March 13, 1890.J 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



149 



A NEW SNELL FOR TARPON. 



Mitor Forest and Stream ; 



I send with this a new form of tarpon snell, which I 

 hink is not open to any of the objections which hare 

 leen made to all of the existing snells. Ever since it 

 vas found that the tarpon could be taken on a small line 

 pith a rod and reel, the tarpon fishermen have been bunt- 

 bg for a snell which will hold the tarpon, and yet let 

 he troublesome shark go free. All the varieties of chain 

 i wire snells now in use will hold the shark, and that 

 deans either a great waste of time and labor, or the loss 

 f a portion of the line. The fisherman who uses a heavy 

 Dd and a large line and is thereby enabled to gaff his 

 irpon in twenty or thirty minutes, will succeed very 

 fell with the ordinary cotton snell, but if the rod and 

 ne are light, and he has to play his fish from one to two 

 ours, the chances are much against him, for the sand- 

 aper-like jaws of the tarpon will chafe off in that time 

 ny unfortified cotton. 



Last April I visited St. James City, Pine Island, with 

 sro of my friends, and in four days we caught eight 

 irpon. the two largest (I391bs. and I331bs.) falling to my 

 3d. Then I found how great an annoyance the shark 

 sally was, and how expensive a sport tarpon fishing 

 light become, if each time a shark was hooked there 

 ras a loss of a portion of the line. 



With the hope of avoiding this trouble I made a few 

 lells like the one I send you, and last November I used 

 lem at St. James City with perfect success. An expe- 

 tence of one hour and fifty minutes with a tarpon did 

 ot show any abrasion of the snell, and yet even the small 

 lark of three or four feet in length could cut it easily, 

 ius enabling me to save the line, and what is even of 

 reater importance, to avoid scaring the tarpon. As it is 

 shy fish, this advantage is a great one. 

 'The snell I send you is of my own make and is made 

 . follows: Take a small cable-laid cotton line and worm 

 k the lays, phosphor bronze wire (No. 31 with a tensile 

 ii'ength of about TAlbs.) then eye-splice one end to the 

 jrivel on the hook, and the other end to a box swivel, 

 len coat with paraffine and lampblack: wipe off the ex- 

 «ss of paraffine and the snell is ready for use. To sum- 

 sarize, its advantages are as follows: (1) It will hold the 

 irpon, (3) it will not hold even a small shark, (8) it is 

 nail and flexible and will not alarm the fish, (4) if made 

 . three-feet lengths, the fisherman can after losing one 

 3ok, bend on another one and his snell is as good as 

 rer, only being about 4in. shorter. Indeed last Novem- 

 jr I lost three hooks off of one snell before it became 

 »o short for u?e. (5) These snells can easily be made by 

 ie fisherman himself at a cost of about twenty cents 

 )ieee, thus affording him amusement and enabling him 

 i practice economy at the same time. For those who do 

 )t care to make them, I will state that John Krider, 

 biladelphia, will fill any orders. J. V. Ingham. 



NGLING WATERS NEAR NEW YORK. 



^HE weather chauges so rapidly that it is enough to 

 ^ bewilder the angler. March 6 in the vicinity of 

 ew York we had sleighing, snowshoeing and toboggan- 

 ig, while at the same time bluebirds and blackbirds 

 ere twittering and snow buntings whirling about in 

 peks. This morning in the suburbs the thermometer 

 igistered 5° above zero. One thing certain, it has put a 

 op to poaching, for we are sorry to have to say that a 

 ood many trout were being taken contrary to law. Par- 

 cularly in New Jersey the change of the open season of 

 larch 1 to April 1 was apparently forgotten. 

 The time is rapidly approaching when the ardent 

 Qgler begins to consider whore he can go to cast his 

 ies to advantage on the opening day. And we will 

 ideavor to post him to the best of our ability, but we 

 Lust say it is rather a difficult task, for as we have rnen- 

 oned before in these notes, nearly; if not all, troutine: 

 aters in the vicinity:', of New York are private. Of 

 jurse there is very little trout fishing in the beginning 

 r April, excepting on Long Island. Very early trips to 

 iher waters are apt to be disappointing. Trout wdl not 

 se to a fly so long as there is any snow-water running 

 i the streams, and if they do take bait it is in a stupid 

 icker-like fashion that affords but poor sport and little 

 itisfaction to the fisherman. 



In May, say about from the loth to the 20th, the 

 eather is generally settled and the streams are in good 

 mdition, then the fly-fisherman is in his glory. We 

 msider for our mountain streams that the last two 

 eeks in May and the first two weeks in June are the 

 loicest of the whole season. After that time the trout 

 igin to fight shy of artificial flies, at least in the day 

 oae, and the angler must content himself with the early 

 orniug and the evening fishing. 



The nearest waters open to the public are to be found 

 Glen Cove, on the north side of Long Island, and at or 

 sar Freeport, on the south side. If the angler has suffi- 

 ent influence to get a permit from the Brooklyn authori- 

 bs, he •will tiud some very fair fishing at Massepequa 

 ond. There were over 300 trout killed there on the first 

 vodays of April last spring. This pond, former! v the 

 opei-ty of Mr. Floyd- Jones, now belongs to the Brooklyn 

 r ater Works, and it has always been considered one'of 

 ■e finest waters on the island. Once in a while the 

 reams in that neighborhood and beyond, as far as 

 mityville, afford a little good fishing. The hotel-keepers 

 these places can generally put the angler who stops 

 ith them on the track of trout fishing if they feel ru- 

 ined to. 



Another famous place on the Island is Scnithtown. We 

 dieve that quite a number of trout are taken there 

 ery spring, and there, as elsewhere, it would pay the 

 sitor to get on the right side of the hotel-keeper. 

 Stellingworth, at Islip, also used to be able to give his 

 lests fair fishing. We do not know how it is at present, 

 tt think it would be worth while for the angler to drop 

 m a line. 



Later on, the streams at Henryville (East and West 

 roadhead's creeks) and so on up the road to Pocono and 

 jbyhanna afford fair fishing, and the Bushkill near 

 :roudsburg is considered excellent. For iuformation 

 garding tho last named stream, write to Harry Peters, 

 aters House, Bushkill, Pike county, Pa, Then there are 

 reams near Milford and Dingman's Ferry s Pa,, and also 

 •out Williamsport, Pa. After May 1 the trout streams 

 Ulster, Sullivan and Delaware "countie-, N. Y,, are 

 ?ea and easily reached by the Ontario & Western R. P.. 

 id thanks to the liberal stocking done by this road, the 

 igler will find excellent fishing in that section. 



The upper waters of the Bronx, in Westchester county, 

 N. Y., afford a few trout to the experienced angler in the 

 early part of the season, but one must be well posted to 

 be able to find them. Years ago the Bronx was one of 

 the finest trout streams in this State. The best flies for 

 the early season are the scarlet-ibis, coachman, royal- 

 coachman, Abbey, grizzly-king, professor, queen-of-the- 

 water, Cahill, cowdung, Lowery, black-gnat, blue-dun, 

 great-dun, Gen. -Hooker, Imbrie, Beaverkill. March-brown 

 and brown-hen. Size of hooks from 8 to 10 sproat. 



We sincerely trust that the angler who makes use of 

 the above information will respect the six-inch law and 

 remember that his futiu'e sport, as well as that of his 

 brother anglers, depends on his observance of this law. 



THE MAYOR'S CREVALLE. 



OH! ho! What's the matter with Peekskill's mayor? 

 A little sloop moored to a palm tree on the shores 

 of a lovely cove. A very wet man in his underclothing 

 standing on the forward deck drying himself in Florida's 

 tropical sun. Coat and pants dripping with brine hang- 

 ing in the rigging. Papers, matches, tobacco, pocket- 

 book spread out upon the cabin deck to dry. A broken 

 fishing rod and a broken line. All alone? Yes, the 

 president of Peekskill's Common Council stood there all 

 alone, but he was prouder than when he heard the result 

 of the last municipal election. He had caught an enorm- 

 ous crevalle, the largest ever taken in Florida waters. 



When you know that it takes pretty good maneuvering 

 and a strong line to land a crevalle 2ft. long; that they 

 dart through the water like a flash of lightning; that they 

 run out a hundred feet of line against all the tension you 

 dare give it, and sweep round the arc of a circle of which 

 your line is the radius, then rush in upon you a hundred 

 times faster than any multiplying reel can take up the 

 slack, and then when you think you have them tamed 

 do the same thing over again, you can imagine what 

 kind of a fight a fish of that kind 3ft. long and 23m. girth 

 would make. Few have ever been caught that were 

 over 2ft. long. 



That long narrow strip of land on the east coast of 

 Florida, between the ocean and the sound, has a beauti- 

 ful cove just opposite the southern point of Merritt's 

 Island. The water is so deep close to shore that almost 

 any Indian River sailboat can land her passengers directly 

 upon the hard shell beach. The largest shell mound in 

 this country is on the shores of the cove. In the winter 

 time the ground beneath the thick wild grove back of 

 the mound is all bestrewn with luscious-looking oranges. 

 Mind you, I say luscious-Zookmo-. Well, they are not 

 quite as sour as lemons. 



Pick your way eastward through this thicket, climb 

 over the trunks of fallen orange trees that have appar- 

 ently died of old age, dodge the thorns of young orange 

 trees, stop and admire the great India rubber trees with 

 their dark green, glossy foliage, and at the same time 

 pity the poor oaks and palms that they are hugging the 

 life out of; stop again and unhook yourself from a wait- 

 a-bit vine with its catlike claws; 'don't attempt to run 

 down Spanish bayonets and cacti, take your time and 

 walk around the saw-palmettoes, and you will presently 

 eome to a monumental mound that was constructed by 

 a race of people who evidently liked to work better than 

 the people that we are in the habit of calling the abori- 

 gines of this country. That's where Will Pierce— by the 

 way, I believe that pretty nearly all the manufacturers 

 of guns and breeders of hunting dogs know Mr. W. H. 

 Pierce, of Peekskill— that's where he had piloted. May or 

 Free's son Charley— this part of the world is not new to 

 Will— and where those vandals were searching for the 

 heroes of a long extinct race, the enthusiastic sportsman 

 had the racket with the big fish. The skipper had taken 

 his cast net and gone half a mile up the shore to catch 

 some bait. The sloop was moored before a little Moorish 

 castle which sets back only a few steps from the shore in 

 the shade of a beautiful grove of palms. A grassy lawn 

 stretches from the house down to the beach of the lovely 

 cove. There is no other dwelling along the shore for 

 many miles in either direction. The miniature castle 

 belongs to "The Hermit," and that solitary individual 

 was hoeing in his banana patch way back in the garden, 

 so Mr. Free had "a great time and nobody to it." 



After the crevalle had run out half a hundred yards of 

 line, making the reel hum like a spindle, after shooting 

 through a semi-circle like a meteor until he was almost 

 stranded on the shore; then, whirling, flashing back 

 again, making the water foam and seethe along the same 

 curved path, after running in and darting out again, and 

 after becoming almost exhausted, he is towed in by the 

 Hudson River man, who wonders whether he has hooked 

 a whale or whether it is only a pcrpoise. When the fish 

 is brought up alongside he makes one feeble effort, runs 

 under the bow and the line catches in the bobstay and 

 parts. The fisherman is overboard in an instant, snatches 

 the short piece of line that his prize is trving to get away 

 with, leads him up as he would a broken colt, seizes him 

 in his hands and throws him on deck, Moseley. 

 Tkopic, Florida. 



West Virginia. Streams.— Charlestown, W. Va.— Let 

 my brother anglers try some of the West Virginia waters 

 and become convinced that our mountain trout fishing is 

 as fiuea,sany this side of California. Our bass fishingcan- 

 not be beaten. Whitesalmon fishing is fine in season ; pike 

 fishing is good at times,as are many other kinds of fishing in 

 our rivers and small streams that make it interesting to 

 anglers. Last summer Mr. G. K. and myself devoted one 

 day of each week to trolling in the Elk River, a tribu- 

 tary of the Great Kanawha, and the greatest estimate of 

 fish caught in five hours was 63, and the lowest estimate 

 was 23. I name five hours for fishing, as we have to 

 drive or row ten miles to reach the trolling water. We 

 used the white and silver belly phantom minnow and 

 sometimes the spooh bait. The fishing was a success at 

 times. The largest bass caught, oUhs., the smallest 41b. 

 The most I ever caught in one dav was in September, 1884, 

 from sunup to suudown, 96 bass and 8 white salmon, the 

 largest salmon weighing 13J-lbs. and the largest bass Ulbs. 

 This trolling was done in the Elk River some forty-five 

 miles from its mouth. — Dick, 



Black Bash FISHING in JNew YmK State up c ns May 

 30; the law w as changed to accommodate anglers who 

 wish to go fishing on Decoration Day, and quite regard- 

 less of the fact that tfie spawning season is not then over. 



KENTUCKY FISH AND GAME. 



LOUISVILLE, Ky., March 6. — A heavy rise in all the 

 rivers has completely ruined what little fishing there 

 was in Kentucky and Indiana, and as the waters are reced- 

 ing very slowly it will delay what promised to be an early 

 and excellent season for anglers. The Ohio River rose to 

 a height of neaxdy Sift., driving back the Potomac shad 

 which were until then coming up over the falls in great 

 numbers. The Kentucky River overflowed its banks and 

 reached a stage unmarked in the history of the Corn- 

 cracker State. Yellow bass were plentiful at the head- 

 waters of this stream, but the muddy waters have caused 

 a decided abatement in piscatorial sports up there. 



The Cumberland River, too, went on the rampage, and 

 the large white salmon and fat bass cannot be caught 

 until the mud settles and the water recedes to its usual 

 stage. 



In Indiana all the streams were flooded and the fishing 

 received a cold, cruel blow. The work of putting in 

 fish ladders over there has been stopped by the raging 

 waters. These ladders were ordered placed at all dams 

 by the U. S. Fish Commission, that the finny tribe might 

 ascend to the headwaters and deposit their spawn away 

 from the reach of the larger fish which inhabit the deeper 

 waters below. The Commission will see that the work is 

 resumed as soon as the waters are low enough to admit 

 of the progress of the work. 



The high water has also knocked spring shooting higher 

 than Gilderoy 's kite. The Diamond Island Shooting Club 

 had intended to take the steam yacht the City of Char- 

 tiers and spend a week or so on their excellent grounds 

 shooting geese and ducks, which are plentiful but can- 

 not be reached, as the water is over all of the island save 

 where the club house — one of the finest in the West — is 

 located. The club members are all sadly disappointed. 



Equally sad are the members of the Hovey Lake Duck 

 Club, which has a ten years' lease on 7,000 acres of lake 

 and swamp on the south side of the classic Ohio, a short 

 distance below Uniontown, Ky. The land is owned by 

 Governor Alvin Hovey, and the club talks of purchasing 

 it outright. Both ducks and geese are very plentiful, but 

 the water is several feet deep over the entire reserve and 

 the shelter is all under water. 



Apropos to all these setbacks the local dealers in tackle 

 are doing a good business, and the indications are that 

 when the season does open up the entire State will be 

 covered by fishermen from Louisville. C. A. D. 



LouisvrLLE, March 5. 



RANDOM CASTS.— IV. 



A TRUNK rod, as far as action is concerned, is just 

 about good for what its name indicates; to lay in a 

 trunk. The multiplicity of ferrules, meaning so "many 

 unyielding spots, and the combination of short tips and 

 joints, make it a poor substitute for either a fly or bait 

 rod. 



Not satisfied with the discrepancies of that sham, the 

 combination fly and bait rod, we are now to be afflicted 

 with a combination rod and reel. Whether this is any 

 worse than the trunk botch, is a matter that little time 

 need be wasted over; it has only to be seen to be avoided. 

 To a schoolboy, possibly, its cheapness may be its chief 

 claim for ownership. 



Either in the woods or on the shores and bays, an oil- 

 skin coat, such as is worn by sailors and others where 

 rough wear is the rule, is far superior to a rubber one. 

 It will outlast three of the latter, is cleaner, is of small 

 cost and decidedly more comfortable. Those known as 

 half coats, reaching just below the knees, are the most 

 convenient when rubber boots are worn. Your guide 

 or boatman will be very glad of it when you start for 

 home. 



The Cracker fly, as tied by Mills from the pattern of 

 Dr. Geo. Trowbridge, is by far the most killing for 

 Florida fishing that has yet been tested. It is too gay 

 and complicated, however, for me to attempt to describe 

 it with clearness. 



Some want the earth — and don't get it. Others pretend 

 to have something that is better than anything else on 

 earth. Fishing tackle offers no exception to these claim- 

 ants and still, somehow or other, there remain "as good 

 fish in the sea as ever came out of it." Big Reel. 



The Nepigon.— In his address as president of the Board 

 of Trade of Port Arthur, Ont., Mr. Geo. T. Marks sug- 

 gests in view of the fact that the number of visitors to 

 the far-famed Nepigon River increases annually since 

 the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway: "The 

 Nepigon is certainly the king of American trout' streams, 

 and it is doubtful if the world has a stream in which 

 disciples of Izaak Walton can find so much sport. The 

 fishing on this river is good for all time if the necessary 

 attention be given it; if not the next two years will see it 

 badly depleted. At present American visitors only are 

 charged a nominal fee for the privilege of fishing there. 

 This is not right. If a fee be charged, it should be irre- 

 spective of nationality. I think it is clearly the duty of 

 the Government to preserve the stream against the 

 wanton slaughter which so often takes place. An over- 

 sper should be placed on the river during the season, who 

 would travel up and down and prevent such practices as 

 are bound to be injurious to the proper preservation of 

 the sport. A thorough-going sportsmen does no harm; 

 he -will not catch so many fish that they have of neces- 

 sity to be left rotting on the banks, as has been the case 

 so often in the past." 



Susquehanna Dace— About midsummer in 1873, ac- 

 cording to Mr. Geo. W. Lung, there was great mortality 

 among the white chubs or dace (Semotilus bullaris) in the 

 North Branch of the Susquehanna River at Wyal using. 

 Pa. There was a freshet in the stream. The chubs were 

 white and bloated; they were floating in sight constantly 

 for six or seven hours in Mr. Lung's observation, and 

 were said to have been seen for several clays. It was a 

 customary thing to catch more or less of these dace when 

 fishing, but after this mortality for two or three years 

 they were seldom taken, and the first of these years 

 scarcely mentioned. The cause of their destruction was 

 unknown. At the present time the species is abundant 

 again in the river. Mr. Lung has caught white chub in 

 Wyalusing Creek weighing 31bs. These are the largest 

 he has ever seen. 



