How to tell a male from female?

[one more cast]

This might make me sound goofy but how can you tell if a fish is male or female?

 

[TwoWatt]

Re: How to tell a male from female?

I'm not going to even start by joking. I'll let others do that. <br />I searched & the best I could find (so far) was this <br />

....where adult walleyes, muskies, and other gamefish congregate in spawning areas. The crews measure the fish they collect, determine their sex by the presence of eggs or milt.....

There has to be a simpler way. I always thought you could determine it by the color....? (I doubt I'm right)<br />Other than that good question.

 

[TwoWatt]

Re: How to tell a male from female?

Sorry for double posting but this site:<br /><br /> http://dnr.metrokc.gov/wlr/waterres/salmon/mystery2.htm <br /><br />Says basically the same. This is related to a salmon. At the end it says........<br /><br />

Sometimes it is really hard to sex the fish while watching, and one actually has to open the carcass to determine for certainty whether the fish is a male or a female.

 

[snapperbait]

Re: How to tell a male from female?

Interesting topic... I have'nt the foggiest idea.. <br /><br />Try this on for size.... During the course of some fishes life, they are both male and female... <br /><br />A grouper, for example, will actually change it's sex as it grows older..<br /><br />Snook also change sexes.. "Common snook are protandric ************es (hermafrodytes), which means they can change their sex from male to female; this change usually happens between the ages of 2 and 7 and between the lengths of 17 to 30 inches. Within a group of common snook, sex reversal is brought about by a change in the size of individuals, that is, if a group that loses its largest fish has lost females, some males may undergo sex reversal to fill the absence, a process which takes from 60 to 90 days.<br /> Freaky!

 

[PAkev]

Re: How to tell a male from female?

Female bass are often larger in size than males of the same age. Also depending on the time of the spawn, males will usually be found guarding the spawning areas while the females move off into deeper water.<br /><br />Salmonoids such as trout, salmon, and steelhead are often easy to identify by the hooked jaw characteristic of males.<br /><br />Kevin

 

[jsfinn]

Re: How to tell a male from female?

I have a fish tank and have read a lot about this... this theory doesn't always hold true for all kinds of fish but in a lot of fish you can tell by the shape of either their anal fin or their dorsal fin - all depends on the species of fish though. Fish that have longer dorsal fins are usually male if the dorsal comes to a point more at the end near the tail. Fish that have a pointy anal fin are usually male. <br /><br />Look at - http://biol1.bio.nagoya-u.ac.jp:8000/MFfin2.jpeg <br /><br />and about half way down on http://habitatnews.nus.edu.sg/guidebooks/freshfish/text/230.htm <br /><br />Please don't quote any of this ... this is just what I go by.

 

[frednick1]

Re: How to tell a male from female?

I always thought that in LM bass, males are thinner and more sleek and the females have a sort of pot belly and are chunky looking which makes them seem bigger.<br /><br />I'm I wrong?

 

[one more cast]

Re: How to tell a male from female?

OK thanks, I thought I was really missing something here. snapper, that is freaky.

 

[jtexas]

Re: How to tell a male from female?

Female bass grow to larger sizes than males. But I'm never sure until I open 'em up and see whether they have eggs.

 

[jtexas]

Re: How to tell a male from female?

Actually, put your ear to the basses mouth and listen very closely...if you hear "yes, dear" then it's a male!<br /><br />I think Snapper's referring specifically to "West Coast Snook" ...

 

[gsbodine]

Re: How to tell a male from female?

It totally depends on the species with some being easier than others. Most species of sharks, for instance, are pretty easy to tell by the claspers that hang down on males in front of the caudal fin that the female sharks don't have. And, like a lot of birds, I've heard that many species can be sexed by their colors, though I can't think of any offhand that I've that about specifically.

 

[mellowyellow]

Re: How to tell a male from female?

if u find yur wallet in the live-well and the<br />credit cards is missing, might just be a female.

 

[TELMANMN]

Re: How to tell a male from female?

Females are larger(at least for Bass, Walleye's,Northern's, Muskie's but in the juvenile stage have no clue. Probobly the same case for catfish, bluegills etc. Nature wants to make sure the species survives.

 

[Capn Mike]

Re: How to tell a male from female?

Pakev is right...male salmon of almost every species have a much more pronouced hooked lower jaw, although steelhead are often harder to classify before gutting.<br /><br />Of course, both male and female salmon die after sex: the males have an eager yet clueless look in their eyes; the females just look resigned to their fate....

 

[gonfishn]

Re: How to tell a male from female?

In the Musky and Pike family..The Males don't have the weight as do the females..They may get up to 45" and weigh no more 20lbs..The female on he other hand with the same class may may it over 30 plus lbs..