6 replies to this topic

[MrSquirrel]

South Georgia is supposed to be full of neat fish but Ive been having trouble finding tank sized fish that arent mosquito fish and was wondering if Ive been missing something.

[Matt DeLaVega]

Habitat! All about habitat. Different species are going to be found in the habitat that suits them. You wont find Gambusia in two foot deep riffles. Typically you won't find Gambusia more than 6 feet from the bank and/or in water much deeper than 12 inches. Out there, in deeper and/or faster water you will start encountering more diversity. Darters, suckers, shiners and more will start to show up in net, or on your line if you are micro fishing. After a while, you can start to predict what species you might encounter based on the habitat. That gets really fun.

[UncleWillie]

Matt is correct.  I've spent most of my last 8 years doing various fish work all across Georgia.  What I've noticed along the Fall Line and down into the Coastal Plain is that micro-habitat is important.  And the connectivity of those micro-habitats is important (depending on the life history of those species).  On a particular 1-year long survey (sampled 12 river-kilometer of rivers, shorelines, backwaters, etc. every other week for 12 months), it got to where I could almost point to a spot and say "flier will be here" "we are going to catch dollar sunfish here" "taillight shiner will be here" "this looks like good spot for sailfin shiners" the list goes on and on.  The problem for most folks, I think, comes down to access.  Public access or public streams crossings can really limit the type of habitat you can access.  The habitat next to a public park, boat ramp, or bridge, may not provide the best habitat for your target species.  Or those target species may be 3 foot down lurking in impenetrable vegetation or woody structure, where dragging a seine or dip-netting is difficult.  Even wearing waders can limit you.  Sometimes a seine needs to be dragged through a spot that's neck-deep to get a good sample.

[Matt DeLaVega]

Often, some of the best habitat lies in the least inviting areas. I have been nervous many times while dragging a seine. Super swampy stuff kind of freaks me out. Heavy deep riffles can be particularly risky during cold weather. Logjams are dangerous to wade above. Be careful!

[Michael Wolfe]

Uncle Willie is right and so is Matt. And there are a lotta cool fish down your way. What would you like to see? Small swampy stuff? Bannerfins? Let us know and we might be able to point you to a spot. Also maybe give us a general area you are in or are willing to go to (like county or drainage).

[MrSquirrel]

Thank you for the replys. Im in Michael county. Im thinking my main problem has been trying to avoiding gators. Theyre awful right now. As for what Id like to find I really like the look of darters but really anything that can live in a ten gallon. most of what Ive been trying to collect from has been smallish ponds.

[Michael Wolfe]

About an hour and a half east of you where 64 crosses the Alapaha River (east of Nashville, GA).  A few years ago we had a great day at that site... I dont remember everything, but I know we caught banded sunfish there (Enneacanthus) and they would do OK in a small tank.  But I also think we caught other fish there that would be good in small tanks. 

 

Down there, you need to get some brown darters (dumbest name ever!).  They dont need current like most other darters and are small and would do great in a sand bottomed 10 gallon tank.  Thats gotta be one one the coolest fish down your way (certainly the best darter down there).