248 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



rOcT. 21, 1886. 



STRIPED BASS FISHING. 



CAPTAIN DECKER, of this city, an ex-soldier, with- 

 out hands, one of the assistant doorkeepers at the 

 Capitol, is an expert in the matter of angling. He can 

 handle — well hardly that tinder the circumstances — I 

 mean he can manage a rod and line with great success. 

 He can drive a two-ia-hand — no that wont do either — he 

 can drive two horses as well as any one, and he can write 

 an excellent hand— there it is again — mean he can write 

 first-rate, using his artificial digits, and play cards and 

 do other things that would seem to require the sense of 

 touch. 



On the 12th of this month Captain Decker caught 101 

 striped bass, averaging ahout lib. each, fishing from the 

 deck of one of the old monitors that lies in Anacostia 

 River at the Navy Yard. One day a short time before he 

 caught 65, and on the 13th 141, and on the day following 

 he landed one that weighed 61bs. It may be stated with 

 some emphasis that this is good fishing. To catcli such 

 strings makes an epoch for any one, a time to date from. 

 If it were the undersigned he would frequently say: 

 "Well, let me see, it was the year I caught 101 striped 

 bass," and that would terminate any xmcertaiuty or any 

 indefiniteness in regard to date. For a man of the Cap- 

 taui's lack of manipulators it is something wonderful, 

 and is complimentary to his energy and genial philosophy. 

 In this sport he has to be assisted in baitmg his hooks and 

 taking ofi' fish, which assistance he readily obtains. His 

 rod is'lield between his arm and body and the way he 

 plays his fish and lands him is surprising. 



Speaking of striped bass, it may be interesting to add 

 thaf , so far as these and adjacent waters are concerned, 

 thei-e is no diminution in numbers or quality. The Poto- 

 mac River has long been noted for this fish, and still they 

 come. There is some complaint that large fish, lOlbs, 

 and upward, cannot be had; but the lack of size is made 

 good, perhaps, by the greater number. Some Washing- 

 ton anglers captui-e thein in large numbers with artificial 

 fiies. though more are caught with live bait. At Little 

 Falls there is often very fine sport, and down the river 

 at certain well-known points the catches have been all 

 that could be desired. Let me add further, in reference 

 to striped bass, that I am told by Dr. Bean, of the Smitli- 

 sonian Institution, that there is no indication of a perma- 

 nent diminution of this fish in American waters. His 

 rejjly to the question was emphatic. Apparent scarcity 

 at places where they have heretofore been plenty might 

 be explained upon scientific investigation, which should 

 be made. J. C. B. 



AVashxngton, D. C, Sept. 18. 



MEMORIES OF MASTIGOUCHE. 



THIS evening as I fixed my bamboo and lancewood 

 rods to go out of commission and into winter quar- 

 ters, and remembered how well they deserved the new 

 silk windings and the fresh coat of varnish, together -with 

 the little fixings so deftly done, I thought to tell yom- 

 readers of some of the pleasant times this season has 

 brought to me. I need not repeat the account I gave of 

 my ta-ip to the Mastigouche lakes in tlie early spring. I 

 then promised myseK when the September days came to 

 visit them again. The swift t^ain brought us from om- 

 Pennsylvania homes, and the waiting buckboards after a 

 day's ride brought us to our destination, forty miles north 

 of the St. La^vl•ence, well into the wilderness that stretches 

 unbroken to the Arctic circle. After a good night's rest 

 at the club house, in the early morning we started out. 

 It was a new experience for the ladies, and for Harry and 

 Margaret, wliile to my two brothers, who had brought 

 their wives and children, it was only a remuider of other 

 days. The party is divided up, and with our rods and 

 landing nets and cm- large lunch basket, we are seated in 

 our two cedar and single birch-bark canoes, while Pierre, 

 Felix and my Indian guide send us quickly across Lake 

 Seymour to No. 2. We soon reach the inlet, and for a 

 little wav slowlv sail among the hly pads and pluck the 

 beautiful flowers. A half hom- brings us to the portage, 

 then a short walk to om* fishing place. Wliile the guides 

 are bringing over the boats we are busy airanging rods 

 and lines, and are soon moving up through the lake cast- 

 ing our flies, but without a single rise. We find the water 

 so low and warm that the guides tell us the trout 

 are in deep water and can only be taken by still- 

 fishing or deep trolling. At the inlet L. and S. anchor 

 their boats, while I. with the Indian in the bkch- 

 bark, loth to give up the fly, am slowly paddUng around 

 the shore tempting the fish with my most allming hackle, 

 but all in vain. Soon a shout and a merry laugh cornes 

 down the lake and I see Margaret holding her rod with 

 all her strength as a fine trout— her first fish— bends it as 

 he rushes through the water. Before it is landed another 

 rod is springing, and so for an hom- the guides are kept 

 busy with the "landmg net. At last a strong lieavy pull 

 and Harry braces himself, his reel does not pay out fast 

 enough and the strong fish draws the tip of his rod down 

 into the water as it rushes under the boat, but lilie a vet- 

 eran he bides his time and gives and takes until at last 

 he draws within reach of the net a beautiful 21b. trout. 

 How proud he was of his catch! how proud I was of my 

 neiJhew! We are reminded that it is dinner time, and 

 sending the Indian back to the club house with Mrs. R., 

 we started up the river; in several places we had to get 

 out to lighten the canoes so they with the ladies could be 

 pushed over the shallow bars. Some hot coffee and a 

 hearty luncli are quicldy spread for us by A. and we are 

 rested for a short walk to the "river pool," where during 

 a former visit in a sliort time we had taken over seventy 

 fine fish. But not a rise rewarded us this time for our 

 tramn. The sun was setting low and we hastened back 

 and were soon floating dovra the river. As we entered 

 Lake Seymour the shadows had settled down and our 

 canoes were separated; out of the darkness came the notes 

 of "Home, Sweet Home," while from the shore came the 

 soft echoes; soon we saw the Ught from the great fire- 

 place in the club house and our first day's fisliing was 



°^The next day L. and S. visited Lac la Clare, and brought 

 out nearly a hundred trout for the day's fishing. Hany 

 and I, with guides, blankets and provisions, started for 

 the upper camp, but we were greatly disappointed to find 

 so poor firihin'=i on tins, one of the best lakes. A short 

 time before a ^ lady from New York in two hom-s had 

 taken four- ti-out that weighed ll^lbs. We were m hopes 

 we might find some of the same sort. 



Our party was to break up, some to start for a txip d<>wn 

 the St. Lawrence before they turned their faces htomie- 



ward, while I concluded to put in all of my vacation here. 

 Before they should start we planned to have another day's 

 fishing at No. S. Early the next morning we were 

 anchored at the inlet; a number of timit were taken, but 

 our previous visit seemed to have thinned them out, I 

 was trolHng in the birch bark along the shore some little 

 distance from the inlet, when my Indian giaide quietly 

 dipped his paddle and whispered, "Canoes coming." I 

 listened but could hear nothing. Soon there came in sight 

 around a bend in the river, moving quietly as the shadows 

 that crossed the mountains, two birch canoes. Swiftly 

 they came as the paddles pushed them down the current. 

 Under the slouched hats of the voyageurs we saw the 

 heavy bearded faces of the poachers who had been up the 

 river looking for beaver signs. As they passed those at 

 the inlet a growl was the only response to the greeting of 

 my brothers. For a few minutes the Indian's keen eyes 

 followed, then he said, "I know him," and he seemed to 

 be feeling in his girdle for his knife, as he told me how 

 some years ago the leader had found his beaver traps far 

 away on the St. Mam-ice, and had broken them aU; how 

 for long months he waited for his revenge, then through 

 the A\Tidernes3 on his snowshoes he took a long journey 

 and found the trapping grounds of his enemy, how for 

 several days he followed the stream until he had' desti-oyed 

 every trap that had been set; then he sent him this mes- 

 sage: "My name is Thomas Porquet; you broke my traps; 

 go'count your own. If you want to see me I live at St. 

 Thomas-Peterville." Then he quietly moved the boat and 

 I again let out my line. The canoe moved slowly and 

 still as my g-uide listened to the dip of their paddles long 

 after they had gone beyond my hearing. That night as 

 we sat before the fire at the club house a cedar canoe 

 quietly pulled away from the sliore. We guessed their 

 errand as they started for Lake an Sable. In the morn- 

 ing we learned that the poachers did not camp there, but 

 hurried over the divide to the other river. They had recog- 

 nized Thomas Porquet. 



The next day, after seeing my friends seated in the 

 buckboards for their ride to the railroad, R., P. and I 

 loaded our tent and provisions in om- canoe, and with our 

 gmdes started for a lake far up the river. After a long, 

 tedious carry we reached it. Selecting the place for om- 

 camp, we left one of the men to gather balsam boughs 

 and fire wood and to arrange the tent, while the rest 

 started out to catch some trout for supper. In a little 

 while the black clouds lifted their heads above the moun- 

 tains that shut the valley in, and the rumbling thunder 

 started us for the shelter of our tent. Soon the great 

 di-ops pattered on the canvas, and from the lake came the 

 rattle as they sti-uck the water. A great blazing fu-e that 

 the storm could not seem to quench lit up the tent. We 

 rolled om-selves in the blankets and were soon fast asleep. 

 In the morning we found that a bear had made us a visit, 

 but the roaring iire the gaiides had kept piled high pre- 

 vented undue familiarity with the cans and kettles. We 

 were early casting om- flies in the coves, but found that 

 deep trolling was the only way in wliich we could take 

 any fish. As we sat by oiu- camp-fire the evening before, 

 P. had told us of a sti-ange sight he had seen as he came 

 across the lake. A large school of fish swimming on the 

 top of the water with their backs out of water so that he 

 could see them packed hke sardines in a box. In the 

 dusk he was unable to see what kind of fish they were, 

 but plainly saw they were of good size. We hoped in the 

 morning to solve the mystery. We had been in our canoes 

 only a short time when we saw here and there over the 

 lake often a score of these schools in sight at once. We 

 moved carefully toward them or put om- boat in their 

 com-se. As we came near them we found them to be 

 trout; as soon as' they saw us, with a svnvl that made the 

 water boil, they went out of sight. We repeatedly tried 

 to have them take om flies, making long casts so as not to 

 frighten tliem, but they always passed the bait unheeded. 

 After they had disappeared we let out a long line, trolling 

 deep and dra\ving it tluough the place where they went 

 down, and often took flne gamy fellows. Tom proposed 

 that I "should scratch their backs." A school was pass- 

 ing us some forty feet away, I cast my line, the leader fell 

 right among them; a quick jerk and I hooked one in the 

 back; the only smile I saw upon the Indian's face while I 

 was in the woods Avith him was as he watched the antics 

 of this trout with his back scratched. At dinner time, 

 after cooking what we wanted, we had twenty -nine fine 

 fish left. The weather was growing warm and we were 

 puzzled to know how to keep them until we should go 

 back to the club house. Tom said as he was coming in 

 he passed a cold spring away back in the woods, in a 

 few minutes he started with the catch, and toward even- 

 ing returned, after covering thevn with moss as he laid 

 them on the stones in the cold spring. In the evenmg we 

 again had good success and brought in a nice lot. As 

 Tom and I were nearing the camp he lifted his paddle 

 from the water and whispered, "Hark." Down the 

 valley came the clear plamtive call of a caribou. We 

 hsteiied until it died away as he passed tlnrough a sag in 

 themoimtain, and all was still utitil the call "Come to 

 supper." We recounted the experiences of the day whfle 

 we sat around the blazing fii-e. Then one by one we rolled 

 our blankets about us and all were asleep. Toward morn- 

 ing the pattering rain awoke me, and remembering my 

 boots that were hanging outside by the fire, I quietly 

 went out; as I came back I picked my M'ay among the 

 sleepers and happened to put my hand on old Pierre's 

 shoulder, he jumped and grasped his knife. "I thought 

 you were the bear," he exclaimed, and without another 

 word drew his blanket over lum and went to sleep think- 

 ing of the many tussels he had with them during the 

 forty years he had been hunting and trapping through 

 this wilderness. The morning came, wet and lowry, and 

 we concluded to bid adieu to Camp Richardson. On our 

 way out we stopped at the cold spring; what was our dis- 

 gust and disaijpointmcnt to find that the minks had 

 carried off all of our fish but seven. I am not acquanited 

 with the Indian langxiage, but judging from appearances 

 I think the robbers got a good round cm-sing. A day ot 

 splendid sport at Lake Joe and my outing was ended. 



Will some of your readers give a reason for the ti'out 

 going in the schools as I have described; we only noticed 

 it in this one lake and our guides had never seen anythmg 

 like it before in any of the many lakes in these woods 

 where they had fished for a score of years, 



Spioewood. 



Big Blubfish.— Just at the close of the bluefiah season 

 each year the big ones strike in on the coast and make us 

 a flying visit. Thisweelc Mr. Blackfoj-d had a lot from 

 MaesachusettB which weighed fropa 13 to lolbs. each. 



Clearing the SusQUEHAjraA.— Towanda, Pa., Oct. 13. 

 — On Friday evening a large tent with a huge camp-fire 

 burning in front made a weird and picturesque appear- 

 ance in the edge of a clump of willows below the bridge 

 on the river bank opposite town. Mucli curiosity was felt 

 among people on this side. An Elmira Advertiser corre- 

 spondent visited and was introduced to the occupants by 

 Fish Warden Thomas Kemiedy, of this place. They were 

 Fish Warden A. Bauer and his deputies, Adam Schwalb, 

 Harry Choon and N. Miller, of Wilkesbarre, out on an 

 expedition against eel Aveirs, fish racks and all other 

 obstructions to the free passage of fish in the Susquehanna 

 River. oVIr. Bauer is acting under authority from H. H. 

 Durr, secretary of the State Board of Fish Commissioners. 

 He left Wilkesbarre on Sept. 15, the party trayehng doAvn 

 the river in two boats with their tent and luggage, camp- 

 ing out where night overtook them. They tore out forty- 

 six eel weirs and fish racks between Naniicoke and Dan- 

 ville, in some places finding five sets of racks alongside 

 each other extending clear across the river. Then the 

 boats and baggage were shipped north by rafl to Athens, 

 and after camping on Tioga Point, at the junction of the 

 Chemung and Susquehanna rivers, waiting for lower 

 water, they proceeded down the river in then* boats until 

 at the upper end of Sheshequin they found the largest 

 and sti-ongest built set of racks which they had yet 

 encountered, and set about destroying them. They were 

 built of logs and stone raised step "fashion, so that the fish 

 would be caught either at low or high water. There were 

 five series of these racks built with walls in the shape of 

 a letter V, with the narrow end down stream, so that the 

 fish were cau.ght in the racks or nets at that point. Tliis 

 set of racks has been built for several years, and, as the 

 owner of them claimed that they were chartered by the 

 State, the local fish wardens have not dared to molest 

 them. Chief of PoHce C. W. Dim mock and Thomas Ken- 

 nedy, the present fish wardens, were sent o\it by the 

 slier iif a couple of weeks ago and desti-oyed all the racks 

 between the State line and the lower end of the coimty, 

 excepting the chai-tered rack known as the Snyder rack. 

 Legal adAice had been sought, but it was not made clear 

 that they had a right to destroy it, and they were ordered 

 by the sheriff not to touch it. Mr. Bauer's insti-uctions 

 were to clear out everything of the sort, and he did good 

 Avork in doing so. It took himself and associates some 

 time to puU down the Snyder rack, but he left nothing 

 excepting a shanty which had been biult on stilts in the 

 water and contained a stove and some clothing. 



The Lewistown Reservoir Bass Jigging.— Huntsville, 

 Ohio, Oct. 13. — During tiie dry summer season tlie Lewis- 

 town reservoir, containing aboiit 13,000 acres, wMch is 

 the feeder of the M. & C. Canal, and supplies water for 

 mills and factories, was drained so much that only the 

 Miami RiA*er kept its place in this large fish pond. The 

 reservoir Avas well stocked Avith fish, especially black bass, 

 but the gate being opened to its last notch, the fish Avent 

 with the water tlu-ough the gate down into the Mami 

 River. Then the rams came, the gate was put down, the 

 reserA-ou- and rlA-er rose, and the fish, tine to theii' 

 instincts, sought their homes in their native Avaters, and 

 ascended the stream, only to be hived in a small basin or 

 hole at the outlet. This httle basin did not cover more 

 than a quarter acre. Many thousands of fish were 

 gathered in this small basin. I stood upon the banlcs a 

 day or two ago and witnessed the most fearful slaughter 

 and wanton destruction of the noble, gamy bass. A 

 hundi-ed people w ere equipped with gangs of hooks so 

 arranged that they weve veritable gi-abhooks (three in a 

 bunch); hundreds and thousands Avere impaled and 

 landed, and as many more were torn and lacerated and 

 escaped only to be rehooked or die. This Avas what might 

 be caUed "hogging" fish. Sportsmen and gentlemen ang- 

 lers Avere disgusted with the sight, and stood Avith their 

 hands in their pockets, knowing that the law permitted 

 fishing with hook and line, and that they could not inter- 

 fere. A Avay will be foimd (they think) to break up this 

 terrible slaughter. It is safe to say that not less than 

 10,000 black bass have been taken in this way Avitlun four 

 or five days. During this great slaughter your coi-res- 

 pondent found rune counties represented in the Une of 

 these destroyers of the people's liah food and the true 

 sportsman's favorite game fish. — Hunt. . 



Death of Andrew Clerk.— Andrew Clerk, of the 

 fij-m of Abbey & Imbrie, died Wednesday, Oct. 13, at his 

 home in Jersey City, N. J. Born at Ballater, Aberdeen- 

 shire, Scotland, Nov. 30, 1812, he came to America m 

 183.0 and settled in Jersey City, where he continued to re- 

 side for the rest of his hfe. He was by profession an 

 architect and civil engineer; the firm of Clerk & Bacot 

 made the maps to which nearly all titles to real estate in 

 Hudson County, N. J., refer. In 1857, associating with 

 him his brother, Wm. F., he formed the firm of Andrew 

 Clerk & Co., fishing tackle dealers, in this city, succeeding 

 to the fii-ra of J. & T. Warren, Avhich had been founded 

 so far back as 1820. The establishment of the Clerk 

 brothers, of No. 48 Maiden Lane, became the headquar- 

 ters for gatherings of the salmon anglers of the older 

 school. In 1875 the firm of Abbey & Imbrie was formed; 

 in this Mr. Clerk became special partner, and in 1881, 

 after the death of Mr. Abbey, general partner. Clerk 

 was himself an enthusiastic and accompUshed angler. 

 For a number of yeai-s he held the lease of a sahnon nver 

 in Canada; but of late years his favorite fishing waters 

 have been among the Thousand Islands, and it Avas here, 

 last September, that he was talcen iU with malarial fever. 

 Mr. Clerk engaged in a number of enterprises, and held 

 many positions of tnist. He was President of the Insti- 

 tution iot Savings of Jersey City and a Director of the 

 First National Bank of Jersey City. He was a Free 

 Mason, a member of the First Presbyterian Church of 

 Jersey City, and Vice-President of the New Jersey Club. 



Bass in the Upper Delaware.— Fishing on the Dela- 

 ware this year has not been up to the standard of previous 

 seasons, the Avater has been lower than for many years, 

 occasioning much diflicult rapid-shooting in the pursuit 

 of likely eddies. The fish also have taken hold so gingerly 

 this season that unless a clu-omo A\^as tlu-OAvn m gratis 

 Avith the bait, there generally Avas ample time for nap- 

 ping between the acts. Tlie writer, with Shafer of 

 Lacka waxen, one of the best guides in that neighborhood, 

 succeeded in landing twenty bass of fair size, though 

 nothing over tliree pounds Avas captm-ed at Lackawaxen 

 this summer. — W. H. R. 



