# Species ID? And a couple of others...



## one100grand (May 1, 2011)

When my wife woke me up this morning, she asked if I wanted to go fishing - which is the last thing I was expecting to here (as I went out all day on Friday). We just went down to the Potomac to one of my usual haunts to just try and catch a few on bait and spend some casual time together. I made it a point to let her land as many fish as possible to keep her more interested in coming back :twisted: 

Throwing my cast net, I came up with something I've never seen before and I was hoping I'd be able to get a species ID on this thing...at first I thought it was a shad, but now I sort of think it's a drum - I've never caught or even seen a drum before, so I don't know. I will tell you that this fish absolutely shredded my fingers - the anal fins were razor sharp and this fish got me worse than anything I've ever caught (and I've been sliced open by the gill plate on sturgeon before!). 

I also thought I'd include my big fish of Friday - a 2lbs 8oz LM ready to spawn and show off the yellow perch my wife caught, it's a pretty nice perch imo.


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## richg99 (May 1, 2011)

Strangely, it looks much like a piranha. 

Probably something else that I've never seen before, though. If it is a piranha ( how were the teeth??) maybe someone emptied their aquarium into the Potomac. Rich

https://www.opefe.com/hoby_potoAlbm.html


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## sctoddc (May 1, 2011)

maybe a pacu, similar to piranha they have pretty sharp teeth as well.

Todd


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## redbug (May 1, 2011)

it looks like a type of shad what body of water did you catch him in?

love the Phillies sweat shirt
here is a black piranha you can see the big difference in the scales and eyes


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## one100grand (May 2, 2011)

I didn't look at the teeth, it didn't even occur to me. I have serious doubts about it being a piranha-one of the things specific to that species is an elongated lower jaw, this fish didn't have that. As far as fin structure goes, it did have the same fin structure as a piranha or pacu, but the mouth still doesn't quite look right to me. 

I think I agree the most with redbug that it looks like some shad species, but it's one I can't identify and at 14" it was probably almost twice the size of the biggest shad I've ever seen.


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## Captain Ahab (May 2, 2011)

Looks like a Quillback

Like this:


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## richg99 (May 2, 2011)

WARNING...don't check out any pictures of piranhas. Especially if you have a MAC.

When I was looking to verify what the mystery fish was...I checked out some images of piranhas. One of the images started an instant "loading" into my computer. I cut it off...and then ran a virus check. Nothing showed up on my machine.

I have a PC, not a MAC. Today, I read the following warning for Apple Safari users. Sheesh...You aren't safe doing anything at all these days. rich

***
Malware targets Mac users...
Early reports show that users have been targeted as they search Google Images, one user stating that the bogus MacDefender application was automatically downloaded as he browsed images of Piranhas. Further searching through the Apple Discussion boards suggests that the malware campaign is targeting users of Apple’s Safari browser, displaying warnings that the user’s computer has been infected with viruses that only the unofficial MacDefender application can remove.


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## crkdltr (May 2, 2011)

sctoddc said:


> maybe a pacu, similar to piranha they have pretty sharp teeth as well.
> 
> Todd



You watched River Monsters last night didn't you? :mrgreen:


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## one100grand (May 2, 2011)

Captain Ahab said:


> Looks like a Quillback
> 
> Like this:



I don't think that's it - look at the pectoral fin, it's a distinctly different location; additionally, the quillback has large, well defined scales-this fish didn't. The actual fish itself had a very low slime feel and essentially felt like I was holding a fish wrapped in sandpaper. The anal fin was very long and well defined like those pacu or piranha (I have serious doubts about it being either of those fish). 

As an aside, I've lost about 25% of the range of motion in my fingers where that fish's fin sliced me - it's definitely the most damage any fish has ever done to me, but the wounds are healing, so I have very little concern about it being infected.


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## Bugpac (May 2, 2011)

Looks like an oversize gizard shad to me.


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## richg99 (May 2, 2011)

I'm happy with the gizzard shad suggestion. Never saw one before, but it matches up well. Rich


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## Brine (May 2, 2011)

x2 on the gizzard 

They get big.


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## Captain Ahab (May 2, 2011)

Was it slimy and stinky? if so - Gizzard all the way


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## DocWatson (May 3, 2011)

I'm with the Capt. But from your description it doesn't sound slimy enough to be a gizzard. They are slimy as hell and REALLY stink.


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## wasilvers (May 3, 2011)

Don't immediatly discount the piranaha suggestion. A lake next to my house in Texas, some yahoo's released piranaha in the lake. Every once in a while a fisherman or castnetter would get one. 

But my vote is shad, just a big one.


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## one100grand (May 3, 2011)

Captain Ahab said:


> Was it slimy and stinky? if so - Gizzard all the way



Not slimy or stinky - felt like a fish wrapped in sandpaper. It might be a gizzard, but it doesn't match any of the descriptions I've heard of them before.


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## redbug (May 3, 2011)

I posted a picture of a black paranhia it looks nothing like what you caught
it is some type of shad


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## BaitCaster (May 3, 2011)

Hard to tell from the picture but, if it's not a shad, it could be an Alewife:




or Blueback Herring:




Definitely not a drum. My guess is Herring. Notice the pink shading on the gill plate, similar to your fish:


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## BOB350RX (May 3, 2011)

ITS A GIZZARD IVE CAUGHT SOME THAT WERENT "SLIMY OR STINKY" BEFORE A LAKE CLOSE TO ME IS LOADED WITH THEM FIND ALOT OF THEM FLOATING. THAT ONE LOOKS HALF DEAD!!


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## jdd5p (May 4, 2011)

Definitely a gizzard. Sometimes you can find them double that size in there. The best bait there is for big blue cats.


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## FishyItch (May 4, 2011)

crkdltr said:


> You watched River Monsters last night didn't you? :mrgreen:



I love that show! I saw that episode. Bullcutter! Ouch!


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## one100grand (May 5, 2011)

jdd5p said:


> Definitely a gizzard. Sometimes you can find them double that size in there. The best bait there is for big blue cats.



I let this guy go, it didn't look like any fish I'd seen before and I didn't want to accidentally use a species for bait that's illegal...in retrospect, I wish I'd used it for bait - the spot where I caught this is a great blue spot.


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## ENIRB (May 7, 2011)

https://www.morningjournal.com/articles/2010/07/14/news/mj3025084.txt

This was last summer here... I don't recall where you're located, but anything's possible with low-life's releasing their aquariums into the local waters.


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