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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.

Dorsal view of a Ephemerella mucronata (Ephemerellidae) Mayfly Nymph from the Yakima River in Washington
This is an interesting one. Following the keys in Merritt R.W., Cummins, K.W., and Berg, M.B. (2019) and Jacobus et al. (2014), it keys clearly to Ephemerella. Jacobus et al provide a key to species, but some of the characteristics are tricky to interpret without illustrations. If I didn't make any mistakes, this one keys to Ephemerella mucronata, which has not previously been reported any closer to here than Montana and Alberta. The main character seems to fit well: "Abdominal terga with prominent, paired, subparallel, spiculate ridges." Several illustrations or descriptions of this holarctic species from the US and Europe seem to match, including the body length, tarsal claws and denticles, labial palp, and gill shapes. These sources include including Richard Allen's original description of this species in North America under the now-defunct name E. moffatae in Allen RK (1977) and the figures in this description of the species in Italy.
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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Landscape & scenery photos from Penn's Creek

Penn's Creek in Pennsylvania
Here's the valley of a trout stream after a rainstorm.

From Penn's Creek in Pennsylvania
I was stuck sharing a long pool with several other fishermen on this popular spring creek, but I had the best fishing (the tail of the pool) all to myself, because it took the most walking to get there.  The dusk hatch was extremely intense, complex, and difficult.

From Penn's Creek in Pennsylvania
Penn's Creek in Pennsylvania
A trout stream valley covered in mist after a spring thunderstorm on a hot, humid day.

From Penn's Creek in Pennsylvania
Panorama of a trout stream valley after a May thunderstorm.

From Penn's Creek in Pennsylvania
An afternoon thunderstorm left mist in all the valleys along this limestone spring creek in Pennsylvania.

From Penn's Creek in Pennsylvania

On-stream insect photos from Penn's Creek

Several craneflies formed a mating cluster here in a dark rootwad along the bank of a large limestone trout stream.

From Penn's Creek in Pennsylvania

Closeup insects by Troutnut from Penn's Creek in Pennsylvania

References

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