than 80 fathoms (88 fathoms) did not contain 

 chubs. Connnnercially significant catches were 

 taken only between 10 and 55 fathoms. 



The occurrence of chubs in 89 percent of 

 all drags demonstrates the universal geo- 

 graphic distribution and wide range of depth 

 distribution of chubs in southern Lake Michi- 

 gan. The 84 drags that lacked chubs can be 

 described as follows: 10 drags failed to take 

 fish owing to damaged gear, 55 drags were in 

 15 fathoms or shallower, 5 drags in 70 fathoms 

 or deeper, and the remaining 14 drags between 

 20 and 60 fathoms. Of these 14, 12 were made 

 at 20 to 25 fathoms in April and May. 



The suggestion by Jobes (1949) that chubs 

 tend to concentrate simultaneously in two 

 depths of water at certain times was also 

 borne out by this investigation. The two- depth 

 concentration was most pronounced and com- 

 monly encountered during July, August, and 

 September; however, indications of this pattern 

 were also observed in May, June, and Novem- 

 ber. This pattern is demonstrated best in a 

 study of the appendix tables. 



Chubs canbe harvested consistently through- 

 out the year with a bottonn trawl. Commercially 

 significant amounts were taken in every month 

 except February during the study. This failure 

 is attributed to a lack of fishing effort that 

 month (only 5 drags), because significant 

 catches were made on January 31 and March? 

 and commercial trawlers have made signifi- 

 cant catches in February. Significant catches 

 of chubs were taken off every port visited, 

 thus indicating that chubs can be fished effec- 

 tively from any location in southern Lake 

 Michigan. 



Yellow perch 



Yellow perch were taken in 148 trawl drags 

 and were third in total poundage landed (4,798 

 pounds). Owing to the dominance of alewives 

 and chubs, yellow perch constituted less than 

 2 percent of the total catch. Over 90 percent 

 of the perch were taken off Saugatuck and 

 Waukegan, and no significant concentration 

 was found elsewhere in southern Lake Michi- 

 gan. Perch were taken in 86 drags off other 

 ports, but the average catch for effective 

 effort off these ports was only 5 pounds. 

 November through March, perch were most 

 abundant in 15 fathoms, and April through 

 October, they were most abundant in 5 to 10 

 fathoms. Throughout the study 88 percent of 

 the perch were caught in 15 tathoms or less. 



Yellow perch can be trawled for selectively 

 or avoided successfully if so desired. Alewives 

 and yellow perch are in nearly the same depth 

 only fronn early May through mid- August, but 

 at other tin-ies alewives are in deeper water 

 than yellow perch. When alewives and perch 

 are in nearly the same depth, no difficulty is 



encountered in selectively catching one spe- 

 cies or the other. May through June, alewives 

 can be fished for effectively in harbors and 

 close to the bench and perch are taken a little 

 deeper. July through mid-August, alewives 

 are taken in slightly deeper water. Few perch 

 are taken with spawning populations of ale- 

 wives, as indicated by only two yellow perch 

 in 23,000 pounds of alewives caught during a 

 cruise in 1966 to locate spawning alewives. 

 Yellow perch concentrations were always in 

 shallower water than were chub concentrations. 



Sculpins 



Nearly 40 percent of the trawl drags in 

 southern Lake Michigan had sculpins in 

 amounts fronn several individuals to 160 pounds 

 in a 1/2-hour drag. Although sculpins were 

 taken at all depths, the largest catches of 

 sculpins were made at depths over 45 fathoms. 

 During the study 3,720 pounds of scxilpins 

 were landed at a catch rate of 4.8 pounds per 

 drag and an average catch for effective effort 

 of 13 pounds. 



Smelt 



Although smelt were in nearly one-third of 

 all the drags in southern Lake Michigan, 

 catches generally were small and totaled only 

 2,087 pounds. Smelt were taken during every 

 month of the year, but most during the spring. 

 Smelt were found throughout southern Lake 

 Michigan; however, catches were extremely 

 light along the east shore when the average 

 catch for effective effort on smelt was just 

 over 2 pounds and the best catch was only 33 

 poxinds. Along the west shore the average 

 catch for effective effort for smelt was 16 

 pounds. The best area for smelt was between 

 Manitowoc and Port Washington, where two- 

 thirds of the total catch was landed. The best 

 catches, both made in April 1962, were 450 

 pounds taken in 20 fathoms off Port Washing- 

 ton and 340 pounds taken in 30 fathonis off 

 Manitowoc, 



Lake herring 



Lake herring contributed very little to the 

 total catch in southern Lake Michigan. In the 

 4-year period, lake herring were taken in only 

 9 8 drags and amounted to 565 pounds. The best 

 catch was 100 pounds taken in April 1962 at 

 15 fathoms off Grand Haven. Lake herring 

 were taken at least once at every port; how- 

 ever, they were 4-1/2 times nnore abundant 

 on the east side of the lake and were nnost 

 vulnerable to the bottonn trawl during early 



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