Underwater Pictures from Trout Streams, Page 3

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).

This is my favorite underwater picture so far. It shows a bunch of Simuliidae (black fly) larvae clinging to a rock and swinging in the fast current. There are also at least four visible mayfly nymphs, probably in the family Baetidae.

In this picture: True Fly Family Simuliidae (Black Flies) and Mayfly Family Baetidae (Blue-Winged Olives).

Several Baetidae nymphs line up on a rock.

In this picture: Mayfly Family Baetidae (Blue-Winged Olives).

Underwater moss and riffle bubbles.

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

In this picture: Insect Order Trichoptera (Caddisflies).

Here's a school of creek chubs.

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.