March 31, 1887.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



205 



our course was almost due north over this road to Severn 

 bridge. In order to reach our destination tho sooner we 

 concluded to charter a special engine and go on rather 

 than wait until morning and go by the regular train. 

 But this extra expense proved a. delusion. When we 

 wakened during the night we found ourselves either side 

 tracked or proceeding about as fast as one could walk. 

 And when morning came and we should, according to 

 agreement, have been at the end of our journey, we found 

 that we would have about all we could do to get there 

 before the regular train. And, in fact, while we were 

 unloading our traps from the car the regular train, which 

 we had paid $60 to beat by five hours, passed us. 



Our camping place was on the point where Severn 

 River empties into Sparrow Lake. As we had so much 

 freight and so many passengers, we engaged a steam tug 

 to tow part of it down the river, while the other boats 

 were loaded with the tents and articles which would be 

 first needed to get the camp into order, and, manned by 

 some of the party, these went ahead. A very strong wind 

 was blowing up the river and it took our magnificent 

 propeller nearly all the afternoon to get us down those 

 five miles. The steam would give out and we would lay 

 up to the bank a while and give the thing a chance to get 

 its breath . When we did at last get to camp we found it 

 in order and supper ready. I need not tell any one who 

 has ever camped out that we had been ready for it long 

 before it was ready for us. It was a beautiful place to 

 camp. In our front was the river, and those who desired 

 to do so could catch fish while in camp. About a hundred 

 yards below was the shore of the lake, and where the 

 river emptied into the lake was the best place to fish for 

 bass which we found during our stay in camp. 



We camped here two weeks and it rained ten days out 

 of the fourteen. It was not a dry nor a warm rain either, 

 but one of the wettest and most 'disagreeable I ever saw. 

 This did not interfore at all with the fishing. When any 

 one wanted to go he would don his waterproof coat and 

 boots, and Ball away as if the sun were shining. The 

 fishing was of the finest. We have tried it elsewhere 

 since, but never had such good luck as at this place. The 

 only fish we wanted to catch were bass and muscalonge, 

 but the salmon and other kinds woidd persist in wanting 

 to be caught, and so we had to take them in out of the 

 wet to satisfy them. The largest bass caught by any one 

 of the party weighed 4£lbs., and measured 20in. in length, 

 6 in breadth and 2in. in thickness. The largest musca- 

 longe weighed 9ibs. It is enough now to give one the 

 fidgets to remember the royal beauty of a string of eight 

 or ten of these when first brought out of the boat and laid 

 on the grass. Of bass, muscalonge and salmon (what 

 they called pickerel), we made a record of 315, weighing 

 6251bs. As it is said that fishermen will sometimes tell 

 fish stories, we had a rule that no one should get credit 

 for a fish nor claim having caught one who did not have 

 it weighed by the secretary and a record of the facts 

 made by him. What is here written is from this record. 



The first tune we noticed any of the parasites on any 

 of the fish was when we caught an Sib. catfish on a spoon 

 when trolling. The roof of his mouth was nearly cov- 

 ered with what we called leeches. They were about half 

 an inch in length and had such a hold that they could 

 not be removed without killing them. After this we 

 found them in the mouths of all the varieties of fish we 

 caught, but especially in the salmon. Persons who had 

 fished in these waters the year before told us that when 

 they were there the bass had so many worms in the flesh 

 of the back that they were so stupid as to destroy the 

 sport of catching them, and that they were of coui'se unfit 

 to eat. When we were there we examined them and all 

 other kinds, but so far as the flesh was concerned they 

 were in good health. It was a mystery to us how they 

 could live with these leeches sucking their blood, 

 especially when they were located in such a tender and 

 vital place as the roof of the mouth. Sometimes we 

 thought that those which were the most infested by them 

 were more sluggish and made less fight than those which 

 were not. but we were never sure that it was not all in 

 our own imagination. The reason for this condition of 

 the fishes of these waters we concluded was the fact that 

 the water was not swift enough, and that the bottom was 

 nearly always covered with water grasses, fish weed and 

 other' growths. Whatever the cause it was there as I had 

 never seen it elsewhere. Homerus. 



Bjlaiksvixle, Pa. 



THE NEW YORK TROUT SEASON. 



TO-MORROW the trouting season opens in the State of 

 New York in all parts south of the Adirondack region, 

 and the weather gives very poor promise of sport. The 

 spring has been unusually backward even on Long Island, 

 where the sea breezes temper the rigors of winter when- 

 ever there is an intermission of the northerly blasts. The 

 consequence is that anglers in the vicinity of New York 

 city have shivered at the thought of wetting their lines on 

 the opening day, and the prospect is that but few of them 

 will do so. Old residents of Long Island declare that they 

 scarcely rerneniber so cold and backward a spring. The 

 bluebirds and robins usually appear on the island about 

 March 1, but it is not more than two weeks since they 

 came, and they are not numerous yet. As we write a cold 

 northwest wind is blowing and ice is forming on small 

 pools where the water is not flowing. 



Accounts from other portions of the State show about 

 the same state of affairs. The Hudson River is still 

 frozen over above Poughkeepsie, and many of the 

 streams in the central and western portions of the State 

 are closed with ice. During the past week we have 

 seen many of the streams of Long Island which are all 

 open and have been so almost all winter, but the trout 

 have not been rising as they usually do in March. Not- 

 withstanding this we know* of several anglers who will 

 face the weather and try their skill, no matter what wind 

 may blow. The South Side Club will have their opening- 

 day, fishing or no fishing, and there is every prospect 

 that the warm stoves of the club house will be as attrac- 

 tive as the ponds and streams. 



There will be no exhibition of trout from all portions of 

 the country in Fulton Market, as has been the custom, 

 but the slabs will be well supplied with frozen Canada 

 trout and fresh trout, the latter mainly from private 

 ponds, and possibly some live specimens from the same 

 source. The South Side Club sometimes has as many as 

 a thousand pounds for sale on the opening day. this being 

 their surplus stock not needed for turning into the fish- 

 ing ponds where the catch of members is limited to twelve 



fish per day, each. Many of the best trout Avaters of 

 Long Island are passing into the hands of clubs. The 

 Oxford Club, of Brooklyn, a well-known social club, has 

 just obtained the large pond and some miles of stream at 

 Patchogue, and formed a branch to be known as the Ox- 

 ford Rod aud Gun Club. They will stock the waters and 

 will have one of the best preserves on the island in a few 

 years. We visited their grounds this week and were sur- 

 prised to find them so extensive and such splendid streams. 



On the north shore the prospect for early trouting is not 

 as good as on the south side of the island. Members of 

 the Brooklyn Rod and Gun Club report that few will try 

 the fishing" at theh ponds near Smithtown, and that so far 

 but few fish have been seen to rise in the Nissequogue 

 River. Northward, in Sullivan and Ulster counties, there 

 will be no good fishing for some weeks. 



REELS. 



Editor Forest ami Stream: 



It has now been some time since the subject of reels 

 has been discussed through the columns of your valued 

 paper, and as the reel is a very important factor of the 

 average angler's kit, I would be glad to see an expression 

 from some of your readers who have given the matter 

 attention . 



Among other mysteries to a novice, it has always been 

 a query to me why the manufacturers of modern reels 

 persist in placing the click attachment on the right, or 

 handle side of a reel. It certainly cannot be for con- 

 venience sake, as your reel when in action must invari- 

 ably be stopped at the moment of applying it, and at the 

 imminent peril of your rod. Nor can it be said — com- 

 paratively speaking — to improve the model, for the 

 gracefulness of outline secured would be too insignifi- 

 cant to be worthy of mention. What then? Some one 

 will likely suggest that the machinery of a reel requires 

 the placing of the click on that side, but from my own 

 limited knowledge of mechanism and that of more prac- 

 tical persons, I am convinced that such is not the case, 

 and it could be made work equally well on either side. I 

 now have before me the cut of "a reel claiming to be 

 "Patent Perfection," that "can be changed in a second 

 from a free running multiplying to a click multiplying, 

 or vice versa," yet let this same reel be attached to the 

 business end of a fish, and you would have to first bring 

 it to a dead stop like any other reels, and then go through 

 the exhilarating pastime of searching over its surface for 

 a needle pointed index by which to change the gearing. 

 This seems a long way from "perfection" of the "patent" 

 type, or otherwise. This, however, is considered one of 

 the standai'd and most popular reels now extant, and con- 

 sequently was chosen as a representative of the prevail- 

 ing style. Of course in reels with the automatic click, 

 viz., those which cannot be adjusted from the outside, 

 this difficulty is obviated, and until those with the at- 

 tachment are considerably improved, in way of keeping 

 it independent of the handle, where it can be operated at 

 pleasure with the free hand, I shall deem them the best. 

 I understand there are now a few reels on the market 

 with an adjustable click on the left side, but have not as 

 yet seen one, nor have any of the angling friends of my 

 acquaintance. Is there such a reel actually existing? Let 

 us hear from others regarding this. Jo. 



WELi.svitiLE, Ohio, March 18. 



[Combination reels are a necessity to those who own 

 but one reel and wish to use it for all purposes; and, 

 like all combination tools, has its disadvantages. As we 

 understand it the gearing is adjusted to click, drag, or 

 free running before the fishing begins, and unless for 

 ptu-poses of casting it is left so. Or, if the cast is made 

 from the free adjustment the drag is put on before a fish 

 strikes. When the click is used it is left on all the time. 

 If the angler can afford it sevei-al reels should be owned 

 if he wishes for more than one kind of fish which re- 

 quires a change.] 



BANGOR SALMON FISHING. 



THIS from to-day's Commercial speaks well for Fish 

 and Game Warden Allen's public spirit: "The de- 

 velopment of Bangor's salmon fishing during the past two 

 years is phenomenal and greatly surprising to even the 

 leading sportsmen who have taken a deep interest in the 

 matter from the start. We now have within the city 

 limits the greatest fishing grounds in the country— a place 

 where the king of fish rises quickly to the fly, and where 

 any sportsman can enjoy a tussle with the shining beau- 

 ties. Thus far it has been a source of considerable rev- 

 enue for Bangor, and promises during the next few years 

 to bring thousands of dollars into the Queen City, which 

 will be distributed in those places where it will be of the 

 most benefit. The fishing this year was threatened in 

 two directions. First, out-of-town parties proposed to 

 lease the grounds and charge such sums for their use as 

 would prevent fishermen from away, who do not care to 

 encourage a monopoly, from coming here. Then parties 

 proposed to hang booms along the shore and this would 

 stop it. Officer Allen, who has been one of the most 

 enthusiastic sportsmen visiting this place, recognized this 

 fact, and to prevent it secured a lease for ten years of the 

 shore, the whole length of the fishing ground, at a nom- 

 inal sum. It comprises a part of two farms belonging to 

 Messrs. C. A. and Herbert E. Nealley, and the land lease 

 extends from low water mark to a line parallel with the 

 river and twenty rods from high water mark, thus giv- 

 ing plenty of room for the requirements of the place. 

 Mr. Allen, in conversation with a Commercial re- 

 porter, says that he did not do this as a speculation, 

 but merely to protect the grounds, which were to 

 afford so much pleasure to the Bangor fishermen and 

 their visitors and to prove such a source of permanent 

 income to the city. Mr. Allen only wants to get Ms 

 money back. He has been offered $500 for his lease, but 

 would not take it, as he believed the parties making the 

 offer did it to speculate, and this would immediately kill 

 the summer tourist business as far as Bangor was con- 

 cerned. But the best move in connection with the matter 

 is now being made by Mr. Allen. Visitors here have 

 complained that at the fishing grounds there was no 

 place to leave articles, not needed at the river, where 

 they would be safe. Mr. Allen is forming a club to be 

 known as the "Penobscot River Salmon Club," and the 

 membership fee in which is to be $10. The organization 

 will be completed and will erect a fine club house on a 

 knoll overlooking the river and close by the shore. Here 

 there will be private closets for each member in which 



clothing and fishing gear can be kept. The whole house 

 will be fitted up with an idea to convenience and comfort. 

 A piazza will extend around it from which ladies or 

 visitors can watch every movement of the fishermen, and 

 without a glass, the house being so near the river. Sheds 

 for horses are to be built on a level spot on the land which 

 Mr. Allen has leased. Operations will commence on the 

 house so that it will be finished by the middle of May, 

 when the fishing season commences. Everything possible 

 will be done by the club to perfect the accommodations 

 at the grounds and ovu* sportsmen should certainly feel 

 under obligations to Mr. Allen for his efforts in the 

 matter. A fine list of members has already beensecured, 

 headed bv Mr. F. W. Aver, Bangor's leading devotee of 

 the fly-rod." Fly. 

 BajjgOB, Me., March 83, 



Rocky Mountain Trout.— Grant Co., N. M., March 

 15. — Editor Forest and Stream: The black-spotted trout, 

 Salmo purpvratus, is a native of most waters in the 

 Rocky Mountain region of New Mexico, and visitors to 

 Lake Talioe, Cab, may recollect the magnificent fish 

 caught there and shipped to San Francisco, where they 

 are deservedly considered a great delicacy. They reach 

 a weight of about 301bs. under the most favorable cir- 

 cumstances,, and are much more valuable for introduction 

 into eastern waters than the rainbow trout. It is stated 

 that they feed on any living thing they find near them. 

 If this be true, the feeding would be difficult as well as 

 expensive. But I ha ve ample evidence from my own ex- 

 perience that the trout in question feeds on any vegetable 

 matter, such as cooked potatoes, beans, rice, bread, etc., 

 and rises as readily to a crumb of bi'ead as it does to a 

 fly. I have on my ranch a pond about 300ft. long, 80ft. 

 wide and 7ft. deep, which I have stocked with specimens 

 of Salmo purpuratus, caught in Sapio Creek, to the num- 

 ber of about 1,500. They are not fed regularly, but 

 nevertheless have greatly increased in size, the largest 

 being now after two years, about 31bs. They are so easily 

 kept and such a fine flavored fish, with very few bones, 

 that it is really a wonder that they are not introduced 

 into eastern waters more rapidly, especially since they 

 will stand a much higher temperature of water than 

 the rainbow trout, and are certainly not inferior in 

 flavor. I am not alone in this statement, as anybody can 

 ascertain by consulting Goode's "Fish and Fisheries, " 

 Sec. 1, published by U. S. Fish Commission, pp. 475f. . 

 although the author is in error in saying that these fish 

 will feed only on living animals. — S. S. Brannin. 



Tracadie Trout. — Fredericton, N. B., March 25. — As 

 the salmon and trout rivers of this province are to be put 

 up for competition at public auction on the 30th, and the 

 beautiful Tracadie is among those offered, a short account 

 of a trip I made to it in 1881 may be of interest to some 

 of your readers. Leaving Bathurst on July 20, we drove 

 sixteen miles, we reached the river by night and camped 

 at the upper forks, and put in a very unpleasant night. 

 Next day sent the horses back. Heavy rain set in and 

 lasted until the 24th, keeping us prisoners in camp. At 

 last the sun showed itself, and although the river was 

 very high I commenced operations, using a small-sized 

 salmon fly, bronze pigs wool, topping for tail mallard 

 wings, gold, twist, red cock's hackle. The river was fall- 

 ing rapidly, and toward evening we camped, having 

 dropped slowly down stream all day. My basket had 

 nine trout, biggest 21bs. 4oz. Next day I set to work 

 with a will; total by evening 62 trout weighing 701bs. ; 

 biggest fish 31bs. 8 oz. On the 26th I had same number 

 of fish, gross weight 861bs. 8oz.: biggest 41b. 4oz. The 

 next mortring I caught 15 fish weighing 211bs. 12 oz. , and 

 then gave up, as we had a half tub of salted trout and no 

 more salt. Flies for Tracadie should be large, with orange 

 or lemon bodies, mallard wings and plenty of tinsel. I 

 caught some of the heaviest on phantom minnows. We 

 saw no sight of salmon.— Chas. A. Bramble. 



A Shoal of Infant Bass.— Some years ago, while 

 fishing in the Chiniere, a stream running through a 

 swamp in Louisiana, in crossing a little stream two or 

 three feet Avide and a few inches deep, which was brawl- 

 ing along among twisted roots and driftwood, my atten- 

 tion was arrested by what was, to me, a novel and very 

 interesting sight. There was a tiny waterfall, about 12in. 

 high, formed by the little stream f ailing over a large root 

 or half -buried log. Here I discovered at the foot of the 

 fall, an accumulation of something like half a peck of 

 little black bass, one to two inches in length. They were 

 crowding upon one another, and by a snap-like motion 

 jumping up over the little cataract one or two per second. 

 After watching them for quite a while. I made an effort 

 to capture some of them to serve as bait for their parents 

 in the stream a little way off, but only succeeded in get- 

 ting two or three, which were too small for my purpose, 

 the little army dispersing into a pool below. — Coahoma. 



Albany Fly-Casters' Association.— Albany, N. Y., 

 March 16.— Editor Forest and Stream: The Albany Fly- 

 Casters 9 Association was organized yesterday. The 

 tournament held last fall has been the means of creating 

 great enthusiasm among fishermen here, and the desire 

 to organize just such an association has been earnest and 

 strong. Our object is to improve our members in the 

 science of fly-casting and to hold an annual tournament 

 "to compare excellence in the use of rod and reel." We 

 hope to have the good will of Forest and Stream. The 

 officers elected yesterday were: President, W. W. Hill; 

 first Vice-President, D. H. Fonda; second Vice-Presi- 

 dent, Dr. Herman Bendell; Secretary and Treasurer, 

 Walter D. Frotlvingham. Executive Committee. Thomas 

 W. Olcott, Lansing Hotaling, Fred K. Wood, W. G. Pad- 

 dock. B. F. Reese.— Walter D. Frotiixngham (69 State 

 street, Albany, N. Y.). 



Trout in the Hackensack. — A few days ago Mr. 

 Clarence Haines, of Jersey City Heights, was netting- 

 shrimps in a small brook fed by a spring from Glendale 

 woods, which empties into the Hackensack River within 

 200ft. of the west side race track, when he scooped up a 

 trout of lOin. in length weighing nearly half a pound. 

 Our informant was not aware that brook trout often run 

 down into salt water, but this is the case in Long Island 

 and other parts, where they are not prevented from 

 doing so by the warm waters of large streams. 



