JmcE 1881.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



371 



TUB FLY-CASTINU TOURNAMENT. 



IN our next iss'ie we will publish the rules which will gov- 

 ern the lly cast ins the 2;j<| of this month a' Hie Tourna- 

 ment of | he New York Slate Sportsman's Association lit 

 Coney Island. We Will also print the record of all previous 

 casling*, w'nh the distance oust, by each competitor and 

 would request «ny person having informal ion on this subject 

 tp correspond wi h u=. Mr. Abel t'rook, the President of 

 the Association, baa gathered much information in addition 

 to ihe prize list published, which he will furnish us. 



A prize has been Offered by Mr. W. 13. ffopsnn, of ihe Sea 

 World of a gold mounter! split ban. boo salmon lod, made by 

 II, L. Leonard. 1(5 leer i„ length an d weighing 27 ounces, 

 worth $70; his lo he given to the person' making the 

 longest cist in any class in single hauded fiv casting, and 

 will be given in addition to any other prize won. This is 

 the only ease in which a coniesiant may he permiitod to re- 

 ceive i wo prizes in t is tournament of fly-casting. The in- 

 terest in it is increasing, and general satisfaction is expressed 

 at the number of prizes and their arrangement, and a good 

 number of entries are brrmiiseri. 



_ The bass. casting, CiiUyhtink style, is attracting attention, 

 it, being Ihe tirs-, lime that su h a contest has been held. 

 Now we will sue what distances can be ml in this slvle, ami 

 have Something b' sides fabulous stories of enormous cas s. 

 If you can cast, brills; down your rod and try your skill in 

 this most, beautiful of arts. 



riflei 



BASS THAT REFUSE THE FLT 



Wir.ns, Texas. 



I AM not satisfied yet. I did think that when I got, my 

 new " stranahan canvass boat," -nd njy rod. and my 

 flies, and other tackle, complete, together with sundry other 

 baits natural and artificial, bobs of deer-tail and the like, 

 lliat I would completely "slay and eal" t e villainous hass| 

 hut "nary time," and now is the "winter of my discontent," 

 I am bothered. 1 can stand disappointment as well as any 

 man, when it is necessary, or only occasional, but when it 

 h'Tomes chronic I gel fretted. 1 believe 'he fish in the South 

 hare been so accustomed to rough, old fogy and free-nigger 

 mi hods, lhat it is impossible to ever school 'them to any thing 

 genteel or delicate, at least until the present generations of 

 fishes have passed into the frving-pan, and a new school 

 reared up. 



Last week my friend Thompson and T got our sporting 

 wagon ready, hitched in the ponies, filled the vehicle full of 

 rtb that a camper-out could wish for, took big 

 Bus, reed poles and pointed rods, all kinds Jt 

 tickle and a minnow seine. We took along everything. 'Ve 

 c imped two nights at "Crystal Creek," 16 ruiJes f rolii town. 

 I tried the (lie* first. I was crazy to witness a bass rise to a 

 fly I prevailed on Thompson to' take some sun-perch with 

 crickets, so as lo be certain of a meal for dinner. 1 stole 

 away to a splendid pool, some sixty feet, long and 20 wide, 

 with a inlleii log across the middle. I crept up behind a bush 

 and looked in. The water was clear, but too deep to see the 

 bottom. J carefully rigged up my new rod with a braided 

 silk line. I then selected a royal coachman for a leader and 

 a La llede for the dropp r (I believe lhat is the woidl. I then 

 d e\v off ab<mt three feet more of the line than the length of 

 t e rod. All read}, I made my cast — my first cast with an 

 a-tificial lly -my maidpn cast, you understand. I trembled 

 for safely, not for my own, but for ihe delicate rod 1 trem- 

 bled because 1 expeclcd something fearful was about to luru 

 n/>. I a ways tremble under emotional excitement. The 

 two flies settled beautifully on the water, causing but little 

 splash or ripple. I waited the result until Ihe waves began 

 in I saw two fine bass rising to t.he Hies. One 

 old and ihe other three. They were beauties, 

 a they ascended slowly toward the flies with 

 ved or bowed in a menacing manner, 1 ex- 

 pected every moment lo see ihe (lies disappear in their jaws, 

 bui— but— but I hey didn't take Yrn. They came up to within 

 three inches of the flies and took a go d Ink, turned their 

 sensibly away, and leaving the 

 ilment)and to me. And left me 

 biggest fool of the three. 1 cast 

 e. Couldn't fool them, Then 1 

 Jg, when a fine bass swam immediately be 

 uulil within three or four inches of t,liein,"ihi-n 

 1 then cast beyond uie log, and 



t i subs tie, 



leir b 



tiils and swam slowly a 

 wild ibdarkne-scMi'sapi 

 t > understand lliat i was i 

 t i them again but, lo no 

 c ist near iliu Ion, when 

 ma.h the liie 

 t irued and s 



drew the llles along toward me, when I saw a fine 3-poTinder 

 slowly following ihe (lies, imerely kepi the flies in motion to 

 prevent their discovering i>,e fraud, but this oue like the rest 

 turned with big disgust a 1 d swain slowly away. 1 ihen cast 

 towatd another part of the pool, when a fine one arose and 

 did just as ihe others had done I quit that pool anil went to 

 another, and my efforts met Willi like results. So 1 Just 

 wound up my tackle and went lo caiup, and all the tune 

 1 liiienling lhat 1 ever read a wo d about tly-fishing for bass. 

 I went then and got Thompson, and we dr,w the minnow 

 se lie and took a few minnows. 1 went to Ihe same poi 1 and 

 tried with the minnow wiih little or no better success, al- 

 though they took the minnow belter than Ihe fly. We then 

 went to some splendid lakus some live tuiles below, said to 

 be ihe best in the country for bass. We entered the canvas 

 boar, and I tried Ihe tlies to my satisfaction. 1 tried differ- 

 ent flies, but nary strike did 1 get. 1 Ihen laid the rod aside 

 and took my long cane or reed pole that 1 had arranged with 

 reel-seal and guide . I fixed on that a deer-tail bob and tri d 

 that. 1 had several splendid strike , and ah I a rue bass from 

 two to lour pounders, but Ironi some cause I failed to hook 

 them, only taking ihree in all. But I fouud th - deur-ta 1 bob 

 to surpass any lly that I had to provoke a strike. The flies 

 would raise them, but that was all— ihe bass would not take 

 them. We took some minnows from the river with seine, 

 hut. the bass would not lake them— the bob being Ihe most 

 effective lure wo bad, nor did they go for Unit much. The 

 oii)\ causes tha 1 1 can attribu e lo this apathy on ihe part of 

 the fish, one is that ihu moon is just on the full and the 

 nights are light all nighl, rendering line fish sluggish and dull 

 all the next dav, as I "have mentioned in tome former papers. 

 %)r, lhat the risk are m their spawning se son, and decline 

 food in consequence. Sotnelhing wrong, that's all- I would 

 like if my handsome friend Dr. lienshall would rise and ex- 

 ,phin. 



I shall not say much, however, until I get a bold on the 

 .Doctor's " Book of the Bass." lie has shown me how to 

 Smuku the bass rise lo ihe fly, but he 1 as mot, s-hnwn me how 

 .... take hold of it. Did you ever think of that. 

 belore? It is easy enough to lead, horse to water, but I 

 defy ihe world to make him drink. I hid from thelish; they 

 did not see me at all, J let the flies stop sometimes, and at 



others kept them moving, but nothing that I could do would 

 induce them 10 seize them. 



The weather was all one could a*k. The water was in 

 prime condition, and nothing else could I attribute their not 

 biting except ihe "wrong lime of the moon " 



I have not quite despaired, however; 1 shall Iry Ihem 

 again and olt. The worst 1 hate in the whole matter is about 

 my big expectations. The more one expects the greater the 

 fall, when disappointment does come. I don't, like lobe 

 snubbed by country lads and fogies. My only solace now is 

 in ihe Doctu'S book. When 1 get, it 1 am going off by my- 

 self and take it all in verlatim et literatim. Probably he 

 will tell me how to compel the bass to take my fly after 1 

 hare got him within three inches of it; and if he does lam going 

 to make another break for them; but uutil then, I shall lie 

 on my oars aud wait ihe inflowing tide. C. L. J. 



BASS F1SUINO IN KENTUCKY. 



Mill Spkings, Ky., May 215. 



WINTER persisted in lolling so li ng in the lap <4 spring 

 that angling without overshoes, great coal: and yarn 

 nuts was per foicc put off till last of April, and but little 

 sport, has been indulged in, as the few spring-like days were 

 but preliminary t -i askipliom a frigid temperature to one 

 of such unprecedented lorridily thai the average angler con- 

 cluded it the overlu e lo the grand Cataclysm as per Mother 

 Shipton's programme foi '81. 'Twas thought, lhat lhat comet 

 had certainly "set the sun afire." Bushwhackers are sein- 

 ing all the streams in as absolute disregard of the fish law 

 as if no such existed. One fellow, while seining at night, 

 was snake bitten, and ti ere was some hopes that the venom 

 of that reptile would guarantee him a through trip without 

 change of cars, including ferriage at Styx, but a weekly out- 

 look for a complimentary obituary in the country paper is 

 yet unrewarded. Metier luck to the snake next time. 



During the short enjoyable spell "Uncle Joe" Taylor, a 

 native pioneer, seventy-three years of age, came over to go 

 fishing with me, "justto>ee me catch 'em with a reel," he 

 said. 



Uncle Joo never misses a fall deer and turkey hunt, and, 

 living near a river has always set great store by his trot 

 lints. Having never seen a reel in use, he wanled proof of 

 the extravagant praises he had heard of that style of fishing, 

 and I r joice to Teport that our irp has resulted in the aid 

 man's eqnippiig himself with an approved angler's outfit 

 and cheerfully transferring his trols to AunlMat lor clothes- 

 lines. As transporting minnows over eight miles of moun- 

 tain bridle-paths is not so comfortable as leading a three- 

 pound black bass into a landing net, it may gralify some 

 brother to learn t at we put our'miuuows into a gallon jug 

 two-lhirds full of fresh spring waler— balanced with a, stone 

 in a meal sack, as we hadn't enough lo demand two jugs— 

 and on arrival, at noon, fouud every minnow alive. 



Fishing below n mill-dam in the swift, water, pike-perch 

 aid black bass were taken rapidly ; and when Uncle Joe had 

 ifle pleasure of puitiug a bridle-rein through ihe underjaw 

 of an eight and one quarter pound pike-perch which a 

 slalherer led into the lauding net with a six ounce, eight 

 feet Japanese rod and No. 2 "Meek reel, his reconstruction 

 was pomplete, for the ecstasies of rod and reel angliug were 

 established. 



As soon as practicable T shall accompany Uncle Joe to his 

 favorite fishing resorts, and hope there will he some in our 

 calch that deserve to go on record. By the way, the old 

 sportsman is responsible for the following, which 1 believe as 

 if I had seen it: 



On one of his trolling excursions, while amusing himself 

 by tossing chips and pebbles on (be water to see'lhe black 

 bass dari for lliem, a water-snake glidtd into the waler and 

 was immediately rar-kled by a big bass which heroically en- 

 deavored to dine off snake, "but finally gave it up, Ihe snake 

 wriggling into hiding badly worsted by the protracted strug- 

 gle. iVKNTUOKIAN. 



TmtJTiNG in Canada.— Tiout fishing has so far bepn un- 

 usualygood here in the Eastern townships this season, llopps 

 pi nd has yielded up some three. pounders, and yet relainsits 

 largest. In company with Ihe veteran snow shoer, Mr. W. 

 L Maltbv, Ihe writer recently visited Like Niek and Coons 

 p aid, where we basketed some fine t-'almo fotittlialts and for 

 a chance we went lo firowne lake and killed a quantity (all 

 we c add carry) of pike and sraall-mouthi d black bass. One 

 of the bass kicaed the beam at 4j lbs. I have just returnid 

 with a. party of spoilsmen from Averill, V'., Wlif-re we had 

 good sp 'ft in Big aud Little Av< rill lakes and Little Leach 

 pond. The largest of our trout lakeu there weight d lib, 

 and 16 oz. if these lakes were prop rly protected they would 

 afford fine sp >rt. for the trout fisher. A French Kanuck his built 

 a steam sawmill on the Shore of Big averill and is depositing 

 l,i' sawdust in the lake. This, with sweeping the spawning 

 beds with nets, •■vill soon clean out the trout. Where are ihe 

 Vermont Ft>h Wardens? Ktanstead. 



EiuUm 'J owitikijiH, Canada. 



Bass and Trout in Connecticut— Putnam. Conn., May 

 30— The first black bass this season were taken by A. M. 

 Wood, of Dayville, an expert with the fly. lie took about a 

 dozen a few days since nt Alexander's Lake, a fine sheet of 

 water some four miles sou h of ibis place. v*i en the proper 

 time arrives, and bass are off the spawn beds, there are a few 

 "old salts" here in Putnam who drive up lo Webster Pond, 

 which lies just over our line in Massaehusset?, aud tbey have 

 Biich a taking way will) the bass, that the fishermen up then: 

 look sad wdieu they fee the quantities of fish taken lo Con- 

 necticut. But there is no end to bass fishing in Webster 

 Pond; it is literally alive, wiih them, This county used lo 

 be Ihe best in this Stale for trout-rishing, but, now there are 

 but very low to be had. There are so many fishermen that 

 the streams are kept pretty clear of fish. Something must be 

 done toward restocking our streams, and more attention paid 

 to the laws, or our trout-fishing will soon play out. — E. T. W. 



Pennsylvania Tkout.— In y ur issue of June 2, I nolioe 

 an item asking for information in regard to trout weighing 

 over two pounds c'auithl in Pennsylvania waters. 



Last year Mr Ben. H. MiilfVud. of Montrcs", caueht, in 

 Carm It's Lake, this county, a brook trout weighing 3 lbs. 7 

 oz. This spring. His Honor J. B, McCollum, of Montrose, 

 c .light a trout, which weighed 2 lbs. 8 oz., in the above-named 

 lake. Iq ihe same lake Mr. W. VV. McCain, of this place, caught 

 a trout, weighing 2 ib^ 6 oz. The same gentleman caught a 

 brook trout in Bow man's creek, Wyoming county, twoyesis 

 ago, weighing 2 lbs. 4 i z. 1 have just returnid' from Bow- 

 man's creek, where 1 spent, a few days angling in that well- 

 known stream. My host, Mr. Wm. Culver, told us that be 



caught a tmut, last year, weighing 3 lbs. 1 oz. If ibis does 



notsetile the point, your Smiihport corn s oondent, cin sd- 



dress any of ih<! panii s named and get the facis at, first bind. 



Rush, Smyiiehanna Co., l'a. J. W. G. 



Tknnessse, Sivannah, May 30— The new fish law seems 

 already to be exerting a salutary intiuerce in ibis vieiniiy. 

 The net fishermen have suspended operations, and persona 

 living near the headwaters of Ihe cjetis, report that ihe 

 shoe ting and gigging, formi rly so laigely practiced, has been 

 stopped altogether since the publication ol ihe law. Public 

 sentiment seems to be largely in sympathy with the law, and 

 I hope that after awhile Something may he done toward pro- 

 ti cling the game. There is a law in t'oice in some of the 

 counties, but does not apply to the whole Slate. — M lli,. 



A California Rfbobt. — Soda Spring?, Si-kiyou county, 

 Ca'., May 23.— Your co-respondent, " B.' YV-," will find this 

 the place he is looking for. it is twelve miles from ihe 

 foot of Mount BhtiSlR, twenly miles from Met loud lliver; on 

 the headwaters of the Sacra. ncnto River. Good Irout fishing 

 is wilhin rifle shot of ihe house. Horses, and guides always 

 on hand, with full ouifit for camping. Plenty Jif drtr. I here 

 being five licks wilhin three miles of II. e hotel. No belter 

 salmon fishing in any of the waters of Canada than hero 

 duiiug the months of July and August.— G. 0. 



Norwich Fisheries Exhibition. — Messrs. S. AllcTk & 

 Co., of the Standard Works, Hc'idilcb, have been awarded a 

 told medal and a s; eeial cliplon a by the jurors at this exti- 

 bition lor ssa and Mv r fish boobs, swivels, etc , aud f r im- 

 prov, mints aud inv etions of ihe same. 'I his is the oi ly 

 go d medal for sea and river fish hoi.ks awaided at this ex- 

 hibition — London Chronicle. 



SnAi> in th! Dki.a.wark — Pbilad Iplra, May 80. — The 

 fhad getting seas n on 'be Delaware Ki' or below P nmg-ove 

 is neai ly ov, r. The market bo it b s made its 1 st, ttip. She 

 Irs crrinl to Ph'ladtophi', since the rpening of the seisnn, 

 23 1 000 shad. The Ireight ard commission on the sh«d 

 amounted lo $15,d00. Veiy little is left for the tbheiman— 

 scarcely wages, the s.bo'e fisheries f'uittn r up the liver will 

 probably cease operations the present week. — Homo. 



Hints fhom Anoi/frs — I read in your issue of .Tunc 2, 

 " Hints from an Old Angler." He recommendscottim gloves. 

 Silk is far preferable, especially if the butt is. as i! should he, 

 unwound at the gmsp, for a fly rod. 1 hen he omit- ihe small 

 bottle with ground glass stopper for spii its of ammonia, a 

 perfect antidote to the poison of the black flics, punkies and 

 mosquito bites.— H. 



Tnfohimation Wantkd.— Brooklyn, N. Y Will G. II. W., 



of Oceanic, N. J., please inform a fellow fisheiman, who is 

 about lo spend his vacalion at Bed Bank, in what pails of the 

 Shrewsbury Hi ver good bass and weak fishing can be obtained? 

 Also, if ihe latter pi-rt of this mouth will be late enough, and 

 oblige J. L, C? 



Ralph's, Lyon Mountain, N. Y. — Salmon-fishing has been 

 good lor the past three weeks, and now speckled trout are 

 takins both fly and bait, and a full basket is the rule. Several 

 parlies from New York and Albany are here now, all 

 charmed wiih the place. 



...ding it 



teohi and 



S§h gultwe. 



THE FIRST AMERICAN FISHCULTCRIST. 



T AM very much surprised that the wording of my. statement in 

 J- the E|joch paper Hhould be unsatisfaet, ,j-v to L'r. Gurlick. It 

 was my intention to credit him with the introduction ot b-h cul- 

 ture into the United .States, aud, having the paragraph in queslit 

 before my eyes, lam ol the opiuiiju that 1 enooeet' ' 

 so that it given lo Dr. Gnrliek the honor n liieh he 

 I feel uraeh grieved that Dr. Gurliuk his not unpre 

 tions in the matter. It hu will refer to mv reninr 

 the discusnioii Epoch I., in which the rival olain 

 Dom Pmchon are discussed, and to which tdlUt>itii 

 paragraph upon Epoch XX., he will see that I place Dr. Baehrnan's 

 shadowy claim upon a par nith the equally *hudo«v one of Dum 

 Pinchon, while by implication at least Jaoobi, " the 'father of fish 

 culture," is compared with Dr. Garlick, who, in mv opinion should 

 he styled "the father of li-h culture in America." I ohall be 

 pleased to hear of oiiv publications of Dr. Garlick prior to 1S57. 

 I made diligent search, and. as the members of the Eishcultural 

 As>ociatiou will remember, read thin pail of mv paper very nlonly, 

 hoping to call out criticism and emendation. Lielore the final pub- 

 lication of the paper of -'Epochs of th* History of Fiah Culture." 

 I shall be glad to make such changes as shall make it just to all. 

 I cau asaure you that criticisms will he very welcome. At Ihe same 

 lime, as a historian I cannot pdas by thu fact that Dr. Bachuian 

 has put forth certain claims— claims which since Ihe recent miccci-b- 

 fol experiments in transporting iish eg^s in. a, partially th ied slate 

 cannot now ho ignored with as much reanon as ihiyuight have 

 been a twelvemonth ago. G. Brown Goode. 



REPORT OF THE CALIFORNIA COMMISSION. 



THHE report of the Commissioners of Fisl 



x 1880 opens with Ihe statement that 2.1 



uat Balniou which havo been batched and 



taries of the Sacramento are producing t 



Greater nnmhera are now token Ulan before 



were scarcer than ever on account of tho d 



beds in previous years by mining operations 



arliiicial culture, tiny havo increased. 



Sacramento for the hint six years is as follows for iho 



yeara ending August 1, 1875, '5.fiU«,781 lbs.; 1M7G, V ] 1 - 



4M Ilia.; IS77, i;,'l'.»:)., r .(i.l lbs.; J.iVS G,52i).7li8 lbs.; Is7<) 



4,133.2511 lbs.; 1880, 1(),«87.40Q lbs. This sln,u r a „ti a«lv gain year 



by year up to 187:1, when there is a falling oil. which is'nioie than 



made up tor Ibe next seasou. This ridhuu off is oniv am an at on 



paper, tho cause being a Mul; 



The report shows much go. 

 sion. Mr. Horace D. Dunn r 

 eries, their law-a and violations (,y cauneis in 

 the views or the Banners regarding the he 

 say tbev can be found at all K-asous of the year i iMauui-co 



markets This lish did not exist on the Pacific coast until placed 

 there, and they now sell regularly at 25 < cuts p< r ) . m.d. V hiie- 

 fish, Coregouii.i, were also ntrcdlicid and »iioirin.i.;l!i lilu, m 

 the lakes. Tie sev.idv-fonr catfish iui](»l<d 1k m tLe Hainan 

 Bivcr, N. J., in 1871, have incieand until they me CCS ion lorn 

 Del Noite to San Diego, and are pknlilul in tj.iohu. Im.Kli^a 

 have alao thriven in their new h< me. Sliipid 1 an- wne oik ei ud 

 iu 1879, and a few have been caught '1 be lobsters and cola have 



s State for 

 f (he quin- 

 tLo tribu- 

 ite results, 

 ud '73 they 

 ' trawling 

 . iliaiiks to 



u tithing 



Of the shad they 



