Photos With Nop and Dave: Reeling in a Rainbow

Last fall, Dave was photographing fly fishermen on the North Fork of the White River. The rainbow trout were putting up a fight.

“These trout were skittering across the surface—rolling and jumping and flipping and really churning up the water,” Dave said.

So Dave plunged his camera into the ice-cold river to catch some of the action. He used a special bag to keep his camera dry. “But, since I couldn’t put my eye to the camera, it was catch as catch can,” Dave said. “I didn’t know what I was getting until after I took the pictures.” All the bubbles in the photograph are from the trout’s tail fin whipping up the water.

“I was capturing the moment and the energy rather than looking for a textbook perfect photo,” Dave said. Dave likes underwater photography. “It’s a different way of seeing things. Each stream has a different character.”

Next time you’re exploring a stream, bring a swim mask and poke your head underwater. “Get down close and see the wealth of life—all the larvae and crawdads,” Dave said. “Even if you don’t take pictures, you’ll be amazed.”

See more cool photos at www.xplormo.org/node/11707.