Sunapee Trout; American Saibling 



rod experiences a characteristic 'give,' quickly followed by the 

 dead-weight strain of the frenzied Salmonoid. To land a fish 

 thus struck implies much greater patience and skill than a suc- 

 cessful battle, under similar circumstances with a 5-ounce 6-strip 

 and delicate tackle. The pleasure is largely concentrated in the 

 strike, and the perception of a big fish ' fast.' The watchful- 

 ness and labour involved in the subsequent struggle border closely 

 on the confines of pain. The ductile wire is an essentially dif- 

 ferent means from a taut silk line. The fish holds the coign of 

 vantage; when he stands back and with bulldog pertinacity 

 wrenches savagely at the pliable metal when he rises to the 

 surface in a despairing leap for his life the angler is at his 

 mercy. But, brother of the sleave-silk and tinsel, when at last 

 you gaze upon your captive lying asphyxiated on the surface, a 

 synthesis of qualities that make a perfect fish when you disen- 

 gage him from the meshes of the net, and place his icy figure 

 in your outstretched palms, and watch the tropaeolin glow of his 

 awakening tones soften into cream tints, and the cream tints 

 pale into the pearl of the moonstone, as the muscles of respira- 

 tion glow feebler and more irregular in their contraction you 

 will experience a peculiar thrill that the capture neither of ouana- 

 niche, nor fontinalis, nor namaycush can ever excite. It is this 

 after-glow of pleasure, this delight of contemplation and specula- 

 tion, of which the scientific angler never wearies, that lends a 

 charm all its own to the pursuit of the Alpine trout. 



"Finally there can be no doubt as to the economic value of the 

 American saibling. It is one of the most prolific of our Sal- 

 monoids, the female averaging 1200 eggs to the pound, and cast- 

 ing spawn when only 2 ounces in weight. It is also a singularly 

 rapid grower where smelt food abounds. The extreme weight 

 proved to have been attained is about 12 pounds, although ac- 

 counts exist of much larger specimens weighing from 15 to 20 

 pounds. As a rule the greater the altitude the smaller the fish, 

 but the more intense the colouration. This charr is exceptionally 

 hardy and easy to propagate. The eggs bear transportation over 

 the roughest roads without injury." 



According to Mr. Merrill, of Green Lake, the saibling fry 

 remain perfectly healthy at a temperature which proves very trying 

 to brook trout fry; both the eggs and the fry display wonderful 

 hardiness under the most trying circumstances. 



216 



