Week 7: Catch-22 for Graceclaw Created: Sat, 07/18/2020 - 20:51 Default: No

I am putting the micros first and listing IDs to make your life easier, Corey :) And I'm not submitting any of the 2 shiny notropis sp. that I personally couldn't distinguish! I also have a multitude of additional pictures, so if you would like to see them please let me know and I'll send them to you!

1. Rainbow Darter, male (HEY LOOK AT ME I'M A RAINBOW WANNA BREED)

2. Fantail Darter (caudal fin shape and patterning, erratic markings on body)

3. Johnny Darter (this one gave me the Carpsucker treatment - I fished to about 7 of them which ignored the bait right in front of their faces, until one finally took it and hooked himself in the head). Finally got one. Characteristics: x patterns on body, solid coloration throughout, body shape, fin shapes

4. Blacknose Dace in spawning colors (red stripe, mottling/pattern on body, head shape)

5. Redside Dace (prominent red stripe on body, head shaped similarly to salmonids, large eyes)

6. Southern Redbelly Dace (broken top line, solid bottom black line, fin coloration)

7. Common Shiner (thatching in scales, prominent lateral line)

8. Spotfin Shiner (scale sheen, dorsal coloration and spot)

9. Bluntnose Minnow (prominent black lateral line that extends into the face and nose, nose/face shape)

10. Hornyhead Chub (red dot behind eye, dot in front of caudal fin, scale size)

11. Brook Stickleback (large eye, spine count, mottled dark coloration)

The rest are all Standards. I was originally not optimistic about this week, as I was supposed to be getting married in New York on the 21st and would need to prepare, but that fell through so I decided to go for it. I'm glad I did, as I've never done a dedicated Microfishing outing and I must say I greatly enjoyed it (many thanks to E-Kol for lending me his tanago hooks, to Moose for hanging out with me on Thursday, and Fishingdude for acting as my unpaid Microfishing guide on Saturday!). Darter fishing is especially a blast, and redside dace are ridiculously cool creatures. I ended the day with another FLATHEAD where it really didn't belong (it's completely landlocked and could only have been there as an introduction or holdover before a dam was set up - message me if you're curious about the details, but suffice it to say that I now have back-to-back weeks with flatheads from waters where they reeeeeeeeally shouldn't be). I'm grateful to this contest for forcing me to go way outside of my comfort zone and appreciate our fisheries in a way I really have not before (or would have any time soon without it).

photos: 
Default Challenge: 
No
Weekly Challenge: 
Official Score: 
10
Approved: 
Yes
Angler of the Week: 
No

Comments

NLBassin's picture

Awesome micros