12 replies to this topic

[mattknepley]

Kerry, Erin, and I made an afternoon run to the mountains today. Did a hike to a pretty waterfall then hit the river at the Burrells Ford bridge. Got a little wider diversity of species than I usually manage, and some of the ones I do know just looked different. A couple of these I don't know at all, but the others I think I have down...

These photos are more like my normal offerings, but I think good enough with which to work. A couple of these would be SC lifers and/or all-time lifers for me.

Central Stoneroller, right? Would be an SC lifer for me.

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Mirror Shiners? The last two are the same fish, one picture showed details better, one hinted at the colors better. Would be an all-time lifer.
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Enough here to call this a River Chub? When it came out of the water it look way more "chubbish" than it does here, and it's so small I don't know if there's enough to distinguish it from Mr. Bluehead. Would be an all-time lifer though, so what the heck...
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No flippin' clue on this dude, and I don't expect you can do much with this photo. There were two of these caught, and they were easily separated from other fishes by their transparency and their determination to swim at the surface.
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What about these dace? Most of the dace a caught were easily Longnoses. One or two when they came out of the water looked very Western Blacknose to me, which I liked 'cuz those'd be SC lifers for me. But in the pictures and book descriptions they seem as much (or more) Longnose.

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Those first two pics are obviously Longnoses, even in my poor photos. This last one though, was "definitely" Western Blacknose" when it came out of the river; now I don't know.
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Gratuitous scenery shot...
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[gerald]

Agree with stoneroller and (probable) mirror shiner.  "no flippin clue" might also be mirror shiner.

Cannot ID the Nocomis chub - could be either river or bluehead, if both occur in that basin.

3rd dace:  i agree looks more like blacknose, but i can't quite rule out longnose.

[mattknepley]

Thanks, Gerald. I was pretty sure on the Stoneroller. I'm also pretty sure I have seen a school of adult Stonerollers grazing through that same location, but for some reason haven't ever let myself "count it" for listing. The Mirror Shiner (probable) I used mostly the size of the eye and the wedge shaped caudal mark for id-ing. They just didn't look as tubular-shaped as most of the pictures I've seen, though, so if that spot had been more squarish I'd have been tempted to call it a Tennessee. That third dace is killing me. I had no doubt that it was a Blacknose when it came out the water. The pattern was stronger than in the picture (quite a bit of time in a white bucket), the mouth shape seems very Blacknose, but it's inferior enough to make me think Longnose. When I was in Michigan last summer and got both species from the same stream in the northern reaches of the Lower Peninsula there was no doubt as to the difference. (Posted the pics, too.) Not so here.Ugh. There are both Blueheads and Rivers in there; thanks for the look, didn't figure it would be a useful pic.

[sbtgrfan]

Definitely a mirror shiner. the wedge is the giveaway. If it was a square, it'd be a Tennessee. 

[Matt DeLaVega]

100% Campostoma on the first.

100% that you have a Nocomis in your hand. At that size if there is more than one species in the drainage then good luck!

And that is a blacknose dace. If not it is due to your photo skills, get better at it.

[mattknepley]

Thanks, guys. I appreciate the verification of my caudal marking skills, Stephen. I often have a hard time telling a streak from smudge from a spot from a you get the idea.

"And that is a blacknose dace. If not it is due to your photo skills, get better at it." Here's the DLV we know and love!

[sbtgrfan]

The mirrors will almost always have a definitive triangular shape, no mistake about it. I've never come across one where I've said hmm, is that a triangle or a square....Granted the squares can be tough sometimes, but I'm unsure of what other species it could be right there with a squareish spot that looks anything similar...but it is 715 in the morning so my brain isnt working well. 

[Josh Blaylock]

Do you purposely target the smallest fish possible?

[taldridge0321]

Do you purposely target the smallest fish possible?

Lol!

[mattknepley]

Do you purposely target the smallest fish possible?

Ben and company have their microfishing; I have mine, Mr. Haterpants.

[BenCantrell]

Crop those photos!

[Josh Blaylock]

Ben and company have their microfishing; I have mine, Mr. Haterpants.

Yeah, but nanofishing....

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[mattknepley]

Touche', my friend. Touche'.