Rough Fish: What Are They?
If you’ve ever fished a river, chances are you’ve pulled up a fish from the depths that you couldn’t identify. Not known for their aesthetics, some of you may even have been shocked or creeped out from the sight of these fish. You likely caught a roughfish. This chapter will discuss the common roughfish species...
Fly Fishing For Rough Fish: Why Do It?
The challenge: Much is unknown about these species, including behavior, migratory patterns, and diet. You can’t just walk into a fly shop and outfit yourself with everything you will need to pursue roughfish. Roughfish are not typically pursued on the fly, resulting in the lack of literature and information available regarding tactics and fly patterns...
Rough Fish Species: The Suckers
Buffalo: Bigmouth, Smallmouth, Black. Buffalo are planktivores, feeding on filamentous algae in addition to macroinvertebrates, small crustaceans and even baitfish. Often misidentified as carp, these fish frequently receive a cruel and unnecessary death, intended for the common carp. However, some bow angling groups purposely try to misrepresent these fish by calling them buffalo carp, as...
More Roughfish: Bullheads, Whitefish, Goldeye, Burbot & Drum
The Bullheads: Yellow, Brown, Black. Baby cousins of the catfish. Known for their sharp spines on their dorsal and pectoral fins. Notorious bait stealers, they’ll eat anything edible. Sophisticated table fare for the Iowegian; many prefer this fatty fish fried or smoked.Whitefish and Cisco: Salmonids. These coldwater fish are favorite prey items for many gamefish...
Rough Fish: Fishing For Dinosaurs (Gars & Bowfin)
Gar and bowfin remain unchanged since the days of the dinosaur; truly a unique opportunity to catch a living relic.Gar: Longnose, Shortnose. Toothy and extremely bony, it is quite difficult to set a hook in their jaw. Rope flies are effective for patterns for capturing these fish, where filaments from the nylon rope get caught...
Introduced Rough Fish: The Carps & Other Invasive Species
Selective Opportunists: The common carp, koi, and goldfish are prolific, hardy species. Blessed with high fecundity, these cyprinids are able to establish themselves in introduced bodies of water in little time. Known for their high adaptivity and stealth, these fish are some of the most notoriously difficult freshwater fish species to pursue with a fly...
Rough Fish Environments: Where To Look For Rough Fish?
Lacustrine environments: Sloughs and shallow lakes: Look for fish holding off of the flats, shallows, and near vegetated areas. Search in and around inlet/outlet streams and creeks. Deep lakes (>8’): Look for feeding fish on the flats/shallows adjacent to breaks and drop offs. Vegetated areas will hold fish earlier in the season, especially during the...
The Hook: Some Common Rough Fish Fly Patterns
Heavily weighted patterns are necessary in order to get a fly down on the bottom to reach the feeding zone of many roughfish species, especially in riffle/heavy flow areas. Look for flies weighted with tungsten beads or heavy gauge wire bodes. A minimum of 2X strong hooks are required; these fish will straighten hooks. Heavily...
Methodology: Gear & Tactics For Pursuing Roughfish On A Fly
Riverine environments: Long single handed rods, greater than nine feet in length, in a 7 or 8 weight fished with a long bellied line like a steelhead taper are great for mending line. Excellent line control is required for nymphing areas of complex currents like riffle sections. It will also help with increased casting distance...
Rough fish: A Lifetime Of Learning
Exploration. Little is known on the subject of roughfish as they are not well studied. The majority of fisheries research investigations tend to favor gamefish populations and fish species of high commercial value. Much is still to be understood of the unique feeding habits and behavioral patterns, including torpor, or roughfish species. Fish migration still...