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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.

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.

Landscape & scenery photos from the West Fork of the Chippewa River

Nice smallmouths and muskies inhabit this wide warmwater river.

From the West Fork of the Chippewa River in Wisconsin
The West Fork of the Chippewa River in Wisconsin
The West Fork of the Chippewa River in Wisconsin
This smallmouth river was very low during a July drought, but I floated it with my dad in a canoe anyway, and we landed several nice smallies.  The weather was too hot for good trout fishing.

From the West Fork of the Chippewa River in Wisconsin
The West Fork of the Chippewa River in Wisconsin
My dad works his way through the shallows of a smallmouth river.  The hole around the large boulder might shelter bass in normal water, but we floated this stretch during a prolonged drought and the fish had left the shallows.

From the West Fork of the Chippewa River in Wisconsin
The West Fork of the Chippewa River in Wisconsin
Weeds grow thick in this smallmouth stream, and they're exposed here by the low water.

From the West Fork of the Chippewa River in Wisconsin
I had to really search for a while to find a sliver of opening water at this sampling site far in the headwaters of a mighty warmwater river.

From the Far Upper West Fork of the Chippewa River in Wisconsin
The West Fork of the Chippewa River in Wisconsin
The West Fork of the Chippewa River in Wisconsin

On-stream insect photos from the West Fork of the Chippewa River

Often mayflies can be found on houses near the river.  This one molted from a dun into a spinner on the outside of our kitchen window.

Any lit dwelling near the river can attract a lot of mayflies at night.  A good way to determine what's hatching is to visit a gas station (or anything else with bright lights) close to the river early in the morning.

From the West Fork of the Chippewa River in Wisconsin
The West Fork of the Chippewa River in Wisconsin

Closeup insects by Troutnut from the West Fork of the Chippewa River in Wisconsin

References

  • Allen, R.K., and Edmunds, George F. Jr. 1963. A Revision of the Genus Ephemerella (Ephemeroptera: Ephemerellidae) VII. The Subgenus Eurylophella. Canadian Entomologist 95: 597-623.
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