Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Why all the hate for sticklebacks?

I stuck my minnow trap in the creek behind my pond and quickly caught a bunch of crayfish and these minnows which I believe are sticklebacks.


Besides being evil looking what makes them so bad for ponds?

Looks like a 9 spine stickleback, but the spines aren't raised so I cannot tell for sure. If you look at the mouth size, they can and will eat young fish fry, eggs and are just nasty little buggers. Interesting fish for an aquarium. Although they are heavily preyed upon where found by predatory fish, there are better options for ponds.

Yuk, their razor sharp spines stick you in the fingers if you try to hook one up for ice fishing. The fish don't like them much either since they have hypodermic needles for spines on their backs. When I see one in the bucket, I catapult them out on the ice with my minnow net where they go straight to stickleback heaven.

I think its a five spine one as they are pretty spread out when they are raised.

Thanks for the info

When I was but a wee laddie I used to think these were Walleyes - a little bonus in my two scoops 'O minners...and I'd release them thinking I was helping to establish a thriving WE population in the sandpits where I spent my Summers.

I wasn't aware they were a problem. I'm sure I've inadvertently planted them at least once as they were in with my fatheads, but never thought they were very common even upon draining and killing off a pond.

The last several times I have been to my local bait shop a DNR agent has been inspecting the minnow tanks for sticklebacks. Aparently a few of the local suppliers have had a ton of them lately in their shipments.