Conference wahoo::fishing-v2

White perch??

    Tell me about the scales. Were they small and indistinct, almost
    skin-like? Were they regular but distinguishable as on a bass? Or were
    they fairly large and armor-like as on a carp or a (hint hint) white
    perch?
    
    Also, tell us more about the fins. Colors? Shape of dorsal fin?
    Disposition of the pelvic fins? That sort of thing.
    
    Given the depth of the water you caught it in, my guess is that you
    caught a white sucker or large shiner.
    
    John H-C

    The scales were almost indistict- but I would not call them small,
    however the fish was slippery. The fins were grayish in colour, 
    and I did not check to see if there were scales on the base of the 
    fins or not, nor do I remember the eye colour.  As I rock the fish
    back and forth the bright blue flashs from the top side of the fish
    is about all I can recall.
    
    The dorsal fins were the same of a Small mouth bass, with
    a shallow notch between the fins.
    
    I was not expecting fishing to be that great, otherwise I would 
    have bought one of the $5 camera but I had not pick one up yet
    for this season.
    
    Other fish in the area, were many yellow perch, one 18 inch
    small mouth and two 20 + large mouth bass. The bass were very
    slow and not very aggressive.  These fish hower were  about
    a 100 yards  west where the water temp was about 4 deg warmer
    but the ph as 5.5 or so. The low PH and water temp might be
    why the bass were so slow, in fact the only way I got the 
    Small mouth to move was hit it in the face with the bait
    and I was able to move it 90 deg. where it just stayed.
    
    
    
    
    
    

    If lookes like a "bass", it may have been a spotted bass or "Kentucky"
    bass.  They are shaped similar to the smallmouth but have similiar
    coloration to the largemouth.  They have a distinct "rough" patch on
    their tongue(teeth).  They usually have a red coloration to their eyes
    too, at least where I catch them.
      
    Wess

    What throws me is the weight and the length. It must have been one long
    thin fish, shaped like a pickerel. The shallow water it was caught in
    suggests a low-low-oxygen tolerant fish.
    
    I don't know where  ::BIRO lives and fishes, but I think it sounds like
    a shiner that was released from the bait can and grew up.

    It was in Northwook Lake in Northwood NH.  It was a very flat/thin
    fish,  very thin for a bass, not big gut, more tappered with the 
    bulk of it thickness being in the head area.
    
    At first I though I had a Small Mouth bass untill the Sun hit it.
    
    A shiner does have simular colors, but the shape and fins are wrong
    for the type of shiners.   If I catch it again I will get its picture
    before I release it.
    
    john
    

    Perhaps a dace?

    Too big, no? 11 inches long, 10 oz.
    

    
    
    Is this lake connected to the ocean? If so the fish you describe
    could be a herring...

   Northwood lake  is a man made lake with a average depth of 10 ft and a
    max of maybe 20 ft.  At this point in time the lake is about 2 ft
    below its normal average depth.  It is located in Southern NH
    inbetween Concord NH and Portsmouth NH.  The lake is in three towns
    (Northwood, Deerfield, Epson) and has two names (Northwood Lake
    and Suncook).  It does have about 5 streams then are attached to it.
    100% Ice out was the 18th of April (Sunday).  It was in the area where
    I have my crawfish traps, local bass come and watch the crawfish in
    the cage.  
    
    I have caugth what I think is a dace, but they are smaller and
    is different from  the fish I caugth.
    
    
    
    
    
     
    
    

    Well, folks, as some of you can imagine, this one's been bugging me all
    day. Got home a few minutes ago and headed for _Freshwater Fishes of
    New Hampshire_.
    
    I'll bet $100 it was the Mississippi River Basin import known as the 
    
    
    Walleye.
    
    It's a member of the perch family. It matches John Biro's description
    to a T. 
    
    To be perfectly honest, I've never seen a live one. Since I'm sort of
    like a birder looking at different birds, I guess I'll have to go dive
    Northwood Lake some time soon.
    
    Walleyes are actually pretty rare around northern New England, I
    believe. They should be spawning about now. They prefer smallmouth-bass
    type habitat and don't do well in weedy warm water, apparently.
    
    FWIW
    
    John H-C

    OK and thanks for the iding the fish.  I am not sure how many there 
    are in Northwood lake.  This was the first one I caught and I fish
    that lake about twice a week for about 10 weeks each year for the 
    last four years.  If I get another one I will take its picture.  
    If the fish is not native to the waters, how did it get there?  
    Could they be stocking the fish in the lake. THe lake has a problem 
    with yellow perch, so many that nothing can grow very big, so I hope 
    they like to eat the yellow perch.

    Ok folks, I must then hold the state record since it must be the
    only fish of its kind caught so far, now if no one else catch one :)
    Do you give them much of a chance to live in the lake with its low
    ph and shallow waters? It does have a good collections of weeds but
    there is not much structure.
    
    thanks john
    
    

 If it were a walleye, it would also have had disproportionately large
eyes, and a few teeth.

 It might well be a walleye; I know that the NH F&G stocked some walleye
last year in the NH bodies of water which provide suitable habitat. And
if I remember correctly (no guarantee) Northwood Lake was one such body 
of water.

 The Doctah

 Oh, and BTW, the minimum legal length limit on walleye is 18 inches and the bag
limit is two.

    ok on the walleye, my daugther use the camp last year an on here way up
    she said that a fish an game truck was at the lake, but she did not see
    them release any fish.
    
    I dont remember any teeth, ( I had hooked it threw the lips ) and at
    this time of the year I release all fish, so it should be in good
    health to get to the 18 inch limit.  I will have to check that out
    as I did not even know that there were walleyes in the lake nor that
    they were even mention in the state fishing book for limits etc.
    
    Who can I call in the NH fish & game to see if there are walleyes
    in northwood lake.  I might be the state record holder for at least
    5 mins.
    
    john
    

>I might be the state record holder for at least 5 mins.

 You aren't. The state record is a 12 lb 8.8 oz fish caught in the
Connecticut River.

 I don't know for certain whether there are walleye in Northwood Lake, but
I imagine if you talk to a fisheries biologist you can find out. The
Inland Fisheries number is 271-2501 (or 271-2502).

 Let us know what you find out.

 The Doctah

    
    The guy that caught the one in the Conn river was fishin'
    on the Vermont half but it didn't break a record there
    so he lied!!          :^)
    
    And the "teeth" are actually like fangs.  Scared the'ell
    outta me first time I went to thumb one...
    
    Fred

     walleye also have a very distinquished white tip on the lower part
    of the tail. Along with the teeth is a very sharp gill plate that can
    slice your finger like a razor blade (previous experience).
    
    pete

    I called the NH fish & game, they did not stock any waleye in the
    lake an know of none in it, but they agreed that the discription did
    match that of a waleye.  If I catch it again I will send them a photo.
    
    
     thanks again for all the help   john
    

    Then there's always that ambitious fisherman who believes his local
    water would benefit -- at least from his perspective -- if it had one
    more attractive species in it. Walleye (aka Walleyed Pike) would make a
    fairly easily transported fish.
    
    
    The Inland Fisheries folks in Maine will tell you they *never* stocked
    any ponds or rivers or lakes with yellow perch, yet the state is full
    of them, presumably because some anglers thought the lake trout
    populations would benefit from another food source.
    
    John H-C

    What did his eyes look like?  They should have been cloudy or glassy
    looking if it was a walleye.  They do have teeth no matter what their
    size.  
    
    I also catch quite a few sauger, the walleye's cousin.  They look
    quite a bit alike with the walleye having the pre-stated white patch
    on the lower lobe of the tail.
    
    They are great eating too, and they love to eat yellow perch, but so do
    I!
    
    Wess

    Where do you fish for and catch sauger? I didn't know they were
    anywhere in NE.
    
    John H-C

    The eyes did not stand out and I was mystify by the flashing
    blue as I rotated the fish in the sunlite, howerver the fish
    was quite tired so I did not keep it out of the water for long
    and help it on its way.   However since the eyes were not
    obvious I would assume they were simular in colour to the
    fish ie a milkie white or lite gold, if they were red or
    bule I would have pick up on that.
    
    jb
    

    John,
    
    You may be correct on them not being in NE, I am sorry for putting my
    .02 of Kentucky info in here.  I catch a bunch in the Ohio river.  They
    should be in the river as far east as it goes.  I was talking to a
    friend in Western Ky and he slammed them a couple of days ago after
    work on 1/4 oz shad jigs.
    
    You guys ever get a wild hair and want to fish in Ky, let me know.
    
    Wess

    I cannot buy the Waleye theory. Between the cloudy eye and the
    stalagtite type teeth randomly set in the roof of the Waleye's mouth,
    it is a pretty distinctive fish.
    
    Several years ago, my son caught a fish much like what you described.
    For lack of a better name, we refer to it as an albino pickeral. It too
    was about 10 inches long with a pickeral type shape. It was caught at a
    place called Goose Pond that sits on top of a mountain with no inlets
    other than springs.
    
    As to new breeds in old waters, humans are not always the culprit.
    Commonly, fish eggs will get attached to the underside of water fowl
    and be air lifted to new ponds. It's nature's way of having to do
    without tank trucks.
    
      

	Maybe someone here can identify a fish for me before I get to the 
library to see what it was.  

	I caught it in a 'pond' in Littleton MA (Mill Pond).  It's actuly part
of Beaver Brook that has been dammed up.  

	The fish was golden with a red or rosy tint to it, with large scales, 
and a face that tappered rather quickly.  It was very thin (much like a 
sunfish.)  

Any ideas??

Mike  

re:>>                      <<< Note 283.27 by SPARKL::JOHNHC >>>
                               -< Golden Shiner >-

    
Yup, I agree.

    Yes, there are Sauger in New England. Lake Champlain has quite an
    abundance of them. Also there are Walleye in Champlain. The description
    I read doesn't sound much like a Walleye asw ith Walleye, the color is
    golend with black. They have similar markings as the yellow perch thus
    being part of the family. The glassy eyes (milky colored) and sharp 
    pronounced teeth are also part of the description.
    
        I've caught many of them and still catch them in Champlain.
    
        John Who can't wait for his hard top for the boat to be finished
     so he can get back on the water.

    I guess this is the place to put this since we are in the fish ID mode.
    
    I was having lunch in a restaurant that overlooks the Willamette River
    in Eugene, Or.  Looking down into some slack water I saw a large (app.
    24") wide (app. 5") dark colored fish slowly cruising along the bottom.
    The interesting thing was that it had 7 smaller babies following it. 
    The "babies" were about 6" and looked like blue gill.  I had another
    guy with me and we were both wondering what kind of fish would raise
    and baby sit their young.
    
    Any ideas?
    
    Ken 

 You sure the "babies" were of the same species? Some fish stir up things 
on the bottom and other fish follow them and scarf up whatever the larger fish 
dislodge.

    re. -1
    Definitely
    
    They looked like clones.
    

    Walleye need deep water to exist in and I would have doubted that the
    state would have wasted a stocking on Northwood Lake. It is limited in
    deep water and is stagnant to a point. Walleye have teeth and a large
    dorsal fin and definitely strange eyes ( Sort of like the Legends when
    he comes to a weighin at a night tourny that blank look!)
    
     I have been fishing Northwood for an upcoming tournament I'll keep my
    eyes open for this strange fish. I did see some suckers last week. I'll 
    also check the Clark book for what fish reside in the lake.
    
    
     Regards
    
     Don B,

Given the description, I'm certain that the fish described belongs to the
species of...

		Maximus Legendocious Obnoxious!

Thank God, it's very rare!

-HSJ-

    
    
    Northwood lake is low, you might have trouble using the public ramp...
    
    
    I called about the fish and the state of NH is not stocking Northwood 
    with anything! I asked for more Bass but they said no,, :+)
    I want so far as aksed If I could buy them and have the State put
    them in,, NO NO... 
    
    They said that the fish was not native to Northwood Lake and if it 
    did somehow get into Northwood it would not likly  survive.
    
    I have noted a change (last two years)  in the number an types of fish in
    Northwood Lake, Kibbies are down, pearch are up (what can I say),
    golden shiners are up, pickeral are down, bass seem to be down.
    
    Two years ago they tried to kill the Milfoil and it change the
    weeds in the lake.  Since Northwood Lake does not have a lot of
    structure this was a major change in certain areas and the Bass
    seem to have move to new locations.  Crayfish are also down, I have
    just started catching a few, and normally I would get two or so a week.
    This year the Milfoil is back and the lake is about 8 inch lower
    then normal.  
    
    If you are going fihsing next weekend at Northwood you might want
    to check the public ramp as I have been told by the boat house that
    some boats have not been able to use it as the water is shallow and 
    ended up paying to use the boat house ramp. 
     
    Have you found Northwood to be different this year as far as
    the type and quanty of fish?                
    
    john
    

    I used the launch last night and had no problem pulling my boat out.
    It was actually easier than a month ago. I had my 4x4 hubs locked but
    never had to engage them from the cab.
    
     This is the first year that I have fished Nortwood and I am not
    impressesed. How is Pleasant Pond it doesn't look bad. Can you launch
    a full size bass boat?
    
    Regards
    
     Don B,

    for some reason the fishing stinks in Northwood this year, plus
    the crayfish are scarce. Not sure on Pleasant Pond, I will check
    on it tonight. Try Bow lake, it just north of Northwood and you will
    have no trouble launching there.
    

Pleasant Lake (along Rt 107) has the worst launch you could imagine (or at
least it used to be).  It used to be paved many years ago but now only
traces of the pavement exist.  It's very small and rutted.  No parking near
the launch.  Many folks end up parking up on Rt 107.

I've never fished it but the water looks very clear, at least near the launch.
The lake is long and relatively open.  Few, if any isolated coves and lots
of water ski traffic.  I have no idea what the fishery is like, but I suspect
that smallies are predominant. 

Anyone know more about this place??

    The public launch on Pleasant Lake continues to be terrible.

    yes the water is very clear, sandy bottom. If you stop at one
    of the tourist stops on Rt 4 in ? Epson, the water is not from
    a spring but pumped from Pleasant Lake, however, recent rumors
    say they have stoped getting the water from Plesant Lake.  I have
    not fished it as the park is bad.
    
    jb