TWENTY-NINTH BIENNIAL. REPORT. 51 



exterior surfaces. The troughs, baskets and other paraphernalia were 

 overhauled and painted, wood cut for the coming season and the truck 

 overhauled during the winter. 



During 1926, egg-collecting operations were begun in March. At 

 the time this work was started there was no water flowing in any of 

 the creeks, but there was about two feet of snow on the ground. The 

 traps had to be dug out of the snow. Four traps were operated as soon 

 as the melting snow started the streams flowing. A heavy rain storm 

 in April washed the traps out, liberating a great many of the fish. 

 The traps were replaced and there were collected and eyed ready for 

 hatching 4,555,000 rainbow trout eggs. There was a loss of approxi- 

 mately 1,000,000 on account of the heavy storm during April. The 

 embryos at the time of the storm were in a tender or delicate stage and 

 were covered with deposits of sand and mud and in the efforts to prevent 

 the eggs from smothering a loss of approximately 1,000,000 eggs took 

 place. These eggs were eyed in the North Creek Hatchery where the 

 main trap and egg-collecting station is located. 



There is quite an agitation by persons not familiar with conditions 

 at Bear Lake, to hold the fish over winter in ponds constructed by 

 fencing off a portion of the lake, as well as in concrete ponds to be 

 built to hold the fish. These plans will not improve fishing in Bear 

 Lake as the present plan under which we are operating has produced 

 remarkable results and it is based on twelve years of experience in 

 keeping this lake stocked under the most adverse circumstances. The 

 reports of our crews who have given this lake careful study verify all 

 the above statements and the writer has been familiar with Bear 

 Lake for over 35 years. The writer planted the first fish introduced 

 into this lake when, as an apprentice fishculturist, he made his first 

 trips planting fish. The fish were carried on mule back over the old 

 trail up the Santa Ana River and planted in Bear Lake. 



NORTH CREEK HATCHERY AND EGG-COLLECTING STATION. 



All the eggs hatched in Bear Lake Hatchery at Green Spot Springs 

 as well as those hatched in this small hatchery, were eyed and prepared 

 for shipping and hatching in this station. In 1926, 900,000 eggs were 

 hatched in North Creek Hatchery and the resulting fish were planted 

 in the streams of San Bernardino County, together with 100,000 fish 

 that were taken from Bear Lake Hatchery. 



GROUT CREEK TRAP AND STATION. 



The trap in Grout Creek was operated during the last two seasons 

 with fair results. Large numbers of fish enter this creek, but owing 

 to the great deposit of sand on the flats near its mouth, the stream 

 spreads over such a wide distance during the period when warm 

 rains are melting the snow that it is very difficult to catch the fish. 

 The stream at times reaches a width of a hundred yards and is very 

 shallow. There is no way, except at heavy expense to trap this creek 

 successfully when the floods are on, and that is the time when the 

 majority of the fish are ascending the stream. The traps have been 

 moved and washed out several times during the last few years. 



Considerable trouble was had during the last two seasons in operat- 

 ing traps on this creek. The stream generally dries up by the middle 



