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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.

By Troutnut on June 22nd, 2020, 9:35 am EDT
I just completed a trip report article about my first Idaho hunting experience, a lengthy trip last fall seeking a mule deer buck. I won't recap the whole hunt in this blog post, but the trip was full of great scenery and lessons learned about hunting those wily deer.

I covered an incredible variety of country:













For more pictures, see the full report.

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Martinlf
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Palmyra PA

Posts: 3047
Martinlf on Jun 22, 2020June 22nd, 2020, 1:19 pm EDT
Gorgeous photos, and an interesting, suspenseful narrative. I had a tough day fishing and scouting some new water on Penns Creek a few days ago, and your story reminded me of all the things I tried that didn't work. But I did learn a whole new section of the river, and talking with a guide figured out why the fish may have been so unresponsive. (I'd had very good fishing two days before.) Ultimately I was glad to see what I'd seen and gained a bit more knowledge. It sounds like you were as well. Better luck next time!
"He spread them a yard and a half. 'And every one that got away is this big.'"

--Fred Chappell
Troutnut
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Bellevue, WA

Posts: 2758
Troutnut on Jun 22, 2020June 22nd, 2020, 3:01 pm EDT
things I tried that didn't work


That should have been my title!
Jason Neuswanger, Ph.D.
Troutnut and salmonid ecologist
Partsman
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bancroft michigan

Posts: 321
Partsman on Jun 23, 2020June 23rd, 2020, 1:31 am EDT
Thanks for a great report and as always your photos are first class.
Mike.
Kvnfraley
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AK

Posts: 2
Kvnfraley on Jun 24, 2020June 24th, 2020, 5:49 am EDT
Great photos and picturesque area. Its super cool to see those moose wandering around scrub country. I grew up hunting mule deer in NW Montana, I think it is quite a bit easier there because there are fewer people willing to hump it into the alpine to go after muleys, and most just focus on whitetails in the lowlands. I have a backcountry elk hunt planned in MT this September, really looking forward to hunting in MT again for the first time in 10+ years
Troutnut
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Administrator
Bellevue, WA

Posts: 2758
Troutnut on Jun 29, 2020June 29th, 2020, 6:11 am EDT
Good luck on your elk hunt!

I'm thinking of hunting MT soon. For this year I'm focusing on Idaho and trying to connect with a mule deer finally, although last year had me wishing I had an elk tag most days. It's a tough tag for a nonresident to draw in the area I was hunting, not a general rifle season.
Jason Neuswanger, Ph.D.
Troutnut and salmonid ecologist

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