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<p>Hey guys,<br />
<br />
I was poking around the NY state records and I noticed what the Shorthead redhorse record is:</p>
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<p>11lbs. 11 oz. caught in Salmon River, in Oswego County on 05/26/96.<br />
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<p>That sounds like a <em>massive, massive </em>Shorthead to me! NY isn't exactly known for its Redhorse and I suspect it may definitely be a case of a misidentified fish. Nonetheless, I am definitely going to find my way that year to try and find redhorse in NY, but ,what are the thoughts from the experienced Redhorse masters on this board?<br />
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Do you think they can get that big? What was your heaviest Shorthead Redhorse?</p>
I'm willing to bet it's a river redhorse.
Eli
Spock is right - a lot of biologists have misidentified shorthead records. Minnesota's top two record shortheads are misidentified greater redhorse. Just because a person is a government fisheries biologist doesn't mean they know how to identify redhorse, and mistakes are made.
My largest shorthead redhorse was 21" and probably weighed 3 - 1/2 pounds or so. I have never seen one larger than that, and I have seen thousands. I know that guys fishing Great Lakes tribs can run into some big ones, but I'd still think 5 pounds would be a true giant - an unheard of trophy fish.
Ya, well I am goin to catch a big ass red fin someday outta the Zumbro. And it won't be confused with any other horse species. ha ha, Probably not, but a guy can dream can't he?
I definitely suspected it was an incorrect identification. I wish I could find the picture of that record so we could correctly identify it here - I think that'd be neat.
Spock and Andy really put it into perspective about how much larger that record fish was than the biggest either have ever seen or caught. So we're saying 5lbs is about the extreme upper limit on Shorthead redhorse size compared to the misidentified record fish of 11lbs 11oz!
Chain Pickerel: All the bad assery of a Northern Pike wrapped up in a smaller, prettier package.
I want to work on catching a giant "red fin" Shorthead this year. I may have caught a 21 incher over the years but probably never measured it. But if you ever got a 22, that would almost certainly be over 4 lbs, and at the top end of the size spectrum for this species. I know of a great place to try for giant shorthead. The place also happens to have giant Silver and Greater Redhorse. And monster White Suckers. Cant wait to fish that spot again...
I am so in on that trip!
I have landed a few shortheads just shy of 21 inches but 22 would be a monster size. They seem to get really robust at that length too much like the other redhorse.
It is all perspective!
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They start to get a humpback when they get over 20", so to me that says they are just about at the top of their size range and really big.
The largest shortness I've caught was 20.5" and it didn't have the hump yet so I think it may depend on the water. Also I believe the MN shortbread record was also a misidentification caught in my own Rum River that was actually a greater. I wish they could take back records because a short head to reach the 27" and 7 15 mark would be on steroids.
This will be the new craze in false records - chuming the waters with 'roids!
I caught one shorthead that was (if I remember right) 21" (might have been 20"), but didn't weigh it as it was out of the water too long (tangled in the line) as well as bleeding like crazy. Took a while to revive, but swam off. If it was not the Illinois state record, it was a year later.
Redhorse ID cheatsheets, gars, suckers: moxostoma.com
2020: 10 days fishing 11 species 0 lifers. 2019: 34/45/13 2018: 39/40/5
I remember that beauty of yours!
What a nice photo that is...
Remember that big, kinda weird looking one I got with you at Frank's Bar? It got in a snag and the dude the yak freed it, and said "nice carp"... Pretty sure that was my biggest.
Why THE FnCK did I not get a photo of that one?!?!?!?!!?!
Well, just have to get another one like that. Nothing else for it...
Fishn sure is neat
That's a beaut, Andy!
Eli
The average size up here is pretty good and it's not difficult to find them over 20 inches in a few river systems, but I've never seen one over 23 inches.
Here's a decent one from last spring.
Those are awesome fish Andy and SKJustin! It's pretty cool that so many of you are basically agreeing that the upper limits of their size is not much past 21-23". I think a lot of fish and game commissions should wisen up! :)
Chain Pickerel: All the bad assery of a Northern Pike wrapped up in a smaller, prettier package.
Around here cracking 20" is pretty uncommon, I could count my fingers the number I've caught over 20" and I've never quite breached 21" - countless of 18"ers and 19"ers to catch that handful of 20"ers. I'm sure that in perfect conditions the rare fish will break 23" but I have trouble imagining much past that.
And man Justin you guys got some huge Shorties up there, maybe they should have stuck with Northern Redhorse...
I know this will sound ridiculous but there's a lake in the arrowhead of MN that at one time had a dnr sampling with average size shortheads listed at over 5 lbs. The only redhorse in the area are shortheads. Could it have been a typo? Possibly. But Phil and I have caught multiple shortheads around the 3 lb. mark on a connected stream in the fall. Not proof but indication of a nice average size. Must not be the only lake like that.
"There's always a bigger fish"
I seem to remember the IGFA world record greater being fromt the Salmon River in NY.. would prob explain that.
Think 5 lbs is def possible, though.