The Common ShinerThe common shiner or notropis cornutus is a member of the minnow or cyprinidae family. Shiners are very abundant in the Upper Saugeen and are usually the fish that you see jumping in the evening at the saugeen cedars campground. They are very aggresive feeders and will inspect just about anything that you throw in their direction, including very small pebbles.
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The shiner that you are viewing to your right is the Spotfin Shinner (cyrinella spiloptera). If you think it looks firmiliar you probably have seen them yourself at the end of your hook. These shiners are the ones that are mostly seen and caught when fishing the local rivers and streams. Most shiners grow from six to eight inches long, with ten inches being rarely seen. The shiner is also known as the redfish shiner,silver, or creek shiner. Colouration is a mottled olive on it's back and a dark strip along it's side. Scales are large, narrow, and high, almost out of proportion with the fish for it's size. Other than that the rest of the fish is a bright silver. |
I have included a couple of different shiners on this page. As you can see, the Rosyface Shiner (notropis rubellus), looks a lot like it's cousin the spotfin. The difference being the rosy look to it's face. During mating season this feature is more noticable with the face of the male getting almost red in colour. All shinners change their colour a little bit during mating season, getting a reddish look to their body and lower fins. In May and June the ripe females, who are two to three years old, deposit adhesive eggs in excavated redds and in shallow riffles. Guarded well by the males, these fish develop hard tubercles which they use to fight each other. The males are the larger of the species and are very aggresive when guarding the redd. They will bite at any thing that moves over or around the deposited eggs. |
Shiners feed mostly on aquatic insects, but will take terrestrial insects and small fish just as well. They are also used world wide with the exception of South America, as bait. This Sand Shiner (notropis stramineus), seems to be a favorite bait fish in Ontario. The bright silver body of the shiner makes for a great attractor when bait fishing. This species of shiner has spread through out Canada and the United States, by fishermen dumping their minnow buckets into rivers and lakes. This practice is frowned upon by the MNR and carries a steep fine. Even cleaning the empty bucket in the river can still spread this hardy little fish by washing fertilized eggs into the river or lake. These little fish compete for breeding space and food with the native trout and char species in our watershed. They are a vital part of our ecosystem, but let's be careful that we do not spread them where they don't belong. |
