Apkii, 16, 1885. J 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



229 



necessary to allow the hook to get well down, in fact, that 

 they should swallow it. 



The biting of the tarpon does not at all resemble that of a 

 big fish. The bait is sently taken and moves slowly off. 

 When Mr. Wood felt his baif move he threw the coil of line 

 into the water, calculating that the bait would be swallowed 

 by the time the line was run out. He then picked up his 

 rod and struck. A boy was already in the dingey and cast 

 oil' the moment Mi. Wood jumped in, and the struggle 

 hetjan. The maddened lish leaped into the air showing its 

 sides of burnished silver and then dove with a rush that 

 threatened to take the man and boat with it. The excite- 

 ment was above fever heat and the gulls were frightened at 

 the frantic leaps of the scared monster, and screamed as 

 Ibey hurriedly left the place. Only the fisherman was cool. 

 Repeated experiment in lifting weights with his rod had 

 taught him to know the amount of pressure his thumb 

 should apply to the reel and, holding Jus rod nearly upright, 

 he placed the strain at twenty pounds and made the fish 

 drag the boat. 



At no time was there more than three hundred feet off the 

 reel, and the pressure was kept at the same degree until the 

 fish weakened, The leaps grew less high and the plunges 

 less ferocious, until after a stubborn fight of three-quarters 

 of au hour the monster was brought to gaff. On this day 

 Mr. Wood hooked and landed three fish, the smallest weigh- 

 ing 85 pounds and the largest 115 pounds, and before he left 

 Florida he took iwo others. He docs not doubt being able 

 to kill this lish with an ordinary bass reel and 800 feet of 

 9-thread line. The requisites appear to be a cool head, good 

 tackle and a hook placed well down where it cannot tear 

 out. The curious can sec the hook, chain and a portion of 

 the hue at Conroy's. It is worth seeing to prospective 

 tarpon anglers, and in future tarpon fishing may be classed 

 among the sports of America. 



BLACK BASS FOR STOCKING WATERS. 



Editor FonM and Bttmttti 



Having noticed on different occasions inquiries in Forest 

 and Stkeam iu regard to black bass for stocking purposes, 

 and never having seen any satisfactory answer, I inade it 

 my business to ask the gentlemeu named below iu regard to 

 live black bass. Either of the three named are honest, trust- 

 worthy, business men, and catch and keep live fish for sale 

 to dude fishermen who cannot catch them, but wish to take 

 home a nice string to show in Pittsburgh. 



Capt. Clark of~the life-saving crew situated at the outer 

 channel piers near the lighthouse, can furnish almost any 

 number, but could not attend to shipping them. Capt. J. 

 D. Pascu. at the Public Docks, a boatbullder, who has all 

 styles of boats to hire for fishiug purposes, from a steam 

 yacht to a small row boat, nearly always has from ten to fifty 

 hue bass in his boxes, from one and one-half to four pounds 

 iu weight. 1 have known the fish to spawn in his boxes 

 often. Mr. Fred Knobloch, captain of the steam yacht 

 Lena, keeps a hotel to accommodate fishermen and duck- 

 hunters, can furnish them, Mr. Knobloch often ships dif- 

 ferent kinds of fish alive as far as Pittsburgh and the towns 

 between here and there, and says he would not recommend 

 shipping very large ones, as they require fresh water, accord- 

 ing to the size of fish. The majority of bass taken here are 

 the small-mouth, taken almost always on rocky reefs or 

 hard bottom. The large-mouth are called here "swamp 

 bass. " Anglers, except green ones, do not care for them. 

 They are not as large, on an average, and swimming as they 

 do among the weeds and in shoal water, are not so good 

 flavored, and taste of the sewers when caught near them. 

 There is no marked difference in their fighting qualities, 

 pound for pound, that I can notice, but the small-mouth is 

 always taken in deeper water, and they average nearly twice 

 the weight of the others. They do not seem to run at the 

 same time. We begin to get the small-mouth from April 20 

 to June 15, when they slack off until September. About the 

 first of June the boys may be seen wading among the weeds, 

 catching sunfish and swamp bass with worms; they also take 

 fly or spoon. 



The addresses of the gentlemen named are : Capt. Clark, 

 Life Saving Station, Erie, Pa. Capt. J. D. Pasch, Harbor 

 Erie, Pa. Capt. Fred Knobloch, Harbor Erie, Pa. Any 

 communication to either of the above gentlemen will receive 

 prompt attention, Headlight. 



Erie, Pa., April IB. 



TROUTING IN PENNSYLVANIA. 



WE all feel very "trouty" since the opening of the sea- 

 son, and were it not for the presence of huge banks 

 of snow on the north side of the mountains in the interior of 

 the State your correspondent would have been one of many 

 others to have jointed his rod the first of the month. One 

 of our restaurateurs, who makes a display of both cultivated 

 and wild trout on opening day, has had his representative 

 make a tour of the inner counties of Pennsylvania in order 

 to procure fish for his counters, but a return to Philadel- 

 phia with a meager supply proves the season's backwardness. 



A letter below from an ardent fly-fisherman, with whom 

 1 have had many a day's sport, shows the condition of the 

 stifjams within one hundred miles of our city : 



"1 tried the trout this morning and succeeded in taking 

 about a dozen, not a short dozen, but a long one (fifteen all 

 told). They ran from six to ten inches. My first cast was 

 made from the bank in snow up to my knees — no rise, and 

 after trying the stream at different points with no better 

 success^ I concluded to try the head of a dam some distance 

 above — not the one you and I fished some years ago, but one 

 lower down the stream ; but judge of my astonishment when 

 1 found it completely covered with ice which may have been 

 sixteen or eighteen iuches thick. I found an open pool just 

 where the creek enters it, and went to work, and for half an 

 hour had the finest kind of sport. The morning was foggy, 

 but as soon as the sun came out bright and warm I noticed 

 the stream was getting 'riley' and knew my fun was up. 

 The snow was melting on the sidehills and the muddy water 

 poured into the st ream from every direction, and in less than 

 au hour from the time 1 made my first cast the water was 

 fairly thick, so I unjointed my rod and started for home, 

 feeling that 1 had made a much better beginning this season 

 than in former. You know it has been my habit to try the 

 trout on the 1st, of April and woodcock on the 4th of July 

 for years, and it often happens that I do not fare, as well, 

 after working much harder than 1 did to-day. If the water 

 had remained clear 1 could have filled my creel by noon. 

 The fish were fat and quite gamy, considering the circum- 

 stances under which they were taken. I want you and 

 friend Roberts to come up after the Boston show." ' 



It is needless to say 1 will be there, but fear considerable 

 snow will still be on the hills. Reports from the State bor- 



dering the Susquehanna ltiver state that the ice is melting 

 gradually, and dangerous freshets are not expected. It will 

 take a fortnight, however, to clear up the streams so they 

 will be in condition for fly-fishing. Homo. 



Philadelphia, April ft. 



A REMARKABLE CATCH. 



4 FRIEND while fishing at the Sault Ste. Marie from a 

 J\. boat anchored out in the stream got his hook fastened 

 to something deep ifi the water. To free the line he laid 

 the rod across rhe stern of the boat, and moved to the bow 

 to raise the anchor in order to drop the boat down a little 

 way. As soon as the anchor was free the swift, current 

 quickly swung the boat around, and his rod, weighted with a 

 heavy reel, was carried overboard and disappeared. Of 

 course he gave it up for lost. The following season found 

 my friend" again fishing in the same locality. At his first 

 cast the hook succeeded in attaching itself to some myster- 

 ious obstruction. The line was new and strong, so pulling 

 hard and steadily upon it, he brought to the surface what 

 proved to be a rude fishing pole with several twigs at. the 

 end, around which was wrapped and tangled a common 

 cotton twine line, in the tangle of which his hook was 

 caught. Not it alone, for he was surprised to find a second 

 hook with a line attached fastened in the wrappings. He 

 drew in this line and soon appeared the tip of a second rod, 

 which he secured, and instantly recognized it to be his own, 

 the identical rod and tackle 'which he had lost the year 

 before. The rod and reel were not seriously injured by 

 having been submerged for so long. He has them still and 

 may the good old man's health and strength be preserved to 

 make successful use of them again in the fishing campaign 

 he has already planned for the ensuing summer. The 

 remarkable part of this incident is the fact that the rod 

 and tackle, which were recovered were lost out in the wide 

 and open stream, in the swift current, aud in very deep 

 water, where the chance of finding them again as they were 

 found was not one iu a million. II. 



CROPPIE, CRAPPIE, CRAPET. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



Referring to Mr. James A. Henshall's paper in your issue 

 of March 19, I beg to say that crapet is a French Canadian 

 word — not French — generally employed all through the 

 formerly Nouvelle-France, from the Atlantic to the Pacific. 

 It is as old as Canada itself, but I could hardly give its ety- 

 mology. Croppie or crappie is most probably the English 

 spelling of that no-French word. In our country crapet 

 denominates two distinct fishes: 1. The sunfish or common 

 pond fish (Pomotis vulgaris). We call it Crapet. jaunc (yellow 

 crappie). 2. The black-eared pond fish {Labrax [Eapomotis] 

 auritus), called Crapet mrt (a-reeo) or Crapet mondoux. 



O. D. 



Quebec, April '1. 



Editor Forest and Stream; 



1 am curious to know the derivation of the word croppie 

 or crappie. I learned to call the fish "crappie" while catch- 

 ing it in the Upper Mississippi, where the French settlers so 

 call it. The spelling was learned from Norm's "American 

 Anglers Book," road years after. Later I heard the fish 

 called "croppie," and, because in some parts of the West a 

 crop of grass or grain is miscalled a crap, I thought that the 

 name of the fish had been changed to "crappie" in conform- 

 ity with what they considered a more correct orthography. 

 Hence, 1 wrote to Dr. Henshatl the lines he quotes in begin- 

 ning bis article in your issue of March 19, which givesmuch 

 information about the fish but very little about the name, 

 and I am still in the dark. I have always preferred the 

 name of crappie to that of "strawberry bass," used in West- 

 ern New York; first, because it is short and pretty; and, 

 second, because there is no "strawberry" about the fish. 

 Fbed Matheb. 



ROYAL ANGLERS. 



ANGLING is certainly one of the national sports of Eng- 

 land. In London alone there are no less than 155 

 fishing clubs, and in the provinces apart from those associa- 

 tions which may be strictly referred to as "private," there 

 are at the time of writing 117. Scotland has a list of seventy- 

 eight, and the writer is by no means sure that the enumera- 

 tions given include all. Anyhow, here is sufficient proof 

 that angling is not "that solitary vice" ( pace Byron!) but a 

 sport indulged in Avith national British thoroughness. 



All the prominent members of the Royal family, except 

 the Queen, are fond of fishing. Even that lady, during the 

 lifetime of the Prince Consort, took great interest iu the 

 cultivation of the splendid waters of Windsor Great Park, 

 and it is an open secret that on the accession of the Prince 

 of Wales the lake of the Royal demesne will be stocked 

 afresh with trout and pike, and the black bass where practic- 

 able. The carp— up to thirty pounds weight— and eels are 

 a proverb in these waters, the latter having been taken up 

 to eight pounds. By the bye, one caught in the Wey (a lit- 

 tle river about five miles from the largest lake of Windsor 

 Park, into which an overflow might have found its course) 

 scaled eleven pounds, and was cast in my presence by the 

 late Frank Buckland in 1876. It was a true fresh-water 

 land-locked fish. A pike of thirty-six pounds was also taken 

 in the same year from Rapley Lake on the confines of Wind- 

 sor Park and cast by Buckland, and near on a score of carp 

 {Cyprians carpio) averaging over fifteen pounds were also 

 sent from the same locality to the aquarium at Southport 

 (Lane's). So much for the capabilities of the waters of 

 Windsor Great Park. 



Personally the Prince of Wales is not mucn of an angler. 

 He is, however, fond of taking a rod and amusing himself 

 with his children in catching the smaller fish of Virginia 

 Water. This lake is three miles long by about one broad, 

 and so called by George IY. after Virginia, and is beauti- 

 fully laid out with forest trees and shrubs, birch, beech, oak, 

 chestnut, rhododrendon, welliugtonia, et lion genus. The 

 sport of the Prince of Wales is rather of a more robust and 

 boisterous kind. For example, I recollect that he and Lord 

 Charles Beresford (of "Condor" fame), after collecting a 

 picnic party onboard the fifty -gun miniature frigate stationed 

 on Virginia Water, silently and unknown to the rest undid 

 the moorings and thus permanently grounded her, to the 

 loudly expressed dismay of Capt. 'Welsh (who afterward 

 ran down the Missillo with the Queen's yacht in the Solent) 

 and his not choicely- expressed anger; he being in charge. 



A water fete or picnic is always held after the Ascot race 

 week— sometimes on a Sunday— and boating and fishiug are 

 indulged in on all hands among the Royal party and their 

 guests. At such times the Princess of Wales is the queen 

 regnant, and with her children, who look even now like her 



brothers and sisters, so youthful does she appear, she accom- 

 panies the head fisherman (my father) and angles with 

 enthusiasm quite worthy of a Cleopatra, Her interest in 

 the results of the set lines, on which eels, pike, perch or carp 

 may haply be secured, is very juvenile, and in 1878 I had a 

 long conversation with her in reference to the characters of 

 our English coarse fish. I found her intelligent in her ques- 

 tions, and affable to a degree well calculated to set an 

 example among Englieb-bom ladies. The charming absence 

 of affectation and^ repelling dignity existing between the 

 Princess and her chddren is very noticeable. 



The Duke of Edinburgh is of a different cast to his brother 

 and certes so is his wife, to that of Alexandra. I remember 

 a water picnic soon after he brought the Grand Duchess 

 Marie to England. It w r as also at the end of the Ascot week. 

 The fisherman had expressly provided a beautifully finished 

 rod and tackle for the Duchess. The three were out in a 

 small punt together, when the Duke essayed to use the rod, 

 and being impatient at the fiueness of the lines and also 

 awkward, he roundly swore at it and angrily demanded why 

 such an inefficient weapon had been placed in his hands. 

 There were hundreds of spectators on the bank within hear- 

 ing. "Pardon me," said the Queen's fisherman, quietly, 

 "Your Royal Highness is not using it properly. Allow mc 

 to show you. The fault is yours." And with that and no 

 further trouble the bait went flying through the air a distance 

 of thirty yards, and a pike soon rewarded the Duchess, into 

 whose hands the rod was given, and whose previous petu- 

 lance had equalled that of Prince Alfred. Ho is a very fair 

 angler, however, aud in the fishing cottage there is a stuffed 

 pike taken by him in 1866 of twenty-five pounds weight. 

 The wood of the case of it is made from a piece of the orig 

 inal Heme's oak from Windsor Park. Of course, a stone 

 now only marks where this famous tree once stood. The 

 Duke of Edinburgh also signalized himself at the great 

 Fisheries Exhibition by a paper on the condition of English 

 sea fisheries and fishermen, and showed himself well versed 

 in the subject, and soundly practical in his advice. 



The Duke of Connaught is a soldier, and though a good 

 shot aud not at all unused to handling the rod, he is not a 

 typical angler. Huntsman he is, and that a good one, as 

 Goodall, the royal huntsman at Ascot, will tell you, but 

 angling is too slow. His seat in Bagshot Park, and Rapley 

 Lake, from which the thirty -six-pounder was taken, is in 

 this park, and the noble estate is a part of the Queen's prop- 

 erty — yclept Windsor Park. Of the Duke of Albany, not- 

 withstanding his continued ill health, more can be recorded. 

 He was passionately fond of the exercise of the "gentle 

 craft," when it alone remained as the solace of his many 

 hours of inability to enjoy active recreation. I have seen 

 him with Mr. Collins (his' medical superintendent) and Mr. 

 Dalton (his comptroller), fishing on Virginia Water when it 

 was a positive pain for him to adopt any but the reclining 

 position. Once I incurred Prince Leopold's anger — and I 

 think I can almost claim to be the only one who ever pro- 

 voked him to anger, so generally amiable was he. He had 

 appointed with my father to fish for roach (Leuciscus ruti- 

 tus) — a fish similar to the "shiner" — and I was told off to 

 furnish the boat. I omitted nothing, but the most import- 

 ant part, namely, the gut hooks; and when Prince Leopold 

 came limping from his carriage and was assisted into the 

 boaft, it was found there were no hooks in the tacltle box. 

 Only an hour or so was allowed him on the water, and it 

 would take at least half the time to go by foot to get the 

 necessary weapons. In tone of great annoyance 1 was or- 

 dered to get in the carriage and fetch what 1 had forgotten. 

 When I got back the Prince thanked me with the greatest 

 urbanity, and even my respected father condescended to un- 

 bend his face now that the Duke had. 



The Duke of Albany, when he was Prince Leopold sim- 

 ply, and since, was of a most amiable disposition — never 

 complaining, and meek much beyond the rest of his brothers. 

 He was also a good angler when his physical strength was 

 equal to it, which, in the summer of '77, '8 and '9 was not 

 very infrequent. 



Prince Christian of Schlewig-Holstein is the Ranger of 

 Windsor Park, and is, if not of a piscatorial turn of mind, 

 certainly true to the ichthyophagous instincts of his vaterlaud. 

 Princess Helena (his wife) does not care much for water re- 

 creation, but their young sons, Albert, Victor and George, 

 are enthusiastic anglers — a little too enthusiastic, sometimes, 

 perhaps, when the fisherman isn't looking. During the last 

 pike season they have been extremely fortunate from the 

 lake, situated just behind their residence, Cumberland Lodge, 

 and thirteen and fourteen-pound fish have fallen to their rods 

 with pleasant frequency. I recollect it is quite ten years ago 

 since these young gentlemen had two of the prettiest ®f sil- 

 ver-mounted roach rods given them as a first incentive toward 

 the gentle art of augling. J. Hakbtngton Keene. 



RANDOM CASTS. 



r pHE South Side Sportsman's Club of Long Island had a 

 JL famous opening of the trout season. Of the one hun- 

 dred members thirty-seven were on hand to catch the early 

 trout. This year the fish limit has been increased . Formerly 

 each member was permitted to take eighteen fish daily and 

 to return all of the others to the water. Now each member 

 can take forty fish daily, but none must be returned, as it 

 has been found a great mortality resulted from liberating the 

 hooked fish. 



Mr. Sheppard F. Knapp, on April 1, took eighteen trout 

 below the mill flume at the South Side Club which weighed 

 21 pounds and 11 ounces. His largest fish weighed 2 pounds 

 and 11 ounces. These fish were the first, eighteen hooked, 

 and the catch beats all previous records. 



The South Side Sportsman's Club have in their preserves 

 12,000 two-year-olds and yearling trout. The former aver- 

 age nearly half a pound in weight. About 4,000 of the two- 

 year-olds were turned out into the ponds and streams pre 

 paratory to the opening of the season. There were some 

 pretty sketches of the club in Harper's Weekly of April 4. 



Mr. Charles F. Imbrie, of this city, had some excellent 

 fishing in Green River, at Sayville, L. I., on the opening 

 day of the trout season. For several years past Green River 

 has been rented by Mi 1 . Imbrie and Mr. Wilbur. 



Mr. John G. Heckscher has just rented a small trout pond 

 at Quogue, L. I., which he will have restocked at once. 



Mr. William J. Florence and Mr. John G. Heckscher, of 

 this city, are preparing for a salmon Asking excursion to the 

 Restigouche early in the season. 



Mr. William Carpender, of New Brunswick, N. J., had 

 magnificent fishing in Mr. William Ploy d- Jones's pond at: 

 Oyster Bay on April 1. Mr. Floyd-Jones has invited ex 

 President Arthur to fish his pond this season. 



Ex-Secretary of Navy Robeson has been fishing at the 

 South Side Sportsman's Club since the opening day. 



