Left to right: Bill Shields, David Parks, Mike Tuccinardi, Mike Drawdy and Stephan Tanner, out collecting native fishes in Florida.
Have you ever gone fish collecting? It’s not unlike other fishing trips, although the methods employed are a little different and the quarry is generally smaller in stature. Instead of hoisting a 10 lb Largemouth Bass, what excites the angler may be orders of magnitude smaller.
“I’ve got another Swamp Darter,” exclaims Stephan Tanner in the background while Mike Drawdy and Bill Shields bring up a seine full of interesting curiosities in Devil’s Creek; it’s Creek Chubs and Shiners that get these fisherman excited.
Shields and Drawdy hauling a seine out of Devil’s Creek.
Drawdy of Imperial Tropicals was recently joined by David Parks of Segrest Farms, Bill Shields “the Legend” of 5-D Tropical, along with AMAZONAS Magazine Sr. Editors Stephan Tanner and Mike Tuccinardi, for a trip to Florida’s Green Swamp and Devil’s Creek, and they brought back footage of the outing.
Native fish enthusiasts will appreciate the look at the biotope, while other aquarists may simply get an appreciation for what fish collection can look like in the wild. Nothing quite like getting out in the wild and mucking about in search of native fish surprises, and good practice if you ever are thinking of one day going on a collection trip abroad!
Watch the collecting trip footage now:
Check out Imperial Tropical’s Youtube channel for footage from the Florida fish farm and more.
