The Official North American Native Fish Collecting Thread

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Well at least it was old age that the rock bass died of.
 
I was wondering if those crayfish are a big part of the rock bass natural diet?
 
I was wondering if those crayfish are a big part of the rock bass natural diet?
I would think so, they actually hide under rocks sometimes! In the summer I'd keep him in my 7ft wide circular, rocky pond with a stream/waterfall. And I'd go snorkeling, catch a bunch of crayfish, come back at dark and get a flashlight and just watch him gobble up 3-5 crayfish! I'd also find small rock bass under rocks while snorkeling. From my experience I'd say their natural diet is shiners, crayfish, and gobies (the invasive round gobies here).
 
I would think so, they actually hide under rocks sometimes! In the summer I'd keep him in my 7ft wide circular, rocky pond with a stream/waterfall. And I'd go snorkeling, catch a bunch of crayfish, come back at dark and get a flashlight and just watch him gobble up 3-5 crayfish! I'd also find small rock bass under rocks while snorkeling. From my experience I'd say their natural diet is shiners, crayfish, and gobies (the invasive round gobies here).

Yup, rock bass everywhere in the Great Lakes. I snorkel in erie every time I go up and it's always tons of rock bass, smallies, Sheaphead, Emerald shiners, golden shiners, and, of course, those da** gobies that have destroyed the darter populations.
 
Going collecting Saturday at the allegheny river and a local creek that's a bit farther than I usually go. Hopefully going to bring home some darters, including the much searched for Logperch. River is about 15" higher than average but still only knee level at riffles.
 
can you ID this for me? caught today with 20 blacknose dace. I thought it was a creek chub or possible a stone roller but someone in my thread said maybe a white sucker.
 
I went kayaking and found these in my equipment while cleaning it. I tried to raise them but they died in with an hour.


e
 
Collecting trips went well, both of them! First time went up to geneva marsh for most of the time then to french for a few minutes. Second time was just french for about an hour. In total I got about 10 bluebreast darters, 6-8 tippecanoe darters (including a piebald female), a few banded darters, a few Variegate darters, 4 central Mudminnows, and a pair of grass pickerel fry which have since starved to death as they refused to eat anything.

image.jpg

image.jpg

image.jpg

image.jpg

image.jpg
 
MonsterFishKeepers.com