Underwater Pictures from Trout Streams, Page 3

Two young of the year brook trout hide in a little spring hole in a remote, crystal-clear small stream.

I tried to photograph this salamander but it kept scurrying away from the camera. The rocks in this little backwater are covered with a thin layer of very easily disturbed silt, so anywhere I followed it I didn't have much time to photograph before the water was too turbid for a good shot. This is the best I got.

In this picture: Amphibian Order Caudata (Salamanders).

Despite the late date in the season, several caddisfly larvae remain on the rocks in this river.

In this picture: Insect Order Trichoptera (Caddisflies).

Underwater moss and riffle bubbles.

This simple rubber-legged foam beetle is one of my favorite flies for Arctic grayling. It's quick to tie so I don't mind losing one or two on snags. It's durable, so one fly can last a hundred fish or more. It never needs floatant to ride the surface well. Most importantly, it catches fish, although grayling often hit almost anything. The bold profile and attention-grabbing plop of the beetle, I think, draw fish from farther away than a more subtle fly might, and it often draws unusually savage strikes.

I love this "above & below" landscape from a popular Catskill trout stream. The picture is not doctored to show both perspectives. Instead, my Pentax Optio WPi digital camera is able to take pictures with the tiny lens half-in, half-out of the water.