Insect Order Odonata-Zygoptera (Damselflies)

While Damselflies are not of great interest to the stream fisher, they are of great interest to the lake fisher.

Creatures of shallow, non fluctuating, weed filled trout lakes, Damsel nymphs migrate in mass to shore for their final molt. As the reach shore the climb out on emergent foliage, lock their claws into and wait while the exoskelton splits to reveal the most graceful of acquatic insects (I'm ducking the brickbats.)

The migration is relatively slow and close to surface with zigzags and pauses.

Mature damsels fold their wings parallel to the body, while hatched dragons hold their wings perpendicular to the body. Mature Damsels are of little interest to trout.

A damsel hatch will put all the really big trout in a lake in motion. These hogs like to get right up against the emergent vegetation picking the nymphs off as they start to climb out.

Anyone who has fished a damsel emergence will never forget the experience. Having experienced one, I am most fortunate. Because you would count me amongst the great liars of our sport, I won't tell the whole story.. The brief facts are: In less than 90 minutes 3 cutthroat - 7+ pounds total, one lost and one over 6 pounds scared away. The lake is Lenice. It's public. It's reknown for huge cutthroat. It's a challenge.

For a compact Odonta/damsel reference, I recommend 'The Gilly' A Flyfisher's Guide, Edited by Alfred G. Davy 1985 IBSN 0-88925-638-1 pp 69-74 as one of many compact references.

WildcatRob

Today I was collecting nymphs in the Poconos with Gonzo when I spotted an interesting-looking spinner in the air and it landed next to us on a piece of grass. I grabbed it and tossed it in my bug box, and we both took a closer look.

It was a male spinner, perfect for identification, and it seemed to belong to a species of Ephemerella that neither of us recognized. The form was similar to invaria, more sleek than subvaria or Drunella. It was long, a big size 12 probably, but very thin. It had three long, elegant tails, and would generally have been a very photogenic mayfly.

I was looking forward to getting it under the camera and microscope to figure out what it was. But when I got home a little while ago and was looking through my bugs, it had disappeared!

Mostly.

I found a detached spinner wing of about the right size, dangling out of the mouth of a big damselfly I had added to the container. D'oh! Despite the stress of restriction to my container, and the fact that its wings were messed up, my crippled damselfly apparently hobbled its way over to my prized spinner and ate all but one wing.

I didn't notice this Calopteryx adult before...it's beautiful.