Minnow Love

If people think about minnows at all, they likely think of them as dull, boring and small – of little account except as prey for bass, pickerel and other prized gamefish. This standard perception of minnows is spectacularly false. 

The term “minnow” should not be used as a label for all small fish. True minnows are in a distinct family called the cyprinidae, a large group represented by over 40 species in Ontario. Many are indeed small, but arguably, none are dull and boring. They include various species of chub, shiners and dace. 

I recently had some peak nature experiences standing in local streams recording videos of minnows and other fish species. Joy and discovery prevailed. 

I found breeding redside dace in a burbling escarpment stream. These minnows of staggering beauty are endangered in Ontario. They deposit eggs on redds (fish nests) built by creek chub, another species of minnow.  

I’ve written about the workmanship of creek and river chub before, celebrating their remarkable ability to carry small rocks in their mouths to build their redds.

Swimming alongside the redside dace were common shiners – as abundant in our waters as redside dace are rare. The male shiners flaunt shimmering pink hues during their breeding season. 

I also spent a wonderful afternoon in a Grand River tributary under an impeccable blue sky. Orioles sang melodies and I shared the stream with other creatures with fish on their minds. A sleek mink swam by. A great blue heron stalked minnows in the shallows and a kingfisher rattled authoritatively overhead. 

Underneath the surface, I found aquatic treasures. I focused on mounds built by river chub. The industrious labourers weren’t at home, but rosyface shiners had moved in. These gorgeous minnows were breeding in the river chub nests.

Those who know minnows would place them near the top of nature’s wonders. Dull and boring? Far from it!