LAKE TROUT BREEDING HABITS 



69 



many years. The spawning area kept under ob- 

 servation — the only one well known to the local 

 residents and the only one that could be found — 

 was along the middle of the west shore opposite 

 the deepest part of the lake. 



Observations were made in this area on Novem- 

 ber 16 and 30 and on December 1 and 5, 1940, 

 and on December 1, 2, and 3, 1941. The trout 

 were observed from 7 a. m. to 11 p. m. on some 

 of those days, but the area was visited mostly in 

 the evening. 



Some trout were on the spawning area at all 

 times of day during the spawning season, but most 

 of the activity was restricted to the evening hours. 

 During periods of bright sunlight only a few males 

 could be seen and they kept to fairly deep water 

 so that observation was difficult. The direct 

 rays of the sun were cut off by a mountain about 

 4 p. m. and then many trout, both males and 

 females, would arrive on the spawning area, and 

 the males would start courtship and attempt the 

 spawTaing act. The peak of the activity was 



from 5 p. m. to 9 p. m. Later in the evening the 

 trout again disappeared until only a few were 

 left at 1 1 p. m., when observations were discon- 

 tinued. 



No nest or redd was built. The males spent 

 their time cruising along close to the bottom, 

 occasionally giving the stones a little fillip with 

 their tails, and several showed considerable abra- 

 sion on the lower jaw and under side of the tail 

 from this fanning and digging. This activity 

 cleaned several hundred square feet of bottom so 

 thoroughly that it was easy to distinguish the 

 area on which the trout were working even when 

 they were not present. 



It has been the experience of employees of the 

 New York State Conservation Department in 

 netting lake trout for spawn that the males appear 

 in the nets on the spawning area earher in the 

 season than the females, and usually more males 

 are caught. From this experience, and from the 

 fact that the males predominated on the area in 

 Otsego Lake, it seems probable that the males 



Figure 5. — Just after completion of the spawning act. Two males have spawned with the female in the center. 



