Troutnut.com Fly Fishing for Trout Home
User Password
or register.
Scientific name search:

> > ?



Falsifly has attached these 4 pictures to aid in identification. The message is below.
View Full SizeView Full Size (2.8X larger)
View Full SizeView Full Size (2.8X larger)
View Full SizeView Full Size (2.8X larger)
View Full SizeView Full Size (2.8X larger)
FalsiflyMay 29th, 2012, 3:21 pm
Hayward, WI.

Posts: 661
I had a little visitor show up at work and managed a few quick shots. I rushed in to grab my 6 in. scale, from the shop, but it took flight before I could get a measurement. My guess is approximately 25 mm OA.
Falsifly
When asked what I just caught that monster on I showed him. He put on his magnifiers and said, "I can't believe they can see that."
EntomanMay 29th, 2012, 3:45 pm
Northern CA & ID

Posts: 2604
Al -
That's a Callibaetis female dun, probably ferrugineus ferrugineus (Speckled Quill). What's funny is that I literally just finished posting about them a little on the "Pine creek" thread that's still up on the roster below this one (for now).:)

BTW - are you sure about this critter being an inch long? Perhaps you are including tails? We have a species out here, C. californicus that can get pretty big (measuring up to 12mm) but it's the largest baetid I'm aware of.
"It's not that I find fishing so important, it's just that I find all other endeavors of Man equally unimportant... And not nearly as much fun!" Robert Traver, Anatomy of a Fisherman
EntomanMay 29th, 2012, 4:04 pm
Northern CA & ID

Posts: 2604
Ah, thanks for the rest of the pictures. I believe it's definitely C. f. ferrugineus. Sounds like you may have an outsized specimen, though.
"It's not that I find fishing so important, it's just that I find all other endeavors of Man equally unimportant... And not nearly as much fun!" Robert Traver, Anatomy of a Fisherman
FalsiflyMay 29th, 2012, 4:40 pm
Hayward, WI.

Posts: 661
Kurt, it seems that when I was posting it was coming up one picture at a time. Don't know what I was doing wrong. Yes the 25mm OA (overall) includes the tails.

Thanks.
Falsifly
When asked what I just caught that monster on I showed him. He put on his magnifiers and said, "I can't believe they can see that."
EntomanMay 29th, 2012, 4:44 pm
Northern CA & ID

Posts: 2604
Your welcome. Ah... So that's what OA meant! I was thinking you meant "on average". Sorry, my bad.:) You must have a lake nearby? Maybe worth checking out? Great photos for off the cuff, BTW.
"It's not that I find fishing so important, it's just that I find all other endeavors of Man equally unimportant... And not nearly as much fun!" Robert Traver, Anatomy of a Fisherman
FalsiflyMay 29th, 2012, 5:24 pm
Hayward, WI.

Posts: 661
You must have a lake nearby?

BINGO
I was going to mention that I'm only a short walk off of the Chippewa Flowage and several miles from any moving water.
Falsifly
When asked what I just caught that monster on I showed him. He put on his magnifiers and said, "I can't believe they can see that."
WiflyfisherMay 29th, 2012, 5:59 pm
Wisconsin

Posts: 663
Ya, that definitely looks like Callibaetis, but I didn't know we had them in our backyard. I have seen them on the Hebgen Lake, etc. out West but not here before.
John S.
https://WiFlyFisher.com
EntomanMay 29th, 2012, 8:02 pm
Northern CA & ID

Posts: 2604
Hi John,

Your experience doesn't surprise me. Though widely distributed their populations are usually pretty sparse east of the Rockies. I used to think it was the lack of alkalinity, but now I'm thinking it also has a lot to do with the presence of sunfish. Some of the lakes out here that provided tremendous populations of Speckled Quills in the past are now mere shadows of their former selves since the introduction of Blue Ears and other varieties of those little devils. I don't know what the thinking was behind it (if any) but it's been an unmitigated disaster for lovers of mayfly hatches and free rising trout. The way the little guys like to swim around and perch on plant stems makes them perfect targets for those hovering predators. They harvest them like cherry pickers. The poor bugs don't stand a chance.

One of my favorite little lakes in the Sierra's, Martis Valley, was ruined by their introduction. It used to teem with large wild browns rising to abundant hatches of Speckled Quills and Damselflies. The last time I was there the weed beds were reduced to hotels for stunted sunfish with very little insect life. The browns were gone, replaced by rainbows feeding mostly on midge larvae beyond the littoral zone out in open water. I haven't been back...
"It's not that I find fishing so important, it's just that I find all other endeavors of Man equally unimportant... And not nearly as much fun!" Robert Traver, Anatomy of a Fisherman
WiflyfisherMay 30th, 2012, 4:40 pm
Wisconsin

Posts: 663
Kurt, insteresting observation about sunfish. I would think they could devour a ton of bugs.
John S.
https://WiFlyFisher.com
EntomanMay 30th, 2012, 8:11 pm
Northern CA & ID

Posts: 2604
Yes, especially species not particularly well adapted for hiding from them... Like Callibaetis.
"It's not that I find fishing so important, it's just that I find all other endeavors of Man equally unimportant... And not nearly as much fun!" Robert Traver, Anatomy of a Fisherman

Quick Reply

You have to be logged in to post on the forum. It's this easy:
Username:          Email:

Password:    Confirm Password:

I am at least 13 years old and agree to the rules.

Related Discussions

TitleRepliesLast Reply
Re: Unidentified Baetidae
(2 more)

In the Identify This! Board by Benthosfan
8May 5, 2021
by Benthosfan
Re: Farmington River Mayfly
In the Identify This! Board by Phels29
2Feb 25, 2015
by Byhaugh
Re: callibaetis ?
In the Identify This! Board by Fredw
2Jul 11, 2013
by Entoman
Re: The boys were back in town, part 3 - Clark's Marsh
(12 more)

In the Photography Board by Jmd123
1Sep 29, 2017
by Partsman
"Comfort fishing"...a.k.a. the hometown lake
In the Photography Board by Jmd123
0
Re: callibaetis?
In the Identify This! Board by Rayfound
2Apr 8, 2010
by Taxon
Re: Unknown mayfly?
In the Identify This! Board by Braindead
4Aug 9, 2013
by Taxon
Re: Mayfly Identificaiton
In the Identify This! Board by Ndebarmore
5Jul 21, 2014
by Crepuscular
Re: Please help me ID this mayfly.
In the Identify This! Board by Fredw
18Jun 28, 2013
by Taxon
Re: can you identify this bug?
In the Identify This! Board by Wchougland
1Jan 12, 2021
by Troutnut