10 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Auqdst 8, 1882. 



pule, .1. Carter. Jr. J. Robinson, John J. Kane, Mr. and 

 Mrs. D. T. Worden. W. SteCkpole, Mrs. Mason, A. L. 

 Mason, R. Q. Dun, G. W. nail. J. Livingston, Win. H. 

 Bcott, J. Cathu, Jr., W. C. Vanderbilt, H. B. Hollins. 



Operations -were besrun in the big pool on June 19, when 

 J. II. Welch landed a 85-pnundcr with a Jock Scot, The 

 oaten in June around this pool was sixteen Bah, of which J. 

 Robinson took five and J. J. Kane six— a 32-pounder by Mr. 

 Kane lopping ilu; list. Mrs. I). T. Worden caught &3Q-lb. 

 salmon iu Titus pool with a buteber, Tne weights in the 

 order of catch were 36, 20, 11, ig, 85, [& 11+. 25,35, 27, 33, 

 25, 3J, I 1 .1, 'JO. During June the sport up the river was 

 chiefly confined to Mr. Catlpj, Jr., and Mr. Welch, the 

 former getting a 10-pounder at Brandy Brook, and the latter 

 nine salmon "aggregating 1684 lbs. "at I'ine Inland. The 

 feature of the present month was Mr. I>. T. Wordcn's 

 success at Camp Harmony, where he scored nine fish 

 with a total weight of 145 lbs. At Chev ton's Brook Mr. 

 Stackpole. Mrs. Mason and Mr. A. L. Mason took 030 lbs, 

 of fish. 



The total catch in the club waters up to last week was 131 

 fish, of which two went over 30 lbs.; twenty turned tin- 

 scale at 25 lbs. and over; seventeen over 30 lbs., and about 

 thirty ranged from 10 lbs. downward. The flies Chiefly; 

 used were the silver doctor, .lock Scot, dusty miller, butcher, 

 durham, ranger, bluck dose, silver gray, fairy and wilin.it, 

 The most taking fly was the jock sccrt, which fs credited 



with fifty-One fish, the silver doctor coming next with thirty. 

 A special feature of the season was the capture Of two sal 

 mon on July 30 from the big pool during the progress ..1 n 

 thunder Storm, the fish rising to a Jock ScqI 



Mr. Robinson and Dr. Mason said that the fishing on the 

 river had been getting worse and worse lor the past three 

 years, until now it was practically an utter failure. The 

 fish this year are smaller than ever before, and u 

 radical changes are made in protecting the fisheries, it is Mr. 

 Robinson's opinion that the people can soon bid good-bye to 

 the salmon in the rivers and on the coast. This opinion was 

 based on information derived from several quarters, all 

 lending to show a .sad falling oiT, At Indian House pool, 

 formerly a perfect salmon bonanza, only fifteen fish have 

 been landed this season, and tin- record on the Pitupedia is 

 still worse. In four weeks' fishing at Kedircwick but twelve 

 salmon « ere secured, wle reus formerly' thai many have been 

 taken in a day. Ft., in Cauaapscal tie- returns arc 50 meagre 

 as to totally shut oil' all visitors. 



Having invested H tage amount of money at Metapedia, 

 the (flub, naturally takes a deep interest in all' measures look- 

 ing to the conservation of the fisheries, and express their de- 

 sire to cooperate with the authorities in every practicable 

 way. 



Mr. Robinson said I hat he had given the subject a great 

 deal of co sideration, and was satisfied that speed v steps 

 were necessary to prevent the total extinction of the fish. 

 He attributes the extinction of the fish in no small degree to 

 the almost total blocking up of the tideway by nets, and in 

 proof of this points to the fact that a large proportion of 

 the fish taken in the club's waters bear the marks of having 

 had to force their way through the nets. Then again, 

 the inland waters are not efficiently protected against 

 poachers, who operate on the spawning beds and drive awav 

 the fish that they do teat kill. All the riparian owners on 

 the river arc anxious to join in the protection of tie- spawn- 

 ing beds. It is a noteworthy fact that this season the nets 

 between Metapedia and Campbelhon have done vn\ little 

 all the fish being cam.dit down towards the mouth" of 111. 

 river, Mr. Robinson, recognizing the importance of the net 

 fishery industry, is inclined to meet the difficulty half way, 

 and while advocating either a shortening of the season or 

 more open davs, is prepared to go in for cutting off ay-fish- 

 ing say from the middle of A'usust. Unless something of 



this kind is done, he considers it useless to continue the arti- 

 ficial propogation of salmon 011 the river. He is an ardent 

 believer m fisheulture. though he takes exception to the 

 dlanner in which it has been conducted here in the past. 

 The system has been in operation some ten years, and instead 

 of the river being stocked, the run is becoming smaller 

 year by year. 



THE UPPER HUDSON. 



HAVING seen many articles in your valued journal in 

 reference to the wholesale abuse of the game laws in 

 various parts of the country, it has be. n a matter of surprise 

 to me that no complaint has reached you from this quarter. 

 I doubt if the locality exists where- less regard is had for the 

 game lawg. This uulal village, as you know, is situated 

 three miles above Troy, and about .me ami a half miles 

 above the Slate dam. which backs the water of the "noble 

 Hudson" above Wat.-rlord, in Saratoga county, three miles 

 from the darn. In the basin thus formed fishing used to be 

 good, and on the "rifts.''" of which there are four between 

 this place and Stillwater (some ten miles up the river), those 

 gamy fish, the l.laek bass, wall eved pike, and chub used to 

 Be found in goodly numbers and size. 



The I'vkcs, "dummies" and seines have so exhausted the 

 supply thai for several years a few of the net fishermen 

 have "given up fishing. Let me here explain for the benefit 

 of many of your readers who are not acquainted with the 

 "dummy" that it is a small "hoop" or fyke net, with the 

 1 1 , tCUCd and held in place on a bow, instead of being 

 ou poles as in case of the fyke. This net, when get, is held 

 in place by two stone anchors, eac '» M»e lied te> a rope, one 

 holding the bow and wings in an upright position, the other 

 1 he body oi the net, whieh is stretched up the stream. This 

 is the most common kind of trap net iu use here, and is the 

 "poacher's delight," as it may be used in swift or still water, 

 and on cither mud, gravel or rock bottom, and when set is 

 completely hid from view, being under water. These trap 

 nets have been the cause of poor fishing. They arc used 

 (luring the spring and fall months, and at each rise of the 

 water" in summer. They toe usually of one inch mesh 

 netting, and catch all fish (excepting eels) of more than four 

 ounces weight. 



The. seining is now almost wholly confined to tidewater 

 below the dam, in consequence of the arrest of one gang, in 

 the lower branch of the Mohawk by f'okoes parties, but 

 flu re are several gangs that work the bars near the rifts at 

 night all through the summer, in the interest of Saratoga 

 parties, catching most of the choice bass and obtaining fancy 

 prices for them. 



As a natural consequence of this our bass fishing is far 

 from being good, and the tish are generally Of small size, not 

 averaging more than three-quarters of a pound, a fish of two 

 pounds or more being a rare catch. No fishway has ever 

 been built in the dam although one was promised long ago, 

 and at this present time a fourteen foot dam is being built 



across the Hudson eight miles above this place with no 

 thought of a fishway being built in it. 



The seiners below the dam pay no regard to the law 

 against hauling on Sunday, and tile, excuse our local fisher- 

 men make for using nets is that, this "used to be tidewater" 

 some fifty-eight years ago before the dam was built. To 

 all persons who "inquire if they catch hard fish (bass, pike, 

 etc..) they say "no," hut. strange to say, they generally have 

 such fish for Sale at good prices, and "at times when they 

 cannot be taken with' the hook and line. 



Hunting is carried on at all seasons, and verv few birds 

 .-.re to be found. 1 will mention an instancethat on the 30th 

 day of May wild ducks were being hunted and shot on the 

 river opposite the < ity of Troy. " Stone AttAutA. 



l.A.vsc.oBi-n.iH. N. V 



[Complain to your neatest game protector and form clubs.] 



PALAVER OF THE PANIONKEES. 



I HEREWITH inclose von a copv of the rules governing 

 our last Annual Hunt. When Panionkee Tribe No. 3 

 Imp. O. R. M. was instituted its membership was made up 

 of pale faces fond of manlv sports, such as fishing, hunting, 

 etc. The custom of having an annual fishing and hunting 

 pariy was therefore easily engrafted on the tribe iu the first 

 great sua of its existence, and never since then have we 

 failed to honor the event with a full attendance and a grand 

 lime, We do not catch trout, but make the bass, perch and 

 bullheads grace our festive board. We occasionally have 

 our line anil an eel entangled in a Qordean knot, but such 

 trifles arc sneered at by the "injuus" of our tribe. Asa 

 rule, to use the expression of one of our members, "Ve lias 

 more fun as ve can get avfty mit." 



Our last camp was on Sprintr River, in the Flower Moon, 

 Gr. S, D, 391, that is to say in May. 1883; 



The rules are as follows : 



THE SACHEM. 



The Sachem shall ha 1 e supreme authority during the hunt 

 and the encampment He shall prescribe all rules and regu- 

 lations, make details tor special dutv. and direct all affairs 

 necessary to secure harmony, 1 Omfort and fish. And he shall 

 enforce his authority whenever he is 1 

 TUE SAGAMORE. 



The Sasamore shall be Euler ol the Feast, and it shall be 

 hisdmY; to provide hewers of wood and carriers of water, 

 takim- S] lal care not to overtax hi- ownenergies. He shall 



see that the commissary stores ore properly cared for, that 

 the same are tent convenient tor the cooks, that, the feast 

 quality, that the dishes 

 ar, and that all things 

 %y retire to his wigwam 

 ht comelh, in comfort and content 



cleaned at least once a y 

 ireeted that every man 1 

 comelh, in comfort and 1 



BIG MEDICI.YE MAN. 



The Big Medicine Man shall provide a sufficient quantity of 



Mnhu-ion to ward off the miasmatic dangers of the country; 



he shall care for the stock of snake medicine, and when any 



one has 'm en snake bitten, or fear* that he shall be, he. shall 



L:'.ih-:Ualac'aistrit:et ^ra : .i -, tb '-ark ns'.rs 1 ' jn l'LlCUS as- 

 sortment of lemons, sugar, spoons and cups, so that if such 

 e. r. shall know what other ingredients will make a perfect 

 compound, they may provide for themselves a remedy 

 against the dangers of the day, likewise an appetite for 

 breakfast. 



KEEPER OF WAMPOL 



The Keeper of Wampum shall gather from each Red Man 

 his proportionate share of wampum, paying the same out for 

 such things as may be necessary for the comfort of the Tribe, 

 bearing iu mind that the tastes of the Red Men are simple 

 and their appetites good: the lar !er need not boast a lordly 

 \ ,1 . 1 -n >t ■.-. but the .quantity must be munificent. The Keeper 

 ..f Wampum must know how to make both ends meet; to his 

 care and caution we commit the belt. 



CHIEF OF RECORDS. 

 The Chief of Records shall keep a faithful record of the 

 expedition, truly recording the achievements of each; he 

 shall not too hastily give credence to fishy stories, nor make 

 history out of the vainglorious imaginings or sanguinary 

 dreams of the inexperienced. 



GENERA C LAWS 



I Business is business; come down with the shekles. Talk 

 is cheap, bur it takes lucre to lure catfish. 



;; Each Eed Man shall provide his own bedding, fishing 

 tackle, towels, soap, killikmnick, and paper collar; and while. 

 iu eanii. it shall be imperative on each to wear at least the 

 last named article. 1 lie Sachem is authorized to appoint a 



1 :,\ None shall lie abed after sunrise, without permission, nor 

 shall any vex the stillness of the night by turbulent snoring. 



I There shall be no unnecessary tramping of mud into the 

 tents. no setting up in the middle, of the night formalarion. 



.".. No one shall participate in the pleasures of the hunt 

 whose constitution requires more than eighteen hours rest out 

 of tlie twenty -four, 



c. No one shall at any meal appropriate all the fish. 



',. He who refuses to eat chowder is a liar. 



8. Meals served in private apartments shall be charged 



extra - ,. » „ • V, 



9. There shall be no Stealing pi "layers. 



Hi If the Big Medieitte man finds his duties so laborious as 

 to endanger his health, he may appoint one or more assistants. 



I I The Golden Rule of the Tribe, is that no one shall do any 

 work himself which he can get anyone, else, to do for him. 



li! No one shall insist that his bass weighs four pounds 

 v-.-h,.',-, it is t oiorious that it weighs but four ounces, nor shall 

 anvoic- proclaim that he "caught a thirty pound cat, but It 

 got off the hook lust as he got it out of the. water." 

 " lu -invone detected in using charms, incantations, or spells, 

 sucli as using a^aftetida. spitting ou his hook, taking a drink, 

 or maliinc' use of any other superstition to draw fish to his 

 line, shaUbe promptly scalped. . 



14, SmaU strirc.-s 01 fish and many applications tormalanon 

 shall be inadmissible without great labor in cleaning fash, 

 cutting wood, and carrying water. 



15, Coons shall be counted lawful game. 



III No sou" -hall be. snug or story told, that could bring a 

 blush to the cheek of the most modest Red Man present, (and 

 for the purpose of enforcing this rule Parker shall be. counted 

 -„1„. 'must m.-l.-t Jb.-.i Man present.l 



17 When King Phillip hangs his pantaloons over a limb, no 

 one shall put turtle heads or eels in the pockets thereof. 



IS. The "fun of the thing" is known only to linn who does 

 his share of the work. He who shirks shall know no happi- 

 ness, nor shall the fastidious man catch tish. 



in It is likewise ordained and established that while we are 

 in camp, and there's plenty to eat, every one shall eat when 

 he's hungry, and drink when he's dry, and to his tidiest capa- 

 city, so far as is consistent with the safety of his buttons. 

 Which every man must sew on for himself. 



NoTB.-Some of the foregoing rules may seem to be inconsistent 

 with each other, hut ...-can mevh-re had any Ian- n-hich requires a 

 Red Man to be uncomfortable. He is his own judge of law, and may 

 obcy that which suits him best. 



OiniRD, Kan. 



COLORADO TROUT FISHING. 



I HAVE been here since the 30th of May, and have been 

 running around sightseeing among "those wondrous, 

 gigantic formations, by far too stupendous to undertake any 

 description of in a short letter or even in one of many pages, 

 for in reality no pen picture, photograph or stereoscope 

 can do half justice to the reality. 1 have spent some days 

 along the banks of the surpassingly beautiful Rio Grande. 

 casting the fly to the speckled beauties of its rushing, limpid 

 torrents, with almost unlimited success. From this place 

 below for ten or fifteen miles the fishins is reasonably good. 

 But the best fishing is above, and higher up among the 

 mountains better, and up so high as Wagon Wheel Gap, and 

 even up thirty miles above the Gap still very much better. 

 Up in Antelope Park, sixty miles above this, i't is only a two 

 hours' task to catch your sixty or seventy, and even one hun- 

 dred pounds. I was up only "ten miles above Del Norte, on 

 the 15th inst., with two other gentlemen, and in six hours 

 caught 180, many of them weighing three and three and a 

 half pounds each. The road up the Rio Grande is beautiful 

 for buggy or wagon, with a railroad up nearly to the Gap, 

 a ad the balance, all the way up to Antelope' Park, a nice 

 smooth road for any kind of vehicle. 



The trout are as fine game fish as their coneeners of the 

 Hyannis or any other part of America. The only objection, 

 to the sport is that anybody will be allured into the sin of 

 killing too many, and more than they ought to kill at a time. 

 They arc being caught in great quantities by the market fish- 

 ermen for the Denver market. They get forty-live to fifty 

 cents per pound in Denver, and there are thousands shipped 

 by express on the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad. 



R. T. 



Del Norte, Col. , July 25. 



WHITE BASS. 



I FOUND the "white bass" at the mouth of Grand River, 

 Mich., to be the ordinary silver bass of the Northern 

 lakes; and the day I spent, at Grand Haven taking them, 

 although cool and blustery, was a very enjoyable one. not 

 on account of the number of bass I took, but the novelty of 

 the scene and the. valuable information I received added 

 additional pleasure to the. day's sport. These silver bass 

 appear at the mouth of, and some distance up, the Grand 

 River generally, about the first week in June, but this season 

 they were a full month late, owing to the cool weather and 

 continued storms. They arc taken with minnow bait in the 

 same manner that black' bass are caught, from the long piers 

 extending into Lake Michigan at the mouth of the river or 

 from a boat allowed to gently drift with the current. They 

 appear in schools, it seems, and when one is taken it is safe 

 to expect more. I found them bold and lively fighters, and 

 those I look weighed from one quarter to one pound. I had 

 but about au honr's sport with them, as they suddenly ceased 

 biting; and going to other grounds tried the alack bass with 

 but poor success. 



I learned from one of the fishermen at Grand Haven that 

 the shad planted in Grand River at Lansing about eight 

 years ago, have showed themselves. My informant, one 

 ffehdweod, who supplies the boarders of the. Cutter House 

 at Grand Haven with minnow bait, told me a year since he 

 caught several iu his minnow seine that weighed a pound. 

 I was also told by a fisherman by the name of Weasel (a Hol- 

 lander) that he had also taken similar fish. I am satisfied of 

 the truth of these statements, for I took great care iu making 

 further inquiry on the subject, and the story was in every 

 case verified. ' This should lead to further experiments of 

 planting the young of fish which ascend our tide -water 

 streams from their salt-water home to spawn. I also heard 

 of a salmou weighing five pounds having been caught last 

 summer by a man by the name of A. Fischer, of Grand 

 Haven, ft was taken in his gill net, which was set for lake 

 trout. Whether this fish was a "land-locked salmon" or 

 not, I was not able to learn, for none knew the latter fish. 

 The natives of Grand Haven are somewhat surprised at the 

 appearance of eels in the Grand River. They were never 

 known to have been caught before, and I was told by John- 

 son, who keeps the rowboat slip tit the steamboat wharf, that 

 they wire new to him. These eels have only shown them- 

 selves in the last year. The notes I give may prove inter- 



Shawondasu. 



eating. 



Homo, 



CARP ANGLING. 

 r pHE question of the game qualities of the carp has often 

 Jl arisen since their introduction into America, hut no 

 one seems to have fished for them enough to entitle him to 

 speak positively regarding their wariness and lighting quali- 

 ties. The old English writers speak of it as a game fish, and 

 it was one of Walton's favorites; but the German carp is an 

 improved variety, much superior iu growth and table quali- 

 ties to the English tish, which is a scaled carp. Knowing 

 thai many of our readers arc interested in the possibilities of 

 carp angling, we take the following from the Loudon Field: 



In answer to "Moss Pool," one of the best and most cer- 

 tain methods of killing large carp is as follows: Carefully 

 bait a spot for a week or so every evening with semi-boiled 

 potatoes. Have a strong stiff rod with plenty of line on the 

 winch, and at theendof the line a yard and a half of salmon 

 gut The hook should be a medium-sized triangle, carefully 

 covered with potato. A small bullet a yard or so from the 

 hook, and a small cork four yards from the hook, and the 

 tackle is complete. Throw but this bait over the place pre- 

 viously baited. Keep the rod out of sight and a little slack 

 line on the bank. Patience is thenall that is required. The 

 carp must be allowed to take the cork quite out of sight 

 before struck.— A. J. D. Chapman. [We have known large 

 carp killed iu this way, but the bottom must be raked clear 

 of weed first.— Ed.] 



In reply to "Moss Pool," I may say that the tackle for 

 carp should be made out of very fine gut, stained to the 

 color of the water, with a hook about the size of No. S, 

 and a float made of quill, so weighted that only the tip lies 

 above the surface of the water. The bait I use is sweet 

 paste, made by mixing bread crumbs with honey and a little 

 gin, and kneading it till of the proper consistency. Blue- 

 bottle flies, ripe cherries, green peas boiled in sugar, JarviE, 

 [Tains, worms, green gentles, and grasshoppers arc some- 

 times used as bait.— J. W. Williams. 



"Moss Pool" in Notes and Queries on Angling last week, 

 asks how to catch carp. Some years ago, when living iu 

 the Midlands, I had access to a large pond in a gentleman's 

 park where there were plenty of these fellows ranging from 

 21b. to 71b. . and many a fine basket full of them did 1 take 

 home while yet iu my teens. Sometimes, by baiting over 

 iu>ht, t have caught '801b. weight before breakfast the next 

 morning. I found the best baits to be small red worms 



