Alabama, ip ij. 83 



THE RAINBOW TROUT. 



THE Rainbow Trout is a fish of real beauty, comfortable size, 

 fine flavor, and easy to propagate artificially. On this side of the 

 Rocky Mountains, however, it is not politic to assert that it is 

 more beautiful than the brook trout; but Dr. Jordan says that 

 "by many anglers it is regarded as the greatest of all game fishes.'' 

 It "reaches a weight of half a pound to 5 or 6 pounds, though in 

 most of the streams in which it is found it rarely exceeds 2 or 3 

 pounds." It bites readily, but when hooked makes a gallant fight 

 to escape, rushing, leaping, and shaking its head vigorously to expel 

 the barb. 



In appearance, this typical Rainbow Trout is like an elegant 

 little salmon from 15 to 18 inches long, with spots along its upper 

 body like those of the eastern brook trout, and sides like a section 

 of a rainbow. It is found only in the small brooks of the coast 

 rankes of California, from Klamath River to San Diego. It takes 

 a fly with a degree of readiness which "will please the most im- 

 patient of inexperienced amteurs." 



The group of Rainbow Trout contains six species all told, the 

 others being the Western Oregon Brook Trout, which is the species 

 propagated by the United States Bureau of Fisheries; the Kern 

 River Trout ; Golden Trout of Mt. Whitney and Kern River, which 

 Dr. Jordan considers the most beautiful of all, and Stone's Trout. 

 All these species are found only along the Pacific coast, between 

 Washington and Southern California. 



