Conservation Commission. 269 



Small Mouthed Bass. 



The spawning of the bass has been retarded by Mr. D wight 

 Lydell, in Michigan, by herding the fish in comparatively small, 

 deep ponds having no spawning beds, shoal margins or suitable 

 bottoms for spawning. In this way all danger of the destruction 

 of eggs by cold weather is avoided. Serious losses of eggs have 

 occurred through the recurrence of cold weather after a warm spell 

 had induced spawning. 



During an inspection of the waters of Lake George, July 11 to 

 13, 1912, Commissioner Fleming and the writer examined , the 

 spawning beds of black bass and saw some of the nests which had 

 recently been occupied by the young fish. Only two of the nests 

 observed were guarded by parent bass. On all the other nests 

 the young bass were schooling independently and showed their 

 ability to protect themselves. The two nests guarded by parent 

 fish were in deep, cold water. It may be possible that the late 

 spawmers are usually those that inhabit such portions of the lake. 

 This investigation furnishes a basis for the belief that the nesting 

 season of the black bass in Lake George is practically finished by 

 the middle of July. 



Dallas Flannigan, Esq., of New York city, states that Paradox 

 lake contains -small mouthed black bass in large numbers as well 

 as a few trout. The bass are small and large ones are rarely 

 taken. This condition has been observed for more than fifteen 

 years, and the absence of large bass is hard to understand. Mr. 

 Flannigan suggests that perhaps the fish have been interbreeding 

 for so long a time that they have degenerated and need new blood. 

 In the first place, nature planted trout in Pyramid lake and not 

 bass. Perhaps the bass can never thrive there. The struggle for 

 supremacy between two species of predaceous fish such as these 

 might go against one or the other or both of the contestants. Both 

 prey upon other fish ; but the brook trout is not solely a fish eater. 

 A large part of its food consists of insects and their larvae, worms, 

 mollusks and crustaceans. If the bass had not been in competition 

 with the brook trout it is almost certain that the latter would 

 have held its own and would have increased in the lake. 



S. E. Filkins, Esq., of Medina, !N\ Y., reports that one of the 

 best bass fishing grounds known in Lake Ontario is located due 



