Trout Characteristics
I have kept, for many years, a consensus record on some of the much discussed qualities of the various trouts as expounded by writers in both books and magazine articles. It is just one of those things that neither you or I can argue with. I don’t say that I concur entirely with what the record discloses, neither perhaps will you, but here it is for what it is worth:
The golden trout is similar to the rainbow in practically all characteristics. The dolly varden trout compares with the brook trout in most characteristics except much lower in scale.
Under the heading of “Fight,” this primarily covered stubborn
resistance, strength and time required to bring to net. It did not regard the spectacular, in which the brookie and the rainbow would reverse positions on the chart. There will be arguments and contradictions on the ratings shown but the anglers who really should know from experience and test have rendered the verdict. For information purposes only, the fish regarded pretty generally as all tops in fight and spectacular exhibitionism is the landlocked salmon, “Ouananiche,” followed by the grilse salmon, then the brook trout. In fourth place ( hang on to your hat) is the bluegill, ahead of the rainbow and the steelhead (weights comparative, of course). For those of you who love bass fishing it might be noted that the smallmouth bass comes in immediately after the rainbow rating.
The colder the water, in all instances, the more difficulty in subduing those leaders in their frantic efforts to escape. The brown trout and the cutthroat are prone to become discouraged and turn belly up much more readily.
The dolly varden was, and is, regarded by many as a destructive, not wanted fish. In fact it was considered a mark of distinction to take them from their waters and destroy them. This “bad character” term was given the dolly because of his custom of following breeding trout of other species and dining on their eggs. I’m in no wise defending the fish but I wonder why our highly regarded steelhead is not so characterized. In fact there are few trout that will refuse the fish eggs, even those of their cousins and sisters.
The prime lesson in this brief discourse on some of the trout ways and characteristics is that, under all normal conditions, they can be interested and caught if neither the fisherman or his terminal tackle or his presentation or some other unpredictable detail arouses the persistent, always present fear sense possessed by the trout and motivated so easily.
Some fish are brighter than a lot of fishermen! These are the smarties that you and I should strive to outwit because, during the course of the endeavor, many, many more gullible trout will find your creel, and well browned on a platter, no one can tell the difference.
