354 Lake Maxinkuckee, Physical and Biological Survey 



25. SPOT-TAIL MINNOW 



i 



NOTROPIS HUDSONIUS (DeWitt Clinton) 



The Spot-tail Minnow is a species of wide distribution. It is 

 found from Vermont westward to the Dakotas and southward to 

 the Carolinas. It is abundant throughout the Great Lakes region 

 and is not rare in certain waters east of the Alleghenies. In Lake 

 Ontario it is particularly abundant. It probably occurs in all the 

 interior lakes of New York draining into Lake Ontario and is very 

 abundant in Lake Chautauqua. In Bass Lake and some others of 

 the small northern Indiana lakes it is quite common. At Lake 

 Maxinkuckee, however, it appears to be rare. The only record of 

 its occurrence there is that of a few specimens seined September 

 20, 1899. 



Spot-tailed Minnow (Notropis hudsonius) 



Like most species of wide distribution this minnow has many 

 vernacular names, among those in most general use being Shiner, 

 Spot-tail minnow, Spawneater and Hudsonian minnow. In Chau- 

 tauqua Lake it is called Cisco. How this name of a species of 

 whitefish ever got transferred to this little minnow is not easy to 

 understand. 



The Shiner reaches a length of 3 to 6 inches and is an attractive 

 little fish. As a bait-minnow it is highly esteemed. On Lake On- 

 tario and the St. Lawrence River it is regarded as the best live bait 

 for bass. At Chautauqua Lake large examples are popular musk- 

 allunge bait. In northern Indiana it is a good general purpose 

 bait minnow, although not abundant enough in many places to 

 be well known. The smaller ones are excellent for yellow perch, 

 those of medium size are ^X)od for bass, and the larger ones for 

 walleyed pike and pickerel. Its bright silvery color makes it an 



