1912 AND FISHERIES COMMISSION. 107 



fish, however, has been fixed from November 1-30, so that in many 

 localities the fish is afforded no protection whatsoever during the period 

 of reproduction. Whatever may be the merits of the contention, a« 

 applied to the commercial fisheries of the great lakes, that the fish is of 

 such a hardy and rapacious nature that it is well able to look after 

 itself even under such conditions, this would obviouKly not apply in the 

 case of smaller bodies of water where the numbers of the fish are com- 

 paratively few, and in consequence, in those lesser lakes in which the 

 lake trout affords sport to residents or visitors some measures should 

 at once be taken to protect the fish at the local time of spawning against 

 both netting and angling. The fish spawns in water from 10 to 100 feet 

 deep, the eggs being deposited on the reefs of honeycombed and similar 

 rocks. The flesh of the lake trout is highly esteemed for food purposes, 

 and it ranks very high amongst the t^ble fishes of the Province. 



As a sporting fish the lake trout is esteemed by many, and it is to be 

 noted that in certain of the lakes of the eastern portions of the Province, 

 such, for instance, as some of those in the Rideau Lake system, Hali- 

 burton and adjacent counties, it is claimed that the local variety 

 excels in fighting qualities. Should this be established beyond dispute, 

 it would plainly be possible, under a system of adequate hatcheries, to 

 pay especial attention to these particular breeds and experiment in the 

 direction of introducing them into other waters. The depth at which 

 the fi^h is most commonly to be found during the angling season neces- 

 sitates the use of a heavy copper line or else very heavy sinkers, while 

 the bait used is some form of spinner or spoon. As a general rule the 

 slower the trolling the better will be the results, provided only that 

 the bait continues spinning, but even in the best waters success is a 

 matter of considerable hazard. The early morning, late afternoon and 

 evening would appear in general to afford the best opportunities. The 

 fish when hooked offers considerable resistance, making several rushes 

 and using its weight to the fullest advantage, so that, in the case of large 

 trout, the struggle is often prolonged. The weight of the sinkers or of 

 the copper line, as the case may be, naturally militates against the 

 liveliness of its resistance, and by many anglers the fish is, in conse- 

 quence, dubbed sluggish. Where, however, in fairly shallow waters an 

 ordinary' line and heavy trolling spoon will attain a sufficient depth 

 once hooked it will display such vigour and persistence as will satisfy 

 the most exacting angler. In any case there are always to be found a 

 great many people who are intensely desirous of capturing a large fish, 

 and to these, in spite of the uncertainty of the fishing, and in spite of 

 a possible deiidness in the struggle, the lake trout will always remain a 

 most attractive game fish. 



Yellow Pickerel. 



The yellow pickerel or pickerel possesses the distinction of laying 

 claim to three other names which are in common use, namely wall-eyed 



