162 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. [12] 



when the fiekl work dosed ou April 28. As the route to the camps was 

 traveled for only a portion of the way, communication with them was 

 extremely difficult for the first ten days. 



But the greatest trouble of all was to catch the fish, the streams be- 

 ing so completely filled with logs as almost to shut out all chances for 

 fishing. At the roll ways, where the logs are put in, the streams are 

 filled from bank to bank with solid tiers for a space of from 10 to 50 rods. 

 Between the roUways the logs were floated in hap-hazard, and one could 

 occasionally catch a glimpse of the river where the logs in floating down 

 had lodged against the bank and formed a temporary bridge. The open 

 spaces in front of these bridges w^ere seldom more than about five 

 rods in extent, and not more than one space to the mile, on an average, 

 could be found. They were also constantly changing, closing up at one 

 point and opening at another, making it unfeasible to operate fyke-nets, 

 or any kind of set-nets. The river was also high and the current too 

 strong to use a seine. Constructing a boom to protect a space was also 

 out of the question, except at a heavy expense, owing to the heavy 

 pressure of logs behind. This was the condition of the Manistee from 

 near the headwaters to a point 60 or 70 miles down, covering, practi- 

 cally, all of the grayling grounds of the main stream. The west branch 

 was also filled with logs. 



The men reached camp on the Manistee, near the headwaters, April 

 10. They remained there eight days, but found no grayling. They then 

 moved down stream 35 miles, where, on the 21st, they found a school in 

 an open space and took 11 of them with hook and line, bottom -fishing. 

 Two of these were full of spawn, but not quite ripe. They were all 

 sent to North ville on the 23d, and the 4ay following the two spawners 

 were stripped and 8,000 prime eggs obtained. The two weighed 20 

 ounces each. Ten fish were taken from the Manistee after this, all 

 spent. The last day in camp, April 28, three were caught with a fly. 



On the Au Sable the men had a better chance, as the logging opera- 

 tions were not so extensive, leaving more and larger spaces. Forty-two 

 grayling were taken from this stream above and beilow Cheney Bridge, 

 all with hook and line bottom-fishing. As on the Manistee, they were 

 found mostly in the deeper pools, in from 5 to 10 feet of water. The 

 eggs were taken here all in one day, Aijril 18, from fish that had been 

 held in crates from 3 to 14 days. Five fish were stripped and 12,000 good 

 eggs taken. These were shipped to Northville in cans on the 22d, arriv- 

 ing in excellent condition. All the grayling taken from the Au Sable 

 after the 14th were spent ; the field was therefore abandoned on the 

 21st. 



With the experience of the past season, we could doubtless obtain 

 many more eggs another year; though tho surest way, perha^js, is to 

 catch the fish in the fall when the river is free from logs, and hold them 

 in a suitable place until spawning time. There is an excellent place for 

 this purpose on the Au Sable near Cheney Bridge, and Mr. Thomas 



