Deo. 0. 1883.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



367 



i, Link I had b great (teal of fun; perhaps 



then 1 like roughing it .out ill sea. G. V 8. 



trawling smacks, who bring up barrels o! Item at each casl 

 of the trawl, and the most ugly thing I have ever seen, ] 

 fhiak, is a Barrel of thfflie shiny, slippery tilings, twisting 



their tentacles ahoul like ii bunch of angle worms, aud many 

 will, 1 doubt not, think 1 am bereft of aD sense of truth, 

 when UsaytLal they are oaten by all the fishermen iu the 

 Mediterranean, though the Atlantic fishermen would never 

 think of using them for anything but bait. 



After waiting a few hours the lines were palled in and the 

 (tell taken nil, bit', slippery conger eels, some as large around 

 as a man's leg or large*, and live or six feet long, aud vora- 

 cious, sbwk-like dogfish, thumping their tails in the boat. 

 after having received and before being lifted into the boat a 

 death blow from uu iron spike. About 150 fish altogether 

 were I,;i ken. After ahalf a day spent in bailing, we bad 

 another haul, and the next morning we sailed home, all well 

 satisfied. 1 

 you don't, but 



New Turk 



A NEW BAIT FOR BLACK BASS. 



F'OB several years past anglers for black bass in the Poto- 

 mac Biver, in the vicinity of Washington, have noticed 

 with solicitude the increasing scarcity of minnows and 

 Other small fish suitable for bait The small fry become 

 mere ;md more difficult to procure, and the small tributaries 

 emptying into the river, once abounding with b;nt, have been 

 nearly exhausted, and in consequence the writer has ire 

 ipiehtly experienced much annoyance, inconvenience and 

 loss ol snort 



A short time since, while sojourning with B friend, au en- 

 thusiastic bass angler, who resides near the Potomac, about 

 twenty-live miles distant from this city, the bait question was 

 discussed. This gentleman, who is just recovering from a 

 severe attack of the German carp fever, has two small ponds 

 containing at present several thousand of these heretofore 

 useless (to him), and in my humble opinion, much overrated 

 fish— iu this locality at least where so many better varieties 

 of fish suitable for the table are found. 



His original supply of carp— about twenty— have so mul- 

 tiplied within the past few years that his ponds are tfver- 

 slow in consequence 

 have attained a size 

 are just the size for 

 r the capture of II 

 ,ml was at once-acted 

 teas. A voung carp 



it bait fOT'bttBB f 



stocked, and the growth of the fisli 

 that nunc, save "the original specimens 

 suitable for table purposes, out I hey 

 bail. Why not utilize some of I hem f< 

 noble bass? The idea was a capital one 

 upon, The result pi Oved a grand sue 

 about fourinch.es in length uiak 



out any national prejudice, and if the trout of Europe is 



really a belief fish than ours we should not Only know it, 

 but import them, and give them a chance to show their 

 superiority in our waters. Trout in the Thames grow to 

 great size! sometimes to twenty pounds weight, and as Ihoy 

 live in large rivers they would no doubt be valuable for such 

 streams us the Connecticut, the Hudson, the Delaware and 

 other streams. A few eggs of the fitrio were sent by the 

 Deutsche Fiselietei Vereia to the Cold Spring Harbor hatch- 

 ery of the New York Fish Commission, and from thcresome 

 were sent to Caledonia, but the eggs were not iu good con- 

 dition and but few fish were obtained from them. We will 

 be pleased to hear from such of our readers as have had 

 more experienci on both side-, of thewater than we have, 

 and get their opinions oti the merits of the two fish for har- 

 diness and game qualifies. 



have ever tried, 

 superior. They 



d a.s a live bait has, I 



ire attractive in appearance, exceedingly 

 lively in their motions and live longer on the hook than any 

 other species hereabout. As an evidence of their vitality 1 

 will state that I have seen a carp which remained on a hook 

 for hall' a day, and had been mutilated badly, returned to 

 the bait bucket, and when again utilized on the following 

 day was apparently its lively as ever. 



Lest some i'ault-liuding individual should declaim against 

 this apparently useless waste of a valuable food fish. I will 

 state that the gentleman referred to by me supplies large 

 quantities of young carp to such of bis neighbors as desire to 

 Stock pondBj yet still has a large surplus of fish which over- 

 crowd his ponds to such extent that thcirgrowth is retarded, 

 and iu mv estimation he could utilize them no better than 

 for bait for the nobler bass. At the end of a day's fishing, 

 hi' generally consigns lot.be rivet- such of the bait as have 

 nol been used, thus stocking il with a new variety of ri>h, 

 and is by this means solving the problem so frequently pre- 

 sented: What will the bass do for food in a few years when 

 the present supply of minnows, suntish. etc., now nearly 

 exhausted, is gone? G. A. B. 



ENGLISH AND AMERICAN TROUT. 



JT will be a difficult matter to make the average angler of 

 Eastern America believe thai there is any trout which 

 can excel his own native one in anv point which a trout is 

 celebrated for. The ordinary brook trout of England is a 

 fish with large scales aud without the red abdomen of the 

 American; more nearly like our rainbow trout of California. 

 Our trout belongs to the tribe of the salmon family known 

 iu England as charrs and in Germany as Salbling. anil some 

 years -ago some authority on the other side pronounced the 

 American trout "not a 'true trout, hut only a eharr." Con- 

 cerning the eompaiative merits of Sijlciuhix fonlintilis aud 

 >:,ilii<<,'~f,tyi,i as game and table fishes we are not prepared to 

 speak.' 'flic following is front a late number of the Loudon 

 VMing Qasset(ts: 



"We are strongly of the opinion that it is a great mistake 

 to put the tsihito foittiimlte into our English trout streams. 

 1. It is not suitable to our fivers. 2. It will noV bleed in 

 them. 3. It is not such a good fish a.s our English river or 

 brook trout, it is a good many years now since this very 

 beautiful fish was introduced into this country, and gentle- 

 men have spent hundreds of pounds in attempting to stock 

 their waters with it, but almost invariably after perhaps a 

 few have been caught for tl year or two, they have all dis- 

 appeared; instead of increasing and replenishing the waters, 

 thev vanish entirely. The few that are taken are carefully 

 returned to the water, after giving play which English trout 

 ol half their size would be ashamed of (we speak from ex- 

 perience of them both on fly and minnow tackle). The only 

 places where they have done well in this country, as far as 

 we know, are in cold Scotch lochs, and the reason of this is. 

 We think, to be found in the fact that they are nol trout at 

 all, but are char, and char require conditions of living dif 

 fercnl from those required by trout. We know that. Jbidin- 

 aUs have been grown, and aie grown to some pounds' weight 

 in this country in ponds, and at one time we hoped great 

 things from them, but we are now convinced that while it is 

 unquestionably a splendid American sporting and table fish, 

 taking every lure that a trout will take, as an English fish it 

 loses its sport big totality, and eventually gets lost itself when 

 placed in an English trout stream, and left to take care of 

 itself among English trout." 



Many of our anglers felt indignant at our troul being 

 called '"only a eharr.'' but that it is a chart- is true, and the 

 question is now, In what, respect is a "trout" superior to a 

 "eharr"? Certainly the "American eharr" is handsomer 

 than the brook troul of Europe, as its crimson belly, tit some 

 seasons, makes il particularly beautiful, and its fine, almost 

 invisible, scales give a softness to its skin that is not up- 



proached by B. fa rio. We have, taken a few small trout in 



Europe, and have eaten them. As a table fisli we do hot 

 remember to have noted any difference, and the fish were 

 tin i few and small to enable me to judge correctly of their 

 game qualities. 



We would like to have I his question fairly disc, 



MR. SILK AND THE BLACK BASS 

 Editor Forest ami Stroma-: 



From several letters which 1 have received from friends iu 

 the I'nitcd States. 1 see that I am expected to say something 

 about the above affair. 



I have known Mr. Silk for some time, and in spite 01 Lhe 

 strong language used about him by writers on your side of 

 (he water, I au. convinced that in getting the bass from 

 Greenwood Lake he acted in a perfectly honest and straight- 

 forward manner. Time will prove this; in fact, is doing so 

 already, for I notice that all those who at first were loudest 

 in accusing him, now refuse to move iu the matter or give 

 evidence in a court of law. All friends of Mr. Silk on this 

 side the water, and lie is widely known and respected, regret 

 exceedingly thai the matter was nol taken into court and the 

 true facts elicited. Mr. Silk states that he fell perfectly se- 

 cure iu Mr. Blackford's permission to get the fish. Mr. 

 Blackford states that he, never gave Mr. Silk permission to 

 net the fish. 1 cannot help thinking there must have been 

 some misunderstanding about the right to net and the right 

 to fish with rod and line, but, surely th#. guides who got the 

 fish would be supposed to know if It was legal to net or not. 

 Mr. Silk knew that fish had been netted in hirge quantities 

 and sold by the guides to Americans. He did not think, thai 

 because lie' could only employ some of the guides to get ilk- 

 fish, the -others in a jealous mood would cry out that lie was 

 itealing 11,000 black bass, when, as a matter of fact, he was 

 >nly buying 3,100. The fish were bought and paid for 

 by an Englishman, just as previously many thousands had 

 :ii bought and paid for by Americans. Why did not Mr 

 Blackford stop Silk'.' Tie had plenty of lime 'to do so. and 



upon the affair as bringing prominently before- the public 

 the practices of the Greenwood Lake guides in netting fish 

 for anv one who will buy litem. Viewed in this light the 

 row- raised will be beneficial in checking the netting iu 

 future, We are aware that much intemperate language 

 has been indulged in. some of il, silly its well, and are also 

 aware that the British lion never cvm lifted his eyebrows 

 when called upon "to return those fish, dead or alive." 

 These are things to regret. There is much good feeling 

 bet ween the anglers of this country aud England and we 



the shape it has 

 ring on the lake, 



We have 



i-dii 



1c 



' later 



had be 

 ingtl 



know 

 Lake 



migb 

 dis'ap 

 that, 



• fish 



My opinion is that Mr. Blackford, know 

 ,auied for acclimatization in England, and 

 lall f ri 



ug that .2,000 small frv from a, place like Greenwood 

 BOtjld not injure the stock of bass in the United Stales 

 nin this lake, was kindlv careful not to do what he 

 have done, i. «?., stop the fish He did not think the 



minted guides would set a storv on fool, to the effect 



villi Mr. Blackford's permission, Mr. Silk had got 



ay with 11 000 fish. Mr. Silk went for 3,000 small fish 



wish that it had not 



blamed the guides who, 

 and violate them. We hoped to see the 

 their trial resulted in what wag practically 

 proven" it will no doubt have a good result in 

 stop to I heir using nets. Mr. Marst'on will see by 

 reports, which have readied him ere this, that such a trial was 

 held: also I hat the guides knew, or should know, thill Mr. Black 

 ford had no power to give them permission to use nets, aud, 

 in fact, had actually nothing to do with the law or its en- 

 forcement, until being dragged into it a.s a fish commissioner; 

 to whom the game protectors report, he took steps to stop 

 the shipment of the fish at the last minute, when it became 

 certain that nets had been used. If the fish had been legally 

 captured with rod and line there could have been no object ion 

 to ten times, the qinintitv being taken awav alive, for a fish 

 I bus taken has forfeited its life to its captor. The time Was 

 ripe for a complaint against netting in the lake. There had 

 been murmuring loud* and deep, and when Mr. Silk came 

 lhe publicity given to his proposed shipment caused an out- 



break of pent-up wrath, i 

 done for American-,, but if, has 

 still and has uol attracted much 

 we think Ibis case will result, favc 

 lake, which is the newest good res 

 from New York. The kind offe 

 eludes Mr. Marston's letter will, 

 the spirit in which it is offe 

 mission. Iu fact, this offer 

 of Exeter lo Mr. Mather, 

 Spring Harbor, last year, b 

 lhe gathering of the eggs. 

 do not consider Mr. Silk as 

 bass as we do il 



at netting has been 

 ci-n kepi comparatively 

 ttention, On the whole, 

 tblv to the fishing in the 

 •t for black bass fishers 

 of trout ova which con 

 • think, be accepted in 

 •d by the New York Fish Corn- 

 was kindly made bv the Marquis 

 if the N. Y. hatchery at Cold 

 I floods on the rivers prevented 

 We would again repeat thai we 

 nuch to blame for buying netted 

 vho netted them. He 



iger to our 



lo net the fish J'u 

 if the law waset 



ustoms, and rinding that it was customary 

 other people, relied on the guides lo know 

 breed or not.] 



,1 Air. Blackford he < 

 paid for them. If he had 

 with rod and line the losi 

 been appreciable, perhaps 

 would have range* from \ 

 iug fry of only two or thr 

 wrote' to the guides askin_ 

 small fish they caught, aud h 



nted 3,000 small fish, and Ii 

 iployed guides to catch (be. fish 

 o Greenwood Lake would have 

 because in thai ease the fish 

 1 4 pounds each, instead of be- 

 inches. In Julv last Mr. Silk 

 them lo keep for him all the 

 ippointed to find they 



had only kept 500 for him, and they then went to work with 

 some bits of mosquito netting to get the rest of the fish. Mr. 

 Silk heard that thousands of fish had been netted aud sold 

 during the summer. What could an Bnglishman know of a 

 law which was not respected or observed by those for whose 

 control it was made? 



I iim convinced thai American anglers will by this lime 

 be looking at this matter in its true light, and will absolve 



Mr. Silk of any desire lo 

 fish. Mr. Silk is lhe piBciculto 

 who has taken great interest in 

 the introduction of your fine g 

 Iso, for some years past 



unlawfully obtain I heir 

 o the Marquis of Exeter, 

 culture, and especially in 

 fish, the black bass. 1 

 trongly advocated the intro- 



iuction of this fish into such of our waters as are not suit 

 able for salmon or trout. The Marquis, myself and the 

 other gentlemen who Lave joined lo pay the expenses ol' 

 gelling the bass river have not done so with any commercial 

 or mercenary motives. My share of the bass 'Mr. Silk got 

 over last year cost me £30 for thirty fish, or nearly $(4 each 

 fish. I have the pleasure of being acquainted with Prof. 

 Gooile. Mr, George S Page, Mr. Reuben Wood and other 

 American gentlemen who have been over here, and it is 

 what they have told me aud what 1 have read in Forks t 

 ami STREAM, in Air. Hallock's book, in Dr. Heusball's book, 

 and in other American publications, that has given me a 

 strong belief in the black bass as an angler's fish. There is 

 considerable opposition to its introduction here, and it will 

 lake years lo make if "at borne" lo any extern. Mr, Silk 

 knows this, and I ask you. sir. is it at all likely that he 

 would deliberately spoil all chance of getting future 

 supplies by acting as dishonestly as he is accused 

 of having done? I candidly admit I think he was some- 

 what injudicious in going to Greenwood at all this time, as 

 there was some complaint before when he went there for 

 fish, hut until I see proof to the contrary, 1 will continue to 

 have that, confidence in him which is. f know, shared by 

 the Marquis of Exeter and many Other English genii 



Tu\K Tnoirr of Colorado.— Cataract Lake, Nov. 22.— 

 Iu Fokkst and Stream of Nov, 8, Senator G. G. Vest 

 makes a very great mistake iu asserting that the 4±-pound 

 trout taken "by him while fishing in lhe Rio Grande Del 

 Norte, in Southern Colorado, was of the species known as 

 Snl in" /nut; mli*. For as a matter of fact no such fish arc 

 native in that stream, but the common black spotted mount- 

 ain troul,. .s. rirt/itiitti*. of Gerard, i s found there, aud the 

 fish taken by the Senator was undoubtedly of that species. 

 Neither are "there any brook trout in the waters of the Snake 

 River or the Gros Veil! re, if by brook trout he means the 8. fffll 

 titialu of Mitchell. But the black spotted trout with reddish 

 litis, and the black flecked trout with yellowish litis are both 

 found there. The first named is widely known as mount- 

 ain trout aud lhe last as the salmon trout, but they an- 

 wholly unlike the salmon trout of the Great Lakes, the tf. 

 cmHiUtol U- Kay. or more proper)? the .s'. iuhu«))c<i*li of 

 No person need come to the streams of the Rocky 

 expecting lo catch the common brook troul of 

 or of Virginia, for ,s'. piiilhmlix is not found here, 

 UCh streams as have recently been stocked by the 

 nission or through private enterprise I can fully 

 with the Setmloi in the mailer of flics tin mountain 

 trout, although I would arid the black gnat and the grizzly 

 king to my out lit.— Goudo.n La.no. 



Pcnnan 

 Mounts 

 the Eas 



except i 

 Fish " 



Com-isi-AiED Tackle. — The New Brunswick, Me. , Ted 

 gmiph,oi Nov, 20, reports: "The .Maine game commissioners 

 are waging an active war against, poachers. Last, week they 

 and their wardens seized several boxes of partridges, con- 

 taining 50to 100 birds each, in Franklin, Piscataquis and 



i a hi 



its the dam- 

 •alls upon Lord 

 ba^s "dead or 

 . Silk had un- 

 uot do this, 

 ml are now in 

 some other. 



PeXObSCOl counties. They also sei 

 In lhe box with the trout, was at li 

 fishing tackle, consisting of reels, flies, li 

 property the warden confiscated. The owi 

 lawyer, and it probably will take the profit 

 to fix up lhe matter. "Crooked aud Song, 

 talmon of very large size. But little poacl 



IOC 



of 1-.T) trout, 

 worth of fine 

 etc. All this 

 s a New York 

 several clients 

 -•is are full of 

 en don 



The river is well guarded by local wardens and detectives.' 

 Our correspondent "Monai'iquot" comments as follows: "1 

 do nol know who the unfortunate New York lawyer is, blit 

 I am glad that any man who goes to the Maine woods and 

 laket 



ipa 



1 in usb 

 age to the stock t if black bass is inappreciable, 

 Exeter and myself by name, to return lb. 

 alive." Now. even if we. admitted that Ml 

 fairly obtained them, 1 regret to Say we conk 

 for neady half the fish died on the voyage t 

 the Atlantic in some shape or other — pronabl; 

 However, to prove lo American anglers tbi 

 regret thev should have even a sentimental grievance against 

 us, if they will accept them, I wiU undertake to procure, 

 say r ten thousand eyed ova of our most celebrated trout and 

 send them out as a present from those gentlemen win. sent 

 Mr. Silk out for the black bass; not in aijy way as a penalty, 

 but purely as a present \q prove that our regret at this 

 unpleasant affair is sincere, 



R. B. Mabstok, Editor Visiting Qi.uCtte. 



NuS. Is!tlll<l IS I'K-l-TUilL.LNE, Lullllull. B, 1 , 



[This letter of Mr. Marston's presents the matter in ihc 



ligjil hi which it is viewed on lhe other side of the water, and 

 our only regret is that, the affair assumed lhe shape of an 

 international dispute. We can refer lo our columns to prove 

 that we have cast no reflections on the gentlemen who 

 wished to obtain bass to take owr lo their waters. We look 



nd lakes game and fish regardless of the law, ismade 

 y the penalty, and 1 hope the time will come, aud that, 

 'when the breach of the law will be Hie rare exception, 

 instead of (be common thing it now is, iu thai splendid re- 

 gion for game and fish. Otherwise the glory will soon have 

 departed. The Crooked and Songo rivers named in the 

 clipping are Streams which connect Lake Sebago, Me., with 

 lesser lakes on the north. It means therefore that thegehagO 

 is again stocked." 



Ni-:w IlA.MfSiintE.— Commissioner Hodge is succeeding 

 admirably in his charge of lhe State Hatchery at Plymouth, 

 and informed me a few days since that he expected to take 

 250,001) trout eggs, for batching and distribution this coming 

 season, lie is doing a good work in looking after the 

 poachers on Lake vVinnepesaukee, who areas usual spearing 

 trout mi the spawning beds, aim confirms lhe report of the 

 ereat abundance of trout in Newfound Lake, where thelaws 



are respected, lie tells ntethat a few of lhe young "saibling" 

 which Professor* Baird scut to N If., and the icsl of which 

 were placed in Ibis lake, were savrd at the hatchery p.mds 

 for experiment, and are thriving finely. The extremi 

 drought has been very troublesome, and the trout it] Suuapee 

 Lake found il almost impossible to gel up into the brooks 

 at the spawning season, greatly interfering with the piu- 

 posed project of the Commissioners, lo o I. lain a large supply 

 _ j pom that lake. — Von \V 



Tin-. S'i'i.Mni-,1. n..ii RkEL-l'i'.vrr.r,- The NaliomdRod 

 aiul Peel Association me! at the Biological Laboratory, 

 Blackford's, Fulton Market, on Tuesday last. The eommU- 

 ,i ,,,:, iniei.i lo recommend a standard size f or reel-plates 

 for troul and salmon made their repot} and it was approved. 

 A drawing accompanied the fepor! and will he published in 

 our next issue. 



