Text 19884, 110 rader
Skriven 2006-05-12 11:39:00 av JIM HOLSONBACK (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av BOB SAKOWSKI
Ärende: Good Morning Sunshine
=============================
-=> BOB SAKOWSKI wrote to JIM HOLSONBACK <=-

 JH> This includes Br'er Sakowski, who brought to our attention the yellow
 JH> perch angle - - he thinks he caught a Striped Sass in a lake in
 BS> Orlando,
 JH> FL. If he _did_ catch a bass-looking fish there, and it had stripes on
 JH> it, (which I doubt), it would have been a hybrid - a Sunshine Bass.

 BS> "He caught", eh?  Don't read very well do you?

I just remembered you recently blabbering something about your
accommodations there, and how you would serve a guest some 'fresh caught
striped bass' or something like that.  If I mistakenly assumed that you
were the fisherman who would provide the catch, please feel free to
clarify.

 BS> Sunshine Bass, eh?  One of the common names for the Sunshine is
 BS> Striped, but you knew that already, right?

It is true that some folks in states from which  carpetbaggers emigrate
to Florida mistakenly call them that.  Not so in Florida, except for
newbie carpetbaggers. You may hear _some_ in FL call them "striped bass
hybrids",  but FL fishermen who don't know the distinction will likely
be scarce.

 BS> There is also another variety of Bass, based on shape and other
 BS> physical characteristics, in Crowell Lake that I haven't identified,
 BS> perhaps an expert like you could help in that regard?

At your service, Herr Carpetbagger.  Interesting you moved to within 5
miles as the crow flies of Fantasyland.  I'll bet you can hear the
fireworks at night.

 BS> The stripes seem to be vertically oriented, on a slant from front
 BS> dorsal to rear ventral, about a half dozen or so on each side.

Based on the vertical stripes, my first guess would be a bluegill,
but those have the characteristic sunfish shape. See below for a
recdommended way to do your own investigation.

 BS> I shall look forward to your reply.

 BS> Thanx in advance.

Glad to oblige.  There are 4 types of black bass indigenous to Florida-
- only one of those types is native to your area in central FL. - The
Florida strain of largemouth bass.

To help you get your icthyological bearings in your adopted home state,
you might start by visiting

www.floridafisheries.com/Fishes/index.html

You can click there and see pix of all the common Florida freshwater
species. While on that page, you can also click and see the pdf file of
a "Poster" that shows all the common Florida freshwater fish all in one
image.  If you think you've found a fish which defies description, you
can take a picture and email it to one of the Florida Fish& Wildlife
folks - -to Dr. Ramon Ruiz-Carus,   email rarefish@myfwc.com  and he
should be able to give you a hand.

A few words about the fish images you will see on the internet - - some
of the pics are of juvenile fish, and the shapes of adults will vary
from that of a juvenile.  Next, the coloration of largemouth bass varies
with their habitat.  Bass from water which is less clear due to tannin,
algae, mud bottom etc. are generally a lot _darker_ than fish from where
the water is clear.  Based on the location of Crowell Lake, it is most
likely a sand-bottom lake, with clear water (at least originally).
These lakes typically had water clear enough that you could easily see
your feet while standing neck deep in the lake.  Many of this type lake
have subsequently had algae bloom or other problems which have resulted
in much more opaque water.  At one time, water of lakes in the Butler
chain, which is near you, had about the clearest lake water in the
state, with visibilities up around 30-40 feet.  My undeerstanding is
that at least some of these lakes have hade some problems in recent
years, and the water clarity has deteriorated a lot.

To get some idea of the fish coloration difference with bucketmouths
from clear water, please visit

www.stetson.edu/artsci/biology/amb/florida.htm

These are pics taken of largemouths from the clear water at Blue
Springs, up the road from you in Volusia County.  Go north on I-4,
take the Orange City-DeLand exit. These fish are much lighter-colored
than bass from darker waters.

Btw, if you ever get interested in leaving the tourist district there
around Sand Lake Road in order to see a bit more of the 'real Florida'
I'd recommend including visits to some of the springs.  Wekiwa Springs
state park up in Longwood is worth a short visit and picnic lunch.  Blue
Springs is great to visit during cold winder weather, if you'd like to
see a Manatee - - they come into the springs and run in cold weather - -
the springs water is pretty much 72 degF year round.  Rock Springs
right there in Orange County, north of Apopka, is worth a visit - a good
place to cool off in midsummer, but go during the week - it is very
crowded on weekends.

I'd be interested to hear when you are able to identify your mystery
fish.

I hope you come to love your adopted state.  Let us know when the big
ones are biting.  It should be about time for the bluegills to go on the
bed.

- - -  JimH.

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