Inhabit the brooks and small mountain streams of the wild and untravelled parts of our Middle and Eastern States. Some few are found in the northern parts of the near-by Western States. A century ago all the small interior running waters of New York and New England were plentifully supplied with these fish. With anglers Trout are the universal favorites, their pursuit and capture affording the maximum of piscatorial recreation and enjoyment. As fish they are unsurpassed for beauty of form and colors ; for sprightliness and gamesomeness they have few equals. In the city Trout are a luxury, found on the tables of high-priced restaurants. Whether or not Brook Trout, Lake Trout, and Salmon-Trout were originally the same stock, now modified by transplantation and other conditions, is a moot-point, not fully determined. All we know is their tendencies have undergone modification, their development is influenced, and their flavor affected by change of food and habit. The usual weight is from half to one pound ; in Maine some have been taken of eight pounds ; in the Adirondacks above five pounds. They spawn in shallows, at the head of brooks, in September and October, and are angled for in spring, until the early part of summer.

Tackle: rod of split bamboo, ash, or lance-wood, with click-reel attached, from twelve to sixteen feet; line of braided silk, or hair, or grass, fly-tapered, from fifteen to twenty feet; single leader of silk-worm gut; hooks, Nos. 5, 6, 7, and 8 ; of bright artificial flies about six kinds of differing colors. For bait use live minnows or red worm. Successful fly-fishing demands skill, obtained by practice and observation. In casting shake the fly immediately over the face of the water and throw anew repeatedly and gently. If the lure prove unattractive change its shape and color. Strike by turn of wrist, and not with the forearm. Large fish must be allowed to tire themselves out in the water before being landed. Heavy Trout hook themselves more readily than small ones. It is advisable to learn to use the rod with either hand.

Like Salmon at spawning-time, Trout overcome rapids and other obstacles by leaps. Their natural feeding-time is at p>dusk of morning and evening, when they may be seen in shallow water chasing natural flies and minnows; then they bite most freely. Many hide beneath tree-roots and boughs that overhang banks, or lurk in overgrown or weedy holes.

Trout seem to be well informed about pole, line, and fisherman. The following hints are taken from the note-books of expert anglers: In working toward an old Trout, lying in shallow water, never cast at him until within reach, but cast to one side; when within a fair distance, drop the flies lightly in front of him, and he will take them. When a fish is hooked, the rod should be reversed by holding it in the left hand and reeling it up with the right; that bends the rod the other way, and in that manner it will remain straight. In angling in much-fished streams caution is necessary in wading and casting. In some of the New York and Pennsylvania brooks one can distinguish Trout fifty to one hundred feet ahead in shallow clear water, by their shadow; a long delicate cast, with a fine leader and small flies, is necessary to insure success. It is not uncommon to see anglers come from a day's fishing with no Trout, or only a few fingerlings, when a good fisherman, fishing scientifically, will show a full creel. The reason: one uses coarse tackle, gut leaders strong enough for Salmon, and flies big enough for Bass; while the other uses the finest leaders and flies so small and delicate that the average angler will not believe they will hook a minnow, much less a pound Trout.

Do not fish with your back to the sun. Stand as far from the stream as circumstances will allow. Always throw your line from you never whip it out. Let the fly gradually float down, and if possible fall into the eddies where the fish retreat in case of alarm. Let your line fall into the stream lightly and naturally, and when you raise it, do so gently and by degrees. In fishing with the fly, only a small part of the line is allowed to be in the water.

If you stand on the bank throw your line far up as possible ; you cannot expect to catch a Trout opposite or below where you are standing. If bushes intervene do not rustle them or make a noise. Some of the largest Trout lie in the shallow water, faced up stream. They are found on the south, or shady side of the stream. It is necessary to be cautious and not show yourself; if they see you they vanish for the day.

After a rain, when the water of the brook is a little riley, you can catch Trout with worm. A single split shot will sink your line, unless the stream is deep and rapid. Keep the point of your rod above the bait, steadily following it, as the bait drags along the bottom. When the fish takes the bait, do not let him run with it, but keep a steady hand. Do not jerk, but play with him. If the day be clear, and the stream shallow, wade up-stream cautiously, throwing your line far beyond, letting it come gradually toward you.

The largest Brook Trout are taken in the Rangely Lakes in Maine and the Nepigon River emptying into Lake Superior. On September 29, 1883, a New York gentleman hooked at one cast in the rapid waters of Rangely two Brook Trout, both of which he landed in safety and whose united weight was sixteen and one-fourth pounds a deed without a parallel. These were not Lake Trout, but the genuine Brook Trout Salmo fontinalis. The weight given is accurate, although anglers who follow only the brooks and know nothing of the wonderful Maine waters will find it a difficult figure. The Adirondacks still offer some good Trout-fishing, and the streams of Quebec and the Muskoga Lakes of Ontario are also excellent ground. Beyond these there is very little good trouting in the East, and the many beautiful lakes and streams in New England and New York that were once teeming with Trout now offer only the charms of solitude and lovely scenery, for the fish are gone. The Superintendent of the New York, Ontario Western Railway says that the fishing in the streams along their road is much better of late years, because they are stocked with young Trout from the State fisheries. They have put millions of fish in the head-waters of the streams of Sullivan County, and the company intend to fit up a number of cars comfortably another season, and lease them to fishermen by the day. They can be side-tracked at places convenient to the best fishing, and with a porter to care for them and comfortable beds, sportsmen could enjoy a good time in the woods free from the restraints of hotel life.