Swinging on the Lower Yuba lately?

[Terry Thomas]

Seems like we have this discussion every year about this time. Ralph is the expert in this field, however, I believe you could be seeing the "winter stone." I recall that this insect is a member of the capnia family. I believe that some call it the "little black stone."

[Mrs.Finsallaround]

You can read an article and view a hatch chart for the Lower Yuba River at;

http://www.flyfishingtraditions.com/patterns/gray-or-slate-drake-mayflies

I love your hatch charts Clay! It was actually one of the first places I checked when I was trying to figure out what these guys were.... Still pretty sure it's a stone of some kind. Hubby [paulegan81] actually pointed them out to me to begin with and he's been tying flies longer than I've known him, LOL.

Seems like we have this discussion every year about this time. Ralph is the expert in this field, however, I believe you could be seeing the "winter stone." I recall that this insect is a member of the capnia family. I believe that some call it the "little black stone."

I was wondering about those too, but these things were 1 - 2" long.... Not sure that qualifies for 'little'

I'll post a picture as soon as I have my camera back

[Ralph]

I think you are seeing female stub wing stoneflies - Classinea subulosa. They peaked about three weeks ago but will still dribble out into mid December. The males have really short wings and can't fly. They (as well as the females which can fly) spend most of the day hiding under rocks. They are pretty nocturnal so anglers don't see them much, but the fish do see them a bunch. We did pretty well a few weeks ago fishing paralyzers and large dark stimis on top. Pretty sure the trout thought they were stub wings.

This is a picture of a male. The girls' wings are about the length of the body.

[Mrs.Finsallaround]

I think you are seeing female stub wing stoneflies - Classinea subulosa. They peaked about three weeks ago but will still dribble out into mid December. The males have really short wings and can't fly. They (as well as the females which can fly) spend most of the day hiding under rocks. They are pretty nocturnal so anglers don't see them much, but the fish do see them a bunch. We did pretty well a few weeks ago fishing paralyzers and large dark stimis on top. Pretty sure the trout thought they were stub wings.

This is a picture of a male. The girls' wings are about the length of the body.

Hmmmmmm - I dunno . You're saying those are nocturnal and there were several around on the rocks about 4-6 ft from the water's edge all the way down the lower river. These weren't 'hatching' either. Hubby thinks the larva/nymphs are active because the water temps are right, but not hatching properly cause the air temps are not... Most of the shucks we saw weren't split open like a hatch.

Aaaaaaaaaaah - the mystery continues..... .

[Ralph]

They are much more nocturnal than most stoneflies, but that doesn't mean a percentage of the population isn't running around during the day. Most anglers way underestimate the numbers of stub wings that are about. Unlike Skwala or little yellow stones that conspicuously fly around and cavort in the riparian foliage, stub wings will hatch on a rock then scuttle under the cobbles, out of sight out of mind. They live for about a month, so even if a "hatch" isn't underway or is even completely done, they are still on the water ovipositing and available to trout.

The only way a stonefly or mayfly can get out of it's exoskeleton and leave a shuck behind is by pulling itself through a split on the thorax. Except for the final molt where the nymph morphs into an adult, all the molting is done underwater. If you see shucks on the rocks, there was a hatch!

[Jaybinder]

All right people, this was supposed to be an oppertunity for me to whine about not catching any fish. Instead I end up learning something?? Not cool.


Jason

(for those of you who don't get sarcasm, I'm just kidding.)

[Troutstalker55B]

Ralph,

Your right on the money, and man those stoners can run across the water - who needs wings!

Jon.

[Mrs.Finsallaround]

I didn't realize its body and legs had stripes...



Still a stub wing stonefly nymph?

[Ralph]

Bingo!
Pretty hard to tell from the image, but combining the size, locale, and date, there aren't really any other contenders. Got an email from a friend who found seven adult stub wings under a single rock at Parks Bar today. I'd be fishing dark stimis at dusk. Be sure to give them a swing or at least a twitch because, as Jon says, they can definitely motor about.

[DAVID95670]

Ok we have found the bug....

Has anyone caught any fish in the last two weeks on the yuba?