Mat fl, 1886.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



287 



kind of a side winder on him, an' I'll astonish, him so he'll 

 forgit all about that patch o' musrat grass he's a steerin' fur," 

 and as the boat was yanked in the desired direction the side 

 winder changed his course up the lake, and under a stubborn 

 pull be was gradually worked up to within reach of the gaff. 



"Ef it aiut a durned snake" (one of several names for 

 pickerel), said Ben in disgust, "but it's good enough fur the 

 Joneses, speshally when they're about out o' meat," and as 

 he was led a little nearer a well directed stroke of the gaff 

 lifted him in the boat, and a scientific whack with the 

 "pickerel club," administered by Ben with a precision ac- 

 quired by much practice, put an end to his "proclivities fur 

 sunfish," as he put it. It was a handsomely marked fish of 

 near seven pounds, but a trifle lacking in game qualities, and 

 Ben did not feel much glorified over the capture. 



Fifty yards further along the grass belt he astonished 

 another smaller one by "unjintin' his jaw," and as he smote 

 his head with the club he remarked gravely, "More brain 

 food for the Joneses," and as the hook was released with a 

 dextrous twitch, "We kin stan' a heap of it." 



"Curious," he went on, as tie passed his hook carefully 

 through the jaws of a fresh live frog, threw it overboard, 

 and let fifty or sixty feet of line run off the reel, "that some 

 people hev an idee'that eatin' plenty o' fish makes brains fur 

 "cm. Now my notion is that sich people as them don't hev 

 much more brains to start with than a mud turkle, an' the 

 more fish they eat the less they know. I rasseled with a fish 

 diet myself a good many years ago till the scales begun to 

 sprout out on me an' then 1 let up on it fur fear I'd turn into 

 a suckermoojen, but I've bin eatin' more or less of 'em ever 

 sence, an' I don't see that I'm a durned bit smarter'n I was 

 before I cornered the fish market. I eat fish now 'cause I 

 like 'em, but I don't take any stock in 'em as brain food. 

 An' besides," here he turned the click on his reel, laid the 

 rod carefully down with the tip pointing over the stern, and 

 after some difficulty in lighting the brier root, repeated, "an' 

 besides, there's plenty o' grub that's more sustainin' than 

 fish, sich as beans an' corned beef, an' taters an' side meat, 

 et settery ; an' speakin' o' plain vittels — that was a daisy 

 batch o' corn bread Al baked fur us this mornin'." 



After a long pause, during which he puffed meditatively 

 at his "source o' comfort." and gazed abstractedly at the belt 

 of bulrushes along which we were passing, he faced around 

 with, "Whenever I eat corn bread it reminds me of a 'coin- 

 cidence' — as blessed old Dick M. would say— that happened 

 to me once away down in Texas, an' ef ye don't mind hearin' 

 it, anil let me spell ye awhile at the oars, I'll tell ye about 

 it jest to kill time till we find a more fishy lookin' streak o' 

 water than it is along here." Kingfisher. 

 Cincinnati, Ohio 



*^th£ trout of sunapee lake. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



I have been much interested in reading the letters lately 

 published in your valuable paper regarding the large trout of 

 Sunapee Lake, N. H., and, while I do not pretend to explain 

 the large size or variety, would beg to say a few words in 

 the matter. The town of New London, lying on one side of 

 Sunapee Lake, was my birthplace, and my home for some 

 twenty-five years. I was for a time engaged in a country 

 store at George's Mills, and quite well acquainted with many- 

 people living at Wendel Harbor, both places being at the 

 upper end of the lake; was also acquainted with some of the 

 people living along the lake shore, and I can well remember of 

 hearing from parties at these places about the large trout then 

 being taken from the lake. 



The time to which I refer was now some thirty years ago. 

 I think at that time and down the lake from George's Mills 

 trout were taken of weight from six to ten pounds. It is 

 quite clear to my mind that very large trout have always 

 lived in Sunapee and also in very many of the smaller lakes, 

 or ponds, as we used to call them in those days. A case in 

 point. In New London and within a quarter of a mile of 

 my home was a most beautiful sheet of water, called, and 

 rightly, Pleasant Pond. It is about two miles long and about 

 one mile wide. At the upper end three small brooks came 

 down through the hills and entered the pond. These streams 

 were at certain seasons quite well supplied with brook trout, 

 some of very good size. We used to see sometimes up the 

 largest of these brooks in the fall of the year some very 

 large trout, and were told by the older people that there were 

 in the pond and had always been, trout of immense size, 



One July day while crossing the pond with a friend, the 

 water being smooth as glass, we had got about half the way 

 across and were resting, our attention was called to the 

 swallows after the flies on the water, and by seeing one of 

 the birds caught by something and taken below. I can re- 

 member that we then thought it must be a big trout that had 

 caught the bird, and we then decided that we would before 

 the ice broke up next spring try for trout in deep water with 

 live bait, I well remember the day in March following, it 

 being the day of the annual spring election. My chum and 

 myself, instead of going to "town meeting" with all the rest, 

 started to try for our trout. Having arrived at what we 

 thought about the right place, we cut a hole to determine the 

 depth of water; found it about twenty feet; put on a good 

 lively minnow and fixed line to bush "set in the ice, letting 

 down about fifteen feet of line. We then proceeded to cut 

 holes and set some four more lines, when on looking at the 

 first one 1 saw the bush was down, and it being a warm, 

 still day I concluded we had better see what was the matter. 

 I went to the hole, and looking down saw the line hanging 

 straight and no motion. Taking hold of it I found there 

 was a heavy weight on it, drew it up carefully, and into the 

 hole came the head of a big trout; reached down and got 

 hold with both hands and threw him out, then threw my 

 cap and shouted loud and long. My companion coming up 

 we held a grand war dance around our captive, and decided 

 to leave the lines set and go up town to show and brag about 

 our fish, and it was something to brag about, as he weighed 

 5f pounds, good honest weight, and was in every way a 

 most splendid fish. It had so completely played itself out 

 before I got to the line that there was not a motion made 

 until after I had him out on the ice, and then but very little. 



We left our lines until the next day, and on cutting them 

 out took off one trout of about 2 pounds and a chub of Im- 

 pounds weight. I have it from those still living near the 

 same pond that almost every season they get some trout of 

 very large size. Now without having anything to say 

 about the particular species of the Sunapee Lake trout under 

 discussion, I do not doubt but that very large trout have 

 always existed, not only in Sunapee, but in very many of 

 the much smaller lakes and ponds in New Hampshire, and 

 that at the proper time, with all conditions favorable, these 

 same large 6 to 10 pound trout could have been taken iD 

 Sunapee for the last seventy years or more. 



"Watertown. Wis. S. S. WOODARD. 



THE OPENING OF THE TROUT SEASON. 



NOT within thirty years has the ice left the Adirondack 

 lakes as early as it has this spring. Gen. R. U. Sher- 

 man reported the ice off the Bisby Chain nearly a month 

 ago. Mr. P. A. Walters, superintendent of the Adirondack 

 hatchery of the N. Y. Pish Commission, reports that the 

 oldest inhabitants do not remember an earlier season. Mr. 

 A. R. Fuller reports Meacham Lake clear of ice and fishing 

 begun on May 1. All this may mean a longer season for 

 good fishing, which usually begins in the Adirondacks from 

 May 15 to June 1. 



Prom Maine we learn from Major Lovejoy, of the hotel at 

 Bethel, that the ice is out of Umbagog Lakes and Richard- 

 son Narrows, and will be out of the "South Arm before the 

 1 0th, and that fishermen are going to Middle Dam by 

 way of Bethel and Upton, while the steamer will move by 

 the 4th. 



Now that New York State has two opening days, one for 

 Long Island and one for the rest of the State, there has been 

 no customary display in the markets. The dealers all had 

 some fish and Mr. Blackford had a few flowers and trim- 

 mings, but nothing like what he has treated the public to in 

 previous years, when he has given up his whole business to 

 show trout from all parts of the country and even from 

 Europe. He had a lot of sixty live trout from a private 

 pond on Long Island, twelve of which averaged two pounds 

 each. At Washington Market, Messrs. Knoll & Prichard 

 had an exhibit of trout and some paintings of fish by A. Wy- 

 derveld. At midnight before Saturday there were 10,000 

 pounds of trout coming into the city by express. They were 

 mainly from the preserves of Long Island and Rhode Island, 

 with a few frozen Canadian fish. 



The dealers in fishing tackle are very busy fitting out ang- 

 lers for the woods and in filling orders for country custom- 

 ers, and all things point to a large catch of trout this season. 



FISHING AT NIPISSING. 



" H.," Birmingham, Conn., writes for information 



\J • about fishing in vicinity of Pembroke,' Ont. We 

 were up that way last August on a fishing trip, and while we 

 did not try the fishing there, to judge from our experience 

 further up the line of the Canadian Pacific Railway, we have 

 no doubt that the fishing a little back from Pembroke is 

 good. The Ottawa River is several miles wide there, and is 

 called Allumette Lake. Pembroke are quite a lumber depot, 

 and a place of considerable business. There are about 3,000 

 inhabitants, and this is about the last place that contains a 

 bank (and postal money order office) on the C. P. line till 

 you get to Winnipeg. 



We went directly to North Bay, on Lake Nipissing, and 

 put in part of one day fishing there. Not very successful, 

 however, but we "sampled" the pike, bass and "pickerel," 

 the latter being in reality pike-perch. There seem to be none 

 of our common pickerel there, and pike-perch take that name 

 in that locality. Nipissing is a large lake, forty to fifty 

 miles long and fifteen to twenty wide. There is good fishing 

 in this lake in the right season, but a guide to the best places 

 is necessary. North Bay has five or six hundred people and 

 is growing. The stores there are very good and campers can 

 get almost everything requisite, and at reasonable prices. 

 Prom North Bay we went back four and one-half miles to 

 Trout Lake, where we went into camp. Trout Lake is one 

 of the loveliest lakes I was ever on. It is twelve miles long, 

 with very irregular shores, making innumerable bays and 

 coves. The water is clear and deep, and there are many 

 islands of all shapes and sizes. We engaged Dick Jessup, 

 the only settler living on the lake, as guide, and went down 

 the lake seven miles and camped on what is called "Big 

 Camp Island." We came for good fishing and we found it. 

 And why shouldn't it be good? It is the natural home of 

 bass, trout, maskalonge, etc., and it has never been netted or 

 fished to any extent. 



We were in just the right time for black bass, and in troll- 

 ing we could catch all we had a mind to. We were sure of 

 a strike every few moments, and as one or two fish were all 

 we could eat in a day, we called the rest "lucky dogs," and 

 after weighing them, threw them back for some one else to 

 catch. After a few days we did most of our trolling with a 

 small spoon, fine silk line and fly-rod, and though more 

 would get away, the sport was much better. With large 

 tackle the bass would run from two to five and six pounds, 

 and plenty of them. 



Maskalonge are there, but in August you only get a stray 

 one now and then. We caught eight, the largest fifteen 

 pounds (forty-two inches long), the others between five and 

 fourteen pounds. I caught two or three small maskalonge, 

 five and six pounds, on a fly-rod (with small spoon), and it 

 was great sport with such light tackle. We also caught 

 pike, plenty* of pickerel (pike-perch), the latter were the 

 most plenty next to the bass. 



Lake trout were plenty, but were in deep water while we 

 were there. The largest we caught weighed ten pounds. 

 Dick called them "salmon," and they are a beautiful fish and 

 good eating. Brook trout were plenty in the smaller streams, 

 but were small and darker colored than those here. We 

 caught a number of what they call "ling," a new fish to me. 

 They look to be a cross between a catfish and lamprey eel, 

 a very repulsive-looking creature. These we did not eat. 

 We enjoyed fishing for bass with a fly and live bait in a 

 rocky river. Bass took the fly there better than anywhere 

 elss. I hooked a large size green frog through one of his 

 hind legs and tossed him into a deep pool in this river; he 

 sat there serenely a moment, and as I glanced away there 

 was a rush and a swirl, the frog was gone ami I had a large 

 fish hooked. Notwithstanding I handled him with the 

 utmost care I did not save him, for he bit the wire gimp off 

 above the hook and was gone. I do not know what kind of 

 fish it was as I did not see it, but it was a large one. 



As for hunting, it is good in the fall ; the law is off Oct. 

 15, I believe. Deer and moose are quite plenty. We saw 

 places where the tracks were as thick as in a barnyard ; also 

 saw tracks and signs of bears. A few weeks before we were 

 there some Indians were encamped on a little island near our 

 camp, and they got two moose and three deer, probably by 

 floating, as we saw the remains of their jack as well as the 

 hoofs and bones of the moose and deer. They smoked the 

 meat and "portaged" it out. We think any one going to 

 that locality would find it a very enjoyable trip. They will 

 find the Canadian Pacific people pleasant gentlemen, willing 

 to give any information and to do all they can to make their 

 journey pleasant. One of the most weighty reasons for our 

 going to Nipissing, which is directly north of the celebrated 

 Muskoka region, was the fact that you can reach there from 

 New York city or almost any point in New England by 

 losing but one business day; for instance, leave New York 



city on Montreal train after business hours (4:30 P. M.) on a 

 Saturday and arrive at Montreal about 9 Sunday morning. 

 Leave Montreal Sunday morning about 9 and train reaches 

 North Bay late that night and you can go into camp Tues- 

 day. At North Bay stop at Snyder's hotel, which is the 

 best. Do not expect too much of a town but two years old, 

 but you will find the people jovial and pleasant. This re- 

 gion was all a wilderness about two years ago, and settlers 

 are not very thick yet. R. B. Jessup, of Trout Lake (his 

 post office is North Bay), has boats and canoes, tent blankets, 

 etc., and could probably be engaged as guide. 



B. AND H. 



TARPON FISHING WITH ROD AND REEL. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



The tarpon, or silver king as it is commonly called, may 

 justly be described as a tropical fish, though found in a semi- 

 tropical climate and waters. In substantiation of this propos- 

 ition, I may state the fact, whieh came under my own 

 observation, that the cold snap of last January which did so 

 much damage throughout the South to the fruit, also killed 

 or was the immediate cause of the death of thousands of 

 these fish. I did not visit the scene of this devastation until 

 about March following; but at that time I counted hundreds 

 of the carcasses of this fish upon nearly every beach I visited, 

 stripped of their flesh by the buzzards, hawks, coons and 

 other animals and birds that seek the shores for their food. 

 The tarpon are found in nearly all the waters of Southern 

 and Southwestern Florida and the keys and wateTs of the 

 Gulf of Mexico, are found in the more southerly portions 

 thereof, where the waters are warmest, early in the spring 

 or throughout the winter, and migrate into the more interior 

 waters as the warm weather approaches, and in summer 

 swarming in all the rivers and bayous of the Gulf and Flor- 

 ida coast. 



This fish is said to grow to a very large size, though my 

 own experience did not carry out the fables told of them as 

 to size and weight. I had the experience of capturing some 

 eight and of seeing nearly as many-more captured by others, 

 and of seeing and estimating for myself some ten or twelve 

 others which I hooked but did not capture; and as a result of 

 this observation I am led to the belief that from six to seven 

 feet is about their maximum length and that about 150 

 pounds would be their maximum weight; both of which 

 should, and probably would , be quite satisfactory to any of 

 our expert striped-bass anglers if they could but see, as I 

 have seen, and feel, as I have felt, them hooked on the ordi- 

 nary tackle of our striped-bass fishermen. 



The tarpon, though cautious and wary, is not timid, and 

 with ordinary care can easily be induced to take the bait; 

 and any one at all familiar with what is necessary in cap- 

 turing the striped bass of our Eastern waters, can readily 

 hook as many as he can safely take care of, provided he 

 hooks them well, and by his skill prevents them from get- 

 ting away. The object of my trip to Florida was to demon- 

 strate if these fish could be captured with the ordinary tackle 

 used by our Eastern club fishermen in their pursuit of the 

 striped bass, and to see if patience, skill and perseverance 

 could be made successful as against weight, activity, power 

 and endurance. This I have successfully accomplished, for, 

 while I haye taken some eight of these monsters, I have used 

 nothing but my striped-bass tackle, which is of the lightest 

 kind used by any of the bass fishermen, consisting of Nos. 9 

 and 12 bass lines, the ordinary full-size bass reels, a light six- 

 foot split bamboo rod weighing fourteen ounces, and 10-0 

 knobbed hook, increased one size for convenience, simply 

 to accommodate an increased size bait. 



The mullet used for bait are much larger than our men- 

 haden, and are used in exactly the same way, and 1 made a 

 success of chumming as in striped bass fishing, and the only 

 drawback that I found in the capture of tarpon was in a 

 proper and suitable snell to stand the action of their iron and 

 shear-like jaws. Close examination shows the head of this 

 fish to be a curiosity. The mouth, when closed, resembles 

 the eagle's beak reversed, and one would be led to suppose 

 that it was very small, as compared to the size of the fish; 

 but it possesses a sort of folding power, and when fully 

 opened it presents a monstrous cavity, quite sufficient to 

 take in a man's head. The gills are of immense size and 

 capable of great distention, and when the fish leaps from the 

 water, as it always does on being hooked, it presents a spec- 

 tacle at once grand and imposing, and the continuation of 

 those efforts during the time he has the power to make them, 

 render this fish and its capture at once an awe and delight. 

 He leaps from the water when hooked, and with mouth open 

 and gills distended shakes himself as I have never before 

 seen any living object do, to rid himself of the hook, and in 

 a majority of cases, sooner or later succeeds. 



1 have had them, as I supposed, securely -hooked, and, 

 after hnlf an hour's tussle, when I thought them nearly cap- 

 tured, have had them make a rush and take line enough 

 from me to get sufficient headway to leap from the water 

 and by one of those tremendous shakes throw line, bait and 

 hook ten feet in the air and then gracefully move away. In 

 some cases I have had them leap from the water, from one 

 to .six feet clear, thirteen times before they lost power to do 

 so, after which many attempts to leap would end in their 

 getting only part way out of the water. 



The brilliancy of the spectacle of this fish, with a head 

 completely covered with a coat of the most brilliant pearl, 

 and the sides from the gill down covered with frosty silver, 

 leaping six feet out of the water, far enough to allow the 

 turning of a complete somersault, and repeating this momen- 

 tarily, must be seen to be appreciated, for it cannot be 

 accurately or effectively described — it is awe-inspiring and 

 sublime. The notion which is entertained by some English 

 sporting journals, that to capture fish of more than two and 

 a half pounds' weight to the pound of tensile strength of 

 line, has in this experience been entirely exploded ; for in my 

 captures a fish weighing 125 pounds has been captured by a 

 line having a tensile strength of less than twenty -five pounds ; 

 this is five to one instead of two and one-half to one. 



Punta Rassa, Fla,, and the adjacent waters of the coast of 

 West Florida, were the field of my operations, though other 

 waters of the Gulf abound with these fish. To reach the 

 waters of this beautiful giant of the deep is not difficult, and 

 the accommodations, though in most places plain, are com- 

 fortable, and where I had the good fortune to go I found the 

 attendance good. The fishing is done from boats, and in not 

 very deep water. 



The flesh of the tarpon is good to eat, and I am informed 

 that in some cases the beautiful scales are manufactured into 

 very handsome and pleasing jewelry ornaments. A pre- 

 served specimens of the largest of my captoes can be seen at 

 Edward vom Hofe's, 97 Fulton street, New York. 



Biixy Bowlegs, 



Punta Rassa, Fla., April 1?. 



