60 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME. 



MY FIRST TRIP INTO BIG BEAR VALLEY IN THE 

 SPRING OF 1916. 



By W. C. MAiONE, Deputy Fish and Game Commissioner. 



On the 18th day of April I received instructions from the Division 

 Office at Los Angeles to take two men and go to Big Bear Valley to 

 rescue the fish that were going from the lake into the mountain streams 

 to spawn, it being stated to me that large numbers of fish in passing up 

 the streams were becoming stranded and that they no doubt would 

 perish unless some provision was made for getting them into deeper 

 water. 



Realizing that it was a job that would call for men who were used 

 to roughing it and who were not afraid of cold water or hard work, 

 two men bearing the names of Dotts and "Welch were secured. We 

 got into the valley on the 20th of April, 1916, and found that the streams 

 running into the lake were alive with trout that weighed from two to 

 ten pounds. 



The storms of the winter had filled the mouths of the streams running 

 into the lake with sand and debris, and the large fish, in attempting to 

 get up the streams, would get stranded in the shallow waters at the 

 mouths, and being unable to get either up or down the streams, became 

 easy prey to both man and beast. 



We worked for the first fifteen days rescuing these fish off the sand- 

 bars and placing them back in the lake. During this time we were 

 assisted by Mr. Phillips and Mr. Morrison of the fish hatchery at Big 

 Bear Lake, and a Dr. Getchell, who was stopping in the valley at the 

 time. I believe that our work saved for the people of the state of 

 California thousands of fish that would have otherwise died, been 

 destroyed by animals or clubbed and speared by violators. 



Probably the experience at the lake this spring has been the common 

 experience around the lake, for I have been told by old-timers of Bear 

 Valley that they used to haul fish out by the wagonload in the spring 

 season, and anyone who knows anything about fish when they are 

 spawning knows that they fall an easy prey to the man who wants to 

 pick them up, as they are at that time very tame and can be easily 

 handled, particularly while they are stranded in the shallow waters. 



During the excessive floods of 1916 the lake filled up until the water 

 ran over the top of the dam several feet, carrying immense numbers 

 of large trout out of the lake and into Bear Creek. After the storm 

 was over we estimated that there were between three and five thousand 

 fish in the creek wiiieh had been washed over the dam during this 

 storm, each weighing between two and ten pounds. Later, when the 

 season opened, the anglers had great sport trying to catch the large 

 trout in Bear Creek. They used their light tackle which they had been 

 in the habit of using for brook trout, but made very little progress in 

 catching these big lake trout in the stream, and as one fisherman 

 expressed himself : ' ' When you hooked a fish he would shake his head, 

 and if he didn't break a hook, line or leader, he would brace himself 

 against a rock, give a lunge, and away he would go ! " 



We had a very successful opening of the fishing season in Bear Lake 

 this year. A great many fish were caught and some very nice ones. 



