The Warmwater Fish Community of American Lake, Pierce County Fall 2002

American Lake was surveyed in the fall of 2002 by a three-person team using multiple gear types: electrofishing, gill netting, and fyke netting. Ten taxa of fish (nine species and one family) were represented: rock bass (Ambloplites rupestris), kokanee (Oncorhynchus nerka), yellow perch (Perca flavescens), rainbow trout (O. mykiss), smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu), cutthroat trout (O. clarki), pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus), sculpin (Cottidae), largemouth bass (M. salmoides), and brown bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus). The sample was numerically dominated by yellow perch and a stunted rock bass population, with the latter representing nearly half the lake biomass. Quality fishing opportunities exist for hatchery planted kokanee and rainbow trout, and for naturally reproducing yellow perch. Both largemouth and smallmouth bass were present in numbers too low to provide a quality fishery. It is hoped that changes to the black bass harvest regulations instituted in 2002 will improve this fishery. However, given the popularity and quality of the kokanee, rainbow trout, cutthroat trout, and yellow perch fisheries, the prudent management course would be to maintain the status quo and continue monitoring the warmwater community for changes.vels. Managers should encourage anglers to target and retain more largemouth bass in order to help control this population.