Fallfish vs creek chub

[jeremymcon]

Can anybody tell me the difference between these three species? Is there any difference? It seems like some people just call all silvery fish chubs, and some call them fallfish. I find myself calling the larger ones fallfish, and the smaller ones creek chubs.

Also - all suckers can be differentiated from creek chubs and fallfish by the fact that their mouths point downward, right?

 

[Swattie87]

They're different species of minnows. Generally Fallfish are bigger and have a more scaly, shiny, almost metallic silver appearance. Creek Chubs don't grow as large and have a dark stripe down their sides. There's a few different species of Chubs that are hard to tell apart so they all get lumped together in discussion, but Fallfish are easy enough to tell apart.

PFBC Minnow Family

Correct on the mouth being the identifying feature of Suckers.

 

[midnightangler]

Fallfish. Usually they don't have so much red on them.

 

[Swattie87]

That's a slaunch midnight. And yes, Fallfish...about as big as they get. Good fight I bet wasn't it?

 

[midnightangler]

It was rising to drakes last week.

 

[midnightangler]

I actually caught a bigger one on Penns creek a few years ago. It was very nearly 18" and fatter.

I don't even remember how it fought. I hooked about six big brown trout that day and a smallmouth.

 

[springer1]

I know some people don't like Fallfish, but I've have a lot of fun on days when I get a mix of Trout, Bluegill & them.

After all they are a native fish to PA; I caught one last year that was 16"-17" and gave me a great time.

 

[McSneek]

Caught about a 14" fallfish in the Conestoga last weekend on a #4 woolly bugger with rubber legs, hot orange bead. Thought I had a nice smallie but after no jumps it seemed strange. Then I figured it was a channel cal because I caught one of those too. Put up a good fight.

 

[SBecker]

I have caught a close to 20incher on the Lehigh. Seen ones the same size taken on the Lehigh and Delaware.

 

[BeastBrown]

Come enjoy the Pennsylvania Grayling fishing on Penns Creek!

 

[Fishidiot]

Creek chubs are just pesky minnows......but fallfish are deserving of a much better reputation. They fight hard - as well if not better than trout of the same size - and rise to dry flies. They have earned my respect.
The bigger ones, in my experience, seem to reside in the medium sized warm water rivers.

 

[lestrout]

Fallfish are native in the Brandywine and sometimes jump. Although hatchery trouts lately are better colored and fight better (they've improved the Trout Chow), at times at first it was hard to tell if you had a fallfish or trout on. But like crappie, after the initial tussle, fallfish tend to come in easier and don't have the second wind trouts do. I find hooking fallfish on dries requires a bit of a pause to let them turn the fly in the mouth (or something), much like the whitefish in the Rockies.

tl
les

 

[Hook_Jaw]

Caught a 15 inch chain pickerel in Penns Friday evening not real thrilled catching them in there.

 

[dc410]

Jeremy,

Here is a photo of a fallfish and a creek chub. The fallfish is a decent sized one that I caught last year but it is very common to catch smaller fallfish that are similar in size to some larger chubs. You probably won't find many photos of creek chubs floating around on this site but this one was colored up pretty nice and I am kind of glad I took a photo of it after I saw that you posted this thread. When creek chubs get a bit larger sometimes they lose the darker lateral marking that is often mentioned in the description of the species. Generally you will catch creek chubs on smaller flies (I think the one in the picture I caught on a #14 black fur ant - wet). You won't catch many Creek Chubs on a size 4 deep Clouser minnow like I was using when I took the Fallfish.

Suckers are ............ Suckers! I think you probably got those figured out :-D

 

[streamerguy]

That fish in the bottom photo is actually a striped shiner.

 

[dc410]

streamerguy,

I was pretty sure that they were creek chubs. However, you may be correct. Now I am a bit confused of the difference between creek chubs and striped shiners - not that we really need to get into an in depth discussion about it but I do take an interest in being able to correctly identify a species of fish - even if it is a non-game fish .... always trying to learn something.

 

[laszlo]

How about the horny headed ones, those are interesting.

 

[streamerguy]

^lol now we're really getting complicated. I'm not a biologist or anything, but do like catching many different species and love knowing what I caught, even if I have to do a little research when I get home from my trips. So many species, so much to learn. Anywho, here it goes.

Striped shiner- pretty much your second pic. That one is a pretty good sized one and it's in full spawning mode. Most are just silver and a little smaller. http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/Home/species_a_to_z/SpeciesGuideIndex/stripedshiner/tabid/6773/Default.aspx

Creek chubs- compared to striped shiners, they look more like fall fish. Where I fish, striped shiners are actually more common, but in some of the real small streams creek chubs are present. http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/Home/species_a_to_z/SpeciesGuideIndex/creekchub/tabid/6599/Default.aspx

River chub- can get bigger than creek chubs and are more silver. Scales seem bigger too. The males can get a pretty big head. They're actually pretty good fighters http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/Home/species_a_to_z/SpeciesGuideIndex/riverchub/tabid/22148/Default.aspx

Hornyhead chub- smaller than river and creek chubs but they're similar. The mouth is more towards the bottom of the head. I've only caught a few of these. http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/Home/species_a_to_z/SpeciesGuideIndex/hornyheadchub/tabid/22147/Default.aspx

All three of those chub species, as well as striped shiners even, can get those "horns" on their heads.

I don't know much about fallfish, they aren't around where I fish.

 

[FarmerDave]

I think it is time to post Sasquatch's favorite picture.

 

[Hook_Jaw]

both look like a meal for a big brownie