Salmonflies
Pteronarcys californica
The giant Salmonflies of the Western mountains are legendary for their proclivity to elicit consistent dry-fly action and ferocious strikes.
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This is a striking caddis larva with an interesting color pattern on the head. Here are some characteristics I was able to see under the microscope, but could not easily expose for a picture:
- The prosternal horn is present.
- The mandible is clearly toothed, not formed into a uniform scraper blade.
- The seems to be only 2 major setae on the ventral edge of the hind femur.
- Chloride epithelia seem to be absent from the dorsal side of any abdominal segments.
Based on these characteristics and the ones more easily visible from the pictures, this seems to be Grammotaulius. The key's description of the case is spot-on: "Case cylindrical, made of longitudinally arranged sedge or similar leaves," as is the description of the markings on the head, "Dorsum of head light brownish yellow with numerous discrete, small, dark spots." The spot pattern on the head is a very good match to figure 19.312 of Merritt R.W., Cummins, K.W., and Berg, M.B. (2019). The species ID is based on Grammotaulius betteni being the only species of this genus known in Washington state.
- The prosternal horn is present.
- The mandible is clearly toothed, not formed into a uniform scraper blade.
- The seems to be only 2 major setae on the ventral edge of the hind femur.
- Chloride epithelia seem to be absent from the dorsal side of any abdominal segments.
Based on these characteristics and the ones more easily visible from the pictures, this seems to be Grammotaulius. The key's description of the case is spot-on: "Case cylindrical, made of longitudinally arranged sedge or similar leaves," as is the description of the markings on the head, "Dorsum of head light brownish yellow with numerous discrete, small, dark spots." The spot pattern on the head is a very good match to figure 19.312 of Merritt R.W., Cummins, K.W., and Berg, M.B. (2019). The species ID is based on Grammotaulius betteni being the only species of this genus known in Washington state.
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By Troutnut on June 24th, 2019
I left Seattle in the evening on June 24th with a friend who had flown down from Alaska to join me on a Montana trip, and we drove late into the night to camp along the NF CDA and be ready to fish in the morning as a break in the long drive to Montana. We didn't get to sleep until around 2am, but we still got up fairly early (for me, that's 8am) and hit the water. We fished through a few good pools before any fish stirred, and the action gradually heated up throughout the morning. The campground host later laughed at our early start and verified that it's generally not worth being out there until the sun heats the water at that time of year.
No really big fish showed themselves, but there was fine action on small to mid-sized Westslope Cutthroat, and it was only getting better when we had to tear ourselves away from the water at 2pm to complete the long drive to Yellowstone.
No really big fish showed themselves, but there was fine action on small to mid-sized Westslope Cutthroat, and it was only getting better when we had to tear ourselves away from the water at 2pm to complete the long drive to Yellowstone.
Photos by Troutnut from the North Fork Couer d'Alene River in Idaho
Closeup insects by Troutnut from the North Fork Couer d'Alene River in Idaho
These little green stoneflies were the most common bug on a June day fishing the North Fork Couer d'Alene, although the trout never rose more than sporadically to them or anything else.
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