The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-08-19

seen in San Andreas Lake last Sunday Pro-
lessor BanZ could not understand how Taylor
could possibly lose big fish, especially as big
hsh are TaylOrs specially.
chow did you lose him. BOb?" asked BanZ.
why, how would anybody lose a fish that
wasn't hooked just exactly rIght?" answered
Bob; fright off The reel"
wei. that's so. when / come TO think of IT,"
muitered BanZ; "but tell me, Bob how large q
fish was lt?"
Nine pounds. II It weighed an ounce" was
TaylOr'S quick reply.
Now have gotyOu." retorted Banz, as his
face Int up win pyrotechnical display of true
angler smiles.
flows that?' was Taylor's readv Tejoinder.
why, how can you tell what the fish weighed
when you failed 10 catch him?"
NOW, look here, BanZ, none OF that. The
FISH, at one time. was within foot OF the boat.
and cOuid plainly see the scales on his back"
The following interesting article concerning
the salmon and its growth, etc. cannot fail 20
interest any person who has love for angling.
The letter appeared in Forest and ST. cam from
the pen OF Mr.. Mowat, an authority on matters
of this Kind, IN which he says:
Il read with pleasure an article in your paper
on the age and growth OF salmon, about which
there Is such diversity of opinion, backed by
what seems TO be tangible proof Much OF
this could be explained, l think, il climatic
conditions and locality we're properly consd-
cred. For instance, take river with fairly
clear water. gravelly bottom ana striving
banks. where the waller close 10 the shore IS
warmed by the sun and seldom touches the
freezing point, and having in IL large supply
OF insect life. Take another stream without
these favorable conditions and having a solid
girdle OF ice on its surface and in places frozen
to the bottom. Would not the Young fry be-
come smolts possibly in six months In one case,
while IN The other II might take eighteen
months as tn the case in our northern rivers
thus making il nearly two years from the lay
ing OF The egg until The fry becomes perfect
smoiI:
1t Is possible some paIr may be hindered in
growth from some cause and remain for an
other year IN fresh waIrr. My attention was
drawn 10 this by catching some smOIs much
larger Than common; they were probably nine
or ten inches long, and on examination as 10
their extra fullneSg / found The milk aVaTIes
fun, something l never found in The common
sm0lt. The question arises, had they been 70
sea, II so. how long? One OF the reasons why
| imagine they had been 10 sea is This: We be
lieYe the descending Dec Der smOlt returns
as gr1lSe the following July weighing from
three 10 four pounds, and so far as have OBJ
served, all OF them males. some years more,
some less; IN some sigers they are plentiful, in
some rivers there are none.
at Is possible. however. In some rivers where
the nsh run small say an average OF ten
pounds, that females OF six pounds will give
spawn, but In all my piscicultural experience
of ten years l never saw female under ten
pounds, and the grlSe were all males forcing
Inc TO the CONCLUSION that the females remain
nearly TWO years at sea before returning 10
fresh water"
Iu answer 10 the above C. g. Atkins OF the
United States Fish Commission, q noted au-
lhOrity on all matters that pertain 10 salmon
and trout says IN the same journal: $50 far
a. my own experience goes Il own that il is not
quite sufficient 10 settle The matter salmon are
not quite so rapid growers during their first
Two years as trout, but this Is IN water that
rarely rises TO the temperature of 20 deg. f.,
aud possibly in water above 20 deg. the salmon
wOuld grow faster.
Now, salmon passes be first one or two
years OF its life IN The river. / mean, of course
when at liberty under natural conditions, aud
during that whole period Il have reason 10 con-
clude that In our river it is Two years. 1t only
attdins length OF six to eight inches. II IL
comes back grilse IL then weighs al the
age OF say three years only three or four
pounds. A salmon weighing SIS pounds would
surely be al adult, and could not be less than
four years OLD.
"Conclusious derived from observations made
on river stocked witt salmon. the stream
never before having contained them, are
more reliable than observations made OH d
salmon river with no fixed point 10 stapt from
and no means OF tracing individual smolt or
salmon, ana no way OF separating one indi-
vidpal from another. 1t is from data obtained
on a stocked stream that l led AIN to believe
that smOlts 20 10 sea when 2 years old and re-
turn as salmon when years old; aud as no
grIlse have been taken. so far as eau be learned,
lt is assumed That grise do not euler the
stream. am i'll hopes 10 try still further ex-
peTlments with salmon fry tile present year."