What equipment does one require for a field trip?

[uslanja]

Good morning!  I see quite a few folks making field trips and it has developed an interest in me to try a few trips here where I live.  We certainly do not have anything that even comes close to the variety of water life that occurs in Australia, but none the less a desire to see what we do have, has developed.  Now the sight of an older man splashing around in a creek giggling, with a twinkle in my eye, all the while chasing minnows, will most certainly have me committed for at least three days of observation. So...........?  What does everyone take along with them to ensure success on the hunt while avoiding strange stares and possible questioning by the local constable? Netting; what kind, mesh size, handles, floats, rope, containers, etc.?   DIY or store bought?  I could just go do it and figure out a technique but being as folks "Down Under" have already mastered the technique....... how does everyone go about the hunt?

[buck]

The best way to start is to look in to your laws and fishing regulations, everywhere is different so thats going to be a location based.

A few things that are good to take are a scoop net, a good size one helps to make ot easy but some times a smaller one is good for tight spots.

Box traps work well, if they are permited, the rainbow fish boys have been using an open top style trap that you watch and pull straight up when hyou have fish/shrimp hitting the bait.

A bucket with a lid is handy if you wanna take them home, if your just looking at what you catch a glass jar or one of those little plastic boxes kids put bugs in are good to view the shrimp/ fish you catch. rainbow fish collectors take a little fish tank woth them to photograph their catchs.

if you go for a trap, the bait you use will be another thing to take. Some people use dry cat and dog food, tins of cat food with holes pumched in the top, vegimite on bread is popular aswell. Try a few things and see what your locality likes. 

If you really wanna have a good look at whats going on a snorkle and goggles can be fun. Depends on what you want to do but.  

[Baccus]

As already mentioned find out about your local areas laws, you may need a permit for fishing even if you technically are not doing the traditional fishing rod fishing. Also try to find out any species that are strictly no take. In England I believe that newts could be a no take species (by the way if you are in England I personally would like to see some newts) and non-native crays would be kill on site while native crays would be release, in America I believe in certain states its sunfish that are not allowed to be taken.

I take a couple of hand nets that I got from a fishing shop, they are actually designed for netting bait fish out of bait wells on boats and have short handles but I find them good to scoop through the water to net fish from the front and back similantiously. Long handle nets can also be good to reach into deeper areas that you don't want to try and wade into. For possible nets I would check out pet shops for things like fish nets and butterfly nets as well as fishing tackle shops. You will want a net with good durable mesh/ fabric for scooping though weedlife and possibly over rocks. The smallish nets I have that I mentioned are light weight and the frame is made of hollow aluminium.

I always take at least one clear sided bucket with a sealable lid. In the lid I have drilled a hole that allows me to thread through an airline attached to a battery airpump. You could also get a small 20L fish tank to take happy snaps of your captures before releasing them again.

Take with you a hat to keep off the sun, possibly sunscreen to protect your face and arms and some polorised sunglasses to help cut through the glare on the water and see the critters getting about in the water. Take along some food and water ,the bug can be addictive and you may end up spending longer than expected from food and resfreshment options. Also take a small first aid kit with you, you may never need it but better to be safe than sorry. Keep an eye on the weather any sudden changes or storms and get the hell out of the water, especially if your in a potential flash flooding area. Get some durable good grip shoes like reef shoes, sneakers/ joggers are fine but its not nice squelching about for the rest of the day in soaked shoes and socks. Also reef shoes will offer your feet some protection from broken bottles and sharp rocks. Failing that you could go the whole hog and get anglers waders.

If you want to be really scientific you could take with you a TDS pen, pH pen and thermometer. A note book to record species and other observations could also be good. I often go out firefly hunting/ watching and I keep a journal of the weather conditions, moon light, firefly activity levels etc. It helps me later in deciding if its the right conditions again to get optimal sightings in certain areas or if the fireflies are even likely to be active.

If using hand nets scoop through water weeds and any build up of leaf debris this is where you can find some interesting critters. Check out on and around any submerged wood. If the creek/ stream is sandy on the bottom look for tracks like snail tracks. If your primarily after small water critters try back waters and sheltered areas out of strong flow. Looking under rocks can also be worthwhile and a snorkel google can help with visability if you didn't want to totally submerge your head/ face.

To bait or attract the local inhabitants fresh or stale bread almost never fails, but I often also take along a selection of my fish foods that are pellets or wafers, you could also try fish burley from your local fishing tackle shop. Vegemite I would say works as an attractant because of the yeast, garlic might also work since it is supposed to encourage a fishes appetite.

As for funny looks by the general public..... just act totally natural like they what you are doing is totally normal. If you act like a fugitive it will get the public suspicious, but calmly go about what your doing and ignore them and they may merely approach you out of curiosity. If they talk to you, you may even infect another person with the bug, then you could have an expedition companion, to share your finds and fun with.

And most of all have fun and share your findings

[Madmerv]

Well Baccus has just about covered it all. Only thing i could add is what we call here in West Australia an Esky. 

Can be used for holding all kinds of things at the temp you want them but primarily used to hold amber liquids at around 3-6C for consumption at the end of a long day. Even better if you have convinced the other half that you were going on a picnic and that they had to drive...Lol

[bluestarfish]

You might need a permit other than a fishing permit, though I can't expand on this. Ohio seems to have permits for possessing/buying/selling native fish/crustaceans/mollusks which is completely separate from a fishing permit. (It's not clear to me if this permit is needed just want to keep and admire native animals, the code seems to be aimed at large scale aquaculture, but has bits in it that make it seem like it covers hobbyists as well)

I dunno how whichever part of Canada you're in does things, but it's probably worth a call to your fish/wildlife division to find out the specifics.

 

Edited October 4, 2016 by bluestarfish

[uslanja]

Thank you to everyone for the advice.  Just reading everyone's suggestions has increased my excitement level to try this even more.  I will need to check into the local laws to ensure that I am in compliance, or at least to know when I might need to run like the wind.  Today is our "Thanksgiving" holiday here in Canada so it is a good time for a stroll along a couple of creeks to get the lay of the land.  The creek beds in my area are mud and sediments will most likely be easily stirred so maintaining visibility while moving about will need to be mastered.  Collecting containers for observations and transport has begun and the hunt for netting and traps are next.

When using traps; is it just for the period during your hunt or does anyone leave them out for a longer period of time to increase the catch; such as overnight or a few days or...?

I really like the idea of recording the local water parameters and weather on the day of the hunt! 

A box trap was mentioned and what I have found in that regard is a square mesh/netting trap with a wire frame.  Is that the type of box trap referred to?  There were other traps of similar construction but in different shapes, is the box trap the best design for this purpose?

Madmerv mentioned something known as an "Esky".  Now that is a term that I am not familiar with but the description of an "amber liquid" has given me a very vague idea of what this item may be and being as this is a holiday; I think I'll spend some time with an "amber liquid" and try to discover just what an "Esky" is!  ;-)

bluestarfish........ my guess is that you are in Ohio? Do you ever do the hunting/trapping in any of the creeks down your way?  If you do and you ever want another person to tag along, give me a shout..........I am always up for a road trip and Ohio is just a few hours away from me.  Of course I would be more than happy to have you join me up this way as well if you are interested.  I am in Ridgeway at the eastern end of Lake Erie and the Niagara River.

I really have no idea what is in our local creeks and along the shorelines but this activity is sure to take my wildlife enjoyment to a new level.  Thank you to everyone for all of your time and advice. I can hardly wait to go on my first hunt and post the discoveries!

 

 

 

 

 

[Baccus]

Not being fully up to date on what exactly air breathing critters you might have in your area, but I do seem to recall that there could be water voles and or musk rats living in your water ways? If that is the case then I would not leave the traps out over night, because you may attract or accidently trap a mammal that needs air and end up drowning. It sounds not likely to happen but sadly I have seen water rats and even turtles drowned in net traps.

If possible I would probably set the trap up stream and then wonder a few meters down stream to do my wading and netting, then when your almost ready to leave go back and check your trap.

I don't know if these link would be any help or even the contacts

https://www.ontario.ca/page/aquatic-research

This might also be of help to you, and if you click on the various pictures it gives you more information on the species

http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/species-especes/listing-eng.htm

 

[bluestarfish]

On 10/10/2016 at 9:49 AM, uslanja said:

bluestarfish........ my guess is that you are in Ohio? Do you ever do the hunting/trapping in any of the creeks down your way?  If you do and you ever want another person to tag along, give me a shout..........I am always up for a road trip and Ohio is just a few hours away from me.  Of course I would be more than happy to have you join me up this way as well if you are interested.  I am in Ridgeway at the eastern end of Lake Erie and the Niagara River.

I really have no idea what is in our local creeks and along the shorelines but this activity is sure to take my wildlife enjoyment to a new level.  Thank you to everyone for all of your time and advice. I can hardly wait to go on my first hunt and post the discoveries!

I only recently moved into Ohio in July, and have never really gone out and collected anything. Ohio only has two species of shrimp, one of which is virtually nonexistent, and the other of which is rare because of water quality issues.

The guy has expressed interest in setting up a native tank some day when we have room. I'll let you know if/when we ever end up doing that. Just know we'll probably be trying to collect crawdads, pumpkinseed and bluegills rather than shrimps. I'm pretty burnt out on travel and my passport is expired so going to Canada land isn't in the cards anytime soon for me.

I used to live in Texas, which has wildlife disturbance laws in place (mostly for seabirds and turtles). That might be another thing worth checking out. You wouldn't want to get slapped with a fine just cause you happened to step foot on a protected island or shoreline.

 

[Madmerv]

I will make your research easier.

http://www.colemanaustralia.com.au/products/Esky