July 33, 1886. J 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



513 



ine has preceded it. While the line is propelled it -will thus 

 he made to assume a shape somewhat similar to that of a 

 wheel, which diminishes in size as it rolls on its tracks, beat- 

 ing the surface of the water. The coil, or loop, as it is com- 

 monly called, naturally vanishes at the point the fly has 

 reached when the cast is completed. 



"To make an extra long Spey cast, the salmon fisher 

 requires a rapid stream to work in which will, before making 

 every fresh cast, carry his fly down-stream to the full extent 

 of his line straight and taut, the point of his rod being held 

 as low as possible for the purpose ; then by suddenly raising 

 the rod very high the line is lifted out of the water to the 

 very end. and without a moment's pause the rod is carried 

 up-stream to the right or left (as the case may be) by a rapid 

 motion, but not so'rapid as to send the fly too far up-stream 

 past the angler, the object being to let the fly strike the water 

 just above where he is standing, at which moment the whole 

 of the line is on the reverse or upper side of him. Then 

 with a sweep peculiar to this particular cast, the line is pro- 

 pelled over (aud not along) the surface of the water, after the 

 fashion in ordinary casting. 



"The foregoing descriptions of the two methods may not 

 be strictly accurate, but they will give the reader a fair idea 

 of how each one is made. It will be seen that the one is 

 widely different from the other, the line and the fly in the 

 switch remaining in the water until the switch is nearly 

 completed, whereas in the Spey cast both must be lifted out of 

 it before it rnay be said to have commenced. When the 

 Spey cast is mentioned in conversation, it always brings to 

 ray mind a man wading up to his waist in a rapid stream. 

 It was, doubtless, under the like circumstances it had its 

 origin, and if I may use the expression, 'the stream and not 

 the bank, is its home.' It can be, and often is, made 

 successfully from the bank, when there ia a strong current 

 running closely alongside of it, even should there be rocks or 

 trees within two or three feet behind the man who is casting; 

 but if these obstructions should overhang the bank in such 

 close proximity above him — that is to say, higher up the 

 river — that his rod or any part of his line must necessarily 

 come in contact with them when making a Spey cast, he 

 will have to adopt some other method, and it is under such 

 difficulties that the switch comes to its aid. 



' 'A much longer line can be cast in the Spey fashion than 

 by switching, and according to my ideas, the Spey cast is 

 not a switch, partaking more the character of an overhand 

 cast. Bearing this in mind, and also that the Committee of 

 the Castkig Tournament is offering a prize for the best 

 switch cast, evidently did not contemplate that any other 

 than that particular method would be resorted to at the com- 

 petitions, 1 am of the opinion that the judejes were right in 

 disqualifying the Spey cast. John P. Traherne." 



LIGHT RODS FOR SALT-WATER FISHING. 



A CORRESPONDENT, "A. E. O," on p. 489, asks for 

 information in regard to the use of a light rod for salt- 

 water fishing. I think he is making a move in a direction 

 that will add materially to his enjoyment in fishing. To 

 encourage him, I will state that I have done a good deal of 

 fishing in both salt and fresh water. Many years ago I used 

 a stiff, heavy rod for salt-water fishing, but during the past 

 twenty years I have gradually reduced the weight of my rod 

 until now it weighs less than twelve ounces; and nothing 

 would induce me to use a heavier rod, unless I were going 

 0- for tarpon or something of that kind. As a matter of fact, 

 I use my black bass rod for weakfish and striped bass more 

 frequently than any other, and with greatly increased 

 pleasure. Still, I would not advise "A. E. C." to use so 

 light a rod for a beginning, since it is evident he is not 

 familiar with the use of a light rod. 



In my younger days we could have a grand time with the 

 weakfish and striped bass without leaving Manhattan Island. 

 You will have to make a long journej r now to enjoy such 

 splendid fishing as we had at Castle Garden, Sandy Gibson's, 

 Hell Gate, Harlem River, and other places I could name. 

 For a change we would go to Governor's Island, the Penny 

 Bridge, Fort Hamilton, Coney Island, Bergen Point, the 

 Hackensack, the Passaic, etc., and always come home with 

 a full basket. Then I used to love salt water fishing; but it 

 is all changed now, and so is my love. Since I have to 

 make a journey to indulge my taste for angling, I have 

 learned to love better the grand lakes, the gently-flowing 

 rivers, and the babbling mountain brooks where the trout 

 loves to dwell. My love of nature and love of angling are 

 both more fully gratified, and I become a stranger to discon- 

 . tent. There has always seemed to me to be tbis difference 

 between salt and fresh water fishing : In the former you are 

 disappointed (and often something worse) if you have not 

 taken a string of fish; in the latter you have had a good time 

 anyhow. I hope "A. E. C." will try it. Petjra. 



The Fluttering Fly. — Editor Forest and Stream: The 

 information in the inclosed report from an old number of 

 Fobest and Stream, may be interesting to the gentlemen 

 whose communications anent the patented "fluttering fly" 

 have lately appeared in your columns. The extract I copy 

 from a note by Mr. B. B. Redding, which I had pasted in a 

 scrap book several years ago; it was taken from your issue 

 of Oct. 13, 1881. Mr. Redding says : "The Indians of Kern 

 River made use of an artificial fly for the capture of trout, 

 and probably used it for ages before Europeans invented it 

 for the same purpose. Trie hook of the "sproat" form, but 

 without a barb, was made from the shin bone of a deer. On 

 the leg of a California deer, corresponding to the chestnut or 

 warts on a horse's leg, are also warts but covered with stiff 

 long hairs of a darker color than those on the other parts of 

 the animal. These warts and the hair growing on them 

 have a strong and peculiar scent of the deer, which is not 

 easily removed or washed away. A small bundle of these 

 hairs is neatly fastened at one end around the shaft of the 

 hook, the loose ends pointing to the eye of the hook. The 

 fly was thrown in the water and kept as near the surface as 

 possible by continuous short jerks. Every motion of the 

 hook in the water causes the loose end of the hair fastened to 

 it to open and shut. At a short distance it would resemble 

 the motion of a caterpillar in the water, that had dropped 

 from an alder and was struggling to reach the shore. This 

 kind of fly is still used, but the hook is now made of tele- 

 graph or other iron wire." I became interested in the fly 

 that "would resemble the motion of a caterpillar in the 

 water, that had dropped from the alder, and was struggling 

 to reach shore," and three or four years ago, got Pat Worden, 

 of Krider's, to tie for me some flies closely resembling the 

 "aboriginal" as described by Mr. Redding, two of which I 

 enclose you. I may add we did not use the stiff long hairs 

 from the chestnuts or warts of the California deer, as deer 

 were not handy.— Sandpiper. 



A Human Salmon.— The Halifax Mail reports: A small 

 invited company of ladies and gentlemen left the lumber 

 yard wharf yesterday afternoon at 4 o'clock for McNab's 

 "island to witness Lieut. Edmonds, of the Royal Artillery, per- 

 form an interesting swimming feat. Arriving at the govern- 

 ment wharf, all landed, and in a few minutes the lieutenant, 

 clad in a bathing suit, was ready to enter the water. The 

 feat which he was about to try is very popular with swim- 

 mers in England, and is simple yet difficult. It is called 

 "playing the salmon," and is simply a trial of strength and 

 endurance while in the water. A belt is placed around the 

 swimmer's body, and to this is attached a salmon line. Efe 

 then enters the water and endeavors to break away. The 

 fisherman on this occasion was Lieut Kent, of the Royal 

 Engineers, who is a salmon fisher of much experience. Mr. 

 Edmonds, when he had once got in the water, by vigorous 

 strokes went out about one hundred yards. At tbis point he 

 found that the fisherman evidently intended he should go no 

 further. And here the swimmer performed such maneuvers 

 as he thought were calculated to break the line. It was a 

 strong one, however, and would not snap. After being in 

 the water about ten minutes tbe belt to which the line was 

 attached came off, thus freeing the swimmer. Mr. Edmonds 

 came ashore and was quite fresh, nolwithstnnding his strug- 

 gle. He expressed a desire to try again after five minutes 

 rest, but the spectators were of opinion that he had already 

 had enough of that particular kind of exi rcise for one after- 

 noon, and at their request he gave up a further trial. Mr. 

 Edmonds certainly showed himself a powerful swimmer. 

 In the water he appears thoroughly at home. He can make 

 very rapid progress swimming straightaway and dives like a 

 duck. He was loudly cheered after coming ashore at the 

 conclusion of his strugele with fisherman K- nt, and after 

 bowing his acknowledgments he took a header off tbe wharf, 

 much to the alarm of the ladies present. The party returned 

 to the city before 6 o'clock, well pleased with the little sea 

 trip and the novel exhibition. 



Landlocked Salmon tn Anonymous Pond, Maine. — 

 While it has always been known that largq numbers of land- 

 locked salmon deposited their eggs in the streams emptying 

 into Long, Bear and Anonymous ponds, the upper lakes of 

 the Sebago Lake system, tbe general belief has oeen that they 

 only visited these upper waters during the spawning season, 

 and that Sebago Lake was their sea, where they again con- 

 gregated after having performed their family duties. The 

 taking of an occasional "black spot" through the ice, when 

 pickerel fishing in the winter, would not dispel the notion, 

 it being argued that they were late visitors who would have 

 soon returned. But the capture of a 6-pound landlocked in 

 Long Pond, by Arthur Plummer, of Bridgton, in May, 1885, 

 did make it look as though they remained with us; and now 

 more evidence has been added, for Mr. Wood, of Newark, 

 N. J., while fishing for pickerel in Anonymous Pond, July 

 0, boated a 4i-pound salmon. Now that we are certain they 

 remain with us, we trust more time will be devoted to ang- 

 ling for them ; they are a prize worthy of any man's rod and 

 of far more credit to him as an angler than hundreds of 

 fingerling trout from our depleted brooks. — Black Spot. 



Angling for Buffalo Fish.— Boston, July Id.— Editor 

 Forest and Stream: I hope during September to be in Dakota 

 in the vicinity of a large pond or lake which is said to con- 

 tain, in addition to pike, perch, bullheads, etc., quite a num- 

 ber of buffalo fish, which grow to a large size. The natives, 

 I am told, are not up to taking them with rod and bait. 

 Judging from the plate and description given in "The Fish- 

 ery Industries of the United States," of the red-mouthed buf- 

 falo fish (Icliobus bubulas), I should take them to be of the 

 carp family, and consequently should suppose that some 

 paste made with flour, with perhaps angle worms or maggots 

 chopped up in it would be the proper bait. Also that ground 

 baiting of a certain locality for some days would be an im- 

 portant preparation for a day's fishing. I am told they run 

 very large in size, and if any way of getting them to take 

 hold of light tackle could be used, that the sport would be 

 very good. If any of your Western experts could give me 

 some points in this matter, they would very much oblige 

 Mic-Mao. 



Hedge Hog Pond. — Monson, Me., July 15. — Among the 

 numerous lakes and ponds in this viciuity none has such an 

 abundance of spotted trout as Hedge Hog Pond, which is in 

 Elliottsville plantation. It is about five miles on an old log 

 ging road beyond the primitive residence of the famous 

 backwoodsman known as "Doctor Brown." The road from 

 here to Brown's is a very good one for buckboards. It is 

 about one mile around this pond, and the trout are so plenty 

 that a fair bait or fly-fisherman can easily take from 75 to 

 100 of these in a day. They are from £ of a pound to 2 

 pounds in weight. The scenery from here to this place is 

 grand, and a party of genuine anglers who desire to go on a 

 fishing trip and sleep on fir and spruce boughs at night can- 

 not find a more satisfactory place in Northern Maine than 

 this. Two Monson guides, E. B. Hall and Orin J. Rice, 

 have recently been there with some Boston parties and all 

 pronounced it the best trout fishing that they had seen for 

 many years.— J. F. S. 



A West Virginia Resort.— Your correspondent "R. W. 

 McL.," Chillicothe, O., will find Kanawha Falls, W. Va., 

 the place to go with an invalid wife for recuperation. It has 

 one good, plain hotel, or accommodations might be secured 

 with one of the villagers. River fishing just below the falls 

 is excellent, and I was told that good trouting could be had 

 back in the mountain streams, which three years ago had 

 hardly felt the angler's touch. The Falls are easily access! 

 ble from Chillicothe via Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad. The 

 climate is healthful and the scenery grand. Here you can 

 spend the time in peace and quietness, and avoid the jams 

 and fussiness of more popular resorts. — D. (New York). 



Weakfish Near New "i ork.— July 1 6.— I tried the weak- 

 fish yesterday in Raritan Bay oyster flats, from half ebb 

 until half flood tide. Caught forty-three, the largest from 

 one and a half to three pounds during young flood. Crab 

 bait. Weather threatening with stray wind from S. S. E. 

 Parties going to Tompkinsville, Staten Island, or Perth 

 Amboy, can secure boats there.— Brooklynite. 



Saratoga Lake, July 13.— Editor Forest and Stream: 

 Bass fishing has been poor here, so far. I have only caught 

 one (big-mouth), about 2£ pounds, but it came up like a 

 water-soaked stick. I hear that a few good fish have been 

 taken at the lower end of the lake; but tbe seining, jacking 

 at night and such practices make fish scarce.— B. C. 



Adirondack Trout.— Montreal/July 15.— To-day Mr. E. 

 S. Whitaker, of Wafertown, N. Y., with guide and Adiron- 

 dack skiff passed by this city, en route for the Thousaud 

 Islands. Mr. Whitaker went into camp on Beaver River 

 May 1, then made a trip through the Middle Adirondack 

 region to the hpadwaters of the Hudson, then down to Lake 

 George, through this lake to the Champlain, etc. Mr Whit- 

 aker says that he saw a couple of S. fontinalis that were 

 caught by a Boston party in "Spring pond," of thp Bog 

 River chain, that weighed 5£ and 5f pounds each.— Stan- 

 stead. 



Maine Maps.— N. C. Bracket! & Son, Phillips, Me., have 

 just issued new maps of Franklin and Oxford counties. Me. 

 The Oxford county map eives the Rangcley Lake region, 

 sbowiug the locate m of all tbe lakes, ponds and mountains, 

 hotels and camps, and even the tote roads and carries. Those 

 of Franklin eounty include the Dead River region and all the 

 fishing grounds. 



So easy to row with Allen's bow facer*. Catalogue free. Oars 

 complete, $8 per pnir. Fred A Allen, Monmouth, 111.— Adv. 



Address all communications to the Forest and Stream Publish- 

 ing Co. 



THE AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY. 



[Discussion following the paper on oyster culture published in our 

 last. Issue. J 



MR. BARTLETT— Can you tell us what indicates the ripe- 

 ness of the oyster? 

 Mr. Mather— The appearance of ripeness is a milkinessaud 

 swollen appearance of what you might call the body of the 

 oyster, aud when you press it you get a milky substance; in 

 fact, the whole oyster is distended a great deal as a ripe fish 

 is. 



Mr. Bartlett— It is quite apparent then? 



Mr. Mather— Very apparent to a person who is at all 

 familiar with it, as I have explained in this paper. 



Mr. Clark — I would like to ask Mr. Mather if any one has 

 tried to make any computation of how much spawn there is 

 in one female? 



Mr. Mather— It has been done. I cannot give you the 

 figures now, but I think if I were home and had access to my 

 library I could very easily give that to you. I have an idea 

 that perhaps an oyster of ordinary size may have nine or ten 

 millions of eggs, and that it would vary as it floes in the case 

 of fish. 



Dr. Hudson— The Chair would state in answer to that ques- 

 tion that the estimates vary considerably, and many of them 

 are made very much higher than what Mr. Mather has stated. 

 It has been estimated in many cases as high as fifty millions. 



Mr. Clark — Have you any idea of your own, Mr. Mather, 

 what portion you impregnated? 



Mr. Mather— I have not, because to get at this it will be 

 necessary to go over the whole mass with the microscope, and 

 you would have very few in the field at a time. We made no 

 effort to estimate the amount of any impregnation. We recog- 

 nize the fact that this thing is in its infancy. Several gentle- 

 men have experimented before I did, whose names I mention 

 in the paper read, and from whom I obtained considerable 

 knowledge before I attempted it. I don't know what per- 

 centage we did get. We were contented to just work along, 

 the mam thing being to get ripe oysters and hatch something, 

 doing the best we can. There is no trouble in hatching them. 

 Every year along our bays and harbors there is a greater - ' or 

 less amount of spawn. 



Mr. Fairbank— The set has been found to be best, I under- 

 stand, on the bottom? 



Mr. Mather — Yes, sir; but where there are swift tideways 

 there comes a time in the life of the little oyster when it 

 wants to settle down to steady habits and quit this roving life, 

 and whatever it takes hold of must be clean, and if it falls 

 down in the mud it is gone. You can easily see, gentlemen, 

 that, in a state of nature, many millions of spawn must be 

 sent out and but few are impregnated. When the female oys- 

 ter gets ready, she opens her shells and lets her eggs go, and 

 they must run their chance of a current from somewhere 

 bringing them to the milt of some male oyster who has also 

 just, reached the supreme moment, and the chances of their 

 coming in contact at the proper instant of course are very 

 small. The great mass must remain unimpregnated, aud then, 

 of those which are impregnated, many of them fall into the 

 mud and into other unsuitable places, not to mention dangers 

 after they get their shells on them. 



A Member— Would the impregnation by artificial means be 

 an economic way? 



Mr. Mather— I think so, and I think Prof. Rider thinks so 

 also, and those means which he gives to catch the spat I think 

 to be a better way of procedure than the process I have 

 adopted. 



Mr. Booth — I think perhaps it may be interesting to some 

 of you gentlemen to give you one of my little experiences. The 

 results I have just heard are very good, very nice indeed. It 

 shows that oysters can be propagated, but it can be done so 

 much more cheaply and in a more practical manner. Some 

 four years ago 1 planted 12,000 bushels of shells that we had 

 thrown away in the week, in the water in Delaware Bay, where 

 there were no shells or oysters in the neighborhood. Last 

 year we took up from those shells without planting any oysters 

 on them a little over 40,000 bushels of as fine oysters as you 

 ever saw in your life, and I think there are quite as many left 

 on that ground. I say this to give you a little idea of how 

 rapidly oysters will grow. If they would only plant, as Mr. 

 Mather says, the proper shell or material at the proper time, 

 that is all that is necessary. The time oysters spawn is usually 

 in June or July, varying accordiog to the warmness of the 

 atmosphere and the condition of the water. Those are the 

 months that they spawn, and at the time that the oysters are 

 ripe throw over your old oyster shells and try and have no 

 fungus or vegetable matter on them and the spat adheres to 

 those oyster shells and you have no difficulty in getting more 

 oysters than you can handle. Just take oyster shells and 

 scatter them and you will find oysters enough to re-supply the 

 whole territory. I have done that on the Delaware and also 

 on the Baltimore, but in Chesapeake Bay we have no right to 

 auy grounds there, have no title and consequently no water. 

 In the Connecticut waters this has been done for the last 

 eight or ten years, so where there were no oysters a few years 

 ago there are mfilions of bushels. The enemy to the oyster 

 there is the starfish. They come sometimes in myriads and 

 they Mil all the oysters unless they are taken up and removed 

 to some other place. There is not the slightest trouble in the 

 woi Id to replenish our oyster product on this coast or any 

 other section of the country where you have warm weather 

 in June or July. 



Mr. Mather— Prom Mr. Booth's remarks it maybe inferred 

 that our mode of artificial hatching is not adapted to practical 

 work. We think that it is. The method which he speaks of 

 is a very old one and often is all that is sufficient, but there 

 are years when the oystermen will tell you "there is no set," 

 meaning that the young failed to hatch or to catch on to 

 something after hatching. Often a heavy ram kills the swim- 

 ming oysters, or there may be currents which take the eggs 

 to sea. It will readily be seen that the conditions must all be 

 favorable in order to secure a eood set, and nature provides 

 for the loss of immense numbers of eggs and embryo oysters, 



