FISHES AND FISIIINC IN SUNAPEE LAKE. 83 



brave, unyielding to the last, when liooked. He has the arrowy rush and vigor of a 

 trout, the untiring strength and bold leap of a salmon, while he has a system of fighting 

 tactics peculiarly his own. I consider him, inch for inch and pound for pound, the 

 gamest fish that swims. 



It is unnecessary to say anythin<ij nunc <»ii these points. Every 

 angler has views of his own regarding his favorite fish, and nothing 

 can be said or written that will change his opinion. 



Young bass subsist chiefly upon minute Crustacea and insects, 

 and as they increase in size and age they feed upon worms, tadpoles, 

 small fish, etc., and, as Dr. Henshall says, "In later life they vary 

 their diet with crawfish, frogs, mussels, and water snakes, until, 

 attaming a weight of 2 pounds, they wiU bolt anything from an angle 

 worm to a young muskrat." 



Under favorable conditions the black bass grows rapidly and in 

 some waters has been known to attain a weight of 8 pounds and over. 

 It also rapidly multiplies, so tliat in a few years, when suitable con- 

 ditions exist, those w^aters into which it has been introduced have 

 usually been completely stocked. 



What effect the introduction and mtilti{)lication of the black bass 

 in Sunapee Lake has had on the fishes and conditions of that lake is 

 hard to say without knowing more definitely what the conditions 

 were at and prior to the introduction. 



The following quotations indicate that it has been a destructive 

 agency at least so far as perch are concerned, and if destructive to 

 perch why not other fishes as easily obtained ? 



The first black bass to be placed in Sunapee Lake were brought 

 from Lake Cliamplain in 1867 or 1868. The State fish and game 

 report for 1871 (June session) states that in the past year large num- 

 bers of young bass have been observed and many Jiave been caught 

 while fishing for other fish. It goes on to say that the people in tliat 

 vicinity appear quite anxious to have the lake well stocked with bass. 



The State report for 1872 states that many ba.ss have been caught 

 in Sunapee T^iake. 



The State report for 1873 sa^'s black bass are reported to be very 

 numerous in Simapee. 



The report for 1874 says: 



We found the ba.ss quite plenty in Sunapee Lake last summer, and succeeded in 

 catching over 400 with hook and lines for stocking ])ur]iose.><. 



After speaking of the fish in otiier waters, the report for 1S76 says: 



But Lake Sunapee bears away the palm, its waters literally teeming with bas.s and 

 affording splendid sport to the angler. As a hint toward tlieir wonderful increase 

 and abundance there, it maybe stated that, stocked in 18ti8, in the sea.son of 1875 it 

 is estimated that 3 tons of black bass were taken from tlie lake. 



On another page it states that in the first of the winter a black 

 bass weighing over 4 poiuids was caught through the ice. 



