I02 



The American Ampler 



wilds, showinj^ his implements of sport, speci- 

 mens of game killed, and illustrating his daily 

 life when on the hunting path. Another and 

 deeply interesting feature of the Exposition 

 will be the " Loan and Trophy Exhibit," to be 

 placed in Concert Hall, an annex of the Main 

 Garden. Here will be shown the magnificent 

 trophies won by American sportsmen in the 

 field and on the water, and of these we learn 

 that many valuable contributions have been 

 made by clubs aud individuals. On the stage 

 in the Hall will be shown the large collection 

 of oil portraits of fishes, painted from life, 

 owned by our Editor. This exhibit will cover 

 a wall space of about forty feet, and will com- 

 prise portraits painted in nearly every section 

 of the Continent at the moment the fish were 

 lifted from the water. 



That " Dual Fish." 



"Kit Clark's" screed on "A Dual Fish 

 caught on Two Rods," that appeared in your 

 Januarj- issue, excited much amusement in our 

 little gathering of anglers when we met the 

 other night, but the laugh was entirely on 

 "Kit." He must certainly be gifted with the 

 arts of a prestidigitator for how, in the name 

 of Ananias, could " Kit" have split that trout 

 and mounted each half so that the big dorsal 

 fin would show on both halves? It won't do, 

 "Kit!" Tell another; but be sure of your 

 anatomy before you do it. Honest Ingun. 



New York, February 15th. 



Kit Clark's " true " story is a dandy, but he 

 ought to remember that there were others who 

 saw the fish skinned. One or two corrections, 

 and I will let the matter pass. " Kit " did not 

 skin the fish; the head and half of the fish in 

 the Broadway establishment was labeled 8 lb. ; 

 the other and true half of the fish was else- 

 where and is now in possession of an old friend 

 of The Angler, and weighed s%. lbs. The 

 only thing that "Kit" skinned was your be- 

 lieving subscribers. Truthful James. 



New York, February 22nd. 



A Florida "Fishing Box." 



The writer desires a gentleman, fond of angling and 

 boating, to join In building a " fishing box" on the coast 

 of Florida. The land is free and the cost of living 

 through the winter months less than $5.00 per week, in- 

 cluding servant's hire. The location has been selected 

 at which to build a cosy cottage of 4 or 5 rooms. It is 

 on the best fishing waters, including that for tarpon, in 

 the South. The entire cost, including boats, will not ex- 

 ceed §500.00. Address, Florida, care American Anoleb, 

 19 Park Place. New York. 



In Defense of the Carp. 



That genial good fellow and thorough an- 

 gler, Charles F. Johnson, of Chicago, in a 

 recent business letter to us, could not resist the 

 force and charm of his carp fishing reminis- 

 cences, and naturally turned, as all good and 

 true anglers should do under like conditions, 

 from the pursuit of the dollars to the defence 

 of a favorite fish, in this case the carp, a quarry 

 which we somewhat berated in our issue of 

 January. He writes: 



' ' You will probably have forgotten me by 

 this time, but if you can recall an egotistical 

 little English fellow who thought he knew all 

 about fishing, and whom you met on several 

 occasions at the World's Fair and in the office 

 of our mutual friends, Messrs. Babcock & 

 Murrell, it may serve somewhat to assist your 

 memory in individualizing your correspondent. 



" By the by, I read your delightful article on 

 the chub, together with the remarks on the 

 carp, which struck me more than anything 

 else, having fished for and studied the carp for 

 about six years away back in the old country. 



" Dear old much-maligned fellow ! Oh, if I 

 only had the time to write you an exhaustive 

 article on this much abused fish. Why, Har- 

 ris, believe me, he is the swiftest swimmer, the 

 most obstinate struggler, the craftiest and 

 most cunning prisoner that ever bent a fish 

 rod. And for eating, ye gods ! he is simply 

 delicious, providing he is cooked properly 



" Here's the way to catch him : Take some 

 full-sized juicy maiden lobworm, i. e., without 

 any knots ; those that are knotted won't scour 

 well. Place them in a clean wooden box and 

 cover with fresh gathered moss, into which they 

 will soon creep and free themselves from the soil 

 with which they are filled. Every morning for 

 about two weeks before using, carefully pick 

 out the worms and rinse the moss thoroughly 

 and then replace the worms. In two weeks 

 the worms will be tougher and become bright 

 and clear, and the most enticing specimen of 

 wormanity that ever made a fish's mouth 

 water. 



" Now as to locality. Carp lie in the muddy 

 portion of the water, burrowing among the 

 roots of the weed beds, from which place it is 

 useless to attempt to lure them ; but during 

 the hotter months of the year they will seek 

 the nearest hard-bottomed shallow water, 

 on that side which has the deepest and 

 most sluggish current, for feeding purposes. 

 In the fall they frequent these spots in the 



