28 FAMILIAR FISH, THEIR HABITS AND CAPTURE 



mon trout, this being a name used in England for a 

 large form of trout found in brackish water or in 

 the sea. The lake trout is well classed as a northern 

 fish, being found in northern lakes only. It rarely, 

 if ever, occurs in streams or rivers. The inland lakes 

 of Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Eastern 

 Canada, the chain of the Great Lakes, and westward 

 to British Columbia, are the waters it inhabits. 

 Where found, it usually is plentiful and of good 

 weight, easily averaging from four to ten pounds, 

 and often weighing fifteen to twenty, occasionally 

 even much more. 



Differing from that of the other trouts, its tail is 

 decidedly forked instead of square. Its color is a 

 dark gray, and the entire body and fins are covered 

 with pale white or grayish spots. Except during 

 very early spring and the spawning season (October 

 and November), when it seeks shallow stony bars for 

 its beds, the lake trout is decidedly a deep-water fish, 

 and is taken only on the bottom of the lakes. It is 

 omnivorous, eating everything, and cases are known 

 where even corncobs and knives have been found in 

 its stomach. After the minnow period it is too for- 

 midable to be attacked by other fish, which materially 

 accounts for its being plentiful. In addition to its 

 prowess it is a very prolific breeder. Much skill and 

 patience are required to catch the lake trout, as will 



