MATURITY 153 



many rivers, except during a flood or a half spate, night-time is the only- 

 time when sea-trout can be caught, or at least it is the only time when a 

 good basket can be obtained. Even in a loch this preference of the 

 sea-trout for deep dark water is observable, for, while salmon may be 

 caught in a foot or two of water close to shore and trout on every 

 shallow, sea-trout, in such lochs as the conditions will allow of their 

 doing so, will remain outside in the deeper water, and will only rise 

 freely in depths of from eight to fifteen feet or so, unless in the later 

 part of the season as the spawning time approaches. When the bottom 

 is just lost sight of in a loch is usually the best fishing depth for sea- 

 trout, while " between the shallow and the deep " is usually the best 

 fishing depth for salmon and trout. 



With every recurring spate the sea-trout move higher and higher 

 upstream, and by the time the spawning period is reached many will 

 be on the redds, or in the main stream in close proximity to the small 

 tributaries in which the females prefer to deposit their ova. 



In Scottish waters the sea-trout spawns on the whole earlier than 

 the salmon does, the difference in time roughly amounting to one 

 month. The sea-trout in this respect (supporting Mr. Regan's theories) 

 approximates more closely to the trout. These seek the redds no 

 doubt rather earlier than the sea-trout, but in many localities suitable 

 weather and water conditions will find both kinds occupying the redds 

 at the same time. When this occurs the sea-trout, being the stronger 

 fish, ousts the trout from the more favourable positions on the redds. 

 This is another of those serious handicaps already referred to which 

 the trout has to accept in its struggle for existence with the sea-trout, 

 but I shall show later, when discussing the actual process of spawning, 

 that the trout suffers an even more vital handicap. 



The actual months over which the spawning period of trout, sea- 

 trout and salmon extends in Scotland are September, October, 

 November, December and January, of which September, October and 



