MNFishhunter's Species Thread.

[MNFishhunter]

Sweet!!! I didn't realize I' met my quota again. Kinda wondered why some of the topics ceased to carry on. Now I know. Thanks!!!

[Slabasaurus]

Yeah dudes. And let me know what day to take off to join you... you all work weekends, I have vacation time to burn and like fishing. A lot.

I am also curious as to the bullhead trick. My usual spots are great on live bait but seriously I haven't had a bit on anything from a leech to a SanJuan worm (Don't judge me)

[MNFishhunter]

PM me and we will duscuss.. I already judged you, to late.

[MNFishhunter]

#23 Bowfin (dogfish)

[Slabasaurus]

haha, There ya go!

Nice bowfin

[Wabamskee]

dang, nice fish...for reel.

[MNFishhunter]

Thanks Wambaskee. I'm curious about the red on the tail. Must be a spawning thing.

[Wabamskee]

Yeah, that is interesting. From looking around a bit, bowfin colors and patterns do change throughout seasons and location, one known color is copper with a red tail. I also found a comment indicating that if blood accumulates in the tail it can turn red, this is typical from holding it on a stringer though (doesn't seem like your style). Could be spawning colors, but that definitely does look like a bow.

[MNFishhunter]

No stringer, but that is really interesting the whole color thing. Need to spend some time on it.

[Schollmeier]

nice 'fin! color can vary a lot on them...

[MNFishhunter]

#24 Brown bullhead

[MNFishhunter]

GAR- which one? long or short????

[OnAFly]

I've been casting at these things far a week on the Croix and haven't gotten on to stick. Are you using a rope fly?

[Schollmeier]

Short. Sorry on my first (wrong) assessment. Wasn't fully awake. Those small (sub-30") Longnose are really tough to ID in pics sometimes. A good Shortnose example:

[MNFishhunter]

Schollmeier- I just kept looking at the shortnose pics from last year and this guy, all three(yes 3) of them this week just didn't have the width, thicknes in the the beak-nose-mouth whatever it is. Thanks Schollmeier,

again. Eventually I might figure it out.

Onafly- Not using rope flies. Really hooking these fish. I've had 4 seperate people on 3 occations watch and verify the hook ups. I think I'm a little coser to figuring out how to consistantly catch these guys.

[Schollmeier]

OAF - Rope Flys work well, hold well, don't damage the fish in the least. But beware a couple problems:

1. setting the hook - if you set the hook you'll probably lose every single longnose

2. shortnose - ropes rarely hold a shortnose, their teeth are larger/more spread out and so the rope slides through. but then Shortnose have a lot more meat to hook into on their mouths.

3. removing the rope - use pliers and maybe a jaw jack to get the rope out and then give a good brushing with a brass wire brush. Leaving rope in the jaws of a gar is a death sentence.

ps - gloves are recommended - teeth and scales are pretty sharp. I rarely wear them but I'm a glutton for punishment.

[Slabasaurus]

Onafly- Not using rope flies. Really hooking these fish. I've had 4 seperate people on 3 occations watch and verify the hook ups. I think I'm a little coser to figuring out how to consistantly catch these guys.

Interesting. I had intended to use rope flies if and when I target these, since it sounds like they tend to shred line pretty well.

Neat catches, especially on a traditional fly.

[Schollmeier]

MNFH - One thing I can tell you about gar is when I see a bunch of Longnose or a bunch of Shortnose that is exactly what they are. What I mean to say is if a spot is holding Longnose there probably are few to no Shortnose around and vice-versa. That's in the spots I've caught them in. I think somebody told me once they were finding Longnose and Shortnose on the same current break but one species was consistently holding deeper? I can't remember exactly.

I haven't been able to pin-point why the two species don't often overlap. Often I see two spots that seem really similar and one has Shorts and the other Longs...

[itchmesir]

Food sources.. What's the primary diet of each? Same holds for other species.. SMB/LMB.. Sunfish all stage in different areas.. Just gotta find out what each is keying in on.. Being pretty sure of where Ryan was in that picture.. I'd imagine the shorties are sitting under all the light eating bugs off the water.. or they could be keying in on small baitfish feeding off the small bugs... i'll have to go check

[Schollmeier]

They both eat the same stuff - predominately baitfish. I mostly find them around shiner and small shad baitballs. They'll both take small carp and suckers often, sometimes small panfish but not that often. Both will take bugs but not that often - usually Hexs.

Speaking broadly Shortnose are more likely to be in fast current but I've seen them in stagnant backwaters before too. Longnose are more likely to prefer slower water but I've found them right below dams...

To add a different wrinkle I know a spot that has a big eddy off the main current. Crammed full of shiners - always either Emeralds or Mimic/Channel/Sand (can't remember). Most years this spot has good numbers of Longnose and the occasional rouge Shortnose. A year or two ago it was crammed with Shortnose. Very few Longnose that year, nothing was unusual about the spot that year that I could see - no idea what that was about.

One thing to remember is that we (here in the north) outside perfect habitat - fish make do with odd spots sometimes.

When dealing with tougher fish sight fishing is best when possible. Sorting through common species can be near impossible so take out the competition if possible...

[MNFishhunter]

Went fishing today, excuse the extreme whiteness of my legs.....

here are some pics

largemouth bass

bluegill

dogfish

pike

and #25 Sauger

[Slabasaurus]

haha, nice! I dig the bowfin. Caught a few more of em last week, they're always fun.

I have not been able to find the sauger yet this season, they don't seem to be hanging around the same spots I found em last year.

[MNFishhunter]

Slab- this is all I've figured out with sauger. Sandy bottom and a slow current. At least the majority (90%) of the time I catch them. There are a couple times that this isn't the case.

Not sure if that helps.

[MNFishhunter]

On a fly is right, the carp are active.

This is a personal best. There are two more I caught today. Three landed , I lost a lot more than that. Need to hone my skills at playing carp.

I've also been swinging glass alot too.

Caught 2 dogfish, lots of bullhead, bass, panfish, and a walleye too.

Been using the Cabela's CGR 7 foot 5 weight fiberglss fly rod. Love it!

[MNFishhunter]

Today was carp on the fiberglass fly rod day. 21 inches on a Cabela's CGR 7'6" 8 weight.

[Ic3wind]

If your loosing carp it probably has less to do with how you play them and more with how your hooking em. try something with a little bigger hook gap. I like using egg fly hooks for my carp flies cause they drive home in those goobery mouths so well

[MNFishhunter]

The situation opens up a whole new take on hooks. Light wire hooks just bend right away. Didnt realize they were so soft.

I believe your right on the hook gap, I also like your egg fly idea too.

I'm going to study up on carp flies and suggested hooks.

If anyone else has an idea(s), that would be great.

[Ic3wind]

Tiemco TMC 105 is the one I usually use only cause I can pick em up here in town. The are also good and stout

[OnAFly]

I use a #8 TMC2457. 2X Heavy, 2X Wide, 2X Short. Check out the thread on tying lately. Some good carp flies in there.

[Slabasaurus]

I've been using some scud/caddis/shrimp hooks, I really like the way they sit with hook up patterns.

Egg hooks look like they'll work pretty well too.

Both OnAFly's garbage pile and my lil' miss are all I've been using the past month for carp, been workin pretty well. They also seem to work well on dogfish.