Kampala 58

[Shane]

More to follow but had some great collecting today...
-Shane

[wrasse]

Very nice! looks like a Pseudocrenilabrus sp.

But more importantly, it matches your t-shirt!

And check out that sky!!!

[Shane]

Very nice! looks like a Pseudocrenilabrus sp.

Yes. P. multicolor victoriae (more on that below)

And check out that sky!!!

Your sky does not look like that in early Feb
-Shane

[Shane]

Headed out Sunday for a chance collecting trip. We have company visiting us and the plan was to take them down to the equator for their Uganda tourist photo op (faithful readers will be aware that I have made this trip several times...). I planned to take some collecting gear and hit the big swamp down that way quickly on the way back.
Well Africa usually has its own plan. Saturday we had headed over to Jinja to hit the source of the Nile and a few other things. One of the coolest was visiting the monument to the place where some of Mahatma Ghandi's ashes were placed in the Nile. Not long after returning to Kampala my wife was hit with a nasty bug. By the next morning our guest Joe was down with his own version. Luckily Amy and I felt great and she was game to hit the equator and photo me collecting some fishes. We abandoned our ill spouses to their fates, packed up nets and buckets and headed out.

We scouted several possible collecting locations on the way down and even stopped at one small stream. Each net brought up dozens of Barbus apleurogramma, but nothing else, so we headed for greener pastures. Amy compared possible collecting sites to the map and, no surprise since she is a professional archaeologist, proved to be a damn fine navigator. We headed south towards Masaka until we reached the equator. There we grabbed a quick snack and got Amy her equator photo before turning back north to check out the spots we had seen on the way down.

(If you have read the book, "The Last King of Scotland" you might remember that there is a mysterious grave marker near the equator for a Scot that died in 1893. The grave marker notes that he fought against the "Waganda Mohammedans." This would translate as Ugandan Muslims. I had half a mind to beat the bushes for the marker, but figured it would be more fun to find with Jools sometime.)

The first place we stopped at was the papyrus swamp just north of the equator. I had collected a Clarias and an adult Ctenopoma in only the few minutes I had stopped there before and was and was keen to collect more of both. Nature likes to fool us that way. This time I collected for about 45 minutes and caught neither. There were juvenile Ctenopoma and plenty of barbs and juvenile cichlids but not too much else. Then, just as I was about to call it quits I noticed a flash of metallic blue in the net. It was a very small killifish! I was very excited by this find. I hope to grow it up a bit so I can get some good pictures.

The next stop was a place Amy had spotted from the road. It was just a two tire track leading a short distance from the main road, but I saw promise even from a distance. As we approached to the edge we stopped and watched a male cichlid in just a few inches of water drive off unseen attackers from his nest area.

The spot turned out to be perfect as the substrate was hard dirt and the water was closer to "white" than black. I was already a nasty mess from sinking in the papyrus swamp so a nice easy collecting spot was very appealing to me by this time. I worked the spot with a 4' X 4' seine for about 30 minutes. The catch was limited to cichlids and barbs but despite the lack of more interesting fishes I was very pleased. The P. multicolor victoriae I collected in this spot were more beautiful than any other member of this genus I have collected in Africa. I brought back several including a female with a mouth full of fry that she maintained all the way back to Kampala. She is still brooding them now. That is a serious mother!

As we pulled away I wondered aloud how I would find this spot again. Just then we approached the main road and both looked north to a big pink sign that read "Kampala 58 Kilometers." Amy and I cracked up and decided on the spot that the collecting site would forever be known as Kampala 58.

All photos Amy Holmes-Harris
(Thanks Amy!)
-Shane

Papyrus swamp habitat at first location

Collecting in the swamp.

Male cichlid guards his nest

Overview of Kampala 58

There are always Tilapia to be found

Any fishes in here?

Barbus apleurogramma

[L number Banana]

Geez, I feel like a sissy for wanting hip waders! Do you ever worry about the critters underneath the water? Are there species there that you have to watch out for?

And you look like Clark Kent. May we call you superman from now on?

[racoll]

Really enjoying your posts Shane.

Great reading.

[Shane]

Geez, I feel like a sissy for wanting hip waders! Do you ever worry about the critters underneath the water? Are there species there that you have to watch out for?

Never worried about critters here. South America has worrisome critters under the water, but Africa does not. Anything big enough to get you here, like a croc or a hippo, certainly will not be put off by hip waders I am of course potentially exposing myself to parasites like bilharzia, but hip waders will not protect against those either.

I do not mean to sound cavalier, but I do not think I am at any more risk collecting fishes than a person that rides motorcycles or goes rock climbing on the weekends.

I also have a secret fear of waders drowning me. One wrong step in a hole, the waders fill with water, and down you go to the bottom as you try to pull a Houdini to get out of the waders before you die. No thanks. I would rather swim than sink.

When I do talks on collecting I always include a portion on the associated dangers. The biggest of which is drowning. Tens of thousands of people drown around the world every year. Very, very few are eaten by a croc, trampled by a hippo, or killed by an electric eel.

Really enjoying your posts Shane.

Thanks Rupert.

-Shane

[bronzefry]

Geez, I feel like a sissy for wanting hip waders! Do you ever worry about the critters underneath the water? Are there species there that you have to watch out for?

And you look like Clark Kent. May we call you superman from now on?

As an aside, waders are a personal choice. I don't wear them, because of the slip and fall issue, for me. It's your choice, as always. But, something to think about. Jools educated me about waders and I am eternally grateful. A pair of quick-dry pants/shorts work well. Bass Pro Shop has them in ladies sizes for under $30 American.

A history lesson, too. Awesome, Shane!
Amanda

[Shovelnose]

Great trip there Shane. Have you collected any Amphilids in any of your trips???

[Shane]

Sadly, there appear to be none here.

http://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/view ... =8&t=27722

-Shane

[Jools]

Jools educated me about waders and I am eternally grateful.

In this regard I can only say that I was passing on Shane's view that I agree with. If you learn to collect in halfways decent warm water, you don't tend towards darth waders. Evidenced by the only (sore) injury on that collecting trip you and I did Amanda which was froma guy slipping in waders. They're GREAT for standing in water (gingerly reached) gently casting; they're less good when you want to wander around, relatively actively, on more active waters.

Jools

[L number Banana]

Forgot about this topic - waders. Or Darth Waders.

Never thought about the sink/swim aspect, thank you. I have no issues about getting soaked and I swim like a fish but I'm a sissy when it comes to things attaching to my legs like leeches.
I suppose I could just throw on some socks, ugly 80's tight jeans and dive in or wade in. Fish generally don't worry about fashion. Safer and no leeches.
Any other ideas for a leech-free experience?

[Jools]

Any other ideas for a leech-free experience?

Drink a lot of gin? Seriosuly though, the best thing for leeches is not to go in the water where they are. With the exception I've only had trouble with them in stagant water in the tropics. There were some of them when collecting in Maryland and so the trainers, socks over the pants thing would work I think.

Jools

[Shane]

Believe it or not... but in over 10 years of collecting in South America and Africa I have never had a leech attach to me. As Jools said, water that looks like it has leeches is probably best collected from the shore with traps, cast nets, and dip nets.
I can understand not wanting to expose your legs. My legs between knee and shin are a nasty collection of scars from walking into underwater structures like driftwood, rocks, barbed wire, vines, etc. In fact a I have a big cut on my left shin right now from my last collecting trip.
I would suggest a good pair of quick dry pants when collecting to provide some small measure of protection. The idea of being in wet jeans all day in the tropics does not sound fun to me... and there are very few places away from prying eyes to change clothes.
I did spend a lot of time in nasty swamps in the military, mostly in Florida. We used to tuck our pants into our jungle boots and then seal the cuff where the pants and boot meet with green duct tape. That will keep pretty much anything out and the boots provide some shin protection as well.
-Shane

[bronzefry]

Fear not leeches. Quite medicinal. Just don't toss them in Jool's direction. Still grateful for the lesson. You knew it was going to happen, too.
Fabulous trip, Shane. There never is a bad day collecting.
Amanda

[L number Banana]

Shane:

The idea of being in wet jeans all day in the tropics does not sound fun to me... and there are very few places away from prying eyes to change clothes.

If I could be in the tropics in a clown suit I'd just be happy to be there But I get what you mean, that's what skirts are for, pull skirt on, peel off soaked jeans etc but I think those light quick dry pants might be good too if they're made of something that the leeches can't 'bite' through. I suppose I could do the same with a 'sleeve' of fabric & duct tape.

Bronzefry:

Fear not leeches. Quite medicinal. Just don't toss them in Jool's direction.

Yes but they look wormy If anyone actually wants them, I could sacrifice a piece of meat in the summer and send you a box of 'em. For Jools, we have lots of eels here. Most people just get them off the end of the docks.

Is everyone in wintery places just chomping at the bit to get out there? I am.

[Jools]

For Jools, we have lots of eels here. Most people just get them off the end of the docks.

I don't mind leeches really, there a lot worse things. Amanda was referring to the collecting trip where she accidentally threw one at me ...

Jools

[Shane]

that's what skirts are for, pull skirt on, peel off soaked jeans etc

Great option or women, not an option for me sadly. I suppose a kilt could work in certain locations, but not here. Too many people with still fresh memories of the Last King of Scotland.
-Shane

[bronzefry]

Shane,
I got to spend some time this past weekend who is very interested in Microctenopoma sp. and has collected them in the past; particularly M.damasi. Have you run into them in your travels? Just curious.
Thanks,
Amanda

[Shane]

So far just Ctenopoma muriei, which is fairly common in the various papyrus swamps that surround Lake Victoria. It is actually one of my favorite fishes I have collected so far. I would need toget over by Lake Edward on the Congo border to get M. damasi. This is an area I have yet to visit/explore.
-Shane

[Shane]

All settled in.
-Shane