(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.
The Eastern brook trout and the native species, known as dolly varden,
are chars and belong to the genus =Salvelinus=, but the rainbow and
the cutthroat are true trout belonging to the genus =Salmo=. The
rainbow and the cutthroat present a variety of forms in different
localities and these have been given separate specific names by the
naturalist. With many of these species(?) the only difference seems to
be too slight to entitle them to specific or even sub-specific
separation; the variation being no more than that found in the color
and markings of the same fishes in the same stream, caused by the
depth of the water, the food, or other local conditions.
The rainbow trout is now a resident, either through natural or
artificial distribution, of nearly all the streams of the Coast from
Washington to Lower California. They vary in size, color and number of
scales in different localities and have been given distinct specific
names in the various sections, those of the Coast streams of
California being used as the typical form. These several varieties,
even in their natural condition, showed very little, if any positive
line of demarkation, but since the establishment of the many
hatcheries on the Coast and the wide distribution of the fry hatched
from the spawn of the rainbow of the Sacramento and its tributaries,
of the steelhead of the Eel river, and of the typical form of the
Coast streams, there seems but one course now left, and that is to
group them all as one species under the original name of rainbow.
The rainbow is a very handsome trout, varying in size from adults of
but a few inches in the smaller Coast streams, to 25 and 30 inches
long in the larger rivers and lakes. Its dark spotted back and silvery
sides with the rich metallic colors of the rainbow streak gives it a
coloration that is at once brilliant and pleasing. As a game fish it
has no superior, if indeed an equal. It takes the fly with a rush,
often leaping out of the water to seize it as it is descending. Then
it fights with a determination, often breaking three or four feet into
the air, shaking its head to free the hook like a terrier shakes a
rat. It seldom sounds and never sulks. The rainbow trout goes to the
sea at varying ages, the same as all other trout that can get there
without passing through long stretches of warm and sluggish water. In
the salt water it attains a greater size, changes its color in
accordance with the length of time it has been there, but on returning
again to the stream it soon assumes its original plan of coloring.
Head, about one-fourth of the whole length from the snout to the base
of the caudal fin, varying much with age and size. Generally the
greatest depth is about one fourth of the length of the fish, but this
also varies very much with the character of the waters it inhabits. In
rapid running streams the fish are always slimmer than in more
sluggish ones. I have known them 20 inches or more in length, when
confined in large reservoirs, to become so heavy that they would weigh
one pound to every two inches in length. The lateral line, or rainbow
varies, in intensity of color, but always showing in varying shades of
red, pink, and sometimes blue of a metallic luster. The vertical black
blotches seen on the sides are the marks of immature fish.
The snout of the rainbow is considerably more rounding than that of
the salmon, and the head larger in proportion. The eye also is much
larger and fuller. The shape and position of the fins are almost
identical with those of the salmon, but a little larger in proportion
to the size of the fish. The tail, however, varies considerably, being
more rounded, and showing only a slight indentation in the center.