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> Lake Invertebrate ID help

ADKbrookie	April 22nd, 2018, 7:28 am
Lake George, NY Posts: 2	The local lake has a healthy population of both lake trout and landlocked salmon. During the spring smelt run I target both by casting streamers from shore or trolling from a canoe. While lake trout often have smelt in their bellies all the salmon I’ve caught are filled with some caddisfly looking critter. It’s early, mid April in upstate NY and the water temp is between 42-50 degrees. I apologize here there is no scale to the image but I would estimate that each is between 1.5 - 3 cm in length.
Jmd123	April 22nd, 2018, 8:55 am
Oscoda, MI Posts: 2611	Howdy, ADK. I don't think they are caddisflies, as I am seeing some tails on several individuals, also some big heads and jaws. Some might be neuropterans? Perhaps alderfly larvae? I could be wrong, not easy to see details, but the individual closest to the camera has a big head and mandibles. I'll let the bug nuts on here try to get you a little closer to ID. Jonathon
	No matter how big the one you just caught is, there's always a bigger one out there somewhere...
Millcreek	April 22nd, 2018, 11:19 am
Healdsburg, CA Posts: 356	Kevin - I'm pretty sure they're a Sialis species. Here are a couple of links. http://www.troutnut.com/topic/9246/Sialis-sp https://www.uoguelph.ca/debu/STEVEweb/html/Sialis_larva_NA_lg.htm They're also known as alderflys, so Jonathan got it right.
ADKbrookie	April 23rd, 2018, 4:58 am
Lake George, NY Posts: 2	Thank you, gentlemen! I would agree, they do look like alderfly larvae. I'm just perplexed how the salmon are feeding on them. I would think they would be picking them off as the larva swims to the surface to emerge but I've never seen much of any insect activity on the lake this early in the year. Do the larvae regularly swim throughout the water column?
Jmd123	April 23rd, 2018, 6:38 am
Oscoda, MI Posts: 2611	Glad to be of help. I'm not highly familiar with the life cycle of the alderflies, though I do know that they lay their eggs on overhanging structures like bridges, the larvae dropping into the water upon hatching. I've seen the egg masses and they're pretty cool looking, like a little black patch of tiny ovoids clinging to the cement. BTW, pretty fish! I would say tie a big-headed nymph of some sort and perhaps slowly lift it through the water column and see what happens! Good luck and send us more pics of your fishies. Jonathon
	No matter how big the one you just caught is, there's always a bigger one out there somewhere...
Millcreek	April 23rd, 2018, 8:39 am
Healdsburg, CA Posts: 356	You're unlikely to find Sialis larvae in the water column as it is primarily a bottom feeder. They wouldn't be picking them off as emergers since the larvae crawl onto land and make a chamber under a log or in the soil and pupate there. You can find some info here: http://tolweb.org/Megaloptera And a photo of an alderfly pupae here:http://joycegross.com/images.php?img=2222_1745

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