are these catfish native to my area? if so can someone tell me how to go about collecting a couple , i am stocking my 125g with all indiana natives and want something other than channel cat or flathead because these will grow too large in a short time , i would even be willing to purchase some if someone has some and also would be willing to travel a bit too (no more than 2hours drive as it would be hard on the fish much more than that)
i know there are many different types and i am not too picky on wich ones i can get but after some reading given a choice i would opt for the marginal


thanks , Scott

Welcome to the forum Scotty.
Central Indiana actually has quite a few smaller catfish (Madtoms or Noturus genus) suitable for home aquarium life.

Noturus eleutherus Mountain Madtom
Noturus flavus Stonecat
Noturus gyrinus Tadpole Madtom
Noturus miurus Brindled Madtom
Noturus nocturnus Freckled Madtom
Noturus stigmosus Northern Madtom

Above madtoms can be found in central Indiana but great care should be taken before you go out and collect. Noturus stigmosus Northern Madtom are a species of concern in Indiana and should not be taken. Please make sure and learn to differentiate between them and this is quite a task as they can be difficult to distinguish in the wild. Oh yeah...looks like Noturus nocturnus Freckled Madtom aren't in great shape either, so it might be a good idea to avoid taking them home as well.

All of the above madtoms can be found in either riffles or root masses and undercut banks of clean and often swift medium rivers with the exception of Noturus gyrinus Tadpole Madtom which prefers marshes and similarly sluggish vegetated waters. I think tadpole madtoms make a great fish for home and they are easy for anyone with a dipnet and the will to drive from spot to spot to find them.

any good resources on identification of these guys , anyone know any particular streams that would be a good starting point. there are some streams near me that i seine for fising bait and have never seen one of these guys so maybe someone could point me in the right direction ....

Instead of a source that specializes in madtoms, I would suggest Peterson field guide to freshwater North American fishes which can be had for about $13 from online bookstores. This is a field ID book that covers just about everything and is used most often by me as an Illinois resident and likely you as well as a an Indiana resident. There are books for individual states that have both more comprehensive material but I think Peterson's field it the best first book.

It's quite possible some sort of madtom can be found in the very same streams to seine for bait but the techniques used for seining bait will not likely yield madtoms. Whatever the location you choose, I would recommend placing a seine downstream of a riffle and turning rocks with your feet as well as generally shuffling the substrate immediately upstream of the net. I also think placing the seine next to a root mass/undercut bank and then kicking the mass/under the bank should help yield some fish.

This link should be helpful in giving you ideas for general areas to scout for fish.
http://www.natureser...ucs/master.htm

I have not sampled central Indiana much but I can tell you the Tippecanoe is full of Brindled Madtoms but is also home to many sensitive species. I hope to visit again this summer. I honestly believe the very best way to learn sampling technique is to get in the water with other NANFA members. These outings are a ton of fun and you can make some great friends and sampling partners for years to come. Keep and eye on the Midwest and Canada section of the local edition and come on out with a group to sample. Even if it's a bit of a drive, I'll bet you'll have a great time.

Oh...I should mention that madtoms have venomous spines and should be handled with great care until you can determine your reaction to an unpleasant encounter. Each madtom species has differing potency.

any good resources on identification of these guys , anyone know any particular streams that would be a good starting point. there are some streams near me that i seine for fising bait and have never seen one of these guys so maybe someone could point me in the right direction ....

http://www.picsearch...r-m/madtom.html