A fly fisherman was casting a streamer for bass and carp Saturday at New York’s Onondaga Lake when he spotted two enormous goldfish.
“I tried catching them a few times, but with no luck. But just as I was getting ready to leave, I finally hooked one,” Joe Selover, of North Syracuse, told Syracuse.com.
Goldfish, members of the carp family, are native to East Asia and listed as an “uncommon species” in Onondaga Lake. They’ve gained a foothold in several New York waters thanks to an illegal practice called aquarium dumping.
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In these larger water bodies they can attain much larger sizes than most aquariums allow. But catches by recreational fishermen are still considered rare.
Selover’s goldfish was a whopper, measuring 14.5 inches. He hooked the fish at the mouth of Bloody Brook, and it made a long run up the brook and beneath a parkway.
After about 10 minutes, Selover gained the upper hand. But he had left his net in his car, so he asked an onlooker to hold his rod while he fetched the net.
According to Syracuse.com, Selover released the goldfish after snapping a photo of his catch next to his fly rod.
According to the New York Department of Environmental Conservation, goldfish have been documented in 15 state watersheds. The Adirondack Mountains is the only region where goldfish are not established.
The last known catch in Onondaga Lake occurred in 2019.
–Image courtesy of Joe Selover