BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 107 



In this part of the country these fish are fairly plentiful, and if they 

 do not attain the above-mentioned enormous weight, still, 20-pounders 

 are by no means uncommon, though it must be owned they seldom are 

 taken with rod and line. The largest I ever caught weighed 15 pounds, 

 and he ran out at least 70 yards of line before I succeeded in stopping 

 him, the rod all the time bending like a bow. 



The season for carp generally opens between the 14th of July and 

 the 2d of August. It continues sometimes as late as the end of Sep- 

 tember or middle of October. 



The best baits are cockchafer grubs, those from f inch to 1 inch in 

 length being by far the most killing ; maiden lobs, brandlings, marsh- 

 worms, wasp grubs, gentles, boiled potatoes, creed wheat, and bread 

 paste. Of all these baits cockchafer grubs and marshworms are, ac- 

 cording to my experience, the most killing ones ; but on other rivers 

 where I have had no opportunity to fish, creed wheat is the bait. As 

 to ground-baits, those most generally used are buckwheat, groats, and 

 rye, well boiled; sometimes curd is used, as well as well-boiled potatoes, 

 mashed and kneaded into balls about the size of a hen's egg. 



The best time of day is between one hour before sunrise and noon ; 

 but, strange enough, one day you get all your fish just before or soon 

 after sunrise ; another, you get them between 10 o'clock and noon. 

 When the carp are "on" I have known as many as 9 being caught from 

 half-past 9 to 11 o'clock, 6 fish smashing the tackle during this time. 

 Those caught averaged 4 pounds each. 



This year's carp fishing has been an utter failure. The bream, on 

 the contrary, were, for about two weeks well "on," so that I seldom 

 failed to get my 25 to 35 pounds in a morning's fishing from 3 till 9 

 o'clock. 



Speaking of baits, I think it may not be uninteresting to say that 

 cockchaffer grubs are a most killing bait for master chavin. Another 

 most killing bait for this gentleman being the raw tail of a crayfish. 

 The length of this tail should not exceed 1£ inches. It is much easier to 

 peel when slightly parboiled ; but in point of attractiveness, according 

 to my, experience and many of my countrymen, it is not to be compared 

 with the raw bait. 



Fish-culture in Illinois. — Writing from Quincy, 111., January 

 10, 1885, Mr. S. P. Bartlett, secretary of the State commission, says 

 the board has not spent very much money on trout and salmon, but has 

 done a good deal in planting native fish in their waters and with ex- 

 cellent results. During November and December the State board re- 

 ceived 5,000 communications relative to carp. 



Fish-culture in Wyoming Territory. — Writing from Cheyenne 

 about January 8, 18S5, Mr. H. J. Maynard says: 



"The Territorial legislature has made an appropriation with which we 

 have built a small but complete hatching house, and we are now success- 

 fully hatching whitefish and lake -trout eggs received from the United 



