Can Anyone Identify This Fish?

[Fishing Rhino]

Yesterday, I caught a sucker of some type.  Its coloration was brilliant.  It had a dark brown or possibly black lateral line that ran through it's eye.  Above the line it was a fluorescent/neon golden yellow.  The belly was whitish.

 

It was about eighteen inches long and weighed two to three pounds.

 

It is a sucker of some type, but definitely not the white sucker that is found in many ponds around the Cape.

 

The following photo is the closest I could get to the vivid coloration, and the mouth of the fish in the photo is not on the bottom of its snout.  But it comes as close as any image I could find in any sucker category.

 

The fish in the photo below is a Northern Redbelly Dace (female)  If it did not have the red on the belly it would be a very close approximation of the coloring on the fish I caught.

 

[checkyoursix]

Did it look like this?

 

[cdaggett]

I had once landed a fish close to your description in the back of a channel that ran into a large spring fed lake. It was very silverish with yellow accents on certain parts of its body with a visibly black lateral line. I hadn't a clue as to what it was, but since my grandfather was in the boat, he explained, "When I was a kid we used to call them suckers." It was a surprise for me because I didn't think something like that would bite a 7 inch zoom lizard! So I'm wondering if that is what you caught. If I caught it on that large of a lure, then I'm sure you can catch it on something similar. I'm from Maine and was fishing the Sheepscot Pond (more of a lake... 1000 acres)

[cdaggett]

That's a carp correct?

[Fishing Rhino]

Did it look like this?

 

 

The body shape, yes.  The coloration, no. 

 

The dark stripe is very distinctive, like those on a striped bass.  Above the stripe, which was about 3/4" wide it was a golden, yellow color, very vivid, almost fluorescent.

[Scott F]

How about this one? It's a redhorse sucker.

 

[Fishing Rhino]

That's a carp correct?

 

It's some type of sucker.  It's more streamlined, not as full bodied as a carp.

[Fishing Rhino]

How about this one? It's a redhorse sucker.

 

 

The shape is right.  But there was no reddish hues on the fish.  The belly was whitish, all the way to the dark lateral line, and the golden/yellow above the line.  It was a stunning fish as far as coloration.

[Glenn]

Could be a squaw fish (northern pikeminnow).  Did he hit really hard, fight for a few seconds, and then basically give up?

[Fishing Rhino]

Could be a squaw fish (northern pikeminnow).  Did he hit really hard, fight for a few seconds, and then basically give up?

 

I felt a bump, bump and when I set the hook, I ended up snagging it at the mouth.  It fought all the way to the boat, and I used the net to land it when I got it to the boat.  Wanted to take a good look at it.  When I first saw it flash, I thought it was a largemouth because of the stripe.

 

Water temps are still pretty cool around here.  At 45 degrees the bass are still pretty sluggish.  We caught about twenty, and not a one of them tried to jump.  They wanted to stay deep.  This fish fought pretty much the same way. 

[Dinky]

What did it taste like, Tom?

[Fishing Rhino]

What did it taste like, Tom?

 

Chicken!

[Deleted account]

Based on the description and where it was caught, I'm going to say river chub ( Nocomis micropogon)

 

 

[slonezp]

'bout time you went fishing

[Fishing Rhino]

'bout time you went fishing

 

You're telling me.  Been over four months.

[slonezp]

6 for me. Got out yesterday for the first time since Oct. Refreshing to say the least.

[Fishing Rhino]

Not a river chub.  Just checked it out.  The mouth is wrong, and the fish is too small. 

 

Tate caught one in the same pond a couple of years ago.  Except for the color, the body and mouth is the same.  I'd say his is a white sucker.  The one I caught had vivid coloration.

 

[flyfisher]

I bet it is the white sucker but in spawning colors. I caught a horny head chub one year and I thought it was deformed or radioactive.....it was bright purple and later found out it was spawning coloration.

[J Francho]

Definitely a red horse. They get pretty big.

[Fishing Rhino]

I bet it is the white sucker but in spawning colors. I caught a horny head chub one year and I thought it was deformed or radioactive.....it was bright purple and later found out it was spawning coloration.

 

I searched white sucker spawning colors and came up with this.  The third fish down is very close, except for the dark back.  Most of the back was the golden/yellow color without the reddish tint.  But it has the distinct, very dark line along its flank.  The top fish also has the same dark line, but not as plainly seen as the third fish down.

 

I'm guessing, based on this photo that flyfisher is correct.

 

[Diablos]

It's a white perch.

 

When in doubt, it's always a white perch.

[fl_bass]

It's a white perch.

When in doubt, it's always a white perch.

Do they taste like chicken. Lol

[BassAddict1911]

sounds like some kinda hybrid carp...