386 With Rod and Gun in Neiu England 



which the square-tail trout attains great size, but in these, specimens 

 of five or six pounds' weight are often taken, and it is no uncommon occur- 

 rence to take from Lake Sunapee individuals of the Aurcolus variety, 

 equally large. 



To compensate, perhaps, for this lack of opportunities of capturing 

 large trout in the State, Nature has clotted the northern portion of her terri- 

 tory with ponds which actually teem with smaller trout, which afford 

 abundant and highly satisfactory sport to hundreds of anglers from all 

 parts of the country. 



The trout brooks of the State are almost countless, and there is not a 

 single section in which there are not one or more brooks which afford very 

 fair yields ; they are hard-fished, especially near the populous centres, and 

 the aggregate catch for each season is enormous, so that it may be said 

 that trout-fishing in New Hampshire, as a whole, affords very satisfactory 

 results. Black bass may be caught in many waters of the States in quan- 

 tities to amply satisfy the desires of those who derive pleasure from their 

 capture, and the common kinds of pan-fish abound in all the ponds. 



Pickerel are abundant in all the low-lying, marshy ponds in the north- 

 ern part of the State, and are usually held in low esteem by the inhabi- 

 tants, who can so readily supply themselves with trout. In the central 

 and southern parts of the State, however, where the fish is in better favor, 

 the ponds have been almost depleted by persistent ice-fishing, and recent 

 legislation prohibits, for a term of years, this method of taking fish from a 

 large number of the ponds of the State, so that the pickerel might again 

 populate such waters ; care was duly exercised in drafting this enactment, 

 so that no pond should be included in which there was any possibility that 

 any variety of the trout family could be successfully introduced. 



Such, in brief, are the conditions which prevail in New Hampshire, as 

 to her fish and game. Visiting sportsmen are welcome to enjoy the sport 

 she offers, assured of the hospitality and attention of the resident members 

 of the craft, and with the further assurance that the State fully intends to 

 improve her attractions in every way, so far as it is possible for human 

 oversight to do it. 



The above article, by Mr. Battles (who is one of the best all-round 

 sportsmen our State affords), is a fair presentation of the sport to be 

 obtained in New Hampshire with rod and gun. 



Sincerely yours, 



Nathaniel Wentworth, 



Commissioner of Fish and Game. 



