Without seeing a picture, I couldn't give an ID with any certainty, although
this has to be the best description I've seen yet on this list of an unknown
fish :)
This is probably your best bet in pictures for widely distributed
Mississippi River species: http://www.wiscfish.org/fishid/
You can also follow up with the online version of Fishes of Wisconsin:
http://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/greatlakesfish/becker.html
Download the viewer for Fishes of Wisconsin. This is a $100 book all
online. It's worth the little bit of time and always comes through in a
bind when I can't grab one of my books, but have a computer near by.
Hope you can solve your mystery. That's one heck of a fish. Any time I've
hooked into good sized buffalo... The first thing in my mind is "I am NOT in
control of this situation" lol. Like tying into a freight train.
Todd
----- Original Message -----
From: "mike whitfield" <mdwfield-in-comcast.net>
To: <nanfa-l-in-nanfa.org>
Sent: Tuesday, November 08, 2005 12:47 AM
Subject: NANFA-L-- FISH ID
> Got a question on a fish my wife caught. This past Friday we went fishing
and
> she caught a fish I can't ID. It weighed about thirty pounds, was over
26"
> total length, about 23" SL, about 8 1/2" high (body only). Its shape was
that
> of a bigmouth buffalo - roughly symetrical top to bottom, very deep and
> heavy-bodied for its length, very thick caudal peduncal. Its mouth was
> slightly subterminal and small, with fairly thick lips. Actually the
mouth
> was almost exactly that of a drum, although situated-in-the end of its
body
> and roughly centered top-to-bottom rather than being toward the bottom of
the
> body, as in a carp, drum, or carpsucker. There were no barbels - I looked
> quite closely.
>
> The caudal fin was large and square, like a drum. Actually a drum's fin
is
> usually slightly convex; this fish's was slightly concave, not as much so
as a
> bass. Its dorsal fin was in two definite sections, slightly notched like
a
> carp or buffalo rather than being two separate fins like a striper or
drum,
> and almost black There was a much taller section in front, with a very
long
> but short section in the rear, and both sections had large spines. I felt
no
> serrations on the spines, but noticed that they were quite thick. The
pelvic
> fins were reddish-orange, not as bright as a redhorse' but definitely
> reddish-orange.
>
> I'd say bigmouth buffalo, except for the color. This thing was brassy
yellow,
> like a carp. Its pelvic fins were reddish-orange as noted, although its
> dorsal was as noted dusky and almost black. Also, a buffalo's caudal fin
is,
> from everything I've seen, almost as forked as a carp's. The thing fought
> like crazy for fifteen or twenty minutes, pulling our fourteen foot boat
> around, but didn't manage to break either her 4lb test line or ultralight
rod.
> It never jumped, but would come almost to the surface and roll before
diving.
> It struck a fast-moving 3" Gitzit minnow about a foot or two beneath the
> surface in about eight to ten feet of water - not exactly common in either
> carp or buffalo! - while we were catching largemouth bass, white and
yellow
> bass, and crappie working schools of shad minnows.
>
> So what's the verdict? Has she caught an odd colored bigmouth buffalo, or
an
> oddly shaped carp? Or is there something else out there that I'm missing?
We
> couldn't bring it back without killing it, since it's literally larger
than
> our live well. It was caught in the Tennessee River, in the southeaster
part
> (Chattanooga) of the state, so its nothing that wandered in from the sea.
>
>
> Thank!
> Mike Whitfield
>
> "My plans for world domination have encountered a momentary setback. Talk
> amongst yourselves." -Bucky D. Katt
>
> "Little children who could neither walk nor talk were running about in the
> streets cursing their maker." - Sir Boyle Roche
> /-----------------------------------------------------------------------
> / This is the discussion list of the North American Native Fishes
> / Association (NANFA). Comments made on this list do not necessarily
> / reflect the beliefs or goals of NANFA. For more information about NANFA,
> / visit http://www.nanfa.org Please make sure all posts to nanfa-l are
> / consistent with the guidelines as per
> / http://www.nanfa.org/guidelines.shtml To subscribe, unsubscribe, or get
> / help, visit the NANFA email list home page and archive at
> / http://www.nanfa.org/email.shtml
/-----------------------------------------------------------------------
/ This is the discussion list of the North American Native Fishes
/ Association (NANFA). Comments made on this list do not necessarily
/ reflect the beliefs or goals of NANFA. For more information about NANFA,
/ visit http://www.nanfa.org Please make sure all posts to nanfa-l are
/ consistent with the guidelines as per
/ http://www.nanfa.org/guidelines.shtml To subscribe, unsubscribe, or get
/ help, visit the NANFA email list home page and archive at
/ http://www.nanfa.org/email.shtml