FOREST AND STREAM 



si 



who wield the rod aud are adepts in taking trout. Not con- 

 tent with taking such large numbers of flab, they blazon the 

 weight and number of their fish through the land. Thank 

 goodness there are some followers of the gentle art who have 

 a conscience in taking fish as in other things. Three gentle- 

 men were up the famous Jordan fishing, and could "yank 

 them out " all the day until anything like sport surfeited them. 

 They caught 200 the first day. At the camp-fire that night 

 the matter was discusse.d. One of the party said, "Here is 

 an agreement. We will confine ourselves to 30 trout per 

 day, no matter bow they may be biting, or I propose to bleak 

 up camp and go home. We have not degenerated to bar- 

 barism if we have left the city behind us." They were to use 

 just what bait each one pleased, worms, grasshoppers or the 

 fly. I need not say that they enjoyed themselves. Trouting 

 at that time was the finest of sport, on the Jordan, and these 

 gentlemen came home to the camp with fine trout, taken 

 legitimately with a fly. Not a trout put into their creels under 

 six inches. Yet they caught more than enough for their own 

 use. The Jordan, Boyne and Manistee on this side of the 

 lake, and Au Sauble ou the Huron side, cannot stand sueb a 

 drain on them as was reported in the month of June. Though 

 during July, when even the creeks were warm with the in- 

 tense heat of the sun, you could not persuade the trout to take 

 the daintiest bait, and it was only in the early morning or in 

 the gloaming that fish would bite, even though they were 

 breaking the water before sunset. Nohman. 



Cldeayo, August 15. 



Sharks. — The shark is making himself more of a nuisance 

 than usual this summer. He has been an unwelcome visitor 

 at Long Branch, Brighton Beach and other popular watering 

 places. The coast fishermen complain that the man-eater is 

 giving them much trouble. The fishermen at Short Beach, 

 Conn., caught one in a net the other day. He was nine feet 

 long and very ferocious. He bit a piece of timber, four inches 

 by two, in pieces. His big jaws were furnished with formi- 

 dable teeth. Ouc six and one-half feet long was killed after 

 a bard fight by men in a boat off Plum Beach, in Westcott's 

 Bay, on Monday, the 12th. A fisherman near the mouth of 

 the Housatonic, the other day, hooked a fine striped bass, 

 but a big shark came along aud away went shark, fishing- 

 tackle and angler's temper. Wo have had the same trick 

 played on us many a time in Florida waters. 



Bait fob Poegies and Ska Bass. — Use large angle-worm 

 for bait. The fish take this bait quite as well, and it remains 

 on the hook much longer than clams. E. R. 



BLACK BASS ANGLING. 



Editor Forest and Stream : 



Having received letters from several gentlemen do- 

 siring "more light" upon the subject of black bass fishing, 

 and more especially in regard to casting the minnow, I pro- 

 pose to dispense said " light and knowledge " through the 

 effulgent columns of the Fobest and Stream to all unin- 

 formed brother anglers. 



A faithful study of the conformation, habits and idiosyn- 

 cracies of game fish should be the first consideration of the 

 true angler, but the average angler usually contents himself 

 with a superficial knowledge of the ways aud means of cap- 

 turing and killing the finny tribe, a big catch being the 

 height of his piscatorial ambition. While good tackle is es- 

 sential to success, a thorough knowledge of the habits of the 

 fish is a sine qua non, without which no one can become an 

 expert and successful angler. Apropos of this might be men- 

 tioned the old and hackneyed story of the rustic youth with 

 alder pole, twine string and worm bait, and the soi-di-sant 

 angler with split bamboo and well-filled fly-book, who in- 

 dulged in a day's fishing on the same stream, with the result 

 of a " big string " for the boy, and one poor fingerling for the 

 disgusted sportsman. The boy understood the " true inward- 

 ness " of the trout, while the discomfited citizen was lamenta- 

 bly ignorant, and relied entirely upon his splendid rig for 

 success. 



Where black bass are plentiful, as iu the quiet ponds and 

 lakes of Western New York, Northern Indiana, Michigan, 

 Wisconsin, Minnesota, and at the Thousand Islands, the 

 merest tyro, who can throw his bait twenty feet from the 

 boat, can, when the bass are in a biting mood, show a big 

 catch, though he may have necessarily failed to laud two out 

 of every three fish hooked, But on rivers where the angler 

 casts to the right and left and across the stream from the 

 banks, and while wading the shallows and bars, and the bass 

 are shy, educated, and fully up in a knowledge of the stream 

 in its windings, eddies, pools aud rapids, the highest skill and 

 a thorough knowledge of the habits of the fish are indispensa- 

 ble to a full creel, and this, at the same time, constitutes the 

 pleasure and perfection of black bass angling. But bear in 

 mind, that sticking the butt of a long rod iu the bank, and 

 then, whde reeliuiug under the shade of some umbrageous 

 tree, enjoying a pipe or the latest novel while waiting an 

 hour for a bite, is not angling, but simply loafing, and attempt- 

 ing to obtain bass under false pretenses. The artistic angler 

 will use nothing but the best tackle, essentials of which 

 a short plianL rod, a freely rendering reel and a suitable 

 line. The perfect black bass rod would be a split bamboo, 

 made in one entire length, without joints, about eight feet 

 long, and weighing eight ounces ; but as such a rod would be 

 quite costly and difficult and expensive to repair, and could 

 be carried about only with extreme risk, I merely mention it. 

 The next best would be composed of the same material, of 

 the same length and weight, in two or three pieces or joints. 

 Next in order, not nearly so costly and really more servicea- 

 ble, is the ash and lancewood rod of the same weight and 

 length, with the same relative degrees of pliancy and elas- 

 ticity. The OrviB rod of this description is the best three- 

 piece rod made. Mr. P. A, Strong, of Honesdale, Pa., is now 

 making au ash and lancewood rod in two pieces or one joint, 

 which approaches more nearly to my idea of a black bass rod 

 than any I have seen; it iu from 8 to 8 : ]r feet long, just right 

 in weight, balance and pliancy for making ldhg casts, and 

 plays a bass superbly. B. 0. Milam's "Frankfort Keel" is 

 by all odds the best, though a first-class New York multiplier 

 will answer well. A silk line, closely and hard braided, 

 tinted, and of the smallest size, is the thing, aud, with the 

 addition of a small brass swivel and a sproat hook, we are 

 now ready for business. 



In casting for black bass, having properly adjusted the rod, 

 reel and line, tie on the swivel by one of its rings, and loop 

 the snell of the hook through the other ; run the point of the 

 hook through the under lip and out at the nostril of a good- 

 sized minnow, say four inches long ; reel up the line until 

 the swivel touches the tip and make a cast. But how J Aye, 

 there's the rub. The instruction can hardly be conveyed in- 

 telligibly by mere words, but with the help of the diagram 

 below. I will endeavor to make it, at least, partially under- 

 stood by the vnunitiated. 



The angler is supposed to be slandiug at A, facing N, and 

 his shoulders in a fine with X Z. Casting the minnow is an 

 entirely different process from casting the fly. A minnow 

 can be cast but a very Bhort distance immediately in front of 

 the angler, aud all long casts must be made sideways, that is, 

 to the left or right. To make a long cast to the left we will 

 suppose X to be the objective point to which the minnow is to 

 he cast. The angler now grasps the rod immediately below 

 the reel with the right, hand, with the thumb resting lightly 

 but firmly upon the spool; the right arm is now exi ended 

 downward, slightly bent, with the elbow near the body, and 

 with the extreme butt of the rod nearly touching the right hip; 

 the thumb and reel are upward, inclining slightly toward the 

 left ; the tip of the rod, or rather the minnow, just clems the 

 ground or surface of the water : the position of the rod is now 

 in the direction of the line A B, inclining toward the ground 

 or water, making an angle of about 45 deg. with the line of 

 the shoulders, X Z ; this is the. situation at the beginning of 

 the cast. Now for the cast : The angler turns his face toward 

 X, the objective point, looking over his left shoulder without 

 turning his body; he now inclines his body in the direction 

 of B, advancing the right foot and bending the right knee 

 slightly, and makes a sweeping cast from the right to the left, 

 and from below upward, across the body diagonally, until the 

 rod hand is at the height of the left shoulder, and the 

 arm and rod extended hi the direction of A 0, with the tip 

 of the rod inclining upward. The movement of the right 



hand is almost in a straight line from a point near the right 

 hip to a point near the left shoulder ; the motion in casting is 

 steady, increasing in swiftness toward the end of the cast, and 

 endiDg with the "pitching" of the bait— instead of a violent 

 jerk— somewhat similar to the straight underhand pitching of 

 a base-ball. In making the cast, the right, elbow should touch 

 the body, sweeping across it, and only leave it at the end of 

 the cast, making the forearm do the work. At the end of the 

 cast the reel and thumb are upward, and the rod forms an 

 angle of 45 deg. with the line of the shoulders X Z, aud the 

 minnow instead of following the direction of the rod A C, as 

 some might suppose, will diverge toward the left, and drop at 

 X, when the thumb should immediately stop the reel by an 

 increased pressure. Casting to the right is just the reverse of 

 the above proceeding. The angler being in the same position, 

 brings the right hand across, and touching the body, to a 

 point in front of the left hip, the thumb and reel upward, but 

 inclining toward the body, and the rod extending iu the di- 

 rection of the line A 0, with the tip downward ; he now turns 

 his face in the direction of the objective point Z, inclines his 

 body and advances his left foot iu the direction of C, and 

 makes a cast from left to right, and from below upward, and 

 ends the cast with the right, arm and rod fully extended in the 

 direction of the line A B, while the minnow takes its flight to- 

 ward Z, In making a cast to either left or right the body 

 should sway or move slightly in the direction, and simulta- 

 neously with the rod arm; it wiil give force aud steadiness to 

 the cast ; but on no account must the body be turned around 

 or the feet moved during the cast ; let us be graceful if we 

 cannot be proficient. 



The first cast that the beginner makes will be. likely to throw 

 the bait behind him ; this will be because he will not end the 

 cast iu time, but carry the tip of the rod too far toward the 

 line X Z. He should by all means begin by making short 

 casts, and lengthening them as he perfects himself by ex- 

 perience in managing the reel and controlling the cast. And 

 now, having given him the principles of good aud artistic 

 casting, nothing but patient practice and good judgment, to- 

 gether with a fair knowledge of the habits of the fish itself, 

 will make him an accomplished black bass angler. 



VyntMana, Ky., July 29, 1878. J. A. Hensham,. 



FISHING IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA, 



Editor Forest and Stream : 



As yon and some of your numerous readers no doubt know long 

 before tills, the Sacramento, Pitt and MeCloud Elvers, near Mount 

 Shasta, afford some of the best salmou and trout asking to be found on 

 ttie globe. Sir Eose Price, a gentleman who baa fished lu some of the 

 best commieB for this sport in the world, states that the trout lishing 

 in these rivers and their ttibutaries is the best he ever experienced, 

 when the numbers, gameneBs, size and mutiny of the fish iu these 

 cold, clear and rushlug rivers are considered. To be sure, about this 

 time of the year when the salmon are spawning, the fly is of very little, 

 it sny use, but very early or quite late in the season, in some, if not 

 all of these streams, they take the fly pretty well. The cause of their 

 uot rising to the fly is that in the months of June and July, perhaps 

 earlier or perhaps later than. this, it may happen the trout arc feed- 

 ing upon the salmon roe that is floating down the stream or are dis- 

 turbed in the gravel or sand in the eddies by the trout themselves, and 

 which attuougu fiercely guarded by the male aulmori, who remains by 

 the female wliile dlscbaigiug her eggs, and, after dropping his molt 

 over them, drives, or attempts to drive, oil" all intruders ; of course In- 

 cluding tbe trout and perhaps others of his own kith ana kin, who are 

 known to be very destructive even of their own particular kind. This 

 is especially the caBe where the holes are deep, a little away from the 

 swift current, and where great numbers of ealmou rest, and which 

 afford the Indians capital opportunities to spear them, and it is even 

 reported at some of the houses or h08telrl.es in this region that some 

 white lishermeii and Sir Kose Price himself (but we ti ust that this last 

 report Is uot true), by moans of clusters of hooks attached to strong 

 Hues and heavy sinkers, and drawing them rapidly through the water, 

 struck the flab foul aud captured many of them In these places by these 

 means. 



Every year the numbers of flBhermcn who resort to theae waters as 

 the ne yZua ufcra of angling sport, and then- neighborhood as the habi- 

 tats of deer aud many varieties of the larger game, arc Increasing. 

 Those who can aflord the time and menus have a grand lime of It. 

 They generally camp out either on the shores of one of the many rivers 

 which, flowing from the baso ot ftlt. Shasta, form the Sacramento, I'itt 

 or MeCloud, or on one of the latter. Tho canyons are heavily wooded 

 with magnificent old trees through which theae pure and cold waters 

 from melting snow flow. These visitors feast on venison, trout aud 

 any outer portable provisions tliey may choose to bring with them or 



obtain from the well provided public houses, and the best sauce the 

 possess la a good appetite. Whatever may be the liquid cordials the*, 

 procure there is always near them the liquid clement well Iced, and If 

 they desire a physical tonic or bracing it is always convenient for a 

 bath. There la a pretty long stage journey from Heclding, Oio terminus 

 of tbe railroad from here, out men who car, Camp out aud Ash, are 

 supposed tube well able to stand it day aud night's travel and a strong 

 shakiug up. The scenery, to lessen the fatigue, Is picturesque and in- 

 deed magnificent. If ere are the primal forests, pine tinctured moun- 

 tain air, and never failing sport with the trout aud salmon ahead, as 

 the fish Reeu Jumping everywhere in the passing streams attest. The 

 salmon that are taken Ihfs time of year average about twelve pounds 

 each. There are so many of them to be captured with salmon roe, the 

 only bait they now take, that this laud of fishing soon becomes monot- 

 onous. The ftltentluu after a liitle while is turned to brook I rout and 

 Dolly Vardena. It Is quite common to catch Hfiy of these per day, 

 averaging about a pound each. The Dolly Varden is the rarest a irt to 

 bag. They weigh heavier, are gamier than (he brook tront, havesome 

 yellow and red spots on their sMcs, but are not so beautiful either in 

 shape or color, nor so good In the quality of their meat, Tho supply of 

 fish here is Inexhaustible, and the charm of Ashing would be as much 

 so could they be creeled by means ot the fly instead or the roe-bait, 

 tint what a splashing and straggling and excitement, there is on lha 

 shores of these thickly peopled waters at any rate, an] upon the whole 

 the trip to a thorough angler and lover of the grand and beautiful and 

 the healthful cannot bo otherwise than highly satisfactory an 1 delight- 

 ful. E. J.Uoopeb. 



§%mq §ng mid §ntu 



GAME IN SEASON FOR AUGUST. 



Woodcock. Philonela minor. Eed-bicked sandpiper, or ox-bird, 



mack. bellied plover, ox-eye, Hqua- TringaaimriimM. 



turala helvetica, GtKBI marbled god wit, or marlln, 



Ring plover, J£ ; )ialUie nemtyalma- Liiuom ftt/oa. 



tits. VV'illet, J'ntanus atmipalmatua. 



Sllil,rir I'lrifi'-Shaiil.:!. .'/..'.nri/jiVMc: ":. i '.it. ."'.■■!■■.-. L .■ .- ■ ..■..■ l ■■- ^ .. .■■- .■.■■_■■.■■■_ 



nigricollis. Yellow-shanks, Totan.ua Jlavipes. 



Ited-breusted snipe, or Uowitcher, 

 MaororltumpliiM yi'itteus, 



'•Bay birds" generally, Including various species of plover, sand 

 piper, snipe, curlew, ovui.ev e<uelu'i* r surf turus, ptialuropea, avocets, 

 etc., coming under the group lAmnmltr or shore Hires. Many States 

 permit prairie fowl (pinnated grouse) shooting after August 15. 



South Carolina — Charleston, Aug. 10. — Since the 1st of 

 August several parties have been out. after deer, and all have 

 had capital sport. On Monday a yearling and buck were 

 brought in, and on Wednesday two fine bucks were brought 

 in. Deer are reported plentiful, and the outlook for capital 

 sport this fall and winter is very bright. 



Indias Territory — Muskogee, Creek Natum, Aug. 13. — A 

 word from this part of the world would, perhaps, bo appre- 

 ciated. Our summer has been unusually hot, but the grouse 

 or prairie chicken, as well as quail, have not been idle, and 

 have brought out fine broods. Our shooting season has nicely 

 opened ; two gentlemen of St. Louis paid me a visit. We 

 wont out to Tar Springs, nine miles, camped over night, and 

 returned with one hundred chickens. Large bovies of quail 

 were seen, but aro yet too small to shoot. Turkeys are plenty, 

 but the cover is so thick that dogs are unable to work them. 



d. a. 



Found.— On Saturday, Aug. 17, at Brooklyn Driving Park, 

 a gold badge. Apply to Daniel Green, corner of Court and 

 Pacific streets, Brooklyn. 



The Bonehiia Gun.— Mr. Homer Fisher, of No. 2G0 Broad- 

 way, New York City, offers an exceedingly good and cheap 

 gun to sportBmen. The Bonehill gun has extension rib, re- 

 bounding locks aud all improvements. Mr. Fisher keeps on 

 hand all varieties of arms and ammunition. From time to 

 time, in our advertising columns, Mr. Fisher proposes pub- 

 lishing cuts of the various styles of double breech-loading 

 guns he has On hand. A new patent brush cleaner for rifles, 

 for sale by Mr. Fisher, we recommend very highly. 



A "FlRATiOAi, Skunk." — Editor Forest and Stream: la 

 your issue of July 4, which I find on my table on my return 

 from vacation rambles, I find an inquiry — " What is a pirati- 

 cal skunk ?" From an accouut giveu me by a gentleman who 

 "was there," possibly I may be able to give you a little light 

 on the subject. It happened that two parties, each with its 

 own boat, had been fishing in one of the uiiny trout streams 

 emptying into Lake Huron betw T een Maeknac and Detour, 

 and, breaking eamp on tbe lake shore one rooming, had the 

 luck to shoot a line hedgehog. The boats were loaded and 

 ready to start, when another hedgehog was discovered making 

 his way into one of the boats. As one of the gentlemen was 

 something of a naturalist be thought a live specimen would be 

 an acquisition, and it was determined to push oil and secure 

 the animal. So the boat was pushed oil to a safe distance 

 from shore, and the search was commenced iu the baggage. 

 After a very thorough tearing up of the contents of the boat, the 

 two gentlemen found, safely lodged in the very bottom under 

 a box, not a hedgehog, but a fine, well developed specimen of 

 the Mephitis Americana. Wot standing upon the order of their 

 going, they went at once, " walked the plunk," incontinently 

 jumped overboard, plunged aud rose again, but did not give 

 up the ship. They clung to the sides of the boat and held a 

 hurried consultation, bo tar their enemy, though master of 

 the situation, had not resorted to his most effective weapon, 

 ,iud they determined to gel. the boat in shore and try toreosp* 

 ttiro it. By dint of considerable swimming and wading and 

 pushiug and pulling they stranded the boat on the beach and 

 quietly retired to a safe distance to devise measures of relief as 

 well as to await developments. Once the skunk made his ap- 

 pearauee with defiant menaces on the bows, but soon disap- 

 peared beneath the plunder. The situation was becoming 

 serious. The other boat refused to give assistance— indeed, 

 it could not— but waited to see results. Active measures were 

 determined on, but the maxim about discretion and valor was 

 kept prominent iu their minds.* So, very quietly, and piece 

 by piece, all the contents of the boat that Could he managed 

 with poles were taken out, leaving only a few of the heavier 

 articles in the bottom. As the sun was hot the skunk's 

 quarters soon became uncomfortable, and, unmindful of his 

 conquest, he jumped ashore. A charge of shot from tho am- 

 bushed enemy finished him without other ill effects than the 

 loss of the boat's painter, which became impregnated with 

 mephitic odor during his dying struggles. Then there was a 

 hurried emkarkation, and that naturalist is now of the opinion 

 that he will never again mistake a Mephitis Americana (ot a 

 hedgehog. The personal observations of the former's habits 



