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Locations for blacknose dace in central Massachusetts?


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#1 Riffledace

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Posted 29 February 2016 - 04:15 PM

This might sound silly, because they're supposed to be an extremely common species, but they've continued to elude me. I've only seen them in Massachusetts once, and it was several hours away in the western portion of the state. (Had to keep them in the collection bucket overnight.) I've been trying to locate more in a closer spot for a long time but I've had no luck. I found a good location for tessellated darters in the nashua river but still no dace. So, does anyone know any specific locations for dace around Worcester county where I can be sure to find them? What about collecting tips, is there some specific habitat requirement I'm missing?

#2 fundulus

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Posted 29 February 2016 - 06:03 PM

Blacknoses are most common in surprisingly small, flowing streams. I don't know the Wormtown area well enough to say exactly where, but streams that would seem to have good brook trout fishing would probably also have blacknoses.


Bruce Stallsmith, Huntsville, Alabama, US of A

#3 Riffledace

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Posted 29 February 2016 - 06:56 PM

I know, those are exactly the sorts of habitats I've been searching. In Vermont however I saw huge numbers of them in a stream that was a good twenty feet across.

#4 mikez

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Posted 02 March 2016 - 05:24 PM

Tribs to the Squanacook above the dam in pepperal. One of them runs right along 119 in west Townsend. Willard brook I think is the name.
Mike Zaborowski
I don't know, maybe it was the roses.

#5 FirstChAoS

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Posted 03 March 2016 - 02:01 PM

Though I usually have luck finding them in small to medium streams too warm for trout, they can be found in any river without larger predators. (they are in the ones with predators too, just harder to find). they can be found in fast or slow current but usually prefer a mix of open ground and rocks, They are not that picky though,



#6 mikez

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Posted 03 March 2016 - 03:00 PM

They do seem to be above the fall line in Ma. I have to drive 30 minutes west to find them even though the same systems with similar conditions are close to me. They just don't seem to be common in the eastern part of the state. Same could be said for common shiners which will be mixed with the dace when you find them.
Mike Zaborowski
I don't know, maybe it was the roses.

#7 Riffledace

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Posted 03 March 2016 - 05:20 PM

Thanks. It would be nice to find common shiners and longnose dace as well, then I'd consider my tank complete.

Edited by Riffledace, 03 March 2016 - 05:24 PM.


#8 mikez

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Posted 04 March 2016 - 10:52 AM

You can also find the longnose in the brook I mentioned. Go to the fast water, hold your net downstream of some rocks then kick the rocks. Longnose will dart into the net. When you net dace and shiners, look close to weed out any juvie fallfish. They look very similar and mix with schools of and and common shiners. They hog food, grow faster and start eating tankmates.
Mike Zaborowski
I don't know, maybe it was the roses.

#9 Riffledace

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Posted 04 March 2016 - 09:29 PM

I'm all too familiar with fallfish. Unfortunately they seem to be the only common stream minnow around here. Never seen one bigger than about 7 inches though so maybe they're a naturally small population, still big enough to eat dace however.

#10 Riffledace

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Posted 05 March 2016 - 06:19 PM

Has anyone else noticed the way dace change color? I collected about 14 dace today. When I caught them, all of the individuals over a half an inch were dark and mottled all over their bodies and had a pale, inconspicuous stripe. I was a little disappointed since I thought they looked uglier than the usual color scheme. But by the time I got home, having spent over an hour in a white cooler (caught them hiding in leaf piles) they had mostly lost their dark blotches and developed the distinctive bold black stripe and clean white bellies.

#11 FirstChAoS

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Posted 06 March 2016 - 02:45 PM

Fallfish are very very common. In the river I have experience with them in only one small stretch has large fallfish (that I have found so far). I am not sure if they migrate when large or if only certain parts of a river has the conditions needed to grow big.

 

Note: While adult fallfish and commons have distinct body shapes, juveniles look very similar and can be distinguished by scale shape, 

 

I have noticed how dace change color seasonally in ways beyond just breeding color, in colder water they get darker.

 

Longnose and Blacknose dace are prone to jumping. (fallfish are too). This can be reduced by adding current to your tank. 



#12 Riffledace

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Posted 06 March 2016 - 03:29 PM

My tank is fully covered and has lots of current. I already had a few dace for three years, I justed wanted more since the tank was really empty- just three dace, one shiner and a darter in a 40 gallon. They're my favorite fish by far.
It's kind of interesting how the color changes dace undergo are a lot like those of some tree frogs- when it's cold they get dark and blotchy and when it's warm they become light and solid colored.



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