290 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



and strand ed'at last in this rough corner. You will meet 

 anglers often enough who will say, "Oh! I have been to 

 the Beaverkill," or, "I have fished the Neversink;" who 

 will find it hard to associate the streams they know with 

 log cabins, rough clearings, gnats, flies, and all the other 

 peculiar characteristics of a backwoods settlement; but 

 they have seen only the lower portion of the streams, and 

 know nothing of the thousand beauties of mountain and 

 forest, amid which they have their birthplace. Year after 

 year I have visited them, stopping often with my old 

 friend Bailey Beers on the Neversmk, or else asking a 

 lodging, which was always gladly given from Maybin of 

 the West branch, or honest Pat Lake on the Beaverkill, or, 

 sometimes, and this is best of all, making my bed of fra- 

 grant balsam boughs, and with a fire at my feet, sleeping 

 as soundly as if in a bed of softest down, miles from the 

 nearest habitation of men. 



I have fished the Beaverkill, the JSTeversinks, the Big 

 Indian, from where they were mere mountain springs 

 that I could dam with a hand, and their eddies, holes, 

 and shingly rifts are as familiar to me as the crossings of 

 Broadway. Many streams there are where the trout are 

 larger and more plenty, where the mountains tower more* 

 grandly upward, and the wilderness spreads in denser 

 solitudes about, and I hope to make my summer camp on 

 many such; but nowhere are there clearer, colder waters 

 or more lovely valleys than amid the birch-clad Catskills, 

 and many a veteran angler recalls, with a well-remembered 

 thrill, his first cast on an Ulster or Sullivan trout brook. 



The glory of these streams has departed, it is to be 

 feared, forever; but even now the angler who possesses 

 patience, some degree of skill, and the strength to wade 

 all day on slippery rocks, knee deep in a torrent of icy 

 waters, will be amply rewarded for his toil. 



Such is the best natural trout country in the State, and 

 perhaps in the world, where every valley contains a river, 

 and every river contains, or did contain, abundance of 

 fish; the numbers that have been taken from its waters are 

 beyond the power of computation, but they are rapidly 

 becoming extinct, and there is no chance of their lasting 

 many years longer unless the people can be compelled to 

 desist from pursuing them in season and out, with all the 

 appliances and means the ingenuity of man can invent for 

 their destruction. 



Some help was once looked for from the Fish Commis- 

 sioners of the State, but these learned gentlemen seem to 

 have been expending their energies on some undiscovered 

 country, and excepting the single instance of the shad the 

 results of their labors have been so far imperceptible. An 

 occasional article will appear in the papers stating that so 

 many thousand salmon had been placed in the Oswego, or 

 Crooked lake, or the Erie Canal, but the salmon seem to 

 keep out of the way subsequently with remarkable success; 

 perhaps the pickerel and perch of these favored streams 

 or ponds could tell us something of their whereabouts. A 

 few more years, however, may develop the idea that cer- 

 tain kinds of water are adapted to certain varieties of fish, 

 and that the salmon and perch families dwell together only 

 on the terms of the lion and the lamb, one within the 

 other. Walter S. Allerton. 



\ 



GROUPER FISHING 



For Forest and Stream, 

 AT SARASOTA. 



r HILE I had been enjoying myself so extensively 

 with the deer, it may be remembered that Mr. 

 Woodruff was trying his luck with the redfish, but it seems 

 that I had all the luck there was about the place that morn- 

 ing, for he caught no redfish at all, only one salt water trout 

 and four of five bone fish, or as they are contemptuously 

 called by the coasters, "carrahoes." They are a very slim 

 built fish, about twenty inches long with a very large eye, 

 mackerel like tail, and such a supply of bones as to make 

 them worthless for anything except bait and guano. Very 

 large schools often come in from the gulf. I condoled with 

 him for his want of success, and it was decided that I 

 should go with him the next morning just to break the 

 luck. 



Accordingly the next morning soon after breakfast we 

 took my skiff and pulled over to the island. The first 

 thing in order was to procure bait. Mullet is the handiest 

 and quite as good as anything, all things considered. Ev- 

 ery one who has fished in Florida waters know that they are 

 the fish of the country, being quite the equal of the mack- 

 erel when they are fat, but they do not take bait readily, 

 and are caught for home consumption with a cast net. And 

 by-the-way, the same cast net is almost an indispensable 

 Florida institution, for I have never seen one in use furth- 

 er north than South Carolina. I don't see how a man 

 could live on the|coast here without one; they are an ab- 

 solute necessity, and I should think would prove valuable 

 in some waters at the forth. I often saw the need of one 

 while on this cruise, and would never start again without 

 one. Mr. Woodruff had a good one, and as he is an ex- 

 pert in throwing it, we soon had a large mullet flopping 

 in the skiff. They are too poor at this season for table use, 

 but from September until after spawing, in November and 

 December, they are usually so fat as to yield enough grease 

 to fry themselves in. I proposed that instead of trying 

 our luck at redfish, with very likely the same success he 

 met with yesterday, we should pull out into the channel 

 and see if we couldn't find where the groupers were. Mr. 

 W. informed me that he did not think a single grouper 

 had been caught in the channel since I left, seven years be- 

 fore. He had directed several of the new settlers where to 

 go, but they never caught one, and he believed they must 



have left ; perhaps the sand had washed over the rocky 

 bottom they used to frequent so as to cover it. This was 

 not very encouraging news, certainly, but I insisted that we 

 try them awhile anyhow, and if they would not bite we 

 would fall back on the redfish as originally planned. 



When Hived here I had the bearings of the ledge in the 

 channel from a snag which was stranded on one of the 

 shoals; but this was gone, so there was no recourse but to 

 hunt it out. Did any of my unscientific readers ever sur- 

 mise that the position of certain kinds of rocks can be dis- 

 covered in quite deep water by the sound they make? The 

 first time I was told to look for the grouper ground, by list- 

 ening for the rocks on the bottom, I thought my informant 

 was trying to guy me, or that if a noise was heard it must 

 be from the barnacles on the bottom of the boat instead of 

 the bottom of the channel. But he was right about it, and 

 it was in this way that we proceeded to find the spot. I 

 pulled out into _ the channel and towards the main land. 

 About every hundred yards I would rest on my oars, and 

 placing my head as near the bottom of the skiff as was 

 convenient, would listen intently. This must have been 

 repeated seven or eight times, and we were fearing that we 

 had chanced to pass on one side of the rocks, when my 

 ears were greeted with the well remembered sharp crackle. 

 Mr. Woodruff could also hear them plainly while sitting 

 up erect. If the rocks were on the feed so briskly the fish 

 ought to be in the same mood; so over went the killock, 

 and we swung around to the tide, which was coming in 

 fast. Now, to know the best or worst will take but a very 

 few minutes. Mr. W. was the first to wet his line, as I had 

 to assist my little son with his gear; but I was soon with 

 him, and what was more to the purpose, I had the first re- 

 sponse from below, which turned out to come from a fine 

 red grouper that would weigh from six to eight pounds. 

 The fish had not all left, that was sure, and for an inside 

 fish this was a large one. Seven years ago I seldom caught 

 one here in the channel of over live pounds. If larger fish 

 were wanted they could - be caught in any quantity a few 

 miles outside. Before I had got my line ready for another 

 cast my little boy heard from the depths. He laid back to 

 it, like a plucky little fellow as he is, but the line was cut- 

 ting through his fingers in spite of his efforts, and I told 

 him to let go. The line was fast to a tholepin, and what- 

 ever was on the hook was brought up all standing for a mo- 

 ment, and then something seemed to give way down be- 

 low. On pulling in the line the hook was found to be 

 nearly as straight as a needle. A shark likes mullet bet- 

 ter than any other food, and probably one had taken hold 

 of this piece. I formerly lost two hooks to them for every 

 three fish caught. Mr. W. now began pulling in line in an 

 excited manner. "He is a big one, Major;" and so he was, 

 a fine black grouper of ten pounds. The black groupers 

 are slimmer built than tbe red, being shaped a little like a 

 codfish. The red grouper is a very handsome fish when 

 first taken from the water. The inside of tfoe mouth is 

 the most brilliant scarlet. As to the flesh tastes differ; 

 some prefer the black, others the red. Either are good 

 enough for me, and whichever I happen to have at, the 

 time is the best. They are never poor, always fat, and the 

 head and shoulders make the richest stew or chowder of 

 any fish 1 know of either in northern or southern waters. 

 The sport continued lively for half or three-quarters of an 

 hour during which we caught eleven red and two black 

 groupers. Three small sharks from three to four feet long 

 were brought up alongside, and after plunging a sheath 

 knife through them until they were quiet and docile, were 

 allowed to drift away with the tide. We had already more 

 fish than we needed for our own use, but Mr. W. was too 

 much elated and excited with our success to think of quit- 

 ting as long as fish would bite and our bait lasted. There 

 were plenty of neighbors who would be glad of a fine 

 grouper for their dinner, and with that thought to appease 

 conscience we kept on fishing. Indeed, I didn't need much 

 urging, when I saw that the fish would not spoil on our 

 hands.' We waited for half an hour without a bite, and 

 then decided to change our location a few yards further to- 

 wards mid channel. Perhaps we had caught all there were 

 in this hole in the rocks. There was just the same depth 

 of water at the new place as at the last— three fathoms— 

 and the rocks were crackling away quite as lively. My 

 hook had barely reached bottom when something seized it. 

 It was not taken just as a grouper bites, and yet as I pulled 

 it came towards me much as a heavy fish of that kind does 

 at the start. I thought I had got a twenty-pounder, when 

 all at once the line stopped coming in as suddenly, as 

 though the hook had caught on a rock. This seemed rath- 

 er mysterious, but there was not more- than a second or so 

 of time to think out an explanation, when there came a 

 surge upon the line which no strength which I could ex- 

 ert seemed to retard in the least degree. I must either let 

 the line slip at lightning speed through my hands, or fol 

 low it overboard. I had no fancy for the latter, as this new 

 development of power showed there must be a shark of 

 unusual size on the hook, whom I did not care to interview 

 in his own element, at least not in three fathoms of water. 

 Before I had lost over three fathoms of line, which, by-the- 

 wav was a brand new coddling and very strong, I managed to 



J f i*. *.*r\nr\i\ ft thnlpnin anA „ T l ** 



get a turn ot 



it around a tholepin, and when the boat 



e upon the cable towards him, the extra strain brought 

 him so near the sur lace that we made him out plainly; and 

 he was a monster for these waters truly, for I know I am 

 within bounds when I put his length at twelve feet, al- 

 though I honestly think fifteen nearer the mark; but times 

 were°iust a little exciting at that moment, audi would not 

 like ^exaggerate, or even knowingly throw myself open to 

 the suspicion of doing so for no one shark, more especially 



as I have picked up teeth at Sarasoto partly fosilized 

 which a competent naturalist assured me came from a true 

 shark much over a hundred feet long. We will let thern 

 tell the big stories. As this one surged over on his side at 

 the surface I razed the sheath knife to cut the line, as I 

 feared he would either pull the skiff under, or capsize us, 

 as we now had a pretty good load in for so small«a craft, 

 but the instant before the knife touched the line something 

 gave way, much to my delight, I assure you. On pulling 

 in I found the hook had broken squarely in the bend ; but 

 I felt perfectly satisfied with it, and don't want any strong- 

 er hook for grouper fishing from a light skiff where large 

 sharks are liable to take a hand. I don't remember that I 

 ever was quite so well pleased at having a hook break be- 

 fore. 



After the excitement had subsided we got at the grouper 

 again and took six more before our one mullet was ex- 

 hausted as bait. Twice during that time our attention was 

 attracted by the back fin of a very large black shark, 

 which cruised around us only a few fathoms away. Of 

 course we could not know it to be the same one, but he 

 certainly acted, with the help of a very little imagination 

 on our part, as though he didn't like things in that vicinity 

 and considered himself ill used. We tried by hallooing 

 at him, splashing the water and rattling the oars, to fright- 

 en him away, but with doubtful success. He left when he 

 got ready, and we left when our bait was used up. But 

 our boat was a sight worth seeing, either by a sportsman 

 or an artist, for the colors of both kinds of groupers are 

 very brilliant when first taken from the water, and our's 

 were grouped together upon broad palmetto leaves, which 

 we had taken along to shelter them from the sun. I 

 doubt if such a fine collection had ever been seen, and we 

 could not refrain from sending to the nearest neighbors 

 and inviting them over to take a look before we unloaded 

 and weighed. The score lead off with two beauties, which 

 looked perfectly alike, at 15 pounds— 30; then one at 14; 

 three at 12—36; two at 111—23; four at 10—40; three at 8 

 —24. two at 6—12; two at 5—10. Total, nineteen fish, 189 

 pounds, or averaging nearly 10 pounds each. Bear in mind 

 that this is "inside" fishing, done a little less than a mile 

 from the main land, over two miles inside the outer bar, 

 and quite close to islands so completely protected from 

 rough weather that it is safe to visit it at any time in a 

 small boat. By taking a boat of suitable size for outuide 

 work and running out until you just sink the land, much 

 larger fish can be taken, and a boat can be loaded down in 

 an hour. The large smacks which fish for the Havana 

 market often take in a full load in two days. Fish which 

 weigh under ten pounds are seldom caught, and must weigh 

 at least that to be considered a "counter." But that out- 

 side fishing rapidly degenerates from sport to downright 

 hard work. Instead of pulling a ten or twelve-pounder 

 up through three fathoms of water, here it is on an aver- 

 age a twenty-five pounder, and the depth from fifteen to 

 twenty fathoms. Finger stalls are needed, and certainly 

 there is no sport in having a big Jewfish, or "warsaw," as 

 they are sometimes called, lay hold of your grouper just 

 as you have got him well started on his upward journey. 

 The Jewfish weigh from two hundred pounds upward, and 

 seem to be attracted by the fluttering the grouper makes 

 when he is first hooked, and take him in. They are a great 

 annoyance to the snapper fishermen from Pensacola. One 

 was recently caught and brought into part weighing 250 

 pounds, which had just taken six seven-pound snappers; 

 they were all in his maw with the hooks in their mouths. 



Major Sarasota. 

 ~**«~ 



THE GAME AND FISH OF MISSISSIPPI^ 



=1 ♦ . « 



^ Vicksburg, Miss., Nov. 20th. 



Editor Forest and Stream:— 



I have never seen mention in your paper of this part of 

 the country as a place where fish and game abound, and 

 yet there are localities not far from here which are unex- 

 celled in these particulars. There is a region of country 

 lying north of the Yazoo river and east of the Mississippi, 

 known as the Deer Creek and Sunflower country, in which 

 such game as ducks, turkeys, deer and bear are abundant, 

 and in the rivers and lakes of which there is no reasonable 

 limit to fish. The Sunflower river is a tributary of the 

 Yazoo which latter finds an outlet into the Mississippi, 

 fifteen' miles above this place. For ten miles above its 

 mouth it is dead water, when what is known as Oliphant's 

 bar sets in, making navigation even to the smallest sized 

 steamers quite diflicult in low water. Perhaps fifty miles 

 above the mouth are the Mussel Shoals, where mussels 

 abound by the million, and where the river spreads out 

 over so broad a surface in proportion to its volume, that 

 all boats at this season of the year are compelled to pull 

 over with cable and capstan. In other, and, indeed, most 

 all places, the stream is so narrow and crooked, and full of 

 logs and driftwood, that in many places a boat will not 

 average over two or three miles an hour. In every direc- 

 tion are lowlands. The territory is almost a dead level, 

 and during floods in the Father of Waters it all goes under. 

 In the year 1867, it is supposed not a foot was uncovered, 

 except the mounds which abound hereabouts. The river 

 rises near the northern part of the State, and runs parallel 

 with the Mississippi about fifty miles to the east of it, acd 

 ^passes through as fertile lands as any under the sun. They 

 do not overflow as readily as those nearer the great river, 

 and were they not so difficult of access would be much 

 more valuable. Settlements are mostly on the river front, 

 or cross lagoons and bayous, but they are not numerous any- 

 where, and there are many places where a man could travel 



* days at a stretch, on foot, and noj see a human habitation. 



