May 23, 1889.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



3B7 



is plain that if it is the roil that is preventing; the run of 

 salmon, then it is stopping them au the way to the sea. 

 But there is still time for a good run, and sportsmen who 

 have intended trying the salmon at Bangor should not he 

 discouraged. There was a run way into June last year. 

 They should wait calmly at home, with the understand- 

 ing that the telegraph is to inform them the moment the 

 run begins. It is hardly good policy to start off, as one or 

 two Boston parties have done already. They got tired of 

 waiting for the welcome news, and went to Bangor. 

 There they were at heavy hotel expenses, with a cost of 

 $2,50 to $3 for a man and boat, only to become one of 

 twenty-five or thirty other boats on the river, where the 

 Whole catch was hardly a salmon a day for all the boats. 

 They have returned, and they wish that they had waited. 



Brook fishing has been good this season, or good up to 

 the time the streams began to lack water. The season 

 has been dry of late, with the weather hot, and I have 

 reports from streams in Maine. New Hampshire and 

 Massachusetts which say that trout fishing is very poor, 

 with the mosquitoes as thick as they should be in June. 

 One letter suggests that the mosquitoes and black flies 

 are a month earlier than last year. Special. 



ANGLERS' ASSOCIATION OF EASTERN 

 PENNSYLVANIA. 



THE association held a business meeting at their rooms, 

 1020 Arch street, Philadelphia, on the evening of 

 May 14. After the usual routine, arrangements were 

 announced for the entertainment, on Thursday, of the 

 American Fisheries Society, by an excursion in the U. S. 

 steamer Fish Hawk to Gloucester, N. J., to partake of a 

 shad dinner and witness the hauling of the great seine. 

 There were twenty-nine members of the association 

 present, besides Fish Commissioners C. V. Osborne, of 

 Ohio, and W. L. May, of Nebraska. Mr. H. £. Ford, 

 president of the Pennsylvania Fish Commission, related 

 his recent successful introduction of twelve millions of 

 young pike-perch (Stizostedion vitreum) into streams of 

 eastern Pennsylvania. These fry were obtained from the 

 U. S. Fish Commission, and were liberated in the Dela- 

 ware, Perkiomen, Schuylkill, Juniata and Susquehanna 

 rivers. The average period of incubation of this species 

 , was fifteen days, and the fry were in a very healthy con- 

 'dition. The president of the association, Mr. A. M. 

 Spangler, had purchased the fine salmon recently caught 

 in the Delaware and brought it before the Fisheries So- 

 ciety. He told the circumstances of its capture and 

 referred to the long interval since the planting of the 

 species in this river. Mr. Osborne, upon invitation, 

 sketched the condition of fishculture in Ohio, and the 

 gratifying results apparent from artificial propagation. 

 As a consequence of the work with pike-perch, or wall- 

 eyed pike, he mentioned some extraordinary catches of 

 this fish in the waters of West Virginia, where unre- 

 stricted fishing robs Ohio of the rewards of honest labor. 

 Thirteen thousand pounds of pike.perch were taken at 

 one haul of a seine about forty miles below Bellaire. 



One of the most satisfactory pieces of protective legis- 

 lation recently secured in Ohio is the measure giving magis- 

 trates final jurisdiction in prosecutions for violation of the 

 fishing laws. This has done more good than any other 

 single measure in force, and the friends of the fishes are 

 rejoiced. Mr. May was called upon to tell what Nebraska 

 is doing for fishculture, and he responded in detail. 

 Brook trout and pike-perch have received considerable 

 attention and both have caught on in fine style. The 

 former thrives wonderfully in some parts of the State. 

 Mr. May was one of the pioneers in wholesale hatching 

 of pike-perch. 



Many of the fishes which were introduced into the Elk- 

 horn in 1873 by the wreck of a bridge and the falling 

 through of a Fish Commission aquarium car on its way 

 to California, have become acclimated and multiplied. 

 The bass were especially plentiful until over-fishing re- 

 duced their numbers and they are still to be found by the 

 initiated. Dr. T. H. Bean, of the U. S. Fish Commission, 

 was asked numerous questions about the desirability of 

 importing fishes from abroad, and he expressed the belief 

 that we have an abundance of native species far superior 

 to most of the exotics and do not need to look to Europe 

 and Asia for our supply. The Anglers' Association has 

 about 200 members, and is very active in all measures 

 for the increase and protection of valuable fishes. 



USES OF THE GERMAN CARP. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



I was somewhat surprised to note in looking over the 

 contents of the last number of your paper the following 

 words in a communication from Mr. Shriner, of Paterson, 

 N. Y., on the subject of "Carp in the Passaic:" ''Please 

 do not urge any person not to catch carp during the 

 breeding seasoD . Carp are worthless as a game fish and 

 are not fit to eat at any time and they are, I fear, spoil- 

 ing our bass and pickerel fishing, which is not as good as 

 formerly in the upper Passaic." Your half dozen lines 

 of reply w T ere sufficiently conclusive, but possibly a few 

 words in confirmation of them may not be out of place. 



Ever since the IT. S. Fishery Commission commenced 

 the distribution of the German carp I have felt great in- 

 terest in the results, and they have so far been developed 

 as to leave no doubt on my mind as to the value of the 

 carp. It is, I believe, the only European food fish suc- 

 cessfully introduced into the Middle States, and that its 

 introduction has been a success there cannot be a ques- 

 tion. Those who have had better opportunities for 

 knowing than myself state that the German carp, which 

 includes the three leading varieties, appear to have found 

 the American waters more congenial to their nature than 

 those from which our present stock was taken. 



However that may be, it needs not the saying that their 

 multiplication has been simply marvelous. They are 

 rapidly becoming the most numerous of all the large 

 fishes in the waters in this vicinity — I mean of those that 

 are not of the anadromous order, and I for one feel that 

 the fact should be hailed with much satisfaction by every 

 one, and for several reasons (1), because they are not pre- 

 dacous, (2) because of their wonderful fecundity, (3) be- 

 cause of the extraordinary rapidity of their growth, (4) 

 because they are wholly harmless, (5) because, as a result 

 of their fecundity, and their peculiar adaptation to all of 

 our streams save the most rapid ones, their constantly in- 

 creasing progeny will furnish food for our black bass, 

 wall-eyed pike, rock bass, perch and pike, a most im- 

 portant consideration, (6) because, although they are not 



in the full sense of the term gamy, they are sufficiently 

 so* to afford real enjoyable angling, a 3 or 4-pound carp 

 taken with light bass tackle is far from being despicable 

 game. Strongly built and thoroughly tinned, those 

 who have captured such an one will bear me 

 out in this assertion that they found it a fairly 



;ood fighter, contesting for supremacy to the last. 

 Jbose who cannot descend below the level of the salmon, 

 the trout and the black bass will, of course, laugh at this; 

 but such people shotdd remember that all others have 

 neither their refined tastes in the matter of sporting nor 

 yet their opportunities for indulging in such high-toned 

 recreation. Where one man can spare the time to go 

 a-salmoning or a-trouting, there are a thousand who can- 

 not, and who are content to avail themselves of the in 

 ducements for a day's outing along the streams where 

 the carp abotind. (7) Lastly, because, although the Ger- 

 man carp is not what may be called a first-class fish for 

 the table, there are worse in our waters. Everybody 

 knows, or should know, that with the exception of the 

 shad and a few others, no fish is fit to be eaten— or, at 

 least, is not nearly at its best estate— during the spawn- 

 ing season. This is the spawning season of the carp, and 



possibly Mr. Shriner has recently been testing their edi- 



ole qualities. 



It is well-known that among the ancients — and to-day 

 among the Germans— the carp was and is regarded as a 

 fine table fish. This may be due to the fact that the lat- 

 ter respects the spawning seasons, or it may be that they 

 understand more fully than we Americans appear to 

 have thus far, how the carp can be most toothsomely 

 served. There is a particular way in which every known 

 fish can be cooked, which is the best way. Perhaps we 

 have not yet found out that way, but we evidently shall 

 one of these days, or American culinary skill and in- 

 genuity will have lost its cunning. 



But," admitting that there shall be no improvement 

 upon the present method of cooking carp, we must not 

 forget that all are not as fastidious in their tastes as 

 your correspondent appears to be, and that there are very 

 many who will gladly welcome the German carp to 

 their tables, even though it be less delicate and well 

 flavored than our choicer lands of fishes. 



It may interest some of your readers to learn that no 

 less than twelve millions of wall-eyed pike, or as we 

 know them, Susquehanna salmon, have been planted in 

 the Delaware, Schuylkill, Lehigh and Susquehanna riv- 

 ers, and that our State Fishery Commissioners have made 

 up their minds to try what can be done with the big- 

 mouth bass in the same. waters. Encouraged by the 

 marked success which has attended the introduction of 

 the black bass, the wall-eye, the rock bass and the Ger- 

 man carp, they know no reason why the big-mouth bass 

 should not thrive and multiply as well in the waters of 

 the Atlantic slope as beyond the Alleghanies and as far 

 north as Manitoba. 



Excuse this hasty screed. When I took pencil in hand 

 about an hour since, I did not think of inditing more 

 than a dozen lines, but becoming interested in my subject 

 I have scribbled away until my paper is all used up, and 

 I have nothing more to write about, except to say that on 

 Monday last a fin«3 12ilb. salmon was caught in the Dela- 

 ware a* few miles below this city. It was purchased by 

 the Anglers' Association of Eastern Pennsylvation, sub- 

 mitted to the examination of the members of the Ameri- 

 can Fisheries Society, pronounced a regular Maine salmon, 

 and afterward served up in admirable style at the great 

 planked shad dinner given at Gloucester on Thursday last. 

 We felt very proud of that salmon, though it was not by 

 any means the first taken in our river. 



A. M. Spangler. 



Philadelphia, May 18. 



SMALL CATCH OF TARPUM, 



TARPUM fishermen on the Florida coast say that the 

 extraordinary rainfall there, making river entrances 



brackish or fresh, interfered with the catch of tarpum. 



We doubt this, because the fish runs up the Homosassa 

 River in Florida and several fresh water rivers in Texas 

 long distances in pursuit of its food. The unusually cold 

 winter probably prevented the incoming of the fishes on 

 which the tarpum feeds, as it did many other species 

 belonging to the winter fauna of the Gulf of Mexico. 



Total catch of tarpum to and inclusive of April 26, at 

 Punta Rassa, Florida: 



Ft. In. Lbs. 



Feb. 28- C. A. Gryrnes 6 2 119 



March 2. W. W. Jacobus 6 — 114 



i. Thomas B. Tripler fi 4 84J^ 



7. Thomas E. Tripler 5 10 115^ 



8. Thomas E. Tripler 5 9 105J4 



9. Thomas J. Falls 5 1 70 ~ 



IB. George A. Frost 5 3 77 



18. George A. Frost 5 11 133 



31. Thomas E. Tripler 1 131 



21. George A. Frost 2J^ 141 



22. Frank L. Anthony 6 3 Wl 



%8, Thomas J. Falls 5 11 125 



20. Thomas E. Tripler 5 6 90 



27. Thomas J. Falls 5 8 99 



29. George A. Frost 6 — 127 



30. Edward Prime 5 l 78 



April 3. O. A. Wygatt 5 2 72 



■ 4. L.B. Asten 5 1 70 



S. W. E. Thorne 6 2 150 



8. R. K. Wygatt 6 1 144 



9. W. E. Thorne 6 4 141 



9. W. E. Thorne 4 11 69 



10. W. E. Thorne 5 2 85 



11. Edward Prime 6 — 116 



12. O. A. Wygatt 5 8 93 



14. O. A. Wygatt 5 3 90 



15. R. K. Wygatt 5 7 95 



17. Wm. E. Thome - 11 147 



17. Thomas B. Asten 5 9 105 



17. Frank L. Anthony 5 8 95 



19. R. K. Wygatt 5 2 61 



20. Edward Prime 6 4 134 



20. R. K. Wygatt 6 3 116 



21. Thomas B. Asten 6 1 130 



■i2. Frank L. Anthony 6 1 110 



23. Edward Prime 6 5 142 



23. Thomas B. Asten 6 125 



23. Frank L. Anthony 4 10 55 



23. Frank L. Anthony 5 3 77 



24. Frank L. Anthony , 5 4 80 



24. Edward Prime. 6 S 135 



24. Thomas B. Asten 6 5 145 



Brook Trout Streams.— From reliable sources we 

 learn that the fly-fishermen are doing well in Monroe 

 and Pike counties, Pennsylvania, A very prominent 

 member of the Pennsylvania Fish Commission, who 

 uses only the fly, caught 20 beautiful trout a few days 

 ago in the vicinity of Egypt Mills. The number of trout 

 fry planted in Monroe county last year was 200,000, while 



ike county received 150,000. 



POTOMAC ITEMS. 



WASHINGTON, May 7— The opening of the angling 

 season was never looked forward to more hope- 

 fully than this spring, but so far very little has been 

 done. The water has been muddy with the exception of 

 a few davs in April, at which time a good many black 

 bass were taken at Great Falls and other points. There 

 will be fine fishing when the water clears, as it is now 

 doing rapidly. The Evening Star here daily reports the 

 condition of the water at Great Falls, and anglers are 

 thus kept advised. Clear water is 36, and 1 is mud; 

 therefore one can readily determine whether to go fish- 

 ing or not. It will do to fish at 25 if one is after black 

 bass, but less than that only catfish and eels will take 

 hold. To-day it is reported at 24. 



One of the favorite places near this city for moderate 

 sport is at the Navy Yard bridge. The fishing is best at 

 night on account of the electric lights, which seem to 

 attract the fishes to a small radius. One evening last 

 week two young men caught 115, including 60 striped 

 bass; the rest were channel catfish and eels. The striped 

 bass were from lib. to lib. in weight. 



The catch of shad and herring this season is reported 

 as unusually large, and the shad are very fine. Theysold 

 yesterday at $10~a hundred, herring $3 a thousand. The 

 Fish Commission people claim that the increase is marked 

 and steady during the past five years, and in proportion 

 to the increase of planting the fry. In 1857 a half mil- 

 lion of shad were taken from one shore on the Potomac, 

 more than the whole river yielded twenty years after. In 

 that year 400,000 barrels of herring were taken. Now the 

 Fish Commission hope to get the product of the river up 

 to the old figures, and are confident. If they do they will 

 have to overcome the effect of innumerable nets of all 

 kinds that fill the river from Washington Monument to 

 the sea. At one point a company has a seine eight miles 

 long, which gathers up every living thing, and leaves ♦ 

 vast quantities of small fry and spawn to be killed on the 

 shore. 



I can testify to the good quality of the shad this season, 

 having dined upon it almost every day, once at Marshall 

 Hall, nearly opposite Mount Vernon, where planked shad 

 was the pierce de resistance— and veiy few resisted it. 

 You know a shad that has been roasted on a plank is 

 something for the gods, in comparison with which white 

 bait, pompano, Spa,nish mackerel and the like are very 

 ordinary provender. Come over some day soon, and with 

 Capt. Blake of the steamer Corcoran and Col. McKibben 

 of Marshall Hall, we will cause your eyes to gleam with 

 solid satisfaction. Jerome Burnett. 



Probable Advance in Fishing Gut. — Redditch, 

 April 24.— Editor Forest and Stream: We send you 

 herewith a translation of an article in a Spanish paper on 

 fishing gut, which gives a fair representation of the 

 position of the trade there. There is no doubt that gut 

 has been sold during the last two years at less than the 

 cost of production. We have received from our manager 

 of our gut factory at Murcia a letter reporting a failure 

 in this year's crop, and that it is calculated that not more 

 than half the usual quantity will be made this year. This 

 will make gut dearer. He reports that the country people 

 who breed the worms will turn their attention to silk 

 making, which will pay them better than killing the 

 worms and drawing the gut. The result of this will be 

 to restore the trade to a healthy position, so that those 

 who breed the worms and those who make the gut may 

 look forward to obtaining fairly renumerative prices.— S, 

 Allcock & Co. [The translation referred to states that 

 large stocks of gut are held in England .which is the princi- 

 pal market for the Murcia product, and the demand will 

 necessarily be smaller than in previous years. This 

 would result in low prices to the producers, who are 

 already discouraged by the foolish competition among 

 the ''h'ijueleros," and are going into other business.] 



Trout in Delaware County, N. Y.— New York, 

 May 20. — Just returned from De Silva's, Grant's Mills, 

 Delaware county, N. Y. Found streams much lower 

 than usual this time of year and trout quite plenty. I 

 had the pleasure of bringing home my first 21bs. trout, a 

 beauty. I have fished in Delaware county for the past 

 ten years, and you can imagine my delight when this 

 one fell to my lot. It seemed a pity, indeed, to take such 

 a beautiful trout from his home. You can say to the 

 boys I had no trouble in passing the ever-watchful game 

 warden with this fine fellow that measured over 6in. 

 Mr. Wui. Reed, of Liberty street, assisted in landing the 

 fish. Mr. Thomas Lawrence, an old trout fisherman 

 from New York, caught during the week six 12in. trout. 

 With a little more care and consideration on the part of 

 residents in this locality (whom, I am sorry to say, are 

 trout hogs) this stream would be one of the best in New 

 York State. I think all will agree with me that most 

 trout caught are taken from streams by inhabitants, who 

 go for number and not size. — H. C. W, 



Fish Wealth in Great Lakes.— Mr. C. V. Osborne, 

 President of the Ohio Fish Commission, informs us that 

 yellow perch were so common during the last fishing 

 season that they were given away. Lake herring (Core- 

 gonus artedi) were bringing only a half cent a pound on 

 the United States shores, and the Canadians could not 

 afford to ship them because the duty w r as equal to the 

 value of the fish. 700 tons of fish were left in the freez- 

 ers at the opening of this season's fishing. This year's 

 catch will show a falling off because of the over supply 



Fly-Casting Tournaments.— The tournament at the 

 Harlem Mere, in Central Park, this city, opens this morn- 

 ing and will continue through to-day and to-morrow. 

 There will be a tournament of the Fly-fishermen's Club 

 of Indianapolis, May 81, at Broadcut on the canal. The 

 several contests will be open to all competitors and the 

 prizes will consist of reels, rods, fly-books, wading boots, 

 etc. The secretary is Mr. Jesse H. Blair. Hon. Byron 

 K. Elliott, Dr. P. G. D. Hunt and Capt. Dewitt Wallace 

 will judge. 



Abundance of Shad. — We have referred to the general 

 large yield of shad this season and now find that parties 

 are salting this species on the Delaware for the first time 

 in many years. The catch in this river is the greatest 

 for 15 to 20 years. The price now is $12 per 100 fish; the 

 lowest wholesale price in former years was $25 per 100. 



