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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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ADKbrookie has attached these 2 pictures to aid in identification. The message is below.
ADKbrookie
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Lake George, NY

Posts: 2
ADKbrookie on Apr 22, 2018April 22nd, 2018, 3:28 am EDT
The local lake has a healthy population of both lake trout and landlocked salmon. During the spring smelt run I target both by casting streamers from shore or trolling from a canoe. While lake trout often have smelt in their bellies all the salmon I’ve caught are filled with some caddisfly looking critter. It’s early, mid April in upstate NY and the water temp is between 42-50 degrees. I apologize here there is no scale to the image but I would estimate that each is between 1.5 - 3 cm in length.
Jmd123
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Oscoda, MI

Posts: 2474
Jmd123 on Apr 22, 2018April 22nd, 2018, 4:55 am EDT
Howdy, ADK. I don't think they are caddisflies, as I am seeing some tails on several individuals, also some big heads and jaws. Some might be neuropterans? Perhaps alderfly larvae? I could be wrong, not easy to see details, but the individual closest to the camera has a big head and mandibles.

I'll let the bug nuts on here try to get you a little closer to ID.

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

Posts: 344
Millcreek on Apr 22, 2018April 22nd, 2018, 7:19 am EDT
Kevin - I'm pretty sure they're a Sialis species. Here are a couple of links.

http://www.troutnut.com/topic/9246/Sialis-sp

https://www.uoguelph.ca/debu/STEVEweb/html/Sialis_larva_NA_lg.htm

They're also known as alderflys, so Jonathan got it right.
"If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?"
-Albert Einstein
ADKbrookie
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Lake George, NY

Posts: 2
ADKbrookie on Apr 23, 2018April 23rd, 2018, 12:58 am EDT
Thank you, gentlemen! I would agree, they do look like alderfly larvae. I'm just perplexed how the salmon are feeding on them. I would think they would be picking them off as the larva swims to the surface to emerge but I've never seen much of any insect activity on the lake this early in the year. Do the larvae regularly swim throughout the water column?
Jmd123
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Oscoda, MI

Posts: 2474
Jmd123 on Apr 23, 2018April 23rd, 2018, 2:38 am EDT
Glad to be of help. I'm not highly familiar with the life cycle of the alderflies, though I do know that they lay their eggs on overhanging structures like bridges, the larvae dropping into the water upon hatching. I've seen the egg masses and they're pretty cool looking, like a little black patch of tiny ovoids clinging to the cement.

BTW, pretty fish! I would say tie a big-headed nymph of some sort and perhaps slowly lift it through the water column and see what happens! Good luck and send us more pics of your fishies.

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

Posts: 344
Millcreek on Apr 23, 2018April 23rd, 2018, 4:39 am EDT
You're unlikely to find Sialis larvae in the water column as it is primarily a bottom feeder. They wouldn't be picking them off as emergers since the larvae crawl onto land and make a chamber under a log or in the soil and pupate there. You can find some info here: http://tolweb.org/Megaloptera
And a photo of an alderfly pupae here:http://joycegross.com/images.php?img=2222_1745
"If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?"
-Albert Einstein

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