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Tennessee 2012/2013 Cement Pond Pool Party

Started by Guest_Casper_* , Apr 10 2012 12:27 PM

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#1 Guest_Casper_*

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Posted 10 April 2012 - 12:27 PM

Tennessee 2012 Cement Pond Pool Party

This upcoming June 9, a Saturday, is Tennessee's Free Fishing Day, no Tennessee Fishing License is needed to pull a 10' seine or wield a dipnet.

As in the past few years, i will host a fishy gathering for NANFans here in Chattanooga that same weekend.

You are welcome to arrive Friday afternoon for a bit of evening socializing and BBQ.
On Saturday the South Chickamauga Creek Greenway Alliance will be hosting a Meet the Creek Day alongside South Chick at a nice farm. We will seine several habitats and setup aquariums for everyone to enjoy a Native Fish Show & Tell. They will provide a covered dish picnic lunch and various comforts for us to enjoy. Afterwards we can check out a few other sites including the one directly behind my home, enjoy a wooded walk and later take a cleansing snorkel dip in the Cement Pond. At dusk we will do a backyard grilling or perhaps a Low Country Boil. After dark i could do an outdoor screening of the "Fishes of South Chickamauga Creek", a 96 image & video presentation i recently assembled. Popcorn will be available.

Sunday we will find clear water to snorkel in. I have not taken many folks to North Chickamauga Creek before, which when conditions are right, can be a most excellent snorkel in the valley. I will scout it in advance. And there is always the Hiwassee and the Conasauga available which is what we usually do.

If rain sets in we can tour the Tennessee Aquarium or perhaps one of their facilities.

Let me know if you wish to attend. Folks can stay in the apartment above my studio or at nearby motels, including the Chattanooga Choo Choo. I just bought the house next door and it will be available as well. Bring sleeping bags, pads, etc.

Tennessee does not allow the taking of "baitfish", but we will have plenty of options. Alabama and Georgia are just over the border and lots of opportunities will present themselves. This gathering is geared to the NANFA fellowship, observing fish in their native environment, and plain ol fishy fun.

If you would like to attend contact me in advance. I will be sending a notice to all Tennessee NANFA members but any NANFA member is welcome to attend. I will keep any who has expressed interest informed with details as planning continues.

Casper, NANFA's Tennessee Representative.
423-624-0721
prizma@aol.com

#2 Guest_jblaylock_*

Guests

Posted 10 April 2012 - 12:58 PM

put me on your list. I may be able to come, but should know once it gets closer to the date.

#3 Guest_lgyure85_*

Guests

Posted 10 April 2012 - 01:30 PM

I plan to be there! Eli (my S.O.) will likely come too. We won't need lodging, since we just live in Jasper, but we can house a few people if needed, though I know it's a bit of a hike.

Edited by lgyure85, 10 April 2012 - 01:30 PM.

#4 Guest_davidjh2_*

Guests

Posted 11 April 2012 - 07:45 AM

Tennessee has the greatest diversity of crayfish of any state in the country(77 different species at last count). A trip to Tennessee is very high on my places to go list but not this this year unfortunately.

#5 Guest_MichiJim_*

Guests

Posted 11 April 2012 - 11:00 AM

Casper,

Sounds like a great time. I'll have to see if I can fit it in.

I might be passing through Chattanooga on my way back and forth to Florida in a couple of weeks. If the timing is good I'll see if I can stop and say hi.

Jim

#6 Guest_Casper_*

Guests

Posted 26 April 2012 - 09:39 AM

Lots of fine trips have already occured this Spring...
This will be at the beginning of Summer, June 8, 9 & 10.

KY Josh... Send me your email addy so i can keep you posted.
Igyure... We may finally get to meet. Thanks for the habitation offer to those in need but i will have plenty of convenient space here. I need your email addy.
Jim... Do ring me when you are passing through. I would be good to see you again after the Tates Hell trip. 423-624-0721
David... I did not realize about Tennessee having the highest Crayfish diversity. Ocean touching GA and landlocked TN debate back and forth about being number 1 in fishy diversity especially with all the current splitting going on.

In addition to this forum posting i sent a direct invite to adjacent state NANFA members... AL, GA, SC, NC, KY along with TN and received a few more responses of interest. We will see how many are committed and adjust plans accordingly... Here is a graphic teaser with activities noted...

#7 Guest_Casper_*

Guests

Posted 03 May 2012 - 06:42 PM

I got an email from Kathlina of the Tennessee Aquarium today and she offered to give us a behind the scenes tour of their breeding facility... Lake Sturgeon, Barrens Topminnows and such. I figured about 5ish Friday afternoon for the tour and then BBQ overlooking the city lights about 8ish. The planned activities commence Saturday morning.

I need the email addys of those interested so i can directly send details and directions. A few of you have posted or sent me PMs but i need your actual email address.

#8 Guest_CharlesA_*

Guests

Posted 04 May 2012 - 01:52 PM

Mr. Casper,

I am a new-NANFA member from Rhode Island and I would like to try and attend the exciting weekend you have planned.

My e-mail address is cavenengo@hotmail.com

Thank you very much,

Charles Avennego

#9 Guest_Skipjack_*

Guests

Posted 04 May 2012 - 02:49 PM

Charles, Might want to send the email in a PM, and ask the mods to remove the post.

#10 Guest_Casper_*

Guests

Posted 09 May 2012 - 08:24 AM

1 month away today. Without enough interest i will have to cancel the planned activities allthough i am personally committed to the Picnic Fish Show & Tell with the South Chickamauga Creek folks Saturday, June 9 from 11 til 3.
Gotta have at least 6 NANFA Fishheads committed for the full planned event as offered.
Casper

#11 Guest_alejandro_*

Guests

Posted 20 May 2012 - 12:54 AM

I'm sorry to miss it, but will be out of town that weekend.

-Alejandro

#12 Guest_lgyure85_*

Guests

Posted 04 June 2012 - 09:43 AM

Shoot, I didn't see any of this additional stuff! my email is lisa.gyure@gmail.com. Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner. Is everything still on? I'd love to do the tour on Friday!

#13 Guest_CharlesA_*

Guests

Posted 19 June 2012 - 07:40 AM

Two weekends ago, Casper and his family very kindly hosted a gathering in Tennessee for a behind the scenes look at the Tennessee Aquarium, seining on the South Chickamauga Creek, snorkling on the Conasauga River, and good comraderie.

For myself,despite the long distance traveled, the trip was represented a visit to the North American freshwater fish "Mecca." We saw more species over the weekend than I have the entire year's worth of vigorous field trips. In fact, we saw more species over the weekend,than Rhode Island even has freshwater species of fish.

Species seen in the field:

Longnose gar
Common carp
River chub
Central stoneroller
Largescale stoneroller
Riffle minnow
Warpaint shiner
Alabama shiner
Blacktail shiner
Tricolor shiner
Blue shiner
Bluntnose minnow
Coosa shiner
Bigeye chub
White sucker
River redhorse
Black redhorse
Northern hogsucker
Mountain madtom
Southern studfish
Blackstripe or blackspotted topminnow
Mosquitofish
Brook silverside
Mottled sculpin
Rock bass
Shadow bass
Largemouth bass
Redeye bass
Green bass
Bluegill
Lonear sunfish
Redbreast sunfish
Snail darter
Blackbanded darter
Bronze darter
Logperch
Mobile logperch
Conasauga logperch
Speckled darter
Greenside darter
Banded darter
Tennessee snubnose darter
Coosa darter
Greenbreast darter
Redline darter
Freshwater drum

Shortnose sturgeon

Casper takes charge

Ranger Bob

Betsy

The Cement Pool

Casper and Rolf

Gar

Redline darter

Rolf and warpaint shiner

Greenbreast darter

Thank you Casper and nice meeting everyone.

Charles A
Newport, RI

#14 Guest_steve_*

Guests

Posted 19 June 2012 - 03:52 PM

Awesome! Definitely looks like it was a terrific time. Sure wish I could've been there. Thanks for posting.

#15 Guest_Casper_*

Guests

Posted 19 June 2012 - 04:49 PM

Thanks Drew for making those changes.
Some fish are not to be seen by all!
Great time, i may try and put a report together or photo captions in the NANFA Gallery.
28 species in South Chick and 26 in the Conasauga.
We had a excellent seine team... though near all newbies we worked together with patience and success. I am getting to where i can predict what we will catch where and do. And no stumbled running ankle twisting face plants required!

Here are a few pics...

Captain Bob on the Conasauga.
Only Bob and i brought wetsuits and thought it an unfair advantage to wear them while the others shivered. Charles and i lasted a couple hours in the overcast 70 degree crystal clear waters and rain showers while most changed into dry clothes and walked the banks.

Snail Darter poop. David Etnier tells me if you listen very closely you can hear them grunt.

Saturday's South Chick Seine Gang. Eli, Betsy, Ranger Bob, our new NANFA member Lisa and 70 year old Rolf from NC. Where is Charles?

#16 Guest_MichiJim_*

Guests

Posted 20 June 2012 - 09:07 AM

Casper,

Now I am very sorry I couldn't make it. It looks like it was sensational.

Keep the peace.

#17 Guest_CharlesA_*

Guests

Posted 21 June 2012 - 06:09 AM

Sorry everyone,

The sturgeon photo above is incorrectly labeled as a shortnose sturgeon. It should be labeled as a lake sturgeon.

68-degrees yesterday in coastal Rhode Island yesterday. Where is our heat wave?

#18 Guest_farmertodd_*

Guests

Posted 25 June 2012 - 12:34 PM

Sorry I missed out! Thanks for the write up guys

Todd

#19 Guest_Casper_*

Guests

Posted 27 August 2012 - 06:34 PM

I had been hitting North Chick a lot this year using the early summer drought, which provided low clear water spring flows, to my advantage. I thought i would again take advantage of what i hoped would be a good Saturday on South Chick, accessing the site of our Tennessee Free Fishing Day picnic, which has held back in June. Probably my most disappointing snorkel of the year. Low visibility and a bright sun created a washed out glare to my vision, the suspended material giving the water an odd colored cast. I could never seem to focus and the glare gave me eye strain and eventually a mild headache. I only stayed in the creek for about 3 hours, trying to find something worthwhile and in hopes of seeing Snail Darters, but they are nervous to approach in most cases anyway.

I first laid in a long gravel run and soon had a small pod of nicely marked Logperch downstream of me, counting up to 7 at one time. Plenty of Whitetails nipping at anything i disturbed from the substrate along with a few River Chubs, Stonerollers and Warpaints, but really overall not much or many of anything. No active group of Redlines or Rainbows, only a few Greensides hiding beneath stones, some speckleds and snubs in the poolish side water.

To the side there is a back water area and it was full of the envasive Hydrilla. In the last few years i am seeing Hydrilla more and more regionally and in a variety of temps, flows and habitats. Not being knee jerk negative i do see it as filling a need here, absorbing the excessive nutrients from the agricultual lands upstream, stabilizing the gravel silted substrate and providing habitat for critters. We are the ones who wrecked this habitat initially and nature, though the plant is introduced from far away, is taking advantage of the situation and i suspect providing a natural balancing need. There is no practical way of removing it to my knowledge and the mechanical removal methods i have seen in Florida and Texas only send fragments further downstream to take hold. Here in South Chick i suspect that centuries ago the water flowed clear and many native plants, though deep submerged, could still gather sunlight. Today it is very rare to ever get more than 2 or at best 3 feet of of visibility. Typically it is green opaque, and after heavy rains a nasty brown.

A close up of Hydrilla. It feels kinda sharp, toothy, in your hand, is brittle, and has whorls of 5 leaves generally. Native Elodea has leaves of 3 and Elgeria Densa, aka Anacharis to the aquarium trade has 4 and feels soft. Hydrilla is tight, the strands smaller in overall diameter. It can make an attractive dense mat of greenery.

I also noted plenty of snails, the food of choice for the Snail Darter. The common round ones mostly but also a few long pointed snails, which would surely cause difficulties passing through a tiny digestive system. I bet the Darter is a bit selective when choosing a meal.

I also found this large snail shell, but unsure of what kind it is? I looked for more but only found this one. Is it native or a foreigner?

I snapped this Hogsucker, sitting quiet below a small log jam i was checking out. Plenty of Sunfish running the shadows and when standing i could see Gambusia and Black Striped or Spotted Topminnows. I have never seen any Studfish in my immediate area, the closest is to drive about 30 minutes west for the Northern or 30 minutes east for the Southern.

In a rapid flow section, while easing down long carved sharp edged channels, i came across this Whitetail Shiner, seemingly the last breeder in this stretch of creek. Very inquisitive, he stayed with me for 30 minutes as i crawled along the 75' feet of gnarrly edges. He continued to display and nip at my fingers and bright red camera strap throughout the time. I wish i could have gotten a crisp photo of him broadside.

I finally gave up trying and checked out another local site but trash, vulgar graffiti and fine gravel erosion quickly wore me down. Not a good day til i got home and had a slice of chocolate cake.

#20 Guest_IsaacSzabo_*

Guests

Posted 28 August 2012 - 12:27 AM

Yeah, murky water is not much fun - especially if you're taking photos. I'm surprised you stuck it out for 3 hours. Hopefully you can find some clear water soon to wash that bad taste out of your mouth - or maybe the chocolate cake already did that.

So, Snail Darters eat snails whole including the shell? Seems a little odd, but I guess it would work. Don't some other darters just pull the snail body out of the shell?

Edited by IsaacSzabo, 28 August 2012 - 12:51 AM.