350 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 
White or silver bass (Roccus chrysops) are common and very abun- 
dant in April and May about the mouth of Little Minnesota River or in 
any other inlet. This species is said to take a fly almost as readily as 
does a trout, and is captured in this way or with a small minnow. It — 
attains a weight of from 24 to 34 pounds, and is a luxury when brought 
to the table. Yellow perch (Perca flavescens) can be taken in large | 
numbers, while large specimens of the two most abundant varieties of 
sunfish (Lepomis pallidus and Lepomis megalotis) can be taken from a 
boat or at almost any point along the shore. Catfish (Ameiurus nebu- 
losus) are taken, but are not valued as food. The sheepnose, or grunter | 
(Aplodinotus grunniens), is also common, reaching a weight of 6 or 8 
pounds, but the larger ones are not prized as food, the flesh being tough | 
and unpalatable, especially after the spawning season. | 
A sucker (Ictiobus cyprinella?) grows to a very large size in this lake. | 
It remains in deep water near the bottom during the day, but is speared 
at night, when it enters the more shallow water to feed. 
Big Stone Lake, Creager’s farm, July 16, 1892.—The water at this 
place, 12 miles from the head of the lake, will average 14 or 16 feet in — 
depth, and the lake is at that point a mile wide. The shore consists of 
a series of gentle curves and sharp points. The bed of the lake is in 
places smooth and sandy and at others very rocky, the rocky bays usu- 
ally alternating with the smooth sandy bottom of the points. The shore, 
especially on the south side, is skirted with small trees and bushes, of 
which elm, oak, and box-elder are the most common varieties. At this 
place we spent an entire day collecting. The fishing was done with a 
250-foot seine. Though the bottom of the lake was somewhat stony, 
the work was very successful, and not only a fair representation of the 
species of the fish was obtained, but also an indication of the abun- 
dance of each species. Every haul of the seine landed perch, bass, 
suckers, pickerel, white bass, and sunfish. Percopsis guttatus was also 
taken in large numbers. 
Big Stone Lake, Ortonville, Minn., July 19, 1892.—Ortonville is at 
the foot of Big Stone Lake and at the junction of the Wheatstone and 
Minnesota rivers. The surrounding hills are very high and have been 
eroded into somewhat rugged cliffs. The banks are well timbered on 
the south side, along which the bays and inlets are well shaded. The 
bottom of the lake is composed of sand, thickly strewn with bowlders. 
The water is not deep, and the bed slopes gradually up toward the foot 
of the lake and toward the shores. The coves along the eastern bank 
are filled with granite bowlders, and the points of land extending into 
the water are composed entirely of this material. The water is clear, 
containing less vegetation than at the head of the lake. A fewrushes 
grow about the outlet, and the bottom in more shallow places is covered 
with Chara and Potamogeton. Water insects and small crustaceans were 
observed, but were not abundant. The variety of fishes was much 
