Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Help to ID Forage Fish.

Help. This was a fish that was regurgitated by a LMB I caught yesterday in my 25 year old 7 acre pond in NW New Mexico. The fish was fairly wide, approximately 3/4" across the back.

The known fish I'm the pond are LMB, BG, Carp, and Bullhead. I also regularly see minnows, but much smaller than the one shown. The pond is an old gravel pit, approximately 10' at the deepest. It is fed by groundwater and an irrigation ditch and has a healthy (maybe too healthy?) crop of pondweed.

I haven't ever seen a fish like this. Due to its size it appears to be a good forage fish for the LMB. Any idea what it is?

Thanks in advance for your help!

I am thinking "Black Salty" but not 100% sure on it.

http://www.blacksalty.com/blacksalty.htm


http://www.stripersonline.com/t/825919/black-salty-how-a-tiny-goldfish-moved-in-and-took-over

Welcome to posting on Pond Boss, DDLuvr!!!!

After all this time, tell us bit about your pond. Add some pics.

Kind of looks like it Shorty, but I have no idea how it would have gotten in there. To my knowledge, the pond has never been stocked. Thanks for the info...I've never heard of a Black Salty!!

Thanks for the welcome Sunil! I am very fortunate to have ended up living in an old gravel pit, complete with 2 ponds. The larger is about 7 acres and was mined in the late 80's. It was never stocked and I didn't even know it had fish in it until my son discovered it about 6 years ago.

The smaller one is about an acre and much older and shallower. It contains a few LMB, BG and Bullhead and a ton of carp. It is in serious need of rehabilitation.

To me it looks like a wild strain of "goldfish". There is only one spine on the dorsal fin, correct, and it's closest to the front of the fish?

Welcome to the forum, DDluvr! I think you might be our first member from NM - very cool - and your pond looks awesome with that land formation [butte?] in the backdrop.

I think the fish in your photo sure looks carpy/goldfishy to me. If you have carp in the adjoining pond, not much of a stretch to sample them in the other pond, too.

Welcome, DDLuvr. Looking at your place makes me want to take a another trip to the Land Of Enchantment. Lived close, visited, vacationed, hunted, fished, played there.

Even took a trip to Marias in Santa Fe just for a margarita.

What part of the State?

it looks like a type of carp for sure. You say you have carp in the pond. My money is its a baby carp of what ever kind you have Or perhaps a hybrid carp goldfish.

Do you know what species of carp you have in the pond?

Welcome DDLuvr - nice place.

Looks like a carp variant - see this http://web1.cnre.vt.edu/efish/families/carp.html

If it was a carp, no wonder that bass regurgitated it!

All kidding aside, my first impression, due to the scale coarseness, was that it was a carp. I thought differently when I looked at its mouth. It didn't have any barbule's and just looked more like a minnow's. I guess I should have saved it for closer examination?

New Mexico, while not being known for great bass fishing, is a beautiful place. It has a lot to offer in the way of other wildlife.

I'll try to take or find some better pictures of the lower pond. Again, thank you everyone for the input and warm welcomes!!