cichlids.com

 Pictures Tank examples Library Cichlid Forum Photo Contest
Please Look!
Please Look!
Please Look!
Hey guys, I do not know much about these fish but from what I could put together it's a form of Oscar Fish. Weird thing is, I'm from New Jersey and I caught this fish in a local pond from me. Im guessing someone threw the fish into the pond, but any information on this fish would be more than helpful. It was the size of my shoe, which is a size 12 USA, and about 3 inches wide. Thank you.
posted by: Joe Montino

(report)
Aug 27th, 2007
Views: 17659 Rated: (12 votes)

Visitor Comments

anthony nguyen » posted 2007/08/27 10:57 pm  
well someone dide probaly release it in the wild. and r u going to keep him/her?
Joe Montino » posted 2007/08/27 10:58 pm  
No I threw the fish back after the photo, I didn't want to take a chance in harming it.
anthony nguyen » posted 2007/08/27 10:58 pm
my best guess is u can keep them with larger red devils or maybe even jags.But i dont kno very much about oscars. im more of a flowerhorn guy.
anthony nguyen » posted 2007/08/27 10:59 pm  
oh ok well never mind then, u shoulda ate him LOL, im just playing
Cody Applegate-Williams » posted 2007/08/27 11:56 pm
Oscars can really go with any large cichlid that won't do harm to them.
THE chuck » posted 2007/08/28 06:05 am
new jersey???wow, im close to you(southern quebec, canada)but i dont think that an oscar would live long in our chilly waters...what is the lure you caught it with?
Ernie Tan » posted 2007/08/28 07:56 am
Obviously a cichlids but not sure if it's an Oscar. Nice catch though.
Barb Okla » posted 2007/08/28 10:24 am  
NOT a Oscar, more like a small mouth bass. Each Bass is different in each state due to water temp and conditions. I would do a seach on small mouth bass IN your state and see if you get a simular find..
Roger Hopper (m) » posted 2007/08/28 10:33 am
GM take it from a life long bass fisherman, this is not a small mouth. I have never seen a wild fish those colors around here. I have caught many different types.
Roger Hopper (m) » posted 2007/08/28 10:35 am  
Joe If I can have your permission I will take a pic of this to a game warden friend of mine. GM learned my lesson.:)
THE chuck » posted 2007/08/28 10:48 am  
definately not a bass...100 % sure astronotus specie
Alex Odesit » posted 2007/08/28 10:51 am  
yes, Oscar (someone let unwanted pet right in the pond). I live in NJ myself and surprise it can survive our winter. May be it didn't see winter yet, he may end up in that pond some time after.
THE chuck » posted 2007/08/28 10:54 am  
i dont think he saw winter, that fish was about to die in the next weeks for sure( cannot live at 2 deg cel!!!)
Barb Okla » posted 2007/08/28 12:17 pm  
All right guys, it has vertical strips, a Oscar has shirling reds through out their bobies in patterns, not straight down like this one has.. MAYBE NOT a bass, but not a Oscar either.. As this pic does not give a good detail of his body color patterns, WE can only GUESS at what it is.. Lets see what Roger comes up with..
Nathan Sederholm » posted 2007/08/28 12:42 pm  
I think it is. I've seen a website about pest fish and they found an arowana in one of the great lakes.
Roger Hopper (m) » posted 2007/08/28 12:43 pm  
chuck, oscars will hit any # of lures. In the amazon basin thet are a sport fish on light tackle, and pound for pound put up more fight than a peacock bass. I will show the pic to my friend and see if he knows. I can't say it's an oscar I don't know enough, but not like any bass I have ever seen.
Martin Verduzco » posted 2007/08/28 12:53 pm
Nathan Sederholm » posted 2007/08/28 02:15 pm
OK, not a great lake but Lake George in Indiana between Lake Michigan and Lake Erie. An Arowana. So they can survive.
Nathan Sederholm » posted 2007/08/28 02:15 pm  
http://www.in.gov/dnr/invasivespecies/inansmanagementplan.html
Alex Odesit » posted 2007/08/28 02:43 pm  
Nate, where did you see anything about Oscar in this doc? I just saw mentioning about 10" dead tiger oscar has been found and it's allot south of NJ or Canada. I may be missed.
Nathan Sederholm » posted 2007/08/28 02:48 pm  
Well, we were talking about fish surviving in more extreme weather. I remember seeing that. Aruana in a lake like that is pretty incredible. It was just an example.
Alex Odesit » posted 2007/08/28 03:02 pm  
yeah, I see, I got you.
Now the only question if it live there through the cold time of the year. Some one may just recently let unwanted pet to go.
Nathan Sederholm » posted 2007/08/28 03:20 pm  
Ya, I know it doesn't say when it was caught. A lake like that still must be cold. It says it was caught by an angler too. Who knows.
Roger Hopper (m) » posted 2007/08/28 06:38 pm  
This is a black perch. According to my source, also called a red eye I think.
THE chuck » posted 2007/08/28 06:46 pm  
roger, i know ,oscars are caught up to panama, along with cichlas( they even prepare a shore lunch for ya to eat your fish)...im an experienced bass fisher too and i never saw a bass(large mouth or smallmouth) with that coloration...and rock bass(red eyed) does not look like that....im sure its an oscar
karrie edwards » posted 2007/08/28 06:49 pm  
im srry but i think its an oscar as well, it just looks to much like one of them, at least all the ones i have seen? Every opinion is different!
Roger Hopper (m) » posted 2007/08/28 06:51 pm  
chuck, I would never disagree with you, so if you say so I agree. From the size I don't think red eye either. That is what Bill said.
Nathan Sederholm » posted 2007/08/28 06:56 pm  
You should have kept the thing man! Than you could have taken a pic in the tank!
Nathan Sederholm » posted 2007/08/28 06:59 pm  
Probably would have died anyways. Especially if it really does get that cold and maybe freezes over.
Marc Ryan » posted 2007/08/28 09:33 pm  
Not an Oscar? Lmao!
***kylie *** » posted 2008/03/03 05:54 am  
boy that is a fish i wonder if he survived..
***kylie *** » posted 2008/03/03 05:54 am
boy that is a fish i wonder if he survived..
jason turner » posted 2009/12/14 07:23 pm
I think it was an oscar. and have we not all seen or heard of fish going against their natural habits they can adapt to extreme conditions. not saying it happened but it could
Joe Capone » posted 2010/04/03 03:38 am  
This is definately a perch and if you know anything about cichlid family perch are categorized close to the cichlidale family not an Oscar but a kick ass black perch I've never seen one caught that big
scott cetner » posted 2010/04/16 04:54 pm  
Dark, woody water will produce crappie and bluegill of that exact color. Fished my teens away in N. Michigan pond. Very muddy with silt and clay, every fish was that color, even the smallmouth.
Mark Wright » posted 2010/04/16 05:33 pm  
This is 100% Oscar. Everything about it says so - shape, fins, colour (a bit darker than usual due to cold), pattern, ocellus, eye...I dont fish but I know oscars and this is one.
13 U L 12 O G » posted 2010/04/16 05:39 pm
this pic is old like real old. JS
john chambers » posted 2011/10/14 05:09 am
Lol thats an oscar and ive heard about them being use as game fish in florida an other places, we have geo brazilienis and tilapia marie and mozambiques loose in our waters, even rumors of convicts. Great pic of hour
Jeremiah Murray » posted 2012/05/05 02:18 pm  
Looks like a Red Oscar from what I've looked up. You should try to catch him again and keep him :)
Jeremiah Murray » posted 2012/05/05 02:21 pm  
Wow....good to know that pics keep resurfacing even after a lot of time..lol. Originally posted in Aug of 2007 lol
brock hammond » posted 2012/07/27 07:51 am  
hey I'm from Australia and it could be a talapia witch over hear if you are caught having one dead or alive a 1100000 dollar fine might be given and the talapia are a close relative to the Oscar fish and i think that it is a talapia
Sammy Ramos » posted 2012/07/27 07:58 am
looks like an oscar to me.....someone had to have thrown him in the the pond recently.....you should have kept him because he will not survive once winter rolls around.
brock hammond » posted 2012/07/27 07:59 am  
not an arawana
brock hammond » posted 2012/07/27 08:01 am  
arawana are like a arapaima just smaller
Sammy Ramos » posted 2012/07/27 08:06 am  
that's an oscar.....I may be new to the fish world but I think I know about Oscars and JD and thats an oscar.

Post a comment

 You must be logged in to post comments.

> Login with existing accounts

Do you already have an account on one of these sites? Click the logo to log in with it here:



> Login with a cichlids.com-Account

Alternatively you may login with your cichlids.com Username and Password below. Need an account? Click here to register. Membership is free!

User login

Enter your username and password here in order to log in on the website:
Login

Forgot your password?
Post Picture!
Login
Latest comments:
Wes St. Jean
01:39

The left eye looks very popped out?? I wouldnt put him with any others til
» view
Wes St. Jean
01:31

My keyboard hasnt been the same since I spilled a beer on it?? :P lol
» view
Wes St. Jean
01:30

*taught* sorry..LOL
» view
Wes St. Jean
01:28

I was tought to resect my elders and women and kids as a kid my self and I
» view
Wes St. Jean
01:24

I do truly believe in respect but on here we are all equals so please no si
» view
Devin Gullett
01:16

Hello sir!
» view
Jim Lindsey
00:01

Love it!
» view