Fish identification question

[jcl]

Originally Posted by axle27

No red tips, but could it be a Fallfish? I've caught them in the same waters as trout.

Fallfish Picture and Information

Don't know if you've checked out this site:

The Virtual Aquarium of Virginia Tech--Minnows

Oh, I missed this in my cross-post yesterday, Axle, but definitely not a fallfish. I'm pretty familiar with them from my PA days, but that was a good thought. I caught a 17-incher once on a fly rod in smallmouth water. Can't say I was disappointed to see what it was when I landed it -- anything that big's fun!

[theboz]

Sounds like a redtail minnow. They grow to 12ins and more. Like golden shiners bait fisherman dump them in at the end of the day and they reproduce and grow.

[Keith Williams]

In Vermont we have what is comnonly called a Red fin shiner. They sometimes reach 5 to 6". I found this link. Might be a match.Redfin Shiner
PS: Northerns love them!

[jamfan]

Might be pumpkinseeds.

[Diver Dan]

Originally Posted by jcl

I'm sure this will be fun with no pictures, but here goes:

I was fishing in central VA on the South River and started catching a type of fish completely new to me. They were about 5 inches long and silver, and kind of looked like a fat minnow or goldfish even. They had red tips to their fins and tails, and three dark vertical markings on their sides.

I talked to a friend in Georgia who's also caught these fish (but doesn't know what they are), so I assume there's at least some spread to their range.

Any ideas?

Can you take a photo? It would make things a whole lot easier. You have a shiner there named the Crescent Shiner, but the 3 bars is not quite right. There are some aqaurium fish that fit that description. I don't remember the exact name of the fish, but they look a lot like a Tin Fil Barb but have the vertical bars you describe. A Clown Loach has the right number of bars but is more yellowish than silver. If you can get me a photo I can ID it for you. Till then it's just a guess.

[FlyFlinger2421]

Could have been a redfin shiner. Here is a picture, sure hope it comes through! If not, Goggle will find it for you!
http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/Default.aspx?tabid=22331

Both the redfin and rosy shiner (hard to tell apart) are found in Virginia and Google can tell you a lot more about them if you are interested.

Okay, here is another one I thought of. The Striped shiner, It is also found in VA and you will note, is often caught by fly fishermen.
http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/Home/spec...3/Default.aspx