Lunker Fallfish! (seriously)

[Fishidiot]

From time to time, when the debate returns to IDing various fishes - usually minnows and such - I'll reiterate my admiration for fallfish. And no, we're not talking about chubs and shiners here. Fallfish grow much larger, I've caught 'em up to 19 inches, and they're aggresive predators. They like current, hit dry flies, smash swinging wets, and love streamers. Although they don't jump when hooked (at least I've never seen this), they put up a very good fight in warm water - stronger than trout of similar size in my opinion. Here's a big brute I caught this evening: seventeen inches long and, I'd estimate, well over two pounds (obviously an egg laden female). Little wimpy minnows that hit worms? This guy crushed an articulated streamer fly nearly five inches long. Big fallfish like this seem to be concentrated in certain streams, usually mid- sized, warm water rivers. If you find these big fallies, you're in for a good time. They've saved some days for me, putting a respectable bend in a 7WT rod when the bass wouldn't cooperate.

 

[Fredrick]

Nice I have caught some nice ones in the Brandywine but never that big . They hit just about anything a smallie would IMHO

 

[Maurice]

I once caught 4 over 12" on a #2 Mepps spinner out of a skinny riffle while bass fishing on the Conowago north of York. Thought I has a smallie on the first two.....then it just became routine. One after another.

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

Ive caught them in the size you describe in the Swattie. They are a ton of fun.

 

[MattBoyer]

salvelinusfontinalis wrote:
Ive caught them in the size you describe in the Swattie. They are a ton of fun.

Oh yeah!

Boyer

 

[jjsjigs]

Fallfish need love too, man!!

 

[pete41]

They were my teachers .
I once caught a funny looking fish while fishing for fallfish-took it home and asked my father what it was-he said it was a brown trout.
I was about ten at the time but was still snob enough to think it was somehow better than the fallfish and sunnies I had been catching[and releasing].

 

[iceyguides]

A yr or two back on a float trip down pine creek i caught a 18-19 incher in one hole then a 17 incher in the next hole down. Both caught on a bass plug-a ~4in jointed rapala. I do respect them, but i have to say i was a little disapointed when i realized they were fallfish. I thought i tied into a nice smallie or a big brown.

 

[Fishidiot]

iceyguides wrote:
I thought i tied into a nice smallie or a big brown.

And, of course, this is why they deserve that respect.

 

[sniperfreak223]

Fishidiot wrote:

iceyguides wrote:
I thought i tied into a nice smallie or a big brown.

And, of course, this is why they deserve that respect.

exactly why I don't discriminate...I'll throw a fly at just about anything, even bullfrogs and snapping turtles...

 

[caveman]

Are they good table fare?

 

[PSUFishMenace]

From what little I have heard they taste terrible.

I havent caught any over 14", but my opinion so far is that they are nowhere close to wild browns or smallies in fighting ability. Fallfish hit like a truck, but after that they just shake their heads and zigzag back and forth for a few seconds, then you just reel them in. they are heavier than trout of the same length, but imo dont have the explosive speed and underwater twisting ability that can make good size trout hard to land, or the determination that makes smallies so much fun.

I will admit though, it is fun when they smack a Rebel crawdad plug the second it hits the water.

 

[Fishidiot]

I've never eaten one.

Regarding their fighting ability - I think they're very respectable and stand by my claim that they're as good or better than similar sized trout (although I think smallies can still outpull 'em, but not by much). One thing I've noticed is that fallies fight much harder in warmer water, they're slugs in the cold. Usually when I catch fallies it's when I'm bass fishing on bigger waters and using a 7WT or larger rod. Catching 10" fallfish on 7WT bass tackle might not seem so much fun.... but neither would a 10" trout.

 

[PSUFishMenace]

Interesting that you mention temperature. Now that I think about it, I havent caught any really big ones in warm weather.

 

[TLoomis]

I've never caught a big fallfish. Maybe I have been being a snob, but I have always been disappointed when I realized my catch was not what I was intending it to be.

But like PSU said, every time I caught them, they were in the cold.

The last fallfish I caught was a few days ago on a PT. He pooped on me.

 

[Swattie87]

Fallfish are an interesting fish...I too used to be disappointed when I'd get a fish close only to find out it was a Fallfish, but I've grown to respect them....they're native to PA and highly adaptable. I've caught them year round, in little trout streams and in bigger warmwater creeks/rivers.

They have a very unique fight to them. Once you've caught a few of them it's pretty easy to tell when you have a fallfish even before you see them. In calmer water they make crazy divebomb runs up and down the water column (although they rarely jump), and in faster water they use the current to their advantage very well...don't let a big one get downstream of you where there is some good current...You'll have to walk down to get him.

I agree that they pull harder than a trout of the same size, and are right up there with smallmouth. I think their stamina exceeds both though, which makes them a handful, even after a decent fight. I had a good sized one once on a Mepps type spinner make a run and slam into one of my legs...the Fallfish got off and left one of the other hooks on the treble in my calf. When you get them close they often make diving runs at your legs...I assume they think they're some form of shelter. I'm more carefull with them now when I have one on a spinner.

 

[iceyguides]

if carp are the "golden bonefish" then maybe fallfish are the "mini tarpon" of freshwater, although they don't jump or for that matter fight much like a tarpon, although i've never caught a tarpon, so i'm not one to say. Makes me wonder if fishing for fallfish will ever be in vogue like fishing for carp is now.

 

[BPS]

The guy who got me into winter trout fishing used to always refer to them as river Tarpon or Ironsville Tarpon as we always caught a bunch on that section of the little J.

 

[TLoomis]

Caught this guy on the Little Pine last night and it reminded me of this thread. He was a scrapper, but I was still disappointed. It was the first trout of the whole day....until I saw it wasn't a trout. Oh well, still fun

Oh and the other picture was the trophy of the day

 

[Fishidiot]

Nice fallfish Tloom - they are indeed scrappy.

I'm not sure about the little minnow. I'd guess its a dace but its hard to tell. It's too slender (and the head is too pointy) to be a chub or shiner.