Maryland's Trout and Salmon Frank J. Schwartz University of Maryland Chesapeake Biological Laboratory Solomons, Maryland Educational Series 76 Maryland Conservationist Vol. XLM, No. 2: 2-6 1967 Maryland's Trout and Salmon A SWIRL of water, a mighty leap, ring salmon is the Atlantic salmon from California about 1883. Brown a flash of red, blue, brown or white (Salmo salar). trout stocking began at the same time. is all that a young lad or a grand- Trout once haunted most of Mary- Several lots of searun Atlantic salmon dad needs to set his mind racing and land's upland streams. But man and were introduced into the Gunpowder, his heart pounding with joy. You might his lumbering, strip mining, agri- Susquehanna and Patuxent Rivers be- ask, "what is so beautiful that it can culture and pollution practices either tween 1873 and 1877, and into the lure men away from the bustle of killed the trout or forced them to re- Youghiogheny River in April of 1880. everyday life and cause feelings rang- treat to those streams in the western None were successful. About 1873, ing from admiration to awe?" The counties where primitive and forest chinook or king salmon ( Oncorhyn- answer can only be the sight of a conditions remained. Meshack Brown- chus tshawytscha) from the West Coast trout or salmon. ing, in his Forty-Four Years of the were unsuccessfully introduced into the Marylanders will brave all sorts of Life of a Hunter, mentioned harvest- Youghiogheny and Potomac Rivers. hardships to glimpse this wily group ing many five pound brook trout from In the 1890's, lake trout (Salvelinus of fishes and pit their skill and pa- these tributaries, especially near Sang namaycush), were introduced in the tience against them. To many, noth- Run in Garrett County. Frederick Youghiogheny River and other Gar- ing is more impressive than the Skinner, commenting in Turf, Field rett County streams, but none suc- majestic, sleek trout lurking near a and Farm, on the western tributaries, ceeded. rock or riffle in a clear stream; nothing particularly the Youghiogheny River, Today, populations of brook, brown, is more crafty in taking a fisherman's noted that it was swarming with five and rainbow trout exist due to a bait; nothing struggles so violently pound, 22 inch brook trout in 1834. "put and take" stocking practice. for life once hooked; and nothing But even here, the trout were unsafe. More than 45 streams are stocked intertwines that freshness of land, As the human population grew, pres- annually so that present generations water and mind to make life so in- sure on wildlife populations soon can still see, catch and enjoy these teresting. caused depletions of natural stocks so fishes. This policy must prevail since Maryland waters are blessed with that as early as the late 19th Century, much of the trout's original spawning one native trout, several introduced it was necessary to stock fish for public and stream habitat is altered or de- species and one salmon. The sole fishing. spoiled. The gravel so necessary for native trout is the brook trout (Sal- Successful stocking of brook trout spawning beds (redds) is silted over. velinus fontinalis), while the intro- in the State's waters began about 1875. Industrial activities have often warmed duced forms are the brown (Salmo Extensive stocking in Deep Creek the water above tolerance levels (55 trutta) and rainbow trout (Salmo Lake started in 1919. Rainbow trout degrees for brook trout, 65 degrees for gairdneri). The only naturally occur- were introduced by shipments of eggs brown or rainbow) . Many streams' 2 MARYLAND CONSERVATIONIST distinguishes the Atlantic salmon, water with temperatures near 51 de- brown trout and rainbow trout, while grees. Hatching occurs between 48 and the brook trout has light spots on a 52 days. Hatchery fish probably grow darker background. faster than wild individuals, often at- In New England and Canada, the taining a length of 17 inches in 16 Atlantic salmon may weigh up to 40 months. pounds. Locally, this dull silvery or Both natural and artificial baits are steel blue fish, with scattered round or used for fishing brown trout. Dry flies X-shaped black spots and large scales are good, especially in the early morn- on its body, seldom exceeds 12 inches ing, late afternoon and evening. Spin- and a few ounces in weight. The ners ahead of a fly or spoon are good ventral and anal fins are white. Else- for early spring or turbid water fish- where, males on spawning runs lose ing, while small flies are preferred bait their silvery sheen, turn a dull brown- in midsummer. Night crawlers, salmon ish and reddish hue, and may exhibit eggs, or cheese balls fished close to the orange, black or red body spots. Their bottom produce results anytime of jaws elongate and become hooked, so day. only the tips touch. They may ascend streams for many miles and spawn in In Maryland, the rainbow trout a shallow redd. After spawning, al- may reach a maximum of 27 inches though spent and often dying, they and 81/4 pounds. They are distinc- feed voraciously and will actively strike tively marked with a lateral longitu- a fly. dinal band of pinkish blue or red. The dorsal, anal and caudal fins and Young, known as parr, possess 10 back have black spots. No pink or to 11 marks along their bodies; these red occurs on the throat area. Young alternate with bright red spots, and possess parr-marks. are set off by an orange adipose fin. water chemistry is changed drastically; Young salmon remain in fresh water The rainbow trout is an active mol- they frequently lack oxygen or are for two years before migrating to the lusc, insect and fish feeder. It spawns highly contaminated with pollutants. sea during the third summer where from late February to early April. Plant cover needed to shade and cool they feed on fish and crustaceans. About 50 days are necessary for hatch- the streams disappeared. In many They grow rapidly and may weigh ing. Hatchery fish reach a length of areas, rivers are dammed, depriving the seven pounds after only one year at six inches in 16 months while three inch trout of the swift clear water they must sea. lengths normally prevail more than a have to grow and reproduce. year under natural conditions. Changes in the Chesapeake Bay re- The brown trout, primarily a stocked duced the population of searun At- fish in Maryland, reaches a maxi- Worms are the best bait, for rain- 1 bows, although salmon eggs, minnows, lantic salmon that once ascended its mum of about 27 inches and 8/2 tributaries to spawn. Populations that pounds. It is golden brown with dark grasshoppers and other insects will produce action. Pools and riffles are yielded many pounds of catchable fish brown or black spots on the body, at the turn of the century, today com- dorsal, adipose and caudal fins. The favorite hiding spots for these fishes. prise only an occasional straggler. body and adipose fin spots are some- Wet fly fishermen usually fish down times orange or red, or edged with and across a stream while dry fly Although trout and salmon may orange dorsally while those ventrally fishermen generally fish for this species look alike, each species has distinc- may be ringed with pink or red. The by casting upstream with a down- tive characteristics. All belong to the large adipose fin of young fish is stream float of the bait and slack bony fish family Salmonidae. This orange. Young brown trout, like the retrieval. family of fishes is characterized by an Atlantic salmon, are parr-marked. elongated body, cycloid (round and The brook trout is olive green with smooth) scales, naked head, large Brown trout are often inactive dur- wormlike markings on its dorsal fin mouth and a fleshy dorsal flap or ing midday and spend much time in and back. Its sides are spotted with adipose fin located behind the dorsal deep pools or near protective cover. many greenish spots, some with red fin. The caudal or tail fin may be They feed actively in the early morn- and blue borders. Ventrally, an orange strongly or slightly forked. The ventral ing and evening, consuming large or orange-black prevails from the gills fins are positioned near the soft-rayed numbers of insects, worms, small cray- to the caudal fin. The pectoral, pelvic anal fin. Internally, many finger-like fishes and fishes. In nature, brown and anal fins have a leading edge of sacs (pyloric caeca) open off and trout reproduce from October through white followed by black, while the occur near the stomach. These aid in December by depositing their eggs in remainder of the fin is orange. The digestion. A basic color pattern of shallow saucer-like nests that are ventral leading edge of the caudal fin dark spots on a lighter background scoured out in sand or gravel beds in is white. APRIL ATLANTIC SALMON Although this fish apparently has never been plentiful in this area. they are still found infrequently. Breeding male and parr-marked young are shown for each species. BROWN TROUT This native European has been stocked here for about 80 years. Reaching a length of 27 inches and weigh- ing up to eight and one half pounds, brown trout can pro- vide you with true adven- ture preferably during early morning or early evening hours. 4 MARYLAND CONSERVATIONIST RAINBOW TROUT Brought to Maryland from the West Coast, rainbow attain a size similar to that of brown trout, although there is little other resemblance.