Things That I Never Knew

[eric1978]

Okay then. Here are some pretty commonly known facts about smallmouth from the MDC website. Maybe someone won't know them and will learn something. At least it might get us back on track.

Facts

Small fin

The smallmouth bass was given the scientific name Micropterus dolomieu by the French naturalist Count Bernard Germain Etienne De La Ville Lacepede. Micropterus is Latin for “small fin.” The second name, dolomieu, was after M. Dolomieu, a French mineralogist for whom dolomite, a rock type, is also named.

Nicknames

Smallmouth have a number of local names. They include: brown bass, brownie, bronze back, green trout, jumper, Oswego bass, redeye bass, river bass and smallie.

The unbass

The smallmouth bass is actually a member of the sunfish family (one of the largest freshwater sport fish families). Smallmouth are also grouped with the largemouth and spotted (Kentucky) bass which are collectively known as black bass.

Cool fish

Smallmouth bass shun waters with temperatures that commonly exceed the mid-80s. Temperatures over 90 degrees F are lethal. Smallmouth bass also need a great amount of dissolved oxygen. A dependable stream flow, streamside shade and modest current are also important to riverine smallmouth bass.

Spring spawn hazards

Research on smallmouth bass has shown no relationship between the number of spawning fish and the success of the spawn. The strength of the year’s hatch depends solely on water conditions–in particular, a sudden cold snap or muddy floodwaters can kill eggs and fry.

Tail fin ID

The tail fin on young smallmouth is distinctly tri-colored with a black vertical bar separating the yellowish fin base from the whitish fringe along the rear margin of the fin.

Follow the feeder

An interesting habit of smallmouth bass is to follow a large turtle or sucker as they dig or root along the bottom, pouncing on any insects or crayfish disturbed by the feeding activity.

18-year-old fish

Smallmouth bass have a maximum life expectancy of about 18 years; however, only a few ever live even half that long.

For the record

The current Missouri state record is 7 pounds, 2 ounces, caught in 1994 from Stockton Lake. The largest smallmouth bass on record weighed 11 pounds and 15 ounces and was 27 inches long. It was caught in 1955 from Dale Hollow Lake in Tennessee.

[Al Agnew]

Cool! I didn't know that what "ignostic" was, either, and now I'm happy to know that it describes my belief system pretty well.

Wrench described my feelings about Pascal's Wager pretty well, too.

And my philosophy is, believe whatever you want to about an afterlife, but live THIS life as if it's the only one you'll ever have, with an eye toward cosmic justice. In other words, enjoy life to the fullest, but try not to do things you might have to pay for later.

On a more scientific Ozarkian note...did you know that dye traces have shown that some of the water coming out at Big Spring comes from sinkholes 40 miles away?

The highest bluff in the Ozarks is Big Bluff on the upper Buffalo--it's highest sheer rock outcrop tops out at 530 feet above the river.

At a little over 400 feet high, Virgin Bluff on the James was the highest bluff in the Missouri Ozarks, until Table Rock Lake flooded the bottom 75 feet or so of it. Now, the highest bluff is probably Portuguese Point on the Gasconade, at a little over 300 feet high.

The Gasconade is the longest river that's ENTIRELY within the state of MO. It's also the longest undammed river in the Ozarks...unless you count the mill dam at the headwaters.

There is a complex bend on the Gasconade that flows through every direction of the compass for 13 miles, to end up less than a mile from its starting point. Portuguese Point Bluff is about halfway through this bend. And once the river reaches the other end, it bends back around for another eight miles to reach a point that's only a mile from Portuguese Point. Another bend on the Gasconade flows for 7 miles to end up an eighth of a mile from where the bend began. Too bad there aren't roads at both ends of these bends...think of how easy you could do a shuttle!

[Buckshotdad1960]

Did you know that there are over 2000 different kinds of catfish around the world?

And that’s just the fresh water kind. I have caught sail cats in Tampa Bay. Which is salt water. They are small, less than a pound, blue and have a fin on their back like a Sail fish.

[Buckshotdad1960]

Did you know that the most feared fish that swims in the Amazon is not the Piranha? It’s a catfish. The kicker here is that it is microscopic. When swimming in the water and you urinate in the water, this catfish follows the sent of your urine and swims up your urinary track. Once deep inside it spreads its mad toms so that it can not be dislodged. There it happily grows and more often than not becomes fatal to its host.

By the way that was some interesting stuff on the Gasconade Al.

[eric1978]

The highest bluff in the Ozarks is Big Bluff on the upper Buffalo--it's highest sheer rock outcrop tops out at 530 feet above the river.

And it's spectacular! I went on a 3 day backpacking trip with two buddies and we spent the second morning climbing up that bluff (on the trail, not straight up) and killed the rest of the day just hanging out on top. I felt like an Anasazi cliff dweller up there and it was the most incredible view I've seen short of the Rockies, and in fact it is the tallest single-faced bluff between the Rockies and the Appalachians. We camped at Hemmed-In Hollow the night before that, which is also really cool. It was a great trip.

[eric1978]

Did you know that the most feared fish that swims in the Amazon is not the Piranha? It’s a catfish. The kicker here is that it is microscopic. When swimming in the water and you urinate in the water, this catfish follows the sent of your urine and swims up your urinary track. Once deep inside it spreads its mad toms so that it can not be dislodged. There it happily grows and more often than not becomes fatal to its host.

By the way that was some interesting stuff on the Gasconade Al.

That's when that "O-face" guy's advice from Office Space comes in handy. "Hey...wear a rubber dude."

[Buckshotdad1960]

Did you know a catfish has the best smelling ability of any fish that swims? The catfish has smell receptacles all over its body. It can literally smell with its tail. Catfish can live almost any where but are made for the river. There the water can be muddy for weeks on end so their eye sight is not necessarily important. If by accident a catfish lost both its eyes it could still live and grow.

[Buckshotdad1960]

That's when that "O-face" guy's advice from Office Space comes in handy. "Hey...wear a rubber dude."

Or don't pee in the water!

Farmers loose a lot of cattle in this way.

No wonder they hate this tiny fish.

[Buckshotdad1960]

Did you know that a pig has no sweat glands? This means that a pig has no way to get rid of any impurities in its body. What ever toxins a pig gathers up in its life time stays in it. Then you eat it and now guess who has the toxic toxins in them. It’s hard to imagine something that tastes so good could be so bad for you. Pork lowers your immune system making you susceptible to other diseases like colds and flues which if untreated can turn into ammonia (I think I spelled that right) which can kill you. Pork is the poor mans food of choice because of its price and taste but on average spends more on medicine, doctor visits and loss of work. Not to mention they spread their illnesses to the rest of the family and the price for eating pork goes up.

Catfish are the same way. They too taste great, easy to catch and the number one preferred fish for food by poor people. That’s not to say rich people don’t like them but poor people consume more than the rich. Catfish also have no way to get rid of toxins in their body. Often on larger rivers you see signs warning people to only consume certain amounts of fish because of PCB’S and mercury levels. Some people think catfish are contaminated and bad to eat because they are a bottom feeder and a scavenger. And they can be. But they are also lethal predators and also feed at mid range depths and on the surface. Catfish farmers feed catfish floating pellets.

[FishinCricket]

Did you know that an owl doesn't have a butthole?

Go figure!