Feb. 22, 1883. | 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



71 



§f# ;iw/ ^iher $ 'hiring. 



7"., insure prompt (/"•■, n'/o.i, vmnmiiniealtoji^i should be "''- 

 grossed i a the Forest and Stream PwUahtng Co., and nut to 

 IndimdMls, in whose absence from tlie office, mutters of im- 

 portance in-'- liable t- 'tit. hi 



/'./clii it::-. -' may It bo said of an angler, and unci 



an augleral' may liens posltlvulj a. s.-ii-.t. True, lie 



maj'ttavolIUl >nou ftoUiHswitto his rod for years, hul pi ul i ■• 



opportunity ami the angler is "i.i the forp," with nerra aquiverfor 

 rln- tii-pi Bait, ».-i.l eye stready to mock tlii'jjjtni ot thfe <:;ipi nr.>il lisli,— 

 »'. S !0*( ••■•'■ I l-inxl unit sin-inn. 



A TRIP TO NORTHERN MICHIGAN. 



NEARLY two yens bad r3a«sed since I bad bad Hie 

 pleasure of hiring tin' speckled denizen-; of tin.- swifl 

 Bowing streams from their places of biding, and the fever 

 I higher until, metaphorically 

 man, and needed the only medt- 

 >., ii few (lays' fishing, 

 bad much to do with i In.- attack 

 Northern 

 They hut 



was beci 



speaking, 1 \*iis av 

 cine which could curt- till 

 The FOKKsT iMi S-BRJEAM ll.nl m 

 of ashing f'-vcr, and "KiOgfishi i 

 Michig in were eagi rlj \i -rosed 

 "added Eucl to tlie dame," and al 

 which I :ini I'm red in confess did 

 Hon, I determined to go North &nt 

 dcrfnl Stories lold Df thai region 

 erable exhorting andlonir labor I 



my friend M.7 a little or Hie 

 myself, and we laid in u tine .-lock 

 enough to capture "nearly, if not all. 



elite 



icceedcd 

 nthu.sias! 

 f fli< 

 the Hxl 



mneli inquiry, 

 much iuforma- 

 E Hie won- 

 AlUv oonsid 

 imparting to 

 irfucli I foil 

 books, etc.— 

 Michigan 



1 uiiii been advised l>v a railroad friend hi go to the 



iok 

 stope 



■ c i; ,s l. 





eclii 



be I we. 

 ray tin 



1 the PotO 



tin 



man, lnii alter examinin 

 R. R., wa concluded to 

 Leaving Detroit pne 

 key express of i be D.. 1 

 night's rosi and arrived 

 the next morning. W 

 saftd, which is one of th 



tiou, to tile hotel, which had the word T'.xeh. 

 ing boldly forth as a SlgJd, we registered I 

 breakfast. Then I jjegarr to look round Eor a likely person 

 to "tackle" on the fishing question. Nothing very promis- 

 ing being in sight, I returned fothehotel and questi.oned 

 the clerk, lie »M- nol posted, bu( turned to another parly 

 and asked him udiat he Ihoughtaboul it. 1 le said he had 

 not fished much, and did not think trout were plenty this 

 year; thought the best thing for us to do if we wanted fish- 



i-d-i 



mg was to go 



was out of tin 

 were not prep 

 man ; were f.h.1 



few " "Wliei 

 Just then in 

 a companion. 

 The livery ma 

 was the place. 

 could I'm 

 guide. Tlie 



tu the An f 



•ed fo: 



i fish in 



h t 



Die and try the grayling. That 

 sour time was limited aiul we 



ping. "How about t':c Board- 

 it?" "Well, there might he a 

 was mere any fish.'" 

 ,\iik''d the proprietor of a livery stable and 

 They evidently accnted game and drew near. 

 though! if wc wanted trout the Rapid River 

 How far was it? Oh, ten miles or so; he 

 •ams and his companion could he hired for a 

 uiet-looking, middle-aged 



h' re helii a subdued conversation wilh the livery man 

 Having mode arrangements for starting as soon as possible, 

 we went into breakfast 



This 



petite was aol equal lo the "grut 

 Hi.- ■ forlorn hopi " wasthecoffo 

 be anything bu1 wbal be thought 

 "weaken."' It did UOI bafes da lo 

 fast, and alter Changing our clot 

 boarded our democrat wagon 

 through the pine woods was pie 

 was cool, and our ponies trotted 

 was fair, except? very sandy in s< 

 niueii taken n iih i in- country 



i the country, a id his tip- 

 " laid out on thai talile. 

 t, and when that proved to 

 coffee, it made him 



ag to dispatel 

 les we proem 

 and were off. 

 i-ant. as the n 

 along smartlv. 

 imo places. M 

 denjoyod tli 



I In- break- 



d a lunch, 



The ride 



ildnes: 



the scenery and the novelty ol the situation. 1 tried to 

 prove my time by "pumping" our guide in regard to the 

 Bsh and fishing. He was an old timer, tend had taken the 

 first parly over to Rapid River. They were from Chicago 

 aud out on a lark. The guide did most of the fishing, but 

 at that time i( was no trick, according to his story, to lake 

 from thirty to fifty pounds of trout in a day's ashing. He 

 admitted, 'though, that now trout were mil as plenty, I 

 showetl our guide my slock of Mies to get his opinion, and 

 was not very much elated to hear that ''they" used worms 

 mostly and "tin." "Hut you don't find worms up here in 

 this sand." 1 remarked. No. Thev hid to send below for 

 them. He had relatives at Koyal Oak (a few miles from 

 Detroit!, whoaenl him a box pj wonnscvei-y year, and he sent 

 Ihciu a box of l rout. This was the first time in my experi- 

 ence iliat worms were Of so much consequence, 



Our ten-mile drive lengthened into twelve before (Jaltou, 

 pur guide, concluded he had reached the spot in- wanted. 

 Wc stopned. unhitched the learn and prepared for business, 

 Catton look a small bottle from his pocket and proceeded to 

 auoinl his n.-ck.i -ars. lace and hands. " What'-, |l,al ?" -aid 

 M. "Skeeteriaer, I call it," replied Catton; "vou fellers bet- 

 ter Irv some.'' M. was n little fastidious and liiouubt not, 

 while I concluded to bravo it out. As a boy, 1 hud tramped 



the Upland salt meadow, of New .lersev, (lie home of living. 



biting pests, and never had to use 



Could stand it. Whether my skin 



or New .Ici>e\ ha- been basely slai: 



to argue, but before the morning v 



"Skeeterizer," and Like the eld cln 



volver. wanted it "blank badly too 



This being M. 'a firs! experience I told him to keep with 

 me, so we walked down to a bridge that crossed the stieam 

 near where we stopped, aud I climbed out on a log aud drop- 

 ped my fly. .M. took the other side of the bridge, and under 

 my instructions tried several likely looking places, butnoth- 

 ing arose, aud the ouly bite he got ,was that of a deer fly. 

 I was more successful, for I managed to cm ice a. small trout 

 from beneath a log. and after one or two false move- booked 

 him. yi. looked at the little fellow a moment and turned 

 up his nose. "Pshaw!" said he, "might as well catch min- 

 nows at the St. Clair Flats." M. had been there the .sum- 

 mer before and had, by chance, when out bass fishing. 

 hooked a muscalonge, not in the month, but in the side, aud 

 after much work on the part of the "punter'' landed thertsh. 

 AVhether he expected to lind thirty pound fi-h in Rapid 

 River 1 do not know. One Ihing ( do know, thai is. that 

 trout ttshinghad no charms tor M.; be -aid he would Btay 

 at the bridge and I could follow Cattou down stream, I 

 did so, 



9 Uiioki 



red 1 



•in those da \s 

 vill not attempt 

 er I wanted some 

 Texas with his ra- 



spoi where 

 for 



ad 



Of all the streams L ever fished this was ihe worst, fallen 

 timber brush, undergrowth and Hies. Mosquitoes, gnats 

 ami bidden imle.-. tumMing along seeking 

 1 could drop mv Ilv, but finding few. 1 II 

 about a mile, l.-elore 1 caught up with Catton. lb- 

 crossed the stream, and was wading some of the time. To 

 the call, "What lucky" he replied, T'oor. never saw the 

 lime trout bit SO poorlv over here." I agreed about the 

 trOUt, hut wanted to inquire about the llies. lie had to 

 acknowledge they were bad. Cattoll Said) had beliii- I ry 



"worm," as it was of no use trying to fish with a tly, the 

 -ir.ain wa -. so rapid and full of log.-, brush, etc., thai there 

 was mi chance lo cast, beside the trout would ttol i ise Vou 

 must sink jOlirbaVl deep enough lo lind them. I did not 

 happen in have any split shot for a sink. r. and was forced to 

 continue as 1 had begun. 



It wa- now nearly noon and I pioposed I hat we go back 

 lo tlie uag.ci for lunch, This Catton agreed to, as be 

 "'lowed thai after tin sun began to sink a lit I h- the fish 

 might bit.fi better." So we tramped back through some 

 pretty tough woods i" Mn- w-tgOJi lb-re we found M.j who 

 hud given up li.'hng and wa- now killing time and flies al 

 the same time, After lunch Catton proposed that we go 



(low ti Ihe river again .-ibniil I wo miles and lie thought there 

 we would g'-l some fish. M. -aid he was nut inclined to be 

 piggish, he had CPQUgh; in fact, a little went a long way 

 with liim. I had c.nn fo IMi. and 80, telling ( atlnii to lead 

 on, I followed. Our experience of the morning was hardly 

 Improved upon, and after a tiresome tramp and wry poor 

 luck I voted a start for home. Calloi. was not sati>li'.'d, 

 said he "had never had such poor luck on the river before, 

 had ollm taken a ba-kcl full aud not fished on half the 

 ground we had." This was fine consolation Eor me. of 



COUlS-e. 



We wended our way lo the wagon and counted our spoils. 

 Cation bad forty and 1 had eleven trout, niosi of I hem small 

 >M coiir-e he bad the advantage of inc knowing Ihe slivan 

 and the h, si plate*, but. laving that one side, the worm, no- 

 lle- tly. was the tailing thing in thai localiiy. and I think all 

 the trout streams of that description can not be flailed with 

 auv succe-. iM-ept with bait. Although it looks verj- 

 on' pap"r to advocate nothing but scientific fly-fishing, il 

 makes anv man feel belter contented with himself and the 



id ai large to t»k< 

 th the despi 



Michigan 



r;h u 



ids back to [lalkast 

 dark. M. 



bed 

 to X, 

 On 



there 



if be did not car 



ttio-c prepared for us at tin- hoi 



were up early, ready to lake th 



foskey. When we arrived "there 



flood was upon us. By a bold i 



to ihe Arlington House, where 



"s.juare meal'.' we had enjoyed 

 bad never been lo Mackinac, an< 

 meal IVtoskey and go on to th 

 and was very anxious lo go flue 

 the fishing.' So I left Ihe train t 

 with the liltle steamers that ply 

 gan, Tin- rain still cai 

 '■('ilv of Cheboygan"! 



at Ihe other end ol the 

 not gone on with M. 



t thirty lndiai 



tndi 



f fish, even if it ra- 

 id worm. So lei anv one who goes 

 o prepared (o fish with bait. 



is plea-ant. and we arrived 

 eluded he liked to eat trout. 

 , and he did full justice to 

 .el. The next mowing wit 

 ■ north-bound train for Pe- 

 ll was raining as if a second 

 lash we gol from the train 

 wc sat down to the fust 

 since leaving Detroit, M. 

 1 concluded he would leave 

 e island, f had been there, 

 ugh the small lakes and try 

 it Odin, where il eonnect- 

 Irom that port to Cheboy- 

 dowii, and alter 1 had leached t fa- 

 ille steamer was named lor the city 

 route) 1 almost regretted that I hall 

 To add lo Ihe other iliM-omfoits, 

 me on board, bound for the huckle- 

 n River. They had their bedding 

 and filled the cabin to overtlowiug. 

 it and sought the fresh air of the 



berry pastor 



and 'household utensil: 

 I put on my in her ct 

 deck. 



A sail through this chain of lakes, which with it 

 inn- rivers, passes across thB State of Michigan frwui Lake 

 Michigan to Lake Huron, would be delightful on a pleasant 

 day. and I would advise any one. visiting that region to try- 

 it but lake more advice al the same time, aud wait for a 

 pleasant day. There were several young gentlemen on 

 board, who were camped on Indian River, and three otln 



who were going through. On- 

 and the party amu.-d themsi 

 thiug they saw. One gentlen 

 a capital -hot. and after he h 

 tree on ihe river bank, one c 

 settles ii; did vou ever see i 

 shoot a rlfle-f" At ludia 

 the campers. We could 

 and they did not look ci 

 dampness is not conduct 

 Fspciag tbrcugh hidmi 

 and upon rounding the p 

 before us. This is a rea! 



nfee pl.-c-e to sto]i ii anyone ' 

 and confusion, and to any person win 

 Irv in Ibis part of Michigan I would 

 Mullel Lake. There were verv few i 

 r understand il ha- been a lo-i.iginv, 

 is good, bul there is so little to atlrac 

 is so out of tin- way, that the chances 

 When I say the location is good, I i 



afih.-m had a 32-calibre rift 



ves by poppine-al every living 



n (the owner of the rifle) xvn's 



i dropped a kingfisher from a 



his friends remarked "thai 



Kentuckian who could not 



er the Indians left us and also 



ice their white tents from the boat 



rufortable in the rain — too much 



e to comfort when camping. 



River wecaine into Mullet Lake, 



lint l he. Mullet Lake House was 



v fine hotel, and it struck 



i Hi\ 



isbed Ii 



place, being on high ground 



and admirably situatedincaseof fi 



ihe top story to a high bluff just ba 



a steam vacht and the daily steamer, make it 



ent lo gel away from the place, as Indian Ri 



(he Mackinac 'Division of tin- M. C. R. R 



distance by water. 1 was told tt 



lake, and lil flic head of Indian Kivi 



over aud tl'J it. 



Alter dinner 1 secured a boat at 

 great hopes of catching such a fish 

 in the Fokkst ami Stueam, 

 anything but pick 



be away from noise 

 wanta to try the coun- 

 •commend a stop at 

 -ople at the hotel, and 



■ tuient. Theloeatioil 



the multitude, and it 



re il will never pay. 

 can ii is "oodfor the 

 ine view of the lake, 

 is a bridge leads from 

 >f the house. Boats, 



try convent- 



i station in 



R. i- only a. short 



lishiug was line in the 



so I concluded to stop 



went trolling. Had 

 "Kingfisher" tells of 

 hut did not succeed in getting 

 Bass were not biting. I saw ouly 

 one caught while there — a "small mouth." Plenty of sun- 

 hsh can be taken tip the river, and pickerel also. Trips 

 can lie made from the hotel lo the trout streams, but they 

 are too far away to be of much moment. In the fall fine 

 shooting can be" had— as the ducks come up in great num- 

 bers, and later deer and bear are to be found near — but the 

 hotel L-, closed at that season, though no doubt some arrange- 

 could be made for a party. The weather turned 

 ddenly and a cold storm set in, the second day of 

 r, and 1 concluded to move on, as there was no lish 

 be thought of in the wind and rain. Every one in 

 ■1 was shivering and the great stove in ihe office was 

 is. Xot much .lul\ about ihe wealher, more of Oc- 

 I'l.e m \i day when the Qneenof the Lakes (the com 

 steamer of the City) arrived 1 was gjad to lea 



slorm and departed in one. News was blOUgll 



cold si 

 my eta 

 ing lo 

 the hoi 



tober. 



paiiion 



came 



with log- -another pleasant prospect — and when we gol 

 there we found il was. but managed to gel through Hem. 

 Over i heiu, or around them— in some manner. 



At Cheboygan 1 took the tug Mary, a -launch little vessel 

 thai nnis in connection with Sic Inland Lake boats for the 

 island. Ii was anasly uighfaud I Ibouglit I would gel shaken 

 up before gelling over, bill ihe wind went down before we 

 got out of the Ice of the land and 1 was not called upon to 

 pay tribute to Neptune It was late when w< arrived in 

 Mackinac and 1 had the misfortune to jusl miss M., he hav- 

 ing gone back to IVtoskey. I followed the next morning, 

 not caring lo slay long on'lhc i-laini 



Now I want, to make a few deductions from my experi- 

 ence, and even at the risk of drawing down upon my de- 

 villed head the wrath of "Kingfisher" and some others 



who-e article- I have read in Ihe Kolii'-T akb Stueam, I 

 shall sav a few things tmf complimentary to Noil hern 



Michigan., but as I understand the F'taiJisT and (Stream is 

 open to the viiwsnml ideas of its contributors without in- 

 dorsing any of them, I will risk destruction, as I dp not 



jeopidi/' any exeepiing myself. First, the attractions of 

 overrated, because tin Bies, mo iqui 



ople 





■an! 



An 



r knows 

 -ather. 



In: 

 tt of i 



,11 th 

 If the climate is 



lagescan he overlooked. 

 plenty of fish to be caught i 



out or liv 



niscrable , 



inly dry. 



will nol 



tin 



i flu 



consideration, ihe lish 



by the down steamer that Cheboygan River was jamme' 



< 



other thing; 



more plenty to make up for certain di 

 Clair Flats, mar Detroit, a person can 

 and al less i xpense (excepting trout). 

 yvcSt, young man.'' 'way west. For c 



"-lake" thure, say of Colorado: "Th 

 Ibis blarsted Country is good for. and 

 Tin- accessibility 'of Slichigan is tl 

 favor, and of course that is a greal dea 

 can afford both lime and money, Ihey c; 

 better advantage elsewhere. "The 



- open 



hue- is camp in wel 

 nam- other disadvau- 

 detiv that there arc 

 ii* taking 



e nol so much 

 sadvantases. At Si. 

 catch as many lish 

 And for trOUt, "go 

 an pitng, 'I" lik.wi-e. 

 ho bad not made bis 

 icre is only one thing 

 thai is for campers" 



ly point in. its 



I: but 



l,o 



spend both lo 



Prairie Dog. 



FISHING IN 

 PLAIN. 



LAKE CHAM- 



A HINT TO Ttlfc: VF.UMONT FISH COM M IS-IONKHs. 



Waiter Woritt and Stream: 



"While engaged in studying the Ichthyie Fauna of Lake 

 ( hainplain I became cognizant of certain facts, concerning 

 the illegal taking of fish from i|S waters, that arc of grave 

 import lo tlie inhabitants of the adjoining conntrv, both in 

 Ihe Slates of New York and Vermonl. 



The principal market listi of Lake Champlaiu are; 



Perch. />. 



"Walleveii pi!, 



Black bass. Mi< 

 Pickerel. /•:,„., 

 •'Lake shad," ( 



'•Mulct. " )/„.,■ 

 Bull pout, Ami 

 Le], AnqilitUl 1 

 Sturgeon. Aeip 

 The above list ! 

 of the lake, bill tl 



Of these, the |jik( 



bv far II: 



1 StkostelMi 



c.k. 

 vitrewm (Mitch), j. & C. 



MLac.l. Gil). 



'(■-»/« (Milch.), Milner. 

 lota(Le&.), .lord. 

 Iionip.i, Nelson. 



ii.li r riiliiiiiintiif. LeSm -ur. 



■ not supposed tl 'hide till the food-fishes 



-jsc that arc commonly sold in the markets, 

 black bass, pickerel and "lake shad" arc 



iportaut, each averaging from 3 to' (libs, in 

 _ r, aud retailing at Plalfsburg for VI) cents per pound. 

 Afew bass me taken wilh the hook and line and some, arc 

 speared; with this unimportant exception all the market 

 fish are caught in nets. What is here known as "lake 

 shad" is a line wliitcfi-h, equal iu every respect to 

 the whiie'ish ol the Steal Lakes. How' if came by 

 its local name I canno! imagine, unless because of it's 

 superior flavor and the absence of shad in Luke. 

 Champlaiu. ihe early inhabitants thought they would 

 do it honor by giving ii the name of one of the most 

 esteemed of the food-fishes of the world. It frequently 

 attains the weight of bibs., and individuals are sometimes 

 luken thai lurn'tlje scales at IU and even K>lbs. The perch 

 are small and sell for ten cents per dozen. The "mullel" 

 averages from 2 totilbs. in weight, though sonu-tiiiK s grow- 

 ing to be much larger, and retails for nix cents per pound 

 at Plattsburgh. The bull pout weighs a pound or a little 

 over, and sells for eight cents per pound dressed, or twenty 

 cents pci- do/en tish undressed. The eels average from 8 to 

 ■ His., ami -ell For 20 founds, a piece. The stunieons weieh 

 id bring, at l'latlslimg, te: 



from 20 to lOOIbs. 

 per pound dressed, tn 

 speared every spring 

 They run up the Mis 

 24th' of May, I 

 from reaeliinj. 

 maining less than forty 

 Whether the spawn is'i 

 unable to use 



sp.l 



the (I 



Iressed Mat 

 l they ascend the river lo 

 with great regularity a 

 at Swauton (Yi.i prevents th 

 old spawning beds; hence, after 

 ;ht hours, they return tothe lal 

 asited ou their way out 1 hi 

 )n (he 84th of May lasl. a mil 



speared one from (he bridge 

 measured (Sit. lin. in length, .-md contained a huckctful of 

 spawn. Several others were killed in the shallow rapids 

 under Ihe bridge- at Ibis time. The next morning sturgeon 

 wen- seen sporting "like porpoises" in tin- deeper water 

 below, after which Ihey immediately returned lo tin- lake. 



such surprising regularity 

 ■p spears in teadiness for 

 rely vary more than a day 



They occur at Swauton with 

 that many of the inhabitants ki 

 (hem, and I am told thai they ra 

 or two in the lime of their appe; 



The only fish markets of auy consequence on Lake ( 'ham 

 plain are at Burlington, Vt.. and Pla'tsburg, N.Y., the lish 

 selling for a trifle lesson the Vermont side. " The hotel- do 

 not generally patronize the markets, but purchase direel 

 from the fishermen. Practically, all the fish are taken in 

 nets, and those caught alter the latter part of April come 

 mostly from eortaiu parts of Grand Isle, which bdouL's lo 

 Vermont. But the wholesale slaughter takes place earlier 

 ihan^his. In March aud April seines are set to catch the 

 fishupou aud ou their way to the spawning beds. Last 



J»pring (1882) there were six large seines in the Missisqui 



Stiver below Swanton. Few esca 

 The same vnnilalous method is pri 

 I am credibly informed thru for a 

 spiinc. from thirl\ lo toil y barrel 

 from the north end of Lake Cli.'.ni 

 go to New York. Inquiries at Ri 

 significant fact thai, an average of 



pe to deposit their spa 1 

 icticed mother rivers, and 

 period of six weeks each 

 s. of lish .-ire shipped daily 

 plalu alone, Mo-i ,,i tjiem 



■:.-■ ■ I'.. in! disclosed the 

 i.vn iu J -live to thirty bar- 



