SOME IMPORTANT BAIT FISHES 



red spot behind eye of breeding 

 males. 



Range. — The hornyhead chub is 

 a minnow of hirge creeks and small 

 rivers, preferring swift waters and 

 gravel bottoms. It is found in the 

 United States from North Dakota 

 and Colorado east to the Great 

 Lakes and the Hudson River, and 

 south to Oklahoma and the Ohio 

 River valley. 



Breeding habits. — This chub 

 spawns late in May and early in 

 June on gravelly riffles in 1 to 2 feet 

 of water at 65° F. or warmer. The 

 nest is either a natural cavity in the 

 stream bottom or one fanned out by 

 the fish. Mating activities and 

 stone carrying into the nest by 

 males are alternated so that the peb- 

 bles and eggs are mixed in the nest. 

 The nest pile is large, often cover- 

 ing several square feet of bottom, 

 and 2 to 6 inches deep. Each nest 

 is occupied by a single male who 



probably spawns with several fe- 

 males. These nest piles are often 

 used by common shiners at the same 

 time, the males of both species 

 guarding the nest. The male at- 

 tains a maximum length of about 

 10 inches and the females are smal- 

 ler. This minnow requires several 

 years to reach maturity. 



Food. — The food of the horny- 

 head chub is mostly insect larvae 

 and crustaceans. A summary of 

 several food studies made in New 

 York showed an average percentage 

 of the following food items : Cray- 

 fish, 5.6 ; mayflies, 11.1 ; caddisflies, 

 2.8; chironomid larvae and pupae, 

 29.4; miscellaneous insects, 7.8; 

 small beetles, 23.9 ; algae, 13,9 ; and 

 silt, 5.6. 



Iniportance. — The hornyhead is 

 an excellent bait fish for pike, hardy 

 on the hook or in storage tanks, 

 and attains large size. 



RIVER CHUB Hybop/s (Nozomis) m/cropogon 



LIFE HISTORY of young sometimes amber but not 



Description.— hody robust, nose '"^^^ ' "" ''^'^ «P"^ ^^ehind eye ; several 



blunt, scales large and easily seen, ''^I'Se tubercles on swollen forehead 



similar to liornyhead chul), p. 103; oi breeding mules. It difl'ers from 



black spot at base of tail iiulistinct thelioinyliead chub in having an in- 



and of no definite shape; tail fin distinct black spot of no definite 



104 



