View Full Version : minnow identifiction
kepone cats
05-05-2005, 03:23 PM
I was wondering if anyone knows of any good websites or books that have a complete listing of all minnows and baitfish found in VA. VT has a decent site but I do not see a shiner on there that I am looking to identify. I may take a picture of one of them and email it to them. I catch some of them in my minnow seine from time to time and they are one of my favorite baits for general freshwater fishing. They are plump and oily with soft scales and about 3-4 1/2 inches in length. Silver with a lighter wide band down the lateral line about 1/3 width of the body. Dark/metalic back.The females are full of eggs this time of year. They are thicker in girth than a golden shiner and less compressed looking. The scales are larger and fall off fairly easy. I caught some and stocked them in my lake hoping they will become etsablished in there. It would be nice to know what they are called. - Kepone
Capt.Neil Renouf
05-05-2005, 03:44 PM
post a pic of it on the board....
naked goby
05-05-2005, 05:20 PM
There is a book called Fresh Water Fishes of Virginia.
Flying Fish
05-05-2005, 06:48 PM
Freshwater Fishes of VA is a superb book, and what I'd recommend to ID minnows. You need a superb book to do that. [grin]
It's large, heavy, and expensive, though.
FF
Dad2qrc
05-05-2005, 11:17 PM
Try this site
http://www.cnr.vt.edu/efish/families/cyprinidae.html
kepone cats
05-06-2005, 07:19 AM
I looked at that site from V Tech and did not see it on there.
Dan D
05-06-2005, 11:27 AM
Freshwater fishes of Virginia by Jenkins and Burkhead is the definitive work on fish in the Mid atlantic. If you have a copy, don't let it out of your sight. It is no longer in print and very hard (read expensive) to get. The VT Efish is good, but not great. They are working on a newer version now. I don't know if it wil have more fish or just better descriptions.
Another decent and much cheaper book is Peterson's field guide to freshwater fishes. You can probably get it at any local bookstore or amazon.
Post some more info about it and see if we can't ID it.
Dan
RANGER690
05-06-2005, 04:33 PM
I am getting a head start.
http://www.gifts4fishing.com/acatalog/minnow-corkscrew.jpg
ketch69
05-06-2005, 10:04 PM
You are a cork screw[grin]
kepone cats
05-09-2005, 11:48 AM
Caught two in my net saturday with about 20 big shiners (the golden shiners were as long as a mans hand) Was going to use the big ones to rockfish sunday but it was too windy. I relased them in the pond. Took a picture of one of the mistery minnows. Need to finish taking that roll up and then get developed. Be patient.