SOME IMPORTANT BAIT FISHES 



Range. — The stoneroller is a min- 

 now of creeks and small rivers, and 

 prefers rocky, shady streams with 

 swift water. Of very wide distribu- 

 tion, it is common in southern Mich- 

 igan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, 

 and is found from the St. Lawrence 

 southward to northern Alabama ex- 

 cluding the extreme southeastern 

 United States, and westward from 

 Wyomino: to Texas. 



Breeding hahits. — T his fi s h 

 spawns from May to June 15. 

 (yreat numbers ascend streams, 

 where the bright-colored males ex- 

 cavate funnel-shaped cavities sev- 

 eral inches deep and guard these 

 and the eggs for a short time. The 

 stoneroller minnow reaches matur- 

 ity during its second or third sum- 

 mer. Males attain a size of 6 inches 

 and females less than 5. 



Food. — The stoneroller is chiefly 

 a bottom feeder. It has been known 



to eat algae, diatoms, small amounts 

 of zooplankton, a few aquatic in- 

 sects, and plant tissue. Sand and 

 clay are often found in the intes- 

 tinal tract, but are probably taken 

 along with the various foods. A 

 study of 20 specimens from the 

 Oswego River system (New York) 

 showed food percentages as follows : 

 Midge larvae, 10; diatoms, 50; 

 algae, 10 ; and sand and silt, 80. 



ImportaTice. — The stoneroller is 

 tenacious of life, and is regarded as 

 one of the best baits for bass. In 

 Minnesota, it is widely sold under 

 the name of racehorse chub. One 

 dealer has experimented with prop- 

 agation of this minnow in shallow 

 ponds supplied with a slow-moving 

 current. The first attempts were 

 moderately successful, but were not 

 on a large enough scale to be 

 practical. 



WESTERN MUD MINNOW Umbra llmi 



LIFE HISTORY 



Description. — Tail tin rounded ; 

 dorsal fin far back on body with 

 iibout 12 rays; dark vertical bar 

 at base of tail; scales on Head (no 

 other fish described in this section 

 l)ossesses scales there). This fish 



is not a true minnow, but is re- 

 lated to the northern pike. It 

 grows to a length of 5 inches. 



Range and, breeding hahits. — 

 This species is distributed from 

 Manitoba through the Great Lakes 

 region to Quebec and Lake Cham- 



116 



