TROUT FLY-FISHING IN AMERICA 



place, often travel from place to place in "schools" and 

 in lakes and large streams there will be seen not infre- 

 quently a "school" of nothing but male trout and another 

 "school" of nothing but female trout. But this separating 

 of the males and females I have never observed except at 

 this particular period. 



Remarks About Trout Food: 



While it is true that the food of trout is responsible 

 for the different pigment colors developed, it does not 

 follow that trout feeding exclusively on worms and min- 

 nows when confined in water having a light bottom will 

 be dark in color. Neither will trout that feed solely on 

 shrimp when confined in water having a dark bottom be 

 bright in color. But the food eaten in each case will affect 

 the degree of coloration; that is, the different foods will 

 tend to, and in most cases do, prevent the full effective- 

 ness of the water bottom upon coloration. 



The Effect of Different Water Bottoms: 



The effect of the water bottom upon the coloration of 

 trout under usual and ordinary conditions is most marked 

 and rapid. During the entire open or fishing season, ex- 

 cept the early part in the spring, changes in the coloration 

 take place in a few hours, and under most conditions com- 

 pletely so within twenty to thirty hours. 



Experiments have been made to ascertain the effect of 

 the water bottom upon the coloration of trout and also for 



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