Sandy Creek near Henry, IL
#1 Guest_BenCantrell_*
Posted 29 September 2013 - 10:06 PM
Quillback (Carpiodes cyprinus)
Highfin Carpsucker (Carpiodes cyprinus)
Northern Hogsucker (Hypentelium nigricans)
Golden Redhorse (Moxostoma erythrurum)
Shorthead Redhorse (Moxostoma macrolepidotum)
Central Stoneroller (Campostoma anomalum)
Red Shiner (Cyprinella lutrensis) - caught hook & line
Spotfin Shiner (Cyprinella spiloptera)
Emerald Shiner (Notropis atherinoides)
Sand Shiner (Notropis stramineus)
Suckermouth Minnow (Phenacobius mirabilis) - still haven't been able to catch hook & line
Bluntnose Minnow (Pimephales notatus)
Blackstripe Topminnow (Fundulus notatus)
Western Mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis)
Green Sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus)
Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus)
Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus dolomieu)
Mud Darter (Etheostoma asprigene) - I suspected these have been mixed in with the orangethroats and rainbows I looked at during previous visits
Rainbow Darter (Etheostoma caeruleum)
Fantail Darter (Etheostoma flabellare)
Johnny Darter (Etheostoma nigrum)
Orangethroat Darter (Etheostoma spectabile)
Banded Darter (Etheostoma zonale) - first time finding these in Illinois
Logperch (Percina caprodes)
Blackside Darter (Percina maculata)
Channel Catfish (Ictalurus punctatus)
And also this guy, just for kicks.
Not bad for a creek in the middle of farm country!
#2 Guest_Rainbowrunner_*
Posted 30 September 2013 - 01:38 AM
#9 Guest_blakemarkwell_*
Posted 30 September 2013 - 08:36 PM
Is that crayfish an Orconected propinquus?
Yes. They're quite abundant in the upper Illinois tributaries (and the Wabash as well). Illinois is a good place to get your feet wet with crayfishes, Ben. Not crazy diversity, and The Crayfishes and Shrimps (Decapoda) of Illinois by Larry Page is a great learning tool and can be picked up super cheap on the INHS website. I haven't learned any of the crayfishes in Southern Illinois (which holds most of the diversity), but I've found the local ones quite easy and regret not starting sooner.
Also, nice job on finding E. asprigene in Illinois! Uland and I humped a lot of creeks one day trying to locate them. We eventually found them (and boy were they abundant where found), and learned the trick was submerged root wads of bankside sycamore and the presence of Trachemys scripta elegans (ended up with two in the net on different attempts). Oddly, we found a P. caprodes as well, which seemed out of place at this particular locale; good times!
#10 Guest_BenCantrell_*
Posted 30 September 2013 - 09:32 PM
Blake, thanks for the ID on the crayfish. I'll keep an eye out for other species.
Matt, I didn't keep any fish. I'm still not sure about the IL regulations. I talked to a friend in the DNR recently about it, and he said I would not get in trouble as long as I didn't take T&E species or try to sell native fish. That was just his opinion though, and with the vague regulations I bet every officer has his own interpretation of what is and isn't legal.
#12 Guest_BenCantrell_*
Posted 18 August 2014 - 04:50 PM
Bluegill (male)
Bluegill (female) - EDIT: cuckholder male, see discussion below
Green Sunfish
Longear Sunfish - did not expect these to be here!
Largemouth Bass
Smallmouth Bass
Red Shiner
Spotfin Shiner
Sand Shiner
Golden Shiner - first time catching here
#14 Guest_centrarchid_*
Posted 19 August 2014 - 08:40 AM
Nice.
I like your fish trophie shots.
How do you tell a male from a female Bluegill?
Sharp eye Casper. "Female" bluegill looks like a cuckholder male that mimics females which are easier to spot based on outward appearance than the little "milkman" variety that looks like a juvenile. Fish in question has faint black spots indicating male and lacks the squiggly pattern typical of females.
#15 Guest_BenCantrell_*
Posted 19 August 2014 - 09:47 AM
Sharp eye Casper. "Female" bluegill looks like a cuckholder male that mimics females which are easier to spot based on outward appearance than the little "milkman" variety that looks like a juvenile. Fish in question has faint black spots indicating male and lacks the squiggly pattern typical of females.
Cool, learned something new! I noticed those black spots and wasn't sure what to think. Figured it was just a "handsome" female.
#17 Guest_Casper_*
Posted 19 August 2014 - 10:47 AM
Or is she a he, aka a sneaky Milkman.
So how about those 2 bass? They look identical to me, including the large vs small mouths. The mouths to my eye look the same.
#18 Guest_BenCantrell_*
Posted 19 August 2014 - 11:26 AM
So how about those 2 bass? They look identical to me, including the large vs small mouths. The mouths to my eye look the same.
I mostly use coloration to tell apart the juvenile bass. Largemouth are more olive colored, and notice back near the tail how above the lateral line it's distinctly olive colored and below it's distinctly white. Smallmouth have bright red eyes (as opposed to dull red or brown), yellow spots and markings, diagonal streaks on the cheek, and a lighter color of green overall.
#19 Guest_centrarchid_*
Posted 19 August 2014 - 11:33 AM
#20 Guest_centrarchid_*
Posted 19 August 2014 - 11:35 AM
I mostly use coloration to tell apart the juvenile bass. Largemouth are more olive colored, and notice back near the tail how above the lateral line it's distinctly olive colored and below it's distinctly white. Smallmouth have bright red eyes (as opposed to dull red or brown), yellow spots and markings, diagonal streaks on the cheek, and a lighter color of green overall.
Also look at mandibles. In hand smallmouth, like spotted bass, has a stiffer less flexible mouth than a similar sized largemouth.
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