The golden redhorse was the more im- 

 portant of the 4 species of suckers found in 

 Abrams in respect to size, number, and choice 

 as a food fish (table 7). Of the 181 specimens 

 checked, 166 ranged from 2.3 to 24.3 inches 

 long. They occurred commonly in all sizes 

 below the falls. There were 198 hogsuckers, 

 2.6 to 14.8 inches long recorded. This fish is 

 native to many of the park streams but it ap- 

 peared to occur more abundantly in Abrams 

 than elsewhere. It was a matter of some sur- 

 prise that it was considered a food fish by the 

 public . 



Carp were observed throughout the 

 treated area . Contrary to expectations they 

 were not favored by the public and relatively few 

 were checked in . Many persons reported that 

 they had captured large carp and had thrown 

 them into the woods. The 38 specimens which 

 were measured ranged from 14.4 to 23.5 inches 

 long. No small ones were observed despite a 

 careful search by biologists . The assertion 

 made by Tennessee biologists that carp would 

 not spawn in Abrams appears valid. 



Seventy-five channel and blue catfish 

 were collected in the lower 4 or 5 miles of 

 Abrams. They ranged from 9.5 to 22.0 inches 

 long and weighed a total of 89 pounds . Since no 

 small specimens were found, it is assumed 

 that neither species reproduces in Abrams. 

 They apparently migrated into the stream from 

 the Little Tennessee River , but their small 

 numbers made them relatively unimportant as 

 game fish. 



Stonerollers were common in lower 

 Abrams as they are in most of the park streams. 

 They are esteemed as a food fish by local people 

 and many were collected. Only 153 specimens 

 were measured and they ranged from 2 .3 to 8.0 

 inches long. 



Among the sunfishes collected, war- 

 mouth, bluegill, and orangespotted were rare . 

 Thirty-nine longear sunfish averaged 5.2 inches 

 (range: 2.9-8.1) and 58 yellowbelly sunfish 

 averaged 6 . 1 inches long (range: 2.7-8.1). 



Only 2 saugers, 11.4 and 13.4 inches 

 long, were observed. Twenty-one freshwater 

 drum were collected and they ranged from 5.6 



to 17.2 inches. Three gizzard shad, 8 to 9 

 inches long, were taken within one -half mile of 

 the mouth of the stream . 



Larvae of the American brook lamprey 

 and chestnut lamprey were abundant in riffle 

 areas near the mouth of Abrams, but only dead 

 specimens could be found on the day after the 

 application of the toxicant. The 24 larvae mea- 

 sured ranged from 0.7 to 8.0 inches long. One 

 adult chestnut lamprey, 9.6 inches long was taken. 



Chubs, minnows and studfish were abund- 

 ant. Among them creek chubs ranged from 1.8 

 to 11.0 inches, warpaint shiners from 1.8 to 8.4 

 inches and studfish from 3.7 to 4.5 inches long. 



Restocking 



The lower section of Abrams Creek was 

 restocked with rainbow trout. Within the mouth 

 following the treatment of the stream with rote- 

 none, 2,400 legal-size fish were released in the 

 vicinity of the campground. Many of them were 

 creeled before the fishing season closed on 

 August 31. In October and November, a total of 

 31,000, 3 to 7-inch rainbow trout of the Eagle 

 Nest (New Mexico) strain was distributed to 

 several points on the stream by truck and by 

 backpack . Within a short time, the fingerlings 

 had spread out widely from the stocking points 

 and they appeared to be doing well . 



Large numbers of 7 to 9 -inch rainbow 

 trout were observed spawning in the mainstream 

 and tributaries during the week of March 5-12, 

 1958. The redds were sampled for ova since it 

 was believed that the trout were too young to 

 spawn successfully. Numerous eggs were found 

 and selected redds were kept under observation. 

 Fry began to emerge on April 20, and within 2 

 weeks they were abundant in the stream . On the 

 basis of the very successful hatch, plans to stock 

 50,000 fingerlings in June were cancelled. 



Reclamation results 



Excellent fishing for rainbow trout was 

 afforded in the reclaimed section of Abrams 

 Creek during the 1958 season. A partial creel 

 census was made during opening week, May 16-22, 

 and the 137 anglers contacted had 689 trout. The 

 average catch per fisherman was 5 trout (the 



19 



