TWENTY-NINTH BIENNIAL REPORT. 55 



RUSH CREEK EGG-COLLECTING STATION. 



Duriiiyi' tlie spring of 1925, it ^va.s decided to establish an egg-collect- 

 ing' station on Rush Creek, Mono County, to collect the eggs of the 

 black-spotted trout. A trap was placed in Rush Creek, a holding tank 

 was built and a temporary hatchery installed under a tent on Silver 

 Creek. Two traps were installed in Reverse Creek, one in Upper 

 Reverse Creek and the other in Lower Reverse Creek in addition to 

 tlie main trap in Rush Creek. 



The take of black-spotted trout eggs from this operation was very 

 gratifying. The black-spotted trout of this region have an excel- 

 lent lot of eggs that produce vigorous embryos and develop into 

 strong healthy fish. The take of eggs of black-spotted trout from Rush 

 Creek and tributaries during 1925 was 1,010,000. We were fortunate 

 in procuring an egg-collecting station where eggs from this species can 

 be collected as this excellent fish will thrive in all the lakes in this 

 region. Black-spotted trout to the number of 727,500 Avere planted 

 from this station. The balance of the eggs were shipped to Mount 

 Whitney Hatchery. 



JUNE LAKE. 



During the spring of 1926, arrangements were made to seine June 

 Lake for steelhead trout. June Lake M^as first stocked Avith steelhead 

 trout in 1921. Fishing did not begin for these fish until the season 

 of 1923. During the entire season of 1924 this lake was fished con- 

 tinuously. Many large steelhead weighing from five to eight pouiids 

 were taken. In 1925 the fishing improved as the anglers were taking 

 fish in limit catches. The anglers began catching the fish planted in 

 1922 and 1923 and caught three sizes of fish (being the result of 

 three years' planting since the 1921 plant) ranging from one-quarter 

 pound to twelve pounds in weight. It was a common sight to see 

 twenty to thirty boats on June Lake during the fishing season and all 

 parties catching fish. The native trout of the lake Avere the black- 

 spotted trout that would ascend Rush Creek during seasons of very 

 lieavy rains and snows. These fish would come up from Grant Lake 

 during the spring when an extra heavy rain and snowfall would fill 

 June Lake so that the water would run from June Lake to Grant 

 Lake. No water has flowed from June Lake to Grant Lake in the 

 last six years owing to the unusual dry seasons that have prevailed in 

 that region as well as throughout the entire state, Avhich has materially 

 affected the fishing in all the lakes and streams in California. 



As there are no tributary streams to June Lake, the supply of water 

 l)eing kept up by the melting snow and by rainfall, the steelhead trout 

 have no place to spawn, so it is necessary to stock this lake each season 

 and to catch the spawners with a seine when they approach the shores 

 trying to find a place to deposit their eggs. During the short period 

 that our crews were operating on the lake before the opening of the trout 

 season, 1,000,000 eggs were collected. The crews were only operating 

 about ten days when the season opened, May 1st, and the rush of 

 anglers to this lake drove the fish from the shallow water near the 

 shore and compelled our men toi cease their operations. The season on 

 the lake as well as throughout the entire Sierra region should not 

 open until June first. Thousands of spawning fish are taken each 

 season from the spawning beds or on their Avay to the spawning 



