What’s In The Water? Man Catches Extremely Rare Orange Fish In Michigan River

A man fishing the Muskegon River in Newaygo caught something that sounds like an incredible fish tail.

Get our free mobile app

But Josh Chrenko of Indiana has some incredible pictures and video to prove that his story was in fact real.

Man Catches Orange Smallmouth Bass In Muskegon River

Just before 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 5th Josh Chernko was fishing the Muskegon River in Newaygo for Smallmouth Bass. After a few casts, he felt a bite so he set the hook. What he reeled in next would be the biggest suprise of his life.

Josh reeled in a bright orange Smallmouth Bass which is extremely rare.

What Does A Normal Smallmouth Bass Look Like

According to takemefishing.org, a smallmouth's eyes are red or orangish. In young smallmouths, there is a distinctive band of orange at the base of the tail. This is followed by a black band with the tip of the tail being either white or yellow.

What Caused The Smallmouth Bass To Be Orange

Josh shared on Facebook that the condition is called Xanthochromism (Xanthism) which causes skin pigment in animals to be unusually yellow.

I can only imagine that this little guy had to overcome crazy odds to survive the first couple years of his life from predation. Being neon orange would make for a tough life as a small freshwater fish where pretty much everything is earth tones.

 

Josh Is No Stranger To Fishing

He owns an apparel brand called Achigan, which is French for Smallmouth Bass.
It's a good thing Josh caught the fish on film otherwise I don't think I'd believe him.