SALMON INVESTIGATIONS IN IDAHO IN 1895. 
199 
and certain small lakes it continued good throughout the season. Very large catches wei-e made in 
the small creeks in July, August, and October, hut in Alturas Creek and Salmon River .Inly seemed the 
best time. 
Near Redlish Lake is a small lake known as Fish Lake. Its area is perhaps not greater than 25 
acres. It is nearly circular in form and is at an elevation of about 9,000 leet. It appears to he cpiite 
shallow and is bordered on three sides by marshy or boggy ground. In this little lake trout were 
exceedingly abundant. On August 22, 100 were caught by Mr. Comstock, of Hailey, and the next day 
I caught 45 trout from the same lake in less than an hour’s time; used Royal Coachman for nearly all, 
though a few were taken with grasshopper. They bit vigorously and were very gamy. 
These trout were remarkably uniform in size, the total length varying only from 8 to 91- inches, 
the majority being 9 to 9jr inches. The weight varied but little from one-fourth of a pound each. In 
life they presented the following colors : Throat rich rosy red in every case ; opercles light rosy ; lower 
part of sides and belly, except median line, rich wine color or dark rosy; nuddle of side with about 6 
to 8 large dark rosy blotches forming an irregular band along the 'side; whole posterior part of body, 
dorsal and caudal iins thickly covered with large, more or less stellate, black spots ; spots on anterior 
part of body and on head less numerous. Some examides with a yellowish shade on side ; others 
were very dark, the spots on the posterior half of the liody being very close-set. 
The trout caught in Salmon River and Alturas Creek agree with those from Fish Lake in the red 
throat and rosy sides, but are larger, deeper fish, and not so profusely spotted. Those caught in 
Beaver and Smiley creeks were all small, averaging only 44 to 5 inches in length. They were usually 
pretty well spotted, but showed no red on the throat and but little on side. These appear to he 
mature lish and are said to spawn in July — Mr. Parks thinks between July 15 and August 15, and that 
they will not bite well after September 1. 
In Meadow Creek and the sloughs along Salmon River young trout 14 to 24 inches long were very 
abundant. In Meadow Creek they were associated with young chinook salmou and young whitelish, 
hut along Salmon River they were aliout the only tish found. In Alturas Lake a few were found with 
the young redlish, whitelish, .and Chinooks, but we are not sure that we ever saw any troi^, young or 
adult, in the inlets to any of these lakes. From young salmon or redlish the young trout may most 
easily be known by its smaller anal fin, w'hich has onlj' 9 to 12 rays, while in the other species there 
are 13 to 16. 
17. Salmo gairdueri Richardson. Salmon Trout; Steelhead Trout. 
As shown in the former report, the s.almou trout is an im])ortaut fish in Idaho. The investiga- 
tions of 1895 added nothing to the information obtained in 1894 and given in that report. In order to 
study the spawning habits of this lish in the headwaters of Salmon River it will be necessary to be 
on the ground by the last of April and remain until some time in .luue. It is not improbable that some 
of the very small trout which we obtained rvere really the young of this species. I know of no 
certain way by which to distinguish the young of the steelhead from young Sahuo mi/ldss. 
18. Salvelinus malma ( Walbaum). Bull Trout; Dolly Vardeu Trout. 
The hull trout was seen by us in Salmou River and Alturas and Pettit lakes, inlets and outlets. 
It was not seen in Yellowbelly, Redfish, or Big Payette Lake, but it is said to occur in all those waters. 
Not until these investigations was the Dolly Varden or bull trout known to occur in the Snake River 
basin, and it is not yet known from any point above the Great Shoshone Falls. In Salmon River and 
Alturas Creek it seemed to bo quite common during .Inly and August, and could be readily taken on 
the hook with .almost any kind of bait. Salmon spawn tied up in pink mosiiuito bar, grasshoppers, 
and fish liver were excellent bait. It would sometimes take the ily and always proved a vigorous 
fighter. In these waters this species attains <a wmight of 3 or 4 pounds. Its spawning season is in 
August and September. 
This is the only fish, excepting young salmon, which we saw in Alturas Inlet with the spawning 
redfish. On September 8 a large male bull trout, 22 inches long .and weighing 3 pounds, ivas found in 
Alturas Inlet near the mouth. This was a spent fish and seemed in good condition except that the 
upper caudal lobe was gone, apparently bitten off by some animal. The sjiots ou sides w'ere very 
bright red, and the belly as high up as the pectorals rvas a bo.antiful rosy red; the anal, ventrals, and 
pectorals margined with white, that on the pectoral inclining to yellowish. 
