76 BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 



water as the season advances. He found no iacts in support of theories which had already been offered 

 to account for the migration, but expressed the opinion that several factors were involved. 



Brief observations at Pyramid Lake seem to indicate that the trout start from deep water (which 

 may possibly be regarded as their normal habitat) on the nuptial migration. Returning later in the 

 season, thin and exhausted, they begin ravenously feeding on the minnows which have then come 

 inshore for spawning purposes. As the emaciated condition of the trout approaches the normal , they 

 gradually retire to the deeper water from which they came earlier in the year. When their hunger 

 becomes satisfied, and fatty tissue has accumulated in the body, it is evidently more difficult to take 

 them with hook and line. 



Trolling is the method usually employed by fishermen and anglers in catching trout in the larger 

 lakes. The usual outfit consists of loo feet of 6-strand No. 27 copper wire, closely twisted. To 

 this is attached sufficient length of heavy hand line so that some may be available in case of fouling. 

 A swivel on the distal end of the line connects an attraction spoon of bright metal measuring about 4 

 inches. This is followed by a fine wire or gut leader from i to 2 feet long, carrying a small spinner with 

 single, double, or triple hook or merely a baited hook of liberal size. The line is trolled deep, jerked 

 at regular intervals, or held in the hand with the moving oar. The captured fish is brought over the 

 side without ceremony or landed with a large scoop net. Often a linen line with large sinker is used. 

 Anglers usually employ more refined methods, light trolling rods being often seen. 



Trolling with and without the large attraction spoon, from the same boat and at the same depth, 

 resulted in many more strikes on the line bearing the large spoon. With the spinner, baited hooks 

 seemed to bring better results than the naked ones. 



Along the lower courses of the rivers and on the lakes, especially off rocky points where the rapidly 

 shelving bottom brings the deep water near shore , a crude method of bait casting is successfully employed 

 in taking large trout. A bamboo pole from 12 to 20 feet long and very stiff is supplied at regular inter- 

 vals with large steel guide rings, a tip ring of the same sort is also lashed on, a clear space of about 4 

 feet is left at the butt, and a long, heavy line is passed outward through the rings and a lead weighing 

 from 2 to 8 ounces is attached. From the lead a 2-foot leader of wire or gut extends to a spinner with 

 single, double, or triple hooks. The latter are used naked or baited. The excess line is either coiled 

 on the ground preparatory to a long cast or wound about the hand for a short one. A rapid side cast 

 sends the lead and its dangling tackle far out over the water. As the lead plunges, the pole is brought 

 to a nearly vertical position, the butt resting against the belt of the fisherman, and the line slowly and 

 steadily brought in, the lure being thus trolled toward the shore. A steady troll is maintained by 

 swinging the pole forward and backward, the forward movement coinciding with the pull on the line. 

 The line is hauled with the left hand and checked by passing it between the fingers of the right. A 

 slight variation from this rig is used by different fishermen, but on the whole it is a heavy, awkward, 

 and unsportsmanlike assemblage of tackle. 



On observing this method of fishing it occurred to the writer that light bait-casting equipment 

 might be profitably substituted, and when an opportune time came the experiment was tried and 

 some tackle tested out. Split-bamboo bait-casting rods 5J 2 feet in length and weighing 4^^ and 5X 

 ounces, respectively, were provided with an easy -running quadruple reel and light (4 or G) soft braided 

 line of about 200 yards length. Various lures, spinners with naked and baited hooks, and minnows 

 were used. It appeared that a fresh minnow following a small spinner or impaled on an "Archer" 

 was the most successful of all. A trout thus landed weighed 8K pounds, and judging from the ease 

 with which it was killed it seemed probable that the very largest might be successfully brought to gaff. 

 This for the clear open water of the lake. In the river where the current is swift, and when a fish is 

 large, a stronger line and possibly a more sturdy rod may be necessary. 



Observations from rocky points, where one may see far out and deep in the clear water, showed 

 that the trout often followed the lure for a time before taking it. Sometimes the spoon was closely 

 inspected or nosed and then abandoned. Experiments appeared to demonstrate that when the hooks 

 were baited with worms or pieces of minnows these slpw-biting and cautious trout, which are presumably 

 the better-fed and fatter examples, were much more often taken. Occasionally a sharp jerk on the 

 line seemed to end the fishes' indecision. 



The light bait-casting equipment is not often seen in the West. However, it would seem from the 

 observations here recorded that it might profitably be employed in many situations and among the 

 mountain lakes at least become a companion if not a rival of the rod and fly. Bait casting for trout 



