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Quick bug stop on the Dosewallips River



By Troutnut on July 6th, 2020
This long day trip from home to the Olympic Peninsula was primarily an attempt to dig a geoduck, a Pacific Northwest delicacy and the largest species of burrowing clam. I built a special tool to help dig them up from 3 feet under the sediment in the tidal flat off the Dosewallips River estuary, where the big clams are exposed only during the lowest tides of the summer. They're apparently located among the eelgrass at this beach by locating where they spurt jets of water 5-10 feet into the air as the tide recedes or rises. Unfortunately, I didn't see a single jet of water nor any other sign of a geoduck, even with the tide dropping to -2.8 feet.

My consolation prizes were some delicious steamer clams (manila clams), an easy find higher in the tidal zone, and some bugs to photograph from a short sampling stop upriver.

Photos by Troutnut from the Dosewallips River in Washington

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From the Dosewallips River in Washington.
StateWashington
LocationDosewallips River
Date TakenJul 6, 2020
Date AddedJul 12, 2020
AuthorTroutnut
CameraiPhone XS

Closeup insects by Troutnut from Mystery Creek #249 and the Dosewallips River in Washington

Male Baetis flavistriga (BWO) Mayfly NymphMale Baetis flavistriga (BWO) Mayfly Nymph View 8 PicturesThis nymph keys to Baetis assuming the villipore is present (hard to see in my photos or scope), and within that genus it tentatively keys to the flavistriga species complex, of which Baetis flavistriga itself is by far the most common in Washington state, so that's the most likely ID.
Collected July 6, 2020 from Mystery Creek #249 in Washington
Added to Troutnut.com by Troutnut on July 12, 2020
Drunella grandis (Western Green Drake) Mayfly NymphDrunella grandis (Western Green Drake) Mayfly Nymph View 9 Pictures
Collected July 6, 2020 from the Dosewallips River in Washington
Added to Troutnut.com by Troutnut on July 12, 2020
Cinygmula (Dark Red Quills) Mayfly NymphCinygmula (Dark Red Quills) Mayfly Nymph View 7 PicturesUnfortunately there's no good key to species of Cinygmula nymphs and I didn't find an adult, so this one will have to stay at genus level.
Collected July 6, 2020 from Mystery Creek #249 in Washington
Added to Troutnut.com by Troutnut on July 12, 2020
Brachycentrus americanus (American Grannom) Caddisfly LarvaBrachycentrus americanus (American Grannom) Caddisfly Larva View 13 PicturesBoth the genus ID (Merritt & Cummins) and species ID (Flint 1984) are pretty confident for this larva, a nice example of a common western caddisfly. It was by far the most abundant insect in my kicknet sample on this trip, and many of the rocks in the fast riffle where I sampled had dozens of these larvae clinging on.
Collected July 6, 2020 from the Dosewallips River in Washington
Added to Troutnut.com by Troutnut on July 12, 2020
Neoleptophlebia memorialis Mayfly NymphNeoleptophlebia memorialis Mayfly Nymph View 8 PicturesThis specimen keys to the Neoleptophlebia memorialis group, which means it could be Neoleptophlebia memorialis or Neoleptophlebia temporalis. In the absence of a clear species key, I'm just guessing memorialis for now.
Collected July 6, 2020 from the Dosewallips River in Washington
Added to Troutnut.com by Troutnut on July 12, 2020
Ephemerella excrucians (Pale Morning Dun) Mayfly NymphEphemerella excrucians (Pale Morning Dun) Mayfly Nymph View 6 Pictures
Collected July 6, 2020 from the Dosewallips River in Washington
Added to Troutnut.com by Troutnut on July 12, 2020
Epeorus longimanus (Slate Brown Dun) Mayfly NymphEpeorus longimanus (Slate Brown Dun) Mayfly Nymph View 4 Pictures
Collected July 6, 2020 from Mystery Creek #249 in Washington
Added to Troutnut.com by Troutnut on July 12, 2020
«Older: July 4th getaway to a small streamNewer: July 28th, 2020»

Most recent comments on this post (latest on top)

TroutnutJuly 16th, 2020, 9:44 pm
Administrator
Bellevue, WA

Posts: 2737		I had brought fly fishing gear, but we had to get back. This part of the Olympic Peninsula doesn't have much resident trout fishing, as far as I know. It's almost completely a sea-run fishery and the run wasn't in yet.
Jason Neuswanger, Ph.D.
Troutnut and salmonid ecologist
WbranchJuly 16th, 2020, 5:38 am
York & Starlight PA

Posts: 2733		Wow, what a great looking pool! You should of fished there awhile.
Catskill fly fisher for fifty-five years.

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