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I went to scout the old Granton Quarry exposure in North Bergen yesterday. Hit it from the back side behind Tonnelle Plaza. But I can't discern what spots might produce. Is there something to look for? I was digging at about five feet high in the shale beds. Any advice would be appreciated.

Hey all, I've recently been fascinated by Triassic fish in NJ including semionotus. If anyone has any spots where it is possible to collect them I would love to know! Thanks a lot!

Prologue: I am a lucky man. I have my health, I have my family, I have my fossils. Last but not least, I have a forum where I can learn, and teach, and guide, and make new friends. I have made many friends on the forum, each unique, and each a joy to deal with. Hopefully, one day I may be able to hunt with all of my forum friends. On to the story... The other day I arrived home from work to an unexpected package. I saw the return address, and scratched my head, as I wasn't expecting any package from this good friend. JimB88 hadn't sent me a pm to let me know he was sending something, as he has in the past. Hmm. I opened the package with more than a bit of excitement, as I am a sucker for a surprise. What could he have sent me? He has already graced me with a wide assortment of treasures from his beloved Mississippian Bangor Limestone. I do not lie, when I say that I gasped in shock, as the package's contents came to light. Sitting before me, .... was a life sized sculpture of one of my favorite fossils, ... a Semionotus! And this one even has a head! Needless to say, I was totally blown away, not only by the artistry of this peice, but also by the precision with which it was executed. And of course, ... I LOVE this unexpected gift. Jim,... thank you, once again,... for your time, effort, and skill you put into this artwork, and for your friendship. Have a look everyone. It holds a prominent place in my Computer Room/Study. Thanks for looking. Regards,

They were out there somewhere, we knew they were. We knew from the start this wouldn't be easy. Or pleasant. We had seen them before, but this was different. Everything was different. These fish had been underground for longer than anyone could remember. It was our job to bring them out and we knew from experience they'd never come out alive. Tim aka Fossildude19 was the hardened sleuth. He'd been here many times. Mike aka Pagurus was newer to the game but just as determined. The day was dry and hot, but our search area centered around a mudhole in the ground. They say if you find yourself in a hole, stop digging, but we were on a mission. We couldn't go home empty-handed. While Tim applied his shovel several yards away, on a secret mission, Mike foolishly hopped into the mudhole. The mud was as thin as a can of turkey gravy watered down to feed a dozen unexpected guests. Mike searched the hole for the elusive shale and began expanding the hole. As the mudhole widened, it filled with overhanging dirt. More shale was exposed. A good thing. The mud got muddier. Not so good. Mike got closer and closer to his quarry and with the now sticky mud up to his elbows and dripping into his work boots he pried the shale loose from its lair. The mud-caked shale was piled on drier land and Mike crawled out of his hole. Tim, an accomplished shale-splitter, was invited to help with the splitting. There's always a fellow fisherman, with the same bait and tackle as his buddies, who catches twice as many fish. While Mike split his share of the shale and found a few scales, a few plant pinules and a few coprolites, Tim the fossildude found this fish: Tim the Generous handed the fish to Mike to work on at home and to add to his collection. Thank you Tim! Here are the results, an almost complete Semionotus. Success! It's a small fish, about 3 1/4 inches long. Oh, and Tim also decided to hop into the hole, wisely covering the mud with a drop cloth first. It helped a little. Edit: I forgot some important details. Found in Connecticut, Early Jurassic, Shuttle Meadow Formation, Newark Supergroup.

Hello all. Haven't had much time to hunt, as life has been getting in the way. I have only been out 5 or 6 times so far this year, and only 3 times to my regular fishing hole. (Early Jurassic, Shuttle Meadow Formation, Connecticut.) My hole in the ground had caved in/slumped down over the winter, and with the spring rains, I have not had a lot of opportunity to get out to this spot. Each time I found a few things, while spending the majority of my time removing dirt from the cave-ins. The most notable find from the previous two trips was from the beginning of June. A Semionotus sp., missing the tail and the lower third of it's skull and body. Well, I had a chance to get out for a few hours this past Sunday, to hunt my Shuttle Meadow formation stomping grounds, with Pagurus. I arrived slightly earlier than Mike did, as he had a long drive, and I am much closer. I arrived around 7:20 am, and commenced to digging some of the rubble from the winter/spring cave-ins. It was a pleasant day, but the digging induced much sweating, as the temperature climbed with the humidity. Within about 15-20 minutes of digging, I uncovered a likely looking piece of shale, that must have been in the slumped material. I split it on the side, but it broke down the middle as I struck the shale with my trusty Estwing rock hammer. I commenced to splitting the 1st half - nothing notable. Then, I split the second half, and was rewarded by the sight of a lovely fish,... another Semionotus sp. this time, nearly complete, and only missing it's tail. Continued...