26 The American Angler 
most eastern streams of the Atlantic slope, 
and then of a weight not above a pound or 
thereabouts. Nessmuk’s fish was taken in a 
small trout stream of middle Pennsylvania, 
and evidently was not more than a pound in 
weight. Inthe St. Lawrence riverit has been 
caught weighing 2% tb.; in the Hudson Bay 
region up to 8 tbh. and in Alaska waters it is 
said to grow to a length of five feet and of 
60 tb. weight. The burbot have never been 
known to gointo brackish water, and are found 
principally in deep water and on mud, except 
during the spawning season, which occurs in 
March, when they run on rock or hard bottom, 
according to the observations of Wm. W. 
Ainsworth, who studied the habits of this fish 
in Lake Ontario. This is rather adverse to 
the fact that Nessmuk’s ‘‘ What is it?’’ was 
caught in a dashing, turbulent mountain 
stream with arocky bottom. The burbot is a 
voracious fish, feeding principally at night, 
when it will take almost any lure that is 
offered. It has one good quality, at least the 
foreign species has, of being a great enemy 
of the pike family, which it easily conquers, 
and swallows whole, having a wonderfully 
distensible stomach, in which a stone weighing 
a pound has been found. /Mhe liver of the 
burbot by many is considered arare delicacy, 
but the flesh is pronounced savorless by many 
who have eaten it. An exception must be 
made, in this respect, as to the burbot caught 
through the ice in Lake Winnipiseogee, where 
it is pronounced equal to the whitefish. No 
doubt the summer fish, when taken from cold 
mountain streams, are equally palatable to those 
of Lake Winnipiseogee. Charles Lanman 
said of the burbot: ‘‘ The flesh of the fresh- 
water cusk is firm, white and of good flavor. 
The liver and the roe are considered delicacies; 
when well bruised and mixed with a little 
flour, the roe can be baked into very good 
biscuits, which are used in the fur countries 
as tea-bread.” 
The United States Fish Commission is very 
desirous of reports on this fish, more particu- 
larly as to its habits and habitat; the tempera- 
ture and depth of water in which it is captured; 
its capture in salt water; mode and time of 
spawning; the appearance of the young; its 
food; how caught, etc. Specimens of this 
fish in alcohol or in a fresh state will, also, be 
welcomed by the commission. Our portrait 
of the burbot will enable any one to readily 
identify the fish wanted in Washington. 
A Florida Query. 
Please let me know if it is best for me to go 
to the east coast of Florida, or the west or Gulf 
coast. I am off for an angling trip solely. 
Should I take a fly-rod with me ? Jj. ©. 
Would advise you to go to the Gulf coast 
first, say in March, and then make your way to 
Indian river, on the east coast, in the latter 
part of April, if you can stay in Florida for 
that period. You will find excellent fishing in 
March at Homosassa and at Fort Myers. At 
the former every variety of gulf fishes, includ- 
ing an occasional tarpon, and at the latter tar- 
pon in plenty with all the other varieties. The 
best months for fishing on the Gulf coast are 
September, October, November, March, April 
and May, and the last two for the east coast, 
although there the fishing is very fine all 
through the summer months. By all means 
take a fly-rod with you. Let it be about ten 
ounces. You will find plenty of use for it and 
great sport on the incoming tide, when the fish 
run up the creeks to feed. 
Fishing at Pacette’s, Ponce Park, Fla. 
Mr. Jasper Owen, of this city, in a private 
letter, writes us: 
‘‘Last Monday I took my ten-ounce rod and 
went up Spruce creek to troll for saltwater 
trout, using an artificial minnow. I killed one 
baby tarpon of three feet, ten trout and six 
channel bass; the tarpon was a beauty. 
“On Tuesday, in the same water, I killed 
eleven channel bass and four trout. Some of 
the bass weighed as much as twelve pounds, 
and it was great sport killing them on my ten- 
ounce rod.”’ 

To the Retail Fishing Tackle Dealers.—We beg to 
announce that we have withdrawn the sale of our Au- 
tomatic Reel from the lists of the jobbing trade, and 
that for the season of 1895 we shall deal with the re- 
tailers direct. Wehave been compelled to take this 
action on account of the ‘‘cut prices’? quoted on our 
reels by most of the jobbers, who, in consequence, 
created an unprofitable competition among the re- 
tailers. In order to remedy this condition of affairs, we 
shall sell direct to the retailer, but under no circum- 
stances will we fillan order unless we have the retail- 
er’s assurance that our goods will be sold at strictly 
list prices. Wefeelthat we, as manufacturers, have 
the right to prevent the demoralization of prices on 
our product, and we hope to receive the retail trade’s 
approbation of our protest against trade demoraliza- 
tion. We remain, with the season’s compliments, 
Yours very truly, 
YAWMAN & ERBE. 
