Okoboji Critter ID

[cruiser]

Had a chance to dive West Okoboji last week--Pillsbury Point and Millford Tower. Really enjoyed the dives and Arnold's Park.

While there, I noticed some little critters on the bottom (don't have a picture--they were too quick). Anyway, they just dart around the bottom and leave a small silt cloud. Probably not over an inch long, brownish. And there were LOTS of them, darting here and there as we approached.

Does anyone know what these were?

 

[fleep]

Were they sour and chewy with an acrid aftertaste? What did they look like in the blender?

 

[mikerault]

Does Arnolds still have the fun house with the barrel walk, bug house, sugar bowl and other neat stuff? It did when I was 12...only 40 years ago! Isn't there a wreck of a paddle wheel ferry in the lake somewhere?

Mike

 

[b1gcountry]

Had a chance to dive West Okoboji last week--Pillsbury Point and Millford Tower. Really enjoyed the dives and Arnold's Park.

While there, I noticed some little critters on the bottom (don't have a picture--they were too quick). Anyway, they just dart around the bottom and leave a small silt cloud. Probably not over an inch long, brownish. And there were LOTS of them, darting here and there as we approached.

Does anyone know what these were?

That's not exactly the best description, what were they shaped like? Are they fish, or crustaceans? I would guess they were crayfish (crawdads), from the darting around and kicking up silt, and brownish color, but I might be totally wrong.

Tom

 

[cruiser]

That's not exactly the best description, what were they shaped like? Are they fish, or crustaceans? I would guess they were crayfish (crawdads), from the darting around and kicking up silt, and brownish color, but I might be totally wrong.

Tom

Unfortunately, I didn't get a good look. They matched the color of the silt and poof, there was a silt cloud. As you dive along the bottom, there's a lot of activity of these things scurrying away. That's the best look I got of them. Was thinking along the lines of crawdads, too, small ones. Something bigger I would have been able to see

 

[cruiser]

Does Arnolds still have the fun house with the barrel walk, bug house, sugar bowl and other neat stuff? It did when I was 12...only 40 years ago! Isn't there a wreck of a paddle wheel ferry in the lake somewhere?

Mike

Mike--All I saw was the roller coaster because the dive shop was underneath it but they had a lot of rides going on. Their web site is here: Arnolds Park Rides and Attractions

Don't know about the paddle wheel--just saw Milford Tower and Pillsbury Point this time

 

[cruiser]

fleep--

Is that snow in your avatar?

 

[bladephotog]

Does Arnolds still have the fun house with the barrel walk, bug house, sugar bowl and other neat stuff? It did when I was 12...only 40 years ago! Isn't there a wreck of a paddle wheel ferry in the lake somewhere?

Mike

No, they got rid of that years ago. Too bad. My family has a house on West Okoboji and I spent most of my summers up there. The Fun House was killer. I'm sure no insurance company in their right mind would allow something like the sugar bowl today. But that place was a blast.

I've never heard of a paddle wheel wreck there. Here you can find some photos on Lloyd Cunningham's site.

Can't help you with the critter ID. Crayfish will act like that.

 

[mikerault]

it might have been Storm Lake...they have pictures (or had...) in one of the resturants...

Mike

 

[fleep]

Yip, it's a snow PAC-MAN, heh (< - - - -