190 BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



(17.7 inches), while 71 females longer than this were secured. The average mean 

 length of the females exceeded that of the males by 6 centimeters (2.3 inches). The 

 number of females obtained from the sexed 567 fish was 389, a ratio of two females to 

 one male. Many matured fish were under the minimum legal size limit of 12 inches. 



Results obtained from the study of the age of the spotted trout would indicate 

 that maturity is attained and spawning occurs for the first time at the end of the second 

 year of life, although it is probable that many fish do not mature and spawn until 

 the end of their third year. 



The approximate number of eggs in two nearly ripe trout 48 and 62 centimeters 

 in length (18.9 and 24.4 inches) was 427,819 for the smaller fish and 1,118,000 for 

 the larger one. 



Length of fish, in inches (62 centimeters) 24. 4 



Total weight of eggs, in grams 238 



Total weight of 141 unselected eggs, in milligrams 30 



Number of eggs in 1 gram 4, 700 



Number of eggs in total of 238 grams 1, 118,000 



Length of fish, in inches (48 centimeters) 18. 9 



Total weight of eggs, in grams 87. 3 



Total weight of 141 unselected eggs, in milligrams 29 



Number of eggs in 1 gram 4, 900 



Number of eggs in total of 87.3 grams 427, 819 



Figure 32 presents the relation of weight to length in 154 trout. The fish gener- 

 ally reach maturity before a weight of 1 pound is attained. A weight of about 3 

 pounds is reached by the end of 7 or 8 years. 



SEASONAL DISTRIBUTION AND MOVEMENTS 



The spotted trout may be taken throughout the year in nearly all of the bays and 

 lagoons along the Texas coast, as well as along the Gulf beaches in proximity to the 

 passes. The species prefers the less turbid, grassy-bottomed areas, and large fish 

 are secured rarely in such muddy waters as Oso and Nueces Bays. Quiet, shallow 

 lagoons and coves, possessing a heavy grass bottom, are the favorite localities for 

 the young trout; while the adult fish generally remain in deeper water, although 

 frequently they come close inshore to feed and possibly to spawn. The young, being 

 spawned within the bays, seldom seek the waters of the Gulf of Mexico until maturity 

 is reached, at about 25 centimeters (9.8 inches), although many adults linger around 

 the entrances to the passes at all times of the year. On the arrival of cold weather 

 most of the trout move off into the deeper waters of the bays or the Gulf. Deep 

 holes or channels that are fished during freezing weather are found to be filled with 

 fish. An example of the movement of trout into deep water during cold waves was 

 afforded during the winter of 1926-27, when a newly completed ship channel near 

 Corpus Christi, at the/ mouth of the extremely shallow Nueces Bay, became crowded 

 with fish during each cold period. Anglers who fished around the edges of this channel 

 secured heavy catches of trout during the cold weather, but when warm days arrived 

 the fish would scatter over the shallow waters and the fishermen's catches would de- 

 crease. Many trout are said to die when caught unawares in shallow lagoons during 

 sudden cold weather, so sensitive are they to the cold. 



