FOREST AND STREAM 
109 
“I am of the opinion that when the angling 
fraternity drops its prejudice against the Rain¬ 
bows and will go after them with suitable tackle 
the species will rise rapidly in esteem and make 
this state famous for its Rainbow waters. 
“Last year we made our first attempt to take 
eggs from the wild Rainbows, but our field sta¬ 
tion at Stronaoh Dam was established too late tc 
accomplish much in the way of egg taking. At 
that time there was no effective fishway in the 
above dam and the accumulation of big trout 
was a remarkable sight, the estimated number 
being from 25,000 to 40,000 at one time, varying 
in size from 3 to 4 pounds to 15 or 20, the aver¬ 
age being around 8 pounds. This dam is in Pine 
River, which is oniy one of the numerous branch¬ 
es of the Manistee. This year we operated at 
the same point, but since last year an effective 
fishway has been installed, hence the trout did 
not accumulate to so great an extent as last year. 
They took this fishway by the hundreds and the 
run of unripe fish commenced some weeks before 
we began operations, in fact they are known to 
have passed the chute as early as February. 
Some three or four weeks before our operations 
were commenced two deputy wardens stationed 
at that point closed the gates one night and found 
48 of the big fellows in the pockets of the fishway. 
“The trout taken for spawning purposes at this 
point were captured by dip nets. No effort was 
made to handle the entire run, but we secured 
about 8 million eggs of which about 50 per cent, 
were eyed. Mr. Marks, who was in, charge of 
this field work, estimated that it would be pos¬ 
sible to take 30 million to 40 million eggs at this 
dam. This will give you some idea of the pos¬ 
sibilities in connection with the development of 
the Rainbow industry in this state. 
“I may say, however, that the story about Rain¬ 
bow trout jumping over a 40 foot dam at Neway-: 
go is not true, though I am informed by reliable 
witnesses that they do leap as far as 40 feet in 
attempting to go upstream, landing on an apron 
below the dam, whence they are swept back after 
holding their own for a few seconds.” 
Forest and Stream has made diligent effort to 
ascertain from authoritative Michigan sources 
just what position the Rainbow trout holds at 
present in the eyes of anglers, and the response 
to these inquiries are interesting. One man, 
whose name as a hunter, fisherman and naturalist 
is known from the Atlantic to the Pacific writes 
us: 
“I believe the Michigan Fish Commission in its 
last report made the statement that means would 
soon 'have to be found whereby the law in rela¬ 
tion to these trout was amended so as to recog¬ 
nize them as a commercial food fish; that on the 
western coast of Michigan they had increased to 
such an extent that there was now danger of 
their overcrowding the streams and they might 
just as well be utilized as a food fish in the com¬ 
mercial sense. With the East coast streams it is 
different; take the Au Sable, it puts into Sagi¬ 
naw Bay, a tributary of Lake Huron. There 
have been Rainbow trout in this stream for a 
great many years. Originally it was the great¬ 
est Grayling streams in Michigan. Then brook 
trout were planted and the Grayling disappeared, 
then came the Rainbow—they usurp certain 
stretches of this stream to almost the exclusion 
of the brook trout, although the larger brook 
trout do consort with the Rainbow portion of the 
stream. Very small flies, No. 8 and 10, fre¬ 
quently prove attractive to the Rainbow running 
from 12 to 16 inches and 18 inches long. Those 
larger than that are either taken fishing with a 
salted minnow, having it run down into deep 
holes or else using a very large fly and casting 
over these pools late in the evening or during 
the forepart of the night. They seem to be 
night feeders and will take a large white fly. 
The fish thus obtained on the Au Sable River 
and several other streams run from 18 to 24 and 
26 inches in length from 2% to 5 pounds in 
weight. Occasionally an old lunker is gotten, 6, 
7 or 8 pounds. For, mind you, there are plenty 
of these big fellows in the big pools of the Pere 
Marquette River, the Au Sable and a number of 
other streams, and it is the big fellow that the 
angier is always after. He is not going to get 
him on a fly in the daytime, but after darkness 
settles down, he always has a chance of making 
a record. 
“On the lower stretches of the North Branch 
of the An Sable I sometimes get a very good 
day’s sport with the Rainbow. As you are aware, 
that stream was originally a Grayling stream, 
then the Grayling disappeared and the brook 
trout occupied the entire length of the river. 
Gradually, however, the brook trout have yielded 
to the Rainbow and given up the entire lower 
reaches of the river to them, where the upper 
portion of this stream is now almost entirely a 
brook trout proposition. The Rainbow does not 
In Days Soon to Come. 
