Trout

Trout, a popular name for the smaller fishes of the typical group of the Salmon family, as distinguished from the Charr (g.v.), the technical difference being that the Salmon and Trout have teeth on the head and body of the vomer, while in the Charr teeth occur on the head of the vomer only. The Common Trout (Salmo fario), a well-known food and game-fish, has a wide distribution in the Old World. It is plentiful in Britain, and in the streams and rivers of Northern Europe. The trout, for its size, is more stoutly built than the salmon, though without losing its symmetry; the tail is forked in young fish, but in old ones the forking is lost, and the tail becomes square or somewhat rounded. The general ground-colour is yellow, with small spots of black and red on the upper surface, and white or yellowish, with a silvery tinge, beneath. The ground-colour of the upper surface varies greatly, according to the nature of the stream in which the trout live, and to some extent they have the power of assuming the coloration of their surroundings. They are extremely voracious feeders, and nothing in the way of animal food seems to come amiss to them. Their principal diet, however, consists of small crustaceans, especially fresh-water shrimps. They also take large quantities of fish-fry, and their habit of rising for flies is well known, The tint of the flesh varies from pink to white, probably from the nature of the food, Trout vary greatly in size, a fish of a pound or a pound and a half being considered a fine one; very much larger specimens, however, are recorded. One taken in Loch Stenness in 1888 scaled 29 lb,; and in 1894 one was taken in Lough Ennell that weighed 26 lb. 2 oz., and measured 34-1/4 inches in length, and 23-3/4 inches in the middle girth. These exceptionally large fish are by some referred to another species - the Great Lake Trout (S. ferox), while others hold that the so-called Great Lake Trout are only abnormally large specimens of the common species. Lochleven has a distinct species (S. levenensis) with pointed pectoral fins. These fish are also bred artificially, and a very large number of fry are hatched out yearly. The Geneva Trout (S. lemanus) is closely allied to the Salmon-trout (q.v.). The close time for trout in England and Wales is from October 2 to February 1, and in Ireland from September 29 to the end of February. There is no close time in Scotland. America has several species of trout, and the name is there also applied to Charr.