Trout Streams

>

Wisconsin

> The Namekagon River

I spotted this very large leech freely tumbling, and occasionally stopping, along the bottom of a clear, cool trout stream. I paid careful attention later and spotted two more like it, but this one was the largest -- probably over 7 inches stretched out.

There is one other picture of it.

In this picture: Animal Class Clitellata-Hirudinae (Leeches).

Two Ephemerella mayfly nymphs share a piece of wood with two Taeniopterygidae stonefly nymphs.

In this picture: Mayfly Genus Ephemerella (Hendricksons, Sulphurs, PMDs) and Stonefly Family Taeniopterygidae (Willowflies).

Here's the surface of the river viewed from below during a Tricorythodes spinner fall. Several dead spinners are visible.

In this picture: Mayfly Genus Tricorythodes (Tricos).

A water boatman flees the camera.

In this picture: True Bug Family Corixidae (Water Boatmen).

A school of large common shiners feeds in a frenzy on Tricorythodes mayfly spinners which were all over the surface on this July morning.

There are a couple Epeorus mayfly nymphs clinging to this rock. One interesting thing I've noticed is that even though the stream has a lot of clingers, they rarely show up in my photos, and I've started paying more attention to the river bottom while I'm fishing I've noticed that clinger nymphs generally see or feel me coming and scurry to the undersides of their rocks before I can get in picture range. I think I have the same problem with stoneflies.

In this picture: Mayfly Genus Epeorus (Little Maryatts).

I'm not quite sure what this is. It may be an Isonychia nymph hiding under a piece of grass.

In this picture: Arthropod Class Insecta (Insects).