coloration teaser and ID quiz
- Thread starter teleost
- Start date
Noto;2672769; said:
I really need to get in the water with you this spring for photos. What would be a good time for Etheostoma oophylax (guardian darter)? While I'm not planning on dieing anytime soon, I'd really like to photo them before I go.
Do you have permits for TN? If not do you know sampling locations we won't get shot at in KY? I can get us both into KY without trouble but the location the above were photographed was bit dicey. Not sure I want to go back.
On another subject...I caught what should be E. chlorosoma (bluntnose) in the area and the shape is right but the bridle around the snout is all wrong (looks like a johnny darter). Have you played around with the local bluntnose darters?
Oh and kafiltafiisch, I meant to add.. books are really important BUT looking at the fish in the wild then referencing tends to cement the experience. Darters are really hard at first but they are grouped like other fishes and when you're able to couple location with experience you'll be gold. Next time you're in the water, bring along the best books you have and just sit with your fish and friends/family and work the fish through an ID. Chances are, you'll never have a hard time with that fish again.
Yeah man, anytime you want to come down would be great!
As far as E. oophylax goes, I really don't know; Etnier and Starnes say nuptial males are available in April and May. I've never had any luck finding the guys, not that I've spent a whole lot of time looking. E&S show several sites in Whiteoak and Big Richland creeks (Houston and Humphreys counties), which I know some good accesses to; Birdsong and Eagle creeks on the other side of the Tennessee are also easy to access. That would also put us close to the range of E. pseudovulatum.
I'm just beginning to learn the darters. Spotting subtle differences among bluntnose populations is way over my head.
I have nothing but a good ol' hunting and fishing license for TN; I've never been accosted by TWRA for collecting nongame fish. The lower Tennessee is TWRA Region 1; the staff of that region are not big into the nongame stuff, so if you don't appear to be poaching undersized bass, they don't much care.
As far as E. oophylax goes, I really don't know; Etnier and Starnes say nuptial males are available in April and May. I've never had any luck finding the guys, not that I've spent a whole lot of time looking. E&S show several sites in Whiteoak and Big Richland creeks (Houston and Humphreys counties), which I know some good accesses to; Birdsong and Eagle creeks on the other side of the Tennessee are also easy to access. That would also put us close to the range of E. pseudovulatum.
I'm just beginning to learn the darters. Spotting subtle differences among bluntnose populations is way over my head.
I have nothing but a good ol' hunting and fishing license for TN; I've never been accosted by TWRA for collecting nongame fish. The lower Tennessee is TWRA Region 1; the staff of that region are not big into the nongame stuff, so if you don't appear to be poaching undersized bass, they don't much care.
Hmm. I was there last year in April and couldn't find a single nuptial fish. I thought I might have been there at the wrong time. I must be looking in the wrong parts of the streams.
E. pseudovulatum would be great to see. Well, we have a couple of options, you take me for a TN tour and we might be able to get interest from a great guy on the eastern side of the state or I could drag you through some western KY and southern Illinois spots. I might have Illinois permits that cover you by then.
E. pseudovulatum would be great to see. Well, we have a couple of options, you take me for a TN tour and we might be able to get interest from a great guy on the eastern side of the state or I could drag you through some western KY and southern Illinois spots. I might have Illinois permits that cover you by then.
Heck man, I didn't know what the second fish was until I could examine the photos. Whats even funnier about that creek is the fact that I still have a fish to ID from that photo shoot from April.
I hope to never stop learning.
I hope to never stop learning.
