April 19, 1883.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



231 



TROUT IN PENNSYLVANIA. 



AVERY enthusiastic trout fisherman, resident of the 

 Lehigh Valley, who is thoroughly posted iu reference 

 to the state of the streams in that section of the State of 

 Pennsylvania, writes as follows: "There have been a few 

 trout caught with bail in the dams and deep holes, but 

 very few with fly. Some parties were out ou the 1st (Sun- 

 day) and took a nice lot out of the dam where we had such 

 Que sport a year or two ago. and I heard of another lot being 

 caught on Monday or Tuesday following at the same place. 

 hut they are not catching any in the streams yet. 1 ran out 

 on Thursday, the finest looking day we hare had, and only 

 took about a dozen small ones. I did not go up to the dam 

 referred to, but was on the stream below. Parties who had 

 been there reported they had been run off, and as there was 

 at least a dozen of them w ho came straight down stream in pairs 

 and threes, I concluded I he fellow who lives there must bemad 

 enough to curse his grandmother, so 1 started away. All of 

 them 1 met were worm fishermen, some had one (rout, some 

 two, and some not so many. J tried bait at first but could 

 not do anything with it, then tried every fly in my book 

 with no better success, became disgusted tmd started for 

 home. I should have known better than to go out, but it 

 was a bright sunny day, and as there had been some light 

 catches reported earlier, concluded to try it. I am satisfied 

 there is no use fishing until the snow water is done running 

 that is iu the main stream. 



"It. is all right if you can strike them in a pool or dam 

 where they have htid all winter, but when the north sides 

 of the hills are covered with snow two or three feet deep 

 they don't move out of winter quarters much. When I 

 left this creek at one place 1 waded through snow half leg 

 deep. The idea of trying to fool an old trout that has spent 

 more than one winter in the stream with a ' hand-made 

 fly,' when the ground above him is covered with snow and 

 the air and water- cold enough to freeze a fly stiff in a min- 

 ute, is rather thin. He may come up and look at the fly if 

 you put it ou the water just right well over it, like a por- 

 poise, and sink like a stone to be seen no more until warmer 

 weather. Out of the dozen I caughtnot more than half of 

 them were hooker! iu the mouth, borne were hooked near 

 it on the outside and some at the other end. The only good 

 light 1 had was with one hooked near the vent. He fought 

 bravely and remiuded me of old times when we used to 

 take them weighing from a pound to two and a quarter. 

 The creeks nearest the railroads are all fished to death. The 

 tir.sl lew warm days of the season, when you and your 

 friend come up, we' will d rive ba ck in the country for about 

 fifteen miles." »■»-■' 



Prom the above letter a good estimate can be made of the 

 condition of all the trout streams in the State and not mere- 

 ly those of the Lehigh Valley section. We are very late 

 this year. Homo. 



ArnTL VI. iSSi. 



WHAT IS A GAME FISH ? 



r pHIS mooted question has been decided by the Attorney- 

 1- General of the Slate of Illinois, in reply to one of the 

 Commissioners of Fisheries of that State, as follows: 



Attorney-General's Office, State of Illinois, j 

 SpniNGFiELh. March 31 . i ■- . 

 Hon. S. P. Barttett, Secretary Board of Fish Com missions 

 Dear Sir-I am in receipt of your cbiamuuication askin. , 

 1. What is the meaning of the words ''game fish," as used 

 in Section 1 of an act approved May 13, 1879, Laws of ISTU, 

 page lGSi 



'?. What degree of circumstancial evidence is necessarrv to 

 justify the Commisioners in causing arrests for the violation 

 of the law in relation to fish? Is possession in quantities of 

 game fish, without evidence of having been caught with 

 nook and line, sufficient to justify the arrest of the poa- 



3. Is any notice necessarv to require fisliways to be built i 

 dams under- the law of May '31, 1879? 



Permit me to say, in reply : 



First— The words "game fish." include any and all fish com- 

 monly used and suitable for food, whether belonging to any of 

 the species named in said Section 1 of the act of May 13, 1879. 

 or not. 



Second— Any evidence or circumstance which would cause 

 a reasonable man to believe that the law had been violated, 

 would be sufficient to justify an arrest. Possession of fish 

 (within the time prohibited by law), with any attendant cir- 

 cumstances to indicate that they had been caught in a manner 

 prohibited by law, such as possession of them in large quanti- 

 ties without 'evidence of having been caught by hook and line, 

 and at the same time possession of a seine, wet. or having the 

 appearance of recent use, or any other circumstances indi- 

 cating that they were caught unlawfully, would be sufficient 

 to cause an arrest.and proof of these circumstance, without any 

 rebutting circumstances or evidence iu explanation, would be 

 sufficient to sustain a conviction. 



Third— If o notice to build fisliways is required, and all per- 

 sons now owning dams or other obstructions without the. 

 proper fishway as required by law, are Uable to fiue, whether 

 any notice has been served or not. 



"Very respectfully, 



James McCartney, 



Attorney-General. 



OHIO FISH LAWS. 



THE new law relating to fishing in Lake Erie, which has 

 just passed the Ohio Legislature, seems to us to be de- 

 signed to prevent all bass fishing. The clause relating to 

 the vicinity of the islands iu Lake Erie is unnecessarily 

 severe, prohibiting fishing of any kind at all time:-.. This fs 

 the favorite b;,--, ground, and we do not understand why 

 the fishing is to be piohibited there. We give the law entire: 



A bill to amend section 0.908 of the Revised Statutes of 

 Ohio, as amended April 20, 1881. 



Section 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of 

 the State of Ohio, That section 0.908 of the Revised Statutes 

 of Ohio, as amended April 21), 1881, lie amended so as to 

 read as follows: 



Sec. 6,908. Whoever, in any body of water, whether 

 natural or artificial, lying iu the State of Ohio, except in 

 private fishing Waters, iu Lake Eric. Mercer county reser- 

 voir, and the Licking county reservoir, catch in any way 

 other than by a hook and line, any fish, except minnows, 

 shall be guilty of a misdemeador. and shall, on conviction, 

 be punished as hereinafter provided. Whoever draws, sets, 

 places or locates any pound net. seine, gill net, traj) or any 

 fish net or device for catching lis!., except for minnows, Or 

 catches, except wit li lmok and line, any fish except minnows, 

 aforesaid, iu any of the inland waters of the Stale of Ohio, 

 or the waters of Lake Erie-, west of Avon Point, from the 

 1st dny of June to the 1st day of October of each year, or in 

 the waters of Lake Eric, cast of Avon Point, from the. 10th 

 day of June to the 10th day of October, shall he guilty of a 

 misdemeanor and shall, on conviction, be punished as' here- 



inafter provided. Whoever shall, at any time of the year, 

 in Lake Erie, in the vicinity- of the islands thereof, and in 

 the bays tributary thereto, 'upon the shtaja and reefs there- 

 in, by means of any device VI hate.vcr. fish for or eat eh any 

 fish, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and, on conviction, 

 punished as provided hereinafter. Whoever buy-, sella Of 

 offers for sale any fish caught out of season or in any man- 

 ner prohibited by this act, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, 

 and, on conviction, punished as herein provided; Pro- 

 vided, that nothing in this section or the several statements 

 of offenses herein contained shall prevent the fish commis- 

 sioners of this Slalc, or (heir agents, from taking fish at. any 

 time or place for stocking ponds, lakes and rivers, and feu 

 the maintenance and cultivating fish artificially, and for no 

 other purpose; and provided further.it is hereby made the 

 duty of said fish commissioners, on complaint of any person 

 or otherwise, to prosecute fill violations of this section, and 

 any person may make complaint of tiny violation of this 

 section before any mayor or justice of the peace having juris- 

 diction of the same. 'And whoever -hall violate any of the 

 several provisions herein contained -hall. I'm- each and every 

 such offense, be fined not more than §100 and not less than 

 $1, or imprisoned not more than sixt\ days, or both, at the. 

 discretion of the court; that nothing in 'this section shall 

 prevent the catching of suckers and mullets in any manner 

 between the 30tb day of March and the 20th day of April in 

 each year. 



See'. 2. That said section 6,968, as amended April 20, 

 1881, be and the same is, hereby repealed, and this act shall 

 take effect and be iu force from and after its passage. 



DOES THE MASKALONGE LEAP? 



r pHE picture of a leaping maskalouge. by the late S. A. 

 A "Kilbourne, in the ''0111116 Eishes of the United States," 

 has raised this question among anglers. We have heard it 

 discussed in the tackle stores, "and'now our old friend, Hon. 

 Elihu Phinney, chairman of the fish committee of Otsego 

 county, N. Y., sends us the fallowing: 



lu company with the late Hon. George B. Warren, of 

 Troy, N". Y., a life-long angler and one of the greatest men 

 known to our ilk, it was my good fortune for several suc- 

 cessive summers, long years ago, to troll the pleasant 

 Canadian waters for maskalouge. His own original and 

 favorite water was Rice Lake, where he once captured in a 

 single day, with two rods, twenty one fish, averaging over 

 ten pounds each. Since that time poaching, spearing, net- 

 ting and dynamite have wrought their deadly work, so that 

 any such record would now be impossible. To Ihe great 

 credit of the Canadian authorities, however, a most deter- 

 mined effort is now being made to reslore to that water its 

 former prestige. 



Our joint excursions were generally made to Pigeon Lake 

 and its tributaries, where, during the month of June, we 

 had always capital sport, his average catch being about one 

 hundred "pounds per day, and mine tl being then a tyro) 

 about seventy pounds. His largest fish was twenty-four 

 pounds, mine twenty -one and a quarter. The general aver- 

 age wan about cight'pouuds. In other words, the daily catch 

 was from eighteen to twenty-five fish, and we must have 

 takeB in all from this single water more than five hundred 

 iuu-ka lunge, and of all this large number I do not hesitate to 

 -1, fce positively that more than one-half, possibly more lhau 

 two-thirds, threw themselves. Ihe instant they were struck, 

 cither entirely or partly out of water. Times' without num- 

 ber have I seen them do this. They were quite as likely to 

 do it as the small-mouthed black ba'ss, and nothing has "sur- 

 prised me more than to hear the question so seriously dis- 

 cussed as it has since been. 



On one occasion in particular, I remember trolling iu 

 Pigeon Lake, near some dead timber, over likely ground, but 

 against a heavy sea, the oarsman pullimr at his best, when 

 suddenly the boat was actually brought "fo a standstill by a 

 tremendous strike. The next' instant my best rod snapped 

 in the middle. I turned just in time to descry the monster 

 who had caused the mischief wholly out of water, flashing 

 in the sunshine, with my yellow spoon and ibis feather 

 dangling from his gills. A second later and he was gone 

 with all my tackle. This splendid fish 1 was obliged to 

 weigh at the end of one hundred feet of line, in a gale of 

 wind, on very rougli water and great excitement, but as 

 nearly as I can recall the figures, he tipped the scale at ex- 

 actly twenty-nine pounds, fifteen and three-quarter ounces. 



On one point my memory is absolutely perfect, and that 

 is that, although a married man of more than thirty \ ear- 

 standing, I had still remaining on my pate a few straggling 

 hairs, every one of which was electrified and stood straight 

 on end for'twenty-fuur hours after the stirring incident above 

 mentioned. 



In regard to the weight of the big fish, viz., twenty- 

 nine pounds, fifteen and three-quarter ounces, it would 

 have been easy to add the other quarter of an ounce, and so 

 made it au even thirty pounds. But no reputable angler 

 would be willing to sacrifice himself on one quarter of tin 

 ounce of fish. I have, therefore, adhered scrupulously to 

 the scales. Elihc Puinnv, 



Chairman Fish Committee. 



C'OOI-KtlSTuWN, April la. 



Hartford Notes.— Hartford. Conn., April 1:1.— Trout 

 fishing has beeu very poor thus far, the cool wave still hangs 

 on. and the "specked beauties'' do not seize the festive 

 worm with that snap the angler could wish. A few snipe 

 have been shot here the past week; we do not have but a few 

 days shootiug on them in the spring. The Connecticut River 

 is very high and the muskrat hunters arc having their fun 

 now. Where are the red-heaucd woodpeckers? one year ago 

 the woods were full of them, and I learn of as many as forty 

 having beiug shot by two persons in one day, who killed 

 them for eating — they must have been a rich morsel, f 

 should as quick think "of eat ing house flies. AVe have a spoils- 

 man here who claims that fox steak is a very fine dish. He 

 cam hive my fox every time. — Flick Flick. 



RocKFtsii in Tin? Delawakf..— There is a great com- 

 plaint of thcscarcilyof rockfish iu the Delaware liiver. It 

 is getting more noticeable every year. Old fishermen say if 

 the big thirty-pounders caught in the seines were put back 

 in the stream when taken, instead .if being sent to market 

 and sold for two to three dollars each, a difference would be 

 shortly seen. The Anglers' Association, of Philadelphia is 

 agitating the question of appointing a lish warden for Schuvl- 

 kill River, aud propose the prohibition of (lie use of all nets. 

 It is said that the visible decrease of the black bass between 

 Fairmount aud Manyunk is caused by set and fykeneis. The 

 dye stuff has more to do with it than" anythiug'else,— Homo. 



Route to the Nepigon. — In answer to "Angler's" 

 question in your impression of April 5, I beg to inform him 

 that 1 made an expedition to Nepigou from the Indian Ter- 

 ritory in '81. 1 found from inquirv that the onlv convene 

 . nt route was to go to Chicago, to take steamer' thence to 

 Sault Ste. Marie, and to re-embark ou a Canadian steamer 

 from that point to Red Rock. Nopigon. Time from Chicago 

 to Sault Ste. Marie two or three (lays; time from Sault Ste. 

 Marie lo Red Rock also two or three days, but in both parts 

 of Ihe journey the steamers are very liable to detention from 

 fog, wind and the number and length of stoppages they may 

 make on Ihe way. The difficulty iu reaching Nepigou for 

 a man who is pressed for time lies in catching the Canadian 

 boat bOUnd for Red Rock at Sault Ste. Marie. The head- 

 quarters of the Canadian lines arc at Sarnia and Colling- 

 wood, and by writing to the agents there your corres- 

 pondent can rind out the dates of the arrival "at Sault Ste. 

 Marie of those of their steamers that are bound for Red Rock. 

 Your correspondent will gel good fishing at "the First Long 

 Port age," about fourteen rniies above Red Rock, but not 

 lower down. The fishing gels better the further up you go, 

 but it is quite good enough at the place just mentioned. 

 The portage is two or three miles long" and there are abun- 

 dance of good pools on the part of the river alongside. This 

 portage is a good place to camp, and you can send up vour 

 outfit and provisions in a large sailing boat to that point, 

 but no further. — As Englishman. 



I am much obliged to "Fisherman" for his full and ex- 

 plicit answer to my question as to the shortest time route to 

 Nepigun in the Forest and Stream. Will he allow me to 

 ask another? Is there regular steamer connection between 

 Duluth or Superior and Red Rock; and if business carried 

 one to St. Paul, would not that be a good route to take? 

 And still another. The time part of (he question is impor- 

 tant. If it should rule out Kepigon, can good trout fishing 

 still he had in August in the vicinity of Sault Ste. Marie, or 

 at any point which one could take' in in a detour from Chi- 

 cago to Boston with from three to four weeks at command'.' 

 — Ang/ler. 



Bass Islands on Lake Ontario.— Avon Springs, N. Y. 

 —Speaking of angling resorts, lower Lake Ontario 

 and the. Thousand Isands have long beeu famous, but 

 of late bass in immense shoals seem to have sought 

 the reefs and shores of the first islands on the Ameri- 

 can shore. Last summer it was no unusual trip to 

 catch fifty of the most gamy bass and more if desired. 

 Stony Island, and a group of islands surrounding it, and 

 the mainland of Stony Point, were alive with fish on the flat 

 rocks and gravel nooks. Other fish are innumerable, and 

 at proper seasons the fishing for pike by moonlight has beeu 

 a great sport, and resulting iu a boatload in a night, taken 

 by trolling hooks. Henderson narbor is near all these 

 points, and Lakeside Farms House, kept by O. N. Rogers & 

 Co., Henderson. N, V.. is a very delightful landing oh the 

 bay, with board from $5 to $10"a week. These farms have 

 a large dairy and afford a very pleasant and reasonable (in 

 price) stopping place. I consider the location the most 

 pleasant of the whole Thousand Islands section. Prof. 

 Appy. the noted Rochester violinist, has a cottage opposite 

 Lakeside, and is one of the most successful fishermen 1 ever 

 have known. — R. 



Minnesota Fishing.— I am surprised that the game 

 qualities of the wall-eved pike have ever been questioned. 

 Here, in Minnesota, 1 have found that much neglected fish 

 fully the equal of the bass both in gaminess and (able excel- 

 lences. During the months of May. June and October they 

 are free biters, preferring live mimiows or grub-worms, and 

 yield as much sport to the pound as any fish I ever handled, 

 not even excepting the trout. In all 'the lakes hereabouts 

 they often attain a weight of eight and ten pounds, and their 

 first rush upon feeling the steel always reminds me of the 

 famous Winuesqua.m Lake trout. In Long Lake, three 

 miles from this village, I caught, in one afternoon last sum- 

 mer, forty pike, averaging five aud one-half pounds each, 

 or a total" of 220 pounds. "That was an exceptional day's 

 sport, however, the "conditions'' being wonderfully favor- 

 able. If any one doubts this statement "being all wool and 

 a yard wide." I can show them the hole from whence the 

 fisb came, and a pile of bones in the rear of where my tent 

 stood, i will also gladly act as guide aud companion. to any 

 good man and true, who wants" a surfeit of pike, bass or 

 pickerel fishing.— J. Frank LOCBE, (Pillsbury, Minn ) 



Colorado Fishing. — Rico, Col, — Your request iu rcla 

 tion to fiue trout fishing points has attracted my attention. 

 To get as fine trout fishing as can be found in Colorado, arid 

 a view of some of our grandest scenery, the sportsman will 

 take the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad for Rockwood on 

 his arrival at Denver. A line of stages leaves Rockwood 

 every morning for this point. From here parties can get 

 transportation to Springfield on the West Dolores River 

 (a new mining camp), where trout are in more than abun- 

 dance. Fifteen miles will lie the distance from licre. Fish 

 Lake, a large body of water, nine thousand feet elevation, 

 is teeming with brook and salmon trout. The people are 

 very hospitable, and parties will find prices moderate. 

 Everyone must put up their own house, as our country is 

 new. Game in abundance — bear, deer, grouse and rabbits. 

 Scenery unsurpassed. I will spend a part of the season at 

 each of the above places, and any information desired I will 

 cheerfully give. — W. P. Cotter". 



Tire Fisherman's Paper.— There is in all the United 



Slates but one paper devoted entirely to fishermen and their 

 Interests. In tlie length and breadth of the laud there are 

 a multitude of papers devoted to special pleasures and pur- 

 suits, suchaslheiftytam's Journal- the Wheelman,* pa- 

 per for bycyclists, etc, ; and with all our fishing interests it 

 age that a paper should cater for the fishermen, 

 . Mass., is the center of the fishing interest of 

 trjery man, woman and child there lives, either 

 indirectly, from the fisheries. Those who do not 

 isks and other ne( 



Glouces 

 America 

 directly 

 fish mal 

 ho do, 



bile others 

 boats, clothing, and tin 



Cape Ann Aiitt rimr gi 

 ports his success or fiiilu 



•11 the fihl 



• those 



n paints for their 



iseful things. The 



his news, and re 



uly fisherman's pa 



hundred other 



cs the fisherma 

 aud is the 1 

 per in the country. It is well edited and 'is a reliable a'nd 

 readable paper. 



A Rivkr Monster,— We have received an account of a 

 terrible monster captured in the Tennessee River al Paducah, 



Ky., by a Canadian fisherman who rejoices in the Bai 



Loot Lirpa. We have read the account carefully, anil have 

 no doubt of its authenticity, especially since we have .ana- 

 lyzed the fisherman's name 'and spellcd'it backward, 



