Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Habitat: Primarily in large rivers and shallow lakes that have mud or sand bottoms It is one of the most often caught fish in our fishing programs. Present in Park: Commonly found in the Mississippi River. Coloration is gray with purple/bronze reflection and rounded triangular tail. It has a humped back with a long, sloping forehead and white lips. Key ID Features: Freshwater drum average 10-14 inches in length.

There is some indication that this fish, with its big molar-like crushing teeth, may be learning to eat zebra mussels.

Freshwater drum is the only member of its family in North America to occur completely in freshwater habitats.

Freshwater drum's eggs float on the water surface until they hatch, sometimes traveling for miles on rivers or windswept lakes before the tiny fry (newly hatched fish) emerge.

The otolith help fish stay balanced and oriented in murky water. All vertebrates have ototliths in the inner ear but the freshwater drum’s can be an inch in diameter.

Native Americans strung together the freshwater drum’s large otoliths (granules of calcium carbonate) as necklaces or bracelets.

Anglers may be surprised to feel them vibrate like a cell phone.

Male freshwater drum makes its unique sound with muscles rubbed along its swim bladder.

It can use its high snout and forehead to flip stones and expose food. It feeds on many different types of food from crustaceans and seeds to minnows and aquatic insects. This adaptation allows the drum to pick up vibrations in the water and better locate food and enemies. to tolerate freshwater, can push far up rivers and deep into back bay areas. A freshwater drum’s lateral line (a visible line of sense organs on the side of a fish for detecting pressure and vibration) extends to the end of its tail, which is farther than most other fish species. Also known as redfish, channel bass and spot-tail bass, red drum sport a. Other names include silver bass, gray bass, lavender bass, and gaspergou from the French casse-burgeau 'to break a clam.' Locally many anglers refer to them as 'sheepshead.'įreshwater drum like turbid water and inhabit slow or moderate current over sand or mud bottoms. That noisiness generated many colorful nicknames, including croaker, thunder pumper, grunter, grinder, bubbler. Males make a grunting or rumbling sound during the breeding season, which is thought to attract females.

The freshwater drum is a fish known for its noise.

Produce a druming or grunting sound by vibrating a set of muscles located in their body cavity against their swim bladder.Fish of the Mississippi River Introduction The species is visually distinguished by its silvery-grey to brown body with a hump back and blunt snout. This fish prefers clear water with clean sandy or gravel bottom but are quite tolerant to somewhat turbid and murky waters. The only solely freshwater member of the drum family. Freshwater Drum is the only member of its family that inhabits exclusively freshwater throughout its entire life. Can grow up to 50 pounds, but generally average less than 10. Can live up to 13 years, but the average lifespan is 6 to 8 years. Adults feed on insects, crawfish, minnows, amphipods, and mollusks. Larvae and juveniles feed on zooplankton and other larval fish species.

Fertilized eggs float and are moved by currents until they hatch and the larvae are big enough to swim to the surface, usually within 1 week of being fertilized. The name of this stunning lake is Okeechobee which residents. Another place of refuge for freshwater fishing that I explored is situated right at the fishing capital of the world, the state of Florida. Females produce 40,000 to 60,000 eggs each season. Frying Pan River is one of the best fly fishing destinations in Colorado that will never fail any fish catcher. In Louisiana, spawn between April and May in large schools in open water. Sexually mature between 4 and 6 years old. Highly adaptable, living in clear and turbid water on mud, silty, and rocky bottoms. Found in variety of habitats, including backwaters, large rivers, and shallow lakes. Native to freshwater throughout the Mississippi River basin, through Texas, and south to Guatemala.

Trophy freshwater drum mud river