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Ashuelot Snorkling

Started by Guest_FirstChAoS_* , Jul 21 2014 12:55 PM

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7 replies to this topic

#1 Guest_FirstChAoS_*

Guests

Posted 21 July 2014 - 12:55 PM

I decided to test out my cameras video feature (took a couple photos too) again. My original hope was trying an area by the bridge in Winchester where I saw huge fallfish in the past. But I could not see a safe way to reach the water. Which sucks as their were a couple large suckers down their.

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So I decided to head up to the stone arch bridge in Keene. The water level was still a bit high so I did not travel too far from the starting spot. (I really DO want to ride the current and fly downstream, but my worry of the struggle to make it back sort of stops that).

However here I did get to see my suckers, albeit much smaller ones. (however between forgetting goggle defogger and silt stirred up I nick named them sand browsers until I got a decent look at one).

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These suckers mainly hung around in the small section which had a shallow sloping bank, but followed me around their and were fairly tame. (they wouldn't let my hand closer than 6 inches so no perched on a hand shots like the darter guys get).

Yes, these little guys were my friends their, the Commerson Family.

With holding more still video quality improved, but I need to work on aiming. A few videos like this show the fish only briefly. Aiming is made more difficult due to fish not holding still.

Another species of fish their I nicknamed the lateral stripe marauder. They were fast, tended to zip behind me or away making them hard to film. They have a dark strips, sometimes with a gold above it. Though I recognize this pattern from blacknose dace, the larger ones (2-4 inches is the general size of them) seemed almost a bit chub like. This makes me wonder if small fallfish have lateral stripes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1kCk2GpdE4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhjZym6o75Y

Their was a third fish with thin stripes briefly seen and obscured by the plant here. the video is much less clear on youtube than on my computer. Not sure what it is. Vertical stripes make me think perch but these stripes were very thin.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUO_fsf43GE&feature=youtu.be

Fish were not the only creatures seen here. This crayfish was also present.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsAXk6gLlyk

I'll post one more video of the fishies to finish this report.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPACRq-Z5WI

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#2 Michael Wolfe

Board of Directors

North Georgia, Oconee River Drainage

Posted 21 July 2014 - 06:15 PM

I think those might be juvenile fallfish... they look rather like juvenile creek chubs to me... and given your local fishes, I would guess they are your Semotilus.

Your camera is doing a pretty good job and you have found some clear water and now you are getting better with your videos... keep up the snorkeling... or should I say, stay down in the water and keep snorkeling.

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

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#3 Guest_Skipjack_*

Guests

Posted 21 July 2014 - 10:17 PM

A pun for the punster.

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#4 Isaac Szabo

NANFA Member

Marble Falls, AR

Posted 22 July 2014 - 03:31 PM

If you work your way through the various habitats of a section of stream, you can normally find spots where the fish congregate naturally. Then you can park yourself in one spot and let the fish relax and come to you instead of chasing them around. Laying down facing downstream in a riffle or shallow run is usually good for minnows and darters. A number of species will actually be drawn to you in this situation. The transition from a riffle to pool (or deep run) can be good as well. Nesting sunfish offer a great opportunity to get close. The prime habitats vary with different waterbodies and target species. If you find a good spot where fish are consistently gathering, then sometimes you can set your camera down really close to the spot and back away to get some really close-up, stable video. If you can't set your camera down because it's buoyant or there's too much current, then you can hold your camera down against a rock to keep it stable. If your camera has a tripod mount, then you can attach a short rod to use as a stabilizing monopod and/or stake (Michael does this a lot). It's usually better to keep the camera still and let the fish swim in front of it then to try to follow them around with it. Getting good underwater video is pretty tough, but if you keep trying you will get better and better.

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#5 Guest_Casper_*

Guests

Posted 23 July 2014 - 11:31 AM

Good Advice from Isaac.

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#6 Guest_FirstChAoS_*

Guests

Posted 24 July 2014 - 01:35 AM

Very good advice. I may try a riffle this weekend, though I have doubts as to if I'd find many fish in riffles here other than rhinicthys. I'll have to look into monopods/tripods, but most sealife camera accessories are expensive.

EDIT: Just checked, sealife monopods and tripods are cheap. The lights and lenses however are not.

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#7 Michael Wolfe

Board of Directors

North Georgia, Oconee River Drainage

Posted 24 July 2014 - 12:32 PM

Most tripod screw threads on most cameras are standardized at 1/4-20. You can buy a foot long piece of 1/4-20 all thread rod at a home improvement store for 99 cents. This works great for staking a camera in a strategic location.

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

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#8 Guest_Stickbow_*

Guests

Posted 24 July 2014 - 08:02 PM

I like to glue a 1/4-20 stainless bolt into whatever (walking stick, piece of dowel, whatever) to use as a monopod. I have a bamboo stave that's going on 25+ years old that's been my monopod through three different camera bodies.

I strongly suggest you use a stainless bolt if you DIY, just to keep from hacking the threads on your camera body when you forget to replace a galvanized bolt when it needed it. I have a kayak that needs a new handle, but won't get one because a previous owner used galvanized instead of stainless. That said, even stainless isn't truly impervious to rust...see my diving knife for proof.