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.

Turquoise view of Upper Titcomb Lake

From Titcomb Basin in Wyoming

Stream photos

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Glossosoma (Little Brown Short-horned Sedge) Caddisfly Larva Glossosoma (Little Brown Short-horned Sedge) Caddisfly Larva

Dorsal view of a Glossosoma (Glossosomatidae) (Little Brown Short-horned Sedge) Caddisfly Larva from the Yakima River in Washington

I caught this tiny larva without a case, but it seems to key pretty clearly to to Glossosomatidae. From there, the lack of sclerites on the mesonotum points to either Glossosoma or Anagapetus. Although it's difficult to see in a 2D image from the microscope, it's pretty clear in the live 3D view that the pronotum is only excised about 1/3 of its length to accommodate the forecoxa, not 2/3, which points to Glossosoma at Couplet 5 of the Key to Genera of Glossosomatidae Larvae.

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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.

Quick stop at Silver Creek between deer hunting

By Troutnut on October 16th, 2019

I spent ten mid-October days in central Idaho almost-but-not-quite getting shots at mule deer bucks, and at one point I found a free evening (the 17th) to wet a line in the famous Nature Conservancy stretch of scenic Silver Creek. I don't know that I've ever seen so many fish, especially nice fish, in one place. That explains why so many other anglers were also there on a very windy October afternoon.

However, the conditions were tough and my skills weren't quite up to the task. Strong wind ripped relentlessly through the valley, suppressing insect activity as well as making stealthy casting a challenge. Fish occasionally rose to tiny BWOs, but only a handful rose consistently. Trying various techniques, I missed some strikes and caught one small brown.