}MS, g, 1384] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



457 



$en and $iver <gishing. 



THE ENGLISH AND AMERICAN TROUT. 



Editor Forest find hitnum: 



[ have noticed your article on this subject, and also that 

 oi "G-, V. S." in your last issue. The Question of supe- 

 riority is our thai can only be decided by tlidse familiar with 

 hoth species, and even then their judgment may be influ- 

 enced by Questions of taste or by pleasant memories. Like 

 "G. V, B.," 1 have taken trott) in England, Scotland and 

 America, and therefore aui entitled to have opinions on this 

 supicet, 



The nsh are quite different and therefore easy to cdmpare, 

 t he Aineiirai) brook unlit docs not, frequent large streams, 

 and requires solder water than the English trout. Itis not, 



so warj as a rule, and takes the fly more readily .and does 

 DOt new! to be fished for as delicately as is done in England. 

 There are said to be one or two exceptions to this ride, on 

 eei t.;<iii streams, hut there is no douht of its truth. On many 

 English streams ,ll|J A»h can only be taken with it dry fly, a 



ice unknown, so fat as I know, iu America. "G. V. 



aj a as much when he remarks that the average British 

 Sportsman would find the trout In Maine "more stupid and 

 easier to kill, and decidedly n less worthy match for his skill 

 ihan the English trout," With him I think there is hut little 

 difference in" their table qualities but in their sporting values 

 1 think there in much. 



The Suhno fiirw is superior to the fuiitijmlie. as a game 

 fish. Itis warier, gamier, and therefore more satisfactory. 

 It will fight harder, ounce for ounee, than the American 

 fish, and 1 cannot agree with you that the latter is the hand- 

 somest fish. Like all charr the American trout is red -bel- 

 lied, but it is not as graceful in form nor does it present as 

 beautiful shades of color as the English trout. If the latter 

 could be introduced into this country by some club, they 

 l i hen be able to compare the gatneness of the two fish, 

 and I do riot doubt that they would Sllstaii my views in 



lime ' R. P. 



TROUTING ON THE BIGOSH. 



CNCI.1-. BEN TAKES A LAKER, 



A BOUT four miles west of our house there was a lake 

 f\. which Uncle Ben said contained some big lake trout, 

 but which, according to his notions, were difficult to capture. 

 The Colonel was anxious to take some of them, as he had 

 never done SO. The Doctor had never captured one, either; 

 aud bad up desire to, for he said: "All the authorities agree 

 that, the fish has no game qualities, and why should we leave 

 mil e:,celleul fishing as we have here to spend two or three 

 days hauling fish out of fifty feet of water when they come 

 up like wabT-soakcd logs?" 



"Just for a change," replied the Colonel. "One day is 

 about like another on this stream ; brook trout in nearly toe 

 same number aud size, day a I ler day. I am getting cloyed 

 with the sport, and if we don't try the lakers. 1 am going to 

 ■so up the little brook that comes in at the cedar swamp and 

 wade it to see if I can't take some, small trout. There must 

 hi- many little fellows somewhere to keep up the supply of 

 big ones that seem to fill the Bigosh, for we have not taken 

 :i ii fo of less than half a pound. A day with trout of three 

 to four ounces would be an agreeable change to me." 



They asked foi my opinion which was given as follows: 

 "The lake I rout, or salmon trout, as it is sometimes called. 

 is a fish of fair game qualifies when taken in shallow water 

 in the spring of the year, on the lly. They require colder 

 ii than brook trout, and so move into deep water in 

 summer, and as they are usually taken by trolling with two 

 or three pounds of iead above a spoon-hook, or a minnow 

 gang, then.' is no chance to feel their rushes which are 

 checked by the heavy sinker. Baiting a buoy, as is done in 

 ondack waters, is the beat way to feel the tish, because 

 Pie sinker need not be over half an ounce. The Colonel has 

 expressed ray opinion when he said that, a change would be 

 desirable. We would then return to our brook trout with an 

 increased rebsh. We would take our lake trout as wc do 

 a cracker between oysters, it would give a relish for what 

 follows." 



"1 think,' replied the Colonel, "that wc might go to the 

 lake and leave (be Doctor to enjoy the river, but who knows 

 ,, . to take the Lakers, and where will we. get our tackle?" 



As 1 had some suitable hooks among my 'tackle, and had 

 also fished for lakers; in the lakes of Western New York and 

 in the Adirondacks. I told the party that if Uncle Ben would 

 take his team and put a boat on the lake, and then go to town 

 and get some lines. I would go over with him and bait sev- 

 eral buoys, and they could follow a few days afterward and 

 we would then fish.' This would give me a desirable chance 

 to explore the. lake alone and to collect small species of fish, 

 and amuse myself in the woods. This was agreed to, and 

 .lark then asked to go along. The boy never missed an 

 opportunity to go where I went, and camping out opened a 

 new field tu him. Sleeping under the boat, had no terrors 

 for iii in. aud be went. 



The buoys w ere put out aud minnows caught, cut up aud 

 thrown around them for two days, ami the Colonel and 



nh Deu arrived on the third. By this time we had a 



, ii table finish shantv built and beds made, for Jack anil 



I only slept under the boat, the first night. The Colonel aud 



I used our trout rods and lines with large hooks on tlieiu, 



but Uncle Ben and .lack had no rods, aud so used hand 



ijnes. The anchor was dropped and the hooks were baited. 



- like to see you Bet a iwcnly-five-pouud laker on 



oue o' liicui slim polo," said Uncle Ben, whose fBSpBi I 



light rods, had increased since the day that, the Colonel 



landed that, big trout, with his, "but 1 guess you'll wish you 



bad sometningTO pull him in with afore vou get through." 



I >o t.licv erow a, hi »■ as that, in the lake'." asked .lack. 



"Yes, and bigger. Old Antoinc. the Frenchman down at. 

 the mill, kelebed oue five years ago that weighed fifty 

 pounds.' 



Old you see Ike fish?" asked I. 



,v No, 1 didn't see it, but be said it weighed fifty pounds, 

 aud Bill Gardner said it was, the biggest, fish he ever saw." 

 "It, probably weighed ten pounds," 1 suggested. 

 Tec pounds'." indignantly replied Uncle Ben; "why, 

 Bill Gardner and I have taken lots of 'em that weighed 

 twenty " 



"Actual weight, or guess weight?" I asked. 

 "Actual weight and guess weight both; don't you suppose 

 I know how heavy twenty poun 



"?>)o doubt, 1 only wanted to know how r the exact weight 



found." The conversation was Lnteriupted by the. 



Colonel having a fish on his line, which escaped when half 



I then landed one (bat would probably 



Weigh six pounds aud which made some resistance, having 

 only a half-ounce sinker I o hamper it. Uncle Ben thcu re- 

 sumed his story oi big trout, and said that be once had one 

 withinafoot oi' the surface which was half as long as the 

 boat and would have weighed a hundred pounds, but it 

 broke away and took part of bis line. The fish had since 

 been booked anil secu by two other persons, but never had 

 been captured. The Colonel winked at me and said in alow 

 tone: "Bet the old man alone or that trout, will weigh a ton 

 in a. few minutes. " Just then Uncle Ben felt a vigorous bite 

 and raised his hand to feel if the fish was on. A few seconds 

 more and another hard twitch was felt aud he began hauling 

 in. 



"A big one," said he. "none of your little five-pounders," 

 and then the tish seemed to come to a standstill and the old 

 man continued, "like as not it's that big oue! 0, come in 

 here, you won't break this line," and he "lugged away, band 

 over hand, making a little progress. It's oue. of the fellows 

 I'd like to see on your little poles." grunted he, "you'd never 

 land him if you had him on." 



"Give him line and let him tire himself," said the Colonel. 



"Don't let. the line saw cm the boat so," said 1. 



"O, yes." petulantly answered Uncle Ben, "give him Hue 

 aud let him get away; no such funny business for me. This 

 new line cuts tin fingers, but he's got to come." 



"Shall I help you ?' asked Jack. 



Uncle Ben made no reply to this offer and tugged away. 

 "He'll weigh a hundred pounds at least," said he. 

 •I see him!" cried I, "and it is a. big one." 



"So it is," answered the Colonel, winking at me. 



Uncle Ben peeped over the side for a look at his prize, let 

 go his line aud dropping back in the seat, said; "The anchor! 

 by Gosh 1" ' Fred AIatiieb. 



Oaep ox States Island.— There are a few gentlemen on 

 Stalen Island Who arc interested in fishcullure and have, been 

 stocking the fresh waters with caro and black bass. Prom- 

 inent, among them is Air. Francis Endicott, President of the 

 National Nod and Keel Association, and through his efforts 

 Bakes O'Connor and Bradv have been stocked with these 

 fish. The New Fork 8ui> tells the following concerning 

 their labors: Recently they planted a colony of carp in 

 Lake O'Connor and stoeked'Lake Brady with bass. These 

 bodies of water are not marked on many maps, but unless 

 the weather is very dry, they may be found in the woods on 

 the southern borders of Clifton. An Irishman was traveling 

 on the north shore of Lake O'Connor not long ago. He saw 

 a piscicultural gentleman at work. "Tare an ages, fwhat is 

 he Irving to do?" said he to a bystander. "He is planting 

 carp," was the reply, "Oh. aye." "Don't you know the 

 gentleman?" "No! Who is V?" "You ought to know 

 him. He is a very prominent member of the ft. A. R. A." 

 "The fwhat?'' "The R. A. K. A. Did you never hear of 

 that?" "No, but 1 ol'teu heard of the T. A. B." "Well, 

 this gentleman does not belong to that, but be is one of the 

 Ichthyophagi." "Oh, aye." "You know them, of course." 

 "Oh, yes; they live on 'the Wood road, and party dacent 

 people, too, ban-in' that they're Polish Jews.'' Further on 

 he met an old acquaintance, a Celtic angler of local fame. 

 "All, bedad, Pat," said he, "ill a short time you won't have 

 to go so far as the Monument for fish." "Why f" his friend 

 asked. "Bccayse there's a fellow down there putting tripe 

 in the pond." "What is he puttiug tripe in the pond for?" 

 "For to grow." "For to grow?" "Aye, so I'm tould, and 

 they say that Brady's pond is full of thim." 



The "Ttiotrr Iloct" Abroad.— Chicago, n.— Editor 

 Woresl ""!' Strewn: I commend this cutting to your lender 

 mercies, as a case of (probable) "trout hoggisliness." Itis 

 cut from a Scotch paper.— W. The cutting" reads: "Indus- 

 trious and Successful 'fronting. — We are accustomed to see 

 paragraph after paragraph Ln the newspapers recording the 

 feats of anglers, but we doubt whether any devotee of the 

 rod can boast a more wonderful season's 'record' than that 

 of Air. George Wilson, M. A., who has for some years been 

 an occasional resident iu Aberdeen. Air. Wilson is a most 

 persevoriug trout fisher, pursuing the gentle craft early and 

 late in quiet streams aud out-of-the-way burns. During the 

 season of 1S83 his trouting has been chiefly about Dufftown, 

 iu the Fiddich, Dullan, aud other streams, and the gross 

 catch shows a total of 11,502 trout, not by any means all 

 large, but including some fine fish. In the course of the nine 

 i a during which Mr. Wilson has plied the rod iu 

 this region, he has caught in all ?7,b'l)8 trout. Can any trout 

 angler beat that?" [Scotia is ahead. Why don't some en- 

 terprising genius get up an international "trout hog" match? 

 The contestants would "draw" much better than the walk- 

 ing-match fiends, aud other gentry of like status.] 



^isJfcttltnre. 



A Big Bass. — We had been fishing all day (my brother 

 aud I) with poor success, up and down stream, until but oue 

 frog remained in our bait can. "Take it," savs Will, "and 

 wade out to that rock and cast." 1 was soon out to the rock 

 indicated, and, putting the bait carefully on the hook, made 

 a long cast, not in the best of spirits. The frog fell noise- 

 lessly on the water, remained in sight a moment, and sud- 

 denly disappeared. Then came a lug. and a heavy rush 

 showed that 1 had "hitched a big one." Now the sport be- 

 gan; firsi. up si ream he went, then down: uow r he tries to 

 break water, but keeping a steady strain on the hue, until 

 his struggles become less frequent, and, seeing my opportu- 

 nity, 1 laud him safely and soon have him on Shore, to the 

 great joy of us both. At the village store he lipped the scales 

 at three pounds and two minces, the largest bass caught at. 

 thai place during the season, Fishing the river some time- 

 later, we heard a piping voice from the other side: "Yer 

 can't ketch 'neither four-pounder, an' yer needn't try," 

 which was true, for w r e did not see a scale that day. — Scx- 

 i.hax. . 



tew 0ublkatiott$, 



"FISHING WITH THE FLY." 



ot Dec. 13, 

 intentional injustice to the work bv savins that 

 It was mainly a collection of pleasant ami Instructive sketches which 

 had already 'been printed. Of the twenty, two articles, we find, after 

 a ean-l'iil revision of them, that only four i i' them have so appeared. 

 mat that the others are original. We recognized part of "P&eco's" 

 contribution, which, as In- therein nays, appeared in FoeESI AMD 

 Stream, and als, > Mr. Van Kiclen's. Then we found an excerpt from 

 i-i h: , ;:. .-■ -it's 'Game PtshotC the tTorth," 



is-Cbeney Cob 



A NEW SYSTEM OF FISHWAY-BUILDINC* 



BY MARSHALL M'DONALD. 



IT is a wen-established fact that the river fisheries of the At- 

 lantic States have steadily decreased both in value and 

 annual production for many years past,. In some instances 

 species that were at oue time common in certain of out rivers, 

 ore no longer taken. Indeed, the. annual ran of these fish 

 which still Continue I heir migration to the rivers, has under- 

 gone alarming decrease: aud in many eases become too insig- 

 nificant to furnish the motive or material for organized fish- 

 eries. Several causes, probably, have concurred in producing 

 this decrease. 



Fu-st— The capture of the greater portion of the run each 

 year may not have left sufficient t o maintain production un ■ 

 der natural conditions. 



Second— The erection if dams or otb-r obstructions iu the. 

 rivers, has iu some eases absolutely excluded certain species 

 from then- spawning grounds; the. result being eventually to 

 exterminate the species referred to in those rivers. In all cases 

 the exist. -le e of -neb obstructions, has determined a decrease 

 iu the natto-ii productiveness of the stream pro lanln, with the 

 diminution ol the breeding and feci in- area. 



The iviu-d.\ lor the condition of tlungs above indicated is to 

 be found : 



First— In the enactment of such legislation as will control 

 excessive, and prohibit destructive, modes of fishing. 



Second— In compensating for the insufficient natural supply 

 by artificial propagation and planting. 



Third— In extending the area for breeding and feeding, by 

 overcoming natural obstructions by means of fishways. 



If the anadromous fishes only entered our rivers tor the 

 purpose of spawning, and their progeny spent no part of their 

 life iu our fresh waters, then the increase which we could de- 

 termine bv artilieial propagation would be practically without 

 limit. The lishcnkiinst. in order to maintain supply, would 

 only have to produce the young fry in numbers siifiicieut. to 

 replace losses by capture or by casualty. 



As regards all the anadromous species., however, which are 

 the object of comiiieicia) fisheries, viz.: the salmonidae, the 

 shad, the herring or ale wife, etc.. it is necessary that the 

 young, after hatching, should remain for some time in our 

 fresh waters, feeding- and growing, and of course, finding the 

 uece ?s ary food in these waters. The extent of the breeding 

 and feeding area of any river basin is, therefore, necessarily 

 the measure of its possible productiveness. A giveu area, 

 when pressed to its maximum of production cannot provide 

 for more than a given number of individuals. The extension 

 of the area of production is, therefore, the rational means by 

 which we may determine permanent increased productiveness. 

 Hence arises the necessity tor tishwavs. which are. in short, 

 various constructions designed for the purpose of enabling dit- 

 ferent species of fish to surmount obstructiopswbich would be 

 otherwise impassable to them. , 



A rishway to be effective must fidfill certain conditions, 

 which .are clearly stated bv Mr. C. G. Atkins in an admirable 

 „.ticle on the subject of tishwavs, published in the annual re- 

 port of the United States Fish Commission for Wii— 73, as 

 follows: 



"Fust— It must be accessible; that is, the foot of the rishway 



;ust be so located that fish will readily find it. 



"Second— It must, discharge a sufficient volume of water to 

 attract Ssh to it. 



"Third— Tb.3 water must be. discharged with such moderate 

 velocity, that tish may easily enter and swim againt the cur- 



To the conditions above stated we may add: Fourth— The 

 route to be traveled bv the fish .should tie as short and as di- 

 rect as possible, and the floor of the fishway should simulate as 

 nearly as may be the bed of the stream. 



The first condition may be always fulfilled in the location, 

 by arranging so as to have, the discharge -of water from the 

 fishway- in aline with or iu the immediate vicinity of the ob- 

 struction. The seeoud condition is more embarrassing. The 

 larger the. volume of water discharged through the hshway 

 Khe hotter it will be. 



In theplans of fishwavs . in ' s.r. en iraoi throughout New 

 J. the volume of' the discharge is necessarily limited by 

 condition inherent in the constructions: is compelled to travel 

 a circuitous channel, and usually is delivered from the. fishway 

 in such a sluggish current that it offers no sufficient invitation 

 to the fish to enter and ascend it, As before stated, the diffi- 

 culty of a bmited capacity for water is inherent in all of these, 

 fishway constructions. 



The attention of fishculturists and fishway builders has been 

 heretofore chiefly directed to different devices for controlling 

 the velocity of the. water in the fishway. All these devices. 

 general forms: 



s the "step" or ''pool and full'' 

 down from its elevation by a 

 th intervening pools; the pools 

 .. .jinparison with the volume of 

 water entering them, as to bring it practically to rest after 

 each, drop, so Slat the whole volume of water is eventually 

 1 1 red from the lower end of the fishway, with no greater 

 acceleration than it obtains in falling from one pool to the 

 next. This form of fishway is very common iu England and 

 upon the Continent. I'ossible. some examples of such con- 

 structions may be found in the United States, but I have no 

 information of any. 



Second— In what Mr. Atkins terms inclined plane fishways, 

 the descent of the water is effect by a regular inclination of 

 the floor of the fishway. instead of by "steps" or "pools and 

 falls." 



In order to control the tendency of acceleration under the 

 action of gravity, the base of the incline is made very long in 

 proportion to the height, and by a series of alternating trans- 

 verse or oblique partitions, the water is constrained to follow 

 a narrow tortuous path with continual changes of direction; 

 the friction developed in its movement being sufficient to 

 overcome the tendency to acceleration. 



Of this second general form we have many examples in the 

 United State-, especially in New- England. The common rec- 

 tangular fishway. the Bracket*, the Foster, Pike's, Atkins's. 

 Swoy.ov's. Brewer's aud Roger's, are examples of the various 

 designs that have been employed, each differing in minor de- 

 tails of construction, but all belonging to a common system. 

 Most ol these forms muv be built either on an incline leading 

 straight down from The dam. or with a return section so as to 

 deliver the discharge from the fishway close, up to the foot of 

 -the dam, or they maybe built iu spiral form and boxed over 

 so as to be made secure against Hoods and ice. 

 The fishway of Mr. J. I). Brewer is peculiar in the fact that 



may be ref en 



First — In what i 

 fishway, the water 

 of short dr< 



r fall- 



being of such dimensions ii 



and i 



-■ tile t 



i has 



Ha 



jitccd 



the channel to be followed by the dsl 

 vated or framed in the floor of the incline 

 of masonry or strong timbers. The stre 

 tion being' such, it is presumed, as to pr 

 by floods or ice. The Roger's tishwav 

 dam, and boxed oyer the lower cud. die. 

 a line with the face of the dam. Tin 

 however, be applied to any of the form 

 tecs been proposed in several of them. 



The experience of fishway builder; 

 shown that for dams ten feet in height o 

 able to build the incline, wdth 



zig-zag groove exca- 

 which is built either 

 gth of the construe? 

 'ent its destruction 



s recessed into the 

 argurg the water on 



New England has 

 lore, it is not allow- 

 3 than oue foot hi 



twelve to sixteen, requiring a length of inebne of 140 feet for 



* This paper was read before the American Fishcultnral Associ- 

 ation at its last meeting, and its publication has been delayed i 

 the cuts nor. nor, made before. At the meeting Col. Mclinuald illus- 

 trated his paper upon the blacltboai'd. 



