Minnow/bait fish identification help?

[onepop2bass]

I was drilling holes today and after breaking through when I pulled up I must have sucked this guy up with me. So what ever it is it was just under the ice. I did a quick google search and couldn't find anything just like it. I'd say it's about 3 inches long.

[mwal]

Any dorsal fin?

[mwal]

Any dorsal fin? check this link from The Bell museum of natural history.

Looks like an emerald shiner

http://hatch.cehd.umn.edu/research/fish/fishes/emerald_shiner.html

Mwal

[outkast7222]

Emerald Shiner for sure. Fish with them a lot.

Edit: After looking again it may not be an emerald but surely a shiner of some sort.

[JBMasterAngler]

Yeah, looks like an emerald shiner with an eating disorder. What lake was this? I googled smelt too, and small ones look very similar to that as well.

[Cheers]

looks like a smelt to me , did it have teeth ?

[onepop2bass]

Yeah looking at the pictures I'd say emerald shiner is leading the pack. This one just seemed to long and skinny at first but here's another pic. and there is some emerald coloring to it. Thanks

[JBMasterAngler]

Looks a lot like a brook silverside also.

[Great Outdoors]

Look up Atantic Silverside (menidia menidia)

There have been some frozen ones sold in Minnesota, they come from Nova Scotia, have been tested for VHS, and are legal to sell.

Maybe someone was using them for bait and tossed it in the lake when done, or had one fall out of the plastic container they come in.

We have some in the freezer at the shop that the dealer gave us for samples.

What lake did you find this one in?

[H2O Milfoil]

I can't see the fins, but Google up "brook silverside". Very common. You see them in the summer, especially at twilight, leaping and skimming over the surface.

[my4x4yj]

http://fishbase.org/images/species/Meber_u0.jpg

image I found of an Inland Silverside, looks real close to me.

[onepop2bass]

Okay you nailed it the mouth on the emerald shiner wasn't right. I googled the brook silverside and it's mouth has that triangular downward slope to it. So now I need to change my fishing the tactic on this lake cause it was just under the ice. Thanks for the help. Hopefully monster crappies like to eat brook silverside minnows.

[Great Outdoors]

If you have minnows traveling just under the ice, it can be an indication of low oxygen in the lake.

Many times traps must be set in six feet of water at the most in late winter, where the oxy level is highest.

Keep that in mind when fishing these waters.

[onepop2bass]

The area I was fishing was about 20 yards from an open creek? I'm not sure but Id think oxygen would be fine were I was but as far as the lake as a whole I don't know.

[Sleder]

Its definitely not a smelt nor an Atlantic Silverside as I've used them a fair bit.

My guess its a Brook Silverside…………