Pointy-finned minnows?

[Bobb-o]

what are these little pointy-finned minnows that i always get in every scoop of crappie minnows. i never seem to get any bites ont them, even if everyone else is catching fish around me. What kind of fish are they? should i just start throwing them out when i get them?

[Guest]

Those are known as "spickle backs" I don't know that correct terminology for them but they are a nuisance and you won't catch anything on them. stomp em out with your boot, don't put them in the lake.

[Bobb-o]

yeah i stopped bringing them out fishing with me. i just leave them in the aquarium in the room. it is cool to watch the minnows swim around. do the spickle backs grow up into something bigger?

[Guest]

Biggguns is right they are bad dont throw them in the lake/River Bad Bad.

When I was with Rivertown Sports we would get them with our minnows all the time throw them out!

You wont catch a fish with them anyway we have tried, Ice fishing with a cam the fish just swim right by dont ever really give it a look.

They dont feed the good fish but eat the food---Get rid of em!!

[Jimmy]

The proper term is stickle back. They are native to MN. They sometimes get caught up in the netting process.

[Guest]

I was told they were baby "Gaurdian Fish"?

Ya..Eh...keep them buggers out of the lake Eh!

Ya..be sure ya "Smuck-um" with a tire iron before you toss them on the ice or they will chew their way through to the water.

[Minnetonka]

Jimmy was correct:

These fish are STICKELBACKS. They are totaly native to Minnesota. They do zero harm to a lake and I think they are kind of cool. The stickelback family of fish is most marine (saltwater) but two species are native to Minnesota. We have the Brook stickelback (has five spines on top) and the Ninespine stickelback (obviously nine spines on top). Both spicies only grow to about three inches long.

[swampman]

Stickle backs are a native species that do get caught in the trapping proccess.they are hard to sort out totally because they are the same size as crappie minnows.there are several tricks wholeslers use to seperate them but none are 100%.some ponds dont have any but most have some.when bait was hard to get we used to have to trap in ponds that sometimes ran 50% (stickers).i have caught fish on them before though. fish will also bite on mud minnows they sell them in some southern states.i had one guy who used to come dig through our tanks for mud minnows , he swore by them for catching walleyes.

[Guest]

Obviously I was kidding around guys.

I do not promote the clubbing of any fish, even the much dreaded guardian fish.

The dangers of the dreaded stickleback falls into the category of old wives and fish tales. I have used them and done as well as with minnows for walleye.

If you look up all the native species of minnows, darters, and other assorted fishy critters that live in the region, you would be amazed! There are hundreds or more.

Them sticklebacks are durable critters, last to croak in the bucket every time Eh.

[Minnetonka]

Backwater Eddy was correct. There are lots of differnt fish native to Minnesota. At last count by the MN DNR there are 156 differnt species of fish that swim in the waters of Minnesota and border rivers.

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[This message has been edited by Minnetonka (edited 01-22-2003).]

[Pig_sticka]

you would think fish dont like them, but i have caught plenty of fish that had stickle backs already in their mouths. fishing winnie i caught atleast a half dozen perch with them in their mouths. maybe it is just the perch but fish do eat them. i still throw out every one i get, but just respondin to the replys.

[Guest]

I remember the first time I saw one of these minnows, I was about 10 years old and reached my hand it the minnow bucket to grab a minnow and I told my dad that one bit me. He didn't believe so I popped open the lid and looked around. I found the culprit, it was one of those minnows. I scooped it out and showed my dad the spikes. It didn't bite me but I knew I felt something.

I heard that these minnows came from the river system? When people net minnows from the river they are mixed in. Kind of interesting if you ask me.

I've tried them in the past for bait and didn't catch anything. Once I put a plain minnow on fish started biting. Maybe it was just luck of the draw.

Good Fishin, Matt.

[Minnetonka]

MJ5:

The Brook stickelback lives mostly in rivers and streams (hence the name brook stickelback) but also lives in lakes. The nine spined stickelback lives mostly in lakes throughout Minnesota but can also live in rivers. Since these are native fish, game fish will eat them, but generally prefer a soft finned fish to eat.

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[big_fish_guy]

I will not use a stickleback. The reason being, you typically are fishing crappies with this size minnow. When a crappie hits, a typical crappie bite, hits it, then takes it away slowly. Well after that initial hit, there are turning the bait to swallow, but they will spit out a stickleback because they will feel the spines. The sticklebacks defense is to make his spines stick up... so I do not use them and will not use them no matter what peoples opinions are. I can't believe any one would actually prefer to use them, can't see any reason why. except for the fact they might be a hardier minnow, but minnows are cheap. I'd rather keep changing them and go through 10 instead of using 1 stickleback.
but that's just this writer's opinion.

[Pig_sticka]

well if needed maybe cut off the top spikes and you should be in business no reason why the head of it shouldn't work, or ever the tail. i would rather be using cucumbers for catching fish but who knows
point is they are ugly n spiney and they dont last a few minutes in anyones minnow bucket including mine. good fishin

[JP Z]

Actually StickleBacks work Great for Crappies in the spring. Crappies hate'em and they last 10 times longer than a crappie minnow. I've got up to 5 fish with one minnow.

[Fish On! Guide Service]

Hey! Don't throw them buggers out. Pops has a 8.5 eye on the wall thanks to Mr. Stickleback. I've never caught a dang thing with them, but he swears this is what he used. Um, its a possibility that the barley sodas were being consumed that evening, so take it with a grain of salt.

Stephen

[bass-o-matic]

I too have caught perch with these buggers in their mouths and half swallowed. I always try them when they get mixed into my minnows. Some days, not a bite. Others, they work just like any fathead. I've even caught walleyes on the river with them.

[Steve Foss]

I've found sticklebacks in the bellies of bass, perch, walleye and northern over the years. Maybe they prefer soft-finned bait, but predators are opportunists, and will take whatever is at a disadvantage, generally.

Of course, crappies being the royalty of panfish, maybe they turn up their noses at stickles. Well, come to think of it, their noses are kind of turned up, aren't they? Funny as it may seem, I've never opened up the stomach of a crappie, though I've cleaned hundreds. Hmm, guess I'll start next time.

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"I've driven farther before to catch fewer fish . . ."
Steve Foss
[email protected]

[Guest]

I usually use my 'Handy-Dandy Stickle-back Nipper' on those spines. I just nip them little suckers off and they're ready to go...really livens 'em up, too!!!
Some people call it a fingernail clipper and others call it a line clipper, etc.

[chunkytrout]

On the same note is the sculpin. i believe the lakers diet consists of them yet they have the spiny fins and these are orange colored. Danger sign to many animal species. I'm going to read up a bit on both these critters. Good topic!
http://www.chunkytrout.bravepages.com/sculpin.html
check this little devil out
sorry Rick, hope this link is OK

[This message has been edited by chunkytrout (edited 01-22-2003).]

[This message has been edited by chunkytrout (edited 01-22-2003).]

[Ybone]

My brother and I were into a school of big crappies and were soon down to our last minnow which was a stickleback. I put it on and caught 6 crappies before finally losing it. If I can get a few mud minnows I'd like to try them for walleye. I bet baby bullheads would be good bait too but I don't think they're legal.

[vern]

Woody from Woody's Fairly Reliable Guide Service on Rainy Lake has said that he likes using the sticklebacks. I've heard him say that a few times on KSTP's Bear Facts & Fish Tales show. Vern

[Fish On! Guide Service]

I got to thinking about this some more. I remember seeing baby bullheads in the bellies of fish i've caught, particularly walleye. Not real often, but not uncommon. So if fish consume bullheads, why not sticklebacks?

Stephen

[curt quesnell]

In many Minnesota lakes Bullheads are the
main food for Walleyes. Perch have spiney
dorsal fins, bluegills are armed also with
pointy fins. All of them are food for something.

I toss StickleBacks too but have caught
fish and realized I had a StickleBack on
the jig (????????). Maybe (like me) the
StickleBacks uselessness is over estimated

Curt Quesnell