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Hello from Oklahoma

Started by Guest_JCarpenter_* , Dec 26 2009 06:51 PM

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10 replies to this topic

#1 Guest_JCarpenter_*

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Posted 26 December 2009 - 06:51 PM

Hello NANFA! Nice website and organization you folks have here. I hope to pay my dues soon and become a member.

My name is Jeff Carpenter I am 39 years old married with two boys, ages 6 and 10, and we all live on the family farm in Sapulpa Oklahoma just outside Tulsa. I have always had tropicals, usually SA cichlids, and the past year or so have been very active in the hobby trying to expose my boys to it. Recently I traded into a 100 gallon tank 60X20X20 that I am now resealing. I have decided instead of running it as a tropical tank I am going native with it. So now I am here researching your threads trying to absorb some knowledge that will help me with this new 100 gallon tank. At any rate they say pics are worth a thousand words so I will show you all a few. You will probably understand why I am going native. I'm looking forward to good year in 2010 and if anyone wants to do some collecting get in touch with me.

First my house. The farm is 120 acres adjoined to public land of about the same acreage and located in the elbow of a creek formed by a dam built in 1904. This creek is named Euchee and was once the municipal water source for the town of Sapulpa. It is a small very old body of water that has an incredible assortment of wildlife avians, fish, herps, mammals, etc. Everything indigineous to Oklahoma is here! Not literally but you'd be surprised.

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Edited by JCarpenter, 26 December 2009 - 06:52 PM.

#2 Guest_JCarpenter_*

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Posted 26 December 2009 - 06:56 PM

My backyard...

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A natural spring in the backyard...

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Springs help feed the creek...

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#3 Guest_JCarpenter_*

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Posted 26 December 2009 - 06:59 PM

The creek...

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The dam...

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Below the dam...

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#4 Guest_JCarpenter_*

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Posted 26 December 2009 - 07:00 PM

Can you spot the fish? He's right in the middle...

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#5 Guest_fundulus_*

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Posted 26 December 2009 - 07:08 PM

Welcome to the Forum, Jeff. My immediate thought from looking at your photos was, when is that dam coming down if it's not in active use? Without upkeep that would be sooner than later anyway from the looks of it.

#6 Guest_JCarpenter_*

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Posted 27 December 2009 - 03:44 PM

Hello Bruce thanks for the welcome...yepper there is no maintenance period...sometimes I think the county has just completely forgot that it is there. There are a few more similar dams in the area and at least one has some massive chunks gone. There must be tons and tons of Portland cement in these dams though I don't think they will fail for a long long time. I fish from the top sometimes...it is about 3-4' wide there at the top...

I'm interested in sunfish as there are some sunfish in this creek that are unbelievable in their coloring. I'm wading through threads right now trying to glean some information on them.

#7 Guest_Irate Mormon_*

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Posted 28 December 2009 - 10:58 PM

I don't know much about fishes of Oklahoma, but it looks like you're on a good piece of property. Have fun with that dipnet!

#8 Guest_AussiePeter_*

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Posted 29 December 2009 - 04:01 PM

Those sunfish are longears, Lepomis megalotis, and they can be quite amazing too!

Cheers
Peter

#9 Guest_JCarpenter_*

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Posted 29 December 2009 - 06:53 PM

Thanks Irate and Peter...

Yes they are L Megalotis...well the colorful ones at least. I'll tell you what this creek has some amazing ones. Typically I am a black bass fisherman but this season I am after fish for my 100 gallon tank. I have caught many a perch as us Okies call them flipping light weight stuff in bank pockets along this creek. In terms of darters or minnows or what not I have always seen them but have never netted any perhaps that will change this year.

One thing that has my hopes really high is this creek is such an old body of water and receives virtually no pressure whatsoever. So there ought to be some exceptional specimens in there. In years past all we have had to do to catch trophy bass is to wait for summer after a really wet spring, go below the dam where small shallow pools are all that is left, and you will find several 5 pound plus fish trapped in the pools. It is bushwhacking them but often we release these particular fish back into the creek above the dam or into our stock ponds.

I am digging through threads looking for any and all information pertinent to catching, keeping, and breeding L Megalotis so if anyone has links to these threads or information on the subject and would be so kind as to share it with me I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks.

#10 Guest_Etheostoma_*

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Posted 30 December 2009 - 10:58 PM

Welcome to the forum from a fellow Okie. I don't post much but I try to check in from time to time for threads like this one. I'm from the central part of the state, but I try to go up to the Tahlequah area once or twice a year to go collecting in the Illinois and Neosho drainages. I'll try to remember to PM you the next time I head up to see if you'd like to do some collecting. I can also give you some hints on places to go if you're looking to go out on your own.

#11 Guest_JCarpenter_*

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Posted 11 January 2010 - 11:09 AM

Welcome to the forum from a fellow Okie. I don't post much but I try to check in from time to time for threads like this one. I'm from the central part of the state, but I try to go up to the Tahlequah area once or twice a year to go collecting in the Illinois and Neosho drainages. I'll try to remember to PM you the next time I head up to see if you'd like to do some collecting. I can also give you some hints on places to go if you're looking to go out on your own.

Good to meet you Etheostoma...my brother in law lives in Talequah I have been planning a trip there this spring...maybe we could coordinate a meeting in the field! Or maybe you could even come up here to my creek sometime...

Thought I might relay this to you...we have a new aquarium club forming up...I look to be one of the only ones going to have natives...you oughtta come take a look and maybe even join...it is sort of OKC based.. www.oklahomaaquariumclub.org