364 
BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
range of mountains immediately on the eastern side of the lake, and in consequence 
the lake bottom on that side is of a mud or silt character from deposits of inflowing 
streams. 
The lake is abundantly supplied with native common fishes, chub, mullet, some 
mountain herring (Williamson’s whitetish), three or four varieties of sucker, and min- 
nows, with, unfortunately, an ever-increasing supply of carp, introduced herein 1886. 
It is also fairly well stocked with a large- growing native trout which frequents the 
inflowing and connecting streams in April, May, and June to spawn, and which I 
believe is classified as u Salma myltiss virginalis,” In the early settlement of the State 
this grand fish was almost phenomenally abundant in the lake and connecting streams. 
It is authentically reported that as much as 3,700 pounds of it have been taken at a 
single haul with a seine not exceeding 200 yards long, with many individual specimens 
weighing 25 pounds each. We do not now find auy of these trout so large, but some 
are taken weighing 15 pounds, and since the taking of trout and bass is confined by 
law to the usual method of angling or trolling with hook and line only, I hope to 
again see some of these native Utah Lake trout attain to their old-time size. 
The rapid increase and growth of the large-mouthed bass in this lake are no 
doubt due to the abundant supply of the native common fish together with a varied 
supply of fresh-water Crustacea upon which they prey, with a depth of water and with 
water vegetation suitable to their requirements. I believe that all the conditions 
favorable to the perfect growth and development of the Oswego bass exist naturally 
in this lake, especially after they have attained the first year’s growth. I have noticed, 
however, that the fry for the first year do not grow so rapidly in this lake as in some 
other smaller bodies of water to which they have been transplanted from this lake. 
Of foui - or five thousand fry which I had taken before the spawning season of 1897 for 
distribution in different parts of the State, the very large majority were from 2£ to 4 
inches in length only. These were no doubt hatched the previous season and could 
not have been less than six to eight months old. 
In marked contrast to this apparently slow growth of the bass fry in Utah Lake 
the first year, in the Mount Nebo reservoir an almost phenomenal growth of the fry 
from the first planting was shown the first season. 'I his reservoir is situated about 
15 miles south of the lake, and was created by the construction of a masonry dam 
across Salt Creek at its exit from the j^ephi Valley, through which it flows into Goshen 
Valley and thence finds its way into Utah Lake, or did so before being appropriated 
for irrigation purposes. This is a small sluggish stream of clear and slightly brackish 
water, averaging about 10 feet wide and well supplied with native minnows before the 
reservoir was created. This reservoir is about 5 miles long with an average width of 
£ mile, and of varying depth from nothing to 15 feet in {daces, the water covering 
entirely new ground with the exception of the old creek channel. About the 1st 
of May, 1896, the parties controlling this reservoir made application for and received 
90 large spawning bass and planted them here in this small body of water. These 
fish evidently began to spawn soon after being planted, for in about four months after 
the planting the place seemed to be alive with bass fry of very large size. It was 
estimated that there could not be less than 500,000 of these young fish. Having 
heard of this wonderful plant, I visited the site seven months after the plant was 
made, but unfortunately for my investigation a cold snap had partly frozen the pond 
over and driven the fish into the deep water so that I could not have an opportunity 
of making a personal estimate as to numbers. I was fortunate, however, in having a 
