266 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[NOTKMBBR 4, 1880. 



§ea md giver fishing. 



FISH JIV SEASOIV IIV NOVEItlllEB. 



PHESH -WATER. 



I '^1 ■ Bass, Micraptenia. 



(Two 

 <TWO 



^i fitiinatilii. 

 f >> lineatits. 

 f ckrynops. 



mm, PhtynKiriitUinriuhn 



SALT WATBK. 



I Sea " Trout," Ctfnmcyon caToliimt- 



5!;"'i- i.Tiiiii . ;.. Minlinrruti limr- 



■ . LioiioiuMs ob- 

 ! Channel Bass, ; 



1/ umtiilattu 

 <ii sulUitrix. 

 ^ Ci/lium 7/ii 



FISHING AT BELLE EWART. 



\ "VT'^W. let me try your geographical knowledge, jast a 

 ^ JlM little. Do you kuow where Belle Ewart is? Of 

 course you don't, su I niighl: have .spared myself the trouhle 

 of put l.ing llie question, and you the humiliation of allowing 

 you don't know everv hole und corner in the universe and 

 everywhere else. Ino. It isn't one of tliose backwoods 

 places that's never heunl of beyond the nearest toll-gate. A 

 few years ago its buildtJig lots sold by auction ; saw-mills 

 were in operation ; lumber'was shipped (by rail) to Builalo, 

 Albany, New York, etc.; it Lad a daily steamboat, a marine 

 dock, and was the terminus of a railroad. In those da_vs il 

 w.as n place, and vuu should \mv<- seen it in its prosperity. 

 There were life, and Hpurt, tind mouey Ihere Uieri ; and good 

 fellfiws who knew how lo earn and spend tlie last and enjoy 

 the other two. Deer were found in its vicinity ; at the marsh, 

 a few miles off, ducks were plentiful in their season ; wood- 

 cock were not unknown, and it Was Just the place for par- 

 tridge. But now it is a very quiet place, just the spot for 

 those wlio wish to enter upon deep studies without the fear 

 of being disturbed by railroad or steamljoat whistles, the buzz 

 and jarring of the saw-mills, the shouts and .-C'ligs of the 

 lumbermen, or any other real noise. Kow. I see yc^u're in a 

 Hurry and wish to hear where Belle Ix julh is situated, and 

 w liat has wrought such a sad change in her history. Eomtez 

 V0IJ.1. J.isten. Just cast yom- eye northwai'd along tlie N. 

 li. R. from Tonmto till Lef roy catches it or yoiu- eye catches 

 Lefroy, a station .52 miles from the place of beginning, as 

 sm-vej-ors say. Well, Belle Ewart lies about one mile to the 

 north of that", on the shore of one of tliosr iH-aiuiful bays for 

 which Lake Simeoe is .so famous. That's wh^-iv il i< *Now 

 let me tell you what killed it. The ?v,rthL-m Railroad 

 originally had its Lake Simcoe terminus Jierf ; tlie steamer 

 met the moruizig train and conveyed the passengers lo Barrie, 

 Orillia and other i)oints. In course of time it was decided to 

 contmue the road around the %vestern exlroiaily I'f the lake 

 hi Barrie ;md Orillia, and subsequently ai i.-v ni" X.nrriws 

 between Lakes Simcoe and Couchickiutr !i, I'm, J ir^imse, 

 for "Wipe yom- chin") to Gravenhmsi. ..il.i Muskiilai. 

 So Belle Ewart wasn't "wanted" any more Ijy me railroad; 

 the rails were removed from the track, and the embryo town 

 was left to its o-nm reso\n-ees, al a lime when il eouldii'l "go 

 it alone.'' In .short, the raikoad brought the place hito exist- 

 ence — gave il life: and the raUroad has lijUed it — virtually 

 destrovtd its own offspring. Consequently the inhabitants 

 don't much inhabit it now, and those that are left — well, 

 don't liless the railroad. {PaivnthmU.) Tlie lUidt.Tsigned 

 has hopes that the spot may yet return to its natural state 

 again, and that at no very distant future it may be his 

 "happy hunting grounds." 



You and your readcrg may ask, AVhal has all this to do 

 with fishing? Pray, drm't'lie iiii|jatient ; there's always a 

 good deal to be seen ;d'trr, \vben a |)artv of seven citizens 

 (beg iiardon. subji-.-ts i are about to start on" a week's fishing, 

 jniles from Uome'an.l all they love. And is it not a fact that 

 all authors have a preiuee <ji' prelude lo their works, while a 

 good many interludes are generally dovetailed in to add inter- 

 est to the tales? 



Not to keep you and your patrons (I hope tliey are aU pay- 

 ing ones — interlude No. Ij longer in suspen.se, to my flahlng. 

 After preliminary arrangements. Messrs. P. -and W". 11., Ml'. 

 Mac L. and yom' corres]ii indent took the Northern one Tues- 

 day moruinL'. in the bet;inning of this present month of July, 

 \m), for Lefroy, thence to Belle Eu'art by stage. As ]\[r. E. 

 was to jom us at Aurora. ;iud ilessrs.' M. aii'l K. at New- 

 market, we took si.x rods, the necessary Iioi'ts and liu-.s, min- 

 ting nets, and enough worms to suffice for a 

 Om- three frientis put in an appearance ac- 

 1'. and then seven as ''jolly good fellows" 

 'em :vtishing. Accorduig to universal cus- 

 iceasioua. eveiy man had to get it new name, de- 

 ine trait of diaraeteror appeananee or detieieney. 

 d by o\)r French ctmpagnim E. Poig.si.n, liecause 

 _■ te;it he had accomplished a few days before, 

 t ol' a boat into the natural dwelling place of 

 •ause of bis genial tm-n, just got Billy Boy. 

 ^ijgnomeu. took Priitie. K., who was from 

 account of his eloquence and philosophical 

 eeived Demosllienes : :ind as he had confessed 

 that he bad traveled at all hours from the Battery to IfWth 

 street without ever having hooked a fish, was ad i . ! 

 Ids luck in a tub. E., in consequence of his ni- 

 La OrmundlU), while because of his dirainntivi i: 

 jective p«i!"ff "vCas interpolated bet ween the urtii.l 

 and thus he hactvavi La jutitr h'/-/-no'til&\ the liiili n _ 

 avoirdupois is bound to turn the be.am at eoii<ii: 

 200i Mac L. got simply Mac. Your correspondeni i:, iru 

 the pristine gravity of hia demeanor and the solemnity of his 

 (.■aimtenance, waff permitted to retain his time-honored title 

 ol Dciicon. 



In the midst of yjw- jubilee the ear-d'ior was opened and 

 "Lefroy" .shouted by a brakesman, fturselves and impedi- 

 ments were soon oil the train on the platform, iitid tlie stage 

 inquired for; this was an open spring wagon, by no means 

 uucond'ortable, but more than one-half too small for the pas- 

 sengers offering. 



Just as we were about to start three yoimg men, probably 

 clerks or students, approached and asked the driver what be 

 would charge to take them and their equipage, consistiug of a 



■J pro 



mouth's 1 

 cording i^ 

 were we : 

 torn on sueli 

 rived from ' 

 P. was dubt 

 of a rein:irkal 

 tiVlumblinL' r 

 fishes. W.. b 

 31., from his 

 New Y(..rk. o 

 observation; 



faeioTy cotton tent, trunk, and some other fixings, to the vil- 

 lage. "Thirty ceiUs," replied the man. " Thirty cents !" 

 .screamed the spokesman with horror; "I'll give you twenty." 

 rresently he ascended to a quarter, and there "to'ik a fiVm 

 stand; it was declined, however, and the tliirty cents had tu 

 be given. "I can't take you on now," said Jehu' "but wdl be 

 back lor yiin in a few minutes." Accordingly, after leaving 

 us at the hotel, he returned that mile for his t'hirty-cenl fm'e. 

 We liad ordered diimer to lie ready on otir arrival a da}' or 

 tT... nle'-ni, •■■,,). us jYom this circumstance we had been 

 ! I -!' : ■ ^.'Uipwhat loney, extra' preparations had doubt- 



!■ - iM, The food was plain and substantial, and the 



!n;!L'ei in -, l.:.-b it Wiis served, as well as evervthiUL'' about 

 the place, evidenced the greatest care and cleanlines.s. Pres- 

 ently the stage retm'ned" with the three yomig bloods, who 

 were evidently lient uiinn having a good time at as little out- 

 lay as possilile. No sooner were their effects out of the stage 

 than the ireneral manager asked Mr. Baker, who was stage- 

 driver and liolel-keeper all in one, what would he let them 

 have a boat for a week foi'. "Three dollars," was the reply. 

 "C'aii'tgivethatmuch,".said Ihe manager, and "must tlierefore 

 try to hire one somewhere el.^e. " .As he was wa I kin a: off, 

 "Won't you take dinner;" .savs Mr. B. "How much will 

 you ch-arge?" "Twenty-live cents e;ich. ' "That's too 

 much,'" and olT he went. Shortly after, himself and his com- 

 panions started for an island some two or tliree miles off in a 

 hybrid, partaking somewhat of tlie charaetcr of a punt, raft 

 and wash-tub, which he had obtained for two dollars for a 

 week, ca.sh down, the owner doiilitless concluding that if he 

 never stiw the craft again he would, nevertheless, be the 

 gamer by about 81.93. 



" All aboard," was shouted along our line as each man took 

 up his apportioned load of tackle, worms, or bottles (to put 

 any rare fish we might capture in), or limch, and filed down 

 the almost deserted village lo the wharf. One man com- 

 posed the entire crew of the safe and lively little vessel, 

 but the landlord's son-in-law tied his skiff to the yacht's 

 stern, and accompanied us. He proved a useful and obliging 

 fellow. When we had sailed some five miles in a cerlain di- 

 rection, all eyes were searching for the buoy which denotes a 

 shoal. At last we approached it, when it was foimd to be 

 nought but a bare pole painted black, standing up out of the 

 water. As that was the place for fishing, our' useless iTolling 

 lines were hauled in, hooks temptingly baited with gentiine 

 Toronio worms, and every man was anxiously waitinc for a 

 bob of his float or a tug ;it Ids line. "Who'll catch the first 

 fish?" cried Demosthenes. "Take lo yoiu tub." w;is the re- 

 joinder, to the merriment o{ the party, while each one was 

 doing his best to land the first liass on'the deck. 



"Pve got one!" yelled La Grenouille; "The first fish. 

 What 3'ou siiy to tha't, eh, Pois.son, Billy Boy?" iis \vc all 

 threw down our rods and made toward him. "Take care, or 

 you'll lose him," quietly observed Pratie. "No fear, I've got 

 iiini tight. I'll show you how to catch tlie first fish," and he 

 raisedlhe bass from the water, in an attempt to land him. 

 But that was a wdly fish. He gave a knowing wink with his 

 left eye, shook his liead, twisted his tail, doubled himself up, 

 and -with a sjiring looaeneil the lioiik from his jaw and took a 

 dive. ■' J'lirbliii':" cried 0., with a nalional .shrug of the 

 shoulders as he peered in bewilderment over the sitle of the 

 vessel. "He's gone. That was a big fisli." "About a 

 ]30imd liass," was slowly and solemnly drawn out by the 

 Deacon. "What you say.' I'll poimJ .you, you .sandinio- 

 nioiis devil you, if you preach such lies .is Ihat." AUrelm'ued 

 to I heir rods in different parts of the yacht, while for the next 

 quarter of an hour, "I've got him," " I'll show 3'ou how to 

 catch the fir,st fish," "Parbleu," "I'll pound you," resounded 

 from every quarter, accompanied by a generiil horse laugh by 

 way of chorus. 



■"• I've got another,'' exclaimed &., and looking around, we 

 saw Ids line taut, rotl-tip bending as though it wanted to kiss 

 the ripples, and heard Ihe click of the reel as G. was letting 

 tlie scooting one take line. As our presence laid not assisted 

 hiiii imitcrially lo secure his first hooked fish, we all kept our 

 places and lei' liim attend to his own business. Presently he 

 bfg;aii to wind in : but a wriggle, aiidoft' went the bass again. 

 This WHS reoealed several times, till finally O.. overcoming 

 til,. ..in..jni-^". f Th.- 'l-n.T lii|e,i iiini Iriumphaiilly out of the 

 V. ■:'■ • ■■ ■' ■ '. ■■ '•■ ■ .' : :iiie anyhow," Said G., 



,•, i,,L ;:■-- . -■:^.^ .1 I.--. wlKile countcnanee. 



r:i.'.ir.\:i:ii-y I I- I.,--., -ii-ih'.. •!,,■ i,,lir:,il, :md -Willi a double 

 and yliake III the head, it jerked out the hook and plun.^ed 

 into Ihe deep, to the cousteniation of G., who, gazing alter 

 his lost one, exclaimed in bitter accents: "Mon Dim ! hut 

 that was one (/'■'" ^ ' ■ ' ''ig, wicked fish." "Another 

 pounder," slow!'. ' Deacon. " What you say, 



you saint, you 'r l !ish bend m\' rod like that 



onedid'i"'' "Oh, . y; the two hundred and filly 



at the butt end." w.is ilu- citul ic\Ay. This brought down the 

 house. G., e.\asperaied at the lo.ss of his fish, a"nd maddened 

 by the jeers of his r'rm/«ir/it"n.-> de enj/age, put for the Deacon, 

 whom he soon captured, amid a universal yell of "Pve got 

 himl" "Ishow you how to catch the first fish!" Takiuii 

 Inm by the collaK he .shook him prclly lively, till lie publicly 

 confessed that the lost bass watiiiH a puuilder after all, and 

 with this G. was appeased — so little does it lake to satisfy 



.some jieople. 



After a wliili/ " I've got another!" came from G. To make 

 amends fi / !■ lui i iijin.vances, the Deacon went to Ms assist- 

 ance, ai:d : I ; -. ;i two-jiounder. So. after all his mis- 



ha[is, G. a. ... :.■. ,lm:i:i, the first fi.sh. 



Havins s|ieni more ih.in an hour on thin "celebrated" shoal, 

 with a total catch of half a dozen lia.ss, anchor was weiaiied, 

 and another "splemhd" i>lac(- alioni half a mile oil tried 

 with even worse luck. "There's fine fwliing to the lee of 

 Fos Island," remarked Pratie. " I've had capital aijort there." 

 So away we sailed to the iJJace indicated, but the de'il a fish 

 was there. "Upuctu-lhc lighthouse is a good point." said 

 he son-in-hiw. and off we went, with our usual luck. " Let's 

 ]-,- Ihe ^ihoal le, llie south; ihai ouglil to be a good place." 

 .''siTVed Ihe same |.arls-, who was realU- desirous that we 

 -hMuld eiiiov om-^eive.. ■ I. '0,1, l,ni . , ,,,.„•:,.,■ of ;m lior 



■uyn 



■... concluded 

 i.adif for Big 

 "iriu.st be a- 



,>.-! .)!■ so was 



we ha<l cleaned e.,,, i:,, i 

 Cedar Point,, which the -an, i j ;ir 

 good place with ibis wind.' H ■ 

 added to our .sloek, luid aboiii a ■ ■, i ;■ h from two to 

 eight ounces taken. Al first there .-^eemeo a promise ot some 

 fiin. and the caiitidn and whole crew rigged up tackle and 

 joined in. Prescnily the .son-in-law went ashore to set a stone 

 for an anclior for llic skiff, and while on the way captrued a 

 young gromid hog sivimming from one point to another across 

 a slidit'iiidentiition in the land. Lifting him on board by the 

 cauilal appendage, he made us staud round by hia show of 

 pluck, not one in the crowd daring to tread on his tall. He 

 was brought to the city on our retiun, and now adorns Harry 



Piper's museum as the Belle Ewart giizzly. Pralie and the 

 son-in-law went olT in the skill aboui iiquarterof a mile west, 

 where they caught a half-pound bass and a few perch. Tlie 

 wind dying ;iway, they were called on board, and we sped for 

 I he vilhigc. I r^ iiig on our Wiiy for a few minutes Little Cedar 

 Point, with a like result. 



the l.iiv to the 

 ous good-sized fish springing al 

 us that good llshing was to b 

 a fine place for niascalonge: 1 

 a seven-pounder oif the 3larui 

 was then just passing from tw 

 the shores could lie seen boat; 

 pay 



Ilei 



railway wh.art we 



fiie.s,andttieson-ii 

 s had Iheresometii 

 inlv the other dliv : 

 :■ (ioeli wharf w-ilh 

 iliffhi into darkne: 

 ill jack-lights. 



beiv 



11 



i-d 



Ldit 



worm, "Tt 

 and a!oi\i;- 

 oecupauls 

 Wonder if 

 " ob.served 

 I've got 



ng SI a year for the privilege of spearing. 

 -oulil gel a light and try spearing- after suppei 

 losthenes. "In a tub,'"' chimed In Billy Boy. 

 some fat pine." said son-in-law, " and we'll have a coiiplc"of 

 hiiurs' spearing, if j'oit like." It was promised that we'd tWnk 

 aliout it. 



On reaching the wharf it was found that a baskel of stniw- 

 berries taken out with us was empl\'. a hamper of sandwiches 

 dillo. and all the bait-boxes likewise". On counlinL' our ba.ss it 

 w^isleamt, that every man had c;uiglit one. wdiile (I. had taken 

 three, .<ual several of hers two each. .Altogether there were fif- 

 teen bass, from eiglil ounces to two pounds, to be apportioned 



Supp,- 



sat down to 

 ing. wliile little 



ill felt 0,0 well satisfied with our iifter- 



■ -I iiii'L'; so. pulling out a couple of 

 iiany had pr<-.vldedthemaelv<!8, 



and then make a s]iri 

 proximity with the legs of 

 jump and yell with iriglit. 

 "the company. Feeling eiur d 

 promised to exj.iress hundred! 



ven- 



w(,iuld now 



g for liberty, and getting in too close 



lie one. would cause them to 



the amusement eif the rest of 



i]ipointmonl keenly, as we had 



t'liiee lo five 



poimds e;ich, to our friends, we resolved to return home ne.x:t 

 uiorning and exense ourselves [is best we could. 



Though we didn't cattli a great number of fish, this I will 

 .say, a hapiiier or more jeivial set I never spent an afternoon 

 with; and I've fished i'm- roach and perch in the royal Thames 

 and Serpen; ine ; I'ea' grilse in Scotland; for anything I could 

 catch in Niiuraia and St. Lawrence, the Ohio and Mississippi 

 rivers, and in Lakes Ontario, Erie, St. Clair, Hnron. Con- 

 chiehijiL'-, Aluskeika. Rosseau, St. Joseph; for muUet in the 

 Hio Grande : for cattish in El Rio Saa Juan, and ElUioNaais 

 in ^Mexico, and for dolplun In the Gulf Stream. Tills last 

 exploit is worth relating, and I therefore reserve il for a future 

 epistle. Well, we all tm-ned in al liida.r's. Belle Ewart. 

 before II v. m. As we were somewhat fatigued and 

 throwing ourselves down, we soon fell into a soiind .sleep. 

 Shortly after midnight we were aroused by a violent hal- 

 tering ot sticks and kicks at the hotel doors. Kaising hia 

 head and rubbing his eyes, G. exclaimed; " Wliat's'that 

 noise?" It lieing a warm night, the room doors had been left 

 open, and the thumps and lucks had aroused every one. 

 Recognizing G.'s accents, Poisson Sung out, "I'll show yon 

 how to catch the first fish," when Deurosthenes echoed. "I've 

 got him"; Mae cried out, "Where? In :i tub?" and the 

 Deacon drawled " It's only a poumlei-," ■■ if you don't atop 

 lliiit pounding you'l! pound the whole establisfiment dowu," 

 VI , .ei feral ed G,, " and then I'll get up and pound all of you 

 out imo the fields." ^By this time the landlord wiis hasteiiing 

 douii slairs, while his wife, with lamp in hand, dressed in a 

 long white garment like a winding .sheet, that reached 

 from lier chin lo her heels, stood teiTor-slricken at the 

 stairhead. Ou reaching the door the landlord shouted: 



Who's there?" "Travelers, jusl come in. Want a bed.' 



The door lieing opened 

 had gone olf ni the l» 

 They had squatted on a: 

 the night the constant 

 them from their lent to 

 them from the island. Tli 

 bloated like tl, 

 eruplion insn, 

 clearly as his t 

 "How miirh 



land : 



acks . 



tliree. We eai 

 werearcepted 

 days. 1 tell you 



alked the three young men who 

 llar-a-week bo;il the day before. 

 uid pitched their tent. In 

 r the niosquilos had driven 

 loai, and ultimately expelled 

 li|i.s ^vere swollen, and faces 

 Ihe sixth day of Ihe confluent 

 ntabed," saidthespokeman. as 

 swollen lips WMild let him. 

 "Twenty -five cents each." 

 ; we'll give you fifty cents for the 

 ill sleep together." Finally, the fifty cents 

 :Woney's cash up there in Belle Ewart these 

 Fifiy ccrils for arousing afellow out of bed 



'1 1-1 



of path 





liarge ? 



alVlead of night, frightening Ids wife, and waking up all liis 



patrons, to saV , .. . , . 



quilea liberafi 



101 1, 



lUSleep 



an hour or t w 



Morning co;iie iini 

 the bar, and asked fi 

 reddened when the h 

 the use of the vaelit 

 day before. Talk ol 

 alfl had ever exj 



iig of giving the bed in, seems to be 



Quietness restored, the moat of the com- 



aguiii. But the way the newcouiers 



■s kept yoiu' correspondent awake for 



lireakfast over, each ina,n wojut up to 

 ■ his individual hill. How their faces 

 nilloi-d loid tliein .*1 a head atid $3 for 

 rnd services of the captain and crow the 

 extortion at country hotels! Tliis hetit 

 ■d. Taking us fo and from the sta- 



The 



fus« in" tl 

 then'abouts. 



■1 kp. 



'"iL 



ipjilyiug three fair meals, clean bed— and only a dollar ! 

 How can such people live? I may never see them"!igain, bu|. 

 they deserve encoiu-agement. To those who wish to" spend a 

 week or two in aoine salubrious spot iii IJie hot summer 

 days, and to enjoy a little fi.shing now tmd then — for really 

 spfendid fishing is frequently fo be had in the vicinity — nud 

 ctmnot alford fancy fiurtucs. I would sav let tliem try BakCT's, 

 al Belle Ew;irt. ' ' ■ 



li.rs were sound asleep when we nioiulted 

 - ihose (l,e:,|i j.i( ks that kicked up siiOU a 

 ■e Dowii-E;isie!s -from MassachuBetts or 

 cusse.s ! I've met the like of them down 

 South before," observed Pratie, as the Jstage was starl- 

 ing. 



"You're mistaken," said the driver, ''they're fttmi Dtter 

 Park, near Toronto." Abashed, the Toroutonians drooped- 

 tlnir heads, while the real chuckled at their dUcomfitiire, 

 "I've got him. The first — oh!" yelled Demosthenes, as a 

 dig in Ihe ribs from Grenouille changed the tenor of Ids re- 

 marks. In three hours we were at our journcy'B fen*!; sujlT 

 seiKuaietd with a wish -that we iiiiight all meet again oirsoine 

 more auspicious occasion. Most of us had met and fished 

 witli better luck befprfcj and before suiniuer's over I hope to 

 have, to tell of our ckstfug our lines snccitssfidiy in sofne of 

 our Nortiiern waters. Dbaoos Dili.. 



Toronio Gun Cluh, 1880- 



"Red Dbt.tm" Fishing at Cape Mat.— This fiah, Scite- 

 itiipn •n-dlatni. Linn. Gill., variously knowu as spot-bass In 

 ■New Yi.ak markets and parts of the Carolina coast, while in 

 other |i;irta of Llie latter it becomes "chatmel bass," the "red 

 fish " of the Gulf and 2^ew Orleans, is now plenty at Cape 

 May. The meahaden, or bony-fish, is used as bait ou a large 



