Underwater Pictures from Trout Streams, Page 4

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).

Cased caddis larvae blanket this section of stream bottom.

In this picture: Insect Order Trichoptera (Caddisflies).

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.

These are red-spotted newts, Notophthalmus viridescens viridescens. Thanks Gonzo for the ID.

Mating toads and their eggs in the shallows.

Mating toads.

Mating toads, with a huge number of eggs stretching out behind them.

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).

Hundreds of cased caddis larvae cling to sparse weed growth in the sand under heavy current.

In this picture: Insect Order Trichoptera (Caddisflies).