'Presumpscot Jumper,' Salmo sebago var. Female, 14 inches long,
near breeding condition. Taken at Presumpscot River, outlet of Sebago Lake,
at North Gorham, Maine, September 25, 1907.
W.C. Kendall wrote the following about this fish*:
"Presumpscot River Jumper (Plate 9)
Since the Jumper is now extinct and since salmon of similar peculiarities
have been described from no other waters, it has seemed desirable to write
a separate brief history of the fish.
In the Presumpscot River, which is the outlet of Sebago Lake, the Sebago
salmon used to breed and in the spring of the year, large well conditioned
salmon were found in the stream. Later they disappeared. Prior to the erection
of the dam at the head of the river, and later while the fish was effective,
most, if not all, of the salmon returned to the lake. In later years, the
fishway having become impassible, some the fish continued to disappear,
where to, no one knows. If they went to sea they doubtless would have been
notice at the dams and mills lower down in the river. However, small salmon
resided in the river year around. Until the new dam was built at the head
of the river and the water diverted by a canal these small salmon, known
as "Jumpers" were found in the upper part of the river below the
dam at North Gorham.
The large salmon were always distinguished from the so-called "Jumper."
The local name 'jumper' was given to a small but very active fish of peculiar
coloration., which attained a weight of at least three or four pounds, and
which were also usually distinguised from the lake salmon of like size occuring
in the river at the same time. Adolescent salmon, with their bright silvery
scales, more pointed snout, subequal jaws, more forked tail, black crescentic
and doubled X spots, and with or without red spots caught in the same locality
were regarded as lake salmon. The 'jumper' was more trout-like in form,
had a blunter snout, included lower jaw, scarcely crescentic tail. It usually
had no black spots but dark brown, chocolate colored and brick red or brown
spots surrounded by brick red on the body, and always red spots along the
side. The sides of the abdomen were usually brassy yellow. They were doubtless
old fish of long-time residence in the river. They appear now to be extinct,
the locality below the North Gorham dam having been more recently ruined
by the erection of a dam farther down which backs the still water nearly
up to the North Gorham Dam."
* The portrait above is the only known record of these fish and very
few copies of the book survive today. FOSL still holds out hope that Presumpscot
Jumpers may have survived in portions of the river and may still exist today.
Back to portraits