IOWA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. ]0{ 



THE FISHES OF THE CEDAR RIVER BASIN^ 



BY SETH E. MEEK, PH. D. 



The Cedar river is the second largest river within the State of Iowa, and one 

 of the most picturesque. It, together with its northern tributaries, rises in south- 

 ern Minnesota. It", general course is southeast to Moscow, about fifteen miles 

 from the Mississippi river; at this point it turns almost at right angles, and 

 flowing southwest about thirty miles it empties into the Iowa river. 



Above Moscow the current is rather swift, and its bottom sandy with few rocky 

 places and occasional stretches of mud. The Cedar basin is, for the most part, an 

 undulating prairie, with considerable timber along the banks of the streams, 

 especially the eastern tributaries of the Cedar river. There are a large number of 

 ponds and bayous along the river, especially the lower third of its course, which 

 are always connected with the river in times of high water. In these ponds there 

 is much swamp vegetation and always an abundance of sunfishes, pickerel and 

 bullheads. The slough near Cedar Rapids is one of the largest of these bayous. 

 It is the great fishing ground for the small boys of Cedar Rapids. If attended by 

 a fair degree of luck they may be seen on their homeward trips with a string of 

 small bullheads and sunfishes as long as the average boy himself. 



The Cedar is, in my judgment, the finest stream in Iowa. It is only exceeded 

 in size by the Des Moines, which it excels in swiftness of current, in being bor- 

 dered to a greater extent by timber, and being fed by larger supply of springs and 

 spring brooks. I do not think it has been more thoroughly explored than the Des 

 Moines and its tributaries, yet I have recorded from it a larger nnmber of species 

 of fishes. As to which has or affords the larger quantity of fishes for the market 

 I have not the data to judge. I find anglers complain of the scarcity of game 

 fishes, or at least the remark is often made that fishing with hook and line is not 

 as good as it used to be. Yet during the months of June and .July it is good 

 enough to entice men day after day into the water waist deep just below the dam 

 at Cedar Rapids. These men seldon fail to come out except with a respectable 

 string of Black Bass, Wall-eyed Pike, or Channel Cat. 



The streams of Iowa have undoubtedly changed much in character since the 

 country has become so thickly settled. The soil, since loosed with the plow, is 

 much more easily washed into the streams than when it was covered with the stiff 

 native sod. The more thorough underdraining and the surface ditches enables the 



*Thls paper, presented at Sixth Annual Meeting, was too late for Insertion In last 

 report. 



