A sign of Spring ~ Fish Spawn *photo essay*

Besides the beautiful blooms of flowers and trees. Such as our beautiful, flowering pink Dogwood., in photo below. Another sign of Spring, is the spawning of the fish. We have carpsucker fish in our pond, as well as trout, perch and bass. A small stream runs through our yard into the pond. The stream comes down from the mountain across the road. It then goes under the road. Through a pipe. And drops into our yard. Giving us this little stream. Our pond has a spring in its center. So it will never go dry. A Gazebo stands behind the dogwood. Such a nice spot to sit. Especially with the trickling of the stream babbling by. This has been one, of our families favorites spots, in the yard. For over thirty years, many a picture has been taken here. :)

 
The bed of the creek has sand and small rocks. Which is excellent spawning grounds for the suckers. They swim out of the pond against the current, up the small creek. At one part of the creek, it changes levels. And they will actually jump up onto the next level. To travel further up the water. That is so awesome to see. But very hard to get a picture of.

Splashing of water fills the air. And you know spring is here. Sometimes there are so many spawning at the same time. The stream looks like it has little fountains in it. Sometimes they get the attention of our cats. They sit along the edge of the water. Catching some once in awhile.
Oh yes, they eat what they catch.. lol

The fish  reproduce during March and April. I've read that Females may produce from 15,000 to 360,000 eggs apiece. I also  read that they can live up to ten years. And can reach a length of about 26 inches and maximum weight of 12 pounds.

I think some of ours are a little heavier than that. =) The fish in photo below is around 18 inches. His tail stretches out beyond the red arrow. The neighbor across the road has a small pond as well. And they've got carpsucker fish. They are atleast 36 inches if not more in length. They look like mini submarines. When they are spawning. We have had them come through the pipe under the road. They plop into our little stream. Then they have to live in our pond. No way to get back across the road. That is actually why our pond has them now. Our father had the pond put in. And only put Rainbow Trout, Perch and Bass in it. Now we have the carpsuckers~

                                   
                                                                          Spring 2008
                                    Taken with digital camera: Digital Concepts 2.1 Mega Pixels