﻿230 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  If 
  both 
  shores 
  are 
  considered, 
  the 
  lake 
  supports 
  more 
  important 
  

   commercial 
  fisheries 
  than 
  any 
  lake 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  States, 
  the 
  Great 
  

   Lakes 
  excepted. 
  On 
  the 
  Vermont 
  side 
  seines 
  and 
  gill 
  nets 
  are 
  operated, 
  

   but 
  New 
  York 
  does 
  not 
  permit 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  nets 
  of 
  any 
  kind, 
  and 
  fishing 
  

   on 
  that 
  shore 
  is 
  consequently 
  restricted 
  to 
  hand 
  lines, 
  set 
  lines, 
  tip- 
  

   ups, 
  and 
  spears. 
  

  

  An 
  interesting 
  fishery 
  is 
  that 
  for 
  smelt, 
  locally 
  called 
  "ice 
  fish." 
  

   This 
  fishery 
  is 
  carried 
  on 
  between 
  Crown 
  Point 
  and 
  Essex, 
  the 
  most 
  

   important 
  points 
  being 
  Westport 
  and 
  Port 
  Henry. 
  As 
  soon 
  as 
  suffi- 
  

   cient 
  ice 
  forms 
  the 
  fishermen 
  carry 
  small 
  huts 
  out 
  to 
  favorable 
  posi- 
  

   tions 
  on 
  the 
  lake, 
  each 
  hut 
  provided 
  with 
  a 
  small 
  stove 
  and 
  a 
  bench 
  

   or 
  chair, 
  and 
  having 
  about 
  a 
  third 
  of 
  the 
  bottom 
  floored. 
  The 
  fish 
  

   are 
  caught 
  with 
  hook 
  and 
  line 
  through 
  a 
  hole 
  cut 
  in 
  the 
  ice. 
  For 
  a 
  

   time 
  the 
  "ice-fish" 
  caught 
  in 
  this 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  lake, 
  which 
  are 
  excep- 
  

   tionally 
  large 
  (examples 
  15 
  and 
  18 
  inches 
  long 
  having 
  been 
  captured), 
  

   were 
  thought 
  by 
  the 
  fishermen 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  diflerent 
  species 
  from 
  the 
  smelt, 
  

   as 
  the 
  fish 
  taken 
  in 
  other 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  hike 
  and 
  known 
  as 
  smelts 
  aver- 
  

   age 
  but 
  about 
  7 
  inches 
  in 
  length. 
  At 
  times 
  the 
  catch 
  of 
  "ice 
  fish" 
  is 
  

   quite 
  heavy, 
  but 
  in 
  1902 
  it 
  was 
  small, 
  there 
  being 
  but 
  few 
  fishermen 
  

   engaged. 
  Nearly 
  all 
  who 
  participate 
  do 
  so 
  because 
  they 
  have 
  no 
  regular 
  

   occupation, 
  and 
  as 
  last 
  year 
  was 
  a 
  busy 
  and 
  prosperous 
  one 
  in 
  nearlj^ 
  

   every 
  town 
  along 
  the 
  lake 
  shore 
  there 
  were 
  but 
  few 
  persons 
  out 
  of 
  

   employment, 
  consequently 
  but 
  few 
  fishermen. 
  In 
  the 
  fishing 
  season 
  

   at 
  certain 
  hours 
  in 
  the 
  day 
  the 
  buyers 
  visit 
  the 
  huts, 
  gather 
  up 
  the 
  fish 
  

   caught 
  and 
  bring 
  them 
  to 
  the 
  towns, 
  where 
  they 
  are 
  boxed 
  or 
  barreled 
  

   for 
  shipment. 
  

  

  Near 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  the 
  lake 
  considerable 
  fishing 
  for 
  black 
  bass, 
  bull- 
  

   heads, 
  yellow 
  perch, 
  pickerel, 
  and 
  wall-eyed 
  pike 
  is 
  done 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  

   rod 
  and 
  line, 
  a 
  few 
  set 
  lines 
  are 
  operated 
  for 
  bullheads, 
  and 
  a 
  few 
  

   spears 
  are 
  used 
  in 
  catching 
  eels. 
  

  

  Lake 
  Champlain 
  is 
  a 
  favorite 
  resort 
  for 
  anglers, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  aim 
  of 
  

   the 
  New 
  York 
  authorities 
  to 
  keep 
  it 
  so. 
  The 
  dumping 
  of 
  refuse 
  

   from 
  pulp 
  and 
  chemical 
  works 
  into 
  the 
  lake 
  and 
  its 
  tributaries 
  has 
  

   seriously 
  injured 
  the 
  fisheries 
  during 
  the 
  last 
  few 
  j^ears, 
  but 
  strenu- 
  

   ous 
  eft'orts 
  are 
  now 
  being 
  made 
  to 
  put 
  an 
  end 
  to 
  this 
  practice. 
  

  

  CHAUTAUQUA 
  LAKE. 
  

  

  This 
  lake 
  is 
  in 
  Chautauqua 
  Count}^ 
  in 
  the 
  extreme 
  western 
  part 
  of 
  

   the 
  State, 
  and 
  is 
  long 
  and 
  narrow, 
  like 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  lakes 
  in 
  this 
  region. 
  

   It 
  is 
  22 
  miles 
  long 
  and 
  from 
  one-fourth 
  of 
  a 
  mile 
  in 
  its 
  narrowest 
  

   part 
  to 
  3 
  miles 
  in 
  width 
  in 
  its 
  widest 
  part, 
  with 
  an 
  average 
  depth 
  of 
  

   about 
  20 
  feet. 
  The 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  lake 
  is 
  about 
  8 
  miles 
  distant 
  from 
  

   Lake 
  Erie, 
  but, 
  unlike 
  all 
  the 
  other 
  lakes 
  of 
  the 
  State, 
  except 
  the 
  

   small 
  ones, 
  Cassadaga 
  and 
  Bear, 
  which 
  belong 
  to 
  the 
  same 
  system, 
  

   Chautauqua 
  Lake 
  empties 
  into 
  the 
  Ohio 
  River, 
  through 
  Conewango 
  

   Creek 
  and 
  Allegheny 
  River. 
  

  

  