We used underwater observations to quantify microhabitat use for blackbanded,Percina nigrofaciata, turquoise, Etheostoma inscriptum, and tessellated, E. olmsteadi, darters in a 116 m reach of a Piedmont stream during 2001-2002. The sampling period and the previous 12 months were the first and second driest years on record, respectively. Spring 2002 had the greatest amount of available habitat, and principal component analysis indicated that only one of three species pairs displayed significant differences in microhabitat use during this season. Conversely, in fall 2001 (intermediate microhabitat availability), all three species used significantly different microhabitats. In general, turquoise darters used areas with greater amounts of erosional substrata, tessellated darters occurred over more depositional substrata, and black- banded darters utilized intermediate microhabitats. During fall 2001, large blackbanded darters (≥55 mm SL) occupied faster microhabitats with more erosional substrata, and used a greater variety of depths than smaller conspecifics (40-55 mm). In fall 2001, large turquoise darters (≥40 mm) used deeper microhabitats with higher velocities and more erosional substrata than smaller individuals, whereas the opposite was true (≤50 mm in faster, more erosional, than >50 mm) in fall 2002. In general, darters did not occur in micro- habitats with significantly higher invertebrate abundan- ces, however both blackbanded and tessellated darters occupied microhabitats with higher percentages of Diptera in a single season. The inconsistent responses of darters to microhabitat prey abundance may have been influenced by extreme drought conditions.