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Sandy Creek near Henry, IL

Started by Guest_BenCantrell_* , Sep 29 2013 10:06 PM

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#1 Guest_BenCantrell_*

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Posted 29 September 2013 - 10:06 PM

Today I spent some time in Sandy Creek trying out my new dip nets. It turns out that the perfect dipnet from Jonah's Aquarium is better than the trout fishing landing net I'd been using in the past! I only photographed a few fish, but the total number of species I found was pretty satisfying.

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
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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
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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
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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
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Logperch (Percina caprodes)
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Blackside Darter (Percina maculata)

Channel Catfish (Ictalurus punctatus)

And also this guy, just for kicks.
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Not bad for a creek in the middle of farm country!

#2 Guest_Rainbowrunner_*

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Posted 30 September 2013 - 01:38 AM

nice haul. btw with my maniac hard core binge fishing i had to build my net from rebar for the hoop and thick walled pvc conduit for the handle. needless to say it lasts and endures the harsh soviet style punishment i subject it to. .

#3 Guest_centrarchid_*

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Posted 30 September 2013 - 10:39 AM

Is that crayfish an Orconected propinquus?

#4 Guest_BenCantrell_*

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Posted 30 September 2013 - 01:04 PM

Is that crayfish an Orconected propinquus?

I'd be curious to know as well. I've never paid attention to invert species, but it'd be fun to start learning.

#5 Guest_BenCantrell_*

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Posted 30 September 2013 - 05:36 PM

Here are a couple head shots to add.

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And also a white bass from the Vermilion River later in the day.

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#6 Guest_Skipjack_*

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Posted 30 September 2013 - 06:02 PM

Pretty darn nice macro shots there.

Did you keep the Phenacobius? They are a really fun fish in a tank. Adapt quickly, very active, and are easier to feed than true suckers.

#7 Guest_natureman187_*

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Posted 30 September 2013 - 08:24 PM

Nice report Ben.
Do you have any habitat shots from the Sandy Creek location?

Glad to see another stomping around Central Illinois.
Hope into any of the Mackinaw tribs, you'll find plenty of Bandeds :smile2:

#8 Guest_BenCantrell_*

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Posted 30 September 2013 - 08:35 PM

Sure, here's a shot of the creek. It's mostly sand bottom, almost no large rocks. Nice mix of riffles, flats, and the occasional pool deeper than my chest waders.

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#9 Guest_blakemarkwell_*

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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_*

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Posted 30 September 2013 - 09:32 PM

I caught mud darters at the end of riffles as they dropped off into pools. Plenty of dead leaves and submerged sticks for them to hang out in. One particular scoop of the net had six species of darter in it: mud, orangethroat, rainbow, Johnny, banded, and fantail. Pretty crazy!

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.

#11 Guest_centrarchid_*

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Posted 01 October 2013 - 09:00 AM

I am prettyI amI am I am pretty familiar with crayfishes of southern Illinois. Color helps a lot down their with ID. I would like a refresher on them so if you go please post some.

#12 Guest_BenCantrell_*

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Posted 18 August 2014 - 04:50 PM

Sandy Creek has been great fishing again this year. Here are a few photos from the past few weeks.

Bluegill (male)
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Bluegill (female) - EDIT: cuckholder male, see discussion below
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Green Sunfish
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Longear Sunfish - did not expect these to be here!
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Largemouth Bass
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Smallmouth Bass
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Red Shiner
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Spotfin Shiner
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Sand Shiner
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Golden Shiner - first time catching here
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#13 Guest_Casper_*

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Posted 18 August 2014 - 10:39 PM

Nice.
I like your fish trophie shots.
How do you tell a male from a female Bluegill?

#14 Guest_centrarchid_*

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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_*

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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.

#16 Guest_centrarchid_*

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Posted 19 August 2014 - 09:51 AM

Generally for field ID I squeeze to please them for conformation.

#17 Guest_Casper_*

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Posted 19 August 2014 - 10:47 AM

I'm still confused with the male vs female Bluegill, but that is norbal. I have no idea what a cuckholder is. So does Centrarchid agree that the first is a male and the 2nd is a female as Ben states?
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_*

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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_*

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Posted 19 August 2014 - 11:33 AM

The first bluegill is a primary / bourgeois / nest building male. Long opercular tabs, dark base coloration and actually digs nest. Second is also a male with less developed color than that indicating a stud. He is not "milkman type", rather he is the type that tries to make you think you are dating two girls at once and sits between you and the real girl at the movie theater as he courts her on one side and acts like a female to you.

#20 Guest_centrarchid_*

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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.