Tee ere a ye pot 

FARMER vs. SUMMER BOARDER. 
Jamestown, Feb. 7, ’99. 
Editor RECREATION: 
Dear Sir.—Enclosed I send you account 
clipped from Jamestown Journal, of the 
first day’s slaughter of muscallonge, speared 
through the ice in Chautauqua lake. The 
account does not include more than half 
the fish actually taken. The law at present 
allows 10 days’ spearing divided this way, 
2 days in the week (Mondays and Thurs- 
days) for 5 consecutive weeks, and the 
houses must be removed from the ice be- 
fore 6 p. m. on those days. By Monday 
morning at 9 a. m. there were no less than 
700 houses on the lake, and in every one 
of these was a man with a spear, watching 
through a hole in the ice, while he ma- 
nipulated a decoy fish for muscallonge to 
come, and they did come. While a few 
fishers did not see a fish, others caught 
from one to 12. I am safe in saying that 
the 700 houses (or coops) averaged 2 fish 
to the house, or 1400. In a few years it 
will not pay the fishermen who are so anxi- 
ous to spear now, to spend their time fish- 
ing with hook and line in summer. 
There is no sport or money in this way 
of fishing. When a fish comes in sight you 
move your weighted, 7-tined spear over 
him and drop it. It goes through the vic- 
tim; you pull him up, throw him out on 
the ice.. That is all. Murder! There is no 
other name for 1s. 
Let us go back to 1880. For years spear- 
ing had been allowed in Chautauqua lake 
and the fishing had become so poor it did 
not pay the fishermen in winter or summer. 
About this time a bill was passed to pro- 
hibit spearing, and there was not much op- 
position. They have forgotten the lesson 
of 1880 and last winter tried to get a bill 
through, allowing 20 consecutive day’s 
spearing, which met with such opposition 
from Jamestown anglers that a compromise 
was offered and the farmers’ organizations 
got the law we now have. 
Seven years ago a muscallonge hatchery 
was established and a million fry placed 
in the lake. The fish increased fast enough 
to pay the market fishermen during the 
open season, and nearly 100 of them have 
been making a living at it. Most of them 
are opposed to winter fishing. It is the 
farmers along the lake who want it. 
January, 1880, there were 226 coops on 
the lake; February 6, 1899, there were 700 
and the number will be increased next 
winter. 
iake what will this increased population do? 
If 226 fishers nearly stripved the 
43 
FISH AND FISHING. 
When the hatchery had run 3 years the 
effect was plainly visible. Fishing was bet- 
ter than it had been for 25 years back, and 
last summer, after 6 years’ output from the 
hatchery, we had the best large fishing in 
the United States. But this spearing will 
spoil it despite the increase from the 
hatchery. 
Why people living around Chautauqua 
lake should have more privileges than those 
living on Oneida, Hemlock and other lakes, 
is a mystery. This farmers’ club own no 
more of Chautauqua lake than those of 
Oneida lake, and they are not allowed to 
spear there. The Farmers’ Protective As- 
sociation claim we want to save them for 
the summer boarder. But the farmers fish 
more days and catch more fish every sum- 
mer than the summer boarder. Yesterday 
those farmers speared more fish than all the 
summer boarders have caught with hook 
and line in 5 years. They will see their mis- 
take when it is too late. M. H. Cheney 
claims to be the father of the 10 day spear- 
ing bill. I do not envy him such a child. 
Frank W. Cheney. 

BOWERY JACKSON. 
Cooperstown, N. Y. 
Editor RECREATION: 
In 1892 I moved from Chattanooga, 
Tenn., to Niagara Falls, N. Y., and soon 
was informed that in the Niagara river, 
both above and -below the Falls, was ex- 
cellent bass fishing. I determined to prove 
the truth of the assertion. How well I 
proved it, my old friends can attest. Il 
soon became acquainted with most of the 
lovers of the rod and gun, and among them 
was “Bowery Jackson.” “Bowery” he 
was called by everybody—why, I never 
found out. He was fond of fishing and 
hunting and 3 times a week you could see 
him making for the river. His luck was 
phenomenal. Always got the big fellows, 
and when no one else was having a strike 
for hours, Bowery was busy landing beat- 
ties. 
The river above the Falls is very swift, 
and a 2 or 3 pound bass, well hooked, is 
difficult to land. 
November 3, 1894, Bowery induced me 
to go to Buckhorn Bar, a point extending 
into the river from Buckhorn Island, and 
a favorite haunt of bass. We had trouble 
in getting bait, but succeeded in catching 
a few large chubs and shiners; in fact, they 
were so large I had little hope of getting 
a strike. 
