8 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[July 26, 1888. 



THE EAST COAST OF LONG ISLAND. 



THE pound fish era and the hook and line committee 

 have been very busy this season and good catches 

 have been made. This year's fishing has been unusually 

 early and successful, as the sea bass and blackfish are 

 and have been plenty. From. Montauk Point through 

 Fort Pond Bay, Gardiner's Bay, Peconic Bays and Nayoc 

 Bay, some three or four hundred pounds are set, a dis- 

 tance of fifty miles, and also from Orient Point to head 

 of Peeonic Bay, a distance of forty miles. These pounds 

 capture all fish coming in from the ocean that follow the 

 inshore line, and chief of the fish take that course — to 

 their great destruction. These fish find a market at all 

 the towns on the east coast, but the great body of them 

 go to supply the New York market. 



The fish are of great variety, the good fish (eatable) 

 consisting of weakfish, bluefish, sea bass, striped bass, 

 Spauish mackerel, skeepshead, ijorgies and shiners (but- 

 ter fish) and bonitas. They also take in vast numbers 

 the uneatable fish, such as menhaden, sea robins, "old 

 maids" (small skate), very large skate and stingarees, 

 sculpins, swellfish and quantities of spider crabs. All 

 these latter fish are sold to farmers to enrich the land, at 

 a rate of $1.50 per thousand. The menhaden are sold 

 also to fish factories, and together with the sea robins are 

 ground and pressed for oil and scrap. But comparatively 

 few menhailen were caught in June, as the fishing 

 steamers generally, by mutual agreement, postponed 

 their work until the month of July. This is owing to this 

 fact, probably because the menhaden fishing last season 

 proved a decided failure aud great loss to the owners of 

 steamers, yachts and factories, many of whom employ as 

 many as sixty men at considerable expense. But the 

 early withdrawal of so many steamers will probably have 

 the good effect to allow a large increase of the fish, in 

 their being able to reach their spawning grounds. 



We have never found better fishing for sea bass than 

 during this season, and the blackfish (tautog) also have 

 been plentiful. These latter fish reach these waters early, 

 and before the sea bass are here, but then they disappear 

 into deeper waters, returning early in October. We are 

 located with our boat and shanty within ten rods of the 

 Sound shore, and so can watch the winds and tides and 

 know when to launch the boat. At our little shanty we 

 can at leisure read, smoke, practice with rifle and revol- 

 ver, and write occasional articles for the sportsmen's 

 journals, many of which have appeared for years in those 

 excellent publications. 



For sea bass we use menhaden and clam bait: for black- 

 fish we use fiddler crabs and clams. But in this hot 

 weather the bunker bait soon spoils and becomes soft, 

 and the dainty fish will not snap at them, or if they do 

 so, they steal the jelly-like lure at the merest nibble; so 

 it is a good plan to salt them down in brine, and then 

 they make a hard and attractive bait. Wc have been out 

 for them some seven or eight times for two or three hours' 

 sport with two lines out, and have taken 476 good speci- 

 mens of sea bass, ranging from one pound to four. We 

 hope they will continue all the season to be as numerous 

 and hungry for food. Small sharks and big dogfish are 

 often taken in the pounds on the Sound, but the porpoises 

 never come in near enough to be caught. We see daily 

 large schools of these great, tumbling creatures careering 

 in the Sound, but they take their course a mile from 

 shore. We often see the. big, silvery sturgeon leaping in 

 the Sound, but we know of but one instance where one 

 was in the pound, and he broke clean through the nets 

 and escaped, to the great chagrin of the pound men. 



Isaac McLellan. 



Greknpout, Long Island. 



EXPERIENCE AT LAKE EDWARDS. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



I have just returned from a trip of nearly three weeks' 

 duration in the region of Lake St. John, P. Q. 



Our party consisted of six, all but one of whom were 

 quite familiar with lake fly-fishing in Maine. Our - route 

 was by Central Vermont R. R., etc., to Montreal; Cana- 

 dian Pacific to Quebec; Quebec & Lake St. John to Cbain- 

 bord Junction on Lake St. John. The country north from 

 Quebec abounds in lakes, large and small, a great number 

 of which are seen from the cars as one rides through this 

 wilderness of 190 miles. After passing Riviere-a-Pierre, 

 fifty-eight miles from Quebec, the wilderness is absolutely 

 unbroken for the entire distance to Lake St. John except 

 by the railroad just opened to the public. This lake, or 

 great inland sea, is about forty miles long and nearly cir- 

 cular in form. Its vast surface is almost unbroken by 

 islands, and its depth is said to average 100 ft. Near the. 

 Grand Discharge, which is the head of the Saguenay 

 River, a~e a few small islands near the easterly shore, 

 and we noticed two others off the southwest shore, not 

 very far from the mouth of the Ouiatchouan River. The 

 lake is fed by many large rivers, the Mistassinni and Peri- 

 bonca being the largest. 



We were much surprised to learn that the lake con- 

 tained no ixout, The only fish worthy of mention is the 

 "ouinaniche" (landlocked salmon), only two of which we 

 took with a fly during the three days we spent at that 

 lake, where those fresh-water sharks, the pike and pick- 

 erel, are nionarchs of all they survey, except the poach- 

 er's gill-nets. Other fish are there, such as suckers, dace, 

 dore, cusk and eels, but the salmon is the only game 

 fish in the lake, and 1 have no doubt that late in the sea- 

 son they may furnish fine sport for fly-fishermen on the 

 rapids of any of the rivers entering the lake. Through 

 the kindness of Mr. W. H. H. Murray we were, when at 

 Quebec, introduced to Mr. William A, G-riffith, who owns 

 not only the land but all fishing rights at the Grand Dis- 

 charge, winch is said to be the best location for salmon 

 fishing yet discovered about the lake. He kindly gave us 

 permits to fish and camp on his property, but owing to the 

 water being very much higher than usual, very few sal- 

 mon weie taken at any place, and we therefore decided 

 to return to Lake Edward, seventy miles south from Lake 

 St. John. 



Lake Edward (or Lac des Gran des Lies) is about twenty - 

 five miles in length with numerous isla nds of all conceiv- 

 able forms and dimensions, cutting such antics with the 

 water that one often thinks he has almost reached its 

 end, when suddenly the boat rounds a point and shoots a 

 narrow passage of perhaps not more than fifty yards in 

 width or length, and finds himself at sea again, with 

 miles of open lake before him, the distant shore of winch 

 will again deceive him like the last. If there is hidden 

 away in this wild tract a more beautifully diversified I 



sheet of water than this "Lake of the Great Islands," I 

 have not seen it yet. The railroad follows the easterly 

 shore at its upper and northerly extremity for a distance 

 of perhaps two miles. The repair shops 'of the road are 

 located at this place, also a store, hotel, hoarding house 

 and thirteen small houses. Good boats, guides, tents and 

 supplies can be obtained here of Mr. Walter Hoolihan, 

 local agent for the road. Permits for camping and fish- 

 ing on this and all lakes owned by the railroad may be 

 seemed by applying to Mr. J, W. Barker, tourist agent 

 for Quebec & Lake St. John Railway, opposite St. Louis 

 Hotel, Quebec. We camped three miles from the rail- 

 road station on the southwest shore, where Mr. Murray 

 and family were camped last fall and Where he wrote the 

 "Doom of Mamelons." 



Mere we enjoyed all the comforts and luxuries of camp 

 life — the beautiful scenery of lake, island and mountain; 

 the almost endless forests of spruce, balsam, cedar and 

 birch, winch lend their fragrance to the fresh, cool air of 

 this wild region; the tvout^Salvelimis fontinalis) existing 

 here in such numbers and'of such size that I dare not tell 

 you the whole truth. I never dreamed that any water in 

 the world was so stocked with trout as are these lakes. 

 But we also endured all the horrors that flies and mos- 

 quitoes are capable of inflicting, and all the disappoint- 

 ment arising from the fact that we were unable to make 

 any of the large trout rise to the fly ; bushels, even boat- 

 loads, might be taken with bait, but only small ones 

 responded to the fly. We saw no fish at Lake Edward 

 but trout, dace and yellow perch; millions of the small 

 perch furnish the trout with an unlimited quantity of food. 

 With a small piece of dace or perch on a stout hook we 

 could at any time in fifteen minutes supply our camp for 

 the next twenty-four hours with trout weighing from 2 

 to S^lbs. each, and of unsurpassed quality. 



We were told by gentlemen there, that the trout rise 

 greedily in July and August. If that should prove to be 

 true, then Moosehead, Grand Lake and the Rangeleys will 

 furnish but tame sport in comparison with Lake Edward, 

 Kiskisink, St. George, Commissaires, Batiscan and per- 

 haps fifty others of this wonderful chain. Whe*n we 

 take into consideration the fact that the portion of coun- 

 try lying between this St. John railrpad on the west, the 

 Saguenay River on the north, and the St. Lawrence on 

 the south and east, having an area of upward of fifteen 

 thousand square miles, is little more than an unexplored 

 wilderness, except just along the St, Lawrence River, 

 probably as abundantly supplied with lakes, and the lakes 

 with trout, as this narrow belt along the railroad between 

 Quebec and Lake St. John, and that Canada has several 

 more sections similar to the above, we may readily be- 

 lieve with Mr. Murray that many generations yet to come 

 will enjoy the notable sport of "taking troute with ye 

 Aye." 



I cannot close this hasty sketch of our trip without 

 mentioning the untiring kindness and attention of the 

 officers of the Quebec & St. John R. R. Nothing possible 

 for our comfort was left undone by them. 



Geo. F. Gale. 



Bkattlebouo, Vt., June 30. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



In yesterday's Providence Journal appeared a letter 

 from one of a party which included the Mayor of Provi- 

 dence which had just returned from a trip to Lake Ed- 

 ward. I cut it out to send to you but have mislaid it 

 and can't find it. They went first to another lake : whose 

 name I forget, and had bad luck; then at Lake Edward 

 they struck it rich; three rods taking 401bs. in two 

 horns, several over albs., one of 51bs. Piseco. 



Jamkptoo, R. I., July 13. 



A SCOTCH GILLIE. 



THE London Fishing Gazette tells the following good 

 story of a Highland "gUlie," or '•guide," as he would 

 be called in America: 



From Melvich Hotel, which is pleasantly situated on 

 the green slopes of the Northern seaboard — and where 

 near by is the Bay of Bighouse with its beautiful white 

 sandy tracts and stupendous coast cliff scenery to the 

 east, and whence on a clear day can be seen the Orkneys 

 with the Old Man of Hoy looming out of the ocean — re- 

 markbly good rock fishing for euddings and seillocks and 

 deep sea fishing for cod and ling, for which latter nice 

 boats are provided by the hotel keeper, can be enjoyed 

 without any distance of a Avalk, or expense other than 

 the boatman's lunch and fee. As a hand to guide gen- 

 tlemen engaging in this sort of fishing no one is better 

 qualified or has a more intimate knowledge of the haunts 

 of the fish, than Sandy Mackay "Skeira." Sandy is a 

 rummy old blade, loquacious to a degree, but an adept 

 withal at the fishing. He it was that many years ago 

 dressed the flies that took the monster trout on Loch 

 Baugall. The story of the capture of these wonderful 

 trout Sandy yet relates with a keen relish. 



A gentleman then fishing the loch had Sandy as gillie, 

 and knowing that there were numbers of big trout, al- 

 though he was not getting any of the very big fellows, 

 he promised Sandy a handsome reward in the shape of a 

 big drink if he would put him in the way of capturing a 

 few. Sandy was equal to the occasion. Next morning, 

 as the two plodded their way through the moor, Sandy 

 took out and drew his shentleman's attention to a couple 

 of huge tawdry flies with jackdaw wing, black hackle 

 and blue wonted body, which he had dressed by candle 

 the evening before. He assured Mr. C. that these flies 

 would work the oracle. Doubtful Mr. C. looked at them, 

 but said he would give them a good trial, Arrived at the 

 loch ho had rigged up and was just about to mount some 

 of his own flies when Sandy interposed. "Na, na, man, 

 ye maun jist try my flees; they'll tak' the troots, an' I'm 

 nae to be deen oot o' my dram." Having no alternative 

 Mi - . C. slipped on a couple of Sandy's jackdaw flies, and 

 fished the north end of the loch without a rise. Here 

 they left bag and lunch-bag and went round to the rocks 

 on the west side, where, it is well known, the big trout 

 are wont to resort. Sandy seated himself high on the 

 rocks to watch the operations, and Mr. C. down below 

 waded in a little, and casting to a likely spot, third cast 

 he had a thumper, which, jumping clear out of the water, 

 showed a good 6-pounder! Overjoyed. Mr. C. shouted 

 loudly in his glee, "Hi, hi, Sandy, run for the flask all 

 your "might!" Off like a deerhound went Sandy, and 

 breathless after his half-mile run through the heather 

 and up and down hill at high pressure, into the lunch-bag 

 he dived for the flask; but, tell it not, flask there was 



none, and crestfallen, and with a rueful face, back sul- 

 lenly paced Sandy, hot and dry,toteJltbat the well-filled 

 flask was not, and at that moment, presumably, was lying 

 in Mr. C.'s room at the hotel, three miles away. The fun 

 got fast and furious, and big trout after big trout was 

 landed, but Sandy was in the dumps. It was no enjoy- 

 ment to him to see the big fellows pulled in one after 

 another. He suspected Mr. C. of having played him a 

 practical joke, and all the more reason had he for this 

 suspicion, as after he got back to the hotel Mr. C, instead 

 of giving him the much-boas ted -of "big drink," only gave 

 him a "mere toothful." 



Sandy took it; in one sense, however, it was too much 

 for him to stand. But Sandy was cunning and cute as 

 the best of Hielammen, and vowed, though he did not tell 

 it, that one day he would have his revenge in some shape 

 or other. He had only to wait till next year, when Mr. 

 C. again turned up at Melvich. Gillied once more by 

 Sandy, whom he had duly requested to dress a few more 

 jackdaw flies, he set out "for Baligall early one morning 

 in high hope. On went the waders, and in went Mr. C. , 

 and oidy a few casts had he made when io! a boil, a 

 slight tug, and right out the water leaped a splendid 

 trout — a good 4-pounder. But what was the matter? 

 The line floated loosely, and reeling it in Mr. C. saw to 

 his chagrin that the point fly was gone. Inwardly Sandy 

 chuckled at this to himself, and assured Mr. C. that since 

 the previous year he had lost the "hand of the master," 

 in fact that he had lost the trout "by holding on too hard." 

 Sandy loudly blamed Mr. C. as trout after trout was lost in 

 a similar way till whole seven flies were gone, and not one 

 was left. As disgusted as any one possibly could be, Mr. 

 C. tossed the fishing up, hurried back to the hotel, fum- 

 ing all the way, and next morning packed up hurriedly 

 and left Melvich never again to return. Same weeks 

 after Sandy let the cat out of the bag by telling how, 

 hoaxed by Mr. C. the previous year, he bad turned the 

 tables on him by dressing the whole seven "jackdaws" 

 so loosely that the trout, he was sure, would make off 

 with every one of them without any ado. "Ye see," he 

 said, "it was na' that he did na' gae me the whiska he 

 promised, which he wad niver hae missed; it was that he 

 hoaxed me; an as he hoaxed me wi' nae gaeiug me th' 

 whiska, I hoaxed him wi' nae lettin' him hae th' troots. 

 I'm mebbe bit a puir Hielan' fisherman, but I've a' my 

 wits aboot me when they're needit." 



Marquette, Mich., July 14.— The Mining Journal, 

 whose editor is one of the best fishermen in this part of 

 the State, reports that some very big scores are being 

 made this season by the local anglers, and although the 

 most expert users of the rod and line are usually the 

 most secretive about their movements and catch, the re- 

 porter has found out a few of them. Late Tuesday night 

 D. H. Merritt, F. W. Merritt and W. J. Stevens returned 

 from a day on the rocks down the shore, bringing in 

 forty-four pounds of elegant trout. The biggest "was 

 caught by F. W. Merritt and weighed a little over four 

 pounds, several weighed two and a half pounds dressed. 

 In the rivers the fishing appears equally good. E. B. 

 Palmer and his son Louis came back from the Ghocol ay 

 recently with two big baskets packed full, Ira C. Ed- 

 wards came in Monday from Dead River with forty fine 

 ones, the biggest one registering over two pounds on the 

 scales, while Tuesday afternoon a three and a half 

 pounder was captured from the bridge at the mouth of 

 the river. This last fish made a big fight. The first thing- 

 he did was to smash the bamboo pole and make for the 

 lake. The parties who are camping there at once got a 

 boat and went out after him, and after, a long chase the 

 broken rod was recovered and the big feilow towed 

 ashore, still full of fight. Other good catches are report- 

 ed nearly every day. The best Mining Journal score to 

 date is a twelve-pound basket filled even full in one hour 

 and a half, though the Merritt haul exceeds that by a 

 large majority. 



The Neversink Valley.— July 19.— Friday and Satur- 

 day of the past week were spent in the Neversink Val- 

 ley. Fished some small brooks running into the Never- 

 sink, but found fishing very poor. Saturday fished the 

 Wi lowwemoc and got sixty fish, but they ran very small. 

 Saw and heard a number of partridges on this trip along 

 the stream, as I did also when there last May; prospect 

 for fall shooting very good. A party of five went from 

 the hotel where we were stopping and drove to Pleasant 

 Lake, four miles from Fallshurgh, Wednesday, the 11th, 

 and returned Thursday, having afternoon and morning 

 fishing, and brought back 20 black bass, the largest weigh- 

 ing 5-jlbs.; the others ran 2 and 31bs. These were taken 

 with crawfish and the big one on an 8oz. rod. 



Striped Bass in Vineyard Sound.— The bass fishing 1 ' 

 at the isla.nds has been fair so far this season, but no one 

 has taken a great number. The largest fish taken by the 

 Cutty hunk Club was caught on Friday last by Hon. 

 Henry P. McGown. It weighed 4'ilbs. and was in splendid 

 condition. The judge killed it on a light split-bamboo 

 rod with light tackle, after a sharp fight of twenty- min- 

 utes. The bait was lobster, no menhaden to be had there, 

 but the club has sent to New York for them. 



"A Week with the Trout."— The types, page 477, 

 middle column, two-thirds of w T ay down, made me say 

 " and although some eighty pounds of trout," etc. I 

 think the copy reads " some eighty trout." It renders 

 the statement ridiculous as it reads, for with four rods a 

 couple of hours' fishing would not return 801bs, on any 

 pond that I know of.— F. E. H. 



UP THE OOSTANAULA. 



THIS little city of Rome, Ga., stands in the triangle formed by 

 the ruddy waters of the Etowah and the clearer waters of 

 the Ooatanaula, where they form the Coosa. There dwell a com- 

 munity of sterling people, who as well are devoted to the pleasures 

 and snorts of the field and stream. On the morning of the 18th cf 

 June He who stood upon one of the cross bridges saw the Wailick, 

 a steamer of 35 tons measuivment, steam away frocu her wharf on 

 the Etowah, lound the point of land, which marks the starting 

 point of the Coosa, and make fast to a wharf on the Oostauaula, 

 at the foot of Third avenue 



Presently five gentlemen and a dray made their wav among the 

 roustabouts. The dray was unloaded of b xes, nags and bundles, 

 which were deposited in the custody of Dick, the eharamon 

 steward and cojk of the rivers of North Georgia. Thcgentleni n, 

 who were the Captain, the General, the Sweet Singer, the Re- 

 porter and the Doctor, greeted ihe Pilo; with a sm la and good 

 morning, and leaving luggage and superfluous apnarel in the 

 ctoin chatted on the deck. There lay many a rod and tackle, 



