sohoaquaticinsects

I lifted this dun off the water with the leaf as it's wings unfurled. It is preparing to fly it's first flight on this partly cloudy October day on the South Holston River.

This adult midge lit on my khakis during a float in April.

Early March SoHo kick survey holds sulphur nymphs, midge larvae, blackfly larvae, midge adult, and a sowbug. Maybe the adult was spent?

This Subimago Baetis was stretching it's wings for the first time on a rock near the shoreline. In a day or so, it will molt again into a sexually mature imago to mate, lay eggs if it's a female, and then die.

Freshly hatched, this baetis is preparing to take flight for the first time. He better hurry!

South Holston Aquatic Insects and Invertebrates

The South Holston has a dense and diverse population of aquatic insects and invertebrates. I have conducted numerous kick surveys and gastric lavages and have observed at least one stage of the following in or on the South Holston: Midges, black flies, spiders, early stoneflies, yellow stoneflies, golden stoneflies, numerous varieties of caddis flies, scuds, sowbugs, snails, crayfish, baetis (BWO, blue winged olives), sulphur mayflies, craneflies, aquatic worms, leeches, riffle beetles, and hellgrammites. The South Holston trout also dine on trout eggs, sucker eggs, sculpins, other trout, terrestrials (grasshoppers beetles, cicadas, ants, etc.) and more. The South Holston is most famous for its dependable sulphur hatches. I warn you though, don't expect it to be easy!