The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-08-26
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
Information Bureau
FREDERIC j. HAsKTN. Director.
Washington, D. c.
THE LAND OF THE TROUT.

people come mere every summer 1oT
the sole purpose of pursuing the elu-
sive but abundant trout making Den
yer the base of their attack. The ma
tive Denverites are no less enthusiastic
concerning the indispensable 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 the headliner on ey-
cry hotel menu, unless it is temporar-
lily ousted III favor of lake trout; dis
cussions of It's habits, affections, and
idiosyncracies fill costly columns in the
local newspapers, and it is constantly
cropping up in the advertising copy OF
such unrelated articles as kodaks mo-
torcycles and women's wears
Then there are the dozens OF shops
scattered all over she city which sell
nothing but. fishing tackle and fishing
apparel. They are constantly crowded
by newly arrived tenderfeet in the
process OF trying 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 re-
served fors theiE I'm activities, and
with bewildered feminine amateurs,
desperately attempting to master the
art of attaching queer-looking artifi-
ciaI 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
becomes infected with the spirit of
conquest, and begins to wish that ne
could have a hand in catching the In
finite number of mountain trout that
he consumes. At least one Denver
cafe has recognized this vague long
ing on the part of the non-fishing
public and has capitalized it in a
unique way Connected with its din
ing room is a large tank containing
numerous live trout. The patron Or
dering mountain trout for his dinner
is led to this aquarium, permitted
to select his own fish, and then to
stand nearby while waiter deity
bats and catches that particular trout
for which a hot frying pan is already
waiting. This novel plan not only
assures the dining public of fresh
fish. but also affords it pleasant
thrill
No one knows how many trout are
removed from the trout streams of
Colorado every year. So far as can be
ascertained, no statistician has yet
come along and estimated how many
freight cars it would take to haul
them to the eastern COAST or how
many miles of fish trail they would
make if strewn an eighth of an inch
apart across the continent. The only
way in which the fish and game ad-
thoities can estimate IS by the num-
Der of fishermen who frequent the
streams. About $4,000 tourists have
had designs on the Colorado trout this
year, while the natives daily diminish
the stock by several thousand. On the
day that the season opened this year,
1900 fishermen were tackling Bear
Creek alone, and the remoter streams,
according to reports of the Forest
service, were equally crowded.
At this rate there would be only a
few seasoned and wary trout left at
the end of a year if the state of Col
orado were not so vigilant in replen-
ishiRg the streams with new fish.
But fortunately the state has a fish
and game commissioner who is him
self a sportsman and therefore per-
sonally as we'll as officially interested
I'M seeing that Colorado maintains Its
pinnacle of trout fame. Under the
supervision of this commissioner. Mr..
r. G. Parvin. twenty million sturdy
trout are artificialIy propagated and
poured into the trout streams every
year.
Three Kinds of Trout.
In this twenty million are included
three species of fish-name1y. the
Rainbow trout, Native or Black
Spotted trout" and the Eastern Brook
or Red SpeckledT trout. The last
variety has been propagated with
such amazing success in Colorado that
the eastern states from whence it
originally came are, now sending here
for supplies of Brook trout eggs with
which to replenish their streams. In
fact, Colorado is now as famous for its
successful system of artificial propa--
gationf as it is for its trout.
The state controls seven different
lob ct L. -E
trout, from which millions of eggs are
obtained, and it operates 81 hatcher
les. On the day that we interviewed
Commissioner Parvin, he had just re-
turned from a trffs-toT rappers Lake,
the largest source of the native trout
supply, from which he said. three mill
lion eggs had been obtained in three
weeks. Taking various photographs
of the lakes hatcheri-j from his desk,
he explained the method by which
artificial propagation is carried on.
It seems that the three species of
fish have different seasons for spawn
ing. The Rainbow spawns first, early
in the spring; the Natives OF Black
Spotted' trout follow a little later on,
and the Brook trout spawn in the q Ill.
When this season occurs the fish start
to run-that is. they make a concen-
trated effort to leave the lakes and
go up knto the streams, each female
accompanied by male The process
of natural spawning takes four or five
days. At this point, however, the state
of Colorado ii.terferes. Its fish ex-
perts follow the fish, seine them out
and put them into pens, admitting one
male to each three females. We
ripe the eggs are squeezed from the
female fish and the milk from the
male fish. The milk is poured oyer
tie eggs so as to fertilize them. after
WHICH they are put in a cool place to
harden Then they are washed and
packed in cheese cloth and wet moss.
Matching the Eggs.
IN this impreasnable form the eggs
arrive at the various state hatcheries.
Here they are placed in troughs of
water, heated and kept at uniform de-
grees Of temperature. In water heated
to the point of 50 degrees. the eggs will
hatch in four weeks. whereas If the
temperature is only IS degrees it takes
six weeks. The first sign of life Is