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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.

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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Summer_doug has attached these 3 pictures to this report. The message is below.
The fish below was caught on this cast.
Personal best brookie so far.
Another caught on the first cast of the day!

Report at a Glance

Time of Day8am to 3pm
Fish CaughtBrook Trout
Conditions & HatchesNone

Details and Discussion

Summer_doug
Detroit, MI

Posts: 46
Summer_doug on Jun 18, 2018June 18th, 2018, 11:01 pm EDT
Was able to take a couple new fly fishermen to the Mason Tract on the south branch where we targeted primarily brook trout. Although we saw what appeared to be some sporadic sulphurs hatching, none of the fish were caught on that pattern. Instead, the patriot ruled the day accounting for 7 of the ten fish caught.

Nothing of substantial size, but absolutely beautiful fish and environs.
From Michigan
Jmd123
Jmd123's profile picture
Oscoda, MI

Posts: 2474
Jmd123 on Jun 19, 2018June 19th, 2018, 4:44 am EDT
Nice looking water! And brookies are always so pretty...well done!

Jonathon
No matter how big the one you just caught is, there's always a bigger one out there somewhere...
Martinlf
Martinlf's profile picture
Moderator
Palmyra PA

Posts: 3047
Martinlf on Jun 19, 2018June 19th, 2018, 11:17 am EDT
Nice work. Thanks!
"He spread them a yard and a half. 'And every one that got away is this big.'"

--Fred Chappell
Partsman
Partsman's profile picture
bancroft michigan

Posts: 321
Partsman on Jun 20, 2018June 20th, 2018, 1:00 am EDT
Well done, nice looking fish.
TimCat
TimCat's profile picture
Alanson, MI

Posts: 121
TimCat on Jun 20, 2018June 20th, 2018, 1:51 pm EDT
Nice! I love me some brookies.

Ya know, I'm on my 4th year of fly fishing in MI and I still haven't gone to the trout stretches of the Au Sable yet... I think this summer will be the time.
"If I'm not going to catch anything, then I 'd rather not catch anything on flies" - Bob Lawless

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