FISHING FOR TROUT AND SALMON. 145 



the clear, shallow water, I saw a large trout making lightning- 

 like darts here and there, in a zig-zag way, and then I noticed 

 that he was following the movements of some insect that was 

 flying above the water; then the unlucky fly touched the 

 surface of the water; there was a splash, and Mr. Fly was 

 no more. And as a rule a squirming angleworm will meet 

 the same quick end and if the trout happens to get his eye 

 on him, and if a frog happens to stray too far from shore, 

 or a grasshopper make a misjump and fall into the stream, 

 they meet the same fate. To the trout "all is fish that enters 

 the net" and I am sure that in most cases the fish does not 

 hesitate to see what it is before he grasps it, but takes chances 

 on it being good to eat. 



The brook trout spawns in the fall. Full grown speci- 

 mens will weigh from a half pound to five or six pounds, 

 depending on the kind of water they inhabit, and the food 

 supply. In Maine and Canada brook trout weighing over 

 ten pounds have been taken, and in some waters four and 

 five pounders are quite common. Being slender in build 

 they run much longer, weight for weight, than the black 

 bass. A trout of fifteen inches will weigh a pound and a 

 half, and one of twenty inches will weigh about three and a 

 half pounds. A trout two feet long will weigh about six 

 pounds. Of course these weights are only approximate, as in 

 some waters they are more slender than in others, just as 

 their color varies in different waters. 



Trout may be taken with artificial flies, worms, minnows, 

 grasshoppers, crickets, grubs, small frogs and small casting 

 spoons or even a trolling spoon. But the readiness with 

 which they will rise to a fly and the pleasure of fishing for 

 these gamey fish with light tackle makes fly-fishing the 

 favorite way of taking them. 



The proper outfit will depend somewhat on the waters 

 to be fished and the size of the fish found there. On small 



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