What kind of fish would...?

[Busy]

I was recently fishing in some killer private ponds.  They are loaded with largemouth bass, perch, bluegill, and sunfish.  There's not a whole lot of structure but the pond I'm interested in is very secluded.

While fishing my buddy kept screaming over at me asking "What is THAT in the water, you see it?"  I said it was probably a beaver or an otter, but he wouldn't stop hollering.  I finally went over there and saw a fat pig running around the top of the water.  This fish must have been 2.5-3 feet long and was swimming on top of the water with his fin sticking above the water.  He was just swimming all over on top hardly going below the water at all.  I assume he was feeding as it was dusk out.  My question is: what kind of fish would this be?  The pond is only about an acre in size with only a small creek that runs into it.  This fish has me very perplexed, any help figuring what it would be would be awesome.

If the owner would let us keep fish I'd have shot it with my bow, but since I can't I need to do some diagnostics .  Hopefully with your alls help I'll be back out there after this thing.

[KevO]

My guess would be a carp.  Could be anything though.

[J Francho]

Carp.

[Busy]

Thanks for the replies.  I was guessing a carp also, but I can't figure what a carp would be doing in this pond.  I'll have to ask the owner if he's thrown some in there from the lake.

[Captain Rhino]

We call those grass carp around KY, but I agree that's what you're seeing.

[J Francho]

Grass Carp:

Common Carp:

Note the dorsal fin shape and structure for differentiating the two.

It might be an intentional stocking of a grass carp to keep weed control.  They both get BIG.

[etommy28]

carp or possibly a ver big gar

[shaw24]

Yup sounds like a grass carp. They get pretty large and I've seen them doing exactly what you described. Pond owners buy these and put them in the pond to supposedly keep them clean of algea or whatever.

[32251]

I

If the owner would let us keep fish I'd have shot it with my bow, but since I can't I need to do some diagnostics . Hopefully with your alls help I'll be back out there after this thing.

Let me see here....I don't know what it is, but I would have shot it...

It is a carp.  It eats all kinds of grass and stuff that helps the lake stay cleaner and provides a better environment for the fish.

Don't shoot it!! The fish is much more valuable alive in the lake than on the end of an arrow.  

[Busy]

We bowfish carp and gar at the big lakes around here every once in a while, but I can see the value of stocking grass carp in a pond.  I'll be sure to leave him be, theres enough carp at the lakes to go after anyways .  In fact, we actually consider carp to be kind of a nuisance species since they reproduce so prolifically and I've heard they compete with other fish.  Honestly the dorsal fin looked more like that of a common carp.  I'll get a snap shot of it sometime.  Threw me a wrench because I've never seen an active carp or a carp in a pond before.  Thanks for all the replies!

[KYntucky Warmouth]

carp