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43 <br />a shallow sand bar where the depth was about 4 ft (1.3 m). The squawfish <br />captured on May 29, 1979 (Tag #USUBMI00207 was found in a shallow (13 in <br />[33 cm]) flooded backwater mud flat area having no measureable flow. This <br />area was completely dry two weeks later when the river had dropped ti3 ft (.9 m) <br />indicating it was available to fish only during the peak of the spring runoff. <br />The total width of the river was 250 ft (76 m) with the flooded area occupying <br />80 ft (24 m). Occasional debris was found scattered throughout the area <br />and no aquatic plants were present. The bottom substrate consisted of <br />sand (60%), silt (20%), muck (10%) and organic debris (10%). The other <br />squawfish captured in 1979 (Tag #USUBMIO0206) was found at station 13 (the <br />White Site) in some slack water behind a large rock located in a small side <br />channel, approximately 35 ft (11 m) wide. The depth of the side channel was <br />between 50 and 60 in (1.4 m) except for a 2 ft (.6 m) ledge next to the shore <br />which was 40 in (102 cm) deep. The fish was captured in the vicinity of this <br />ledge, where the water velocity varied between .6-1 ft/sec (.18-.30 m/sec). <br />The ledge bottom substrate was silt with the rest of the channel composed of <br />bedrock. No vegetation was present in the channel and only a few grasses <br />were growing on the banks. Anchor worms were found on the dorsal, caudal and <br />pectoral fins of the fish although it otherwise appeared vigorous and healthy. <br />Water quality data for the areas where these two fish were captured are given <br />in Table 5. <br />Young-of-the-year squawfish are found in shallow backwaters where there <br />is little current and a silt bottom (Holden, 1977). Juvenile squawfish are <br />also found in backwater areas in the deeper sections (Vanicek, 1967; Holden, <br />1977). Although this type of habitat was extensively sampled throughout this <br />study, no young squawfish were found.