"Bait" ID
 

Hit a local stream that eventually dumps into the Big P last night for some bait. I originally thought the stream was populated with Golden Shiners until I started catching these guys. Did some quick Googling last night and could not find a decisive answer. Any ideas? These fish were 6" max with no bigger fish present. Attached is a picture of a true Goldie that was on the wrong side of a Pike attack this spring for comparison ;).

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h2...psykqvuval.jpg
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h2...psq2ab602q.jpg
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h2...psz12pt8gq.jpg

Re: "Bait" ID
 

Thats petey my pet goldfish!

Re: "Bait" ID
 

The 1st one might be a goldfish/koi hybrid, 2nd one is a wild goldfish. They are pretty common in NJ, especially around the Passiac and Rahway.

Re: "Bait" ID
 

No no no, that's lunch for the original Petey!

Re: "Bait" ID
 

You think the first one was bucket stocked? I saw maybe 5 similar ones, threw it back and kept the grayish ones.

Re: "Bait" ID
 

Believe both are goldfish. The bright ones typically don't survive long enough to spawn so through natural selection the brown plain colored ones take over.

Re: "Bait" ID
 

Looks like a baby carp to me...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...ures/carp2.jpg

Re: "Bait" ID
 

the third photo is a big shinner aka roach or roosk that fish took a beating. the orange one looks like a koi,it probably got in the river from the floods that the superstorms made happen.anybody that had a landscape with one of those plastic koi ponds probably washed into the river.if they lived close to the river it more than likely happened.

Re: "Bait" ID
 

Buzzbaiter's fish is a goldfish as well. Rob, they were probably both born in the stream. There is a large breeding population in NJ, and Lou could be right about the orange one being a goldfish too but it's tough to tell. There are tons of koi around also and goldfish, koi, and carp can all breed with each other resulting in some cool looking hybrids.

Re: "Bait" ID
 

I got it, I got it!!!!

AFTER 12 hours of research I've come to the conclusion that.....................""ITS ALLLLLLLLL BAIT!!!!"" HAHA!!!!!:)