OiuUlii Lake Fisli.s a^^-, 



ciieiiiics likely to occur in small Iwdics of water. Jordan and l-!vcrniann ('03, p. 

 358) ti'll of 37,000 young being found in a jwnd in the fall, in which 15 adults had 

 been placed the spring l)efore. Johnson and Stapleton ('15, p. 17) advise their 

 culture in bodies of water not smaller than two acres, on account of tlie size of the 

 fish and their cannibalistic tendencies. Pond culture of Large-mouth I'llack Bass 

 is attended with certain diftlculties. since they need a soft, mucky lH>tt">m with roots 

 of aquatic j)lants, which they clean and to which they attach their eggs. Such con- 

 <Iitions are not so easily maintained as clean stony bottoms for the Sniall-mouth. 

 Sometimes the Large-mouth makes a stony nest, but. as noted by Lydell ( '04. 

 p. 40), their eggs are smaller and more adhesive than in the other species; and 

 they are likely when laid on gravel to become lotlged between the stones and to stick 

 together in masses and be smothered. 



The I-arge-mouth Hlack Bass are of some economic importance on account of 

 their injury to or competition with other food and game fish. It is therefore 

 generally considered inadvisable to introduce them into trout waters! Henshall. 

 however, gives instances where trout and black bass have thrived together in 

 streams. In these streams crawfish were abundant, and these crustaceans are pre- 

 ferred by the bass to fish as food (Henshall. '17. p. 121). It is well known that 

 Black Bass associate well with other fishes in bodies of water where an abundance 

 of their favorite invertebrate food is fouml ; but when such foml l)ecomes scarce 

 they f|uickly turn to eating other fishes, and even meml)crs of their own S]iecics. 



< )n Septeml)er 9. 1927, we noted large numl)ers of yoimg (hundreds and per- 

 liaps thousjinds) of this species as well as of the Small-mouth. l\rch and other 

 fishes, land-locked in large pools of the broad sand flat ainng the east shore of 

 Oneida I-ake. at Sylvan Beach (Figs. 217 and 218). These jkwIs were separated 

 from the waters of the lake by bars a foot or more in height and alxiut eight to 

 twenty feet in width. It is not likely that the bass and other fishes in these pools 

 woul<l lie lil>erated by wave .action before winter; ami in all prolwbility they would 

 perish. No doubt conservation interests would find time and effort well s|ient in 

 seining out the little fishes of value and returning them to the lake. 



Aiif/llii(j Notes. Black Bass fishing like trout fishing is an art. It is true 

 that the fish are often caught with simple tackle and with worm or miimow in "still 

 fishing", but a goi«l bass fisherman who gets numbers i«f them of giKMl si/e eniploys 

 studiiil melhixls and has s|)ecial and often ex|H'nsive equipment. One slvmld read 

 Henshall's ('17) Bcwk of the Black Bass to learn of projwr etjuipment and methtKis 

 <lisc(ivere<| by its author, who has made a life-long study of these fish and the ways 

 to capture them. There arc three metluxls generally empIoye<I. which are still 

 fishing, trolling, and casting. .\ll three are used successfully in ( )neida I-ike. 

 Casting with artificial or live minnow is done near shore usually, along liorders 

 of |>lant growths in the shallower water, often where it is only a few feet deep. 

 \'arious small fishes are use<l for Iwit, and even young Perch, acconling to Mr. \V. 

 A. IVnce. give gcMxi results; but ("reek Ouibs. Sniiolilus aJrotiioiitUilus. or sliiners 

 such as .V<>/r<>/«i.v loniiitiis an<l .V. alhrriiioidis. are more fre<iuenlly iised and arc 

 probably njorc suitable on dull days at least than the less brilliant fishes such as 

 young Percli. In Oncitia I-akc the I^irge-moulhs are caught on a variety of knits 

 other than minnows. Frequently they arc taken when fishing for Perch with earth- 



