Cave full of large fish

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Cave full of large fish

Postby Chads93GT » May 21, 2012 1:45 pm

Shot these video's yesterday.

https://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?v ... 2538711535

https://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?v ... 2545571535

I made them public sso anyone can see them. This particular cave is the Blackfathom River Cave in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri. We have it currently surveyed to 6.77 miles. The main trunk of the cave makes up about 4.3 miles of that currently. It is rather unique as a large sinkhole pond overflows into the upper entrance and floods the cave with fish. We had to survey through this for years, but yesterday we did a trash cleanup and gathered all survey poles and 5 tape measures, scattered throughout the cave, as well as hauled out 20 gallons of trash (4 5 gallon buckets full of supplies stashed at basecamp). While doing so, we came across these pools 2 hours in. We have always seen fish in the cave........but not like this........The concentration of them was ridiculous. This is only a couple videos of the fish I took. Swimming through them in crawlways with a foot of water and a foot of air is quite the experience as well, they have no where to go and they beat you up pretty bad. Getting nailed with a 15-20 pound fish in the chest, legs, and elsewhere really does hurt, lol. enjoy
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Re: Cave full of large fish

Postby agosnell » May 21, 2012 2:18 pm

very cool.
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Re: Cave full of large fish

Postby Scott McCrea » May 21, 2012 2:54 pm

We all need to go to MO, grab a fish leash and lead one to fish freedom. Save the cave fish! :woohoo:
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Re: Cave full of large fish

Postby Chads93GT » May 21, 2012 3:07 pm

The raccoons get most of them. There are coon tracks everywhere in there, and fish bones scattered everywhere. ive been in there and saw dozens of freshly ate carcasses on the banks of the river. How they havent found the large pools we found is beyond me, because these fish literally cant go anywhere until the water level comes up and allows them to swim downstream to the next area. lol and when they die......of course its horribly disgusting.
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Re: Cave full of large fish

Postby rlboyce » May 21, 2012 7:15 pm

First Annual Cave-Fishin' Rodeo?? : )
Happiness can be measured in mud/in².
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Re: Cave full of large fish

Postby JHCAVER » May 22, 2012 12:43 am

Thats one of the coolest things I've ever seen :kewl:
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Re: Cave full of large fish

Postby SuckinOnSodaStraws » May 22, 2012 10:22 am

Abundant cave life! Has anyone done any studies/documenting on this location aside from these videos? Vids were friggin' sweet. Never seen anything like it.
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Re: Cave full of large fish

Postby Chads93GT » May 22, 2012 11:14 am

We have had a bio inventory done from the CRF, but they werent interested in the fish. In fact, I dont recall a single "cave only" species of any bug or critter, found on the inventory. The water is loaded with life, but it all washes in from the sinkhole plain. Missouri's large caves in Perry county, to the south, all have fish in them as well. Just not like this, and not this large. WE have been dealing with these suckers ever since the cave was discovered. Its an ongoing project, still underway.
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Re: Cave full of large fish

Postby jlogic_2000 » May 22, 2012 1:13 pm

pretty cool!
except for the dead ones!
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Re: Cave full of large fish

Postby Downundercaver » May 23, 2012 11:53 pm

thats mad fun, but if you hear the jaws theme song RUN/SWIM OUTTA THERE !!!!!!!!
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Re: Cave full of large fish

Postby Teresa » Jun 1, 2012 12:48 am

With Chad's permission I processed the videos for YouTube and consolidated the story into one for Traveler's online readers. It might help some who aren't on FB to be able to see what the thread is about. Those fish are one of the most amazing things I've ever seen in Missouri underground.

http://rhtrav.com/wordpress/cave-fish-v ... you-think/
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Re: Cave full of large fish

Postby batrotter » Jun 1, 2012 4:29 am

Pretty cool! Teresa, thanks for doing the videos for those of us not on facebook.
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