February, 1943 
what more desirable than the green sun- 
fish, it is much less so than the bluegill. 
Orange-Spotted Sunfish 
Lepomis humilis (Girard ) 
Although present in 9 of the 22 lakes, 
the orange-spotted sunfish never grows to 
a desirable size and should never be stocked 
In artificial lakes. In one recorded in- 
stance, fish of this species reached an esti- 
mated population of 15,000 per acre and 
crowded out other centrarchids. 
Yellow Perch 
Perca flavescens (Mitchill) 
The yellow perch, common in artificial 
lakes of some western states, does poorly 
in Illinois. In 7 of the 22 lakes censused, 
it was represented by a few individuals of 
small size. It seems unable to spawn suc- 
cessfully in Illinois lakes and adds little 
cr nothing to fishing. 
Yellow Bass 
Morone interrupta Gill 
The yellow bass was found in 7 of the 
22 lakes. In only one instance had it re- 
produced successfully. The yellow bass 
populations were made up of a few indi- 
viduals large enough to interest panfish 
anglers. Because of its inability to repro- 
duce successfully, and its small average 
size, this fish is of little value in small arti- 
ficial lakes in Illinois. 
Black Bullhead 
Ameiurus melas melas ( Rafinesque ) 
The black bullhead was found in 20 of 
the 22 lakes. It is a fish well suited to arti- 
ficial lakes and of importance in lake man- 
agement. Large populations of stunted fish 
are common and often necessitate artificial 
thinning in order to produce bullheads of 
good size. In 6 of the 20 lakes, popula- 
tions of black bullheads made up from 39 
to 73 per cent of the weight of fish present. 
Bullheads of large size were found in lakes 
containing small numbers of these fish. 
The bullhead is desirable not only because 
it reproduces successfully, but because it 
bites readily and is easily taken by inex- 
perienced fishermen. Although it tends to 
keep shallow lakes and ponds roily, it will 
BENNETT: MANAGEMENT OF ARTIFICIAL LAKES 363 
survive under unfavorable conditions long- 
er than most other Illinois fish. 
Yellow Bullhead 
Ameiurus natalis natalis (Le Sueur ) 
The yellow bullhead, less common than 
the black in artificial lakes, was present in 
16 of the 22 lakes censused. Populations 
in this species are usually much smaller 
than inethe black. In 5 lakes it made uD 
from 0.4 to 8.4 per cent of the total fish 
population; only a few were present in the 
other 11 lakes. Black and yellow bull- 
heads are often found together, but in most 
lakes the blacks are more numerous. The 
yellow bullhead seems less likely to become 
overnumerous and stunted than the black 
species, but it is somewhat less desirable 
as a pan fish. 
Speckled Bullhead 
Ameiurus nebulosus marmoratus (Le 
Sueur) 
The speckled bullhead, common in the 
Illinois River and connecting bottomland 
lakes, was taken from only 2 of the 22 
artificial lakes. One of these had been 
recently flooded by the Illinois River, and 
the other had received stock from that 
source. This fish ordinarily does not re- 
produce successfully in artificial lakes, al- 
though some young were found in one 
Wistance wel tworowse welll bum Cannot. be 
counted upon to maintain its numbers. 
Carp 
Cyprinus carpio Linnaeus 
Carp were found in 17 of the 22 lakes, 
although no records could be found that 
any of these lakes had been stocked with 
this fish. In several lakes flooded occasion- 
ally by rivers, they could have entered with 
flood waters. Young carp are sometimes 
introduced through the use of live bait ; 
and the adults swim upstream and jump 
the spillways into many lakes during high 
water. In no lake was a large carp popu- 
lation found with a good game-fish popu- 
lation. Always where Carp were numer- 
ous, the hook-and-line fish were not only 
small in numbers, but were small in size 
and in poor condition. In several lakes 4 
small number of large carp were present. 
This seems to indicate that young are not 
