I've gotten into a habit lately of running down to the Delaware-Raritan canal during lunchtime. It's decent exercise and it's fun. There's also a little stream that runs near the canal that a friend showed me that he had caught some Cambarus bartonii crayfish from. I went there in the spring and found a puddle leftover from some high water and caught netted some Banded Killifish and Swallowtail Shiners plus some large Golden Shiners that I released.

Now this is a pretty small stream, the deepest I've seen it is maybe 3 feet and it's less then 10 feet wide where I go. So I go there yesterday just to play around and I wind up catching a bunch of Eastern Blacknose Daces. I brought home 12 of them and put 4 babies in my 5 gallon hex at work, 2 more young ones in my 10 gallon and 4 adults and sub adults in my 75 gallon.

They are one of the prettiest native fish I have ever seen and I'm very surprised that this small stream has such a wide range of small fish in it. The area that I've covered is maybe a quarter mile so far and there's a nice looking pool I want to explore right where the stream comes out of a large pipe that runs under the canal. I'd love to follow it down to the Delaware river which is less then a mile away but the streams cuts through a country club which kind of kills that idea. I'm at work right now with no way to post any pictures so I'll have to wait until I get home to post some.

I've gotten into a habit lately of running down to the Delaware-Raritan canal during lunchtime. It's decent exercise and it's fun. There's also a little stream that runs near the canal that a friend showed me that he had caught some Cambarus bartonii crayfish from. I went there in the spring and found a puddle leftover from some high water and caught netted some Banded Killifish and Swallowtail Shiners plus some large Golden Shiners that I released.

Now this is a pretty small stream, the deepest I've seen it is maybe 3 feet and it's less then 10 feet wide where I go. So I go there yesterday just to play around and I wind up catching a bunch of Eastern Blacknose Daces. I brought home 12 of them and put 4 babies in my 5 gallon hex at work, 2 more young ones in my 10 gallon and 4 adults and sub adults in my 75 gallon.

They are one of the prettiest native fish I have ever seen and I'm very surprised that this small stream has such a wide range of small fish in it. The area that I've covered is maybe a quarter mile so far and there's a nice looking pool I want to explore right where the stream comes out of a large pipe that runs under the canal. I'd love to follow it down to the Delaware river which is less then a mile away but the streams cuts through a country club which kind of kills that idea. I'm at work right now with no way to post any pictures so I'll have to wait until I get home to post some.

You should post the pictures, I'd love to see them!

You should post the pictures, I'd love to see them!

I'm going to have to net the largest one and take some pictures of it out of the water. I tried with my camera phone yesterday but it's too slow and the fish wouldn't stay still.

I agree. I grew up catching bnd's for trout bait. The males in breeding dress are awesome. I have a 2.5 gallon tank Im going to paint the back & one side black so I can try to do some pics in the field.

I'm looking in the wrong places. All I find is gambusia and banded killies.

I'm looking in the wrong places. All I find is gambusia and banded killies.

Just say the word njJohn, I need someone new to drag through the sticker bushes, deep mud, irate landowners, rapids and various other dangers.

I went back today to another part of the stream and saw some bigger fish most of which I was able to id as sunfish. I saw one fish though and I just don't know what it is. It had the color and pattern of a koi but the body was that of a sunfish from I could see. I only had my dip net so I couldn't go after it. I'm going to bring my ultralight rig tomorrow and try and catch it. I managed to net a few more Blacknosed Daces but no shiners or killifish. One day I'm going to take the entire day and sample the stream properly. I also saw a way to bypass the part of the stream that runs through the country club so I can actually walk the stream down to the Delaware river.
That njJohn is where the stickers,mud, irate landowners part will most likely come in

Maybe we can plan something begfore summers over.

I went to Merril Park in Iselin on thursday. I was with my kids and had no nets. But, I could see some darters just inches aways from a cement dam. I'm gonna come back and see what they are.