Ninespine Stickleback
A circumpolar miniature — rarely exceeding two inches — the ninespine stickleback ranges across northern North America, Europe, and Asia, living equally at home in freshwater ponds, tidal creeks, and coastal marine shallows.
Not a sportfish in any conventional sense, it turns up in seines and dip nets and has become one of evolutionary biology's most-studied vertebrates, largely because of the male's elaborate nest-building and parental care behavior.
Also known as Ten-spined stickleback
- Extremely slender and elongated compared to the three-spined stickleback — the caudal peduncle is notably thin and long, with a bony lateral keel running along each side.
- Dorsal spines number 7–12 (nine is most common); no bony plates on the flanks, unlike some related species.
- Coloration is gray, green, or olive on the back and sides with dark mottling and a white belly; the upturned mouth is a useful field mark.
- Adults typically run 1–2 inches; the maximum on record is about 3.5 inches (9 cm).
What to know
Habitat Distribution
- A cold-temperate specialist with a circumpolar footprint — native across northern North America (Alaska, Canada, and the northeastern United States as far south as New Jersey), northern Europe, and northern Asia.
- Unusually flexible about salinity: populations exist in purely freshwater lakes and streams, brackish estuaries, and fully marine coastal waters, sometimes within the same region.
- Prefers vegetated shallows — weedy tidal streams, salt marshes, and the nearshore margins of lakes and ponds — where cover is dense and zooplankton concentrations are high.
- Performs best in temperate water between roughly 50–68°F (10–20°C); distribution skews toward higher latitudes and is more restricted than the closely related three-spined stickleback.
Specific Spots
- Shallow, vegetated margins — weed beds and submerged aquatic plants hold the zooplankton and midge larvae that make up most of its diet, so dense vegetation is the consistent draw.
- During the breeding season, males stake out territories at 3–6 feet of depth near aquatic plants, which they use as raw material for nest construction.
- In tidal systems, concentrations shift with salinity gradients — look just above the saltwater influence in coastal streams, where freshwater and brackish water meet.
Ninespine Stickleback FAQ
Answers from onWater's species guide.
What are the best lures and bait for Ninespine Stickleback?
Not pursued with lures or bait in recreational fishing. Where regulations allow, live ninespine sticklebacks are sometimes used as baitfish for larger predators in northern waters.
What do Ninespine Stickleback eat?
Zooplankton and chironomid (midge) larvae make up the bulk of the diet, small enough prey that this fish is far more relevant as forage for larger predators than as a target itself.
Where do Ninespine Stickleback live?
A cold-temperate specialist with a circumpolar footprint, native across northern North America (Alaska, Canada, and the northeastern United States as far south as New Jersey), northern Europe, and northern Asia.
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