Menhaden and Mullet for LMB forage

I was thinking about how some southern pond owners will add RBT into their LMB ponds for an easy, energy packed meal. I live in the panhandle of Florida and have easy access to menhaden and mullet that can tolerate fresh water.

I'm thinking about catching some that are old enough for osmotic regulation but not larger than my LMB population can predate. Anyone tried/heard of doing this? I know the menhaden are loaded with fats n oils and mullet can hold a lot of energy in their eggs. Not as efficient and convenient as LMB feeding on bass pellets but the price is right. My primary concern is a mullet might be able to easily outrun a LMB. I'll take pictures and report my findings.

-Jim

I think that's a good idea. LMB can be quick when they want to be!

2 things I wonder

- I think you would have to acclimate the M and M to pure freshwater, that is to put them in a tank somewhere and gradually dilute their pure saltwater environment to freshwater. There is a forum member that has done this with tarpon, redfish, and a few others. Over the course of several days at least. He may have done this with mullet or mud minnows as well, or just thrown them in, can't remember. I would probably just put some in the pond and see what happens. I know they can tolerate fresh water, just not sure if they can tolerate the abrupt shock of salt to pure fresh.

- I would wonder about speed of prey too. Not to be a saltwater snob but if you tie the tails of a one pound mullet and a one pound bass together----- that bass is going for a ride. That's more strength though.... And bass are fast for short ambushes.....

I also wonder if you made these the bass primary diet if they metabolically could handle the high oil content of these fish. In humans you could induce pancreatitis with rich fatty foods. Since evolutionarily these fish haven't been a forage base for the bass, maybe that's an issue.

I lied, I actually wondered three things

I'm over thinking this, throw those suckers in there and let us know what happens

If I pull them from a low salinity, brackish BOW I was thinking they'd last long enough to die by the mouth of a LMB. If they don't take well to the salinity shock, it'd make them easier targets. I hadn't considered long term forage implications on LMB health. However, if a fatty diet is that unhealthy, you'd think some people would eat better

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By the way gallop, Go Gators. I was there for school most of the previous decade.

There is another forum member who is also in FL doing a similar thing. I don't think menhaden are any oilier/fattier than gizzard shad. I don't think they'd be an issue. Neither will reprodce in pure freshwater but added forage along with removing bass could help bulk up remaining bass. My biggest concern would be the introduction of disease, parasites or other unwanteds.

Yeah, I hear you on the disease and parasites. Especially since I've caught a LOT of menhaden with big ol fat parasites sitting in their throats. I wonder if their cycle too will stop in freshwater.

Good chance of that, but one just doesn't know...

This is certainly interesting. For many years we owned an ocean front home on the NC/SC border, on Oak Island.

I mainly surf fished with 4-6 inch mullet that I could easily catch with a cast net by walking the shoreline. One throw would usually give me well more than a day's worth of bait for blues, stripers, flounder, red drum, sea trout, and small shark.

From June through August, I would guess that I could easily have netted hundreds of pounds of them, had I decided to do so.

I never knew they could exist in fresh water. If they really can, they would probably make fantastic forage for bass. The ones easily caught near shore have the right form and size. They move close to shore in schools of the thousands. They are very easy to catch with a cast net.

The can definitely live in pure freshwater. They are found far up the Mississippi River and some of its major drainages. They're found at least up to Tennessee. They however cannot spawn in pure freshwater or I think they could be used as a forage fish in larger freshwater ponds and lakes in areas where waters do not ice over.

Actually had not considered Menhaden (pokies we call them ) I did not know they would tolerate the fresh water conversion.

I have supplimented mullet several times. Just do some fresh water exchanges. You can do it pretty fast. About every 15 - 20 mins exchange 1/4 to half the salt water to fresh. even just do a 50/50 exchange once then dump in after sitting mins or so ,..,

I think adding menhaden will be great, more easy to source for me than gizzard shad...

I'll give them a try.....

Well, a few years later and I finally have some mud minnows and mullet in a freshwater tank awaiting transfer. They seem to be doing just fine alongside my RES. No real surprise but glad to see the 1-1.5" mullet can handle the fresh water already. I wasn't sure at what age that was possible.

I fish a lot of brackish waters where you may catch LMB & redfish in 2 consecutive casts. I've cleaned many LMB with finger mullet in their gut. Even in our fresh waters mullet exist and are foraged by LMB.