11: Floating Stones and the Stationary Trout 143
gills also has an energising effect. The free dissolved oxygen in the stream water is almost instaneously absorbed by the expelled oxygen-hungry carbones causing the expansion of the water adjacent to the trout's body so that, in consort with the vortical effects and the levitational energies, the trout is squeezed forwards like a bar of slippery soap. Considering the trout's behaviour, it is known there are some days when the fish are 'biting', as as anglers say. On other days, they seem to ignore the hook altogether. The reason for this is because the water temperature is perfect, the food supply is perfect and the trout just likes to sit there and wait for all its food to float directly into its jaws. All that is necessary to alter this serene situation is a very slight change in external temperature, which also affects the temperature of the water. The water then begins to become more turbulent. As a result of the increased turbulence, the trout's food, which normally flows down the cold central axis of the current directly into the trout's mouth, is diverted from its normal
Fig. 11.2
path and migrates towards the sides of the stream or river. The trout becomes agitated and casts about, hunting for its food, no doubt grumbling to itself, 'Where is my food? It's disgraceful! I actually have to work to get it!' Finally, in desperation, it jumps about, recklessly biting at anything which in any way resembles its food, because it has by this time become extremely hungry and careless, falling easy prey to the angler's hook. So before a thunderstorm or when the weather suddenly becomes warm, the fish are more likely to bite than when the weather is fairly even. Fish also tend to rise to bait in the evening because, by the end of the day, the water has warmed to a certain degree and the flow has thus become slightly more turbulent, partially disrupting the normal food supply. On this day Viktor Schauberger had also arranged that his foresters build a fire and place a large cauldron containing 100 litres of water over it to heat up. All this occurred about 150 metres upstream from where the stationary trout was resting. Once the water
The stationary trout
The trout normally swims in the middle of the central current vortex, where the water is densest and coldest. Due to the volume of its body, the individual current filaments are displaced and compressed. This causes their acceleration and eventually their critical velocities are exceeded, which results in the formation of vortices (counter-currents) along the rear part of the body. These vortices act counter to the direction of the current and provide the counter-thrust required by the trout to remain stationary in this fast flowing water. If it needs to accelerate upstream, then it flaps its gills. creating a further vortex train along its flanks, thus increasing the counter-thrust upstream. The more rapid the gill-movements, the faster the trout moves upwards against the current.