Ontario Shore Fishing Forum

My goal is 35 species...

1. Burbot (Lota lota)

36" = a lota fish'n'chips

2. Lake Whitefish (Coregonus motherfuckin' clupeaformis)


3. Lake Trout (Salvelinus namaycush)


4. Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens)


5. Common Shiner (Luxilus cornutus)


6. Creek Chub (Semotilus atromaculatus)


7. Brown Trout (Salmo trutta)


8. Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio)


9. White Sucker (Catostomus commersonii)


10. Channel Catfish (Ictalurus punctatus)


11. Mooneye (Hiodon tergisus)


12. Freshwater Drum (Aplodinotus grunniens)


13. Brown Bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus)


14. Shorthead Redhorse (Moxostoma macrolepidotum)


15. Silver Redhorse (Moxostoma anisurum)


16. Rock Bass (Ambloplites rupestris)


17. Walleye (Sander vitreus)


18. Pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus)


19. Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus)


20. Golden Shiner (Notemigonus crysoleucas)

***95% certain that this is a Rudd, but will leave it as a golden shiner until I've caught and positively I'd another specimen***

21. Black Crappie (Pomoxis nigromaculatus)


22. Northern Pike (Esox lucius)

So on the way in this poor pike was slammed by a much larger pike. In fact, for Eastern Ontario that pike was outright huge. It also ate an OOS bass that I hooked a few hours later.

23. Black Bullhead (Ameiurus melas)


24. Greater Redhorse (Moxostoma valenciennesi)


25. Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus dolomieu)


26. Fallfish (Semotilus corporalis)


27. Yellow Bullhead (Ameiurus natalis)


28. White Perch (Morone americana)


29. Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides)


30. Sauger (Sander canadensis)

I'm still certain it is a Rudd...but...I would be more confident when I can catch one of my own to ID in person

You are just 15 away! And you have a strangle hold on this contest so far.

According to https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&...9033,d.b2k

differentiators are:
Rudd (Scardinius erythrophthalmus)
1 Fins are bright red
2 Fully scaled belly (keel)
3 Eyes are red or have a red spot

Golden Shiner (Notemigonus crysoleucas)
Photo: Brian Boyle © Royal Ontario Museum
1 Fins are yellow-green (except in spawning adults). Breeding
males have red-orange fins and an orange anal fin with a
black outline.
2 No scales on belly (keel)
3 Eyes are yellow-green

I think it's golden shiner.... The only thing I can not see int eh picture is the scales on the belly.

But, hey who am I to contest your assessment....

You can certainly contest it. I'm not a real expert (ie fishery biologist or ichthyologist) and I based my knowledge on only what I've read as well. I only appear to know more because sometimes I do read more material...but that doesn't necessarily make me an expert either. Experts are people like Dr. Milton Love and Dr. J.E. Randall (they are really nice and helpful people, BTW, absolutely no ego at all). Although, I do like to challenge others and do it often when I know "my stuff". However, I do have a pet peeve for people who challenge without knowledge or credible sources as their reference (which does not apply to you zippyFX ). This is just to say that anyone can feel free to challenge anything...just make sure you have something to back up your challenge...or else I would come charging in.

They are certainly difficult to distinguish. Between our (Eli and I) communication in the background, it is likely the fish he caught were hybrids also. They are known to hybridize. Hybrids can have full scaled belly just like the Rudd parent, but fins are more subdued like the Golden Shiner parent. You are absolutely correct that eye and fin colour seem off, but sometimes that could simply be due to the surrounding habitat. However, it is also possible that these are hybrids.

Eli and I both agree that these fish looks somewhat intermediate...neither full Goldens nor full Rudd. That's why I want to go catch some and see for myself Plus, if they are really Rudds, I want a new lifer ...and I want to fish in Ottawa for a Sauger since I desperately need a good picture of a Sauger for my lifelist.

I'm not so certain those are Rudd now LOL...sigh...so unnecessarily complicated...

I'm counting them as Golden Shiner on my list as well...maybe I'll go try target the Rudd in the Upper Niagara on the Canada Day weekend...possibly 3 days straight and sleeping in the car...

BTW, regarding presence of River Redhorse in the Niagara...they are in the Upper Niagara (above the falls...no reason why they aren't in the Lower Niagara either I guess)...and electrofishing in various areas showed their abundance to be anywhere from 0.09% to 0.4% on the Upper Niagara. Best case scenario...I catch 1000 fish and maybe luck into one River Redhorse...but they are there! I can send you the sampling report. As recent as 2007. It's a 198 page document...haven't gone through it all yet...don't know if they have a detailed site by site breakdown of the fish composition. Found that info while looking for Rudd info on the Upper Niagara. It is hard to believe that in some areas the River Redhorse is more abundant than the Rudd...

Not meaning to hijack the thread just wanted to point out that this list of species is gorgeous. Amazing shots Eli, love the diversity of colours across all the shots.