Reply by: FishingJunkie      Posted: 7/30/2012 8:50:05 PM     Points: 312    

I believe this is a long-nosed sucker but wait for confirmation from someone else. If that's what I think it is then it's a protected species that should be released\ unharmed.

 Reply by: brookieflyfisher      Posted: 7/30/2012 8:59:49 PM     Points: 4937    

Looks like a pikeminnow to me. How'd it fight?

 Reply by: Icebuster      Posted: 7/30/2012 9:02:55 PM     Points: 37    

Really fits the outline of a the sucker noted earlier:

Back, upper sides, and head to below the eye dark olive to slate underparts white or yellow. Breeding males are nearly jet black on upper half of head and body and may have red midside band. Has 9 to 12 rays in dorsal fin and more than 15 scales above lateral line. Red tinted fins.

 Reply by: bluecollarguy      Posted: 7/30/2012 9:07:55 PM     Points: 43    

Looks more like a roundtail chub to me...

Where's FishSeal when you need him!

 Reply by: IceFishingFool      Posted: 7/30/2012 9:14:05 PM     Points: 4775    

Sure looks like a pike minnow to me.

 Reply by: camohunter      Posted: 7/30/2012 9:21:17 PM     Points: 20    

its a bonytail chub also protected so hopefully it was relased

 Reply by: badcoyotee      Posted: 7/30/2012 9:28:27 PM     Points: 31    

FishSeal is probably in bed by know. He's been snake hunting lately (for scientific purposes) and is probably exhausted. You're right though, if someone would know, it'd be him!

 Reply by: DippinandFishin      Posted: 7/30/2012 9:37:15 PM     Points: 50    

are those endangered?

 Reply by: LarsCS      Posted: 7/30/2012 9:45:45 PM     Points: 3    

Thanks for your help. I will compare the names given here with some images online. We camped in the lower Gunnison Gorge (a little bit below Pleasure Park) when we caught these. We were trying to catch dinner but since we did not know what these fish were they were of course going back in the water.

 Reply by: FishSeal      Posted: 7/30/2012 9:48:32 PM     Points: 4587    

HA HA Ha!! I love you BadCoyotee! That's funny.

So, FYI... I just got back from fishing with Tbubb and PikeNColorado at St. Vrain. They did better than I did... and the mosquitoes out did us all! LOL

That is a roundtail chub.

Okay... now this is how I can tell.
1) It has red on it... pikeminnow don't have red... they might have golden appearance, but not red. So pikeminnow is out by coloration.
2) The mouth is sub-terminal, meaning it not all the way on the end. Best way to illustrate this, imagine this fish running into a plate of glass. If the upper lip hits glass first, you have a terminal fish. If the snout, or nose, hits first, you have a sub-terminal mouth. The mouth also has an oblique angle to it, where as the pikeminnow's mouth is almost parallel to the bottom of the head. In addition, the mouth is not big enough to be a pikeminnow. This would be a measurement that most wouldn't have access to... so please use the other features.
3) The nuchal hump, think dowager's hump, is basically absent and is too streamline to be bonytail or humpback chub. In species, the progression of the nuchal hump would be roundtail (none), bonytail (obvious - but not huge), and humpback (so obvious - you'd think how is this fish swimming!).
4) The presence of large scales is also characteristic of roundtail. Bonytail will have fine scales and humpback will appear to have none (but they do have them).
5) The tail, or caudal peduncle, the area right before the tail is too thick to be bonytail or humpback. If it was a bonytail, it should about as thin and round like a normal permanent marksalot, not the king sized one.

I hope this helps. That is a nice roundtail! I love catching them... fight hard and really cool. Toothless and a native minnow.

FS

 Reply by: coloradopikeonfly      Posted: 7/30/2012 9:49:58 PM     Points: 76    

Looks like a roundtail chub in comparison to this photo here that I found while looking at the survey result for Wolford Reservoir. [log in for link] Apparently there's a natural population if them in Wolford.

 Reply by: badcoyotee      Posted: 7/30/2012 10:02:00 PM     Points: 31    

Back at you FS :) Thanks for the very informative breakdown. You do know your$!* buddy!

 Reply by: FishSeal      Posted: 7/30/2012 10:02:02 PM     Points: 4587    

Coloradopikeonfly,

You are correct! It's because the muddy creek is a creek that flows directly into the Colorado River in Kremmling.

Roundtail are only in the Colorado River Basin, no where else in the world. The same goes for the Colorado pikeminnow, razorback sucker, bonytail chub, and humpback chub.

Also, just as a bit of info, there have been two known pikeminnow angled in Wolford. My goal is to catch it and prove it. My dad actually caught a roundtail that was "cleaning" up after some spawning browns. I have attached a pic of it.

 Reply by: Luke the Dog      Posted: 8/2/2012 9:26:38 PM     Points: 13    

Fish Seal--What do you do for a work? Biologist?

 Reply by: JKaboom      Posted: 8/2/2012 9:58:57 PM     Points: 938    

He's an icthyologist [log in for link]

What a great resource on this site :)

 Reply by: badcoyotee      Posted: 8/2/2012 9:59:43 PM     Points: 31    

Yes, he is a biologist. Read his Lake Skipper info. One smart man indeed.

 Reply by: elkskinner      Posted: 8/2/2012 10:36:42 PM     Points: 267    

Fish Seal......your dad's hat....is that a seal on the hat?

OK, if you would please, what is the connection? And what is the origin of your handle, your screen name?

Dennis in Loveland

 Reply by: FishSeal      Posted: 8/3/2012 7:49:25 AM     Points: 4587    

elkskinner,
Certainly, I'd love to answer your question.
1) My last name is Seal. So, my family and I have always kept an "eye" out for anything penniped related. Although, we really don't care for the walrus' and elephant seals.
2) I have loved fish since my dad could take me out at the age of three and I could hold a rod. My mom says he used to take me since I was two. I have been a type of aquarist since I was 8 and even worked in a petstore to learn more. I went to Colorado State University to obtain my bachelors in Fishery Biology (discontinued 2 years later and is now an "emphasis" in Wildlife Biology possibly brought back, I have to check). While there, I found my job in describing fish. I have been describing fish and working with state and federal agencies in the recovery of native fish since Jan 2001.
I've had multiple handles through my "web" life, but I've landed mine, FishSeal.

I hope that helps answer your question.

FS 8D