Part 4

Salmon are led by instinct to select such places for depositing their spawn, as are least likely to be effected by the floods. These are the broad parts of the river, where the water runs swift and shallow, and has a free passage over an even bed. Here they either select an old spawning place, or form a fresh one, which is made by the _female_. Some fancy, that the elongation of the lower jaw in the male, which is somewhat in the form of a crook, is designed by nature to enable him to excavate the spawning trough; certainly it is difficult to divine what may be the use of this very ugly excrescence, but observation has proved that this idea is a fallacy, and that the male _never_ assists in making the spawning place. When the female first commences making her spawning bed, she generally comes after sun set, and goes off in the morning: she works up the gravel with her snout, her head pointing against the stream, and she arranges the position of the loose gravel with her tail. When this is done, the male makes his appearance in the evenings, according to the usage of the female; he then remains close by her, on the side on which the water is deepest. When the female is in the act of emitting her ova, she turns upon her side, with her face to the male, who never moves. The female runs her snout into the gravel and forces herself under it as much as she possibly can, when an attentive observer may see the red spawn coming from her. The male, in his turn, lets his milt go over the spawn, and this process goes on for some days, more or less, according to the size of the fish, and consequent quantity of the eggs.

If a strange male interferes, the original one chases him with great fury, and in their combats, frequently inflict great injury upon each other. When the female has spawned, she sets off and leaves the place; the male remains, waiting for another female, and if none comes in twenty-four hours, he goes away in search of another spawning place.

When the spawning is finished, the fish become very lank and weak, and fall into deep easy water. Here, after a time, their strength is recruited, when as the spring advances, the strongest fish leave the depths and draw into the streams. They now move down the river in their passage to the sea. When they arrive in the deep pools, near the mouths of the rivers, they take rest for a few days; here they may be caught by anglers, as they take the fly and other baits freely. March is usually the best month for this sport--if indeed, it can be called sport, to kill an animal that is worth a mere trifle and resists but little.

Having now dispatched the salmon to the sea, it remains to explain what becomes of the spawn, and how, and when, the young fry arrive at maturity; and as there have been various doubts and contradictions on this subject, I think it more prudent to lead the reader to a consideration of the following pages, than to make a positive assertion on my own unsupported authority.

Up to a late period, it was universally thought that the spawn deposited, as described above, was matured in a brief time, and that the young fry of the winter grew to six or seven inches long; were silver in colour; and went down to the sea in this state with the first floods, early in the May of the coming spring.

Mr. Shaw’s ingenious experiments, which have been continued with the greatest care and attention for a long period, disprove the correctness of this opinion. This gentleman constructed three ponds, the banks so raised, and otherwise formed in such a manner, that it was impossible for any fish to escape, or for any other fish to have access to them. On the 4th of January, 1837, some fresh spawn was deposited in one of these ponds, on the 28th of April, one hundred and fourteen days after impregnation, the young salmon were excluded from the egg. On the 24th of May, twenty-seven days after being hatched, the young fish had consumed the yolk which remains attached to the lower part of the body, and which serves them for nourishment; the characteristic bars of the parr had then become distinctly visible. From an unforeseen accident, his experiments upon this brood were abruptly terminated. With a second, however, he was more fortunate. On the 27th January, 1837, he deposited some spawn in one of his ponds; on the 21st March, the embryo fish were visible to the naked eye. From a minute inspection, he found that they had some appearance of animation, from a very minute streak of blood which appeared to traverse for a short distance the interior of the egg, originating near two small dark spots, not larger than the point of a pin. These two spots ultimately turned out to be the eyes of the embryo fish. On the 7th May, (one hundred and one days after impregnation) they had burst the envelope, and were found among the shingle in the stream; at this period the head is larger in proportion to the body, which is exceedingly small, and measures about five-eighths of an inch in length; of a pale blue or peach blossom colour. But the most singular part of the fish is the conical, bag like appearance, which adheres by its base to the abdomen. This bag is about two-eighths of an inch in length, of a beautiful transparent red, very much resembling a light red currant. The body also presents another singular appearance, namely, a fin or fringe, resembling that of the tail of the tadpole, which runs from the dorsal and anal fins to the termination of the tail, and is slightly indented. This little fish does not leave the gravel immediately after its exclusion from the egg, but remains for some time beneath it, with the bag attached, which contains its supply of nourishment.

On the 24th June, Mr. Shaw found the bag had disappeared, but the symmetry of the form was as yet but imperfect. At the end of two months, (7th July) the shape was much improved. At the age of four months (7th September) the characteristic marks of the parr or samlet were partly developed. Two months later (six months old 7th November) the average length was three inches. On the 10th May, 1838, the fish being then twelve months old, were improved in condition, and measured four inches: they had changed their winter coating for that which may be called their summer dress. On the approach of autumn, the whole of the salmonidæ, while resident in fresh water, acquire a dusky exterior, accompanied by a considerable increase of mucus or slime. As the summer advanced, they continued to increase in size; and on the 14th November, being then eighteen months old, they measured six inches in length, and had attained that stage, when all the external markings of the parr are strikingly developed. On the 20th May, 1839, the fish being then two years old, they measured six inches and a half long, and had assumed the migratory state.

This change commenced about the middle of the previous April; the caudal, pectoral, and dorsal fins assuming a dusky margin, while the whole of the fish exhibited symptoms of a silvery exterior, as well as an increased elegance of form.

The specimens in question, so recently a parr, exhibited a perfect example of the salmon fry, or smolt. Mr. Shaw having thus traced the spawn of the salmon up to this point, it will now be necessary to pursue our inquiries until we find the matured fish. The descent of these little fish takes place much about the same time in all rivers, commencing in March, and continuing through April, and part of May. They first keep in the slack water, by the side of the river; after a time, as they become stronger, they go more towards the mid-stream; and when the water is increased by rain, they move gradually down the river. On meeting the tide, they remain for two or three days, in that part where the water becomes a little brackish from the mixture of salt water, till they are inured to the change, when they go off to the sea all at once. There their growth is very rapid, and many return to the brackish water, increased in size, in proportion to the time they have been absent. Fry, which were marked in April and May, have been caught on their return at the end of June, weighing from two to three pounds in weight. These are sold in our markets as salmon peal, when of a larger size they are called gilse. A second visit to the sea gives these another increase, when they return to the rivers as salmon.

By the term “gilse,” is meant young salmon that have only been to the sea once. It seems worthy of remark, that salmon are sometimes smaller than gilse; but although such gilse have only been once at sea, yet the period they have remained there, must have exceeded the two short visits made by the _small_ salmon, and hence their superiority of size.

It has been a constantly received opinion, that all the young fish, after their first visit to the sea, return to the rivers in which they had been bred; numbers of marked fish have certainly been retaken in their native rivers, but from the observations of Dr. Heysham, and Sir William Jardine, it is evident, that if the fish happen to have roved far from the estuary of their native rivers, they run at the proper season, up any stream, even the first they encounter, the temperature and condition of which are congenial to them.

The growth of salmon, from the state of salmon fry or smolt, to that of salmon peal and gilse, has been shown to be very rapid, and the increase of weight, during each subsequent year, is believed to be equal, if not to exceed the weight gained within the first. That this fish is a voracious feeder may be inferred from the degree of perfection in the arrangement of the teeth; yet few, of the many observers, who have examined the stomach, have been able to ascertain the exact nature of that food which must constitute its principal support.

Faber, in his “Natural History of the Fishes of Iceland,” remarks, “The common salmon feeds on small fishes and various small marine animals.” Dr. Fleming confirms this, when he states that their favorite food in the sea is the sand eel.

In a Prize Essay, published in the transactions of the Highland Society, Mr. Morrison says, “I have taken salmon within flood mark, some of which had two, and others three, full-sized herrings in their stomachs.”

Mr. George Dormer, of Stone Mills, in the parish of Bridport, put a female salmon which measured twenty inches in length, into a small well, which measured only five feet by two feet four inches, and there was only fifteen inches depth of water. In this confined place she remained twelve years, she would come to the top of the water and take meat off a plate, and would devour a quarter of a pound of lean meat in less time than a man could eat it. She would allow Mr. Dormer to take her out of the water, and when put into it again, would immediately take meat from his hands. Some time since, a little girl teased her by presenting the finger and then withdrawing it, till at last she leaped a considerable height above the water, and caught her by the said finger, which made it bleed profusely. At one time a duck approached the well, and put in its head to take a draught of the water, when Mrs. Fish, seeing a trespasser on her premises, seized the intruder by the bill, and a desperate struggle ensued, which at last ended in the release of Mr. Drake from the grasp of Mrs. Fish, and no sooner freed, than Mr. Drake flew off in the greatest consternation and affright; since which time to this day, he has not been seen to approach the well, and it is with great difficulty he can be brought within sight of it.

Salmon differ materially, both in flavor and weight, according to the localities in which they are taken: thus, the Irish salmon seldom exceed ten or twelve pounds. At two great fisheries which I have visited, namely, Ballina and Ballinahinch, nine pounds is their average weight; whereas in Scotland, they run considerably larger. The Dart salmon is very superior to that taken in the Tamar; and the Thames is esteemed the best flavored in England.

The epicure considers, that to eat this fish in perfection, it should be dressed immediately after it has quitted its native element; it then boils quite solid, and the flakes are covered with a white substance resembling curd.

At Galway, the salmon, when taken out of the traps, in which they are caught in ascending from the river to Loch Corrib, are placed in a reservoir, through which a small stream is constantly flowing; they remain here, until a customer seeks a particular sized fish; by experience, the keeper knows the weight of each to a quarter of a pound, the required salmon is immediately gaffed, and may be seen floating in parsley and butter, within five minutes after its decease.

The bridge which crosses the river in the centre of the town, is frequently lined with persons watching the salmon, which are to be seen three or four deep in the pools below, they look like waving weeds, and remain in the same position for hours. Boats are moored about one hundred feet above the bridge, from whence sportsmen catch an occasional fish with a shrimp, impaled on a good sized hook; the tackle being necessarily fine, in consequence of the clearness of the water, some skill is required to secure the prey; the spectators from above, enter with much glee into the sport; applauding the piscator, when by patience and adroitness, he is successful, and are equally bountiful in their raillery, when for lack of these necessary qualities the fish escapes. I remember watching with great interest, the manœuvres of one of these waiters upon providence. He had hooked an unusually large fish, and played him admirably for some time; it appeared quite exhausted, and allowed itself to be guided within a few feet of the boat, the well directed gaff was ready for its deadly purpose; in another second, the fish would quiver on the barb, when in a twinkling, the promised prize darted off with renewed energy, and rushing down the river, passed beneath the centre arch, and could be seen on the other side, struggling against the stream and the steady line of his opponent; the man holding in his right hand his trusty rod, slipped with his left, the rope which kept his boat in her position, which quickly followed in the fish’s wake, when as a last effort, the salmon doubled upon its pursuer, and darted through the second arch from that which the boat had just entered; the line came of course in contact with the pier, the fish gave one desperate plunge, the next moment the line floated lightly on the surface of the water. The man cast his rod in anger on the bottom of his boat, looked daggers at the laughing crowd above, and quitted the scene of his disappointment, to seek better fortune elsewhere.

The capture of a large fish, is a fatiguing operation, and requires the utmost skill and patience; one jerk--one diverted look--the least slackening of the line--and your labor is lost. The following are a few instances of well requited proficiency. Although I cannot hold out much promise of similar good fortune in the present day, as salmon are now rarely taken, even in nets of equal size, it may be satisfactory to the aspirant to know, that the largest fish do not necessarily afford the best sport; they are apt to turn sulky and will lay doggedly at the bottom of a pool, endeavouring to cut the line, by grating it against a rock, or other hard substance with the nose; when this occurs, throw gravel or small stones over the spot, where the fish is thus engaged, and it will try some other expedient.

In the Thames, on the 3rd October, 1812, Mr. G. Marshall, of Brewer Street, London, caught and killed a salmon with a single gut, that weighed twenty-one pounds, four ounces.

Sir H. Davy, used occasionally to visit the Tweed. Upon one occasion, he killed a salmon, that weighed forty-two pounds.

Mr. Lascelles, in his letters on sporting, says, “The largest salmon I ever knew taken with a fly in Scotland, weighed fifty-four pounds and a half.”

Sir Hyde Parker killed one in Sweden, that weighed sixty pounds; and the Earl of Home killed one in the Tweed, which weighed sixty-nine pounds and three-quarters.

The season of 1835, was remarkable for large salmon. A notice appeared in the papers of one that weighed fifty-five pounds. Mr. Mudie has recorded one of sixty pounds. In a note in several editions of Walton, one is mentioned that weighed seventy pounds. Pennant has noticed one of seventy-four pounds. The largest I have heard of was in the possession of Mr. Groves, the fishmonger, of Bond street, it weighed eighty-three pounds. It is not recorded how the last four were captured, but I conclude those mentioned by Walton, and Pennant, were also taken with the fly.

Page ninety-eight warns me, that my observations have exceeded the limit I originally assigned them; I trust however they have not been written in vain, but that the hints on fly-fishing, will enable the uninitiated to commence the sport, fortified with some practical information, and that his prospect of success will be more cheering than if he had depended on the assurance so readily given by the vendor of tackle--that his flies are certain killers, and his rods perfection.

I have written for the purpose of aiding the young in the acquirement of an art, which if pursued under proper restrictions, will be found conducive to the health of the body and improvement of the mind.

Knowing that vice too frequently springs up where cheerful recreations are forbidden, I hold it to be the duty of parents, to encourage the innocent amusements of their children.

The boy, who has been too severely curbed by the injudicious father, I have seen, in after life, a sullen, morose, deceitful man; his pleasures have been sought by stealth; falsehood has been practised, to evade the censure of those who should have encouraged his youthful pastimes. Vice, perchance has been courted, because it lurks in darkness and obscurity, beyond the reach of the parent’s eye, whose unwise command has forbid the joyous pursuits so congenial to the unclouded days of youth.

I have also written for the guidance of those of maturer age; who, fatigued with the drudgery of business, or worn by the anxiety of a profession, seek some recreation, which may recruit their strength and invigorate their minds, rendering them more fitted for the wonted task, and more capable of fulfilling the duties of their respective stations.

That these objects may be obtained, and that good sport may attend the Devon and Cornish fishermen, is the sincere wish of their fellow sportsman.

G. W. SOLTAU.

_Little Efford, near Plymouth, 1847._

E. NETTLETON, Printer to Her Majesty, Plymouth.

Transcriber’s Notes

Page 60--changed ‘cock-chaffer’ to ‘cock-chafer’. Page 79--changed ‘spawing’ to ‘spawning’. Page 99--changed ‘obsurity’ to ‘obscurity’.

From the Errata:

Page 9--_to_ apt, now reads _too_ apt to rely. Page 15--_variest_, now reads _veriest_ Page 20--_aught_, now reads _naught_ Page 35--_lace_, now reads _Laced_ Page 99--_falshood_, now reads _falsehood_