30 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



(Feb. 4, 1886. 



COOKING A TROUT IN CAMP, 



FOR the last half mile the trail led us through a piece of 

 low, marshy ground rank with the luxuriant vegeta- 

 tion of July. The level ground was a relief to feet that had 

 supported not only the bodies rightfully belonging to them, 

 but packs of fifty pounds, more or less, and had climbed hills 

 and stepped over fallen logs for nearly four miles. Ia this 

 piece of "bottom" there was no sign of the presence of a lake, 

 but the wooded hills on every side plainly said that if there 

 was water in the neighborhood it must be near. The two 

 guides were leading the column, each with the boat resting 

 on the neck-yoke on his shoulders, while the Colonel and the 

 Doctor, each with a pack of provisions, Jack, the Colonel's 

 son of sixteen, with camp kettles and axe, and I, with the 

 tent, brought up the rear. Tired and hungry, no one beside 

 the Doctor noticed the profusion of the curious flowers of 

 the pitcher pi ant which thrust its single stalk crowned with a 

 large purple blossom above the grass, while the modest 

 pitchers were invisible. The Doctor gathered several of the 

 flowers, no doubt with the evil intent of inflicting a botani- 

 cal lecture upon us at the first opportunity, remarking at the 

 time that wc must be near the lake. He had scarcely spoken 

 when Lake Merganser opened into view as we passed a clump 

 of bushes. We left the marsh and turned up the lake a 

 short distance to get on more solid ground, and beside a big 

 rock the boats were launched and we rowed along the shore 

 looking out for the little spring that came down the hill, in 

 order to camp by it. 



The sun was not over two hours high when we reached 

 the camping place, and it was necessary to utilize every mo- 

 ment in order to prepare for night and get supper for five 

 hungry men and a ravenous boy. Tired as we were the 

 Doctor insisted on having fresh lake trout for supper, and 

 getting out his tackle, stepped into a boat and soon had his 

 heavily-leaded trolling spoon in the. depths of the lakewhere 

 the large lakers love to lie in the cooler waters. The guides 

 went to cut and split some dry wood for the night, the Col- 

 onel gathered twigs and branches for a temporary fire, I had 

 pitched the tent, and Jack was bringing balsam boughs 

 which 1 carefully stripped of large stems and laid in lapping 

 rows until a soft, springj r bed, redolent of the most delight- 

 ful odor that ever beguiled tired woodsman to slumber, was 

 completed. The declining sun lit the treetops on the hills, 

 and the clouds hung lazily over the water as if to see them- 

 selves in that mountain-framed mirror; or, possibly, tbey 

 knew the lake was the result of their weeping, and now 

 with cheerful faces they loved to hover over it. The Doc- 

 tor, in his eagerness to get out his fishing tackle, had stepped 

 upon and ruined his pitcher-plants, and we were thereby 

 saved a lecture on the family Sarracenia, for which Jack 

 audiblv expressed the thanks which the rest of the partv 

 felt. 



A noisy kingfisher flew up and wound up his reel on a 

 limb, disappointed at the result of its last dive, and a shout 

 from the Doctor proclaimed that he had a strike. After a 

 long, qui< j .t reeling-in, the fish made a fair struggle for free- 

 dom which bent the short, stout rod and caused the Doctor 

 some anxiety lest the line should pass under the boat and get 

 fouled or be* sawed off. Nothing of the kiud happened, and 

 in a few minutes more a splendid five-pounder was laid be- 

 fore us. The kingfisher also saw it, and chirred his disap- 

 probation of the invasion of his domain and the capture of a 

 fish greater than he could master. "Now," said the Doctor, 

 exultingly, "we'll have the fish for supper and save the ham 

 and canned goods for some other time, perhaps when we 

 can't do better." He looked around defiantly, as if challeng- 

 ing- opposition, his face still suffused with a flush of victory, 

 but finding none he subsided, and his smile lit up the cedars 

 and the rocky shores of the island and was reflected by the 

 white birch at the lauding, and then audibly picked up ia a 

 weird manner by a solitary loon whose "ha-ha" as he dove 

 startled the kingfisher into again winding up his reel as 

 though he had struck a yearling trout. A few minutes later 

 the Colonel and the Doctor sat on a log by the open front of 

 the tent and argued how a trout should be cooked. "I tell 

 you," said the Colonel "a trout to be cooked to perfection 

 should uever be dressed at all. Just roll it up ia wet clay, 

 about aa inch thick all around, and lay it in a bed of hot 

 ashes and cover it up with live coals, and let it bake. A 

 trout the size of this one wants from a half to three quarters 

 of an hour, and when the clay comes off the skin comes off 

 with it and the inside arrangements are shrivelled up to noth- 

 ing. The fish is cooked in its own juices, and is not dried 

 up." And he smacked his lips at the thought. But I had 

 some doubt about the Colonel's experience in this matter, 

 and suspected that all he knew of it he had read somewhere 

 among the camp stories of theoretical camrjers, for he was 

 not as much of a woodsman as he flattered himself to be, and 

 in this he bore a most striking likeness to most of us who do 

 a little camping. 



About cooking a trout,, however, the Doctor had his own 

 ideas, and while the Colonel was delivering his lecture on 

 camp-cookery, had split the fish dowa the back. Then, lay- 

 ing his pipe on the log, looked up and said: "Colonel, this 

 is my trout, and I am going to cook it in my way, and when 

 you eat it you will say it is the best fish you ever put a tooth 

 in. It will wrap round your heart like a yard of new flan- 

 nel." He then ran a twig through the gills, put a . splint 

 across the halves to keep it spread open, laid a strip of bacon 

 over the head, and set the twig in two crotches before the 

 fire, so that the fish hung with the flesh side to the coals and 

 the dripping bacon would keep it moist. 



"Don't you salt it before it is cooked?" asked the Colonel. 



"No; it is best to salt it afterward." 



"I like to have salt cooked into a fish." 



"Yes," chimed in Jack, "both salt and pepper should be 

 cooked into the fish and not sprinkled over, afterward. If 

 you want to serve that trout to the Queen's taste just salt and 

 pepper it while it is broiling." 



"Well," replied the Doctor, "when you go out and catch 

 a trout and bring it to the camp, you may cook it as you 

 please, and if it is good I will say so, but 1 am the old trout 

 cook himself, and you will all say so after you eat this one. 

 I tell you the bacon salts it some and salt on a raw fish hin- 

 ders it from cooking through properly. Now among the old 

 Romans—" 



"Hang the old Romans," said Jack, "how do you know 

 whether they ever slept out over night or not, and a man 

 who never did knows nothing of camp-cookery. What did 

 a Roman cook know of Lake Merganser and a trout cooked 

 over birch twigs? Not more than a French chef." 



They appealed to me, and I intimated that if there was 

 plenty of it and it was ready that moment I could eat it with 

 salt, ashes, or sand, either on the outside or on the back-bone. 

 j spread a blanket on the boughs and stretched full length 

 on it. The sun was nearly down, and a wood-thrush poured 

 forth ilh short, sweet notes in the thicket, the crickets 



chirped below the bed of balsams, and the bacon sizzled. 

 The Doctor and Jack went for some light-wood to make a 

 cheerful fire, and the Colonel fussed around muttering some- 

 thing about salt, and then went to the spring for water. 

 Jack came in, threw down his wood, and asked if there was 

 any pepper in camp. I told him there was, and he went 

 hunting for it. Presently the other two came in, and after 

 a glance at the fish the Doctor pronounced it done, took it 

 from the fire; opened the salt-box and spriukled the fish 

 lightly, sayiog: "You'll say that this beats the world." 



"What have you beeu doing with the salt-box?" asked 

 the Colonel. 



"Salting the fish, to be sure," was the reply. 



"I salted it while you went for wood," said the Colonel, 

 "and put on plenty, too." 



"So did I," said Jack; "I salted it and peppered it well. 

 Guess we've got it salt enough." 



"Well," sighed the Doctor, "you've got it to eat, or no 

 supper. There is one good thing — the spring is handy; but 

 the next time I cook a trout I want you to let it alone," Aa 

 early-rising owl asked "Who, who?" and the Doctor looked 

 up but answered not. The last rays of the fast-declining sun 

 illumined the clouds until their tints rivalled the Doctor's 

 face. . His good'nature got the better of his disappointment, 

 and he said: "Maybe it won't be so bad, after all." 



We sat around the fire with huge chips in hand for plates 

 and anxiously watched, as only hungry campers could, the 

 slow process of dividing the fish. I tasted, and rested. The 

 Colonel tasted, and looked at me. We in turn looked at 

 Jack, who had a large piece on his fork which his open 

 mouth would soon engulf. He bit it, jumped, and ran to 

 the spring. 



By this time the Doctor was ready to sample his. One 

 taste, and he knocked the bread into the fire as he rose, say- 

 ing: "I expected any quantity of salt, but — " Here a 

 coughing-fit seized hirn and he stopped. 



"Jack," called the Colonel, "what did you put on his 

 fish?" 



"Nothing but salt and pepper," answered he. 



"Where did you get the pepper?" 



"Out of the brown papsr by your tackle-box." 



"Good grief! The Scotch snuff I brought up to give 

 Uncle Ben to kill fleas on his dog!" 



The pink rays of the dying sun set the kingfisher out in 

 bold relief as he chattered furiously, and a loon on the op- 

 posite shore laughed a scornful, jeering laugh. An audible 

 silence hung like a pall over the camp for half a minute. 

 "If there was a gun in camp I'd kill that loon in the morn- 

 ing," remarked the Doctor, and each sat awhile wrapt in 

 thought, contemplating the beauties of nature. , 



Fred Mather. 



HARPOON FQR BIG FISH. 



THE diagrams showo below are drawa from a pattera 

 from which a number of steel heads have been manu 

 factured for use in Florida. This harpoon with movable 

 ears was invented, we believe, by a Massachusetts gentle- 

 man, Mr. W. R. Tompkins, who spends a considerable part of 

 each winter in Southern waters. His account of the capture 

 of a devil fish with one of these weapons appeared a short time 

 ago in Forest and Stream. With the same weapon he has 

 taken numbers of tarpon, as well as some very large sharks. 



The harpoon head requires little explanation, for the draw- 

 ing tells the whole story. Into the socket the staff fits, but 

 it is not attached to it. The line is looped about the slender 

 part of the shaft of the head and the swell of the socket keeps 

 it from slipping off. The ears are, as can be seen, movable. 

 When the harpoon is thrown they lie close to the shaft. 

 After it has entered the fish, and as the pull comes on it, the 

 ears are thrown out and it is impossible for the head to draw 

 out. The cutting edge is very keen and should b3 kept so, 

 and the weapon kept free from rust. One of those shown us 

 by Mr. Tompkins was nickel-plated. 



Off for Florida.— On Saturday last a veryjolly fishing 

 party from Syracuse, N. Y., left by steamer Saratoga for 

 Havana and from there to Key West and Florida. They are 

 all sportsmen and trout fishers who find that the Adirondack 

 winter is too long and does not promise them any sport 

 before the middle of May. The party consisted of the Hon. 

 James Geddes, R. W. Jones, Dr. O. C. Potter, F. B. Klock, 

 Burnet Forbes, Jacob Krouss, John Moore and John Blanch- 

 ard. We personally know most of them and truly believe 

 that no jollier party of anglers ever cut bait. They are 

 mostly fly-fishers, and will try their lures on the salt water 

 inhabitants before they tempt the alligator with a brown 

 hackle, We b°P e to hear from them. 



TO CARRY A LANDING NET. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



Having lost two or tree nets when wading, the necessity 

 of a fastening which is secure aud at the same time from 

 which the oet may be easily diseagaged, resulted in the 

 method described as follows: 



To the pin of a large "shield pin," such as is used for 

 norse blankets, solder a pin of about half the length of, and 

 bent so that it will be about fin. from and parallel with, the 

 first. Put this near the collar in the back of any coat worn 

 when fishing, and it will stand out from it, beiug so held by 

 the secood pin. 



To the handle of the net fasten, either by screws, rivets or 

 lashing with fine fishing line, a strip of German silver or 

 spring brass I inch wide and of a suitable thickness, allowing 

 about 4J- inches to project beyond the end of the net handle; 

 bend this piece of metal into a hook, beginning about f of 

 an inch from the end of the handle; bend it over on the side 

 of the handle opposite from that where it is fastened. Take 

 hold of the net anywhere and its hook may be caught on the 

 loop made by the pin in the back of the coat. By hooking 

 it with an upward motion and by then giving the net a toss 

 back it will there remain until it be lifted up and unhooked 

 by pushing it down. This may appear a very complicated 

 operation at first, but if once tried it will prove the contrary, 

 and there will be no nets lost in the future. Another 

 advantage of the arrangement is that by the hook the net 

 may behungon the creel strap, in the opening of a pocket, or 

 a buttonhole of the coat, without being obliged to hold the 

 net in any particular place to so fasten it, which is sometimes 

 quite a convenience when unhooking a fish, after which it 

 may be hung again on its loop behind. C. G. Levison. 



Brooklyn, Feb. 1. 



[The model of this has been left at our office by Mr. Levison, 

 where it can be seen for the next month.] 



A Curious Salmon Capture.— Albany, N. Y, — Editor 

 Forest and Stream: Last summer, while on a trip on the 

 Upsalquitch River, which is a branch of the Restigouche, 

 I had with me only a trout rod and some trout flies, and 

 becoming very tired of salt pork and beans, i determined to 

 try for one of the many salmon which sported themselves 

 every evening in the large pool (Fork's Pool) in front of my 

 camp, even at the risk of my last tip. I entered the canoe 

 at just about sundown, and paddled to a place where the 

 water was rough, and cast my fly just over the spot where I 

 had seen about an eight-pound salmon rise. The very 

 minute the fly touched the water the salmon rose and took it, 

 and such jumps as he made could only be equaled by a cir- 

 cus acrobat, but when he got through jumping I commenced 

 to reel in, and the fish came in just like a log of wood, which 

 is not the way that salmon usually come. When I had him 

 in close to laud, I saw that he was coming in tail foremost- 

 and acted as if he were almost dead. I then laid the rod 

 down on the shore and took the line in my fingers and pulled 

 it in very slowly. Now, as I had no gaff, I was in a rather 

 bad position, and I determined to try and catch him by the 

 tail and yank him on shore. I tried this once, and just as I 

 got my fingers on his tail he gave a swoop with it and 

 covered me with water, and ran out about ten feet and then 

 stopped. I repeated this operation four times, and with the 

 same result each time, till at last the fish "bellied up," and 

 then I knew he was mine; so the next time I took the line in 

 my teeth, my right hand took him by the tail, and with my 

 left on his side I succeeded in scooping him ashore, where I 

 immediately jumped on him with both knees, and killed him 

 with a stone. As soon as he was entirely dead I got off and 

 examined him, and found that in his first jumps he had tied 

 two half hitches around and made one around the small part 

 of the tail, and the reason he gave in so quick, was that his 

 gills and mouth were completely tied up by the leader. To 

 conclude, I got drenched, but we had fresh salmon that 

 night for supper. This may seem rather crooked to those 

 who have caught salmon, but there is a man named Jim 

 Harris, who lives a mile from the junction of the Restigouche 

 and Upsalquitch livers, who will prove it.— Pete. 



Td?-Up for Pickerel. — Editor Forest and Stream: In your 

 last issue "Limber Jim" tells of using the jumping jacks of 

 the toy shops to signal when a fish takes hold while fishing 

 through the ice. All the toys of this kind that I have seen 

 appear too frail for this use, and a fish of three pounds 

 would, in my opinion, smash one every lime. No doubt 

 these "jacks" could be made strong enough for this purpose 

 if one made them himself, but it would be something of a 

 task to make a lot of them, for one man often cuts as many 

 as fifty holes, if the ice is not too thick, and puts a line in 

 each hole. Years ago I did some of this kind of fishing, 

 and then thought it sport, and this is the way we boys used 

 to improvise "tip ups." We laid a round stick across the 

 hole, flat on the ice, and then cut a stick with a crotch in it, 

 one limb of the crotch about six or eight inches long and the 

 other a foot in length. To this longer one the line was at- 

 tached and the crotch was put over the round stick, the long 

 butt laying out on the ice with a dark rag tied to it. When 

 a pickerel took hold the flag went up, the crotched twig 

 standing upright. Several kinds of tip-ups may now be 

 bought In the tackle stores, more or less ingenious and ef- 

 fective. I should like to see "Limber Jim's" face when a 

 big fish smashed his toy jumping-jack, and hear him whisper 

 softly to the west wind' his blessings on the man who put a 

 frail'tow-string inside it, or hung the legs on a frail sliver of 

 pine— Poke-o'-Moonshine. [We have several communica- 

 tions on this subjeet which are unavoidably orowded out 

 this week.] 



Menhaden Fisheries Bill.— Washington, Jan. 25.— The 

 Senate Committee on Fisheries this morning agreed to report 

 favorably Senator Sewell's bill for the protection of fisheries 

 on the Atlantic coast. The bill in its present form prohibits 

 fishing for menhaden and other oil and fertilizer and pro- 

 ducing fish within three miles of the coast, under penalty of 

 forfeiture of the fishing outfits. It does not apply to the use 

 of nets having meshes of nine inches or more. 



Striped Bass. — A large strioed bass (Faccuz Uneatm) was 

 caught off Fire Island last Monday. It weighed fifty-five 

 pounds and was displayed at Mr. Blackford's in Fulton 

 Market. This is the largest fish of this kind we have knowl- 

 edge of this season. 



Providence, R. I.— With two friends I went to Kingston 

 one day last October and found perch, pickerel, bass and 

 trout fishing there, We stopped at the Knowles House.— 

 Basil. 



