#sheepshead minnow

[t00thpasteface]

54 common fish of texas, part 20: sheepshead minnow (Cyprinodon variegatus), white crappie (Pomoxis annularis)

[dizzysongs]

First Post!! This is my Fursona Minnow!!

Gift art is welcome!

[plague-vulture]

What are all the Jelletons??

aka I spent way too long looking at fish pictures and music terms (minor spoilers below cut)

Swarming languendo

minnow!

Languendo: To play languidly, feeble and dramatic

Marching Andante

Sheepshead!

Andante: a moderately slow tempo

Battering Lento

Humphead Wrasse!

Lento: slow and leisurely tempoHumphead wrasse

Drizzling Capriccioso

stargazer fish! Capriccioso: lively, freeform and irregular structure

Panicking Alla Mambo

ocean sunfish/ mola mola! Alla Mambo: "in the style of mambo" quick and dancey

Whirling Accelerando

Barnacle! Accelerando: quickly speeding up the piece

Springing Spiccato

lamprey! Spiccato: technique for bowing instruments where the bow is lightly bounced on the strings

Gushing Trionfale

clam! (with pearl) Tronfale: playing triumphantly and victoriously

Spawning Accordo

female anglerfish! Accordo: (playing) the first group of chords

Homing Arpeggio:

male anglerfish! Arpeggio: single notes up and down the scale (do re mi fa sol la ti do), indivdually sounded chord

Towering Noblimente

seahorse! Noblimente: played proudly and nobly

BOSSES:

Rondo: a form where a recurring 'refrain' has different interspersed 'episodes' within it. usually in a 5 or 7 part structure

Marciale: in the style of a march (maybe related to the amount of jelletons it spawns in, making its own little army?). With warlike or fighting spirit

Canon: form where a melody is played multiple times as 'imitations' in different voices. The first version is called the 'leader' and the imitations are called 'followers'

Agitando: this is not an actual term, but agitato is. (this might be a pun that I'm missing?) Agitato means playing restlessly, hurriedly, and as if in an agitated state. (which Marina is)

overlorder is not a music term and it is very clearly an octopus

[floridafishkeeper]

Gorgeous shot of these unusually dark sheepshead minnows. All the individuals from their locale are significantly darker than ones collected from other nearby locations

[thenativetank]

VA Native Fish Hunting - 23

With Winter just behind us, I figured it would be an opportune time to pick up the fish hunting again! I went to a local area that has both freshwater and brackish access with a few cool finds!

Macro algaes are always so interesting to me but I'm bad at identifying it. I'm pretty sure this a filamentous Ulva spp. but hard to say. They range from little clumps like this to big sheets over a foot long - and according to at least one book are edible for people too.

More Ulva spp, I pulled this up from a log off shore - it seemed more to rest on it than grow from it. This batch was SO COOL partly on how much there was but also the texture. I'm super tempted to get some for an aquarium.

In the brackish section, I did a number of net dippings and only managed to catch one fish - a Mummichog (Fundulus heteroclitus). This species has so much variety to them; some populations like the one this guy is from, there's an iridescent blue and black dot on the dorsal fin. A handsome fish in a subtle way.

What I did catch a lot of were shrimps! These Grass Shrimps (Palaemon spp) are super common around here. There are a few species in this state and I have a book that helps distinguish them, but I'd need better zoom in order to make that a reality.

A little easier to see their features here.

Before I left the tributary, I saw this cloud of striped fishes swimming around. My knee jerk reaction were Striped Killifish, but I've never seen them this far upstream. I did my best to catch only a small amount.

Makes more sense - Sheepshead Minnows (Cyprinidon variegatus) are freshwater to fully marine pupfish and found around this area. I have never seen them school like this, though, so that's pretty awesome.

I also tossed around a couple of minnow traps in this freshwater pond to see what I could wrangle. Turns out, not much.

One (1) female Mummichog, and...

One (1) male Mummichog. I love comparing the freshwater to brackish to saltwater populations of these fishes. Such diverse coloration!

Not aquatic but a first for me - I found a neat friend! This Wharf Roach was nice enough to pause for a few photos before being sent on their way.

Bonus pic - after the hunt I stopped by a new bait store in the area. They had a fantastic deal on American Eels! If I had room for a 3 to 4 foot long predator slash escape artist, I know where I would go buying one!

[ikaroony]

I googled fish-based alternatives to cuss words and there weren’t any, so here’s my list:

holy [f*ck/sh*t/etc] - holy mackerel

omg - oh my gar

oh sh*t - oh sharks

d*mn - dab

G**d*mn - ghost shark

d*ck - dace

motherf*cker - mudsucker

a**hole - algae eater

c*nt - cusk

f*ck - frogfish

f*cking - flying *(as in flying fish)*

f*cking - flipping (when not combined with a fish)

sk*nk - skate

sl*t - slimy scuplin

wh*re - weever

[c*ck/d*ck]sucker - sharksucker

sh*thead - sheepshead

b*astard - basslett

also, for insults saying “you [negative adjective] [descriptive adjective] [any fish species]” also works:

you dirty little pupfish

you disgusting incoherent goldfish

you nasty blonde minnow-lover

you stupid short-sided pufferfish

you dim-witted pale marlin

hope this helps!! please reblog with more :3

[anchovy]

TRICK OR TREAT

SHEEPSHEAD MINNOW

[atomarium]

your ask box wanted an ask in it

do you like fish

Who doesn't

I like all kinds of fishes

Here is my top 250 fishes

1. Salmon

2. Tuna

3. Cod

4. Trout

5. Bass

6. Snapper

7. Mackerel

8. Halibut

9. Swordfish

10. Sardines

11. Haddock

12. Flounder

13. Mahi-mahi

14. Catfish

15. Perch

16. Tilapia

17. Carp

18. Pike

19. Anchovy

20. Herring

21. Grouper

22. Sole

23. Barracuda

24. Bluefish

25. Redfish

26. Wahoo

27. Pompano

28. Yellowtail

29. Rockfish

30. Bluegill

31. Walleye

32. Whitefish

33. Rainbow trout

34. Lingcod

35. Skate

36. Bluefin tuna

37. Striped bass

38. Marlin

39. Sturgeon

40. Eel

41. Butterfish

42. Wolffish

43. Opah

44. Tilefish

45. Drum

46. Tilapia

47. Gurnard

48. Threadfin

49. Monkfish

50. Opaleye

51. Triggerfish

52. Cutlassfish

53. Pomfret

54. Bullhead

55. Croaker

56. Tautog

57. Sheepshead

58. Wrasse

59. Parrotfish

60. Hogfish

61. Porgy

62. Permit

63. Amberjack

64. Bonito

65. Tilefish

66. Croaker

67. Hogfish

68. Mullet

69. Ribbonfish

70. Drum

71. Saury

72. Tarpon

73. Mullet

74. Bluefish

75. Garfish

76. Wels catfish

77. Gizzard shad

78. Bowfin

79. Stickleback

80. Freshwater drum

81. Sucker

82. Bullhead

83. Sculpin

84. Mooneye

85. Goby

86. Chub

87. Mudminnow

88. Dace

89. Silverside

90. Lamprey

91. Minnow

92. Darter

93. Smelt

94. Sunfish

95. Sturgeon

96. Shad

97. Sablefish

98. Greenland cod

99. Hake

100. Grenadier

101. Cobia

102. Tilefish

103. Pollack

104. Oarfish

105. John Dory

106. Swai

107. Largemouth bass

108. Atlantic cod

109. Kingfish

110. Wolffish

111. Skate

112. Arctic char

113. Goby

114. Lumpfish

115. Gourami

116. Gar

117. Codling

118. Butterfish

119. Blenny

120. Wrasse

121. Roach

122. Rainbow smelt

123. Peacock bass

124. Pompano

125. Pikeperch

126. Minnow

127. Leatherjacket

128. Jackfish

129. Halibut

130. Gurnard

131. Grouper

132. Grunion

133. Grunt

134. Greenling

135. Grayling

136. Gray mullet

137. Grass carp

138. Goldfish

139. Golden perch

140. Ghost carp

141. Garfish

142. Fusilier

143. Flathead

144. Filefish

145. Electric eel

146. Dogfish

147. Doctor fish

148. Dory

149. Dolphin fish

150. Dolly Varden

151. Dogfish

152. Drum

153. Dusky grouper

154. Dunkleosteus

155. Dusky shark

156. Duckbill

157. Driftfish

158. Dragonet

159. Dorado

160. Donzella

161. Dolphinfish

162. Dogfish

163. Dogtooth tuna

164. Dogfish

165. Dory

166. Dusky grouper

167. Dunkleosteus

168. Dusky shark

169. Duckbill

170. Driftfish

171. Dragonet

172. Dorado

173. Donzella

174. Dolphinfish

175. Dogfish

176. Dogtooth tuna

177. Eel

178. Emperor

179. Eleuth

180. Elephantfish

181. Eelpout

182. Elver

183. Escolar

184. European flounder

185. European seabass

186. European perch

187. Flathead grey mullet

188. European eel

189. Eagle ray

190. Eastern mosquitofish

191. Eastern little tuna

192. Eastern mudminnow

193. European minnow

194. European sprat

195. Emperor tetra

196. Emperor angelfish

197. Emperor bream

198. Emporer red snapper

199. Emperor sole

200. Emperor shrimp

201. Emperor scorpionfish

202. Escolar

203. False trevally

204. False cat shark

205. False scad

206. False trevally

207. False cat shark

208. False scad

209. Fantail darter

210. Fathead minnow

211. Fathead sculpin

212. Featherfin squeaker

213. Fingerfish

214. Fire goby

215. Firefish

216. Flabby whalefish

217. Flagfish

218. Flat loach

219. Flathead catfish

220. Flathead grey mullet

221. Flathead

222. Flathead sole

223. Flounder

224. Flying gurnard

225. Flying fish

226. Freshwater butterflyfish

227. Freshwater drum

228. Freshwater eel

229. Freshwater garfish

230. Freshwater hatchetfish

231. Freshwater shark

232. Frigate mackerel

233. Frill shark

234. Frostfish

235. Fuji fish

236. Finescale triggerfish

237. Four-eyed fish

238. Fringe-scale sardine

239. Fullscale sculpin

240. Fulmar

241. Fusilier

242. Galjoen fish

243. Gaper

244. Garibaldi

245. Garpike

246. Ghost fish

247. Ghost flathead

248. Giant catfish

249. Giant danio

250. Giant gouram

What is your favorite fish ? :3

[the-lil-exorcist]

Dark Waters

TIMING: Recentish LOCATION: The Docks PARTIES: @the-lil-exorcist & @seasandfoam SUMMARY: Lil, after getting a call about a ghost by the docks goes to help. Juno watches a human fall into the water and elects to save them. CONTENT WARNING: Domestic abuse (possibly) tw, sibling death tw (worried about Jonas) Heads up Lil does drown a little. Jacob is an awful dad.

Lilian yawned as she started down the dock, her hand covering her mouth as she watched the sun set. It had been a long day already, and while she was trying to stop wildly running around searching for ghosts - both metaphorically and literally - she still had a job to do. Locking her belongings in the car, she figured that it wouldn’t be too much. After all, although she wanted a break, death didn’t stop and neither did ghosts stop trying to intrude back into the land of the living. So when she got a frantic call about a ghost tipping small boats and rocking them Lil figured she’d at least give it a look before going home. Afterall, if it was a ghost that was attached to the sea she might not be able to do much, but if it was attached to the boat she might be able to. If she couldn’t help, she could always ask Jamie to come up - he at least knew how to swim and it would be funny to see him try. 

With that funny picture in her head she started weaving between people looking at things that might indicate a haunting like burnt out light bulbs or weird power surges. While she could sense them if they were close - just like any other Medium - since she couldn’t hear them it usually relied on what Lil could see to confirm where they were. So, moving to the bit of the pier where the lights were flickering she looked out of the water carefully to stay back when suddenly she heard something. “H-help me,” in a soft crooning voice that didn’t sound quite right but sounded like it was coming from under the water. 

Was there a ghost down there? Without thinking she went to the edge of the dock to look down trying to see where the ghost was. It had to be terrible to be down there, and Lil wanted to -. Her body froze before her brain caught up with her, as she remembered that she absolutely couldn’t hear a ghost. Whatever that was wasn’t a ghost. Trying to stumble back she realized something wasn’t right and knew she needed to leave turning to go. 

_____

Juno’s days were often fueled by the necessity of survival. It looked different, depending on the day. Sometimes the sky cast above her was pitch black aside from a smattering of stars. Other times, it was fluorescent lighting that flickered overhead as she stalked down one hallway into the next; all in the name of gathering intel. Those nights were the hardest, because not everyone was as polite as out of towners, and without the salty shores to call to, she was left mostly defenseless. 

But being on the water’s edge made it easier. Easier to recognize who she might have been, had everything not gotten so screwed up. Juno steadied herself on the rocking boat, hands dipping into the bait box to free the sheepshead minnows that were darting around in their plastic prison. They practically leapt from her cupped hands as soon as they saw the water beneath them. 

She hadn’t heard the voices just a few dockways down, or the stalking figure– the way that with one hand, he reached out and forced the woman who was crouched down over the edge between the boat and the wooden structure, into the water. The splash she made was small enough to go unnoticed unless somebody was watching. And Juno was watching. She contemplated leaving, because surely this human could swim. But flailing limbs were an indicator that she could not. 

Juno got off of the boat, careful to avoid slipping. The boots she’d stolen were covered in those who’d been lost– fish guts and kelp alike. She felt guilty for not being able to save them all, but at least she’d done what she could. It was time to leave. But an older gentleman begged for somebody to help the flailing woman, and all of the other humans stood in useless horror. The individual who had pushed her was far from view now, retreating towards the parking lot. Whether it was a prank or personal, Juno did not know. She was curious, however, and she’d been within proximity to understand that they were not fae. She waited a moment longer before a deep seated sigh left her and she plunged into the water. Helping humans hadn’t been on the agenda, but the anger she felt for those who were watching and not helping superseded any frustration she might hold for this one woman specifically. 

Juno kept her glamor on as she came to the woman’s aid, one arm tugging at her waist while the other was extended behind her, coaxing the water to guide them to land. 

_____

Lil didn’t have enough time to react before she felt a hand pushing her forward sharply. She tried to grab onto the wood of the dock as it flashed in front of her - anything to make sure she didn’t fall in - but she was too late reaching it. She couldn’t even seem to scream out or turn before she wasn’t on the pier anymore.  

For the briefest moment, Lil couldn’t register what happened as suddenly her existence was filled with water, the murky surface only showing her darkness as she tried not to go into shock. Her mouth closing tightly trying to keep her breathe as she sunk below the surface. 

Lilian Ballard couldn’t swim. It had never seemed important to Jacob, even though she had lived near the water all of her life, that she should learn it. It was more important that she learned that extra ritual during the summer - more important that she sat in graveyards alone scared to get used to them. It was always more important that she became so skilled at exorcisms she never learned how to swim. He was always so concerned with the supernatural he didn’t think that maybe something as simple as swimming was necessary.  And now she might die - not by a ghost or even a demon - but because she couldn’t swim. She was going to end up leaving Jonas alone because she fucking drowned. 

 For a moment panic filled her as she tried to figure out which way was up. When suddenly she could feel the surface. Without hesitating she pushed her head up trying to figure out how to stay above the surface and breathe. It was hard though. It didn’t seem like there was enough air and it was all blurry - out of focus. She tried to reach out to something to pull herself up - to do anything but it felt useless. Any movement she did seemed to make her more unstable and dunk herself back under the water. 

It felt hopeless - and then suddenly she felt something tugging at her pulling her in a direction Lil wasn’t sure where it was going. She wanted to flail - it felt like she was going deeper into the ocean - but the more rational part of her stopped that panicked movement overriding her own will to live in the hopes that this was going to get her out of it even as everything continued to blur. That - and if she was honest her limbs were burning and her small breaths weren’t enough for her to do much to calm the ache that she felt in her lungs. She had to trust that it was someone trying to help her and for once she let go. 

_____

The woman at her side gasped and flailed. How human, Juno thought. It was silly to even help, and deep down she knew that, but who else would have? This woman would have died due to lack of action from her counterparts, and there was nothing that upset her more than the lack of camaraderie between humans. When they worked together, they could be vicious, but was that not the same for when they turned their backs on one another? 

Juno’s strength came from the water in which she was submerged. She used most of that strength, however, to keep the other woman afloat, to keep the water from entering her nose and mouth. The last thing she wanted was to help her, and then for the girl to die, anyway. Perhaps she’d gain a favor out of this that she could cash in later. 

The screaming from the dock ceased once the individuals standing around came to the realization that somebody had helped. They stood, gawking above them, fingers outstretched as if to say look at this tragedy. While sinking into the anger would be ideal right about now, she had a whole human to worry about. 

Juno propelled them forth, still careful to keep the other woman’s head above water, while hers dipped below the surface every now and again. She made no show to gasp for air, as she did not need it. Instead, she used the ocean’s current to further push them to safety. The ladder closest to the shallowest bit of water would be their best bet, but would the human be able to climb it after such exhaustion? “I need you to grab the pole. Can you do that?” 

_____

Lil tried to calm herself down, as slowly she felt her head being above the water more often than not her breathing still hurting but less painful then no air. After a moment or two it was clear someone had her, and was trying to pull her up to safety.  It was all she could really do, the training that had overwritten most of her humanity kicking in to keep her from panicking more than was necessary. How odd, that even when her own life was in danger from something so mundane that her exorcism training kept her calm. Although the thoughts racing through her head didn’t seem to stop, she kept herself from screaming or thrashing around. If she did, she could topple the other person and while Lil always lived on the precipice between life and death she didn’t want to be the reason for someone else to die. There was no point in dragging someone else down with her. 

Lil almost didn’t hear the question, her ears ringing from the water and fear, but she gasped out, “Yeah I think I can.” Her body felt more like jelly than anything else, but she was used to feeling weak and doing things anyway. Besides, she hadn’t fallen unconscious and although her throat was burning with the salt water she knew that as long as she got out of the water she’d be able to lay down. She could get the burning out of her, and most importantly she could find the son of a bitch who did this. Maybe she could yell at her dad that she did need swim lessons like Jonas got. He almost killed her yet again. It wasn’t much, but it was keeping her present as she felt the other tugging her - Lil now assured that it was someone trying to help. 

Spinning she was trying to find the pole the other talked about, noticing now the people watching them from the dock and feeling something painful in her chest again that had nothing to do with the water. She should be used to it by now - other’s indifference in her life- but Lil didn’t. Although sometimes she refused to interfere with the course of someone’s life she was never indifferent looking on like a spectacle. She never understood why she wasn’t considered as human as them, but instead of dwelling she reached out trying to find the pole.

_____

It wasn’t very often that Juno found herself saving somebody from sudden death. Not unless she needed something from them first. And really, there wasn’t all that much she could do to help unless they were at sea. She was virtually useless on land, and it seemed that humans, too, fell into that category. The number of people that lined up to watch Juno guide the woman to a pole at the start of the dock continued to watch in horror, some in happiness– a hero, she heard one man whisper. She rolled her eyes. 

Humans were pathetic, and it showed through in almost every way. It was unbearable to watch. She had half a mind to just let the woman drown now and dip below the surface, herself. Let them think that they had both died due to negligence. But this woman hadn’t done anything to deserve dying, not yet. So Juno pushed her towards the pole so she would have something else to hold onto. The ladder was at the opposite end, but she wasn’t sure if the woman would have been able to break water for that much longer before inevitably sinking below its surface. 

“Wait here.” She quickly swam to the ladder, pulling herself up. The water clung to her hair and clothes, and her boots squeaked as she walked to the side where the woman was waiting. She wasted no time in looking over her shoulder, commanding one of the men standing at the far side to help her bring the human up. “You. Now.” She turned back towards the woman who was still in the water and she held her hand out. Maybe it would have been easier to push her up the ladder, but the water was deeper at that side and she didn’t feel like struggling more than she already had. The man was at her side, his own beefy hand extended out and Juno nodded for her to take them. “You won’t sink back in, just grab my hand. Quickly.” 

_____

The world was blurry as she tried to place everything again, reaching out to the pole as the other moved away grabbing it with arms that felt more like lead than human. It felt wrong for Lil to trust the stranger, but she had to assume that if she had bothered to pull Lil over here that it wasn’t just to let her die. She had to trust her. 

She wasn’t sure how much trust she had left in her. Years of anger and spite welled up in her as she thought about how trust had gotten her to this point. She felt stupid, the amount of times she had reached her hand out to get it slapped again and again. Yet even now she was relying on it with a stranger who could easily have just left now. No one standing and gawking would have come to pull her out, too busy congratulating themselves on their own inactions. Even now Lil felt like she could slip below the surface before the other could get to her. She was so fucking tired it might be more peaceful. After all, it was hard to hold onto the pole, and it would be easier to let go. Let the rage and fury turn into burning and finally silence. 

Even this close to being saved, Lil could tell it could be a lot easier to give up now. Closing her eyes though, she saw a flash of her family. Jude and Jane who were waiting for her to find them. Her mom trying to get her to look at her as her eyes were blurred with tears after getting screamed at by her father. 

Jonas. Jonas who could be in trouble right now, and who needed her. 

Opening her eyes, now less blurry she saw two hands reaching out for her and words muffled as her ears felt as waterlogged as anything else. It didn’t take long for her to realize what they wanted her to do. 

Instinctually Lil grabbed the woman’s hand first, her hand then finding the stronger man’s she tried not to sink or pull them in. It was human nature after all, to want to not die. While Lil was always taught to accept it, she also wasn’t stupid enough to die prematurely either. She had to find her family. She had to do her duty as a daughter and sister. Most importantly, she wasn’t going to leave Jonas alone in this hell of a town. “Don’t let me pull you in,” Lil said as she felt herself lift up her face now as stoic as she was exorcizing, even as her voice sounded strange and garbled. 

__ 

Juno rolled her eyes at the woman’s comment. If she were worried about that, she would have just swam her to the ladder. But that would have proven to be a waste of time, it was too far for the girl to keep her head above water. This had been a better strategy, even if a little convoluted. 

Together, she and the man brought the woman out of the water. Juno hooked an arm underneath of the other’s arm and pulled backward, stumbling slightly as she emerged from the salt and foam. The man backed away as soon as the woman was safely on the dusty asphalt. Typical. Juno turned around to look at the plethora of individuals who’d come to watch her save the day. She had half a mind to snap at them, to call them out for their own inaction. She didn’t even want to give a nod of thanks to the man who had helped her, she had to ask him for it, after all. Juno looked back over to the woman whose hair was stuck to her face. She hesitantly smoothed it out– an act of comfort she didn’t often display. 

“Are you alright?” She didn’t know how to gauge whether or not the woman had taken in too much water. Her only reference was when people did stop breathing. Juno helped support the woman into a sitting position. 

__ 

Lil felt the weight of gravity as she was pulled onto solid ground again, it made her head swim more than she thought it could. First the lack of air, and now it felt like Atlas had decided to take a break and put the weight onto her shoulders for a change of pace.  Her bones felt real again, and she felt smaller than she felt possible. For a moment she wanted to collapse again, but she felt someone move the hair away from her face and she focused on where she was again, her eyes trying to steady themselves now that the world wasn’t as tilted. It made her focus on something other than the fact that her head hurt. 

Letting the other move her, Lil nodded slightly and then after a moment said, “Yes - my throat hurts but yeah. I didn’t pass out.” She must have swallowed the water, with how  much her throat burned at the moment. Her voice sounded raspy and hurt, which she expected. Still, she had more problems than that at the moment. Whoever pushed her in could be trying to get to Jonas right now. She needed to stand and get to him. Focusing on her rescuer though, Lil managed to give a weak smile and said, “Thank you. I appreciate you saving me, even though you probably saw the bastard who pushed me in.” 

It wasn’t something Lil said often, something her mom drilled her not to say especially as she started helping supernatural folks, although Lil always took it as more so be careful on why you were saying thank you. Pushing Lil back from the edge of death seemed like something to be thankful for. “I’m - Lil. Sorry that you got wet,” Lil continued then focusing on the crowd paused and said softly to the other, “Fucking hypocrites, aren’t they?” She wondered how many people were connecting who she was - she’d been infamous in town for years - and if that would have changed any of their minds. Probably not. 

Still, Lil was alive and that was all that mattered right now breathing heavily as she tried to figure out what her next move was.

[naturecoaster]

Homosassa Inshore Fishing Report with Captain Toney: Fishing in Harsh Weather

I feel like a broken record when it comes to the harsh weather and how it controls my fishing charters. I think everyone will agree that this winter can't end fast enough. The shallow edges of the exposed rocks on the outside keys are where I'm doing my best with sea trout. I like to move in short increments because most of the trout are in tight schools. My go-to bait is the D.O.A. 5.5 glow jerk bait with a 3/0 bait style hook right through the tip of the nose of the lure. For redfish, sheepshead, and black drum, get as far back into the creeks as possible without getting stuck and having to camp out. With the negative tides, these fish will be in deeper channels and holes. Live shrimp and mud minnows are the best live baits. For a soft plastic, I like the MirrOlure LIL John in watermelon red flake with a red 1/8 oz. jig head. Anchor on the shallow side of the deep water and make a long cast into the hole of the channel to find the action. On the nearshore rocks, there has been a good white grunt bite with a few sheepshead, mangrove snapper, and hogfish in the mix. Live shrimp is the best bait on a 1/8 oz, jig head. Incoming tide will be late afternoon this weekend. Homosassa Inshore Fishing Report from Captain William Toney To schedule a fishing charter or shore lunch excursion with Captain Toney, visit his website. A third-generation fishing guide in the Homosassa area, a member of the Homosassa Guides Association, and author of the Homosassa Inshore Fishing Report each week in NatureCoaster.com. To read about our Shore Lunch excursion with Captain Toney, click here. If you want to learn more about how to catch Nature Coast fish from Captain Toney, subscribe to his videos at https://inthespread.com Captain William Toney is a fourth-generation Homosassa fishing guide. He provides our weekly Homosassa Inshore Fishing Report. If you enjoy Captain Toney's weekly Homosassa Inshore Fishing Report, please be sure to tell your friends! Read the full article

[thebrackishtank]

Can you get Diamond killiefishandsheepshead Minnows. If yes how much?

You'd probably be best asking your local fish store if this is something they can order for you and for what price. If they can't get them, then searching online is your best bet. I personally have no ability to send/sell fish of any sort.

Note that Sheepshead Minnows are most often sold as laboratory fish with very limited presence in the home aquarium trade. Search those sites accordingly.

Lastly, if you live in the US where these fish live and if it is legal for you to do so (and you have your licenses in place) collecting them yourself is an option. Sheepshead Minnows in particular are widespread on the eastern seaboard and are numerous. I find they overlap in locations with some of our native livebearers and killifish in many locations :) sounds like the start of a fun tank to me!

[teenyfish]

Marine Biology Story of the Day #6:

Well happy belated 4th to my fellow Americans--all though, I don’t feel particularly patriotic this year (huh, I wonder why).  So I decided to take this time to talk about the biodiversity of this great continent to get my mind off of all of the bad shit that we are staring down right now.   

Today we are going to talk about the wonderful world American freshwater fish biodivesity. 

So, one geologic quirk of this continent is the eastern half is much “older” than the western half--the western half is still building up, creating the rocky mountains, whereas the eastern half has been worn down for millions of years--this means that freshwater fish have had semi stable rivers to live in for millions of generations.  This rivers are often separated by land, and only meet other bodies of water at tributaries and at the sea.  This allows fish to be separated for millions of years, and therefore spectate.  Which means we have a lot of cool freshwater and estuarine fishes. 

After I got my masters, my first job was as a summer hire on the juvenile striped bass seine survey at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science.

Basically, we sampled stations along Virginia rivers with seine nets, which basically collect fish in a “purse” along the shore line, with one person dragging the net out in the water, and the other holding the other end standing on the shore.  While this survey focused on Striped Bass, a popular recreational fish in the area, we got a chance to sample a HUGE variety of species.  

above: seine net at work. 

take a look at some of the colorful freshwater fish we collected:

Pumpkinseed and blue spotted sunfish (Top): these are both part of the sunfish family, which includes freshwater bass.  They are closely related to bluegill, a popular sportfish. 

American Eel (middle left): The only freshwater eel species in the eastern united states.  Are becoming threatened because they are sold on the Asian market as food fish--I will probably do an entire post about these guys later.

Sheapshead minnow (middle right): small baitfish, the males turn blue when it’s mating season.  They are also salt tolerant and are often found closer to the coast.

Channel catfish and madtom catfish (bottom): both native species are being out-competed by the blue catfish in this region. 

Because the rivers in this part of the country are so ancient, we also caught these prehistoric fish as well: 

Bowfin (right): This fish is the only remaining fish in the Order Amiiformes.  They are considered a “primitive fish” and they can actually gulp air if water conditions are too hypoxic. 

Longnose Gar (Left): Closely related to other gar species (like the massive alligator gar), these fish have armored platelets along their entire body and wicked sharp teeth.  And like the bowfin, they too can breath oxygen. 

Now, the sections of the rivers we sampled ranged from completely freshwater to almost full salt water.  These parts of the rivers are considered estuaries, and they include fish that can withstand a wide range of salinities, and stretch for hundreds of miles.  They are often prime nursery habitat for young saltwater species as there are less predators due to the variable salinity. 

Above: Map of the region sampled

 There are a few of my favorite estuarine fish:

Northern Puffer (top left): self explanatory.  Cute angri boi.

Spanish Mackerel (top right): these are very much offshore fish--we rarely see them this far inshore

Atlantic Spadefish (mid left): one of my favorites, they are so darn TINY when they are babies but they grow to be three feet long. 

Black Drum (mid right): Another saltwater sport fish that can grow to be 100 lbs in weight. They also grow the cutest whiskers on their chins. 

Blue Crab (bottom left): this one is a teeny baby, probably hatched that spring. 

Tautog (bottom right): another coastal sport fish, these guys like to hang around oyster reefs and are so colorful as babies! 

But these ecosystems are fragile--they are often in areas with high human population.  Climate change can screw up conditions as juveniles enter the estuaries--which can make them more vulnerable to mortality.  Invasive species are eating these young fish, and out completing other adults in the same niche.  Freshwater flow in these rivers is being limited, as we draw out more freshwater to feed our fields.  Oyster reefs are disappearing as fertilizer clouds up the Chesapeake bay and it’s tributaries.  And there’s always overfishing.  

So, this 4th, while we continue struggle to protect the human diversity that has actually made this country great, I hope you remind you that our amazing biodiversity needs protection too.  Our natural resources in this country are so unique, and they are quickly slipping through our fingers.  

As always, if you have any questions about the research, PLEASE do not hesitate to ask. 

[fishcommunity]

One of my favorite NANFs, the Sheepshead Minnow is very adaptable and very interesting behaviorally. A species of Pupfish, family Cyprinodontidae, they can actually live in water that has salinty 6 times that of the ocean.

[outofangband]

Flora and Fauna of the Havens of Sirion: Overview

Flora and fauna of Arda masterlist 

Disclaimer: I used both what we can extrapolate is likely indigenous to the region based on descriptions of the landscape and climate as well as my own headcanons and inspirations and reference books on similar habitats as well as books like The Atlas of Middle Earth and The Flora of Middle Earth

I really love working on and researching these! and as always feel free to ask more, even if I’ve already done a place I’d always enjoy going into more detail of tacking a more specific kind of life there (birds of a location, ferns of a location, etc)

The Havens of Sirion was located in Southern Beleriand in the realm of  Arvernien at the mouth of the River Sirion where it reaches the Bay of Balar and the greater ocean. It was home to the refugees of some of the greatest atrocities of the first age including the second Kinslaying at Doriath and the sacking of Nargathrond and Gondolin.

Like with the Talath Dirnen, we do not have a great deal of information on climate. Thanks to The Atlas of Middle Earth, we do have some information on the types of habitats making up this region. However some speculation must still be used.

The lands around the Mouths of Sirion and the entrance to the bay seem to be made up of marshlands including coastal ones. The Mouths is likely at least partly an estuary.

There are a number of plants mentioned directly in the text as associated with the Havens of Sirion. Alegos, Gorse, whin, yellow iris, dense reeds, salt marsh grasses and cordgrass, seregon and stonecrops, seaweeds, and willows. This again gives us some information about what else could be found and what types of habitats make up Sirion. 

Other flowering and herbaceous plants might include Douglas Aster, a variety of species of saltbush, seaside arrowgrass, tufted hairgrass, loosestrife, sea lavender (despite the name this is not a species of lavender and is actually in the leadwort family), summer and autumn lady’s tresses, fen orchid, water primrose, tree mallow, and thrift as well as an abundance of lichens (not plants). 

There were two forested areas nearby, the Nan Tethren (valley of willows) to the North and the Birchwood of Nimbrethil to the West. Given the proximity to the bay, a possible species for the Nan Tethren is the coastal or dune willow. Likewise, as Brethil means silver birch, that this wood makes up a variety of this family is likely. 

The fauna for this section was difficult to do without just writing out overly long lists, as I said before, always feel free to ask me to go into more specific sections! It’s hard to balance being concise but also providing good information!

I’m making another post now about coastal birds but hooded cranes, species of whimbrels, curlews, godwhits and sandpipers closer to the waters as well as three-toed and green woodpecker, roller, and great tits in the more forested areas are some possibilities. 

Sand lizard, diamondback terrapin,  slow worm (a species of legless lizard), Western green lizard, stripeless tree frog, and Mediterranean tree frog are probably the reptile and amphibian species closer to the marshes and the havens themselves with gray tree frogs and common toads as well as species of salamander living in the forested areas (Nan Tethren and the Birchwood). 

The estuaries and wetlands have a wide variety of mollusks and crustaceans including species of whelk and cockle, freshwater shrimp, 

There are likely tide pools with a wide range of creatures as well as marine meadows with fish species like sand dab, pipefish, smaller rays and skates in deeper waters, blenny, sea scorpions, etc. 

There are also a large variety of fish in the brackish waters further from the coasts (sheepshead minnow, killifish, smaller mullets, etc). 

Tide pool biodiversity is extensive and I’ll possibly make another post on marine life in Beleriand especially if there’s interest. But generally, echinoderms like starfish, sand dollars, and urchins as well as bivalves and even more complex species of mollusks (cuttlefish or octopus), fiddler crabs, green crab, smaller spider crabs, sea hares, and some anemone (possibly snakelocks or Northern red) 

Gray seals, monk seals, beaked whales and pilot whales are possible marine mammals seen closer to the land. Larger otters in fresh and brackish waters are also possible.  Larger terrestrial predators are uncommon; golden jackals, crab-eating fox, polecat, and (European) wildcat are likely the largest. 

Chamois and red deer are possible in the more forested areas as are rabbits, Western hedgehogs, water voles, and pygmy shrews and a variety of bats. 

This had to be an overview as the area is large and contains several different habitats. I’m writing a piece now on sea and coastal birds of Beleriand that will go into more detail there and as always feel free to send requests.

[floridafishkeeper]

Highly underrated sheepsheads minnow. I love the pugnacious personality of these guys

[thenativetank]

Native Fish Hunting - Interlude!

Okay the last post didn't have a lot of interesting going-ons, I'm sorry to say. But this one will have some neat stuff I promise! Me and the wife drove over to southern Alabama to do some kayaking and found ourselves at a place called Crab Island. You best bet I made a beeline for it once I saw it on the map! Lots of cool native species to be found there.

The most populous invertebrate species on the island was of course... crabs! I mean, not really crabs, but they have "crab" in the name. We found dozens of Green/Striped Hermit Crabs (Clibanarius vittatus), one of our native brackish species that sometimes find their way into the aquarium trade. We found many between 1 and 3-4 inches long, I'd wager. This guy is covered in live snails, as were many of the other larger ones. I think they were immature Fighting Conchs (Strombus alatus).

Anybody from the East Coast of the US is probably familiar with this species - the Blue Crab (Callinectes sapidus)! We found many of these shells washed up and spied a few live specimens, but I only made half-hearted attempts to catch them bare handed so you'll have to forgive me. I'm not really in the mood to be pinched!

We didn't see many live aquatic snails, mostly just the shells, but we did happen upon this American Crown Conch (Melongena corona), far from its maximum size of 5 inches. Still, a very cool find and I believe the first time I've happened upon a still-living specimen.

We weren't limited to aquatic snails either! We saw a dozen or two of these Marsh Periwinkles (Littoraria irrorata) which I found particularly interesting because we have the same species up north in Virginia. Not an active species by any stretch of the imagination but I've always found them neat.

My wife correctly reminded me that I did not have an Alabama fishing license, so I left my nets in the car. Which is kind of a shame because there were hundreds of these killifish species (Fundulus spp) and I'd like to have known which they were! I'm pretty certain they are Gulf Killifish (F. grandis) but iNaturalist suggests that Longnose Killifish (F. similis) is more common here. I don't think it's the latter, but hard to say!

I didn't need a license for this guy though - this tiny Pinfish (Lagodon rhomboides) was deceased and must have just washed up moments before we arrived because it was in fantastic shape. Pinfish are probably one of the most common coastal fish in this area, but this was the first one I've found washed up like this.

I love these things. This is a skull of a Sea Catfish (family Ariidae), sometimes called Crucifix fish because of the shape of their skulls. This one was submerged in a pool of stagnant water, probably having been picked over by the fish here. iNaturalist suggests it is likely a Hardhead Sea Catfish, but given that Gafftopsail Catfish are also local, I'm not comfortable making such an ID.

As I picked around in the pool of water, my feet were nibbled on by many of the smaller fish here! I could make out some of the same killifish as before, but also Sheepshead Minnows (Cyprinodon variegatus) as well - another species we can find in VA. Didn't get much in the way of good pictures due to glare, but fun experience nonetheless.

While I found some Sargassum seaweed washed up here too, the more interesting specimen was this fella! I think it's a Graciliaria species, but really it's hard to tell. Right now people are going NUTS online about sargassum washing up in Florida and any searches for "seaweed in florida" is coming up with hundreds of hits for those articles. So I'm gonna take my best guess!