Since no one has said anything just yet, I'll start.
Left the house REAL early Saturday morning to meet with MWolfe at Sumac Creek on our way to Casper's place for the South Chick Creek Day event. Spend about an hour and a half sampling - found a plethora of suckers, a few small darters, and some sunnies. MWolfe has all the pictures, but here's a short list of species:
Longear Sunfish - Lepomis megalotis
Bluegill - Lepomis macrochirus
Redspot (or punctatus, I still can't separate them easily when the redspots don't have red spots) Lepomis punctatus or miniatus
Redbreast - Lepomis auritus
Blackfin Redhorse - Moxostoma poecilurum
Alabama Hogsucker - Hypentelium etowanum
Some other redhorse or Moxostoma
Southern Studfish - Fundulus stellifer
Blacktail Shiner - Cyprinella venusta
Striped Shiner - Luxilus chrysocephalus
Blackbanded darter - Percina nigrofasciata
Some other darter I can't remember.
So, that was a good start. But it was only 10:00am! So, we wrapped that up, took pictures (Mike's got most of 'em, I'll post mine a little later), and headed for Casper's.
When we got there, we immediately headed for the creek. I was handed the seine, whose brails were the noodliest PVC I've ever seen, and started working South Chickamauga creek.
In attendance were:
Me
MWolfe
Alejandro
Casper (Of course!)
Bruce Stallsmith his own self
Dave Neely
Anna (Sorry, never caught your last name!)
Ranger Bob
Betsy
and a few others I can't remember off hand.
Good crew. All better crew than me, but hey, I'm still learning.
We spend several hours in the creek, seining up 24 or so species there, maybe more. No gar, but plenty of other fish. It was a rare seine haul that didn't have at least one or two fish flipping in the net. The current was up, strong, and we had to fight it, but fight it we did and everyone came back safe and sound. We displayed the fish for a few minutes before we had to make room for the musicians who were showing up after. But we had better things to do, there were fish to see!
So, the next stop was Casper's famous Cement Pond, which impressed me greatly. I now know the proper way to fill your swimming pool. Redhorse, Mighty fine looking longear, shiners of all descriptions, and fat bullfrog tadpoles were all in abundance.
At this point, it's still about 4:30pm, so we hit Spring Creek on the other side of the highway. Darters galore, including Redline, Rainbow, Tennessee Snubnose, Speckled, and a few Banded. Further down, we caught sunfish of all descriptions - Spotted, Redbreast ('cause they're all redbreast), Bluegill, Warmouth, Longear, Green, Rock Bass.... some Bluntnose Shiners, Stonerollers, a giant hogsucker that I completely missed my chance of a good trophy photo, and the list keeps on going. I can't report more here, since I decided to throw my cast net on the other side of the bridge - and caught nothing but a rain storm. Meanwhile, they rest of the boys caught even more fish.
Some punctatus came home for the cement pond, and someone threw some darters in the cooler as well. I offered to give them a home, so these were separated, aerated, and then we worked on dinner. (Okay, I sat around and talked, everyone else helped out with dinner.) I ate it though. And was plenty full. So we slept, and woke up to a dreary, cold, blustery day. After breakfast, we met back at Casper's house, gave condolences on the weather, Casper's overworked back, and then dropped back by Spring Creek for a few more darters to keep the others I had company, and went home.
Great weekend, due in part to the great NANFAns who attended, and mostly to the hospitality of the Cox family, who I am mighty proud to have met.
So I'll leave it to the folks what have pictures to give us some idea of what the fishes looked like, and maybe us poor seine draggers what caught them.
-Keith, or Ken, or Kurt, or Kevin, or some other K-name.
PS: The darters are gobbling frozen bloodworms with gusto, and are quickly getting used to big-headed people staring at them through glass. I expect they'll like it here.
South Chick May 16, 2009
Started by
Guest_khudgins_*
, May 18 2009 10:12 PM
30 replies to this topic
#2
Guest_fundulus_*
Guest_fundulus_*
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- Guests
Posted 18 May 2009 - 10:31 PM
Here's a picture of Casper's pool with 5 people snorkeling, and Anna George and Betsy Culler sitting on the far side.
It's kind of a NANFA pool party, I guess. And a view of people hanging around the seine with the loopy PVC pipes for brails, before the replacement with sticks. Left to right, Anna, Alejandro, Ranger Bob, Coby, Khudgins, Casper.
It's kind of a NANFA pool party, I guess. And a view of people hanging around the seine with the loopy PVC pipes for brails, before the replacement with sticks. Left to right, Anna, Alejandro, Ranger Bob, Coby, Khudgins, Casper.
#4
Guest_daveneely_*
Guest_daveneely_*
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- Guests
Posted 19 May 2009 - 09:51 AM
Anna took a couple pics that I'll throw in here for y'all. Bruce, you should like the dual-NANFA t-shirt pic! I didn't drag out any of my photo tanks or gear, though I think Michael has some in-hand fish pics.
South Chick was running high, fast, and a bit turbid, as the Prez found out when he went for an unexpected swim. Perhaps the fish we got afterwards were the result of his offering of a Perfect Dipnet (and almost a shoe) to the river gods... Certainly if it were a bit lower the species count would have been higher.
I'm sure there'll be more stories told as more folks chime in.
The fish, the camaraderie and the fine meal afterwards (Mmm, Ranger Bob's famous apple crisp!) made for a fantastic day. Thanks, Casper!
South Chick was running high, fast, and a bit turbid, as the Prez found out when he went for an unexpected swim. Perhaps the fish we got afterwards were the result of his offering of a Perfect Dipnet (and almost a shoe) to the river gods... Certainly if it were a bit lower the species count would have been higher.
I'm sure there'll be more stories told as more folks chime in.
The fish, the camaraderie and the fine meal afterwards (Mmm, Ranger Bob's famous apple crisp!) made for a fantastic day. Thanks, Casper!
#6
Michael Wolfe
-
- Board of Directors
-
- North Georgia, Oconee River Drainage
Posted 19 May 2009 - 12:10 PM
Yeah, I have a few new scars on my left leg now. Who's net was that, anyway? Casper says he may be able to retrieve it from a pool downstream. I hope so! I feel responsible for it.
My net... but don't feel so responsible... I have come very close to leaving it streamside and it has been saved by the friendly NANFAn that I was with... so it was over-due to be lost... hazards of the business... the river giveth and the river taketh away...
Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin
#7
Guest_alejandro_*
Guest_alejandro_*
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- Guests
Posted 19 May 2009 - 05:18 PM
The weather may not have been ideal but I still had a blast, learned a lot, and was really impressed by everyone's willingness to share what they know. Thanks again to our hosts and the other participants for a great weekend of fish, food, and fun!
-Alejandro
PS Now I know what I'll do the day I own a pool...
-Alejandro
PS Now I know what I'll do the day I own a pool...
#8
Michael Wolfe
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- Board of Directors
-
- North Georgia, Oconee River Drainage
Posted 19 May 2009 - 08:49 PM
Here's one for you to use as an avatar Ken, Karl, Kurt, Kevin, Kris, Korey... cause they are all redbreast....Sumac Creek on our way to Casper's...
...Chickamauga creek... Spring Creek
Redbreast ('cause they're all redbreast)
From Sumac Creek
easy to see why they call these blacktail redhorse
blackbanded darter
greenbreast darter
coosa darter
C. venusta (I forget the common name... blacktail shiner?)
Southern Studfish
From Spring Creek...
rainbow darter
banded darter
and I know this one is out of focus... but look at how big this greenside was...
Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin
#10
Guest_rangerbob_*
Guest_rangerbob_*
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- Guests
Posted 20 May 2009 - 10:01 PM
Well, let me give this a try. Betsy and I had a really good time down south in Chattanooga. Got to see some new folks and some old folks we've missed. Enjoyed some good fish watching, good food, and good hospitality! Here are a couple of pics we took on the trip.
This one gives a good overall view of the infamous Cement Pond full of fish and NANFAn's.
This one gives a good overall view of the infamous Cement Pond full of fish and NANFAn's.
#15
Michael Wolfe
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- Board of Directors
-
- North Georgia, Oconee River Drainage
Posted 21 May 2009 - 11:41 AM
hey whats in the cement pool for fish?
If you were asking for a species listing I would not even try to be inclusive... but I can tell you there are tons of longear sunfish (breeding), stone rollers (breeding), eastern starhead topminnows (breeding), a variety of shiners and quite a few redhorse... but casper can be more includsive.
Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin
#16
Guest_khudgins_*
Guest_khudgins_*
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- Guests
Posted 21 May 2009 - 02:11 PM
If you were asking for a species listing I would not even try to be inclusive... but I can tell you there are tons of longear sunfish (breeding), stone rollers (breeding), eastern starhead topminnows (breeding), a variety of shiners and quite a few redhorse... but casper can be more includsive.
And as of last weekend, 3 Lepomis punctatus. ;P
#18
Guest_mikez_*
Guest_mikez_*
-
- Guests
Posted 03 June 2009 - 07:19 AM
Sounds like a fun time.
I might have to visit some day. That area is on my short list for other reasons already.
hey Michael, that redbreast photo reminds me of the piece of striper I caught the other day. A big blue ate the rest.
I might have to visit some day. That area is on my short list for other reasons already.
hey Michael, that redbreast photo reminds me of the piece of striper I caught the other day. A big blue ate the rest.
#19
Guest_Casper Cox_*
Guest_Casper Cox_*
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- Guests
Posted 06 June 2009 - 12:18 PM
June 6, today is Free Fishing Day in Tennessee. A good time to play in the water! Next year i should try and host another regional pool party on that day.
Im finally able to sit for extended amounts of time after twisting my back while seining. Xrays, a chiropracter, therapy and a radiologists leave me more confused but recovery has been steady.
I thought it would be a good time to add the species list to our "Meet the Creek" day.
( SCC ) designates that this specie was only collected in South Chickamauga Creek.
( SC ) designates that this specie was only collected in Spring Creek.
However virtually all the species could have been collected from both sites with enough time and gear and habitat seining. These 2 creeks meet each other just 2 or 3 miles downstream before flowing another 12 to 15 meandering miles to the Tennessee River.
South Chickamauga Creek's watershed is mostly in North Georgia. Farm and cattle lands, housing developments, very few areas are "natural". At one time, historically, the creek provided habitat for a wonderful diversity of fish, mussels and crayfish. Today the water is generally green from the excessive nutrient load but i have been able to snorkel a few times with about a 3' visibility. The extirpated Blotchside Logperch, Spotfin Shiners and Yellowfin Madtoms are a few of the historical inhabitants.
Spring Creek is just a few miles from my house and offers clear water but is very shallow and ive only been able to snorkel a couple pools in it. I'm always pleased with the health and the diversity encountered for such an "urban" stream. Interestingly this creek is the outflow of Lake Winnepesaukah, an amusement park several miles upstream. While South Chick was flowing swift, brown and deep from the recent rains Spring Creek was nearly back to normal and fairly clear.
Here is what we encountered at both sites on May 16, 2009
Hog Suckers a plenty, big ones too.
Stone Rollers, no horny heads tho.
Big Eye Chub, pretty and elegant in their purple sheen.
River Chub ( SCC ) common.
Gambusia always in the shallow stagnant backwater.
Brook Silversides ( SCC ) a nice suprise, again.
Sunfish: We got them all.
Green
Red Ear ( SCC ) easy to see the red ear
Red Breast common
Blue Gill
Warmouth ( SC ) a big mouth has the Warmouth.
Rock Bass so handsome pattered when they are small.
Long Ear my favorite sunfish.
Spotted ( punctatus ) an introduced crossover
Large Mouth Bass ( location? )
Spotted Bass ( location? )
Shiners: more species should have been collected.
Striped always present in the pools.
Warpaint ( SCC ) as in Indian facepaint.
Steelcolor ( SCC ) a very pretty male. A favorite to see.
Bluntnose Minnows a guarding tuberculed male too.
Darters: Missing one who we would have all liked to see.
Banded
Redline always and always handsome the males
TN Snubnose & Blacks hard to tell the dif unless you got your magnifying glass along.
Speckled now out of their spring metallic blue.
Dusky ( SCC ) several and always among the submerged limbs.
Log Perch ( SCC ) a handsome perch, and some say tastes good be you a sinner.
Greenside ( SC ) several durable ones.
Rainbow ( SC ) pretty, pretty.
29 species. I dont think i have missed any species according to my notes but some of the single site locations may be off because of memory.
With better conditions and more time we should have collected: Black Striped or Spotted Topminnows, Longnose Gar, Catfish and Madtoms, a couple more Darters, Whitetail, Spotfin, Scarlet Shiners and various Suckers. Sculpins Dave? I think i have yet to catch one in Spring Creek tho it should be cool enough being spring fed.
As for the gathering i was pleased everyone made it. Even though the "Meet the Creek" event was not locally promoted as it should have been by the "South Chickamauga Creek Greenway Alliance" and only a few of the actual "Chattanooga Public" attended we NANFAns had a great time, and it was nice to meet our new members Kevin and Alejandro. I wish i had invited "Coyote" to the house afterwards as he would have had plenty of eager eyes and ears to learn of his Native Indian fishing techniques. He was part of the event along with a scavenger hunt, Native American flute music and guided nature walks. The canoes and rain garden activities were canceled due to the weather and TVA policies.
After the 2 creek seinings and the pool party we enjoyed a nice dinner of famous Nathan's roasted and Cobalt's grilled smoked sausages, a black bean stew, a wonderful dense salad ( thanks for all the help fishheads! ), and a taste of Menomenee apple wood smoked Lake Sturgeon. All washed down with Cement Pond Mint Tea. Both Anna and Bob contributed wonderful homemade desserts and we all enjoyed the evening relaxing, talking, watching live feed Fish TV direct from the cement pond and an assortment of fishy DVDs.
We had planned on the next morning to either snorkel one of 2 sites or visit the Tennessee Aquarium. But a 20 degree drop in temperature overnight and cool overcast rains nixed any snorkel motivation. A visit to the Aqurium would have been ideal on such a day but my intense pain kept me close to home.
Im glad everyone enjoyed themselves and it was a lot of fun to host it. I think it would be a good idea to have an annual gathering for close regional members. Michael rescued a bunch of my 4th generation Flagfish from the ruptured 55 and kkkkKevin returned home with some Tennessee Darters. Im a wondering how they are doing at their new home. Gotta keep em cool in the South's hot summers!
Responses:
Nice hand shots Michael. Yes venusta is the Blacktail Shiner. Not native to the Tennessee Drainage. I wish you had fetched that Blacktail Redhorse to the cement pond. It would have made a fine addition.
I will try and find your dipnet on my next clear water opportunity. Downstream, maybe not too far!
Bruce that was kinda dangerous. Those rocks are slick and gnarly, the water was swift. I'm just glad we rescued you and your shoe. Tell Ruth we missed her.
The river giveth and the river taketh away... You got that right! If i find that perfect dipnet i will try to remember where it came from and whose it was. Maybe Mr. Mark should include an insurance policy with every purchase!
Yea those seine poles were mighty noodley, and more so with each pull. Dave is a quick improviser! Perhaps i will slid some conduit inside for my next brail attempt. I just hope i remember that on any electro activity. Curtain dowel rods dont work either as was noted by Ed on a previous South Chick seining.
An update... Dang, i still cant see those Spotted punctatus among the Longears. The River Chub is still active as of this morning and his mound has been relocated three times and is even bigger. He is a big headed hard working fish. Stripes, Dace and Dusky Stripes are all benefiting from his efforts to please his plump mate. Still the only spawn i have seen are couple schools of baby Stonerollers who escaped the waterfall.
Agitated Morman... tell Kay to come back. If i ever host another Seinerama she will be the honored guest for her "House Mother" skills. And after Seinerama 2 she was the first NANFA member to ever snorkel the cement pond. Brave she is as the Spotted Gar was still among the inhabitants.
Yea the Cement Pond is pretty cool. Refreshing on my back too. I consider it an ongoing experiment always in need of tweaking and response. The water is nearly always crystal clear and chemical free forever. Plants are lush and filter the waste and provide habitat for all the things fish like to eat. Rain from the roof gutters bring new water with each fall. I need to get our Plant Gal ID some of these flourishings.
Stop by for a swim or seine the next time your in the area.
Casper
Im finally able to sit for extended amounts of time after twisting my back while seining. Xrays, a chiropracter, therapy and a radiologists leave me more confused but recovery has been steady.
I thought it would be a good time to add the species list to our "Meet the Creek" day.
( SCC ) designates that this specie was only collected in South Chickamauga Creek.
( SC ) designates that this specie was only collected in Spring Creek.
However virtually all the species could have been collected from both sites with enough time and gear and habitat seining. These 2 creeks meet each other just 2 or 3 miles downstream before flowing another 12 to 15 meandering miles to the Tennessee River.
South Chickamauga Creek's watershed is mostly in North Georgia. Farm and cattle lands, housing developments, very few areas are "natural". At one time, historically, the creek provided habitat for a wonderful diversity of fish, mussels and crayfish. Today the water is generally green from the excessive nutrient load but i have been able to snorkel a few times with about a 3' visibility. The extirpated Blotchside Logperch, Spotfin Shiners and Yellowfin Madtoms are a few of the historical inhabitants.
Spring Creek is just a few miles from my house and offers clear water but is very shallow and ive only been able to snorkel a couple pools in it. I'm always pleased with the health and the diversity encountered for such an "urban" stream. Interestingly this creek is the outflow of Lake Winnepesaukah, an amusement park several miles upstream. While South Chick was flowing swift, brown and deep from the recent rains Spring Creek was nearly back to normal and fairly clear.
Here is what we encountered at both sites on May 16, 2009
Hog Suckers a plenty, big ones too.
Stone Rollers, no horny heads tho.
Big Eye Chub, pretty and elegant in their purple sheen.
River Chub ( SCC ) common.
Gambusia always in the shallow stagnant backwater.
Brook Silversides ( SCC ) a nice suprise, again.
Sunfish: We got them all.
Green
Red Ear ( SCC ) easy to see the red ear
Red Breast common
Blue Gill
Warmouth ( SC ) a big mouth has the Warmouth.
Rock Bass so handsome pattered when they are small.
Long Ear my favorite sunfish.
Spotted ( punctatus ) an introduced crossover
Large Mouth Bass ( location? )
Spotted Bass ( location? )
Shiners: more species should have been collected.
Striped always present in the pools.
Warpaint ( SCC ) as in Indian facepaint.
Steelcolor ( SCC ) a very pretty male. A favorite to see.
Bluntnose Minnows a guarding tuberculed male too.
Darters: Missing one who we would have all liked to see.
Banded
Redline always and always handsome the males
TN Snubnose & Blacks hard to tell the dif unless you got your magnifying glass along.
Speckled now out of their spring metallic blue.
Dusky ( SCC ) several and always among the submerged limbs.
Log Perch ( SCC ) a handsome perch, and some say tastes good be you a sinner.
Greenside ( SC ) several durable ones.
Rainbow ( SC ) pretty, pretty.
29 species. I dont think i have missed any species according to my notes but some of the single site locations may be off because of memory.
With better conditions and more time we should have collected: Black Striped or Spotted Topminnows, Longnose Gar, Catfish and Madtoms, a couple more Darters, Whitetail, Spotfin, Scarlet Shiners and various Suckers. Sculpins Dave? I think i have yet to catch one in Spring Creek tho it should be cool enough being spring fed.
As for the gathering i was pleased everyone made it. Even though the "Meet the Creek" event was not locally promoted as it should have been by the "South Chickamauga Creek Greenway Alliance" and only a few of the actual "Chattanooga Public" attended we NANFAns had a great time, and it was nice to meet our new members Kevin and Alejandro. I wish i had invited "Coyote" to the house afterwards as he would have had plenty of eager eyes and ears to learn of his Native Indian fishing techniques. He was part of the event along with a scavenger hunt, Native American flute music and guided nature walks. The canoes and rain garden activities were canceled due to the weather and TVA policies.
After the 2 creek seinings and the pool party we enjoyed a nice dinner of famous Nathan's roasted and Cobalt's grilled smoked sausages, a black bean stew, a wonderful dense salad ( thanks for all the help fishheads! ), and a taste of Menomenee apple wood smoked Lake Sturgeon. All washed down with Cement Pond Mint Tea. Both Anna and Bob contributed wonderful homemade desserts and we all enjoyed the evening relaxing, talking, watching live feed Fish TV direct from the cement pond and an assortment of fishy DVDs.
We had planned on the next morning to either snorkel one of 2 sites or visit the Tennessee Aquarium. But a 20 degree drop in temperature overnight and cool overcast rains nixed any snorkel motivation. A visit to the Aqurium would have been ideal on such a day but my intense pain kept me close to home.
Im glad everyone enjoyed themselves and it was a lot of fun to host it. I think it would be a good idea to have an annual gathering for close regional members. Michael rescued a bunch of my 4th generation Flagfish from the ruptured 55 and kkkkKevin returned home with some Tennessee Darters. Im a wondering how they are doing at their new home. Gotta keep em cool in the South's hot summers!
Responses:
Nice hand shots Michael. Yes venusta is the Blacktail Shiner. Not native to the Tennessee Drainage. I wish you had fetched that Blacktail Redhorse to the cement pond.
It would have made a fine addition.I will try and find your dipnet on my next clear water opportunity. Downstream, maybe not too far!
Bruce that was kinda dangerous. Those rocks are slick and gnarly, the water was swift. I'm just glad we rescued you and your shoe. Tell Ruth we missed her.
The river giveth and the river taketh away... You got that right! If i find that perfect dipnet i will try to remember where it came from and whose it was. Maybe Mr. Mark should include an insurance policy with every purchase!
Yea those seine poles were mighty noodley, and more so with each pull. Dave is a quick improviser! Perhaps i will slid some conduit inside for my next brail attempt. I just hope i remember that on any electro activity. Curtain dowel rods dont work either as was noted by Ed on a previous South Chick seining.
An update... Dang, i still cant see those Spotted punctatus among the Longears. The River Chub is still active as of this morning and his mound has been relocated three times and is even bigger. He is a big headed hard working fish. Stripes, Dace and Dusky Stripes are all benefiting from his efforts to please his plump mate. Still the only spawn i have seen are couple schools of baby Stonerollers who escaped the waterfall.
Agitated Morman... tell Kay to come back. If i ever host another Seinerama she will be the honored guest for her "House Mother" skills. And after Seinerama 2 she was the first NANFA member to ever snorkel the cement pond. Brave she is as the Spotted Gar was still among the inhabitants.
Yea the Cement Pond is pretty cool. Refreshing on my back too. I consider it an ongoing experiment always in need of tweaking and response. The water is nearly always crystal clear and chemical free forever. Plants are lush and filter the waste and provide habitat for all the things fish like to eat. Rain from the roof gutters bring new water with each fall. I need to get our Plant Gal ID some of these flourishings.
Stop by for a swim or seine the next time your in the area.
Casper
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