Small freshwater fish ID please

vole-woman · #1 (**permalink**) 01-07-2011, 03:36 PM

Is it a minnow or a stickleback?

GCN lova · #2 (**permalink**) 01-07-2011, 05:35 PM

stickleback because of the fins and tail

GuyF · #3 (**permalink**) 01-07-2011, 05:37 PM

Not too good on my fish, but possibly Gudgeon?
Guy

GCN lova · #4 (**permalink**) 01-07-2011, 05:40 PM

in my opinion the mouth looks too sticklebackish, Guy. im no good either but i know a few common fish.

can you tell us roughly what size it was.

vole-woman · #5 (**permalink**) 01-07-2011, 05:53 PM

Oh, tiny. No more than three inches.

GCN lova · #6 (**permalink**) 02-07-2011, 07:36 AM

both species are about the same size butr im still thinking stickleback from the head.

diggleken · #7 (**permalink**) 02-07-2011, 08:12 AM

Its a Stickleback - the head is similar to pike and the fins rays are clear stickleback too.
Cheers
Ken

vole-woman · #8 (**permalink**) 02-07-2011, 09:05 AM

Thank you! They're really uppity at the moment - a bit of a nuisance, actually, as when I'm filming water voles I keep thinking it's a vole coming down the stream, so vigorous is the threshing about.

The Woodman · #9 (**permalink**) 02-07-2011, 09:09 AM

Do you know what the stickleback is doing in the shallow water, VW?

vole-woman · #10 (**permalink**) 02-07-2011, 09:26 AM

I don't. Are they mating? There are quite a few fat ones (pregnant females?) and quite a few with red markings down their bellies (males?). Some of the fat ones seemed intent on swimming upstream and getting over a tricky sandbank - it reminded me a bit of the way salmon go up rapids, but on a much smaller scale.