I've been trying to find Bluenoses in this county for several years, and am about ready to concede that they're long gone, but days like this are why I keep trying.
Today I finally found the spot, and I went down for a look.
I have been very frustrated all week by steams which are way down due to the drought, reduced to stagnant mudholes, and a distressing lack of fish except for little green sunnies which are taking over the whole county. I was happy to see that this headwater was still more or less intact, and even happier to see numerous little fish.
Knowing that Bluenoses spawn in late June-mid July, it occured to me that the fry I was seeing were just the right size.
My first attempt was a success, and I managed to bag a dozen specimens. They were too small for the net and kept falling out, but I was able to see that they weren't Gambusias, and that they had a distinctive purplish sheen. Also in the net were a few baby sunfish of some sort.
WhooHoo! The location is right, the size is right, the color is right, the habitat is right and there are also baby sunnies, which means Bluenoses would have had sunny nests to parasitize last month.
So, I went back to my truck for a big plastic two-gallon water jug i carry around just for such occasions, filled it up with water, and... couldn't see a fish anywhere. I made about 20 attempts with the net, but came up with nothing.
ARRRGH!!
They were spooked and gone.
I'll be going back soon, though..oh, yes...
Edited by Mysteryman, 11 August 2014 - 06:15 PM.
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