What did I catch?

Post by **Tony** » Mon Jul 19, 2004 9:49 am

I haven't figured out how to post on the board yet so the picture should be the first one or two in the Miscellaneous Gallery. I'm not sure what it is, but I'm thinking it could be a freshwater drum?? It was very silver and about 15" long and shaped like a shiner minnow.

Also it didn't taste good, very mushy. Normally I wouldn't eat something that I didn't know what it was but we were planning on eating fish that day and didn't get anything worth keeping the first day so I thought we should keep it. Thank god we caught some eyes later.

Post by **Markus** » Mon Jul 19, 2004 9:54 am

Tony, I believe that is a big alwive....we call them gasperau on the east coast.

We smoke em. We get annual runs from the ocean in NS. I'm guessing it was really really boney. It's a huge feed sourse fro the salmoniods...and the occasionally hungry fisherman!

Might be a mooneye as well. tough to tell without seeing the fins.

Post by **eye-tracker** » Mon Jul 19, 2004 9:57 am

It is not a sheaps head (Fresh Water Drum).

Post by **Steve G** » Mon Jul 19, 2004 10:14 am

I would have called it a Mooneye...but I have never seen a Alwive..i think

Post by **FireFox** » Mon Jul 19, 2004 10:26 am

Tony,

From the view in the picture, I would also vote for Mooneye. Mooneye are very common in the Abitibi River system where I grew up and I know of a few people who have been 'convinced' by the local fisherman to cook up this 'delicacy' when they first catch one. Sufffice it to say, they are not very good table fair. Smoked though, Mooneye/goldeye can be quite tasty and I beleive that Goldeye from Manitoba is commercially sold smoked. Where did you catch this specimin ?

EDIT: Here is a description of the Mooneye - does it fit your fish ?

http://www.rook.org/earl/bwca/nature/fi ... onter.html

Looking at the fins on your picture closely, especially the Anal fin, makes me almost 100% sure this is a mooneye - and Im going to guess it came out of the Ottawa river ?

Fox.

Post by **banjo** » Mon Jul 19, 2004 10:40 am

http://www.iowadnr.com/fish/iafish/moe-card.html
This link definitely looks like the same type of fish. Probably a mooneye.

Post by **Todd B.** » Mon Jul 19, 2004 12:06 pm

If it has a long slender body, downturned mouth and large diamond scales, it may have been a Fallfish (shad relative) that is also common in the Ottawa region.

Post by **dana** » Mon Jul 19, 2004 12:08 pm

I would say its a GIZZARD shad

df

Post by **saskie** » Mon Jul 19, 2004 12:35 pm

I vote for Mooneye - it looks just like the Goldeye we used to catch in Sask, except their eyes were bright yellow. Scrappy little things they were - great fun to catch. Taste sounds the same too - mushy, oily and really only good smoked or pickled.

Post by **Markus** » Mon Jul 19, 2004 12:39 pm

Yeah, I've been looking at id charts and I'm leaning towards mooneye as well. I wish we could see the mouth.

What did you catch it on? I'm curious.

Post by **Markus** » Mon Jul 19, 2004 12:46 pm

Here's a mooneye I caught last year. Looks about the same.

Post by **FireFox** » Mon Jul 19, 2004 1:17 pm

Hey Marcus,

Im a little curious about that mooneye picture you posted here. I found the big version of the photo and was looking at it a bit closer, and Ive never seen a mooneye quite like that. Im not saying it isnt, but the mouth on your fish looks more rounded and soft, like a whitefish - wheras the mooneyes Ive caught have distinct teeth, especially on the lower jaw. Its hard to see in the picture what the mouth on your fish is like. Also, the eye seems a little smaller than the one Gone Fishin' posted. The dorsal fin on yours is also furthur forward.

Im just curious - thats all - I wonder if there is a different strain of Mooneye in the great lakes ? (Im assuming you caught yours on your home waters) - there is just something with the mouth and eye on your fish that looks so different to me.

EDIT: Heh. on second thought, maybe its just that your mooneye is much larger than any im used to seeing. Go Figure.

Anyways, Ive always had a bit of a sentimental spot for the old mooneye in my mind - you could always count on them for some fish fighting action back home.

Fox

Post by **Markus** » Mon Jul 19, 2004 2:30 pm

Mine is definately not a whitefish. The mouth is not under like a whitefish and the anal fin on a whitefish doesn't extend like a mooneyes (although my hand is covering it in my pic.. Another gentlemen once told me he was a 100% sure it was a gizzard shad.

It is interesting how so many fish can look so alike.

....and mine isn't bigger because it came out of the great lakes, it's bigger because it came out of my boat!

Post by **FireFox** » Mon Jul 19, 2004 3:09 pm

Hey Marcus,

I agree that your is definately not a whitefish. That mouth and eye just gets me. Im not trying to be a pest here, but here is a picture of a mouth of a Goldeye (closely related and very similar to a mooneye) from the mouth. This is what all the mooneye I have caught looked like in the mouth area (including the toothy tongue - yikes)

http://www.thejump.net/id/goldeye.htm

I know it was a while ago, but do you remember what the mouth on your catch looked like ?

As for the Gizzard Shad, you know - that other gentlemen may be correct.
I found this little PDF pamphlet on the Gizzard shad from the Dakotas, and when I look at it side by side with your picture - I think it may be a shad. Hard to tell without seeing the full dorsal fin though. If I look at the full size uploaded picture in the gallery of your fish, Im sure I can see the extended little "whip" on the tail end of the dorsal fin (flipped down on the camera side of the body of the fish) - which if it is, then I would definately say your fish is a gizzard shad.

http://www.sdgfp.info/Wildlife/Educatio ... rdshad.pdf

Out of curiosity - how did you catch this fish ? Its always neat to hear how people come across these non-standard catches.

Oh, and thanks for indulging me with this little "species hunt" . Gone Fishin' - I will stop hijacking your thread now

Fox

Post by **Markus** » Mon Jul 19, 2004 3:42 pm

I picked mine up and lots of his friends, trolling silver rapala's for rainbows. I think it may be a gizzard shad too.

They do look alike. You're not being a pest or hijacking anything! This is a pretty interesting thread. Your input has been greatly appreciated.

I don't remember any teeth though.