fish identification, Texas lake

[ColdPass]

Unfortunatly I don't have a picture, but I noticed a fish I hadn't seen before this weekend at the local lake. I wasn't diving, but was just out on the boat in shallow water. I noticed a couple of torpedo shaped fish with forked tails - about 12" long. They were cruising in the shallows near shore.

Any ideas on what they could be? I tried to see if they were catfish, but didn't get a good enough view of them. I didn't see any barbells, though. My concern is that they're grass carp. I've heard that they're an invasive species which would strip all of the vegetation in the lake and increase sulfur content.

Hopefully it's something else. Any ideas? Know any local lakes that have been impacted by grass carp? I'm pretty sure that they're not the sterile ones introduced legally, but that we have the ones that can reproduce.

[fire diver]

really hard to judge without pics. scales or skin? scale size? colors?

[DevilDiver]

Something like this?



Or more like this?

[ColdPass]

Something closer to this.

[ColdPass]

How'd you get those pictures to show up inline? - asks the noob

[Rileybri]

Originally Posted by ColdPass

How'd you get those pictures to show up inline? - asks the noob

copy the image address from the web (right click on it and click copy image or copy image address.) then type [IMG] paste http://www.etc.etc web address with no paces between the annotations. then end the web address with [/IMG]

the easer way is to copy the image address and click the yellow icon with the sun and mountains then paste the web address in to it and click ok and it will add the image for you (most of the time........)

[DevilDiver]

Try going to this web page. Put in the area and environment that you found this fish in with the closest color,shape and size and let us know if you find it.
eNature: FieldGuides: Advanced Search

[ColdPass]

Originally Posted by DevilDiver

Try going to this web page. Put in the area and environment that you found this fish in with the closest color,shape and size and let us know if you find it.
eNature: FieldGuides: Advanced Search

Cool website, but returned no matches.... I expanded my description and it said it could be a threadfin shad, but that wasn't it.

[waytooslow]

Try this site

Aquatic Species Found in Fresh Water - Texas

Maybe Gizzard shad?

[ColdPass]

Originally Posted by Rileybri

copy the image address from the web (right click on it and click copy image or copy image address.) then type [IMG] paste http://www.etc.etc web address with no paces between the annotations. then end the web address with [/IMG]

the easer way is to copy the image address and click the yellow icon with the sun and mountains then paste the web address in to it and click ok and it will add the image for you (most of the time........)

Thanks!

those pictures I posted above are obviously grass carp - but the fish I saw were far enough away I couldn't see the scales so well, but they were this shape, and had the same forked tail.

I'll try to get a better view.