The ditches of the western Oak Openings (formerly huge spanses of treeless
wet prairie) are loaded with them (mudminnows). We've gotten them when
there's ice (you just stand on the ice and they shoot out on top of it and
then you grab em when the water starts going back off the ice) when there
isn't ice, and um, well I've found them in barely a trickle of water all
wrapped in algae late September :) Dipnets, seines... Whatever floats your
boat. You stomp in vegetation and they appear in your snare. You will find
as many as you need.
Oh and once it warms up... It get's nuts. I've done up to 13 species from
one ditch (spawning orangethroats included!) in a trip (mid June). They've
kind of become the surrogate headwater, I think, and I'm going to really
explore them this year. Grass pickerel, least darters... It will become
really neat once we get the Secor dam down on the Ottawa River/Tenmile Creek
segment. I wouldn't be suprised to find spawning pike and perch.
I'm hoping to sample longear sunfish, spotted sucker and western creek
chubsuckers in the same ditches this year with some more extensive efforts
during the spawn season. I guess you'd call that my "goal".
Anyway... it's the same place where this attrocity is comitted once the
rains come... http://www.farmertodd.com/nanfa/misc/OhMy1.jpg Bastid even
irrigates the field in the summer. Uh... Don't try and grow corn on shallow
sand over clay huh?
That is a VERY deep ditch btw... We won't be even going near it when it's
this high. That water is HAULING.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Michael Sandel" <kwksand_at_yahoo.com>
To: <nanfa_at_aquaria.net>
Sent: Tuesday, February 24, 2004 12:12 PM
Subject: NANFA-- Collecting in Ohio-Mudminnows?
> Us OSU folks went out this weekend to collect in some streams near Buckeye
Lake.(east-central Ohio) Not too much excitement yet. Here's the list
> Central stonerollers-fat and happy
> Blackstripe topminnows
> Silverjaw minnows
> Sand shiners
> Striped shiners
> Bluntnose minnows
> Lots of HUGE creek chubs
> One Rockbass
> Johnny darters
> Fantail darters, some pretty colorful
> Surprisingly, no suckers, in what appeared to be very suitable habitat,
especially for Hogsuckers. Maybe they're still in deeper waters. We will
soon be looking for central mudminnows, does anyone have any tips or tricks
for efficiently catching these guys? I have been unsuccessful on solo
seining efforts, in known localities. Maybe minnow traps?
> Mike
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