So, I was all over the state this last weekend trying to run my boat in a few different rivers. The wife and I were supposed to camp out on the St. Croix at Wild River SP and catch multiple species!!!!! We camped and fished for a day and a half in holes, snags and off sand bars and only caught 2 small SM Bass, 1 Drum, 1 Perch, and a decient Greater Redhorse. That's it!!!!

We decided to pull out and head south of Taylor's Falls and try camping and fishing down there. Needless to say the water at Interstate SP was too shallow to run. Off to William O'brien SP. We launched and drove out the 6' deep channel to 6" of water and sand bars everywhere. We decided to head across town and try a spot I knew of on the MN River. We get there about 45 min before dark; launch the boat run 1.5 miles up river towards the campsite and hit 1' water mud bars. That night we drove back up north to chase some Redhorse up here. I figured out that you can actually trigger and coax Redhorse into biting; at least Shortheads.

Look at this pretty guy!

My wife with a really nice Shorthead!

We were fishing the gin clear waters of the Crow Wing River near Pillager. We spotted these fish in a couple ft of water and drift a chunk of crawler near them. When they turn at it, you can pull it away and they chase it. The faster I pulled it away the faster the fish would swim to catch up to it and strike. It was AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Glad it worked for you!!!


Looks like some fun with hard work.

Aaron

Sounds like a great day chasing fish and deep water. Though I would like to pose to the crew as to the species. Your wife's fish in particular doesn't look like a shorthear in that image.

Of course, I've been wrong before...

I was thinking the same thing Rich.

I could go either way on it. To me it looks like a really big shorthead, but it could be a small river.

Did anyone get a length on it? Or another closer photo?

If it's anything other than a Shorthead, then I don't know what. In most of the streams around here there seems to only be Shorthead Redhorse and White Suckers, as far as these types of specie go. I've caught some Greater Redhorse in some lakes up here, but never in a stream. I have never heard of or seen any other species of Redhorse, Carp, or Sucker in these particular streams. That being said it diffinitively COULD be something else; but it sure looks like a massive Shorthead to me. What does trailboss Corey think?

Looking back at my post it also looks like my middle pic is a Silver Redhorse. It has a pointed tail tip! Holy S#!$, Rich just made me open my eyes a bit. This is now what I think, how about you guys. The top pic is a Greater, 2nd Silver, 3rd Shorthead, and 4th either a really big Shorthead or a Silver. As you can see in the pic the tip of the tail was missing, but the pectoral fins look awfully yellow and not as red as most Shortheads. I don't know, but thats why I have you guys! If mine is a Silver then it is a new lifelister for me. I've probably caught several of them before, only when I was oblivious to the different variations of these fish. The big "Shorthead" we may never know, but when I read the species ID pages on the fish, the yellowish pectoral fins point towards Silver; but the concave looking dorsal suggests Shorthead. The pic is tough to tell, but thanks for jarring my knowledge and teaching me this stuff.

None of those fish are silvers because they all have red tails.

I could be wrong (lord knows it has happened before) but my gut instinct is that the first one is a river and the rest are shortheads. But, I would like an official ruling of some sort because these fish are literally keeping me up at night (since it is now 2am).

We need Corey or Andy to fill us in!

First is a greater, all the rest are shorties. Last shorthead is a monster!

Monster, indeed!

Thanks for setting us straight!