July i, 1886.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



451 



tilling to a great extent. One man came in with fifty-seven 

 P' tinds of trout and none were over seven inches in length ! 

 Another Lad thirteen pounds of the same kind. At Ed. 

 Wilkinson's a man brought in a creel full of babies and 

 sbowtd tbem exultingly. Mr. Stimpson, of the Mountaiu 

 Home, told me that a man calling himself a sportsman 

 wanted to know where be could go and catch babies, but 

 got uo information. Mr, F. A. Walters, superintendent of 

 the Adirondack hatchery, writes me that "a party of three 

 took in Long Pond (near the Saranacs) in six hours on Wed- 

 nesday last, June 23, 257 brook trout and left part of them 

 on the shore to spoil." Yet we must stock the streams for 

 the trout hog as well as for decent men. Fred Mather. 

 Mountain Home, June 26. 



MASSACHUSETTS ASSOCIATION. 



THE last regular meeting of the Massachusetts Fish and 

 Game Protective Association for this season was held 

 at the Parker House June 22, President Samuels presiding, 

 and though many regular attendants are now on their annual 

 pilgrimages to the rivers and forests of Maine, still over 

 thirty responded to the call. The usual routine business was 

 transacted, and three new members were elected. The com- 

 mittee on fisheries reported the following resolution, which 

 was ordered sent to the Senate at Washington; 

 To the Honorable Senate of the United States of America: 



The petition of the undersigned memb rs of tbe Massachusetts 

 Fish and Game Protective Association humbly represents that sai'i 

 society has paid much attention to the habits and preservation 

 of the salt-wa er fish frequenting these coasts, and represents that 

 the increase of the mackerel on the coasts of the United States would 

 be greatly promoted were the custom of taking them in seines during 

 the spawning season broken up by law prohibiting their sale duritg 

 that season They also represent that the practice of spring seining 

 tends to obstruct the passage of the fish to our shores, and causes 

 them to seek the waters of the British Provinces. The spawning is 

 substantially over by the middle of June, and from that time the fish 

 begin to improve in condition. Your petitioners think the objections 

 made in some localities to a close season are not tenahle. The seiners 

 pursue che fish as soon as they appear on tbe coast, near the capes of 

 Virginia and Delaware, and "the greater part of the mackerel are 

 rakeu by Maine and Massachusetts fishermen, who, by a large major- 

 ity, are in favor of protective measures, The vessels are fitted o - it 

 to lake the fish at any distance from home ports wherever they may 

 be found, tbe craft following the fish throughout their migrations 

 until they strik" off to sea in the late autumn". They are much more 

 profitable as articles nf commerce, after the spawning season than 

 before, because of their be'ter quality as food. 



Your petitioners are of opinion that a c!o?e season is a matter of 

 puolic and general importance, as it would tend lo supply tbe market 

 with a eood instead of a poor article of food, They are aware it is 

 an expeiiment, and they humbly petition that Congress will establish 

 aclo-e season of some months' duration, that it may, by actual ob- 

 servation, be determined whether an important improvement will not 

 result to the mackerel fishery from such a law, and will ever pray. 

 Hfnrt J. Thayer, Sec'y. Edward A. Samuels, Pres't. 



The latter portion of the evening was employed in discuss- 

 ing: the new game law enacted by the Legislature, and the 

 following resolution was adopted: 



Resolved, That, in the opinion of this Associalion. the law for the 

 protection of trame aud other birds, recently enacted by the Massa- 

 chusetts Legislature, is wholly inadequate to secure their protection, 

 and while the Association will labor for its enforcement while it 

 remains upon the statute books, it will also endeavor to secure its 

 improvement. 



The Fluttering Fly.— New York, June 25.— Editor 

 Forest and Stream: In answer to your correspondent on the 

 subject of my patent fluttering fly, I would say that when 

 about a year ago I invented this fly, although I had been 

 engaged in the fishing tackle business ten years, and twenty- 

 five years a fly-fisherman, I had never seen or heard of a fly 

 tied in that manner. Still, being anxious to make sure that 

 it was new, I showed it to a number of prominent anglers, 

 American, Canadian and English, but none had ever seen or 

 heard of it. I also consulted all the prominent works ou 

 augliDg, both English and American, that I had access to, 

 and failed to find any mention of such a fly. Still, allow- 

 ing your correspondent's statement (which the public must 

 understand comes from a rival in business) to stand, it would 

 not affect the validity of the patent in this country. — W. 

 Holbbrton. 



Editor Forest and Stream: In Juue, 1876, I was angling on 

 Twin Rock Lake, near Morehouseville, Hamilton county, 

 N. Y. Giles Becraft was with me, and we had excellent 

 sport with the trout. One of the flies I used was something 

 like the "fluttering" fly illustrated in Forest and Stream 

 of June 10. It was made by one of the best fly-tyers I ever 

 knew, Robert Perrie, of Ulica, N. Y. It was a hackle re- 

 versed, and its hooking qualities were first class. 1 do not 

 Ithink Mr. Perrie claimed to have originated it, but of that 

 I am not sure.— Millard (Cheyenne, Wyo.). 



Shad and Pumpkins.— Seneca Falls, N. Y. , June 15.— 

 Editor Forest and Stream: Is it not somewhat singular that 

 Washington Irving, who was so close an observer of nature 

 and its various phenomena, should commit the error of 

 placing "broiled shad" before the guests at Mynheer Van 

 Tassel's quilting frolic, as duly set forth in the veracious 

 chronicle of the "Legend of bleepy Hollow''? The story 

 recites that Ichabod Crane rode forth to this historical sup- 

 per, when "the yellow pumpkius were turning up their fair, 

 round bellies to the sun," through "fragrant buckwheat 

 fields," etc., obviously a time of the year when this tooth- 

 some fish is out of season, at least in these later degenerate 

 days, when they are no longer a dainty after midsummer, 

 and, in fact, have deserted the river for their mysterious 

 ocean home. What is the present extreme upper limit in the 

 Hudson attained by the shad on its annual migration? When 

 a boy, living near Sandy Hill, I have seen large numbers 

 drawn from below Baker's Falls, which point was then a 

 barrier to their further upward progress.— L. G. S. 



The Rangeleys.— Bethel, Maine, June 26.— Major 

 Lovejoy and wife arrived here from their annual spring trip 

 to Richardson and Rangeley Lakes. They had, as usual, 

 fine fishing, and say it was still better than last year. They 

 brought home 10 trout, total 51 pounds, and 6 trout, total 

 32 pounds. The largest fish, 8 pounds 9 ounces, was caught 

 June 5 by Mrs. L. on an 8*-ounce split bamboo rod. This 

 is the largest brook trout ever taken by a lady amrler. The 

 dimensions were: length, 26|in.; width, 2£in.; depth, 7fin. 



St. Lawrence Maskalonge Fishing.— Ex- Assembly- 

 man Robert A. Livingston came from his island in Alexan- 

 dria Bay last week with one of the largest muscalonge that 

 has been seen in this city for a long time. The fish, which 

 was caught ofi tbe dock of Mr. Livingston's island, in the 

 shoal water between it and Judge Donohue's island, mea- 

 sured nearly five feet in length, and weighed a few ounces 

 less than twenty-five pounds. It was caught with an or- 

 dinary trolling line. 



Maine Items. — About seventy seven salmon have been 

 taken at the dam at Bangor since the fishing began a few 



weeks ago Last week a New Yorker caught a trout 



weighing twelve pounds, at Haines Landing, near Mooseluc- 



meguntic House, Rangeley About 25 000 landlocked 



salmon from the Weld hatchery have been placed in the 

 inlet brook at Lake Auburn. The young salmon were trans- 

 ported without the loss of a single fish. - Belfast Journal. 



Antrim County Association.— At a recent meeting of 

 the Antrim County, Mich., Fish and Game Protective As- 

 sociation, the following vice-presidents were elected for their 

 respective townships: Banks, L. M. Kauagy; Elk Rapids, 

 J. P. Brand ; Forest Home, T. D. Austin ; Helena, R. W. 

 Coy; Jordan, F. M. Severance; Mancelona, Peter Jackson; 

 MiUon, Alex. Campbell; Star, D. E. Lozier; Torch Lake, 

 J. W. Pearl; Warner, J. D. Rodger. 



"Woodcraft."— Orchard Lake, Mass., June 7.— "Wood- 

 craft" is all that is claimed for it, and more too; everything 

 is practical, and all explanations are very clear. It would 

 be hard to find the woodman who could not gain some new 

 wrinkles by reading it, while for the "youngster" it is the 

 most complete guide I have ever read. Every outer should 

 find a corner for it in his knapsack or pack basket. — C. B. B. 



Frogs for Bait — Indianapolis, Ind., June 22.— Will 

 you ask the '•Kingfisher" how be catches his frogs for bait? 

 The average Indiana frog is too "soon" forme, and eludes 

 all my efforts to corral him in a bucket. — Hoosier. 



Every pair of Allen's bow facing oars warranted. Send for little 

 catalogue free. Fred A. Allen, Monmouth, 111.— Adv. 



Address all communications to the Forest and Stream Publish- 

 ing Co. 



THE AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY. 



[Discussion following the Daper of Mr. John H. Bissell, entitled 

 "Fisbculture a Practical Art," published in Forest and Stream, May 

 20, 1886.1 



THE CHAIRMAN— Gentleman, you have heard this exceed- 

 ingly interesting paper of Mr. Bissell's, and we ah know 

 it opens up for our consideration cne of the most important 

 questions that will ever come up before this Society, and f 

 tnink that perhaps some of you will be ready to discuss the 

 subject. I am sure we shall be very glad, all of us. to hear 

 any difference of opinion which may exist in regard to it. 

 There is no doubt about the importance of the subject. The 

 time is now given to any remarks by anybody. 



Mr. Bartlett— Mr. Booth is present and he is probably as 

 well posted on this subject as any one. I would like to hear 

 from him for one. 



The Chairman — It is suggested that Mr. Booth, representing 

 the fisheries side of the question, be beard. 



Mr. A. Booth— Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen, I am pleased 

 to say anything at all times, when I am able to contribute any 

 information by my experience. The elaborate paper which 

 has just been read is a little beyond my comprehension, espe- 

 cially as I could only hear a part of it. If it was not too much 

 to ask the gentleman, I would like to ask tbe number of pounds 

 of tish and the number of fish that he stated in bis paper were 

 caught in the State of Michigan. 



Mr. Bissell— This is the first time I have ever been asked 

 that question when I have been able to answer it. I have 

 been before the Legislature and have been asked how many 

 fish were caught, and I said I did not know; I have been asked 

 what the fisheries were worch, and I said I did not know; and 

 the reason I did not know was that tbe Legislature has never 

 given me money enough to find out. This year the Michigan 

 Fish Commission thought it was so important to find out 

 about tbe actual condition of the fisheries of their different 

 lakes, that they have skinned out of their very meager appro- 

 priations just about one thousand dollers to get this informa- 

 tion. I can tell in a moment exactly what Mr. Booth wants 

 to know. We employed last fall Mr. Lyman A. Brandt, a 

 gentleman residing in Detroit, a very intelligent man and a 

 man who had served two terms in the Legislature, and who 

 had been last year on the Fish Committee of the House, and 

 he began operations I think early in September. He vipited 

 almost the entire coast of Michigan; he interviewed every 

 single fisherman he could find, and made notes of just what 

 all of the fishermen had to say about their catch, about then- 

 investments, and about their methods. These blanks which 

 had been prepared, blank forms of returns, were given to the 

 different fishermen and they were asked to report, and the 

 reports which they retvu'ned to the Fishery office at Detroit, 

 were compared very carefully by Mr. Brandt with the notes 

 he had mad9 around the lakes, and that is the basis of my 

 statement. There were 427 fishermen who reported, who 

 made returns. In those returns the number of pound nets 

 given was 982; number of gill nets was 24,270; that is, over 

 1,400,000 fathoms; the number of seines was 57; and the num- 

 ber of fykes 220; the number of steam tugs in use is 66; sail 

 boats 818; pound boats 232; skiffs 137, a total of 753 boats. 



Reports have not been received of the (all catch — 127 pound 

 nets, 140,000 fathoms of gill nets, 52 fykes, and 4 seines. Re- 

 turns from 427 fishermen shows their total catch to have been 

 as follows during the year 1885: Whitefish 7,094,459 pounds, 

 the average price per pound being 4}-£ cents; of lake trout 

 4.531,573 pounds, the average price per pound being 2% cents. 

 Tae weight of herring was 4.568,135 pounds, the average price 

 being \% cents; pickerel 876,899 pounds; sturgeon 617,449 

 pounds; black bass 35,000 pouuds, and other kinds 3,181,435 

 pounds. Mr. Brandt explains in a note that the number of 

 pounds classified as pickerel and sturgeon is not reliable as go- 

 ing to show the extent of the catch of those species, for the 

 reason that fishermen in making returns in many cases included 

 their catch of those fish under the head or "other kind" 

 —sturgeon not having been designated as one of the classes of 

 fish to be reported upon. The total value, as given by the re- 

 ports themselves was §673,893.45. Now in addition ' to the 

 returns made as above stated, there are these 127 pound nets 

 that Mr. Brandt knew about him self, but which were not 

 reported upon. Approximating the catch of these upon the 

 basis of what other nets of like kind have caught in the im- 

 mediate vicinity, we have as a result in pounds, 18,054,000 

 pounds of those additional nets. In addition to this, one firm 

 in Detroit whose returns have not been furnished up to the first 

 of March, has caught at least 1,000,000, and ten combined firms 

 return as having purchased from fishermen who have made no 

 return, and whose catches have not been computed above or 

 reported in any way, a total of 1,172,000 pounds. Taking this 

 result and the figures before me, we have as a careful estimate 

 of the total catch of the State of Michigan in the lake fisheries, 

 a grand total of 26.881,875 pounds, nearly 18,190 tons, which 

 at the average price of 8 cents per pound, about what the 

 fishermen receive, would realise a value of 8791,456,25. 



This report of Mr. Brandt's I have brought with me, think- 

 ing very likely some of the gentlemen from the other fisher- 

 ies might want to mquire about it. I would read it, but it is 

 quite long. There are 35 pages of it. But I will leave it on 



the secretary's desk, and it will be at the disposal of any 

 gentleman who wishes to inquire about it. 



Mr. Clark— Speaking of this report, I would say for the 

 benefit of the gentlemen here, that the United States Fish 

 Commission undertook last fall to do the same work, and did 

 do it that the Michigan fishermen did, but the United States 

 Fish Commission included the whole lake coast from Duluth 

 to the St. Lawrence River, and that report will undoubtedly 

 be out some time within the year. Of course we could have 

 made the same figures, and gotten the same statistics as to 

 the whole lakes, but under the government way of doing 

 business Ave are not allowed so do so. 



Mr. BooTH-What I wanted to get at, gentlemen, is this: 

 There are 26,000,000 pounds of fish caught and used from the 

 waters of the State of Michigan. The question is— I suppose 

 we are meeting here to see which is the best way to perpet- 

 uate and increase these great results, for the purpose of pro- 

 ducing fish in a cheaper form and more plentiful than they 

 are now— now there is 26,000 ? 000 pounds offish, as I understand 

 the aggregate, caught aud furnished for food in the waters of 

 the State of Michigan, or in the lakes; now then to police 

 that 2.000 miles which I understand is the mileage front of the 

 waters of the State of Michigan, what would it cost as com- 

 pared to the co=t of propagation to replenish those fish by 

 artificial process? I understand you, in each of your small 

 hatcheries— «mall compared to what they could be— you could 

 put in 30,000,000 to 50,00",000 of fish. If those fish average 3 

 P"unds apiece, divide the 26,000,000 by 3 and it gives over 

 8,000,000 of fish. Wouldn't it be cheaper to artificially hatch 

 those fish and put them in— even to be destroyed in the man- 

 ner you speak of now— rather than go to the great expense of 

 policing the entire 2,000 miles so as to watch the meshes, the 

 kind of nets and the times of year that they catch those fish, 

 and make fines and collect the licenses? I have thought over 

 this matter a great deal, whether it might be done by legisla- 

 tion and policing. There is a great deal of injustice done, and 

 certainly a great many dolJais unnecessarily expended, and 

 not as large results as from the reproduction by artificial pro- 

 pagation, and these fish being placed back in the wa,ters from 

 which they were originally taken. 



I remember some years ago meeting Prof. Baird in New 

 York; we were talking over fish matters, and he stated he 

 believed it would be much cheaper to artificially propagate 

 fish in the waters than it would be to police, and I believe it. 



In the Columbia Ri?er, in which I have an interest, we have 

 a great many salmon caught there, caught every year, and in 

 the aggregate these last three or four years, the same number 

 of pouuds has been caught last year as there was caught three 

 or four years ago. Some years ago we endeavored to arti- 

 ficially propagate fish by having hatcheries there and placing 

 them back again, but for lack of outside means and outside 

 help the thing was abandoned. We find that we have got a 

 great many more fish than we used to have, and on the 

 Sacramento River some 15 years ago, I put up a cannery. 

 There were not sufficient there to run that single cannery. 

 The United States Fish Commission started their hatchery 

 on the McCloud river, and the State of California, by some 

 agreement made with the United Stat es Commission, agreed 

 to put in a certain percentage of small tish in the McCloud 

 river, which is tributary to the Sacramento, and the result of 

 the catch these last few years, within five years, is annually 

 more than it had been from the one cannery, which could not 

 be supported by getting sufficient fish to put up in cans in the 

 market, and we nave now 22 canneries, and it is increasing. 

 The percentage I cannot tell, but 1 should think about a thou- 

 sand fold from artificial propagation. That is one of the best 

 practical results of artificial propagation that I know of. We 

 have a close season there, and it is with great difficulty we 

 can get the fishermen to cease fishing at the close of the 

 season. It has done a great deal of good, and there isn't many 

 fish caught in those seasons. The result of all this is that the 

 artificial propagation has given us as f tell you, a thousand 

 fold more fish, in my opinion, at one-sixteenth the amount of 

 cost, that it would be to police the waters to see that the 

 proper sized meshes were used, and the proper time observed. 

 Now I think that would apply thoroughly to the waters of 

 Lake Michigan, and also to the other large lakes. We have 

 26,000,000 pounds of fish caught, according to the statement, 

 which represents 8,000,000 of fish. Now what would it cost to 

 put those 8,000,000 tish into the water as compared with 

 the policing? Not only that, but you have the natural pro- 

 pagation of fish, which will amount to a great deal. I can't 

 exactly say how much. I am thoroughly convinced unless some- 

 thing is done, either by policing or increased propagation offish, 

 it will be in the times of our lives — younger men than I am — 

 when we shall see whitefish— which I consider one of the 

 most delicate which we can find in this or any other water — 

 will be as scarce as brook trout are to-day. I have been deal- 

 ing in fish 35 years in the city of Chicago. We used to go out 

 here to the town now called South Chicago, and begin fishing 

 there early in the spring with two seines, and we would catch 

 all the fish that the city of Chicago and its surrounding 

 country required. The waters bemg shallow there and 

 becoming warmer, the fish would go naturally into deeper 

 water. We would then go north to Waukegan, Kenosha, 

 Milwaukee, and Milwaukee was the furthest north we got 

 any fresh fish for our market, and in the city of Milwaukee 

 to-day, where they used to so out with sail boats with 12 or 13 

 nets and bring in all the fish that was required, all that they 

 could carry in their sail boats, we now have four little steam 

 tugs of moderate size, and those will not gather as many fish 

 to-day as the smallest sail boat would 25 years ago. At the 

 commencement of this season, in 1886, we have only six nets 

 engaged there. We used to get about two-thi ids whitefish 

 and one-third trout. We have had probably about 25 nets 

 since the ice has passed away, and I think I do not exaggerate 

 when I say that in those 25 we haven't had 25 pounds of white 

 fish. It is all going to trout. We used to make the meshes 

 of such size, that we would only catch that size which would 

 be most liked by the people who used them, or two or three 

 or four pounds. Now they are resorting to the plan of using 

 a fish which they never used to touch. They didn't catch the 

 large fish, and the small ones were allowed to propagate. 

 We are catching the large ones now by hooks and line. The 

 fish are not really in the market. 



I don't wish to take up your time by giving "the secrets of 

 our prison house," which is perhaps not entertaining to you,but 

 I mention these as the facts, the practical results, and i am in- 

 clined to tlhnk unless something is done by the Legislature or 

 by the people or by the Government for the propagation of 

 these fish, it will be only a very few years when we will find 

 you will not be abld to get enough whitefish for your table, 

 or at such prices that you can use them. 



We had, from going to Milwaukee, to go still further north, 

 and we gradually picked up these various towns, Two Rivers, 

 Manitowoc, Green Bay, Bscanaba, Manistee, Mackinaw, and 

 that is the last; that is the end on Lake Michigan. That is 

 the extreme northern point now that we have to rely upon for 

 the most of the fish for this market and the surrounding 

 country. Then we had to extend our business and go to St. 

 Paul, Minneapolis, Duluth and those places north, on Lake 

 Superior, where the railroads had reached, and we are grad- 

 ually taking out fish from the waters there and putting noth- 

 ing back, with the exception of these few that have been put 

 in by the States of Minnesota and Michigan, and we now have 

 to run to Manitou, where they had some considerable protec- 

 tion of their fish, I am now building a boat, which, when I 

 started* I didn't ever expect to be worth money enough to buy 

 or own such a boat. I have now in my possession nine steam- 

 ers which we are using for catching, rimning these long dis- 

 tances, fast steamers, to gather the fish and supply the people 

 of this city and surrounding cities; but it aeeras to me it is all 

 wrong to allow this large industry to pass away when so little 

 money is required to perpetuate this immense food supply in 



