by trees on the east and south sides, it seems likely that north and northwest winds may 
occasionally cause complete circulation of the water, 
At the time the lake was poisoned (June 7) objects were visible at depths of only 
5 or 6 inches beneath the surface, About a week later the lake had cleared until 
Objects could be seen at depths of about 3 feet. However, on August 10 the water was 
again turbid and gave a Secchi disc reading of 13 inches, This increase in turbidity 
was due, for the most part, to the activity of an enormous tadpole population, which 
survived the poisoning, During the two months following the poisoning these tadpoles 
had grown to wusually large sizes and roiled the lake by their repeated trips to the 
surface for air, Their numbers were in the thousands, perhaps even tens of thousands, 
and their total weight must have been several hundred pounds, By the end of September ~ 
most of these tadpoles had metamorphosed into frogs and left the pond, Large numbers 
of young frogs were noticed below the spillway, hopping down the ravine toward Finley 
Creek and Lake Decatur, Tadpoles remaining in the pond were less active, and again the 
water became clear, Objects were visible in several feet of water early in November, 
1938, 
Although no chemical analyses of the water are available, it seems likely that 
droppings from the large numbers of ducks visiting the lake have materially increased 
the fertility of its water, 
RESTOCKING WITH LARGEMOUTH BLACK BASS AND BLUEGILLS 
Restocking of Fork Lake was begun as soon as the census was completed, four days 
after the poisoning, Between June 11 and 18, 270 adult bluegills between 5 and 7 inches 
long were brought from Homewood Fishing Club Lake at Decatur, Many of these bluegills 
were almost ready to spawn when they were planted. On June 22, 27 bluegill nests were 
counted along the north side of Fork Lake, 12 on the south side and 3 at the east end. 
A few newly—hatched fry were seen along the shore at this time, The bluegills continued 
to spawn throughout the summer, AS a result, the 1938 broods of bluegills vary widely 
in size, On September 15 some were 3-3/4 inches long, while others were less than 
3/4 inch, 
On June 23, largemouth bass fry, estimated to be two or three weeks old, were 
seined from Homewood Lake and 1,440 of them were put into Fork Lake, They were counted, 
a dozen or two at a time, in a shallow white pan and examined to make sure no other 
kinds were present, These fry were of uniform size, averaging about 7/8 inch total 
length, 
In Fork Lake they have grown at a rate which must be near the maximum for this 
latitude, Several times during the summer, samples of them were collected with a minnow 
seine and preserved, Their average lengths are shown in table 8, On August 25 one or 
two fish slightly over 6 inches in length were taken by Mr. Smith on a fly rod, The 
largest bass taken September 15 was 7,4 inches, On September 17, Mr, Smith took on a 
fly one that was 8,2 inches and another on September 24 a trifle over 9 inches, 
TABLE 8,—-GROWTH OF LARGEMOUTH BLACK BASS 
Average Average 
Number Standard Total 
Measured Length 
* Taken on fly rod, measured and returned to water, 
12 
