Part 9

The history of the so-called steelhead trout and the efforts to class these sea-run fishes as a species separate from the rainbow and the cutthroat, is interesting, if not amusing. No one questioned that they were other than the sea-run of the rainbow or the cutthroat, according to the locality, until Dr. Richardson, mistaking a young blue-back salmon for a so-called steelhead gave it the scientific name of =Salmo gairdneri=, and the description of this young salmon was recognized as that of the steelhead for years, and under this name it appears in the statutes of California, with a separate season for its protection. In other words the =Salmo gairdneri= of the laws of California is a young blue-back salmon and not a sea-run trout of any kind. Recently Dr. Ayers to correct the mistake, examined a fish taken from the Sacramento river and said to be a steelhead, gave it the name of =Salmo rivularis=, and this now stands as the scientific name of the so-called steelhead. Dr. Jordan, in an article recently published in the Pacific Monthly, says: "There has been much discussion as to whether the steelhead is a species really distinct from the rainbow trout, and on this subject the writer (Jordan) has at different times held different opinions."

If one authority bases his reasons for a belief in a specific difference between the rainbow and the steelhead on the fact that he did find a difference between a blue-back salmon and a rainbow, and another authority finds so little difference that he holds different opinions at different times, can there be any wonder that the practical angler, who catches these sea-run fish at the mouths of our rivers in every stage of transition, or gradation, if you please, from the typical rainbow to the Simon pure steelhead, refuses to believe that there is a specific difference?

Then again, Messrs. Jordan and Evermann in bulletin 47 of the United States National Museum, "The Fishes of North and Middle America," say: "In the lower course of the Columbia they (the steelhead) are entirely distinct from the cutthroat or clarki series, and no one would question the validity of the two species. In the lower Snake river and other waters east of the Cascade range, the two forms or species are indistinguishable, being either undifferentiated or else inextricably mixed."

From this it would seem clear that the steelhead of the Columbia, where the cutthroat abounds, are cutthroats that have gone to the sea, grown larger in the larger body of water--a natural condition of all fishes--and changed in color and appearance. That while they are yet in the lower Columbia and only recently from the salt water, they still maintain a sufficient difference to be easily distinguished from the cutthroat; but by the time that they have reached the "Snake river and other waters east of the Cascade range," their long residence in the fresh water has again restored them to their former appearance. The same changes are found with the rainbow and the steelhead of farther south. All trout are anadromous to greater or less extent, unless actually landlocked or living in streams so distant from the sea that they would be compelled to pass through long stretches of warm and sluggish water to reach it. The small trout of the coast streams are compelled to go to the ocean quite early in the season by the falling of the water to such an extent that in many cases the streams go dry before the beginning of the winter rains, and in the larger body of water they rapidly increase in size. The steelhead of the Columbia river always retains the cutthroat sing-manual, to greater or less extent, while the steelhead of the lower coast has no red on the jaw. The claim that the smaller head of the steelhead is a distinguishing mark, fails in effect, for it is an undisputable fact that the older and larger the trout the smaller becomes the relative size of the head. The other claim that the larger scales of the rainbow is a distinguishing feature from the steelhead is not founded on facts. For while the scales of the rainbow counted along the lateral line vary from as low as 120 in the coast streams, they run as high as 150 in the same streams, as high as 160 in the McCloud and 185 in the Kern. The average being 135 in the smaller coast streams, 150 in the Sacramento basin, and 170 in the Kern. The steelhead's scales run from 130 to 155. An average of 145; or exactly an average of those of the coast streams and the Sacramento. Were it possible for the Kern river trout to enter the ocean no doubt we would find steelhead running as high as 185 to the section.

Whatever may be the origin of the large sea-running trout called steelheads, the fact remains that it is a grand fish both in size and fighting qualities. In the ocean it eagerly takes the spoon and fights with a vigor not even surpassed by the rainbow of the streams. After a short sojourn in the fresh waters it rises to a fly just as readily.

Since the above was written Dr. Jordan has made the statement publicly, that he is thoroughly convinced that the rainbow trout and the so-called steelhead are one and the same fish; the only difference being that the latter has grown larger and changed its color during its life in the salt water, this variation of color returning again after a short sojourn in the fresh water streams, giving it all the original appearance of the rainbow, or of the cutthroat, as the case may be.

THE CUTTHROAT TROUT

(Salmo clarki)

The cutthroat trout very largely take the place of the rainbow in the waters of northern California and in Washington and Oregon, and its various forms are more common to the lakes. Like the rainbow they have been artificially distributed to such an extent that they are now found in many of the streams of California and nearly all of Washington and Oregon. As a general rule they are not as keen fighters as the rainbow, but in the cold streams of Oregon and Washington they put up a fight worthy of the most gamy fish. In the lakes of Washington and Oregon, and such as Tahoe, Donner and other large bodies of water in California, they reach a large size; fishes of ten and twelve pounds being not uncommon. When not landlocked they go to the sea the same as the rainbow and return as the steelhead of the Columbia and other northern streams. Like the rainbow the cutthroat has been divided into several subspecies.

General appearance like that of the rainbow. The color on the back is a lighter olive or dark steel color. The upper parts are generally thickly covered with dark spots, varying in color and shape, and the lower fins are also spotted with smaller spots. The inner edge of the lower jaw is strongly marked with deep red and it is from this red mark on the throat that the species takes its name. The sides are generally of a marked pinkish hue or coppery brown. The red mark of the throat will always prove a distinguishing feature.

SILVER TROUT

(Salmo tahoensis)

In Lake Tahoe there are two varieties of trout that have been given separate specific names. They both belong to the cutthroat series, but vary considerable from the typical form. The one commonly called silver trout is a resident of the deep waters of the lake and grows to a large size, specimens having been taken fully 30 inches long.

Back, dark green; side and sides of head, coppery; lower jaw, yellow. The spots are so profuse that many of them run into each other and form long blotches in many instances. All of the fins are spotted, those on the dorsal and the tail being oblong in shape. The belly also is covered with many small spots.

LAKE TAHOE TROUT

(Salmo henshawi)

The other variety of trout found in Lake Tahoe, and the most common one, is a very handsome fish. Its native habitat is the lakes of Tahoe, Donner, Independence, Webber, Pyramid and others of the high mountains, and the Truckee, Carson and Humboldt rivers. Specimens of this trout have been taken that weighed fully six pounds.

Back, green, varying in depth of color with the water; sides, light, with a strong coppery tinge. The spots on this variety are generally quite large above, but growing smaller below and reaching well onto the belly. Its coppery sides and larger spots should prove a distinguishing feature. Like all the cutthroats it has the red markings below the jaws.

LAKE SOUTHERLAND TROUT

(Salmo jordani)

Another peculiar variety of the cutthroat trout is found in Lake Southerland of Eastern Washington. Its distinguishing features are its orange-red fins and intensely black spots which are very profuse. It is a gamy fish and full of fight to the finish.

In several of the lakes of Washington there are varieties of trout differing in coloration and location of their spots that have been given specific names by the naturalist, such as crescent trout, beardslee trout and bathaecetor trout, all residents of Crescent lake. But as they all belong to the cutthroats and vary each from the other but little, further mention is unnecessary.

RIO GRANDE TROUT

(Salmo spilurus)

The Rio Grande trout, which is also a cutthroat, has a very limited distribution within the territorial scope of this work. It is found in the streams of the eastern slope of the Sierra Madre Mountains of Chihuahua, Mexico. Its head is shorter and more rounded than the other species of the cutthroat, with a mouth also very large. The spots are principally confined to the latter half of the body and most profuse on the tail.

COLORADO RIVER TROUT

(Salmo pleuriticus)

The Colorado river trout, also a cutthroat, is the common trout of Arizona, where it is found in nearly all the mountain streams of the territory which flow to the Colorado river. It differs only from the typical cutthroat by having its spots mostly on that part of the body behind the dorsal fin; and the lower fins strongly marked with red.

DOLLY VARDEN TROUT

(Salvelinus parki)

The dolly varden is the only char native to the Pacific Coast, and like the Eastern brook trout is not properly a trout. They both are chars and belong to the genus =Salvelinus=--not to the =Salmo=. The dolly varden often reaches a length of thirty to thirty-six inches, and a weight of twelve pounds. It is a more slender fish than the rainbow and not so rounded on the back. It is very largely a bottom feeder and, therefore, rather of a sluggish nature. It rises but little to the fly and makes a poor fight.

Back, olive green but without the marble markings of the Eastern brook trout. Spots on the back and sides are red, not very close together and about the size of three-fourths of the diameter of the eye. The lower fins have a reddish tinge, of varying hue in different waters. It is a native of the McCloud river and has been little distributed.

EASTERN BROOK TROUT

(Salvelinus fontinalis)

The Eastern brook trout--properly a char--was introduced into the coast waters several years ago and found our waters so congenial that it must now be considered a resident species, for it is to be met with in many of our streams, and thrives well in any of the higher localities. The brook trout is a handsome fish with its brown and olive marbled back, scarlet spots and salmon-colored sides. Its beauty has challenged the cunning of the painter, and been immortalized by the genius of the poet. Its gamy qualities stood for centuries as beyond comparison until the bended rod and singing reel announced the impalement of the native of the Golden West, with its mad rushes and terrier-like fights; then the rosy beauty of the East had to yield the palm to the rainbow-colored, fighting pirate of the Pacific.

The brook trout may easily be distinguished from any of the other trout of the coast by its marbled back and red spotted sides. Besides this the whole fish is more of a pinkish color. It varies in size like the others of the family, according to the waters it inhabits, attaining about the same size as the rainbow in the same waters.

=Tackle and Lure=--On account of over fishing the streams, and the very bad habit of killing so many small fish, the majority of the trout caught on the Pacific Coast are small. If there were more sportsmen and less fishermen on our streams this condition would not exist. For the sportsman will throw back all the little babies that are not over six inches in length and allow them another year to grow. And in this connection I want to say to the young boys and girls: be true sportsmen and sportswomen and never fish for trout with anything but artificial flies. You may not catch as many fish while you are learning, but you will soon find that you are having ten times more sport. As to the rod and line, you will never get it too light. The longer you have been a flycaster, the lighter you will want them; and the lighter they are the more sport you will have.

THE SALMON AND TROUT

Order, ISOSPONDYLI

Family, SALMONIDAE Subfamily, SALMONINAE

Genus Species Common Names Range and Breeding Grounds ------------- ------------- ----------------- --------------------------- {Quinant {tschawytscha {Chinook {From Monterey Bay north. { { {Blue-back Oncorhynchus {nerka {Redfish {Sacramento river north. { {kisutch {Silver salmon From Monterey Bay north. {keta {Dog salmon From Sacramento river { { north. {gorbuscha {Hump-back salmon From Sacramento river { { north.

{irideus {Rainbow trout From Lower California { { north. { {irideus auga Golden trout Western slope of {bonito Mt. Whitney. { {irideus Golden trout Western slope of {rooseveltii Mt. Whitney. { {rivularis Steel-head trout From Ventura river { north. { Salmo {clarki Cutthroat trout Central California { north. { {tahoensis Silver trout Lake Tahoe. { {henshawi Tahoe trout {Lakes Tahoe, Donner, { {Independence, Webber; { {Truckee and Carson { {rivers. { {jordani Lake Southerland Lake Southerland, { Oregon. { {spilurus Rio Grande trout Tributaries of the { Rio Grande river. { {plueriticus Colorado trout Tributaries of the { Colorado river.

{parki Dolly Varden McCloud river north. Salvelinus { trout { {fontinalis Eastern brook {Acclimatized in { trout {many streams of { {the coast.

SMALL-MOUTHED BLACK BASS

(Micropterus dolomieu)

The black bass is not a native of the coast, but both species are now so well established in our waters that they must now be classed as permanent residents, for whether it is the crystal lake, the flowing stream, the little pond, the artesian-fed reservoir or the brackish slough, they thrive equally well and take any lure from the artificial fly to the plebeian angleworm.

Black bass are prolific breeders and rapid growers. A case is on record where eight males and seven females were planted in a pond in May and during the November following over 37,000 young fish were taken from the same pond, each from three to four inches long.

The black bass is a short, deep fish with a double dorsal fin; the front half being stiff and spiney and the latter half soft and rayed. The color is variable, but always dark and from a dirty green to a blackish brown on the back, shading to a dirty white on the belly. The gill covers are pointed at the back, with a darker spot on the point. In the small-mouthed variety the end of the upper bone of the mouth does not quite reach to the back edge of the eye, this with the scales on the cheek numbering from 16 to 18, can always be relied upon as a distinguishing diagnosis from the large-mouthed variety.

LARGE-MOUTHED BLACK BASS

(Micropterus salmoides)

There is but little difference in the habits of the large and small-mouthed black bass, and but little difference in their appearance, but the distinguishing features may easily be known. The end of the upper bone of the mouth of the large-mouthed variety extends behind the eye, and the rows of scales on the cheek number only 10 or 12.

While both species seem to do well any place, the large-mouthed are better adapted to muddy bottomed ponds and sloughs and brackish waters. The average weight of the adults of either species is about three pounds, though individuals are often taken weighing from six to seven. It is reported that specimens have been taken in the state of California that have weighed eight and three-quarters and nine pounds.

=Tackle and Lure=--The black bass will take any lure from the artificial fly to the plebeian angleworm. In trolling, a medium sized, Kewell spoon is to be preferred. I have always found, however, that the best sport is to be had by casting with a large trout fly--the color varying with the season--close to the edge of lily pads or tules. The tackle for fly-fishing should be the same as for trout. For trolling the rod should be shorter and stiffer.

SACRAMENTO PIKE

(Ptychocheilus oregonensis)

The Sacramento pike, known also by the names chappaul and squawfish, and as lake trout in the San Joaquin Valley, while but little sought after by the angler, can rightfully be classed as a game fish, for it rises to the fly as readily as a trout and often gets cursed for doing so. It is a very common fish in many of the lakes and streams from Washington south to the San Joaquin Valley. Like nearly all fish its size depends very much upon the waters in which it is found. In Washington it has been known to reach a length of four feet, but it is more commonly met with from eight to twenty inches. In shape it resembles a trout, but with a slimmer and more pointed head. The dorsal fin is large and located about midway between the snout and the end of the tail; ventral fins, slightly in front of the dorsal and not as large as the anal which is set about its length from the ventrals; tail, strongly forked.

STRIPED BASS

(Roccus lineatus)

The striped bass, like many people who have crossed the continent to California, readily appreciated the many advantages of a life on the Pacific Coast. From a couple of shipments brought from the East in 1879 and 1882 they have grown to be one of the most important food fishes of the state, about 3,000,000 pounds being annually marketed. They were at first liberated in the Bay of San Francisco, but later some effort has been made to distribute them, with the result that they are now found in small quantities along the coast from Los Angeles to Humboldt.

From their fine size--three to forty pounds--they stand well with the angler as a game fish and furnish good sport if the tackle is light enough. Their rushes are not equal to those of the steelhead or the salmon or the yellow-tail, nor do they fight with the same vigor or with the same persistency.

The striped bass is unlike any other coast fish. Its back is light olive; sides, nearly white with seven or eight longitudinal stripes running the whole length of the body, the dorsal fin is double, but not joined like that of the black bass. The first half is spiny with the after division rayed and soft. It is a salt water fish, making its habitat in and near the mouths of rivers, and often running up them for 100 miles or more. Use the same rod and line as for salmon.

THE GAME FISH OF THE SEA

There certainly is no better sport to be had any place with the trout, salmon and bass than that furnished by the rivers, lakes and bays of the Pacific Coast. To this excellent sport must be added another of the most exciting character, and one distinctly Californian, and that is the capture with rod and reel of the large sea fishes found in the waters of the Santa Barbara Channel, and more especially of Catalina Island. The great variety, gamy qualities and massive size of these fishes furnish a sport at once exciting and exhilarating, and challenging the keenest exercise of the ability of the sportsman.

The world-wide fame of these waters, and the grand sport they furnish have resulted in the establishment on Catalina Island of one of the finest, if not the most perfect and best equipped angler's resort in the world, from its launches and boatmen to its clubhouses and hotels, and made it the Mecca of the expert anglers of the civilized nations of the earth.

THE TUNA

(Thunnus thynnus)

The leaping tuna is the largest of the great game fishes of the Pacific. It ranges from Monterey Bay, where it is sparingly met with, south to Mexico. About Catalina Island they are found in great numbers and of great size. The excellent sport their capture with rod and reel furnishes, has drawn to the island the expert anglers of the world, and resulted in the formation of the now famous "Tuna Club of Catalina," with its members residing in all parts of the world; and of which no one can become a member until he has landed a tuna of 100 pounds or more with rod and reel and with a line not larger than a 24-thread Cuttyhunk.

Professor Charles F. Holder, an expert angler with a national reputation, and who has angled for all fishes and in all waters, says, "The most sensational fish of these waters is the leaping tuna. It is the tiger of the California seas, a living meteor, which strikes like a whirlwind, and played with a rod that is not a billiard cue or a club in stiffness, will give the average man the contest of his life."

The record for the largest tuna caught with a rod and reel is held at this writing by Col. C. P. Morehouse of Pasadena, who brought to gaff a 251 pound tuna after a six-and-a-half-hours' fight, during which it had towed his boat over ten miles. But even a greater fight than this is recorded, but the fish was not landed. This fish fought for seventeen hours and thirty minutes before its wonderful endurance and splendid courage mastered the skill of the angler. Mr. C. B. Stockton has to his credit a fight which not only shows the great endurance of this angler but the remarkable vitality of these fish. This fight lasted for sixteen hours and fifty-five minutes before the fish was brought to gaff. It weighed 170 pounds and was taken on the regulation tackle.

Body, round and sloping rapidly from the middle to the caudal fin, and very small and round at the base of the tail; tail divided into two long forks; two dorsal fins, the first beginning just behind the gill-covers with the pectoral and ventral fins a trifle farther back; second dorsal fin smaller than the first and located nearly half way between it and the caudal; anal fin midway between the ventral and the caudal; bony, saw-like projections from the second dorsal fin, and from the anal fin to the tail; color, blue on the back and silvery white on the sides.