SEA TROUT FISHING 179 



for angling purposes. As a kelt it takes a fly 

 well enough in the spring. Salmo trutta, the salmon 

 trout, is, I believe, the best sporting fish for its 

 size in the world. There seem tc me to be two 

 distinct classes of salmo trutta. There is the 

 mature fish, which ranges in weight from one 

 pound up to five pounds as a rule, and may 

 grow exceptionally to much larger weights; and 

 there is a smaller fish, which enters the rivers 

 rather later in vast quantities. This latter 

 ranges in weight from four ounces to any size 

 up to one pound. It goes by various names on 

 different rivers, but is commonly supposed to 

 be the grilse of salmo trutta, and both in its ap- 

 pearance and in its rash unwary nature, it has all 

 the characteristics of being a young fish, which 

 is mature neither in mind nor body. In most 

 rivers, however, these fish of the smaller class 

 seem to outnumber the mature sea trout of all 

 ages, which is not the case, taking all the season 

 through, as between grilse and salmon. 



Sometimes I think that sea trout fishing is 

 the best of all sport. It combines all the wild- 

 ness of salmon fishing, with the independence of 

 trout fishing, and one may have all the excitement 



