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BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
RANGE AND ABUNDANCE IN PACIFIC STATES. 
With very few exceptions, the black bass have survived and multiplied in all the 
waters in California in which they were planted, so that they have become one of the 
most widely distributed game fishes of the State. The State fish commissioners have 
refrained from depositing fry or yearling bass in waters already stocked with salmon or 
trout, but have restricted the distribution to lakes, reservoirs, ponds, and rivers in 
which the predaceous bass could do no damage. It seems only a question of time, 
however, when the bass will naturally find their way into and become abundant in all 
those rivers in which they have not already been planted. 
Very prompt results attended the planting in Napa and Alameda creeks in 1874. 
In their report for 1874-75 the California commissioners stated that during the latter 
year black bass had been caught in Napa Creek and that large numbers of young had 
been observed. The fish planted in Alameda Creek were said to have been seen, but 
none had been taken. The report for 1876-77 stated that the fish had increased; 
that many had been caught, and that by June, 1878, the young could be taken for 
stocking other streams. The next biennial report (for 1878-79) records the probable 
extinction by anglers of the fish put in Napa Creek, none having been caught in the 
two years named. 
The adult bass placed in the reservoir in San Mateo County in 1879 rapidly 
increased, and in 1880 the State commissioners hoped in another year to take the young 
for distribution. Fish imported by the Sportsmen’s Club of San Francisco about the 
same time and placed in a lake in Alameda County had also increased and were sub- 
sequently utilized in stocking other waters. The San Mateo County reservoir served 
as the principal source of supply for the State commission until 1894, since which time 
the young for distribution have been mostly taken from the Russian River. 
In the American Angler for April 9, 1887, Mr. Charles Kaeding records the arrival 
at San Francisco on March 2 of the first black bass from the Russian River. The fish 
was taken at Guerneville and weighed 2^ pounds. By 1889 or 1890 the Russian River 
had become well supplied, although the California authorities stated that up to that 
time not many public waters had been stocked. Numerous applications for bass were 
made to the State commission in 1890, and over 800 yearlings were obtained for plant- 
ing from waters that had been previously stocked. The abundance of the fish in 
Russian River was attested by the large number of yearlings taken for distribution in 
1894 and 1895 from the overflow waters of that stream, the aggregate collections being 
35,000. Large numbers of young fish were seen in the river itself in 1895. Mr. 
Babcock believes the stocking of the Russian River was done by private parties, as 
there is no record of plants made in that stream under State auspices. 
In their report for 1893-94, the California commissioners said that they could quote 
from many letters showing the most remarkable growth of black bass in streams and 
lakes which had never before been stocked. Besides the numerous closed waters in 
which the fish are found, the following rivers, in addition to the Russian, are also 
stocked: Tule River, headwaters of the American River, headwaters of the San 
Joaquin River. A few have also been reported from the Sacramento River at Colusa. 
Jordan and Gilbert record the small-mouth bass from Clear Lake. 
Mr. Fletcher, deputy of the California fish commission, reports that black bass are 
doing very well in Lake Cuyamaca, and that a great many have been taken in the last 
two years. Mr. J. E. Friend, of San Diego, who passed some weeks on the lake in the 
latter part of 1895, took 3 large-moutli black bass weighing 24 to 34 pounds each. 
