I am looking for some information on collecting some Elassoma zonatum for a native tank that I am trying to put together. What I have found so far is "Inhabits eastern Texas from the Red River southward to the Brazos River Basin" but as anyone who has tryied to find anything in texas it is a very big place. If anyone here has a spot or a section of a river that they have found them in please send me a PM or an email. I have found a couple of other spots listed online that I will be looking into more as well. I hope to hear from someone soon.
ISO: Elassoma zonatum in Texas
Started by
Guest_JamesH_*
, Jun 13 2011 07:09 PM
10 replies to this topic
#2
Michael Wolfe
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- Board of Directors
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- North Georgia, Oconee River Drainage
Posted 13 June 2011 - 08:09 PM
We collected them during the convention in the Athens, TX area... you might could find some trip reports on the main NANFA website...I am looking for some information on collecting some Elassoma zonatum for a native tank that I am trying to put together. What I have found so far is "Inhabits eastern Texas from the Red River southward to the Brazos River Basin" but as anyone who has tryied to find anything in texas it is a very big place. If anyone here has a spot or a section of a river that they have found them in please send me a PM or an email. I have found a couple of other spots listed online that I will be looking into more as well. I hope to hear from someone soon.
http://www.nanfa.org/convention.shtml
Scroll down to 2008 and see what the convention reports say... I might also be able to look up where we were...
Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin
#7
Guest_JamesH_*
Guest_JamesH_*
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Posted 14 June 2011 - 08:54 AM
I will be down in houston in the next couple of weeks for a day trip, if I drop some minnow traps in the areas where they are found in the morning and come back in the afternoon what are the chances that I might have some fish to bring home?
#8
Guest_rjmtx_*
Guest_rjmtx_*
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Posted 14 June 2011 - 01:44 PM
If you're going to Houston, the site I know, which I love, is Clear Creek at 3346 south of Hempstead. Minnow traps probably won't work. Use a dipnet, even a large aquarium one will work, and scrape the emergent vegetation on the cut banks. You'll find them there, along with madtoms and grass pickerel. It is an East TX assemblage in a cool, clear stream. There's also an oxbow at that road crossing. Good luck.
#9
Guest_EricaWieser_*
Guest_EricaWieser_*
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Posted 14 June 2011 - 08:38 PM
Yes, I agree, check the dense vegetation. My Elassoma gilberti spend most of their time resting in plants on the substrate where it's darkest. They hide just on the underside of leaves and under rock protrusions to avoid being spotted by predators. A good way to catch Elassoma, I would think, would be to prepare a big tub full of water and scoop up a net full of floating vegetation like horwort (Ceratophyllum demersum) into the bucket. Then sort through it and you'll find some pygmy sunfish. If you've got only rooted vegetation, then start from the bottom on the substrate and scoop upwards. If your mesh isn't very very fine you'll miss the fish, because their maximum size is about an inch.
#10
Guest_decal_*
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Posted 14 June 2011 - 09:12 PM
Yeah, doubt you'd have any luck with a minnow trap. If you decide to swing by the reservoir let me know, I'll PM you the exact locations I've found them in. I haven't been up there since March though, no telling what it's like now in between the drought and record-breaking heat.
#11
Guest_JamesH_*
Guest_JamesH_*
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Posted 15 June 2011 - 09:45 AM
Yeah, doubt you'd have any luck with a minnow trap. If you decide to swing by the reservoir let me know, I'll PM you the exact locations I've found them in. I haven't been up there since March though, no telling what it's like now in between the drought and record-breaking heat.
I will be down in probably two weeks. I wont have much extra time when I come down but I am going to try to stop at a couple spots on the way home.
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