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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.
Troutnut is a project started in 2003 by salmonid ecologist Jason "Troutnut" Neuswanger to help anglers and fly tyers unabashedly embrace the entomological side of the sport. Learn more about Troutnut or support the project for an enhanced experience here.

This discussion is about the Bois Brule River.

Cedar sweepers line the fertile spring creek headwaters of a famous trout stream.

From the Bois Brule River in Wisconsin
Gnarled cedars twist out over a nice trout stream.

From the Bois Brule River in Wisconsin
This tail end of a large glassy flat holds many nice rising trout most summer evenings, and it's extremely demanding of both stealth and fine casting.

From the Bois Brule River in Wisconsin
The Bois Brule River in Wisconsin
Kclubepro
Posts: 1
Kclubepro on Jul 9, 2018July 9th, 2018, 2:29 pm EDT
My wife and I will be visiting Brule in Mid-July, staying for several days. Any advice on fly fishing spots on the Brule River would be appreciated
Troutnut
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Bellevue, WA

Posts: 2758
Troutnut on Jul 9, 2018July 9th, 2018, 3:04 pm EDT
The upper river, state highway S and US highway 2, is the classic trout water. A canoe trip from S down to Winneboujou landing is a popular option that covers the majority of this reach.

I don't want to give away secret walk-in spots people told me in confidence, but if you have several days you should be able to find some good ones on your own. There aren't all that many public ways to access it, so good maps are your friend. If you go to any of the really obvious spots (bridges, etc) you'll probably have company and find moderately-pressured fish.

To reach the best fishing without floating, you'll want to walk farther from the easy access points, either by wading long distances or by hiking long distances through lesser-known public land routes.

Jason Neuswanger, Ph.D.
Troutnut and salmonid ecologist

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