FISH AND FISHING. 249 



there a trout to be found in any stream, however pure, 

 whose waters lower down pass through the great tertiary 

 beds called the ' Bad Lands.' 



The ' speckled ' or brook trout of the west, though 

 not the same fish, is very like his brother of the Eastern 

 States so like, indeed, that many sportsmen insist that 

 they are identical. The western fish grows to much 

 greater size ; the spots are not so brilliant ; and the back 

 and sides, just in front of the tail, are covered with small, 

 short, black marks, or 'hatchings,' as if made with the point 

 of a pen. It takes the fly well, but not so greedily as 

 the eastern fish. The reason is, that they are from early 

 spring gorged with food in the myriads of young grass- 

 hoppers which fall into the stream before getting their 

 wings. I have seen the whole bottom of a small stream 

 literally covered with grasshoppers for miles. Later in 

 the season this supply becomes less plentiful, and the fish 

 bite better. On an August morning, before breakfast, I 

 once took from some beaver dams on the ' heads of the 

 Muddy ' 116 trout from four ounces to half a pound in 

 weight. I used three 'flies,' and several times took three 

 fish at a single cast. 



The best months for trout fishing on the first plain, 

 or in the Rocky Mountains, are August and September, 

 though good sport can be had in July and October. In 

 every section of country the 'gamest' fish found is almost 

 invariably trout. Thus, in some portions of the Southern 

 States the ' trout ' is a black perch. In Texas and in the 

 Indian territory, as far north as the Canadian, the 'trout' 

 is a magnificent bass, very like the striped sea bass in 

 appearance. His usual maximum weight is from three 

 to six pounds ; although I have taken a ten-pounder from 

 the Medina Eiver of Texas, and have seen a glorious 

 fellow which weighed thirteen pounds taken from the 

 Guadalupe Eiver. 



They are very game, and the smaller take a gaudy 

 ' fly ' readily. The ' big fellows ' can only be seduced by 



