Elk Lake, Antrim and Grand Traverse counties T. 28, 29 N., R. 8, 9 W., Sec. many. Lake surveys. began at 40 feet

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1 Elk Lake, Antrim and Grand Traverse counties T. 28, 29 N., R. 8, 9 W., Sec. many Physical and chemical data surveyed August 1931 Temperature ( F) Secchi disk (feet) 9. 6 Surface 74 Bottom 45 PH 8.0 Thermocline Lake surveys began at 40 feet Surveyed August 1956 Area (acres) 7, 930 Temperature ( F) Surface Depth (feet) Bottom Maximum Mean Percent shoal <15 feet deep 15 Thermocline Surface Alkalinity (ppm) Oxygen (ppm) Secchi disk (feet) Surface Bottom Vegetation sparse Bottom type Shoal Depths began at 39 feet sand, gravel, rubble marl, organic Tributaries, dams and watershed drainage Main inlets: Round Lake, Battle and Williamsburg creeks. Main outlets: Elk River into Grand Traverse Bay. Dams: On Elk River constructed in 1891; another constructed in 1915 about 2 miles from lake; controls lake level. Watershed drainage (acres): 254,470

2 Fish collections Survey in July 1891: reported presence of trout sp. (?), burbot, herring, rock bass, northern pike, yellow perch, whitefish and white sucker. Survey in 1923: reported presence of lake trout, yellow perch, rock bass, and smallmouth bass. July, August 193 Number of fish collected August 1956^ Sept., Oct $/ Yellow perch Rock bass Pumpkinseed 2 Bluegill 3 Longear sunfish 46 Smallmouth bass 9 Largemouth bass- 1 Northern pike 11 8 Muskellunge 1 3 Burbot 1 7 Catfish 1 Total Lake trout 3 Rainbow trout 17 Brown trout 1 Splake 70 Whitefish Cisco Total White sucker Bullhead 63 7 * Longnose gar 1 Total (continued, next page)

3 Fish collections, continued Number of fish collected July, August August Sept., Oct. 193 lo 1956^ 197 Sand shiner Common shiner Blacknose shiner 1 3 Rosyface shiner 4 2 Bluntnose minnow Creek chub Longnose dace 33 Redbelly dace... 2 Johnny darter Iowa darter 13 3 Logperch Mudminnow 1 1 Sculpin 2 Total 1, Grand total 2, 213 1, ^Collected with gill net, trap net and seine. ^ Collected with gill net, seine and hook and line. ^ Collected with gill net. Catch per unit effort Catch per 1000 feet of gill net August August Sept.,( Dc ^ 197] e Yellow perch Rock bass Smallmouth bass m m Northern pike Muskellunge Burbot «< White sucker Cisco Rainbow trout <0. 1. Brown trout «0. 1 Lake trout Splake 8. 8 White sucker ^ Total of 1, 420 feet of experimental gill net set. ^ Total of 13, 250 feet of experimental gill net set. <ytotal of 8, 000 feet of gill net set.

4 Catch per unit effort -4 Catch per Catch per Catch per 100 feet trap acre of shore line with net seine seine August August August x3/ Yellow perch <0. 1 a a a 1.4 Rock bass Bluegill a a a 0. 7 Longear sunfish a a a a 9.4 Pumpkins eed... a a a Smallmouth bass Large mouth bass a a a Northern pike 0. 2 a a m m m Muskellunge a a a 0.4 a a a a White sucker Bullhead 0. 2 a a a 1.6 Longnose gar a a a 0. 2 Sand shiner Common shiner Rosyface shiner Blacknose shiner Bluntnose minnow Longnose dace 7.8 a a a Creek chub a a a a 0. 2 Redbelly dace a a a a 0. 5 Johnny darter Iowa darter Logperch Mudminnow Sculpin... a a 0. 5 ^ Total of 12 trap net days. ^ Total of 2.43 acres seined. ^ Total of 425 feet of shoreline seined.

5 Age and growth i Mean growth rate index for collections on different dates; number of scale samples in parentheses; age groups represented given in Roman numerals 4 August 1956 Sept, Oct 1971 Yellow perch (136) (13) IV-VII, IX III Rock bass (42) (13) III-VI III, VII Smallmouth bass 0.0 (5) - II Northern pike +1.3 (5) III Cisco (22) (58) I, III V-IX t Deviation in inches from statewide growth rate averages; only age groups with at least five samples are included. Date Age and growth of whitefish and splake Number of fish Age group Mean length (inches) Sept, Oct Splake 17 I II III IV 19.8 Whitefish 17 II III IV V VI VII 21.3

6 Census of angling General creel census Date Number of anglers Total hours fished Number of fish caught Catch per hour « ^ , ^ Years of 1930, 1932, 1933, 1935, and 1936 not included. W ^ Year of 1949 not included. & Years of 1953 and 1954 not included. composition of catch from general creel census species Percent of total catch ' Yellow perch Rock bass Pumpkinseed ,., Bluegill Smallmouth bass Muskellunge # 0. 4 Northern pike Lake trout Rainbow trout a a Whitefish Others 2. 0 ^ 0. 8 v' 0. 8 ^ ^ Includes largemouth bass, cisco and bullhead. i> v Largemouth bass. ^ va, Brook trout. White sucker. Includes brown trout and carp.

7 Estimated angler effort, from mail survey (includes Skegemog Lake) Year Number of angler days , , 770 Estimated angler catch, from mail survey in 1970 (includes Skegemog Lake) Estimated catch Catch per angler day Yellow perch 11, Bass Northern pike Suckers 1, Shanty counts by airplane Date Number 2/15/ /19/ /11/ /18/ /20/61 97 Muskellunge harvest Harvest by spearing from questionnaire survey 1953: Estimated 16 muskellunge 1954: Estimated 24 muskellunge 1954: Estimated 163 hours required to spear one muskellunge

8 Records of fish management Introductions and stocking Fish stocked: Dates«J/ Size Number Yellow perch fry, fingerling 2, 106, finger ling 6, 871,000 Smallmouth bass adults - 5,858 Largemouth bass 1909 fingerling 4,000 Walleye fry 875, fry 2,515,000 Lake trout fry 553, fry, fingerling 226, fingerling 155, sublegal, legal 88,704 Rainbow trout 1938 adult fingerling 30, fingerling 211, yearlings 33, fingerling 52, yearlings 75,024 Steelhead 1972 yearlings 10,012 Splake 1966 fingerling 80, yearling 155,897 ^Plantings not necessarily continuous between dates given. Brush shelters Two hundred seventeen shelters installed One hundred shelters installed One hundred shelters installed Fifty shelters installed Fifty shelters installed. About 1959: Fifteen old car bodies were put in 26 feet of water. 1963: Car bodies were checked by diving. Rock bass, smallmouth bass and white suckers were using the shelters. Recommendations from observations: Car bodies should be lowered in an upright position, windows, doors, hoods, and trunks should be open. Car bodies with everything closed were used very little by fish.

9 Information sources, reports, etc. I.F.R. reports: Number 97 Hubbs, C. L. Report on the setting of commercial nets in Elk Lake, August 12 to 23, Eschmeyer, R. W. January 22, Elk Lake Eschmeyer, P. H. May 28, A list of the lakes in Michigan for which the installation of brush shelters has been recommended Williams, J. E. September 21, Creel census and life history observations concerning muskellunge in Michigan inland waters Taube, C. M. January 13, Analysis of fish catches made with suspended and bottom sets of gill nets in deep lakes Eschmeyer, P. H. December 1, Great Lakes fishery research by the Michigan Department of Conservation Eschmeyer, P. H. February 17, Great Lakes fishery research by the Michigan Department of Conservation 1960.