64 The Complete Angler 



with the Trout; for after he is come to his full 

 growth, he declines in his body, and keeps his 

 bigness, or thrives only in his head till his death. 

 And you are to know, that he will, about, especi- 

 ally before, the time of his spawning, get, almost 

 miraculously, through weirs and flood-gates, against 

 the stream ; even through such high and swift 

 places as is almost incredible. Next, that the 

 Trout usually spawns about October or November, 

 but in some rivers a little sooner or later ; which is 

 the more observable, because most other fish spawn 

 in the spring or summer, when the sun hath warmed 

 both the earth and water, and made it fit for 

 generation. And you are to note, that he continues 

 many months out of season ; for it may be observed 

 of the Trout, that he is like the Buck or the Ox, 

 that will not be fat in many months, though he go 

 in the very same pastures that horses do, which will 

 be fat in one month: and so you may observe; 

 That most other fishes recover strength, and grow 

 sooner fat and in season than the Trout doth. 



And next you are to note, That till the sun gets 

 to such a height as to warm the earth and the water, 

 the Trout is sick, and lean, and lousy, and unwhole- 

 some ; for you shall, in winter, find him to have a 

 big head, and, then, to be lank and thin and lean ; 

 at which time many of them have sticking on them 

 Sugs, or Trout-lice ; which is a kind of a worm, in 

 shape like a clove, or pin with a big head, and sticks 

 close to him, and sucks his moisture ; those, I think, 

 the Trout breeds himself: and never thrives till he 

 free himself from them, which is when warm 

 weather comes ; and, then, as he grows stronger, he 

 gets from the dead still water into the sharp streams 

 and the gravel, and, there, rubs off these worms or 

 lice ; and then, as he grows stronger, so he gets him 

 into swifter and swifter streams, and there lies at 



