Well, actually it was just me and Sean (aka Dredcon). When he first told me he was gonna be in the area, I was like, "Damn, it's too cold". So I went out and bought a pair of waders (I NEVER wear waders) with the intention of returning them to the store later on some pretext (e.g. "they leak!"). So Sean shows up in shorts and T-shirt, and it was 32 degrees the night before. I was thinking "Damn, why didn't I get those NEOPRENE waders, it's too COLD". So we get to the first site, and while I am trying to figure out how to put these waders on, Sean walks right into the water (with his shorts and t-shirt) and doesn't even flinch. We collected all day, in 40 degree water, and he is actually having FUN!

We caught a lot of fish (I counted four species in one dipnetfull), but Sean actually dipnetted an 8" shadow bass. With an actual dipnet - how sweet is that? The shadow bass went into a bucket with about 1/2 dozen assorted darters, and the B@&*%'D had the BALLS to eat every last ONE of the darters during the trip home, bouncing around in the bucket in the back of my pickup. Either he was very hungry, or he just figured, "F@#% it, I'm caught anyway, might was well eat these darters."

Anyway, Sean didn't have a place for him, so I put him in my 110 (my only remaining indoor tank).

Skipjack, I have bad news about those sleepers you were asking for...

The good news is...those pesky notatus are completely GONE!

post a pict

I will post a pic of the shadow bass soon.

I had a blast collecting this week. I'll post some species lists tomorrow. I have about 26 species in my car right now, so I will be busy tonight.

If he would come out from behind his rock I'd take a picture of him in the tank. but he is quite happy NOT having his picture taken.

I have about 26 species in my car right now, so I will be busy tonight.

I don't understand you, man. I have nothing but respect for you, you seem to get more in both quantity and variety than anybody. But how the heck do you house so many fish? You are taking twenty-six species home in one night? And you seem to do this nearly every day? Unbelievable. Louisiana is a long drive from Pennsylvania, but I have to get there some day, just to see your collection! And I have to collect with you someday, just to see how you do it. You'd better be at the convention in NC!

It's pretty easy to collect 26 species in a day or so in Mississippi. Not so much in Louisiana. But Sean is very persistent...

I got all these fish in good ole Mississippi. We hit three locations on Tuesday, I hit one on Wensday, and Five on Friday. I have about 10 tanks in my apartment (the wife is beats me everytime I come through the door with a new one). Most are setup as river tanks and can house many species of fish. At school, my officemate and I have four tanks between us in the office. The rest of my collection is housed in various labs in the biology building.

Here's a pic of the big shadow bass, its the biggest I have caught without a fishing pole. The darn thing at my rainbow darters. Its color is washed it from the white bucket, I am sure it is looking good now.

First off I gotta give a big thanks to Martin for showing me some great sites and helping to feed my my fish addiction.
Here is a list of species by site

Site 1 Strong River

Notropis longirostris Longnose shiner
Cyprinella venusta Blacktail shiner
Ericymba buccata Silverjaw minnow
Fundulus notatus Blackstripe topminnow
Ambloplites ariommus Shadow bass
Lepomis macrochirus Bluegill
Lepomis cyanellus Green sunfish
Lepomis miniatus Redspotted sunfish
Lepomis megalotis Longear sunfish
Elassoma zonatum Banded pygmy sunfish
Ammocrypta vivax Scaly sand darter
Etheostoma caeruleum Rainbow darter
Etheostoma stigmaeum Speckled darter
Etheostoma histrio Harlequin darter (Maybe - shadow bass ate it before positive ID)
Percina nigrofasciata Blackbanded darter


Site 2 Merit Water Park

Notropis longirostris Longnose shiner
Cyprinella venusta Blacktail shiner
Cyprinella camura Bluntface shiner
Notropis baileyi Rough shiner
Nocomis leptocephalus Bluehead chub
Hypentelium nigricans Northern hog sucker
Noturus leptacanthus Speckled madtom
Ambloplites ariommus Shadow bass
Lepomis macrochirus Bluegill
Lepomis miniatus Redspotted sunfish
Lepomis megalotis Longear sunfish
Etheostoma lycenum Brighteye darter
Percina nigrofasciata Blackbanded darter
Percina sciera Dusky darter

Stie 3 Westville Creek

Notropis longirostris Longnose shiner
Cyprinella venusta Blacktail shiner
Cyprinella camura Bluntface shiner
Notropis baileyi Rough shiner
Ericymba buccata Silverjaw minnow
Notropis winchelli Clear chub
Hypentelium nigricans Northern hog sucker
Noturus leptacanthus Speckled madtom
Noturus funebris Black madtom (pending further ID - its the biggest madtom I have collected)
Ambloplites ariommus Shadow bass
Lepomis miniatus Redspotted sunfish
Lepomis megalotis Longear sunfish
Etheostoma whipplei Redfin darter
Etheostoma lycenum Brighteye darter
Etheostoma swaini Gulf darter
Percina nigrofasciata Blackbanded darter


Add what I forgot Martin.

You wound up with a winchelli? Wish I had gotten a good look at it.

It looks like one to me, but I have not looked for the barbels.

It looks like one to me, but I have not looked for the barbels.

Yeah, the pair of barbels is key, otherwise it might be a weed shiner. You fooled me for a moment though, the clear chub is usually placed in the genus Hybopsis.

Just an update, this shadow bass and his 4" brother ate 50 (count 'em) rosy reds in 24 hours! This is a very greedy fish.

Somehow that does not surprise me.
Remember that big, deadish madtom from Westville Creek? After spending 4 days belly up on the bottom of a bucket, it is now alive and appears to be doing well.

Man you should know by now that I can't read or spell. Pictures would be nice of all the fish you catch. And to the guy in Thibodaux Louisiana, I was born and raised in Lafayette. I plan on being there in a few days. Can you give me some info on grass pickerels. Do they have them there. I am sure you are familiar with Lake Martin. Well my mothers house is just fifteen minuets from there. Is that a good place to look. Any info would help and any interesting species you could share with me that are down there would give me some ideas. And places to find them. I was not a fish person when I lived there so my knowledge is limited. I know I have caught those gold spotted top minnows if that is the right name. And I know I have caught dollar sunfish when I was a kid because I remember how pretty they were then my dad would fuss at me and say throw that back thats too small to eat. LOL I have also caught sailfin mollies just across the street from my house growing up in Lafayette.

I always bring a camera with me, but I have a hard time putting down the net to take pictures. I have one been in Thibodaux a year and only know the water from here south to Purt Fourchon. I don't know anywhere to get pickerel down here. I have some spots in Mississippi for them. I would look in waters with heavy vegetation.

Somehow that does not surprise me.
Remember that big, deadish madtom from Westville Creek? After spending 4 days belly up on the bottom of a bucket, it is now alive and appears to be doing well.

What the... ? Call that the ONE documented exception to my infamous refrain

Call that the ONE documented exception to my infamous refrain

Go ahead Irate and say it...."It's gonna live"

I always bring a camera with me, but I have a hard time putting down the net to take pictures. I have one been in Thibodaux a year and only know the water from here south to Purt Fourchon. I don't know anywhere to get pickerel down here. I have some spots in Mississippi for them. I would look in waters with heavy vegetation.

Dredcon I just bought a little digital point and shoot. I am a proffesional photographer "doing it as a paid hobby now" and have thousands of dollars of gear but I just wanted something to stick in my pocket when I go collecting. I told my daughter I would stick it in a ziplock bag when I go collecting because llike you I have a hard time putting the net down, or rod and reel, and I have been known to slip on rocks and fall in the same exact water I am collection from LOL. So a ziplock bag is definatly on my list of things to bring collecting not just for my fish but for my camera as well. And about Mississippi let me in on those spots if you don't mind because I travel just about the whole length of the state when I come down to Lafayette from Tennessee where I live now. And don't be shy about letting me know what and where to find fishes in Thibodaux I am not affraid of the gas pump and steering wheel. If there is something special there I will definatly drive there. And if I stop at places I hope you let me in on in Mississippi and there is something you want me to bring down for you If I catch some I will be happy to do so. I plan on being down around the 21st give or take a few days. So I am definatly willilng to haul something down for you If you want. And if there is something I can bring to you from here in ( Near Chattanooga ) I will also be happy to do that. But beware I am a newcommer to this catching and shipping or transporting I should say so you may want to give me some hints on how to keep fish alive for lets say two days in a bucket or whatever. I have a bad back and sometimes I have to cut the trip in half to give the old backside a rest in a motel overnight. So that would be a five and five hour trip over a two day period if I did that. But If I collected on the way down at places you are going to share with me in Mississippi that might be enough to loosen up the old back and maybe make the trip longer but not have to motel it one night. I am really not an expert at identifying fish but if you give me the names of some possibles you might want from here in Tennessee and points between here and Lafayette I will definatly give it my best shot for you.


Oh and if you do share your secret spots with me in and along the way in Mississippi would you include close towns (names) because I use google earth to pinpoint my collecting spots for future reference. Thanks a bunch and maybe we can meet in Louisiana between your place and my mothers and go out for a little collecting if you have time. I am also interested in a young bowfin. I know they have those down there. Awesome fish. But so far I have just eaten them and not enjoyed them in a tank. Lets say my tastes have changed over the years LOL. I do not eat fish at all from our local waters here. I read about the mecury and other toxins that they test and find in the fish in the wild here so now I just enjoy looking at them and collection them. I actually have a few TN snubnose in a tank right now I would be willing to let you have if you need some of those. (two or three) I can get those anytime here at a favorite spot.

I am a proffesional photographer "doing it as a paid hobby now" and have thousands of dollars of gear

I am trying to get back into photography after an absence of many years. Many, many years! The nice thing these days is that as the traditional "wet" darkroom is being abandoned, there are great deals on the equipment. I scored a nice 4x5 camera on eBay for cheap, and large format enlargers can be had very reasonably now. I'm just buying the stuff a piece at a time - no big hurry.