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Lake michigan and tribs

Started by Guest_Uland_* , Apr 06 2013 09:24 PM

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4 replies to this topic

#1 Guest_Uland_*

Guests

Posted 06 April 2013 - 09:24 PM

Mark and I got out last weekend for the first time this year.
We started on Lake Michigan to find plenty of ice. After breaking ice for quite some time, we managed to catch not a single fish. perhaps we'll try again once the lake surface temperature goes above 32 deg F.

We then quickly sampled Wolf Lake to find:
Esox americanus
Lepomis gibbosus
Perca flavescens

Perch were abundant.
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Next we traveled south to Thorn Creek. This is one messed up creek -- quite a bit of treated wastewater, bank erosion and lots of garbage.
There also happened to be one hole in waders just high enough to make a grown man yelp.
There we found:
Notemigonus crysoleucas
Notropis dorsalis
Notropis stramineus
Pimephales notatus
Pimephales promelas
Semotilus atromaculatus
Catostomus commersonii
Lepomis cyanellus
Lepomis macrochirus
Neogobius melanostomus

Sand and Bigmouth Shiner were common. Unfortunately so were Round Goby.

Posted Image

After a quick trip to Cabela's to pick up Mark a new pair of waders, we went further South to Deer Creek.
This section of creek is upstream from the wastewater and primarily sand and mud. Lots of log jams for cover but still not the greatest water.
There we found:
Campostoma anomalum
Cyprinus carpio

Notropis dorsalis
Notropis stramineus
Pimephales notatus
Pimephales promelas
Semotilus atromaculatus
Ameiurus melas
Lepomis cyanellus
Lepomis macrochirus
Lepomis hybrid

The carp were huge, but it was really nice to see campostoma here. This is a new record and shows some degree of stream quality remains. We also noted the presence of invertebrates at this location.

Posted Image

#2 Guest_BenCantrell_*

Guests

Posted 06 April 2013 - 09:57 PM

Nice shots. Interesting coloration on the stoneroller, it seems like they have a lot of variation.

#3 Guest_IsaacSzabo_*

Guests

Posted 08 April 2013 - 01:45 AM

Lovely photos, Uland. Thanks for sharing these.

#4 Guest_Uland_*

Guests

Posted 08 April 2013 - 09:43 PM

Ben,
The dark patterns on Campostoma seem to me at least to be random and change greatly with spawning condition and age. The photographed fish will be spawning in the next few weeks I'd guess and will transform into the spiked monster we know and love.

Isaac, thanks for your kind words. I'd imagine you'll be in the water in no time cranking out some photos for us to drool over.

#5 mattknepley

NANFA Member

Smack-dab between the Savannah and the Saluda.

Posted 12 April 2013 - 07:08 AM

Nice pictures, and encouraging to see some diversity of aquatic life above a waste water treatment site. How far upstream from the plant were you? I have a little stream I'm playing around with here in SC that flows into a slightly bigger stream just below the discharge from a water treatment plant. Close to the juncture, there are some aquatic insects, a few crayfish, and no fish, at least not that I've found yet. A couple miles upstream the picture is much better. Is there some point on Deer Creek where there is noticeable improvement. Distances would be relative based on size of the waters and capacity of the treatment plant, but I wonder if there are rough generalities regarding aquatic life's ability to adapt to such disruptions....

Matt Knepley
"No thanks, a third of a gopher would merely arouse my appetite..."