Pond Boss Forums FISH & FISHING Fly Fishing & Other Fish Species What Type of Forage Fish is This?

We recently got massive rainfall in north Texas and as I was walking around in the rain I noticed lots of what I assume are FHM laying on the ground. They have come from overflow from a pond uphill from me and I won't be able to keep them from entering my pond so was hoping they are something useful. I read some posts about mosquito fish but thought I'd ask the experts.

Thanks for the help.

looks shiner-y to me

I'm not one of the experts you're looking for, but I don't believe that is a FHM. Actually, I don't like the looks of the mouth, but we'll wait for the experts to tell you what they think.

Better picture would help... Looks a little like a Carp mouth.

I'm 99.9% certain it's a shiner. I'd say Golden Shiner as that's what I'm most familiar with.

Here is another pic. I don't think this pic is any better than the last but it's worth a shot. Do GSH naturally occur in ponds? I ask because the ponds uphill from me are cattle tanks and I know that no one has stocked anything in them. I guess birds could have dropped them and if so, these fish are tough because those tanks were mudholes this summer with the drought we had.

It doesn't look like a GSH to me but I am not expert.

Looks like a shiner to me. Most of these get started in ponds by people dumping left over minnows in the pond when there done fishing.
Bass love 'em.

Looks like catfish bait to me:D

Most Defiantly is not a FHM, probably not a good Catfish bait, because they like hot dogs and balled up flour dough.

Let's wait for CJ to chime in. Pictures may be good enough on this one.

Besides, He may be sitting in his Cruiser with nothing to do!

A lot of the time small carp are sold as shiners or minnows. That's why it is important to never dump the leftover minnows into the pond. You may be introducing something you don't want.

I saw nothing on the ground that was over 2-2.5". IF they were small carp how large could they get? Like I said earlier, I won't be able to control the flow of these fish into my pond nor do I think the tanks these came from could support much life. My concern is that they could be something invasive because even though I have a very small pond (approx 1/3 acre) I would love to make it into a crappie pond, which will be tough enough without having to deal with unwanted fish. Gonna google shiners and see what comes up. Keep the ideas coming and tomorrow I'll take more pics from different angles.

Looks like a shiner (of some sort) to me.

Shiner of some sort

100% sure it is a golden shiner... The downward dip of the lateral line gives it away. Best way to tell GSH from other species of shiners. Find the lateral line... You will see it dramatically dip down just after it leaves the gill plate on its side.

Will the appearance of GSH vary from northern climates to southern climates? The body girth seems to be quite a bit smaller than what I have seen up here. It's been a while though.

JKB,
That's what I was thinking. I don't really have any experience to call on but the pictures I've seen seem to indicate some sort of shiner (too many species out there to be sure what kind) but a GSH seems to be, well, more golden. I'm just thankful that they aren't little carp.
I was planning on getting some GSH this Spring and putting in the pond so now maybe I have a headstart. I'll post another thread soon about my crazy idea to turn a 1/4-1/3 acre pond into a crappie pond. I'm sure that'll raise some debate and interesting comments.

I will be a subscriber before the end of the day. Thanks for the help!

Young GSH are silver, they don't turn Golden until reach spawning size, and are more gold when they're spawning. Thickness of the body all depends on available food. Here's one that's slightly larger than the one in your picture:

The ID guide for GSH from what I consider to be top 2 or 3 fish guides on the net... Wisc Fish Golden Shiner

When you look at the YOY fish, you'll notice how much more fusiform they are as compared to adult fish. Also, their coloration is a bit off as they are preserved specimens. Keep in mind as with every species, there is a substantial difference in coloration. That is why other physical features which do not very as much are often better clues as to what the actual species is.

You no doubt have a head start on your stocking plans. to be honest, if that many GSH are flooding into your pond, you probably don't need to stock any more. I have found that far smaller numbers of wild(as in they have grown up being chased by predators) GSH are far more likely to take hold than are far larger numbers of hatchery raised GSH which are raised in monoculture hatchery ponds and have never experienced what it's like to to be chased by an LMB.

Sorta like releasing 100 hatchery raised pheasants or trap and transferring 10 wild pheasants. I'll put my money on those 10 wild pheasants being more numerous than the 100 hatchery birds 1 year later any day...

Well, I think we have narrowed it down. I took a pic from the link you sent and placed my pic next to it and the only difference I see is the coloration of the lateral stripe.

Moving on to the next problem...As I was walking around today I found a 5-6" catfish in a very small puddle of water. I tried to catch it but it disappeared into a hole which at first I thought must have been a crawfish hole. That hole must have been a foot deep. Where there is one, there are others and I definitely didn't want any type of catfish in my pond. I guess they can help to keep the crappie in check?? Trying to find the silver lining here.

Thanks again for the help, guys!

Todd, the fish in your picture are young Golden Shiners. If you look in my picture, you can see the lateral line dip down right after the pectoral fin. That same line is present in both of the pictures that you posted. It's hard to see, but it's there. The dark horizontal line in the upper fish in the 2nd picture is not the same lateral line that CJ and I are talking about.

I see what you're talking about esshup. I actually found another picture that could be the twin of the pic I took.

What about the catfish issue. Will this become a problem for me or do I just drop a hook and fish them out when the time comes? I really don't want catfish but can't stop them from flowing into my pond with such a heavy rain.

Try fishing for them, or buy a catfish trap. Memphis Net and Twine has them. Not much you can do if they are coming from an upstream pond.