NANFA-- Paint Rock River Revisited

Bruce Stallsmith (fundulus_at_hotmail.com)
Sun, 06 Aug 2000 12:36:23 EDT

I was able to get back to the Paint Rock River in Jackson County, AL,
yesterday where our first Tennessee Valley group trip went in May. I only
was there for about an hour but it was still fun. I caught about 20
young-of-the-year northern studfish (Fundulus catenatus), and about a dozen
darters that I kept. They seem to be mostly Etheostoma
kennicotti/flabellare, but I'll look closer at them today. It was only me
working with a push net so I wasn't able to collect the numerous shiners
there that are only easily caught with a seine net. The big difference this
time was that the river level is WAY down compared to May, definitely more
of a shallow creek than river. I was catching lots of stonerollers and
sculpins in the shallow riffles but let 'em go. Lots of flowers were in
bloom, and I flushed a bittern out of the grasses on the edge of the pool
below the ford where County Road 140 crosses. We also found a fresh roadkill
canebrake rattler driving in, a big thrill for my wife Ruth.

This place is so beautiful because it's so remote and takes the better part
of an hour to get there from a major road. But, there are actually cottages
for rent nearby!

--Bruce Stallsmith
Huntsville, AL
(attn: Jay DeLong -- I just got some live Blue Oyster Cult with a hilarious
version of "Godzilla", the ultimate biological bomb!)

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