Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-08-20
The Land Of The Trout.
BY Frederic J. Hasksn..

|
OF pursuing the elusive but abundant
trout, making Denver the base of their
attack. Tho native Denvcrites are no
less enthusiastic concerning the uns,H-
passablc quality of the nearby trout
streams, so that Denver has come to
possess a very trouty atmosphere.
Everybody talks trout, everybody eats
trout, and nearly everybody at some time
or other catches trout. Mountain trout
is tho headlincr on every hotel menu, un-
less it is temporarily ousted IN favor OF
lake trout; discussions Of its habits, al
fectations and idiosyncrasies fill costly
columns in the local newspapers, and 1t
is constantly cropping up in the adyer-
tising copy OF such unrelated articles as
kodaks,- motorcycles and women's wear.
Then there are tho dozens OF shops
scattered all over the city which sell moth
ing but fishing tackle and fishing apparel.
They are constantly crowded by newly
arrived Tcnderfeet in the process Of try
ing on various kinds of rubber boots,
guaranteed To withstand the most violent
exposure in Bear Creek, with native guides
who claim to have all the best fishing
haunts reserved for their own activities,
and with bewlldered feminine amateurs,
desperately attempting to master the
art Of attaching queer-looking artlficiai
flies Judging by the appearance OF these
stores, the owners must all be rapidly
becoming millionaires.
PATRONS SELECT THEIR FISH.
Even the most casual tourist soon be-
comes infected with the spirit Of conquest
and begins to wish that he could have q
hand in catching the infinite number OF
mountain trout that he consumes. ht
least one Denver cafe has recognized this
vague longing on the part Of the nom
fishing public and has capitalized II IN
UNIQUE way. Connected with its dining
room is a large tank containing numerous
live trout. The patron ordering mountain
trout for his dinner is led 70 this aquarium,
permitted TO select his own fish, and then
TO stand nearby while waiter deftly paits
and catches that particular trout for
which hot frying pan is already waiting
This novel plan not only assures the dining
public OF fresh fish, but also affords ~
pleasant thrill.
No one knows how many trout are re-
moved from the trout streams OF Coiorado
every year So far as can be aseertaineo,
no statistician has yet come along aiio
estimated how many freight cars IL Would
take TO haul them TO the eastern COAST, o,
how many miles Of fish trail they wouid
make if strewn an eighth OF an men apart
across the continent. The only way IN
which the fish and game authorities can
estimate is by the number OF nsherfnen sa
who frequent the streams. About 35o'ooo
tourists have had designs on the Coiolaao
trout this year, while the natives oaliy
diminish the stock by several thousaho.
On the day that the season opened TINS
year, l,560 fishermen were tackiing bear
Creek alone, and the remoter streams,
according TO reports OF the foie''
vice, were equally crowded,
Al .his rate there would be only
few seasoned and wary trout left at the
end of a year If the State OF Colorado
we're not so vigilant in replenishlng the
streams with new fish. But fortunately
the state has a Fish and Game Comrnls-
.ioner who is himself q sportsman and
therefore personally as well as ofnciany
interested in seeing that Colorado NAM
tains its pinnacle of trout fame. cnoer
the srpervision of this commissioner
r 10 Paryin, twenty million STURDY
Young trout are artifcially propag gated ana
poured into the trout streams every year
THREE KINDS OF rRoUT.
In this twenty million are included
three species of hsh-namely, the ram,
bow Trout, the Native or .black-opoIted,
Trout" and the Eastern Brook or Keo
Spcckled" Trout. The last variety mas
been propagated with such amazing sue
cess in Colorado that the eastern states
from whence it originally came are now
sending here for supplies OF Brook trout
eggs with which TO replenlsh tneir stfeails'
In fact, Colorado is now as famous ior
its successful system OF artlhciai' pioPa-
CATION as il is for Its trout.
The State controls seven di1ereht iaAes
containing large quantities OF Trout; iIoii
which millions OF eggs are optaiheo' sno
it operates 81 hatcheries. On the aay
that we interviewed Commissioner at
win. he had lust returned from trip 70
Tranners Lake, the largest source OF the
native trout supply, from which, ne said,
three million eggs had been obtained IN
three weeks. Taking various photographs
of the lakes and hatcheries from hls desk,
he explained the method by which arti-
6c;aI nropa pataion is carried on.
II seems that the three species oi nsh
have different seasons for spawning. ne
Rainbow spawns first, early IN the spring;
The Natives, or "Black-Spotted Trout,
follow n little later on, and the brooA
front spawn in the fan. When this sea-
son occurs the fish start 10 Iun-that IS,
they make a concentrated effort to leave
the lakes and go up into the streams, each
female accompanied by male. The proc
ess of natural spawning takes TOUR or
Ave days. At this point, however, the
State OF Colorado interferes. Its hsh
sxperts follow the fish, seine them out and
out them into pens, admitting one male
10 each three females When ripe the eggs
are squeezed from the female fish and the
milk from the male fish. The milk Is
poured over the eggs so as to fertillze
hem. after which they are put IN cool
place to harden. Then they are washed
and packed in cheese cloth and wet moss.
PATCHING THE EGGS.
In this impregnable form the eggs ar
i've at the various State hatcheries. Here
,hey are placed in troughs of water, heated
md kept at uniform degrees of temperature
n water heated to the point of 50 de-
yrees, the eggs will hatch in four weeks,
whereas if the temperature is only IS
degrees it takes six weeks. The FIRST
IGN of life is merely black spot. Then
he head of the fish appears attached TO a
Inv sack or belly. The tish lives ON this
or eight or nine days, at the end of which
lime it develops into what is known as
FRY" Having reached this stage, it is
still kept in the trough for a Certain period