New to fishing, what did I catch?

[Badmotivator]

Hi, everyone. My 6yo son was bugging me to take home fishing, so I bought some rods and whatever the other stuff is called. We went to a pretty spot high up on the Siuslaw and I caught this 10" guy with a lure in calm shallow water. I couldn't identify him from the pictures in the ODFW fishing regs book, couldn't identify him using websites or google image searches. A friend on Facebook suggested it might me a Northern Pikeminnow, but it seems like a poor fit. Maybe Umpqua Pikeminnow?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.



And here's a pretty picture from the spot I caught him.

 

[JimBob]

Looks like a Chub to me.

 

[troutdude]

X 2 on the Chub. BEAUTIFUL spot you were fishing!

Welcome to OFF.

BTW, if you are not sure of what you caught--it would be VERY wise to safely return it back into the water. If a Game OFFicer came by; you could run the risk of paying a hefty fine.

 

[Modest_Man]

It's a Northern Pikeminnow. I'm not sure what species "chub" refers to. Why on earth would you kill a species you can't identify?

 

[Big3d]

Easy tigers! Remember that fisherman know all this, but clearly this person isn't a fisherman. That being said, you got lucky, most people consider those trash. If you had caught a protected or closed season species, that could have been a serious issue. Please help us keep the waters open and available for fishing for generations by educating yourself before you fiah a water. Other than that, enjoy fishing with your kid and welcome to the forum.

 

[hobster]

Easy tigers! Remember that fisherman know all this, but clearly this person isn't a fisherman. That being said, you got lucky, most people consider those trash. If you had caught a protected or closed season species, that could have been a serious issue. Please help us keep the waters open and available for fishing for generations by educating yourself before you fiah a water. Other than that, enjoy fishing with your kid and welcome to the forum.

Well said Everyone should learn the regs though, no excuses.

 

[OnTheDrop]

That looks nothing like the Northern Pikeminnows I catch up in the Clack/Willamette/Columbia...

Looks like a hybrid of some sort to me. Ha

 

[Badmotivator]

Thanks, everybody! In retrospect, yeah, it was foolish and venal to take a fish I couldn't identify, and (sharing your general sentiments about responsibility and stewardship) I'll do right starting now.

 

[HereFishy]

Ahh Pikeminnow. The only fish that makes me say "Damnit. Wasted another worm.". Another way you could get a hook wet without running the risk of poaching a protected species, is to fish a small local pond that ODFW stocks with legals fairly regularly. For instance; If I head to Walling pond in Salem I know I'm not going to pull an, out of season, chinook out of that water. If I get a hit, odds are its going to be a nice and legal bow (although its more likely a bluegill with my luck). Don't get me wrong. I'm all for learning the rules and regs of whatever water I'm fishing at any given time of the year. And I would highly recommend it to anyone. But if this is just a once or twice a year outing, I'd stick to water that is more akin to hatchery fishing.

 

[Modest_Man]

That looks nothing like the Northern Pikeminnows I catch up in the Clack/Willamette/Columbia...

Looks like a hybrid of some sort to me. Ha

It's in its spawning coloration.

 

[Badmotivator]

Does the mouth look a little small and the head not flattened enough to be a pikeminnow, though? How about a peamouth?

 

[eugene1]

I think you're correct. The coloration below the eye and the bands look like a good match to the peamouth.

The other posters have a good point, catch and release any unknown fish.

Best to you and your boy,

 

[Modest_Man]

Not a peamouth. It's a pikeminnow. The pikeminnow has a terminal mouth while the peamouth has a more sub-terminal or inferior mouth position. I work with these guys for a living. Your photo is a pikeminnow in spawning coloration, while the link with the peamouth shows a peamouth in spawning coloration. Don't let the color fool you. Also note the flat dorsal surface on the pikeminnow vs. the rounded dorsal surface on the peamouth.

Peamouth


Pikeminnow


And some other common species that are often confused with the northern pikeminnow-

Chiselmouth


Largescale sucker


Redside shiner

 

[Badmotivator]

Thank you very much! That sure seems definitive.

 

[GungasUncle]

Not a peamouth. It's a pikeminnow. The pikeminnow has a terminal mouth while the peamouth has a more sub-terminal or inferior mouth position. I work with these guys for a living. Your photo is a pikeminnow in spawning coloration, while the link with the peamouth shows a peamouth in spawning coloration. Don't let the color fool you. Also note the flat dorsal surface on the pikeminnow vs. the rounded dorsal surface on the peamouth.

Peamouth




Pikeminnow


And some other common species that are often confused with the northern pikeminnow-

Chiselmouth


Largescale sucker


Redside shiner

Those all look like they'd be a hoot to catch, if they got bigger than a couple inches (or few centimeters, judging by your ruler) long. Something 12+ inches would be a super hoot, especially on light tackle.

 

[Modest_Man]

Largescales get to about 20", as do the pikeminnow. Chiselmouths and peamouth max out about 12". The redside shiners get about 6", and I've caught several of them on dry flies in the evening.

 

[sepharad]

Why not catch pike minnow? Are they inedible? So here I am seeing someone scolded for not knowing what they have caught, and even though there is a photo, several of the "fishermen" still aren't sure. I admit I have no clue. so what small guide should I carry to try and identify my fish?

 

[HereFishy]

Why not catch pike minnow? Are they inedible? So here I am seeing someone scolded for not knowing what they have caught, and even though there is a photo, several of the "fishermen" still aren't sure. I admit I have no clue. so what small guide should I carry to try and identify my fish?

Pikeminnow aren't neccicarily "bad" to eat if they're prepared properly.. They are VERY bony.. The (free) synopsis that you can get anywhere that you buy your fishing tags has color pictures of every species of fish that you can pull out of the waters in our area.. There's really no excuse. And if for some reason you can't identify a species, don't take it out of the water, kill it, bring it home and THEN start asking "what is this?". Sometimes it takes a stern scolding for someone to really grasp the levity of a situation..

 

[catchallthefish]

i slay pike minnows all summer long people get names confused all the time when you are not about fish then when you land the unidentifiable fish its pretty strange i my self have caught 3 fish species i had no idea what they were ....but no matter how about fishing you are you might just hook up to some weird fish and it doesn't mean you are doing anny thing wrong its just a learning curve

 

[catchallthefish]

and also this guy is fishing with his son so give him a break he spent the time and money to go out with his kid for a day and fished. good for him regardless