144 



FOREST AND 1 STREAM. 



rAtTG. 11, 1895. 



THE WEIGHTS OF STRIPED BASS. 



New York, Aug. 12.— Editor Forest and Stream: The 

 enclosed clipping was taken from the Newport Journal 

 of Aug. 3. 1 know Mr. LeRoy as a gentleman and a 

 thorough fisherman, and that he is incapable of having 

 any misstatement made with his knowledge: "Monday, 

 at the Beavertail fishing club, Mr. Stuyvesant LeRoy 

 broke the bass record of the season and of the club, by 

 landing a handsome fellow that tipped the scales at 681bs. 

 It was seen to-day at Ash's fish market, where it was 

 found to measure 4ft. 4in. from tail to nose, and 1ft. 9in. 

 in girth. The BeavertaiL fishers lost several large bass 

 Monday, but none were probably so large as this. A 

 number of big bass have been caught this season at the 

 various fishing piers, the fish appearing to run larger 

 than usual." 



My object, however, in sending you the clipping is to 

 assert that my experience has proved that no striped bass 

 measuring 4ft. 4in. from tail to nose ever weighed 681bs. 

 I have measured carefully eight or ten bass running from 

 40 to 511bs. in weight at the time they were killed and 

 before they had an opportunity to bleed much, and I have 

 found it to be an invariable rule that they would weigh 

 exactly lib. to the inch. An allowance of one or two 

 pounds might be made for an extra girth, but no more. The 

 fish I Bpeak of were weighed and measured at the Squib- 

 nocket Club in days gone by. Other fish that I have heard 

 of, taken at Narragansett Pier, have weighed in exactly 

 the same ratio. 



I would be glad if some of your numerous subscribers 

 who are fishermen would take up this question and experi- 

 ment, if they are fortunate enough to kill a large fish. 



S. M. B. 



NOTES FROM FISHING WATERS. 



Correspondents are invited to send us notes of fish, fishermen, fish- 

 ing conditions and fishing facts, so that they may reach this office 

 on a Monday. 



Lak vta, Conover P. O., "Vilas County, Wis., Aug. 9. — 

 The fishing at these celebrated fishing grounds, while not 

 quite as good as last season, is good, and some wonder- 

 ful catches are on record, especially of muskalonge. 

 Perry Hull, of Chicago, landed a fine 30-pounder, and the 

 undersigned had the satisfactory experience of landing a 

 splendid 33-pounder upon July 25. Black bass and pike 

 are caught in abundance; in fact, the fishing up here is 

 all one could desire. H. A. W. 



Eagle Eivee, Wis. — The following catches were made 

 in this vicinity by Mr. Walter Stager, of Sterling, 111.: 

 July 20, in Loon Lake, 69 black bass; July 22, in Franklin 

 Lake, 50 black bass; July 23, in Franklin Lake, 50 black 

 bass; July 24, in Loon Lake, 132 black bass. 



Sown the Jordan in a Canvas Boat. 



Mancelona, Mich., July 13.— For the benefit of any 

 readers of Forest and Stream who are foregoing, as I did 

 for years, the exquisite pleasure to be found in a canvas 

 boat, for fear of its liability to snag, I presume to write 

 you my experience with such a boat on the 5th inst. The 

 boat used was a 15ft. Osgood. My companion, Dr. 

 Burnett, of this place, and myself started at the highest 

 so called "open waters" of the Jordan River, some seven 

 miles north from Mancelona. We knew the stream to be 

 very rapid and full of trout, but there our acquaintance 

 with the purling waters ended. My experience during the 

 three weeks' ownership of the boat had assured me that it 

 was absolutely safe so far as tipping or ordinary accidents 

 were concerned, and my conceit was sufficient as to my 

 ability to handle a boat or construct and conduct a camp, 

 so that a guide was not considered desirable; and we 

 "inland noodles" started out, going down alone. 



With our boat loaded with tent, blankets and camp 

 equipage to the amount of several hundred pounds we 

 floated down. The morning was perfect and the trout 

 hungry. Our creels lay open before us and were fast 

 filling with the speckled beauties, when we realized that 

 we were shooting down a stretch of rapids that was of the 

 nature of a toboggan slide. Keeping well in the center 

 of the stream we had no thought of danger until, rounding 

 a sharp bend, we were confronted by a dead cedar tree, 

 which had fallen completely across the stream and was 

 not four rods ahead of us. In our attempt to check our 

 speed we were successful in throwing the boat squarely 

 across the stream and so struck the obstruction broadside. 

 There was a crash, a splintering of wood and our load was 

 in the water; but our boat had gone through under the 

 log, breaking through the dead limbs, some of them being 

 as large as one's arm. We succeeded in capturing the 

 runaway boat, and emptying out the water found it 

 intact, except that the rock elm gunwales had been 

 stripped off and torn into flinders. 



Reloading, with I judge at least a ton of water-soaked 

 "plunder," we started on, only to prove the truth of the 

 old adage that "Troubles never come singly;" another 

 turn, another crash, and our unfortunate experience had 

 been repeated. Again we loaded and started on; we were 

 in the midst of a great cedar swamp and there was 

 nothing to do but to keep to the stream and boat; and 

 keep to them we did until we reached a main traveled 

 road where we could get a team to convey us below the 

 rapids. With gunwales stripped off, bottom boards 

 wrenched and split, the metal on the bow and stern torn 

 off, yet the canvas showed not a scratch, and after going 

 through two such shocks, either of which would have 

 rendered a wooden boat useless, the portable canvas, with 

 her double load of camp equipage and water, was still 

 staunch and steady. 



My skepticism as to canvas boats has entirely disap- 

 peared! For rough, hard usage, I can from cold experience 

 and in warmest terms say, always take a canvas boat. 



C. L. Bailey. 



Thinks that a Bass Thinks. 



Saginaw, Mich.— Editor Forest and Stream: In regard 

 to leaping bass. I fish once a week from early morn 

 till dark, mostly for small-mouth bass, aud I catch a good 

 many during each year. They most always leap after a 

 short fight, and usually make two and sometimes three 

 leaps. They reason thus: "I have fought on a stiff line 

 and there is no show; I will leap out of the water, gain 

 slack line, open my mouth and shake my head and free 

 myself;" which is just what they do in a great many 

 cases. I have often seen them throw hook and bait 6 or 



8ft, in the opposite direction. I don't see how any one 

 can fail to note every move of the fish in the air. I plainly 

 see that in the air they always have open mouth with 

 gills extended, and shake the head vigorously. Every 

 act goes to show that the bass figures on freeing himself. 

 ~Mr. Simpson says, if the bass has such an amount of in- 

 telligence as "Old Sam" credits him with, why does he 

 not go to the bottom, take a turn of the line around a 

 stone or snag and free himself at his leisure? Now I 

 have seen them do that very thing. Last week I lost five 

 nice fellows in just that way. After a hard fight with 

 two leaps they saw that there was no possible chance 

 that way; made a dive directly on some snag; wound up 

 and tore loose. I have seen them give up all hope of 

 freeing themselves by fair means and then turn their at- 

 tention to some old stump or root several feet away, and 

 try all manner of strategy to get to the snag for no other 

 purpose but to wind up. There is no question in my 

 mind that a bass leaps to free himself and figures on 

 gaining slack line. When that fails he resorts to other 

 and more desperate means, such as snagging. I never 

 saw one leap over 2ft. . Dentist. 



Somerville, Mass.— In regard to black bass and the 

 matter of their jumping and shaking the hook out, from 

 a boy I have been taught that such was their habit, and 

 that under no circumstances muBt I allow them to break 

 water if I could help myself. Certainly nine out of every 

 ten bass that I have ever lost have rid themselves of the 

 hook while in the air, and as nearly as I could make out 

 they did it by a process of shaking. I have seen them go 

 all of 3ft. out of water, and that close to the boat, so 

 that I had ample opportunity for observation. 



What mine eyes have seen that must I believe, notwith- 

 standing Dr. Ellzey to the contrary. Waldo. 



Fifty-two Years a Fly-fisherman. 



L'Anse, Mich., July 27. — Editor Forest and Stream: 

 Mr. A. F. Young, the oldest fisherman on Lake Superior, 

 if not the oldest in America, is again with us, having 

 arrived on Tuesday of this week. For many years Mr. 

 Young, who is a resident of Escanaba, makes an annual 

 trip to the shores of Keewenaw Bay in pursuit of speckled 

 trout. His first fishing dates back to 1831, at Fall Creek, 

 in the town of Grotten, N. Y. Coming West in the year 

 1850 he penetrated the forests of Wisconsin, Minnesota 

 and Michigan, surveying the numerous streams, few of 

 them escaping his notice that abounded in trout. He has 

 familiarized himself with all the streams entering the 

 Chippewa in Wisconsin, several entering White River and 

 several more that flow into Root River, also a number 

 flowing into the Mississippi. In Michigan he has fished 

 all the prominent streams, including Rapid, Day, Escan- 

 aba, Bark, Huron, and the headwaters of Iron River. 

 From the year 1868 he has confined his fishing from 

 Chocolate in Marquette county to L'Anse at the head of 

 Keewenaw Bay. He claims that for comfort the latter 

 place excels any point he has visited during his ex- 

 perience. 



The fishing here is from a boat in a bayou at the head 

 of the bay; and by the way Mr. Young hints to his 

 brother fishermen if they wish to avoid the effects of the 

 sun's rays the inside of the boat should be painted green. 

 Here he has captured in a couple of hours as many as 

 twenty-two trout weighing not less than 401bs. He has 

 caught them weighing as much as 5£lbs., while 3 and 4- 

 pounders are common. He has constantly fished with a 

 fly for the past fifty-two years, and now at the age of 

 seventy-two with little effort casts a distance of 75ft. 

 Mr. Young is an encyclopedia on fishing, and the writer 

 will endeavor to land some of his experiences in a later 

 issue. B, 



Mussels Taken with Hook. 



Somerville, Mass. — In a recent issue I noticed an arti- 

 cle as to whether mussels voluntarily or involuntarily at- 

 tach themselves to a baited hook. My experience was 

 with the fresh-water mussel and occurred while I was 

 trout fishing in a lake. I was fishing in about 20ft. of 

 water, using worms for bait, and having grown somewhat 

 weary had allowed the hook to sink to the bottom and to 

 remain a few moments. Upon drawing it to the surface 

 I found a mussel firmly attached. During the afternoon 

 this was repeated perhaps half a dozen times and caused 

 considerable joking and laughter among those with me. 



My own solution was that the mussels were lying with 

 shells wide open, as is their habit in deep water, and the 

 baited hook chancing to fall against the soft fleshy portion 

 of the bivalve irritated it, whereupon it promptly closed 

 its shell, holding the hook fast. The possibility of the bait 

 having any attraction for it never occurred to me. 



Waldo. 



They Eat Baby Trout in the White Mountains. 



Boston, Mass., July 29.— Editor Forest and Stream: I 

 inclose a clipping from the Boston Herald of Saturday 

 morning and wish you to notice the catch of 221bs. of 

 trout in one day at Fabyans, N. H., therein noted. If the 

 Fish Commissioners respect the laws and enforce them as 

 they should, there is a case which deserves investigation. 



I am very much interested in trouting in the White 

 Mountains, and I have never been in a place which 

 affords more work for the Commissioners than there. In 

 almost every hotel and on almost every day there are 

 trout brought in which are under the legal size. 



It seems to me to be against the interest of the State to 

 stock these waters, only to have the baby trout fished out 

 the following summer. Montinus. 



Death of Ellis W. Brown. 



The current issue of the Elizabethtown, N. Y.", Post 

 brings news of the sudden death of Ellis W. Brown, of 

 Keene Valley. To one who has known him as a friend 

 and companion in the chase the sad news comes with 

 added shock. It is only a few days since he wrote of the 

 approaching hunting season, and chronicled his catch of 

 a 31bs. trout in the Au Sable. Rarely was there a more 

 generous companion, or a man in whom was born a 

 greater love of forest and stream. He was a member of 

 the Keene Valley Guides' Association and of the Adiron- 

 dack Guides' Association. He was an enthusiastic hunter 

 and fisherman, being well known to the sporting fraternity 

 throughout the Adirondacks. 



Kingfishers in Camp. 



The Kingfishers will leave next Thursday on the "Macki- 

 naw Flyer," over the C. H. & D. and Michigan Central 

 Railroads, for their annual camp-out in Northern Michi- 

 gan. At St. Ignace they take the D., S. S. & A. road for 

 the Manistique Lakes, where the cook has been sent ahead 

 with the camp outfit to pick out a soft spot on which to 

 light. The club is well known through "Kingfisher's" 

 camp yarns in Forest and Stream, and wherever they 

 pitch their tents they find friends among the brotherhood 

 of anglers and sportsmen. With the party will be Col. 

 H, C. Culbertson, President of the Cuvier Club of this 

 city; G. J. Murray, Assistant Postmaster Muller and his 

 brother "Jim;" J. M. Hickman and L. C. Cordes, of the 

 post office; "Old Sam" Smith, C. C. Furr. Dick Morris, G. 

 L. Payne, of Frankfort, Ky., and T. W. Cochran, of 

 Louisville. At Deshler tbey will be joined by an old 

 friend of the club, Dr. A. E. Elliott, of Lodi, O., who will 

 make his initial "cast" as a "Kingfisher." Mr. D. G. 

 Edwards, of the C, H. & D., has made things pleasant for 

 the party, and his office and the Commercial Gazette staff 

 will be looking for a bar'l o' fish — more or less — soon after 

 they get the good fishing places located in the Manistique 

 Lakes. — Cincinnati Commercial of late date. 



nine mid Jjjk% §rateiiUoit. 



Maine Protection. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



In your paper June 8 1 see Manley Hardy, of Brewer, has 

 taken exceptions to my criticisms made to you on his article 

 entitled "Mnety Deer," and on the face makes out a very 

 good case against the Maine Commissioners, in support of 

 that dilemma he manufactured in his former article, with 

 two horns, which he dubbed dishonesty and stupidity. The 

 way he has told the story and the way he has got his certifi- 

 cates is a surprise to me, leaving out that part which is a key 

 to the whole, which if added would change the meaning 

 He seems to be very cute in this, but leaves his tracks un- 

 covered and easy to trace. I am not going to accupe him of 

 dishonesty and stupidity as he has us, but I think after read- 

 inghis own certificates, with the addition of some I shall 

 add from the same parties, if he is honest, "which I am dis- 



Eosed to say he is not," he will conclude to withdraw the 

 orns and store them away among his curiosities, as an in- 

 vention that didn't invent. 



When he mixed up the pudding he omitted the flavoring, 

 and only half baked. As the proof of the pudding is in the' 

 eating, and as I have tried it his way and found it as above 

 stated, I now ask him to try it mine. I shall try and have 

 it well done and flavored with full certificates. 



Mr. Hardy says: "In regard to my statement that a promi- 

 nent Bangor merchant offered to testify that he paid money 

 to a warden not to see a deer he was shipping to a friend, 

 and that he gave the name of the warden to whom he paid 

 it, Mr. Stanley says: 'All I can say is that I think he is mak- 

 ing an assertion that he cannot back up and I believe is un- 

 true. * * * Can you believe a merchant can be found who 

 is fool enough, even if he had done what Mr. Hardy says, to 

 testify to anything of the kind? I challenge Mr. Hardy to 

 produce the proof. ' Well, I accept the challenge, and if it is 

 damaging to the Commissioners or any warden, it is the 

 fault of Mr. Stanley, as I give it at his request. Here are his 

 certificates:" 



Bangor, Me., May 14, 1895.-Tbis certifies that the undersigned. C 

 M. Conant, of Bangor, Me., and A. C. Tyler, of Boston, Mass., with 

 Jefferson Neally, of Munroe, Me., killed severul deer in the fall of 1891 

 and wished to send one to Boston for Mr. Tyler. We went to the 

 office of Geo. W. Harriman, of Bangor, and asked if he could arrange 

 it so that the deer could be shipped. He replied that he could. One 

 of the party paid him §3 and he agreed to meet us at the depot when 

 the noon train left. Mr Harriman came according to agreement and 

 the deer, which was marked for Mr. A. C, Tyler, of Boston,was shipped 

 and was duly received in Boston. 



Commonwealth of Massachusetts, I C. M. Conant 



Suffolk, Boston, May 16, 1895. f ss - Alfred C. Tyler 



These certificates are all right as far as they go, hut in the 

 mixing he omitted the following, probably by mistake, 

 which ruins their flavor. The additions I herewith add to 

 Mr. Hard} 's affidavits, which I think Mr. Hardy will admit 

 that the deer were legally shipped and that his pudding is 

 ruined. 



Bangor, June 28, 1895.— To W7iom It May Concern: This is to cer 

 tify that our affidavit of May 14, ISao, published in the Forest and 

 Stream, in Vol. 44, No. 23, of the date of June 8, 1895, was procured 

 from us through the personal solicitation of Manley Hardy, of 

 Brewer, Me. ; that it was given by us under a wrong impression and 

 misuEderstanding of the fish and game laws relating to transporta- 

 tion of game; that the deer referred to in the affidavit of May 14, 

 above written, was lawiully shipped and was accompanied by the 

 owner, Mr. Tyler, as the law required ; that the $2 paid Mr. George 

 W. Harriman, of Bangor, the game warden, also Darned in said affi- 

 davit, was for services performed by him in assisting us to ship said 

 deer upon the express train, upon which it was not usual for the ex- 

 press company to transport such articles; that in so doing, as we 

 now understand the whole matter, he did nothing that was improper 

 or unlawful, or in any way compromised him as an officer of the 

 law, but simply to accommodate us. Chas M Conant, 



A. C. Tyler. 



Bangor, July 20, 1895.— I, as the attorney of Tyler and Conant, of 

 Bangor, Me., having been consulted in regard to the above affidavit 

 and explanation attached, investigated the law thereto, find that said 

 deer was killed in fall of 18°0 instead of 1891. and that said deer could 

 be legally shipped to Boston as Mr. Tyler desired, and that any pay 

 that saia Geo. W. Harriman received was for bis service in aiding 

 them in having it transported, as it all depended whether the express 

 train would take them or not. I find that said Geo. W. Harriman 

 done nothing that was illegal as a game warden in the above transac- 

 tion. A. H. Harding. 



If you will refer back to Forest and Stream of April 30, 1891, 

 which contains the series of articles written by Miss Fanny 

 Hardy and her father, entitled "Six Years under Maine Game 

 Laws," Chap. 5, you will find these words, of which I have 

 no comment to make, except that I heartily endorse them: 



In speaking of sportsmen and wardens, she says: "If it 

 should be asked after this part, Where is the good sportsman? 

 it will certainly be asked after the second, Where is the good 

 warden ? He is not very abundant here, but in this immediate 

 vicinity we have one man who deserves special mention. 

 Mr. Eben G. Morse, of Eddington, is a warden whose justice, 

 faithfulness and honesty are believed in by the people here. 

 I have never but once heard him accused of anything which 

 was not honorable, and that he did not do, although there 

 was reason for the suspicion." 



I refer you to this, as I wish to use his evidence, and the 

 endorsement of Mr. Hardy and his daughter ought to have 

 some weight in what Mr. Morse may say. 



Here it is: 



Eddington, June 28.— H. O. Stanley, Esq. Dear Sir: In regard to 

 the statement of Manley Hardy, as recently published in Forest and 

 Stream, that he offered to go with me to Tyler and Conant and get 

 proof of the illegal shipping of game is not correct. I did meet Mr. 

 Hardy on the street, and he commenced his prattle about violations 

 and non enforcement of the game laws, as he always does when I 

 meet him, and he used Mr. Harriman's name in connection with Tyler 

 and Conanfs and stated that Harriman assisted them to unlawfully 

 ship deer, and that they paid him for so doing; but I had too much 

 confidence in Harriman, and too little faith in Hardy or what he said, 

 to take any notice of it. Mr. Hardy did not offer to go to Tyler and 

 Couant with me as stated, nor did he ever offer to go anywhere with 



