11 replies to this topic

[trygon]

The week after Labor Day, and a few days after T.S. Hermine, Diane and I visited seven Panhandle springs:  Cypress, Pitt, Williford, Ponce de Leon, Sylvan and Hightower.  I didn't get in the last two, been there, Ponce had been trampled all summer and Wakulla was so tannin stained that I couldn't see the white bottom in 3' of water.

 

Cypress Springs, accessible only by boat.

Spring head, the vent is at about 25'-30' and pumps out 89,000,000 gallons of freshwater per day.

 

Spring run, Holme Creek was about 2' above normal pool that week and pushed tannin stained water almost to the spring head.  The spring water is about 72-3f, but the stained water felt 10f warmer as soon as I crossed into it.

 

 

But there is plenty of crystalline water in the spring pool.

 

An underwater jungle.

 

Sailfin Shiners

 

Sailfin Shiner

 

Another Sailfin, this one was hard, and I know that I'm probably boring you, but there wasn't much diversity at any of the springs.  The Sailfins were the big highlight of the trip.

[trygon]

Pitt Springs

Small, but very nice.  The vent, seen in the middle is around 10' deep.

 

Confluence of the spring run and Econfina Creek.

 

I've never seen so many Redeye Chubs.

 

Flying Redeyes.

 

 

[trygon]

Williford Springs

Spring vent is under the ledge in the center at about 10'.  Sorry about the water spots.

 

Williford was notable for the moderately long and canopied spring run to Econfina Creek.

 

Almost to Econfina, there is a lot of structure in the spring run.  This photo, and all of the other non-fish photos, was taken with an Olympus TG-4 point and shoot amphibious camera; an excellent choice if you want to get started in underwater photography.

 

Redeyes...

 

and more Redeyes.  None of the springs I went to was very diverse, lots and lots of Redeyes, LM Bass, and about 4 species of Sunfish were the major players everywhere I went.  I've been wondering if the lack of diversity was due to the storm or time of year or both.

 

Loggerhead Musk Turtle.  The bundle above the turtle is and erosion control device.

 

Tadpole Madtom, nice nostrils.

 

That's it. I know, not enough fish, but I just couldn't find them.  Maybe next time.

[mattknepley]

Quit apologizing, that's beautiful stuff! I'm glad you posted it.

[Michael Wolfe]

It's red-eye heaven... I love those guys!

 

 

 

 

[Chasmodes]

Very beautiful pics.  Those sailfin shiners are beautiful!

[sbtgrfan]

This is awesome. I need to get down to some Florida springs, so cool. 

[Isaac Szabo]

Great post and beautiful photos, Bryce. I like that you included some topside photos and information about the springs. The underwater scenery shots are beautiful, as are the sailfins. The flying redeyes shot is really cool, and it’s neat that you were able to get a good madtom shot. Really makes me want to get back to the FL springs.

[Doug_Dame]

Nice photos, thanks for sharing. As a Florida guy, I'm not disappointed at all to see shots of redeye chubs or sailfin shiners. 

 

Going places right after high-water events can be challenging. 

[Josh Blaylock]

Wow, I love those shots of the clear water and tainted water coming together.

[Matt DeLaVega]

I also like the habitat/scenery shots. Those are often lacking in trip reports.

 

I have never been to any of these Florida springs, they must be incredible in life if the photos do them justice at all. The lack of diversity seems to take a back seat to the overall beauty. Thanks for sharing.

[gerald]

Wow - gorgeous scenery.  How does one distinguish redeye chub vs ironcolor shiner in the field?  Is the "yellow arc on snout" (Peterson Guide descrip for redeye) a reliable difference?