114 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



victims. And last, though not least, he is good to look at 

 and good to eat. 



|v The most effective mode of fishing for bass has but 

 gradually developed itself, and even now leaves a great 

 deal to be desired. So many and acute are the bass that 

 no reliable method of taking them en masse by net has yet 

 been discovered, although many plans for catching them 

 in this way have been tried, and as millions of these fish 

 annually visit the British shores, an effectual means of 

 netting them still remains a grand desideratum. Trolling 

 for them in the open sea with the living sand eel was, until 

 very recently, considered the only method which could be 

 depended upon to catch them in any number; but of late 

 great improvements have been made in the artificial baits 

 used, and in the Field of July 15th, there is an article by a 

 welt known and authoritative writer— "Sarcelle" — descrip- 

 tive of fishing for shoaling bass with a new bait, which in- 

 duces me to believe that the inventive genius of man has 

 at length devised an artificial lure which has triumphed 

 over the caution and cunning of the bass. 



Many baits, living and dead, natural and artificial, have 

 been tried for bass with varying success. Of natural baits 

 the living sand eel is undoubtedly the most seductive, but 

 it is often difficult to obtain, even when most abundant. 

 The best way of putting it on the hook is to insert the lat- 

 ter at one corner of one eye and bring it out at the corner 

 of the other. This, if carefully done, will not hurt trie 

 eye or interfere with the liveliness of the fish. Another 

 mode is to enter the hook at the mouth and bring it out 

 through the throat. If living sand eels cannot be procured 

 but dead ones be obtainable, the latter may be rendered a 

 very good substitute for the former by inserting a thin, 

 sharp penknife under the skin, and cutting the backbone 

 thro.igh in three places. Thus treated a dead sand eel 

 will move in the water, if skillfully manipulated, just 

 like a living one. A dead bait is also used as a spinning 

 lure by entering the hook at the mouth and bringing it 

 out about an inch above the tail, the mouth being fastened 

 tight by a piece of thread. 1 am not naturalist enough to 

 say whether sand eels identical with or similar to those 

 which frequent European seas are to be found in Ameri 

 can waters; but if so, I have no doubt that they would be 

 found most effective baits, if used in the way I have en- 

 deavored lo describe. Soft and peeled crabs, the viscera 

 of newly caught pilchards, fresh squid (cuttle-fish), mud 

 worms, mussels, shrimps, and "lasks" cut out of mackerel 

 are also used as baits for bass . 



Artificial baits of various kinds are used for bass fishing, 

 and a few of them are as deadly in skillful hands as the 

 most approved natural ones. A pecu iar and at times a 

 very useful bait is made out of the skin of the bass itself. 

 "Bass skin baits" are made by cutting a long, wedge- 

 shaped piece of skin off the stomach of the bass with a 

 sharp pair of scissors. Properly played this bait has a 

 capital motion in the water, and will often kill very well. 

 Baits of similar shape are cutout of sole-skin, parchment, 

 gurnard skin, pork skin, and ray-skin. Of these the pork 

 and ray -skin baits are the best. The pork baits are cut 

 from their salted pork in wedge-shaped strips about four 

 inches long. They are kept from six to ten days in salt, 

 and subsequently about four days in fresh water, and are 

 thus made to assume a clear white hue. Ray-skin baits 

 are simply wedge shaped pieces of the skin of the ray 

 dried upon a board. Before immersions a ray skin bait is 

 a dull, dirty white in color; but after being a short time in 

 the w'ater it becomes of a beautiful pearly white, and 

 whether for use with the rod, or for trolling on the surface 

 at the end of a hand line, is a very useful lure. The most 

 cleanly, convenient and deadly baits, however, I have ever 

 used in sea fishing are Brooks's "silver launce" and Capt. 

 Tom's "spinning sand eel." The silver launce was iniro- 

 duced about f ur years ago by Messrs. 0. & R. Brooks, 

 (whom I have found, 1 may say, as reliable in fishing 

 tackle as Messrs. Tolley are in guns) of Stonthouse, Ply- 

 mouth, Eng. It is a long, narrow, bright spinner, running 

 upon the gut trail immediately above a triangle of hooks. 

 It is light and spins very freely, and is thus well adapted 

 for use with the rod. I have used it with success, both 

 from the shore and from a boat, for pollock, sea trout, 

 mackerel and bass. For whipping for mackerel from a 

 sailing boat it is particularly deadly, far more so, indeed, 

 than any other spinner I have ever tried. But my favorite 

 bait— the bait par excellence for bass— is Capt. Tom's spin- 

 ning sand eel. This eel is an India rubber bait, and was 

 invented by an officer belonging to Her Majesty's Royal 

 Marine Light Infantry. Born and brought up in one of 

 the finest bass districts to be found on the southern coast 

 of England, Capt. Tom early became acquainted with the 

 wary habits of the bass and with the baits, almost exclu- 

 sively natural, then u-ed in its capture. India rubber baits 

 were suggested years ago by diderent sportsmen, and were 

 introduced to the puhlic by various tackle manufacturers, 

 but they were all iailuies, more or less. Capt. Tom, how- 

 ever, took these crude devices in hand, and by dint of per- 

 severance and experiment, eventually perfected the artifi- 

 cial bait now known by his name. It is in my opinion by 

 far the best yet invented. Its spin in the water is most 

 life-like, and when skillfully cast with the rod it is, in the 

 words of its inventor, "simply irresistible." 1 have had 

 splendid sport with it on t^e English coast, and although 1 

 have had no opportunity of trying it with the rod on this 

 side of the Atlantic, 1 have lound it during the present and 

 preceding seasons to be just as deauly with the hand line 

 in American waters as it is in English seas. Tommy cod, 

 cod, pollock, mackerel, and even haddock run eagerly at 

 it, and I can hardly doubt its being found equally destruc- 

 tive with other kinds of fish frequenting the coasts of Can- 

 ada ana the United Stales. 



1 h*d intended to have added to this list of baits a de- 

 scription of my fir&t day's bass fishing at the Rame Head* 

 But the miserable demands of space require that a limit 

 should be put to this aiticle, and I have, therefore, but to 

 conclude with the hope that the information given may 

 turn out to be both interesting and useful to some of your 

 readers. Forest Aisle. 



»a noted rtsort of Dass on the Cornish coast. 



■ ■ . ' *** ■ " • - • " 



For Forest and Stream, 

 ON THE WILDERNESS T-RAIL. 



gome bright tin pans set up on edge to dry in the sun, 



at Bridgehampton, reflected the heat with such intensity as 

 to set. fire to the roof of a building upon which the reflected 

 rays wtre locusaed. 



-^The prairie sections of Southern Minnesota are fast 

 being covered with a forest growth since the stoppage of 

 prairie fires. Willows, wild apple, haael, oak and aspen 

 trees spring up spoaj 



THE number of business men and office clerks in this 

 city who persist in resting their brains and invigo- 

 rating their bodies by camping out for a few days or 

 weeks every summer in the magnificent wilderness of 

 from three to five thousand square miles within the bor- 

 ders of their own State is yearly increasing. A constantly- 

 increasing proportion of these are novices. It is not un- 

 usual to meet in the woods a party of four or more, not 

 one of whom has ever before enjoyed this sensible sort of 

 healthful recreation. For the benefit of such let me de- 

 scribe, with considerable detail not interesting, perhaps, to 

 the general reader, an excursion recently made by Mr. R. 

 B. Cable, of the Erie Railway Company, Augustus Rock- 

 well, artist, of Buffalo, and your correspondent. The 

 whole trip was carefully planned, and was so smoothly 

 successful in every particular that some minuteness in re- 

 cital,- for the information of beginners, may be excused by 

 old stagers. Making a pleasant, easy start by taking the 

 St. John, at 6 p. m. lor Albany, we breakfasted next 

 morning at the Delavan in time for the 9 a. m. train west, 

 which connected us with the noon train nor«h on the 

 Utica and Black River Railroad. We alighted (3:05 p. m.) 

 at Lowville, Lewis county, and in 13 minutes were off, bag 

 and baggage, for JSo. 4, 18 miles woodsward, in the besi 

 wagon lor rough travel I ever saw, and which Fenton, of 

 aforesaid numeral, had sent out for us, in charge of one, 

 Dan, a knowing driver, who reels off his miles to an eiglith 

 of a minute, and cannot be bullied, coaxed, or bribed to 

 vary his time table. His schedule made us due at No. 4 at 

 9 o'clock, and precisely 17 seconds to 9 he pulled up in 

 front of the Fenton House and let out three men hungry 

 enough to "eat a horse and chase the rider." This hotel is 

 pleasantly situated six miles within the wilderness, in a 

 large clearing, overlooks a pretty iake, commands an ex- 

 tended mountain view, is well kept, and is patronized a 

 eood deal by Syracuse folk. Its proprietor furnishes sup 

 plies except blankets and clothing, for camping parties at 

 fair prices, and is not unreasonable in his charges for 

 transporiation. 



JSext morning our mile-measuring prince of Jehus drove 

 us eleven miles further to the Stillwater (Beaver river), 

 over a road whose horrible condition three years ago sets 

 my bones aching to think of, but which now, by reason of 

 the hot, dry weather of this season, is in unusually good 

 order. Here Henry Burke provides meals and lodgings in 

 the log house formerly occupied by Wardwell, and here 

 we met our guides— Jack McGrath and Charley Carter — 

 with their boats in readiness for an immediate start up 

 Btaver river. We had sent Jack in a week previously to 

 select camoing ground and build shanties. He informed 

 us that he had never seen the water so low, and that we 

 had before us a very hard road to travel, but that unless 

 we faltered he should get us through in time to a place 

 that would please all concerned. So we rowed that after- 

 noon up the river about 10 miles to Burnt Lake Camp, 

 which we expected to find unoccupied, but which we 

 found in possession of a party of young gentlemen from 

 Syracuse, on their way_ out from Smith's lake. They 

 kmdly allowed us the use of their fire and table, and of a 

 spare teut cloth for roof to our bedroom on the outside of 

 their fireplace. The toils and delays of the aifficult navi- 

 gation prevented our getting further than the head of Al- 

 bany lake the next day. We passed the night in a snug 

 little baik shanty close to and facing the water, and within 

 sight of the old Partridge camp, occupied by thiee men 

 with their wives from Jefferson county. 



Next morning we crossed the "carry" and pushed up 

 into Smith's lake, a large, beautiful sheet of water 1,775 

 feet above tide, and guarded by a mountain 2,273 feet high, 

 and displaying one of Colvin's automatic self -reflecting 

 signals. Luncuing at Syracuse camp we crossed the lake, 

 worked up the inlet five or six miles, and called a halt 

 where the stream flows at the base of a high bank, crowded 

 with evergreens. The roots of a big tamarack formed a con- 

 venient landing place. We cleared off a spot on top of 

 the bank, stretched our rubber and oil cloths over a ridge 

 pole laid on crotches, boughed the ends, built a fire iu 

 front, made up our balsam and hemlock bed, and slept the 

 sleep of the tired and happ) . And that tabernacle shall 

 be known as Tamarack camp, for so we named it. 



The next day up the stream, through ponds and small 

 lakes, ana over a "carry" or two, to a iake aud a camp and 

 a sunset that compensated for all our fatigues, and made 

 us leel at home in Paradise. The artist saw certain atmos- 

 pheric effects over the lake and on the mountain side op 

 posite, iu the last rays of the setting sun, that he will 

 never forget. Cable was beside himself with delight over 

 the location, beauty, and picturesque surroundings of 

 "Camp Centennial," and the subscriber's cup of pleasure 

 was lull. Salmon lake is about three miles long and over 

 halt a mile in average widtn, and so framed in by wooded 

 hills and mountains as to maKe a charming picture. Our 

 camp was at the bottom of a little sheltered bay indenting 

 the western shore, had a densely wooded hill towering up 

 behind it, and a pleasant outlook over the lake. JSo words 

 at my command satisfy me in depicting such scenery, or 

 in expressing our enjoyment in this forest home. Every 

 day seeuied happier than its predecessor, every meal "the 

 best one yet," and we left it, when compelled to do so, 

 with extreme reluctance. The unusual lowness and 

 warmth of the waters had forced the speckled trout into 

 the hidden spring holes, but we had no trouble in procur- 

 ing what we needed for our table, including a few whop- 

 pers for the delectation and study of Rockwell, who had 

 commissions lor trout pictures irom Treasurer Shearman, 

 of the Erie Railway Company, and from Mr. W. W. 

 bnow, of Ramapo. He is painting for Mr. Cable, from an 

 oil sketch on the spot, a piciuie of our camp that, in its 

 general composition, main features, and minor accessories, 

 pleases me more than anything of the kind I have ever 

 seen, and I hope it may be placed in your office on exhibi- 

 tion when finished. He also made a fine stuuy of a couple 

 of lake trout, which, as they are taken trom the cool 

 depths, are almost as handsome as the speckled. We 

 caught only three, although we baited and fished almost 

 every morning and evening at a buoy we lound anchored 

 in fifty feet of water. It is the only method of taking 

 them late in the season, and is generally successful in these 

 lakes, which, the truth is, are being rapidly depleted of 

 trout by tne greedy and giacelebs scamps who illegally 

 gridiron them with kiet lines in the spring. We killed only 

 one deer, for that furnished ail the venison we wanted. 

 1 saw six others, three at one time. 

 I will not speak of ©»r slow and sad leave-taking of 



Camp Centennial. It was not a cheerful performance and 

 is not, in remembrance a sweet morsel to be rolled under 

 the tongue. Our journey back to the Stillwater was niacin 

 with more ease and in less time. Tramping and camoin* 

 braced us up so that we could double a "carrv" rimS? 



had 



a heavy load and call it sport. We noticed a great manv 

 fresh bear tracks on the banks of the Beaver river. It n n » 

 be that Bruin had been routed out of his haunts by dois 

 for the poor deer are being driven to death daily, in season 

 and out of season by baying hounds, in direct violation of 

 law. For instance, Bridge camp, Albany lake, was occupied 

 when we passed up, by six men from South Adams, Mass ' 

 three guides, and three hounds. A deer swam across Sal- 

 mon lake when I was fishing one morning before breakfast" 

 at the buoy, and soon the hounds on his track were heard 

 in the distance, and not long after two men and two dogs 

 were seen skirting the shore opposite our camp in search 

 of the trail. We had to sleep at Burnt Lake Camp on 

 our way out, next door to a party, arriving after we did 

 of four men and two dogs irom Evan's mills, Jefferson 

 county. I saw dogs at Burke's, and walking thence to No 

 4 met on the road two men and a hound, and further on a 

 hound and two men. Thus the deer and trout of this 

 great natural park are abandoned to the hounds and set 

 lines while the State Sportsman's Association, next to per- 

 fection in trap shooting, seems most intent upon enforcing 

 the game laws in the .New York refrigerators rather than 

 in the haunts of the living game, and the National Associa- 

 tion gives symptoms of "ceasing to exist or of being re- 

 duced to tbe mere skeleton of an organization without 

 vigor or usefulness." 



i will close by giving a copy of our supply list for five 

 men for twelve days, for the guidance of parties new 'othe 

 woods:— 12 pounds ham, 12 pounds bacon, 12 pounds 

 pork, 8 pounds butter, 10 pounds flour, 8 pounds corn 

 meal, half pound green tea, half pound black tea, 10 

 pounds granulated sugar, 10 pounds maple sugar, S pounds 

 Java coffee, 4 cans milk, 1 paper saleratus, 1 paper cream 

 tartar, 10 pounds mixed crackers and pilot bread, 8 dozen 

 eggs, 1 bushel potatoes, 2 quarts Ashton salt, 1 tiu box 

 pepper, 1 bar soap, 1 bottle mixed pickles, 1 dozen lemons, 

 1 dozen short adamantine candles, matches, etc. Uhere 

 are other things good to have in camp, as oatmeal, rice, 

 split peas, beans, dried fruit, jellies, etc., but to keep down 

 bulk and weight 1 should leave therm out. Every time I 

 go idto the woods I find myself inclined to take less than 

 i carried on the previous trip, both in the provision line 

 and in personal outfit. For the latter, all that is essential 

 in summer or early fall — besides the rough corduroy, duck 

 or cassimere suit and thick boots or shoes for daily wear- 

 is an old heavy overcoat, one pair thick pants, wooleu 

 socks and flannel body clothes, one pair large, coarse, sil- 

 ver grey blankets, rubber cioth or coat, a pair of wading 

 shoes or water-proof top boots ; and a pair of old shoes or 

 leather slippers. H. H. Thompson. 



CHENAUX ISLANDS 



For Forest and Stream. 

 AND MACKliSAC. 



THE situation of the Chenaux from the historic island 

 of Mackinac is between 15 and 20 miles northeast. 

 The Carp and Pine rivers are directly JSorth, and empty 

 into "St. Martins Bay," about the same distance from 

 Mackinac. 



There perhaps is not on this continent a locality em- 

 braced in the same number of square miles, that possesses 

 so much of interest, historically, piscatonally and ia 

 point of scenery, as that which 1 have endeavored to dis- 

 cribe. The old battle grounds, the old American Fort, 

 the landing ground of the British and a thousand and one 

 objects, all of which are, or ought to be objects of interest 

 to every true hearted American. These are all located on 

 what is known as Mackinac Islands in the strait of the 

 same name. The Chenaux group of islands are so beauti- 

 ful one feels while sailing among them that he is in a fairy 

 land almost. "The channels are in places between the 

 islands barely wide enough to admit a small tug, but deep 

 enough for a Cunarder, and such bass fishing! I believe I 

 counted in the clear cold water over 125. They take the 

 hook (trowling hook) with great vim, and are all "fighters 

 from the score," as gentlemen of the turf say. 



These Carp and Pine rivers are full of trout. A gentle- 

 man friend of mine caught in one afternoon's fishing 200 

 and odd, and the weather is so cool and bracing, fishing 

 instead of being a labor becomes as it ought a delightful 

 pastime. These places now for the first time are becoming 

 easy of access, and I would advise your readers who desire 

 to keep cool and "go fishing," to visit some of these 

 places. As for partridge, I am told they are extraordi- 

 narily plentiful and that gentlemen have bagged as many as 

 90 in a day's shooting. Fancy shooting 90 partridge, I 

 can hardly believe it, but a gentleman from St. Louis told 

 me he was only waiting for a friend to meet him and he 

 would take me to Bois Blane, and convince me. I could 

 not wait as my business was such as to take me home be- 

 fore they st ar ted. 



About a month since Mr. Geo. H., of the firm of H. &W., 

 asked me to join in an e>cursion to Mackinac. I told him 

 he could count Mrs. C. and I in for it, and though we did 

 not get a s large an excursion as we at first anticipated, yet 

 in point of fun and true enjoyment, I think it was the big- 

 gest excursion that has been taken this summer. The fol- 

 lowing are the names of the party: Mr. and Mrs. Geo. H.., 

 Capt. William N. H., aged six years, Mrs. C. and your 

 humble servant. We started from Detroit in one of* the 

 "Anchor line" of steamers, the Japan, which is sailed ^" tl 

 provisioned in "ship shape and Bristol fashion." The 

 steamers of this line are built of iron, and of about 1,0UU 

 tons burden. Our trip up the Detroit and Kiver St. Clair, 

 through the new canal over the St. Clair flats, (once the 

 great duck ground of the State,) thence up Lake Huron to 

 Mackinac Island, was very charming indeed. , , 



Mr. H. enjoys the reputation among our community oi 

 being at once a gentleman, a lover of a dog, gun, and reel, 

 and 1 can say with all candor, that in qualities that go to 

 make a man agreeable, he certainly exceis— up in all manly 

 sports, full of vim, and withal a thorough business man. 

 This is the gentleman whom I accompanied to Mackinac, 

 and if I were to detail all the hair-breadth escapes, and ail 

 the fun we had, you'd have to have more capital subscribed 

 to the dear old Forest and Stream, that it could be en- 

 larged to contain the description. George informed me 

 en route up, that he knew nothing about canoeing. Many 

 years since I visited Mackinac, and at that time there were 

 very many canoes on the beach, and I fancied there w ? ul 

 be on our arrival. When he told me he knew nothing about 

 navigating a canoe, I had an inward feeling of satisfaction. 



