248 



NORTHERN FISHES 



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Figure 51. Freshwater sheepshead, Aflodinotu^ gnmniens, 18 inches long. 



covered with scales at the base. The anal fin has 2 spines, of which the 

 second is very strong. The head is contained 3.5 times in the length and 

 the depth about 3 times. The anterior part of the dorsal fin has 8 or 9 

 spines; the posterior part has 1 spine and 25 to 31 soft rays. The anal 

 fin has 2 spines and 7 soft rays. The ventral fins terminate in fine fila- 

 ments. The lateral line has about 55 (50-56) scales. This species 

 reaches a length of over 2 feet. 



The sheepshead is found throughout most of the Mississippi drain- 

 age, in part of the Hudson Bay drainage, in the Great Lakes drainage 

 except Superior, and southward to the Gulf. It occurs in certain streams 

 in Mexico and Central America. In Minnesota it is widely distributed 

 in the Mississippi and its tributaries below St. Anthony Falls and in 

 the St. Croix and its tributaries, particularly in Pokegama Lake. It is 

 present in large numbers in Red Lake and Red Lake River, but its 

 occurrence in other parts of the Arctic drainage of Minnesota is doubt- 

 ful, notwithstanding the report of one sheepshead at the Bigsby Island 

 Fishery in Lake of the Woods during the summer of 1922 by the late 

 Paul Marschalk, manager of the Booth Fisheries at Warroad. In Wis- 

 consin Greene (1935) reported it to be restricted to the Mississippi 

 River and Lake Winnebago. 



It is an interesting fish in that it has the power of producing a 

 peculiar grunting sound. This noise is usually made in the evening, 

 and coming from the water without any apparent source as it does, 

 it is somewhat weird. The ear bone furnishes the famous lucky stone 

 so prized by many youthful fishermen. The ear bones are so hard 

 that they often remain intact long after the rest of the skeleton has 

 disintegrated. Forbes and Richardson (1908) reported this species as 

 reaching a weight of 50 to 60 pounds, but the average is probably 2 

 or 3 pounds. 



The sheepshead is a rather grotesque and sluggish fish. It lives on 



