Giant Salmonfly

This is the West's most legendary hatch. Anglers race to the streams to catch large trout surface feeding on large insects, a mania like that for Hexagenia limbata mayflies in the Midwest. This is the very largest species of all mayflies, stoneflies, and caddisflies, up to 2.5 inches long.

Like the other very large insects, its hatches are especially hit-or-miss events. When hit, they are extraordinary. The hatch progresses upriver quickly, providing good fishing on a single stretch for a few days at best.

Cloudy days improve the odds of a good Salmonfly hatch.