last weekend I tried snorkling in the South Branch Ashuelot. I worked my way to the river. (slipping and sliding down the mud on the dry bank before the river bank proper).

I slipped into the water below a weed bed where I saw a school of minnows. The water is cold. Not sure if it is because the temperatures are starting to slide more and more fall like (70's during the day, sixties or high fifties at night), or because it rained a day or two ago.



After entering the water the minnows seemed to have vanished so I crawled upstream. (I find crawling often gets better movement than actual swimming in current, though the current was weak here). The river here was wide and shallow, and silty with vegetation along the edges. Between light differences and mask fogging I could not see far into the weeds, so crawled upstream in the open area along the edge.

I soon saw a small sucker (photo did not come out sadly) whose back looked oddly bent at a strange angle. I worried it was injured, but when I went to touch it, it swam off without a problem.

Soon I saw a small darter or two. The big issue with the fish here is their color matches the silt making them difficult to see, and harder for the camera to identify. I got a few pictures that just looked like sand, and searching them it took me forever to find this. Yes their IS a fish in this picture.



Darters must be what every chameleon wishes it was.

I finally found the minnows by simply turning around and looking behind me. They slipped behind me and were searching sediment I stirred up for food. they were also very curious about my hands.



Not even going to try and ID them, I have issues with IDing smaller minnows of any species, and they have the annoying sandy coloration of the bottom making details hard to see. (95% of the time I can be right about non rhinicthys from flowing water by saying fallfish)

I did get my best video yet of these minnows.

https://www.youtube....h?v=BRx3fGlCw3w

https://www.youtube....h?v=nVAb8QvLwsY

I got up and walked upstream looking for fish, I am suprised I saw no chain pickerel (I caught them here before). on the other side of the bridge I saw alot of darters in the sunny shallows. They were curious and readilly approached my feet.





https://www.youtube....h?v=ii4XTo1qLRQ

https://www.youtube....h?v=es4LSWrrD1I

I got an impression of lazyness from these darters.