Iowa Fish Atlas

Native: Yes

State Rank: S3

ITIS Code: 162140          

National Rank:  N5

Global Rank: G5

Modeled By: Anna Loan-Wilsey

State Range:

The grass pickerel is considered a threatened species in Iowa (571 IAC 77.2(2) (2004)).  Except for a few pre-1900 collections in the Lizard Creek and South River watersheds, it has been found only in eastern Iowa.  The grass pickerel is most common in the Eastern Broadleaf Forest Aquatic Subregion.  In the Central Plains Aquatic Subregion, it is restricted to the Mississippi River and marsh areas of some of its smaller tributaries (Harlan et al. 1987).

Habitat Affinities:

As its name implies, the grass pickerel, prefers waters that heavily vegetated (Harlan et al. 1987).  It can occur in natural lakes, sloughs, swamps, the sluggish parts of ditches, creeks draining undissected uplands, protected inlets, and overflow waters of larger streams (Pflieger 1997). It is the only pike that inhabits brooks and small intermittent streams (Tomelleri and Eberle 1990).   It inhabits clear waters with low gradient and little current, most often around thick vegetation (Clay 1975; Douglas 1974; Etnier and Starnes 1993; Pflieger 1997; Robison and Buchanan 1988; Trautman 1981)  Although in Wisconsin, Becker (1983) has also found grass pickerel in fast currents and areas almost devoid of vegetation.  The grass pickerel population decreases when turbidity, ditching or drainage reduces aquatic vegetation and clear water (Pflieger 1997; Smith 1979), and may increase in range with the spread of aquatic vegetation (Etnier and Starnes 1993).

Predictive Model(s):

Statewide Model: by 8-digit HU [Decision Tree Analysis n=14]

The distribution is based upon existing collection records and professional review.

("TEMP_CODE" = 2 AND

  (("MAXELEVR" <= 1 AND ("SDISCR_11C" <= 1 OR "SDISCR_11C" > 2)) OR

   ("MAXELEVR" > 1 AND (("SDISCR_11C" > 0 AND "SDISCR_11C" <= 1) OR        

   ("SDISCR_11C" > 5 AND "SDISCR_11C" <= 6)))))

Mississippi River Model:

The distribution is based upon existing collection records and professional review.

(("pool" >= 'S09' AND "pool" <= 'S10') OR ("pool" >= 'S12' AND "pool" <= 'S14') OR ("pool" >= 'S17' AND "pool" <= 'S18'))

Overall Prediction:

("TEMP_CODE" = 2 AND

(("MAXELEVR" <= 1 AND ("SDISCR_11C" <= 1 OR "SDISCR_11C" > 2)) OR

("MAXELEVR" > 1 AND (("SDISCR_11C" > 0 AND "SDISCR_11C" <= 1) OR ("SDISCR_11C" > 5 AND "SDISCR_11C" <= 6))))) OR (("pool" >= 'S09' AND "pool" <= 'S10') OR ("pool" >= 'S12' AND "pool" <= 'S14') OR ("pool" >= 'S17' AND "pool" <= 'S18'))

Literature Cited:

Becker, G.C.  1983.  Fishes of Wisconsin.  University of Wisconsin Press, Madison. 1052 pp.

Clay, W.M.  1975.  The fishes of Kentucky.  Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, Frankfort, Kentucky.  416 pp.

Douglas, N.H.  1974.  Freshwater fishes of Louisiana.  Claitor’s Publishing Division, Sponsored by Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.  443 pp.

Endangered and threatened plant and animal species.  2004.  Iowa Administrative Code 

571: 77.2(2).

Etnier, D.A., and W.E. Starnes.  1993.  The fishes of Tennessee.  University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville, Tennessee.  681 pp.

Harlan, J.R., E.B. Speaker, and J. Mayhew.  1987.  Iowa fish and fishing. Iowa Conservation Commission, Des Moines, Iowa. 323pp.

Pflieger, W.L.  1997.  The fishes of Missouri.  Missouri Department of Conservation, Jefferson City, Missouri.  372 pp.

Robison, H.W., and T.M. Buchanan. 1988.  Fishes of Arkansas.  University of Arkansas Press, Fayetteville, Arkansas.  536 pp.

Smith, P.W.  1979.  The fishes of Illinois.  University of Illinois Press, Urbana, Illinois.  314 pp.

Tomelleri, J.R., and M.E. Eberle.  1990.  Fishes of the Central United States.  University  Press of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas.  226 pp.

Trautman, M.B.  1981.  The fishes of Ohio.  Revised Edition.  Ohio State University Press in collaboration with the Ohio Sea Grant Program Center for Lake Erie Area Research,  Columbus, Ohio.  782 pp.

Data Sources:

Bernstein, N.P.  2003.  Personal communications and unpublished reports.  Mount Mercy

College, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Call, R.E.  1890.  The fishes of the Des Moines basin.  Iowa Academy of Sciences 1 pt.2

(1890, 1891):43-56.

Dowell, V.  1981.  Collections in Cedar River Basin, 1956-1981.  University of Northern

Iowa, Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Fairport Fish Management and Hatchery.  2003.  Field notes and unpublished reports.

Southeast Management District, Fisheries Bureau, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Fairport, Iowa.

Gritters, S.A.  1997.  Evaluation of water quality, fish and macroinvertebrates in Rock

Creek.  Fish Management Investigations 1997 Annual Report.  Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Des Moines, Iowa.

Guttenberg Fish Management.  2002.  Field notes and unpublished reports.  Northeast

Management District, Fisheries Bureau, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Guttenberg, Iowa.

Howell, D.  2003.  NAI database.  Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Des

Moines, Iowa.

Lake Darling Fish Management.  2002.  Field notes and unpublished reports.  Southeast

Management District, Fisheries Bureau, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Brighton, Iowa.  

Lake MacBride Fish Management.  2002.  Field notes and unpublished reports. 

Southeast Management District, Fisheries Bureau, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Solon, Iowa.

Long Term Resource Monitoring Program.  2002.   Pool 13 database, 1990-2001.  Upper

Midwest Environmental Science Center, Bellevue, Iowa.

Meek, S.E.  1892.  Report upon the fishes of Iowa, based upon observations and

collections mad during 1889, 1890, 1891.  Bulletin of the United States Fish Commission 10(1890):217-248.

Menzel, B.W.  1983.  Field notes: northeast.  Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.

Menzel, B.W.  1984.  Field notes: Iowa-Cedar.  Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.

Mount Mercy College Museum.  2002.  Vertebrate collection database report.  Mount

Mercy College, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Museum of Zoology.  2002.  Division of Fishes collection database.  University of

Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan. http://www.ummz.lsa.umich.edu/. (May, 2002)

Nord, R.C.  1967.  A compendium of fishery information on the Upper Mississippi River.

Upper Mississippi River Conservation Committee, Rock Island, Illinois.

Olson, J.R.  1998.  Historic fish survey database.  Water Quality Bureau, Iowa

Department of Natural Resources, Des Moines, Iowa.

UMRCC.  1953.  Revised species list- northern section of the river.  Pages 19-32 in

Proceedings of the Ninth Annual Meeting, Upper Mississippi River Conservation Committee, Rock Island, Illinois.

Wilton, T., K. Krier, and J. Mootz.  2003.  Stream Biological Assessment Database.

Environmental Services Division, Water Quality Bureau, TMDL and Water Quality Assessment Section, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Des Moines, Iowa.

Additional References:

Cahn, A.R.  1927.  An ecological study of southern Wisconsin fishes.  Illinois Biological Monographs, Urbana, Illinois 11(1):1-151.

Cross, F.B., and J.T. Collins.  1995.  Fishes in Kansas.  University of Kansas Natural History Museum, Public Education Series No. 14, Lawrence, Kansas.   315 pp.

Eddy, S., and J.C. Underhill.  1974.  Northern fishes; with special reference to the upper Mississippi Valley.  University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, Minnesota.  414 pp.

Gelwicks, G.T.  1995.  Fish movement between the lower Missouri River and a managed floodplain wetland in Missouri.  Master’s thesis. University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri. 190 pp.

Kelly, G., editor.  1986.  Animal habitat relations handbook.  Missouri Department of Conservation and U.S.D.A. Forest Service, Jefferson City, Missouri.  293 pp.

Kleinert, S.J., and D. Mraz.  1966.  Life history of the grass pickerel (Esox americanus vermiculatus) in southeastern Wisconsin.  Wisconsin Conservation Department Technical Bulletin No. 37. 40 pp.

Lee, D.S., C.R. Gilbert, C.H. Hocutt, R.E. Jenkins, D.E. McAllister, and J.R. Stauffer, Jr.  1980.  Atlas of North American freshwater fishes.  North Carolina State Museum of Natural History, Raleigh, North Carolina.  867 pp.

Martin, R.G., and  R.S. Campbell.  1953.  The small fishes of Black River and Clearwater Lake, Missouri.  Black River Studies, University of Missouri Studies, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri  26(2):45-66.

Ming, A.D.  1968.  Life history of the grass pickerel, Esox americanus vermiculatus, in Oklahoma.  Oklahoma Fisheries Research Laboratory Bulletin 8. 66 pp.

Nelson, J.S.  1984.  Fishes of the world. Second edition.  John Wiley and Sons, New York.  523 pp.

Page, L.M., and B.M. Burr.  1991.  A field guide to freshwater fishes: North America north of Mexico.  Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts. 432 pp.

Pflieger, W.L.  1971.  A distributional study of Missouri fishes.  University of Kansas Publications, Museum of Natural History  20(3):225-570.

Pflieger, W.L.  1989a.  Aquatic community classification system for Missouri.  Missouri Department of Conservation.  Jefferson City, Missouri.  Aquatic Series No. 19. 70 pp. plus Supplement.

Pflieger, W.L.  1989b.  The stream resources of Missouri.  D-J Project - F-1-R-28.  Study S-20.  Missouri Department of Conservation, Columbia, Missouri.  

Phillips, G.L., W.D. Schmid, and J.C. Underhill.  1982.  Fishes of the Minnesota region.  University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, Minnesota.  248 pp.

Robins, C.R., R.M. Bailey, C.E. Bond, J.R. Brooker, E.A. Lachner, R.N. Lea, and W.B. Scott.  1991.  Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States and Canada.  American Fisheries Society, Special Publication 20, Bethesda, Maryland. 183 pp.

Scott, W.B., and E. J. Crossman.  1973.  Freshwater fishes of Canada.  Fisheries Research Board of Canada Bulletin No. 184, Ottawa, Canada.  966 pp.

Thom, R.H., and J.H. Wilson.  1980.  The natural divisions of Missouri.  Transactions of the Missouri Academy of Science  14:9-24.

Photo Credits:

Upper Left:       Photo courtesy of Konrad P. Schmidt, copyright Konrad P. Schmidt.

Upper Right:     Photo courtesy of William L. Pflieger, Missouri Department of Conservation, http://www.conservation.state.mo.us.