328 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



I May m, 1884. 



In a Cold Water Hole.— North Loup, Neb., April 14. 

 — Having had much enjoyment in reading the experiences of 

 your contributors, I will add my mite. This is a fine place 

 for hunting, but our one grief is the want of guns that will 

 do sufficient execution among the geese. I read of guns 

 that will kill geese from 80 to 110 yards with BB shot. I 

 shot at one about thirty yards with BB shot and hit him 

 with seven, four going clear through him. He got clear 

 across the river and up on the bank before I got to him. 

 Last evening I killed a white pelican that measured eight 

 feet two inches from tip to tip and five feet sis inches from 

 point of bill to claws. I had a 12 gauge 16-pound muzzle- 

 loader with 43-inch barrels. N<i geese came nearer than 

 seventy-five yards, and I could cut" out lots of feathers but 

 kill no goose. At last a small bunch passed nearer. I 

 picked out my bird, and when the report jarred the sur- 

 rounding bluffs he fell. lie lay on his back kicking for 

 quite a while, then slowly recovered himself and started 

 across the sandbar. I stripped and took after him. f re- 

 tained my upper garment and pulled it over my head for 

 fear the "goose might be embarrassed. I stepped into a 

 quicksand hole just six feet deep. Luckily there were three 

 inches more to spare or I might have got wet. Just here 

 will somebody please tell me how the water in those holes 

 manages to maintain a temperature of 25° below zero all the 

 year around? At least that's how it felt. Well, I just got 

 close to him when he flew off down the river. My wife 

 don't allow me to swear, but I quoted some forcible passages 

 to him. Then I had to wade back, and fell in another hole. 

 The climate of Nebraska must be mild, because the railroad 

 documents say it is, but dressing on the bank of the river in 

 a cold east wind don't count. Is there any gun that will 

 shoot close enough to hit a goose, with at least four 00 shot 

 at eighty yards, and hard enough to drive them through? 

 If there is I will have it next falL — C. 



\m und Bivet 



Lotjisana Notes. — St. Martinsville, La., April 14. — The 

 past season in' this vicinity was a gamy one. One hunt I 

 wot of by two members of the Louisiana Gun Club in com- 

 pany with a local shooter; sum total of bags in three days, 

 487 quail. One member of same club, on annual hunt, 

 bagged 97 woodcock. I am informed he wasn't the best 

 shot in the club either, consequently many birds got away. 

 On the lake ducking was splendid. I shot exclusively over 

 decoys, and made bags from 11 to 35 on each hunt. Of 

 course, at present all game has departed hence. The fishing 

 on the lake has been good. I've known parties already to 

 have captured 24 fine trout through the holes in the floating 

 prairie contiguous to Spanish Lake. The largest of trout 

 which I refer to was five pounds, the smallest two pounds. 

 Last summer I heard of eight and even eleven pounders being 

 captured. Of course, you are aware these are not the 

 "speckled beauties" that I read so much of in your columns, 

 but the lake, or green, trout, as they are termed here. They 

 are exceedingly delicious in flavor, as the water of the lake 

 is clear and cold even in our hottest August days, it being 

 fed exclusively by subterranean springs. — J. P. H. 



Florida Game. — Enterprise, Pla., May 8. — The hunting 

 for the season is over at tbis place, the Brock House having 

 closed two weeks ago. Notwithstanding the many sports- 

 men who hunt here during the winter, and kill quantities of 

 game, deer can be found three miles from here in large 

 enough numbers to make a day's sport both exciting and 

 profitable. A resident of this place bagged three while out 

 one day last week. Quail are plenty, but do not receive the 

 sportsman's attention as they do North. They are very tame 

 and are caught in traps, few being shot by the residents of 

 this vicinity. The sport most indulged in by the winter 

 visitor is fishing, because a novice can be successful, while 

 hunting deer requires the surest shot. Trolling is the favorite 

 mode of fishing, and an experienced angler seldom returns 

 from a day's fish with less than twenty, and as high as 

 eighty- three have been caught by one man in a day. Bass 

 are caught more than any other variety. For duck shooting 

 come here in November, when hundreds make Lake Monroe 

 and adjoining ponds their home for the winter. — G. G. J. 



New York Gamk Law Amendments. — The amendments 

 to the game law passed at the last session provide that non- 

 residents of Richmond county, (Staten Island) must take out 

 a $10 license before shooting there, This we believe to be 

 an unconstitutional law. Woodcock open season in Oneida 

 and Delaware counties, Sept. 1-Jan. 1; elsewhere, as before, 

 Aug. 1-Jam 1. Squirrels, open season, Aug. 1-Feb. 1. A 

 third amendment, relating to power of supervisors, will be 

 given in our next issue. 



An Old Timer. — Meigsville, Ohio. — I am an old man 

 almost seventy, yet 1 like to shoot a good rifle. Iwas one 

 of the first settlers of Morgan count}'. In 1815 there were 

 deer, black bear and wolves in abundance. I used to shoot 

 deer with a flintlock rifle. — I. R, W. 



Iowa Wildfowl.— Hastings, la,, April 8. — I bagged 

 over forty geese on the "Platte," near Kearny, Neb., in two 

 days, over decoys, last week. There are millions there, but 

 you have to hit them hard to score. — M. 



WHAT THEY SAY OF "WOODCRAFT." 



The little book on "Woodcraft," by "Nessniuk, 1 ' is admirable in its 

 way, going over the whole ground of outfit, food. Are, etc., with 

 sound, practical knowledge ami not a little originality. The most ex- 

 perienced camper-out will find something new in it, and the tyro will 

 had it a storehouse of practical knowledge. Take, for instance, his 

 recipe for making club bread, that we fancy no club has ever in- 

 dorsed. The first ingredient, is a heavy dub of black birch or sassa- 

 fras two feet long and three inches thick at the big end, shaved clean, 

 and stuck in the ground, small end down, the big end over a bed of 

 live coals, where it will get "screeching hot." Meantime the dough 

 is mixed and kneaded, and then wound in a long strip, spirally, about 

 the broad end, and baked for half an hour before the Are, with fre- 

 quent turning. Sometimes his woodland instinct against superfluous 

 duffle gives way with dry humor to his appetite. 'T often have a end 

 to pilot some muscular young friend into the deep forest, and he 

 usually carries a large pack-basket, with a full supply of quart cans 

 of salmon, tomatoes, peaches, etc. As in duty bound I admonish him 

 kindly but firmly on the folly of loading his young shoulders with such 

 effeminate luxuries; often I fear hurting his young feelings by 

 brusque advice. But at night, when the camp-fire burns bnghtly, 

 and he begins to fish out his tins, the heart of the old woodsman 

 relents, and I make amends by allowing him to divide the groceries." 

 In canoes, he recommends the light clinker-built paddling canoe, 

 though he confesses that his ten-and-a-balf pounder was rather light, 

 and advises one twice as heavy. Hh also recommends, besides the 

 regular double-blade, a small auxiliary single-blade paddle, tied with 

 a yard of line to a boat rib, ready for use in a narrow stream, and not 

 lost when dropped for a hasty shot, or by accident. Bui we must re- 

 fer our readers to the book itself.— Outing and the Wheelman. 



A e 



"I am well and strong, and don't need to insure." Queer logic: 

 When you are sick or broken down you can't get insured. Now is the 

 time to insure— in the Travelers, of Hartford, Conn., best and cheap- 

 est of sound companies.— Adv. 



SALT-WATER FISHING. 



S a reader of your paper I take the liberty of asking you 

 how it happens that your news on fishing is all about 

 trout and other angling, such as only a rich man can afford. 

 Now I know of many readers of your paper Avho, like my- 

 self, can only afford to do salt-water fishing in the vicinity 

 of New York, and if you would give us some talk on this 

 subject we would feel that we "poor, but honest" fisher- 

 men were not overlooked. Now, as for trout fishing, we 

 would enjoy also, and if you could only get your South 

 Oyster Bay correspondent (Geo. Kiilian) to post us as to 

 where we could get free fishing on Long Island, we would be 

 doubly favored. Tackle. 



[II occurs to us that the probable answer to "Tackle's" 

 question is to be found in the fact that fresh -water anglers 

 are more enthusiastic than the salt-water fishermen. If the 

 latter are not sufficiently interested in their pursuits to write 

 about them, they will, of course, be crowded out. If 

 "Tackle" wishes to be posted by our South Oyster Bay cor- 

 respondent, perhaps the simplest way would be to write to 

 him and ask the questions on which information is desired. I 



LAKE ONTARIO SALMON. 



AVERY interesting letter has been written on the sal- 

 mon of Canada, and especially of Lake Ontario, by 

 W. 6. Austin, of Maple Hurst, Megantic, Quebec, to the 

 Toronto Globe. The letter is much too long for reproduc- 

 tion in our columns, but it contains a great many good 

 points and truths which deserve wide publication, and these 

 we extract: 



Referring to the salmon, he says: "This noble fish at one 

 time abounded in Lake Ontario and its tributaries, as well as 

 in the St. Lawrence, the Ottawa, the Saguenay and their 

 tributaries, but the wasteful practices and the murderous 

 engines planted by the greed of man in every spot where 

 this persecuted fish wanders, have nearly annihilated the 

 race." * * * "The Government of the Provinces, as 

 then constituted, appointed fishery officers to regulate these 

 important fisheries. At the time a law existed on the statute 

 book which was all that could be desired. All fixed engines 

 and self-acting instruments were forbidden to be used in the 

 capture of salmon, trout and maskinonge." 



After referring in commendatory terms to the action taken 

 on this subject by the English authorities, Mr. Austin con- 

 tinues : 



"The department found a good law on the statute book, 

 and, wishing to change it, a committee of members of the 

 Quebec Parliament was named to investigate the qualities of 

 the fixed engines. They examined principally the fishermen 

 who used mesh nets anchored to the soil, and took the evi- 

 dence of these interested parties as material upon which to 

 base their report to the House. " 



The report of the committee was substantially to the effect 

 that the engines used in Canada were not so injurious to the 

 salmon fisheries as certain amateurs had supposed, but at the 

 same time time it recommended that their employment should 

 be limited as much as possible. It was shown to the Govern- 

 ment on the most undoubted evidence that wherever the 

 fixed engines had been used salmon fisheries had rapidly 

 declined in value. The opinions of experts was asked and 

 they denounced the action of the department as calculated 

 to destroy the salmon fisheries entirely. 



Again Mr. Austin says : ' 'Now we come to the brush weirs, 

 engines self-acting, made of a kind of wicker w T ork extending 

 from the high water mark down to the low water mark, 

 sometimes nearly a mile in length; covered with water when 

 the tide is full and bare when the tide is out, with one or 

 more pounds or receptacles into which fish of all kinds are 

 forced by being unable to get through the tender of the weir. 

 There are hundreds of these weirs erected on the shores of 

 both sides of the St. Lawrence. I read in a sporting work 

 man}' years ago that these weirs had destroj r ed the salmon 

 fisheries of Lake Ontario, no salmon from Lake Ontario or 

 above the tidal flow could get down to the ocean through 

 these weirs. All these statements and arguments were con- 

 tained in the representation sent to the Hon. Mr. Campbell, 

 and that gentleman knowing that it was impossible for the 

 fish migrating the shores to pass them, made a provision that 

 in the lowest part of these weirs a grating should be placed 

 to admit the passage of the fry of fish. I have visited many 

 of these weirs, and have observed that as soon as the current 

 begins to ebb it carries with it sea weed and other floating 

 matter, and lodges it against the gratings and closes them 

 completely. It happens, too, at every ebb .of the title, that 

 the first fish swimming to this grating attempting to go 

 through, their bodies fill up the spaces and leave no passage, 

 so that this device of the grating is useless. I have seen fish 

 from a full grown salmon to' a "little sardine caught at the 

 same time, and I have been told by a credible navigator that 

 he has seen eighteen bushels of young salmon caught aud 

 ^dng dead in a single weir at one ebb of the tide." 



Mr. Austin then proceeds to point out the folly of the 

 action of the government in spending large sums annually 

 in their efforts to restock Lake Ontario and the St. Law- 

 rence with salmon while the shores of the river are blocked 

 with these weirs and other appliances which render their 

 passage from the ocean to their breeding grounds impossible. 

 "On their way from the sea to their breeding grounds," says 

 an excellent authority, "the salmon never swim in mid- 

 stream, but hug the shores as if they were scenting out their 

 own rivers." 



In another portion of his letter Mr. Austin says: 



"Two hundred and fifty-nine thousand four hundred dol- 

 lars have been spent in building and working fish hatcheries 

 in the Dominion, and a gieat part of them above the tidal 

 flow. From the great Dominion fish-breeding establishment 

 near Newcastle. Ontario, 5,600,000 young salmon have been 

 distributed, and not one of them has ever been known to 

 return. How could they ever reach the sea (and to the sea 

 the genuine SalfflO snlar must go or perish)? 



"Twenty years' valuable time has been lost, besides all 

 this money. The Fisheries Department were wanted by me 

 over and over again that their system was worse than use- 

 less, and the result is even more deplorable than I could have 

 anticipated." 



And again — "Not one of these bush weirs that have de- 

 stroyed the 5,600,000 young salmon, the fourteen years' 

 product of the great fish-breeding establishment at Newcastle 

 bad a legal right to exist; and what were our Ministers of 

 Marine and Fishei ies doing wheu they allowed the public 

 use of the coasts of the St. Lawrence to be so encumbered as 

 to commit such havoc upon the ratepayers of the Dominion? 



They have eleven fish hatcheries now in operation, eteht of 

 t r i m . hatcbin S salmon eggs, with the shores around them 

 full of destructive fixtures and anchored self-acting engines 

 they are going on to protect' the fisheries off the face of the 

 earth. 



In concluding his letter, Mr. Austin says; 



"The course to be followed is plain, but we have to beg in 

 again and be wiser. Lake Ontario connected with the tides of 

 the Atlantic Ocean through the St. Lawrence wi th its great 

 tributaries, the Ottawa and the Saguenay, a nd all their 

 branches, forms a field for the cultivation of salmon unriv- 

 alled in capacity and extent. The river Taj in Scotland is 

 expected to yield annually 80,000 fish of the cash value of 

 £60,000 sterling, or about $300,000 of our money, but 

 there are no brush weirs and mesh nets there. 



LANDLOCKED SALMON IN SEBAGO. 



THE season for landlocked salmon fishing in the Sebago 

 waters is practically at an end for the year. It is true 

 that a large fish may be occasionally taken, even as late as the 

 last of June; but still with the return of the smelts to deep 

 water the salmon go also, and but little is known of their 

 whereabouts, except in spawning time, for the rest of the 

 year. This season has been the best since this resort for 

 sportsmen began to attract attention. There Lave been no 

 very large fish taken, but the numbers are much larger than 

 ever before, and speak a good word for what little protection 

 has been done, and that is little enough, at best. Eleven 

 pounds would be about the true, figures for the largest speci- 

 mens taken in these waters this spring, but there have been 

 several of these, and a large number ranging from five to 

 ten pounds. Also a much larger number than usual of "red 

 spots" have been taken at the same time. 



The fish have been very democratic in their tastes, and 

 have been attracted by the clumsy fishing of the novice fully 

 as often as by the most skillful angler. A good iliustniion 

 of this was the case of "Biddeford," who, after furnishing 

 sport for all hands for three days by his awkwardness, went 

 away on the morning of the fourth day with 11 large fish; 

 all of his own catching. Of the Maine Fish Commissioners, 

 however, who are the acknowledged leaders of this class of 

 sport, one was obliged to content himself with a single "red 

 spot" of four pounds for his week's work. The other Com- 

 missioner was a little more fortunate, as he bagged two sal- 

 mon and three "red spots." Supt. HamUton, who caught 

 the big fish of last year, served his time this year without 

 scoring a single fish until the morning that he went away. 

 At that time his friends gave him a half dozen fish, so that 

 he would not go home euchred. But fishing is uncertain. 

 This same gentleman, trolling, as he was being rowed across 

 the lake on his way out, captured two salmon of six and 

 seven pounds respectively. 



Considerable amusement was caused by an adventure of a 

 party fishing from a canal boat. There were six or seven 

 men on the boat, but no one of them had ever caught a sal- 

 mon, unless it was with a pitchfork or sucker spear. As 

 luck would have it, one of the number struck a fish which 

 proved to be a lOi-pouuder. The capturer at once reeled in 

 his prize until he had the fish at the end of his rod, where it 

 was making a terrific swashing of the water in its struggles 

 to get away. At this moment, one of the party reached an 

 old smelt net under the fish just in time to receive it as the 

 hook broke. The last man then attempted to lift the fish on 

 board with the net, but just as it was over the side, the fish, 

 with a flop, went through the bottom of the net and struck 

 squarely across the rail of the boat. For a moment it seemed 

 to balance in that position, and then, by a turn unlucky for 

 itself, slid from the rail into the boat. 



Another party of sportsmen have distinguished themselves 

 in a way rather more questionable. They used bait from 

 the tank of live smelts which the club had put in, without 

 asking leave, but this was allowed as the gentlemanly owners 

 thought that there was enough for all. "When the same 

 party went away they put in their crowning act. Tiny 

 dipped all the smelts from the tank they could, and fried 

 them for their break fast. Then, to add a greater insult, they 

 broke open one of the fish cars belonging to the club and 

 stole a large salmon. These fellows will probably have an 

 invitation to call and settle. 



Something over one hundred fish have been taken in all, 

 the largest catch by any one individual being "Bidde ford's" 

 11. Sunday, May 4, was the best day, there" being both the 

 largest number of fishermen (over thirty) and the largest 

 number of fish taken. On that day there were five boats on 

 the bar, each playing a salmon at the same time, The ac- 

 commodations at the Sebago fishing grounds are as yet 

 rather limited, there being but one camp and that private 

 property. The most of the coiners have to shift as they can. 

 Boats are plenty, and with a man io row, cost from $2 to 

 $3. .50 per day. 



It is sheer nonsense to talk that this fishing is well pro- 

 tected in close time. The poaching is still carried on under 

 the very noses of the wardens, who from fear, or more 

 questionable, motives, have thus far displayed their great 

 ability in talk only. The services of one resolute man like 

 Detective Wormwell, for a week, are worth more to the 

 salmon fishing interests here than a life time of such granny 

 ism as that heretofore displayed by the wardons.— fori 

 [Me) Correspondence Boston Herald, May 17. 



Philadelphia, May 17.— Trout fishing in the many 

 streams in Pennsylvania has been very good litis year. 

 Favorable weather and good condition of the water aided, 

 and we hear of good catches from many anglers returning. 

 Bass fishing is yearly attracting more and more t ro.it fisher- 

 men, and not a few zealous fly-fishermen have confessed they 

 as fully enjoy the struggles and leap? of a fair-sized bass as 

 they do the rise of a trout. Some of the older members of 

 the West Jersey Game Protective Society who were instru- 

 mental in having the head waters of the New Jersey streams 

 stocked with fish, state they have not noticed any good re- 

 sults from their work, and it has now been several yea rs 

 since the fry was liberated.— Homo. 



Trolting rs the Big Blshkill. — In reply to "Homo" 

 in your issue of May 15, would say that I have several times 

 caught large trout in the still waters of the Big Buahkil] 

 with five bait — minnows. I only have resorted to this after 

 thoroughly going through my fly-book, most always finding 

 some "feather" that would lure them out of those deep 

 pools. If all this persuasion was of no avail then I offered 

 them fin instead of feather. Sometimes even this was not 

 taking. While whipping one of our little streams last week 

 1 saw live wild turkeys and an unusual number of pheasants. 

 I am afraid the winter went hard with the quail. 1 have 

 several coveys which I have hired kept.— Spicewood. 



