The fur-bearing trout is a joke that has been told for centuries. The story goes that the water in some northern lakes and rivers is so cold that the trout grew fur to keep warm. Other versions blame hair tonic spilled into the Arkansas River. A 17th-century Scottish settler is said to have written home about furred fish in the New World, and the first known American article appeared in Montana Wildlife magazine in 1929.
Iceland has its own version, the Loðsilungur, a shaggy, poisonous trout said to be made by demons as a punishment. Mounted 'specimens' made by gluing rabbit fur onto a trout turn up in museums and gift shops; one is in the National Museum of Scotland.
There is a real-life cause for the odd furry fish: a water mould called Saprolegnia can cover a sick or dead fish in white, fur-like tufts.
What the stories say
- A trout covered in white or brown fur
- Found in very cold water
- Usually offered by a grinning local
Famous cases
- 1854A shaggy trout washes ashore
Svínavatn, IcelandIn 1854 a 'shaggy trout' was reported cast ashore at Svínavatn in northern Iceland. An Icelandic newspaper printed an illustration the next year showing reddish hair on its jaw, neck, sides and fins.
Modern reports
- 1929Montana Wildlife prints the tale
MontanaIn 1929 Montana Wildlife magazine ran an article by J.H. Hicken about trout that had grown fur, the earliest known American printing of the tall tale.
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