17 replies to this topic

[Casper]

Day 1  Hiwassee River  Saturday, May 14

 

The Snorkel Boss had told me the Hiwassee was unseasonably warm, the generators off and conditions excellent.  Bryce and i arrived at 10am and were soon in the water.  It was still cold but i figured i could deal with 65 for awhile.  Sunshine would crack through the clouds every so often providing a fleeting burst of warmth, but generally it was overcast with a chilling breeze blowing near constant.  Brrr.

 

Arriving a bit later Dave Hammersmasher waded out to us to discuss what we had already seen and urged us upriver to some of his past favored Chub sites.  Bryce and i continued our loop of the general lower area i take CNF snorkelers on, which offers a good variety of habitats from rushing current to flowing pools to shallow runs and quiet tangled snags.  Several River Chub mounds were found along with a few battered Chubs, mostly big males with tubercules already missing.  A bit of color from fleeting Tennessee Shiners passing by but nothing vibrant.  Mirror Shiners sported their fancy flag dorsals but no Snail Darters nor Snot Otters.  A few Tangerines, lots of Gilts and some hefty Greensides.  A nice school of Yellow Perch and a couple cruising Longnosed Gar, but we wanted more!

 

 

 

Bryce crossing the recent meteor impact.

 

 

Somewhat disappointed and throughly chilled we walked up river to an island's end and found Dave and Jeremy excited about their find, an active Chub mound.  I crept snorkeled the extended perimeter and then came in from down stream to marvel at one of nature's finest wonders.  Tennessee Shiners swarmed near their most maximum translucent pulsing orange, carressing the slick metallic stones of the mound while full tilt frosted Warpaints swam above, sometimes diving down into the stone's gaps, releasing eggs and driving the Tennessee Shiners into a frenzied burst of feeding activity.  Two River Chubs, one bigger, continued to add stones to the mound.  A third larger Chub had been driven off when Dave first arrived, witnessing the two big males hammering one another.  Oddly the smaller horny headed Chub was generally being tolerated by the "winning" king male, adding his continued labor to the growing mound.  We enjoyed their efforts persistantly swimming in with heavy stones gripped in their fat lips, caudal fins thrusting downward propelling them upward and forward.

 

 

 

Three photogs converging upon the mound.

 

 

 

Pushing in from the far side with high tech gear capturing pulsing visuals.

 

 

 

The Olympus Tough 810 pushed in tight, doing a decent job with the LED spotlight at ISO 200 and 1/160 sec.

 

 

After 30 minutes or an hour Bryce and i was ready for a break.  The FWI guys have dry suits and they snorkel in comfort, layered underneath by thermal and fleece.  We figured they would be soon behind us but after a lunch, warming chatter, and battery swaps by us they still had not come from the river.  We left a note and headed across the bridge to a site Dave Neely had showed me of Tennessee Dace but neither of us could quite yet brave the cold, tiny pool.  "Some other time", we decided and  instead drove in the back way to Spring Creek.  Spring Creek has always been a troublesome site, sometimes algaed, low, often green tinted and increasingly of late... gravel sand silted.  At times past it has been spectacular but i have my concerns of the future.  I bet a Google Earth review will show development / clear cutting in its headwaters.  That is a disappointing because it has historically been a haven for rare species.

 

The creek is a mainstay for Blotchside Loggies, always a treat to see these powerful versions of the typical slender Logperch.  Sure enough we found 2 which let us observe them fairly close.  I have never seen them spawn nor for that matter any Logperch but i recall Dr. Roston telling me the males will fight near to the death with their ramming.  We found that illustrated for another species, a carcass of a battered River Chub being recycled by a Musk Turtle.

 

We found several Chub mounds but for the most part they were quiet.  Mirror Shiners, Warpaints, Whitetails.  Redlines, Tennessee Snubs, Greensides and a few Gilts.  A nice pod of Redhorse at the low bridge but a fisherman and his family had motivated us downstream.  Several basking Hogsuckers were lined neatly on a sunny stone.  A Studfish patrolled the warm shallows.

 

We returned back to the Hiwassee Picnic parking area and found Dave and Jeremy STILL in the water.  These guys will stay hunched over in the same spot for hours. They are incredibly dedicated to getting the best images and video possible.  They have the skills, equipment and perserverance to do it.  I am very disappointed the NANFA leadership has not supported their efforts financially.  If anything can enhance the public's appreciation of our native fish it is seeing their beauty and behaviors from below the water's surface.

 

 

 

Bringing in a big one.

 

 

 

 

Sometimes sticks and twigs too.  Note the wound on his cheek.  Those tubercules are sharp and after a season the males are battered and well worn down, not all survive to see another year.

 

 

 

 

Pair of slender Loggies.  Always fun to watch, often traveling in family groups of a half dozen or more.

 

 

 

 

Something odd about this crayfish.  3 claws and carrying a load.

 

So ends day 1 in the Hiwassee.  The 4 of us headed north to Etowah and had a Mexi meal with Bryce continuing on to K-Town.  Jeremy, Dave and i turned for Tellico Plains and another river the following day.

[Isaac Szabo]

Nice story and beautiful photos. I'm looking forward to hearing about the rest of the trip.

[Casper]

May 15, 2016 Tellico River

 

After a night's rest and a cast iron frittata made from raided ingredients of the lady's provisions we found ourselves just upstream from Tellico Beach, a hotdog stand that has been boiling slaw dogs ever since i first started visiting the Tellico River during the mid 70's.  I have snorkeled this wide shallow run before but generally preferred to push upstream to any of the various graveled pull offs which can offer scenic rugged terrain and tumbling runs.  Back in those days, before i snorkeled among the fish, my buddies and i would tube down this river bruising our bottoms and hitching rides back to the top to do it all over again.

 

Jeremy and Dave had had good experiences here and i was content to get in until Jeremy told me his thermometer read 59 degrees.  I had been a cold yesterday in the Hiwassee, spent a cold night in my van and today it was again breezy and overcast.  I could not muster the mojo to immerse myself just yet and sat in the clouded sun experimenting with my "new" camera's settings and explaining to inquiring folks just exactly what the river aquanauts were doing.  Most folks have no idea what was just off the shadowed bank's edge, the pulsing orange glow swarming over growing mounds of river stone, piled high by horny headed, head butting battered fish.  We based ourselves on some picnic tables belong to Catz, a small gourmet deli run by several nice ladies.  Jeremy and Dave have used this establishment as their lunch supply depot and over the years have decorated the deli's walls with images captured from just beyond the wooden deck out back.  Hellbenders illuminated by the full moon, radiant Tangerines bright orange and mighty River Chubs testify from the wooden frames as to what lives below the surface of the river.

 

With the cloudy high noon sun directly overhead it was now or never and i waded out into the chilly flow with my thin 2/3 mil wetsuit.  Not quite as cold as expected but still tensing all my muscles and tightening the layers of insulating fat.  I explored the flows letting myself glide down the long chutes cut into the perpendicular strata layers.  A bit upstream they are like terraces where one can slowly descend the cascading water in a zigzag pattern.  Underwater architecture can be quite appealing and this is one of those rivers that offer it fully.

 

Once underwater and with my rapid breathing settled i found the usual inhabitants, the Tangerines, Logperch pods, wary checkered Redlines, wwwooo darters, and lots of Gilts gleaming with gold.  Several old mounds lay quiet scattered with a few half oranged Tennessee Shiners gliding in the smooth flow, while the worn out architects rested battered under rock ledges.  Frosty Warpaints patrolled the upper flow racing in and out of view along with a few Whitetail males evolving toward their premium pearlescent glow found later in the season.  I eased into a cross flow and the as the sun shined in and i knew to pause as something special was surely going to be offered.  The fish grazing off to my side were not Stonies but longer, sleeker and much more elegant.  Their snouts elongated and their mouth under slung like a sleek chub.  I knew... these were Spotfin Chubs.  I looked for a male and saw a quick gleaming off to the side.  I reoriented myself so that the sun streamed in over my shoulder and like a flash the Spotfin lighted testifying to its other common name, the Turquoise Shiner.  Shimmery mirrored blues turning to green as it passed by on repeated runs.  A difficult and fast fish to photograph but i managed a few more shots before my camera flickered warnings.

 

After a tricky walk over the perpendicular grooves i returned for another battery, this Olympus Tough burns them up twice as fast as my old Pentax, and warmed with some lunch in the sun alongside Jeremy.  Him and Dave were taking turns at the Chub mound, while swapping out batteries and gear.  We returned and filmed a few human interaction shots, peering over the rock outcropping and pushing a facemask ever closer, orange shiners swimming in the lens.  Gentle sweeps of an outstretched hand through the flowing orange.  The River Chub master was not to be seen until later when only Jeremy was present, resuming the build overcoming his nervousness at all our intrusions.  Jeremy said it was one of the biggest River Chubs he had ever seen.  They don't get that big by being carefree.

 

 

 

Aquanaut Jeremy heading upstream for an early morning scouting run.

 

 

 

Looking upstream in the wide shallow flow of the Tellico.

 

 

 

The camera's target, the mound's top.  Clean stones piled high, oxygenated water flowing through the protective gaps within, the eggs healthy and predator and silty fungus free.

 

 

 

Tennessee orange.  I worked with color correction to make up for the overcast sky.

 

 

 

A family pod of Logperch, attended by a pair of Tangerines.

 

 

 

I worked with the color and contrast on this pair.  Isaac has the right angle when he weights himself to the bottom but i am afraid of lead.  I never get tired of seeing friendly Tangerines.  They are hands down Tennessee snorkeler's favorite fish.  Redlines a good bit behind them.

 

 

 

Checkered Redline... dot dot dashed markings.  Every male encountered today was hyper wary and i was too cold for the necessary patience required to be their gentle friend.

 

 

 

 

A Gilt's gleaming golden shine.  Sometimes garish, always variable.

 

 

 

That's a lot of tubercules this early in the year.  He is destined to be a crowned a king.

 

 

 

As Mr. Ed calls them... "Woo Woo Woo" Darters.  Can you read that?  He also calls them Curlys, after one of the Stooges mannerisms.

 

 

 

 

And finally the shimmering Torquoise Spotfin, recently reintroduced by CFI's efforts just upstream.  This river had been hammered by agressive monster machines running through the headwaters of North Carolina.  Massive engined 4 wheel drives trailered in with bolts and studs protruding from their oversized tires.  Rock Crawlers, Mud Slingers, River Churners.  Several years ago my daughter, son and myself were nearly swept away by a wall of muddy water racing down the river's wide channel at this very site.  Thankfully that activity has been stopped above and the grateful locals know the Tellico is much healthier now.

 

With the sun getting low we headed to the Tellicafe for an evening meal and Jeremy continuing on for a long drive to ATL and an early morning flight home.  Dave and i considered our options for tomorrow, at higher altitudes.

 

[Doug_Dame]

Sorry it's so cold. The photos are great. I had *no* idea that the spotfin chubs could be so spectacular. 

 

I need to buy a serious wetsuit. Amazing stuff you all are seeing and documenting. 

[Evan P]

Casper, your photos and trip reports give life to a man stuck alongside the muddy Mississippi. Thank you for the consistently amazing content.

[MtFallsTodd]

Great pics, thanks for sharing.

[Isaac Szabo]

I agree with Evan, wonderful photos and reports - a highlight of my day (though it also makes me wish I could be there too). No one can write a trip report like you.

 

Doug, I was blown away by spotfin chubs when I happened to come across some while looking for tangerines in the Emory. I had basically never heard of them before (for some reason it seems like they aren't talked about much in native fish circles), and the illustrations in books like the Peterson field guide don't do them justice. But I guess it's hard to show glowing electric blue in an illustration. Even good photos of them don't have the same effect of seeing them in person.

[mattknepley]

Love the Gilt Darter, and chub mound building is always neat. Never gotten to see it done in person; seems the architects are always moved on by the time I find a mound.

[Casper]

Thank you Son of Yeah and Isaac for your motivating words.  Getting in the water amongst the fishes can be enchanting... Doug your gonna have to do it before you age away.  The fish show is happening now throughout the southeast.

I have just returned from 4 more days in clear Tennessee mountain water and there are plenty of tales to tell... but i have not finished this previous adventure quite yet.

I have the images selected and the first half of the day's mountain lake experience composed but afterwards we moved into the crystal clear sky waters of Benders and Spawnings and the written word has not yet appeared.  It takes time to tell the truth.

[Casper]

 

May 16, 2016 Cherohala

 

 

 

 

Dave and i woke up, gathered our gear and headed into town for a nice breakfast.  Tellico Plains has been hit by the lackluster economy and has not recovered from the depressive downturn a few years ago.  The Town Square Cafe has held on and still provides a good meal.  After paying the tab and grabbing some sandwiches from Katz we headed higher, following the long winding Cherohala Skyway, crossing over Hooper's Bald and into NC.  Nearby is a site i used to camp at, escaping the summertime heat in Chattanooga by 10 degrees or more.  First though we checked out the confluence of the mountain stream cascading into the ancient dammed lake whose outflow becomes the Cheoah River.

 

Parking roadside and standing high along the lake Dave noticed activity in the water.  Lots of whirling movement with fins protruding from the surface leaving wakes as they swam in tight circular groupings.  Moving to a new vantage point we could make out shadowy figures, some larger and with extended snouts.  We quickly put on our gear and eased into the deep water down lake from their activity.  Dave swam forward with his camera priorities foremost and soon managed to blend into their midst, but only for moments as they turned away in mass.  I stayed off allowing him space to work and became interested in exploring the stream's conjunction with the lake.  The lake water was cool but the mountain stream's outflow was bone chilling and shivering uncontrollably i quickly returned to the relatively warm shallows.  Groups of small Sunfish swam around me as i carefully navigated forward over the silty debris beneath me.  I could easily sink my hand 12 inches into the leafy material and any excessive movement would raise white clouds of fluffy silt, marring the shallow's visibility.  Moving over this delicate surface were Red-Spotted Newts, the aquatic state of the forest walkers, Red Efts.  They were fleeting nervous but i managed to capture a few images before they would flutter off, resting again on their long tails and extended toes, until i approached yet again.

 

 

 

Dave the Aquanaut.  Outfitted warm in his camo dry suit.

 

 

 

Entering the lake's headwaters.

 

 

 

Pairing for a future generation of Red Efts.

 

 

After Dave achieved what he could with the schooling fish he hiked upstream to check for the Tangerines and Tuckasegees i often encounter.  I however, accepted my thermal limitations and floated down lake to a massive snag of submerged trees and branches.  The tangle was lodged into the bank but protruded far out into the lake's murky depths.  Pulling myself through the branches i came onto some of the biggest Bluegills i have ever encountered, each stationed over his own washtub sized nest, carved out round and deep into the soft, leafy litter.  Though being king sized bream they were not brave and i struggled to get clear photos of them over their staggered nests.  After a bit there i worked out to the furthest branches and hung suspended over the aqua green depths taking everything in near, around and beyond me.  Out of the shadows swam random clusters of the school Dave had swam into.  He had considered them Quillbacks, but i have no certainty of a proper ID but among them were what appeared to us both as being Grass Carp measuring nearly 3 foot with their long snouts.  Raising my head i could see a school in the distance disturbing the surface.  I began the long swim out, a bit unsettling with my body suspended over a seemingly bottomless abyss when i finally found myself within their ranks whirling wildly about me.  I kept up with them for a bit turning this way and that into their alternating directions and then following them to a new reconsolidation.  After several whirling passes i made the long swim back to steep shoreline relieved to be above a footing i could see and touch.  Dave and i decided they were feeding, not spawning, but on what we could not tell and after discussing the encounter with others, the identity of these fish and their behavior is as of yet unknown.  Next time i will be considering ceviche, having my speargun along.

 

 

 

A mighty but cowardly Bluegill.

 

 

 

Mr. Bass patroling his tangled lair.

 

 

 

The lake mystery school.  Carp?  Forked tail, eye slightly below their midline, feeding at the surface?  I have an idea... to ask one who would know.

 

 

By now my battery had drained and Dave had returned unimpressed from his scouting so we pushed on to my old campsite.

 

 

This is a great site, long favored by my family and shared with visiting friends.  I have spent many days and nights along this beautiful remote mountain stream, camping under the stars, walking the forgotten trails, hunting elusive fungi and touching gravestones, hand hewn by Cherokee.  Sadly however, along the stream's corridor, the towering, lush Hemlocks i remembered are now gray boned skeletons decimated bare by the Woolly Adelgid.  The thick mountain Laurel and Rhododendron understory is left unprotected and appears scorched yellow in the sun's rays, not the dark greens i remember fondly.  The lack of protective shade will certainly drive up the remote mountain stream's summer temps and likely effect all the various and many life forms found within and alongside.  Perhaps other trees will grow and offer a streamside canopy but the towering Hemlocks are probably forever gone.  It is a disturbing sight but the water still flows clear and the surrounding forest is green.

 

 

 

Prepping for the walk beyond the gated way.

 

 

Parking, we hiked back to the site and put on our gear, me in my single 2/3 mil wetsuit.  Not enough as my gauge read a chilly 55 underwater even in the penetrating bright sunshine.  Nonetheless i shivered down into a plunge run and looked long expecting to see Greenfin Darters peering out from rock crevasses.  None to be found, but Tennessee Shiners had a bit of pinkish hue and the Warpaints were quick and frosty.  Dave had rock hopped downstream and reported back a series of various sized nests, some made of tiny pebbles, others with the typical rounded stones.  I cut through the woods and came out to a deep plunge pool located at the base of a series of cascading terraces.  Trout raced to and fro, and i could make out both Brooks and Rainbows and i recall Dave noting a Brown.  I worked the shadowed perimeter and found Sculpins skittering out from beneath stones i nudged.  I recall seeing more diversity in the past but the deep cold limited my motivation to look carefully, but i plan to return later this summer for a more comfortable look.

 

 

 

Sunshine, chilling waters and leaning bones.

 

 

 

Sculpin, one of the many.

 

 

Years ago i had found a dead Hellbender hooked by a fisherman and left battered dead on the rocks.  Some folks think they are venomous and react as if the myth is true.  Realizing they were here i had turned a few smaller stones and found several little Hellbenders in the shallows.  I hoped they were still to be found today, these years later.  However the cold was running extended shivers down my back and moving into the sun i found a shallow run that allowed my torso to lay exposed and warmed by the rays.  Directly in front of me was a Chub mound with a depression in the middle.  I thought perhaps i had stepped in it causing the footprint and gently covered it up.  Within minutes it was swarming back to life populated by Tennessee and Warpaint Shiners along with several intricately tuberculed Stonerollers digging into the mound trying to remove the larger stones i had just smoothed in.  As i picked the stones back out i caught a fleeting glance of a large gnarly headed fish and thought it to be the wary nest builder, a River Chub.  Patiently i waited for its return but after shivering uncontrollably i finally relented and explored another run off to the side and up for several minutes.  Turning back i crawled slowly down, following the chute from upstream and saw the largest Stoneroller i have seen digging furiously into the mound, probably 5 times at least the body weight of the Stonerollers i had played with earlier.  He had no problem rooting deep, mouthing and spitting out the biggest of stones from within the mound.  An astounding difference in their sizes, this was surely the Granddaddy of the Creek.  He did not get that big by being carefree and would flee at any approach i made to photograph him up close and personal.  Surely there was an additional unseen River Chub at work, as Stonies dig pits, and Chubs build mounds.

 

 

 

Stonerollers tracking fast.

 

 

 

Excavation.

 

 

By now the chill was too much for me and i got out and basked in the day's late afternoon sun.  While Dave worked the stream for several hundred yards both up and down i became content to photograph interests from the warm wide bedrock slab.  Dave reported more nests, some with Rosyside Dace on them but i could not muster a return to another deep core chilling.  He shortly returned again, this time excited at having found a large Bender in one of the terraced pools.  Dave stayed with that Hellbender throughout the entire late afternoon and even into twilight working it for photos.  I have long been impressed by his focus and persistence and again saw the commitment here.

 

 

 

Skink, his head red, warming in the late afternoon sun, just like me.

 

 

 

Tiger Beetle, i had seen him earlier but they are always on the quick move for a steady photograph.  I moved some gear and found him seemingly dozing beneath.  Iridescent metallic foil.

 

Still chilled and the sun dropping behind the ridge i returned to our vehicle and changed into dry clothes, ate the rest of my Rueben and relaxed at the road's end watching fireflies as the first stars appeared.  Finally through the forest's shadows Dave returned having been driven from the mountain stream by the lack of light and shared his Snot Otter encounter.  Both content with the day's wonders we drove onto Robbinsville for a late dinner and then back to Tellico for a needed rest, me awakening to misty light and rain pelting my van's roof.  An appropriate notice to return home for family and real world work obligations.

 

 

 

The road leads home.

 

 

I must state a supporting comment of Jeremy and Dave's work with Freshwaters Illustrated.  There is no one else committed, motivated, and with the technical skills, equipment, knowledge and dedication to videographically promote the wonders that NANFA members appreciate.

Freshwaters Illustrated has been commissioned by TVA, TWRA, the Tennessee Aquarium, the Cherokee National Forest and many other organizations during the last several years, having completed many aquatic environmental films and documentaries, while winning several awards for their inspiring work.  Their work continues, with their ongoing efforts to produce a one hour documentary on the fishes and aquatic diversity found uniquely in the Southeast.  The NANFA membership and leaders should be supporting their effort in every way possible while offering NANFA's financial support.  As a sponsor for this effort NANFA will be known not only to the viewing public but other supporting agencies as well.

 

The real value is that Jeremy and Dave's films will enlighten the unaware public to the amazing wonders that we as NANFA members bear witness to.

 

 

 

[Chasmodes]

Awesome pics and commentary, thank you!

[Isaac Szabo]

Awesome stuff Casper!

[gzeiger]

This is all awesome, but I want to hear more about "recent meteor impact."

[drawer0bli]

It seems like your mystery fish are gizzard shad. Fairly common, great bait.

 

 

(not my photos)

 

Also, some awesome photos and fish!

Edited by drawer0bli, 31 May 2016 - 06:27 PM.

[Casper]

Nice photo Obli and thank you.  I recently asked Steve Fraley, a man of knowledge regarding NC fishes, and he suggested the same identity after viewing my terrible video.  I thought the eye might have been set lower and a bit further back but having never got the crisp photo i wanted, let's go with that identity until we have confirmed it over Ceviche.

 

Those 3 days were fine but another adventure began a few days later, returning to the Hiwassee for a day and then on to the Little River for 3.

Edited by Casper, 31 May 2016 - 07:19 PM.

[natureman187]

You write-ups are always appreciated Casper. Those Tiger Beetles are a pain to catch!

Excellent as always. Chubs with stones and meteors - very much enjoyed.

 

Looking forward to the next ones 

[Evan P]

Casper, I am eternally jealous. For you to be able to discount this trip as "fine" indicates to me that relocation may be in my future.

[dsuperman]

Really great stuff, thank you.