Minnows trying to jump up Don dam north of Pottery Road

[dodo]

I was going past the concrete Don River dam north of Pottery Road at 5PM today and I noticed a constant stream of minnows flying out of the water at the edge of the dam beside the bicycle trail. The water drops about 2 feet here so very few of the miniature fish were able to swim over the dam. I could see there was a very large school below the dam. I sat on the dam and it did not take long to catch some in my hand. They were 2-2.5 inches long.I don't know what species they were but they had a black lateral line and were  dark grey above and white below.   

[Axeman]

Sounds like creek chub from your description....google and see if that's the fish.

[dodo]

Yes Axeman they do look like Creek Chub .Thanks for the feedback.

[Axeman]

My parents bought a townhouse in the cookeville area of Mississauga back '72....brand new development....cornfields all around....and we backed onto the "ravine"....Cooksville Creek....I spent a couple of summers when I was maybe 7 - 8 walking up and down the creek with a little net catching Chub....keeping them in a live well until the end of the day and then dumping them out....that's in the fond memory bin in my head.

[dodo]

I went by the dam today and the Creek Chub were still jumping in the same spot but not as many as yesterday. I counted at least 15 large Carp below the dam but they weren't doing any jumping. I grew up in Orillia and would ocassionally catch yellow perch in the spring at the narrows between Simcoe and Couchiching.I don't have any familiarity with Creek Chub like you do Axeman.

[Axeman]

lol I wonder how many people actually know what they're called....they're rather unmarketable to most people....it's just they were a big part of my childhood and that's why I figured it out....when I was a kid I knew they had to have a name so I searched (long before the internet lol)......now if you really wanna be impressed, test my knowledge of ants....in a past life I was a myrmecologist lol....