I’m heading down to a new fish spot I discovered yesterday while out for a hike. I’m bringing some dip nets, a seine, a GoPro and an observation tank this time to see what I find. Lots of green sunfish and bluegill that were visible from the shore, but I’m after some of the riverine darters that aren’t in the shallower creeks around here.

Darters play an integral role in the food chain and a lot of local species are woefully understudied. I’m planning to collect a few such specimens for a biotope tank to see if I can learn anything about their spawning habits. My local fish club is tied to a nearby university and features some pretty big names in ichthyology among its members (brag), so I’m hopeful that I can make some useful contributions to some conservation work that they’re engaged in.