February Pictures

No biggie, I didn't get out anyways. Had other things to do, but I did pick up my new fishing license (old ones expired 2-29-08). I should be getting out pretty soon (paying Skipjack a visit), so I'm making it a point to go out and pick up some River Chub and Hornyhead Chub on my way back up from his place. Hopefully I can find them in some condition to where I'll be able to make out the different sexes. I'm pretty excited because I'm getting usage of the expensive camera from the lab and I'll have a Uland style photo tank made and ready. Can you say Mad River Tounge-tied Minnow pictures? I sure can.

Edited by NateTessler13, 03 March 2008 - 12:25 AM.

I can too. And we've got so many bretheren down in Cinnci that it'd be stupid for us western Ohioans to overlook that meeting place!

Todd-Tell us about the Kentucky encounter!

Nice blueheads, Todd and Michael! I've been wondering if anyone else was keeping them. They seem so peaceful towards the smaller minnows especially compared to the creek and dixie chubs that also live down here. I've been really wanting to setup a bluehead chub and yellowfin shiner tank. Both are "migrating" back into my backyard for breeding. I'm hoping to get the tank setup in the next month or so.

Todd-Tell us about the Kentucky encounter!

Man I don't remember if this was posted before... I don't see it.

Perhaps the more amusing encounter in Kentucky was how Riverslick Stole the Bride:

http://forum.nanfa.o...topic=3039&st=0

But yes, there was an Encounter of the Law kind. You see, I thought I'd start my career off with a slightly similar, yet less uncomfortable experience following in the path of Dr. Etiner with a near miss at the Whitley City Jail. Ets was pretty amused when we relayed the story to him at dinner during SFC in Nov.

You think that the TVA Biologist who performed the Ichthyofaunal Survey of The Big South Fork's permit would cover any human being within ear shot of said person... Esp after checking with the State Ichthyologist and the National Park Lead Biologist (man was Bakaletz pissed when we told him we got busted). And, you could "survey" however you like.

Not so much, when on a technicality, said permitee was actually a subpermitee to the biologist long before him (the permit wasn't reissued to Ed when he got it), and the activity in question looked pretty danged bad.

So we were blockade seining a pool below what is perhaps the busiest road in McCreary County. In looking beyond the downstream seiners, I notice a warden coming toward us from a very indirect route. I thought it strange... And then I noticed that the downstream seiners were looking beyond me, turn around to find another warden, this one with his holster open and ready to pull.

So we said "Hi."

And they were confused.

And we continued, and they stopped and looked at each other like "What do we do now???".

And, of course, in that seine haul we had about 10 smallmouth bass, and there was a nice southern walleye in a rock "pen" in the riffle that was being detained for photographs and man what a mess ensued.

 BSF_Cops.jpg   59.34KB   0 downloads

This guy was super nice, and I swear he'd have joined us if he wasn't working. He thought it was pretty cool that we'd catch fish only to photograph and then use the pictures for education etc. His partner, however, was NOT letting it go.

It all worked out in the end, we were on the lighter side of gray in the matter, and that was the LAST time that I will EVER first tell a warden that I'm on a permit. They will get a fishing liscence first followed by the permit that will have every single name of those present on it. And it'd take one VERY specific question for me to bother getting that.

I've been questioned many times about what I was doing over the years, and NEVER have had a problem with a seine and license as reads in the fishing regulations.

Got any good KY stories Tom? You've been there enough, seems it's the state that cranks them out lol.

Todd

I remember the guys looking through the small mesh floating "basket" and I thought...well that's cool we don't have anything other than darters and such. I then saw him stop on the 3" smallmouth and I heard him say something out loud but I couldn't make it out. This is when I started to get nervous. By the time the guys were looking at the rock pen walleye I had just accepted my fate and only hoped some angel would make my bail.

That was fun trip and a memorable encounter with the law. I really think they expected us to run and were a bit surprised when we just went about our sampling at first.

Dealing with lawmen growing up in Chicago has given me some good skills. That said, I have never had a bad experience with wardens. However, I have had very few encounters given the time I have been in the field.

Nice blueheads, Todd and Michael! I've been wondering if anyone else was keeping them. They seem so peaceful towards the smaller minnows especially compared to the creek and dixie chubs that also live down here. I've been really wanting to setup a bluehead chub and yellowfin shiner tank. Both are "migrating" back into my backyard for breeding. I'm hoping to get the tank setup in the next month or so.

Do it Steve, you will not be disappointed... you may have notices that one picture I posted was of the Bluehead Chub with Yellowfin shiners behind (they move so much they are constatnly out of focus). Well, this is part of a little experiment I just started this weekend. You see, my BHC has been living inthat tank with mostly a bunch of darters, logperch and a madtom. Well, she hides a lot and comes out mostly jsut to eat and then only off the bottom (well I mean she is a chub). I have added these ten YFS to ee if having a school to hang with would make her a little more visible. I have heard that chubs 'need more eyes' and never really feel comfortable without a bunch of little fish watching out for them... so that's waht I'm trying to test.

Quick update on that... last night after feeding some mealworms from a can she was out swimming with the shiners and striking at mealworms that were floating on the surface (some sank and she had already eaten those)... created quick a ut of splash and bubbles to get that underslung mouth on the surface to take the mealworms... but she was having a great time!

Do it Steve, you will not be disappointed... you may have notices that one picture I posted was of the Bluehead Chub with Yellowfin shiners behind (they move so much they are constatnly out of focus). Well, this is part of a little experiment I just started this weekend. You see, my BHC has been living inthat tank with mostly a bunch of darters, logperch and a madtom. Well, she hides a lot and comes out mostly jsut to eat and then only off the bottom (well I mean she is a chub). I have added these ten YFS to ee if having a school to hang with would make her a little more visible. I have heard that chubs 'need more eyes' and never really feel comfortable without a bunch of little fish watching out for them... so that's waht I'm trying to test.

Quick update on that... last night after feeding some mealworms from a can she was out swimming with the shiners and striking at mealworms that were floating on the surface (some sank and she had already eaten those)... created quick a ut of splash and bubbles to get that underslung mouth on the surface to take the mealworms... but she was having a great time!

That's awesome... just makes me more excited about getting that tank going. Right now I've got sunfish in there, but probably going to have them in the 55 before the end of the month.