Now that the weather is starting to warm up a little, I'm super excited to go see breeding fishes, and even more excited to start collecting fish for my tank! The closest spot to me is the dam under the railroad track in downtown Des Plaines and Big Bend Lake/DP River pool that it flows into. I am more specifically looking for shiners/minnows/killies and darters, but colorful sunfish are always welcome in my home.
The only species I was able to find in those collection spots was some large (about 3") shiners that were rather bland (mostly gray with a purplish and greenish shine) blackstripe topminnows, and johnny darters. The sunfish are mostly bluegill, greens, and pumpkinseeds all of which are too large and aggressive for my tanks.
I am really hoping to find a good spot with red shiners, which I've wanted for a long time! They are supposed to be abundant all over the place but I can't seem to find one. I also would like to find blacktail and spotfin shiners but really any shiner other than the one that I keep finding (which I can't identify) is ok to me. Anyone know of a good spot near me with a decent variety in fish?