Fishes Found in Tannehill State Park
The Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division and the Alabama Geological Survey have sampled the streams of Tannehill State Park for fish. These are the most common fish that have been found:
A typical fish sample taken with a backpack shocking unit around the bank: Alabama hog sucker (left bottom), longear sunfish (bottom right), bluegill (top right) and assorted minnows and darters.
Alabama Geological Survey staff collect fish using direct current in Roupes Creek,Tannehill State Park.
The Alabama hog sucker is only found in rocky streams of the Mobile basin. It feeds on invertebrates found on the bottom of such streams.
The Alabama shiner was in breeding colors during this sample on April 14, 2011; the tail was bright red with a white margin. The Alabama shiner is only found in the Mobile basin, and it is one of the most common minnows there. Adults favor moderate to swift flowing runs and riffles over boulder, cobble, and gravel substrates.
The tricolor shiner is another minnow only found in the Mobile basin, mostly Cahaba and Coosa rivers and their tributaries. The Tannehill streams are tributaries to the Cahaba River.
The Alabama darter is a small fish found in the rocky areas of streams in the upper Mobile basin. This fish is only found in Alabama.
Even though it is not found in the Tennessee River basin, the blackbanded darter is the most widespread and abundant type of darter in Alabama.
The pretty shiner, in spite of its name, is less colorful than some of the other minnows in Tannehill.
The silverstripe shiner is often found in the deep runs and eddies of streams.
Bluegill are found in more locations of Alabama than any other type of fish. This is good for anglers, as they are fun to catch.
The largescale stoneroller is one of the most common fish in Mill Creek of Tannehill Historical State Park. They scrape algae off rocks and are considered pollution tolerant.
Banded sculpins generally inhabit clear, cool upland streams flowing over cobble, rubble, and flat rocks, but they also occur in large flowing streams and upland rivers. They generally indicate good water quality.
Less common at Tannehill:
Only found in the Mobile basin, the riffle minnow is commonly found in swift riffles and runs of large rivers and tributaries with cobble and gravel bottoms. It is adapted to life on the stream bottom. Its spindled body form and the placement of its fins are adapted to gathering insect immatures by foraging through the bottom gravel and sediments.
As the name implies, suckers suck insects off the bottom of streams. The black redhorse is the only redhorse with 10 fin rays in the pelvic fin.
Topminnows are the opposite of darters. Topminnows live in the quiet surface waters of streams. The blackspotted topminnow has small black spots on their back and upper sides. Mosquitofish are similar to topminnows, but they are slower and tend to stay closer to vegetation. They give birth to their young live.
Green sunfish are a colorful sunfish with a large mouth.
Longear sunfish are the most colorful gamefish in the streams of Alabama.
The redear sunfish can crush snails and mussels in their throat. Anglers call them shellcrackers. Greenbreast darters can be colorful with their throat area having various shades of green and the tail having a variety of colors.
Male speckled darters have turqouise blue bars during breeding season.
Four or fewer of these have been found at one time while sampling Tannehill streams:
The American eel is a fish that lives inland but breeds in the ocean. Animals that may be confused with the American eel include lamprey (fish) and the one-toed amphiuma (amphibian).
The creek chub is more common is small headwater streams. It is an omnivore, it will eat plant or animal material.
Golden redhorse are most likely found in smaller streams like at Tannehill during spawning runs or as juvenile fish. They are one of the larger redhorse suckers. Warmouth are a type of sunfish more likely to be found around vegetation and stumps than open water.
Redeye bass are a type of black bass that likes cooler streams. They do not alway have red eyes, but their fins have white margins.
Spotted bass in the upper Mobile basin have been described by scientists as a separate species. They are proposing that these fish be called "Alabama bass."
Largemouth bass is the official State Freshwater Fish of Alabama. It is also our most popular gamefish. A State-Fish art contest is held every year, and the largemouth bass is a popular subject.
The redspot darter is another colorful bottom dwelling fish.
Exotic species collected by hook and line, rainbow trout.
