The rest of the afternoon was spent in search of Florida Flagfish (Jordanella floridae). A quick stop on the way to a natural lake that was thought to be home to the Flagfish allowed the group to watch Phil Kukulski (uniseine) put his patented Uniseine (not sure what the latest version number is, forgive me Phil) to use.

It worked quite well. Great invention!

A few stops at areas thought to hold Flagfish turned up no Flagfish, despite our efforts;



^^ The site looked like it would have had the species we were looking for, or at least some Alligators! But, we saw neither.

Uland, Dustin, Brian, and I decided to head off to some ditches in search of the elusive Flagfish. The areas we found were a treasure trove of exotic species. I didn't keep exact records for these ditches, but I think the number of exotic species we caught outnumbered the natives.

Here's a short-list of some of the exotic species we caught in the ditches;
Walking Catfish (Clarias batrachus)
Brown Hoplo (Hoplosternum littorale)


Orinoco Sailfin Catfish (Pterygoplichthys multiradiatus)
Black Acara (Cichlasoma bimaculatum)

African Jewelfish (Hemichromus letourneuxi)
Swamp Eel (Monopterus albus)
Platy sp. (Xiophophorus sp.)

I'm sure that unfortunately, I left a few out. But you get the idea. They're well established in waters in the Tampa area.

We got back to the hotel and conference room in time for the dinner banquet and featured speaker. Dr. Devon Graham of Florida International University gave an eloquent speech about the history of the Everglades and its wildlife. That was followed by the traditional NANFA auction, with proceeds going to support the organization. After taking it all in, it was time to do water changes for the fish collected that day, catch a few beers at the hospitality suite and call it a night. I almost forgot to mention a great idea that was displayed at the convention. The Florida Chapter had provided oxygen cylinders, bags, rubber bands, and conditioned water for water changes to ensure that everyone's catch was well taken care of! This should surely be a staple at all conventions from here forward.

Heading to bed that night, the group I was staying with (Uland, Dustin, and Brian) and I were still unsettled with not seeing the Florida Flagfish. Dustin got the beat on where they were hiding, and we made plans to wake up at 5:30 am to go collecting before the final day's trips were to begin.

Sure enough, we got up and headed to the ditch that was supposed to be loaded with Flagfish. With the sun barely providing any light, dipnets and buckets were in full force. Within the first few dips, we had our prize...the Florida Flagfish! I didn't manage any photos of any, but boy was it sweet to finally see them after all the attempts we'd made to collect them.

We got back to the hotel, checked out, and joined our respective groups for the final day of collecting. Brian and I chose to go on the trip that would be taking us to Alexander Springs Run Creek, home of another Pteronotropis sp. Here's how that trip went;

Date: October 4, 2009
Location: Alexander Springs Run Creek in Alexander Springs, FL. Located in Lake County.

Water Level: Appeared to be at normal levels. Average depth was less than around 1m.
Water Temp.: not measured. The site was ½ mile – 1 mile downstream of Alexander Spring which undoubtedly supplied cool water to this creek.
Water Quality: The water was slightly tannin stained, but visibility was still very high. Snorkeling would have been an excellent idea here! Turbidity was very low as well.
Substrate: Clean sand and gravel. Muck and detritus accumulated in areas where flow was restricted by extensive Valsineria americana stands. Various other aquatic plants were very abundant, including Pickerelweed, Duckweed, and various floating plants.
Collected:
Dusky Shiner (Notropis cummingsae)

– not entirely sure of this ID. This fish could be a Coastal Shiner, although the continuation of the black stripe of the lateral line makes me lean towards the ID as a Dusky Shiner. They were very abundant here.
Peninsula Pugnose Minnow (Opsopoeodus emilae peninsularis)

– the tan coloration of this fish reflected the tannin stained water of the area. The Pugnose Minnow I’ve seen up north have been considerably more silver. This fish was fairly abundant in the slack water behind the Valsineria americana. The noticeably wide body helped differentiate this species between the other similarly colored Cyprinids of the area. This subspecies of Pugnose Minnow lacks the dark spots on the dorsal fin that is present on the northern subspecies.
Metallic Shiner (Pteronotropis metallicus)

– have to verify this ID. These fish were very abundant. Almost every seine haul was accompanied by a fresh catch of this species. Breeding condition males were caught (pictured), as well as small juvenile fish. This Pteronotropis sp. was quite a bit bigger than the species we’d collected in the Alafia drainage. I’m not sure how much has been written on this species, but it appears that males become tuberculate on their chin, upper lip, and operculum. After seeing the size of the fins on this fish, it was easy to see why they are in the Ptero(winged)notropis genus.
Tadpole Madtom (Noturus gyrinus)
Inland Silverside (Menidia beryllina)

– another fish where I’m not entirely sure of the identification…a welcomed challenge though. It’s definitely not a Brook Silverside, however, Silversides that I’m familiar with from coastal regions look quite different from this species. The short snout is not indicative of any other Silverside I’ve encountered.
Southern Brook Silverside (Labidesthes sicculus vanhyningi) – these were readily identifiable and occurred out in the middle of this creek. The creek was approximately 60 m wide where we were sampling.
Seminole Killifish (Fundulus seminolis)

– caught a few large ones in the slower backwater areas away from the current. This large Killifish was approx. 4-5” long.
Bluefin Killifish (Lucania goodei) – abundant in the thick floating vegetation near the shoreline. These fish are a staple of most vegetated streams in Florida.
Sailfin Molly (Poecilia latipinna) – native to the warm waters of Florida, they can be quite abundant given proper amounts of cover.
Eastern Mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki)
Least Killifish (Heterandria formosa) – like the Bluefin Killifish, these fish are very common in Florida in vegetation near the shoreline. A fine mesh net is required to catch them, due to their very small size.
Florida Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides floridanus) – saw a few juveniles swimming lazily through the Valsineria americana beds.
Redbreast Sunfish (Lepomis auritus)

Florida Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus mystacalis)
Blackspotted Sunfish (Lepomis punctatus)
Dollar Sunfish (Lepomis marginatus) – the clear, vegetated water provided great habitat for an impressive variety of Centrarchids.
Warmouth (Lepomis gulosus)
Okefenokee Pygmy Sunfish (Elasomma okefenokee)


– we had to work pretty hard to catch these gems of Florida. These fish were found buried in the floating mats of vegetation. Brian and I would get our seine under sections of the vegetation mats, lift up the vegetation and pick through everything (avoiding the copious amounts of spiders!). We caught just a few in total. The males are darker and have impressive blue spots on their bodies. The females are more drab and just have one blue spot on their cheek.
Swamp Darter (Etheostoma fusciforme)
Blackbanded Darter (Percina nigrofasciata)

Notes: This had to be one my favorite site in Florida. It was everything I had hoped a Florida stream to be (except, I was strangely disappointed to not see any Alligators, but perhaps that’s all for the better). This clear stream would have lent itself well to an afternoon of snorkeling and enjoying a bevy of brightly colored fish.

From this spot, we headed over to the last stop of the Florida Convention. It was at a natural lake that was said to be full of Topminnows. Here's how that one went;

Date: October 4, 2009
Location: Hopkins Prairie Lake south of Salt Springs, FL. Off Hopkins Prairie Rd. in Ocala Co.

Water Level: Water levels in the lake appeared to be a little high, although with the amount of flooded vegetation in this natural lake, it was tough to determine where the normal shoreline was. We sampled depths up to almost 2m.
Water Temp.: not measured.
Water Quality: The water here was very clear. There was an abundance of phytoplankton and zooplankton that could be observed by looking into the water.

Substrate: Muck, detritus, sand, and small gravel. Most of the time however, we were walking on vegetation that covered the bottom of the lake. There was also a high occurrence of cut grass that the folks not wearing waders can attest to.
Collected:
Lake Chubsucker (Erimyzon sucetta) – one small one was caught. These fish are surely common in this lake, but the thick vegetation (especially the grasses) made it difficult to get a net down in the deeper holes.
Lined Topminnow (Fundulus lineolatus)


- these interesting looking Topminnows were well suited for moving around among the vegetation in this lake. They were easily spotted and collected using a seine with a chain bottom. The chain allowed us to move through the vegetation a bit easier. The mature males of this species have vertical stripes, whereas immature fish and females have horizontal stripes. Females have a red flush to their snout and cheeks.
Golden Topminnow (Fundulus chrysotus)


– this Topminnow species was not as easy to catch as Lined Topminnow. This species occupied a deeper position in the water column, and that is perhaps why they are able to coexist. Getting a net down between those grass stems was difficult, but by the end of our sampling we managed to catch at least 20 or so adult Golden Topminnow. The males had a brilliant red-orange coloration, while the females were a bit more subdued.
Eastern Mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki)

- wherever there is water in Florida…
Least Killifish (Heterandria formosa)
Florida Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides floridanus) – caught one small one (about 4”) in the seine. While wading in search of Topminnows, I saw and heard a large splash as something attacked an escaping minnow or an insect at the surface. I assume it was a Florida Largemouth Bass or a Bowfin.

Notes: We came to this site to collect Topminnows, and we found them in great numbers. I was surprised at the low species richness that was collected here. I think it was more an artifact of the difficult sampling conditions though, this lake surely was home to more Centrarchids, Bowfin, and possibly even Esocids. Brian and I spent a considerable amount of time working over the thickest vegetation in search of Sunfish in the Ennacantheus genus, but came up short. It seemed like it would have been a perfect spot for a big population of Bluespotted Sunfish. Also, a word to the wise; do not set your seine down in the sand areas surrounding the lake…the fire ants will claim it as their own!

After having a quick bite to eat, Brian and I loaded up the car and headed on our way back north to Ohio. All in all, the Florida section of our trip was amazing. I saw fish that I never thought I'd get around to seeing, met new people who share the same passion for native fish as I have, and got to take in the full experience of a NANFA Convention.

The great thing about driving down is you can still stop at other spots on your way home. We drove all night to get nearer to Tennessee. Our last day of collecting was spent in the famed Conasauga River and the Little River where they come right out of the Appalachian Mountains. I'll go more into that later.

Awesome pictures and stories Nate, thoroughly enjoyed the read. Those topminnows are stunning!

Awesome pictures and stories Nate, thoroughly enjoyed the read. Those topminnows are stunning!

Thanks for the compliments. Those Topminnows were something else. Picking up a seine full of those beauties was worth the trip altogether! I did bring home a few of these and they're doing well in a 30 gallon planted tank right now. I haven't seen any signs of breeding yet, but these fish are likely adapted to living in warmer water than what I'm providing them with. Water temp. in the tank is 68*F, I'm sure they're in water warmer than that for most of the year. I might actually need to put a heater in a North American natives tank.

Great pictures and report! You caught so many fish that are on my wish list, I hope I can go down there someday and catch some of my own.

Looks like I need to catch up with Nate on posting my photos.

Rockingham Creek...


A rather large lake chubsucker


Hog Choker


Florida Bluegill


Brook Silverside


Blackspotted Sunfish


and the target species the Alafia shiner



Next was the Alexander springs stop...


Pugnose Minnow


P. colei or soon to be so


Male Okefenokee pygmy sunfish


Inland Silverside


Seminole Killifish


Female Okefenokee Pygmy Sunfish


Dusky Shiner


And lastly the Hopkins Prairie Lake


male Golden Topminnow


female Lined Topminnow


female Eastern Mosquitofish


male Lined Topminnow

Brian, what fantastic specimen photos! Thanks to both of you for posting the narrative and great pictures.

Simply amazing. I am certainly jealous that my schedule did not allow my travels down to Fl for the convention and no doubt exellent sampling. Very nice write-up and great pictures. I had to wipe some drool from my keyboard before replying actually. Thanks for the great post.

Thank you for the comments. The Florida Convention was truly a good time. There's nothing quite like the streams out there.

As Brian and I made our way back north, we were greeted by a huge rain storm. As we marched north, rain pounded the windshield for at least 6 straight hours. I was getting a little discouraged that we'd be able to find streams that weren't blown out over their banks. I guess I'm just too used to the low gradient northwestern Ohio, where rainfall sticks around long enough to flood everything for a week after it visits. The rain had brought up streams near the mountains, but with the high gradient of the streams, sampling was a breeze.

Casper Cox gave Brian and I a tip about where to find some of Tennessee's most scenic waters. Here's how the first of his recommended spots went;

Date: October 5, 2009
Location: unnamed tributary to the Conasauga River near *******, TN.

Water Level: High for this small creek. A heavy rainfall that lasted around 6 hours fell immediately prior to our arrival. Pools sampled in the creek measured nearly 1m deep.
Water Temp.: 63°F
Water Quality: The stream was surprisingly clear despite the torrential downpour. The spring-fed stream had a pH of 7.6.
Substrate: Silt-free gravel and sand. Some large slabs of sandstone, indicative of the area, defined the bedrock.
Collected:
Tricolor Shiner (Cyprinella trichroistia)

– these fish were among the most abundant in the stream. At least 3 age classes could be seen swimming in the pools.
Shiner sp. (Cyprinella sp.)
Alabama Shiner (Cyprinella callistia)

– these fish seemed to occupy slightly deeper and swifter water than the Tricolor Shiner. They were the largest Cyprinid we encountered in the stream. Some of the larger males were still tuberculate.
Burrhead Shiner (Notropis asperifrons) – a rather non-descript minnow. We only caught one under an undercut bank near a deep pool. It wasn’t until after we put the fish back in the water that we realized it wasn’t the similar Coosa Shiner .
Silverstripe Shiner (Notropis stilbius)
Rainbow Shiner (Notropis chrosomus)

– this was the main reason we stopped at this stream. A special thanks to Casper Cox for helping us find a locale to view this species. Our attempts at collecting them weren’t going well until Brian suggested working the pools slower than usual. The pools the fish were holding in had large cobble on the bottom. The fish were getting down between the rocks on the bottom of the pool when we were walking through. Moving the net slowly through the pool produced around 25 Rainbow Shiners of various age classes.
Coosa Shiner (Notropis xaenocephalus)

– one of the most abundant Cyprinids in the stream.
Striped Shiner (Luxilus chrysocephalus)

– this may be the southern subspecies of Striped Shiner. They seem to have more distinct lateral stripes than the ones I encounter up north.
Largescale Stoneroller (Campostoma oligopis)
Blacknose Dace (Rhinichthys atratulus)
Creek Chub (Semotilus atromaculatus)
Alabama Hogsucker (Hypentelium etowanum)
Southern Studfish (Fundulus stellifer) – caught two large females in a pool directly downstream of a culvert. Brian said that the males can be quite colorful, but we searched long and hard for them and came up empty.
Redeye Bass (Micropterus coosae)

– caught a few of different age classes throughout the stretch. The larger adults had an interesting turquoise hue to their head.
Shadow Bass (Ambloplites ariommus)

– found these fish inhabiting undercut banks, root wads, and rocky shorelines. Their habitat requirements seem similar to that of the closely related Rock Bass.
Blackspotted Sunfish (Lepomis punctatus)
Redbreast Sunfish (Lepomis auritus)
Central Longear Sunfish (Lepomis megalotis megalotis) – this was the first Longear Sunfish we’d encountered on the whole trip. This stream was full of surprises.
Blackbanded Darter (Percina nigrofasciata)
Bridled Darter (Percina kusha)

– caught a few of these in swift water directly upstream of a fast moving run.
Coosa Darter (Etheostoma coosae)

– an endemic to this drainage. Even though they weren’t in breeding condition, they still maintained some of their coloration.
Speckled Darter (Etheostoma stigmaeum)
Sculpin sp. (Cottus sp.) – this part of the country seems to be a hot bed for Sculpin speciation. Brian and I were both overmatched trying to identify this species.

Notes: This small stream was full of a wide variety of fish representing many different families. The richness in this stream is what I was hoping to find on a trip through Tennessee.

After leaving this spot, Brian and I headed over to one of Casper's favorite snorkeling areas. I was in awe of the beauty and seclusion of the area. It truly is the most aesthetically pleasing stretches of stream I've ever visited...but I'll post about that as soon as I can get around to it.

Redeye Bass of several sizes...






Shadow Bass


Striped Shiner


Alabama Shiner


Bridled Darter


I'm not positive about this fish, Nate you said this is a coosa shiner and I had it as a burhead how did you decide which it is and can anyone else confirm one or the other?


Coosa darter


Rainbow Shiner


Tricolor Shiner

Beautiful pictures guys!

The silver jobbie in question is either a silverstripe or coosa shiner, I'd have to check zee book to be sure which, they always confuse me. Definitely not a burrhead.

Todd

Nice photos and series you got going here. I love the E. coosae photos, that is one I hope to see this spring.

Blake

WOW Too many points to hit, really love the travel log format, especially with the two of you.
Fantastic pics, nicely done and several I've never seen pics of, at least one I don't think I've even heard of and the bluehead bass was really cool.
Keep 'em coming.

Beautiful pictures guys!

The silver jobbie in question is either a silverstripe or coosa shiner, I'd have to check zee book to be sure which, they always confuse me. Definitely not a burrhead.

Todd

You're right about not being a burrhead, burrheads have black lips. I would say it's a coosa rather than silverstripe because the spot on the peduncle isn't too long, and there's no evidence of a dorsal stripe that would run along the base of the dorsal fin on a silverstripe.

Thank you guys for your compliments. It's my pleasure to report on such a great trip and the opportunities that attending a NANFA Convention allows. Having nothing better to do than to visit "dream streams" for a week...can't pass that up.

After we let the Rainbow Shiners return to the water (well most of them anyways - can't pass up a few for the aquarium ) we headed deeper into the mountains to a spot that Casper declared to be one of his "favorite spots in the world". After arriving, it was EASY to see why. I won't say much, I'll just let the photos do the talking;

- the clarity of the water was impeccable. Schools of huge Stonerollers could be seen rummaging around the bottom of the stream in search of hapless insects.


- couldn't resist taking an underwater photo. The cobble and gravel were extremely clean. This is how the water looked just a few hours after a 6 hour downpour. It's easy to see why Casper spends time snorkeling here.




- Brian was in pursuit of some Redeye Bass. He caught 3 or so nice sized ones and took some pictures.








- being enamored with the serenity and beauty of this area, I decided to take a nap on one of the boulders in the middle of the stream. After relaxing for about a half hour, my thoughts started to drift towards the opportunistic Black Bears of the area. Haha. I know that sounds silly, but I decided to not look like a carcass laying on a rock in the middle of the river much longer.


After spending not enough time there (thanks again for recommending the spot, Casper!), we headed north a bit to do some more collecting. The Little River, as it came out of the mountains provided us with our last bit of sampling for the trip;

Date: October 5, 2009
Location: Little River in Walland, TN.
Water Level: Higher than normal, due to a recent rain event. Areas sampled were around 1m deep. The water directly below the dam we were sampling at appeared to be 2m deep or more.
Water Temp.: estimated at around 70°F.
Water Quality: Very clear despite recent rains and flooding. Overall the water looked very clean and of high quality.
Substrate: Clean sand, gravel, and cobble. Limestone bedrock outcroppings dominated. Water willow provided some current break for fish near the shoreline.
Collected:
Whitetail Shiner (Cyprinella galactura) – similar in appearance to the Spotfin Shiner we’re so familiar with up north. We only caught one smaller specimen and the two white spots near the base of the caudal fin were very prevalent.
Striped Shiner (Luxilus chrysocephalus)
Warpaint Shiner (Luxilus cocogenis) – these were among the most common fish sampled here. They could be easily collected in swift moving water over a cobble substrate. I brought home a few for my aquarium and they’re doing very well!
Tennessee Shiner (Notropis tennesseensis) – rather non-descript when not in breeding condition. These fish were abundant in the newly inundated water willow.
Roseyface Shiner (Notropis rubellus)
Telescope Shiner (Notropis telescopus) – the richness of “non-descript silvery minnows” was to be admired here.
Stargazing Minnow (Phenocobius uranops) – caught one in a pool directly downstream of the dam. These fish appeared similar to the Suckermouth Minnow, however, they were a bit more drab and terete.
Central Stoneroller (Campostoma anomalum pullum) – finally, back to familiarity with the Stoneroller sp. On this trip, Brian and I encountered two species of Stoneroller that neither one of us had seen before.
Bigeye Chub (Hybopsis amblops) – one of the most abundant species. They occurred near current breaks along the shoreline.
River Chub (Nocomis micropogon)
Northern Hogsucker (Hypentelium nigricans)
Rock Bass (Ambloplites rupestris)
Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus dolomieu)
Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus)
Central Longear Sunfish (Lepomis megalotis megalotis) – there surely were more Centrarchids to be found here, but we were limited by our sampling time.
Tennessee Snubnose Darter (Etheostoma simoterum) – my first introduction to the wonderful world of Snubnose Darter. It's too bad they weren't in breeding condition.
Redline Darter (Etheostoma rufulineatum)

– these were one of the species we were targeting. We found them all through the stretch. They are very abundant in this area. These fish are one of the most colorful species of fish in fresh water. The picture well illustrates their coloration, and they were well outside of spawning season.
Golden Darter (Etheostoma donochordi) – could be found down in the cobble. This tiny species appears very similar to the Tippecanoe Darter, native to Ohio streams.
Greenside Darter (Etheostoma blennioides) – likely the not the northern subspecies that is found in Ohio. We didn’t spend much time examining this species because of time constraints.
Banded Darter (Etheostoma zonale) – with all the endemics, you tend to forget that the streams still support some wide ranging species.
Speckled Darter (Etheostoma stigmaeum) – not sure which species of this complex we were catching, but with them out of breeding condition, they don’t leave much of an impression.
Banded Sculpin (Cottus carolinae)

– finally, a Sculpin sp. Brian and I could identify! These big boys we
Notes: Brian and I sampled this wonderful area with the last 45 minutes of remaining sunlight. What a phenomenal site! Brian told me that he had been there before snorkeling and was encountering the likes of Tangerine Darters in some of the swifter stretches of the stream. It’s too bad that we ran out of daylight for pictures and rounding up more species. It was an incredible conclusion to a very memorable trip!


Thank you guys for reading along about the road trip Brian and I took down to the 2009 NANFA Convention. Hopefully, I will be afforded the opportunity to attend many more.

-Nate

Very nice. The Little River is hard to beat, isn't it?! It's hard not to like that place.
The Speckled darter you were seeing is most likely E. jessiae (Blueside darter). And you're right, when not completely fired up, they are not much to look at.
Strange that this entire summer, we never encountered a Longear, but instead redbreast were by far the most abundant Centrarchid. I am jealous - as I have never seen a wild Longear! and all the redbreast seem to be taking over.

Ahhh... Ye Olde Snorkel Hole. Isn't it amazing up there? Did you guys snorkel at all?

Here's some video I shot in there this spring of a mobile logperch: http://www.youtube.c...u/0/Ud9qDFSW9M0

FWIW, and not that it matters, but I'll second Bruce's ID on the Notropis. I just couldn't remember which one had the blamo peduncle blotch, and which didn't. I thought there was something else to the jaw melanophores too, but there's not... I musta been thinking about our northern lake Notropids

Todd

Very nice. The Little River is hard to beat, isn't it?! It's hard not to like that place.
The Speckled darter you were seeing is most likely E. jessiae (Blueside darter). And you're right, when not completely fired up, they are not much to look at.
Strange that this entire summer, we never encountered a Longear, but instead redbreast were by far the most abundant Centrarchid. I am jealous - as I have never seen a wild Longear! and all the redbreast seem to be taking over.

Thanks for the confirmation of the darter ID. We've got streams full of Longear up here and no Redbreast...I was glad to switch it up down there.

Ahhh... Ye Olde Snorkel Hole. Isn't it amazing up there? Did you guys snorkel at all?

Here's some video I shot in there this spring of a mobile logperch: http://www.youtube.c...u/0/Ud9qDFSW9M0

FWIW, and not that it matters, but I'll second Bruce's ID on the Notropis. I just couldn't remember which one had the blamo peduncle blotch, and which didn't. I thought there was something else to the jaw melanophores too, but there's not... I musta been thinking about our northern lake Notropids

Todd

That video is sweeeeeeeeet. Your camera must be top notch, because the quality is exceptional. We didn't snorkel it. I walked around with my fly rod while Brian spin fished for Bass. By this point in the trip we were EXHAUSTED from all the fish fun. Snorkeling, although fun, seemed like work at the time. Sometime soon though, sometime soon.

We were out seining in the upper Paint Rock River system in NE Alabama today, and found lots of darters coming in to color. In particular we found bluesides that really were bluesided. I always forget how intensely turquoise they are.