372 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[June 3, 1886. 



the matter of throwing water as they are lifted into a boat, 

 but when she reads this she will doubtless make up her mind 

 which was the offender that day and have another score to 

 settle with James Mackerel. 



The skipper was again made to be of use by putting a fresh 

 frog on her hook and we went on oar way. 



Twice before reaching a point opposite the "oil well" (the 

 oil well will be spoken of further on) he was of use taking in 

 a fish, one for each of the girls, his own frog trailing away 

 astern on the outside, attracting about as much attention as 

 a "bound boy at a corn huskin'." 



As we passed under the bridge at the head of the narrows 

 Kit was impressed with the notion that there might be 

 another bass lurking around the raft of logs where she had 

 taken one a week before, and she laid herself out to perfectly 

 astonish Bob and the skipper by one of her famous "wood- 

 chopper casts" that would drop the frog within a couple of 

 feet of the raft at the exact spot desired. But the best laid 

 schemes o' mice and girls, etc. In her anxiety to acquit her- 

 self with credit in "Papa's eyes" she put "a leetle too much 

 vehemence in the cast" and brought the frog down on the 

 outermost log with a whack that knocked hioi as limber as a 

 wet rag, at the same time the hook caught in the bark of the 

 log and refused to let go. and the fair expert in overhand 

 casting wilted down on the seat utterly demoralized and 

 "bilin' over" with disgust at the unlooked for result of her 

 pet cast. 



Miss Bob and the skipper smiled, cautiously at first, then 

 snickered a little, and finally broke into open and unre- 

 strained hilarity that lasted till some time after the boat was 

 backed up and' the hook released. The frog had no more 

 life left in him than an old rusty railroad spike. 



This ended the fishing for the down trip and we pulled 

 down to the landing and walked up to the store, to be 

 cordially greeted by neighbor Couturier and treated to a 

 lunch of cheese, crackers, cakes and maple sugar, for it was 

 long past the dinner hour, with a draught of cool water from 

 the pump, after declining an invitation to step down in the 

 cellar and sample a glass of his "old port" manufactured 

 doubtless somewhere in the wilds of Chicago or St. Louis. 



Friends at home had not forgotten us and we found in P. 

 M. Couturier's receptacle for all classes of mail matter (the 

 drawer under the counter) letters for nearly all in the party, 

 and a bundle of Cincinnati dailies largely taken up with 

 "editorial amenities," politics personals, and base ball scores. 



We loafed around the store till the afternoon tri-weekly 

 mail came in from Traverse City, which brought another 

 batch of dailies and two or three letters, among the 

 latter one from "Old Knots," saying he would be with us on 

 the following Wednesday, and requesting me to "announce 

 to that Illinois cowboy [meaning old Ben] that I'm coming 

 up to take his scalp." Whether this was iutended to mean 

 a contemplated "risin' o' Ben's bar," or as a challenge to a 

 trial of skill in a day's fishing in which he would lay Ben 

 out, was not quite clear, but when told of the message Knots 

 had sent, the old cowboy unconcernedly remarked between 

 whiffs, "ef that ole stub an' twist knots an' 'narls comes up 

 here a foolin' 'round after my scelp I'll jest fill his ole hide 

 chuck full o' perforated holes." 



The pull back to camp was made under the slanting rays 

 of the hot afternoon sun, that struck in on the skipper till 

 he was so lazy toward the last that he could barely lift the 

 oars, and when Miss Kit insisted on taking a first lesson in 

 rowing, she was allowed with a hypocritical show of re 

 luctance to try her hand, but the lesson didn't last long. 

 The rail fence course of old Knots on Black Lake, working 

 his boat in the teeth of a heavy blow, was a chalk-line mark 

 compared with the erratic angles and curves described by our 

 boat, as shown by the double line of bubbles churned up by 

 the oar blades as they were lifted high in air and brought 

 down with a seeming determination to find the bottom of the 

 lake at every stroke. The circus lasted till the over-lapping 

 oars caught one of Miss Kitty's thumbs and peeled off a 

 section of cuticle, the catastrophe eliciting an explosive and 

 very forcible "goodness," with the accent about all on the 

 ness. 



When the applause at this feat had subsided and the dam- 

 aged thumb repaired with a piece of court plaster and duly 

 kissed to ease the hurt, as in the long gone by days when 

 she was a "toddler" (and it is surprising how bad a hurt a 

 kiss will heal) we swapped seats and again the oars fell with 

 lazy sweep and noiseless stroke as the boat was brought to 

 her course and headed on the last short stretch for camp. 



It may be chronicled that we took five bass to camp, 

 besides a couple, of goggle-eyes that showed their lack of 

 discretion in trying to swallow Bob's frog, and the skipper's 

 bait was as dead as a pickled herring and without an abra- 

 sion or toothmark. Bob's wish had been gratified; I hadn't 

 caught a fish the whole day, but I was in a contented frame 

 of mind at having ministered to the happiness and enjoy- 

 ment of the two girls, and this was in the nature of a recom- 

 pense for a duty performed and a claim on a sound night's 

 rest. 



The others were all in and arranging the tents for the 

 night, after having enjoyed to the fall the bright and. beauti- 

 ful day. Each boat had brought in a string of fish with 

 Mother Jim at the head with a bass of over four pounds and 

 old Dan and Ben at the tail with a "lawyer," which Ben 

 tried to palm off on the girls for a "newfangled lake trout," 

 or "to speak more proper," he said with a flourish, "it's a 

 kind ov a summer speshies o' the canine namycoosh, which 

 is never knowed to bite less ye affer 'em somethin' to bite at 

 an' spit on yer bait." 



After supper the home letters were read over again to 

 make sure nothing had been missed, papers looked over 

 to see what had been going on back in the busy world, and 

 when darkness fell the camp-fire was kindled to repel the 

 thickening shadows, and by the time the experiences and 

 pleasures of the day had all been told over around its cheer- 

 full blaze, little Top was in the land of dreams and it was 

 creeping well on to the turn of the night before the circle 

 was reeady to break up and exchange good nights. 



KtNGFISHEB. 



(TO BE CONTINUED.) 



Ra2s t geley, Me. — The following catches of trout are re- 

 ported from Capt. Barker's Camp Bemis. First two days' 

 fishing — Catch of A. Houghton, of Worcester, -Mass., 5 

 pounds and 10J pounds. Catch of C. H. Fenally, of West- 

 boro, Mass, 4+ and 5 pounds. Catch of Mr. Rawson, one 6 

 pounds. Catch of Mr. Burton, one 8£ pounds. Catch of 

 C. W. Fisher, North Attleboro, Mass., one 7 pounds. Catch 

 of B. F. Quimby, of Worcester, Mass., 4J, 5 and 6 pounds. 

 Catch of Holley Harrington, 3f and 5i pounds. Catch of 

 H. M. Dudworth, 4f pounds. Catch of Mr. Houghton, 4£ 

 pounds; Mrs. M. A. Whittier, 3f pounds. 



NEW ENGLAND TROUT WATERS. 



THERE begins to be more spirit to the reports from the 

 trout waters, and the temptation is greater to be there. 

 Boston gentlemen begin to be seen on the street with faces 

 turned quite a nut brown, and the happy look they wear is 

 to be found only in the eye of the returned and successful 

 sportsman. Will they tell you all about it? Oh, yes! If you 

 only have the time, they will talk you blind about that trout 

 or landlocked salmon; for the landlocks have actually be- 

 come a feature in the angling in Maine waters. No very 

 large "red spots" have been heard from yet, but good sports- 

 men are very enthusiastic over the landlocks^ they have 

 caught. One veteran trout fisherman, who took four land- 

 locks at Rangeley the other day, neither above three and a 

 half pounds, says: "Give me a landlocked salmon before 

 all the other fish I have ever caught. There is more life in 

 one than in two trout. It took me fully twenty minutes to 

 land my largest one — only about three and a half pounds." 

 But it is anticipated that the landlock fishing will drop off 

 as suddenly as it begun; that is, if it follows the principle 

 known in other waters, where the landlocks have been 

 known for years. In the Sebago these fish follow up the 

 smelts when they seek the streams and shallow water to 

 spawn, and then the fun with the landlocks begins. The 

 smelts cease "to run" as it is termed, and the landlocks are 

 done for that season. In the Androscoggin waters, where 

 there are no smelts, it is expected that the landlocks have 

 followed up the chubs — minnows — so common there, and 

 that they will take their departure for deep and unknown 

 waters early and suddenly. However, such is not yet known 

 to be the fact iu these comparatively new waters for these 

 fish, and their friends may be happily disappointed. At all 

 events the showing up of landlocked salmon iu the Andros- 

 cogg : u lakes this spring, has established a happy fact for 

 anglers, and a triumph' in fish propagation very gratifying 

 to everybody, and more especially to the worthy fish com- 

 missioners of that State, who have labored so arduously 

 in that direction. Commissioner Stanley himself, a very 

 successful and an enthusiastic fly-fisherman, is still firm iu the 

 belief that when the habits of the landlocked salmon are 

 better known, they will be taken with the fly at almost all 

 seasons adapted to that sport. He has himself taken them 

 with the fly in Weld pond this spring. SPeCeal. 



JULIO T. BUEL. 



WHO that has used "spoon bait'* does not know the 

 name of "Buel" as stamped upon the silvery spin- 

 ners offered to the bass, pike, and maskinonje? As the first 

 man in America to take out a patent for trolling and spinning 

 bait, his name became famous among anglers who fish with 

 these implements, and his death at Whitehall, N. Y., on 

 May 13 will be widely regretted. Mr. Buel was a man 

 with a wide circle of personal friends because of his upright 

 life, public spirit and kindly humor. The following notice 

 of him, written by Mr. W. H. Bodwell for the New York 

 Sun, is so complete and truthful that we republish it 

 entire: 



"Julio T. Buel, who died in Whitehall on the 13th inst., 

 was probably better known, through his fishing tackle, to 

 the lovers of the piscatorial art than aiiy other man in the 

 country. He took out the first patent in this country for 

 trolling and spinning bait, and was the first to engage in its 

 manufacture. Born in Vermont nearly eighty years ago, in 

 close vicinity to Castle Pond and the many other famous 

 trout streams and lakes of that part of the State, he early 

 familiarized himself with the habits of the trout, and before 

 he was fifteen years of age he was kuown as the most skill- 

 ful fly-fisherman of that region. It was in Castleton Pond, 

 when in about his eighteenth year, he made his first experi- 

 ence with a trolling bait. It was a crude affair indeed com- 

 pared with the beautiful and artistic bait he turned out in 

 later years, samples of which are sure to be found in the out- 

 fit of every sportsman who visits the Adirondacks or the 

 great lakes and rivers of this country and Canada. It was 

 almost the counter part of the bowl of a large spoon, made 

 of heavy tin. One side was painted a bright vermillion, 

 and the other was polished as bright as the traditional New 

 England milk pan. To the smaller end was attached the 

 hook, and to the other the line. Young Buel's first effort in 

 Castleton Pond with this rude contrivance was a revelation 

 to all the fishermen of that country. The size and number 

 of fish he took from the depths of the pond had never before 

 been approached. In fact, many of the old residents there- 

 abouts continue to use what is known as 'Buel's spoon' in its 

 original shape and will not believe that any improvement 

 can be made upon it. 



"When about 30 years of age he removed to Whitehall, 

 and engaged in the furrier business. But the location was 

 so tempting to a true fisherman that more of his time was 

 given to fishing and devising attractive bait with which to 

 catch fish than to the manufacture of hats. Only six miles 

 away was Lake George, swarming with trout of enormous 

 size, while Lake Champlain. in the vicinity of Whitehall, 

 was a famous feeding ground for muskalonge,;pickerel, black 

 bass aud pike, while less than a day's journey would take 

 him into the very heart of the Adirondack wilderness. Al- 

 most all of Mr. Buel's time was spent in devising baits for 

 different species of fish and in testing them. He made long 

 trips to the Adirondacks, the lakes and rivers where these 

 different species lived, in order to thoroughly test his new 

 devices. When satisfied with the working of one he would 

 secure a patent upon it, lap it away and go to work upon 

 new ones. At first, he used to say, he had no idea of ever 

 making the manufacture of fishing bait a business. But the 

 sportsmen he met on these trip3 in the Adirondacks and 

 elsewhere, as well as his neighbors, whom he always freely 

 supplied with hi3 baits, soon spread the reputation of his 

 devices, and orders and requests from them poured in upon 

 him from every part of the country. The result was that 

 the furrier business soon gave way to a little rude machin- 

 ery, and the manufacture of trolling and spinning baits was 

 begun. This was nearly fifty years ago, and the little brick 

 building on Canal street, during all that time, until within a 

 very recent period, has been the place from which has come 

 the great bulk of the fishing bait which has delighted the 

 heart of all scientific fishermen. But the demand outgrew 

 Mr. Buel's facilities for supplying it. He positively refused 

 to put in new and improved machinery, or to increase his 

 force of workmen. The old shop grew dingy, cobwebs hung 

 in festoons over the door and windows, the old-fashioned 

 chairs and the empty dry goods box, known as the 'seat of 

 honor,' stood ready to jyelcome all who called to talk with 

 'the judge,' as Mr. Buel became familiarly known in these 

 later years, upon his favorite topic of fish and their habits, 

 and to tell of famous exploits in days past. For the last ten 

 or a dozen years Mr. Buel has been able to go fishing but 



very little, and less than a oear ago it became plain to him 

 and his friends that he must give up. No man stood higher 

 in the confidence and esteem of his neighbors than Julio T. 

 Buel. For several years he was deputy collector of customs 

 for the district of Champlain, and he also filled various local 

 offices. He had an inexhaustible fund of stories of his fish- 

 ing experiences, and had an entertaining way of telling 

 them." 



SOUTHERN TIER ANGLERS. 



LAST evening train No. 2 on the Erie road brought back 

 to Elmira the members of the Southern Tier Anglers' 

 Association, who were returning from their second annual 

 excursion to the fronting streams of Potter county, Pa. 

 Through the. courtesy of John N. Abbott, general passenger 

 agent, and Superintendent Cable, of the Erie road, a hand- 

 some special car was provided for the excursionists. It was 

 tastefully trimed with flags and bore an inscription which 

 told what was going on in it. Train No. 29 drew it Tuesday 

 morning to Addison, where it was' side-tracked, and the 

 anglers betook themselves to the special train provided by 

 Frank M. Bilker, superintendant of the Addison aud North- 

 ern Pennsylvania railway. The engine and cars were trim- 

 med with flags, and the big black-and-white inscription ban- 

 ner was transferred from the Erie car to the main coach. 

 Additions to the party were made at several poiats, and when 

 all names were on the list it read as follows: W. W. Fish, 

 J. S. Fassett. C. H. Gridley, George M. Robiuson, G. H. 

 Parkhurst, G W. Treadwell, Ray Thompson, D. Atwater, 

 J. J. Bush, F. S. Rice, E. L. Adams, N. J. Thompson, 

 Charles H. Baldwin, Jay S. Butler, W. P. Fish, Daniel E. 

 Rick, P. F. S. Slay maker, R. J. Knox, Elinira; the Hon. 

 William Smythe. judge C. A. Clark and H. Austin Clark, 

 Owego; 0. S. Mather, Lawrence ville; W. L. Watrous, 

 Waverly; J. F. Parkhurst, and C. L Pattison, Elkland: 

 Colonel J. M. Jones, New York; W. A. Bayliss of the Erie; 

 Editor Roberts of the Addison Advertiser and the indefatig- 

 able, inexhaustible and justly popular superintendent of the 

 A. & N. P. railway, Frank M. Baker. The rain which fell 

 heavily in the morning, but, of course, could not subdue old 

 fishermen, grew lighter and lighter, until at last it ceased 

 entirely, and good weather ruled from that time out. The 

 charming scenery, Which makes the line of the A. & N. P. 

 famous as one of the most picturesque in America, was fully 

 enjoyed. At Elkland the pranks began. As the train stop- 

 ped a boy iu fantastic fishing gear came aboard, called 

 loudly for a well known legislator and delivered to him a 

 string of chub, as if filling an order. The laughter over 

 this had scarcely died away, when another stop brought a 

 box by express to a prominent dry good merchant containing 

 a decorated codfish. At Kuoxville a huge herb and vege- 

 table bouquet, having in its depths a really desirable nosegay, 

 was presented to an eligible bachelor editor. At Osceola a box 

 was handed to a young man whose thinness is somewhat 

 phenomena], and which w r as found to contain "something 

 to hold him together" — a corset. Gaines was reached soon 

 after 1 o'clock, and the anglers, tired with their forenoon's 

 search after trout, were escorted to the Hotel Vermilyea, 

 where they found them in abundance. While waiting to 

 hear the dinner bell some rare music was furnished by 

 a wandering German minstrel, whose rendering of "Narra- 

 gansett Bay" accompanied by physical contortions of hia 

 own invention upon the guit-ir, will never be forgotton. 

 The excellent dinner was dispatched with all the relish and 

 zest which fisherman's appetites alone can furnish. The 

 printed bill of far, elaborately prepared by the thin genius 

 who received the corset, was a surprise to everybody. It 

 was certainly unique. Stray copies which floated out Into 

 the hands of the public, were seized upon by the authorities 

 and locked up as anarchists' manifestoes. With the dessert 

 came the impromptu speeches called out by Toastmaster 

 Fassett. In the midst of this calamitous dispensation an 

 elegant split-bamboo fishing rod was., presented to Superin- 

 tendent Baker. In addition to the other consideration a 

 vote of thanks was given to W. H. Vermilyea and W. A. 

 Rexford of the well managed hotel. This house by the way 

 is the famous Izaak Walton house so long conducted by the 

 late Horace Vermilyea, known as "Uncle Hod, the king of 

 the rod." It has been enlarged and improved and is a 

 popular resort for fishermen. Engineer DeGroat's whistle 

 summoned the party and the train to Galeton, the terminus 

 of the railway. There fine wagons received the members 

 and carried them over the hills "and through the valleys to 

 Germania, where August Voss, the landlord of the only 

 gasthaus, gave them a hearty welcome and excellent accom- 

 modations. After a first-class supper, the evening was 

 pleasantly spent with cards, music, cigars, fireworks and 

 preparations for the morrow's fishing. The next morning's 

 sunrise fouud many of the anglers chasing the elusive trout. 

 Fortunately Landlord Voss had secured "fifteen pounds the 

 day before, and these were served in superb style by Mrs. 

 Voss for breakfast. Those who did not fish, and those who 

 did, all enjoyed a season in the music room, bowling alleys, 

 etc., of Herr Sch war tzen bach's "brauerei," which is the 

 German for chemical laboratory, or something of that sort. 

 Notwithstanding his kindness, Herr Schwartzenbach malt- 

 treated his visitors. Last evening the party drove back to 

 Galeton and were given an unequalled trout dinner at the 

 Ainsley House. Many Elmira fishermen know that the cook- 

 ing of trout is done to perfection by Mrs. Ainsley, and those 

 wno do not should find it out by experience as soon as- 

 possible. The railway brought the association quickly 

 homeward, a stop of an hour being made at Elkland, where 

 one of the members, L. L. Pattison, entertained his com- 

 rades in a most hospitable manner at his delightful home. 

 As the train drew into Addison about nine o'clock the last 

 of the firework stock was employed in giving the valley and 

 village a reddish tint. It is said that an alarm of fire was 

 given in the town because of the unusual sight, and the 

 prolonged whistling of locomotives. Bidding Mr. Baker 

 fareweU and taking possession of the Erie car which was 

 soon attached to No. 2, the party came home sadly ponder- 

 ing on the fact that a whole year mast elapse before they 

 could go again. — Elmira, JV. Y., Advertiser, May 27. 



"Woodckaft."— When a man has spent a great many 

 months in the woods, he presumably has learned something 

 which other folks of less experience might find it worth 

 while to know. After you have camped out as much as 

 ' -Nessmuk" you yourself may gather as much woods lore as 

 he has; but it will be rather a sensible thing for you now to 

 secure his book "Woodcraft," and from its pages gather a 

 score or two of hints which will add to the comfort and 

 pleasure of an angling or shooting or camping excursion. 



