25 replies to this topic

[taldridge0321]

Wow, that's quite a day.  Great report!  That golden topminnow is a beauty!

Thanks! They were worth the wait, really tedious though haha. It took us a long time to find one, then Casey caught that huge male, and I didn't stop until the next morning until I caught one.

[zooxanthellae]

That's odd ...  the times i've seined there we get about 5,000 coastal shiners per one taillight (in the canal) and I've never seen a taillight in the lake.  The coastal shiners in Waccamaw (especially in the canal) do have a good bit more brassy-orange-red color than coastals I've seen elsewhere (Deep River, Cape Fear River, Buckhorn Creek) which look very much like Cape Fear shiners.

 

Do you think the chrysotus arrived in Lake Waccamaw on their own power, or were introduced?  The fact that they're most abundant around the boat ramp and rare elsewhere in the lake seems suspicious.

 

Normally, we find the taillights around the boat ramp, and as Tim mentioned, in May they are colored up nicely. That is the only place I've ever found them until last Sunday, when they were all over the river side of the dam (not in the lake itself). When I say all over, I mean we probably caught 30 in 15 minutes. I don't have my photo's on me here at work, but I did grab a few pics of them. Just off the cuff pics, none of the on black stuff. I will upload them tonight. I am going to feel pretty stupid if they weren't taillights, I need a coastal shiner photograph! 

 

Those chrysotus are really interesting. I've only ever caught them in a 5 foot wide area of vegetation in the alcove to the west of the boat ramp. I've never encountered them elsewhere. Are they a disjunct population? Admittedly, I've never looked into their range. 

 

Out of curiosity, does anyone know of any work done on the lake Paleomon sp. in the lake? Is is just our everyday grass shrimp? 

 

 

PS, I looked for, but didn't see your large reptilian friend this time Gerald! I think he moved on from the boat ramp, and I'm not complaining.  

[taldridge0321]

I'm sure they're Taillights, but that is crazy that you found so many, but of course they are a school fish. The first one I found was actually in the lake, mixed in with Tadpole Madtoms in brush and grass. I was stoked.

[fritz]

I've found golden tropminnows in two small tributary streams of the Waccamaw River on the west side so I've always assumed it was a natural invasion similar to the "golden" silverside

[nviole]

Awesome trip! I stopped by a spot on Big Creek which drains into Lake Waccamaw last month. Was only there for a couple of hours, and didn't have bait so I only caught one fish, but it was a beautiful Flier. After seeing your post I will definitely have to go back better equipped. Thanks for sharing!

[taldridge0321]

Nice Flier, Lake Waccamaw can be difficult to fish if you don't know where to go. If you plan on going, send me an email first and I will get some locations for you.

Awesome trip! I stopped by a spot on Big Creek which drains into Lake Waccamaw last month. Was only there for a couple of hours, and didn't have bait so I only caught one fish, but it was a beautiful Flier. After seeing your post I will definitely have to go back better equipped. Thanks for sharing!