fish identification

[Guest]

was fishing the Red in Fargo near south dam last night, lots of bites only a few takers, incredibly hot and the mosquitoes were terrible.

Anyway, I caught a fish that I'm not sure what it was. I thought it was a goldeye, but we measured it almost 15" and I didn't think they got that big. I've been trying to find some help today and it looks like the pictures of goldeye I've found on the internet, but it had 2 fins on the back, one dorsal type fin in the center of the back and one long one extending from behind the dorsal to the tail. it was white/silver in color and from what I can find, it must have been a goldeye, but it was huge, if it was, guess I should've had more than just a measuring tape, should've taken pictures.

anyway, if anyone can help it'd be greatly appreciated.

[Guest]

It sounds like a sheepshead (drum) to me. I've caught some really big ones on cut bait while fishing the Red in Canada. -Rick

http://www.innercityfishing.com

[Guest]

I'm starting to think it was a sheepshead or drum, but every picture I've seen they have dark fins, this one's weren't very dark at all, and the body shape was more of a goldeye shape than a drums shape

[Guest]

Yup Rick hit the "Drum" right on the head! Lake Manitoba is very well known for giving up 12-14# Drum every spring/early June. My personal best is about 12.5# (>33"). Goldeye never reach the same size and a 13" or better specimen in our province is considered a "Master Angler". Goldeye will only have one small dorsal fin about 60% of the way back on their body. What gives them their name (and how they can be easily identified) are eyes (the iris) which are gold in colour. Now we do have another species in Manitoba that is tricky to differentiate the odd time from a goldeye (they are much like the goldeye in every way)--- but they are not found in any abundance in the lower Red: the mooneye. The main difference between the mooneye and goldeye is that they have an eye with a silvery iris. I did find an Iowa state site which gives descriptions of both goldeye and mooneye:

http://www.state.ia.us/dnr/organiza/fwb/fish/iafish/mooneye/moonfam.htm

On my personal site there are photos of both species (drum and goldeye).

------------------
Dan Kiazyk
Cat Eye Outfitter
http://www.geocities.com/dkiazyk2000
[email protected]

[Guest]

Thanks guys, I found a couple pictures of drums and Goldeyes on the internet and it must have been a drum, the fins and back were a lot lighter than most picture and there weren't scales on its underside, these kind of threw me, but I found a couple pictures of drums with lighter fins, so that must of been what it was, there was no gold (yellow) Iris, I knew enough to check that out.

Anyway it was kind of fun to bring in a decent size fish that I had never seen before, we were fishing cats with chicken livers, is that what they're usually caught on?

by the way, is there a way to change my password I can never seem to remember it?

thanks guys

thanks guys

[Guest]

I catch sheepshead all the time on the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers around Minneapolis. I've seen them take night crawlers and cut bait (suckers, goldeye). The size around the city is usually pretty small, under 12"-14". I have yet to catch one around here that comes close to the size I've seen on the Red. Good Luck- Rick

http://www.innercityfishing.com

p.s. If you want to to change your password go to your profile at the top of the page after you've logged in.

[This message has been edited by InnerCityFishing (edited 08-08-2001).]

[Guest]

Another sure-fire way to identify a sheephead is to look at their snout. From the eyes to the mouth you should see a distinct hump (like a sheep's nose). The body will also be much thicker from side to side than that of a goldeye of the same length.