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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.

Lateral view of a Onocosmoecus (Limnephilidae) (Great Late-Summer Sedge) Caddisfly Larva from the Yakima River in Washington
This specimen keys pretty easily to Onocosmoecus, and it closely resembles a specimen from Alaska which caddis expert Dave Ruiter recognized as this genus. As with that specimen, the only species in the genus documented in this area is Onocosmoecus unicolor, but Dave suggested for that specimen that there might be multiple not-yet-distinguished species under the unicolor umbrella and it would be best to stick with the genus-level ID. I'm doing the same for this one.
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 Clearwater Mountains

Riding in Valdez Creek road. We weren't the only ones with this idea. The Department of Fish & Game hotline mentioned that there were some caribou in an an area reachable from this road (several miles in), but it's in a non-motorized area. So people were accessing it via foot, bicycle, and even pack horse. Taiga found the horses very interesting.

From Clearwater Mountains in Alaska
Clearwater Mountains in Alaska
Fireweed. This is what Alaska's iconic purple flowers look like once they've gone to seed

From Clearwater Mountains in Alaska
View beyond the second pass

From Clearwater Mountains in Alaska
Third night's camp. Looking down-valley toward upper Windy Creek.

From Clearwater Mountains in Alaska
Caribou trails

From Clearwater Mountains in Alaska
Rocky mountain pass

From Clearwater Mountains in Alaska
View to the third pass

From Clearwater Mountains in Alaska
Clearwater Mountains in Alaska
Tundra rose (Potentilla fruiticosa)

From Clearwater Mountains in Alaska
Lone bull caribou. This mid-sized bull is grazing in the upper right corner of this picture, in a high meadow above a cliff half-way up a mountain.

From Clearwater Mountains in Alaska
Clearwater Mountains in Alaska
Clearwater Mountains in Alaska
Unusually colored fox

From Clearwater Mountains in Alaska
Clearwater Mountains in Alaska
Two cow caribou. As caribou often do, these two cows appeared out of nowhere in the middle of a valley bottom we'd been watching for an hour.

From Clearwater Mountains in Alaska
View as we exited camp

From Clearwater Mountains in Alaska
Clearwater Mountains in Alaska
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