Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Raising Forage and Bait Mummichog / Fundulus heteroclitus

I have searched over internet resources for info about the ability of Mummichogs to reproduce in freshwater impoundments. Appears there has been a recent study: https://www.was.org/meetings/AbstractData.asp?AbstractId=16390

Anyone with any knowledge or experience with them as a forage species in freshwater ponds? From what I have found, their monthly spawning is possibly cued by tidal changes (which could be a hinderance in an earthen pond, I'm assuming).

Interested in any thoughts.

I just caught a pile of them at my dad's house this past weekend to use for flounder fishing. They are highly tolerant of different salinities, but I don't think they would thrive in a straight freshwater environment such as a pond. They are in the killifish family and are related to the topminnows and killifish species found in freshwater. You often catch them mixed in with striped killies and sheepshead minnows in the Mid Atlantic states.

If the reason you are picking them out is because you have a ready supply of them available, then give it a try. However, I think there are freshwater fish that fill a similar niche and would be better suited to a freshwater pond. Have you considered the banded killifish? They are found in low salinity brackish water areas of most rivers, but can also be found well inland in many straight freshwater environments. I just caught about 300 during the last couple weeks to put in one pond. I have used them in several ponds and they seem to hold up in numbers even with bass predation as long as they have vegetation to take cover in.

If you do decide to stock mummichogs, let me know how they do in a freshwater pond. I am sure they will survive, but if your intended goal is for them to be a forage minnow, you need them to more than just survive. Good luck...

CJBS,

My intended goal would be for added forage. I hosted a youth fishing derby at my pond three weeks ago. I acquired about 8 dozen mummichogs for the kids to catch LMB and HSB. Near the end of the evening, one little girl decided the fish needed to be free and she dumped the remaining 3 or 4 dozen into the pond. They have schooled up with the gambusia along the shores, and attack any item that hits the water in quite the feeding frenzy. They are fast, hit the weeds when something approaches, and chomp on pellet feed. If they can reliably reproduce, I think they could do well.

I'm thinking about dropping some more in, - just to see what happens. I sent an email to the author of the article I posted in the above link. He has researched the suitability for commercial aquaculture in freshwater ponds for four years... I'm hoping he will share some of his findings.

I hope to travel to Zetts in the near future to acquire some banded killifish. I need to give them a call.

Thanks!

Brian

(EDIT) I just read a study that suggest prolonged exposure to freshwater is deadly to mummichogs. I read another that found no difference in growth and reproduction between brackish water and land-locked freshwater mummichogs. Who knows..........