Oot. 3, 1889.1 

 . ^ 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



207 



bankment, while we held our breaths, and then, without 

 losing any valuable time, picked himself up, scrambled 

 up on the track, and came walking leisurely back to the 

 station, brushing sand from his clothes the while, when 

 on learning he was entirely unhurt the smothered snick- 

 ers burst forth, for we were afraid to laugh before know- 

 ing the result of his flying leap. 



"What the devil are you laughing at¥ r ' — his mouth 

 twitching with the suspicion of a smile— "can't I take a 

 little exercise and pi-actice a few gymnastics without you 

 fellows splitting your sides with unseemly hilarity? 

 Where is that cussed pie box, anyhow ? It ain't on the 

 train, and it's got all my fishing tackle in it." It was 

 pointed out to him at the bottom of the pile of baggage, 

 and he yanked it out to make sure it was his, with a few 

 remarks that " he didn't see why some of us couldn't tell 

 him it was there before he nearly broke his neck getting 

 on and off the train." However, the hilarity subsided, 

 and we turned our attention to loading the wagon which 

 was waiting on the other side of the track. He said the 

 conductor told him he could jump off easy enough, but 

 it was a dangerous experiment at the speed the train was 

 going, and had the ground been hard or rocky the result 

 might have been a broken limb or two, if no worse: but 

 to even things up, had the pie box been in sight before 

 the train started, he would have missed the opportunity 

 to exhibit himself as a new-fangled flying machine, and 

 old Sam would have been cheated out of " another epi- 

 sode, the beatin'estone o' the trip," 



We hired a young fellow, recommended by the station 

 agent, to go along and cook, whose incessant talking and 

 fresh ways proved more annoying than his poor cookery, 

 but " the Joneses never was used to the best o' everything 

 nohow," and by mixing in a little more meekness and 

 humility in our deportment than was our habit in camp, 

 we managed to pull through, without having to answer 

 for the crime of drowning him in the lake, but it was a 

 close shave. Deliver us from a camp cook with a tireless 

 jaw, who knows it all. 



The wagon was loaded and we trudged after it the six 

 miles to the lake for lack of room to ride, and because 

 another wagon was not to be had. 



We found Douglass Lake to be a beautiful sheet of 

 water, about six miles long by nearly two miles wide at 

 the widest part, and well-wooded around its entire shore. 

 The outlet is Maple River, a rapid, shallow stream, ten to 

 twenty yards wideband famous for its grayling below 

 ( the mouth of the West Branch, a stream of ice-'cold 

 ' water that joins it a couple of miles below Pellston. The 

 Maple flows into Burt Lake, one of the chain forming the 

 "inland route" from near Petoskey to Cheboygan on Lake 

 Huron. 



We had heard much of Douglass Lake as a great lake 

 for bass, and were anxious to wet a line in its clear- 

 waters. A camping place was selected about a mile 

 above the outlet, on a smooth, level beach, well shaded in 

 the afternoon, and before sundown the camp was made, 

 the two boats dragged from then- hiding in the adjacent 

 "bresh." and with a few lank-bellied Michigan frogs, the 

 emaciated remnants of the "menagerie" that had survived 

 the bumps and jolts of the trip to Echo Lake, enough 

 bass and pickerel (will we ever find a gallon of water In 

 Michigan without a pickerel in it ?) were taken in the bay 

 in front of the camp for supper and breakfast, and we 

 went to bed that night tired and happy, each one with a 

 "curve of expectancy" in his spine for the days of sport 

 to come. 



In the morning when Dan's tent was up, and his cot 

 stretched to the exact tension and "flatness" required, 

 and the old flag run up on a tall sapling planted firmly in 

 the sand, the "camp of the Kingfishers" was once more 

 in running order, and we settled down to the enjoyment 

 of a couple of weeks of solid comfort, marred only by 

 the hum of the ever present skeeter, and the tireless 

 efforts of our fresh cook to wear out the running gears of 

 his jaw, and our forbearance. 



While in this camp Charley and I walked seven miles 

 one morning to the sawmill near the mouth of the West 

 Branch, waded and fished the stream a matter of five 

 miles down to the old Brutus House— famous as a hos- 

 telry in the day of stage coaches, but now deserted— 

 and tramped back in the evening by sundown, seven 

 more miles, with an even 50 grayling, weighing just 

 181bs. And the following day old Sam and I fished over 

 the same water, striking the stream at 10 o'clock in the 

 morning and leaving it at 4 in the afternoon, with 35 fine 

 fish, 85 in all for about twelve hours fishing during the 

 poorest part of the two days. 



But the time draws nigh for these chronicles of the 

 camp, the "episodes" and happenings by the way to end. 

 They are already much longer than at first intended, but 

 it seems there is always something more to write about 

 the woods and the waters; another cast to make which is 

 to be the "very last" before reeling up for the camp ward 

 tramp, and the pen will linger over the paper as does the 

 rod over the pool, loth to be laid aside. 



I might go on and tell of the bass we took in Douglass 

 Lake, and of some cunning, powerful fellows that we 

 didn't take; of "more pickerel," big and little, gaffed and 

 knocked on the head; of the "beatin'est place in all 

 Michigan fur bluegills," near the upper end of the lake: 

 where old Dan and Sam and Knots reveled in "pure de- 

 light," taking one, two and three at a cast on trout flies, 

 some of them a pound in weight, till darkness drove 

 them to camp; of the days of sun, and rain and storm, 

 and how the running gears of the cook's jaw held out to 

 the very last; but all this may peradventure be better 

 told in another series of letters. 



Suffice it that each day brought its pleasures and its 

 minor disappointments, with an occasional "episode" for 

 old Sam, till the end came at last, and we took our way 

 homeward with a new lease on life, and planning in ad- 

 vance a fresh campaign for next year. 



And now, if the foregoing pages have served to while 

 away a lonesome hour, and "lighten the burden" of some 

 disappointed brother whose vacation didn't "hit" this 

 season, the time will have been well spent, and I lay the 

 pen aside with a kindly greeting to the gentle craft, to 

 all the readers of Forest and Stream, and the "rest o' 

 mankind in gineral," trusting that we may meet again 

 in the wilds of well-beloved old northern Michigan to 

 "swap reminders" in the flicker of the camp-fire in some 

 future "Camp of the Kingfishers." Kingfisher. 



Cincinnati , 0., Sept. 20. 



A PIECE OF LUCK. 



ONE sometimes hears surprising stories of anglers re- 

 covering lost leaders and other tackle by hooking 

 the same fish a second time and landing him with the 

 lost tackle still fast in his mouth. 

 It was my good fortune to recover my lost tackle one 



, using 



light gut 



Sisns-Es, Nets of every description. American Net & Twine Co.. 

 jJtffrs., 34 Commercial st„ Boston, or 199 Fulton St., N. Y>~A.dv, 



"trace" (I believe that is the proper phrase when you are 

 using a "paternoster," with the sinker below the hooks), 

 and was having very fair luck. Presently I had a bite, 

 and on striking found that my fish had "hung me" on 

 one of the troublesome snags, which are abundant in this 

 pond, so securely that I was unable to clear it with mv 

 rod, and when I tried to haul in the line by hand the 

 trace parted about a foot from the end of my reel line. 

 I had no whole spare trace with me, but found a piece of 

 an old leader in my pocket, which I tied on to the 

 remains of the trace, and putting on a new sinker and a 

 single hook, baited up and tossed over in the same place. 

 No sooner had the hook reached the b ittom than it 

 appeared to catch on again, and fearing that I was once 

 more snagged, I raised the tip of my rod, and to my sur- 

 prise found that, instead of snag, I had a fish, and appa- 

 rently a good one. After a little run, for I was using 

 light tackle, I brought the fish alongside the boat, and 

 was astonished to find that I had two fish! How could I 

 have caught two fish when I had only one hook! I could 

 hardly believe my eyes till I lifted my fish into the boat, 

 and found that I had caught not only a half-pound 

 perch and a hornpout somewhat larger, but my lost trace 

 complete, sinker, hooks and all! The hornpout was 

 securely hooked on one hook and the perch on the other, 

 while my last hook bad caught the trace somewhere be- 

 tween the two, and the whole was well tangled up. 



I suppose when the trace parted it gave way just 

 where it was caught round the snag, so the pair of fish 

 were set free, but tied together like dogs in a leash. 

 Apparently they couldn't agree to go off together, but 

 one pulled one way and one the other, thus stretching- 

 out the trace for my hook to catch on. 



I basketed the perch, restored the pout to the water, 

 and memded up my paternoster again. I caught a good 

 many more perch with it afterward. 



The yellow perch bit very nicely in the South Ply- 

 mouth ponds round Manoniet during August, though 

 bass fishing was not up to the mark. We took three good 

 baskets of ijereh from Beaver Dam Pond — the first day, 

 two rods, 124 perch; the next day, two rods, 94 perch, and 

 the last day, three rods, 226 perch, all fair perch, witli a 

 "pounder" or two in each lot. These fish were not 

 wasted, but were all consumed at the hotel. 



John Murdoch. 

 Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D. C. 



LATE SPAWNING TROUT. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



I had made ready to start for the Manistee waters after 

 grayling, but the rain of this morning upset my plans, 

 and remembering that I promised you a brief of my notes 

 and observa tions on late spawning trout, I have prepared 

 and herewith inclose the same. It would be more com- 

 plete and valuable had my attention been sooner called 

 to the subject, and I now offer it for whatever it may be 

 worth. 



I think that many, perhaps one-half, of our trout con- 

 tain spawn in May; that it is probable that some deposit 

 their spawn dming each month of the summer, and there 

 is no doubt that they do so in August. Brook trout 

 caught in May, 35, containing spawn 6 (or more); June, 

 85, containing spawn 15; July, 50, containing spawn 2L; 

 August, 43, containing spawn 13. It will be seen that in 

 May about ^, and probably more, contained spawn: in 

 June about in July nearly in August nearly and 

 that of the 213 trout recorded, 55, or more than i, were in 

 an interesting condition. 



If these facts have any value you may publish them, 

 and I hope will add your opinion as to their significance. 



Central Lake, Mich. KELPIE. 



[Thorough investigation of this matter needs to be 

 made. The size of the fish, old or young, containing 

 spawn and their location, whether on spawning beds or 

 not, are questions to be answered. A trout when taken 

 from the water, if found to be full of spawn, should be 

 returned immediately back to the water, if this is possible, 

 without injury to the fish. It is to be hoped that • -Kelpie" 

 and others will continue their observations leading to a 

 better understanding of what is required to secure the 

 proper protection of trout.] 



CHEAP FISHING FOR " PODGERS." 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



I see by your last number that a generous-minded fish- 

 erman down at Tarpon Springs, Florida, takes compassion 

 on my discouraging experience in Eastern salt-water fish- 

 ing and invites me to "come down" to a country where 

 things are cheap and fishing is good. I am * greatly 

 obliged to "Tarpon," and can indorse his views, being 

 familiar with the west coast of Florida, having fished 

 from Cedar Keys to Charlotte Harbor, but one don't 

 care to go down to so low a latitude in the summer 

 months. 



"Tarpon" is all right on the general facts, and I have 

 had it in my mind to run down that way this coming 

 season. I know that the fishing is good — too good if 

 anything — that is, too easy in general, but the tarpon 

 fishing is more a question of chance and skill, and 

 hence more desirable. Meantime I must ask him not 

 to let the skipper of that little cabin yawl get the swell 

 head and raise his prices, for I am no longer a partner 

 of Mr. Vanderbilt and shall not take down over a mat- 

 ter of twenty thousand dollars for the winter's expenses. 

 See you later, "Tarpon." Podgers. 



Lake St. John,— The Quebec Chronicle of Sept. 23 

 says: "The fishing for the celebrated game fish of Lake 

 St. John, the ouananiche, is now very fine. The fish 

 have left the Grand Discharge and are now going up the 

 rivers flowing into the lake. Some splendid sport is be- 

 ing had on the Metabetchouan River. Last week Mr. J. 

 E. Livernois, of Quebec, caught a large number of heavy 

 fish, and a New York gentleman who has just returned 

 from Metabetchouan, made the following splendid score 



with one rod, using the fly: Sept. 1, 8 fish, 271bs.: Sept. 

 3, 11 fish, 45lbs.; Sept. 5. 19 fish, 751bs. : Sept. 8, 9 fish, 

 311bs.; Sept. 10, ll fish, 411bs.: Sept. 12, 4 fish, 1311>s. ; 

 Sept. 14, 13 fish, 551bs.; Sept. 17, 9 fish, 321bs.; total, 84 

 fish, 3l91bs. A. writer in Forest and Stream, speaking 

 of the netting which is being done in Lake St. John, 

 says: 'It seems incredible that this rare and highly 

 prized game fish, that has carried the fame of the Lake 

 St. John waters into all English -speaking lands, should 

 be exposed to extinction for such a paltry sum as the 

 Government obtains for a netting license.' The writer 

 goes on to suggest that the Government should endeavor 

 to protect and propagate this fish by means of a hatchery, 

 such as they have at Tadousac, and elsewhere, for the 

 salmon, and that the adjacent lakes and rivers should be 

 stocked from it. The suggestion is well worthy of con- 

 sideration, for this species of fish can be had nowhere 

 else on the continent, and if properly protected will at- 

 tract to our Province an influx of visitors from all over 

 the world. This year sportsmen have como all the way 

 from Texas and California, on purpose to catch the ouan- 

 aniche." 



Astrology jnd the Fishing.— Chatauqua County, 

 N. Y., Sept. 25. — Bass fishing has not been good in Lake 

 Erie this summer. Last year tugs with nets ruined our 

 sport. This year a few fish have been taken, but not 

 enough to grow jubilant over. There has been much 

 wind, which with the undertow has probably changed 

 the season, or floated the reef into deep waters or other- 

 wise, interfered with our accustomed catch of blistered 

 hands and tanned noses. This has been an off year all 

 around, any way. I suspect the conjunction of Jupiter 

 and Saturn, which brought the frost in May which 

 knocked out the apple crop, almost ruined the grapes and 

 gave chickens the murrain, had as much to do with poor 

 fishing as anything, both for trout and bass. There are 

 a few half -starved and wholly scared trout left in the 

 county that would migrate with the squirrels if they 

 could. Some of the streams were stocked several years 

 since, but small boys and worms, both on the hook and 

 in the fish (I refer to the worms) in and out of season 

 have got away with all the fingerlings. Knowing that 

 there were trout in Canada, I went up to the Nipissing 

 region last spring, but I haven't time to talk about it 

 now. — O. O. S. 



Rice Lake.— Har wood, Ont., Sept. 25.— The fishing has 

 been good this season, is good now, ana will be for six 

 weeks yet for tuaskinonje; not so good for bass. Our 

 lake is full of small-mouth and big-mouth bass. Quan- 

 tities have been taken this summer. I saw two In- 

 dians a few days since who had been trawling; one had 22 

 maskinon je, the other had 13. There are about 70 Indians 

 who fish pretty much all time, trawling. -I estimate their 

 catch through the season at 30,000 maskinonje. Last 

 winter they caught about 100,0001bs. of big-mouthed bass 

 through the ice. There are millions of them in the lake. 

 — Chas. Gilchrist. 



A Hint.- See nest issue for adv't. of Bints and Helps for 

 Sportsmen— 611 of them. 



rgislicttlnir^ 



AQUARIA NOTES. 



[Occasional Observation? on the Fishes of the Aquaria of the 

 U. S. Fish Commission at Washington.] 



THE EFFECT OF CHANGE FROM FRESH TO SALT WATER. 



SOME white perch {Roccus amcricaivm), caught in the 

 fresh water of the Potomac River, ou being placed in 

 an aquarium, were so severelv attacked by fungus (Sapro- 

 Ugfiid) that most of them died in spite "of repeated salt- 

 water baths. As a last resort a number of them were placed 

 in a salt-water aquarium, with a density of 1.020, on the 

 "kill or cure" principle. In this they were unable to sub- 

 merge more than two-thirds of their bodies, and were appar- 

 ently otherwise affected, so that the density of the water 

 was reduced to 1.015. In this density they appeared more at 

 ease, but. the dorsal fin and a small portion of their backs 

 remained above the surface. They were able only by a great 

 effort to swim a few inches below the surface, aud on relax- 

 ing their efforts they immediately rose again. The fungus 

 disappeared at Once. It was a week befoi'e they were able 

 to move about freely, having by osmosis acquired'the density 

 of the water. 



In a similar experiment made on some eels, it was found 

 that they were able to keep near the bottom, but had a 

 tendency to stand ou their heads. They had fully recovered 

 in two days. 



This would indicate that the necessity for a gradual 

 change from one density to another exists in the necessity 

 for a corresponding change of density in the fish, and opens 

 up an interesting field for experiment. It is a question as to 

 whether these changes, if quite gradual, are not possible with 

 other than anadromous fishes. 



A CURIOUS PARASITE AND ITS RELATION TO TEMPERATURES. 



A curious infusorian parasite, which appears to be identi- 

 cal with one fully described by Dr. C. Kerbert under the 

 name of Chrom atophagus parasiticus in the Report of the 

 U. S. Fish Commissioner for 1884, last winter infested the 

 percoid and salmonoid fishes in the aquaria. The same 

 parasite infests similar kinds of fish, also cyprinoids in 

 European aquaria. Very strangely the cyprinoids in the 

 Fish Commission aquaria were wholly exempt from their 

 ravages. 



It is a terrible pest, resisting any treatment which is not 

 sufficiently severe to destroy the fish also. A fish will be 

 completely covered with them, encysted in the skin, so close 

 together tliat they have the appearances of fungus. 



In the spring, however, when the water had risen to 60 

 degrees, they had wholly disappeared. The Commissoner 

 of Fisheries, to whose attention the matter was called, sug- 

 gested that the proper remedy is in keeping the fish in a 

 temperature never below 60 degrees or in subjecting them to 

 water of that temperature for a period sufficient to rid them 

 of their tormentors. 



NUPTUAL COLORATION. 



During the period of sexual excitement, preliminary to 

 and while spawning, the male of the killitish (Fundidus 

 majalis) becomes intensely black, while that of Fundulua 

 hetcroclitus becomes a very dark blue flecked with pale 

 yellow and with margins of the same color on the tins. 

 These changes of color are assumed in the course of an hour 

 or two. Sometimes, as in the case of F. majalis, the colora- 

 tion will be confined to a part of the fish in irregular 

 blotches, making a vivid contrast to the lighter color. The 

 black horizontal and vertical bars and bands characteriz- 

 ing the male and female of this species, are entirely obliter- 

 ated by this coloration. Wm. P. Seal. 



