Tony, We had a great time. Mark is a really good guy and seeing fish for the first time the year with such good weather really got my spirits up. I had terrible back pains the day before but it seems the seining worked it all out. It was a great day all around.
As far as you taking photos...if you want to do it you will do it. Every year I try new ideas and techniques to improve and I really believe anyone can do this as long as they keep trying. My first photos didn't look that Dusky darter I posted the other day and I never have been happy with the photos but never got frustrated, aside from the occasional four letter word directed at a great specimen that would not erect fins I also believe you can take good photos with a camera under $150 along with decent photo tanks. I'll take a couple of shots of the updated photo set up next time I take fish photos. Get out there and start shooting!

I actually grew up with Fishes of Missouri and still have the original copy. I checked the updated version to be sure but that book doesn't provide lateral drawings for either and it focuses on features (dorsal stripes and chin pigment) that would clearly put these and the other fish Ive been calling L. chrysocephalus as L. chrysocephalus. So what references are you using for L. conutus vs. L. chrysocephalus?

Oh yeah, we've had this conversation like 3 times now, I'm an airhead

Okay, it's not as distinctive as I remember it... Look at the key (pg 102) and notice that the striped shiner has 22 or fewer scales, the common has 23 or more, and completely ignore the fact that he fell into the same temptation everyone else has and drew some converging lines.

I don't think you're going to find your answer in Illinois, either, fwiw. You need to see REALLY striped and REALLY common, and then those intergrades that have been frustrating you will be much more apparent. Striped shiner from KY and common shiner from WI or MI will do you a world of wonders. It took me a long time to figure this one out, until I got some striped shiner from Alabama and some common shiner from Michigan and put them in the same tank, and then ran across this book. Once you see it, you won't forget it.

FWIW, I looked at Fishes of Illinois, and the picture Smith has for the striped shiner, I would ID as a common lol.

Todd