I fished for about 2 hours on Saturday. The weather was nice...air temp around 54 degrees with the water being 49.

The hatches are definitely getting better and better. BWO's, midges, and caddis were all coming off in good numbers. No fish rising though.

I landed a beautiful 16" holdover brookie that I swear could've been wild. Perfect red fins and bright pink spotting. Of course, just as I was about to snap a quick pic, he flipped out of the net and spit the hook at the same time. This fish took a bead head hares ear.

When the olives really got going, I dropped an olive emerger off the hares ear. On the first drift, the indicator took a sharp dive and I knew I was into a nice fish when I set the hook. The fish put up a great fight. The first time I tried to net it, I saw it was a brown, conservatively 16-18". Had the fish to the net 2 more times and every time, it would make another run. Just as I was about to finally get the fish in the net, it rolled over ever so gently and spit that olive emerger right in my face Called it quits soon after that.

Can anyone ID this insect for me? I didn't see any tails on this fly, but it looks like a mayfly.

that looks like a hendrickson.
nice photo.

It's really hard to tell.

It looks like it has two sets of full sized wings. Look closely. I see no hind wing that you would normally see on a mayfly (exception, pseodocloen). I've never seen one like this.

Steve:

How big was it? It looks like there are two sets of the same size wings - look at the thorax there are two places where the wings connect. The wings also curve inward in the middle of the back edge...........and the head does not look like a mayfly - it has antennae. Probably not a mayfly.....

The fly was about a #14. I tried to ID it, but couldn't find any pics of a mayfly that looks like this one.

Matt Grobert said:

Steve:

How big was it? It looks like there are two sets of the same size wings - look at the thorax there are two places where the wings connect. The wings also curve inward in the middle of the back edge...........and the head does not look like a mayfly - it has antennae. Probably not a mayfly.....

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Looks like the general shape of a mayfly but, Matt, like you said, the head doesn't look like a mayfly, it looks like a little stonefly head.

Did you say you took that photo at the Ken Lockwood Gallapogos?

Maybe a termite?

Yellow stonefly......... Perlodidae............
maybe isoperla (yellow sallie)

Quill gordon said:

Yellow stonefly......... Perlodidae............
maybe isoperla (yellow sallie)

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Thanks....I did see small stonefly nymph shucks on the rocks, but they looked small...but there were small black stoneflies around too.

What's the deal with the wings though? Don't stoneflies have wings that lay flush against the body?

Are you sure you didn't photoshop that?

sstasiak said:

Quill gordon said:

Yellow stonefly......... Perlodidae............
maybe isoperla (yellow sallie)

Click to expand...

What's the deal with the wings though? Don't stoneflies have wings that lay flush against the body?

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1. Yes that is normally true. That left extension may actually be part of the lower(underneath wing); giving an optical illusion!
2. Not all insects are perfect.
3. Head, antenna, thorax indicate a 'stone'.
IMHO.......

* its always best to take more than one photo.... :dizzy:
** thanks for the photo!

Quill gordon said:

2. Not all insects are perfect.
3. Head, antenna, thorax indicate a 'stone'.
IMHO.......

* its always best to take more than one photo.... :dizzy:
** thanks for the photo!

Click to expand...

I agree but, the wings don't indicate stonefly at all. Take a look at stonefly wings, they are heavily veined. These wings are a flat color. The cross veins in these wings are like a mayflies. The head on the other hand...

No photoshop...that was the only photo I got out of 4 that wasn't out of focus or else I would've had a better angled shot. My cameras macro function isn't great either.

SSt,
OK..... That was a good shot though! I think the photo had too much light( over exposed ) to see the contrast in the wings.
When you go back........ see if you can get a few more photos, so we can come to some conclusion.
What model camera was it?
John...

Stoneflies have antennae that come off of the front corner of the head and this one they come from the center front, like over the mouth. And as Dennis said the wings are not stonefly wings. Except for the antennae and the extra thoraxic section between the head and wing sections, it looks like a mayfly.............were you fishing near a nuclear power plant, Steve? It's a mutant Stonecadmayfly......

I thought maybe a termite or flying ant species, too, but their wings and head are very different.