82 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



-(Feb. 7, 1884. 



hook most readily. This smelt has a very light-colored back 

 while the other lias a dark-colored back. The fishermen all 

 thought that smelts would be. more plentiful in our waters if 

 the milldams were provided with fishways. Goose' River, 

 the Wilson stream and Gurney's are dammed so that the fish 

 are unable to ascend to deposit their spawn, and are obliged 

 to spawn along the rocks, where they are mostly destioyetl. 



A correspondent of the Xew York Tfon$3 recently wrote 

 an article on smelt fishing in Maiue and gave the credit of 

 first fishing in the covered tent to one Joe Beeov, of Boston. 

 The correspondent says that Joe fro/.r j his cars and feet while 

 fishitig out of doors on one of our Maine rivers and gave it 

 up. "But he didn't go home. He went to Belfast and had 

 a heavy wooden frame, ten feet square, made by a carpenter. 

 He procured some sail canvas, and covered the frame with 

 it, leaving KB opening for a door. The frame was on run- 

 ners. When the 'house' was finished he had it drawn upon 

 the ice and placed over the holes he intended to fish through. 

 Then it occurred to him that he might add still further to 

 lus comfort, and he bought a small box stove, ran a pipe 

 from out of the bruise, started a roaring pine wood fire in it, 

 and seated on a bench, fished as comfortably as if he were 

 in his room at the hotel watching a stope-pipe hole in the 

 lloor. The house was secured to the ice by grappling irons. 

 If smelt ceased biting in one spot he simply loosened his 

 grapples, shoved bis house along on the runners, and 

 'squatted' in more favorable quarters." 



We inquired of the fishermen if they ever knew or heard 

 of ,Ioe Secor, but without avail. So far as Belfast is con- 

 cerned -loo is a myth. John Richards is Ihe pioneer tent 

 fisherman of Belfast. He was the first to use the canvas- 

 covered tent, which was seven or eight years ago. We 

 found him on Monday seated in a comfortable tent with a 

 fair catch of fish by his side. When the fish do not bite the 

 mcu amuse themselves by singing, story telling and by chaff- 

 ing with the teamsters who drive along the banks of the 

 river. Occasionally one of the fishermen will fall into a 

 fishing hole that has been covered over by the fallen snow. 

 At such times thennlucky fisherman is pulled out in a sorry 

 plight amid the shouts of his companions. The fishermen 

 are a jolly set and make their avocation a pleasant one. 

 Fair wages are made at a time when little else can be done. 

 While in the tent Mr. Trussell gave the Journal local two 

 lines. Now a fishing line is no new thing to us, as we have 

 often handled it for both pleasure- and profit. The fish did 

 not hite very briskly, hut after an hour's angling the news- 

 paper man had the satisfaction of heating the proprietor. 

 The fish are mostly sold to Sleeper & Field, in this city, who 

 ship them frozen to the Boston, New York and Philadelphia 

 markets. The fish are nicely packed in a box, back down, 

 and will keep for along time. — Belfast {Me.) Journal. 



tleman who was an expert fly-caster, in this way: "They all 

 saw that he was master of the art, and he certainly slings a 

 nasty fly." If, as I suppose, the writer thought it a clever 

 saying, it is doubtful if the gentleman who was intended to 

 be complimented thought so. I think that "rodster. " for 

 angler or fisherman, is of English origin, but, "bug chuck- 

 ing" is of native growth. I rejoice to see you attack this 

 evil practice. — G. 



The Leap of tue Grayling.— It is now in order to dis- 

 cuss the leaping powers of the grayling. The subject has 

 been brought up by the following extract from a note' written 

 by Mr. D. H. Fitzhugh, Jr., to Mr. Fred Mather anentthelat- 

 ter's article in ' 'Fishing With the Fly. Mr. Fitzbngh w rites : 



"I have just been reading your article on grayling fishing in 

 'Fishing With the Fly. ' You have made a very grave error, 

 which should be corrected in some manner. You assert boldly 

 that the grayling never leaps from the water in taking the 

 fly. As you' were with me on all the fishing trips for grayling 

 which you ever had, and on these occasions we were after 

 the fish in the spawning season for the purpose of getting 

 eggs for propagation, and ifc was particularly the depth of 

 winter. You are light as far as your experience goes; they 

 do take the fly just as you say, at or below the surface. But 

 take the grayling at the proper season, aud it is as Meapiii' ' a 

 fish as a trout. On several occasions I have lost the tail-fly or 

 stretcher, and with nothing on the line but the hand-fly, have 

 trailed it some inches above the water, when the Ash were 

 rising, to see them leap and take it, and have caught many in 

 that way, hooked six. inches in mid air. Moreover I have 

 never seen a trout leave the water in his struggles after being 

 hooked, over two or three times, while I have seen the gray- 

 ling leap .six times for all he was worth. 1 hope to have you 

 with me on the old streams." 



sffislfculture. 



FISHING IN MICHIGAN. 



THE past seasou here has heengood forfishing, and has been 

 thoroughly enjoyed by ye local fisherman aud by some 

 from outside, one party coming from Kentucky and stopping 

 at Bear Lake Village, on the shore of Bear Lake, one of the 

 most beautiful Jakes 1 ever saw, being alive with game fish. 

 Five miles from there is the head waters of Bear Creek, and 

 it is eleven miles to the Betsy River; the latter lias grayling 

 and t h e ri vet trout. Bear Lake is eighteen miles north of Tiere ; 

 two daily lines of boats leave here and connect at Pierport 

 with the narrow-gauge Bear Lake & Eastern Railroad to 

 Bear Lake, live miles. We also have a daily line of boats 

 from Chicago. Southern and Eastern routes are via F. & 

 P. M. R. R, and 0. W. M. R. R. Finer fishing cannot be 

 found in any State or county. Au Sable Lake, thirteeu 

 miles south of here, is the largest one we have of the chain; 

 rt is twelve miles long, with an average width of one and a 

 Lair miles. Parfage Lake, eleven miles north; boats stop 

 here daily at the Anickema Mineral Springs. 



M.'ssi's. John Higgius, Bidleman, Cox and Caraton caught 

 in Par fa go Lake in three hours twenty-eight black bass; 

 weighing 133 pounds. All were taken with flies on June 25, 

 1882. John Higgins. by the way, is a thorough sportsman 

 and a gentleman that many are indebted to for favors shown 

 being-always ready and willing to help and assist others. He 

 has fished "all of the. streams and lakes in this country. 

 Should any of the readers ol Forest axd Stream come this 

 way, I will assure them of cordial treatment if they are 

 lucky enough to fall into genial John's hands. I wish to 

 say to my readers that this is no scheme to advertise any 

 hotel (and we have good ones), railroad or corporation. 

 Trout hogs and counters arc not wanted, but gentlemen 

 will find friends aud well-wish ers. Any information lean 

 give to your readers will be. cheerfully furnished. 



S. E. B. 



Manistee. Mien . Jan. Ji.'. 



Law Breakers in Maine. — Oxford, Me., Jan. 27. — Editor 

 Forest and stream: There have been many complaints from 

 this State concerning the' persistent breaking of the game 

 laws, but I do not think there have been many instances 

 where these laws have been broken so boldly and defiantly 

 as fs Being done now on Thompson's Pond, in Oxford. Since 

 absut the SSih of October our trout and tmgue with which these 

 waters teem have known no peace. The torchlights of a 

 dozen boats engaged in spearing these fish could be plainly 

 seeu from the streets of the village, any still night last fall. 

 One boat brought in sixty-five trout, weighing from two to 

 three pounds each, one night last fall, from off the spawning 

 beds, and how many more were destroyed by killing these 

 fish 1 will leave to "the public to decide. Over 800 trout 

 lia/e been caught through the ice since it first lroze. The 

 fishermen boldly declare that they wall catch what they want 

 for their own use and the surplus they will sell. These trout 

 are being sold at Norway and Al,- Falls, and strings of them 

 are being carried in plain sight daily through the streets of 

 Oxford." Sow for my parti can't see where the harm comes 

 in catching the trout through the ice, but if one can't do it 

 stop all. I am strongly against spearing and think that a 

 stop had ought to be put to it at any cost in this paradise for 

 the angler. "Our local papers have'an account nearly every 

 week of some one making an unusual eateh, so you see how 

 badly these laws are broken. — Josu Jeems. 



Angling Slam;. — New York. Feb. 4.— Editor Forrsi ami 

 Stream; The editorial note on "Angling Slang," in your last 

 issue, struck hard at the use of certain low phrases which 

 pass for wit among a certain class, who either do not write 

 for Forest ano Stoeam, or, if they do, their obnoxious pet 

 words are atrickon out. Home time ago i read in a Paper 

 (casually picked up at a country hotel) an article containing 

 all the vile wot (is mentioned by you, as "rodster," "chuck- 

 ing a bug," etc., and which, wound up by speaking of ageu- 



THE MENHADEN QUESTION. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



The communication from Mr. Daniel F. Church, in your 

 issue of Jan. 24, on the menhaden, and the great cmantity of 

 fish existing at the present time, stirs the antagonistic element 

 of my constitution into making a few remarks: 



Mr. Church claims that fish are as plenty as formerly, and 

 cites dates and years to sustain his assertion. To rebut his 

 mistaken statement we refer to all the hook and fine fishermen 

 in Newport, R. I. , or of Narraganset Bay, or extending south 

 to Sandy Hook, or east to Cape Cod, to sustain us in the asser- 

 tion that he is as far from correct as the sun is distant from 

 the earth. We also refer to Caleb Haley & Co., H. N. Rogers 

 and Moon & Larnphere, all of Fulton Market. New York, all 

 of whom will testify to the constant diminution of fish on 

 our coast since the' introduction of pounds, or heart seines, 

 and steamer fishing, as carried on to the enormous extent it is 

 at the present date. 



To «te one instance that comes under our own personal 

 notice, Mr. Wm. M. Rogers, of South Portsmouth, R. I., who 

 was engaged in the fish business from 1830 to 1860, and is a 

 member of the firm of M. Rogers & Co., of Fulton Market, 

 N. Y. In 1854 he bought of the trap and seine fishermen of 

 the Seaconet River, 1,200 barrels of large green head sea bass, 

 scup, and other edible fish, delivered on the shore, for sixteen 

 cents per barrel to spread on his farm for manure. He fur- 

 ther informs us that at or about this time he bought for the 

 market se'a bass by the sugar- box for §1.50 per box. Kow we 

 ask for an instance in the past few years, when these fish 

 could have been bought for any such prices, or anything ap- 

 proaching them? A greater part of the time they have been 

 nearer sixteen cents per pound than sixteen cents per 

 barrel. When has there been such a quantity of fish 

 caught by hook and line as there was prior to the in- 

 troduction of the pounds and steamer fishing? Since the 

 wholesale slaughter by these agents began, there has been 

 a constant diminution in all kinds of fish, until the hook and 

 the net fishermen do not find enough fish to meet their ex- 

 penses, in many instances. Again we refer to the wholesale 

 dealers of New York and Philadelphia for proof of the limited 

 quantity of late years compared with what there was in the 

 year mentioned. 



I claim, as well as every other fisherman who has not got 

 his capital in steamers, seines and pounds, that there is, has 

 been, and furthermore will be, a gradual decline in all kinds 

 of fish, which can be traced directly from the above causos. 

 viz., steamers, semes and pounds. Unless a law be passed by 

 the United States Government, to prohibit these destructive 

 agents from plying their vocation within three miles of the 

 shore, thus giving the migratory fish a chance to follow the 

 old-time habit of leading the shore, this depletion will con- 

 tinue. 



To explain somewhat one of my theories, I will make use of 

 a simple illustration: If we were accustomed to walk each 

 morning in a beautiful park without molestation, and upon 

 going some morning, should find at the entrance two men, each 

 armed with a club, a third man just back of these two, and the 

 three were bound to have a clip at us as we entered and returned, 

 we would soon shim that place as we would the plague. Just so 

 with the fish. The two men are represented by the pounds 

 on each side of our rivers, the third man is the steamer, wait- 

 ing for the fish in the spring, when they arrive, and they not 

 only get one or two clips, but they pound and harass them, 

 from the time of arrival to their departure in the fall. Is it a 

 wonder they grow scarce? No! The only wonder, to my mind, 

 is that there are so many left, after being constantly caught 

 and driven off. 



Mr. Church says the atiiped bass might feed ou the men- 

 haden. They would, undoubtedly, if they found them on the 

 grounds they were accustomed to feed. But they have been 

 driven from these grounds. In 1883 you could not get a men- 

 haden for love or monev, in this locality, fresh enough to use 

 for bait. What was the consequence ? Less striped bass were 

 caught than any time in the recollection of fishermen for the 

 past" thirty years. He speaks of bass not being caught in 

 purse seines. " Why '. Because they require depth of water to 

 make their sets. Tt is a well-known habit of the bass to fol- 

 low, or lead, the shores; and if purse net ushernien could set 

 their seines, or had cause to, in shoal water, they would catch 

 bass; for they are destroyed by the barrel by the pounds, and 

 are first caught in them on their appearance in the spring, and 

 well up Narraganset Bay at that. We know of two being 

 caught the past'season that weighed over fifty pounds each, 

 and they were caught three miles up the bay. These are facts 

 which will disturb the statement that they are located out- 

 side of the bay. We have f ollowed bass fishing for pleasure 

 more or less for the past seventeen years, and for the past 

 three vears as a business. And have caught and cleaned bass 

 that have had parts aud whole menhaden in them, full-grown 

 fish. One in particular of fifty-six pounds weight, had no 

 less than parts of nine full-grown menhaden, and 1 contend 

 that they do and will feed on them when they can. Mr. Church 

 speaks of a glut, and dealers refusing, or saying "Snip as few 

 Ush as possible.'' The cause oi 'this glut was irom the reason 

 of sudden catches of large schools of fish in pounds and seines, 

 and all shipped in one day, and that without ice, the fish then 



f Jutting the market in a decaying state caused by lack of 

 nowledge in packing them. 



l could cite cause and instance after instance in this connec- 

 tion, but will not try your patience or weary your readers 

 further than to say tfhat it is time that more attention is given 

 to the diminution of fish by steam fishing gangs, pounds and 



seines. T heartily wish there could be interest enough aroused 

 among the disciples of the hook to inaugurate a 'movement 

 that would in time suppress the a.hove causes of wholesale de- 

 struction of our fish. If no such move is made it will soon be 

 a thing of the past to catch with the hook: one of those noblest 

 of game fish, the striped bass. We shall not onlv be deprived 

 of our sport, but what is far more important, we shall be de- 

 prived of all kinds of salt water tish as a staple food, and in a 

 short time, they will only be found on our tables as an article 

 of luxury. To close this humble effort to express the ideas of 

 a fisherman against the monopoly by capital, we would say 

 that we fully agree with your correspondent, "Fisherman," in 

 his opinions advanced in your issue of Jan. 10, and would also 

 say if' we cannot arouse interest enough to secure a law to 

 protect the fishing interest, let us have the appropriation he 



speaks Of. 



We also respectfully ask tho United States Pish Commis- 

 sion to investigate this matter fully, not from our standpoint 

 alone, but let them take both sides of the question, and they 

 will soon discover that there is urgent need of the protection, 

 as well as the propagation of our salt water fish. W. 51, H 



South Portsmouth, R. L, Jan. 31 1884. 



STOCKING STREAMS WITH TROUT. 



THE following on this subject is taken from the last report 

 of the Fish Commission of Connecticut, and shows the 

 working of stocking private waters by the State: 



Very great interest has been manifested in the efforts of 

 your Commissioners to stock the depleted brooks and streams 

 o t the State with trout. Though the supply was greater than in 

 any preceding year, the demand last year was so great, that 

 only 3,000 could be allotted to each applicant. All those who 

 applied previous to March 1 received their quota. It is very 

 gratifying to receive such favorable reports from the streams 

 stocked during the two previous years. The young trout are 

 thriving, and in many cases reports come to your Commis- 

 sioners of their reappearance in streams where none had been 

 seen for several years. The prospect seems good for a return 

 .of their former abundance, especially as the farmers are mak- 

 ing efforts to protect them during their infancy. Occasionally 

 some one complains that he is not allowed to capture the fln- 

 gerlings as usual. As a specimen, a clipping from a Hartford 

 letter to the Springfield Republican is here given: 



"They go out for trout, and the number of large catches of 

 trout reported this year is well above the average. The ex- 

 planation is simple. Many people have taken advantage of 

 the offer of recent years of the Fish Commissioners to give 

 5,000 young trout "to whoever would come and get them. 

 With these they have stocked wild brooks aud then they havo 

 hired from the land-owning farmers the sole.right to fish in the 

 streams. In other words, we are developing a lot of preserves. 

 It is impossible to see the harm of it. Fish are bigger and 

 plentier, farmers get a little something for what they used to 

 get nothing for : their fences are safer and crops less disturbed . 

 And yet it is said that the effect of these preserves, with the 

 warning notice against fishing, has, been to create a hostile 

 feeling against the Fish Commissioners. People will go to 

 fish in a brook and find it preserved, say- it is all due to the 

 Fish Commissioners, aud get mad accordingly. But, these 

 same people do not think of going to the farmer's barn-yard 

 for chickens and then condemning the Legislature at the 

 thought that they can't carry off the broilers without being 

 punished." 



The facts, so far as reported, are that the farmers, finding 

 that certain pei-sons were in the habit of visiting the recently 

 stocked brooks, and catching the young trout deposited only 

 the previous year, have pos»ed their lands for the purpose of 

 giving the young trout a chance to grow to a sufficient size to 

 propagate their species, in this way alone can the experiment! 

 receive a fair trial, for there is in every State a class of per- 

 sons, generally known as poachers or pot-hunters, whose only 

 idea' is to capture th° last bird or the last fish possible, pro- 

 vided only it serves to supply r by its sale, their craving for 

 whiskey. ' The March woodcock, the July partridge, and the 

 yearling trout are all equally welcome, ii' they can be sold, 

 and it is well known that even in Hartford woodcock have 

 been served at dinner parties in May and partridges in August, 

 and trout can be bought at any season. The young tron t for the 

 year's distribution were provided by Mr. Henry J. Fenton of 

 Poquonock, at a cost to the State of three dollars per thousand. 

 Mr. Fenten's system of delivery has been so perfect that no 

 complaints have yet reached your Commissioners from any 

 quarter. 



Iu their report of last year your Commissioners recom- 

 mended that an Act should be passed forbidding the exposure 

 for sale of any trout less than six inches in length. A bill for 

 the purpose was presented to the General Assembly, referred 

 to the Committee on Fisheries, acted upon without the know- 

 ledge of the Commissioners, reported adversely, and promptly 

 defeated. As complaints are frequently made to your Com- 

 missioners about the sale of fingerung 'trout in the markets, 

 the subject is suggested for a reconsideration. 



THE MASSACHUSETTS COMMISSION,— Mr. Edward II. 

 Lathrop has been appointed a Commissioner of Fisheries in 

 the place Of Mr. Asa French, resigned. Mr. Lathrop has been 

 long- and favorably known as a sportsman, aud one interested 

 in nshculture. His address is 419 Main street, Springfield. The 

 appointment by bl I e G < i verl lor w a s confirmed by the Co line il on 

 Wednesday, Jan. SO, and is for the term of five years from 

 February 1. 



There ' died recently at Fort William, Invernessshire. 



■William Mackenzie, oho of the most noted deerstalkers of his 

 day, Mackenzie, or as he was more commonly called in his 

 latter days "Old Gaick, 1 ' was born in the Braes of Locbaber 

 iu 1S0O, and he was thus in his eighty-fourth year. "When 

 quite a young man he entered the service of the Ballindalloch 

 family, and soon became their head man in the forest of Gaick, 

 in Badenoch. This situation he occupied for about thirty 

 years. Whoever might be tenant to the forest, William 

 Mackenzie was always head-keeper; and there he became 

 widelv known in the sporting world as one of the best deer- 

 stalkers of his day. His powers for running and walking 

 were marvellous, and even when in his eighty-third or fourth 

 year he thought nothing of walking twenty or thirty miles in 

 a d&y. &.mong the sportsmen who were tenants of Gaick in 

 his time were Sir Joseph Radeh'ffe. and the Earl of Selkirk. 

 After being thirty years iu Gaick lie quitted the service of the 

 BalUndaHocb. farhilv; aud at that time Sir Joseph Radcliffe, 

 iu recognition of his' excellent services while he was tenant of 

 Gan-k conferred on ihe deerstalker-bard a pension for life. 

 Sir Joseph is long since dead, but Mackenzie's annuity con- 

 tinued to be paid from the estate. During the last twe-nty - 

 tive years he lived here and there among members ol his 

 family in different parts of the country, lie was literally a 

 mine "of Highland tradition and Gaelic song. 



Lai. dor, the pofct; says iu one of his sweet little Sonnets: 

 what suns, and winds, and waters make us; 7 ' but unfortunately suns 

 will scorch, winds will rouglten, and waters wall not remove the in- 

 jurious effects of the other two upon the lovely complexion of tbe 

 fairer sex. For ages chemists nave tried to distil from herbs and 

 minerals an elixir or beauty, but they have failed, and u was left to 

 modern limes to find a cosmetic which should remove every speck 

 and blemish, and leave a soft and peerless loveliness upon the rough- 

 tiuuiaud's Oriental Cream does tins, and while so perfectly 

 harmless that spring water is not more so, it has a magic influence 

 upon the complexion which cannot lm over estimated or believed 



i our lady readers we simply say, would l 

 lovely as kindly Nature intended? Then use the Oriental Cream 

 4.1SO frdm the "noted star actress: "Philadelphia, Ni ■ ' ■■ 



cordially recommend Dr, T. Felix Gouraud's 'Oriental Cream Magical 

 Beautifler.' as d is perfectly harmless. Binceri ly, Ln.uv. HwjQV '- 



