36 replies to this topic

[Michael Wolfe]

Seems a little silly to post this in "Trip Reports" since I travelled less than a mile from my house (as the crow flies) to a place that Laura B (aka Nativeplanter) and I had seem the best looking Turquoise darter (E. inscriptum). I have never seen a good picture of one, so I thoght that this year, I would try to go back to that spot early and often this year and see if I could get a good photo of a Turquoise darter. So with my PVC and glass photo tank packed into my backpack and my "saved from the South Chick" dip net, I headed out.

I was actually able to come up with only one individual, which is not in the full breeding color yet. But if you look closely, you can see some of that turquoise color behind the gills and on the anal fin.

This may have to do with the cool weather and rain we have been having so far this spring. But that's the reason for going out multiple times. Also, you have to love living some place where, when you can't catch anything else, you end up catching these guys.

Also caught:
creek chub (mostly small ones)
bluehead chub (several small, one pretty big, but he was much smarter than I beterrn dipnet and collection bucket and...)
unidentified juv. sunfish
lots of crayfish
lots of salamanders
a few tadpoles
hellgramites
dragonfly larva

p.s. Looks like the photo attachment is not working like I thought, so they may be out of order, but you get the idea.

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[Michael Wolfe]

no need for mumis, but I'm sure there are other things you could get me... white lace pitchers...

but in any case, yes, we can get you some yellowfins...

and I have a new one for you as well... Hybopsis rubrifronse the rosyface chub... I have one that I have had for a year and half and it is doing well... I am looking to try a few more this year... if they turnout to be sturdy enough I will add them to my favorite fish list...

[Michael Wolfe]

Michael, is there a description online about your photo tank? That looks like it would survive the Farmertodd test much better than some of the all acrylic tanks.

Yes, here it is... but skip to post 31 on the second page of the thread... my first version was crap... this version is made with PVC "board" and has the glass siliconed onto the front...

http://forum.nanfa.o...231-photo-tank/

I still have lots of "board" left... but I don't have much good glass right now... what I used was pretty thick and it is holding up nicely to being carried around in a softsided backpack.

[Michael Wolfe]

Nice photos, Michael. How was the condition of the stream you went to? My usual spot has been very high with all of the precipitation lately. The stream bed has been modified a lot of the last few month because of all the flood events. I have seen less yellowfins than usual, but the rosyface chubs seem to be in better shape and have not been washed downstream. If my schedule ever calms down (which I doubt it will until mid-summer), hopefully I'll be able to join yall in a few outings.

MikeZ, the 2nd, 4th and 5th pics are yellowfin shiners. The middle photo is the turquoise darter.

Yes, of course you have the fishes correct.

The streams were a little high, but I really want to get a good turquoise shot, so I am likely going to go out every weekend that I can and try to get a photo... could really use your help... I need a good seine-hand (or are you out there listing to me K-man?).

Take me to (or PM me) your location for getting some rosyface... I have gotten much more interested in these recently and would like to try to get more than just the one that I have been raising up for the last year and a half or so.

[Michael Wolfe]

On your photo container, is the bottom of the "paddle" stationary and you just tilt the top forward to pinch the fish to the glass? I like the look of the photos. They have a nice 3d dynamic that would make for great photo reference for my paintings as opposed to the dead on side view. I want to get serious this summer with my native fish pics and I am considering some different options.

The paddle is not attached at all, it is free. But ususally I put the bottom of it wedged against the front bottom of the tank. THe idea is to pivot it forward and pinch the fish (this is how others do it)... but I have never been very good at getting the pressure just right. So I try to be very soft with it and wait for the fish to calm down a little and get a somewhat mroe natural photo... glad you like it.

[Michael Wolfe]

Uncle Willie... It's a date! ...next Saturday is the 27th... let's plan on it!

Dustin... I think you are right. I noticed a few things about that fish that made me think female also... according to my understanding, turquoise females do color up a bit and would look about like that... red in the dorsal and some turquoise on the anal fin... hopefully I can get a male this weekend.

Laura... if you give it to me I will try to grow it, whatever it is, I trust you!

[Michael Wolfe]

UPDATE - SUCCESS

So, I got the K-man to come up here to help me drag seine. I always seem to do so much better with the seine. And the weather was nice, and the water wasn't so high, and it was clear... and bang! First seine haul we come up with a REAL turquoise darter male and a couple of his big fat girlfriends. So for those of you who have been looking at pictures in books and saying, "why do they call 'em turquoise" here is why...

look at that face!


We seined a little more in some of the pools below the riffles and caught the other target fish of the day ("...man I love seining, its like, so much better than losing")... rosyface chubs... so this is how Georgia does Hybopsis...

...and this is why he is called H. rubrifrons


So, while I am trying to photograph these pieces of raw excitement... K-man (I mean, he has a name, but why use it when just one letter will do?) wanders off, through the drainage culvert, under the road, dip net in hand (always looking for a redbreast sunfish). And all of a sudden he comes back and says something about the butch, boss hog, of the stream... and I think he was right...

...photo tank didn't phase him he just sat up and told me to put him back in the stream... "I got lady business to take care of" he says...

... and we did.

Had a real good day for such a small stream.
Creek Chub
Bluehead Chub (nothing with a really bluehead yet, or tubercules, but several class sizes up to about 6 inches)
Rosyface Chub (kept about three of these to add to the one I have already... I want to learn more about them)
... I like big chubs and I cannot lie, you other brothers can't deny...
Yellowfin Shiners (tons, all sizes, and some about 1/4 of the way colored up... just because they can)
Tadpole Madtom (another K-man special... some people can use a dipnet, and he is one of 'em)
Bluegill (nothing special, but it got us up to 6 genuses (how would you spell the plural of genus? genie?)
??? too small to tell sunfish (kept him, we will find out later... I'm hoping L.Puntatus

We even got to do the NANFA education thing...
"Hey what are y'all doing? Your not throwin' trash in the stream are ya?"
"No sir, we're lookin' at fish... kinda like bird watchin'... but fish"
"Well I don't want no one throwin' fish guts and stuff down in the stream, smells something aweful"
"No sir, there's some really pretty little fish in the stream, look here" (the first bright little turquoise darter in the photo tank)

"Well that, is somethin', I lived here (which we later found out meant in the house right next to the stream) since 1991, I ain't never seen any fish like that... you mind if I go get my daughter?... Are y'all goin' to be here for a little bit"
"Yes sir, I'll be right here takin' pictures"
pick up truck leaves, pick up truck comes back
I introduce myself, tell him where I live, tell him if he ever sees my jeep, he will know it is just me. He introduces himself and his daughter. See looks to be about ten or so. We talk about the fish in the phototank; the darter, the madtom, and one of the rosyface chubs. Talk about how darters move around the bottom, how they are a fish that doesn't swim very well, so they sit on the bottom and "dart" out to eat somethin' that passes by. He talks about how this is a nice little stream and the road used to be a nice dirt road until the county paved it for him, even though he fought it. Then it's all, "have a nice day, thanks for showin' us the fish", and they were off.

So the day was already a full and total success, but we did hit one other spot... got another turquoise, lots more yellowfins, nothing different, except this one fish... had the K-man and I kinda stumped stream-side, but the more I look at the picture the more I am sure that it is a baby box-head trout. We caught a couple... kind of surprised us to see 'em this far south, but they are still in range, so that's what it must be.



We scouted around and found another place to try the next time... man I love spring! So next time someone says there are no colorful darters in Georgia, or asks you why they name fish the way they do... you have a point of reference. And the next time someone asks you about why it's important to get out and look at fish, you can ask the guy that lived next to the stream, and wanted to keep it clean, and got a chance to see his first darter today, and was so excited that he went home to get his daughter to show her.

Edited by Michael Wolfe, 20 March 2010 - 11:33 PM.