352 



m and Jfiw «08hing. 



OLD ANTELOPE'S SECRET. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



It will perhaps be noticed by the observant editor that 

 I, like other migratory birds, have wandered from accus- 

 tomed haunts. Just how I happen to be near the head* 

 waters of Humboldt River, Humboldt Valley, Nevada,, 

 does not greatly matter. However, I may say that I am 

 engaged in lawful and ordinary business when not a-hunf- 

 ing or a-fishing. The Forest and Stream comes to my 

 feet out here in the sage brush just the same, and as you 

 do not in all probability receive notes from my locality 

 often, I will contribute my mite. 



T alighted here in December, and it was so very cold I 

 was compelled to change legs every few minutes, con- 

 tract my long neck, and look more doleful than usual 

 adown my long bill. The whole of this sage brush scope 

 was covered with snow and the little river frozen solid 

 for three months, while one of those thermometers (what- 

 ever that is) of mankind registered, I overheard it said, 

 from 15° to 60° below zero. The frogs and minnows were 

 frozen up so solidly that I was near starvation for some 

 very long days and weeks. Many cattle and other beasts 

 of your advancing civilization perished, and your people 

 in these parts kept very closely in their houses, while 

 even the native Shoshones huddled together in their 

 wickeyups and were invisible for many weeks. 



Coming, as I did, from a much warmer and better- 

 land, yoyLoan imagine that I found it very chilly, as it 

 were. Crows and magpies alone kept me company, and 

 I was fain to pop a few of them over with my gun just to 

 keep in practice; but I considered that the poor fellows 

 suffered enough during the cold spell, and refrained. 

 About the middle of February the sun shone warmer, the 

 river began to thaw about its edges, and I found an occa- 

 sional frog or minnow (which seemed like icicles going 

 down my long throat, however), and there were bare 

 spots on the sides of hills where the snow had melted 

 away. Then my friends began to arrive— first the little 

 teal ducks came in numbers, then mallards and sprigs, 

 and once in a while a flock of gray geese and cranes, so 

 that now these fowls are numerous and plentiful in the 

 valley, where they hatch and remain. Besides these, as 

 the snow melted, sage hens were frequently seen and 

 another species of grouse, called prairie chickens here, 

 but which are much smaller than the pinnated grouse 

 east of the Rockies. Then the Shoshones began to come 

 in to the "store" from various directions with deer, ante- 

 lope, bear and mountain sheep skins in abundance, with 

 beaver, otter, mink, cross-fox. wolf, lynx and other pelts; 

 so that it is evident game is plentiful 'indeed over toward 

 the surrounding mountains. 



As the ice went out of the river I saw trout, I was 

 pretty sure, and even succeeded in catching three or 

 four small ones in March, thinking I had the first of the 

 season; but I was chagrined on the same day to see old 

 Antelope, a very old Indian, with a string of about 

 twenty, all of which were much larger than any I had 

 seen before, and they were beauties. The smallest would 

 weigh 8oz., while two or three would go from 21bs. to 

 31bs. In my migrations I have seen many trout, but 

 never any to equal in size and beauty these'of the Hum- 

 boldt, which stream, is, by the way, "as fine a one to get 

 at and fish as could be imagined/ It runs for about 100 

 miles, with many tributaries, is just rapid enough, with 

 deep and broad holes and nice riffles through the almost 

 level valley and around the bases of projecting hills, with 

 just a fringe of willows along its banks. But to return 

 to the trout themselves, they are everything that a trout 

 could or should be, with all the rainbow colors and large 

 scattering bright spots, with a tinge of the salmon color 

 under their gills— something I never noticed on trout be- 

 fore. When they bite they make everything whizz, the 

 line shoots away like a flash, and if the fish is hooked, 

 firm handling is necessary. This reminds me of my 

 trouble— I can't find the right bait. At this time the fish 

 will not take to flies, and only Lo knows the secret; he 

 knows what bait to use and uses it successfully. 



After vain trials at fishing I got mv thinking apparatus 

 to work and evolved the following idea: "I will waylay 

 Antelope and bribe him; aye, buy him body and soul if 

 necessary; the time is come for action, why stand ye here 

 idle?" So I watched and waited, and finally my vigilance 

 was rewarded; I saw the old man moving toward the 

 river with a bag for fish and a willow pole. I stole a 

 march on him and airived just ahead of him at the banks 

 of the stream, where, we transacted the following 

 business. 



I was smoking and said, '"Hello, Antelope!" Antelope 

 said, "Hello; you give smoke me?" 



I gave him a cigar. Then he pointed to the one I w as 

 smoking and said, "Fire." 



I handed him my cigar for a light aud he put it 

 promptly in his mouth and the one I had given him into 

 his pocket, a very ragged pocket. I sighed, for it was 

 my last, but said pleasantly, "You catch 'em fish?'' 



He said, "Fish?" I said,' "Yes." Then he said, "Yes." 



I said "How you catchum fish?" 



He pondered a minute and queried "Good cigar?" and 

 he blew the smoke of my cigar through his big nose. I 

 replied, "Yes, good. How you catchum fish?" He said, 

 "Ketchum?" 



I said, "Yes," then he said "yes," adding solemnly, 

 "you got tobakko?" 



I told him sadly, no, and again questioned, "You eab-h- 

 um fish with hook, same as mine, here?" 



"Yes?" he queried, rather than affirmed. 



"You put minnow on, Antelope?" I asked, showing 

 him a minnow, which he took, looked at, and then put 

 in his pocket. 



"You got matches?" he asked. 



I gave him some matches and then he started oft, 

 bending down now and then to rub his tottering rheu- 

 matic old legs, saying, "Heap sick, heap sick, too old 

 now." 



I called him, and following tried to make him under- 

 stand that I wanted to catch some fish, but he couldn't 

 understand. I showed him a big silver dollar and 

 motioned for him to catch some fish with my pole, but 

 he only queried, "No tobakko?" and started off again, I 

 said, "Good-bye, Antelope." 



"No more smoke?" he asked. "No more," I replied. ' 

 Then he said "Good-bye, to-night I come your house; 



you maybe so buyum fish?" I said "Yes," and he said 

 "Y^s," and vanished into the willows by the stream. 



In the evening the old man came with a firie strbg of 

 big trout, and it was astonishing how well he 'understood 

 and could speak while closing a bargain. 



As soon as the Weather gets wairm Enough I will try 

 my luck with grasshoppers-. \f 1 am fortunate I expect 

 to take a trip to the intents ins for antelope, mountain 

 sheep and deer, and will make notes of any interest ng 

 adventures that uiav occur. ' Stork. 



ANGLING IN ICE-COLD WATIM§-, 



H ^HE ice is out of the Androscoggin fcakes. A dispatch 

 X from H. T. KimbalL ©f the Mountain View House, 

 Rangeley, on Monday exiling, said that the ice had left 

 that lake. This is seven davs later than the average, 

 which is the 13th. The season is remarkably cold and 

 backward. Ice formed nearly every night in the lakes 

 during the week before it finally broke Up, but high 

 water, from the rain and the volume of melting snow in 

 the woods, started the ice even sooner than, was antici- 

 pated. The ice left Umbagog on Thursday,, before it left 

 t he other lakes. But at last accounts the woods were full 

 of snow, and the early trout fishermen will find it cold 

 and dreary. Still they have been crazy to be off for more 

 than a couple of weeks. They have gathered at the 

 tackle dealers, and have discussed prospects day after 

 day. Several have become tired of waiting and have 

 started even before the word came that the ice was gone. 

 They have reached the lakes, through more or less of 

 snowdrifts, only to wait patiently, or impatiently-, for the 

 ice to move. The Tuttle party started five or six davs 

 before the ice had left, and they have done some fishing 

 off the shores, where the ice had broken away-, but with- 

 out any particular catches. Another partv folio vyed 

 them later in the week, only to meet the same" for tune— a 

 lake full of ice, and cold winter Weather. On the open- 

 ing of Umbagog the route to the Middle Dam was opened, 

 via Bethel and Cambridge) tbence to Sunday Cove and by 

 buckboard across the carry to the Middle Dam. A party 

 of six immediately left Boston for this well known resort. 

 Camp Stevens has been opened for some time at the Nar- 

 rows, The proprietors, some of them, were to go in over 

 the snow, and wait for the ice to leave the lakes. Mr. 

 Stevens is one of the earliest at the lakes each year. 



Some very pleasant parties are to make the spring fish- 

 ing trip to the Androscoggin waters this season. On 

 "Wednesday Mr. E. H. Clapp, with Mrs. Clapp and a party 

 of five Boston gentlemen, with some at least of their 

 wives, are to start for Rangeley. In the party are Mr. 

 and Mrs. G. W. Wardsworth, Mr. J. F. Rogers! and Mi-, 

 Horace Haskins. These gentlemen are all sportsmen, 

 the most of them having visited these lakes every year 

 for a number of years. But to their wives it is generally 

 their first trip to the Maine trout waters. They will stop 

 at Esty's, at Greenvale, for three or four days, then over 

 to Richardson's on the Big Lake. There they will stay 

 for several days, going home by way of Upper Dam, 

 Andover and the Grand Trunk. They make the round 

 trip in order that the ladies of the party may see as much 

 as possible of the Maine woods and waters. 



Now and then the Maine trout waters add another 

 string bp their score in the way of being the finest trout 

 waters in the world, in spite of the fact that much is said 

 in praise of the West. Especially is this marked in the 

 case of Mr. Fred Perkins, once a resident of this part of 

 the. country, but now a dweller in Mackinaw, Mich. Mr. 

 Perkins is now in Boston waiting for the weather to get 

 warm enough for him to make his annual fishing trip to 

 the Middle Dam . He says that the ice has been out of 

 the Straits at home for some weeks, though they are as 

 far north as the Richardson Lakes. But he has to come 

 every year to the Maine waters to catch trout. Gener- 

 ally Mrs. Perkins accompanies him, but this year she is 

 kept at home. Mr. Perkins has long been a convert to 

 "taking our wives and sisters with us." It does them 

 more good than it does us masculines and they take in 

 more of the enjoyment, coming back with a still further 

 lease of life. Uncle Steve Morse of Upton has been guide 

 for Mr. Perkins for years. 



The ice is out of the Weld Ponds, in Maine, and they 

 are taking some good-sized landlocked salmon there. 

 Several prominent Maine sportsmen are in camp there. 

 Among them Judges Whitehouse and Wilson. But the 

 ice was late about getting out, the same as in all the 

 landlocked salmon waters, and hence the season for these 

 fish has hardly commenced. The salmon fishing at Ban- 

 gor has been suspended by the continued high water, 

 and parties have grown tired and have gone home in 

 disgust. Still a little patience and waiting for the real 

 season would doubtless have rewarded them. There is 

 no doubt but what there is yet to be a good run of sal- 

 mon at that point. But few fish have yet been taken in 

 the nets at Buckport and other points below, plainly in- 

 dicating that the rim of salmon has not yet set in. 



So they go. It seems as though the trouting fever is 

 stronger than ever this spring. At least it is stronger 

 than ever in Boston. But perhaps this city is .noted for 

 fevers of that sort. Indeed, it is pretty certain that there 

 are more enthusiasts with the rod and' line to the square 

 inch than anywdiere else on the globe. This is natural. 

 Most of Boston's best business men were born either in 

 Maine or New Hampsliire, and they learned in boyhood 

 to love the lake, the woods, and the stream. To-day 

 they have not forgotten their first love. They talk of 

 trout, they dream of trout, and last, but not least, they 

 catch trout, when there are any trout to be caught. But 

 for fresh fish is not the only purpose of this annual visit 

 to the Maine woods and waters. There are other reasons, 

 nearer and dearer ties. The once brown and glossy heads 

 are becoming thinned and smitten with the frost of 

 summers gone by, and this yearly trip takes them by 

 some old and dilapidated farmhouse, perhaps long since 

 gone to disuse. But there is a graveyard close by. It 

 can tell the story that chokes the sportsman; once the 

 country boy, now the prominent Boston merchant. But 

 that old farmhouse, that churchyard, that winding road- 

 way among the hills has a charm that time cannot obliter- 

 ate. Special. 



Passaic County (N. J.) Warden.— The term of Fish 

 Warden Keenan expired some time ago, but he held 

 over under the law which provides that fish wardens shall 

 hold their offices until their successors have been ap- 

 pointed and qualified. Whom to appoint as warden for 

 this county was a question. The Commissioners some 



tittle ago Appointed Mr. George Waldron for Ringwood 

 aild vicinity, Mr. Waldron is a gamekeeper in the em- 

 pioy of Cooper & Hewitt and his appointment of fish 

 warden invests him with more authoritv. The question 

 as to who should look after the interests of fish and gamS 

 for the whole county was not settled until recently, fhE 

 Fish Commissioners every year have offered supplies of 

 trout for the streams of Passaic rMtnty, but ho advan- 

 tage was" ever taken of theiV otter. This year the streams 

 m this couttty are to be Stocked, and what was wanted 

 was somebody who would have the supervision of this as 

 WeM as other similar matters. The Fish Commissioners 

 were willing to appoint any person who should be recom- 

 mended by the Passaic County Fish and Game Protepfciw 

 Association. There were a number of candidates-, and 

 the Commissioners, as happens at times-, appointed arr&r 

 who was* not looking for the position, And who would 

 npt have accepted it had it hot Been for the solicitation^ 

 of prominent sportsmen.-. The present fish warden for 

 Passaic county is Mr. Charles. A. Shriner, the secretary 

 of the Passaic County Association. It was thought best 

 to have all the interests of fish and game centered in 

 one person. In the past it has happened at times that 

 the association and the warden w T ere working at cross- 

 purposes, though both were anxious to do the best that 

 could be done. Now everything of this nature in the 

 couhty Will be done under the new fish warden. The 

 insult will lxe to materially strengthen the association. It 

 has among its members a number of constables who 

 have in the past been employed in enforcing the fish and 

 gahie laws. Now they can be made more useful, as the 

 funds of the State will be available together with those 

 of the association, Some years ago the position of fish 

 warden meant police work on the part of the incum- 

 bent, but of late years fish protection means propagation 

 and care as well as the enforcement of the laws during 

 the close season. — Pater son Press, 



Salmon in the Hudson.— Notwithstanding the law of 

 New York which forbids the capture of salmon in the 

 Hudson River by other means than with hook and line, 

 the fish are daily taken in the shad nets, and the label 

 "North River salmon" is frequent on fish in the markets 

 Of New York city. The bright appearance of these fish 

 is evidence that they are freshly caught and are but a 

 few days from the sea. As they are all taken in the gill- 

 nets which are drifted in the river from the entrance of 

 the Highlands to Staten Island, it is probable that the 

 fish are dead before the fishermen get them, but after 

 June 15 the law forbids shad fishing, and it is hoped that 

 some fish will escape the netters. The stocking of the 

 river has proved a success, and it is a pity that the first 

 fish should be sent to market before they have a chance 

 to spawn. 



In the Adirondacks.— The ice went out of most of the 

 lakes by the 10th of May, and five days later it was gone 

 from all. Meacham Lake is open and many have gone 

 in to Fuller s, where the trout fishing is always good. 

 On the Fulton Chain considerable fishing has been done, 

 but not a great number of fish have been taken. Fish 

 Commissioner Blackford has been the guest of Mr. 

 Durant, at his private camp on Fourth Lake, and has 

 taken some fair fish. Further west the snow went off 

 earl^, and the soason opened on West Canada Creek by 

 thefirst of the month. W. G. Stimson has leased Matte- 

 son's Mountain Home and will run it as a hotel. The 

 Wilmiirt Lake Club are building a house on the lake 

 which will soon be opened. The season is earlier all 

 through than was expected, and the trout are rising 

 freely, where there are any.— M. 



Moeristown, N. J.— The Democrat reports that Mrs. 

 Louis A. Thebaud caught and landed at Split Rock, one 

 day last week, a pickerel that weighed exactly 81bs. And 

 it was clone on a 7oz. split bamboo rod, too. This is the 

 largest fish that has been caught with rod and reel in this 

 section in many years, and we are happy to state the 

 record has been made by a lady. Split Rock is a famous 

 fishing spot, and Mr. and Mrs. Thebaud, Mr. McCurdy 

 and others have had fine sport there recently. They took 

 on one occasion 401bs. of pickerel in two hours. 



The Fly-Casting Tournament, which began yester- 

 day and is in progress to-day, will be fully reported in our 

 next issue. 



^mhcuUnre. 



THE AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY. 



FIRST DAY'S PROCEEDINGS. 



THE seventeenth annual meeting of this society was held 

 in Elks Hall, Detroit, Mich., on May 15 and 16. The at- 

 tendance was larger than usual and many States were repre- 

 sented, the result of a special invitation of United States 

 Fish Commissioner McDonald to the different State Com- 

 missioners to meet him and devise some system of co-opera- 

 tion between the States having common fishery interests, 

 and also between them and the general Government. There 

 was a meeting of the Commissioners in the evening, a report 

 of which will be found elsewhere. 



The meeting was called to order Tuesday morning. M ay 15, 

 President W. L. May, of Nebraska, in the chair. Dr R, o! 

 Sweeny, of Minnesota, made a happy opening address in 

 which he alluded to the call of Col. McDonald for a confer- 

 ence of Commissioners and pointed out the a;reat benefits 

 that would come to all by uniting and working in concert. 

 The following new members were elected: At essrs. Henry 

 C. Ford, James V. Long, and W. H. Powell, of the Penn- 

 sylvania Fish Commission; M. E. O'Brien, Sunt, Nebraska 

 Commission; Richard Rathbun, of the TJ. S. Commission; 

 Hon. C. V. Osborn, James C. Hofer, and A. C. Williams, of 

 the Ohio Commission; John H. Law, of Cincinnati, O.: 

 Hon. J. J. Stranahan, of Chagrin Falls, O.; and Daniel 

 Fitzkugh, of Bay City, Mich. 



An invitation to visit the Lake St. Clair Fishing and 

 Shooting Club was tendered by its president, Mr. W. C. 

 Colburn, and accepted for Wednesday afternoon. The 

 Society then adjourned until 2 P. M. and visited the white- 

 fish hatchery of the Michigan Commission, in the city, where 

 several millions of the eggs of the pike-perch were to be seen 

 in the jars, and some trout and adult grayling were shown 

 in aquaria, the whiteflsh season being passed. 



At the opening of the session Prot. David S. Jordan read, 

 a long and interesting paper on the distribution of fishes. 

 Mr. Fred Mather read some extracts from a private letter 

 from W. O. Chambers, Esq. , Secretary of the National Fish- 



