Golden Redhorse

Moxostoma erythrurum

The Golden Redhorse is a large North American sucker with a bronze-gold body and red tail and fins. It lives in clear to moderately turbid rivers and larger streams, where it uses a downturned mouth to feed on bottom invertebrates.

Freshwater

Golden Redhorse reference image — Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, cc-by, via Wikimedia Commons. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Identification points

Large sucker with a bronze to golden body and lighter belly
Bright red or orange-red tail, pelvic, and anal fins
Single dorsal fin and a downturned, fleshy sucking mouth with thick lips

Habitat

Large clear rivers and medium-to-large streams with moderate current, gravel or sand runs, riffle edges, and pools over firm bottoms; sometimes enters impoundments and lower river reaches.

Bait notes

Best on natural bottom baits such as nightcrawlers, redworms, waxworms, small crayfish pieces, and insect larvae; small bits of corn or dough can work where legal, but live bait is usually better.

Behavior

A benthic feeder that roots along the substrate for insect larvae, worms, small mollusks, and organic matter. It is usually most active near bottom during daylight and can school in current breaks.

Caution

Bony sucker-like fish with a strong pharyngeal bite risk if handled carelessly; use a gripper or wet hands. Check local regulations and any consumption advisories for your river because contaminants can vary by watershed.

Fishing notes

Fish it with a small hook, light sinker, and bait placed on or just above bottom in current seams, riffle tails, and deeper runs. Drift fishing or a tight-line presentation is often effective; it is not a common targeted game fish in many waters.