Harvest, Age Structure, and Growth of Game Fish Populations from Priest and Upper Priest Lakes

Priest and Upper Priest Lakes located in northern Idaho produced a catch of approximately 100,000 fish in 1956. The catch was composed of kokanee (93 percent), cutthroat trout (5 percent), and Dolly Varden and lake trout (2 percent). Three out of four fishermen were nonresidents, and a third of the hours fished were expended by anglers from more than 600 private cabins. The average rate of catch for kokanee was 2.5 fish per boat per hour on Priest Lake and 0.9 on Upper Priest Lake; for cutthroat trout it was 1.0 fish per boat per hour on the upper lake and 0.7 on Priest Lake. Juvenile cutthroat trout were found to spend 2 to 3 years in tributary streams before entering the lakes. The catch and spawning escapements of kokanee from Priest Lake during 1955 and 1956 were composed chiefly of fish in their fifth year of life.