Amphib - ours have been around since the 1800s at least
It's very strange how few I've seen lately. They also behave very differently than Jon's buffaloes. Here they are pretty skittish - they will often swing by for a look but won't stay and one wrong move sends them flicking off into the void.
Of course Jon's pics there are winter when I'm sure they are more docile. They look like great photography subjects! The Muskie shots you put up last year were also really awesome.
Mind you I'm talking open water - Grand Traverse bay opens into Lake Michigan. We do not have many carp in the inland lakes around here - in fact I've never seen one though I'm sure they are there.
There is alot of concern about asian carp - three species I think - with the silver-small-scaled one being the biggest concern. Huge filter feeders. So far they seem to think they've kept them out of the big lake - but if they do get in it will be a problem. DNR says one of these bad-boys equals about 10,000 zebra muscles per day.
Anyway - around here they are less common than they used to be - and have never really been much of a problem. Out in Lake Michigan this summer I saw exactly one carp! It was mostly Freshwater Drum - which seem to be feeding on the Zebra Muscles. Cool looking fish!
The DNR here plants Salmon, Lake Trout and various hybrids. They are ridiculously abundant and mostly die in the rivers. With our visibility hunting Salmon would be awesome - almost like blue water hunting. They have practically no curiosity and are big and very fast. There are alot of species that would be too easy to spear - but the big apex predators would be quite demanding. The laws are kind of like superstition. The two shots toward the begining of my site are the closest I've gotten to healthy Salmon.
Winter Visibility has been stunning here - over 100feet at least a couple of days. Last few days the weather has been fierce. I could dive but I'd be an ice block the moment I got out.
You can check my picture site for how it looks most of the year - down at the bottom are some fishless winter shots - including stunning photos of my new ice fins
It's awesome swimming around right now - even with no fish. I owe it to jon for turning me on to the wonders of winter freediving!
