An Interesting Monday Morning -

I haven't been out collecting in a few years, but I did this morning -

Just had to share this story, bear with me...

Last thursday I went steelheading the west side Lake Erie shoreline. My girl calls to see what I caught.
She says she dreamt that I caught 6 steelies after I left in the morning. "Sorry Honey, that was a just dream..."
I got skunked.

Cut to Monday morning. On the way top work, I hit a small suburban trib to net my perchin-girl some minnows
for fishing. This creek is tiny, you can usually cross it and not even get your feet wet. I've been netting longnose dace,
the perch seem to love'em (shhh, don't tell anyone). I scooped a shallow pool with my 4ft seine and put the net down to sort
out the darters and release them - I won't fish with them. There in the net is a 2" steelhead smolt! I've caught one years before in this creek and thought it was a one-time occurence. The next pool down, put the seine down - and TWO More smolt!
I put them back as fast as possible. A few minutes later, another one!! Now I've got enough minnows for perchin', just one more scoop. The last pass with the seine only had two fish in it. You guessed it - two more steelhead!!!
Turns out fishin-girl was right. I had caught six steelhead! They were only 2 - 3" long, but sure were pretty.

If you're not from the area, keep in mind that steelhead usually can't or don't spawn productively in Ohio.
The only reason these guys survived this summer, in my opinion, is that with the drought conditions we've had, the stream received very little rain/runoff and remained pretty much spring fed through summer keeping it nice & cool for the smolts.
This little stream is little trib of the Cuyahoga (?!?) only a few miles from Cleveland!

Are steelhead smolts usually that small?

Are steelhead smolts usually that small?

Irate, I think that he is talking about parr. I just learned a new word. Smolt are ~6in and on their way to big water, while parr are the intermediate stage between fry and smolts.

http://www.snh.org.u...lifecycle.shtml

I think, and my brief experience, is that steelhead reproduction is a bit more successful than people think and have a handle on in Ohio. Very small tributaries with YOY steelhead were not all that uncommon. They are quite "pioneering" and end up going places you'd never expect. Frankly I've never heard of any ODNR work on steelhead since it is managed as put and take. The increasing numbers of fish in the lake, returning and caught in the river, and decreases in stocking to some tributaries while increasing in others suggests they acknowledge there are "wild" populations now that at least augment the put and take fishery.

Irate, I think that he is talking about parr. I just learned a new word. Smolt are ~6in and on their way to big water, while parr are the intermediate stage between fry and smolts.

I was pretty sure that's what he meant - just trying not to be obvious about it

I was pretty sure that's what he meant - just trying not to be obvious about it

just playin' along

While I hope you've incorrectly identified the Ohio SSC longnose dace, since you've said you were in the Cuyahoga (probably blacknose dace or stonerollers). But just in case you haven't and are knowingly doing this...

There are plenty of other fish you can use that are less imperilled to catch perch. You don't need to catch perch, you can go to a grocery store. But those numbers in those populations are necessary to maintain those populations, much more so now that the populations of longnose dace are more fragmented even within their remaining watershed(s).

If you're not open to considering this concern and advice, you should at least keep quiet about it here. Activities and words like this are what is a real threat to what people in this organization are trying to do with aquaria.

Thanks
Todd

My Bad. Theye were parr.
Parr markings like this -

This is more a smolt -

Yup. that was in my tank about 5 yearsago.

My bad again, Farmer Todd. They were blacknose dace. Rather overabundant in this trib.

I used to catch lil blue pike for bait, but they disappeared two years ago. (joking......)

Yeah, blacknose dace would make a fine, fiesty bait

Thanks for clarifying.

Todd

just playin' along

Doh! I should have seen that. Color me dense!