# Menhaden - ly or what?



## grgrobards (Nov 15, 2011)

I have observed that many locals have a different idea about what an ly is. The only references I have found on line say it is another name for Menhaden. I have heard people point to fish in the bay identifying them as lys when they were menhaden, pinfish, minnows, or finger mullet. Can anyone set the record straight for me? 

Greg


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## lastcast (Oct 12, 2007)

http://www.otterpointcreek.org/images/uploaded/Fish Identification Tips.pdf

Not the same.


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## Naby (Jan 18, 2009)

As posted above, I believe what most people call an "LY" is an "alewife" just with the name shortened by dialect. It is different than a menhaden. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alewife


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## OTTE*DA*WORM (Feb 12, 2011)

Its not actually LY, it is alewive or alewife. And no, it is not the same as a menhaden.
 Alewife (LY)







Menhaden.

I hope this helps you to better understand. Menhaden is the better bait of the two, IMO. O*D*W


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## weedline (Aug 20, 2011)

what we here in the panhandle call an ly it a scaled sardine or pilchard what the guys in the big bend call lys is menhaden therefore if u buy frozen bait caught from the big bend menhaden may be marked as lys thats where the confusion comes from 
there is also a northeastern baitfish called an alewife but they dont live here


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## reelthrill (Oct 3, 2007)

Menhaden and LY are definitely different. Menhaden usually travel farther up our bay system and even into our rivers. They can be found in all the bayous nearly all summer long. Lys are much hardier and usually are found closer to the pass and hanging around our gulf piers.


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## lastcast (Oct 12, 2007)

Look on the 4th page of the link. We also get alot of Threadfin around here. 
http://www.otterpointcreek.org/image...ion Tips.pdf


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## weedline (Aug 20, 2011)

this is what we call an ly and no its not an alewife those live way up northeast and have populated the great lakes and many inland waterways but they dont live if fla


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## grgrobards (Nov 15, 2011)

Thanks guys for clearing this up.

Greg


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## weedline (Aug 20, 2011)

thought the picture was titled but thats a scaled sardine more comonly known as a pilchard but known in the panhandle as the elusive ly


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## rfh21 (May 17, 2012)

The LY thing had me lost when I first moved here as it's never been mentioned to me in Mississippi. We always called them menhaden or pogies


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## Tyler Massey (Oct 2, 2007)

rfh21 said:


> The LY thing had me lost when I first moved here as it's never been mentioned to me in Mississippi. We always called them menhaden or pogies


I think thats what this whole thread is about. The bait fish you see in Mississippi are menhaden and the fish that we refer to as an LY is actually a scaled sardine. We also have Menhaden here.


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## BrakeTurnAccelerate (Jul 1, 2012)

Tyler Massey said:


> I think thats what this whole thread is about. The bait fish you see in Mississippi are menhaden and the fish that we refer to as an LY is actually a scaled sardine. We also have Menhaden here.


+1

Though I have heard of people locally calling menhaden, LY or Alewives.


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## gastonfish (Mar 24, 2012)

BrakeTurnAccelerate said:


> +1
> 
> Though I have heard of people locally calling menhaden, LY or Alewives.


Most do call the Big menhaden LY's There not an actual alewife but ly is just another name most locals call big menhaden. Many fish have different names in different areas.


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## Buckyt (Oct 1, 2007)

The more I learn the more confuseder I get. Can we just call them all bait?


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## missplaced_idahoan (Feb 2, 2013)

buckyt said:


> the more i learn the more confuseder i get. Can we just call them all bait?


+1000!


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## Yakavelli (Mar 17, 2010)

I think there should be a sticky with fish ID pics...with local names.


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## missplaced_idahoan (Feb 2, 2013)

Yakavelli said:


> I think there should be a sticky with fish ID pics...with local names.


I like it!


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