After having a lamprey drop in my boat this weekend, I figured it was time to read up on them again.
Lot’s of information on the web about the native (and non native) lamprey’s.
I didn’t know we have 5 species of Lamprey’s in our state. Heck, until 10 years ago, I thought the only lamprey we had was the invasive and hated Sea Lamprey in the Great Lakes.
Photoed below is Jared sizing up a lamprey or maybe the lamprey is sizing up Jared!
Did you fry it up in some Sturdi-wheat fish batter ? or did you use it for cut bait ?
HEEBIEJEEBIES. 
I can deal with alot of weird things out there……..Lampreys aren’t one of them 
It got chucked back into the river. I’m not squeamish by any means (I mean, I own snakes, right?) but this thing was weird. Big (for the fish’s size), bright eyes and a head shaped like a horse head with no lower jaw. Very… bizarre.
And that mouth!! All I could thing of was “Upside-down Sarlac Monster!” LOL
Bonus points for getting the reference. 
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HEEBIEJEEBIES.
I can deal with alot of weird things out there……..Lampreys aren’t one of them
A bottle of bourbon should make him edible.
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Quote:
HEEBIEJEEBIES.
I can deal with alot of weird things out there……..Lampreys aren’t one of them
A bottle of bourbon should make him edible.
Sorry, not enough whiskey in the world!
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And that mouth!! All I could thing of was “Upside-down Sarlac Monster!” LOL
Bonus points for getting the reference.
Return of the Jedi?
A few years ago when visiting relitives in Europe we got some freshly smoked lampreys from the Baltic sea and they were quite tasty
I caught a lamprey once… I had something big tugging on my line, but when I got it out of the water all I had was a pretty sizable lamprey hooked right through it’s mouth.
-Mike
Should have used it 4 bait!! Next time keep them 4 me.Please! 
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And that mouth!! All I could thing of was “Upside-down Sarlac Monster!” LOL
Bonus points for getting the reference.
I’m going with Star Trek!!!
Mark
I say we start a pot and this year if I get a lamprey in the boat while sturgeon fishing, I’ll dare to let it ‘attach’ to my forearm for 30 seconds complete with video.
I have caught eyes’ before on LOW in the dead of winter and they have had 6″-10″ long lamprey on them. After taking them off they sure do leave a good sized hole in the side of the poor fish. 
…Yuck! 
…RR
Brian-hope this helps.
Lord Fahrquardt this morning announced the seasonal re-opening of the temporary relocation facility for fairy tale things. For more info, Google DULACISAPERFECTPLACE.org. 
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And that mouth!! All I could thing of was “Upside-down Sarlac Monster!” LOL
Bonus points for getting the reference.
I’m going with Star Trek!!!
Mark
Nope, Return of the Jedi was right… the only part of the monster that’s visible is a hole in the ground that’s ringed with row upon row of sharp teeth all pointing inward toward the throat. Like a lamprey’s mouth.
And pug, I’d put in on that bet only if you finish by biting it’s head off. 
Lampreys are kind of cool…ugly…but cool.
All the ones I have seen on the Croix or Mississippi are Chestnut or Silver Lampreys. You can distinguish the two appart by the teeth cusps. Silver lampreys have single cusp teeth around the mouth and Chestnut lampreys have double cusp teeth around the mouth. Just an interesting tidbit of info incase you come across any more. 
That’s one thing I didn’t find googling.
What I did find was that there’s 5 species native to MN and Silver and Chestnut are the only two that “stick” on a host.
That and they seldom kill their host.
On a side note, if a fish is caught and held out of water for just a few minutes they most always fall off. I was a little impatient with this guy and he fell off in the boat.
It’s just really hard to remember that they’re fish… not worms or leeches or snakes or something weirder. It’s just a freaking fish.
Talk about messing with your head!
I remember we caught one and it landed on the vinyl seat. Sounded like Velcro when we peeled it off.
Been a while since I saw one, but if you grab them, don’t they try swinging the sucker part around to ‘bite’ or latch onto you?
Doesn’t look that hard to do.
Umm Pug, I would never do that to you for a couple of reasons. 
Because my forehead has suck little blood flow due to such a small brain, the poor lamprey would starve?
If we go sturgeon fishing, I guarantee you I will have a padlock on my zipper. I’d probably wear a Bodyglove wetsuit underneath everything as a fail safe measure.
I was thinking that the vacuum was so great, it would turn the little guy inside out.
But your thoughts would work. 
Are these really a good bait option?
I don’t think anyone mentioned bait. However Eels are supposed to be great bait for sturgeon. Just got to find a big one to use.
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