Fish Id Help Please

I live in northeast PA (Poconos). I have been seeing these fish in a nearby large lake by the shores and docks but have not been able to catch any so I don't have a photo. I have looked in all my books but can't find any fish that fit the description. I will describe it the best I can. Most I see are about 2" and I think I have seen larger specimens (3" - 5") in deeper water. Body shape is like a minnow or baby bass. Sorry, but I can't decribe the fin configuration. The body appears silvery and the tail is black at the end with the rest being yellow. It seems to be a top feeder. Up to now I have had no problem catching small fish with a homemade minnow net and some bread for bait, but this fish will not get anywhere near a net. If it is a small fish it will make a nice aquarium addition ( I currently have a 75 with 2 small pumpkinseeds and a few black nosed dace), but if it is a baby version of a larger fish (bass, perch, etc.) I will not bother to try and catch any. If anyone has any idea what this is I would greatly appreciate it

I live in northeast PA (Poconos). I have been seeing these fish in a nearby large lake by the shores and docks but have not been able to catch any so I don't have a photo. I have looked in all my books but can't find any fish that fit the description. I will describe it the best I can. Most I see are about 2" and I think I have seen larger specimens (3" - 5") in deeper water. Body shape is like a minnow or baby bass. Sorry, but I can't decribe the fin configuration. The body appears silvery and the tail is black at the end with the rest being yellow. It seems to be a top feeder. Up to now I have had no problem catching small fish with a homemade minnow net and some bread for bait, but this fish will not get anywhere near a net. If it is a small fish it will make a nice aquarium addition ( I currently have a 75 with 2 small pumpkinseeds and a few black nosed dace), but if it is a baby version of a larger fish (bass, perch, etc.) I will not bother to try and catch any. If anyone has any idea what this is I would greatly appreciate it

WOW! you are going to have to net one to be sure, but that black tail makes me think LMB.

WOW! you are going to have to net one to be sure, but that black tail makes me think LMB.

The tail does look like a LMB except for the yellow area. There are small LMB in the lake and they have the green coloring and the horizontal black stripe on the body. This fish appears to be silver and lacking the body stripe. I have tried bread, and even fish food (insects, shrimp, etc) to lure it into the net with no interest at all. Any ideas for bait?.

The tail does look like a LMB except for the yellow area. There are small LMB in the lake and they have the green coloring and the horizontal black stripe on the body. This fish appears to be silver and lacking the body stripe. I have tried bread, and even fish food (insects, shrimp, etc) to lure it into the net with no interest at all. Any ideas for bait?.

Sounds like it could be creek chub.

I am going to go with young bass on this. Smallmouth especially have bright yellow orange area between a wide black band on the back edge of the tail.

The odd thing is they are silvery with no coloring. Even small smallmouth have a speckled bronze green appearance when washed out. It is possible though with lighting and all that they look that way. The tails on baby bass are very obvious though ,regardless of how washed out they are.

Try a small piece of wriggling worm on a small hook. If they are bass, or creek chubs, or most things, they should take it. I have caught a lot of odd ball fish that are impossible to net or trap using tiny hooks. Two or four pound test line on just a cane pole type rig will work great. If you have a hard time finding tiny hooks ( size 10 or 12), buy the smallest treble hooks you can find, and cut off two of the hooks with wire cutters and a pliers to hold the shank of the hook that will remain. Also the tiniest size of "Fire Ball" jigs work great for this. They usually come in a pack with several inch long silver colored soft plastic fish. Ice fishing jigs can work well too.

Watch for the bait to disappear, then pull up smooth, steady, and sort of fast- but don't yank! The slow pull should insure a hook in the outer edge of the mouth, yanking either gut/gill hooks the fish, or pulls it out of their mouth. Doing this I have caught sunfish down to an inch long, typical sized fatheads, log perch as small as three inches, mudminnows etc etc. Also, swing the fish over shore or a bucket, they often fall off right when you are done with the smooth lift and swing.

Word of warning, micro fishing can be addictive. A hook out for fish this small, tweezers work.

You can get really small hooks (down to size 24) in a fly-fishing shop. That's small enough to catch minners. I got some 22's from BPS.

Try a small piece of wriggling worm on a small hook. If they are bass, or creek chubs, or most things, they should take it. I have caughten a lot of odd ball fish that are impossible to net or trap using tiny hooks. Two or four pound test line on just a cane pole type rig will work great. If you have a hard time finding tiny hooks ( size 10 or 12), buy the smallest treble hooks you can find, and cut off two of the hooks with wire cutters and a pliers to hold the shank of the hook that will remain. Also the tiniest size of "Fire Ball" jigs work great for this. They usually come in a pack with several inch long silver colored soft plastic fish. Ice fishing jigs can work well too.

Thank You. I will give it a shot.