# **help with fish id**



## guner (Sep 25, 2007)

Today I was fishing at Smith and Moorehouse reservoir and I caught one of these and it came off at the bank, then Half an hour later I caught a second smaller one, with the first I had thought maybe a bass or catfish, although I couldn’t imagine either in this lake, but after catch the second and examining it, I realized that I couldn’t identify the species and it certainly isn’t anything that I think














should be in that body of water.


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## Packout (Nov 20, 2007)

Its a sculpin. Probably a Mottled Sculpin. Native to Utah. I think the UDWR has a page on it. 

Found it. Utah Division of Wildlife Resources


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## backcountry (May 19, 2016)

Definitely a sculpin. 

I'm jealous, I've never seen one in the wild, only specimens during freshwater ecology or ichthyology courses. 

Thanks for sharing.


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## BGD (Mar 23, 2018)

Yep sculpin. Caught some with my kids in the creek just above Smith and Morehouse a couple years back so not a surprise that you would catch them there.


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## High Desert Elk (Aug 21, 2012)

Aka "bullhead". They can be found in most cold water trout rivers and streams.


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## guner (Sep 25, 2007)

Well I thank you guys for the quick reply, I had heard of Sculpin, but thought they were strictly a Salt water fish. Crazy that I’m 50 yrs old and have fished all over this state, but never remember catching one, talked to my dad and he was born and raised here also and he hasn’t ever seen or caught one. Well I appreciate it folks !


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## 2full (Apr 8, 2010)

That is very interesting. I have never seen or heard of that fish. Kind of cool. 
Learn something new every day.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

Heh, Sculpin was the first fish my son ever caught in Alaska, he was unlucky. I didnt know we had them in Utah either.

-DallanC


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## wyoming2utah (Sep 12, 2007)

We not only have them, but lots and lots and lots of them. As a kid, my father would carry a fork in his fly vest. Sometimes, he would use that fork to stab sculpin, catch them, and use them for bait. I remember having quite the fun trying to get them with the fork!

I also remember working with a crazy woman on the north slope of the Uintas in a cooperative effort between USU and the USFS. She actually tried giving a sculpin mouth-to-mouth after we accidentally poisoned it....


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## Catherder (Aug 2, 2008)

Back in the day, when it was cool to fish the big rivers with bait, one would frequently catch them with worms that are left to sit on the bottom of slow moving pools.


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

Hasn't anyone every wondered: why is that fly called a 'sculpin'?


I think it's time some of you watch where you are wading!!


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

PBH said:


> Hasn't anyone every wondered: why is that fly called a 'sculpin'?


I'd never use one of those... to me its in the same bucket as a mouse lure 

-DallanC


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## Firehawk (Sep 30, 2007)

I have caught a few of them here in Utah. First one was caught in the Stillwater Fork area of the Bear River near the cabins. Cool fish!


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## backcountry (May 19, 2016)

PBH said:


> Hasn't anyone every wondered: why is that fly called a 'sculpin'?
> 
> 
> I think it's time some of you watch where you are wading!!


PBH,

Do you see them much down here?


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

backcountry said:


> PBH,
> 
> Do you see them much down here?


yes. They are all over in the Sevier. I'm sure they are also in Asay and Mammoth, and probably every tributary to the Sevier. They only get a couple inches long -- they aren't something that you would typically expect to catch hook-and-line. 

If you watch while you are wading, you'll see them. They sit on the bottom hiding in the rocks -- here, watch this:


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## pollo70 (Aug 15, 2016)

I also grew up knowing them as "Bullheads" never caught any bigger then 3 to 4 inches has anyone ever eaten one?


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## AF CYN (Mar 19, 2009)

They're one of the primary food sources for large browns in rivers like the Provo. I think it's interesting that you caught one on a line. I've never heard of anyone doing that before.


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## High Desert Elk (Aug 21, 2012)

AF CYN said:


> They're one of the primary food sources for large browns in rivers like the Provo. I think it's interesting that you caught one on a line. I've never heard of anyone doing that before.


We used to catch them occasionally in the West Fork of the Dolores River in SW Colorado when we would put out a line for trout while waiting out a rainstorm as kids.

Know of a guy that used to catch killer browns up on the Blacksmith Fork years ago on these.


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## backcountry (May 19, 2016)

I'll have to look closer. I love playing in the muck looking for invertebrates but have never seen a sculpin while doing so. I probably scare them off. 

I wish I could fish Mammoth more but it's been years. I miss those middle sections I fished a decade ago before the access changed.


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## hardman11 (Apr 14, 2012)

Scuplin use to catch them at rockport


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