THE GAME FISHES OF THE PACIFIC COAST

Like in that portion of this work devoted to the game birds, this also is written in popular language, avoiding, as far as possible, all technical words and phrases, with the intention of furnishing a plain description of the game fishes of the Coast which anyone, unlearned in the science of ichthyology, may understand, and by which be able to identify any of the fishes he may capture.

With fishes, like with birds, there are certain parts that must be referred to in order to show wherein one species differs from another. Wherever these parts have a common English name, that name has been used. But as there are a few parts that can only be referred to by their scientific names, a diagram has been added showing the location of all parts referred to in the text.

In scope it treats only of such varieties as rise to the fly or are caught by trolling with rod and reel, whether from the stream, lake, bay or ocean, and furnish sport to the angler who fishes for the exhilarating pleasure their capture affords.

The Pacific Coast is rich in game fishes, not only in the varieties found in its lakes and streams, but as well in its bays and estuaries, while the broad ocean furnishes varieties whose size and fighting qualities are not surpa.s.sed, even if equaled, in any other part of the world. To place in the hands of the young angler, and others who may not have given the subject the necessary attention, a convenient handbook by the aid of which even the novice may readily recognize the species of fish he has landed, is the object of these pages.

All of the salmon, the trout, the chars, the white-fish and the lake herring have been cla.s.sed by the naturalist in one family and given the name, =Salmonidae=; but it is only with three genera of the subfamily, =Salmoninae= that we are concerned. These are the Pacific salmon (=Oncorhynchus=), the true trout (=Salmo=) and the Eastern trout and the dolly varden trout (=Salvelinus=). The Atlantic salmon belong to the genus Salmo, the same as the true trout, and have but one species (=Salmo salar=), which partake more of the habits of the trout than do their Pacific cousins.

THE PACIFIC SALMON

(Oncorhynchus)

Notwithstanding the fact that the salmon is one of the most valuable of all the food fishes, but little is known of its habits after it leaves the stream in which it is hatched until it returns to sp.a.w.n, supposed to be from three to four years afterward. Whether they remain near the mouths of the streams, or whether they migrate to distant feeding grounds are questions that have never been solved. All of the five species are caught with seins in Puget Sound in greater or less numbers all the year round. From the action of those that sp.a.w.n in the Sacramento river it would seem that they migrate southward and far out to sea, for on their return to sp.a.w.n they enter Monterey Bay only on its southern side, and following around it at no great distance from the sh.o.r.e, leave it at the northern headlands and skirt the sh.o.r.e northward until they reach the entrance to San Francis...o...b..y on their way up the Sacramento river. Where the young fish make their habitat from the time they drift down the stream in which they were sp.a.w.ned until they return again to sp.a.w.n has never been determined. They sp.a.w.n but once and die soon afterward. As I know that this last statement will be disputed by some, for reasons best known to themselves, I will quote from that excellent work by Evermann and Jordan, "American Food and Game Fishes." "We have carefully," say these gentlemen, "examined the sp.a.w.ning habits of both forms of the red fish and chinook salmon in the head waters of Salmon river, Idaho, during two entire seasons, from the time the fish arrived in July until the end of September, by which time all the fish had disappeared. A number of important questions were settled by these investigations. In the first place it was found that all of the fish arrived upon the sp.a.w.ning grounds in perfect physical condition, so far as external appearances indicated; no sores, bruises or other mutilations showing on any of more than 4000 fish examined. During the sp.a.w.ning, however, the majority became more or less injured by rubbing against the gravel of the sp.a.w.ning-beds, or by fighting with one another. Soon after done sp.a.w.ning every one of them died, not only both forms of the red fish but the chinook salmon as well. The dying is not due to the injuries the fish received on the sp.a.w.ning-grounds; many were seen dying or dead which showed no external or other injuries whatever. The dying of the West Coast salmon is in no manner determined by distance from the sea. Observations made by us and others elsewhere show that the individuals of all species of the =Oncorhynchus= die after one sp.a.w.ning, whether the sp.a.w.ning-beds are remote from the sea or only a short distance from salt-water."

The angler's concern, however, is not so much with the procreative habits of the salmon as it is with their behavior while feeding and after being hooked.

Salmon are rarely caught by still fishing, but they will take the spoon or a sardine or other small fish impaled upon the hook. They take the bait generally with some hesitation, though at times they strike it with all the impetuosity of the trout. Then the singing reel calls for careful and immediate action on the part of the angler, for the ten to forty pound fish on his light tackle is going to put up a fight worthy of his skill. In his mad rush for liberty the gamy fish gradually rises to the surface, and when at last checked by the skill of the angler, he will often leap out of the water to a height of from four to eight feet, his beautiful sides scintillating in the rays of the sun, forming a picture to gladden the heart of the angler, for if he be a true sportsman he will fish with such tackle only as will give his adversary a fair chance in the fight and require the fullest exercise of his own knowledge and skill to bring his fish to gaff. The salmon is a strong fighter but his rushes do not last long for a fish of its size. For this reason much of the sport of salmon fishing is lost through the use of too heavy tackle. The writer landed one without difficulty weighing 33-1/2 pounds on a nine thread, Cuttyhunk line and a 5-1/2 foot steel rod weighing less than six ounces, and I believe that a fifty pound fish can be landed with the same tackle.

Trolling with hand lines for salmon is practiced by some, but such is not angling. Hauling in an impaled fish hand over hand with a small cable is neither sport nor sportsmanlike.

[Ill.u.s.tration: CHINOOK SALMON (Oncorhynchus tschawytscha)]

THE CHINOOK, OR KING SALMON

(Oncorhynchus tschawytscha)

This species has a multiplicity of names, being known in different localities as chinook, quinnat, king, Sacramento river and Columbia river salmon, besides half a dozen or more Indian names. Its distribution is the widest of any of the Pacific salmon, ranging on both sides of the ocean from the lat.i.tude of Monterey Bay to Behring Straits. The run begins on the Columbia river as early as the latter part of February, many of the fish going up its tributaries 1000 miles or more to sp.a.w.n. Farther south the run becomes gradually later.

The sp.a.w.ning season also varies with the locality, and ranges from the latter part of July to the middle of November. The date of sp.a.w.ning seems to be determined by the temperature of the water, for it is said that the salmon will not sp.a.w.n, even if on the sp.a.w.ning grounds, until the water has fallen to a temperature of 54 degrees Fahrenheit.

The chinook salmon is the largest of the family, specimens having been taken in Alaska waters that have weighed 100 pounds, while 50 to 60 pound fish are common. Those taken in the Columbia river are said to average 22 pounds, while the average of the Sacramento river catch is 16.

Head, rather pointed; eye, small and situated a little in front of the back of the mouth; body, rounded and full, the deepest part being about midway of its length; pectoral fins, short and situated low and just behind the gills; dorsal fin, nearly midway of the back; ventral fins, a little behind the center of the dorsal; a.n.a.l fin about half way between the ventral and the tail; adipose fin, a little in front of the rear of the ventrals; caudal fin, or tail, slightly forked.

The back, dorsal fin and tail are generally well covered with dark brownish black spots. There are few spots as a rule on the head, and those are of a slaty color.

There is always some variation in color, but usually the back is quite dark, turning to bluish on the sides and light silver below. As the sp.a.w.ning season approaches, the jaws of the males become lengthened and badly distorted and the color changes to more of a pinkish hue and blotched in appearance. The gills are never alike on both sides, varying from 15 to 19 in number. (See plate giving names of all parts mentioned.)

BLUEBACK, OR SOCK-EYE SALMON, REDFISH

(Oncorhynchus nerka)

This species is next in commercial value to the chinook. It has been taken occasionally in the Sacramento river but it is not common south of the Columbia river. The run of this species begins about the first of April and the fish go as far as Salmon river, Idaho, fully 1000 miles from the sea to sp.a.w.n. By a peculiar instinct this species only run up such rivers as have lakes at their heads, and sp.a.w.n in the lakes or at the mouths of little streams emptying into them, in many of the lakes of Oregon and Washington are found the young of the blue-back salmon which are commonly called redfish. These fish never leave these lakes and therefore never attain a size of more than five to seven pounds.

Head, short and pointed and light olive in color; under jaw, white; body, long, slim and rather flattened; back, blue; sides, silver; belly, dull white; dorsal fin, dark; others flesh color; tail, rather narrow and well forked; gills, 13 to 15. As the sp.a.w.ning season approaches the whole fish takes on a decided reddish cast, which sometimes becomes as dark as a brick-red. The jaw becomes very much hooked, and a few spots appear.

THE SILVER SALMON

(Oncorhynchus kisutch)

In line of importance the silver salmon occupies the next place. It is also known by a number of names, among which are koho, skowitz and kisutch. It is a small fish, rarely exceeding 16 inches in length and never reaching more than ten pounds in weight. Its range is from Alaska south to Monterey Bay, where it has recently been planted and seems to flourish. It sp.a.w.ns in the smaller coast streams, never going far from the salt water. Its run begins about the first of September, sp.a.w.ning in October and November.

Head, short with blunt snout; opercles or gill covers, very convex; body, shaped very much like the chinook; back, bluish green; sides, silver white. It has but few spots and these are confined pretty much to the head, upper fins and tail. Gills, 13 or 14.

THE HUMP-BACK SALMON

(Oncorhynchus gorbuscha)

This is another small species, rarely exceeding six pounds in weight but more commonly from three to four. Its range is from the Sacramento river, where it appears in limited numbers, north to Alaska.

Body, slim, scales very small; back, blue and sides silvery white.

Profusely spotted on the after part of the back, with large oval spots on the tail. Gills, 11 to 13.

THE DOG SALMON

(Oncorhynchus keta)

The dog salmon rarely exceeds ten pounds in weight. Its range is from the Sacramento river north, and its sp.a.w.ning-grounds the small streams up which it never extends any great distance from the salt water.

Head, quite pike-like in shape and therefore much longer and slimmer than the chinook. Back, dirty brown, with the sides of much the same color, but of a lighter tint; fins, very dark; very few distinct spots, with those showing very small; gills, 13 or 14.

=Tackle and Lure=--The Pacific salmon are only caught by trolling.

They will take a spoon, or any live bait. The most successful lure, however, is a sardine, or other small fish of six to eight inches in length. Pa.s.s the hook through both eyes, take a half hitch around the head, insert the point of the hook in the gill and by bending the fish in the shape of the hook bring the point out about an inch and a half or two inches from the tail. This allows the fish to remain curved, and gives it a revolving motion while trolling, resembling a live, though disabled fish.

A salmon rod should consist of a b.u.t.t 14 to 16 inches in length, with a hand piece in front of the reel; tip, 6 feet long and not to weigh more than 7 ounces; line not to exceed standard 12-thread. With fishes weighing from 40 pounds and upward, 300 feet of line can be used to advantage.

[Ill.u.s.tration: RAINBOW TROUT (Salmo irideus)]

THE RAINBOW TROUT

(Salmo irideus)

There are at least four distinct species of trout; that is, trout proper and chars, now common to the coast. One of these, the Eastern brook trout, is the result of artificial hatching and distribution.

These, as well as the rainbow, and to lesser extent the cutthroat, have been so widely distributed by the state fish commission and private hatcheries that to attempt to give the present habitat of the several species would be sure to result in many errors which might be confounding. The Eastern brook trout has taken kindly to our waters and seem to be doing well in all suitable streams. Several other foreign species of trout have been introduced into our waters as well as these, among which are the Loch Leven, the German brown trout and the Mackinaw, but the success of their acclimatization has yet to be fully determined, though the Loch Leven and German brown seem to be doing well in the higher streams.