Identify This Fish

[Sherman]

I accidentally hooked this little fish while jigging for crappie. I was fishing next to a spillway into the St. Croix river in Hudson. It was swimming with a school of small suckers along the side wall of the spillway. I happened to hook a second one too but took picture of the first one only. Seems like it's an adult male because it was milking out (making babies) . It has rough scales with dark spots and pointed tail fins. Anybody seen these fish in the Croix before? This is my first time and I know its not a round goby. And it's similar too a ruffe but doesn't have the back dorsal fin like the ruffe.

[fiskyknut]

It's a Trout-Perch.

[MN Mike]

Fisky beat me to it!!!

He helped me out on the ID before

[Sherman]

Thanks guys. At first I taught it was a baby trout but figured it had scales. So are they common in the Croix and lakes around the metro?

[JBMasterAngler]

I don't know how common they are, but they are native throughout most of the state. They're pretty small, but you see 1 or 2 show up on DNR test nets on various lakes all over the state.