476 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Jtjly 8, 1800. 



ANGLING NOTES. 



THE wonderful run of bluefish still continues, and the 

 markets are glutted with them. They are in fine con- 

 dition, and the price exceedingly low. A few striped 

 bass, weakfish and kingfish have been taken during the 

 past week, but they are yet far from plenty. The young 

 bluefish known as " snapping mackerel"' have been seen 

 in large numbers and give promise of fine sport in the 

 fall. Large blackfish are quite plenty around the north 

 end of Long Island, and have been caught weighing as 

 high as 91b3. 



W. Romeyn, the famous Keeseville angler, writes that 

 though high water has greatly interfered with angling in 

 the North Woods, he has killed some fine lake trout from 

 5 to 161bs. in weight. 



Many anglers are about starting for the famous Nipe- 

 gon, the land of big waters, big trout and big flies. But 

 even there the fishing has begun to tell on the supply and 

 size. It is seldom a speckled trout is killed of over 3 or 

 3^1bs. in weight, whereas in years past they were fre- 

 quently caught weighing from 5 to 81bs. 



FISHING ON ONION CREEK. 



AUSTIN, Texas.— The people of Austin have sporting 

 proclivities in common with the inhabitants of 

 other sections of our country, and one of our favorite re- 

 sorts for going afishing is Onion Creek, some six or nine 

 miles from the city— depending upon the particular point 

 aimed at. Why the mellifluous Spanish name of 1 'Arroyo 

 de los Cebollos" (Thay-bol'-los) was finally rendered into 

 plain and unromantic Onion Creek, is now past finding 

 out; but the attractiveness of the locality remains the 

 same, and every fair day of spring and early summer 

 loads of fishers, maidens fair and mature dames, with 

 attendant escort, duly equipped with rods, baskets and 

 the usual camp impedimenta, not forgetting old clothes 

 and straw hats if they are sensible, will be found en 

 route in the early morning and returning with the shades 

 of night, possibly wet, bedraggled, sunburnt and "Oh, so 

 tired!" and without fish, but still satisfied with the day 

 spent amid groves, waters, flowers and in the free open 

 air. 



Austin is called, and justly, the "City of Hills," but 

 when on the route to Onion Creek the plateau ridge, some 

 two miles from the city, is reached, all parties with eyes 

 for beautiful scenery always halt, for what a panorama 

 is exhibited! Austin, the pride of Texas, is like a mag- 

 nificent jewel in its setting. Over the foreground of prai- 

 rie flowers, motts of live oak and spreading elm, this 

 gem of a city, its feet bathed in the shining Colorado, 

 through the clear and brilliant air appears as if spread 

 out before one, for, from this superior height, the minor 

 hills upon which Austin rests are not noticeable. To the 

 right opens up the valley of the Colorado, with its gar- 

 dens and orchards, while to the left the juniper-clad 

 mountains rise up in their majesty; the nearer foothills 

 distinct in the crystal atmosphere, and the heights and 

 gorges lost in the purple haze. At the gateway of these 



{mrple mountains, some two miles above the city, Austin 

 las commenced the stupendous undertaking of dam- 

 ming the Colorado for the purpose of water and elec- 

 tric light, a surplus power of 18,000 h.p. being left avail- 

 able for other purposes. A solid stone dam 50ft. thick 

 and 60ft. high will hold back the waters of a river flow- 

 ing for 300 miles, forming a mountain-bordered lake for 

 30 miies above. As the river is now well stocked with 

 bass naturally besides other fish, what visions of fine fish- 

 ing are opened for the future. 



A few miles of travel on the plateau amid farms and 

 growing crops, then the opening of numerous gates and 

 crossing of pastures, and then the short descent to the 

 creek is made, a camp site selected under a spreading elm 

 and near an overhanging bluff, from the base of which 

 an everlasting spring furnishes cool and palatable water, 

 in This particular spot selected abounds in beautiful 

 scenery and can fairly be classed as "canon," for the 

 bluff on the southern side of the creek is fully 100ft. in 

 height and impassable at its base, while on the side we 

 are camped the bluff rises 30ft. or more, and only a nar- 

 row strip of land intervenes between it and the water's 

 edge. Trees, vines and ferns have availed themselves of 

 every crevice in the rocks, and the ruggedness of the 

 broken masses from the cliffs are partly hidden from 

 view. 



Our camp arrangements are soon made and each of the 

 party starts out as inclination leads, some for flowers, 

 some to view the scenery (especially the young fellow 

 who has a companion addicted to scenery), but the know- 

 ing one soon rigs his rod, and with bait and minnow 

 net seeks some pool or whirling eddy, hoping for solitude 

 and filled with hopes of catching a few— dare I say it?— 

 catfish. 



Now, brother fishermen of the trout and bass persua- 

 sion, don't look down upon me with grief, but rather 

 with envy, when I confess that I like to catch catfish, 

 that is, such catfish as are found in this rock and gravel- 

 bottomed stream. They are the aristocracy of their kind 

 —small generally, but slender, bright and clean-looking, 

 and speckled on their sides until fairly rivaling the trout, 

 and what is more they will sometimes rise to the fly, 

 which is more, than I can say of the bass in this section. 

 But my catfish, aristocrat as he is, in common with your 

 dude trout, prefers the succulent worm or tender min- 

 now. 



Our lone fisherman in the course of two or three hours, 

 if successful, returns with a string of the "speckled 

 beauties"' (s. b. is not copyright and I have privilege to 

 use it), mingled with a few "gasper," perch and possibly 

 a few bass; but the bass as a rule, while quite plentiful 

 in this stream, are only to be caught by the knowing one 

 and he a fisherman, at early morn or late eve by careful 

 fishing of their lurking places. 



Dinner is then the order of the day, and while fish are 

 frying baskets are unpacked, cloths spread upon the close 

 turf, and the lazy ones delegated to keep off ants and 

 creeping things. But soon all are deep in the mysteries 

 of the Onion Creek catfish, and no person, whether resi- 

 dent or the stranger from abroad, has ever been known 

 to quit the feast so long as fish were forthcoming. 



The afternoon is passed as inclination wills, and the 

 setting sun finds our party on the road home, while soon 

 the cool of evening and the aroma of the dewy prairies 

 revives the spirits of the gorged feasters, and when the 

 point of road is reached where the view of Austin opens, 



now sparkling with electric lights, a hurrah from the 

 men and murmurs of delight from the ladies are fre- 

 quent, the horses are urged to a faster gait, and soon the 

 party, singing and shouting, are upon the iron bridge, 

 which, with its graceful proportions, now in the moon- 

 light appearing like cobwebs, crosses the Colorado and 

 gives access to the city. 



At some future time I will give you an account of how 

 the fishermen intent on bass passes his night and day of 

 recreation on Onion Creek, that is, if time can be pur- 

 loined from business to take the trip. B. 



St. La whence Eiver Nets.— Last week Mr. W. H. 

 Thompson, secretary of the Anglers' Association of the 

 St, Lawrence River, secured President H. H. Warner's 

 steam yacht and took with him the game protector and 

 a party on a search for nets. In Henderson Harbor they 

 found a pound net 4 rods square, 2.2ft. deep, with a leader 

 of the same depth half a mile long. They at once com- 

 menced to take it up, and a party armed with several 

 guns came down claiming to own it, and proposed to pro- 

 tect it. The officers took the guns and arrested the 

 parties and took them to Alexandria Bay, where their 

 trial was begun. They asked for an adjournment, 

 which was granted, and later they procured from the 

 county judge an order to take the case before the 

 grand jury. The net was burned the same evening, and 

 was so large that it took from IIP. M. until nearly morn- 

 ing to destroy it. 



A Long Island Pompano.— We are indebted to Mr. 

 E. G. Blackford, President of the New York Fish Com- 

 mission, for the following interesting note on a rare pom- 

 pano of very large size: "I received this morning (June 

 24) from Bay Shore, Long Island, a specimen of the 

 Trachynotus goreensis weighing 201bs. It was a magnifi- 

 cent fish, and it is the first that I have ever known to 

 have been caught in this vicinity. The furthest north, 

 previous to this, has been caught in the Chesapeake Bay." 

 This increases the list of pompanoes taken on Long Island 

 to four kinds — the common Carolina pompano, the ovate 

 pompano, the silvery and the African, the last, known 

 also, as the permit. The silvery pompano is a very little 

 known form which we have seen in Great South Bay, 

 Long Island. 



The Pere Marquette River, in western Michigan, 

 writes "O. H. B.," has trout and grayling for all, if they 

 only knew how to catch them. This is the finest trout 

 and grayling stream I ever chanced to meet. I have 

 been out ten times, a little while each day, since May 1 . 

 and my catch numbers 460 speckled trout and ten gray- 

 ling of various sizes., 7 to 15m. in length, and weighing 

 up to 24oz. On May 23 I took eighty-three trout in less 

 than four hours with fly. Could not give it to them fast 

 enough. They would come by twos, and on one occasion 

 three fine trout were brought to creel at one cast. This 

 I never saw before, and do not remember of reading 

 about. They were all nearly of a size, two lOin. and one 

 9in., combined weight 2Jdbs'. Most are fish with white 

 and creamy-colored flesh, but once in a while a real old 

 salmon-color fellow will fall a victim. 



Newport Bass.— Sachuest Neck, R. L, June 28.— 

 Striped bass have made their appearance and quite a 

 number have been taken with rod and reel. Largest re- 

 ported 351bs. West Island, I hear, has taken five fish. 

 Graves Point reported three yesterday. Eleven fish have 

 been taken at Sachuest Neck, two of 151bs., the rest 

 weighing, largest lllbs., smallest 51bs. dressed. Indica- 

 tions point toward a very good season's fishing. Con- 

 ditions as to wind and weather have been very poor for 

 bass fishing. Two of the eleven fish taken at Sachuest 

 were taken during still, hot northwest weather, and 

 water very clear, and as poor a time for bass fishing as 

 could well be selected.— Wm. M. Hughes. 



Connecticut.— I spent three days of last week in north- 

 eastern Connecticut, most of the "time roaming over the 

 fields and through the woods. The trout fishing has been 

 the best that section has seen for thirty years, so an old 

 fisherman told me. A little brook running within a quar- 

 ter of a mile from our country house was fished by two 

 gentlemen from Rhode Island one afternoon, one catch- 

 ing 35 and the other 28. A few of these were splendid 

 fellows of a pound or over. The bass in a nearby lake 

 were jumping one afternoon very gamy, but only a few 

 have been caught as yet. — F'lin. 



Trouting in the Greenbrier River, Virginia.— 

 Staunton, Va., June 24. — In our Virginia mountains 

 there are many fine trout fishing streams. The follow- 

 ing named gentlemen have just returned from a four 

 days' sport in the head streams of the Greenbrier River, 

 Pocahontas county, West Virginia. The score was as 

 follows: James Bumgardner, Jr., 293, George Beall 267 

 Chas. L. Cooke 246, R. P. Bell 179, F. R. Webb 62. Mr. 

 Webb was unwell most of the time. About 200 too small 

 were returned to their native element. — Canton. 



Ouananiche at Lake St. John.— A telegram sent to 

 us from Quebec, June 30, reads: "Party of nine took 200 

 ouananiche at Grand Discharge, Lake St. John, Friday. 

 Splendid sport.— J. G. Scott." We have in type for next 

 week an interesting budget of angling news from Quebec. 



A gray drum weighing 421bs. was taken on the New 

 Jersey coast, neat Asbury Park, June 20. 



WITH FLY-ROD AND CAMERA. 



JN size, interest of text, wealth of illustration, and heauty of 

 production, the most notable work on salmon fishing issued. 

 See advertisement elsewhere. 



CONTENTS OF CHAPTER V. 



A Heavy Rain— Sounds of the Night— Fly-Fishing Sometimes 

 Good in a Storm— A Great Catch— Trout, Ducks and Grebes 

 Exterminated by Pickerel- Ozone— Another Salmon Hooked- 

 Hopes and Fears— Disappointment— Hiram as a Fly-Caster— 

 More About Favorite Flies— A Handsome Trio— Hooked and 

 Saved— Frere Gets Another Fish— How the Country Boy 

 Angles for a Salmon— A Squirrel Skin Fly— A Great Catch— 

 The Jaequet River in New Brunswick— Barclay's Hotel and 

 the Beach on the Bale des Ohaleurs— Good Sport in Prospect— 



A Summons from Hiram— Excitement— A Long Struggle- 

 Congratulations— A Pretty String of Sea Trout— Frere also 

 has Good Success— Sending out Fish to Friends— Trout Fishing 

 at the Rangeleys— Great Sport with Light Tackle— Hatching 

 Salmon Artificially a Great Success— The Operations at Dif- 

 ferent Hatcheries— Weir Owners Get the Cream— Our Anglers 

 the First to Uige the Artificial Stocking of Rivers and Lakes 

 —Statistics of Salmon Fisheries— Poachers Growing More 

 Reckless— Surface Fishing Cannot Exterminate the Fish- 

 Habits of the Salmon— Conjectures Concerning the Identity 

 of the Sea Trout— All About Lakes Edward and St. John— 

 The Home of the Winninish— Great. Rivers in the North— Is 

 the Winninish a, Landlocked Salmon? — Dimensions and 

 Weight of the Schoodic Salmon. 



FIXTURES. 



DOG SHOWS. 



Sept. 2 to 4.— Dog Show of the Midland Central Fair Associa- 

 tion, at Kingston, Out. R. W. Meek, Secretary. 



Sept. 2 to 5.— Third Annual Dog Show of the Michigan Kennel 

 Club, at Detroit, Mich. M. V. B. Saunders, Secretarv. 



Sept. 15 to 10.— Second Annual International Dog Show of the 

 Industial Exhibition Association at Toronto, Canada, C. A. Stone, 

 Secretarv. 



Sept. 23 to 26.— Second Annual Dog Show of the Central Canada 

 Exhibition Association, at Ottawa. Alfred Geddes, Chairman 

 Committee. 



Oct. 6 to 11.— Ninth Annual Dog Show of the Danbury Agricul- 

 tural Societv, at Danburv Conn. B. C. Lynes, Secretarv. 



Dec. 30 to Jan. 3, 1891.— First Dog Show of the Buckeye Poultry 

 and Pet Stock Association, at Canton, O. James Sterling. Sec'v. 

 39 North Market street. *i j» 



FIELD TRIALS. 



Sept. 9.— "Field Trials of the Manitoba Field Trials Club. Thos. 

 Johnson, Winnipeg. Secretary. 



November.— Second Annual Field Trials of the Brunswick Fur 

 Club, at Brunswick, Mo. J. H. Baird, Secretarv, Auburndale, 

 Mass. 



Club, at Chatham, Ont. C. A. Stone, Toronto, Ont., Secretarv. 



Nov. 17.— Twelfth. Annual Field Trials of the K&stern Field 

 Trials Club, at, Otterburu Springs, Va. W. A. Coster, Saratoeo 

 Springs, N. Y., Secretary. 



Dec. 1.— Second Annual Field Trials of the Central Field Trials 

 Club, at Lexington, N. C. C. EL Odell, Mills Building, New York, 

 Secretary. 



1891. 



Jan. 19.— Eighth Annual Field Trials of the Pacific Kennel Club, 

 at Bakwsfield, Cal. H. II. Briggs. S: 



Feb. 2.— Third Annual Field Trials of the Southern Field Trials 

 Club. T. M. Brunby, Secretary, Marietta, Ga. 



COURSING. 



Oct. 21 to 25.— Fifth Annual Meet of the American Coursing 

 Club, at Great Bend, Kan. I. D. Brougher, Secretary. 



THE AMERICAN KENNEL CLUB WAR. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



In reply to the card, published and signed by Major Tay- 

 lar, Mr. Wilmerding and Mr. La Rue, in which they deny 

 the statement made by me in a former issue of your paper, 

 so far as said statement applies to them individually, 

 wherein I stated, substantially, that two of said committee 

 had stated that they had not audited the account of Mr. 

 ■Vredenburgh, but had signed the statement that had been 



Erepared by him, permit me now in reply to said card signed 

 y the aforesaid gentlemen to say that so far as Major Tay- 

 lor is concerned I have never had any conversation with 

 him in regard to said matter, and that the two members of 

 the committee to whom I referred are Mr. WiJmerding and 

 Mi*. La Rue. Mr. Wilmerding has been for the year last 

 past and is now the delegate of the N. J. K. 0. 



He has known for some time and for a long time before 

 his appointment upon said committee that the accounts of 

 the treasurer of the A.K.C. had been questioned in many 

 ways by several members of the N. J. K. C, and especially 

 the item which has been so often referred to— $1,228.28. Mr. 

 Wilmerding knew at the time of his appoinment on said 

 committee and at the time he signed the statement that 1 

 had charged in all the sporting papers that it was not earned 

 by the club; that it had been book-keeped and juggled into 

 the accounts; that myself and others, members of the N. J. 

 K. C, hadhad conversations with him regarding this item, 

 and notwithstanding these facts, Mr. Wilmerding, down to 

 and iucluding the time of the last meeting of the N.J.K.C., 

 which was held on the first Tuesday in this month, was in 

 total ignorance of the items going to make up this sum. 



A few days after the publication of the January, 1890, 

 issue of the Kennel Gazette, in fact on Feb. IS, 18%', about 

 12 o'clock I called at the office of Mr. Wilmerding and stated 

 to him, that as he was well aware I wanted to get those 

 items, and that as he was on that committee appointed to 

 audit the treasurer's accounts, "I supposed he could and 

 would give them to me." In reply thereto, he said, sub- 

 stantially, "that he had simply looked over Mi'. Vreden- 

 burgh's books that were presented to him and had signed 

 the statement. He had found that the accounts had been 

 added up correctly, but that he could not give me any of the 

 items, and that he was there only a short time." In fact 

 from his conversation I soon discovered that he knew less 

 about the accounts than I did. 



I then stated to him that, as he was the delegate of the 

 N. J. K. C, aud it had been stated that delegates could get 

 these items, or information regarding the books of the A. 

 K. C, I would write a letter to the secretary of the A. K. C. 

 stating what I wanted, and then get him also to write a 

 letter, indorsing my request. This was agreed to and I sat 

 down at Mr, Wilmerding's desk and wrote this letter: 



A 

 the 



to the annual meeting in February, 1889, or in other words the 

 items of receipts from Dec. 5, 1888 to Jan. 11, 1889, also the items of 

 expense between said dates, and very much oblige, C. J. Pes hall, 

 Member of the N. J. K. C. 



When I finished this letter Mr. Wilmerding read it and 

 then wrote the following letter to Mr. Vredenburgh: 



Mr. A. P. Vredenburgh, Secretary — Dear Sir: The writer of the 

 inclosed letter is the president of the New Jersey Kennel Club. 

 Will you kindly give nim such information as he desires, and 

 oblige A. C. Wilmerding, Delegate N. J. K. C. 



Mr. Wilmerding then called his clerk, and inclosing both 

 the above letters in one envelope, addressed to Mr. Vreden- 

 burgb, sent it to No. 44 Broadway with instructions to bring 

 back the answer. A short time thereafter Mr. Wilmerding's 

 clerk returned and said that Mr. Vredenburgh said, sub- 

 stantially, "that he was so busy be hadn't time to eat his 

 lunch, let alone go over his books." 



Mr. Wilmerding and myself smiled upon each other, as 

 we always do when we are together, and parted. The next 

 morning I received the following letter: 



Office of American Kennel Club, American Kennel Gazette, 

 American Kennel Club Stud Book, 44 and 46 Broad way.— New 

 York, Feb. 18, 1890.— Mr. C. J. Peshall, Jersey City, N. J.: Dear 

 Sir— Replying to s our communication of even date, I beg to refer 

 you to Mr. A. C. Wilmerding, delegate N. J. K. C. for the infor- 

 mation you desire, as be again examined my books on the 17th 

 inst., and is, therefore, in a position to supply it. Yours trulv, A. 

 P. Vredenburgh, Sec'y. 



