AMERICAN TROUT-STREAM INSECTS 



figure on ten out of the last fifteen days of April 

 being cold and chilly, with heavy frost and snow 

 flurries. The first fifteen days of May the nights 

 are almost always frosty. In 1915 there was a 

 heavy frost as late as June 13th. 



Nos. 1 to 7 of the flies pictured on the colored 

 page for April were captured from the middle to 

 the last of the month when the water was very high 

 and cold from the melted snow, which was still visi- 

 ble in drifts on the north side of the mountains. 

 The season was abnormally late — two weeks at 

 least. Snow was falling at intervals, but it melted 

 as it fell. Consequently no creepers were visible 

 on the stones at the side of the stream or in the 

 water. Minnows, chub, and dace had not come up 

 into the shallows. What trout I captured in the 

 river were taken with worms; and they were all 

 native speckled trout and rainbows ; no brown trout 

 responded to the lures. Upon cutting open two 

 large fish there appeared a mass of black creepers, 

 some of which were quite large and not yet seen 

 at the riverside; showing conclusively that fish had 

 begun to feed on river-bed creepers, but not as yet 

 on surface flies. I could not possibly rise a fish on 

 any sort of fly ; the trout were ( for the time being) 

 absolutely quiet, lying in deep pools underneath 

 the rushing water, waiting for warm, sunny days 

 and higher temperature in the stream after the 

 snow-water should flow away. 



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