unknown fish.

[fishermandan420]

Narwhal?

 

[dusty122]

LOOL

 

[TRINIBOY]

I was thinking silver bass as well...its not common for them to get that big here; but I know of a few cases where they were caught. I know they do get quite large in the US.

That's stripers your thinking of. Heard there's crossbreed called wipers that's supposed to be in Lake Ontario but have not see one caught so its unverified.

 

[Brian]

Yup you're right; I was referring to the wipers. I know the stripers get to be a pretty decent size...they're long and slender.
We should go hunting for them man...

 

[dusty122]

hey guys this is the fish i think this is wat it looked like
http://www.ontariofishingforums.com/forum/topic/24195-lake-erie-drum-run/#entry308770

the one i caught was just a bit bigger

 

[TRINIBOY]

Yup you're right; I was referring to the wipers. I know the stripers get to be a pretty decent size...they're long and slender.
We should go hunting for them man...

Sure if you willing to drive down to NYC to Montauk? Have a couple buddies that go out for them. So we have boats at our disposal

 

[Dozer]

Except koi fight amazingly well, and are orange

Soragoi or possibly a silver Asagi with no orange... but damn at a foot and a bit that would be someones few thousand dollar pond escapee :shock:

 

[salmotrutta]

hey guys this is the fish i think this is wat it looked like
http://www.ontariofishingforums.com/forum/topic/24195-lake-erie-drum-run/#entry308770

the one i caught was just a bit bigger

Freshwater drum, also called Sheephead in Ontario.

 

[instapump416]

nah aint a sheep head i know what those look like

yes or no?

 

[Bolcheck]

Without a pic it's kind of hard but from what you've said I would have to say Freshwater Drum (Sheephead) http://ontariofishes.ca/bigpic.php?FID=157&OMNR=371

Here's a good site that gives lots of information on fish species in Ontario http://ontariofishes.ca/fish_list.php

 

[dusty122]

Without a pic it's kind of hard but from what you've said I would have to say Freshwater Drum (Sheephead) http://ontariofishes.ca/bigpic.php?FID=157&OMNR=371

Here's a good site that gives lots of information on fish species in Ontario http://ontariofishes.ca/fish_list.php

that first pic is it, but the sheephead i catch in lake erie have nasty teeth and look like a......sheeps head. these have a mouth like the carp without whiskers

 

[AaronKrick]

that first pic is it, but the sheephead i catch in lake erie have nasty teeth and look like a......sheeps head. these have a mouth like the carp without whiskers

Yep thats a drum. They have sand paper teeth like largies.

 

[Jet fishin]

What you have to see that many don't, is that there many subspecies of a fish, it's still the same type of fish but they have different genes which can make them look odd. I have a hard time with some fish too, spent 3 minutes looking at this "fish" turned out it was a salamander lol

 

[instapump416]

^^^
HAHA

 

[MuskieBait]

From this link: http://www.ontariofishingforums.com/forum/topic/24195-lake-erie-drum-run/#entry308770

The first one is a White Perch (Morone americana). They are usually under 14"...but I have seen some sold in market that were about 16".

(Correction: I was thinking about White Bass I bought in the markets when I wrote the above. The White Perch I usually see in markets are between 9-10" long, which is typical size for White Perch. The biggest white perch I've seen in markets is about 11-12". They are considered HUGE beyond 12". Current IGFA world record White Perch is 3lb 1oz. A potential record White Perch was caught in Virginia from a private pond and it measured 18" and weighted 3lb 2oz. They usually do not reach this size in the wild).

All the rest of them were Freshwater Drum (Aplodinotus grunniens) aka Sheepshead. Calling them Sheepshead is kinda dumb and confusing for the newbies because there are at least 2 other species also called Sheepshead when you do a quick Google search...including the real Sheepshead (Archosargus probatosephalus) which is a Porgy (family Sparidae)...as well as the California Sheepshead (Semicossyphus pulcher) which is a Wrasse (family Labridae).

If your "mystery" fish is the first one in that link, and your size estimation is correct (1 foot + 6 inches), that would make a 18" Whtie Perch and that is a HUGE one. Not unheard of, but rare.

If your "mystery" fish is the other pictures in that link, then they are pretty average Freshwater Drum.

Stupid local names make things complicated...Silver Bass, Silver Perch, Sheepshead...etc.

Use the correct common names as per MNR publication so people can look up the right species for identification. Even better yet, use latin names so it is EXACT.

The two Moronidae (temperate bass) family members we have here in Ontario are White Bass (Morone chrysops) and White Perch (Morone americana).

Here's a good illustrated guide to differentiate between White Bass and White Perch. Yes, you HAVE to look at the length of the anal fin spines and count the anal fin rays to differentiate them, especially in individuals of White Bass where the stripes are less distinct and more broken, or individuals of White Perch where the stripes are a bit darker and more developed.

http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/fishing/species/whiteperch.html

As far as I am aware, we do not have any hybrids (Striped Bass x White Bass = Wiper aka Sunshine Bass...or Yellow Bass x White Bass). There is some reestablishment of spawning Striped Bass in the St. Lawrence River, but they are highly unlike, if not unable, to enter into Lake Ontario. We do not have any native population of Striped Bass in Ontario, native, introduced, migratory or otherwise. Striped Bass is native to Atlantic Ocean east of the Appalachian Mountain and in parts of Atlantic Canada. Yellow Bass is native to the Mississippi drainage and as far as I know they do not naturally occur in the Great Lakes, although there a few had been reported in Lake Huron on the US side.

There are two genus within the Moronidae family. North American species under this family are in the Morone genus. The two European species in the family are in the Dicentrarchus genus. Here are the 4 members within the Morone genus.

Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis)

White Bass (Morone chrysops)

Yellow Bass (Morone mississippiensis)

White Perch (Morone americana)

I've also caught one of the Dicentrarchus...the European Seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax)

Just missing the Spotted Seabass (Dicentrarchus punctatus) to check off all the Moronidae family members.

 

[BowSlayer]

ya its a sheepie lol, thats exactly how they look like and they get huge in lake O, (20-25lbs).

 

[TRINIBOY]

Found this on the net regarding Wipers being caught in lake O...Like I said, I personally have not caught one or seen one caught in person.. Also the net is not always a reliable source of information..But having said that i would welcome the thought of them being here and available to be caught providing they dont damage an already frigile ecosystem.
http://stelcofishingclub.proboards.com/thread/172

 

[instapump416]

Thanks MB for breaking it down

 

[MuskieBait]

Found this on the net regarding Wipers being caught in lake O...Like I said, I personally have not caught one or seen one caught in person.. Also the net is not always a reliable source of information..But having said that i would welcome the thought of them being here and available to be caught providing they dont damage an already frigile ecosystem.
http://stelcofishingclub.proboards.com/thread/172

Yeah, there were the odd ones collected, but as the link said by the MNR biologist, there is no natural Striped Bass in Lake Ontario so technically it is impossible to have hybridization. These Wipers look like ones I see being sold as live food fish in markets. They could very well be fish from "religious" releases. The fecundity of Wipers is very low and are considered "functionally sterile"...although I guess there is always the odd chance. However, there needs to be a sufficently high number of Wipers in Lake Ontario to produce a self sustaining population of Wipers...and if the numbers are that high, more people would be catching them. Sampling one here and there every few years sounds more like illegal releases.

 

[dusty122]

i caught another 2 of them, the thing that made me realize what they were exacly is the teeth or the bumps they have in their throat.