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3 Day Snorkel Camp Memorial Day Weekend 2015


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#1 Casper

Casper
  • NANFA Fellow
  • Chattanooga, TN alongside South Chickamauga Creek, just upstream of the mighty Tennessee River.

Posted 28 May 2015 - 07:58 PM

Hiwassee River / Friday May 22

 

Andrew, Nate & i gathered alongside the Hiwassee River, just upstream of 411 for the start of a 3 day snorkeling adventure.  There are several nice sites near my home and these 2 are among my favorites.

 

 

01-Hiwassee.JPG

 

Looking downstream from the center of the Hiwassee River, at the site we use for organized snorkel trips with the Cherokee National Forest.  Blue skies, clear water and the dam release delayed into the late afternoon made for a fine day.

 

 

02-Banded.JPG

 

Vibrant Banded Darter.  Electric green and confident.  Zonale.

 

 

03-Algae.JPG

 

I'm disturbed by the excessive growth of this bright clean algae.  I do not recall ever seeing so much and it appears to be smothering the lush growths of River Weed which carpets many of the larger stones.  In the past i considered the Hiwassee one of the most beautiful substrates in the region.

Now what?

 

 

04-SnailDarter.JPG

 

Snail Darter, pretty common along this stretch of wide, shallow runs.  Those saddles make for a distinct and quick ID.

 

 

05-YoungTangerine.JPG

 

Young Tangerine, about 13 years old i suspect, in people years.

 

 

06-3Species.JPG

 

Gilts, Tangerine and a Loggie, a trio of species.  My camera began to leak at this point, the viewscreen being slowly blanked by an expanding whiteness from the upper left corner.  Unfortunatly and not photographed by me were handsome Tangerines and a series of reactivated River Chub mounds flush with Shiners.  I ended up working with Andrew and Nate pushing subject material in front of their cameras.  Working like this can increase photo opportunities instead of the fish fleeing away from the ever encroaching lens.  Hopefully their photos turned out with the enthusiasm we felt.

 

 

07-Dusky.JPG

 

I spotted this Darter among the submerged tree branches.  It appeared to be climbing the branches and it is their noted habitat.  I think this is the first time i spied a Dusky here.  Nate was nearby watching the Suckers and lent me his camera while i pulled myself deep to snap a few shots for the records.

 

In reviewing the species observed over an early dinner of no Cathead Biscuits in nearby Benton we came up with 32:

 

Lamprey ( on a Drum ).
Longnose Gar.
Shiners: TN, Warpaint, Whitetail, Striped, & Mirror.
Stonerollers, River Chubs.
Darters: Gilt, Logperch, Banded, Redline, Tennessee Snub, Greenside, Tangerine,

Blueside, Snail, Dusky and Yellow Perch.
Rainbow Trout.
Hogsucker, Redhorse ( Black & Golden according to Nate ), Spotted Sucker.
Sculpin.
Sunfish: Bluegill, Redbreast, White Bass, Small Mouth Bass and a Coosa Bass.
No Hellbenders.

 

I'm sure we could have gotten more species with an attentive search.  The water was very cold and after several hours immersed in the Hiwassee we headed to Spring Creek in hopes of seeing some Blotchsides but the low light, murky water, fatique and the pressing drive only allowed for a quick snorkel dip and rinse.  After picking up some groceries we arrived at the Conasauga but as expected the riverside camp sites were overflowing.  After scouting the Snorkel Hole we drove 3 miles to a site i use and claimed a tall grass overgrown space.

The evening was star filled, our spirits gently settled and were considering a peaceful dreamtime when revving trucks arrived with headlights glaring, a clankering trailer in tow, and naying horses unloaded, setting aflame by gasoline a green patch of grass followed by an all night session of obnoxious bonfire drinkers.


Edited by Casper, 28 May 2015 - 08:23 PM.

Casper Cox
Chattanooga, near the TN Divide on BlueFishRidge overlooking South Chickamauga Creek.

#2 mattknepley

mattknepley
  • NANFA Member
  • Smack-dab between the Savannah and the Saluda.

Posted 29 May 2015 - 05:31 AM

Very nice. I'm jealous. Someday I'll find the budget for a Rx mask and the patience to put down my nets. The hotter the days get, the greater my patience! Now to see about that pesky budget...

Enjoyed the write up, Casper.
Matt Knepley
"No thanks, a third of a gopher would merely arouse my appetite..."

#3 Chasmodes

Chasmodes
  • NANFA Member
  • Central Maryland

Posted 29 May 2015 - 07:21 AM

Very nice report!  Did you count the bonfire drinkers in your species count?  They are becoming more common.  Are they considered invasive?   :biggrin:


Kevin Wilson


#4 Casper

Casper
  • NANFA Fellow
  • Chattanooga, TN alongside South Chickamauga Creek, just upstream of the mighty Tennessee River.

Posted 29 May 2015 - 03:31 PM

Matt... there is no better place to be on a hot Summer day than immersed in a cool mountain stream.  Liquid AC.

I bought my current mask 2 or 3 years ago and it allows for "reader lens".  I have to wear reader glasses now and finding this option was far greater than the near worthless mini appliques available.  I know some folks have gotten perscription lens... visit a dive shop for details.

 

Kevin... INVASIVES is correct.  I guess every wonderful day needs a bit of contrast to more fully appreciate the good.

 

On to our 2nd day...


Casper Cox
Chattanooga, near the TN Divide on BlueFishRidge overlooking South Chickamauga Creek.

#5 Casper

Casper
  • NANFA Fellow
  • Chattanooga, TN alongside South Chickamauga Creek, just upstream of the mighty Tennessee River.

Posted 29 May 2015 - 03:52 PM

Conasauga River / Saturday May 23

 

I slept soundly in my van but my fellow tent campers complained.  In the morning light we packed quick and headed to the snorkel hole where Andrew fired up the Coleman on my favorite creek side picnic table for breakfast burritos.  A fresh and warming start to the chilly 60 degree Conasauga waters.
With my camera concerns from the day before i gently toothbrush scrubbed the seals and inserted a fresh battery, crossing my fingers.  This seemed to do the trick as no leaks were detected over the next 3 days.  Sometimes i think a tiny grain of sand or an eyelash will allow water to wick in.  Keep them seals clean!

 

 

01-Conasauga.JPG

 

Looking Downstream about a quarter mile below the Snorkel Hole.  Another beautiful day presented itself.

 

 

02-GreenBreast-Female.JPG

 

Female Greenbreast hunting for tiny, tasty treats.

 

 

03-Greenbreast.JPG

 

Today the Males were quite proud of themselves strutting about in the open areas between boulders.  Generally they hide under stones but not during the current breeding season.  Probably the brightest colored Darter found here.

 

 

04-BronzeHide.JPG

 

05-Bronze.JPG

 

The Bronzes were fancy too, turning a shimmering green when in the sunlight.  They seem to look their best while hunting and displaying in the rich greens of River Weed.

 

 

06-AndrewsCamera.JPG

 

Andrew put himself into an awkward position to capture the primo Alabama male working a large crevase well below the surface.  About a dozen other fine males jostled for position hoping to make a quick spawning move.  Nate and i considered grabbing a foot of Andrew's each and pushing him a bit deeper until flailing hand signals allowed his release.

 

 

07-BamaFlare.JPG

 

The glaring best i could get showing the awesome flaring of the fins.  These Shiners are truly the Kings of the Conasauga.  Two males would often display full finnage as they whirled around each other.

 

 

08-Lamprey.JPG

 

Lamprey headache on a worn Redhorse.  That has gotta be a bad week, two or more... dreadfully.

 

 

09-Tito.JPG

 

Tito offering me a warming bowl of shrimp, potatoes and carrot Puerto Rican stew.

 

 

10-Shishkabobs.JPG

 

Nate sneaking in for a Shish Kabob hot off the grill.

 

 

11-Picnic.JPG

 

Part of the Puerto Rican clan enjoying the wonderful day.  From little children to content Grandparents.  Wonderful hospitality to 3 shivering souls fresh from the cold Conasauga water.

 

 

12-Flutterfly.JPG

 

Flutterfly.

 

 

13-Lizard.JPG

 

Eastern Fence Lizard sunning itself.

 

 

14-MountainLaural.JPG

 

Riverside Mountain Laurel in full bloom.

 

 

15-MountainFlower.JPG

 

Intricate blossum architecture.

 

 

16-WaterWillow.JPG

 

Water Willow growing green, lush and holding gravel beds well.

 

 

17-NateFlow.JPG

 

Nate in the clear flow.

 

 

18-DaysEnd.JPG

 

The light fading, day trippers departed, their river bank fire smolding away.

 

We headed back to our previous night's campsite, relieved to find the horse gang gone.  I don't like horseflies, nor horses considering they feed and proliferate the little buzz biters. After a fireside chat with our kind neighbors and a burnt offering of Nathan's we enjoyed a quiet peaceful night of sleep in the cool mountain air.   

 


Casper Cox
Chattanooga, near the TN Divide on BlueFishRidge overlooking South Chickamauga Creek.

#6 Isaac Szabo

Isaac Szabo
  • NANFA Member
  • Marble Falls, AR

Posted 29 May 2015 - 07:58 PM

Wow. Looks like a wonderful time. Beautiful photos. That male greenbreast photo is awesome!



#7 Casper

Casper
  • NANFA Fellow
  • Chattanooga, TN alongside South Chickamauga Creek, just upstream of the mighty Tennessee River.

Posted 30 May 2015 - 09:41 AM

Conasauga River Downstream / Sunday May 24

 

The next morning Andrew commenced another fine breakfast for us, this time on site.  Afterwards we loaded our gear, and from Camp Slyco began our 3 mile gravel road drive back to the river.  As Nate was leaning out the window, he caught a shimmer of hot pink and electric blue.  Parking our vehicles we debated a plan of action... seines, wetsuits, dipnets and camera.  For me a simple folding camp chair set upon the narrow bridge.

 

 

01-AndrewRainbow.JPG

 

Andrew doing his best to capture the Rainbow Glow over the Creek Chub trench.

 

 

02-Dace.JPG

 

Eastern Blacknose Dace, breeding male, sometimes the Western's color can be a irridescent burnt orange.  This one had calmed down by the time we took the photo, trapped in a plastic tea bottle for several long minutes.

 

 

03-Sally.JPG

 

Fresh water caught Sally ready for the land it appears.

 

 

04-Toad.JPG

 

Handsome Toad.

 

 

05-BlueTower.JPG

 

The best i could do for a Blue.  They were in fine form with lemon colored fins, a most elegant Shiner.

 

 

06-Redbreast.JPG

 

This Redbreast was quite confident and allowed me to make many close up photos of his face.

 

 

07-Speckled.JPG

 

The hard to see Speckled Darter... unless they sport the electric blue vertical bars.  This fella's are half subdued, soon his body will be the color of sand.

 

 

08-Tri.JPG

 

A Tricolor, showing his namesake dorsal fin.

 

 

09-Bama.JPG

 

The mighty Bama... porcelain tubercules in neat rows upon their foreheads.

 

 

10-Blackbanded.JPG

 

These common Darters have me wondering a bit.  Likely a Blackbanded but a remote possibility of it being a Freckled as i have seen several quite large here.  More study required.

 

 

11-Conaloggie.JPG

 

The Conasauga Logperch.  No color in the dorsal, more intricate side banding, a swollen upturned nose.

 

 

12-Studs.JPG

 

The 3 of us pinning in a swarm of Southern Studfish.  A couple prime males with raised eyebrows at the pod's edge. Andrew and Nate holding steady while i perched Heron like pinning them in place.

 

 

13-Upstream.JPG

 

Another fine day looking upstream.

 

 

14-NateFisher.JPG

 

Proud Nate's Redhorse, caught while "Snorkel Fishin" with a night crawler as observed bait.

 

 

15-Redhorse.JPG

 

Golden... IDed by Nate's scale count.

 

 

16-Nate&Andrew.JPG

 

A quick stop at Blue Fish Ridge then the two onto Nashville for needed rest and Hattie B's Fried Chicken.  It was a lot of fun spending time with these guys in search of new fish to see.

 

 

CementPondMemorialDay.JPG

 

Lush growth at the cement pond.

 

My list for the species at the Conasauga River yielded:

Snorkel Hole...
Lamprey ( on Redhorse ).
Stonerollers, Hogsuckers.
Shiners: Bama, Blue, Tri, Coosa.
Darters: Greenbreast, Bronze, Bridled, Mobile Logperch, Coosa, Holiday, Speckled.
Sunfish: Redbreast, Longear, Coosa, Bass.
Drum.
Sculpin.
No River Reds or Channel Cats.
21

Small springfed creek feeding a trib of the Conasauga:
Rainbow Shiners.
Creek Chubs
Blacknose Dace.
3

 

Conasauga downstream near 411 adding:
Striped and Blacktail Shiners.
Southern Studfish.
Riffle Minnows.
Conasauga Logperch, Blackbanded darters.
6

 

30 species total and more could have been tweaked as always.  The beautiful day ended fine with an early dinner stop in Ringgold for some grilled shrimp and avacado.  Much fun over 3 days with like minded fishy folksters.  I had to take 3 naps on Memorial Day just to recover.  OK in less than a week!

 


Casper Cox
Chattanooga, near the TN Divide on BlueFishRidge overlooking South Chickamauga Creek.

#8 mattknepley

mattknepley
  • NANFA Member
  • Smack-dab between the Savannah and the Saluda.

Posted 30 May 2015 - 07:47 PM

Great write up and pics, Casper. Thanks for sharin'!
Matt Knepley
"No thanks, a third of a gopher would merely arouse my appetite..."

#9 Aquastudent

Aquastudent
  • NANFA Guest
  • Albany, NY

Posted 31 May 2015 - 09:44 AM

Excellent reports! You seemed to have a great trip. Nice photos as well.

 

What do you think your favorite moment was?



#10 Casper

Casper
  • NANFA Fellow
  • Chattanooga, TN alongside South Chickamauga Creek, just upstream of the mighty Tennessee River.

Posted 31 May 2015 - 11:33 AM

The hospitality of the Puerto Rican family was a pretty neat offering.

Seeing the brilliant vibrant electric colors of Rainbow Shiners is inspiring.

Nate snorkel fishing the sought after Redhorse was magic.  I had asked Nate to catch one for the kitchen but when looking at the fishy pupydog face i turned him free.

Conasauga Logperch, Blue Skies, Clear Water.  Sharing the experience with 2 fine young enthusiasts.


Casper Cox
Chattanooga, near the TN Divide on BlueFishRidge overlooking South Chickamauga Creek.

#11 trygon

trygon
  • NANFA Member
  • Knoxville, Tennessee

Posted 01 June 2015 - 11:24 AM

Nice write up and photos.  I wish I had been in town to join you.


Bryce Gibson
There are sharks in every ocean...except Billy Ocean.

#12 NateTessler13

NateTessler13
  • NANFA Member
  • Nortwestern Ohio (Bowling Green)

Posted 09 June 2015 - 07:18 PM

Casper, great retelling of the events!  I felt like I was there!...wait a minute...
 

I'm working through my photos right now.  I think I've got some downtime on Friday morning during which I can add my two cents to the story.  Until then, I'm stealing one of the pictures of me snorkeling for my facebook page.  :)


Nate Tessler
Environmental Scientist

Link to my NANFA Gallery

#13 Casper

Casper
  • NANFA Fellow
  • Chattanooga, TN alongside South Chickamauga Creek, just upstream of the mighty Tennessee River.

Posted 18 June 2015 - 09:31 PM

Awaiting Nate and Andrew's photos!

 

All my photos were generally unaltered but i played with color correction for these 3.  One can widely vary the results.  I use my art program Corel Draw which has color adjustment controls.  Lightness, contrast and intensity and then several other including color balance.  It is mostly trail and error and playing around.

 

Perhaps Buckeye Cavaliers Nate and Andrew are still mopeing from the Golden State win.

 

3Camp.jpg


Casper Cox
Chattanooga, near the TN Divide on BlueFishRidge overlooking South Chickamauga Creek.

#14 Michael Wolfe

Michael Wolfe
  • Board of Directors
  • North Georgia, Oconee River Drainage

Posted 18 June 2015 - 09:38 PM

If you have, or can find, the "histogram" function. You can take the guesswork out of editing and it becomes more of a realistic "color correction".

Not sure how you did yours but they look very nice.
Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin

#15 Isaac Szabo

Isaac Szabo
  • NANFA Member
  • Marble Falls, AR

Posted 19 June 2015 - 11:13 AM

Your greenbreast darter photo is a good example for practicing color correction because it contains two gray rocks in the foreground that can be used as reference points:
greenbreast1.jpg


If you average the color of the gray rocks, this is the result:
greenbreast2.jpg


This image shows the color of the gray rocks on a neutral gray background. As you can see, the gray rocks are showing as yellowish in your photo, which means that you have a yellow color cast. This was caused by the camera having an incorrect white balance setting when the photo was captured:
greenbreast3.jpg


In this next image, I have applied a color correction to bring the rocks closer to neutral gray. This involved adding a lot of blue (thereby decreasing yellow) as well as slightly decreasing red:
greenbreast4.jpg


Here is a before/after comparison of the color correction:
greenbreast5.jpg


Finally, here is the color-corrected photo:
greenbreast6.jpg

#16 Casper

Casper
  • NANFA Fellow
  • Chattanooga, TN alongside South Chickamauga Creek, just upstream of the mighty Tennessee River.

Posted 22 June 2015 - 01:06 PM

That is a wonderful lesson Isaac.  I will try to comphrend and use it on my OK  photos.

Michael i do not seem to have any histogram options in my tool kit.

 

Now for the Andrew and Nate to post their superior images.


Casper Cox
Chattanooga, near the TN Divide on BlueFishRidge overlooking South Chickamauga Creek.

#17 andrewz

andrewz
  • NANFA Member
  • Nashville, TN

Posted 22 June 2015 - 04:54 PM

Ok guys. Here is a teaser. I'm am traveling right now without access to most of my photos. Here are a few that I have on my phone. I uploaded all of the photos to the old members photo gallery. You can check them out there but unfortunately the colors are very drab when uploaded to the gallery. Not sure why but these images are far superior. Until I figure out why I lost image quality, these will have to do.

image.jpg

A beautiful Redline Darter in the Hiwassee River. This is probably my favorite picture of the entire trip!

image.jpg

Same fish still modeling for me :)

image.jpg

Getting a good shot of this River Chub building his mound took a team effort. I kept missing the shot when he darter in and out of the frame dropping rocks. Casper would let me know when this guy was about to come onto the mound with another rock. Although lighting conditions were not ideal, I think this shot came out pretty well.

image.jpg

I about killed myself trying to get pictures of the beautiful Tangerine Darter. There were a few hanging out in a swift riffle/run. I hung onto rocks with one hand and tried to take pictures with the other (while holding a bulky DSLR with housing). Everytime the rock I was holding ripped free of the substrate and Andrew went tumbling downstream haha! I finally asked Nate to assist me. He stood downstream of me and I lay in the water perpendicular to flow using his shins to hold myself in place. Finally got some good shots (more to come)!

#18 keepnatives

keepnatives
  • Regional Rep

Posted 22 June 2015 - 09:52 PM

The effort was well worth it I love all these shots.


Mike Lucas
Mohawk-Hudson Watershed
Schenectady NY

#19 Isaac Szabo

Isaac Szabo
  • NANFA Member
  • Marble Falls, AR

Posted 22 June 2015 - 09:58 PM

Really great photos Andrew! I can't wait to see the rest.

 

I wore 60lbs of weight when I photographed Tangerines in the Hiwassee. It's a pain (especially from the car to the water and back), but it sure helps when you get out in that fast, deep water. You don't have to struggle to stay in place, so you can devote all your effort towards photography. But just don't ever go in water deeper than your height with a heavy weight belt.



#20 andrewz

andrewz
  • NANFA Member
  • Nashville, TN

Posted 13 March 2016 - 03:50 PM

Isaac can you teach me how to do the color cast correction you did in Casper's photo? I color correct but some photos where the color cast is significant I have issues.



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