FOREST AND STREAM, 



41 



Aktificia-l Fly-Fishing— Black Bass the Coming Game 

 Fah. — Thirty years ago fly-fishing was scarcely practiced 

 in this country. A few New England natives tossed their 

 nondescript hues into the trout streams, 'tis true; but as 

 tor salmon fishing with lly, none thought of it. Only a 

 few Canadians in Canada, an occasional adventurous officer 

 of the British army on leave, ana a dozen or so English- 

 men and ''canny Scots," resident in the States, were cog- 

 nizant of this peculiar artifice of the angler, and indulged 

 in its practice. And with what ponderous "Caslle-Con- 

 nells" they pounded the vexed waters where the unwary 

 Salmo Salar dwell! [With a huge pine tree, the Poly- 

 phemus eat on a mountain and bobbed for whales.] 



Only within five years or so, have Americans laised a 

 company of roatriculauts for this advanced school. It is 

 rare to find an expert salmon angler among the "native 

 and to the manor boru." With trout it is different. Trout 

 fishing was made fashionable many years ago, by several 

 writers — notably by "Rev. Adirondack Murray" — and now 

 on every stream where the trout live, a dozen persons who 

 call themselves lly -fishermen, may be found on any 

 summer's day, coquetting unsophisticated fiugtrlings with 

 highly varnished rods and flies of questionable pattern. 

 Each one imagines himself an expert, or hopes, with a 

 Utile more practice, lo master the art. Ask him what he 

 defines the ail of fly-fishing to be, and, ten lo one, he will 

 answer "The capture of Troutsr Salmon with the artificial 

 fly." No other kind of fish will suggest itself in this con- 

 nection. Few are aware that any other varieties of fish 

 can be laken with the fly. 



Two years ago the mention was incidentally made, in 

 print, that black bass would take the lly, and the angling 

 brotherhood were incredulous. At once ihe assertion was 

 questioned, and the discussion arose, with wide-spread 

 interest: "Do black bass really take thefly?" and to this 

 day there remains an army of unbelievers. They have 

 fished for bass with fly, tried the experiment thoroughly, 

 and got no "rise." Possibly, the same army would not 

 succeed much better with the trout. They select the 

 wrong localities for their trials. And yet, we are bound 

 to say that we seriously believe that the black bass is to 

 afford the weight of sport for the fly-rod in future. Trout 

 are gradually bring driven out of the streams. They re 

 quire elbow room and the solitude of the primitive forests, 

 just as old Leather Stocking did. Trout cannot thrive in civ- 

 ilization. When cultivated they become degenerate, pale 

 and flabby. On the contrary, the black bass will thrive 

 anywhere, without much care. Give them a fair start and 

 they will propagate and multiply. They are not fastidi 

 ous. They feed at the bottcm or at the surface as inclina- 

 lion prompts. The black bass turns over stones for Hell- 

 granules, and leaps iuto the air after the flying moth. He 

 does not discriminate as closely as the trout does. More- 

 over, he inhabits a wider range of territory. He is equally 

 at home in the foaming outlets o£ the back lakes of 

 Canada as in Ihe somewhat turbid waters of Arkansis and 

 Louisiana, and iu the smoothly flowing rivers and still 

 lakes of Florida. He is widely, nay, almost universally 

 known. He is known to urchins whose grandpas never 

 heard of a trout — the salmo fortinalis. And long after the 

 latter has been choked by sawdust, poisoned out of exist- 

 ence by tar oil and dye stuffs, and annihilated by nets and 

 poachers, the black bass will hold his own (and more too,) 

 and li-.e to the fly of the next generation as gracefully as 

 the latter will rise to explain why their predecessors did 

 not know as much about fly-fishing as they do. Surely, 

 the Black Buss is desiiued lo be Ihe coming fish for anglers 

 with the fly. 



But more than this: Let us ask how many readers of 

 these lines are aware that, besides Ihe salmoD, and the 

 trout, and the black bass, and the shad and the pickerel, 

 the grayling and Ihe other varieties that inhabit fresh 

 wiVer, a great many salt water fish afford equally good 

 sport to the same kind of hue? Why, at times the sea is 

 alive with surface feeders. We have taken the cod at 

 Sandwich Bay in Labrador, the pollock in the Kene- 

 beecasis, heiiing in Massachusetts Bay, and mackerel off 

 Cape Breton — all with the fly rod and reel. In the 

 Homosassa river alone, ou the Gulf of Mexico, are no less 

 than eight varieties of salt water fish that take the fly. 

 We have known of GO lbs. of weakfish to be landed there 

 within an hour by one gentlemen alone. The cavalli and 

 redfish afford extraordinary sport. By and bye, we be- 

 lieve that fly-fishing will be Ihe ouly legitimate mode 

 allowed in polite circles. The vulgar clam and sinuous 

 worm will be tabooed; the beaslly crawfish and dobson 

 (horrenda monbtra/) will be thrown aside; pork will be re- 

 cerved ouly for the sea-sick; and cut bait for the starving 

 human poor. Only that which is etherial will engage the 

 angler. The lures with which he tempts Ihe limpid lake, 

 or turgid brine, will float only on wings of silvery light, 

 reflecting the rainbow hues, touching the spray of the 

 waterfall or the combing of the surf in their lambent flight. 

 So shall men rise above I bat which is common and un- 

 clean and grovelling, and prepare for the higher and better 

 life to come. Yea — verily ! 



■»•♦- 



—Striped bass, locally known as rock fish, made their 

 appearance in the Delaware river some two weeks ago, and 

 weather permitting, tithing with seines will be in order 

 from this time until May. 



Extra large white perch are now being taken in the 

 Chesapeake, weighing 1J each on the average. 



Movements or- the Fishing Fleet.— The George's fleet 

 have not yet begun to arive iu any considerable numbers 

 but ihe early fleet will soon be along, to give the much 

 needed impetus to local trade, The Bank and LaHave 



fleets bring in good fares, indicating the presence of fish 

 upon their breeding grounds, and the prospects are favor- 

 able, if good weather prevails, for a good Georges catch. 

 The shore fleets are also meeting with a little better suc- 

 cess, some excellent fares having been lauded, and now 

 that Lent has arrived we may reasonably expect an im 

 proved call, and to see a little more money In general 

 circulation. The number of fishing arrivals lor the past 

 week has been 27, viz. : 7 from Grand and Western Banks, 

 15 from LaHave and Georges Banks, 3 from Fortune Hay, 

 and 2 from New Brunswick and Nova Scotia herring trips. 

 The receipts of codfish have beeu about 450.000 pounds, 

 and of fresh halibut, 300,000 pouads. — Vape Ann Advertiser, 

 Feb, \Wi. 



LOOK TO YOUR FLY-BOOKS. 



EDITOK FoilEST AND STREAM: — 



I am philanthropist enough to wish to warn my fellow 

 anglers, if it is not already too late, to look to their fly- 

 books for moths, and to carefully pick over and remove 

 at once, all flies lhat moths may have tainted or destroyed. 

 Although sufficiently careful, as the word goes, I find to- 

 day lhat I have lost several dollars worth of [rout and 

 salmon flies by failing to examine my stock during ihe 

 winter; and it was only by good fortune that 1 am now 

 enabled to save what 1 have. Having purchased one of 

 Holberton A' Boomer's lly- books, at your suggestion, that 

 the new method of adjusting the flies in the book ensured 

 them against the attacks of moths. I was in the act of 

 transferring my stock when 1 made the discovery I did. 

 Nothing affords better attraction for moths than the 

 bunches of flies tucked away in the pockets of the old- 

 tashioned fly-book. In the Holberton book, the flies are 

 not only detached from each other, but the snells being 

 stretched on the open face of a parchment card, do not 

 afford sufficient seclusion to invite the depredatious of the 

 vexatious creatures that destroy and corrupt. Yours, 



Blue Don. 



if ***** 



■f Flokida— Halifax Paver, February loth.— The travel thus 

 far to Florida has been light, and the hotels in Savannah, 

 Jacksonville, Green Cove, etc., hiive had few guests. Great 

 preparations have been made; two new hotels of the first- 

 class — "The Windsor" and "The .Nichols House"— have 

 been opened iu Jacksonville, and oue of the local papers 

 asserts lhat there are over fitly steamers on the St. John 

 river. 1 tried the new route 10 this river by way of Cres- 

 cent City, on Dunn's Lake, but was not pleased with it. 

 The steamer from Pulalka lo Crescent City is an old and 

 disabled boat, the accommodations at Crescent City are 

 poor, and the route across the country to Daytou is long 

 and difficult, Moreover, Ihe promised steamer on the 

 Halifax is not ready. For the present, therefore, I recom- 

 mend those bound to Halifax river or .New Smyrna, lo 

 take the old route by way of Enterprise. Much rain has 

 fallen of late, and the streams are full. So much fresh 

 water has flowed into the Halifax as to kill most of the 

 oysters in the upper part of the river and drive away the 

 fish. At the Inlet, however, the fish are plenty. 1 have 

 been out twice with a companion, arid our score for the 

 first day was eleven bass, twelve sheepshead, one grouper, 

 one salt water trout. The second day eleven bass; aver- 

 age, live pounds; one drum, sixteen pounds. The first day 

 the bass ran somewhat larger, say seven pounds. On ac- 

 count of the cold weather, the oranges in the northern part 

 of the State have less sweetness than usual. Here they are 

 better. S. C. C. 



Conflict Between Water Bailiffs and Salmon 

 Poacuebs.— The floods caused by Ihe recent heavy rains 

 in the Forth district have brought up a large quantity of 

 breeding fish, the spawning grounds of the higher reaches 

 being at present swarming with salmon. Superintendent 

 Napier, suspecting that the temptation would be too strong 

 for habitual poachers, despatched a number of water 

 bailiffs on Saturday last lo watch the Kiver Allan and 

 tributary streams above Dunblane, and between ten and 

 eleven o'clock that night a gang of poachers, numbering 

 between seven and eight, wete seen "blazing" the M tickle 

 Burn, between Kinbuck and Greenloaning. They carried 

 torches, and were armed with spears and slicks. The 

 watchers advanced, and came up to the poachers in the 

 middle of the stream, and the latter, who were in greater 

 force than the bailiffs, showed signs of resistance, but 

 nothing datiDted, the bailiffs closed with their opponents, 

 and a determined struggle followed, batons being freely 

 handled on the one side, and the instruments of illegal 

 fishing ou the other. The combatants rolled together iu 

 Ihe bed of the stream, and hard blows were given by 

 both parties. After a short but severe couflict the 

 poachers were overpowered, three of the gang being cap- 

 tured and the rest taking to their heels. The bailiffs seized 

 a number of torches and spears, together with two bags 

 containing seven large salmon and grilse, cruelly lorn by 

 the leisters of the poachers.— Land and Water. 



A Curious Fishing Incident.— The following singular 

 circumstance was communicated to the pages of the 

 Sporting Magazine as long ago as Vm-.—The Editor of the 

 Sporting Magazine:— Happy, at any time, to contribute to 

 your very valuable collection, 1 beg you will insert the 

 following fact, which I flatter myself will not be uuworthy 

 of a place:— 



A countryman, of the name of Strugnell, having fre- 

 quently observed the water of a pond, called C'harlrey 

 Pond, very much disturbed, though at the time there was 

 no wind, thought it must be some fish; but on account of 

 the mud surrounding It, there was no possibility of trying 

 it with a rod and Hue, which made him form the follow- 

 ing contrivance, supposing it to be a pike. He took a 

 duck, and, fastened a string, about ten feet long, light 

 around its body, to which was suspended a double' hook 

 baited with a roach. The duck, as was natural, took to the 

 water, and, in less than a quarter of an hour, the fish look 

 the bait, and, inslantly going to Ihe bottom, the duck 

 wa3 for sometime also emersed in the water, till at last, 

 after a struggle of half an hour, the duck with the greatest 

 exertions made the bank, when, by placing boards on the 

 surrounding mud, a boy ventured on, and, having tied 

 another string to ihe duck, they were both brought lo 

 shore, when the man too eagerly tayiug hold of the pike, it 

 snapped at his hand, which he pulled away. It left oue 

 of its teeth in the man's hand, which almost immediately 

 swelled, and occasioned the most excruciating torture, 

 when Dr. Wilmot, an eminent surgeon of this place, was 

 called in and extricated it. The fish weighed thirty-sis 



pounds four ounces, and was purchased by Mr. Pupcr, 

 First Purveyor to His Mijesty. The head is preserved by 

 the Doctor. If any doubts suould arise, a letter addressed 

 to the Doctor will fully ascertain it. 1 am, geiitlctnen, your 

 well-wisher and constant reader. E. D. SiTkelLER. 



Windsor, March U)th, 1796, 



^achting mid ,§ anting. 



HIGH WATEK. FOB THE WEEK. 



Date. 



Boston. 



Ntw York. 



CharUston 



Feb. 2a 



Feb.il 



Feb 21 



Feb.SS 



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F C i>,27 



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V 5H 

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Id 55 

 11 -S7 



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3 29 

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6 61 

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7 a 



S it) 



1° 57 

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7 IS 



8 7 



New Yoiiic Yacht Club.— The New York Yueht Club 

 held a special meeting on last Thursday evening at ihe 

 club rooms, iiadi-on avenue and Twenty -ixth street. The 

 committee appointed to inquire into Ihe financial condition 

 of the club reported thai it was very seriously crippled, 

 and that the ouly way out of the difficulty was to give .up 

 the club house ou Staten Island, and also the club rooms 

 at Twenty sixth street and Madison avenue. Alter three 

 hours' debate the report was adopted abolishing both club 

 houses. The Staten Island cluo house is to be pulled 

 down in two weeks, but the lease of the Twenty-sixth 

 street rooms will not expire until May 1st. A committee 

 was appointed to hire a room for $1,000 a year where the 

 club models can be stored. The sum of $2,000 was appro- 

 priated to the Regatta Committee to cover this year's ex- 

 penses. 



Brooklyn Yacht Club —The second regular meeting of 

 this Club was held ou Wednesday evening, at Ihe Club 

 looms in the Continental Building, corner of Court and 

 Montague streets, Brooklyn. The officers who were elected 

 at the annual meeting last month entered in:o the perform- 

 ance of their various duties. Mr. Cornelius S. Lee, of the 

 yacht Schemer, and Mr. Andrew It. Culver, President of 

 the Prospect Park and Coney Island liuihoad, were elected 

 members. The Club now numbers about three biiDdred 

 and is steadily increasing. A banquet was subsequently 

 given to the members by the new fl.ig officers, .uessrs. 

 Dickerson, Smith and Huntley. 



Eastern Yacht Club.— At a meeting of ihe Eastern 

 Yacht Club, held February Kith, at the Parker House, 

 Boston, the following named officers wereclccte i: Cemruo- 

 dore, John AI. Forbes; Vice- Commodore, Charles Whiuiey ; 

 Kear-Couimodore, W. D. Pickman; Secretary, Henry IS, 

 Jackson; Treasurer, Patrick T. Jackson; Mcinuier, clar- 

 ence VV. Jones', Regatta Committee, W.M. Whitney, John 

 Jeffries, li. F. Clark, R. H. Stevenson, E. Rollins Morse. 



— The coming season of the Williamsburgh Yacht Club 

 promises to be one of the busiest in the annals of lhat oi- 

 gauizatiou. Three of its memuers, Messrs. John schmidt 

 (.Vice-Corumodoiv), Joseph Northrup and John Duscoll, 

 are having yachts built tor them. 



— The lludsou county Steam Yacht Club has been incor- 

 porated with Sheriff P. H. Laveity as President; Surrogate 

 Robert MeCague, Treasurer; William A. Brunei, Secu- 

 iary, and President of lire Semite Leon Aboelt, witti tho 

 other officers, as Executive Committee. 



Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron. —The following aiethc 

 recently elected officers of the Nova Scotia Yacht Squad- 

 ron; — 



Commodore, His Excellency the Earl of Dufferiu, Gov- 

 ernor General of Canada; Yioe-Cominodurc, B. A. While 

 (reelected); Bear Commodore, 11. St. G. Twitting; Secre- 

 tary, F,C. Stiinichrast. (ic-elected); Treasurer, J. ,v. Stairs 

 (re-elected); Committee of Management, D. Cronin, J, K. 

 Butler, A. C. Edwards, D C. i halmers, .1. IVa-tr; Sailing 

 Committee, Lt. Col, H. W. Gierke, P M. Passtnv <; \ 

 Black, H. W. Brookfield, J. W. Stairs; Measures, J. E 

 Butler, Roderick McDonald. 



Tiffany & Co., silversmiths, Jewelers, and 

 Importers, have always a large stock of sil- 

 ver articles for prizes for shooting, yachting, 

 racing and other sports, and on request they 

 prepare special designs for similar purposes. 

 Theij' timing watches are guaranteed for ac- 

 curacy, and are now very generally used for 

 sporting and scientific requirements. Tiffany 

 & Co., are also the agents in America for 

 Messrs. Patek, Philippe & Co., of Geneva, of 

 whose celebrated watches they have a full 



line. Their stock of Diamonds and other Pre- 

 cious Stones, General Jewelry, Bronzes and 



Artistic Pottery is the largest in the world, 

 and the public are invited to visit their estab- 

 lishment without feeling the slightest obliga^ 



tion to purchase. Union Square, New York. 

 A4r. 



