I've been into my peterson's field guide lately, and notice that alot of fish are located around the great smoky mountains, or Tennessee River drainage more like it. Has anyone ever collected from this area? I think me and some friends are going to Gatlinburg in the spring and I'm going to talk them into collecting. I've got my eyes on the Warpaint shiner. What else can you all tell me about the Warpaint shiner? I haven't been able to find much info on it. Thanks everyone.
Wondering about the smoky mountains...
Started by
Guest_ShinersRock_*
, Oct 30 2006 03:52 PM
16 replies to this topic
#2
Guest_dsmith73_*
Guest_dsmith73_*
-
- Guests
Posted 30 October 2006 - 04:29 PM
The warpaint shiner is a very nice looking fish. It gets rather large for a shiner, arounf 5 inches or so. It also prefers very cold water. I have tried to maintain this fish several times in the past with little luck. Males have very red marking on the face and females have more of an orangish marking.
Be sure to do your research as to where you plan to collect in the Tennessee. Many streams are considered trout streams and collecting may be forbidden. There are VERY strict penalties for collecting in trout streams. It's really obsurd that our society puts so much emphasis and care into a fish that is not even native to the area.
Be sure to do your research as to where you plan to collect in the Tennessee. Many streams are considered trout streams and collecting may be forbidden. There are VERY strict penalties for collecting in trout streams. It's really obsurd that our society puts so much emphasis and care into a fish that is not even native to the area.
#3
Guest_drewish_*
Guest_drewish_*
-
- Guests
Posted 30 October 2006 - 04:38 PM
When I did a little research into collecting in TN, there is a list of counties that you can NOT collect in. I do not know if these counties cover just the trout waters or not.
Brookies are native to the TN streams. I'd hope that is what they are protecting and not rainbows and browns.
Brookies are native to the TN streams. I'd hope that is what they are protecting and not rainbows and browns.
#4
Guest_teleost_*
Guest_teleost_*
-
- Guests
Posted 30 October 2006 - 04:48 PM
When I did a little research into collecting in TN, there is a list of counties that you can NOT collect in. I do not know if these counties cover just the trout waters or not.
Brookies are native to the TN streams. I'd hope that is what they are protecting and not rainbows and browns.
You know their protecting the non native game fish with these laws. I don't know why they simply don't enforce existing law instead of making new law. After all I'm pretty certain that it's against the law to keep trout (native or not) captured with nets.
#6
Guest_teleost_*
Guest_teleost_*
-
- Guests
Posted 30 October 2006 - 05:03 PM
My theory was that they are not only protecting the fish from being netted but protecting the fish the trout feed on from being collected.
You could be right. It still seems only fair to impose special limits on forage for the non native forage fish. Stopping all netting seems unfair. I simply catch photo and release 95% or more of the time. Even this activity would be illegal.
#7
Guest_ShinersRock_*
Guest_ShinersRock_*
-
- Guests
Posted 30 October 2006 - 06:04 PM
Well, I understand I won't be able to collect at the Smoky Mountains National Park. But the warpaint shiner is found in Southern VA as well, right? Maybe I could get it there. They require very cold water? But don't the waters get fairly warm in the summer? That's sad to hear as I really want to keep some of them but won't be able to keep them very cold. Sigh.
#8
Guest_ashtonmj_*
Guest_ashtonmj_*
-
- Guests
Posted 30 October 2006 - 06:46 PM
Warpaint Shiners exist in great numbers in the Little River (Blount County). A majority of it exists outside of designated trout waters and the GSMNP. There is public access and pull offs at alot of locations. The counties listed that you cannot collect/possess minnows in are for the most part not in areas where you would be collecting. I believe they are mostly in the extreme northeast corner around Johnson City. If you are in Gatlinburg, I believe the Pigeon River is trout water. I have kept them in cool to warm tanks but they eat a ton, they jump, and if collected in the warmer months are really prone to disease.
#9
Guest_sandtiger_*
Guest_sandtiger_*
-
- Guests
Posted 30 October 2006 - 08:44 PM
My theory was that they are not only protecting the fish from being netted but protecting the fish the trout feed on from being collected.
I'm pretty sure this is correct. In NY (don't know about other places) it is illegal to collect insects in trout waters as well as any insects that live on the shore of trout waters, same obviously goes for baitfish. I think it's BS, especially since the only native trout here in NY is the brook and lake trout (I don't really consider the lake trout since it lives in a different sort of habitat). The rules apply to rainbows and browns, as much as I like them they don't belong here and should not get any protection at all, the only trout I want to catch in our streams are brooks.
#10
Guest_drewish_*
Guest_drewish_*
-
- Guests
Posted 30 October 2006 - 09:06 PM
We collected warpaint shiners on our trip to the TN drainage in VA. We found them in good numbers but mostly larger ones (4"+). We were pretty successful at catching them with a slow downstream seine. Smaller ones were found in NF Holston River tribs.
#11
Guest_ShinersRock_*
Guest_ShinersRock_*
-
- Guests
Posted 31 October 2006 - 02:45 AM
Warpaint Shiners exist in great numbers in the Little River (Blount County). A majority of it exists outside of designated trout waters and the GSMNP. There is public access and pull offs at alot of locations. The counties listed that you cannot collect/possess minnows in are for the most part not in areas where you would be collecting. I believe they are mostly in the extreme northeast corner around Johnson City. If you are in Gatlinburg, I believe the Pigeon River is trout water. I have kept them in cool to warm tanks but they eat a ton, they jump, and if collected in the warmer months are really prone to disease.
So you've had success in raising them? Would salt help to keep that disease proneness down? How long did you keep the Warpaint shiners?
#12
Guest_Enneacanthus_*
Guest_Enneacanthus_*
-
- Guests
Posted 31 October 2006 - 06:38 AM
I have three warpaints in a tank with some other minnows (rainbow shiners, central stonerollers) they seem to be doing quite well in the although I have only have had them for about a month. There were originally four but I mishanled one and it died of fin rot.
The water stays in the 60's for the most part and the amount of salt is a spoonfull every five gallons.
I would think that they can exist in normal room temp water since the ones we collected were found in smallmouth habitat.
From what I have read and heard about them seem seem to be a little more delicate than most shiners so just make sure you handle them gently while collecting and transporting and you should be ok.
The water stays in the 60's for the most part and the amount of salt is a spoonfull every five gallons.
I would think that they can exist in normal room temp water since the ones we collected were found in smallmouth habitat.
From what I have read and heard about them seem seem to be a little more delicate than most shiners so just make sure you handle them gently while collecting and transporting and you should be ok.
#13
Guest_Skipjack_*
Guest_Skipjack_*
-
- Guests
Posted 31 October 2006 - 02:38 PM
When I did a little research into collecting in TN, there is a list of counties that you can NOT collect in. I do not know if these counties cover just the trout waters or not.
Brookies are native to the TN streams. I'd hope that is what they are protecting and not rainbows and browns.
You know their protecting the non native game fish with these laws. I don't know why they simply don't enforce existing law instead of making new law. After all I'm pretty certain that it's against the law to keep trout (native or not) captured with nets.
CRAP! In Ohio the DNR cares more about their precious brown trout than anything else. The only strong hold for the western tonguetied minnow is the mad river drainage. This fish is likely a separate species of its own, considering the disjunct population. BUT the DNR continues to stock brown trout in its only refuge. $$$$$$$$$$$$$
#14
Guest_ashtonmj_*
Guest_ashtonmj_*
-
- Guests
Posted 01 November 2006 - 01:46 PM
No, no real success. A few months at best. I even tried very small individuals ~ 2" and only got to about 3 months. The hot months are definately not the best time to collect. They drop scales immediately and I've seen some die in several minutes from the shock of being netted and put into a bucket.
Little side note...The incredible lack of attention ODNR gives to it's native non-game fish species are the least of their worries, though one of their larger problems. The legal trafficing of large catfish to pay lakes, no size limit on musky, lack of a trout stamp even though steelhead for Lake Erie is a bulk of their hatchery work, commercial fishing on Lake Erie, the ever changing Lake Erie fishery, and overall pathetic funding level are just a few issues needing attention.....
Little side note...The incredible lack of attention ODNR gives to it's native non-game fish species are the least of their worries, though one of their larger problems. The legal trafficing of large catfish to pay lakes, no size limit on musky, lack of a trout stamp even though steelhead for Lake Erie is a bulk of their hatchery work, commercial fishing on Lake Erie, the ever changing Lake Erie fishery, and overall pathetic funding level are just a few issues needing attention.....
#15
Guest_edbihary_*
Guest_edbihary_*
-
- Guests
Posted 04 November 2006 - 12:39 PM
$$$$$$$$$$$$$
You hit the nail on the head, my friend. They care more about protecting the non-native trout because a large portion (a majority?) of the people who pay for fishing licenses want to fish for trout. If the trout go away, so will all of the money they make selling fishing licenses.
#16
Guest_Gambusia_*
Guest_Gambusia_*
-
- Guests
Posted 16 February 2007 - 02:39 PM
In North Carolina it's totally illegal to collect in ANY trout stream including ones stocked just twice a year.
Really crimps my collecting but most I keep I collect on hook and line anyway.
As for warpaint shiners, I catch them on small hooks occasionally.
They like COOL water and I have kept some for a short time in the aquarium.
My brother caught a warpaint some years ago that was 7" long.
If you collect on the NC side of the Smokies, just avoid the trout streams and you are OK.
You can collect nongame fish for bait and it's legal to put these fish in the aquarium.
Just make sure you are not collecting some rare/protected fish.
Really crimps my collecting but most I keep I collect on hook and line anyway.
As for warpaint shiners, I catch them on small hooks occasionally.
They like COOL water and I have kept some for a short time in the aquarium.
My brother caught a warpaint some years ago that was 7" long.
If you collect on the NC side of the Smokies, just avoid the trout streams and you are OK.
You can collect nongame fish for bait and it's legal to put these fish in the aquarium.
Just make sure you are not collecting some rare/protected fish.
Reply to this topic
0 user(s) are reading this topic
0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users
NANFA Youtube Channel 
