73 percent of the residents v;ho used the area came from a radius of over 

 50 miles. Most of these people came from the prairie region east of the 

 llorth Fork Sun River country. That these fisheirmen were vd-lling to spend 

 almost twice as much per day as those using the more accessible areas 

 ($10.70 as against |5.91 to $6.57) to fish in a primitive setting is further 

 evidence of the importance of such isolated fisheries. 



Results of expenditure studies similar to those described for the 

 North Fork Sun River and associated fisheries have been analyzed for three 

 other cold-water fisheries and four warm-water fisheries. Results of these 

 studies, together with those for this study, are shown in tables 13 and 14, 

 There is considerable variation in the expenditure items listed in table 

 13, not only betrreen the two types of fisheries (warm-water or cold-water) 

 but v/ithin each of the types; nevertheless, on the basis of the data shown 

 it appears that cold-v/ater fishermen generally spend more per day to fish 

 than do warm-water fishermen, and cold-water fish cost more per pound to 

 catch than do warm-water species. 



As is shoTm in the cited references and preceding sections of this 

 report, the average expenditure per person per day is dependent upon a 

 number of factors. Of these factors, that of miles traveled is the most 

 important, as it in turn affects trip expenditures (table 14). As has 

 been demonstrated in a study of annual and investment expenditures of 

 Montana sportsmen (Fish and Midlife Service, 1951c), expenditures for 

 equipment are naturally higher for cold-water fishing. The average ex- 

 penditure per pound of fish is affected not only by the total expenditure 

 per person per day, but also by the rate of catch (both in numbers and in 

 pounds of fish per hour). Expenditures per surface area of water or mile 

 of stream are indirectly affected by the same factors as those affecting 

 expenditures per person or per pound of fish, 



SUIMARY 



1, A study was made in 1951 of the fishing and yield of the Ilorth 

 Fork Sun River and associated fisheries in Montana, Except for one check 

 area. Wood Lake, estimates of fishing and yield v/ere made for the period 

 lfe.y 20 through September 30. Estimates for Wood Lake were made for the 

 period June 24 to July 7 only. _ 



2. Estimated fishing pressure and yield from approximately 80 miles 

 of the North Fork Sun River (including two reservoirs which had a total 

 surface area of 1,460 acres), during the period May 20 through September 30, 

 1951, was about 7,201 fisherman -days, and 14,755 fish weighing 6,728 pounds. 

 Essentially all (99,8 percent) of the fish taken were game fish (trout, 

 grayling, and whitefish). The average rate of catch v.'as 0.52 fish per 



hour or 0.20 pounds of fish per hour. 



36 



