288 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Mat 6, 1886. 



MAINE TROUT SEASON. 



THE ice is out of the Maine lakes, and the trout season of 

 1886 is fairly started. The ice left the Umbagog, the 

 lowest of the Androscoggin s, April 30. Moosehead was clear 

 May 2. so that the first steamer ran up to Kineo on that day. 

 Monday evening brought the news by wire that Richardson 

 Lake had just cleared, and that the boats were running. 

 The other Androscoggin lakes cleared about the same time, 

 eight or ten days earlier than last year. So the suggestions 

 in the Forest anp Stream that the ice would break up 

 early have been correct, and hereafter we shall all put more 

 confidence in the opinion of experienced guides. The sea- 

 son opens auspiciously, and with the usual desire among 

 trout fishei'men to be first on the ground. But cold weather 

 early in the week has rather dampened the spirits of some of 

 the early birds from Boston, and they will wait a few days 

 longer. Still the trains out of the city have carried a nuui 

 ber of rod and line sportsmen, but cold fingers and damp 

 and leafless woods will be their reward. 



The desire is strong to go early, but the season is too im- 

 mature by far. The purpose is to take big trout , almost 

 always by trolling, for there is seldom any fly-fishing in 

 Maine till the temperature of the water begins to change. In 

 the taking of large trout the record goes to show that it has 

 not been done by those who rush off before the snow water 

 is done. In my memory the trout above six pounds have 

 nearly all been taken as late as Decoration day or there- 

 abouts. The celebrated Whitlier 9J pound trout was taken 

 somewhere about the middle of Juue. Mr. Harrison Gard- 

 ner took his 8-pound trout May SO. Mr. R. A. Tuttle has 

 taken several large ones about that date. As soon as the ice 

 goes out a multitude of small trout may be had at the mouth 

 of the streams, but for large trout and certainly for bodily 

 comfort, T should go later. To those not familiar with the 

 Maine woods, or to those who have only been there in mid- 

 summer or autumn, it may not be amiss to say that winter 

 lingers long in the lap of spring in that State. Snow may 

 be found in abundance in the woods till the middle, and 

 sometimes the last of May. I have seen deep drifts there as 

 late as the middle of June even. But the trees usually begin 

 to be in leaf in the lake regions by the last of May. 



Special. 



FISH SLAUGHTER IN VERMONT. 



THE disciples of the rod and line in this section are re- 

 joicing over the appointment of Charles H. Lotrase, of 

 the Champlain Rod and Gun Association, as fish warden for 

 this State. He is a thorough business man and turns upon 

 the law breakers when they least expect it. He also has been 

 warden in New York State for over a year, so now he can 

 work on both sides of Jbake Champlain. During the past 

 season he took over sixty nets and seines from those waters, 

 most of which run in the marshy breeding grounds at the 

 head of the lake. It is hoped and expected that- he will 

 give no little attention to Lake Bomoseene, which is a beau- 

 tiful little sheet of water eight miles long and nearly two 

 wide in the widest part. About two miles of the upper part 

 of this lake is a large marsh of over two hundred acres, mak- 

 ing a splendid breeding bed for pickerel and the large-ruoi.u 

 black bass, which were quite numerous in the lake a few 

 years ago. For a number of years it has been the practice of 

 a party who live there to set a large net in the channel, while 

 they were running to and from this bed, and most of those 

 which managed to get by the net without being caught, met 

 their death by the cruel spear when they were on the spawn- 

 ing beds. In the spring I have seen four boats at a time 

 rigged with jacks being silently pushed by a man in the 

 stern, while the other stood in the bow with spear in hand 

 watching for bass. (I say bass, as they are more likely tofind 

 them, as they are not so cunning in concealing themselves as 

 the pickerel.) 



I have also seen exposed for sale in our village no less than 

 fifty of these fine bass at one time, all of which bore the 

 marks of the spear. The bass usually captured in this way 

 are females, and every one so killed lessened the number of 

 bass by hundreds. It is thought that over 500 were taken 

 by this party last spring. If there were not a number of 

 other small marshes in the lake the bass would be entirely 

 annihilated in a short time, and it is earnestly hoped that our 

 new warden will bring this business of spearing and netting 

 to a stop at once, and in a couple of years we will again 

 enjoy good fishing with the rod and line. 



The fishing through the ice has been unusually good this 

 winter, it has been so mild. But the men who do this are 

 mainly another lot of pot-fishers who catch the fish for 

 market, and over one ton have been caught and sold this 

 spring, some of the finest ones going to your city. A great 

 many have been very large, the largest of which I had any 

 knowledge weighed 23£, others weighed respectively 22, 

 19|, 18±, lQh 15, 14f , and a good many from 8 to 13, while 

 those from 4 to 8 were more than three hundred. Ned. 



Fishing m Florida.. — Cedar Keys, Fla., April 11.— 

 Editor Forest and Stream: I have been here for some time 

 with a friend from Canada, and we have kept the hotel in 

 fish ever since we came. We have had lots of fun catching 

 sheepsbead. 1 suppose they took this name from having a 

 mouth like a sheep. On April 11 three of us took a sail out 

 to Snake Keys, an island five miles from Cedar Keys. We 

 sailed a mile, further in the Gulf, and I noticed trout about 

 us. As there was a piece of mullet in the bottom of the boat 

 and I always carry my line in my pocket, I thought I would 

 try a cast. Well, I made a cast of fifty feet out, and the 

 bait had only struck the water when something took my 

 bait. 1 let the fish have some more line and then checked 

 him, and bad fine sport pulling him in. It was a trout of 

 about 3i pounds, a beauty. My friend could not stand the 

 temptation, so he felt for his line and found he had one in 

 his pocket; but he lost a number of fish, as his line was not 

 heavy enough and would break every now and then. For 

 two hours we had lots of sport, but then had to take up 

 anchor and start for Cedar Keys, as there was a storm com- 

 ing up. We hated to leave, as they were still biting freely. 

 The wind blew very hard and the Gulf got very rough and 

 ugly; but we had only one thing to do, and that was to keep 

 on, for the longer we stayed out the more likely we were to 

 be swamped. We had to keep bailing all the time. We got 

 in safe and carried our fish to the hotel and took the house 

 by surprise, showing sixty-seven trout and one bluefish. 

 They weighed 137^ pounds. That was the best sport in fish- 

 ing I ever had.— H. A. B. 



Coil Lead or Shot.— Ashtabula, 0.— Editor Forest and 

 Stream: Living as I do among the fastness of the everlasting 

 mountains of the Alleghanies, whsre their evergreen tops 

 pierce the blue vault above, where the bouuding deer roam 

 at will, and where in the deep valleys the pure mountain 

 streams rush headlong on their way to the mighty river, it 

 has been my solace and joy to spend many weeks in decoying 

 to my line the speckled trout, which it is the delight of all 

 lovers of sport to lure to their hand. I see in the issue of 

 March 18 some one advocates coil lead instead of shot for 

 sinkers. I cannot understand why an idea so long abandoned 

 should be again brought forward. I used it for years, until I 

 tried the shot, since then I have never returned to that primi- 

 tive mode of sinkers. My reasons for not liking it are many. 

 It is not decided enough in its action when casting my hook. 

 When trying to place the line at a given point the lead is so 

 distributed that the wind will take it from the place in- 

 tended, whereas the shot has less surface for the wind to act 

 upon, and therefore your cast is more perfect. I used to 

 find the coil lead an abomination and a nuisance, it was con- 

 stantly getting off from my line, or becoming foul, and 

 when on the line it made a stiff and unpliable spot where I 

 wanted the most elasticity. I always put the shot above the 

 loop on the line, which leaves to the leader and hook, with a 

 gut, a free action, while the line is held at will by the shot. 

 In swift running streams I seldom use a sinker, I think the 

 fly has more of its natural appearance than when held under 

 w T ater. the current being sufficient for all purposes. — G. 



Fishing en the Potomac— Washington, D. C, April 22. 

 —From observation and reports received, I am able to state 

 that better bass fishing was never had in the Potomac than 

 sportsmen are having now. Strings of from five to fifty are 

 now brought in from Little Falls and Great Falls and other 

 points, while further up, at Point of Rocks, Harpei's Ferry, 

 Sir John's Run and other well-known places, the catches 

 have been something remarkable, both for number and size. 

 A letter just received from the south branch of the Potomac 

 states the bass never were more nnmerous, that bait is very 

 scarce there in consequence, and that anglers must come well 

 prepared in this respect. Small catfish seem to be the most 

 taking, but chubs, smelt, canal minnows aud other small fry 

 are used with success. Have not heard of any fly-fishing. 

 The catch of Potomac shad is very large and the fish are 

 unusually fine. Herring are also reported as good as usual 

 in size and quality. Striped bass are running up, and sports- 

 men are taking them at various favorable points with excel- 

 lent luck. — Burnett. 



Salmon Angling ln Maine.— A Maine paper says: "A 

 few days ago Mr. Henry A. Wing caught a fine salmon in 

 the Matlawamkeag River. The fish was taken with a small 

 rod, and is the first of the kind which has been caught here 

 in a long while. Salmon are moving up the river in large 

 numbers, and the prospect is that many will be taken with 

 rod and fine. The people feel much gratified to think the 

 rivers are once more becoming populated with the 'king of 

 fish.'" We also learn from good authority that a twenty- 

 four pound salmon was taken with a rod in the Penobscot 

 below the water works dam of Bangor, last week, by Mr. 

 Fred Ayer. Beside the fish taken by Mr. Ayer, we learn 

 that two more were taken on Friday last, three, on Saturday, 

 and one took the hook but was lost. 



Fishing for Land-locked Salmon.— Bucksport, Me., 

 April 27. — Editor Forest and Stream: The question, what is 

 the best fly and bait for land-locked salmon, also season and 

 time of day? may be answered thus: For a fly the silver 

 doctor is the greatest favorite. The butcher is another that 

 some have found successful; also an unnamed fly of private 

 make, with a yellow body and a gray mallard wing, and 

 another called Montreal, but not the original Montreal- 

 nearer a golden pheasant. Tliere is a great variety of opinion 

 as to bait. Fly-fishermen do not like to talk about bait, 

 though the fact is the most of the fish taken at Grand Lake 

 Stream and all those now taken at Sebago are victims of 

 bait. The natives at Grand Lake use a piece of pork rind. 

 Some use a shining and tough piece cut from any fish. If 

 smelts run in the stream where land-locked salmon are ex- 

 pected, a small smelt or piece of a large one is recommended. 

 The season of fishing is from the breaking up of the ice till 

 some time late in June. The April and May fishing is 

 mainly trolling with fly or bait, mostly the latter. Whip- 

 ping is not very successful until after the cherry is in bloom 

 and the black flics bite vigorously, at Grand Lake Stream 

 after the 1st of June generally, say from June 5 to 20. There 

 is some fishing in September, which is best in case of high 

 water in the streams, but this rarely compares well with the 

 May and June fishing. As to time of day, early morning 

 and late afternoon are best. Some find the silver doctor 

 best in the morning and a gray miller in the evening. — 

 C. G. A. 



The Largest Tarpon.— Mr. W. H. Wood, who took the 

 first tarpon with rod and reel one year ago, has been at it 

 again. He has recently sent one of these fish to New York 

 which measured 6 feet 5 inches and weighed 140 pounds, 

 and the mounted skin is now in the window of Thomas J. 

 Conroy, 65 Fulton street, where it attracts crowds. This, 

 largest of all game fishes, was taken a few miles from Key 

 West, Fla., on 900 feet of 15-thread linen line, an O'Shaug- 

 nessy knobbed 10-0 hook, a 3-foot link chain, a 5-foot bamboo 

 rod and a "Silver King" reel. The great strength of the 

 fish compelled Mr. Wood to lift his anchor and let the boat 

 follow the fish. A similar rod, reel and line are in the win- 

 dow at Conroy's. 



Central New Tore.— Syracuse, May 3.— Last week 

 Game Protector Lindsay pulled twenty-two trap nets out of 

 Oneida Lake in twenty-four hours, a good day's work. Mr. 

 Henry Loftie caught twenty-two brook trout on the opening 

 day which weighed five pounds. He says he lost one that 

 would have weighed two pounds, but does not understand 

 why the boys grin when he states this fact. — Saline. 



THE NEW YORK FISH COMMISSION. 

 XXTE have the following figures of the work done at the 

 W three hatcheries in the State for the past season, up to 

 May 1. At Caledonia they are still taking eggs of the rainbow 

 trout, and at Cold Spring Harbor some other hatching work 

 is in progress, but not reported. At the Adirondack hatchery, 

 at Lake Brandon, the figures include eggs placed in the 

 streams after the breaking of the dam, which ended opera- 

 tions in the building: 



CALEDONIA STATION. 



(In charge of Monroe A. Green.) 

 Egg Shipments. 

 Warren County.— Schroon Lake hatching house, 250,000 



salmon trout, 100.000 whitefish, 150,000 California mountain 

 and rainbow trout. 



Dutchess County.— Wagner's and other brooks, 35,000 brook 

 trout; New Hamburg, 1,500 brown and 25.000 California trout. 



New York County— To E. G. Blackford, to be sent to Ger- 

 many, 20,000 rainbow trout; to be sent to France, 10,000 rain- 

 bow trout. 



Essex County. —Adirondack hatchery, 875,000 salmon trout 

 and 75,000 California mountain trout, for Adirondack Club at 

 Newcomb. 



Fnj. 



Allegany County.— Canada Creed and tributaries, 20,000 

 brook trout. 



Cavuga County.— Salmon Creek tributaries and North 

 Brook, 35,000 brook trout. 



Chenango County.— Willie Brook and tributaries, Fly Creek, 

 Blue Brook, 44,000 brook trout. 



Cattaraugus County.— Cone wango Creek and tributaries, 

 Trout and Hooper brooks, Sam and Isehua creeks, 65,000 

 brook trout. 



Chautauqua County.— Cold. Crooked and Dyton brooks, 

 Will Creek, 21,000 brook trout. 



Columbia County.— Roosman, Link, Harlemville. Crayville, 

 Groat, New Suydam, Ecclestyne, Spring, Indian and Pulven 

 brooks, Steinville Creek, 88,000 brook trout. 



Delaware County.— Trout, Peeks, Platner, Steel, Bennett, 

 Bradley, Loby, Griswold, Baker, Bogart, Baxter, Fish's, Ty- 

 ler's, Cadosia, Chase's, Beers, Marion, Theirl, East, West, Fall 

 Mill, Elk, Glenbury brooks, Little Delaware, Willis and Hyer 

 creeks, 200,000 brook trout. 



Dutchess County.— Shunpike, Deep Hollow. Shekonoko, 

 Amenia, Sherman, Stone Church, Edmond, Belding, Wells 

 brooks, Lansmankill Creek, Washart Lake, 110,000 brook 

 trout. 12,000 salmon trout. 



Fulton County.— Bennetts, Conners, Blackart, Parson and 

 Loften creeks, 30,000 brook trout. 



Franklin County. — Ragged Lake, 75,000 salmon trout. 



Genesee County. — Oatka Creek, 15,000 brown trout. 



Green County.— Plattkill and other streams, 28,000 brook 

 trout. 



Herkimer County.— Fulmer, Willard, Flat, Chatman, West 

 Canada, East Canada, Beaver, Cold, Limekill, Littie and Big 

 Sprite creeks and brooks; Fulton Chain of Lakes, Little and 

 Big Moose Lake, Moss Lake, Canachagala and Bug lakes, 

 8,000 brown, 127,000 brook, 105,000 salmon trout, 14,000 hybrids 

 (half brook, half salmon). 



Hamilton County.— Spring Creek tributaries in Fulton Chain 

 of Lakes, 50,000 salmon trout and 50,000 brook trout. 



Jefferson County. — Centenary and Cold brooks, Sandy and 

 Felt Mill creeks and tributaries, 36,000 brook trout. 



Livingston County.— Hemlock Lake, Mill and Spring creeks, 

 205,000 salmon trout, 50,000 whitefish, 6,000 brook and 16,000 

 brown trout. 



Monroe Countv.— Lake Ontario (at Charlotte), Tennis, Hoff- 

 man, Spring and' Oatka creeks, 380,000 whitefish, 19,000 brook 

 and 50,000 brown trout. 



Onondaga County.— Onondaga Creek, Bishop, General Pat- 

 rick, Don, Lowers, Hartup, Putnam and Edward's brooks, 

 35,000 brook trout. 



Otsego County.— South Columbia Brook and Clark's creeks, 

 25,000 brook trout. 



Oneida County. — White Sugar, Gulf, Mill (and tributaries to 

 Black River), Sauquoit, Cummings, Christie and Langworthy 

 creeks, Baker and Read brooks, Jock's and South lakes, Una- 

 dilla River (west branch), 125,000 brook trout, 09,000 salmon 

 trout, 6,000 hybrids (half brook, half salmon). 

 •> Orange County.— Thompson Ridge, 20,000 brook trout. 



Ontario County.— Canandaigua Lake, Irondequoit Creek, 

 381,000 salmon and 15,000 brook trout. 



- Steuben County.— Tributaries to Cohocton River, 10,000 

 brook trout. 



Sullivan County.— Beaver kill River and tributaries. Little 

 Beaverkill Creek and tributaries, Neversink River and tribu- 

 taries, Delaware River tributaries, East and West Mongaup. 

 Black Joe, Conklin, Simpson, Narvoo, Benson's, Brown, Rus- 

 sel's, Horton, Appley's, Bennett's, Willowcasac, Sprague, Ben- 

 ton Meadow, Little Beamville, Salsbury, Patsy, Sawmill, 

 Spring and Lawrence brooks and creeks, 285,000 brook trout, 

 7,000 salmon trout. 



Suffolk County.— Cold Spring hatchery. 110,000 brook trout. 



St. Lawrence County.— Jordan Lake, 25,000 hybrids (K 

 brook, }< s salmon trout). 



Tioga County.— Owego Creek and tributaries, 25,000 brook 

 trout. 



Tompkins County.— Six-Mile, Willow and Enfield creeks, 

 24,000 brook trout, 6,000 brown trout. 



Ulster County.— Dry "Brook and tributaries, Furlow Lake 

 and tributaries, Wawarsing Creek, 115,000 brook trout. 



Wyoming County.— Tonawanda Creek (east stream), East 

 Cov 'Creek, 84,000 trout. 



Washington County.— Blair's Brook and White Creek, 30,000 

 brook trout. 



Warren County. — Lake George, 950,000 salmon trout. 



Yates County.— Keuka Lake, 520,000 salmon trout. 

 Recapitulation. 



Brook trout 1,632,000 



Lake or salmon trout 3,409,000 



Whitetish 530,000 



Rainbow trout 280,000 



Brown trout 96.500 



Hybrids 45,000 



Total 6/133,500 



COLD SPRING HARBOR STATION. 



(In care of Fred Mather.) 

 State Work. 



Brook trout hatched at station, 130,000; fry- received from 

 Caledonia, 110,000. 



Brown trout, 65,000 hatched from eggs received from Ger- 

 many and taken at the station ; 8,000 distributed to Clenden 

 Brook, Wan-en county, to date. " 



Hybrids, 300 from male saibling and female brook trout 

 received from E. B. Hodge, Commissioner of New Hamp- 



Sh Tomcods, 2,872,000 hatched and planted in Cold Spring 

 Harbor. , , . 



Smelts, 2,100,000 hatched and planted in the harbor. 

 U. S. Work. 



Whitefish, 1,000,000 hatched and planted in Great Pond, near 

 Riverhead and in Lake Ronkonkoma. Jti ... . 



Penobscot salmon. 500,000 hatched and planted in tributaries 

 of the Hudson, the Oswego and Salmon rivers. 



Landlocked salmon, 34,000 hatched for Lake Brandon, or 

 as previously called Little Clear Pond in the Saranao region. 



Lake trout, 150,000; 100,000 distributed and remainder kept 

 for iuture distribution. ... , 



Shad, 850.000 shad fry now in process of hatching from 1 ,2o0,- 

 000 eggs sent from the Central hatching station, Washington, to 

 be planted as may be directed by Mr. Blackford. 



Recapitulation. 



Brook trout 240.000 



Bro wn trout 65, 000 



Hybrids 300 



Tomcods OT.OOO 



Smelts 2,100,000 



Whitefish : 1,000,000 



Penobscot salmon 500,000 



Land-locked salmon -. 34 ,000 



Lake trout 150,000 



Shad 850,000 



Total... 



7,811,30(1 



