TROUT FISHING IN CALIFORNIA 



DAVID STARR JORDAN 



I 



^^wT is good luck to any man," so izaak Walton tells us, "to be on 

 the good side of the man that knows fish." The true angler is not 

 the one who loves to fish, who catches fish, or catches many fish, or 

 many large fish; he is the man who loves fish well enough to know 

 one kind from another. The angler finds an interesting variety of 

 trout in the lakes and streams of California. Let us see if we can help to 

 distinguish them. 



The trout par excellence of California is the Rainbow, found in almost 

 every permanent brook. The name Rainbow is a translation of the Latin 

 name, Salmo iridia, given to the fish in 1854 by its discoverer. Dr. W. P. 

 Gibbons, who took his specimen from the San Leandro Creek, near Ala- 

 meda. This trout has larger scales than the others, 120 to 130 in a length- 

 wise row along the body. The dorsal fin is high and usually has 7 to 10 

 rows of black spots. There are no teeth on the middle line of the tongue. 

 The head is large, its length being contained 3^2 to 4 times in the length 

 of the body, measured along the side from the tip of the snout to the base 

 of the caudal fin. Brook specimens are usually most profusely spotted. 

 In the sea the spots are more or less obscured by the silvery sheen. In 

 the small streams the Rainbow is mature at a length of six inches; but in 

 the larger streams and estuaries it reaches a weight of from 6 to 1 8 pounds. 

 In beauty of color, in gracefulness of form and movement, in the reckless- 

 ness with which it springs from the water to meet the descending fly — ^the 

 Rainbow well deserves its reputation as the gamiest of the trout. It takes 

 the fly readily and also responds to the lure of a grasshopper or a salmon 

 egg. Its range extends from the far north southward to the San Luis Rey. 

 In the coastwise streams of California, south to Santa Barbara, Is found 

 a fine large trout known as the Steelhead. Its scientific name Is Salmo 

 rivularis. It was named by Dr. W. O. Ayres from a specimen taken in the 

 Sacramento at Martinez. It is sometimes called the salmon trout, and 

 this name is not inappropriate. The Steelhead is best distinguished from 

 the other trout by its short head, its length along the side being contained 

 4I/2 to 5 times in the length of the body. The scales of the Steelhead are 

 rather small, averaging about 150 in a lengthwise series from snout to tail. 

 The dorsal fin is low and has usually but 3 or 4 rows of dark spots. There 

 are no teeth on the base of the tongue, the usual series of teeth lying around 

 the outer edge. In salt water the Steelhead is silvery. In fresh water the 

 spots appear, and in the small streams it is almost as much spotted as 

 the Rainbow. It reaches a weight of from 6 to 20 pounds, rarely exceeding 

 the minimum limit in streams where it is resident. The Steelhead ranks 

 high as a game fish; takes the hook freely and vigorously, and responds to 

 the trolling spoon in the bays and estuaries. 



The most primitive of the American species of trout is the Cutthroat, 

 Salmo Clarki. It is found in coastwise streams of California down to the 

 Eel River. It was named for William Clark of Lewis and Clark fame. The 

 name Cutthroat arises from the half-hidden mark of deep scarlet like a gash 

 which is found just below the base of the lower jaw. This dash of red 

 is the sign manual of the Sioux Indian, the cutthroat among the fierce 

 aborigines. Other distinguishing marks of the Cutthroat are the rather long 

 head, forming about one fourth of the length of the body. Almost always 

 there is a narrow line of slender teeth along the middle line of the base of 

 the tongue, besides the larger teeth which surround the edge of the tongue 

 in all trout. The body is usually well spotted, and the spots are small. But 

 no one can know a trout by its spots. They are indeterminable, depending 

 upon the character of the water. In the lakes they grow faint; in the sea 

 they disappear. The best mark for the Cutthroat is the small scales, 150 

 to 180 in a row from head to tail. The Cutthroat is a hardy, vigorous fish. 



