SALMON INVESTIGATIONS IN IDAHO IN 1895. 
167 
Pettit Creek, the outlet of Pettit Lake, is about one-third the size of Alturas 
Creek, and is between 1 and 2 miles long. Immediately below the lake the outlet is 
broad and bordered by marshy ground, but soon it becomes a narrow stream filled 
with large rocks and possessing Ui swift current. At several places are consideralile 
obstructions caused by fallen timber which has collected in the stream and wliich 
would seem to interfere with the free movements of fishes. 
The outlet of Yellowbelly Lake is a similar but smaller stream, which joins Alturas 
Creek a short distance below the mouth of Pettit Ci’eek. 
The creeks which unite with Salmon River below the mouth of Alturas Creek are 
Roaring Creek on the west and Champion and Fourth of July creeks on the east. 
We made no special examination of these creeks. It is said that there are few, if 
any, fish in Roaring Creek, while the headwaters of the other two are said to furnish 
excellent trout-lishing. The Salmon River, in this part of its course, is a stream of 
considerable size, 40 to 100 feet wide, and with a very swift current in most places. 
There are long reaches where the water, 2 to 3 feet in depth, flows rapidly over a bed 
of clean, coarse gravel; in other places the width is somewhat greater, the depth a 
little less, the current correspondingly slower, and the bed of finer gravel and sand. 
At the foot of each of these shallow reaches is usually a quiet pool from 4 to 10 feet 
deep, in which the larger cut-throat trout and the bull trout delight to loiter. 
BIG PAYETTE LAKE AND VICINITY. 
Big Payette Lake is the principal lake of the Payette group, situated at the head- 
waters of the North Fork of Payette River. Mr. T. M. Williams carried on observa- 
tions here from July 19 to September 25, 1895. He reports the lake as being quite 
irregular in shape. The main body is 6 to G4 miles in length from north to south, and 
about 2 miles wide. At the north end is a long narrow arm extending to the south- 
east a distance of at least 5 miles; just below the inlet the main arm is greatly 
constricted, the width there being oidy a few rods, several rocky islets being found 
here. A large number of soundings was taken, and the depth in the lower or main 
portion was found to vary from 40 to 260 feet, the average depth being perhaps as 
much as 200 feet. The depths found in the arm vary from 130 to 305 feet, the average 
being about 200 feet. The maximum depth, 305 feet, was found near where the arm 
joins the main body, or a little southeast from the inlet. 
The temperatures taken at this lake are given in the table on page 169. 
Payette Jf irer.— This river was examined as far down as Van Wick, 40 miles below 
the lake. Throughout this distance it runs through a large valley known as Long Val- 
ley. The fall is not great, there being but one rajnds in this distance. The river bed is 
com])osed chiefly of gravel and sand, and affords ideal spawning-grounds for salmon. 
It is only in the upper 10 miles of the stream, however, that S])awning-grounds are 
known. Along this river are a great many small swam])S, caused in most instances by 
old beaver-dams. The only tributaries of importance to this portion of Payette River 
are Lake Fork, Gold Fork, and Bowlder Creek, all of which come in from the east side 
and join the main stream near the same point. Lake Fork joins the river about 20 
miles below Big Payette Lake; a short distance below comes in Bowlder Creek, a 
much smaller stream, and a little farther down is Gold Fork, which is about the size 
of Lake Fork. 
