292 
BULLETIN OP THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES 
On April 23, 1901, the present writer obtained from the late “Nate” Paul, at 
Songo Lock, about a dozen and a half large smelts and a peck and a half of small ones. 
Some were ripe and some were spent. According to Paul the large smelts ran earlier 
than the small ones, the latter appearing about the 13th of April. 
Ben Jones stated that smelts are found at one given place in Crooked River for 
about a week or 10 days, and that they leave suddenly. On April 28, 1903, one 
smelt found dying in the lake off Broad Cove emitted eggs upon gentle pressure. 
In 1906 “Nate” Paul told the present writer that the large smelts begin to run 
as soon as the ice is out, and sometimes before. He said that he had known them 
to run up and back again before the ice was out of the lake, but that straggling fish 
sometimes remain in the stream after the main body had left. 
In 1908 Ben Jones said that smelts sometimes ascend Crooked River as far as 
Edes Falls, much depending upon the height of the water. 
On April 11, 1910, George Moses said that a few large smelts had been caught at 
Songo Lock, but that small smelts had not yet entered the river, although they had 
been seen at the “bar” at the mouth of the river. A few small smelts were taken 
at Songo Lock on the night of April 11, according to report. 
Panther Pond . — Small smelts were running up a tributary brook about April 
28 or 29, 1901. It was said that they run about a week earlier in the brooks of this 
lake than they do in the tributaries of Sebago Lake. 
Rangeley Lakes . — According to the Maine Woods of 1904, on April 30 of that 
year smelts were running up Dodge Pond Stream “in bushels” from Oquossoc or 
upper Rangeley Lake. The same paper in 1905 indicated that the spawning period 
extended over a week or 10 days from time the ice went out. Again, in 1907, smelts 
were reported to be very much in evidence in Rangeley Stream about the middle of 
May. Rangeley Stream connects Oquossoc with Mooselucmaguntic Lake, therefore 
the smelts come up from the latter lake. The same paper (of April 28, 1910) reported 
that smelts had begun to run early in 1910, large quantities having been taken from 
Kennebago Stream during that week and the week before. The smelts were said to 
be of good size and fine quality, and the quantity unlimited. 
It may be noted here that Kennebago Stream flows into Mooselucmaguntic 
Lake. The smelts of that lake were large smelts from Swan Lake stock, while the 
smaller smelts of Oquossoc Lake originated from Weld Pond stock, a very small 
smelt. (See Square Lake.) 
SebattusPond . — OnMay 8, 1868, Atkins wrote in his notes that the smelts ascended 
the brooks in great quantities about 10 days earlier than in Cochnewagn Pond brooks 
in Monmouth. This year they were very plentiful on the night of April 30. 
Cobbosseecontee Lake .— Smelts were found very abundantly at Fullers Meadow, 
East Winthrop, on April 30, 1868. On the night of May 4, 1868, Atkins found some 
smelts in a little brook that runs across a sandy beech from Brainards Meadow, East 
Winthrop; and on May 5, at the entrance of the meadow, he found the bushes and 
all the rubbish on the bottom covered with smelt spawn, most of it apparently in 
good condition; but there were enough white ones plainly to be seen scattered over 
the weeds. He was informed that on April 30 smelts were very plentiful at this place. 
The water was about 4 feet deep. In the sand shore bx-ook very few eggs were 
