Featured image from Julian Mason (Flickr Creative Commons)
While fishing with his 4 WT for bass and panfish, Joe Selover spotted two giant orange fish meandering beneath the surface. After casting at the pair for a bit near the mouth of a small feeder tributary, his line came tight to this 14.5-inch football of an overgrown Goldfish. After fighting the fish for a few minutes, Joe snapped a picture and released the fish.

Although NY does not have bounties on carp, many midwestern states have put bounties on carp caught and culled to attempt to prevent the exponential spread of the Asian carp species.
Members of the Asian carp family, goldfish have become more and more prevalent as aquarium owners continue to illegally “aquarium dump” these fish into local waters. Just like the rest of their carpy cousins, goldfish can outcompete many native species due to their overall heartiness and ability to survive in wide temperature ranges and low-oxygen content.
You can read more about the catch and the threat of invasive carp in this article from Syracuse.com!