284 



FLY FISHING AND SPINNING 



therefore I consider a large number of salmon find their 

 way to the sea carrying the so-called " spawning marks " 

 on their scales, but which have not yet spawned, and who 

 will, if they survive, imbued with the strongest of all their 

 instincts that of the reproduction of their species 

 probably revisit their river in the following season. 



So-called " well-mended kelts " are found in a river after 

 the spawning season, yet we have no positive evidence as 

 to what these fish are, or what has really happened to them. 

 If they are late run fish which have spawned, or otherwise 

 passed their ova, their clean appearance will not of necessity 

 be due to recovery, but will most probably be due to the 

 fact that little decrepitation and little outward alteration 

 has taken place in the scales or to the fish through the 

 physiological changes of spawning during the short time they 

 have been in fresh water. Owing to the colder and healthier 

 conditions of river water in the winter months, a late run 

 fish would possibly show less signs of deterioration of 

 condition for each month of its stay in fresh water than a 

 salmon which had entered the river as a summer fish and 

 encountered the more relaxing and less healthy condition 

 of the river during the summer months. 



Many observers agree that it is difficult at times to 

 decide whether a fish has been in fresh water before or not. 

 The majority of the scales, however, which are produced as 

 evidence that a salmon has already spawned on more than 

 one occasion, show a very considerable deterioration, both 

 on the lateral and on the posterior sides of the scales. 



But in " The Life History and Habits of the Salmon," 

 Mr. Malloch says : 



" Many of the latter (late run fish) are so short a 

 time in fresh water before spawning and returning 

 to the sea, that very little damage occurs to the 

 scales. When they appear in the river again it is, 



