10 replies to this topic

[Alexp08]

So first i live in Allegany County in Western MD. I took my dog to the potomac river to play. While she was swimming i was looking for some crayfish. However i over turned a rock and saw a fish dart out. I tried to grap it but no luck. So on with the description. 

First it reminded me of a yoyo loach in terms of body shape and white with some black marks on it. The fins had blue on their edges. it was about 1-1.5 inch long. Im going to go back and see if i can catch one. but a name would be awesome. Thanks

[Alexp08]

Ok so i went back down without my dog. I saw a couple more, one was bigger about 2in. It appeared to be more tan then before but still have the blue tipped fins

[Michael Wolfe]

Sounds like a darter to me.  According to Freshwater Fishes of the Carolinas, Virginia, Maryland & Delaware, the only darter I see in your range with "blue fins" would maybe be a greenside darter.  Fins are sort of a bluegreen, and the fish would be less colorful as we enter into the fall.  For comparison, here is an excellent photo by my friend Lance Merry.

 

Now you need to catch one and give us a photo! 

 

[Alexp08]

Well i could only see top down but it didnt look that colorful. Im going back tomorrow to try again. But its very hard!

[Michael Wolfe]

Wouldn't be that colorful this time of year... and fish are not usually colored that much when viewed from above... if they were the herons would have eliminated them all by now.  Fish coloration is often for other fish to see (mates or rivals) and only really shows up best from a side shot.

[Alexp08]

I would love for it to be those guys! Any recommendations on how to catch them?

[Michael Wolfe]

You need a new (maybe a seine or maybe a perfect dipnet) then you place it downstream of where you think the darters are.  Then you shuffle your feet and do the darter dance into the net, see these links (a pictures worth a thousand words).

 

http://www.nanfa.org...ollecting.shtml

[Matt DeLaVega]

That gives you an idea of seining, but it does not always have to be that athletic. This is in pretty fast high water. Obviously conditions vary. 3 people are not essential. 2 are just fine, and with a small 4 foot seine, a single person can fish with it, though with some difficulty.

[Michael Wolfe]

Matt's totally correct, that was just the only video I had.  You can eve do this with a perfect dipnet.  Especially if you think you know where the fish is under a rock or something.  

 

Net (of any size) down stream + people (of any number) disturbing the bottom and moving toward the net = potential capture of benthic organisms 

[Matt DeLaVega]

http://fishmap.org/

 

Try entering your zip code here. Might help you a bit to give you a general idea of what fish might be in your watershed. 

[gerald]

Small darters you can often catch with a regular aquarium net.  Just plant the front edge of the net against the bottom, up against a rock or other obstruction, and herd the darter into it with your free hand or foot.  Works especially well in cool weather when they're less active and dart away only a few inches at a time.