164 



Sea -Trout 



caught in our nets on the Tay for the last eight years. The average 



number in February is 20 ; in March, 

 300 ; in April, 400 ; in May they quickly 

 increase in numbers, and continue to do so 

 till the middle of July, when few come up. 

 They are then caught mostly in the lower 

 reaches of the tidal part of the river. 

 Most of these are large and much inferior 

 in quality to the earlier ones. 



Strange to say, on the 5th February of 

 this year (1908) we caught more sea-trout 

 at one station Almond Mouth in one 



FIG. 163. ii oz. 2 ;th April 1907. day tnan we had caught in a month in 



some other seasons. Since then they have greatly increased, and we 

 are now (24th April 1908) get- 

 ting from 100 to 120 daily, all 

 in perfect condition, averag- 

 ing about i^ Ibs. in weight. 

 None of these have spawned, al- 

 though all will spawn this season. 

 These sea-trout are now a little 

 over three years of age, and are 

 on their second return from the 

 sea. Now the grilse of the sal- 

 mon have not yet returned once 

 to the fresh water, nor will they do 

 so until the middle of May or the 

 beginning of June. Nodoubtthe 

 mild autumn and spring had some- 

 thing to do with the running of 

 these sea-trout so early, and with 

 their being in such fine condition. 

 All these sea-trout will hasten on to the higher reaches and will go as far 

 as the water will allow them. The age of these sea-trout can be ascer- 



FIG. 164. i Ib. Caught at sea, 3ist July 1907. 



