskill fly fisher for fifty-five years.
Wbranch
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York & Starlight PA

Posts: 2635
Wbranch on Mar 7, 2016March 7th, 2016, 3:25 pm EST
Paul, I just love those big smallmouth. No need to be too technical either. A small box of Clouser minnows and crayfish, a couple poppers and a spool of 3X and a clipper and off you go.

Catskill fly fisher for fifty-five years.
Jmd123
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Oscoda, MI

Posts: 2474
Jmd123 on Mar 7, 2016March 7th, 2016, 5:41 pm EST
Matt, nice chunky smallmouth like the above rise on Cooke Pond to mayflies and caddisflies, including the Hex. I also do well with WBs and KBFs. Looking forward to it all!

Jonathon
No matter how big the one you just caught is, there's always a bigger one out there somewhere...
PaulRoberts
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Colorado

Posts: 1776
PaulRoberts on Mar 8, 2016March 8th, 2016, 5:54 am EST
Nice. LOVE those brown ones. And the green ones. And the spotted ones. And...

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