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.

Here Oksrukuyik Creek flows away from the Dalton Highway toward the pipeline. It eventually grows into one of the major rivers of the North Slope, and the main drainage to the west of the Sag, but where it crosses the road it's just a small grayling stream.

From Oksrukuyik Creek in Alaska

Stream photos

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Zapada cinctipes (Tiny Winter Black) Stonefly Nymph Zapada cinctipes (Tiny Winter Black) Stonefly Nymph

Dorsal view of a Zapada cinctipes (Nemouridae) (Tiny Winter Black) Stonefly Nymph from the Yakima River in Washington

Nymphs of this species were fairly common in late-winter kick net samples from the upper Yakima River. Although I could not find a key to species of Zapada nymphs, a revision of the Nemouridae family by Baumann (1975) includes the following helpful sentence: "2 cervical gills on each side of midline, 1 arising inside and 1 outside of lateral cervical sclerites, usually single and elongate, sometimes constricted but with 3 or 4 branches arising beyond gill base in Zapada cinctipes." This specimen clearly has the branches and is within the range of that species.

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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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Cooke Pond smallies on Brown Drakes

Jmd123 has attached these 6 pictures. The message is below.

Notice there are TWO flies in this fish's mouth!! One just wasn't enough for this guy...

First one I was able to get in the boat after one popped off and two broke my line!

Looking "upstream" - the pond actually has appreciable current here

Gotta throw in some wildflowers...daisy fleabane growing near the launch

Jmd123

Oscoda, MI

Posts: 2474

Jmd123 on Jun 9, 2016June 9th, 2016, 7:16 pm EDT

Well, since blowing out my waders and boots I have decided to make a series of kayak assaults on my favorite stillwaters. Yesterday was {REDACTED] Pond, where the perch were hitting a #10 KBF and the brookies went nuts over the #10 cricket again. Tonight I went to Cooke Pond and waited until dark, then got to fish a full-on Brown Drake hatch as it was getting dark. I wish these insects hatched on my favorite trout waters, but hey, smallmouth like them just as well and responded enthusiastically to my extended-body patterns. Funny thing happened too, I broke off two fish because of a bad leader, which I promptly replaced with a fresh one, and my last fish of the night, a nice fat 17-incher, had two flies in his mouth! He was one of the two that broke me off and STILL couldn't resist my flies! And, he gave it back to me, generous fellow...my wrist started getting sore hanging on these bulldogs, had a few jump on me too which is always fun.

I will be going back there soon!

Jonathon

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

Wbranch

York & Starlight PA

Posts: 2635

Wbranch on Jun 10, 2016June 10th, 2016, 3:01 am EDT

Jonathon,

Love those smallmouth! Wow, if I had a choice between yellow perch and feisty smallmouth it would be the bass every time. Go to the perch pond when you want a meal and the bass pond when you want lots of strong action.

Catskill fly fisher for fifty-five years.

Adirman

Monticello, NY

Posts: 479

Adirman on Jun 11, 2016June 11th, 2016, 7:41 am EDT

Thers nothing like the pull of a smallie at the end of your line, pound for pound, best fighting freshwater fish. I love fishing for smallies when its too hot for Trout, usually go to the Delaware for my action. I find Smallmouth much easier to catch than Trout but VERY aggressive and hard fighting, lots of fun for sure!!

Congrats :)