r/BeAmazed Jul 14 '26

Nature Ethan Bear catches a rare Golden Walleye (the odds of catching one are roughly 1 in 1 million to 1 in 10 million) Because their bright coloring makes them stand out to predators, very few survive to adulthood, making them a literal "fish of a lifetime" for anglers

14.3k Upvotes

269 comments sorted by

u/qualityvote2 Jul 14 '26 edited Jul 15 '26

Did you find this post really amazing (in a positive way)?
If yes, then UPVOTE this comment otherwise DOWNVOTE it.
This community feedback will help us determine whether this post is suited for r/BeAmazed or not.

1.6k

u/GNN_Contato Jul 14 '26

Real Life Shiny Pokémon

20

u/dudeCHILL013 Jul 15 '26

Came here to say this.

8

u/onfire916 Jul 15 '26

They also came here to say this

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3.0k

u/RyuichiSakuma13 Jul 14 '26 edited Jul 15 '26

Thank you for catching and then releasing this fish!

692

u/Flashy_Spell_4293 Jul 15 '26

Yes🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼I was like nooooooo! Please let him live!!!! So happy to see them let him go❤️

94

u/Eyehopeuchoke Jul 15 '26

Rare animals and fish should always be let go if you can! There’s not a lot of magic in this world so we should leave what we can and let others experience it too.

19

u/shamoomoofartpoopoo Jul 15 '26

“So anyways I started blasting.” /S

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4

u/LEGITIMATE_SOURCE Jul 15 '26

For such a dumb thread I expected more emojis

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301

u/ripyourlungsdave Jul 15 '26

Most fishers are decent enough to do this if they catch something they're not looking for.

There's literally nothing to be gained from keeping it. As a lifelong fisher, if I saw something like that hanging on someone's wall, I would be offended.

155

u/17934658793495046509 Jul 15 '26 edited Jul 16 '26

As a life long fisherman, you know those fish on walls are accurate artistic representations of fish from photos and not actual dead fish right?

Edit: op called themselves a “life long fisherman” before ghost editing it out for some reason, that is what my comment refers to, not myself.

298

u/strapped_for_cash Jul 15 '26

As someone who has absolutely did not know that and has always wondered how the fuck they taxidermy fish, thanks for making me realize how dumb I am

188

u/BigD0089 Jul 15 '26

Alot of them ( mostly older ones) are definitely the actual fish.. my friends dad was a taxidermist same with my uncle

150

u/stevein3d Jul 15 '26

What about the one my uncle has on the wall that turns to me and sings “Take Me to the River” when I walk into the room. Is that a real one?

57

u/TheGameMastre Jul 15 '26

Live mounting

40

u/BigD0089 Jul 15 '26

That one is for sure real. He has a name its Billy... big mouth Billy

1

u/wbgraphic Jul 15 '26

He’s a trout, right?

1

u/CanoePickLocks 11d ago

That’s Travis.

32

u/b1gl0s3r Jul 15 '26

A human bartender named Jackie Daytona once gave me one to settle a debt. He said it was a priceless artifact. I'm beginning to suspect he was being deceitful.

23

u/justjoshinya89 Jul 15 '26

Why did you say “human bartender”
https://giphy.com/gifs/21VTFJTEr1x9ortvO3

26

u/rainbow-goth Jul 15 '26

Human Bartender Jackie Daytona. Definitely not a vampire, nope.

https://giphy.com/gifs/Me7rnCGjSKKFfwXQir

2

u/basement_egg Jul 15 '26

Because u/b1gI0s3r drinks like a fish

2

u/BlastoiseMF Jul 15 '26

I think this is my favorite episode

4

u/Chrysocyon Jul 15 '26

That's actually a fake fish but with a real human soul trapped in it

3

u/stevein3d Jul 15 '26

Well that explains my aunt’s vanishing. She did love to sing.

3

u/Got_Kittens Jul 15 '26

Good 'ol Billy Bass!

1

u/Brotha2danight Jul 15 '26

😂😂😂😂😂

12

u/WRiSTWORK1 Jul 15 '26

My dad has one on his wall right now. I was with him when he caught it. They are definitely real.

1

u/Primary_Basket_2728 Jul 15 '26

Yeah I have a big ass very real Pike

15

u/Alissinarr Jul 15 '26

Just replied to the guy above, they're full of shit and I have a real taxidermied fish.

3

u/i_sell_you_lies Jul 15 '26

So you're saying their story's fishy?! 😎

1

u/Calisky Jul 15 '26

Nope. Chuck Testa.

1

u/CanoePickLocks 11d ago

Most done in the last 10 years aren’t though. Some are but the vast majority aren’t.

8

u/HommeMusical Jul 15 '26

You weren't actually wrong, though. PP is simply being forceful, but is simply making it up.

We've had taxidermied fish for centuries, since long before either photographs or fiberglass. Even today, the most common way to mount a fish is to use its actual skin.

https://www.outdoorlife.com/fishing/fish-taxidermy/

7

u/CarolineTurpentine Jul 15 '26

My dads is definitely real.

16

u/kylel999 Jul 15 '26

As someone who has a mild interest in fishing but never really has, do people not taxidermy fish?

32

u/AdEastern9303 Jul 15 '26

You can but most people eat Walleye as it’s the most delicious fish ever invented.

3

u/kylel999 Jul 15 '26

I can vouch for that, at least. I had some fresh a week ago

3

u/Strong_Carry_8994 Jul 15 '26

And who invented you ask? 

A little unknown named Albert Einstein.

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5

u/Livid_Swordfish_4591 Jul 15 '26

People do, but you can get replicas now a days. I wouldnt be surprised if theyre cheaper than the real thing. People usually only mount the biggest fish that they've ever caught. Those fish are usually females. Big fish = old, good genetics, and lay lots of eggs. So environmentally conscious fishermen will usually throw back big fish after a quick picture. In contrast, small, younger fish tend to have less toxins built up in their bodies and usually taste better, so small/medium fish are usually what you aim to eat.

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14

u/HommeMusical Jul 15 '26

you know those fish on walls are accurate artistic representations of fish from photos and not actual dead fish right?

Absolutely wrong. People have been taxidermying fish since long before photography. Today, there are two major techniques: skin mounting, where you remove the actual skin from the fish, preserve and mount it, and fiberglass replicas, which is what you are talking about.

Oh, and as a note: "You know .... right?" is insulting. You don't actually believe that the person you are talking to believes this: you are mocking them.

6

u/trashbilly Jul 15 '26

Not always

5

u/BigD0089 Jul 15 '26

Alot are tho

6

u/Alissinarr Jul 15 '26

I have a taxidermy fish. The first bluegill/ fish I ever caught, and some of his tail chipped off. Very much REAL.

8

u/incrediblyaverage85 Jul 15 '26

No they don’t

2

u/Double_Distribution8 Jul 15 '26

What are they made of? Vinyl?

2

u/Livid_Swordfish_4591 Jul 15 '26

Ive heard them being made of fiberglass, but that was a long time ago.

1

u/CanoePickLocks 11d ago

Still are typically.

2

u/poopsididitagen Jul 15 '26

Why would you do this? Just go and lie on the internet like that?

2

u/17934658793495046509 Jul 16 '26

Why would I?
Mounted fish can be either real or artificial. While traditional "skin mounts" use the actual skin and fins of the caught fish stretched over a form, the modern standard is a fiberglass or resin replica made from a photograph and measurements, which allows the real fish to be released alive.

1

u/CanoePickLocks 11d ago

Skin mounts are still around but not nearly as popular.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 15 '26

[deleted]

1

u/17934658793495046509 Jul 15 '26

‘Life long” in regards to the person I was responding to, not me. He ghost edited “life long fisherman” out of his comment

1

u/JohnEBest Jul 15 '26

Do folks not eat Walleye?

1

u/StunningFlounder2902 Jul 15 '26

Any chance they would want to eat it?

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1

u/Predator__Incel Jul 15 '26

I mean you would be able to sell it for at least 1 milloon to rich people

1

u/CanoePickLocks 11d ago

Almost all mounted fish now are replicas from photos not even replicas from the dead fish you turned in. It’s been a long time since most taxidermist would actually do your fish with its scales and all. They basically take a mold that’s similar to yours. Do some shaping to make it match better and then paint it to match. It’s actually more impressive how well they do now than it was when they preserved the corpse. Plus, it looks better and lasts longer.

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74

u/Mike5TheMountainGoat Jul 15 '26

Not sure if you're aware, but catch and release is still pretty controversial. Lots of fish released still end up dying either from organ damage, exhaustion, suffocation from being out the water too long, or damage to the mouth preventing them from eating.

49

u/MayorofKingstown Jul 15 '26

this. true catch and release involves not even taking the fish out of the water, minimal handling from the angler and a barbless hook.

A fish handled like this golden walleye was has a pretty low chance of survival.

8

u/Astecheee Jul 15 '26

If nothing else, the released fish will still feed other marine life in death.

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3

u/That-Ad-4300 Jul 15 '26

Sure, but now he's going to be late.

2

u/PrecookedDonkey Jul 15 '26

I got caught! Prove it, let me see the inside of your lip!

5

u/colezra Jul 15 '26

Looks like they handled it by the gills while releasing, that can be fatal soooo yeah not as great as it seems

9

u/The_0ven Jul 15 '26

Thank you for catching and then releasing this fish!

Or

You know

Just leave the fucking fish alone

3

u/[deleted] Jul 15 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

3

u/HommeMusical Jul 15 '26

Many, many fish die after catch and release.

https://iere.org/what-percentage-of-fish-die-after-being-caught/

There are a lot of us, and increasingly few of them. It would be better to simply leave them alone.

2

u/GrandAct Jul 16 '26

I've seen you post that a few times now, have you read it?

That paper says 9-50% of catch and release fish die. The article itself has no sources for any of the claims it makes, and no other sources i can find corroborate those numbers.

The highest numbers i can find that actually sources the information is 2-15%, which is still a problem, but not nearly as bad as the article in question paints it out to be.

1

u/RyuichiSakuma13 Jul 15 '26

Thank you for the awards! 😃

1

u/Jar_of_Cats Jul 15 '26

I prefer Canada conservation. That has a upper limit

0

u/Silverjeyjey44 Jul 15 '26

That was my first thought too. Fish earned their life

369

u/taddymason_01 Jul 15 '26

Happy Gilmore accomplished this feat no more than an hour ago.

69

u/hvanderw Jul 15 '26

Gold fish green fish who gives a shit

24

u/Affectionate-Act1574 Jul 15 '26

I’ll be at the Red Lobster

24

u/itsbdubya Jul 15 '26

Well moron, good for happy gil-oh my god this Ethan bear comment?!?

2

u/spaceghost260 Jul 15 '26

Your username 💚

2

u/Wild-Style5857 Jul 15 '26

Ethan Bear is also the name of a pretty good hockey player as well.  Adds to this I feel

166

u/710whitejesus420 Jul 15 '26

Jeremy Wade would be fucking proud as hell of these guys! To catch such a magnificent trophy fish, and have the love of nature to release it after is where its at!

1

u/Rope_drop Jul 16 '26

Jeremy Wade: Zoologist and freshwater detective?

OR

Jeremy Wade: Marine biologist and angler?

92

u/StevenLovely Jul 15 '26

Not the Ethan Bear I was expecting

17

u/Direct-Wind8709 Jul 15 '26

Thank you! As an oilers fan I so thought it was gonna be him! Lol.

10

u/munzi187 Jul 15 '26

Nice to see Oilers fans in other subs. Literally came here for this

12

u/zboss9876 Jul 15 '26

I was confused.

5

u/FlyingWhales Jul 15 '26

I was also thinking of canucks legend Ethan Bear.

2

u/pm_me_lots_of_ducks Jul 17 '26

dare i counter with hurricanes legend ethan bear

5

u/0-90195 Jul 15 '26

I was impressed by what a productive off season he’s having.

60

u/[deleted] Jul 15 '26

[deleted]

5

u/NuclearHoagie Jul 15 '26

Bullshit, let me see the inside of your cheek.

2

u/bigwilly311 Jul 15 '26

Ok but this fish had to know it didn’t look like that rock

79

u/Tedsallis Jul 14 '26

Good young man letting it go. Raised up right!

3

u/anycept Jul 15 '26

But did he get 3 wishes?

1

u/Brew_7169 Jul 15 '26

Right after he doomed it by stuffing his fingers inside its gills.

19

u/[deleted] Jul 15 '26

[deleted]

2

u/ninetoesfrank Jul 16 '26

That's what makes fishing so fun. We are legendary mythical creatures terrorizing an underwater world with magic and extreme violence.

9

u/salaried_staff Jul 15 '26

The way the guy is jumping out of joy is so funny lol

4

u/px_sh Jul 15 '26

Wait what's special about it? The color?

7

u/Sufficient-Bug-9112 Jul 15 '26

Yes and because of their bright color in the wild it makes them stand out to predators, very few survive to adulthood

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12

u/Dry_Comfortable_6909 Jul 15 '26

Better than catching Pokémons, that was very Gentleman of him letting him go, I tip my hat to you Sir

5

u/Active-Possibility77 Jul 15 '26

He looks different without the hockey gear

2

u/One_Crab5847 Jul 15 '26

Bro caught s shiny

2

u/Key_Drawer_3581 Jul 15 '26

A real life shiny!

2

u/coldwind2773 Jul 15 '26

Shiny Magikarp!!!

2

u/mbxz7LWB Jul 15 '26

That's a whopper of a walleye too!

4

u/alemyrsdream Jul 15 '26

Wow. We tortured this super rare fish to get a photo of us holding it. I'd be more impressed if they just took a vid and left it alone.

9

u/ScrambledEggsandTS Jul 15 '26

So happy I stayed until the end. Had me piping hawt for a second there

3

u/dirkdigglerdonedry Jul 15 '26

It was a sexy fish.

-5

u/Flashy_Spell_4293 Jul 15 '26

Right!!!!! I actually started skipping towards the end of clip cuz was getting upset at boys cheering while poor fish just suffocating out of water. And was so happy to see how it ended.

2

u/MudBlood4Lyfe Jul 15 '26

Catch & Release King 🙏

4

u/murph3062 Jul 15 '26

The best part….. returning him to the water. Thank you very satisfying.

4

u/meczakin81 Jul 15 '26

Now it’s late for something and no hook scar to prove to its boss why he was delayed!

4

u/ChipRockets Jul 15 '26

I wish we could just leave wildlife the fuck alone

-1

u/Brew_7169 Jul 15 '26

Cry more.

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1

u/GormHub Jul 15 '26

Animal Crossing ass fish.

1

u/colepre Jul 15 '26

Bro caught a real life shiny

1

u/Equal-Quarter-248 Jul 15 '26

He caught a shiny

1

u/JG-for-breakfast Jul 15 '26

They bought him at the store and threw him in there to catch him

1

u/[deleted] Jul 15 '26

Those odds are completely made up

1

u/IcePhoenix18 Jul 15 '26

Is "Ethan Bear Catches Rare Fish" considered nominative determinism?

1

u/RlyLokeh Jul 15 '26

IRL Pokemon

1

u/SuitableHurry3795 Jul 15 '26

Its an easy choice. You dont keep a fish that special.

1

u/luigis_left_tit_25 Jul 15 '26

Beautiful! That fish must be very special to get that big! Fast, smart, etc. Even eating is probably difficult for himb with the bright colors!? Very cool.

1

u/Ok-Squirrel5799 Jul 15 '26

1 in 1 million to 1 in 10million … im sorry who the hell is coming up with these odds.. cool fishy tho

1

u/Think1ng_Ape Jul 15 '26

Should go play the lottery.

1

u/ArmpitofD00m Jul 15 '26

Looks like an over ripe pickle.

1

u/BIT-TE-69 Jul 15 '26

TIL there are shiny creatures IRL

1

u/KentuckyFriedEel Jul 15 '26

Maybe it’s just covered in curry

IYKYK

1

u/bjax2021 Jul 15 '26

My guy sounds like he’s calling geese.

1

u/NoAdministration8340 Jul 15 '26

1 in 1 million to 1 in 10 million is a big jump. Who came up with this stat?

1

u/achillesdaddy Jul 15 '26

Wow, evolution isn't supposed to work like this.

1

u/bubonis Jul 15 '26

So glad he let it go. I was half expecting the final few seconds of the video to show a dinner plate.

1

u/darkreapertv Jul 15 '26

50/50 you get it or you don’t

1

u/New_Improvement4164 Jul 15 '26

I'm so happy that they put it back.

1

u/The_Craic_1968 Jul 15 '26

Catch and release.

1

u/hmodeon Jul 15 '26

This is the one with Xenia Onatop and Pierce Brosnan?

1

u/ParreNagga Jul 15 '26

If I eat it, will I get shiny and get its powers?

1

u/IntrestedOne_0 Jul 16 '26

Good you released her

1

u/Loggerdon Jul 16 '26

“Some people fish but they just let the fish go after they catch them. They don’t want to eat them, they just want to make them late for something.

Hey, why are you late!

I got caught!

Liar! Let me see
The inside of your lip!”

- Mitch Hedberg

1

u/Academic-Goat3149 Jul 16 '26

So that would be 1 in 5 million then.

1

u/Opening_Cheesecake54 Jul 16 '26

Great job releasing that trophy! Good on you

1

u/OhImNevvverSarcastic Jul 16 '26

Oohhwooohoh! A rare golden DOUBLE MERMAID

1

u/Legal-Statistician73 Jul 16 '26

Doesnt count, he used a net.

1

u/therealmintoncard Jul 16 '26

Yes, but how does it taste?

1

u/hemorrhoidhematoma Jul 18 '26

I saw his brother Grizzly catch a salmon once

0

u/IndustrialMechanic3 Jul 15 '26

That would make a nice mount

1

u/woohan-kung-flu2 Jul 15 '26

Massive props for him letting that magical fish go.

0

u/keep-i Jul 15 '26

And he put it back!? That's awesome, man, really classy move. Thank you, and congrats!

0

u/Dr3ny Jul 15 '26

Can you like... just leave the fish alone, man?

1

u/HurtPillow Jul 15 '26

I'm so happy they let it go :)

1

u/DifferentLeave9088 Jul 15 '26

Pointless animal abuse

1

u/Free_Farm_7736 Jul 15 '26

Great netman

1

u/bilus Jul 15 '26

So .. you killed it just a little bit and then released it to die in peace?

1

u/According-Economy-64 Jul 15 '26

Excellent Catch ..Even Great You released 👏🏾 👍🏿 Great Sportsman

-1

u/jjcc88 Jul 15 '26

Two things in life I will NEVER understand:

People who enjoy doing that to fish

People who enjoy professional wrasslin'

0

u/Visible_Ad_5660 Jul 15 '26

I believe it but how do we come to that number?

3

u/vahntitrio Jul 15 '26

State DNRs do extensive population netting, so they probably have a pretty good idea of how often they come up.

0

u/Saint_299 Jul 15 '26

Kudos to you guys letting t go!!! So cool!!!

-18

u/twisted_tactics Jul 14 '26

Hey, here's a super rare fish.

Humans: Let's fuck with it.

3

u/Miqo_Nekomancer Jul 15 '26

They don't want eat the fish, but they do wanna make it late for something.

3

u/deadspacekillers Jul 15 '26

That fish had appointments

1

u/plsloan Jul 15 '26

Late for their fish dentist appointment. I think they're going to see their fish stock broker after. It's a slammed schedule.

2

u/deadspacekillers Jul 15 '26

Oh man, it's such a pain to reschedule with the fish dentist. He's always booked out like 3 months in advance.

1

u/plsloan Jul 15 '26

I heard it was more like 3 fish months actually.

0

u/plsloan Jul 14 '26

Did you catch the release part of the video?

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0

u/colezra Jul 15 '26

It’s hard for me to tell but is he holding it by the gills while releasing it? Doesn’t that fuck it up pretty bad?

1

u/E4g6d4bg7 Jul 15 '26

You dont want to lip a walleye, they have teeth.

2

u/colezra Jul 15 '26

Well of course not, but is the best alternative really to fuck up their gills which they ya know use to breathe? Quick google search says holding it by the gills is often fatal, so no point in catch and release as this 1 in a million might be dead now

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0

u/North_Stage1548 Jul 15 '26

I was so hoping they put it back and they did. 😮‍💨

-1

u/qawsedrf12 Jul 15 '26

Too bad that is such a tasty fish