470 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



THE PIKE-PERCH. 



THE number of pike-perch annually hatched by arti- 

 ficial methods is enormous. Not many years ago 

 the treatment of adhesive eggs was one of the great dif- 

 ficulties of fisheultuve. "We have not at hand a descrip- 

 tion of the apparatus used by Midler and Brown in 1857, 

 when they conveyed 20.000,000 eggs of the pike-perch 

 from Lake Ontario to Lake Saltonstall, Connecticut, and 

 we do not know whether any of the eggs were hatched; 

 but it was formerly the practice to allow the eggs to ad- 

 here to glass plate?, which they did by means of a sticky 

 envelope covering tile shell. It was in this way that Liv- 

 ingston Stone hatched some of the eggs of the Cold Spring 

 trout ponds- in Charlestown, New Hampshire, many 

 years ago. It is astonishing to note the radical changes 

 which take place in the handling of eggs. A few years 

 ago it was believed to be necessary to let adhesive eggs 

 stick naturally to glass surfaces, or to threads which were 

 suspended in jars or boxes. We have recently learned 

 from Mr. C. V. O^born, President of the Ohio Fish Com- 

 mission, that his men, at the expense of a great deal of 

 time and trouble, wash off the sticky substance from the 

 pike-perch eggs, and then place them in jars to be hatched 

 in the way followed in hatching the eggs of shad, white- 

 fish and other common species. The Ohio Commissioners 

 distributed 60,000,000 fry of the pike-perch in all parts 

 of the State last year. Canada put out 25,000.000 fry 

 from the hatchery at Sandwich, Ontario, and the total 

 number of young planted to date bv the Dominion is 

 172,135,900. Pennsylvania distributed 12,000,000 ;in its 

 eastern waters recently, as stated in Forest and Stream 

 of May 23. The U. S. Fish Commission has distributed 

 about 60,000.000 up to the present time, having just begun 

 the work. As this is one of the finest food and game 

 fishes of the United States, we dwell with considerable 

 gratification upon the enormous results of its artificial 

 propagation. 



Anglers are, of course, aware that we have two well 

 marked species of pike-perch, or wall-eye pike, in our 

 waters, and each of these has two or more varieties dif- 

 fering in size and coloration. The choicest of the number 

 is the large golden species inhabiting the Great Lake 

 region, extending northward into British America to an 

 unknown distance, but placed at 58° north latitude by 

 Eichardson. It is said to range south westward to Arkan- 

 sas, and in Atlantic streams it is recorded as far south as 

 Georgia. The blue pike is the variety salmoneum of Ohio 

 and Kansas; the distribution of both varieties is insuf- 

 ficiently known. The form best known to anglers and 

 fishculturists is Stizostedion vitreum, variety vitreum. 

 This is credited with a maximum weight of about oOlbs. 

 according to Genio C. Scott, but the average weight as 

 found in the markets is under 51bs. 



The pike-perch has received a bewildering number of 

 names. In the Eastern States it is the perch-pike, pike- 

 perch. Susquehanna salmon, glass-eye and wall-eyed 

 pike* In the Great Lake region it is called blue pike, 

 yellow pike, green pike and grass pike. It is the jack of 

 the Ohio Valley and western North Carolina; the pickerel 

 in Lake Erie and Canada; white salmon and sometimes 

 jack salmon at the falls of the Ohio. The Cree Indians 

 call it the okow, and the French Canadians dore or 

 picarel. It is the horn fish of the fur traders of British 

 America, 



The spawning season occurs in April and May, and, in 

 Pennsylvania, continues until June. Favorite places are 

 sandbars over which the water is shallow. The period of 

 incubation depends upon the temperature, varying from 

 about a fortnight to one month. The eggs vary from 

 about 17 to 25 in lin., and the number in a single female 

 has been estimated at from 200,000 to 300,000. In a state 

 of nature the eggs are subject to very serious dangers, 

 and a very small percentage of them are hatched out; 

 storms drive them up on to the lake shores, and many 

 species of fishes devour them on the spawning beds. 



The rate of growth must be rapid, for we captured 

 many of the young last summer for the Fish Commission 

 aquaria at the Cincinnati Exposition, and the smallest of 

 them in July were not less than 4in. long and some were 

 6in. 



The colors change remarkably with age. The young 

 are banded very much like the kingfish of the coast, not 

 closely resembling the parent in pattern of coloration. 

 The eye of the living fish is like a glowing emerald. The 

 flesh of the pike-perch is firm and white, flaky and well 

 flavored. Commercially, the species ranks very high in 

 the Great Lake region, being next to the whitefish in 

 inyportance. 



This fish feeds *on the bottom, its food consisting of 

 other fishes, and it is not very particular Avhat species it 

 devours. Some people charge it with destroying its own 

 young; minnows, however, are readily accepted as bait. 

 It prefers clear and rapid waters, and lurks under sub- 

 merged logs and rocks, from which it can readily dart 

 upon its living prey. 



In the Susquehanna it is angled for and readily taken 

 by using live bait — minnows representing numerous 

 genera of the family Cy}>rinidce, but particularly such as 

 are more or less transparent, with silvery sides. The fall- 

 fish or dace, the corporal, roach, and species of the genera 

 Lii.vilus and Hybognathus are freely used. The artificial 

 fly can be employed to great advantage also, particularly 

 in cold weather in the vicinity of dams. On some parts 

 of the Susquehanna, between Columbia and Harrisburg, 

 the pike-perch is frequently caught by trolling with the 

 spoon, the tackle being the same as that used m trolling 

 for bass. The favorite fishing grounds of the lower Sus- 

 quehanna are reached by the Columbia and Port Deposit 

 Railroad. Fite's Eddy is one of the best places; Wash- 

 ington, three miles below Columbia, is another good loca- 

 tion. The species is well distributed throughout the 

 river and its larger tributaries, the Juniata and North 

 Branch being especially noted. 



In fishing for the pike-perch it is to be remembered 

 that the species is a bottom fish, and the angler must 

 keep his bait near the bottom. The tackle generally used 

 for black bass is suitable for the pike-perch, and it is 

 desirable sometimes to use a float. In the Ohio River Dr. 

 Henshall has been informed that fishing with hook and 

 line is excellent froni Marietta to Pittsburg. In this 

 region the fish is called salmon. Mr. Goode says there is 

 no better fishing anywhere for this species than may be 

 found in Lake Pepin and other waters near Lake City, 

 Minnesota. Winter fishing through the ice with live- 

 minnow bait is very successful on Lake Pepin. As in the 

 case with the shad and other anadromous fishes, the 



important fishery for the pike-perch occurs during the 

 spawning season only, and like the shad the fish is in its 

 best condition at that time. 



The pike-perch has a near relative in American waters 

 known as the sauger. Stizostedion cauadense, which runs 

 into several varieties, but none of them grow very large 

 and all of them are inferior to the S. vitreum. In Europe 

 there are several species of pike-perch, the one most 

 nearly resembling our large species being the zander of 

 the large rivers of the continent. This species, also, pre- 

 fers clear, deep, flowing water, and is generally found in 

 the depths. It spawns at the same season as our own pike- 

 perch in shallow spots abounding with aquatic plants ex- 

 cept in Swedish lakes, where it spawns in deep water. 

 The zander is said to reach a length of 3 to 4ft. and a 

 weight of 25 to 301bs. In the German markets, however, 

 specimens of over four pounds in weight are rare. The 

 species can be caught with the bait from Juue until Sep- 

 tember, its favorite food is the gudgeon (Gobio Jlaviatilis) 

 but, like its American relative, it will also take insect 

 larva?, crayfish, worms and other invertebrates. 



THE LAKE ELLERSLIE FISHING CLUB. 



" I" CAUGHT fourteen bream on silver-doctor and pro- 



JL fessor in the middle of last winter," said Al. Spots- 

 wood, "I had to fish through the ice, and tne fish took 

 the fly right at the bottom." 



"Alex. Jeffrey has often caught birds on a fly," said 

 George Williams, gravely. 



"Wasn't it you that caught a blacksnake on a fly once, 

 Al?" asked W. K. Massie of Mr. Spotswood. 



"Yes," replied the latter, "I was fishing out at the 

 reservoir, and had out a pretty long line. The snake took 

 the fly in good shape, and played well, but I finally landed 

 him." 



"I caught a goose on a fly once," mused Mr. Massie, 

 "but I don't remember that I ever caught anything else, 

 except fish." 



I preserved a respectful silence, for I could think of 

 nothing but Kit North's story in the "Noctes Anihros- 

 ianai," of how he once cast a fly so far and so lightly that 

 it took life and wings and flew' off across the mountains. 

 I was afraid the other fish story tellers would recognize 

 this story, because it was evident that there was assem- 

 bled in the little office a number of old hands, so that 

 nothing but a gilt-edged yarn would go. 



The rich Kentucky sun shone warmly through the 

 window, and silence and drowsiness fell upon the party, 

 as each waited for the other to set a pattern. 



"You people must sort of — that is, occasionally — you 

 know—" I ventured at length , diffidently. 



"Oh, yes, we fish with the fly a little," said somebody, 

 "we have a club. There are about 200 of us. We fish 

 out at the reservoir. It's only about four miles. Come 

 on and go out." 



It being at length established that these gentlemen 

 usually caught something else besides birds, geese and 

 snakes, the remaining preliminaries for a fishing trip 

 were rapidly concluded. This was the first introduction 

 of the Lake Ellerslie Fishing Club, of Lexington, Ky., 

 and it marked one more of the constant surprises which 

 Kentucky had in store; for in this organization I found 

 the strongest fly-fishing club I ever happened to meet, 

 was treated to some genuine sport at the fly, and saw 

 once more a proof of the growing hold that sports of the 

 wood and stream are gaining upon the very best social 

 element all over the land. 



Lake Ellerslie Club is but a few years old, but a glance 

 at the list of its members will show any Lexington man, 

 at least, that its social and financial status is quite above 

 any question; while it requires but a very slight investi- 

 gation of its piscatorial resources to remove any remain- 

 ing doubt about its worthiness to receive the seal of 

 absolute approval as a fishing club of the very first water. 

 Its membership is made up exclusively of Lexington gen- 

 tleman, and its lists are always full. Shares were origi- 

 nally sold at $30 each, but now they cannot be bought at 

 .$100. There is too high an appreciation of the privilege 

 of taking a half hour's ride any evening, and having an 

 hour's sport with a fly-rod at a spot where one is almost 

 sure to kill a creel full of bream, bass and other game fish. 



The fishing grounds of the club lie in a spot naturally 

 quiet and beautiful, and which, for a wonder, has been 

 rendered rather more pleasant than less so by the admin- 

 istrations of man. The lake, or "Reservoir," as it is com- 

 monly called, because of the location there of the city 

 water works, is a winding sheet of water which covers 

 rather more than eighty acres of land. At its lower end 

 it is fenced with a strong stone dam: midway it is crossed 

 by Lexington turnpike, the viaduct being a heavy stone 

 culvert. The arm of the lake to the left of the culvert as 

 you go out is called "Tracey-side." About half way be- 

 tween the culvert and the dam, to the right hand, stands 

 the engine house of the water works, which is a sort of 

 rendezvous for the fishing parties, although there is no 

 regular club house. There could hardly be said to be any 

 need for the latter. To reach the engine house you pass 

 through a big Kentucky gate, and roll over a short turn 

 of road at the top of a well-sodded bank. To your left 

 lies a deep arm of the lake with rocky bank, and just off 

 here you can catch croppies all day long if you care to 

 use bait. At the engine house there is a little bridge 

 which runs out to the well-tank. The water is deep 

 under this bridge, and the way the croppies bite there is 

 a caution. This bridge is a favorite place for parties 

 having ladies among the number. The latter may step 

 from their carriages, walk a few steps over the springy 

 turf, step upon the planks of the bridge, lean over the 

 handrail, and fish in a delightful style, whose luxurious- 

 nees and ease is hardly consistent with its actual results. 

 There is no necessity for elaborate special costumes, nor 

 for specially negligent ones. I saw a number of ladies 

 dressed in tasteful street costumes, who were fishing 

 from this delectable little bridge, and they caught be- 

 tween two or three hundred fish, too. With its setting of 

 quiet green and sunset gold, the picture afforded by the 

 little bridge was a singularly pleasant and unique one; 

 and I give my word there was a fish in the air all the 

 time. 



This extreme plentifulness of the fish supply is due to 

 two causes. In the first place, the lake is a natural home 

 for fish, being fed by cold "spring branches" and by 

 springs of its own. It is from 12 to 20ft. deep in places, 

 and has acreage enough and natural food enough to sus- 

 tain a vast amount of fish life. In the second place, the ! 



waters have been stocked repeatedly, abundantly, and, 

 above all, intefligently. The stocking was begun by the 

 late Gen. Win. C. Preston, who owned the Surrounding 

 land, and who, as I understand it, originally leased the 

 fishing privileges to the club. Since taking possession, 

 the club has annually stocked the waters. They were 

 heavily planted two years ago, some of the young fish 

 being obtained from the Fish Commissioners, but the 

 great bulk of them being native fishes obtained from 

 Kentucky streams. This is the most sensible method of 

 stocking any waters; that is to say, with fishes native to 

 that locality. They are the ones sure to thrive. In this 

 case, the plant consisted largely of bream, croppies 

 (called "new lights" in that country), sunfish, goggle- 

 eyes, perch and bass. Some carp had also been planted 

 before the club took possession, and it is said that two or 

 three dozen mascallonge were once planted, of which one 

 was recently taken, 28in. in length. The planting of carp 

 cannot be of any possible benefit to a fishing club, and 

 may be a detriment, if the carp do feed upon the spawn 

 of other fishes, as it is very probable they do. It would 

 be well for the club not to put in any more carp, and , 

 better yet, never to dream of putting another mascallonge 

 into their lake. The latter fish grows with such rapidity, 

 and is so unspeakably voracious, that it is certain to spoil 

 infinitely more good sport than it can ever afford. No 

 bream or perch ever grows so large that a full-grown 

 mascallonge cannot swallow him at a gulp, and it takes 

 a good many such gtdps to satisfy one of these long- 

 faced pirates. If the Lake Ellerslie men do not make 

 away with the mascallonge they have put into their 

 waters, it is only a question of time until the lake has but 

 a single fish, and that will be a mascallonge that will 

 crawl out at night and steal sheep. Eighty acres is not 

 water enough for mascallonge and little fishes to occupy 

 together, except in so close a personal relation as would 

 hardly please the latter. Much better, though not especi- 

 ally desirable, are the catfish, which formed a small per 

 cent, of the total plant put in. These have been heard 

 from, but not in numbers sufficient to show them trouble- 

 some. 



The efficiency of the measures of the club in stocking 

 their preserve may be seen from the estimate that 400,000 

 fish are annually taken out by the members of the club, 

 the majority being killed with the fly. I do not think 

 this current estimate can be very largely in excess. I am 

 satisfied that I saw 1,000 fish taken by anglers within the 

 range of vision on one evening I fishea at this lake, and 

 there were numbers of fishers further down ihe lak< ; . It 

 is nothing for an angler to take a creelful in an evening's 

 fishing, and that would commonly mean forty to fifty 

 fish, as the catch runs small. The excellence and ease of 

 such fishing attracts a large turnout on almost every 

 pleasant evening of the fishing season; and as the season 

 begins in April and continues until late in the fall it may 

 be imagined what is the total number of fish taken. 



The commonest fish in the Reservoir is the croppy, or 

 "new light." This fish was unknown in Kentucky until 

 the building of the "Toledo Canal," which c-:nnohled 

 northern Ohio waters with the channel of the Ohio River. 

 From the latter stream the li-li worked up Hie Kentucky 

 tributaries, and first became noticeably numerous at about 

 the time of the first appearance of the religious followers 

 of Alexander Campbell, who were called Campbellites, or 

 sometimes, after their own professions and Benai--eon- 

 temptuously, "New Lights." The sectarians and the fish 

 caught the name at the same time, and for the latter it 

 has clung tenaciously even till now. and is indeed almost 

 the only name understood for that fish in the country 

 which I visited, I am told that this fish attains a weight 

 of four pounds or more in the south. I never saw one 

 anything like so large as that. The size most common at 

 Lake Ellerslie was a trifle larger than ore's hand; the 

 average weight would therefore run between a quarter 

 and a half of a pound, and be closer to the former, per- 

 haps. This would indicate the prevalence of the plant of 

 a certain year, possibly that of two years ago. The fish 

 taken are larger this year than last, and in a few years 

 more the sport at this preserve on these fish will be grand, 

 as they will then be large enough to afford more play. 

 We found the croppies here the free biters "that they usu- 

 ally are. Mr. Williams, Mr. Massie and myself fished 

 leisurely through the day, and when we came to string- 

 up our fish at night we found the string so long that none 

 of us could lift it clear of the ground. "We'd have had 

 a pretty nice string," said Mr. Williams as he tugged up 

 the bank, "but when I was putting on that last lot the 

 string broke, and I lost fifty or sixty new lights and 

 bream." 



Small minnows are readily taken by the croppies here 

 during the day, and they often rise to the fly during the 

 day, although the fly is then more apt to attract the sun- 

 fish and black perch. In the evening we found them 

 rising to the fly as readily as trout, and on the light tackle 

 used at these waters the sport was exceedingly fine. Al- 

 though the new light cannot be said to be a very long 

 fighter, it certainly rises gamely and strikes in earnest. 

 Sometimes two or three are taken at a cast. We found 

 professor about the best fly for steady work on the new 

 lights, or at least the one most in use. Brown-hackle, 

 Seth-Green and coachman were favorites next in order, 

 and flies allied to those models were taken almost equally 

 well. I presume I was the first to try Parmachene-belle 

 on Lake Ellerslie. This, it will be remembered, is well 

 hackled out with scarlet, the hackles also blending in 

 with the white wings. My specimens came near being 

 scarlet and white hackles, with coachman as stretcher, 

 brown-hackle first dropper and Parmachene-belle as top 

 dropper. I killed five new lights out of six on the belle, 

 the other one taking the hackle. It was about half an 

 hour before sundown. A few moments later the bream 

 began to monopolize things, and these seemed to take to 

 the old reliable coachman, perhaps because it was grow- 

 ing darker. 1 left a few of the Parmachene-belle with 

 my friends, and Mr. Massie wrote, under date of May 23: 



"The daisy red and white fly left us by yourself while 

 here on the following day attracted a 2- pound bass, which 

 was enjoyed, broiled, the next morning for breakfast. 

 * * * Al Spotswood caught a 134-pound catfish this morn- 

 ing. If George writes, and tells you it was 18, you can 

 strike the proper average." 



Mr. Massie doe3 not state whether or not Mr. Spots- 

 wood took his catfish on the fly, but I am satisfied that a 

 man who would catch a blacksnake on a fly would not 

 hesitate to catch a catfish in the same manner. As to 

 the bass, they were not rising much to the fly at the 

 time of my visit, but soon began to rise more readily. 



