The Sow Bug or Watercress Bug
Ask any fly fisherman on the stream if he has a Sow Bug fly in his box. The majority of them will open their fly box and show you a fuzzy oversized Scud fly.
NOT EVEN CLOSE!
The Sow Bug has two tails, seven sets of distinct legs, two long curved antennae and is 'Flat as a Pancake". The Sow Bug can range from 5 to 20mm in length not counting the antennae or tails. Like most freshwater invertebrates the Sow Bug has the chameleon like ability to be colored to blend with the color of the stream bottom. The Sow Bug of this area are grayish or black the same as the Sow Bugs of the spring creeks of Minnesota and Wisconsin. The Sow Bugs of the high mountain country of Montana and Idaho spring creeks are yellowish orange color.
I first fished the Sow Bug in the 1950's in the spring creeks of Southeastern Minnesota that had big watercress beds. The Sow Bug was called a "Watercress Bug" in Minnesota. I have fished the Sow Bug in the mountain spring creeks of Montana and Idaho and the famous spring creek "Arroyo Pescado" south of Esquel Argentina.
Since I like to have a watercress salad in the spring time, I probably have eaten a Sow Bug or two myself!
