SOME IMPORTANT BAIT FISHES 



fins short and rounded; dorsal set 

 behind pelvics. 



Rcmge. — This (hice is found in 

 clear, rocky streams from Virginia 

 northward to the St. Lawrence 

 River, westward through the Ohio 

 River system and Great Lakes' 

 basin, to Nebraska, Iowa, and 

 North Dakota. It is most abundant 

 in small, cool streams, and is rarely 

 taken from lakes or ponds. 



Breeding hahit^. — The blacknose 

 dace spawns in April and May 

 when the water temperature of the 

 creek reaches about 75° F. The 

 spawning site is located at the head 

 of riffles. It frequently occupies the 

 same riffles used by creek chubs — 

 when the chubs are absent. Lang- 

 lois (1941a) comments on the 

 spawning activities: 



Each male oct-upies a "holding" thouf^h 

 shifting around considerably. When a 

 female enters a "holding:," the male goes 

 to her and sometimes passes several 

 times around her before coining to a 

 lateral parallel position for spawning. 

 When side by side, the female vibrates 

 her tail, sometimes nearly burying it 

 while doing so, and at the same time the 

 male's tail starts vibrating and curling 



up over the female's tail to her dorsal 

 fin, when vibrations cease. Occasionally 

 the pair remains in place and spawns 

 again immediately, but usually they sep- 

 arate, the male darting forward while 

 the female relaxes limply onto one side, 

 remaining there sometimes for several 

 seconds. 



The milt and eggs may be 

 stripped from ri})e males and fe- 

 males, and artificial fertilization is 

 practical. The eggs are about i/^g 

 inch in diameter when spawned, 

 but quickly swell to about y^ of an 

 inch. 



Food. — The food of the black- 

 nose dace varies according to what 

 is available. Some workers have 

 found the diet to be 100 percent 

 insects while others have found it 

 to be at least '24 percent filamentous 

 algae. Crustaceans, diatoms, and 

 Avater mites are eaten when avail- 

 able in large enough numbers. 



I ni portanee. — The blacknose dace 

 is a fairly important bait fish in 

 Minnesota where it is sold along 

 with the longnose dace under the 

 name of slicker. It is a hardy min- 

 now that can be used in pike, bass, 

 and catfish fishing. 



LONGNOSE DACE Rhini'chfhys cafaracrae 



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