Unexpected catch

 This is the story of one of the most unexpected catches of my life. The common pleco. Now, when it comes to the names of fish, it is one of those situations where people abandon all the rules. Often, there is a Latin scientific name and a (few) common name/s for fish, with the latter typically being the more well-known name. The common name for the pleco is the suckermouth catfish. However, people are quick to point out you are wrong when calling it that, as it is clearly a pleco.

Hypostomus plecostomus is the scientific name for this fish. And yet, the shortened name, pleco, is but a small portion of the name. Pleco is generally used in the aquarium pet industry and that is likely where most people know the name from. This might also be the reason for my chance encounter with this fish. Plecos are algae eaters found in the rivers of the Amazon jungles. Thus, it is likely that these fish are pets that have been released in these waters here in Nevada.

It is important to stress at this point how dangerous this fish can be to these waters. Yes, they are algae eaters and not sharks. But it is the impact they have on the entire ecosystem that is the problem. Having an armor-plated skin, these fish have no predators keeping their numbers in check. They are out-competing other algae eaters for food. Why should this be of concern to a bass angler? Well, bass eat shad, and shad are but one of the many species being affected by plecos.

I have snagged a pleco previously, as do many other fishermen. It is seemingly one of the only ways to catch these fish as they shy away from bait. I have tried many times to catch them in a targeted way; worms, peas, spinach, even some pleco pellets. None of these got any interest. This is why I was shocked when finally, and unexpectedly, I landed this pleco. I was using some streamer flies trying to catch carp on a fly-rod. I was shocked to see the shape appear out of the murky water. Even stranger still, the fly was in the fishes’ mouth and not just snagged as one would expect. Why this algae eater decided to bite on that fly I do not know. Unexpected, weird, or random, take your pick, but I for one am glad to have caught this fish, even though I did not release it again.