186 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



| Sept. 26, 1889. 



>m mjd J§itf<ir fishing. 



ABOUT GUIDES. 



[This paper was among manuscripts left by George Dawson, and 

 was only recently discovered and sent to us. It was iutended for 

 one of the "Winter Talks on Summer Pastimes," written for the 

 Forest asd Stream just before Mr. Dawson's death.] 



HANDY and obliging guides are as necessary to one's 

 comfort in the woods as skilled and good-natured 

 servants are to the peace and harmony of the domestic 

 circle at home. Many a summer's outing has been marred 

 for the want of them. But my experience has taught 

 me that the quality of a guide, like the quality of a do- 

 mestic, depends very much upon the quality of those who 

 employ them. Oftener than we are willing to admit it is 

 "like master like man," and like mistress like maiden. 

 Neither care to be "nagged," and both are apt to recip- 

 rocate in kind. 



There is, perhaps, a larger percentage of mild-mannered 

 men in our fraternity than in any other: but all are not 

 as good-natured and considerate as they should be, and 

 for this reason are not always as well served as they 

 might be and as they would be were they less exacting 

 and better tempered. It is the habit of some men always 

 to bully their subordinates. This sometimes pays, no 

 doubt, but it oftener fails to secure cheerful service, 

 especially in the woods, where we haven't even "Hob- 

 son's Choice" to fall back upon. 



There are. few things more helploss thau the average 

 angler on unknown waters. He is as dependent upon his 

 guide as the "occasional foreign correspondent" is upon 

 liis guide book. Unless he has learned from long experi- 

 ence just where to look for what he seeks, he will not 

 even know were to cast without his guide's suggestion; 

 and if, unhappily, his guide is "tiffed" by his manner, or 

 rendered mulish by his undeserved rebuffs, he will be 

 very likely to be kept ignoraut of the best preserves and 

 most prolific waters. Few things bring a better return 

 anywhere than good nature, but nowhere is the habit 

 more remunerative than in the woods, where your pleas- 

 ure can be very easily made or marred by your pleased or 

 displeased servitor. There is just as much human nature 

 to the square inch in a woods-guide as in any other son 

 of Adam or daughter of Eve, and that angler will make 

 the most of his outing who, in all proper ways, makes 

 the most of his guide. 



I once spent a week in May on the Raquette, near 

 where were camped two gentlemen who had never before 

 been on the river at that season. My tent was pitched at 

 Setting Pole Rapids and theirs on the high ground near 

 Lothrop's Chopping. The fishing was superb on the 

 rapids, and I enjoyed it to my heart's content from the fact 

 that all I could kill w*-e gratefully received as a supple- 

 ment to the scantily provided larder of a logging camp in 

 my immediate vicinity. Notwithstanding the proverbial 

 voracity of a "bushwhackers" appetite, the fish were so 

 abundant that the supply was never short of the demand 

 and never in excess; for I soon discovered that however 

 many fish I might kill none would be wasted. The result 

 was the busiest and most enjoyable week I ever had had, 

 up to that time, on angling waters. But while 1 was thus 

 having an absolute surfeit of sport, my neighbors were do- 

 ing little else than cursing the stupidity of their guides 

 and anathematizing the barrenness of the waters. When 

 I heard of their ill luck, I sent them an invitation to come 

 and try the rapids. But they declined with thanks, as 

 "they preferred to fish in still water." Now every old 

 angler knows that those who fish for trout in still water 

 in May are likely to angle in vain, angle they ever so 

 deftly. Still-water fishing will do in July and August, 

 but it is dull work in May or early June. 



I subsequently met one of the guides who accompanied 

 these gentlemen, and his story was something like this: 

 "The difficulty, sir, was just 'here. They knew nothing 

 about their business, and they were not willing to learn. 

 As soon as they struck the river, instead of halting and 

 casting where the fish were, they halted and cast where 

 the fish weren't; and when I ventured a suggestion they 

 just told me to mind my business and they would mind 

 theirs. As I was agreeable, 1 concluded to let the 

 darned fools enjoy themselves in their own way. The 

 result was that after fishing every bit of still Avater be- 

 tween Cold Brook and Lathrop'tj Chopping they didn't 

 catch fish enough to make one square meal for a hungry 

 man; whereas, by fishing the riffs and swift water, the 

 donkeys might have half filled the canoe. I never went 

 out with a brace of more disagreeable buffers. I could 

 and would have put them where they could have had all 

 the sport they could have desired," but as they 'knew 

 their business.' and were as abusive as they were stupid, 

 I could only get my revenge by permitting them to skin 

 their own skunks "after then-' own fashion. They left 

 Martin's with as poor an opinion of the Raquette as I had 

 of them." 



The mistake of these gentlemen was that because on 

 some former occasion they had fair sport in still water 

 and nowhere else in August, they expected equal sport 

 in the same kind of water in May. But that is not ac- 

 cording to the order of trout nature. They have their 

 different haunts in different seasons, and those who know 

 their habits will be always sure to have the best sport. 



As a rule I have been fortunate with my guides— less, 

 perhaps, because they possesssed any inherent superi- 

 ority than because T early learned how to get out of 

 them the best that was in them. I always treated them 

 kindly, and uniformly went where they wished to take 

 me — provided they wished to take me where I wished to 

 go. By this seeming acquiescence I always had my own 

 way, and at the same time rendered them as anxious that 

 I should have a "good time" as I was to have it. 



But there is, nevertheless, a great difference in guides. 

 Some are stupid, some are lazy, some are willful, and 

 some are so full of conceit as to render them quite un- 

 bearable. Others are obliging, industrious and thoroughly 

 posted in every department of their craft. They are ex- 

 pert anglers, good cooks, perfect masters of paddle or oar, 

 and thoroughly acquainted with every rod of forest and 

 every foot of water within the territory where they under- 

 take to pilot their patrons. When one is fortunate enough 

 to secure such guides he is sure to have the best sport and 

 the highest pleasure attainable. A carry of a mile or two 

 doesn't deter them from revealing what may be hoped 

 for by making it. Because the current is stiff or the 

 rapids formidable they don't try to evade their ascent by 

 jying about them. Nor do they wait to be forced to 



father fresh boughs and plenty of them to make your 

 a ouch soft and fragrant. When the evenings are chilly 

 nd a roaring fire is necessary for warmth and comfort, 

 they don't wait to be reminded of the fact. With such 

 guides your tent is always tidy, your larder is always 

 protected, and your cooking utensils and tin plates are 

 always clean. They can fry a trout or broil a salmon to 

 perfection; their baked pork and beans would satisfy the 

 most exacting denizen of the Hub: their pancakes are 

 always light andartisticallylbrowned; their coffee is never 

 spoiled by over-boiling, and they are never so happy as 

 when assured that they are rendering satisfactory and 

 acceptable service. 



While good guides are to be coveted on all waters, they 

 are indispensable on salmon rivers where the canoes are 

 light, the currents heavy, and the rapids formidable. 

 As a rule, Indians are the most expert and safest canoe- 

 men, whether handling a paddle or a pole. I have fre- 

 quently had one Indian and one white man in my canoe, 

 but the Indian was always given precedence, not by my 

 wish alone, but with the assent and concurrence of his 

 white co-laborer as well. They are not only more ex- 

 pert but more cautious than white men, and, on the 

 roughest waters, I soon learned that it was always safe 

 to go wherever my Indian pilot was willing to take me. 

 I only once deemed him too timid, and ordered him to 

 push straight through a rapid around which he wished 

 to carry. He obeyed, with no other protest than a gut- 

 tural "Ugh! Get wet!" And so we did; for it was 

 "nip and tuck" whether we went over the rapids or went 

 under them. I never afterward asked him to take me 

 w here he was not willing to go. 



But handling a canoe is not the most difficult office of 

 a guide on salmon waters. There are ten good canoe 

 men where there is one good ga ffer. To a looker on it 

 seems easy enough to gaff a 20 or 301b. fish, but to do so 

 from a canoe, in swift water and while the fish is in full 

 life and in constant motion, or even when drawn near the 

 shore, is about as difficidt a piece of work as is connected 

 with the art. A miss is as mortifying to the gaffer as it 

 is provoking to the angler. But misses are common and 

 often fatal. In such cases, if the angler has any " swear 

 words" in Ids vocabulary, they are pretty sure to be ven- 

 tilated. 



I had killed a great many salmon before I ventured to 

 gaff one; and while I was about it I wished I hadn't un- 

 dertaken the job. Such scooting and dodging, such 

 dashing and flopping, such striking and missing was 

 never before seen in salmon waters. But I succeeded, 

 thanks, not to my own skill, but to the saintly patience 

 and marvellous manipulations of the Judge who had 

 hooked the fish. 



While few guides are perfect in every phase of service, 

 one is seldom met with who cannot be made useful. If 

 he is only willing the rest will follow. With a willing 

 guide all things are possible, if his employer is endowed 

 with the essential gifts of patience and good temper. 



G. D. 



CHEAP FISHING FOR "PODGERS." 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



I want to say a word to "Podgers," and not only "Pod- 

 gers" but all who like him have known the troubles and 

 trials that beset a sportsman around the old time resorts. 

 Did it never occur to "Podgers" that there were places 

 where he could fish, aye, and catch fish, without being 

 bled financially. There are such places; the west coast of 

 Florida is one. If "Podgers" will write to me I will put 

 him in the way of such sport with rod and reel as he 

 never dreamt of, and I'll warrant he will be satisfied 

 with the. fish he catches, and the price be pays. I have 

 fished some myself, and I know of no place where a 

 man is so sure of a catch as he is in this vicinity. Boats 

 can be had for from $3 to $5 per day. 



I have in mind now a little cabin yawl with accommo- 

 dations for four, fast, tight and able, that can be had 

 with a man to her, for $5 per day, and the skipper will 

 take his party where they can catch fish, too. What's the 

 matter with that? There is a plenty of groupers and 

 channel bass or redfish, sea trout, Spanish mackerel, 

 lady fish, pompano, jack fish, and in the season tarpum; 

 while there are fresh-water lakes close by. where big- 

 mouth bass are plenty, 5lbs. to 151bs. in weight. 



Just leave Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard severely 

 alone, and give these waters a try. Within a few miles 

 of where I write there are some 12 to 15 varieties of fish 

 who take the fly readily. If one wishes to add the gun 

 to his outfit there is an abundance of beach birds along 

 the shore with quail inland. Bears, deer and turkeys are 

 fairly plenty, but it requires some experience in the coun- 

 try and considerable tramping to get them. They are 

 here though, and there are very few days in the year 

 when we don't have venison or turkey in the market. 



Now, "Podgers," don't break your heart, "there are as 

 good fish in the sea as were ever caught," and we have 

 some of them here. Tarpon. 



Tarpon Springs. Florida. 



A Land Fish.— Surgeon Charles H. White of the 

 U. S. Navy in a recent letter to Dr. Gill, writing from 

 Samoa, gives the following interesting account of the 

 goby (Periophthalmus): "1 have several specimens of a 

 fish that lives on land and breathes the air. Of course, 

 this thing is not new to you, but it quite surprised me by 

 its antics. It never goes under water as far as my obser- 

 vation goes, buj; skips along the surface of the pool in a 

 straight line and very rapidly, landing on the mud and 

 hiding at once under a leaf or any other convenient shel- 

 ter; or, perhaps, jumping up on an overhanging twig and 

 balancing itself there by means of its pectoral fins, which 

 are developed into organs of land locomotion. The only 

 thing that does not look fishy about it is the exophthal- 

 mic eye, and these forward flippers. I only saw this fish 

 in one place— on a muddy creek. They seemed to be 

 always sunning themselves when left alone, but fled for 

 shelter at the coming of any one." This fish has been 

 known to naturalists for many years, nevertheless the 

 description by Dr. White of its habits is very interesting 

 and well worth recording. It feeds upon insects and 

 crustaceans largely, which are found upon the beaches. 

 In the Standard Natural History, Vol. III. , p. 256, there 

 is a picture showing the very curious habits of this fish 

 upon the land. 



New Jersey Striped Bass Fishing is reported good at 

 Belmar. 



SUSQUEHANNA BASS AND PERCH. 



ONE of the beautiful portions of the Susquehanna 

 River, and one that contains some of the best spots 

 known for successful angling, 'is that portion lyingbetween 

 the Falls (Collins's station, P. R. R ) and the Riffles, one 

 mile south of Bainbridge, Pa. This body of water forms 

 an ideal home for the black bass and pike-perch, being 

 composed of clear running water, forming eddies, pools 

 and rapids, affording excellent spawning grounds for 

 bass and perch. 



As is well known the bass were first introduced in this 

 river in 1869 by several citizens of Harrisburg, and in 

 1873 the State Fish Commissioners commenced the work 

 of stocking the Susquehanua with this fish. Their in- 

 crease in size and numbers has been rapid, and, if we 

 can believe reports, this applies to the whole river from its 

 headwaters to its mouth, for up stream and down anglers 

 are claiming the largest numbers and t he biggest fish. 



My first catch of bass from the Susquehanna was made 

 out of season. It was one of the 1873 plant, and its cap- 

 ture came about thus: We (boys) were Bitting upon a 

 raft of logs which was moored to the stone wall of the 

 towpath in front of town, and some of the party were fish- 

 ing. I had no line, but for pastime started to rig one, and 

 this I did out of a piece of cotton cord to which I attached 

 a bent pin to serve as a hook, a small nail did as a sinker, 

 then I let the "hook" down along the edge of the raft, 

 and it had hardly reached "near-the-bottom" when I had 

 a very unusual bite. The fish was soon landed and 

 proved to be a black bass, a small one. We fishermen 

 were filled with wonder, it was a new fish to us and a 

 little larger than our ordinary "sunny," consequently we 

 all considered it a prize. Ex-Sheriff Smith was on the 

 wall and told us what the fish was, and that it would 

 have to go back into the water. Back it went and seemed 

 none the worse for the handling it had received. 



The pike-perch is much liked as a game fish in this 

 portion of the river. The first one of this species seen by 

 the writer was about the year 1869. It was captured in 

 the river at Bainbridge, by Mr. Henry Nagle, and 

 weighed something like 8 or lOlbs. For this beautiful 

 fish my father paid $2. We had a royal feast, for we 

 were eating "salmon." As I remember the company at 

 table was very enthusiastic in praising the fish, and it 

 surely was food to be esteemed. By some anglers in 

 Bainbridge the pike-perch is considered the best fish in 

 the river, principally on account of the large size it 

 attains. 



Another percoid fish which has been taken in the Sus- 

 quehanna quite frequently of late years is the red-eye 

 perch or rock bass (Ambloplites rupe&tHs). Several years 

 ago I was shown one by Mr. George Depue, who, upon 

 my asking Mm the name of the fish, said he did not 

 know a name for it, but that it was a cross between the 

 black bass and the common sunfish. I think I learned 

 afterward that Mr. Bernard Doyle was the father of that 

 idea. What else could they think, it surely looks as 

 though it was a hybrid made by the crossing of these 

 two species, and having as many anal spines as both its 

 parents combined. Mr. Frank G. Galbraith obtained 

 one at Wrightsville several years ago, which excited 

 considerable curiosity at the time, and I think Frank 

 showed a shade of disappointment when I told him the 

 fish was probably the "rock bass" after he had given me 

 a verbal description of it. This species lias been planted 

 in the Susquehanna, and I hope it will thrive there. It 

 is one of the best pan fishes of this country, and the 

 Pennsylvania State Fish Commission, and other citizens 

 of the State, deserve unlimited praise for their efforts to 

 introduce such valuable fishes into the waters of the: 

 State. 



As will be seen by the following notes, furnished me 

 by my friend. Stehman Herr, of Bainbridge, the fishing 

 this season has been good, fish plentiful and biting read- 

 ily. The excessive rainfall has affected the fishing to 

 some extent. Mr. Herr writes under date of Sept, 14: 

 "The fishing was very good until the present wet spell of 

 weather began, yet there have been some good catches 

 this week. Yesterday Mr. Ell. Haldeman caught eleven 

 'Susquehanna salmon.' On Sept. 1 he landed three that 

 averaged 31bs. apiece. Messrs. Doyle and Haldeman were 

 up at the Falls to-day fishing for 'salmon,' but met with 

 poor success, catching only three, the largest of which 

 weighed 81bs. I also drove up to the Falls to-day and in- 

 terviewed Mr. G. W. Walton. He told me that fishing- 

 there is at its best, never better, and will continue good 

 until cold weather interferes. 'Salmon' are numerous 

 and bass are very plentiful. German carp are sometimes 

 caught at the Falls, and eels are in abundance. The 

 water at the present time is in very good condition. 

 Anglers come here from Philadelphia, "Lancaster, Harris- 

 burg and from many other sections of eastern Pennsyl- 

 vania, and those having suitable tackle and knowing how 

 to use it, usually take home good strings of fish. The 

 'salmon' and bass increase each succeeding season in spite 

 of the large numbers taken out of the river every year. 

 The former species average about 4lbs. in weight, and the 

 bass average from 1 to l^lbs. The largest bass Mr. Wal- 

 ton has seen caught at the Falls weighed 41bs. The 

 largest catch of 'salmon' made at the Falls this season 

 was that of Mr. Harry Bricker, of Harrisburg, who suc- 

 ceeded in landing fifteen fine 'salmon' one day last week, 

 among them there being one of 91bs, weight. This beau- 

 tiful example was about 3ft. long, and is considered the 

 finest fish caught here up to date. 



"Lamprey eels are the best bait; bright-sided minnows 

 or shiners, small catfish and helgramites are also very 

 good. Rod and reel are used , with spoon. The fishing 

 is all done by trolling." 



I have spent the greater portion of my life right on 

 this spot, and, therefore, I know that I speak the truth in 

 saying that some of the best angling for the pike-perch 

 (Susquehanna "salmon") and the small-mouthed black 

 bass is to be had on that portion of the river mentioned 

 in the beginning of this article. I have seen strings of 

 from twenty to thirty bass (an unusual number) cap- 

 tured in one day by one rod between Bainbridge and the 

 Riffles. Messrs. Doyle, E. and J, Haldeman, Hippie, 

 McNeil, "Squire" Bear, Smith and others are the local 

 anglers. Hotel expenses there are nominal, whde the 

 table is always well supplied. The Pennsylvania Rail- 

 road runs through the place, affording ample and easy 

 facilities for getting in or out of town. Good boats and 

 guides are to be had at moderate prices. It is a place 

 where the stranger will not be fleeced. 



Barton A. Bean, 



