290 



FOREST AND STREAM, 



[May 3 0, 1BSS, 



lily excursions can be made to the various others, 



and uot make long journeys, uiihcampiug outfits, which must 

 be the w&y oi doing it, as there are no palace hotels, with 

 fly nets and trout looking for a fisherman. 



Ned Nobtok. 

 Colebbook. New Hampshire, 



.Smelt WA8BED ASHOBE.— The ISurlirigton (VI.) Fnr 

 P)WS of May 5 reports a hard night for the smelt; Last 

 Wednesday night was a disastrous one for I lie smelt in our 

 lake. Thousands were washed in with the driftwood and 

 east upon the heaeh of Burlington Bay. Two men who wore 

 on hand at the lime gathered up fifty dozen, taking then in 

 their hands as the waves tolled them in, \ south wind 

 blowing fresh all day had raised a heavy sea, and the next 

 HI the beach' presented the appearance of a general 

 Shipwreck. The driftwood lined (he sands, piled up mhigh, 

 long windrows;. In the midst of this lay the mangled 

 bodies of the unfortunate smell, several hundred occasionally 

 in the run of. a few feet, and as many more buried beneath 

 the sands Whul a ghastly parody on the act of swimming, 



these ereatores of tbe deep' wn-(k.'-d in their own element 

 and east up by the waters, Last winter fishermen thought 

 themselves fortunate to capture a few dozen of these wily 

 smell in a day's fishing, and some had concluded the sp Dies 

 were dying out The sudden appearance of several thousand 

 throw a up in one night would not certainly be an arcuiueut, 

 in tavor of this theory. The greater part of Che fish were 

 stranrted on what is called Joh1{eed> Bay on Rock Point, 

 and what, the destrit -flon v. as in other parts of the lake we 

 are unable to say. Before these lish were much sought after 

 for food this general destruction in wind Storms was of fre- 

 quent occurrence, and the farmers who owned the land 

 adjoining the lake were accustomed to gather them up and 

 te< d them to their hogs. This might, appear to lie a reversion 

 of those days of plenty. It is likely that a large Bohoolpf 

 smelt allowed themselves to drift in from the hike and being 

 caught before they were aware on Ihe shallows, and entan- 

 gled and bruised amid the churning driftwood thus met 

 their untimely fate. 



TnorjT cj thk Rockies.— Como, Colo., April 30 —I sec 

 in your paper of April 19, a communication from Kico, 

 Colo., in relation to trout tishiuir. NflfW many of your read- 

 ers may be in Denver the- coming summer with limited time 

 and sli'lla desire to see something of Rocky Mountain trout 

 fishing. To such I can suggest a very pjeasaut trip that 

 will only consume n day of their time. Rigged with your 

 rod. lines and Hies, take Ihe morning train on the D. S. P. 

 &P. R. !"{.. and get off at either Buffalo, Pine Grove, or 

 Eslabtook, in Platte Canon. If you select the last-named 

 place you will find yourself at "(be bead of Deer Creek 

 Canon' through which you have just passed, Tie (rain 

 arrives there about 11. 30'.V.M., and you can return on the 

 down train which leaves about three o'clock P.M.. which 

 will give you about three a ml a half bouts lo enjoy tie- fishing, 

 and also the secnery, which at this point in the curion is 

 grand in the extreme. If you wish you cau wait and return 

 on the night train, which' leaves Eslabrook tit 3:80A.3J., 

 and arrives at Denver tit seven o'clock A.M. Of course vou 

 <.\ ill not expect to till your basket in so short a time, tlyjugu 

 a few miles higher up the Platte 1 have, often taken from 

 ten to twelve pounds of trout iu an afternoon, and 1 have no 

 doubt the same cau hi done near Eslabrook. If you have 

 not an outfit with you, a convenient place to buy will be at 

 Churek & Boslwick's gun store, Tabor Block. Sixteenth 

 street, There you can find a good assortment of fishing 

 tackle, and the proprietors being well acquainted with the 

 ground over which you will fish, can advise you as to just 

 what you will want.— F. B. J, 



The Best Bait fob Thout ajsd Black Bass. — I speak 

 from the experience of thirty years, anil I never saw any- 

 thing equal to it. Take the neck and head of asp oklcd 01 

 red fowl , rut the neck off down to the breast, aud save the 

 skin with the feathers on. Do not. remove them until you 

 want to bait your hook; then cut a strip like .a worm and 

 remove the feathers, but do not remove the little bright, 

 glistening hairs. When on the hook it is a rnosl enticing 

 bait, and, beiug tough, hangs on well and looks bright. 

 J have caught, a basket of trout with one bait. Sometimes 

 you may want a bait like a bug or grasshopper, or a large 

 iuillcr; this you can closely imitate by leaving on one or two 

 feathers. Sometimes by culling from the whittles, near the 

 bill, with a feather or two, or a piece of the comb and a 

 piece of the little feathers attached, will lure a. trout when 

 nothing else will. Thirty years ago I used to save two or three 

 necks of row Is by placing them in the pickle in the pork bar- 

 rel iu the fall. SO that I could have thern iu the spring, when 

 'twas difficult to eet worms. They are so much better than 

 worms, but a fresh neck is eoiriewhat better than a salted 

 one. — George Win is. 



Bass Flies. — We have lately seen some new bass Hies de- 

 vised by Mr. A. N. Cheney, which arc very showy, as bass 

 flies should be. At the opening of the season we hope to 

 test their merits on the capricious bass. It, is a mailer of 

 regret that this fish is so unreliable us a riser to flies, for 

 when it is iu the mood to take them there is no gonuoj 

 fighter. Mr. Holberton will soou issue a plate of "Standard 

 Bass Flies," as a companion to bis trout flies, and no doubt- 

 it will make a, very bright picture with its large and gaudy 

 colored imitations of insects. It is now in tie pn 'i- i 

 hands, but will require to be colored by hand, as was his 

 former plate, 



Fishing en Rice Cake USD Tributaries.— The Ottawa 

 government has set apart for the propagation of fish during 

 the space of three years that portion of the Otpnabfie River 

 from Lock's Bridge Peterboro', to its inlet, at Rice Lake, 

 the waters of Pice" Lake and tributaries, with the River 

 Trent down to the Bay of Quinfe, in the Province of 

 Ontario. These reserved waters are placed undei thi pedal 

 charge of Chs. Gilchrist, Esq,, fishery overseer, Ilarwood, 

 to whom application for permission to fish must be made. 

 Foreigners will be required to pay at the rate of $1 for each 

 angling permit for the season. 



A M a MMOTU Cod. — The largest specimen of the common A t- 

 lantie coast codfish ( Oiul'ix worrit tut'il have seen was displayed 

 at, the market in this city April 11, 1883. It was caught by 

 a boat fisherman off Wood Island, about twelve miles 7 from 

 Portland, April SJ, 1 noted the following measurements: 

 Length (central), (join.; length of head (opercular flap), 

 lT.oin; girth of head. :i2in. ; weight, lOOIbs.— Everett 

 Smith (Portland, Me.). 



Maine Salmon.— Augusta, May 4.— The following is 

 from the Kennebec Jmirn'tl: "Salmon are running quite 

 freely in the Penobscot River, according to information by 

 private sources, and they have been offered in the Bangor 

 market for seventy-live cents per pound, It appear- that, 

 in the new fish law in this State, protecting trout and land- 

 locked salmon, Ihe little salmon proper, were overlooked. 

 A land-lucked salmon under nine inches in length cannot 

 be taken and sold, but a sea salmon of any size may be 

 taken and sold. The commissioners and" wardens And 

 that the little salmon on their way to the sea, in the Penob- 

 scot, are taking the bail freely and being caught, but the 

 new statute -which reads dand-locked salmon under nine 

 inches in length' cannot, protect them, If, is a curious fact 

 that the Penobscot is the only river of the United States 

 Atlantic- coa>l where the salmon ascend and descend to the 

 sea. Formerly nearly all the _X, W England rivers wen- 

 stocked Midi these valuable loud fishes This river is the 

 only one left where the true: sod salmou eggs can be pro- 

 cured for propagation. Every State in the Union must 

 come to the Penobscot for sa'lmon spawn for restocking 

 rivers Quit have been unwisely depleted, Prof. Atkins in 

 the government hatching grounds at Orland, has had 

 wonderful success in propagating salmon. The fecundated 

 •g-gs have been sent to nearly all parts of the w r orld, and 

 successfully hatched. Even the rivers of Australia boast of 

 Penobscot salmon, the eggs huving been shipped thence." — 

 lAMBBi 



SoTXTHBRH St ckeks— We have in our Alabama streams 

 three distinct species or the '■sucker-fish." The first and 

 most choice species is a large, well-formed fish, of dark color, 

 with tins inclining to red, which we call "red horse." In 

 the late winter and early spring this is a fine table fish. The 

 second species, in size and quality, resembles the first, but, is 

 nearly while in color. This we call the. "white sucker." 

 The third species is more uniform in size and appearance 

 than either of the others. The back inclines to a dark gray 

 and the belly to a bright silver in color. It is shorter and 

 flatter than either of the other species, with a more pointed 

 hump on the back Its run is a little later thau the others, 

 and it is not inclined to take the hook, but is taken in great 

 quantities in "full traps." It is by no menus equal to either 

 of the other species as a. table fish. This fish we call carp— 

 CatOBUnWlS. Have we. these different species properly 

 named? If not, what are their correct names?— B. M\ 

 Si evens. [We think your names are correct. The suckers 

 belong in the family Cutost'/wMre., but. there are nine or ten 

 genera. The name "red horse" is applied to two or more 

 large suckers with red fins and tail; the genes i-, Myxmtama. 

 The "white sucker" is probably closely related, Vourcarp 

 may be one of the "carp suckers," genus Carpiorks; if so. it 

 has' a very long and high dorsal fin. We doubt, if cither one 

 of the fish named belongs to the genus Catmtomvt. The 

 latter has small scalejc] 



The TAiircM as Food.— Manchester, N, H., May Ii.— In 

 your issue of the 3d a correspondent asks regarding the edi- 

 ble qualities of the tarpum. While securing points in favor 

 of the tarpum as a game fish and studying the Chances of his 

 capture with rod and reel, I instructed a friend living in 

 Florida, whom I knew lived within fifteen minutes' walk of 

 a huge pool which always has tarpum in it, through the 

 winter months, to capture one of them by hook or crook, any 

 way to get him, and send me the facts regarding the. quality 

 Of ihe flesh, weight, and strength of the fish, as well as con- 

 tents of its stomach. He captured two in one evening with 

 the grains, or lilly iron, one weighing 150 pounds, the other 

 .somewhat smaller, aud he says: "They are very good eating, 

 tasting quite similar to shad. Their" stomachs were filled 

 with green moss, which grows on the bottom of the river 

 where caught." The latter portion of the sentence would 

 indicate that they did not eat much but moss while in the 

 fresh water pools, although I know thev will take a mullet 

 bait when trolling, and often a spoon. I* believe if angled 

 for with a cane rod about seven feet long with a reel holding 

 from 700 to 800 feet of 21-thread line," from a boat with a 

 good man to propel hand follow the lish, theircapture would 

 be possible and would give the most exciting sport to be had 

 anywhere.— A. B. Dodge. 



$h]\mlixm. 



THE VIRGINIA CO-UMISSlON.-We have the annual 

 report of the Virginia Fish Com m issioner for 1S82. It eon- 

 tains most excellent cuts of the Spanish or bay mackerel ; the 

 Northern weakQsh, or gray trout, the Southern weakrish, or 

 salmon trout, and or the fishwa.y on the dam on the Rappa- 

 hannock River, near Fredericksburg. The cuts are those 

 drawn at the Smithsonian Institute, by the V. 8. Fish Com- 

 mission, in which every fin ray is of the proper length and 

 can be counted, making it easy for any one to identify the 

 fish. The Commission has achieved many important results 

 with, a small appropriation. Black bass have been colonized 

 and increased untU their capture in the Shenandoah, Rappa- 

 hannock, James, and New rivers, is a chief attraction to sum- 

 mer visitants, besides furnishing a large amount of food to 

 the inhabitants. Brook trout have been planted to a limited 

 extent, but not. in quantities to compensate for the drain or 

 unlawful fishing, flie. land-locked salmon has not proved to 

 bo adapted to Virginia. The California trout promises to be 

 one of the most valuable additions to the wanner streams. 

 The planting of shad has been followed by results commensu- 

 rate with the work done, while, the German carp fills an im- 

 portant gap in the food fishes by occupying large areas of 

 water in which the native edible fishes do not thrive. It will 

 find a congenial home, in the muddy streams of Southside, 

 and a portion of Piedmont. The results of some experiments 

 in the transportation of carp in a limited supply of water, by 

 Col. McDonald, are given, and they show that, very little is 

 necessary. Then follows a list of the most important food 

 fishes of "Chesapeake Bay, with notes of their habits, migra- 

 tions, etc. ; a short note on fishwavs, with notices of those 

 built in Virginia; and some general recommendations as to 

 future legislation concerning the Co mmi ssion. Tne appendix 

 contains a tabulated list of all rish planted in the State since 

 187-1 : a list of water plants for carp ponds, by Lester F. Ward, 

 and a similar one by F. L. Yoakum, which originally ap- 

 peared in Forest and' Stream. It is a very interesting and 

 valuable report. 



GOLDEN IDE.— Mr. E. G.Blackford has received fiom 

 Germany 480 small golden ide, or gold orfe, as they are some- 

 times called. One hundred of these were a present from the 

 Deutschen Fischerei Verein.and the remainder were purchased. 

 This is a beautiful fish, much superior to the common gold 

 fish. 



THE LONDON FISHERIES EXHIBITION.— The London 

 Daily JTetos of AprU 17 says: "It is a significant fact that the 

 first exhibitor to put in an appearance at the great Iuterna- 

 1 1' MS I ' iierics exhibition is John Chinaman. His country is 

 ^presented, but he is 

 ag his cargo of exhib- 

 linary survey of the 

 the decorations and 

 junk models, 



•iiostr 



iteof any that 

 t hin^ more than punctual 

 its. and while others are taking 

 ground he is patiently progress 



furniture of his department, ge . 



nets, flying bridge, and pagoda work. This is not the result 

 of accident, but an example of one of the qualities which 

 make thr- Chinaman a formidable rival all the world over in 

 the field oflabor. The exhibit, in most of the other depart 

 mentsare not yet unpacked. The. first consignment from the 

 I'tiited States, as we h.-u-e a.!r--:.il\- ■.,.,, .,,... ' |- , . ,,,.,-.,. ,-,,. 

 ceived; and Sweden. Newfoundland, and the: Bahamas are 

 among the countries which have taken t ime bv the forelock. 

 The Canadian exhibits, which will be brought' by ship to the 

 port of London, are expected hourly. As one of the Horticul- 

 tural Gardens' ponds is in the rear of the Canadian section, it, 

 is intended to have, an Indian afloat iu a birch canoe to show 

 bow the- apparently crank little crafl is handled and bow Ash 

 are speared. Manitoba and the no; -i .",.-. shave not 



beenableto contribute, but there are- exhibits nvi, .: n 

 Edward Island, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and lie ine 

 inces of Ontario and Quebec. The Canadian section will be 

 rich in wonders of natural history, the stuffed birds and i she! 

 of themselves forming a fine museum. Among the lish is 

 promised a salmon "of seventy-nine pounds weight. The 

 largest Salmo salar known up to the present time is the 

 grand Tay seventy -pounder, of which Frank liucklaud took a, 

 cast, which is to be seen iu his collection at the Horticultural 

 Gardens. H the Canadian specimen arrives in safety it will 

 thenceforth be the veritable No 1 of its race. The latest cargo 

 of exhibits, which arrived yesterday, was from Italy, and 

 they are thus descrived by our Naples conespondanti 'An in- 

 teresting part of the International Fisheries Exhibition in 

 London wifl be. the collection of marine animals contained in 

 three hundred and fifty bottles or tubes sent by Professor 

 Dohr, director of the 'Naples Zoological Station. By new 

 methods adopted in preservation the most delicate organisms 

 are immortalized in spirit with very little or no loss of their 

 original beauty of form.' The alteration of the original date 

 fixed for the opening from the first to the twelfth of May will 

 make Whit-Monday the first public day. and the crowds* that 

 may reasonably be' expected will impose a severe strain upon 

 the'necessarily" untried staff. The entire business, however, 

 is being admirably managed, and the members of the execu- 

 tive committee, with Mr. En-beck, M.P., and the Marquis of 

 Hamilton at their head, are daily at South Kensington, work- 

 ing as hard as day laborers. The Prince of Wales, also, is a 

 constant visitor, and student of the practical preparations in 

 progress. His Royal Highness was there yesterday, and in- 

 spected his own pavilion, expressing his satisfaction at the 

 arrangements made. The Queen has expressed her intention 

 of attending the opening ceremony in her carriage, should 

 she not on the 13th of May be sufficiently recovered to walk.' 



SALMON CANNING IN BRITISH COLUMBIA. -The 

 Delta Cannery is the largest in British Columbia. Commencing 

 operations only five years ago. its business has assumed such 

 proportions that it now employs a force of over 400 men, 280 

 Chinese and 160 Indians, and a fishing outfit consisting in part 

 of thirty-eight boats and net-, -, i ■■ tie steam tug and 

 four scows. The cannery is 160x120 feet square, two stories 

 high, and in some respects the most completely furnished of 

 any on the Pacific coast. It, is provided with a* boiler sixteen 

 feet long and four feet in diameter, twelve tanks, two retorts 

 of 3,36ti cans capacity each, filling and soldering machines, 

 four laquer baths, and every convenience for the rapid and 

 thorough performance of the various operations necessary to 

 secure the highest degree of perfection in the preparation of 

 this most excellent article of food. Chinamen, under the 

 supervision of experienced white foremen, are employed for 

 thccamu'ng process, and Indians for catching the fish, receiving 

 from 61.26 to $3.00 per dav — the net tenders the latter amount. 

 The daily catch per boat' ranges from fifty to three hundred 

 salmon, "the fleet sometimes bringing in twelve or fifteen 

 thousand. This season the run has been so extraordinary that 

 the Delta Cannery put up 1,280 cases in a single day. and h,«i0 

 cases iu six days, Messrs. Page \- Ladner. the managing 

 partners of the firm, showed me their product for bbj ■ lu-t 

 month, amounting to the enormous quantity ,i 25,000 eases, or 

 1.153,000 cans, covering every available space of tie imni D e 

 lower floor to the height of over five feet, the largest number 

 ever packed by any one establishment during the same period 

 of time. Two'huhdred and fifty barrels of salmon, or about 

 13,000, were also salted within the month. The company ship 

 their goods direct, to London or Liverpool through the firm of 

 Welch, Rithet& Co., of Victoria.— Xcwton H. Chittenden in 

 "cViii'dc to British Col"mbia,'' 



THE NEBRASKA COMMISSION.— The Fish Commission 

 of Nebraska has issued reports for 1SS1 and 1S82 in one 

 pamphlet. The hatchery at South Bend Station proves to he 

 well situated and the water is good. Ponds for trout, carp, 

 and black bass have been constructed,- and also a dwelling- for 

 the superintendent. The rainbow trout and wuitelish have 

 been introduced in the, waters of the State. The Commission 

 ers have given special attention to the question of trout cul- 

 ture and probable result of efforts to stock the tributaries of 

 the large streams with this desirable lish— the brook trout. 

 The result of actual experiment shows that the natural He 

 ments of the water in nearly all the stream; in the State will 

 support this species of fish, but in the thickly settled portions 

 of the State nearly aU the streams, especially the smaller 

 ones, have been destroyed for this purpose bv t he too common 

 practice by the settlers of constructing their cattle yards and 

 hog lots adjacent to and over them, thus rendering the Water 

 filthy and destructive to nearly all kinds of fishes, native as 

 well' as othei-s. For these reasons and others that may be 

 named, undoubtedly the streams in the northern and western 

 portions of the State, except those, that, are stronly impreg- 

 nated with alkaline matter, are best adapted for ciUtivaiting 

 both trout and salmon. Many trout dud in the ponds ami 

 are believed to have been killed by parasites in the gills, but 

 no specimens were preserved iu alcohol and therefore the 

 cause of death is uncertain. The Commission makes a credit- 

 able showing of work done on the small appropriation 

 allowed. 



ROUTES AND RESORTS. 



Cape Mav to Atlantic Citv.-A summer note-hook. Published by 



the Passenger Dcpui 



■a ten 



3. Kailroad Company : 



'—-in the points 



OUnds, fishing 



\PtRACi»E mi; (irs-.VERSANi. .ixr.u-r.- -I'" ilished bv the Passen- 



-,,■ I .r-r.-.i- ii e„r ,,l tile c i. 1 1 Celr: e, e'l! ,i ,i,l-:-,n .. ,:.U:i:i| J- >I e 



mail Cowpanv. The J ■ ii- h Virlav.-arc and Miu-yl and Pen- 



insula concerning ivliich the book is full of information. Both of the 

 books' named maybe had on application to the Pennsylvania Kail- 



Spirit Lake, Iowa.— A descriptive sketch. By whom puhhslied is 

 n, ,i stao-,1 hut n-i presume? by the Burlington. Cedar Rapids & 

 Northern Battway Cedar Bapids, laj. 



i obts in NobtheeK Iowj 13D H i« HBBOiA, -Information 



'.;, riei-,,n i .in in,.; ,-; .■■:,-. i ;:■■. rn :;-n',i ■ : . 1 '■ ■ ■ i u . 

 All the above are sent free on application '° ''<" roads [iiimwhhb 

 them. 



