Re: NANFA-L-- Collins River Collecting + Nothonotus

matt ashton (ashtonmj2003 at yahoo.com)
Fri, 7 Oct 2005 08:58:12 -0700 (PDT)

For some reason Shelbyville sounds familiar to me. I've spent alot of time out at Lillard's Mill Dam on the Duck this year but I hit a few more places on a shell collecting trip one day so that might have been it. "Too cold" is totally relative too hahaha. I remeber last year diving for mussels in PA up till last week and the water was in the low 60s to upper 50s and the air was about 40 something. Just gotta throw one more wetsuit on and jump in. I was quite surprised how warm the Collins was still too, it was very comfortable. I met up with Casper a few weeks ago on a warmer day and snorkeled a heavily spring fed stream and the difference is more than noticeable.

Did you find the Coppercheeks at that locale? I figured that would be one of the more harder to find Nothonotus' for me even with spending so much time on the Duck. I've probably seen them too with as much mussel snorkeling as I've done there this year and not known it. If I knew a place though I'm heading out there soon.

Within about two weeks of moving down here earlier in the year I got to see Greenfins, which is what I think gave me the bug. I run into Redlines like its trash on the side of the road, and Bluebreasts almost as frequently too...which I think hybridize quite regularly from some of the fish encountered. I've come across Woundeds in three places now, Goldens (formerly Tippecanoe) in three, and now the Bloodfins. I'm hoping to make Smallscale and Coppercheek next on the list. All that and the fun you can have catching them too. I almost as good with my hands now as I do with a dipnet. They are by no means a timid darter.

"Todd D. Crail" <tcrail at UTNet.UToledo.Edu> wrote:
> I am completely enamored with the Nothonotus subgenus
>

I have to agree. I had hoped to add more species to my "life list" when we
were down there this spring, but only added the coppercheek, which was no
small addition (and I would advise you to go snorkel the Duck at the dam in
Shelbyville before it gets too cold if you not been there already). We
spent a little time in the Collins, but didn't run across any bloodfin.
Most of the tribs were trashed. We'd see very localized sweet spots where a
spring flowed into the stream, but cows had pretty much compromised the rest
of the tribs we were looking at.

I think next year I need to just do a summer snorkel trip along the Blue
Ridge and pick up photos of each of the others. They're just sexy, tough
lookin' little fish ;)

Todd
The Muddy Maumee Madness, Toledo, OH
It's never too late to have a happy childhood.
http://www.farmertodd.com
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