During the late 1800s, there were a handful of individuals that each spring would go to Eagle Lake to harvest wagon loads of that lake’s famed trout, to bring back to Susanville to sale.
Susanville resident Med Arnold (1885-1967) provided an unusual account. Med recalled an outing, either in 1895 or 1896, for their fishing expedition, they bypassed Eagle Lake and ventured to Pine Creek, near present day Bogard Rest Stop. It was in May and in several places they had to shovel through snow drifts. Med stated, “We found literally thousands of those fine, big Eagle Lake trout all over the meadow. We scooped them out of the water with pitch forks. It was estimated that we caught around 800 pounds of fish. Upon arriving home the next day, we stopped in front of Hi Skadan’s livery stable (607 Main Street) and gave them nearly all way—two or three per person.”
What has puzzled me about these accounts, how did they keep the fish from spoiling?
Stopped by the ice cave or covered them with snow.