On 7-24-09, while trout fishing in a small stream in the North Ga. Toccoa River Basin, my brother and I each caught 5 - 6 brightly colored 4"-5" minnows that are not listed in A.J. McLane's book of North American Freshwater Fishes, unless these minnows were in a breeding color not covered by McLane. The minnow's most striking feature is a bright red, vertical stripe on the gill plate. The upper lip was also bright red, the base of the tail and dorsal fin is the same bright red. The back was brownish, and the belly is white from the bottom lip all the way past the last bottom fin. The tail is classic forked, and the scales are normal size(not extra small like a trout). The overall shape was similar to the stream trout. Any guesses which minnow we found ? Thx amthomas
Minnow ID ?
Started by
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, Jul 28 2009 03:53 PM
9 replies to this topic
#2
Guest_Newt_*
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Posted 28 July 2009 - 04:13 PM
Hello and welcome to the forum amthomas! I believe your fish is the Warpaint Shiner, Luxilus coccogenis. Here's a page with some info and pics: http://fishesofgeorg...ge&key=luxicocc
Edited by Newt, 28 July 2009 - 04:14 PM.
#3
Guest_amthomas_*
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Posted 28 July 2009 - 04:53 PM
Hello and welcome to the forum amthomas! I believe your fish is the Warpaint Shiner, Luxilus coccogenis. Here's a page with some info and pics: http://fishesofgeorg...ge&key=luxicocc
After seeing this picture and Googling up " Warpaint Shiner ", this is indeed the fish we caught. McClanes' book did have the Warpaint Shiner, but was way off with its plate. My fish were all much more colorfully striking than all the sites I justlooked at. They may vary a bit from stream to stream. Thx for the quick help. A.T.
#4
Michael Wolfe
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Posted 28 July 2009 - 05:13 PM
After seeing this picture and Googling up " Warpaint Shiner ", this is indeed the fish we caught. McClanes' book did have the Warpaint Shiner, but was way off with its plate. My fish were all much more colorfully striking than all the sites I just looked at. They may vary a bit from stream to stream. Thx for the quick help. A.T.
They do vary form site to site, and they also vary by season... but I must also ask the obvious... how did you catch them... if you were fly fishing for trout and caught them on a hook... then you were only catching the largest most charged up males... maybe even the same one more than once... again assuming you were releasing them... there were very likely a lot more in the water (females and subadults) that were colored not quite as dramatically as the few that you saw.
Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin
#5
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Posted 28 July 2009 - 06:44 PM
Correct - they were all caught on flyrod nymphs in search of trout. Never caught more than one in any pool, so it wasn't re-hookups. They were all released - I don't usually eat hornyheads and shiners. Also could see several individuals chasing the nymph. The water was very low and didn't see a trout in 6 manhours of fishing. Those bright boys were the highlite of the day except for the Black Bear. Thx A.T.They do vary form site to site, and they also vary by season... but I must also ask the obvious... how did you catch them... if you were fly fishing for trout and caught them on a hook... then you were only catching the largest most charged up males... maybe even the same one more than once... again assuming you were releasing them... there were very likely a lot more in the water (females and subadults) that were colored not quite as dramatically as the few that you saw.
#6
Michael Wolfe
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Posted 29 July 2009 - 11:14 AM
Never caught more than one in any pool, so it wasn't re-hookups.
All the more likely that you were catching the studs from the school
I don't usually eat hornyheads and shiners.
City Slicker
Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin
#7
Guest_amthomas_*
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Posted 29 July 2009 - 08:45 PM
All the more likely that you were catching the studs from the school
City Slicker
That's my brother. I'll tell him he has been made. If you are anywhere near McCaysville, I'll cast net up a few dozen of those pretty shiners and gut them, and you come over to show us how to cook'um. I've got a deep Griswold and a turkey fryer on L.P. I'll furnish the fish, you furnish the white liquor. One more round, bartender. A.T.
#8
Michael Wolfe
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Posted 29 July 2009 - 09:58 PM
That's my brother. I'll tell him he has been made. If you are anywhere near McCaysville, I'll cast net up a few dozen of those pretty shiners and gut them, and you come over to show us how to cook'um. I've got a deep Griswold and a turkey fryer on L.P. I'll furnish the fish, you furnish the white liquor. One more round, bartender. A.T.
Now yer talkin... near McCaysville? I had to look that one up... theres nothing near McCaysville... seriously though, your profile says clearwater florida... are you just in NGa for a vacation... for the trout that you didn't find... or what
Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin
#9
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Posted 30 July 2009 - 06:42 PM
Now yer talkin... near McCaysville? I had to look that one up... theres nothing near McCaysville... seriously though, your profile says clearwater florida... are you just in NGa for a vacation... for the trout that you didn't find... or what
#10
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Posted 30 July 2009 - 06:52 PM
Yes on the N. Ga. trout fishing vacation. My city slicker brother from atlanta has a new place on the Taccoa River, and I was helping him explore the trout streams. we did well this trip on the Toccoa. We have fished the N. Ga. trout streams since teenagers in the 60's. Alot of those high mountain dirt roads look just like they did in 1960. I am recently "early retarded " and living in paradise - Clearwater, Fla. for the past 25 years. amthomas627@gmail.com
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