THE OREGON SPORTSMAN 



during the present season when an order of a million was 

 secured from Colorado. The best trout eggs come from a 

 three year old fish. It was discovered that the eggs purchased 

 this year came from six year old fish, and as a result, the 

 fingerlings lacked vitality and the larger part of them died. 



This and other experiences have led the Commission to 

 build ponds at the different stations, such as Bonneville and 

 the McKenzie River hatcheries, and establish brood schools 

 of trout. 



The question arises as to whether the eggs of the red- 

 sides taken at Odell Lake or Spencer Creek station, hatched 

 and liberated in our streams, are more valuable than eggs of 

 the steelhead taken at Trask River or Rogue River, hatched 

 and liberated. Some sportsmen have ventured the opinion that 

 when the eggs of the "sea-run" fish are used, the fingerlings 

 return to the sea and do not furnish such fishing as if they 

 remained in the headwaters. Our experience shows that the 

 eggs from the "sea-run" rainbows make hardier fry and fry 

 that are more easily transported from one part of the state 

 to another, and when these fish are planted near the head- 

 waters of streams, the larger part of them remain in the higher 

 waters until they are good sized fish. They are gamey and 

 unsurpassed in the quality of flesh. 



During the past season 3,634,300 steelhead eggs have been 

 collected at the three stations on Trask River, Sandy River 

 and the Umpqua River. It has been the policy of the Com- 

 mission to liberate young steelheads either in the high moun- 

 tain lakes or near the headwaters of rivers and creeks. 



Eastern Brook Trout. 



During the past three years an average of about a million 

 eggs of the eastern brook trout have been purchased each 

 season and the fry liberated in the various streams of the 

 state. In some of the higher mountain meadow streams and 

 also some of the mountain lakes of the state, the introduction 

 of these fish has been a marked success. Yet in other places, 

 it has been a failure. For this reason, the Fish and Game 

 Commission does not intend to use Eastern brook trout except 

 to a limited extent. 



Fag-e eight 



