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Native fish to Iowa

Started by Guest_cyfan964_* , Feb 16 2014 08:54 PM

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6 replies to this topic

#1 Guest_cyfan964_*

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Posted 16 February 2014 - 08:54 PM

Hi all!

So glad I found this forum. I've been in the aquarium hobby for 20+ years and have always wanted to set up a native Iowa aquarium. I've been perusing the internet or about 3 hours tonight looking for a site that could help me identify and locate the smaller minnows/darters of central Iowa streams and have come up with nothing.

Can anyone point me in the right direction as to what is in native creeks/streams around the Ames/Des Moines areas? I frequent the larger rivers fishing, but know of a ton of local small streams where I'm hoping to net/seine some cool species.

Thanks to any help you can give!

cyfan964

#2 Guest_cyfan964_*

Guests

Posted 16 February 2014 - 09:01 PM

I guess I should say that I am quite familiar with all the larger "game fish" to the state, but am quite unfamiliar with the "minnows" of the state.

#3 Michael Wolfe

Board of Directors

North Georgia, Oconee River Drainage

Posted 16 February 2014 - 09:15 PM

Welcome cyfan!

Here is an online resource with species lists and maps and such: http://maps.gis.iast...iris/fishatlas/

We also have several members here that can help you connect. Ken Glackin is your Regional Representative and he is here on the forum just listed as Ken. I am sure that you can connect with some of these folks.

I know it is not really Iowa, but Fishes of Missouri by Pflieger and Fishes of Arkansas by Robison are both good books (I live in Georgia where there is no "Fishes of" book, so I am used to making due with Alabama and SC.

Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin

#4 Guest_cyfan964_*

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Posted 16 February 2014 - 09:20 PM

Thank you soooooo much Michael! That is incredibly helpful. Hope to touch base with Ken sometime.. I would absolutely love to go on some local collection trips this Spring!!

Edited by cyfan964, 16 February 2014 - 09:21 PM.

#5 Michael Wolfe

Board of Directors

North Georgia, Oconee River Drainage

Posted 20 February 2014 - 09:59 AM

Hey cyfan, here is another one that you should probably have... I have never looked at it personally... but anything with a bunch of Tomelleri work in it has to be worth something.

http://www.amazon.co...i/dp/0700618163

Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin

#6 Guest_Orangespotted_*

Guests

Posted 20 February 2014 - 01:30 PM

A quick rundown on small species here: we're pretty sparse darter-wise in central Iowa (you can thank intensive agriculture for that), but from time to time you can still find a few Iowas, Fantails, Slenderheads, Johnnies, Logperches, Blacksides, and theoretically Bandeds. There is a great variety of small Cyprinids ("it's probably a Sand Shiner though") but the ones you may be after include Blacknose Dace, Bluntnose/Fathead/Bullhead Minnows, Red Shiners, Spotfin Shiners, Redfin Shiners, Brassy Minnows, Central Stonerollers, Hornyhead Chubs, Emerald Shiners, Carmine (formerly Rosyface) Shiners, Suckermouth Minnows, and theoretically (haven't caught yet) Southern Redbelly Dace. We also have all three of the state's non-threatened mini-catfishes: Tadpole, Slender, and Stonecat madtoms; avoid touching their fin spines (worse than any Bullhead). We don't have much as far as sunfishes, but on the nongame side you can find Northern Rock Bass, Green Sunfish, (no Pumpkinseeds sadly, those are randomly distributed elsewhere in the state), and most redeeming: Orangespotted Sunfish.
There's also a plethora of really large species (familiar with the Redhorses, Buffalos, Drum, Gar, Sturgeon, Wipers, Goldeye?) if you have a sizable pond. Note: game fish in Iowa must be caught on hook-and line, even for aquarium use. Green Sunfish and Orangespotted Sunfish are exempt from this luckily.

Oddballs: Every once in a while, two migrating slender fellows (Chestnut Lamprey and American Eel) get "lost" and end up in the Des Moines River, Gizzard Shad are unbelievably abundant in any reservoir they're found in (by the way, that's why you're not allowed to collect those), theoretically we have Blackstripe Topminnows, you might happen across a cute little Brook Stickleback, there are some Northern Hog Suckers, and apparently some Brook Silversides. It should suffice to say: If you are not 100% positive on what something is, put it back. Particularly if it looks like a Blacknose/Blackchin Shiner or Topeka Shiner. You won't really find any endangered central Iowa darters (good luck catching Sand Darters) or sunfishes (the Longear is long gone).

Books? I use Peterson's Second Edition for identification and Fishes of Missouri for life history and rarely look elsewhere. I highlighted native Iowa species in both books by cross-referencing the Iowa fish atlas: http://maps.gis.iast...iris/fishatlas/ .

Phew, I might add more later, but I'm burnt out for now! Have fun with the fishes, guessing Ken contacted you already about the possible spring trip?

#7 Guest_Ken_*

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Posted 20 February 2014 - 02:19 PM

Thanks OS for the input! Good rundown.... You're right on finding Sand darters: "The western sand darter is listed as a threatened species in Iowa (571 IAC 77.2(2) (2004)) This darter is almost exclusively restricted to the Mississippi River, where it is widespread (Harlan et al. 1987). Historically, it was found in the Cedar, Des Moines, Raccoon and Shellrock rivers but has not been collected in any of Iowa’s interior waters in over 50 years." Quotes are from the Iowa Fish Atlas.