4^Q U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



During the first month of the open season a fair degree of coop- 

 eration was obtained from anglers, 66 reports being left in the mail 

 boxes. In June, however, only one report was filed, although it is 

 known that fish were still being taken. A total of 290 fish were 

 reported for the season, 11 of these being fish that had been planted 

 in 1933. 



Furnace Brook in Rutland County was the only stream operated 

 as a test stream in 1935. It is a clear-water stream, more or less 

 rocky, with a bottom that remains fairly stable. The test area was 

 approximately 4 miles in length, and commenced just above a falls 

 that stops practically all upstream movement of fish. The stream 

 averages about 25 feet wide and is subject to heavy fishing through- 

 out its length. Both brook and rainbow trout are established in 

 the stream, but only brook trout have been planted in this area in 

 recent years. It was stocked in September 1934 with 2,400 legal-size 

 trout. 



During the fishing season. May 1 to August 14, 1935, inclusive, 

 1,197 angling reports were secured. These show that the season's 

 catch consisted of 8,589 legal trout, of which 5,647, or 66 percent, 

 were brook trout and 2,942, or 34 percent, were rainbow trout. The 

 average number of fish per fishing effort was 7.2.' 



The outstanding fact revealed by this study is the tremendous 

 amount of angling being done by today's fishermen; and it is evi- 

 dent that under such conditions good fishing can be maintained only 

 by continual management. So valuable has this study proved itself 

 that plans have been perfected to set aside four test streams during 

 the 1936 fishing season. 



Studies on Big Spring Creek^ Va. — A study of the production of 

 rainbow trout in relation to the number of fish planted and the 

 abundance of natural food was continued under the direction of 

 E. W. Surber in a 1-mile section, comprising approximately 1.65 

 acres of water area, of Big Spring Creek, near Leesburg, Va. Dur- 

 ing the season, 124 trout of legal size were taken with hook and line. 

 The total weight of these fish was 57.47 pounds, a yield of 34.83 

 pounds per acre. This result compares favorably with those ob- 

 tained in 1933 and 1934 when yields of 29.7 and 27.66 pounds per 

 acre, respectively, were obtained. 



Bottom samples were taken at monthly intervals, and the wet and 

 dry weights of the organisms determined after they had been counted 

 and identified. The average wet weight of bottom organisms for 

 the year ending September 9, 1935, was 6.695 grams per square foot. 

 The average dry weight of these samples was 1.321 grams. This is 

 a material increase over the previous year, when there was an average 

 wet weight of 5.047 grams and an average dry weight of 0.982 

 grams per square foot. 



A total of 1,080 fingerling rainbow trout were planted in the fall 

 of 1934 in Big Spring Creek. These fish were marked by removing 

 the right ventral fin so that they could be distinguished from those 

 produced by natural propagation. Sixty-five fish thus marked were 

 recaptured — a return of 6.02 percent of the fish planted. While it 



' "Fishing effort is the. fishing done by 1 man during the course of 1 day, regardless of 

 how long a period or how many times he fishes during the day. 



