Shiners

Availability: Good

Size Range:6's, 8's, 12's, 20's, Brooders

Best Time of Year to Handle: September through May. Summer time temperatures make handling difficult. Large sizes are often hand to find during late spring and early fall.

Golden shiners are larger forage fish capable of growing to lengths on 8 inches making them ideal forage for big largemouth bass. Breeding early in the spring, baby shiners are eaten by bluegill and young largemouth bass. Over the course of the summer months shiners will grow to 3  to 4 inches, a size preferred by large bass. Within a year  the shiners can reach brooder sizes, providing forage for even larger bass. Golden Shiners can also be stocked periodically to increase forage in early spring and fall.

     Golden shiners spawn in the spring when water temperatures reach 60 degrees F. Groups of breeding shiners school near submerged shoreline vegetation and debris. Females release adhesive eggs onto the submerged shoreline and the males fertilize them.  The fertilized eggs are left unguarded and hatch 3 to5 days later.

     Branches, leaves, and grass can be submerged along the shoreline to provide spawning habitat for shiners.