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Location: Essexville, MI./Saginaw Bay. | This is a post every guide or charter captain always dreams of making. Taking clients out fishing and one of them lands a State Record fish while in your boat under your professional guidance. The fish of course (as of right now) has not been verified as a state record, as we just caught it this afternoon. But I'm pretty sure it will be, as it's (as far as I know) the first to be caught in Michigan. This is what ironically makes me wish we had never caught this fish at all, because it's not the specie I or anybody who cares about our fishery wanted to ever see. It is a BIG HEAD CARP (I think). I'm am not an expert on this specie, but I know what they look like from pictures I've seen, and this fish has big head written all over it. I kept the fish, wrapped him in wet towels, and he is now freezing to death in my freezer. I'm taking him to our local DNR office Monday and will report back on what is said and what happens. Posting a couple of pictures of the beast and a few of the walleyes we caught. Let's hope the toothy variety doesn't become extinct under the assault of this new unwanted arrival.
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Member
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Location: upper michigan | To the best of my knowledge what you have there is a common gold fish not a big head carp.
http://aquanic.org/publicat/usda_rac/efs/srac/438fs.pdf |
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Location: Essexville, MI./Saginaw Bay. |
God I hope your right Butch. But the eye's being so high on the head and close to the nose. Plus, I've seen about every specie of gold fish we have in my life time and I've never seen this type fish ever. He still getting the ride to the DNR's Monday for positive ID. |
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Location: upper michigan | how about this one Dan
http://www.sdgfp.info/Wildlife/Education/FishBook/fishbook.smallmou...
the big head carp does not look like any of the carp we are familiar with they are more silver in color the eyes are low on the head and the mouth is fairly large as compaired to a normal carp. But I do agree it need a positive ID.
Edited by butch 11/25/2006 10:06 PM
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Location: Essexville, MI./Saginaw Bay. | butch - 11/25/2006 10:53 PM
how about this one Dan
http://www.sdgfp.info/Wildlife/Education/FishBook/fishbook.smallmou...
the big head carp does not look like any of the carp we are familiar with they are more silver in color the eyes are low on the head and the mouth is fairly large as compaired to a normal carp. But I do agree it need a positive ID.
Thank God Butch. Although I never seen one, that's exactly what it is, thanks. |
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Location: upper michigan | Dan I took a look at the state record fish and if that is a small mouth buffalo I do not see any in the records so I would definatly bring it and have it checked out. |
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Location: Essexville, MI./Saginaw Bay. | Butch.
Could you share the link to the Michigan State records if you have it. Dan. |
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Location: upper michigan | http://www.michigandnr.com/MASTERANGLER/MasterAngler.asp |
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| Hey Guys,
That is a big mouth buffalo. Very common across the US. Not an invasive species. It is a filter feeder like a paddle fish. You do catch them by accident once in a while.
Carp dude |
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| that is not a bighead carp. |
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New User
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| I was on the river today also. Caught 9 keeps and about a dozen smallies. Lot's of dinks. Man I am glad that is not a big head carp !! |
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Location: Essexville, MI./Saginaw Bay. | Heres the final poop. I've contacted and sent the pictures off to the DNR expert in St.Calir Shores. Most professionals I've talked to think this is indeed a Smallmouth Buffalo. But either way it won't matter or be any new record. It's to small to qualify in the Big Mouth or Black Buffalo category. And (no matter how rare) our DNR will not recognize it as a state record Small Mouth Buffalo, for the specific reason that it is not listed on their list. Nor will they list any new/different species on their established state record species list even if caught in the states waters. Even to this day Buffalo get no respect.   There goes my plans to have Ted Nugents "Great White Buffalo" blaring out of my booth at next springs fishing shows. |
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Location: Rhinelander | Oh well, at least the Big Head Carp invasion isn't happening there yet! |
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Location: Essexville, MI./Saginaw Bay. | sworrall - 11/28/2006 3:29 PM
Oh well, at least the Big Head Carp invasion isn't happening there yet!
Your absolutely right Steve.
I'd gladly forgo any hype or attention this would have created to "NOT" have this thing be the first BIG HEAD to hit town. I think it's good we have these little scares like this though (no matter how misplaced) to remind us just how fragile our fisheries are under foreign invasive species. |
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Location: Elgin, Illinois | walleye express - 11/28/2006 2:00 PM
(no matter how rare) our DNR will not recognize it as a state record Small Mouth Buffalo, for the specific reason that it is not listed on their list. Nor will they list any new/different species on their established state record species list even if caught in the states waters.
So then according to the DNR you could not have caught this fish because it does not exist...?????
Okay... Then I think WF should begin to develop an alternative list... for fish that get no respect...LOL.
Seriously, maybe the IGF or whatever people do have some record that is applicable for Michigan. It might be worth a few e-mails... At this point this has become like the letters from down home in the movie Doc Holiday... I want to know more about Ellen and the Pakistani and this fish...LOL |
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