Everything Else in Deboullie (PT. 1)

Though blueback trout were the main reason Noah and I had gone to Deboullie, they weren't the only species in the area we hadn't caught before. Lake trout, burbot, longnose sucker, threespine stickleback, lake chub, northern pearl dace, northern redbelly dace, and fathead minnows all existed in close proximity. Even if we didn't get an Arctic char, we were very unlikely to leave empty handed. 

Right by our camp was the outlet of Pushineer, and it was loaded with micros. I had no doubt that some of them were new species. Of course, as is so often the case, we had to dig through things we've caught plenty of to get something new. In this case it was creek chubs and common shiners. 

Creek chub, Semotilus atromaculatus

The first new species Noah and I got was a dace. They kind of threw us for a loop. I knew there were, as of 2001, only Northern redbelly dace and pearl dace in this lake. These clearly were not pearl dace, but they didn't really look like the classic redbelly dace either. Mainly the ones that appeared to be males lacked the classic red belly altogether. They had the double lateral line and the spotted lines on the back though. Eventually we both caught a female in classic yellow coloration and I was confident to call the rest Northern redbellies too.

Lifelist fish #135, Northern redbelly dace, Phoxinus eos. Rank: species

Sanity had long sine been left behind.

Below is the picture perfect female Northern redbelly dace. Isn't she a beauty?

The next lifer came through luck. I happened to look at the dorsal of one fish I'd have just as soon assumed was a creek chub and noticed it lacked the spot that creek chubs have I immediately put it in the photo tank and got as many shots of it as I could in the waning light. It had a more pointed snout than creek chubs. It didn't fit the profile of a fathead minnow. The best candidate seems to be pearl dace. Some of the taxonomic drawings and photos I've found of the species match it almost perfectly, some look significantly different. But really there is little else there that it could have been.

Lifer #136: pearl dace, Margariscus margarita.  Rank: species

Throughout the first two days, I was occasionally seeing schools of maybe 3-30 fish that looked like some sort of killifish. Being that nothing of the sort had been documented in these ponds, at least to my knowledge, I had to catch one. Unfortunately they turned out to be something I'd already caught many of. banded killifish.

banded killifish, Fundulus diaphanus

Within the first three days we'd each knocked out some new species right by camp and handled plenty of fish we'd already caught hundreds of. Days of microfishing, paddling around windy lakes, and long portages can build an appetite. Catch some yellow perch though, fry them up, and those stomach pains go away. There is nothing more satisfying than obtaining your own food. Thank you perch, for being so easy and so damn delicious. 

Until next time.
Fish for the love of fish.
Fish for the love of places fish live.
Fish for you.

 If you enjoy what I'm doing here, please share and comment. It is increasingly difficult to maintain this blog under dwindling readership. What best keeps me going so is knowing that I am engaging people and getting them interested in different aspects of fly fishing, the natural world, and art. Follow, like on Facebook, share wherever, comment wherever. Also, consider supporting me on Patreon (link at the top of the bar to the right of your screen, on web version). Every little bit is appreciated! Thank you to my Patrons; Erin, David, john, and Christopher, for supporting this blog.

Searching for Sea Runs with Alan

Yesterday Alan and I went to visit some coastal streams with potential for both sea run browns and maybe a rogue sea run brookie. In fact, the first stream was chosen specifically for its salter potential.

Unfortunately, it seems that all that prevents this from being a prolific salter stream is one small, useless dam. It has the advantage of running through mostly private and very restricted power plant property, and being small enough that most wouldn't give it so much as a glance anyway. It does have land locked brookies, but we couldn't get to them legally. And I wouldn't at all be surprised if, from time to time, one or two got stuck downstream from the dam and were forced into a salter lifestyle. 

The next stream we payed a visit to is known for it's sea run brown trout, but has some brookies as well, though no documentation of a sea run brook trout has come from it any time recently. Cormorants rained on our parade there. I hooked and lost one small brown trout, either wild or an Iijoki. Which, I do not know, for I did not get a good enough look. Down river, alewives were running strong. The dark bottom and tannin stained water made photographing the live fish difficult, so I scooped up a dead one. 

The next stream, not far away, has a far more robust wild trout population. This one was the true gem find of the day. We will both be visiting it again. I alternated between a purple leach and an Ausable Bomber. The streamer took the lions share, a half dozen brookies and one sizable brown, which clearly ate the fly but came free and then got hooked in a ventral fin. But the bomber took the prettiest fish in that stream, a remarkable looking brown with huge dark spots and fantastic gold coloration. That fish fought remarkably well, doing stunning high jumps and tail walks. That fish alone settled it: I had to revisit this place. 

 

  

Salmo trutta

Dark, tannin stained streams make dark fish.

On the way back towards home, we stopped at another stream, one I'm much more familiar with and have fished for years. Lately, it seems to producing a lot of gorgeous but smaller than average brookies... like this one:

Salvelinus fontinalis

This is contrary in a lot of other streams in the are, which, for the last two years, have been lacking in younger year classes. Why this stream differs I do not know. Another thing that's different about it but shared by a stream directly opposite it in the same drainage is an abundance of dace and common shiners. And they're getting active now. So, I decided to catch some. I got three species, actually. Eastern blacknose dace, fallfish, and common shiner. It was a nice little breakaway from the trout fishing. The tanago hooks are bringing home the bacon, I caught my smallest dace ever! I can't wait to get to some water with new micro species. 

Luxilus cornutus

Semotilus corporalis

Rhinichthys atratulus

When we got back to the car, we found it covered in brown stoneflies, all females carrying and depositing eggs on the shiny surface. 

I love spring.

If you enjoy what I'm doing here, please share and comment. It is increasingly difficult to maintain this blog under dwindling readership. What best keeps me going so is knowing that I am engaging people and getting them interested in different aspects of fly fishing, the natural world, and art. Follow, like on Facebook, share wherever, comment wherever. Also, consider supporting me on Patreon (link at the top of the bar to the right of your screen, on web version). Every little bit is appreciated! Thank you to my Patrons; Erin, David, john, and Christopher, for supporting this blog.

Micro Fishing Time!

If you enjoy what I'm doing here, please share and comment. It is increasingly difficult to maintain this blog under dwindling readership. What best keeps me going so is knowing that I am engaging people and getting them interested in different aspects of fly fishing, the natural world, and art. Follow, like on Facebook, share wherever, comment wherever. Also, consider supporting me on Patreon (link at the top of the bar to the right of your screen, on web version). Every little bit is appreciated! Thank you to my Patrons; Erin, David, john, and Christopher, for supporting this blog.

As things warm up more and more, my mind is wandering to thought of new species and new waters. Rock gunnels, central mudminnows, different sticklebacks, redhorse, swamp darters... there is a lot that I want and I want it soon. Some of the species on my list are pretty tiny. And so I may as well get back into the micro-fishing mindset so I don't miss out on any opportunities that come my way. With properly "springy" weather today, it was as good a time as any. With tanago hook (thank you tenkara bum) flies, some bits of soft plastic, split shot, and my trusty 6'6" rod, I went to visit some ditches.

I was pretty sure I could expect the typical assortment of sun fishes at the first spot and that's exactly what I got. Pumpkinseeds and bluegills. I had hoped for fathead minnows but saw no cyprinids of any kind, just micro sunfish. 

Lepomis gibbosus

Lepomis macrochirus

Lepomis gibbosus

In transit to the next location, which was actually more of a stream than a ditch, I found a small snapping turtle presumably bypassing a mill dam via land. I was very pleased to see him. He was less than pleased to see me. He was a pretty chill dude anyway.

Chelydra serpentina

When I got where I was going I was hoping I would be able to get an upgrade on my current only longnose dace, which wasn't the best example of the species. Indeed they were there, but the backnose dace were both more abundant and more willing. I caught a fair number of that species there but nothing else. 

Rhinichthys atratulus

Though not overly productive, that was a nice little outing to get out and warm up some muscles that haven't been exercised since Noah and I got back from Florida. I do plan to get out and do some more micro fishing fairly soon. I've gone far to long without adding a new species to my life list.