FISHES AND FISHING IN SUNAPEE LAKE. 83 



brave, unyielding to the last, when hooked. 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 anj'^thing more on these points. Every 

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

 can be said or written that will change his opmion. 



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, 

 attaining a weight of 2 pounds, they will 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 waters into which it has been introduced have 

 usually been completely stocked. 



What effect the mtroduction and multiplication 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 Champlain m 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 have been caught 

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

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



The State report for 1872 states that many bass have been caught 

 in Sanapee Lake. 



The State report for 1873 says black bass are reported to be very 

 numerous in Sunapee. 



The report for 1874 says: 



We found the bass quite plenty in Sunapee Lake last summer, and succeeded in 

 catching over 400 with hook and lines for stocking ])urposes. 



After speaking of the fish m other waters, the report for 1876 says: 



But Lake Sunapee bears away the palm, its waters literally teeming with bass and 

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

 and abundance there, it may be stated that, stocked in 1868, in the season of 1875 it 

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



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

 bass weighing over 4 pounds was caught througii the ice. 



