1910J FOREST, GAME AND FISH WARDEN. 85 



''Mouth moderate, the maxillary in adult not extending beyond eye; scales 

 small, about 17 rows on cheek; young more or less barred or spotted; never 

 with a black lateral band." Large-mouth black bass: "Mouth very large, 

 the maxillary in adult extending beyond eye; scales rather large, about 10 

 rows on cheek; young with a black lateral band." 



The rock bass (Anibloplites rupestris} can hardly be considered a game fish, 

 yet it is not held in disfavor by the small boy nor even by the fisherman of 

 more mature years. The rock bass appears to be especially adapted to many 

 of the streams of the state and! should be more widely distributed. It attains 

 an average weight of about one-half pound, and is a very desirable pan fish. 



The next in importance of the game fishes are the trouts, of which there are 

 two species in West Virginia, viz., the brook trout (Salveliniis fonUnalis") and 

 the rainbow- trout (Salmo irideus'). 



The brook trout, or mountain trout as it is locally called, is native to the wa- 

 ters of West Virginia. It is found only in the smaller tributary streams and 

 the extreme headwaters of some of the rivers in the mountain region of the 

 state, and it most abundant in the counties of Tucker, Kandolph, Pocahontas, 

 Webster, Nicholas and Greenbrier. 



The rainbow trout, an introduced fish, has about the same range in the 

 state as the brook trout, although it is found in the lower headwaters of 

 several of the large rivers and in some cases appears to have become firmly 

 established in and to be encroaching upon the territory occupied by the small- 

 mouth black bass. The raibow trout is a most excellent game and food fish, 

 attains a larger size than the brook trout, and is adapted* to waters of higher 

 temperature. It prefers the deeper and more sluggish parts of a stream, 

 and is generally caught on the artificial fly, or live minnow, at the heads of 

 the pools. The best time for taking this fish appears to be between sundown 

 and dark. One specimen, weighing six and one-half pounds, was taken from a 

 small stream at Sweet Chalybeate Springs, Virginia, but the average weight 

 is only about three-quarters of a pound. 



With the exception of the wall-eyed pike and some of the cat fishes, the 

 coarser food fishes inhabiting the waters of the state have been left mostly 

 to maintain themselves. Plants of wall-eyed pike (locally known as salmon) 

 made in streams tributary to the Kanawha river appear to have been successful 

 and it is believed the species are becoming more abundant in this river. A 

 more general distribution of wall-eyed pike in the streams of the state will 

 doubtless prove beneficial. 



What has been said of the wall-eyed pike may also be said of the cat fishes 

 except that the cat is more generally distributed throughout the state. Three 

 principal species of cat fish the Mud cat, Blue cat, and Channel cat are to 

 be found in its waters. The tw r o former species inhabiting practically all 

 of the larger streams, while the channel cat is found only in the cooler and 

 swifter waters where there is a rocky bottom. 



Such common varities as the sucker and carp are found in nearly all the 

 streams of the state, but the red horse is confined mostly to the Ohio river and 

 streams tributary thereto. While these coarse varieties are of less value as 

 food than the bass and the pike, yet they enter into the general food supply 

 to a much greater extent than is generally believed, and their protection by law 

 during the spawning period would result beneficially in two directions by 



