A question that has been bugging me...

I was checking out a new stream (new to me) last night and noticed a very odd insect that I had never seen before. I was at Beaver Creek, below Hagerstown MD. The bug was grey blue and looked like it had a little bit of cotton attached to its backside. It looked like a little piece of cotton flying around. Upon closer inspection the cotton was little wisps coming off its back. I took some pictures but I don't think that they were very good (dang thing wouldn't pose or even hold still). The wings were up-write and I didn't notice a definable tail. Is this just a mayfly molting? I have never seen anything like this.

Dear GburgFisher,

It sure sounds to me like a mayfly that did not yet fully cast off it's nymphal shuck.

Sometimes they don't break away clean and have to struggle to get out of their shuck. A lot of people fish dry flies with a trailing shuck instead of the traditional tail, especially on damp or overcast days.

Best wishes,
Avalon

email me a pic via a jpeg . --even if picture is not well focused. Avalon is probably correct. Was the 'cotton' grey or brown or 'white' , like cotton?

GBF-

So how'd you like Beaver Creek? It's a pretty nice little stream, IMO. I've never been anywhere with so many sowbugs/cressbugs. An improving fishery, for sure.

Marty
MFTG

All
Thanks for the help. I have yet to get these pictures off the camera, but I will tonight and will post one. The cotton was white, and it was wispy too. Its really hard to describe but imagine if you just pulled the tip of a q-tip out a bit. Thats exactly what it looked like. Again I will see what I have as far as pictures - they might be pretty bad. MFTG - Beaver Creek was pretty darn nice. They did some work upstream so where I was fishing was cloudy, fast, and tough. I kind of have a love/hate relationship with limestone streams. Now, instead of drving an hour to the Letort to get skunked, I can drive twenty minutes to Beaver creek. Its Great! In all seriousness though, I am really starting to love getting my legs wet in all of these MD streams.

Gburg,
have you fished the Conewago outside of Gettysburg ? nice little stream on the flyfishing only section.
I fished some private water northwest of G-burg this past Friday .some nice steams in the area.
Best,
Steve

Here are the two "best" pictures that I could get. Basically I did not realize that the camera had a close-up setting until the bug was a little too agitated to sit still. I am going to go back soon and see if I can get some better shots. Steve - The conewago is one of my favorite streams around here. Never crowded, great fishing, and well kept. Did you fish the narrows up by Ardentsville? I know some clubs up there own water. Some monster browns up that way...I am certainly jealous.

http://public.gettysburg.edu/~abarclay/fuzzybug1.JPG

http://public.gettysburg.edu/~abarclay/fuzzybug2.JPG

Ohmigawd you captured Tinkerbelle!

GBF-

Feel free to drop me a line whenever you're heading out to Beaver Creek. I'm just SW of Balto but I'd be happy to drive out there for a half-day of fishin.

Marty
MFTG

Ok. I just spend about forty five minutes flipping through every bug book my Library has to offer with no real results. I'm now thinking its either some sort of wierd moth, aphid, or whitefly... This is bothering me so much I am seriously contemplating another trip to that stream just to look for this bug...chances are though I'll throw a line in too! Tinkerbell...right now...is seeming plausible.