NOTES ON BLACK BASS 



By Tarleton H. Bean 



I have no formal paper on the black bass, and do not 

 consider it necessary to take up your time by any attempt 

 to read an exhaustive essay on that species. You have 

 merely to refer to the "Manual of Fish Culture," of the 

 United States Bureau of Fisheries, to Dr. Reighard's, Mr. 

 Lydell's and other papers in state reports, as, for example, 

 the reports of the Wisconsin Fish Commission, and to Dr. 

 Forbes' "Fishes of Illinois," to obtain a history of the black 

 bass, its habits, distribution, food, breeding, etc. I have 

 here merely a few scattering notes gleaned from a very busy 

 fish-cultural experience in New York State, the first of 

 them relating to the transfer of gravid bass from wild 

 waters to breeding ponds. 



Not very many years ago it was thought that to handle 

 a black bass within a day or two, or even within a month 

 or two, of its spawning season meant that the fish would 

 not spawn during that season. I believe I have told some 

 of the members of the Society that we have demonstrated, 

 at least at Constantia and at Bemus Point, on Chautauqua 

 Lake, that this is not strictly true, because our men have 

 taken bass just on the point of spawning, have transferred 

 them from Lake Oneida and from Chautauqua Lake to the 

 hatchery ponds, and have had them begin nesting just as if 

 nothing unusual had happened. This has occurred two or 

 tlirce times over with bass from Oneida and Chautauqua 

 Lakes. It is an important item for consideration. I would 

 not for a moment recommend that everyone should defer 

 the transfer of bass to breeding ponds until a short time 

 before the spawning season opens, and yet there are some 

 very good arguments in favor of that method, among them 

 being the saving of winter losses and the cost of feeding, 

 which are especially important. 



