FISH AND FISHING. 



TWO MINNESOTA PORKERS. 



Sidney J. Huntley, editor of the Dassel Anchor, 

 has proven himself a good fisherman as well as a 

 genial editor. On a recent fishing expedition to 

 Washington lake he succeeded in catching 79 fish, 

 bass and pickerel, none being less than 2 pounds in 

 weight, and the total catch weighing 250 pounds. 

 Several of the fish were sent to the Tribune office as 

 evidence of the good fishing that is to be found at 

 Washington lake.— Minneapolis Tribune. 



Dear Sir: I am informed that you re- 

 cently caught 79 pickerel and bass, in one 

 day. Will you kindly tell me if this re- 

 port is correct? G. O. Shields. 



Dassel, Minn. 

 It is true we caught 79 fish, not 

 pickerel, but wall-eyed pike and big 

 mouth black 'bass. Dr. W. E. Tryon 

 and I were hunting ducks at Wash- 

 ington lake, 2 miles West of Dassel. 

 Didn't go out to fish, but just as we were 

 starting for camp threw 2 cane poles on 

 the wagon, and it proved the redeeming 

 feature of our 4 days' camp. Saturday 

 afternoon, about 4 o'clock, we took the 

 poles, and catching some live frogs, rowed 

 out to Big Fir Point, and letting the boat 

 drift along until we got a strike, we 

 dropped anchor and proceeded to pull them 

 in. Beauties every one, more pike than 

 bass, but enough of the latter to make a 

 good showing. One black bass weighed 

 5^2 pounds, and 6 of the pike tipped the 

 beam at 5 to 6 l / 2 pounds each. The largest 

 pike were caught after the moon arose. 

 That wa's a new experience for me, for 

 never before have I fished with hook and 

 line by moonlight. We quit about 7 o'clock 

 with 79 fine ones in the boat, none smaller 

 than 2 J / 2 pounds, and they were biting al- 

 most as fast as we would cast when we 

 quit. Quitters, you may say? But Mes- 

 dames Tryon and Huntley were halloaing 

 that supper was getting cold. We went 

 out Sunday morning, brought the total 

 string up to an even 100, and came back 

 to town with the record of the season. 

 Less than 5 hours' fishing and all landed 

 with ordinary lines, common cane poles, 

 and without the aid of a landing net. Our 

 catch would have been much larger had 

 we had a landing net, as we lost some 

 beauties, and, as usual, of course, the big- 

 gest one got away. It was great sport, 

 and I only wish I could have got a photo 

 of the string to send you. 



Sidney J. Huntley. 



And you a newspaper man, too! You 

 should have known better, but you seem as 

 densely ignorant of the laws of decency 

 as any Norwegian farmer in your State 

 could possibly be. Of course you used 

 "poles." No such vulgar swine as you 



ever use rods or reels or landing nets. 

 They all fish by main strength, and for 

 "records," as you did. And here's your 

 record. You are low, degraded bristle 

 backs. 



I, also, regret you did not have your 

 pictures taken, so I could have made you 

 still more conspicuous. — Editor. 



HERONS AND KINGFISHERS. 



Monson, Me. 

 Editor Recreation : 



Noting the arrest of Fred Veno for 

 shooting 2 blue herons, I should like to read 

 a discussion of the above named birds by 

 sportsmen and naturalists in regard to the 

 advisability of their protection. Last winter 

 the laws of Maine were changed so as to 

 protect these birds, as well as some others 

 which were not nrotected before. Now, I, 

 together with guides and others in a posi- 

 tion to observe, consider this a sad mis- 

 take. 



To illustrate : At Rangeley last summer 

 I was much interested in the trout and 

 salmon hatchery in that place, and used to 

 visit it often to mark the progress of the 

 baby tackle breakers. Everyone who has 

 had anything to do with raising trout 

 knows the aggravating dwindling down and 

 gradual reducing of the numbers which 

 hatch out, from causes as yet unknown" and 

 unavoidable. However, as the season ad- 

 vances those in charge begin to count on a 

 certain per cent, of healthy, lively young- 

 sters to liberate in the waters where sports- 

 men do congregate. At Rangeley a fair 

 per cent, had reached the 2 or 3 inch 

 stage. A large sum of mon'ey and vast 

 care and patience had been expended to 

 bring them to that stage. One Sunday in 

 the fall, on visiting the hatchery, not hav- 

 ing been there for some time, I was sur- 

 prised to find some of the troughs empty, 

 and all had suffered more or less. 



"What has caused this ?" I asked. 



"Oh, herons and kingfishers," said the 

 keeper; and they were powerless to pre- 

 vent it, as the birds were protected by 

 law. 



"The herons are by far the worst," said 

 he. "They come in the dark when no one 

 is around, alight in a trough and gobble 

 down a quart or so of the little fellows at 

 a time." 



It is a shame that, after the young trout 

 get along so far, they should be gulped 

 down in that fashion by that homely, no- 

 account bird. What took place there we 

 have every reason to expect takes place 

 in all the small streams where trout are 



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