fish id

[southaussie]

hi everyone just a simple fish id, caught recently and not sure weather it was a whiting pollock or colie, it was a healthy fat thing and now back swimming around.

[paul skelly]

looks like a coalie but has the bottom lip of a pollock
defo not a whiting i think its a pollock

[Mick001]

Hi Justin
Looks like a Coalie to me...

See below link to species identification.

Pollack has a sharp bend in the lateral line behind the pectoral fin.

http://www.sea-angling-ireland.org/bull ... 30&t=17034

Mick

[JOHN1]

coalie

[saving private brian]

coalie for sure.u know by the line on it

[stevecrow74]

Deffo coalie.. lateral line straight and upper and lower jaw of same length (in small coalies) forked caudal fin (tail)

[southaussie]

Thanks for that everyone, thats a great species guide steve very handy indeed, I may have to go back to that mark and look for a bigger one

[cathalger]

A very simple way to distinguish between pollack and coley is that the coley has a distinct white lateral line and the pollack always has a dark lateral line, never lighter in colour than the backround. Your fish is a coley, see its clear white lateral line.
Sometimes coley with a golden sheen can cause a little confusion but the lateral line is always much paler than the backround. I read that differentiation aid somewhere years ago and its rock solid.

Nice fat fish that.

[southaussie]

So this one is a pollack then??? with lower jaw longer than top??? great colour on this one caught them near carraun near achil island even caught some big ones

[roger de dodger]

no justin thats a live bait

[cathalger]

Hi Justin, yeah thats a juvenile pollack. Was it causin confusion? Just a thought.... a friend told me that haddock and pollack can become hybrids??? I dunno, its a new one on me, I never heard of pollack and coley interbreeding, has anyone else? As far as I know it doesnt happen?

Sure a pollacks lower jaw is always way further forward that the top. The lovely red fins and painted look to the fish says juvenile pollack too.

Heres a couple of wee (very wee) fish caught last summer. This is probably the youngest coley Ive ever seen-the silver one in the first photo. Note how crystal clear its fins are compared to the colour of the pollacks (the 3 colourful ones). Had to put in the white trout smolt too, he was caught in the same place by the same method (fly) and he goes well with the others.

I photographed these small pollack cos the colours were incredible, like tropical fish or something.

[Drew]

Never heard of a case of Pollack/Coaly Hyrbids, or indeed any sort of interspecies hybridisation in the sea, It would be pretty difficult as most species spawn in different areas, at different times, and are too geneticaly different.

[cathalger]

Never heard of a case of Pollack/Coaly Hyrbids, or indeed any sort of interspecies hybridisation in the sea, It would be pretty difficult as most species spawn in different areas, at different times, and are too geneticaly different.

Yeah Drew I was a bit sceptical of the whole idea, I think he caught a pollack with a pink sheen and decided there was some haddock in it? Same fella studied biology at uni and is knowledgable so I couldnt just disregard what he was saying. He spoke about the way they reproduce, cast spawning or something where the fish release the eggs and milt into the tide in clouds, he said that is how the hybrid is possible? IE if they cast their eggs and milt close enough they can get mixed up. I'm still not convinced though, youd think we'd have heard about it before?????

[southaussie]

thanks again guys theres always a discussion on the beach and dont get me started on the whole flounder plaice thing why do some flounder have orange spots, just to confuse people like me , with nature who knows what can happen with diferent species, i thaught the colouring was from where i caught it it was very kelpy, still looking for more east coast codling

[cathalger]

" i thaught the colouring was from where i caught it it was very kelpy" (quote)

You make a very good point Justin! My above post with pics, I have just realised could be misleading and defeat the purpose of it. I'd say you are right and there is a relationship between the red colour of these wee pollack and proximity to kelp,seaweed in general, totally agree with you.

2 of those red fish were caught off a shingle beach which is not far from rocks and seaweed. The other one was caught off rocks and over seaweed, the one from 09. But heres another interesting thing, the very small silver coley was caught off rocks and over seaweed! I would be confident in saying you wont get a juvenile coley with the red colouration, I think that only appears in wee pollack. Ive never seen a juvenile coley much different in colour to the mature fish?

Small pollack, as witnessed regularly on here can be very pale and almost silver in colouration, usually taken off beaches and piers/harbours on baits. Below is a good example caught this January by a friend of mine, on squid at night off a pier where there is a sandy bottom.

But others have made good points above in this thread, the pollacks lateral line is always darker than the backround and is arched upwards behind the head. Coleys line straight and white on a dark backround. Pollack lower jaw sticks way out. Coley tail forked while pollack has a straight up and down rear edge (dont mind the seemingly straight rear edge of the tiny silver coley in my post above, its a very immature fish, it will develop a pronounced fork when it gets older). Likewise one of my pollack seems to show a fork but the tail is collapsed!

See posts by Brian, Mick and Steve, sound.

[junior conger]

coalie

[thebigman]

Good photos of the wee fish there cathalger

[Drew]

Ever picked up small coalies after a few days of rough see conditions/coloured water? I've had a few who's black backs have faded to grey and have prominant black freckles on their bag, I can only assume the sea conditions have something to do with these pigmentation changes.

[cathalger]

Ever picked up small coalies after a few days of rough see conditions/coloured water? I've had a few who's black backs have faded to grey and have prominant black freckles on their bag, I can only assume the sea conditions have something to do with these pigmentation changes.

To be honest Drew I cant rmember seeing coley affected by rough conditions, but I must look out for it, take picks next time? I know exactly what you mean by the black freckles though, seen similar thing on small cod and pollack.

Thanks thebigman.

[cathalger]

thanks again guys theres always a discussion on the beach and dont get me started on the whole flounder plaice thing why do some flounder have orange spots, just to confuse people like me , with nature who knows what can happen with diferent species, i thaught the colouring was from where i caught it it was very kelpy, still looking for more east coast codling

Yeah Justin flounder will sometimes turn up with rusty blotches but as far as I know the plaices spot are usually a much brighter orange and are better defined, sharper edges????