AMERICAN TROUT-STREAM INSECTS 



river for so early in the season was somewhat low. 

 The coy month enticed vegetation to spring forth, 

 and to the insects it proved a gay deceiver ; for dur- 

 ing the latter part such abnormal conditions pre- 

 vailed as to change its smiling appearance to frigid 

 February or to weeping and blustering March. 



New York's able and efficient State Fish Cultur- 

 ist, Dr. Tarleton Bean, had allotted the Beaverkill 

 the year previous a good stock of fry, part of which 

 were rainbows — now nearly two years old. I an- 

 ticipated good results; and every angler on the 

 stream was fully satisfied. 



I rarely catch a brown trout during the latter 

 half of April; and when I do, they are poor, thin, 

 ill-conditioned things. In the Catskill region the 

 brown trout begin heavy feeding about the middle 

 of May, and they soon regain their plumpness by 

 continuously eating, night and day. At this sea- 

 son they never stop eating, as they do in summer, 

 when they feed only at night from sundown. 



On the first of May I caught a nineteen-inch 

 trout on a big nightwalker during a sudden stream- 

 flood. It was so emaciated and thin as to weigh 

 but a pound and a half, whereas in fine condition 

 it would have been at least as heavy again. As I 

 would never eat such a skinny-looking thing, I put 

 it back in the stream, uninjured. With speckled 

 trout conditions are entirely different. They are 

 exceedingly active in play when captured, attacking 



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