330 SEA-TROUT FISHING. 



thing but the fly. But upon this occasion I had tried it 

 all day futilely, and unquestionably the salmon were feed- 

 ing on some small fry, as I saw them ' fly ' again and 

 again. 



While on this subject I may also say that I have, seen 

 salmon feed greedily on the little eels which during ' eel 

 fare ' run up rivers. These facts, combined with their 

 taking both worms and minnow, when they can get them, 

 quite assure roe that the notion that salmon do not feed 

 when in fresh water, which so generally prevails, is ex- 

 tremely incorrect. Salmon do not perhaps feed very 

 voraciously, because in salmon rivers, as a general rule, 

 food and particularly in the heavy waters salmon in- 

 habit is not very abundant, and the salmon is not given 

 to roaming about far from home in search of food ; but I 

 very much question if anything passes his lair within eye- 

 shot, which is at all worth his notice, that he does not 

 take stock or toll of. 



The spoon is also a capital artificial lure for salmon, 

 and, in trolling upon lakes, is often employed with great 

 success. Perhaps the best artificial bait of all is the 

 phantom minnow of moderate size. I have found the 

 yellowish ones answer best, but possibly the others are 

 quite as good in some waters. 



SEA-TROUT FISHING. 



Sea-trout are of two species : the white trout of Ireland, 

 which is the salmon trout or Salmo trutta of England 

 and science, and the grey trout or bull-trout of Tweed, 

 Coquet, and elsewhere, or Salmo eriox. The bull-trout, 

 when it reaches any size, is a bad riser ; an occasional one 

 may be taken on the trout fly in the spring, and when 

 a kelt it takes greedily. Though generally held by 

 connoisseurs to be an inferior fish to the salmon, it is 



