COMMON SHINER 



scales come oft' easily. It is a jrood pike. Hardy in cold weather, this 

 bait for bass, perch, and walleye fish is a favorite for winter fishing. 



COMMON SHINER Notropls corn uf us 



Also called Skipjack. 



LIFE HISTORY 



Description. — Color silvery on 

 sides, white on belly when alive; 

 scales large, high, and narrow on 

 side of the body ; no barbel ; dorsal 

 fin inserted directly over pel vies; a 

 size of 8 inches, or more, attained 

 by males. 



Range. — This minnow is common 

 in nearly all cool creeks and lakes 

 of northeastern United States. It 

 occurs from southern Canada along 

 the Atlantic coast to Virginia ; cen- 

 trally, southward to northern Ala- 

 bama, and westward from Ozark 

 region of Missouri to Arkansas 

 River system in Arkansas and 

 Oklahoma. 



Breeding habits. — B r e e d i n g 

 males have large tubercles over the 

 top of the head, and body and fins 

 are brightly colored orange and 

 pink. It spawns on stream riffles 

 over gravelly bottoms, but its 

 abundance in some inland lakes 

 may mean that it is successful in 



spawning on gravel shoals in quiet 

 waters. The spawning season is 

 short in Michigan, extending from 

 the latter part of May into June; 

 it begins somewhat earlier in Min- 

 nesota's western w^aters. Studies 

 in Michigan have shown that the 

 common shiner grows about 2 inches 

 the first year and requires 2 or 3 

 years to reach maturity. 



Little or no success has been ob- 

 tained in stripping the eggs from 

 this fish. To raise this species, 

 rearing ponds should be arranged 

 to allow adult fish to swim up- 

 stream from the ponds to lay their 

 eggs. The young will then drift 

 downstream and grow in the ponds, 

 as do other species. 



Food. — Only in the most recent 

 food studies have the subspecies of 

 this minnow^ been considered sepa- 

 rately. Here, the food habits of 

 the northern {frontalis) and the 

 southern (chrysocephalus) are con- 

 sidered together. 



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