Table l6:-- Age-class distribution and average total length at each annulus 

 for 187 channel catfish, Lewis and Clark Lake, 1962 



Age group 



Year class 



Age distribution Average length 

 (percent) (inches) 



I 



II 



III 



IV 



V 



VI 



VII 



VIII 



IX 



1961 

 1960 

 1959 

 1958 

 1957 

 1956 

 1955 

 1954 

 1953 



2 



17 



6 



4 



6 



31 



25 



7 



2 



4.3 



6.2 



8.1 



9.8 



11.2 



12.9 



14.9 



17.6 



19.9 



Bluegill 



The bluegill was a minor species in the 

 reservoir (table 2). A relatively large year- 

 class was produced in 1956 which dominated the 

 population for at least 4 years (table 17). Re- 

 production after 1956 was apparently poor, and 

 in 1962 only 10 fish were collected. Growth of 

 this species was comparable to that reported 

 from other areas of the United States (Carlander, 

 1953). 



Orangespotted sunfish 



This species was rare in Lewis and Clark 

 Lake, and only one was collected during 7 years 

 of sampling (table 2). Eight specimens were col- 

 lected by other types of gear in 1962, but almost 

 exclusively in protected inlets. 



Hybrid sunfish 



Six hybrid sunfish (probably bluegill-green 

 sunfish) were identified from the fish collected 

 in the reservoir . 



Largemouth bass 



The largemouth bass population in the 

 •reservoir was probably small, but relatively 



stable (table 2) . This fish is difficult to collect 

 with nets, and conclusions regarding its abun- 

 dance must be viewed with caution. Shore seining 

 indicated that a good year-class was produced in 

 1956 with some reproduction in all but two of the 

 remaining years (table 7). One -hundred and 

 fifty thousand fingerling bass were stocked in the 

 reservoir in 1956 (table 1), but survival of these 

 fish could not be ascertained since they were not 

 marked and natural reproduction was known to 

 occur (Shields, 1957, op, cit.). 



All bass collected were mature by age IV 

 and spawning was completed by July 1. Growth 

 as determined from average lengths at each 

 annulus was comparable to that for this species 

 taken in other areas of the United States 

 (Carlander, 1953). Available evidence indicates 

 that the largemouth bass population in Lewis and 

 Clark Lake will remain small. 



White crappie 



This species was one of the major fishes in 

 the reservoir, and it was well distributed by area 

 and depth. The white crappie is reportedly toler- 

 ant to a wide variety of habitats and especially 

 toward turbidity and siltation. Catch of white 

 crappie fluctuated widely between 1956 and 1962 

 (table 2). It was not very abundant in 1956 and 



17 



