384 Lake Maxinkuckee, Physical and Biological Survey 



about the end of April. Very good fishing is also had in October. 

 We have records of good catches made on October 18 and 30, and 

 on November 3, 4, 7 and 9 ; also in January, February, June, Aug- 

 ust and September. The largest catch of which we have a note 

 was made late in October or early in November, 1894, and con- 

 sisted of 42 pounds, representing not fewer than 100 fish. It is 

 fair to say that this catch was made by a party of several persons. 



It is said that the Calico Bass will bite readily at spawning 

 time, but that only the males will do so. They will take a worm, 

 small minnow, or a piece of fish. In the winter and late fall they 

 bite readily at a small minnow, such as the straw-colored minnow 

 (Notropis blennius), the blunt-nosed minnow (Pimephales no- 

 tatus) or the skipjack (Labidesthes sicculus) . 



This fish will take not only a small live minnow, but it will 

 take a dead minnow, a worm, a piece of fish or a grub. It is often 

 taken with a small trolling spoon and we have occasionally taken 

 it with a small artificial fly. And we recall one instance when it 

 was taken in Lost Lake on the Harris floating meadow-frog. 



Ordinarily during the summer months not many of this species 

 are caught, but in September they begin to bite more freely, and 

 by October, one who seeks them in their proper haunts is quite 

 sure to meet with reasonable success. The species is usually taken 

 by still fishing, though at times it may be gotten by trolling. Dur- 

 ing the summer months it frequents the deeper parts of the lake, 

 coming on to the edges of the bars and into shallow water near 

 shore in the night. In September and early October it remains 

 about the edges of the bars where the water is 8 to 20 feet deep. 

 Late in October it generally moves down into deeper water until 

 the lake freezes over. It can most readily be taken at a depth of 

 from 30 to 40 feet. The largest October catches that we recall 

 were at a depth of 40 feet. About the middle of November, 1906, 

 a great school of this species, averaging about 6 inches in length, 

 collected under the Merchants pier at Culver. They presented a 

 beautiful spectacle shining up through the water like a great flock 

 of guinea fowl. When the lake freezes over, the Calico Bass leaves 

 the deeper water and comes out upon the bars where the water is 

 6 to 25 feet deep. Its favorite haunts are the small channels be- 

 tween the bars, leaving more shallow ridges between. The cool- 

 ing of the temperature has a markedly paralyzing effect upon them. 

 When first seen under clear ice they attempt to swim away, but in 

 a cramped fashion. They are unable to swim faster than one can 

 walk and,. instead of warming up and becoming more active, they 

 soon become exhausted, give up trying to swim and lie on their 



