Sucker Fest 4/3/21

[Ham]

27 minutes ago, oneshot said:

One is a Carp. I usually just call them Redhorse or Hog Molly. All good eating.

oneshot

I was pretty comfortable that the first one was a carp. 🤣

[FishnDave]

Here's a Golden Redhorse I caught.  Good-sized scales.  I think you ID'd yours correctly.

And here's two presumed White Suckers I caught, for your comparison...I'd buy that you caught at least one of these:

[FishnDave]

Here's a nice little key with photographs from North Carolina, but many of the Missouri species are the same.

https://ncfishes.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/NC-Suckers-and-Identification-Key.pdf

[Al Agnew]

16 hours ago, Quillback said:

Well if I was to place a bet, I'd say it is a Western Creek Chubsucker.  And a good one as they supposedly max out at about 10 inches.  No record for one listed in AGFC state records BTW, but Arkansas is in their range of distribution.  

 

 

Nope.  I've caught plenty of chubsuckers in seines while seining minnows for walleye fishing in the winter.  They are shorter, thicker fish, and as you say they max out at 10 inches--I never saw one over 6 inches myself.

[Al Agnew]

15 hours ago, Ham said:

I'm gonna go with Make and Female White Sucker. I'm confused because I rely on Science and studies of fish found in Crooked Creek. The 2011 Journal of the Academy of Science Vol 65 Art 16 The Fishes of Crooked Creek doesn't show White Suckers as a possible species.

You are probably right, but that last one still throws me.  That's one heck of a big white sucker if that's what it is.  Wish I did have my fish ID books available right now, because it really has me curious.  The size, shape, and head shape just don't quite fit anything that is found in the Ozarks.

[Ham]

@Johnsfollyhas a friend that's an actual professional. I can't throw the "Ask Bob" card very often though

it seemed Big when I caught it and I laid it along the net to get a length. Which I haven't done yet. 🙄

[Johnsfolly]

On 4/3/2021 at 9:17 PM, Ham said:

Fish #2. I'm calling it a Black Redhorse, but what do I know. 

That's a white sucker mouth. Did they all look like this one? Below is a black redhorse mouth. The white sucker has that stippling on the lower lip whereas the black does not.

The one with the big belly just seems to be a white sucker full of eggs. Below are the photos of the big white that I caught in Taneycomo. The body shape and head to me looks like all of the ones that you are questioning - not including the golden redhorse and the northern hog sucker.

As an FYI - According to Fishmap, the white river down to Buffalo city and it's tribs are within the distribution range for white suckers. Not sure that they stay in the creeks for very long as young or adults or move out to the white river as they get older or after they spawn in the creeks.

 

[Ham]

Oh Boy, now it's getting weird. The mouths of the fish different. Stick with me here. Gonna take a little bit.

Fish One

Has bumps not striated ridges

[Ham]

Second one, I  manipulated image to improve visibility 

bumps

[Johnsfolly]

Actually both look similar enough to be the same species. Just slight variations of same theme.