Trout

a name applied to a large number of fish belonging to the salmon family. The trout is related, therefore, to the salmon, whitefish, shad, herring, menhaden, tarpon, and tunny. The trout of North America are classified in five groups,-the mountain trout, the rainbow trout, the steel-head trout, the lake trout, and the brook trout.

The species known as the mountain trout is the principal fish of the Rocky Mountain region. Although occupying elevated lakes, it is a large fish attaining a length of three feet and a weight of thirty pounds. It is to be found in every lake and stream of importance in the Rocky Mountain region from New Mexico far northward into Canada. In the northern part of its range it extends westward to the Pacific coast, where it is found in salt waters. Those taken in the sea are of a silvery color. The farther inland, the darker the fish. Those in the interior of the Rocky Mountains are almost black. Grouped with the mountain trout are thirteen other species. The more important are the Yellowstone, the Silver, the Lake Tahoe, the Truckee, the Utah, and Jordan's trout.

The rainbow trout is considered the most beautiful fish in American waters. A large specimen is from fifteen to eighteen inches in length. The back is spotted like the Eastern trout. The sides are striped with the colors of the rainbow. It varies in weight from half a pound to possibly five or six pounds. Like other members of the family, it is a spirited, fighting fish, quite likely to play havoc with tackle. In range it is confined to the small streams of California. In addition to the rainbow trout proper, there are five other species, known as the western Oregon brook trout, the McCloud River rainbow trout, the Kern River trout, the golden trout of Mt. Whitney, and Stone's trout, all Pacific coast species.

The steel-head trout group includes the steel-head proper, the speckled steel-head, the Kamloops, and the blue-back trout. The fishes of this group belong to the bays and streams of the Pacific coast. They are taken like salmon and are canned for the market.

The largest of American trout is the lake trout. It is known sometimes as the Great Lake trout or Mackinaw trout. This species is found in the cold lakes and waters of America from New Brunswick and Maine westward to Vancouver Island and northward as far as Hudson Bay and Alaska. It is a dark fish varying in color from gray to black. The entire body of the fish, including the upper fins, is spotted. The ordinary weight is about fifteen pounds, though specimens have been taken weighing as high as 125 pounds. As compared with other fish, the female does not produce a large number of eggs; 5,000 or 6,000 is considered the usual number. The spawning season of the lake trout extends from September to December. The spawning grounds are reefs of rock from 6 to 100 feet beneath the surface. The lake trout is one of the important food fishes. In 1899 American fishermen supplied the market with 10,611,588 pounds of lake trout, taken chiefly in the Great Lakes. In the same year the United States bureau of fisheries distributed 337,838,000 young fish and eggs.

The trout fishery of Lake Superior is organized systematically. Long nets, joined end to end, until they are three to four miles in length, are set near the center of the lake at a depth as great as 500 feet. An organized party of fishermen sets five such strings or gangs of nets, marking their place, of course, by buoys. Each day, one gang of nets is elevated by steam power. The net passes over a drum and is paid out behind the boat. The fishermen take the fish out of the net as it rises from the sea. Each gang is left in the water five days without examination.

The trout of literature is the brook trout. The brook trout on the two sides of the Atlantic differ little in appearance. They like cool, clear, running water, containing springs, and at least pools that are not frozen over during the winter. The sides of this trout are marked with from fifteen to twenty crimson and black spots. The back and dorsal fins are marbled beautifully. The lower fins are of a bright crimson, edged with white. The back is of an olive color; the lower side, pink; the belly is of silver white.

In America the brook trout is found from the mountains of Virginia to the Arctic Circle. It varies in weight from a few ounces to a limit of eleven pounds. When the brook trout is ready to spawn she seeks a sandy shallow and whips the gravel aside with her tail fins until a smooth hole or nest two or three inches deep is formed. Here she deposits her eggs, usually late in November. The brook trout is one of the most beautiful, agile game fishes in the water. It is to be sought in the most shady, picturesque glens. It rises to a fly. It is taken usually by casting. All in all, it is the favorite fish with anglers. The United States fish bureau is doing all that can be done to prevent the extermination of the brook trout.

See Salmon; Fisheries