344 FIFTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE 



The number of eggs obtained in the Adirondack lakes was very small — 

 much smaller than usual, and in Keuka Lake Mr. Davidson was unable to 

 obtain any eggs since he did not discover the spawning ground of the lake 

 trout until the spawning season was ended. 



The following notes on lake trout are from an article by Capt. R. Smith 

 in Report of Illinois Fish Commission, 1906-1908. page 25: 



" There are two distinct kinds of lake trout, the Mackinaw or Reef 

 and the Deep Water trout. The Mackinaw is a shoal water fish, and has 

 its feeding grounds in from six to thirty fathoms of water. Twenty-five 

 years ago they were very numerous in the north half of Lake Michigan 

 where their main breeding grounds are, but have been decreasing gradually 

 from year to year. They grow to a large size, have large heads and spawn 

 in honeycomb rock in from six to twenty-five fathoms of water, feed on 

 all other fish and have a decided preference for whitefish. The Deep Water 

 trout is mostly found in the south half of Lake Michigan, in from twenty- 

 five to sixty fathoms of water. It is smaller than the Mackinaw trout, 

 its average weight being about three pounds. Years ago when it was 

 feeding solely on whitefish individuals weighing forty and even sixty 

 pounds each were not uncommon. 



Both the Mackinaw and Deep Water trout spawn from about the 20th 

 of October until early December, but the Deep Water trout instead of 

 depositing its eggs on honeycomb rocks like the Mackinaw goes far 

 out in the lake in from forty-five to sixty fathoms of water and 

 deposits its eggs on clay bottom. Rough weather and storms never drive 

 these fish from their spawning ground. The females have about 8,000 

 eggs each." 



In the Fulton Chain of lakes, Mr. William H. Burke set two pound 

 nets in the month of October. On October 29th he had taken a few lake 

 trout eggs. On November 5th Mr. Burke had obtained about five quarts 

 of eggs from fish caught in the pound nets set for whitefish. 



Early in December, 1909, Mr. Davidson located a trout spawning bed 

 about six miles from Penn Yan where there were plenty of fish on Novem- 

 ber 30th, but most of them spent. Of the twenty-nine fish caught eleven 

 were spent females. The men took up two gill nets on that bed which 

 had been set by illegal fishermen. These nets had seventeen trout in them. 



