Entomology kit question???

NewFlyLady-

The kit seems to me to be overpriced for what you are getting. Here is what I would recommend as an alternative:

For a seine, consider one of those that attaches to the handle of your net, and can be quickly pulled over the hoop when needed. It will be a lot easier to use, particularly when you want to find out what the fish are feeding on just beneath the surface, or when you spot a hatched insect floating on the surface, and want to quickly capture it.

For magnification, consider a 8x-10x loupe intended for hobbyists. The magnifying glass included in the kit probably doesn't offer sufficient magnification for your purposes. Rather than the tiny clear "petri dish", consider a glass jar lid with a white enamel interior. It will be much easier to use and see the contents against the white background. Both will fit conveniently in one of the pockets of your vest. You will find that much more convenient and secure than keeping them in the zipper kit carrying case, which will dump about half if its contents into the stream the first time you try to use it.

For an aquatic insect guide, here is a link to Guide to Aquatic Invertebrates of the Upper Midwest by R.W. Bouchard, Jr. This identification manual is targeted at students, citizen monitors, and aquatic resource professionals. Extremely well written, it includes illustrations of most aquatic invertebrate orders likely to be encountered in freshwater environments. Larvae of aquatic insect orders are keyed/illustrated to family level. This is a great find for the budget-constrained flyfisher, as it is currently available for free download. The chapters can be download and printed one at a time to compile a terrific book, which you can get spiral bound at Office Depot for a few dollars.

Its already been said, but you can pick up all the stuff in that kit for WAY less than 50 bucks... heck hit the drug store for half of it, make your own seine, and get your vials from somewhere else, then put it in a little case or ditty bag and call it good...

Related, but not the same, take a look at taking some stomach samples too. You can get a grip on what fish are eating real fast.

My on stream "kit" right now (which is currently under expansion and revision)is a few vials, both with alcohol and some for dry specimens, some forceps (tweezers), a stomach pump, a seine (think stretched out Pantyhose over your net...the awkward part for a single guy is getting a hold of some...) and a little magnifying thingamajigy with a couple lenses (it was super cheap, but it works ok, and I dont feel too bad if I lose it). All in all, I think this kit cost me about 15 bucks... So if it all takes a drink and gets lost, oh well.
I can't say the same for my good knife that I lost on the Yakima the other day... theres 80 bucks in the drink. I had that thing on me for about 5 years everyday, used it for everything from skinning deer and coyotes to opening the mail... I hope someone finds it and puts it to good use. Then again, I did catch a 22" bow in that spot the next day, so maybe the fish were thankful for the new cutlery...