3io 



RECREA TION. 



portunity; but I want to clear Messrs. 

 Wadleigh and Wheaton of any blame. 



Geo. C. Jones, Carritunk, Me. 



Answer. — Mr. Jones' statement exon- 

 erates Messrs. Wadleigh and Wheaton in a 

 measure, but not wholly. I insist that the 

 taking of 60 trout in an hour is not sports- 

 manlike even if you do occasionally get 3 

 or 4 at a cast. It is pot fishing. A man 

 must simply " yank them out," in order to 

 make such a score. A refined sportsman, 

 when he gets 3 or 4 trout on a cast, plays 

 them at least 15 to 20 minutes before trying 

 to land them. 



Furthermore the refined sportsman does 

 not catch 100 or 200 trout and return them 

 to the water, just because he can. He takes 

 a dozen or 20 fish and then quits, for that 

 day, and lies in the shade or roams through 

 the woods enjoying nature. He does not 

 fish for a record. He does not carry on a 

 war against the fish or the game. — Editor. 



HOW TO KEEP MINNOWS. 



I notice that A. D. Curtis, Marinette, 

 Wis., in an article on " Trouting on the 

 Thunder," says: " Our minnows kept hard 

 and fresh, by our method of packing." 



Would you kindly let me know by what 

 method they were packed? 1 find it very 

 hard to keep minnows alive. 



I referred this inquiry to Mr. Curtis, who 

 replies as follows: 



Regarding the best method of preserving 

 minnows: Don't net them until the last 

 moment before starting. Dump them from 

 the net into the minnow pail, without 

 touching them with the hands. Keep the 

 pail in a cool place. 



The minnows, when crowded, soon ex- 

 haust, the oxygen in the water and unless 

 it be frequently changed they will come to 

 the top to get the oxygen from the air; but 

 this does not seem the natural way for them. 

 Unless supplied otherwise they soon die. 

 A bicycle pump, with long stem, can be 

 used to good advantage in charging the 

 water with air, if change of water is not 

 convenient. 



I have seen minnows do well when driv- 

 ing over a rough road; for the water will 

 mix oxygen by splashing around in the can. 



As fast as they die pack them in corn 

 meal. Give the survivors a bracer by put- 

 ting in a few drops of brandy. You will be 

 surprised to see how it livens them up. Un- 

 less your journey is too long you will prob- 

 ably arrive with most of the minnows alive. 

 Those you have packed in the meal you will 

 find fresh, hard and excellent bait for al- 

 most any kind of fish. When trout -would 

 not rise to a fly, or take worms or grass- 

 hoppers, I have had excellent sport with 

 minnows, packed in this way. They will 

 not decompose, but simply dry up, hard. 



Some say it is unsportsmanlike to use 

 anything but flies, in trout fishing, but after 

 a long and expensive trip, to a trout stream, 

 I like to catch some, and if they will not 

 rise to a fly, I entice them with something 

 more plebeian, such as minnows, worms, or 

 grass hoppers. Many times when unsup- 

 plied with bait, I have made excellent 

 catches by using trout fins, gullets, or eyes. 

 The latter especially seem to have a charm 

 for a trout, whether hungry or not. 



A. D. Curtis, Marinette, Wis. 



NOTES. 



Recreation is the best book of its kind 

 published. 



The game here is scarce on account of 

 the game and fish hogs. One man, who is 

 working in a fish market, said he caught 

 1,000 trout in one week. He ought to be 

 branded and have a ring put through his 

 nose, so other sportsmen would know him 

 when they saw him. Last spring we saw 

 many geese and ducks. 



While .walking through the fields, and 

 along the river, I saw a flock of 31 geese. 

 Another flock of 18 was seen later. 



About a year ago, I was fishing with a. 

 man who said his brother caught a trout in 

 this river, the Merrimac. About 2 months 

 ago, I was fishing and it began to thunder, 

 so I started to wind up my line, and said I 

 would go home. I felt a pull at my line 

 and on reeling in I found I had a one pound 

 trout. 



Please tell me if worms are better than 

 flies to catch trout with. 



J. F. Gardella, Haverhill, Mass. 



Answer: Flies afford the best sport 

 whenever the trout will take them; but 

 there are times when they will not, and at 

 such times it is necessary to resort to 

 worms, or other bait, in order to get the 

 trout. — Editor. 



Dunning's creek is a small branch of the 

 Blue Juniata, in Bedford Co., 4 miles from 

 this place. It is not a great stream for basi 

 but you can have a good day's sport there, 

 sometimes. 



On the afternoon of August 3d I packed 

 my outfit on my bicycle and left town for 

 my favorite place. After a ride of 4 miles 

 I arrived at the creek and found the water 

 in good order. After securing several 

 small frogs I went to work. 



My first cast brought a one pound bass, 

 and during the afternoon I succeeded in 

 landing 3 smaller ones. About 4 o'clock I 

 set my rod, not having had a strike for 

 some time, and went to a nearby shade 

 tree. On arriving at the tree and looking 

 around I was surprised to see my rod go- 

 ing down the stream. Before I knew what 



