A buddy and I went yesterday to the nearby Red River to partake of some of the best Channel Cat fishing available in the world; I love that place! The fish were hitting just as well as our last two trips, but a weird combination of current and wind had produced a situation in one spot that resembled the pics often shown of the Amazon, where a "black-water" river meets a "white-water" one and the two types seem not to mix, maintaining a sharp delineation of the two colours. A pair of cormorants was fishing very successfully right in front of us in the clear stuff, and my buddy commented that they were catching some nice Goldeyes. My ears perked right up at that...
Goldeye are common here in Manitoba, everybody is familiar with them and doesn't give them a second thought. I'm an expatriate from Ontario, and I knew their close relative, the Mooneye, from that province. I never caught many Mooneyes, certainly never pursued them intentionally and was unimpressed by their appearance and their strong unusual odour. Checking the range maps of the two species revealed that apparently Goldeye also existed back in my home stomping grounds, but I had never seen one before. Goldeye (Hiodon alosoides) and Mooneye (H. tergisus) are the only two species in the family Hiodontidae, and their appeal to me lies largely in the fact that many of the small panfish that I grew up catching back home in southern Ontario simply don't occur here in Manitoba. With few sunfish species and few places to catch them here, the Goldeye fills in that fishing niche for most anglers.
I quickly grabbed an ultralight rod and rigged up with a float, a small circle hook and a tiny frozen shiner. Within minutes I had landed my first-ever Goldeye...and this foot-long fish thrilled me far more than just another big fat catfish, so much so that I continued to fish for the little guys for the rest of the day while my buddy continued to catch 30+ inch cats and looked at me like I was nuts. The bite was consistent; if it died down at all then simply moving over a bit to find the school started it right back up again. These are small fish...it takes only 14 inches to qualify one for Master Angler status...but they are fast and feisty on the hook, and have a lovely irridescence in direct sunlight. Lots of tiny sharp teeth show them to be predators; they are clean and silvery and make me think of a marine species when I hold one.
A new Lifer is always a thrill! I'm going to devote some time to this species in future; but I will likely wait for a lull in the catfishing next time.
Goldeye are common here in Manitoba, everybody is familiar with them and doesn't give them a second thought. I'm an expatriate from Ontario, and I knew their close relative, the Mooneye, from that province. I never caught many Mooneyes, certainly never pursued them intentionally and was unimpressed by their appearance and their strong unusual odour. Checking the range maps of the two species revealed that apparently Goldeye also existed back in my home stomping grounds, but I had never seen one before. Goldeye (Hiodon alosoides) and Mooneye (H. tergisus) are the only two species in the family Hiodontidae, and their appeal to me lies largely in the fact that many of the small panfish that I grew up catching back home in southern Ontario simply don't occur here in Manitoba. With few sunfish species and few places to catch them here, the Goldeye fills in that fishing niche for most anglers.
I quickly grabbed an ultralight rod and rigged up with a float, a small circle hook and a tiny frozen shiner. Within minutes I had landed my first-ever Goldeye...and this foot-long fish thrilled me far more than just another big fat catfish, so much so that I continued to fish for the little guys for the rest of the day while my buddy continued to catch 30+ inch cats and looked at me like I was nuts. The bite was consistent; if it died down at all then simply moving over a bit to find the school started it right back up again. These are small fish...it takes only 14 inches to qualify one for Master Angler status...but they are fast and feisty on the hook, and have a lovely irridescence in direct sunlight. Lots of tiny sharp teeth show them to be predators; they are clean and silvery and make me think of a marine species when I hold one.
A new Lifer is always a thrill! I'm going to devote some time to this species in future; but I will likely wait for a lull in the catfishing next time.
