Mat 3, 1888.1 



FOREST And STREAM. 



271 



religion and oppression. forbidden by the Constitution of thi 

 country. 



■e has the power — that they should 

 tr— to regulate the Sahbath, can hardly 

 regulation to prevent a Asher 

 ?llff!aon'l like Is. logo ushiui, or 

 lanv person Improperly inter- 

 ble observance of the day. It fa 

 cried, keeping lit View tiie bene- 

 to liatinguisB Sunday front Hie 



That the Legielatui 

 properly have the powi 

 be gainsaid. But tha 

 man compelling a pet 



fori as with another'!, 

 a power « hid. shou 

 fieieut objeet of tlte I 



oilier days of the j 



may have recreation and enjoyment; w lieu be shall .not be 

 fd reed by the oppressor, who does not need the roereaiiou, 

 td do auy manlier of work, neither he. nor his man servant 

 nor his maid servant, nor his entile, nor the stranger within 

 his Kates. 



The Sunday divine law is to check legislators themselves, 

 and prevent them from oppressing the poorer classes and 

 taking from them tie- "reerealioa atld refreshment" tuny are 

 entitled to, and any interference with them and their 'inno- 

 cent enjoyment is a violation of I hat higher law, and shoitld 

 be so regarded, f3\VBii 



N»w Yoitk, 



BLACK BASS IN NEW HAMPSHIRE; 



[Bead UftftreMMtlfflw Ikmijisiei.. E)sH add can 1 .- I t-ague ilj floii, 



Tma 2 iiuie hsi,. mc 

 Dr. Heust.all Jl/.w 



bass, now jq well Hoi 



i salnwirlet, or as classed by 

 ■■' ■'. » ''-' tj*e small ipQullicd 

 .!.v lislif, man ill Centre! 1 ibid 

 amrlaliire, was a si ranger to our waters but 

 :L lew years ago, and is to us the substaniaj result of the 

 labor-, of the tish commission, and that board of gentlemen 

 will pardon me if f say their introduction is ihe only prac- 

 tical result In wbkh 'the fl?heiniaii bus sbarcil [be benefit 

 To be sure we have had demonstrated tn us thai the salmon 

 Will ascend our rivers ihrougli the several winding lisliways 

 and beinji relieved of their npaw'u reiui'ri i-gabbfe Ihe sere 

 hilt he would be au erratic flstierman who would whip our 

 ■-'(reruns in Ihe almost forlorn hope Of eatjilirirle a specimen 

 U this ejeelletil Ash, while In nearly all df ddF Streams' and 

 hike" He mri\ well expect to meet with stier-ess in bass fi-h- 

 ing. 



Baas were first introduced by trie fish- commissioners to 

 our waters, from Jake Chauiplain i.n I8U?. hikes Ma><sa- 

 *WI(;. Sbuapee, PeitacCos and Feb.;. and Kudeid, \\' ils.lu's 

 and (.delicto jJonds being Weil stocked, lit ISTll and 71 

 waters in Meredith, Canaan. Webster. Canterbury, Harris- 

 ville, Munsonville, Hillsborough, Warner, Sutton New 

 London, Andover. London. Croydon and Concord were 



Applied, Previous lo I hat time I learn that Uiey had been 

 placed, by private enterprise, iu ponds near Woiteborough 

 tif. early as HiU or '65, and about the same time i n Milton 

 1.'lor>. "Ponds, in MiUtm. Cilice 1871 abdilt eighty \V aid's 

 have beell stocked by the commissioners, including Black 

 and Contoocdok rivers, until now ever* stream of" consi.t 

 til-able sim south of Grafton oounly. is well -.looked by the 

 tish rdiyniiig cult from pdntls atm lakes; All this has been 

 Accompli' bed witlidut theaid df artitieial hatching. Indeed. 

 as Beth Green, that veteran authority on fishing and fish, 

 well says: "Their natural raft'Oase k Ho. gre'Stt and their 

 grdWtB so rapid that L! be. rr Urisueen an object to fish- 

 i lilninsts to attempt their artificial propagation." 



That the wonderful increase and prosperity of this gamiest 

 of fish should be u cause of congratulation to every true 

 sportsman would be expected, and that every lover of fish- 

 ing should rejoice at the result, We would well believe; but, 

 Strange to say, the grumbling and croaking of some, either 

 from malice or Ignorance, liaVe raised a cry agaiust the 

 bass, and prejudiced many against the tish that 'should be 

 lis warmest adherents and friends, I have tried to analyse 

 the reasop for this cry and can duly reach one Condition. 

 11 is, in short, "sour grapes." 



The traducers of the fish are unable to catch them, for no 

 one who has ever felt the rush of the bass, listened to the 

 click of the reel and hissing line, seen the gleam of the fish 

 as back and forth he rushes to escape from the cruel steel, 

 watched him as he leaves the water with a mighty bound 

 and with bristling fins shakes his open jaws to relieve them 

 of the hook, and thus in ever-varying devices fights long and 

 hard against his fate, till at last weak and exhausted ho 

 rests in the landing net, could ever join the ranks of those 

 w r ho mourn the. introduction of this fish, that by his pecu- 

 liar fitness for our waters must ere many years be acknowl- 

 edged the game fish ' 'par excellence'' of America. The time 

 allowed to me is too limited to be occupied in a criticism of 

 those wdio say "Boss won't bite," aud fear that cbubs,- 

 suckers, horn-pouts, pickerel and fiat sides will be externa 

 inated bv them, except to sav that if by a careful study of 

 the bass'and the use of suitable bass tackle, they are by 'and 

 by led to see their mistake, they will then be as strong ad- 

 herents to the right as they are now opponents. The habits 

 of the bass should be studied well by the fisherman. Leav- 

 ing their winter quarters in deep water, about a mouth or 

 six weeks before spawning, they can then be found in shal- 

 low parts of the lake or pond in schools of large numbers, 

 hut soon af terward pair off and prepare for hrecdiug. The 

 spawning season in this State I have observed to be gener- 

 ally from the 15th of May to the loth of June, varying ac- 

 cording to the lateuess of the season, the spots selected for 

 their nests being a gravelly or Bandy bottom or rocky ledge 

 iu from three to six feet of water. " These beds or nbsts are 

 saucer -like depressions, usually about twice the length of 

 the parent fish, aud formed by the bass by fanning and 

 scouring from the bottom all refuse and vegetable matter 

 with the fins and tail. Here th e female deposits her eggs, 

 Which eggs are hatched in about eight to twelve days, the 

 young when batched being almost perfectly formed and 

 about one half inch in length. 



The instinct of the bass amounts almost to parental affec- 

 tion iu the care of its nest, aud later iu the defense of its 

 young. When frightened from the bed they at once return 

 and resent the presence of anything thrown upon it. Tak- 

 ing advantage of this characteristic of the bass, some worse 

 than pot-hunters take them in large numbers by dropping the 

 bait upon the bed and keeping it there till the tish, aslfin 

 sheer desperation, swallows it to get rid of its obnoxious 

 presence upon its hatching-grouud. An instance of this kind 

 of fishing came to my knowledge last season, where a young 

 man caught seventy pounds of fine fish in one. afternoon, iu 

 Wakawun Lake, in Meredith. 



Leaving the spawning beds the young grow very rapidly, 

 a bass of a year old measuring from four to live inches, and 

 at two years weighing about a, pound, and gaining about a 

 pound per year until they reach their maximum weight. 

 Six to eight pounds are said to be the limit of their growth, 



although I am inclined to think that, under the most favor- 

 able circumstances they will grow still larger, as hi a large, 

 deep duck pond or lake well supplied wilh'fo.td, 



In the winter se.-i-nt, bass undoubtedly hibernate, burying 

 hemselves in He- mi,,|. er.vices of rocks, under weeds or 

 sunken logs in deep Waier, as von liaVe all ilhscncd that 

 ,vith the ina-easing cold they work into deeper water, and 

 upon th : arrival of winter are seldom caught . 



Is cowing Ibis much (if the growth, increase and habits of 

 theflsh w catch Lneni ot.e sfldulcl wr still plVHail fishing 

 ".fl . i s..me gravelly or rocky point or ledge, vvjfioll runs out 

 bdldjj Wttf deep 1 water; large boulders and shelving rocks 

 and sunken logs) and trees being favorite hiding places of 

 large bass; get your boat into position quietly, making no 

 more disturbance I loin is absolutely necessary 'in anchoring 

 and fishing, with face to the sun to avoid as much as pos~- 

 sible the shadows of the rod upon the water, and then keep- 

 ing quiet, devote your whale attention to fishing, t believe 

 qhtet and careful fishing- to be important if you Would be 

 successful. 



You wtHiJu ririiehly tile iibln win! slatted (Jut fdi IrOul ac- 

 companied by a hand of music to escort hint around ike lake.. 

 or down the stream, yet manv good trout lisbermen fish for 

 bass as thojigh tile Bah were both blind and incapable of 

 heariurr. While less timid (ban 'he trbttt, which daitsaway 

 h{ trJefigtlj ttfseWa m b arnWg'e dtyecl, ttje has k hafdly 

 less suspicion.-, and while standing bis ground boldly, be 

 seldom. If ever, is captured while his suspicions are aroused. 

 Fortius reason he opponents, fishing for hours, perhaps, iu 

 plain view of the fish'; sMimM'tr ;md. shouting, lite, time awav. 

 Wlteh ijot ^v;e ; l ting JO his ClKliii.'.oy V.iio'f willingly arid 

 looiishiv corning Into tile hOal. ate heard ilii all shir's, say- 

 ing, "Bass ought to be cleaned out. they won't bite." 



Ko reasonable man would expect a game fish to do so 

 under those eireumsbuiees, 



That tliev are (hjis «atv makes a Itree/e that Will ripple 

 the water alujdsl % IU "■ • "-Ml;- . Ofld dite ft? fllfl requisites of a 



^ dner'tber v.oid BhfcHll lllC time tO fish: DOll't fish tllC 



next day affa I B 5< ' i ■:■. I Old stofidi wlien the water has been 

 disturbed and is cold add cliecrless. Bass bile best When 

 the water is warm. Select a day after three or four days of 

 cxti-.'nte In i\ whet! O'cye is a fine ripple on tire lake, aud 



For bait the helgranrite, frog, minnow, cricket, g'ras* 

 hopper, worms nod shrimp can be used, but I haVC, fb'und 

 (bent sncoetSt'ul in ihe order named. The helgramite. a 

 flattened ai'd ri=rhlstve Ifiobi^fl wdn», generally two or three 

 inches long, has six legs along ihe iMrar. while the both-. 

 comprised'of rings, has a fringe that has the appearati:' c of 

 legs, with two hooks for a tail. They feed upon decayed 

 wood aud Vegetation, and can be found under flat stones, 

 sunken plank and other submerged objects iu the shallow 

 ... i -,. -,.-■ oi a stream, They are a reliable bait, living a loug 

 t i iiic tin the hbOK, and can be kept alive along time iu a box 

 oi tjflnip, decajed Wopd. sVdga at'e easily obtained and 

 they art' a bait f have used mdrc than atty_ other, The striped or 

 grass Frdgispfel'erable yvhcii the body is about an Inch long, 

 Hodk them lightly through the skin Of tllebaels or through the 

 bodv between the hind legsj so as nol to injure them, and 

 allow them the free use ol the tegs tn swi'm about in the. 

 v;,', . 'Vlio. righ.ly ho-ked, lh".v will swim as readily 

 as though not ai'taebed Id Mid lifie, told m'ilfe a very 

 tempting and attractive bfiit. f haVc s-eeji a bass riisii.l'o'r 

 a frog swimming in this way, from a distance o'f thirty 

 feet. as. eagerly as a trout darts at an attractive fly. 



When using the frog, or other large bait, lie patient, 

 and do not strike your tish too quickly, lie will often start 

 away with the bait and then stop in a manner that will lead 

 you to believe he has dropped it, but ou drawing up the line 

 you will feel a succession of slight jerks; if so let him have 

 it lonrrer, fdr he has the bait crdsswise or reversed, in his 

 mouth, keeping ydur thumb oh the reel sons to feel his every 

 motion, and when he starts away after this short pause, then 

 strike and you have him well hooked. Then, of all times, 

 the angler must keep cool. Don't hurry your fish; the 

 longer he plays the more sport you have. Give him only as 

 much line as he lakes in his rushes and recover it as quickly 

 as possible, being sure lo keep the line taut at all times unless, 

 after one of his'magnificent bounds from the water, you lower 

 your tip as he falls to recover the strain again as soon as he 

 is iu the water. 



When he is thoroughly exhausted, and not before, take in 

 your fish, being-sure to bleed him as soon as he is iu the boat; 

 then if you keep him in the shade, when dressed and on your 

 table you have a fish of which you may well be proud. 



A short, light rod is the "better bass rod, a nine-foot 

 laneewood rod with ash butt being the best I ever used for 

 bait fishing. A rod of this length can be made light aud 

 easy to handle, and yet as strong as desired, ft is "elastic, 

 yetllrni, and enables one to handle a fish with more ease 

 and security than when longer and, as a consequence, heav- 

 ier. Always have a good working reel with about a hun- 

 dred feet of line and a good supply of leaders and 

 hooks. 



Of the great variety of hooks I have found the Sneck 

 bend the most, desirable, although the sprout and the 

 O'Shaughnessy hook will always be found reliable. 1 will 

 not discuss the tish as a fly-taking fish, since I have never 

 learncd that in fishing in this way, any different rules 

 should be laid dowu titan those that govern flyrfishiug for 

 trout or salmon, and for the additional reason that I have 

 come to believe that the larger fish are more likely to be 

 captured by bait-fishing. 



When well equipped, treating the fish as an intelligent 

 inhabitant of the water, aud a prize well worthy of capture, 

 and in whose capture you must use the best judgment and 

 all your eunuimr as a sportsman, one can find uo better or 

 more desirable sport than angling for this fish, that pound f or 

 pound is the gamiest fish in America. He is eminently an 

 American fish, with habits aud characteristics peculiarly his 

 own. With a hardiness far surpassing the trout, combined 

 with all his dash aud vigor, the strength aud leap of a salmon, 

 to w r hich lie has joined a system of fighting known to no 

 other tish. the bass' is, 1 believe, destined to take the place of 

 our loved trout, that are yearly becoming less, by force of 

 circumstances, occasioned' by climatic changes, the gradual 

 drying up of trout streams and the increasing number of 

 fishermen, thai from all parts of the Union crowd into our 

 State during the summer season. 



In what I have written 1 have not intended to eulogize the 

 bass, but simply lo give him the credit that I believe belongs 

 to him as an excellent table fish, better suited to our waters 

 than any other, aud in the future destined to be the fish of 

 our state, and if bv this short essay some one who is now 

 his opponent should be led to fish more underetandingly, 

 and thus meet with success, I shall be satisfied. 



LAKE SUPERIOR FISHING GROUNDS. 



nlty ( 



f NOTICE that 'Angler/ 1 

 i about trout flshihg iu the 

 does not permit of his going . 

 If-aVe the itoat at Payllekl, W'scons 



day's drive from Bayfield will b'rii 

 Worlds River, said to be one of tl 



W 



liiibei', inquires 



Hi. in casetima 



Iri. If he will 

 I be central h; 

 -;■.. ArJbut o-nd 

 the Brute < ; ' 

 'O'ut -streams id 

 ated by St. Louis anglers everv 

 Re'ttsdri; The liiMi; t-iver. has fijfe pools which afford the fly 

 caster a line field lo try Ids sk, II. , ■ . 



Thecounlrv is wild, and a camp outfit will be in order, 

 also a boat or material to make a raft. Bar fishing is not 

 good, but the fish are plenty, and line ones, too. On the road 

 will be passed Pike Lake. One of the finest lakes in the Xorth- 

 west for bass fishing. 1 have fished in many of the Michi- 

 gan lakes, but this, in the language of our teamster, "lays 

 over" them all for bass. There are plenty of deer, and if 

 the angler Is possessed of a shotgun and 'ordinary skill he 

 can have some grind sport jack-lamp shooting. 



If after landing at Bayfield he prefers easier work he etui 

 fake the triweekly ttigbdal ',o Isle UovSlj up Ihe cord' 

 shore, and will be assured Of some line sport and Ihe largos* 

 Speckled trout in North America, not excepting the Nepigoi'i 

 beauties ; or he may take a sailing yacht and skirt along among 

 the islands until lie reaches Siskouil I3ay. forty miles, with 

 fine fly -fish i tig for large {rcAu in (he deeii. shady holes along- 

 shore until lie reaches the mouth of the Brtfic (OTno t'c. I "fe'-e 

 mentioned, and which be may then ..--end with his srna'tl 

 boat for rivet ('.shine. Or if the analer would new fields 6*- 

 ;.| -, ,n lake hi-, outfit aboard the train ol'the new rail- 

 road ju-( completed to Bayfield within the last eight months 

 and go back in the \\ ^cousin woods where be will find, most 

 of Ihe Utile Btreams stocked v,ilh moi'c or le*--. speckled ti out. 

 There are good hotels in Bayfield, will, lish and vcVisoit 

 everyday" It is a high, dry' healthful location, with the 

 best of water and central to any amount of hunting and 

 fishing grounds. At least 1 found it so last August. 



HOWLl.VO tlKBKN, ,V|lltl 34, IS8SS. 



C. W. E. 



TRQlJT FISHING, 



[ HAVi] beeii fishing, and after golfing out the much 

 t abused angle-wornilro'm the cellar', where it has been eare- 



! paiefully bikcu 



of ^\u 



stepped id nt'd waited a shori di-tane. 

 As mv line afid yrfggb'ug worm went o 

 wUat a nibble. With c&usld&ahle su 

 made one step, and the entertainm. _■'-■!. 

 Down went the supposed fisherman, and 

 lions of body and high kicking would hi 

 salary with Barn 



tout its, 



«rrah[, 

 vere fo 



• brush 



, boots. 



" , suiion T 



Kcrsleelri 



-ihe.-ontor 



ired a lafga 



, ated in the' 

 umble. I had hy a very nice" movement stuck my rod in 

 the opposite bank, and after galluring up myself and rod, 1 

 found the tip broken, not a very fine condition of things. 



But to my "speckled beauties." On getting my line iu 

 hand 1 found that the fish was making things somewhat 

 interesting. He must be a "whopper;" if he breaks 

 away he 'would weigh two pounds sure. Now a dash 

 Under a rock, tben under a stump, now sulking. -'Now you 

 must come' in and see your humble servant. Oh! what a fine 



sucker!" Could my friends have seen my "phiz" they 



would have said 1 was about to visit a dcnfisl . A fter g< ling 

 ashore and leaning against a stump f took a very careful in- 

 ventory of dry goods, and found that wet goods W( re con- 

 siderably ahead" My collar was the only thing dry about 

 me. The music which issued from the base of that old 

 stump Was not ••Pinafore'' music by a long chalk. 



Bait-box cover gone, also my peUtngleworms, rod broken, 

 wet to the skin, and somewhat lame from the "contortions;*' 

 What to do was an important theme. After mature thought 

 and considerable exertion "Home, Sweet Home" came to my 

 mind. Did 1 tell anybody? Not much, 



A short lime after I tried it again, and in endeavoring to 

 eclipse all previous efforts in securing a larger creel of fish, 

 1 gathered up all the implements of warfare, including the 

 No. 13 gum boots, which were undoubtedly manufactured 

 in the upper story of the factory, for they seemed to have 

 an inclination to "ascend upward" on the slightest provo- 

 cation. I will warrant them to get three falls out of five on 

 any ordinary occasion. On reaching the bank of a very 

 nice looking stream I made my maiden cast, which con- 

 sisted in casting myself, with the aid of the No. l-'s and a 

 clay bank, into the 'raging water. Landing without a land- 

 ing-net was a difficult piece of engineering, and after the 

 absorbing process was completed 1 made a break for the 

 bank and at last stood on it. After getting drained I heard 

 voices, and turning my moislened optics 1 saw some ever- 

 prevalent "small boys" Were with me. Small boy says: 

 "Fell in, Mister, didn't ycr?" 



Fisherman. "How the dickens did you know 1 was 

 fishing?" 



Small boy. "Marin seed you coming dowu the road, aud 

 she said, 'Oh, boys, there is "that city foliar again: now you 

 go out aud see he does not break his neck.'" 



Fisherman. "Now you run home, little man, for there is 

 liable to be an accident to some member of your family 

 right away." 



Small boy. "Ain't you the fcllar they make so much fuu 

 of, and say you can't catch frogs nor nuthin, and " 



Fisherman. "Get away from here, aud hasten, too." 



Small boy. "I'll go home aud get par to come down, for 

 everybody says you tear down more fences and scare the 

 fish more than a menagerie." 



Fishermau. "Not another yvord;" and away skips the 

 future president. 



Another very difficult cast and away goes the line. In 

 passing over a stone something seizes the bait, and the reel 

 is humming until my line is about out. On giving the reel 

 a few turns it does not stop the. unknown, and i wonder 

 what under the suu I have hooked, and I keep running 

 down stream. Something has got to be done, or we shall 

 be dowu to the Gulf Stream. Another twist, and had there 

 been a young colt at the other end f could have flopped him 

 just as well. 



Ha, ha) he slows up a little; now for line work, for 1 must 

 have considerable of it in me. for there has never any ap- 

 peared at the surface vet. Very carefully 1 begin to reel in, 

 and another start down the stream foll'oyvs. "Not having 

 any rations nor boat, it waa imperative to have an under- 

 standing With the other end of my favorite line. 



When you get in that deep water you and Flick Flick 



