150 THE WONDERFUL TROUT 



When midsummer is passed, and ' autumn 

 tints are glowing/ then may the sportsman- 

 angler expect to see a fresh run sea-trout in 

 all the vigour and perfect beauty of his scales. 

 But tell it not in sportsmen's ears who know 

 better, that fresh run sea-trout are found in 

 rivers in March and April, nor yet in May. 1 

 The descent of sea-trout takes place on 

 the west coast later by a few weeks. On 

 the east coast they descend well up to the 

 10th or 15th May, varying a little with the 

 seasons. We have seen them ' smashing ' all 

 over the pools within a few feet of our legs, 

 in company with salmon kelts, and even an 

 odd fresh run c fish/ and scores and scores of 

 brown trout, all feeding eagerly and hungrily 

 on March browns or early duns or red- 

 spinners, as the case may be. 



Returning to the subject of netting. Net- 

 ting off and destroying hundredweights, nay, 

 tons, of trout mature, average, and young 

 indiscriminately must be a too terrible 

 scourge upon any river. But if such opera- 

 tions were conducted under the eye of 



1 The heavy sea-trout which run in March and April 

 up certain west-coast rivers, are not early fish, but the 

 late fish of the previous year. 



