SALMON' INVESTIGATIONS IN IDAHO. 
261 
males, 36 females, and 5 too rotten to determine the sex. Five females which we exam- 
ined measured 28, 32, 37, 39, and 44 inches, respectively, in total length. One male 
measured 53 inches long. All of these fish were much decayed, and we noticed that, 
as a rule, the males were more decayed than the females. The indications are that 
the spawning in this part of Salmon River is completed, and most of the salmon dead 
or gone early in September. The presence of salmon in the river in Stanley Basin as 
late as September 12, as noted by Mr. Mnlky, probably indicates that the spawning 
takes place later there than it does farther up the river where the waters are colder. 
Headwaters of Payette River . — This is also an important spawning region for the 
cliinook salmon, as maybe seen from the interviews given below. Mr. W. 0. Jennings, 
who lives at the Meadows, about 10 miles from Big Payette Lake, says: 
I have been familiar with Big Payette Lake and the surrounding country for twenty -five years. 
The salmon (the males of which we always call “dog salmon'’) come up Payette Eiver into Long 
Valley about July 4; saw some on that day a few years ago in Gold Fork, about 15 or 20 miles above 
its mouth. They are most abundant about August 15 to September 15, when they are spawning. 
They spawn earlier in Gold Fork and a little later in North Fork and Lake Fork, the time for the last 
two being September 1 to 20. Gold Fork is a colder stream than either of the others, and I am con- 
fident the salmon ran into it earlier and spawn there earlier because it is colder. I think that 75 per 
cent of all the salmon that come up Payette River spawn in Gold Fork. These three forks are nearly 
of the same size, and their mouths are very close together. 
I have seen salmon up Gold Fork 10 to 12 miles, and as much as 15 miles up Lako Fork; have 
seen them in North Fork occasionally at the outlet of Big Payette Lake. These salmon will average 
10 pounds or more. There are a good many small ones, weighing 4 to 8 pounds, but these are all males. 
They spawn on the riffles in Payette Eiver, North Fork, Lake Fork, and Gold Fork, the principal 
spawning-grounds being in Gold Fork. They very rarely enter Big Payette Lake. I once killed one 
above the lake and heard of another. 
I think all the salmon which come lip here die after spawning ; have seen thousands dead along the 
river. I think they come up from the sea, of course. I do not know when the young go down to the 
sea. A half-breed once told rue that in Spokane Eiver the young salmon go down stream in the mush 
ice in the spring. He says the Indians and French would catch them by the thousands in the 
mush ice. They would average 14 inches long and were very good when fried. I do not know whether 
there is any truth in this or not. The salmon were much more abundant formerly than now. 
Mr. Thomas McCall and his son, Dawson McCall, state: 
We have lived at the lower end of Big Payette Lake several years ; have not paid much attention 
to the salmon, but know that they come up the river within a mile or so of the lake ; have an interest 
in a seine with which one haul was made about August 1, but only two salmon were caught. The 
other owners did a good deal of fishing in August and got a good many fish. At one haul they got 
thirty fish. The two gotten August 1 were females and weighed about 8 pounds each. One shot a 
few days ago was a male weighing about 8 pounds. 
We think we saw one in the lake at the outlet, but it may have been a redfish. This is the only 
fish seen in the lake which we thought was a salmon. The Indians come in here in the early fall and 
camp along the river. They get a good many salmon which they cure for winter use. 
My examination of Payette River (or North Fork, as the outlet of Big Payette 
Lake is called) did not result in the discovery of a single live Chinook salmon. About 
2J miles below the lake we found one dead female, 28 inches long. A number of 
deserted wickiups along the stream showed that the Indians had been there recently. 
Most of the people of whom we inquired stated that the salmon came somewhat 
earlier and in larger numbers than usual this year. Evidently the spawning season in 
this stream occurred much earlier this year than the last of September; not only were 
no live fish seen, but nearly all the dead ones had disappeared, either by decay or by 
having been eaten by coyotes or other animals. 
