Biodiversity in the river

[gfishes]

When I can't fish in the river I think about the river. I'd gamble many people here share that same passion. The other day I was thinking about the variety of species in the river and and googling articles when I came across this study on Burbot in the river.https://etda.libraries.psu.edu/catalog/9223 I had no idea burbot were still in the watershed. Anyone ever come across one?

The unknown lurking in the river is fascinating to me. What is the strangest/rarest fish you have caught or seen in the river? Maybe my idea of rare isn't rare for other anglers. I'm usually in the Kennerdell to Foxburg area. The strangest for me would be a Mooneye that my Uncle caught while we were using hellgrammites for smallmouth. It was 10-12" and the shiniest fish I have seen in fresh water. I'll see if I can find a picture of it.

Other rare fish for me have been a couple of rainbow trout, sunfish and one sickly looking largemouth. I have never encountered in the river: brown trout, gar, perch, sauger, spoonbill, eel, crappie, burbot, sturgeon or bowfin. I believe all of those are or have been in the river historically.

-Greg

[Pescatore]

My wife caught a Bowfin near Rockland last year. I wasn't with her, but we've caught them at Conneaut before so I know she can identify one. Now I wonder if it was a Burbot or if these are the same fish?

[gfishes]

Very cool, Rockland is right around my camp. Would love to run into a Bowfin someday. Was your wife fishing with livebait?

[Pescatore]

Nope, she was using a musky mayhem showgirl

[gfishes]

Thats awesome. I know people get them while fishing for toothies form time to time. Maybe I will run into one someday.

[Red Childress]

Well, here are some rare-ish species we have caught in this section of river over the years:


Tiger trout (1)
Sauger (4)
Saugeye (1)
Tiger musky (5)
Paddlefish (1, while musky fishing)
Atlantic Salmon (1)
Lake Trout (2)
Bowfin (1)
Mud Puppy (1,while musky fishing)
Gar (1, and haven’t seen one for several years)
Turtle (1, in the mouth with 1 hook while slow trolling for muskies)
1 and maybe 2 endangered species of Darters (while catching walleye bait)
1 big freshwater drum (while trout fishing)


This is all I can remember at the moment.

[gfishes]

Awesome! Lake trout and salmon? haha Thats wild. I wonder how they got there. I'm surprised that people don't run into more sauger. Populations are supposedly really strong in the lower river.

[Red Childress]

The US hatchery located at the dam will sometimes throw leftover fish into the river. The year we hit those 2 lakers, they reportedly released about 50 of them. The last laker we caught was about 8 miles downriver. The salmon I caught 1995 was only 200 yards downriver from the hatchery.

[gfishes]

Very cool. I want to make a trip up that way sometime. I wonder if they give tours of the facility. Do you think the tiger muskie you caught was natural?

[Red Childress]

Yes, tours are provided but not sure if there is a preference towards larger groups. I used to take students there to strip and fertilize eggs, etc....

We also did interior tours of the dam. Those we pretty cool.

Yes, I think it was a natural tiger.