Nov. 15, 1888.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



327 



says they will rise to an artificial fly the latter says they 

 will not. 



J. J. Brown gets into the same rat as regards tackle for 

 lake trout fishing: "They are mostly taken with gill nets 

 and set lines in deep water. The lines used are as large 

 as the largest sized cod lines, and the hooks, which are 

 generally made by the blacksmiths in the vicinity of the 

 lakes, are equal in size to the biggest cod hooks.'" Brown 

 thinks well of the table qualities of the lake trout, for 

 he bears testimony that by good judges it is considered 

 equal in flavor to any fish that swims. 



A contributor to Dr. Bethune's first edition of Walton's 

 '•Complete Angler," says of the lake trout, when "tried 

 by the ordeal of fire, a~ bright carnation glow is spread 

 over those taken from the lake, and they present an 

 Apician morsel fit for the gods." As an offset to the 

 above favorable comment, the writer of which was a 

 member of that old time famous club of statesmen, sol- 

 diers, jurists, journalists, good citizens and good anglers, 

 all that met in AValton Hall and fished Lake Piseco be- 

 fore the lumberman's axe was heard on its shores, I bor- 

 row this from Lamnan: "The salmon trout are of much 

 less value as an article of food than the real salmon, 

 there being nothing at all delicate in the texture or flavor 

 of a mainrnoth fish. As a sporting fish, too, they are of 

 little value, for they love the gloom of deep water, and 

 are not distinguished by their activity." The lake trout 

 is no more a mammoth fish than the sea salmon, and I 

 never heard of one of the latter being thrown away be- 

 cause it was too large. 



Herbert, "Frank Forester" in the earlier editions of 

 his "Fish and Fishing," gave evidence of how little he 

 actually knew of the lake trout when he put himself on 

 record regarding it in these words: "These great, bad, 

 coarse and unsporting fish lie for the most part in the 

 deepest parts of the Great Lakes, seeking their food in 

 the depths, and verv rarely rising to the surface, either 

 for food or play. They will scarce ever rise to a fly, and 

 can rarely be taken with a spinning minnow." Herbert 

 describes the usual stout line and cod hook tackle, and 

 the hauling in by force, and says the lake trout is very in- 

 different eating.* 



Later, availing himself of that privilege which all 

 anglers have in common with angling authors, and 

 which they should have the courage to exercise, Herbert 

 admitted that he was wrong in his estimate of the lake 

 trout, and for the table pronounced them, "better than 

 trout; better than salmon; the best fish in the world!" 

 In the supplement to Herbert's work, a correspondent of 

 his protests against his unfair judgment regarding the 

 lake trout and says: "I never had hold of a fish of the 

 same size that showed more game, power or endurance, 

 and the only difference I could discover in his mode of 

 action from a salmon was that he did not show himself 

 or leap. * * * For the table I prefer the lake trout 

 to the best brook trout." 



Koosevelt sums up the qualities of the lake trout thus: 

 "So little particular is this voracious fish that he will 

 bite at a white rag attached to the bare hook. Once 

 struck, however, he surrenders without an effort. * * * 

 A handsome fish to look at, he is also excellent to eat, 

 and with the peculiar conformation of the trout he com- 

 bines the elegauce and the rich redness of flesh of the 

 salmon. * * * A common hand line of 50 or 100yds. 

 is sufficiently good tackle." 



Milner, as was natural perhaps, seems to have pursued 

 his investigations as to the capture of the lake trout 

 among the market fishermen only, for lie says: "At 

 other times than their spawning period they remain 

 chiefly in deep water, a depth of thirty fathoms being 

 the most favorable ground for their capture. They are 

 readily taken with a hook baited with a piece of fish. 

 They are a sluggish fish to pull in, taking hold of the 

 bait with a tug at the line, and then allowing themselves 

 to be pulled to the surface with no more vibration in the 

 line than if a heavy sinker was the weight at the end." 



There is excuse for the confusion of opinions respect- 

 ing the game and othpr qualities of the lake trout that 

 existed among the angling writers of twenty-five or thirty 

 years ago, for the fish was comparatively little known 

 except as a fish of commerce, taken in nets and with rude 

 tackle by market fishermen, and it is not surprising that 

 the indictment drawn against it as a game fish should 

 have contained many counts. At a time when the scien- 

 tists groped about in semi-darkness regarding its identity, 

 specific characteristics and nomenclature, it is not strange 

 that the anglers should have been equally in the dark 

 concerning its game qualities, habits, mode of capture as 

 a sporting fish, and of its edible qualities; but in the year 

 of grace 1888, when modern ichthyological science has 

 turned its search light on the lake trout, classified it 

 beyond cavil, described its home and habits so that all 

 may know them, and modern anglers with modern tackle 

 have given the fish a place among the game fishes of 

 "North America, there would seem to be no excuse what- 

 ever for the serious mistakes of a writer in a March num- 

 ber of Land and Water. The article is written from and 

 purports to describe the Salmonidce of the Province of 

 New Brunswick, and is the more open to criticism because 

 the author conveys the impression that he is historically 

 and scientifically correct and speaks by the card. The 

 letter, which does not give the author's name, is marked 

 to be continued— which it never has been— and is very 

 interesting except for such gross errors as totally disin- 

 heriting and cutting off from the family tree one species 

 of trout, and out of another making four distinct spe- 

 cies. This subtraction and addition may be amusing to 

 one mathematically inclined, but it certainly is worse 

 than confusing to the angler who in the text books is told 

 that New Brunswick has but two species of trout, the 

 namaycush and the fontinalis, and that of the latter 

 there is but one variety, the so-called sea trout. This is 

 the gentleman's case as stated by himself in Land and 

 Water: 



"The genus Salinonid.es furnish what strictly may be 

 termed the game fish of this Province, although in this 

 category we may include the bass. [The writer means, 

 probably, the black bass.] Salmon, as a rule, are found 

 m the larger streams, conjointly with the trout, where 

 obstructions, in the bhape of dams, have not interfered 

 with access to their spawning grounds. The different 

 species of trout in New Brunswick I class as follows: 

 First, the brook or river trout, rarely exceeding 81bs. in 

 weight, flesh white; second, the salmon trout, flesh pink, 

 attaining the same size and inhabiting the same locality: 

 third, the lake trout, sometimes turning the scales at 

 81bs., rarely exceeding 51bs., flesh pink, sometimes white, 



making two varieties; fourth, the silver or migratory 

 species, common to both lake and river. Various writers 

 on this subject have mentioned a number of other so- 

 called varieties, but I have been unable to delect any 

 anatomical differences in the many specimens I have ex- 

 amined from various localities to warrant the assertion. 

 These variai ions (if they may be so termed) are chiefly 

 owing to the condition of the bottom and color of the 

 water. I can account for much of the conflicting testi- 

 mony as to the number of the varieties of trout in this 

 way. Careless observers class the togue among the 

 Salmonides, than which nothing can be more erroneous. 

 To external appearance this fish has almost a perfect 

 resemblance to the trout, with the exception of its spot- 

 ting. An investigation of its habits, teeth, gills, etc., 

 reveals the fact that it does not belong to this order. It 

 is found in many of our large lakes, and I have taken 

 them 20lbs. in weight. A specimen weighing 181bs. is 

 now in the Museum of Natural History, St. John, p re- 

 sented by me. This cannot be considered as a game fish, 

 as, being a bottom feeder, it can only be taken with 

 bait." 



I enter an earnest protest against this attempt to rob 

 the togue, which is but another name for lake trout, of 

 its birthright. I would not object to this gentleman's 

 attempt to make four species of trout out of the Salveli- 

 nus fontinalis, for that is what is attempted, habitat and 

 food producing the variations that he notes, if he did not 

 at the same time ruthlessly expel the namaycush from 

 the family to which it belongs; and I can but wonder 

 that he should present a specimen of the fish to a museum 

 of natural history and not discover his error. "The lake 

 trout is not a game fish because it can only be taken with 

 bait." Tnis statement is not correct, for I will show that 

 lake trout have taken the flv under like conditions and 

 in same water with the brook, trout; but admitting it, 

 what is the status of the tarpon and large striped bass 

 which are taken only with bait, and of the landlocked 

 salmon, more of which are taken in Maine with bait than 

 with the fly, if published reports can be relied upon for 

 comparison. The mascalonge and pike are caught on 

 the same lures that are used in lake trout fishing, and 

 there are people who think that these two species are 

 entitled to the appellation of game fi-li. 



It strikes me that the gentleman's feeling upon the 

 merits and demerits of the namaycush are decidedly ar- 

 bitrary. It is not entirely safe, in matters pertainiug to 

 fishing, to set down one's own experience as a hard and 

 fast rule for the guidance of others. I had fished for 

 lake trout for at least twenty-five years without once see- 

 ing one — under any circumstances— jump from the water; 

 and it is possible tbat I have stated in public prints a half 

 a score of times, that the lake trout did not jump out of 

 water under any provocation. Two years ago I saw, 

 within two hours' time, three lake trout jump entirely 

 clear of the water; two of them were in the ah- at the 

 same time, and since then I have seen a dozen or more 

 jump in the same way. I must admit that the lake trout 

 is not a fish to be depended upon to rise to an artificial fly 

 when cast on or drawn just beneath the water, still there 

 is abundant evidence to show that they do under some 

 conditions take the angler's artificial fly. The most 

 striking instance, and that's not a pun, is, perhaps, that 

 related in "Fishing with the Fly," by Mr. H. H. Vail, of 

 Cincinnati, which occurred during a trip to the Nipigon 

 River: 



"At several points on the river, particularly in the wild 

 water at the foot of falls, the Mackinaw trout (Salvelinus 

 namaycush) was abundant, and took the fly with as much 

 vigor as any Salvelinus fontinalis. We could not tell 

 which we had struck except from a flirt of the caudal 

 fin. The 'well-forked' caudal fin of the Mackinaw trout 

 was frequently distinguished by our guides at a great dis- 

 tance. They do not play toward the surface so much as 

 the brook trout. They were fat and lazy, two or three 

 long runs generally wearied them so that they led peace- 

 fully into the net." 



In a personal letter to the writer, Mr. Vail says, "The 

 lake trout in Nipigon River took the fly beautifully in the 

 wildest water," and noted the catching of same species of 

 fish with a fly by his brother in Megantic waters, Canada; 

 but in the latter instance ho applied the local name of 

 togue. Possibly the lake trout lacks opportunity to take 

 an artificial fly more than it lacks the desire. One fre- 

 quenter of the Adirondack wilderness has related in the 

 angling papers how he has taken lake and brook trorrt 

 indiscriminately on a fly at each recurring visit in early 

 spring. These fish, however, were small, while Mr. 

 Vail's averaged 81bs. each. It is not necessary to mrdti- 

 ply instances of the lake trout taking the fly, the angling- 

 papers frequently record them; but even as a fish that 

 takes bait only, it is entitled to rank as a game fibh. 



There is a fishing article in a recent issue of one of the 

 New York daily papers in which an angler of three score 

 years and ten addresses a younger man thus: "You can 

 catch black bass and brook trout when they are hungry, 

 but you do not possess knowledge of lake trout nor do 

 you know how to catch them ; it requires intelligence as 

 well as bait, and bullhead luck don't count in lake trout 

 fishing." I would not dare say that, but I am glad some 

 other fellow did. Fortunately, all anglers do not think 

 alike about the various fishes which are found in our 

 waters. One friend tells me he would rather catch one 

 black bass than a dozen brook trout, and he considers the 

 time I spend in fishing for lake trout as simply thrown 

 away. Another friend, when I had trolled two days for 

 mascalonge in Hay Bay without getting a fish, said that 

 should be the fate of every one who would fish for the 

 blamed sharks; ail of which may confirm the statement 

 in the New York Sun that "almost any angler has a cer- 

 tain kind of fish that he takes the greatest pleasure in 

 capturing." Personally, I do not think I am hidebound 

 in my preference for any particular fish of half a dozen 

 species, and this article is not written because I esteem 

 the lake trout above other fish. A. N. Cheney, 



[to be concluded.] 



St. Louis Fishing Notes.— St. Louis, Mo., Nov. 9.— 

 Fishing just now at G-illied's Slough is excellent. A party 

 of gentlemen returned from there a few days ago with a 

 fine string of croppie and bass. They had considerable 

 more croppie, though, than bass, the latter being not in- 

 clined to take the minnow as quickly as the croppie. 

 Some of the croppies which they succeeded in enticing on 

 the lines weighed fully 31bs., and were undoubtedly the 

 finest lot, taking them collectively, that were brought 

 into this city this fall. The slough in question is about 



eighty-five miles above this city, and is connected with 

 the Mississippi River. Fishing is always good at the 

 slough in the fall when the water is low, and many old- 

 time fishermen can recall some grand sport had with the 

 rod up there. The catches of the party above mentioned 

 has enthused quite a number of the fishing cranks, and 

 many of them will depart in a few days for the slough to 

 cast their lines with hopes of big catches of bass and 

 croppie.— TJns er Fritz. 



A HOUSE WARMING. 



AN account of an angler's house warming comes to 

 us from over the sea, and is so filled with a spirit 

 of fraternity and of the best bond of brotherhood be- 

 tween the followers of the gentle craft, with which the 

 older angling books are filled, that it deserves more than 

 a passing notice. What we refer to is a small sixteen- 

 page souvenir, on fine paper and in good type, with 

 illustrations, which bears the following on its title page: 

 "Our House Warming. An account of the proceedings 

 on taking possession of our new rooms, July 12, 18S8, 

 with two illustrations, and a prefatory poem bv Cots- 

 wold lays, M. A. Edited by C. H. C. London: The 

 Fly Fishers' Club, 19 Arundel street, Victoria Embank- 

 ment, W. C, 1888." In the preface the editor informs 

 us that his modest little book is only intended to perpetu- 

 ate the memory of the event in the club's history of 

 moving into new quarters, but the collector of angling 

 literature will long to possess this little gem when he 

 learns that only 350 copies were printed. 



Eighty members of the Fly Fishers' Club sat down to 

 dinner to commemorate the removal to the new premises. 

 The chair was taken by the Hon. Sir Ford North, and 

 although the meeting was in the height of the fishing 

 season, the fact that testimonials were to be presented to 

 the founders of the club, W. R. B. Marion and W. D. 

 Wilson, the treasurer and secretary, brought out a large 

 attendance. In his after dinner speech the chairman 

 said that the idea of a club of fir-fishermen was not a 

 new one; he remembered mentioning the matter to the 

 late Francis Francis nearly twenty years ago and found 

 that Mr. Francis had talked of such a scheme to others, 

 but they had not seen their way to carry it out, and the 

 first person who combined the cone ption of the happy 

 thought with the power and will to carry it into ex- 

 ecution, was Mr. R. B. Marston, and it had occurred 

 to some of the members that it would not be right to pass 

 the occasion by without asking him to accept a small 

 testimonial. This consisted of a solid silver tea and 

 coffee service of five pieces and a solid silver flask, with 

 an appropriate inscription. The testimonial to Mr. Wilson 

 was an English semi-hunter gold watch, a double Albert 

 gold chain with a gold crystal-faced compass, and a 

 silver flask. Afterward the company went upstairs into 

 their own room, which is one of the be* t ventilated club 

 rooms in London, is handsomely furnished, the walls 

 covered with excellent paintings, a few fish pictures, 

 etc. The connection between the club and the Arundel 

 Hotel is profitable to both, the members having a special 

 tariff for refreshments. 



A similar club has been proposed to be formed in New 

 York, and there is certainly plenty of good material 

 here to form it and make it successful. A nucleus for it 

 might be found in the National Rod and Reel Association, 

 which contains a few jovial and companionable men, 

 although they have never succeeded in getting up more 

 than one dinner after then- tournaments, mainly because 

 of the geographical position of the city where so many city 

 men live a few miles in the suburbs; or perhaps those few 

 scholarly gentlemen who dine once a year and "endeavor 

 to tell a truthful fish story" might enlarge their circle 

 and lay the foundation for a club something like their 

 brothera of the angle in "Merrie England. Such an 

 institution ought to bring together many congenial 

 spirits who would appreciate such an institution, espe- 

 cially when the streams are frozen and the tackle is laid 

 away. The jolly Ichthyophagous Club seems to have ex- 

 hausted all its resources in finding new and horrible aquatic 

 monsters to astonish and appal then guests with, and 

 has not met in over two years, but among all the members 

 of these different organizations there is surely no lack of 

 sound angling timber from which to make a club that 

 could be useful as well as enjoyable, and, if the right 

 persons take hold of it there is no doubt of its success. 

 The London club of fly-fishers is a young one of only a few 

 y^ars growth, yet it has 270 members and is on a sound 

 financial basis. 



SKUNK RIVER. 



"VJEWTON, Iowa, Nov. 1.— The boys say they are catch- 

 ing good strings of wall-eyed pike in Skunk River. 

 If so, I don't know how they do it. My father and 

 brother were out yesterday, and didn't get a bite, and 

 they ought to know how to fish. The river is low, and 

 the fish are to be found only in the very deepest water. 

 Skunk River near here was until lately a wonderfully 

 good game fish stream, but has run down. The main 

 causes are illegal seining, the use of dynamite by a few 

 fiends at Colfax, just above here, the great waste of young 

 fish life by the drying up of bayous after overflow, and 

 the recent, freezing almost to the bottom of Mud Lake, in 

 Hamilton county, Iowa, which is the main head of the 

 Skunk River, and probably an important breeding ground 

 for it. Intelligent work by the Fish Commission, such as 

 is done in Illinois, woidd again make this a grand stream. 

 It would cost very little to dip out of the shallow bayous 

 millions of little game fish which annually die in the 

 mud, and which could just as well be replaced in the 

 river. I suppose the State Commission would rather 

 monkey with carp, or try to plant trout in Iowa mud- 

 bottom streams. Nothing like science. It's pretty tough 

 on fishing, though. E. H. 



The Paradise Fin and Feather Club was organized 

 in this city last week. The organizer was Mr. Kit Clarke, 

 who, it will be remembeied, wrote of Lake Edward in 

 Quebec last summer; and it is there that the Paradise 

 Club Avill have its headquarters. The officers and the 

 charter members are: President, Judge Gildersleeve; 

 Vice-President, J. Charles Davis; Treasurer, Kit Clarke, 

 and Secretary, J. Kline Emmett, Jr. Charter members, 

 Judge Gildersleeve, Charles B. Jefferson, Dr. W. F. Dun- 

 can, John Wood, James F. Davis, H. S. Taylor, Kit 

 Clarke, J. Charles Davis and J. Kline Emmett, Jr. The 

 club is limited to t wenty members, and the Committee 

 on Membership have already more applications than they 

 can grant, 



