What kind of fish is this?

  • JD Nitzer
    Posts: 2
    July 16, 2020 at 7:20 pm #1957785

    I caught these 2 in the St Croix River in Minnesota and have no idea what they are. Any ideas? They were about 10-12 inches long and no more than a pound. Black on top, then a beautiful silver everywhere else, dorsal fin didn’t start until the last third of its body. I was initially thinking Mooneye but the eyes don’t look big enough.

    Attachments:

    1. 20200715_155753.jpg

    2. 20200715_162844.jpg

    jwellsy
    Posts: 1555
    July 16, 2020 at 7:51 pm #1957795

    Looks like a big shad to me.

    bigpike
    Posts: 6259
    July 16, 2020 at 8:09 pm #1957800

    Shad Shawalski from Shad Rapp agrees: Shad

    Matt Moen
    South Minneapolis
    Posts: 4268
    July 16, 2020 at 10:40 pm #1957837

    Pretty sure that’s a mooneye. Shad don’t get that big.

    Catch them on cranks every once in awhile on P2.

    katmando
    Ramsey,MN pool 2, St.croix river
    Posts: 691
    July 16, 2020 at 11:20 pm #1957843
    Matt Moen wrote:

    Pretty sure that’s a mooneye. Shad don’t get that big.

    Catch them on cranks every once in awhile on P2.

    Although this is a mooneye not a Shad but Shad do get that big and bigger. Biggest I’ve gotten is 18”

    Bearcat89
    North branch, mn
    Posts: 20356
    July 17, 2020 at 6:29 am #1957845

    Mooneye I get them all the time in the st croix north of osceola

    bigpike
    Posts: 6259
    July 17, 2020 at 6:54 am #1957849

    I’m still siding with Shad Shawalski

    Matt Moen
    South Minneapolis
    Posts: 4268
    July 17, 2020 at 7:53 am #1957859
    FishBlood&RiverMud wrote:

    That’s a mooneye

    <div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Matt Moen wrote:</div>
    Shad don’t get that big.

    The shad I use for bait, start at 12″ wave

    Fish love shad steaks!!!

    Huh….I thought the biggest they get was about 8″. That’s why I come here….I learn something new everyday!

    BigWerm
    SW Metro
    Posts: 11636
    July 17, 2020 at 11:02 am #1957925

    Pretty sure that’s a baby Tarpon, looks just like Matt’s pic but smaller. Let em go and give it a few years! rotflol rotflol

    FishBlood&RiverMud
    Prescott
    Posts: 6687
    July 17, 2020 at 11:38 am #1957935
    Matt Moen wrote:

    <div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>FishBlood&RiverMud wrote:</div>
    That’s a mooneye

    <div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Matt Moen wrote:</div>
    Shad don’t get that big.

    The shad I use for bait, start at 12″ wave

    Fish love shad steaks!!!

    Huh….I thought the biggest they get was about 8″. That’s why I come here….I learn something new everyday!

    Threadfin shad don’t get too big. They are the small cousin to the gizzard.

    Gizzards do though. Their bellies are sharp as heck when they’re big and strong!

    Snap
    Posts: 264
    July 17, 2020 at 9:50 pm #1958088

    Nice looking Mooneye! We use to catch them in the summer on dry flys when the water is in the trees along the Wisconsin shore of Lake Pepin. Excellent on the smoker!

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