FISH AND FISHING. 



3»S 



I am, therefore, really pleased to see that 

 Mr. Forbes finds something to criticize in 

 my statement in August Recreation, as 

 to the game qualities of the German carp. 



I have heard that anglers in certain parts 

 of New Jersey and Northern Ohio have 

 complained that black bass are destroying 

 the carp, which, they say, is a gamier fish 

 than the black bass! In view of this I am 

 ready to grant all Mr. Forbes claims for 

 the carp's game qualities. 



I have caught carp in various waters, all 

 the way from Maryland to Oregon, and 

 have had some sport with them — more in 

 some places than in others. My success, 

 however, has not been great — which, I am 

 willing to admit may have been my fault 

 rather than the carp's. I am quite skeptical 

 as regards the hybrid between a carp and a 

 buffalo. Mr. Forbes does not venture to 

 say what particular one of the 3 or 4 species 

 of buffalo occurring in the Ohio basin may 

 have crossed with, the carp; but as these 

 fishes belong to different families hybridi- 

 zation with them is very improbable. The 

 difference in the dorsal fin is evidently due 

 to mutilation. B. W. Evermann. 



A NOTE OF PROTEST. 



Fargo, N. D. 



Editor Recreation: In September Rec- 

 reation you quote me as saying that I 

 caught 250 pounds of fish (I think I said 

 we) and you then insinuate that I am a 

 game hog. I don't think I am; and to 

 clear myself I will tell about the trip. 



We went to Detroit City, Minn., and 

 then 4 miles North, to Lake Floyd, where 

 we camped on the North shore of Little 

 Floyd. The party was composed of 

 Charley Bowers, Dan Billmyer, Frank 

 Ball and me. We had a fine time, enter- 

 tained visitors, and when our callers went 

 away they always took a mess of fish home 

 with them. If they stayed to dinner they 

 had all the fish they could eat, and every 

 day we sent home a little box of fish. We 

 fished about 2 hours in the morning and 

 again at evening. During the day went to 

 town and rode around the country. 



We have planned to go to the same spot 

 again this year and be fish hogs some 

 more. Please remember we do not send 

 fish to market, but to our friends who can- 

 not get away. When we go hunting we 

 have a licence, and before we go on a 

 man's land we first ask if we may do so. 

 If we have any luck we see that the farm- 

 ers have a mess of birds, and we are always 

 welcome. Keep up your fight against the 

 game hog, Mr. Editor, but don't roast 

 every one who happens to have good luck. 

 Clint Smith, Fargo, N. D. 



NOT A HOG— WHEN FISHING IS POOR. 



In January Recreation Dr. Patterson 

 protests against your calling Mr. Fox a 

 fish hog. The Doctor writes like a sports- 



man, but appears a trifle squeamish about 

 condemning a man for catching more fish 

 than he could possibly use. It is not a 

 question of how often one has tried to 

 catch fish in a given lake. Ten days of 

 poor luck do not justify a man in being a 

 hog on the nth. The Doctor's defense of 

 Mr. Fox amounts to this — that Mr. Fox 

 is a hog only when he gets the chance to 

 be one. 



One of my friends, an ardent duck 

 shooter, made 5 trips to grounds where in 

 previous years he had been successful. 

 Each time he met unfavorable weather 

 and no birds. At the very end of the sea- 

 son he went again for the last time and 

 struck it rich; the birds swinging in nice 

 bunches to his decoys. Did he shoot till 

 he had used all his shells? No! He had 

 enough when he had 12 ducks. Here is a 

 good example for Dr. Patterson and Mr. 

 Fox. 



You're all right, Coquina; give it to the 

 swine with hammer and tongs. What need 

 you care for their opinion? It's the good 

 will of sportsmen you are looking for, and 

 you don't have to look far either. 



B. F. Cogswell, Jr., Brooklyn, N. Y. 



A LAND OF LAKES. 

 There are 6 lakes — Clinch, Reedy, Silver, 

 Moody, Crooked and Arbuckle — within 3 

 or 4 miles of my place. They are from one 

 to 6 miles long, and are all beautiful sheets 

 of water with white sand bottoms. There 

 are also 2 small lakes within the same dis- 

 tance — Ida and Hickory. Have caught 

 black bass in Clinch, Reedy, Ida and Sil- 

 ver; but do most of my fishing in Reedy. 

 One can always take a good mess in any 

 of these lakes, either by trolling or with 

 minnows. Have no difficulty, in getting 

 plenty of good bait, with a 20 foot seine. 

 The largest fish are taken between Feb- 

 ruary 1st and June or July. The natives 

 say they sometimes catch black bass 

 weighing 10 to 15 pounds. The largest I 

 have so far caught was a 3 pounder. One 

 can enjoy fishing here to his heart's con- 

 tent. Besides black bass, there are bream, 

 rock bass and catfish here. The last often 

 weigh 20 pounds. Soft shell turtles are 

 plentiful and we have caught them weigh- 

 ing 12 pounds. They are fine eating. I 

 have traveled North, South, East and 

 West, and have had more pleasure down 

 here, than on any other trip. 



S. H. S., Lakemont, Fla. 



NIBBLES. 

 On June 15. '98, I went to M. J.' Marrs' 

 camp, at Indian pond, to guide Hon. A. 

 P. Williams and wife, of San Francisco, 

 Cal. Between June 17th and July 14th, 

 fishing 23 days, they catight 443 trout. All 

 were taken on the fly, at the inlet of East 

 Branch, and at the narrows. On July 15th 

 Mr. and Mrs. Hoyt, of New York, caught 



