280 
BULLETIN OP THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
into the inlet and lie in the deep holes until ready to spawn. The height of the spawning season is 
throughout September. Then they come upon the gravel beds in the shallow water. Their spawning 
habits are very much the same as those of the dog (cbinook) salmon — usually see a male and a female 
together. The males fight a good deal ; bite each other, especially on the back. Have seen them 
fighting very often. Both male and female scoop out the gravel with their tails. 
The principal spawning-beds were in the inlet 2 to 3 miles above the lake; they go up 5 or 6 
miles, however. When they were so abundant many used to spawn around the edges of the lake on 
sandy places where there are springs which make the water colder. This spawning in the lake took 
place at same time as that in the inlet. 1 never knew but few to go up as far as the Upper Lake, 
which is 9 miles above the Big Payette Lake; they rarely go farther than 5 or 6 miles up. I never 
saw any in the outlet of the lake. Have never seen them in any of the lakes about here except Big 
Payette Lake. Some say they have seen them in Little Lake, which is about three-fourths of a mile 
east of Big Payette Lake, but I never saw any there, though I have noticed a few in the outlet (Lake 
Fork) of that lake. 
I do not believe the redflsh come up from the sea or return to the sea, but believe they remain 
right here in this lake and its inlet during the entire year. I have seen them in the lake at all times 
of the year. They are not red except in the fall; at all other times they look like trout, but the 
shape of the head is different. They will not bite a hook during the spawning season, but at any 
other time they take the hook readily ; can catch them with hook baited with meat of any kind. 
I wish to repeat that I am confident the redfish do not return to the sea. They belong in the 
lake. The thing that bothers me is this : If they come up from the sea, why is it that, on their way 
up, a million will come up the North Fork while few or none go up Lake Fork into Little Lake, and 
not one goes up Gold Fork? All three of these streams come together less than half a mile apart and 
they are all of about the same size and general character. Gold Fork is probably some colder than 
either of the others, but, aside from this, the streams are essentially alike. It may be that these 
redfish do come up from the sea and that, when they come to these three forks, every one of the 
thousands knows which of the three roads to take in order to reach the spawning-beds in and above 
Big Payette Lake, but I don’t believe it. 
There are both large and small redfish here; the large ones run 4 to 5 pounds undressed, or about 
24 pounds dressed. In putting them up we always counted 40 fish to the 100 pounds. The males are 
heavier than the females. 
There used to be millions of them here. So thick were they that often, in riding a horse across 
at the ford, I have been compelled to get off and drive them away before my horse would go across. 
Thousands of dead ones would be seen along the shores and in the deep holes. 
Mr. 1ST. B. Bobertson, of Weiser, Idaho, says: 
I came down from Big Payette Lake last Friday (September 14) ; was at the head of the lake on 
Thursday (13th instant), and looked for redfish, but saw none; examined about a mile of the inlet. 
People up there say they have seen none this year, and few if any for five years. The last time I saw 
any there was in 1888 — in September — when there were a good many, some of which I caught. One 
man put up 800 pounds, and Jennings, Folsom & White had about 600 pounds. This must have been 
about September 10. The fish were ripe at that time. The large ones averaged about 24 pounds 
dressed. Have seen small ones 6 to 8 inches, which were said to be redfish, but they were not ripe 
and not much red. They were called young redfish at the lake, and probably were such. 
I think the redfish stay in the lake and run up into the inlet to spawn. But they are never seen 
in the lake except right at spawning time, and then only at the bar at the mouth of the inlet. They 
spawn in shallow water where there is not much current, and where the bottom is sandy or of gravel. 
They used to begin spawning about the last of July. 
Louis Fouchet used to come in about the first of July to get ready for fishing. Fifteen or twenty 
years ago he would salt down 30,000 to 40,000 pounds every year, and ship them out to the mining 
camps. William C. Jennings, of Salmon Meadows, knows more about the redfish of Payette Lake 
than anyone else. 
Mr. John W. Smith, of Council Valley, Idaho, has observed the redfish at Payette 
Lake. He says: 
I saw redfish in the inlet to Big Payette Lake some time early in September. They were 4 or 5 
miles above the lake; there were 20 or 30 in one place and several in other places. All of these were 
large ones. Also saw a good many small ones, usually schooling by themselves; in one bunch of 
