11 replies to this topic

[MtFallsTodd]

Caught these sunfish at the boatlanding on Maidens road. Pretty sure they are banded sunfish. These two went to live in a friends 125 native tank. I got one the size of a nickel that sparkles like a diamond. It is already eating like a pig. Also caught rosefin and swallowtail shiners, rosyside dace, redfin chubs and pirate perch. Plus one tiny hog suckers. I will post pics of the others soon. Great day with perfect weather. Can't wait to go there again. 

 

[MtFallsTodd]

Few more pics

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[gerald]

I'd guess Bluespotted sunfish, Bluehead chub, Rosyside dace, Blacknose dace, Torrent sucker  (and Rainbow darter obviously).

The sunfish didn't come from the same site as the other fish, did they?  That would be a weird mix.

[MtFallsTodd]

No, the rainbow darters and blacknose dace were caught local. Everything else came from various creek in the James river drainage.

[MtFallsTodd]

I was thinking redfin chub in the first pic but wasn't looking for ID since they were already in the tank.

[Kanus]

That's pretty far above the fall line for bluespotted sunfish! They seem to pop up occasionally high up where there is habitat though. I caught one once in the Rivanna River just downstream of Charlottesville and was amazed.

 

Pretty hard to ID chubs that small, especially since the James is one of very few (the only?) drainages where 3 species of Nocomis chubs occur. Based on the short head, I'd lean towards Bluehead Chub (especially if it was collected in a smaller creek and not the main river). Bull and River chubs are also possibilities though.

 

Not sure if you'll be able to indulge me in this, but in that photo of the chub...that fish in the top right of the photo looks rather strange to me. Do you have any clearer photos of that fish? It has the shape of a rosyside with the pattern of a blacknose, or so it seems. It may just be distortion though.

[MtFallsTodd]

I'll try to get a better pic of that fish for you Derek. That fish came from Turkey run. Through process of elimination, I would make a wild guess of pearl dace.

[MtFallsTodd]

The blue spotted was also a shock. My collecting buddy works at the local pet shop and is really into natives. They were caught seining the weeds along the bank on the James. Right beside the boat ramp at the intersection of 522 and maidens road. Made the 3 hour drive worth it.

[MtFallsTodd]

Here is a slightly better pic Derek. Darn thing is in constant motion and hard to get in focus. Thought it was a creek chub when first caught but it lacked a dorsal fin spot. Once home where I could compare it to a known creek chub, it was different. Lots of gold speckles on its side. Looking on The Virtual Aquarium website, it looks like a pearl dace. Not looking for an ID, just posting pics.

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[gerald]

It does look pearl-ish, but Fishes of VA has no records of pearl dace in the James basin, and the Potomac/Shenandoah records are limited to cool spring-fed streams.  Another possibility is a Rhinichthys x Chrosomus  or Rhinichthys x Semotilus hybrid. ???

[Kanus]

Yeah I have to agree with Gerald. Chances of it being a hybrid are much higher than the chances of it being a pearl dace. It is rather strange looking. Essentially looks like a mottled creek chub.

A word of caution about hybrids: since they are so rare, they seem to have extra incentive to jump and kill themselves. In my line of work I occasionally (more often than most I presume) run across hybrids and every once in a while I try to keep them. They seem to realize they are rare and are willing to sacrifice themselves in order to keep someone from enjoying them in a tank.


Or I'm just a little bitter still about the cool Creek Chub x Rosyside Dace that a few weeks back scaled 14 inches of bucket to land on the floor.

[MtFallsTodd]

If it is a hybrid I think it knows it. It is the only fish I have that DEMANDS live or frozen food.