Wagner—Fish Fauna of Lake Pepin. 35 
SF Micropterus dolomiep. Black Bass; Small-mouthed 
Black Bass. 
35. Micropterus salmoides. Black Bass; Large-mouthed 
Black Bass. 
Both these forms, contrary to general belief, are abundant 
in Lake Pepin, which seems to offer very favorable breeding 
grounds for them. Young specimens occur along the shore in 
such abundance as to be a nuisance in fishing with the minnow 
seine. Large specimens came in regularly in the big seine, 
and with the Baird seine as many as fifty were brought in at 
one haul. It is said that in former years they were caught in 
large numbers with the hook. This is no longer the case, a 
catch by hook and line being a rare occurrence. Those fishing 
for sport are inclined to ascribe this to the commercial seining 
operations, but with this opinion I am forced to differ. The 
shores of Lake Pepin are of such extent and character that 
seining operations can affect only a small part of them. Actual 
seining, during the two years I was present, was confined prac¬ 
tically to the outfit at Best Island. This seine was hauled 
over the best beach for this purpose on the lake, but a beach 
entirely too much exposed to the storm winds to be a suitable 
place for spawning grounds. What differences there may 
actually exist between the present and the past as to the readi¬ 
ness of bass in taking the hook must be ascribed to other causes. 
I am inclined to ascribe the present indifference of these 
fish to the line, to the abundance of live food available for 
them, a cause which I believe to operate similarly on other 
species in this and other lakes. This, together with the abun¬ 
dance of plankton, the primary source of fish food, probably 
also makes Lake Pepin so favorable a breeding ground for 
these and other fishes. 
Yor can the fact that game fish are seldom hooked in the 
lake be considered a calamity; much rather a blessing, from 
the sportsman’s point of view. About four or five miles below 
Wabasha, Minnesota, and about six or seven miles below Lake 
Pepin, among the numerous wing dams of the Mississippi 
Biver, is to be found some of the finest fishing in the United 
States, the catch being chiefly small-mouthed and large-mouthed 
