THE QREGON SPORTSMAN 118 
TROUT PLANTING IN HOOD RIVER COUNTY 
By Atva L. Day, Secretary Game Protective Association 
The members of the Game Protective Association, and others inter- 
ested in the propagation of game and game fish, in Hood R'ver 
County, have planted fish supplied by the Bonneville Hatchery, where 
no small effort was required. To handle a few thousand fish over 
rough trails and plant them successfully is a task which requires 
effort to say the least, and one which needs attention during the 
entire trip. Of the many trips made to the different points of interest, 
I can only describe two of the trips in which I formed a part. 
Watham Lake is a very beautiful place and is the head waters of 
Eagle Creek. Before the Government trail was built up Eagle Creck 
in 1916 the only way to reach the lake was from Green Point to Camp 
Three of the Stanley-Smith Lumber Company, and up the foresters’ 
trail past Rainy Lake, and from Dee up the west fork of Hood River 
and northwest over Zigzag Mountain trail. 
The Lake is almost at the top of the divide of the Cascades, and 
Chinedere Mountain rises almost out of the west side of the lake. 
The falls in Eagle Creek are such that no fish can ascend. There- 
fore, there were no fish in the lake until the planting made by the 
Hood River sportsmen in July, 1915. 
The Fish Car ‘‘Rainbow’’ was sidetracked at Hood River and about 
twenty-four thousand Eastern brook trout were started for Oak Grove 
by auto. The fish car was then taken up the Mt. Hood railroad on 
the regular run, leaving about eight o’clock, to Dee, where other 
parties were also going to leave for Watham Lake, Lost Lake and the 
West Fork of Hood River. 
I went with the twenty-four thousand to Oak Grove. The auto- 
mobiles for this trip, together with the horses and wagons used later 
on the trip, were furnished by ranchers of the Oak Grove district. 
The fish arrived at Oak Grove in good shape and were taken 
from there to Green Point and thence to Camp Three in wagons. It 
was then two o’eclock and the water in the cans was changed for 
fresh water. The day was ideal for handling fish. A heavy fog had 
settled over the country, and was as wet as rain and very chilly. 
We had thirteen pack horses and ten men to handle the fish from 
Camp Three to the lake and every one was busy. The ten gallon cans 
were tied together so as to give each horse two cans, and when about 
ready to start, the fish were all put in the twenty-six cans and about 
half of the water poured off to give the horse as light a load as pos: 
sible and make time. 
I have seen pack burros packing in the Rocky Mountains of Colo- 
rado, but I was surprised at the country these ranch horses traveled over 
with their fish. We had a rough trip up hill and down hill, over 
logs and loose rocks and arrived at the lake at 5:30 o’clock, and was 
not long unloading and planting the fish. About a dozen dead fish 
floated on top of the water. The crew was very much pleased at the 
success of the planting. . 
We started back up the mountain to the trail, and as we came to 
the trail we met the party who had come in from Dee. This party 
had five horses loaded with fish. 
We arrived back at Green Point about midnight and spent the 
balance of the night, going home the next day. We heard later that 
the nartv from Dee traveled all night. setting home the next morning. 
In 1916 we planted fish in Bear Lake and were less successful. 
Bear Lake is a small Jake above the headwaters of Warren Creek. 
