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.
This one pretty clearly keys to Kogotus, but it also looks fairly different from specimens I caught in the same creek about a month later in the year. With only one species of the genus known in Washington, I'm not sure about the answer to this ID.
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 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.
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!!