Silver Chub
( Macrhybopsis storeriana )
This large minnow species is one of the more important forage species for sport fishes such as walleye and sauger in Lake Erie and the Ohio River.
Description
The silver chub is a large very silvery minnow with a small mouth and overhanging snout. They have no distinct spots or other markings on the body and have a very small barbel at the rear edge of the upper jaw in each corner of the mouth. The lower edge of the tail is milk white in color. The rest of the tail and all other fins are clear.
Habitat and Habits
Silver chub are found in the Ohio River and Lake Erie in areas with a gravel or sand subtsrate. They can be found at depths of up to 60 feet and are one of the more abundant and there fore important forage species in both systems. They are also present in lower numbers in the Scioto River as far upstream from the Ohio River as the confluence with Big Darby Creek. They can also be found in the lower reaches of other large tributaries to the Ohio River including the Muskingum, Great Miami, and Hocking Rivers.
Reproduction and Care of the Young
Silver chub spawn in June and July but little is now about how or where they spawn. It is likely that they scatter their eggs along the bottom where they drift with the currents until hatching.