Collecting bugs and seeing what is in there.

[sholgate]

Wow, a tank. That is something I never would have thought of. My wife and I are now in the process of buying a new property (don't worry, we got one with a trout stream and pond in the back yard). Maybe after we settle in a bit I can convince her about the tank.

Most larva I find in streams seemed to be darker than a lot of the imitations I find locally. With the 2-3 nymph rigs I can try a couple variation at the same time. Sometimes the productive bug surprises me. (For example the wine colored brassie that matches nothing natural, at least to me.)

Movement intrigues me. Do you "work" nymphs in a stream situation? I have working towards the "dead drift" so much of the time with the exception of buggers and streamers.

[FK]

A tank sounds very interesting.

Does it require temperature control if kept in a cellar or garage?

A great opportunity for digital macro photographs.

Insect relocaton protection program,,,,,can I obtain a federal grant to fund this project?

Regards,
FK

[sholgate]

In PA at least, I don't think aquatic insects are regulated. It could be a very interesting idea.

[SlowNDeep]

My garage would be no good.

I kept the tank in the basement, it stayed cool enough. It s really cool watching them emerge.

I also reared several species in a refrigerator when I was at school. I would set a light on a timer to simulate extended photoperiod. At one point I had videos of some crawling out and shedding their nymphal skin.

Regarding movement - I meant material movement. For example, I used to like my stonefly legs to be made of softer material, but now I prefer to use stiffer material. Their legs do not move much when dislodged, in fact the insect becomes very stiff (like an unnatural looking fly) when dislodged in a current, moving its bodyvery little and its legs just sort of rock back and forth til it bumps into something solid - then it flips/grabs/crawls very quickly and disappears beneath the rocks ASAP.

Regarding insect relocation - I'll say nothing

[AaronJasper]

Eddie,

Great stuff! Do you have any of the videos on cd? That would be cool to watch the fridge emergence!

[alanb_ct]

In general, I don't like the risks involved with relocating insects. This sort of thing is best left up to our state biologists and management people. I would bet that insect transplanting falls under the same laws as the illegal introduction of exotic fish species.

[sholgate]

All I can say is that I have a lot to learn.

Eddie, did you study biology in school?

[alanb_ct]

I believe SloNDeep has a chemistry background (PhD).

I agree, we all have a lot to learn-that is the joy of fly fishing and this forum.

[FK]

The relocation comment refered to,,, from the river to a home tank,,,,not to another river or stream.

Regards,
FK

[SlowNDeep]

Aaron,

The videos were on VHS. If I still have them, I can probably re-record them digitally.

Sholgate,

I studied biology as an undergrad; mostly fisheries and aquatic biology.

I could never be a state biologist - I can't bring myself to let politics influence science. When people talk about old-boy networks, there is no greater example of this than the FWS graduate departments in the land grant schools. They only accept people they know, and screen against troublemakers, that leaves me out.

Ask the state biologists about their Salmon restoration project. They have been unwilling to consider different approaches for fifteen years now.

Yeah, I have a problem with state biologists.

I will continue my work at some point, maybe as my fifth career.