Rainbow Lake Surveyed - Rainbow Lake, Town of Brighton in Franklin County, was
sampled in the second week of June. Electroflshing efforts on the first survey night
captured largemouth bass, northern pike and yellow perch which were shipped overnight
to the USFWS Fish Health Center in Lamar, Pennsylvania as part of the National Wild
Fish Health study. This project is studying disease presence in fish stock, especially VHS
(Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia). Results won’t be known for approximately six months.
Sampling efforts then switched to variable mesh gill nets later in the week to assess a four
year walleye fingerling stocking effort. Multiple year classes of walleye were caught,
though the catch rate was modest at one walleye per net set. This rate was still much
better than similar netting effort done in the 1997 after walleye stocking efforts by the
Rainbow Lake Association. Scale aging will be necessary to determine if any of the
walleyes caught may have originated from natural reproduction. The size structure of the
yellow perch population appears to have greatly improved from 1997 when this species
dominated the fish community and were of small average size. Other species caught were
smallmouth bass, pumpkinseed, white sucker, golden shiner and rock bass.
Contact: R. Preall - 518 897-1341

Gill Netting Results:
Species # Caught Min (in) Max (in) Mean (in)
Northern Pike 30 5 21 13
Golden Shiner 13 1 6 3
White Sucker 69 8 22 17
Brown Bullhead 14 8 12 10
Rock Bass 22 4 10 7
Pumpkinseed 38 4 8 5
Smallmouth Bass 2 6 11 9
Largemouth Bass 18 8 16 13
Yellow Perch 178 4 12 7
Walleye 8 8 24 19
Total 392
Rainbow Lake, June 2009 - Electrofishing and netting catch
R. Preall * NYSDEC