I went down the the lake fishing for catfish with dough balls. The catfish in this lake seem to LOVE dough balls. I was down there for about an hour and had only caught one catfish of around two pounds when I got a run on my line. I set the hook and about 5 minutes later I landed this very big, strange, and colorful carp. If your wondering about the stringer tied to this fish in the picture I did not take him home or kill him. Hes on the stringer because I was fishing by myself and had to keep the fish alive in the water while I waited for someone to walk by to take my picture with the fish. After photos I released this carp. I dont know how big he was but im guessing around 8-9 pounds....

Here is another picture of the fish. He had a very interesting two toned scale pattern...

That is a Koi and a very nice one at that. Some People pay big bucks for those fish. Next time you take a pic, hold the fish with both hands by it's belly since you release them. Koi are very delicate and you probably did some damage to the fish by holding it on that stringer.

How was the fight?  I've never caught a koi, but I really want to at least see on in real life some day.  Try some pet stores, that is a valuable fish.

That is a Koi and a very nice one at that. Some People pay big bucks for those fish. Next time you take a pic, hold the fish with both hands by it's belly since you release them. Koi are very delicate and you probably did some damage to the fish by holding it on that stringer.

Sorry I didnt know koi/Carp were delicate fish. I always heard they were very hardy fish. Anyway it was so big and id had him tied to the stringer so long since no one was around to take a picture that I wanted the picture taken as quick as possible to release him. I wasnt thinking about that. Anyway he was not bleeding and swam off fine when i released him.

How was the fight? I've never caught a koi, but I really want to at least see on in real life some day. Try some pet stores, that is a valuable fish.

A fish like that at that size is probably worth a couple hundred bucks. Thing is I wouldent know where to keep the fish in my house. I wouldent want to kill him keeping him in poor conditions like a bath tub while i looked for a pet store to buy him.  Also I put him back in hte lake so maybe I could catch him later or someone else could catch him. About the fight it took me about 5 minutes to bring in and he kept swimming from side to side. No big long straight runs to deep water but was still a good fight.

Believe it or not, I think you caught someone's bait.

Koi have been used as catfish bait for many years. The one you caught isn't uncommon, so I wouldn't put the price above 50-100 dollars (mainly for the size). When they are <6" they run about $.075.

Yep that's a Koi alright. My Dad has a little pond stocked with these in his backyard. In Miami one that size would cost about $250-$300 at a specialty shop. In Florida it's illegal to release gold fish or koi into the wild or use them as bait. They are not fast swimmers and pretty delicate. Thier color also makes for an easy target for more aggresive fish. That big boy must have been released when it was more than 8 inches long to have survived and reach that lengh. Very cool catch.  

Yep that's a Koi alright. My Dad has a little pond stocked with these in his backyard. In Miami one that size would cost about $250-$300 at a specialty shop. In Florida it's illegal to release gold fish or koi into the wild or use them as bait. They are not fast swimmers and pretty delicate. Thier color also makes for an easy target for more aggresive fish. That big boy must have been released when it was more than 8 inches long to have survived and reach that lengh. Very cool catch.

I personally think someone released a bunch of big koi into the lake that got too big for a backyard pond. I have seen several different ones swimming around... A white one with orange spots, a pure orange one, and a huge white one that is about 15 pounds. All in that one pond.

Enjoy their beauty and leave them alone.