February- 3, 1881.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



11 



elected on the first Tuesday of April in each year. Every 

 member, (and there are two hundred of them) must be the 

 owner of at least one share of stock, the entire amount being 

 $25,000 in 1.000 shares of 835 each. The club has its maxi- 

 mum membership now and no new member can be admitted 

 until a vacancy shall occur. A few honorary memberships 

 have been conferred, but the club are rather chary of that 

 kind of hospitality for the reason, I suppose, that it is re- 

 garded as no meat) honor, and when it is bestowed upon a 

 gentleman there must be some conspicuous warrant for it. 

 To belong to the Lake St. Clair Fishing Club is to be within 

 a charmed and exclusive circle and to have at command the 

 facilities for the best sport under the most enjoyable auspices 

 which the region affords. The Treasurer is obliged to give 

 bonds for the faithful discharge of his trust, and all the 

 Executive officers are held up' to the strictest obedience to 

 the regulations by which the organization is governed. The 

 initiat'fon fee is % : 2o and the annual dues are $10 for each 

 member. 



The club houses are situated a short distance above the 

 head of the Lake St. Clair ship canal at the most favorable 

 point for fish and duck in that now historic region known as 

 the Flats. These houses are two iu number, the second and 

 larger one having bren erected in the summer and autumn of 

 1880, It is a large two-story and attic structive, with a wide 

 veranda on each of the tw T o lower levels extending entirely 

 around the building. The sleeping quarters are the perfec- 

 tion of airiness and comfort, and the machinery of the 

 cuisine is regarded by experts as the model for sportsmen's 

 clubs the world over. 1 do not know a more luxurious 

 loafing place on this continent,, and I doubt if club life of this 

 particular kind is found more enchanting and appetizing 

 anywhere. Why, it is almost impossible to induce any of the 

 members to take a commonplace vacation in summer. If 

 they can get a day's, a week's or a month's re pile from busi- 

 ness or professional cares, as the case may be, you do not 

 catch them hieing away to Saratoga, the Branch, the moun- 

 tains or any other " resort," but instead, up they go to the 

 club house," and enjoyment such as I suppose every habitual 

 reader of Forest and Stream appreciates. Beautiful black 

 bass are here taken in enormous catches, and during the 

 season, ducks of all kinds fairly darken the air. I remember 

 that one day, last autumn, three young men killed 193 in a 

 little over three hours' shooting from the banks of the canal, 

 within easy sight of the club house. Fishing, however, is 

 the sport to which the. members of this clubaddrcss them- 

 selves with the greatest relish, and the big stories they tell 

 of their achievements with hook and line would seem almost 

 incredible were it not a familiar fact that at no other point in 

 Western waters is there such bass fishing as on these very 

 Flats. 



The domestic rules of the club, so to say are exceedingly 

 vigorous. Thus, it is expressly enacted that the buildings 

 shall be kept for the use of members and their families e.v- 

 dudveiy, except that members have the privilege of inviting 

 thither" their friends who are not residents of Detroit, the 

 contiguous townships, or Essex county, Ontario. This 

 means, simply, that home guests are to lie excluded, all the 

 hospitalities (so far as gentlemen are concerned,) being kept 

 for visitors from abroad. There is a gallant sub-proviso ae- 

 cording to the items of which the members may invite to the 

 club houses their lady friends withiu the tabooed territory for 

 a. single day — from morning until evening. You remember 

 the gentleman, who, on starting for Em ope, was asked if he 

 were not going to take his wife along. " Great Gnus ! no." 

 was the amazed reply. " I'm going abroad to enjoy myself" 

 Then aeairj, the clause '' families of members" has an iron- 

 bound definition to the effect that said families shall be held 

 to consist of the wife of a member, his daughters, any female 

 who is actually a member of his family, his sons under the 

 age of twenty-ce 3 r ears, and hi- parents who are sixty years 

 of age. or upwards. There, is also a stern regulation warning 

 too good-natured members that in extending hospitalities to 

 persons not members it must be understood that it is for 

 sport and recreation only, and that the club buildings are not 

 to be used as a " summer resort," nor as a base of operations 

 for shooting or fishing for market. 



The membership of the Lake St. Clair Fishing and Shoot- 

 ing Club represents an aggregation of the best social elements 

 of Detroit. Its affairs are conducted on the high-toned or 

 chivalrous plan — not snobbish, but in just that spirit which 

 is tire real essence of the gentleman sportsman's relations to 

 sport of this character. A Club Guest. 



AN HOUR ON LAKE DELAWARE. 



BY NED BUNTLINE. 



THROE*!! the kindness of the genial gentlemau and 

 distinguished philanthropist, Hon. E. T. Gerry, of 

 New York, and Mr. Robert J. Livingston, of one of your 

 oldes f , wealthiest and best families, I received an invitation iu 

 the latter part, of August last to test the size and gameness of 

 the tialmo fontinalix in Lake Delaware, a lovely sheet of 

 pnre spring water, a mite long, by one-half in width, with an 

 average depth of twenty feet or more. This inland gem, the 

 brightest and fairest of "its size in our State, lies iu Delaware 

 County, town of Bovine ; is a preserve well protected and 

 stocked with millions of s-peckled trout, few of which are 

 caught under a pound weight and more, and twice, and thrice 

 the size. And as it is shut out from public rods, they have 

 every chauce to multiply in numbers and increase iu size, few 

 having taken more than is considered necessary for table use, 

 and the country seat of the owners. But their hospitality 

 being numerous guests withiu the palatial old mansion, and 

 their" table never lacks a fair supply of delicious trout among 

 the other viands. 



I arrived early in the forenoon at the lake, but the kindness 

 of my reception kept me off the water till after lunch and 

 then I learned a new lesson in trout catching. I had my 

 Orvis rod, as choice a book of flies as ever angler used, but 

 for nearly two hours I could not draw a trout to the top of 

 the transparent water. Tiny were all down about the cold 

 spring holes, the boatman said, and would not rise till near 

 sunset, or when the sun was sinking from sight. I would 

 not believe him, and change after change was made on my 

 leader, and I cast tdl I was weary, and nothing yet. Finally, 

 near where a bubbling spring ran down the shore, I had a 

 leap for a bright MeLeod, A lazy one-pounder took the 

 hooks, and in less thun a minute, with only a swivel or two, 

 was drawn within reach of the landiug net, my light rod 

 scarcely bending, so little did he try to get. away. Another, 

 no larger, came up soon after and 1 got him. 



From thence I had no rise to the fly. But my boatman 

 said " Put. a single hook, a good o,ud stout one on a strong 

 leader; let your hook sink of its own weight fourteen or 

 fifteen feet, and see what comes." I rigged my line ; he put 



the red fin of a small sun fish on it, and I let my hook sink. 

 The sim was now almost out of sight. 



"Jerusalem, what's that?" I cried a minute later. 



My line went out a? if a locomotive was off with it. Full 

 forty yards were off the reel before I got it checked, and 

 then my six ounce bamboo was doubled down till the lip was 

 almost within reach of the hand that, held the butt. 



" You'll have all you you want, now ! " said the boatman. 

 " Reel in, please, if your rod will stand it. There's more 

 where he came front ! " 



I tested rod and tackle as I never did before, and soon, 

 shooting here and there, but nearer to the boat every 

 second, a speckled giant flew through the crystal water! 

 Soon he was within reach of the net, and Ferguson, the gal- 

 lant, boatman, had him raised and hi the boat. 



"A three-pounder, sir ! Hurry up now, you'll have fun 

 for the next, hour! " 



And I did; no rise to a fly, but a strike for a sun fish fin 

 when the hook was anywhere from five to fifteen feet, down, 

 and all as large as the 'last. An hour went by, and it was 

 getting so dark I could see line or rod, scarcely. Then I 

 counted my fish. Afterward I weighed them. Thirteen in 

 all; the weight twenty -eight pounds; and if that was not 

 worth " an hour on Lake Delaware," what, could be ? 



Earlier in the season the catch would have been larger, the 

 boatman said, and the fly would have done the work. But 

 in August no large trout would come to the top, but sought 

 forat twilight in the mi rning or at sunset hi the evening, 

 t.hev could be had as I e.iught them. 



My valued friend, G. W" Van Siclen, will say it was hard- 

 ly like me to pull fish from the bottom, but I could get them 

 rio other way, and as I said above. I learned a lesson, old ns 

 I am. I know another lake, near Westfield Flats, that is 

 full of fish, and yet, last summer was whipped with the fly 

 by scores of good New York fishermen, who could not catch 

 enough to eat. Had they tried my plan their fortune would 

 have been better. 



In the colder lakes, like Blue Mountain, Eagle and U/to- 

 wana, the August fishing is only good with the fly. But in 

 waters fed by bottom springs mostly and more open to a sum- 

 mer sun the sport is changed. 



THE AUTOMATIC REEL. 



alHIS reel, wheh is advertised in our columns iuTolves a 

 - new principle and seemed so different from anything be- 

 fore made, that we were tempted to write for a description of 

 it and have received the following. 



In size, weight and general appearance it, does not differ 

 from the reels in ordinary use; the line is withdrawal from it, 

 as from the common reel, to any desiied length. 



Incase the leader and flies get entangled, or the hooks are 

 caught in water grasses they can be brought to hand, in- 

 stantaneously, by a simple movement of one of the fingers 

 of the hand holding the rod. 



It will reel in a hundred feet of line sooner than any reel 

 in use will reel five feet ; or it will reel it in as slowly as the 

 fisherman may desire. 



But it is when a game fish is struck that the advantages of 

 the "Automatic Reel" become most apparent. By a move- 

 ment of the finger, as before described, an instautaueous 

 tension of the line is produced; so delicate that, if the 

 angler chooses to allow it and the fish be obstinate, he can 

 run out the whole length of line against, a continually in- 

 creasing resistance, more or less augmented as may be de- 

 sired. If the fish makes a charge in the direction of his 

 captor, no matter what his rale of speed may be, the reel 

 takes up the line so rapidly, that no slack can possibly be ob- 

 tained. All this is accomplished without the use of a crank, 

 which, though a useless appendage to this reel, will be fur- 

 nished to those who wish it so constructed as to be attached 

 at, pleasure. 



The multiplying gearing is planetary in construction, is 

 light, compact and durable, requiring to be wound up when 

 the linn is first, put on, and never afterward; being once set 

 will ruu for years. 



HOW TO BAIT FOR BASS. 



IT may seem like assurance on my part to criticise Mr. 

 Seth Green's method of " How to Catch Bass," as de- 

 scribed in the New York Sun, but I am bold enough to differ 

 with him as to the proper manner of bailing the hook, either 

 with a live minnow or crawfish, and am willing to refer the 

 matter to sny jury of Kentucky or Indiana bass fishermen 



Mr. Green says in using minnows for bait, "insert the 

 hook through the middle of the back, just above the back- 

 bone," etc Now, I say that the point to be gained is to keep 

 the minnow alive as long as possible, and I cannot, imagine a 

 speedier way of killing a young and tend r fish than by hook- 

 ing it through the back, throwing it into the water and jerk- 

 ing it out again. I agree with Mr. Green in saying that the 

 first striking of the bass is simply to catch his prey, and that 

 he then runs off and proceeds to turn the minnow preparatory 

 to swallowing it head first. Now, according to Mr. Green's 

 manner of hooking a minnow (four inches long) through the 

 back the bass must of necessity swallow at least two inches 

 of the minnow before the hook reaches his mouth, and should 

 the minnow be a chub, sucker or shiner of four inches in 

 length it is a rather good-sized or thick fish, and I hold that 

 so small a hook as he describes would, at least half the time, 

 pull out of the fish's niou'h without touching it ; for it must 

 be. remembered that while he is engaged in swallowing the 

 two and a half inches of the bait heT has to contend with the 

 same, amount of line or snell, while the hook is hidden 'n the 

 minnow and, from its size, so out of proportion to the size of 

 the bait, is more than likely not to touch the mouth of the 

 fish, so as to follow Mr. Green's method of baiting it kills the 

 minnow, hides the hook and forces upon the bass the neces- 

 sity of doubling up a line and swallowiug two and a half 

 inches of a large minnow before you can strike with any cer- 

 tainty of hooking him — this in case he survived his labors in 

 getting down to where the hook was placed. Now, the blue cat 

 of the Wabash River is the only fish in America that can swal- 

 low a minnow tad first, so the Kentucky and Indiana way of 

 hooking a minnow is through both lips, not touching even the 

 mouth, but just through the rim or cartilage of the Jips, and 

 in this way he cannot drown as his mouth is shut, and when 

 you pull him out to make another cast you do not injure him 

 nor break his backbone for he is moveduatur dly through the 

 water, and as he is in no pain he will live longer than if hook- 

 ed iu any other way, and as we agree that the bass takes the 

 minnow head first when he takes his second start he has the 

 head of the minnow in his lip, and as this contains the 

 hook now is the time to pull. 



I agree perfectly with Mr. G. as to the manner of hooking, 

 the crawfish for bait, and there is no bait so good as a soft 

 crawfish iu the last of June, and from that until the last of 

 August, and as the bass is an epicure he knows exactly when 

 such things are in season and to be had, so when crawfish are 

 shedding a bass will seldom be tempted by the choicest min- 



I, however, disagree with him as to the manner of the bass 

 in swallowing this bait, and contend that the fish takes a 

 common sense view of the case, ami also swallows the craw- 

 fish head first, for swallowing it tail first would be very much 

 like, attempting to swallow a half open umbrella handle first 

 in preference to taking it, other end first, for the tail of the 

 crawfish is so arranged that it will contract or expand in a 

 manner very similar to the umbrella. However, I do not eon- 

 tend that, the fish cannot and will not swallow a crawfish 

 tail first, but. in the case of the minnow I decidedly do. 



U. 8. S. NeiP namm/iire. 



FISH PESTILENCE IN FLORIDA. 



Washington, D. C, Jan. 27. 



IN referring to the fish pestilence iu the Gulf of Mexico, in 

 connection with the article of Mr. S. T. Walker, the 

 error was inadvertently made of stating that the proposed in- 

 vestigation of Dr. Guiteras was under the direction of the 

 National Hoard of Health. The inquiry was instituted, and 

 Dr. Guiteras was detailed to prosecute it, by Dr. J. B. Ham- 

 ilton, Surgeon-General U. S. Marine Hospital Service, in 

 Washington. Respectfully yours, Spbnoer Bated. 



PROPOSED CHANGES IN THE FISH LAWS. 



THE special committee of the Long Island Association for 

 the Protection of Fish and Game at their recent meeting 

 at the Fulton Market. Fish Monger's Association had dis- 

 cussions which show that they are not unanimous on all 

 questions, especially on the refrigerator amendment Sev- 

 eral prominent dealers who had been invited to submit sug- 

 gestions attended and materially aided the committee. Mr. 

 Robert Furey presided, and Mr. Abel Crook, President of 

 the New York State Association for the Protection of Fish 

 and Game, acted as Secretary. 



The following fish were named, and the least weight at 

 which they should by law be offered for sale in the markets 

 was discussed. One by one the fishes were debated over. 

 Blue fish, not under three-fourths of a pound ; weak fish, not 

 less than half a pound ; sea bass, half a pound : porgies, half 

 a pound; black bass, half a pound : yellow perch, one third 

 pound ; while perch, one-fourth pound ; mullet, one-fourth 

 pound; butter fish, one-fourth pound; flounders, half a 

 pound ; sun fish, one-fourth pound ; Spanish mackerel, one 

 pound. It was decided that dressed eels should not be less 

 than twelve inches long, while eels not dressed might be sold 

 fifteen inches long. Also to prohibit the catching of shad 

 from sundown Friday night until sundown Saturday, of each 

 week, and none to be sold less than one and a half pounds. 



Several communications were read, including one from 

 PraucisO. deLuze, of No. 18 South William street, asking the 

 Legislature to prohibit the use of "fykes" in the East River. 

 The fishing in the river is being totally destroyed by this 

 species of net, and that they should not, be used below Fort 

 Schuyler. lie also complains of the menhaden boats, which 

 fished last summer about the mouths of Little Neck, Cow 

 Bay and off Whitestone, Long Island, taking all sorts of fish 

 in their large nets. 



Mr. Chappcll proposed that whitebait shall not be caught 

 i» New r York waters, because there is a dispute, as to what 

 whitebait really is. The demand is so much larger than the 

 supply that the young of many kinds of valuable fish are 

 caught. 



State Fish Commissioner E. G. Blackford had paid great 

 attention to this matter. He bad induced fishermen to try if 

 our waters did not contain the whitebait, so famous in 

 England. He obtained from Prof T. J. Moore, of the Der- 

 by Museum, Liverpool, specimens of whitebait in order that 

 they might, be compared with the young of fish caught in 

 New York Bay to determine the qnes'ion whether we have 

 whitebait or not, and Mr. J. Carson Brevoort thought them 

 present in our waters. 



Some were obtained and Prof. Spencer F. Baird pro- 

 nounced them the young of two distinct species, the common 

 alewifc and the other the sea, or Taylor shad— both re- 

 sembling the herring. After a long and keen discussion 

 among naturalists in England about the origin and real 

 nature of the whitebait it has been demonstrated that white- 

 bait are s'mply the young of herring. After these young her- 

 ring hid been tested and found to be equal to English white- 

 bait, the demand far exceeded the possible supply, as not 

 over fifty pounds could be caught and brought to the city in 

 one day" Having determined that they were not the fry of 

 any of the valuable food fish Mr. Blackford took measures 

 to procure a supply, and a demand for them as white-bait 

 was soon created. He was very careful to exann'ne them 

 with a view of detecting other fish, but did not find any 

 young shad or other valuable fish, A few specimens of 

 bluefishaud an occasional mackerel fry were detected. He 

 had not received any complaint that in' selling whitebait he 

 was selling the youug of valuable fish. Certainly seven- 

 eigbts of the fish sold as whitebait are anchovies. If the real 

 whitetmit should be allowed to grow to maturity they would 

 be herring, and would bring two cents a pound, or half a 

 cent apiece. 



The brook trout law was then discussed. Mr. Blackford 

 said that the present law was unjust to marketmen. No 

 man was more anxious to obey the spirit and letter of the 

 law than he, but if a box of trout wc re shipped to him in the 

 close season without his knowledge, and he did not know its 

 contents, a citizen who saw him open it could have, him 

 fined. In such a case, or if he had 1.000 pounds of trout on 

 hand when the season closed, he was willing to destroy them 

 or give them to a charitable institution. He thought that 

 refrigerating trout would be an evasion of the law. 



On Mr. Chappell's motion it was decided that the Presi- 

 dent of the New York Association for the Protection of Fish 

 and Game, should have the power to appoint officers to be ' 

 deputized by the Sheriff of the county to take or receive by 

 voluntary surrender any fish or game found illegally in pos- 

 session of any person in the State, and to give the fish or 

 game seized to the county's poor. 



The proposed amendments were concurred in, and will be 

 included in the report of the committee to the Legislature, 

 together with others offered by Mr. Farly, to the effect that 

 no persons shall use a drag-net in the waters of Coney Is- 

 land Creek or Qravesend Bay from May 1 to Oct. 1. 



