CTFishTalk.com: 4/12 weathersfield cove catfishing caught something weird - Connecticut River Reports ( CT River Reports ) - A Community Built for Connecticut Fisherman.

cjpd_00 · Joined: 14 Apr 2008 Posts: 57 Location: Stafford Springs

ok guys, I need help identifying something...sorry no pics it was dark and we didint have a good camera. this thing had legs and was about 13 inches long browning color on the back and kinda yellowish tinge to its belly and had black spots on it's back and had a mouth kind of like a sucker looked alot like a big lizard ...I caught it on chicken liver. Freaked me out, I have never been such a chicken sh*t about touching a fish in my life. I did some research on google and it might be a mudpuppy/waterdog but im not sure.
as for the report...I was fishing with my friend out of his small jon boat at the mouth of the ct river right by the two markers going into the cove. all we used was chicken liver. not sure of how deep it was. my friend got the first cat of the night that was about 3lbs. alittle while later I got on that hit and started swimming toward the boat once i realized i had one I set the hook ended up fighting with him for 10 min because it kept ripping drag. Finally landed it and weighed it...8lb10oz new pb! it would have been easyer to land if we had a net... Rolling Eyes

slimecoat · Joined: 09 Nov 2007 Posts: 1576 Location: Newington, CT.

Sounds like a mud puppy to me. They like large chunk rock type areas to catch small fish, crayfish, bottom feeding between the rocks etc.

I caught 1 by hand in Lake Ontario in 2 feet of water while swimming at my parents cottage 5 or 6 years ago. They are really freaky looking with the legs and everything, but totally harmless.
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toptech · Joined: 12 Jul 2007 Posts: 322 Location: Vernon

Did it look like ths?

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cjpd_00 · Joined: 14 Apr 2008 Posts: 57 Location: Stafford Springs

thanks slimecoat I was just worried that it might be an invasive species or something.
toptech, no it did not look like that. Ive seen bowfin before. I wish it was though it probably would have been a better fight

toptech · Joined: 12 Jul 2007 Posts: 322 Location: Vernon

cool man...that was my only stab at it. Until about 6 months ago I didnt know bowfin existed... Laughing

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cjpd_00 · Joined: 14 Apr 2008 Posts: 57 Location: Stafford Springs

yeah, I heard about bowfin about 2 or 3 years ago but never saw one untill last year when my dad caught one. I guess it was during spawning season for them because they change color or something. this one had some bright green on it's tail...pretty cool looking

cjpd_00 · Joined: 14 Apr 2008 Posts: 57 Location: Stafford Springs

looked close to that except the body on mine was rounder and the mouth and legs where smaller

toptech · Joined: 12 Jul 2007 Posts: 322 Location: Vernon

I missed the leg part of your post....all I saw was the lizard head.... Embarassed

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toptech · Joined: 12 Jul 2007 Posts: 322 Location: Vernon

i would be freaked out but it definently would have become my pet....lol
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cjpd_00 · Joined: 14 Apr 2008 Posts: 57 Location: Stafford Springs

ha ha yeah my friend said the same thing about keeping it as a pet now that we know what it is. Last night though I wasn't putting my hands anywhere near that thing Laughing

DirtyDawg10 · Joined: 27 May 2009 Posts: 2238 Location: Granby, CT

lol...I can see how catching that thing in the dark could freak someone out Shocked

fishinschmoe · Joined: 01 Jan 2010 Posts: 300

Thats pretty funny...
There is actually an almost stable population of MudPuppies in and around Wethersfield Cove. and they do get caught by fishermen from time to time... even thru the ice....

Bowfin are another cool fish. I caught one back when I was in hi school (1985??) Caught it in Scoville's in Wolcott.

I had no clue what it was, flipped it in the canoe, then threw it in a bucket, and several hours later, threw it in a kiddie pool that my buddy had set up for his dog, and the freekin fish started swimmin! I lived HOURS out of the water.

OF course, back then, there was no www.anything so I spent HOURS combing thru encyclopedias and what not, and realized it was a bowfin.

Kept is as a pet for months, it eventually died.. from what I don't know, cuz it ate anything that would fit in its mouth.

Bass Sniper · Joined: 05 Feb 2010 Posts: 255 Location: west haven

Encyclopedia? whats that? jk
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tommytbomb88 · Joined: 08 Apr 2009 Posts: 40

i catch mudd puppy all the time when fishing with dead shiners for bass and cat if in the river if u wade the river when it low ull find them under rock too

live bait · Joined: 12 Apr 2010 Posts: 28

little late but i just caught one of those about a 14 inches long including the tail in the ct river by orchard street EH its definently a mud puppie