Osburn. — Game Fish Conditions in Ohio 357 



over, the bass spawn earlier than most other game fish and are 

 thus less likely to be interfered with by changes in water level. 

 At any rate it is about as common in waters that are drawn 

 upon for power as in those that are not, while this appears not 

 to be true of other game fish of the lakes. The hatcheries also 

 have devoted a great deal of attention to the large-mouth bass, 

 planting the output chiefly in the lakes. In the western Ohio 

 reservoirs, known as Indian, Loramie, and St. Mary's Lakes, 

 the crappie are exceedingly abundant. They grow to a good 

 size, 1 to 15^ pounds, and one was taken this spring weighing 

 31/4 pounds. Thousands of people were angling for crappie 

 during the spring season and it was an easy matter to catch 

 the limit of forty fish at these lakes. I venture to say that no 

 better fishing of this kind ever existed in the waters of the 

 state. 



St. Mary's Lake is especially interesting because when I 

 examined it just twenty years ago, it was so polluted with 

 refuse from oil wells that it was practically barren. At that 

 time there were 300 oil wells in the lake itself, not to mention 

 those in the near vicinty. At present there are only three wells 

 in the lake and few around it, and they all take care of their 

 refuse pretty satisfactorily. Most of the lake is now in 

 excellent condition, and the rehabilitation of the fish life is a 

 fine thing to observe. Large-mouth bass, crappie, bluegills, 

 and perch have all been planted in recent years, and the bass 

 and crappie afiford as good fishing as one could expect in a 

 thickly settled country where there is much angling. 



St. Mary's and Loramie Lakes have suffered considerably 

 from occasional lowering of the water in recent years, so the 

 shores present a newer and cleaner appearance than they should, 

 and there is an unsatisfactory lack of submerged plant growth 

 near the shore. While on this subject, I wish to call attention 

 to the necessity of maintaining a high and constant water level 

 in lakes and ponds during the breeding season and the feeding 

 and growing season of the young fish as well. Fluctuation of 



