FLY FISHING -- As the story goes, stoneflies once were so prolific on the Spokane River the annual late spring "salmonfly" hatch would grease the city tracks and make the street trolleys slip.

We can only imagine what sort of frenzy such a prolific hatch of the huge, meaty insects would cause among the river's trout. Afterall, normally wary and sensible trout are affected by salmonflies much as men are altered by the presence of beer and boobs -- they make them stupid.

I can't vouch for the salmonfly hatch of yesteryear, but I know that stoneflies are an indicator of river health. They don't do well in polluted waters, and they haven't been prolific in the Spokane River for decades.

But there are signs of hope, as Mike LaScuola shows with these photos.

"I found two of them in my radiation air sampling monitor on the roof of the Health District building, said the environmental specialist for the Spokane Regional Health District.

"I hope this is a good sign that the river is “cleaning up.”

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