NANFA Field Trips to Salacoa and Raccoon Creeks,
Georgia, 22 September, 2001
account and photos by Steven A. Ellis, Kennesaw, Georgia
(accounts by Sharon Allsup and Bruce Stallsmith follow)

Saturday morning was beautiful. I have been amazed all year long at the way almost all of our collecting trips have been attended by really nice weather, but this was one for the books. I met up with Casper Cox around 9:30AM at Salacoa Creek near Fairmount, GA. Mr. Steve Brannon owns a rural lumber yard that adjoins the creek, and he gave us permission to park there and access the creek from his land. It seems like a small thing, but it's really a relief to work from private property when you've got expensive cameras and other gear.

The water was very clear over a substrate of rocks and sand, but it was quite cold at first (kinda made me remember Hocking Hills!). When I saw that Casper didn't die from water shock, I plunged in behind him. The first five minutes were challenging, but the view made up for it. Right away, we saw lots of Alabama shiners, tricolor shiners, rainbow shiners, redbreast sunfish (and a few longear), redeye & spotted bass, black redhorse, and many blackside darters. I saw a group of about 6-8 large drum, but they would not let me get closer than about twelve feet.

For the first time, I used a point-and-shoot underwater disposable camera. I got the pictures back yesterday and only found a few decent shots. However, I was pleased with the experiment. Right away I discovered that motion is a real problem, not only the moving fish, but the inevitable camera movement due to the oversized trigger mechanism. Flash would have been helpful too, although I chose my shots with as much sun overhead as possible.

About 11, Bruce Stallsmith joined us, and we broke out the seine and dipnets. The collecting was good, with 24 species logged. One lone topminnow was captured and it immediately became the subject of a debate. I am convinced it was Fundulus catenatus, but the other guys believe it was F. stellifer. Even without my glasses, I offered to eat the specimen in question if I was wrong. This fish (temporarily called, F. controversius) is in preservative awaiting a trip down to Andy Borgia for positive ID. If I am wrong, I hope the fellows will allow me to substitute another fish for my meal instead of the one presently marinating in formalin. (-:

After a break for lunch, we headed SW to the 2nd site, Raccoon Creek. This location is between Cartersville & Dallas, GA. Here we were joined by Sharon Allsup from Winston, GA. (You really appreciate someone who brings along Frappucino for snack time!) Casper was the only one who snorkeled at this site, so the rest of us chose the opposite fork to begin collecting. The fish were not as easy to come by in this stream due to much deeper pools, mud, snags, and a host of unwelcome gambusia. As the sun moved lower in the sky, the fatigue factor also came into play. Until then, the locals were strangely absent, but they began to appear as we prepared to leave. Sharon, Bruce, and I walked past a young genius sitting in the dirt, straddling a large tent peg, and pounding it in with a rock...an accident waiting to happen.

Anyway, we caught many of the same species as well as bronze darters and a single riffle minnow. We netted some huge F. stellifer, which I should have held up to the little guy we caught earlier in the day for comparison. The digital pictures turned out better with the use of a backdrop, but they are bag shots, so there's still some distortion. I'm working on a homemade viewer for the next outing.

PICTURES
**Click the small image to display a larger one**

 2junkyard22.jpg (3173 bytes)
On the way to the first site, I passed this rusting old van in White, GA in front of a junkyard. I couldn't pass up the shot!
2Sallicoa2.jpg (3922 bytes)
Salacoa Creek near Fairmount, GA.		 2casper.jpg (2050 bytes)
This is a view of Casper that usually only fish see.		 2crayfish.jpg (1715 bytes)
A crawdad that ventured out of his hole to check me out.
2net.jpg (2066 bytes)
A rainbow shiner in Casper's net just after he caught it.		 2mussel.jpg (2243 bytes)
(Slightly out of focus) Casper found this mussel just as it was beginning to open. Lay your head on your right shoulder for a better view. (-:		 2school.jpg (1651 bytes)
A group of tricolor shiners.
2ashiner2.jpg (2331 bytes)
Alabama shiner		 2pcseine2.jpg (4116 bytes)
Bruce Stallsmith (left) and Casper Cox.		 2coxbotl2.jpg (2873 bytes)
Casper trying to ID a darter.
2cbass2.jpg (3311 bytes)
Redeye bass		 2rbsunfish2.jpg (2554 bytes)
Redbreast sunfish		 2bsdarter2.jpg (2324 bytes)
Blackside darter
2csadarter2.jpg (3156 bytes)
Coosa darter		 2hogsucker2.jpg (2295 bytes)
Alabama hogsucker		 2rshiner2.jpg (3022 bytes)
Rainbow shiner
2tricolor2.jpg (3543 bytes)
Tricolor shiner		 2bsdip2.jpg (3628 bytes)
Bruce Stallsmith & Sharon Allsup at Raccoon Creek		 2studfish.jpg (2554 bytes)
This is the studfish that generated such a lively debate. Prez & Casper say F. stellifer...I say F. catenatus, range or no range. (-:
2brnzriff2.jpg (3015 bytes)
Bronze darter (top) and riffle minnow resting on several small mussels		 2cps2.jpg (4729 bytes)
L-R, Casper Cox (Chattanooga, TN), Bruce Stallsmith (Huntsville, AL), & Sharon Allsup (Winston, GA) discussing the mystery fish du jour. It turned out to be a bronze darter.		 2steven2.jpg (3756 bytes)
Steven Ellis

HERE is Sharon Allsup's account of the trip

and HERE is Bruce Stallsmith's, and 2 photos by Bruce 2se-cc.jpg (3031 bytes) Steven Ellis and Casper Cox examine a baggy of fresh-caught darters at Salacoa Creek. 2percina.jpg (2969 bytes) A close-up on the baggy of darters in Casper's hand. Both blackbanded darters (Percina nigrofasciata) and bronze darters (Percina palmaris) were in this seine haul, especially blackbandeds.