WHITE TROUT. 
47 
The White Trout of Sunapee Lake, during the warmer months, resides in depths of from 60 
to 90 or 100 feet, where the temperature is in the neighborhood of 50° F. or less. In the spring 
it occurs in shallow water about the shores and is often caught from the wharves and piers. In 
the early part or middle of October it appears on a shoal near the entrance to Sunapee Harbor , 
to spawn, and the run continues approximately one month. This seems to be the only spawning 
place in the lake. At least, in the search that has been made for other grounds none has been 
found. The shoal consists of coarse gravel and sand thickly interspersed with bowlders of 
various sizes, and is contiguous to deep water. The water on the shoal varies, of course, with 
the level of the lake, but it averages from a foot to 6 or 8 feet in depth in places. A phenomenon 
was noticed on the shoal which may account for the peculiar suitability of the place as a spawning 
ground of the fish. That is, whenever a light breeze is blowing from any quarter, even from the 
side most protected from the wind, there is always a perceptible current across the reef, and at 
times quite strong, in the same general direction as the wind. The temperature of the water 
at the beginning of the breeding season, is from 40° to 45 and later about 33 . 
In the spawning runs males at first predominate. The action of the fish on the ground has 
not been fully obseiA’ed, or, if observed, has not been described. Such observations, however. 
are difficult owing to the fact that the runs occur at night. 
In Forest and Stream of December 18, 1890, quoting Commissioner Hodge, Dr. Bean 
says; “The golden trout have sometimes come on the spawning shoals by the ton at a time. 
They do not pair to any noticeable extent, and a female is sometimes attended by five or six 
males. They make no nest, but move around continuously like lake trout. The lake trout 
voids the eggs by rubbing the belly over the coarse rocks, and the males sometimes lean down on 
top of the females. At Loon Island shoals the fish have spawned in waters so shallow that their 
backs were not covered. The usual depth ranges from six inches to four or five feet, but some 
of the large ones doubtless spawn in deep water.” 
The following table shows catches by night on 
“The Reef 
” during 
1910, showing the proportion of males to females. 
Date. Total. 
Males. 
Females. 
October 21 7 
6 
1 
“ 23 12 
11 
1 
“ 24 49 
37 
12 
“ 26 40 
30 
10 
" 27 ] gg 
51 
45 
28 ) 
“ 29 — 
— 
— 
“ 30 46 
6 
40 
“ 31 1 30 
2 
28 
November 1 j 
280 
143 
137 
