64 



FISHES AND FISHING IN SUNAPEE LAKE. 



shoal near the entrance to Sunapee Harbor, to spawn, and the run 

 continues approximately one month. This seems to be the only 

 spawning place in the lake. At least, in the search that has been 

 made for other grounds, none has been found." This is the shoal 

 where the fish was discovered in such numbers by Commissioner Hodge. 

 The shoal consists of coarse gravel and sand thickly interspersed with 

 bowlders of various sizes, and, as has been previously mentioned, is 

 contiguous to deep water. The water on the shoal varies, of course, 

 with the level of the lake, but it averages from a foot to 6 or 8 feet in 

 depth in places. A phenomenon was noticed on the shoal which may 

 account for the peculiar suitability of the place for a spawning ground 

 of the fish; that is, whenever a light breeze is blowing from any 

 quarter, even from the side most protected from the wind, there is 

 always a perceptible current across the reef, and at times quite strong, 

 in the same general direction of the wind. The temperature of the 

 water at the beginning of the breeding season is from 40° to 45° and 

 later about 33°. 



In the spawning runs males at first predominate. The action of the 

 fish on the ground has not been fully observed, or, if observed, has 

 not been described. Such observations, however, are difficult, owuig 

 to the fact that the runs occur at night.^ 



The following table shows catches by night on "The Reef" durmg 

 the month of October, 1910, showing the proportion of males to 

 females : 



Up to the 29th females were in the minority and during the latter 

 part of the month greatly predominated. This may be due to the 

 fact that the males running first were nearly all caught. 



a In the American Angler of Feb. 19, 1887, Dr. Quackenbos stated that in the previous fall the "oquassa 

 trout," as he termed it was observed to attempt ascent of the inlets in company with the common trout. 



During the search for other spawning grounds of white trout on Oct. 18, 1910, two mdividuals, of one-half 

 and li pounds, respectively, were taken in gill nets set near the mouth of Pike Brook, and on Oct. 8 and 9, 

 1911, a pair, male 4 and female SJ povmds, was caught in gill nets sunk to the bottom in about 30 feet of water, 

 in Blodgetts Cove not very remote from the brook. 



b In Forest and Stream of Dec. 18, 1890, quoting Commissioner Hodge, Dr. Bean says: "The golden ti-out 

 have sometimes come on the spawning shoals by the ton at a time. They do not pair to any noticeable 

 extent, and a female is sometimes attended by five and six males. They make no nest, but move around 

 continuously like lake trout. The lake trout voids the eggs by rubbing the belly over the coarse rocks, and 

 the males sometimes lean down on top of the females. At Loon Island shoals the fish have spawned in 

 waters so shallow that their backs were not covered. The usual depth ranges from 6 inches to 4 or 5 feet, 

 but some of the large ones doubtless spawn in deep water." 



