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Western vs eastern blacknose dace


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#1 Robert Lamb

Robert Lamb
  • NANFA Member
  • Chattanooga, TN

Posted 31 January 2020 - 09:04 AM

In my free time the other day I went to one of the creeks a few minutes from my house to see what I could find there. I found what were either western or eastern bnd. None of the ones I found had any of the vivid colors that most pictures of the westerns have, but they were all quite small too, 2" and under, and according to fishmap easterns are not present in my watershed. Is there any way to tell them apart when they aren't colored up?



#2 Casper

Casper
  • NANFA Fellow
  • Chattanooga, TN alongside South Chickamauga Creek, just upstream of the mighty Tennessee River.

Posted 31 January 2020 - 12:49 PM

The Blacknose Dace are divided by watershed, a recent division.  You are in the TN drainage.  In another month you should start finding large males, 3'' or so with burnt orange sides.  Very pretty.  They do not retain that color beyond breeding season.  Here, Chattanooga / Ooltewah area, they favor spring runs.  And are often found w/ sculpins at spring heads proper.

I'm not sure if ours are Western or Eastern but google would provide.  They look the same to me.  Its all about drainage to ID.


Casper Cox
Chattanooga, near the TN Divide on BlueFishRidge overlooking South Chickamauga Creek.




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