SOME IMPORTANT BAIT FISHES 



Knowledge of the life history and 

 behavior of the bait fishes he is rais- 

 ing helps the operator achieve max- 

 imum production in his ponds. 

 This knowledge aids him in select- 

 ing the species for each type of 

 pond, in choosing the spawning fa- 

 cilities to be supplied, and in de- 

 termining the amount and kind of 

 fertilizer to use. 



The name "minnow" is commonly 

 but erroneously applied to small 

 fishes of all species. The true min- 

 nows are members of a family of 

 fresh-water fishes, the Cyprinidae, 

 and have definite characteristics 

 that separate them from other fam- 

 ilies. Most bait fishes are true min- 

 nows, but some important species 

 like the mud minnow and the sucker 

 belong to other families. Most bait 

 fishes are small, but some, like the 

 carp, an introduced "minnow," and 

 the Colorado River white salmon. 



attain weights of 40 to 80 pounds. 

 Young game and food fishes, such 

 as perch and pike, and which should 

 be called fry or fingerlings, are 

 often improperly called minnows. 



Of the fishes used for bait, the 

 true minnows are most important. 

 They can be distinguished from 

 other fishes by the following char- 

 acters: No teeth in the jaw^s; no 

 scales on the head but over re- 

 mainder of body; no spiny rays in 

 any of the fins ; one dorsal fin ; less 

 than 10 rays in the dorsal fin ; pelvic 

 fins abdominal in position ; size usu- 

 ally small, under 6 inches (fig. 28). 



Fish have definite food prefer- 

 ences. Many species feed entirely 

 on the tiny, drifting plants of the 

 plankton, others on animals, and 

 some on both; some prefer insects, 

 and others take whatever comes 

 along (figs. 29-32). 



DORSAL FIN 



LATERAL 



BARBEL 



PECTORAL FIN 



ANAL FIN 



PELVIC FIN 



Figure 28. — A typical minnow, showing the parts used in identification. 



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