83 replies to this topic

[Matt DeLaVega]

That is very different than I imagined. Nothing like the quarries I see in southern Ohio.

 

Lake chubsucker would be your best bet.

[Sean Phillips]

That is very different than I imagined. Nothing like the quarries I see in southern Ohio.
 
Lake chubsucker would be your best bet.

Where would one obtain those fish?

[Sean Phillips]

Carp including Koi (colored common carp) would stir up the bottom.

Okay, was just wondering because a quarry I dive at in NW Ohio has many Koi in it and vis is easily 50-100 feet on the average day.

[smbass]

I bet the quarry you dive in Ohio also has very little vegetation and no soft bottom for the orange carp to stir up. Also they are easy to control in an open system with out a lot of hiding places. I would be very concerned about stocking them in a system like what you are talking about with vegetation and a diversity of habitats where they are likely to survive and reproduce.

 

I don't know if Lake Chubsuckers are native to PA but they or possibly Spotted Sucker are the only two suckers I have seen reproducing in lakes here in Ohio that do not have an inflowing stream or river to spawn in. Redhorse likely will live but probably not reproduce. I have been producing Lake Chubsuckers for several years now but I do not think they are native to your area.

[Sean Phillips]

I bet the quarry you dive in Ohio also has very little vegetation and no soft bottom for the orange carp to stir up. Also they are easy to control in an open system with out a lot of hiding places. I would be very concerned about stocking them in a system like what you are talking about with vegetation and a diversity of habitats where they are likely to survive and reproduce.
 
I don't know if Lake Chubsuckers are native to PA but they or possibly Spotted Sucker are the only two suckers I have seen reproducing in lakes here in Ohio that do not have an inflowing stream or river to spawn in. Redhorse likely will live but probably not reproduce. I have been producing Lake Chubsuckers for several years now but I do not think they are native to your area.

Okay, I'll skip the Kerp' then. Lake Chubsuckers were native to the Erie watershed in PA but looking it up the PFBC lists them as extirpated. As far as Redhorses and whites, I can always restock them so I'm not to worried about reproduction, but would they cloud vis?

[smilingfrog]

There are a couple of iron-ore mine pits (essentially big quarries) that I dive in in Minnesota that have white suckers in them. I only see them when I venture out over clear sandy areas. I have never seen them in the rocky, silty, or vegetated areas. I don't think they would substantially reduce visibility. I can't speak for the redhorse though.

[Betta132]

Perhaps you should consider placing a single obviously non-native fish in the quarry and asking people to report it if they see it, as a little project to see what it would do. Maybe an oscar? Large-ish but not huge or destructive, not closely related to any natives I'm aware of, and rather intelligent. Could be interesting to see how far it travels. Or you could get several oscars that are all either male or female. 

Or what about just one large, nice koi? One couldn't possibly stir up the bottom very much. 

[trygon]

I think that the Oscar would be too easy to find; just wait until fall, it'll be the dead one on the bottom, or maybe the surface.

[Sean Phillips]

Perhaps you should consider placing a single obviously non-native fish in the quarry and asking people to report it if they see it, as a little project to see what it would do. Maybe an oscar? Large-ish but not huge or destructive, not closely related to any natives I'm aware of, and rather intelligent. Could be interesting to see how far it travels. Or you could get several oscars that are all either male or female. 
Or what about just one large, nice koi? One couldn't possibly stir up the bottom very much.

Maybe that would work where you live in central texas, but here in PA it would survive in the shallowest, warmest part of the quarry maybe June-August then die if cold temps. Average surface temp in the summer is 72 so most of the quarry is like 58-64.

[Sean Phillips]

Scuba club meeting was last night and we wrapped up the details of the stocking. The concensus seems to be that the most wanted fish for the quarry are any species of Trout, of course, the hardest species to keep alive in a bin overnight for transportation, but I'll try anyway. Other popular species were Pumpkinseeds and Yellow Perch. People also thought that the LN Gar idea was good. One species that seemed very waned was any species of Esox, problem with that is that I suck at fishing for them . As far as minnows and darters, they said do as I please with stocking them.

The only downside we covered, is the club will not be funding this project and I'm the sole one in charge of it. Meaning every fish stocked in the quarry will have to be caught and transported by me and only me. This eliminates the possibility of stocking paddlefish or (target) fatheads unfortunately, so it may be more difficult to establish a stable minnow population now. Fortunately, I've been seining a TON over the last year and have really gotten down some good techniques so I may be able to catch a few dozen or maybe even hundred species from the creeks and rivers. Here are the Cyprinids and darters I feel I could net a lot of. I can still catch all the original species I listed such as fatheads and Logperch, just not as abundantly as these:

-Creek Chubs
-Blacknose Dace
-Longnose Dace
-Redside Dace
-Silverjaw Minnows
-Bluntnose Minnows
-Emerald Shiners
-Golden Shiners
-Johnny Darters
-Rainbow Darters

Do you guys think harvesting a few dozen if these species from the creeks would hurt the populations very much?

[centrarchid]

We need to place bets on which species will take in the quarry.  My betting will consider season and condition of fish stocked.

[Sean Phillips]

We need to place bets on which species will take in the quarry.  My betting will consider season and condition of fish stocked.

Lol.

[Sean Phillips]

I also forgot to add mottled sculpins to that list, not sure how they do but I know Lake Erie supports a population.

[Matt DeLaVega]

Scuba club meeting was last night and we wrapped up the details of the stocking. The concensus seems to be that the most wanted fish for the quarry are any species of Trout, of course, the hardest species to keep alive in a bin overnight for transportation, but I'll try anyway. Other popular species were Pumpkinseeds and Yellow Perch. People also thought that the LN Gar idea was good. One species that seemed very waned was any species of Esox, problem with that is that I suck at fishing for them . As far as minnows and darters, they said do as I please with stocking them.

The only downside we covered, is the club will not be funding this project and I'm the sole one in charge of it. Meaning every fish stocked in the quarry will have to be caught and transported by me and only me. This eliminates the possibility of stocking paddlefish or (target) fatheads unfortunately, so it may be more difficult to establish a stable minnow population now. Fortunately, I've been seining a TON over the last year and have really gotten down some good techniques so I may be able to catch a few dozen or maybe even hundred species from the creeks and rivers. Here are the Cyprinids and darters I feel I could net a lot of. I can still catch all the original species I listed such as fatheads and Logperch, just not as abundantly as these:

-Creek Chubs
-Blacknose Dace
-Longnose Dace
-Redside Dace
-Silverjaw Minnows
-Bluntnose Minnows
-Emerald Shiners
-Golden Shiners
-Johnny Darters
-Rainbow Darters

Do you guys think harvesting a few dozen if these species from the creeks would hurt the populations very much?

Not really. Choose your timing wisely. Harvest after spawning and take a mix of juveniles and adults, and spread it out over several locations. Concentrate on the ones that are most likely to work in a pond.

[centrarchid]

I suggest harvest at onset of breeding season with ripe adult fish and stock in a single location that appears to have microhabitat suitable for spawning.  This increases probability breeders will be able to find each other and spawn before being consumed by predators.  Mortality rate will be high following introduction.  This increases odds you will have a strong cohort that starts in the quarry without additional challenges of acclimation.  Enclosures would be better with some species but expense will be considerable.

[Betta132]

Perhaps temporarily float some laundry baskets or similar full of moss in areas that look like prime spawning habitat, in order to give new arrivals a place to hide until they can examine their surroundings more closely.

[Sean Phillips]

Any thoughts or experiences with any of these species? If weather permits I'm planning on going collecting to French Creek and a nearby Marsh in a few weekends to get some Darters with another member and the marsh has some species I think would be able to compete with the current quarry fish.

-Grass Pickerel
-Central Mudminnow
-Bowfin

[centrarchid]

Bowfins would be cool but are generally hard to see if you have any dense vegetation patches.  If you have folks that like to SCUBA / snorkel early in season they might see reproduction.  Grass Pickerel are going to get hammered by the bass.

[Sean Phillips]

Bowfins would be cool but are generally hard to see if you have any dense vegetation patches.  If you have folks that like to SCUBA / snorkel early in season they might see reproduction.  Grass Pickerel are going to get hammered by the bass.

I'll always search through patches of weeds on dives so I might spot a bowfin now and then. To bad about the pickerel, maybe I'll try to get some Northern Pike or Muskies instead.

[Isaac Szabo]

Bowfin are a pretty common sight in the FL springs. They are a fun fish to snorkel with, often allowing you to get pretty close.