Ozarks Outdoors

[Aubrey]

I go fishing pretty much every weekend and thought I would start a thread where I can share some of the wilderness that's around me.

I'll apologize to anyone that might be offended by fish that have been caught on hook and line, but there will be pictures of that on this thread.

Today I went out to try out a new underwater camera. I also caught a few of the fish I filmed.

 

In the video you can see a fish dart off. It's a banded sculpin Cottus carolinae. I managed to catch it shortly after.

I also accidentally snagged a darter that I have yet to identify. I am trying to compile a life list of fish that I have caught on hook and line, but snagging (hooking a fish not in the mouth) one does not count towards that list. I still took the opportunity to photograph the darter for future reference and to learn more about what is in my local waterway.

I went further down the creek and managed to catch what I think is a bluegill. It was a little too large for the specimen container.

Now I'm going to hit the books to see if I can make some positive identifications.

 

[Fish Folk]

On 6/20/2021 at 3:36 PM, Aubrey said:

I go fishing pretty much every weekend and thought I would start a thread where I can share some of the wilderness that's around me.

I'll apologize to anyone that might be offended by fish that have been caught on hook and line, but there will be pictures of that on this thread.

Today I went out to try out a new underwater camera. I also caught a few of the fish I filmed.

 

In the video you can see a fish dart off. It's a banded sculpin Cottus carolinae. I managed to catch it shortly after.

I also accidentally snagged a darter that I have yet to identify. I am trying to compile a life list of fish that I have caught on hook and line, but snagging (hooking a fish not in the mouth) one does not count towards that list. I still took the opportunity to photograph the darter for future reference and to learn more about what is in my local waterway.

I went further down the creek and managed to catch what I think is a bluegill. It was a little too large for the specimen container.

Now I'm going to hit the books to see if I can make some positive identifications.

 

I’m ORD (out of reactions for the day)... but this is awesome!!! Where are you at, if I may ask? Darters are the bomb. Sculpins are special locals too. Love this thread!

[Streetwise]

@Aubrey, please edit your signature to include links to your journals! I love following the adventures of members with local outdoor water exploration!

[Aubrey]

On 6/20/2021 at 4:06 PM, Fish Folk said:

Where are you at, if I may ask?

Uhh... the Ozarks, more specifically Northwest Arkansas. Most of the areas I'll be exploring are tributaries of the White River.

On 6/20/2021 at 4:26 PM, Streetwise said:

please edit your signature to include links to your journals!

Done.

[Fish Folk]

On 6/20/2021 at 8:08 PM, Aubrey said:

Uhh... the Ozarks, more specifically Northwest Arkansas. Most of the areas I'll be exploring are tributaries of the White River.

Done.

Awesome! Never been down that way. Are you in Rainbow Shiner territory? 

[Aubrey]

On 6/20/2021 at 7:16 PM, Fish Folk said:

Are you in Rainbow Shiner territory? 

Yes, but I have yet to catch one.

So far I've only legitimately caught one species of darter. I believe it to be an Ozark darter.

[Aubrey]

@Fish Folkoops. I just read that again and you said shiner not darter. I do not think I'm in Rainbow shiner territory.

[Fish Folk]

That Ozark darter looks great!!

I keep a pair of Rainbow Darters. They’re fun... but stay hidden.

Rainbow shiners are such gems. Any Hydrophlox shiners down in your neck of the woods? 

[FrozenFins]

I still yet to learn how to fish with a rod. Right now I am just using simple diy fish traps. fishing with rod is something I would love to pick up, but don't have anyone to necessarily teach me how to. Might just have to try youtube and teach my self.

Great work, will be following along closely!

[Fish Folk]

On 6/20/2021 at 10:52 PM, James Black said:

I still yet to learn how to fish with a rod. Right now I am just using simple diy fish traps. fishing with rod is something I would love to pick up, but don't have anyone to necessarily teach me how to. Might just have to try youtube and teach my self.

Great work, will be following along closely!

@James Black you’re Canadian. You’ve got to try fishing with rod & reel. In the summer of 1996, I joined my Dad, uncle and cousin for a week long fishing trip up to Lake Shekak, ON. It was legendary pike and walleye fishing. Many a tall tale I could tell! 

[Streetwise]

“Everyone loves fishing in Québec.” - Letterkenny

I love seeing more of these outdoor journals!

[Aubrey]

On 6/20/2021 at 7:49 PM, Fish Folk said:

Any Hydrophlox shiners down in your neck of the woods? 

I couldn't find any references to Hydrophlox in my Fishes of Arkansas book.

This book will be a primary source for my outdoor investigations.

On 6/20/2021 at 9:52 PM, James Black said:

Right now I am just using simple diy fish traps. fishing with rod is something I would love to pick up, but don't have anyone to necessarily teach me how to.

I'm no expert at fishing. There are days that I spend hours on the water and never catch a thing. I really only started last October. I mean I had been fishing before, but never really cared to identify and catalog the different species or creating a life list of species caught. I had also never heard of micro fishing or considered using hook and line to catch small fish. These are just guidelines to make things interesting to me. I have been looking into making some DIY traps so that I can verify if a species is in a waterway and then target it. But I can show you some of the smaller tackle that I use.

The first two hooks from the right are fly fishing hooks and they work alright for shiner/minnow type fish. The last hook is specifically for tiny fish. If you notice the "J" curves on them, that one differs slightly. The actual curve is offset and much smaller. Almost like a very tiny hook attached diagonally at the end of a straight line. 

[Aubrey]

I went for a walk in the park after work today. I am really excited to try out the action camera I just got and figure out how to use it better. So far I am really impressed and enjoy seeing things from a fishes point of view. Although the fish don't seem so impressed with my presence in their home.

[Fish Folk]

That is AWESOME!! I cannot get over all those darters. Man, I feel like I just swam with the fishes. Thank you!!

Edited June 23, 2021 by Fish Folk

[Aubrey]

Today was a good day on the creek. I only caught 3 fish and only photographed 1. The one I photographed is a new species for me to cross off my life list. The Northern Studfish Fundulus catenatus.

I also found some sort of liverwort and duckweed.

[Fish Folk]

He’s a stud alright! 

[Aubrey]

I caught my first mature bass this week. I'm not 100% sure whether it's a large mouth or a spotted. I get excited when I catch something new and often think it will be the only fish that looks like this, so I don't take enough detailed photos. Only later find out that I need pictures of the jaw closed to see how it lines up with the eye, or of the dorsal fin erect to see the contour and if it connects to the second dorsal. Also, I don't want to keep fish out of the water too long for pictures, so I just snap a few and then release the fish.

One of the most beautiful native fish that I catch frequently is the Longear Sunfish. I'm always glad to see one come up on my line.

Not a fish, but this big tadpole took me by surprise.

I don't know what this shiner/minnow is. I really need to step up my photo game so I can compare everything with reference books. 

[Aubrey]

This week I added the Ozark Bass to my list.

Saw what I believe is a muskrat.

And caught a Smallmouth Bass 

I also spent several hours trying to catch some sort of top minnows. Sometimes micros are easy and sometimes they are so frustrating. I know most people on this forum are probably more interested in species that could be housed easily in a home aquarium, so I'm going to be trying harder to catch the smaller species. Regardless of what I catch I'll still post about it.