206 



RECREATION. 



not a bad pan fish if they were not so 

 small. I have seen a few which may have 

 weighed as much as half a pound each. 



I once took a large gar on a fly, dressed 

 on a number 6 hook. It rushed out from 

 under some snags in a South coast river 

 and took the fly, which, in some way, 

 dug into the lower bill. By keeping the 

 line taut, yet yielding to all the rushes of 

 the fish, it was at last slid over the gun- 

 wale of the boat from which we were fish- 

 ing. 



I have heard a good deal of a Western 

 fish sometimes called the grayling, which is 

 said to take the fly freely, but, I under- 

 stand, it is a species of whitefish. It seems 

 to be confined to the Rocky mountain 

 region, but I know little of the fish. Will 

 some reader of Recreation please enlighten 

 me? 



Probably there is no State in which such 

 a variety of fish can be caught with the 

 fly as in Florida. Friends of mine spend- 

 ing the winter at Homosassa years ago 

 counted 13 species which they had taken at 

 one time or another in the river near that 

 place. I have had sport in purely salt 

 water, however, and fly fishing on the lower 

 coast is a well recognized sport. Redfish, 

 or channel bass, sea trout, or spotted weak- 

 fish, crevalle, rovalle, bony fish and 

 many others are caught. I have forgotten 

 the names of many of the fish, but remem- 

 ber nothing more interesting in my 

 Florida experience than ascending one of 

 the small rivers on the West coast, which 

 rise in immense springs and flow into the 

 gulf. The tidal portions are, or were, 

 crowded with fishes of nearly all the species 

 which inhabit the gulf. 



One pool, called the Alligator hole, in the 

 Wickawatchee, was simply a great aquari- 

 um. Floating over it on a still day a won- 

 derful sight was below us. On a bed of 

 sand lay a large alligator which we had 

 seen plunge In as we approached. Six 

 great sawfish were slowly moving down 

 stream. About some coral, or rock, were 

 numbers of sheepshead and other fishes. 

 There was a school of mullet and some 

 large redfish. In fact, it was so interesting 

 that one found it difficult to leave the show 

 at all. 



The redfish is widely and abundantly dif- 

 fused along our Southern coast and is a 

 fine fish for sport or the table. When 

 small, say one to 3 pounds in weight, it is 

 known as school bass. Those weighing 8 

 or 10 pounds are called stag bass ; and 

 the big fellows of 20 to 40 pounds become 



channel bass. 



p 



The reasons for all these cognomens are 

 unknown to this deponent. 



BE SURE YOU'RE RIGHT BEFORE YOU BUY. 



While in New York I had occasion to 

 buy a light salt-water rod. I asked where 

 1 might find a reliable sporting goods house, 

 and was directed to J. B. Crook & Bro., 

 1 180 Broadway. I went there, stated my 

 wants and was shown a Horton steel rod. 

 The price quoted me was $10. Not being 

 familiar with these rods and their prices, I 

 paid the money and walked out. Later I 

 went to Schoverling, Daly & Gales, where 

 I was questioned as to the rod I was carry- 

 ing with me. I showed it to the man who 

 asked the question, told him what I had 

 paid for it, and was shown exactly the same 

 rod for $6.75. 



Naturally, I was not pleased at the 

 thought that I had been "done" by Crook; 

 so, on my way up town, I went back to their 

 place and asked for an explanation. I was 

 told by the clerk who sold me and the rod 

 that it was impossible to duplicate it for 

 less than $10 in the city, as this was of finer 

 material and was better made than the one 

 I had seen at Schoverling, Daly & Gales'. 

 He said he knew what rod they did handle, 

 and that it was not good enough for the 

 trade they (Crook & Bro.) were catering to. 

 Naturally I believed him, as I did not 

 think any man could make up such a lot of 

 ramble without a particle of truth in it. 



The next day I chanced to be in Saks 

 Bros.' store, where I saw a rack of steel 

 rods and asked as to their prices. I was told 

 enough to know that Crook had lied to me. 

 Since then I have written to the Horton 

 Company and have their catalogue. The rod 

 for which I paid $10 is simply the one the 

 company lists at $6.75, and no other. I was 

 therefore charged $3.25 too much. 



I ask you to print this so other L. A. S. 

 members may look out for Crook & Bro. 

 E. H. Moulton, Jr., Seabreeze, Fla. 



FISH PIRATES HELD UP. 

 In August last 2 Wisconsin game 

 wardens captured 2 of the worst fish pirates 

 in that State and had a high old time do- 

 ing it. The names of the poachers are 

 William and Charles Lawrence, and 

 they had long had a reputation for 

 being bad men. The officers dreaded a 

 conflict with them, but the time finally 

 came when the pair must be rounded up 

 and corralled. Accordingly game wardens 

 Gratz and Nelson went after them. The 

 fight took place on the shore of Lake Men- 

 dota, near Pheasant Branch. The netters 

 at first resisted the officers fiercely, kicking 

 and beating them. Then the former took 

 refuge in the water and refused to come 

 out when ordered. One of the wardens 

 leveled a rifle on the refugees and threat- 

 ened to shoot unless the men came out. 

 They did not like the looks of the inside 

 of the rifle barrel, nor the temperature of 



