Native collecting trip w/ pics

[jetajockey]

Went to a local place here called carpenters park as well as another place called pond creek and did a little collecting. We went on wed/thurs/fri for just an hour or so each day.

And here we go.

Elassoma evergladei aka pygmy sunfish

some kind of epic cute baby crawfish

flounder-hogchoker

bluespotted sunfish

Then the 2nd day we went out there, the first thing I saw was this

and for some reason I didn't feel like getting in that day.

 

[jetajockey]

And on friday we went to pond creek, didn't get any pics while we were digging around out there, but I do have a few of the fish that I kept.
least killies (heterandria formosa)

russetfin topminnow

 

[mfdrookie516]

very cool pics... dont blame you for not getting in the second day, water moccosins aren't very friendly

 

[Jason7894561230]

Sweet pics!

 

[alLexX]

im jealous.the lakes around me are waaayyyyy to dirty to have anything i would trust in an aquarium.

 

[rich311k]

Very cool pictures! Looks like it was fun.

 

[Smitty]

very cool pics... dont blame you for not getting in the second day, water moccosins aren't very friendly

Looked like a baby gator to me. Somewhere around 2-3'? He would most likely have run than bothered you but you never know what else is out there!

 

[HN1]

Nice pics man. Seine or dip?

 

[jetajockey]

Nice pics man. Seine or dip?

I use a few different size dip nets. I have a really nice 1/8" mesh one but it's only good in really shallow water and I also have a 1/4" boat landing net that works better in deeper water.

I'm rigging up a retrievable ring net thingamajig, using an old seine net sewn into a bag shape and attached to a 3ft diameter metal ring from an old pier landing net. They make/sell these things online but I'm not paying 50 bucks for one. The idea is to throw the ring out there, pull the line tight to get it upright, and then drag it along.

Looked like a baby gator to me. Somewhere around 2-3'? He would most likely have run than bothered you but you never know what else is out there!

Yeah thats a baby gator. It was on the bank right where I was going in and left as soon as I showed up. He wasn't really scary or anything but just a reminder of what kind of stuff I could run into out there, and just made me less keen on diving in lol.

mfd probably went with water moccasin because i told him about one that I almost stepped on also, didn't get a pic of that one =]

 

[mfdrookie516]

Yeah, that's what I was thinking... Looked like one to me haha.

 

[krap101]

So jealous...

 

[Pecktec]

How big do the Pygmy Sunfish get?

 

[jetajockey]

they top out around 1 1/4" . They are great little nano fish. Here's a pic of an elassoma gilberti that we caught northwest of panama city beach back in april.

 

[Pecktec]

they top out around 1 1/4" . They are great little nano fish. Here's a pic of an elassoma gilberti that we caught northwest of panama city beach back in april.

That's a freaken' cool fish. I know we have Sunfish in TN but I don't know about those.

 

[jetajockey]

That's a freaken' cool fish. I know we have Sunfish in TN but I don't know about those.

I checked my field guide and it looks like there is one species that is in range in western TN, elassoma zonatum (banded pygmy sunfish) not quite as colorful but still a nice fish in its own right.

 

[Amicus]

Awesome pics, some really cool fish! Wish I could find the time to do that.

 

[jetajockey]

Make time . Going again in the morning after I get off work. Have a new net in the arsenal and can't wait to try it. Took a 30" diameter metal ring, attached a seine net to it and added a rope, so now its a dip net on a rope. I think it'll be really effective, there's a company that makes them but I couldn't see myself forking out 50 bucks for it.

 

[krap101]

Too bad the fish up here are mostly bland and brown . Although i did find a baby blue crayfish once...

 

[Pecktec]

I checked my field guide and it looks like there is one species that is in range in western TN, elassoma zonatum (banded pygmy sunfish) not quite as colorful but still a nice fish in its own right.

I dont think we are allowed to collect native fish here.

 

[Dylan5359]

Doubt they have places like that here in NJ. But man, awesome. did you keep the blue spotted sunfish? That flounder thing looked cool too. How big do these get (flounder and sunfish)?