Impressive.
Nice picture Nate tho they can be even more ELECTRIC.
I have not snorkeled in much tannic stained water. I was staying with springs and clear water on the Florida snorkels. I have never seen these high color silersides while snorkeling. Are they breeding males, as i would presume? I have seen schools of silversides being hunted by sunfish and bass while snorkeling. That's pretty cool.
My NANFA Convention 2009 Trip
Started by
Guest_NateTessler13_*
, Oct 19 2009 04:52 PM
69 replies to this topic
#22
Guest_schambers_*
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Posted 04 December 2009 - 04:39 PM
Great trip report, Nate! I enjoy reading it. Those silversides are gorgeous! Too bad they are so delicate. They would make nice aquarium fish. I have a couple that I caught in the Maumee, and they are pretty fish. I've had them a whole month now, maybe I'll have them a while.
#23
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Posted 04 December 2009 - 10:42 PM
Great account, beautiful pics. I'm envious.
The silversides we have in salt water here have a nice electric green stripe like those. That green is an important feature in successful flies for several inland gamefish species.
That chain pickeral looks odd to me, spots instead of chains.
The silversides we have in salt water here have a nice electric green stripe like those. That green is an important feature in successful flies for several inland gamefish species.
That chain pickeral looks odd to me, spots instead of chains.
#24
Michael Wolfe
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Posted 05 December 2009 - 09:07 AM
I agree... but then I looked up some other pictures and realized that the 'chain' is the dark coloration and the light spots are the 'holes in the chain'... on fish from less tannin stained habitats they 'chain' is somewhat thinner looking and so the 'spots' appear to tbe the background that the chain is on (if you get what I mean)... this fish really lives up to the species name... niger... I mean look at that face... there is no tear line at all becasue the whole head of the fish is black... beauty!That chain pickeral looks odd to me, spots instead of chains.
Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin
#25
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Posted 05 December 2009 - 01:19 PM
While I agree with the assertions based on the genetic variance for the silversides, I think the color is locally selective. I've found the yellow green body style in tannic lakes/streams in west Michigan. Never the red noses like Casper mentions... but yeah, I think that's just some plasticity across the species complex that gets selected for locally.
Todd
Todd
Edited by farmertodd, 05 December 2009 - 01:20 PM.
#27
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Posted 06 December 2009 - 11:43 PM
Well Nate is doing an excellent job telling the story so I'll let him continue and not get ahead of him. Hear are some additional photos from our first stop...
Speckled Darter
Alabama Bass (small adult)
Juvenile Alabama Bass
Alabama Hogsucker
Blacktail Shiner
Coosa Darter
Female Blackbanded Darter
Male Blackbanded Darter
Juvenile Warmouth
Speckled Darter
Alabama Bass (small adult)
Juvenile Alabama Bass
Alabama Hogsucker
Blacktail Shiner
Coosa Darter
Female Blackbanded Darter
Male Blackbanded Darter
Juvenile Warmouth
#28
Guest_smbass_*
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Posted 06 December 2009 - 11:50 PM
The Flint...
I think it's also worth mentioning we still didn't keep anything yet at this stop. We actually didn't keep anything at all until we got into Florida, just had a great time sampling, fishing, and enjoying the diversity of these locations.
The Shoal Bass which were the focus of this stop...
and a little guy...
Does this have a species name yet? and what is it so I can properly save this photo in my records...
Clear Chub
I think it's also worth mentioning we still didn't keep anything yet at this stop. We actually didn't keep anything at all until we got into Florida, just had a great time sampling, fishing, and enjoying the diversity of these locations.
The Shoal Bass which were the focus of this stop...
and a little guy...
Does this have a species name yet? and what is it so I can properly save this photo in my records...
Clear Chub
#31
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Posted 07 December 2009 - 07:18 AM
Thanks Todd, the Halloween darters P. crypta were certainly abundant at this location but I know they have a very spotty distribution. Actually they were the only darter we found here although as Nate pointed out it was quite difficult to sample.
#32
Guest_NateTessler13_*
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Posted 07 December 2009 - 09:13 PM
My guess is that the most electric looking are breeding males. Watching Sunfish and Bass chase down Silversides in the wild would truly be a treat. I feed the Bass and Bluegill at Bass Pro Shops frozen Silversides, but it's just not the same...hahaAre they breeding males, as i would presume? I have seen schools of silversides being hunted by sunfish and bass while snorkeling. That's pretty cool.
You should be in the clear. Getting them past the first week is the challenging part.I've had them a whole month now, maybe I'll have them a while.
I've never seen that coloration this far north, then again, I've never sampled truly tannic waters and found Silversides either. I'd love to see that in person.While I agree with the assertions based on the genetic variance for the silversides, I think the color is locally selective. I've found the yellow green body style in tannic lakes/streams in west Michigan. Never the red noses like Casper mentions... but yeah, I think that's just some plasticity across the species complex that gets selected for locally.
Todd
Brian, thanks for chiming in! I was waiting for you to post those Shoal Bass pictures, good stuff.
#33
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Posted 07 December 2009 - 10:32 PM
I've never seen that coloration this far north, then again, I've never sampled truly tannic waters and found Silversides either. I'd love to see that in person.
We'll have to take a wander over to Mr. Graham's neck of the woods this year then.
#36
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Posted 08 December 2009 - 10:12 PM
A trip to Jim Graham's it is then. 
Back to the action;
After leaving the Suwannee River, Brian and I headed south to the Santa Fe River (a tributary to the Suwannee River). We ended up finding a park that wasn't on our map anywhere, but it proved to be a really interesting stop. Here's how it went;
Date: October 1, 2009
Location: Santa Fe River west of High Springs, FL. Off SR 340 at Pope Springs State Park in Alachua Co. After parking we walked along a board walk to one of the park’s springs. We were treated with a view of the swamp, complete with Cypress knees.
Water Level: Presumably at normal levels.
Water Temp.: not measured. Noticeably cooler in the spring.
Water Quality: The water coming out of the spring was very clear. The water in the main stream of the Santa Fe River was stained black by tannins, as are most of the rivers in this area.
Substrate: The substrate near the spring was limestone with a mix of sand and gravel. The limestone and sand near the spring was covered in Cladophora sp. This was the only area that I witnessed Cladophora sp. growing. This algae was likely providing a home and forage for various macroinvertebrates, which was attracting schools of fish. The commotion caused by the numerous people swimming and wading in the spring dislodged lots of Cladophora sp. The Cladophora sp. and its associated macroinvertebrates were then gobbled up by groups of fish waiting in the spring’s discharge. Here’s a picture of Brian wading through the discharge of the spring (note the abundant algae);
Collected:
Striped Mullet (Mugil cephalus)
– found a large school of at least 80 adult fish feeding on the algae that was being washed out of the spring. Brian and I managed to hook into a few of these fish using tiny hooks (size 16) fished below small strike indicators used for fly-fishing. I’ve read that a common technique to catch these fish is to actually use small bits of algae drifted on tiny hooks. That’s what we did and it worked well. Here's a video I managed of Brian landing a Mullet...sorry I didn't manage any better commentary...haha
Video of Brian landing a Striped Mullet
Eastern Mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki)
Sailfin Molly (Poecilia latipinna)
Redbreast Sunfish (Lepomis auritus) – Brian managed to catch a few Centrarchids while using some fresh caught Eastern Mosquitofish for bait.
Blackspotted Sunfish (Lepomis punctatus)
Florida Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides floridanus)
Notes: I definitely enjoyed my time here at the spring. It’s interesting how the springs here are treated as swimming holes as opposed to the cold water springs we have in Ohio where you’d be hard pressed to consider the water temperature appropriate for swimming. Like we witnessed on the Suwannee River, the springs support a variety of fish that in one way or another rely on the springs for their existence. We sampled here with hook-and-line. Brian brought along a dipnet to catch some bait.
Although, I believe it was Brian's intentions to capture Suwannee Bass (Micropterus notius) we still had a great time finding other species. After this stop, it was time to finally get to Tampa and take in what the convention had to offer. My time at the convention was filled with making new contacts, hearing great fish stories, going on excellent collecting trips, and much more...but I'll elaborate more when I find the time again.
Back to the action;
After leaving the Suwannee River, Brian and I headed south to the Santa Fe River (a tributary to the Suwannee River). We ended up finding a park that wasn't on our map anywhere, but it proved to be a really interesting stop. Here's how it went;
Date: October 1, 2009
Location: Santa Fe River west of High Springs, FL. Off SR 340 at Pope Springs State Park in Alachua Co. After parking we walked along a board walk to one of the park’s springs. We were treated with a view of the swamp, complete with Cypress knees.
Water Level: Presumably at normal levels.
Water Temp.: not measured. Noticeably cooler in the spring.
Water Quality: The water coming out of the spring was very clear. The water in the main stream of the Santa Fe River was stained black by tannins, as are most of the rivers in this area.
Substrate: The substrate near the spring was limestone with a mix of sand and gravel. The limestone and sand near the spring was covered in Cladophora sp. This was the only area that I witnessed Cladophora sp. growing. This algae was likely providing a home and forage for various macroinvertebrates, which was attracting schools of fish. The commotion caused by the numerous people swimming and wading in the spring dislodged lots of Cladophora sp. The Cladophora sp. and its associated macroinvertebrates were then gobbled up by groups of fish waiting in the spring’s discharge. Here’s a picture of Brian wading through the discharge of the spring (note the abundant algae);
Collected:
Striped Mullet (Mugil cephalus)
– found a large school of at least 80 adult fish feeding on the algae that was being washed out of the spring. Brian and I managed to hook into a few of these fish using tiny hooks (size 16) fished below small strike indicators used for fly-fishing. I’ve read that a common technique to catch these fish is to actually use small bits of algae drifted on tiny hooks. That’s what we did and it worked well. Here's a video I managed of Brian landing a Mullet...sorry I didn't manage any better commentary...haha
Video of Brian landing a Striped Mullet
Eastern Mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki)
Sailfin Molly (Poecilia latipinna)
Redbreast Sunfish (Lepomis auritus) – Brian managed to catch a few Centrarchids while using some fresh caught Eastern Mosquitofish for bait.
Blackspotted Sunfish (Lepomis punctatus)
Florida Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides floridanus)
Notes: I definitely enjoyed my time here at the spring. It’s interesting how the springs here are treated as swimming holes as opposed to the cold water springs we have in Ohio where you’d be hard pressed to consider the water temperature appropriate for swimming. Like we witnessed on the Suwannee River, the springs support a variety of fish that in one way or another rely on the springs for their existence. We sampled here with hook-and-line. Brian brought along a dipnet to catch some bait.
Although, I believe it was Brian's intentions to capture Suwannee Bass (Micropterus notius) we still had a great time finding other species. After this stop, it was time to finally get to Tampa and take in what the convention had to offer. My time at the convention was filled with making new contacts, hearing great fish stories, going on excellent collecting trips, and much more...but I'll elaborate more when I find the time again.
#38
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Posted 29 December 2009 - 11:32 PM
Alright, on to the convention!
Brian and I made our way to Tampa in search of good times and great company...boy, were we in luck. We arrived at the hotel and went to check-in. The Central Florida Chapter of NANFA had everything set up for a smooth check-in. Names tags, pamphlets, and other commodities were provided right from the start. Near the check-in table were a few aquariums stocked with some of the more interesting native fish that Florida has to offer. Metallic Shiners (Pteronotropis metallicus), Florida Flagfish (Jordinella floridae), Hogchoker (Trinectes maculatus), Golden Topminnow (Fundulus chyrosotus), and Brown Darter (Etheostoma edwini) - just to name a few - filled the aquariums. After dropping off our luggage at the hotel room, we met everyone up at the hospitality suite at the hotel. It was a great idea of the Convention Committee to have a hospitality suite so that everyone could get together and have a central place to socialize...plus, they got the local Yuengling brewery to be the drink sponsor...
It was great to finally meet a lot of the members that I only know through the forum.
Day 2 of the Convention was designated as time for the presentations. The presentations started at 9:00am and lasted through 5:00pm (there was an hour and half lunch break in the middle). Here's a list of the presentations and speakers;
Brady Porter - Pteronotropis hypselopterus Species Complex in Florida
Jason Allen - A genetic perspective: Pteronotropis hypselopterus Complex
Phil Kukulski - The Bluenose Shiner: Onerous Aspects in Captive Propagation
Michael Hill - River and Stream Restoration in the Florida Panhandle
Brian Skidmore, Charles Nunziata, and Mike Jacobs - Genesis of the Florida Collecting Guide
Kelly Gestring - Florida's Exotic Fishes
Buck Snelson - The Pygmy Sunfishes of Florida: New Description of a Species
Bob Muller - Breeding Darters in Aquaria
Nate Tessler - Effects of Stream Channelization on Native Fish Populations in Ohio
Karst Productions - "The River Returns"
SKS Group - Culturing Live Foods - Workshop
Admittedly, I cannot offer insight that would do the speakers and presentations justice. I had a bit of a misunderstanding about the format of the presentations at the convention and came prepared for what I thought was going to be more of a "poster session". When I arrived and saw that I had a time allotted to give a presentation, I then spent most of my morning mulling over what I was going to say instead of critically listening to the presentations before me. From what I did catch though, they seemed fantastic and well to the point of issues directly involving Florida's Native Fishes. Uland was busy snapping away photos throughout the presentations and I'm sure eventually those will be ready to be shared. Perhaps some of our other members can give an adequate synopsis of the day's presentations also?
Once it was time to break for dinner, Brian, Dustin, Uland, and I opted to head out and see what the streams in the Tampa area had to offer. We made a very brief stop at the Hillsborough River. We made a small number of passes with the seine, but still managed to collect 22 species of fish. Here's how that stop shaped up;
Date: October 2, 2009
Location: Hillsborough River northeast of Tampa, FL.
Water Level: Appeared to be at normal levels. Area sampled was around 1.2m deep at the deepest.
Water Temp.: not measured
Water Quality: Tannin stained, like the majority of the streams in the area. The water was not turbid though, just stained.
Substrate: Muck, detritus, and sand. There were lots of floating aquatic plants and rooted macrophytes.
Collected:
Florida Gar (Lepisosteus platyrhincus) - this was my first time seeing one of these. We pulled up a small one in the bag seine.
Dusky Shiner (Notropis cummingsae) – the most common Cyprinid we encountered at this site. I noticed that the term “non-descript silvery minnow” may not apply to Florida. Perhaps “non-descript olive minnow” is a better fit. The tannins in the water seem to make it advantageous for the fishes to take on an darker complexion than what I’m used to seeing in streams of the Midwest.
Ironcolor Shiner (Notropis chalybaeus)
Walking Catfish (Clarias batrachus) – my first encounter with the exotic species of Florida. Their name is true to function. We placed one of these catfish in the grass just to see it in action, and…they can really move!
Ameiurus sp. – here’s the drawback to doing this long after the trip, I cannot remember if this fish more resembled a Brown Bullhead or a White Catfish. Maybe Dustin, Uland, or Brian can chime in on this one.
Sailfin Catfish (Pterygoplichthys multiradiatus) – exotic species #2 found here.
Brook Silverside (Labidesthes sicculus)
Seminole Killifish (Fundulus seminolis) – caught a few large ones. These seem to be one of the largest Killifish sp.
Golden Topminnow (Fundulus chrysotus)
Marsh Killifish (Fundulus confluentus) – my understanding is that this species is often found in brackish water.
Bluefin Killifish (Lucania goodei) – very abundant in the shallow vegetation.
Least Killifish (Heterandria formosa) – also very abundant. Their small size probably leads to many of them slipping through the net.
Eastern Mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki)
Sailfin Molly (Poecilia latipinna)
Coppernose Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus mysticalis)
Dollar Sunfish (Lepomis marginatus)
Blackspotted Sunfish (Lepomis punctatus)
Redbreast Sunfish (Lepomis auritus)
Warmouth (Lepomis gulosus)
Okefenokee Pygmy Sunfish (Elassoma okefenokee) – found a few in the thickest vegetation at the site.
Swamp Darter (Etheostoma fusciforme)
Notes: Uland and Dustin pulled a bag seine while Brian and I pulled a smaller 8’ x 4’ minnow seine. Not much time was spent here. We had a lot of places to stop with daylight diminishing. Uland took quite a few pictures at this site.
It's getting late, so I'll add more about this day of the convention later. Uland, do you have some pictures from this site available?
Brian and I made our way to Tampa in search of good times and great company...boy, were we in luck. We arrived at the hotel and went to check-in. The Central Florida Chapter of NANFA had everything set up for a smooth check-in. Names tags, pamphlets, and other commodities were provided right from the start. Near the check-in table were a few aquariums stocked with some of the more interesting native fish that Florida has to offer. Metallic Shiners (Pteronotropis metallicus), Florida Flagfish (Jordinella floridae), Hogchoker (Trinectes maculatus), Golden Topminnow (Fundulus chyrosotus), and Brown Darter (Etheostoma edwini) - just to name a few - filled the aquariums. After dropping off our luggage at the hotel room, we met everyone up at the hospitality suite at the hotel. It was a great idea of the Convention Committee to have a hospitality suite so that everyone could get together and have a central place to socialize...plus, they got the local Yuengling brewery to be the drink sponsor...
It was great to finally meet a lot of the members that I only know through the forum.Day 2 of the Convention was designated as time for the presentations. The presentations started at 9:00am and lasted through 5:00pm (there was an hour and half lunch break in the middle). Here's a list of the presentations and speakers;
Brady Porter - Pteronotropis hypselopterus Species Complex in Florida
Jason Allen - A genetic perspective: Pteronotropis hypselopterus Complex
Phil Kukulski - The Bluenose Shiner: Onerous Aspects in Captive Propagation
Michael Hill - River and Stream Restoration in the Florida Panhandle
Brian Skidmore, Charles Nunziata, and Mike Jacobs - Genesis of the Florida Collecting Guide
Kelly Gestring - Florida's Exotic Fishes
Buck Snelson - The Pygmy Sunfishes of Florida: New Description of a Species
Bob Muller - Breeding Darters in Aquaria
Nate Tessler - Effects of Stream Channelization on Native Fish Populations in Ohio
Karst Productions - "The River Returns"
SKS Group - Culturing Live Foods - Workshop
Admittedly, I cannot offer insight that would do the speakers and presentations justice. I had a bit of a misunderstanding about the format of the presentations at the convention and came prepared for what I thought was going to be more of a "poster session". When I arrived and saw that I had a time allotted to give a presentation, I then spent most of my morning mulling over what I was going to say instead of critically listening to the presentations before me. From what I did catch though, they seemed fantastic and well to the point of issues directly involving Florida's Native Fishes. Uland was busy snapping away photos throughout the presentations and I'm sure eventually those will be ready to be shared. Perhaps some of our other members can give an adequate synopsis of the day's presentations also?
Once it was time to break for dinner, Brian, Dustin, Uland, and I opted to head out and see what the streams in the Tampa area had to offer. We made a very brief stop at the Hillsborough River. We made a small number of passes with the seine, but still managed to collect 22 species of fish. Here's how that stop shaped up;
Date: October 2, 2009
Location: Hillsborough River northeast of Tampa, FL.
Water Level: Appeared to be at normal levels. Area sampled was around 1.2m deep at the deepest.
Water Temp.: not measured
Water Quality: Tannin stained, like the majority of the streams in the area. The water was not turbid though, just stained.
Substrate: Muck, detritus, and sand. There were lots of floating aquatic plants and rooted macrophytes.
Collected:
Florida Gar (Lepisosteus platyrhincus) - this was my first time seeing one of these. We pulled up a small one in the bag seine.
Dusky Shiner (Notropis cummingsae) – the most common Cyprinid we encountered at this site. I noticed that the term “non-descript silvery minnow” may not apply to Florida. Perhaps “non-descript olive minnow” is a better fit. The tannins in the water seem to make it advantageous for the fishes to take on an darker complexion than what I’m used to seeing in streams of the Midwest.
Ironcolor Shiner (Notropis chalybaeus)
Walking Catfish (Clarias batrachus) – my first encounter with the exotic species of Florida. Their name is true to function. We placed one of these catfish in the grass just to see it in action, and…they can really move!
Ameiurus sp. – here’s the drawback to doing this long after the trip, I cannot remember if this fish more resembled a Brown Bullhead or a White Catfish. Maybe Dustin, Uland, or Brian can chime in on this one.
Sailfin Catfish (Pterygoplichthys multiradiatus) – exotic species #2 found here.
Brook Silverside (Labidesthes sicculus)
Seminole Killifish (Fundulus seminolis) – caught a few large ones. These seem to be one of the largest Killifish sp.
Golden Topminnow (Fundulus chrysotus)
Marsh Killifish (Fundulus confluentus) – my understanding is that this species is often found in brackish water.
Bluefin Killifish (Lucania goodei) – very abundant in the shallow vegetation.
Least Killifish (Heterandria formosa) – also very abundant. Their small size probably leads to many of them slipping through the net.
Eastern Mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki)
Sailfin Molly (Poecilia latipinna)
Coppernose Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus mysticalis)
Dollar Sunfish (Lepomis marginatus)
Blackspotted Sunfish (Lepomis punctatus)
Redbreast Sunfish (Lepomis auritus)
Warmouth (Lepomis gulosus)
Okefenokee Pygmy Sunfish (Elassoma okefenokee) – found a few in the thickest vegetation at the site.
Swamp Darter (Etheostoma fusciforme)
Notes: Uland and Dustin pulled a bag seine while Brian and I pulled a smaller 8’ x 4’ minnow seine. Not much time was spent here. We had a lot of places to stop with daylight diminishing. Uland took quite a few pictures at this site.
It's getting late, so I'll add more about this day of the convention later. Uland, do you have some pictures from this site available?
#40
Guest_NateTessler13_*
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Posted 12 January 2010 - 12:23 AM
Thanks for adding that picture. I didn't manage to get a good one of that Florida Gar.
After that stop, we headed over to a lake in the Tampa area to see what was around. Uland and Dustin manned the bag seine through a deeper area near a boat launch. Our catch wasn't anything substantial, but we did manage to catch Uland taking a shallow step off a deep ledge. I didn't get any pictures of him taking a plunge, but here's Uland and Dustin working the seine;
While we were there, we did manage a Tilapia sp. of some sort. Does anyone have an ID for this one? They seemed fairly common around the launch.
We got back that evening and were treated to another night at the hospitality suite going over things from the day's presentations and talking about the trips forthcoming. The next day was looking like it was going to be one to be remembered.
Right after breakfast, we packed up vehicles with equipment and fish coolers and groups headed out to their respective sampling sites. I had selected to go visit the Alafia River drainage in search of the soon to be described Alafia Shiner (Pteronotropis alafia) <--I believe that's the proposed name. We rolled about 7 or so cars deep to the creek that was housing one of Florida's gems. Here's how that trip went;
Date: October 3, 2009
Location: Rockingham Creek (a tributary to Bull Frog Creek in the Alafia River drainage), near Tampa, FL <--I need to verify this with Brady Porter (the researcher working on the description of this species who accompanied us on this trip).
Water Level: Appeared to be at normal levels. Areas sampled on the creek ranged from 0.1m to 1m deep.
Water Temp.: not measured
Water Quality: Tannin stained but not turbid. The water was less stained than the larger rivers of the state.
Substrate: Clean sand and gravel mixture. Detritus and muck had accumulated in some of the deeper pools. Overhanging vegetation was present in the pools and log jams occurred at the end of the sandy runs.
Collected:
Coastal Shiner (Notropis petersoni)
– common in all the pools of sampled. Quite a few caught seemed to be parasitized by leeches and yellow grubs.
Alafia Shiner (Pteronotropis alafia)
– this colorful fish was found in the sandy pools and runs of the creek. As of collection, this species was yet to be formally described. The pools with overhanging vegetation and logjams held the most fish. While I was sitting on the bank watching one of the sandy runs, I observed these fish darting out into the current from underneath undercut grassy banks.
Lake Chubsucker (Erimyzon sucetta) – caught one large one under an undercut bank near lots of vegetation. The fish was approx. 8” long.
Speckled Madtom (Noturus leptacanthus) – caught a few in the clumps of detritus caught in the sandy runs.
Southern Brook Silverside (Labidesthes sicculus vanhyningi)
– this southern subspecies of the Brook Silverside has a striking emerald and yellow coloration laterally. Larger fish, presumably males, had a bit of red pigment on their snout.
Eastern Mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki)
Seminole Killifish (Fundulus seminolis) – a large Fundulus sp. that is common in streams of the area.
Warmouth (Lepomis gulosus)
Blackspotted Sunfish (Lepomis punctatus)
– caught a few adult fish in the slower moving water downstream of the sand runs.
Florida Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus mystacalis)
– caught a few of this southern subspecies of Bluegill. As juveniles they have a red tint to their fins, as well as more distinct vertical bars than their northern counterparts.
Swamp Darter (Etheostoma fusciforme)
Hogchoker (Trinectes maculatus)
– the clean sand substrate provided plenty of suitable habitat for this sand-dwelling species. The back side of this fish is completely white.
Notes: This stop was a short one made with the intentions of collecting the Alafia Shiner. The first seine haul through one of the sandy pools pulled up nearly 30 or so. A group of at least 15 people scoured the stream with varying sized seines and dipnets putting together an impressive collection of Florida native fish.
After that stop, we headed over to a lake in the Tampa area to see what was around. Uland and Dustin manned the bag seine through a deeper area near a boat launch. Our catch wasn't anything substantial, but we did manage to catch Uland taking a shallow step off a deep ledge. I didn't get any pictures of him taking a plunge, but here's Uland and Dustin working the seine;
While we were there, we did manage a Tilapia sp. of some sort. Does anyone have an ID for this one? They seemed fairly common around the launch.
We got back that evening and were treated to another night at the hospitality suite going over things from the day's presentations and talking about the trips forthcoming. The next day was looking like it was going to be one to be remembered.
Right after breakfast, we packed up vehicles with equipment and fish coolers and groups headed out to their respective sampling sites. I had selected to go visit the Alafia River drainage in search of the soon to be described Alafia Shiner (Pteronotropis alafia) <--I believe that's the proposed name. We rolled about 7 or so cars deep to the creek that was housing one of Florida's gems. Here's how that trip went;
Date: October 3, 2009
Location: Rockingham Creek (a tributary to Bull Frog Creek in the Alafia River drainage), near Tampa, FL <--I need to verify this with Brady Porter (the researcher working on the description of this species who accompanied us on this trip).
Water Level: Appeared to be at normal levels. Areas sampled on the creek ranged from 0.1m to 1m deep.
Water Temp.: not measured
Water Quality: Tannin stained but not turbid. The water was less stained than the larger rivers of the state.
Substrate: Clean sand and gravel mixture. Detritus and muck had accumulated in some of the deeper pools. Overhanging vegetation was present in the pools and log jams occurred at the end of the sandy runs.
Collected:
Coastal Shiner (Notropis petersoni)
– common in all the pools of sampled. Quite a few caught seemed to be parasitized by leeches and yellow grubs.
Alafia Shiner (Pteronotropis alafia)
– this colorful fish was found in the sandy pools and runs of the creek. As of collection, this species was yet to be formally described. The pools with overhanging vegetation and logjams held the most fish. While I was sitting on the bank watching one of the sandy runs, I observed these fish darting out into the current from underneath undercut grassy banks.
Lake Chubsucker (Erimyzon sucetta) – caught one large one under an undercut bank near lots of vegetation. The fish was approx. 8” long.
Speckled Madtom (Noturus leptacanthus) – caught a few in the clumps of detritus caught in the sandy runs.
Southern Brook Silverside (Labidesthes sicculus vanhyningi)
– this southern subspecies of the Brook Silverside has a striking emerald and yellow coloration laterally. Larger fish, presumably males, had a bit of red pigment on their snout.
Eastern Mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki)
Seminole Killifish (Fundulus seminolis) – a large Fundulus sp. that is common in streams of the area.
Warmouth (Lepomis gulosus)
Blackspotted Sunfish (Lepomis punctatus)
– caught a few adult fish in the slower moving water downstream of the sand runs.
Florida Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus mystacalis)
– caught a few of this southern subspecies of Bluegill. As juveniles they have a red tint to their fins, as well as more distinct vertical bars than their northern counterparts.
Swamp Darter (Etheostoma fusciforme)
Hogchoker (Trinectes maculatus)
– the clean sand substrate provided plenty of suitable habitat for this sand-dwelling species. The back side of this fish is completely white.
Notes: This stop was a short one made with the intentions of collecting the Alafia Shiner. The first seine haul through one of the sandy pools pulled up nearly 30 or so. A group of at least 15 people scoured the stream with varying sized seines and dipnets putting together an impressive collection of Florida native fish.
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