River Reports and a New Fish!

**Tracy Chimenti** · 03-09-2012, 10:01 PM

Tui Chub, or likely a hitch... a little dark for mountain whitefish, but maybe from dark water???

**Darian** · 03-09-2012, 10:55 PM

Hmmm,.... After comparing the two photo's, I'm in the Split-tail Camp. Albeit a fatty.

**Fish Guru** · 03-10-2012, 09:36 PM

Looks like split tail to me, just fatter than normal. Notice how one part of the tail is longer than the other? That's what makes me think split tail for sure.

**Dabalone** · 03-10-2012, 10:54 PM

I believe its a Hardhead

**Tony Buzolich** · 03-11-2012, 07:54 AM

Well, this has been fun so far and I'm learning a lot more than I need to about California Minnows, Cyprinids exactly.

Identifications for both of these fish fit what I caught. What threw me was the size of this thing and the fact that it tried to eat a 4/0 Sardina pattern that I use for Baja.

If it was a spittail then it is considered an endangered species (glad I didn't kill it). There is mention of Hitch as to getting sizeable though with a thick body and a small head. I never think of minnows as getting BIG.

Maybe it was just a very old and dark splittail that was trying to MATE with my 4/0 fly?

TONY

**Frank Alessio** · 03-11-2012, 08:24 AM

Tony... That was a fun thread...I learned that Mountain Whitefish are part of the Trout family.. They have an adipose fin and are good table fare... The limit in Montana is 100 fish. They are in quite a few Rivers in Montana and we have them right here in the Truckee River...Thanks Tony

**Darian** · 03-11-2012, 11:00 AM

Hey Tony,.... Squawfish are Minnows. As you already know, they can get fairly large feeding on everything that gets in their way. I've caught them up to 6 pounds but read somewhere that they can grow up to 10 pounds and they're not the largest minnow in that group of fishes....

**Tony Buzolich** · 03-11-2012, 04:36 PM

Darian,
It sure is hard to think of something like THIS as a Minnow. As a kid minnows were anything small enough to be caught by hand and put in a pickle jar.

Here's Frank holding up one of those "Minnows".
Tony