Fished small mountain stream in southwest Virginia yesterday. Caught rainbows; biggest 5"-6" in a C&R area. Got some chubs/fallfish too. Caught what I though was another chub/fallfish, according to look at back that was protruding out of the water, and was about to release it when I noticed bright scarlett color on it’s side extending from right at the gill cover to almost the tail. Thought at first it was blood; but, inspection revealed an upper lip hookup and no sign of blood. Gently turned it over and had the same marking there too. Sure didn’t look like the other small rainbows that I caught before and after this one. Not exactly sure of id. Had no identifying markings other than the scarlett side. Released it okay. Any ideas as to type of fish?
[This message has been edited by Grn Mt Man (edited 07 July 2006).]
The scarlett color started right at the gill plate and down the middle of the body ending just before the tail. It was about as wide as the gill plate, then narrows to a point as it gets almost to the tail. If it is a trout haven’t seen one marked like it.
Googled a search for dace and came across a couple of photos of a Redside Dace. But, the fish I caught didn’t have a “broad, dark band along the lateral line” as described. Also said that “breeding males have a red band from the gills to the base of the dorsal fin.” But, this fish had the red band past the dorsal fin and almost to the tail.
[This message has been edited by Grn Mt Man (edited 07 July 2006).]
[This message has been edited by Grn Mt Man (edited 07 July 2006).]
Several cyprinid (minnow family) fishes will develop red coloring in different patterns during spawning. I don’t know when your fish spawn, but that may be a possibiblity. Some fish will also develop colors sooner or later than others and be the reason you only saw one like this.
Not a Darter or any of the PA fish listed on the second site you named
Adam,
You might be correct that it’s a minnow species in spawning colors that’s not normally seen.
Now, if you made the back a mite lighter, added some green below the darker black, threw in a little spotting and reduced the scarlett to a pinker color, it might be a trout??? Fish & Game put fingerlings and small stockers in the area somewhat below where this fish was caught. Maybe it’s a hybrid of some sort!
![http://www.cmnh.org/naturalareas/images/groves1.jpg[/url:d9e38]](http://www.cmnh.org/naturalareas/images/groves1.jpg%5B/url:d9e38%5D){kind=link}