Have you ever caught a fish that you had to do a doubletake on when you reeled it in? Either way, imagine your surprise reeling in a very rare orange smally like this angler, Josh Chrenko, did while fishing the Muskegon River in Newaygo, Michigan!
Up until I caught this guy, I didn’t even know they existed.
For someone that lives and breathes fishing for smallmouth, this is one I’ll remember my entire life.
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.
Caught on the Muskegon River in Newaygo, MI
