154 FEW INTERMEDIATE-SIZED TROUT. 



every-day occurrence ; and we often took them still heavier. 

 I myself, indeed, captured with the rod alone several of at 

 least thirty pounds each. 



It was remarkable that though during spring and autumn 

 we took great numbers of small as well as heavy trout, few were 

 met with of an intermediate size. This was more especially 

 the case during the autumn. Our trout at that time weighed 

 either from one to three pounds, or from ten to thirty pounds. 

 I, therefore, came to the conclusion, that a large portion of 

 those bred with us in the Gotha, either remained in the 

 Wenern until well grown, or that they proceeded up its 

 tributary streams in the north ; and this idea was strength- 

 ened by the fact that ten to twenty thousand trout (called 

 Lax, or salmon), are annually captured at a fishery on the 

 Clara River, in Wermeland, averaging about six to seven 

 pounds each the sized fish of which we saw so few in 

 the Gotha. 



It was observable that the larger and the smaller trout 

 associated very little. Unless we more especially sought 

 out the lesser in the shallower rapids, we might often, when 

 trying for the larger fish, work for a whole day without 

 taking a single one. 



The fly succeeded well with the smaller trout, but not 

 so well with the larger ; partly, no doubt, owing to the depth 

 at which the latter usually lie preventing them from seeing 

 it ; but as they took bait pretty freely, I, of course, gave the 

 preference to spinning. Bait had besides this advantage, 

 that, independently of trout, one was pretty sure to make a 

 basket, with pike or other fish, which would not have been 

 the case with the fly. 



In some few of the pools and rapids about Ronnum, one 



