Sjxed&L o^ Qame tf-i&U fyo+utd tit Ma+ttana 



The game fish found in Montana can be di- 

 vided into two classes, those native to Montana 

 and those that have been introduced. We will 

 first deal with those that are native to this state, 

 and included in these are cutthroat or black- 

 spotted trout, Dolly Varden, Montana whitefish, 

 and the Montana grayling. 

 NATIVE 



The native cutthroat or black-spotted trout 

 were first mentioned in history when the Lewis and 

 Clark expedition went through Montana. They are 

 a member of the Salmon family and were found 

 in all of the drainage areas of Montana. They 

 spawn in the spring and early summer, seeking 

 the shallow waters of the smaller creeks or lakes 

 where gravel bars are in evidence. These trout 

 vary greatly in the sizes at which they reach ma- 

 turity, the controlling factors being the size of 

 the body of water they inhabit and the abundance 

 of the food supply. In certain lakes where food 

 is abundant they have been known to reach a 

 weight of 17 pounds, while in many small moun- 

 tain streams they have reached maturity at 6 or 

 7 inches and are often spoken of as brook trout 

 under the impression that they are a species dif- 

 ferent from the larger ones. In gameness they are 

 second only to the rainbow and in feeding habits 

 are similar to most all trout. They are opportunists 

 and when hungry will take anything that prom- 

 ises to be food, even fish of their own species. 

 DOLLY VARDEN 



This interesting member of the charr family 

 is found in the streams and lakes of Montana, 



Idaho, Washington, Oregon and California, and 

 northward in coastal streams to the Aleutian 

 Islands. It is found only in the Pacific drainage. 

 It is known under other local names such as the 

 bulltrout and charr. Its size is also governed by 

 environment and specimens only 12 inches long 

 might have the same age maturity as some speci- 

 mens weighing 30 pounds. In habits it is very- 

 voracious, feeding freely upon whatever offers, 

 and is especially fond of minnows. It spawns in 

 the fall of the year from September to November, 

 and for this purpose selects shallow streams with 

 gravel bottoms. 



MONTANA WHITEFISH 



This popular member of the game fish family 

 is also related to the Salmon family although it 

 does not resemble the trout in exterior appear- 

 ance. It prefers the clear cold lakes and streams 

 of the mountains, and those living in the lakes 

 remain in comparatively deep water except during 

 the spawning season, which occurs in the late 

 fall or early winter when they run out into the 

 tributary streams seeking suitable gravel bars. 



This species attains a length of a foot or 

 more and a weight up to 4 pounds, though the 

 average is considerably less. During the spring 

 and summer they take the fly freely, as well as 

 a baited hook. However, due to the smallness of 

 the mouth, a very small hook must be used. 

 MONTANA GRAYLING 



The grayling conform very closely with the 

 salmon family and there is no species sought for 

 by anglers that surpass the grayling in beauty. 



Eastern Brook trout. An interesting- species of the 

 charr family which produces excellent fishing-. 



