432 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



lJtjne 25, 1885. 



Pike County Stbeams. — I have recently returned from 

 a short visit to Pike county. Pa. This, as many of the 

 readers of Forest and Stream know, is a region of trout 

 hrooks. Their cold waters, from theBushkill to" Port Jervis, 

 rim into the Delaware on one side, while on the other, and in- 

 deed almost around the whole county, fine streams are 

 fouud. But this is not saying that the fish are plenty. Par 

 from it, though with very little effort they could be in- 

 creased abundantly. However, so far as I know, Dr. 

 Fulmer, of High Falls Hotel, Dingmans and the Blooming 

 Grove Park Association, are the only ones that have taken 

 any pains to stock those waters. Di\ Fulmer has put 15,000 

 trout in the Dinguian Creek, Adams Brook and Brookside 

 River, while the" Blooming Grove Park Association Las of 

 course looked well after its own preserves. We found no club 

 organization in Milford. At least we could learn of none, and 

 the consequence is that the Kayrnondskill, the Snowkill and 

 the Vandermark are almost skinned of trout. borne of 

 our party saw in the basket of a fisherman who was just 

 leaving one of the supply brooks of the Sawkill, as we drove 

 along beyond Milford, some fourteen trout, not three of 

 them, we* should think, over six inches long and many of 

 them not up to five. And this is not only what has been 

 going on in and around Milford during the past eight weeks 

 or more. We were told of baskets half tilled with little 

 trout that bad been brought into that villaee from the supply 

 brooks (as we used to call them) in the vicinity. Fortunately 

 there are some portions of these brooks that cannot be fished; 

 were it not so fishermen would have less luck than they now 

 have in the Sawkill. But this is not a pleasant reflection to the 

 writer when be thinks of the efforts he made in the past to 

 increase the trout in the Milford sti earns aud afford them 

 some protection. The only way I think it can be done 

 now (and thus render Milford attractive to men who have 

 not much time for l-ecreation, nor money to spend -upon their 

 amusements) is for the hotel keepers to combine and refuse 

 to purchase fish that are undersized, and also make a little 

 effort to stock their streams and protect the fish. Frank 

 Crissman, we think, and Emile Riviere with several of their 

 friends might do much toward this. And now if they can 

 be persuaded to make such an effort, let me ask them not to 

 put the little trout into the larger streams, but into the best 

 feeders to these and the brooklets that never run dry. The 

 Fish Commissioners would do well to tell those who apply 

 for fish (that is if they do not do so) to place their small trout 

 in the branches of the main stream, where they will not be 

 devoured by the larger fishes that may have survived the 

 skinning process. We did not fish in any of the streams 

 above mentioned this year. Indeed the dry weather and 

 our lack of health prevented our fishing but for a few hours 

 at all. During this short space we were rewarded, however, 

 with our usual good luck — some thirteen fish that weighed 

 in all nearly four pounds.— Sxilt.aboy. 



Philadelphia Notes— June 19 —The weakfish have 

 begun to bite all along the New Jersey shore, but better suc- 

 cess has been had at the inlet south of Great Egg Harbor. 

 At Barnegat and Tuckerton there has been so much seine 

 hauling at night the fish have become disturbed, and' not so 

 many have entered the bays at these points. By the time 

 the summer hotels and boarding houses begin to fill up there 

 will not be so much net fishing, and more fish will come in. 

 At Barnegat the sheepshead have been reported on hand, 

 but few have been caught. Small sea bass and blaekfish 

 are biting at this point also, and some schools of bluefish 

 have showed themselves outside. None have yet entered 

 the inlet. The heavy rain on the 16th has made our rivers 

 and creeks very muddy, and caused a cessatiou of bass fish- 

 ing. By the time you go to press the streams will be in 

 better condition. Rockfish are being caught at many points 

 on the Delaware River now, but they do not run above a 

 pound in weight. Sturgeon roe, as long as it can be pro- 

 cured, will continue to be the bait used. There is just now 

 a big run of white catfish, and ah the creeks flowing into 

 the Delaware below Philadelphia are good grounds.— Homo. 



Reuben Wood,— In speaking of the exploit of Mr. W. H. 

 Wood in killing a tarpon, as recorded in Forest and 

 Stream, "McLellan/' in Land and Water, says of the late 

 Reuben Wood: ''I wonder, by-the bye, whether 'the tarpon 

 slayer' is any relation to that dear old American angler and 

 prince of fly-casters. Reuben Wood, who was with us through 

 the time of our Fisheries Exhibition. It seems only yester- 

 day since he slept under the very roof which now shelters 

 my own head from a splendid, and most May-like, shower of 

 hailstones. And now, alas! he sleeps under the green, 

 moss3 r turf, whose every blade of grass he loved with the 

 sweet simplicity of a guileless heart. It is no exaggeration 

 to say that every Englishman who had the pleasure and 

 honor to know 'uncle Rube' loved him alike for his simplicity 

 of nature, envied him good-naturedly for his wonderful 

 skill with the fly-rod, and honored and respected him for his 

 sterling qualities as a sportsman. 



Poor mortals die, and make no sign, 



But Nature still its life renews; 



Spring woods, spring fields with glories shine, 



Spring blushes Nature's face suffuse." 



The Spawning op Black Bass. — Young black bass of 

 this year's hatch are now an inch long in the mill ponds at 

 Cold Spring Harbor, Long Island. With perhaps the excep- 

 tion of the Adirondack regiou, they have finished spawning 

 in the State of New York. Dr. S. P. Hubbard has just re- 

 turned from a bassing trip in New Hampshire, and reports 

 that on June 19 the bass had not spawned in Lake Winne- 

 pisaukie, and but one or two beds were seen. The fish 

 caught were full of spawn that was well developed, but 

 wanted at least two weeks to ripen, an estimate borne out 

 by the fact that the making of nests had just begun. The 

 Doctor tells us that the fish were just spawning on the 20th 

 in Long Pond and Assawamset Pond, in Middleboro, Mass., 

 near New Bedford. The latter waters are one hundred miles 

 south of Winnepisaukie, and are at a much lower level. 



Little Rock, Ark., June 18.— A camping party from the 

 Ouachita River reports fishing very good. In Cache River 

 at the Memphis and Little Rock jailroad crossing bass and 

 white perch arc biting finely. This river is being injured 

 by the large number of bell nets set in it. In White River, 

 at the Grossing of the same road, bass fishing is said to be 

 good Fishing in the lakes around here is not good. They 

 are mostly shallow and grown up with lilies and moss.— 

 Casual. ___^ 



Sea Bass at Lo:,C4 Branch.— The large sea bass in our 

 markets mostly come from the banks off Long Branch. The 

 smaller ones are inlet and bay fish. — Homo. 



The Seven Ponds.— Boston, June 19.— Returned from 

 Seven Ponds last night. As to my trip, I can only repeat 

 what I said of the locality last year, adding that the aver- 

 age weight was larger than my catch last year, taking very 

 many of a pound to pound and one-half each. They were 

 at their best, and when the boat was not anchored every fish 

 struck w r ould tow you around to new ground before vou got 

 him in the net. What would you think to have a trout of 

 a pound and one-half jump two feet ia the air and take the 

 fly as he comes down, and twitch you right out from under 

 your hat? By the time vou have netted twenty such you 

 are ready for breakfast. My party were all delighted with 

 eveiything, as also are all who go there. Fact^is, it is the 

 best spot in this country for trout fishing.— M. 



Salt- Water Fishing.— New York, June 21— Editor 

 Fared and Stream: Salt-water fishing seems tobehavino- a 

 slight "boom" in the columns devoted to piscatorial art, and 

 if some of the veterans would send in their experiences, riot 

 omittiug such minutiae as bait and arrangement of tackle, 

 all, from the greenhorn to the "Old Pelican" of "King- 

 fisher" fame, would rejoice. Will you please inform me as 

 to what bait to use to catch striped bass at night in a salt- 

 water pond? Abo as to arrangement of tackle.— A 

 Reader. [We have never fished tor striped bass at night, 

 but should think that clams or menhaden would be good 

 bait. Perhaps some of our readers may answer this question.] 



Jjlislfcnlture. 



Addre$s all communications to the Forest and Stream Publish- 

 ing Co. 



RESULTS OF PLANTING WHITEFISH IN LAKE 

 ERIE. 



[Read before the American Fisheries Society.] 

 BY FRANK N. CLARK. 



AFTER the close of the fishing season of 1884 in Lake Erie, 

 I began an inquiry to ascertain whether there bad been 

 an increase or decrease 'in the catch of whitefish as compared 

 with that of former seasons. The investigation was con- 

 ducted by personal interviews, through a representative, a 

 practical fisherman, with the leading fishermen and dealers, 

 and covers most of the important fisheries of that part of the 

 lake from Erie, Pa., westward to Toledo, O, The results are 

 most gratifying, as it is conceded by all and shown by the 

 reports that the aggregate catch of whitefish was consider- 

 ably in excess of that of any season for several years. The 

 resiilts are especially encouraging to lishculturists, as all the 

 facts and statements point to but one conclusion; namely that 

 the increase is due to the planting^ young fish from the 

 hatcheries. 



No disappointment would have been felt had there been no 

 perceptible increase, as much was required to offset the ex- 

 tensive and exhausting fishing carried on all over the lake, 

 on both the spa wing and feeding grounds, which was causing 

 a gradual decrease of the catch. Formany years every spawn- 

 ing ground had been literally covered with nets during the 

 spawning season, while hundreds of gill-nets have been em- 

 ployed on the feeding grounds in deeper water and thrown 

 across the path of the runs toward the spawning grounds. In 

 no other of the great lakes has the fishing industry been pur- 

 sued with greater persistence and skill than in "Lake Erie. 

 Notwithstanding this, however, we find that not only has the 

 decrease been arrested, but that there is a tangible and satis- 

 factoiy increase. 



The figures given below show in round numbei-s the aggre- 

 gate plantings of whitefish fry in Lake Erie, from the begin- 

 ning of the work by the United States and Ohio and Michigan 

 Pish Commissions. Some plants were also made by the Can- 

 adian Commission during the years mentioned, bufc'i am un- 

 able to give the figures: 



Spring of 1875 150,000 Spring of 1879 7,000,000 



Spring of 1870 300,000 Spring of 1880 7,0 0,000 



Spring of 1877 450.000 Spring of 18S1 13,000,000 



Spring of 1878 13.000,' 000 Spring of 1883 43,000,000 



These figures include the latest plantings that could possibly 

 be called due in the fall of 1884. Under the current method 

 of computing the numbers of young fish in tanks and cans, 

 there is no doubt that the estimates shown in the above 

 figures are much too large. 



Following are a number of statements from tisherineu and 

 dealers, in substantially the exact language of the parties 

 making them, with regard to the catch and the value of fish 

 propagation and planting; 



L. Streuber, Erie, Pa., says: "Am a dealer and shipper of 

 frozen fish, and fish considerable twine. Can give you the 

 figures of my catch for only the past two seasons, which is as 

 follows: Catch of whitefish for 1883, 110 tons, 1884, 150 tons. 

 I believe the propagation of whitefish to be a great help 

 toward keeping up a stock in the lakes; so much so that I am 

 doing all I can to get a hatchery started here, believing it will 

 pay." 



C. D. Carter, another dealer and fisherman in the same city, 

 says: "My catch of whitefish for the past two years is as fol- 

 lows: 1883, 175 tons; 1884, 325 tons. 1 think that the planting 

 of young whitefish in Lake Erie has already done a great good 

 toward keeping up and increasing the stock of whitefish in its 

 waters. I hope to see the hatcheries kept up, and would like 

 to see oue here in Erie, believing we have a good location for 

 one, and that it is a good point to plant fish from, as there are 

 no carnivorous fish caught at the season of the year when the 

 young fish would be put in." 



John Harlow & Co!, of Erie, make the following statement; 

 "For the past five years our annual catch of whitefish has been 

 about 150 tons, until 1884, when it was 300 tons. The in crease 

 of 50 tons 1 attribute to the planting of young whitefish from 

 the hatcheries. I am very much in favor of the planting, and 

 hope it will be kept up, as I am satisfied that it is of great 

 benefit to the fishing interest of the lake. A few seasons since 

 we commenced catching very small whitefish — so small that 

 we had to get smaller-meshed nets, and now we are getting a 

 larger class of fish again." 



H. Divel, fish dealer and practical fisherman, also of Erie, 

 says: "I have been fishing for some time, and think the white- 

 fish for the past three years have been increasing. I can give 

 the figures of my catch only for the past two seasons, as fol- 

 lows: 1883, 30 tons; 1884, 50 tons. 1 think the business of 

 hatching and planting is of great benefit in keeping up the 

 stock; for, with the increase of twine, the whitefish must 

 soon be caught off if nothing is done to keep the stock good. 

 There can be no reasonable doubt about the young fish living 

 and becoming full grown. They stand just as good a chance 

 as those hatched naturally, then - danger from carnivorous 

 fishes being no greater than those hatched on the reefs." 



B. Divel, of Erie, gives similar testimony: "My catch of 

 whitefish has improved for two or three years. The figures 

 for the last two seasons are: 1883, thirty tons; 1884, fifty 

 tons. From the fact that whitefish are steadily increasing in 

 numbers, I believe the hatching and planting of the young is 

 a success, and the cause of the increase." 



Charles Joles, of Erie, a gill-net fisherman, says: "I fish 

 gill-nets off Elk Creek. Cannot say how many whitefish 1 

 caught in the different years, but know I caught "more in 1884 

 than in any season lor several years. I attribute the gain to 

 the planting of young fish at the upper end of the lake, i am 



satisfied that were it not for this whitefish would become so 

 scarce that it would not pay to fish for them." 



Hudolph Sifield, of North Bass Island says: "I fish with 

 pound nets and own some gill-nets, but would willin°lv nut 

 the latter in a pile and burn them if gill-net fishing could be 

 prohibited Gill-nets are a great detriment to natural propa- 

 gation as they are set on the reefs in spawning time, right 

 where the hsh go to breed, and the schools are broken ivp° or 

 ™T™™ Tl T i ly > r1 nd thc e ^ rs are then deposited in the mud 

 ^^ er K ha Af- u Good results may now be seen from fish- 

 piantmg, but the business has not been carried on long enough 

 nor on a sufficient scale to tell what it will do in the long 



Simon Fox of North Bass, gives his opinion thus: "Have 

 been m the. fishing business for years, and until the past sea- 

 son never believed there would be any results from the piant- 

 mg of young fish. Now I am fully conviueed that good results 

 are to be seen, and if it is continued great results wfil follow " 



Jasper Snide, of North Bass, says: "Our twine caught a few- 

 more, whitefish in 1884 than in 1883, and I think we should 

 have done still better but for the unfavorable fishin°- weather 

 it. being so still that the fish remained on the reefs bevond our 

 nets continuously until we got those heaw blows, which drove 

 them off entirely. Formerly I did not have any faith in the 

 planting of young whitefish, but am now sure we can see 

 good results. We now catch a great many of a smaller class 

 of fish which we never did before the planting was coin rnenecd, 

 and if the stock had not been kept up in some other than the 

 natural way they must have decreased" in numbers, ant! sre 

 cannot see that they have in a few years." 



George Axtell. of North Bass, states: "Whitefish are in- 

 creasing in numbers all the time, at least this is true of my 

 own nets, and I feel certain that it is owing to the planting of 

 young fish from the hatcheries. Last fall 1 caught numbers of 

 small whitefish, such as 1 never before caught in gilt-netB " 



William .Axtell, practical fisherman, of North Bass, says: 

 "1 know that the planting of young hsh is a great help to the 

 fishing industry. Would like to see more fisheries put up- 

 enough to take care of all the eggs that could be taken.'' 



suppose the planting must account for it. We carried from 

 the islands in 1883 about 133,000 pounds of whitefish and in 

 1884, 170,000; an increase of- 19 tons for 1884." 



George Winne, of Locust Point, says: "I fish gill-nets on the 

 reefs off Toussarnt Point. In 1883 I caught two tons of white- 

 fish from sixty nets, and inPSfSl six tons from thirty-six nets. 

 A few years ago it got so it did not pav to go out on the reefs 

 to fish, and I quit and went sailing. Since the planting of 

 young whitefish has been carried on fish have become more 

 numerous and I have done very well fishing, but best this last 

 fall. Think if the planting is not kept up whitefish will soon 

 become scarce again. Think a much greater percentage of 

 eggs put into hatcheries will live to become mature fish than 

 those deposited on the reefs by the fish themselves, for the 

 reason that the former are protected from their enemies while 

 hatching, and after the young fish are planted their chances 

 are just as good." 



M. Shepherd, also of Locust Point, states: "Am fishing fif- 

 teen pound-nets off Locust Poin. My catch the, past season 

 was about as usual — no material difference. Think the hatch- 

 ing business a good thing, but the proper place for a hatchery 

 is on one of the islands; then the eggs would have the natural 

 water, and when the fish are planted there would be no 

 change from the water they were hatched in to that which 

 they are planted in." 



Nelson Parsons, a practical fisherman of Vermillion, says: 

 "I have watched the fishing interests very closely for a num- 

 ber of years, and noticed that whitefish are steadily decreas- 

 ing in ' numbers, until the supply was replenished by the 

 planting of young fish fioin the hatcheries. If something of 

 the kind had not been done, I think that whitfish would, ere 

 this, have become so scarce that it would not pay to fish for 

 them. Formerly we used to catch whitefish of all'sizes at the 

 same time, but this season at Cleveland, where 1 was. the fish 

 were nearly all of one size — looked as if they were all of the 

 same age, and I believe they were a school of" the planted fish. 

 I think if fishing is continued it must be done in this way." 



Edson & Nichols, of Vermillion, caught one ton less of white- 

 fish in 1884 than in 1883, but say: "We do not attribute the 

 falling off to a growing scarcity, but to the direction and 

 amount of wind, which is eveiything to us here in the fishing 

 season. We think the hatching business of great importance, 

 and the only way of keeping up the fishing industry."" 



Bert Parsons, also of Vermillion, caught no more whitefish 

 in his pound-nets off Vermillion in 1884 than in 1883. but 

 caught double the number in his gill-nets near the islands. He 

 says: "I think it there had been favorable winds for pound- 

 net fishing we would have caught more than double the 

 amount of whitefish in our pound-nets last fall. I know the 

 business of planting has been of great benefit, for m my gill- 

 nets fished about the islands I caught double the quantity last 

 fall that I did the year before. The figures are: 18*3, 5 "tons; 

 1884, 10 tons." 



Leidheiser, of Vermillion, says: "I cannot give the amount 

 of my catch, but it was rather light, owing to the unfavorable 

 winds we had for our coast. I think the hatcheries are all 

 right, and do a great deal toward keeping up the stock, and 

 that the business should be continued and extended beyond 

 where it now is." 



Post & Co., of Sandusky, give some excellent testimony: 

 "Yes, sir; I know that the business of propagating whitefish 

 is a great benefit. In fact, if the United States and State 

 hatcheries were to cease working, I believe it would pay the 

 fishermen and dealers to continue it themselves. I would be 

 willing to be taxed my share for supporting it. I understand 

 that at Erie and Dunkirk a great many small whitefish were 

 taken weighing a pound to a pound and a half, which was 

 never done until the last two or three years, and they in- 

 crease year by year, which is good proof that they are some 

 of the planted fish. 



"I received the fish from 100 pound-nets last year (1883) aud 

 from 110 this rear (1884), with the following results: iss:;, 50 

 tons whitefish"; 1884, 80 tons whitefish. 



"Whitefish are not now decreasing ; but from the number 

 of pound and gill-nets in use to catch them, a decrease is sure 

 to follow unless the artificial hatching is continued to keep up 

 the supply. 



"I am opposed to fisliing such long strings of pound-nets, 

 and think the gill-netting needs regulating. The gill-netters 

 commence away down below, off Buffalo and Erie, in deep 

 water, and fish all summer; then, as the fish move up toward 

 the head of the lake to the spawning grounds, the nets are 

 moved right along with the runs, so that they are hunted 

 almost the year roimd, which is done with no other land of 

 fish." 



Harry Molyneux, of Sandusky, gives some valuable testi- 

 mony: "Am a practical gill-net fisherman. A few years ago 

 fishing on the island reefs got so poor that I gave up going- 

 there; but in the fall of 1883 I tried it again and did very well. 

 In the fall of 1883 I caught double the amount of whitefish I 

 did the fail before; and this last fall I caught almost twice as 

 many as in 1883. 



"I credit all the increase to hatchiug and planting, and 

 would like to see more hatcheries." 



William Jtehberg, pound-net fisherman, of Middle Bass Is- 

 land, says: "Think the hatching a good thing, but the plant- 

 ing has not been properly done long enough to tell really how 

 much benefit it is toward keeping up the supply of whitefish. 

 Think the supply could be kept up in Lake Erie by prohibiting 

 gill-net fishing west of Kelly's Island, which would give the 

 fish a chance to breed on the natural spawning reefs, where 

 the gill-nets are now placed. " 



