Sept. 0, 1888.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



107 



Outtynunk line, and to fish from a br>at, with a good beak 

 man to help you play t ne fish. I, For one, am willing Co 

 break up a few dollars' worth <if cane rods and Rnen lines, 

 trying to c upturc these Bsb, and I dare say the Doctor will 

 do as much before lie stops tooling with li'sh-hooks 



Tarpum do not all Weigh from 150 to 175 pounds. They 

 have been captured as stnttll as fortyflve pounds. Hoping 

 "Al fresco" may lie so unfortunate, as he coDsatlMS it, to 

 hook a turpum when Ashing with rod and reel for buss, I 

 remain an earnest disciple Still. A. B, Dodue. 



Manchester, N.J3. 



PROUTY ON FISHING.* 



A LL lovers of the "gentle arf have now an opportunity 

 ^V to add another book thereto pertaining to their collec- 

 tions. The volume before me seems more like a familiar 

 letter from his hand who now rests in Paradise, than a book 

 from a bookmak. rs-. nafhless it is a book well made and 

 pleasant to see. to handle and to read. 



Compiled from the notes and journal of the late Mr. Lor- 

 enzo Prouty In his wife, it comes to us more like a "labor 

 of love'' than it otherwise would do, and it commends itself 

 especially to all of ibe craft who were favored with the 

 Friendship of sur-h a master in the ail as was Mr. Prouty. 

 It does not ;laim to tie an exhaustive or pretentious work; 'it 

 is suggestive and familiar, not. burthened with technicali- 

 ties, and on every page is e\ ideuoc of the ardent love of Na- 

 ture for which the writer was remarkable, ft should be in 

 the hands of every fisherman and all who love to hold com- 

 munion with Nature uueontaminated by the hand or caprice 

 of uunppreeiativc man. 



Tn addition to sonic chapters Oil the "Habits and Haunts" 

 offish, this interesting hook contains soon sketches of trips 

 ma ile to favorite hunting nud fishing grounds and waters in 

 "N'ova Scotia, anil of one to Sehoodie Lake, even, as late as 

 1883, to win h is add d some hints to would-be. campers-out 

 as to the requisites Of the camp. Appended to all are a lew 

 pa es In Memoriam: pasres writ by the loving hands of 

 friends who have known ana loved Mr. Prouty for years. 

 Some of these tributes were originally published m the 

 Fob est and Stulam. and one was taken from the Boston 

 Transcript, many of whose readers were warm friends of 

 Mr. Prouty. 



As an angler, and as an old friend of the writer of the 

 book. now so tenderly given to the world, f commend it to 

 all who '"be quiet, and go a-ai'gliiig." 



Friend and stranger alike will find passages of peculiar in- 

 terest, and withal the volume is a handsome one, worthy a 

 place in any home or by any camp-fire, and contains a tine 

 portrait of the author, whose "sudden taking oil'" has 

 stricken so many loving hearts, O. W. R. 



Ossi peePariv. August 1SS3. 



"Fish: Their Habits and Hainan, and the Methods of Catching 

 Them, Togetber v.ich Fishing as a Kecreatu.n. By Lorenzo Prouty. 

 Bostou: Clippies, Uphain & Co. 



Big Haul of Illegal Nets.— The persistent poachers 

 of Oneida Lake, N. ¥., have met with a loss that will not 

 only cripple their business but will also serve as a lesson to 

 them in future. They have long openly defied the law and 

 have shot at game protector* aud other officers. The Syra- 

 cuse fimmal<A the 20th nit.says: '-8tate Game Protector 

 William H. Lindley came to the city in command of his 

 Steam yaebt Grace E. Willey, this forenoon, from Oneida 

 Like. Mr. Lindley spent Monday and Tuesday in search- 

 ing for nets, and took up nine in the vicinity of Toad Har- 

 bor, which were upon his yacht. He was on his way to 

 Catiastota, and said 'ie should take the nets with him, to cut 

 up and use for bindings, since they are thoroughly saturated 

 with tar. While Mr. Lindley was taking tbem upj several 

 men hurried out from shore some distance away. The yacht 

 gave chase, but could not overtake them. On the shore" were 

 a dozen men, who used considerable profanity in denouncing 

 Lindley, aud a number of women accused them of coward- 

 ice for not making a demonstration. The women were even 

 more excited than the men. The nine nets are said to be 

 worth §150. Fishermen claim to have an understanding 

 wiih sportsmen's clubs 10 the effect that if they would keep 

 their nets out during the summer months they might draw 

 them during the fall months Mr Lindley does not believe 

 thdr story, and savs that even if such an arrangement was 

 made it is not .binding on him, that he will patrol the lake 

 until it is frozen over. He is determined to do his duly 

 faithfully and fearlessly, he savs, and he has already shown 

 that he has the pluck to do if. Ile has taken from these 

 waters sixty-nine nets, of an average value of fifty dollars 

 each. He thinks there are but few left. Two weeks ago he 

 burned one and took one away. He has done more than 

 was eve)- done before by any man or number of men to free 

 Oneida Luke from nets, and deserves the thanks of all good 

 citizens as well as his inadequate compensation for the excel- 

 lent work he has done. He is now under the direction of 

 the Fish Commissioners, who are in earnest in their deter- 

 mination lo enforce the laws for the protection of fish. Mr. 

 Lindley will go lo Cross Lake, Skaneatelcs Lake, Otisco, 

 and the Tally hikes, and elsewhere in his district, which 

 embraces several counties, to see that the law is complied 

 with. He is a wide awake, active man, who keeps his own 

 counsels and aeis with judgment every time he moves. 

 For two years before he was appointed to his present; posi- 

 tion he was a game Constable and did a great deal of work 

 for t ic love of it aud without compensation worti mention- 



Salaiox ix Canada. — IMtor Forest and Stream: Salmon 



angling in Canadian waters has this year in some rivers 

 turned out a grand Success, notably the Restigoueke, the 

 main river on which the hatchery is placed, and which used 

 its salmon as breeders, turns out an angling score of nearly 

 1,700 salmon, giving a twenty-two pound average, or 40,000 

 pound of fish. Strange to say, its tributaries have not fished 

 well, two fine streams not turning out one hundred fish; 

 decidedly showing that as each stream has a distinct variety 

 of the salmon which take no other river but their own. it 

 is absolutely necessary that in restocking or supplementing 

 the natural supply by artificial means, the breeding fish 

 should lie taken from the stream. I ltuve uo doubt Atlantic 

 salmoa ova taken to Pacific cot ..,:-n. will never 



return. But if is very doubtful if young fry, the produce of 

 one river, placed in a river emptying into the same hay or 

 estuary, when returning adult fish from sea, do not go on 

 until they find their parent stream, From this year's ex- 

 'c, bciue the first returns in quantity of the "hatchery 

 stock, no other possible solution cau lie given, Next year's 

 supply will h-e watched with great intarest, and go far to 

 decide the. utility and nect I s.soiugsalmou hatcheries 



on all otr principal Canadian "waters. — M. 



Rot) AMD Reel MAKERS.— Your editotial of Aug. 23 

 with the above caption was read with much interest, and 1 

 must thank you for calling attention to a subject too long 

 neglected and certairly a source of great annoyance and 

 trouble to anglers generally. Various patterns for reel 

 plates and seats are no benefit to the craft, and are an evil 

 which can and should be remedied, and I fully agree with 

 you that it is a proper subject for discussion in the National 

 Bod and Reel Association, or in fact any piscatorial associa- 

 tion; hut as it is the only national Or world's association, 

 being open to all by the payment of a small fee, it seems to 

 be its duty to remedy this evil, and I hope at the next an- 

 nual meeting some member will propose a standard size for 

 reel-plates ana reel-seats which shall be indorsed or adopted 

 by the association. — Wm. Mitchell. [We are glad to hear 

 from Air. Mitchell on this subject, and would suggest to him 

 that he. is the proper man to present this standard. He has 

 given much thought to all matters connected with rod- 

 making, and was the first to call attention to the leverage of 

 a rod being of equal, if uot more, importance than its 

 weight. Wc also think that Mr. Mitchell's standard would 

 be more readily accepted by the large manufacturers than 

 one proposed by any of themselves, for as a maker of rods 

 to order for special "customers be hardly comes in contact 

 wi'h the large houses. We know of no one whose standard 

 we think would be better received by all parties than one 

 that might he proposed by Mr. Mitchell.] 



Black Bass in Indiana.— Chicago, Aug. 27. — 1 have just 

 returned from a trip to Turkey Luke, Indiana. This lake is 

 half a mile from Cedar Beach, a flag -station on the Baltimore 

 <fc Ohio Railroad, 115 miles from Chicago, and is largely 

 visited by fishermen from the towns in that. State. Though 

 convenient to this city, and the railroad company charges 

 but a low rate rate for fare, the place is but little known here, 

 and very few go there from this section. The fishing is not as 

 good there, this season as when the writer made a former 

 visit, about a year ago, but still offers some good sport. My 

 memorandum for the week is as follows: Tuesday, half day. 

 7 fish: Weduesday, half day, 5; 'Thursday, half day, 3; 

 .s'riday, all day, 15. Two of these were true black bass of 

 2 and'y^ pounds weight The others were all the yellow 

 bass, from li to 31 pounds each, and all were gamy fighters, 

 giving good sport with light tackle until led over the landing 

 net, in the hands of the oarsman. The fishing there is all 

 done with live minnows, trolling or easting from boats, uo 

 fly-fishing. Perch and "goggle eye-" are abundant aud 

 many are -caught by those who care for that kind of fishing 

 by using small bait. My own theory, backed by experience, 

 is' that larger bait takes larger fish, and 1 find greater satis- 

 faction in bringing in a small catch of good fish than a large 

 number of all kinds and sizes, The marshes near the lake 

 furnish good duck shooting in the fall °nd (he Cedar Beach 

 Hotel is conveniently located for fishing or shooting. — D. L. 

 Wiuttier. 



Sptiut and Okoboji Lakes —Villisea, fa., Aug. 2?.— For 

 good pickerel and pike fishing 1 think the Spirit; and Okobji 

 hikes region the best in the West. A party of us left Omaha 

 on July 4, via Sioux City and Wortbington, Minn., and 

 down to Hotel Orleans at Spirit Lake. After breakfast our 

 crowd was pretty equally divided about whetr.er we had 

 better fish the first day on Spirit or Okohoji. But Spirit 

 Lake won, your correspondent and the postmaster of Cla- 

 riuda in one bout aud a druggist and merchant in the other 

 Went north toward Little Spring Lake Inlet "trooliug" for 

 pickerel. The lake was comparatively calm, and we had 

 splendid luck. Caught fifteen nice pike and pickerel from 

 two to eight pounds aud were well pleased with our day's 

 sport. The next dav we did still better. The day- after 

 we went down in the OkobojL The day was splendid, aud 

 after a row of about eight miles we commenced to fish 

 with indifferent success till about 3 o'clock P. M., when our 

 patience was rewarded. The fish took the spoon well after 

 that till about seven o'clock,. Our total catch weighed 

 2()s lb=. Our party staid two weeks, and our Mr. Weal car- 

 ried off the honors by landing a ten pound pickerel, while 

 we. caught several tha't would*weigb eight pounds. Hunt- 

 ing, 1 think, will be good there, as 1 saw several flocks of 

 ducks, and it was too early in the season for chicken shoot- 

 ing when we were there. — E. D. K. 



A Big One Escaped.— Thompsontown, Pa. — As "Al 

 Fresco" has told of a 175-pound tarpuin (estimated), which 

 he didn't land, permit me to tell of a vastly larger lish which 

 I, with the assistance of a hundred others, also didn't land. 

 In fact it landed us, the hungry argonau'.s on the British 

 bark Circassian, which was rolling listlessly upon the bosom 

 of the perfectly calm Pacific. One clear moonlight night, 

 the sailors had succeeded in passing a noose of some kind 

 over the body of a bl.iekrish. Rousing the passengers who 

 were quickly on deck, just as they sprang from their hunks. 

 dressed or rather undressed, who'seized the two ends of the 

 rope which the sailors had run aft along the gangways, 

 tbev pulled steadily to the regulation "heave, oh!" until the 

 back of the great fish appeared above the larboard bow. We 

 were not lisiiiug with split bamboo and braided silk, using 

 neither art or science; uot for pleasure, although there was 

 great fun in the appearance of the breechle-s rows. It was 

 meat; great steaks of blackfish we were after, when sud- 

 denly a resistless jerk vibrated along the cables, a simultane- 

 ous thump, a splash at the bow, and a hundred minor 

 thumps along the deck as we landed and sat awhile in mute 

 astonishment. I think that fish weighed a hundred mil- 

 lions of pounds (estimated). — Juniata. 



New HAMPSHruE, Aug. 30. — Please make a note of the 

 accompanying slip in connection with my last letter. "By 

 the courtesy of George E. Mitchel, statiun agent at Brad- 

 ford, we give the following partial fist of heavy catches of 

 fish at Lake Sunapeethis season: M. W. Tappan, Bradford, 

 oae land-locked salmon, 6"A lbs. ; three trout, 13| — largest 5L 

 Mr. Cheney, Wilrnot, six trout, 23 lbs. Levi Woodbury. 

 Newport, in six days, nineteen trout, 36' lbs. — largest, G jibs. 

 Mr. Chambers, Suuapee, one land-locked salmon, (if lbs. 

 Air. Page, North Weare, in six days, 53 lbs. trout. Nathan 

 Sawyer, Henniker, five trout, 21 lbs. — two weighed 5A lbs. 

 each. Four gent'emen from Keene, 54 lbs. trout. Four 

 gt ntlemen f rom Wilmot, in six davs. 90 lbs. trout — largest 

 2$ lbs:, smallest 1| lbs. The total weight is 302J lbs. The 

 trout were overgrown brook trout, bredln brooks, and caught 

 in deep water. They have never been caught before to such 

 an extent, b. cause h\sheiniea have sunk their lines in shore " 

 Sunapee Lake bids fair to be the fishing waters of New 

 Hampshire , ■ , at no distant, date.— Samuel 



Webblk. 



Maine has a law forbidding shooting and fishing on Sue 

 day. It is said that this law was once strictly enforced in 

 one of the largest villages in Oxford county. The open sea 

 son for black bass begins July 1, and this came on Sunday 

 this year. Now, in this town there is a large shoe manufac- 

 tory, and a large portion of the men and boys employed 

 there were making extensive preparations lor a big haul on 

 that day. On the part of the oilier inhabitants, this was 

 rather disagreeable, especially as. if the shop hands carried 

 out their plans, it would result in the destruction of a large 

 number of fish. To hinder this and save the sport to them- 

 selves, those who were not going fishing petitioned to the 

 authorities to enforce the Sunday law in respect to that sport. 

 This was effectual as far as fishing was concerned and more 

 so, for the disappointed fishermen, in return, petitioned the 

 authorities to make a general enforcement of the law in the 

 case of all Sunday recreations. As a result, those who would 

 not let others fish were themselves debarred from every out- 

 of-door amusement. It is needless to say that this village 

 presented a very exemplary appearance on the Sabbath, for 

 once at least. 



Bass in the Ouachita. — Monroe, La.. Aug. 28. — 1 will 

 mention en pnxsitiit, that the striped bass fishing is now very 

 tine in the Ouachita River, which runs right by our doors. 

 We get up at 4 o'clock, walk two squares to the river hank, 

 and with a minnow seine soon secure a bucket of minnows 

 and occasionally a half-pound bass along with them. From 

 daybreak till 8 "o'clock we have fine sport. Carson Williams 

 caught twenty-six in an hour, aggregating sixteen and a half 

 pounds weight. He had two hooks on his line, raid the first 

 four pulls brought out eight bass, one on each hook. ?oine 

 of the fish weighed two pounds. Another man caught forty- 

 eight fish before breakfast time, within a few hundred feet 

 of his own kitchen. The striped bass is a very handsome 

 fish, and a fine table fish, though not, quite so game as the 

 black bass. He is called here, "bar fish," because he cbast 

 the minnows iuto shoal water, on the sand bars, and there 

 they keep up a very lively agitation of the water, the pursued 

 and the pursuer often jumping entirely out of the water. — 



OlACniTA. 



Bass at Gre&NWoqd.— New York, Sept. 3.— Reading in 

 last Foiujst and Stream the article from "Robin." headed 

 "Black Bass at Greenwood Lake," reminds me of my lust 

 "outing" on those wafers. August 28 (last Tuesday i. l" tried 

 the flies in the morning and skittered in the afternoon, with 

 my seven-ounce fly-rod. Not a rise to the flics, and two bass 

 and eleven pickerel skittering. It was surely my fault or 

 that of the fish, as 1 had the best man on the lake for guide 

 —John Smith, of Brown's Hotel, South End. John is a 

 hard and intelligent worker; and speaking of big fish, he 

 took an Oswego bass on the 24th ult. that weighed eight 

 pounds plump, whose dimensions in charcoal grace the door 

 of Brown's Hotel. On the 15th inst. I hope to get into 

 Schuyler county after the birds, and will try to let you hear 

 from me. — Smith, 



The Gheenbhiek. — Greenbrier, White Sulphur Springs, 



\V. Va , Aug. 27.— The black bass are biting freely in the 

 Greenbrier River; one party caught sixteen just above Ron- 

 eeverte yesterday. Bait is'hve minnow; all' anglers tern me 

 that the fly is useless. 1 have been in search of a good trout 

 stream in "this section, but there were so many engaged in 

 the same quest that 1 gave it up. If the countrymen know r 

 such a place they won't divulge it. — Ohassbor. 



The COMDs'0 TOURNAMENT. — A call for a meeting of the 

 committee of arrangements of the National Rod and Reel 

 Association, at Mr. Blackford's, in Fulton Market, on Wed- 

 nesday, fhc 5th, al, 3 P. M., has been issued. As we go to 

 press before that hour the report must be delayed until our 

 next issue. The time for the next tournament was fixed for 

 October 3, but we fear that the time is now too short to hold 

 it on that date. 



Ba»s at Solus Point, Aug. 31. — Good black bass fishing 

 is to be had at Sodus Point. Wayne county, N. Y. Reached 

 from New York via New York Central Railroad to Newark, 

 thence to Sodus Point via Sodus Bay & Southern Railroad. 

 There is also plenty of pickerel aud perch fishing for those 

 who care for it. Boats, bait, etc., can always be obtained, 

 and the hotel accommodations are fair. — Sling. 



THE SUNFISH QUESTION. 



IN your issue of Aug. 30, a correspondent, "Feu if makes an 

 appeal for the sourish and strongly opposes Mr. Mather's 

 plan tor their extermination. I have a poud which 1, infested 

 with these fish and was f.lad to learn of a plau to get rid of 

 them in order that their place might be occupied by fish of 

 some value. It seems tome that it is "Petra" and not Mr. 

 Mather who has made a mistake, for the tatter's reasoning 

 consistently curried out would not soon "make fish of all 

 kinds a rarity." it would merely remove a worthless fish to 

 replace it with a valuable one. 



"Petra's" views are based upon a sentimental view of the 

 ease entirely, while those who have ponds which ore overrun 

 with this worthless little fish look at the practical side and 

 see. that the pugnacious little villains devour the young of 

 better fish. The suntisb is of no practical use. "It "is pretty 

 and we caught them when we were boys," is ah that can be 

 said in their favor. As well might We- object to the cultiva- 

 tion of a field where we boys picked a quart of blackberries 

 each year. I believe with Mr. Mather that the country 

 would" be millions of dollars better off if there were uo sunflsn 

 in its waters, and I intend to try his plan for their destruction, 

 without getting into the unpleasant predicament which 

 "Fetra" hopes may befall all who undertake it R. 



Holyoke, JVlass. 



In regard to the sundsh I merely wish to explain that my 

 paper, read before the American Fishcultuiul Association, 

 was written in the spirit of the fishculturist who should 

 view all fishes through pract.cal eyes and weigh their value in 

 money. Seutiruent had no place in it. Of i . --e I can 

 remember the pride with which as an infant I captured a 

 baby suniish. on a bent pin, but that inetnory e 

 influence mv judgment of what fishes are profitable to have 

 in a pond. If the suntish has value it should be cultivated. 

 If it has none then it is in the way of better lish and should 

 be exterminated. F. M. 



Bass not only take young suntish for bait but anthem 

 out of ponds at leas't. I have an ice pond in which! piit 



hundreds each of catfish, suunios. .... 

 small fry which wore left in the deeper watai at the I 

 vania canal, when the winter was dt awn off. 1 : 

 tiplied for years. Three or four years ago sixty black bas.. 



