Pond Boss Forums FISH & FISHING Fly Fishing & Other Fish Species Is this a FHM?

You shouldn't catch any spottail shiner (N.hudsonius) in northern FL. Shiners with spots on the tail in northern FL should all be the blacktail shiner - C.venusta. Body or morphological differences between the spottail and blacktail are slight. The blacktail has fine dark speckles on the membranes between the rays of the dorsal fin whereas those membranes of the spottail are clear. In the blacktail shiner distance from the front of the dorsal fin to tail spot is shorter than the distance from front of dorsal fin to tip of snout. Opposite is true for the spottail shiner. Generally the tail spot on the adult blacktails is more rectangular whereas it is shaped more like a triangular spot for the spottails.

Blacktail shiner are said to be crevice spawners which means as CJ said, they should spawn in a pond if given the proper spawning habitat. If you are able to catch some, then Private Message (PM) me for ideas for making spawning devices for the blacktails in your pond.