71 replies to this topic

[mattknepley]

Thanks, Ben. I was more disappointed than I had been in a long time over that one.

[Matt DeLaVega]

I'm Just glad you didn't go postal.

[mattknepley]

Me too. You don't get much crick stompin' time in the Pokey, from what I hear...

[Casper]

Matt, in Arkansas you do. Isaac and i were near reprimanded summer 2012 when we considered mingling with the striped prisoners as they waded waist deep, swing bladeing the lush vegetation along the banks of a chub nested spring run.

[mattknepley]

Matt, in Arkansas you do. Isaac and i were near reprimanded summer 2012 when we considered mingling with the striped prisoners as they waded waist deep, swing bladeing the lush vegetation along the banks of a chub nested spring run.

Note to self, "If I ever decide to take up a life in crime, do it in Arkansas."

[Matt DeLaVega]

Wow, would not expect them to hand out sling blades( some folks call them a kaiser blade) to prisoners.

[Isaac Szabo]

Yeah, that was disappointing as it ruined our snorkeling plans, but I guess we got to chase Autumn Darters instead. Was there an officer on a horse too? Or am I remembering it wrong? I could be mixing it up as I've seen a similar thing at a swamp in SE AR.

Oops, I just realized this is the 2015 convention thread - sorry for the derail!

[BenCantrell]

Oops, I just realized this is the 2015 convention thread - sorry for the derail!

I'm going to microfish a Red River pupfish! Ok now we're back on track.

[Matt DeLaVega]

If you have not taken the time to check out Brandon's video, you should. It is pretty exciting!

[Isaac Szabo]

I'm going to microfish a Red River pupfish! Ok now we're back on track.

How far are they from the convention site? It looks like maybe 3 hours west?

[BenCantrell]

How far are they from the convention site? It looks like maybe 3 hours west?

Yeah I'm going to head over to that corner of the state a day or two before the convention.

[Josh Blaylock]

Wow, would not expect them to hand out sling blades( some folks call them a kaiser blade) to prisoners.

Sent from my Nexus 5

[bbrown]

Glad to hear there's some interest in Red River Pupfish. To really get into them thick is about a 6 hour drive from Broken Bow. For those wanting to make the trek, they along with plains killifish will be very abundant. Also, red shiners if the salinity isn't too high. The streams are easy to find and we can provide directions to anyone who's interested.

We have some saltwater springs in Greer and Harmon counties with salinity higher than seawater and water temps reach at least as high as 96 F. Pupfish and killies are the only fish tough enough to live there and they thrive, though the killies can't take as much salt as the pupfish.

They are a really neat aquarium fish and we're going to try to haul some to the convention for folks to take home if they want them. They're tough and will probably live long enough in just a sandwich bag with an inch of water for even the farthest travelers to get home.

[Matt DeLaVega]

Glad to hear there's some interest in Red River Pupfish. To really get into them thick is about a 6 hour drive from Broken Bow. For those wanting to make the trek, they along with plains killifish will be very abundant. Also, red shiners if the salinity isn't too high. The streams are easy to find and we can provide directions to anyone who's interested.

We have some saltwater springs in Greer and Harmon counties with salinity higher than seawater and water temps reach at least as high as 96 F. Pupfish and killies are the only fish tough enough to live there and they thrive, though the killies can't take as much salt as the pupfish.

They are a really neat aquarium fish and we're going to try to haul some to the convention for folks to take home if they want them. They're tough and will probably live long enough in just a sandwich bag with an inch of water for even the farthest travelers to get home.

You reading this Josh Blaylock. I bet you can keep these alive.

[mattknepley]

What kind of aquarium set-up would these buggers require? Sounds like they can handle a lot of variety in temps and WQ. Can they be weaned down to regular ol' h2o, or would they still do best in a (super)salt water set up? Would they require year-round, elevated temps?

[bbrown]

I've kept them in well water and they did just fine.  Also, they tolerate the cold without any problems. 

[Matt DeLaVega]

I have been reading about these, and it sounds like they are downright hard to kill. Feeding has been observed from 39 to 104 degrees.

Brandon, are there many introduced populations of these guys around? As hardy as they sound, it would seem like they could survive anywhere. If they were commonly used as bait, it would seem like they would be showing up everywhere.

[bbrown]

Just to reiterate what Matt said, red river pupfish are tough, tough, tough.  A lot of people may not realize just how hot 104 degree water is, but to give you an idea 104 is the maximum recommended setting for a hot tub.  So these guys are basically swimming around in super saline hot tubs.  

 

They've been introduced to the Cimarron River and really took off in the western portion.  It has places that are even saltier than the stream in the video.  Too salty for even pupfish.

Also, in the South Canadian, again mainly in the western part of the state, but they occasionally migrate further east.  

 

They typically inhabit very shallow water and do best in streams where there's few or no predators and their tolerance for poor water quality is amazing. 

 

We've also collected them in TX at the confluence of the Brazos River and Possum Kingdom Lake, but not in the numbers we see in SW OK.  I'm sure there are places in Texas where they would be abundant, I just haven't sampled that area much.

[Matt DeLaVega]

And they are feeding in hot tubs, which would indicate that they are fairly comfortable, and not stressed. Amazing.

[FishGuyJosh]

Does anyone know what the registration fee will be for this year's convention? I need to submit all my pricing etc. for work approvals.