Aug. 14, 1890.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



71 



guides, so that the angler's success depends mainly on 

 having a good guide. Unfortunately this class of men 

 are getting scarce in the North Woods, and most of them 

 are engaged a season ahead. On the lakes the speckled 

 trout are now in very deep water. They are often taken 

 when trolling for lake trout. As soon as the cold frosty 

 nights of September arrive, they will again come to the 

 surface and afford good sport to the fly-fisherman. Sep- 

 tember is the loveliest month in the year in the Adivon- 

 dacks; the foliage changes in the most superb way, the 

 brilliant red and gold maples showing in strong contrast 

 to the dark evergreens. The air is cool and crisp and no 

 insects are left to bother one. In addition to the fishing 

 the ruffed grouse and deer are in season, and on some of 

 the lakes a few ducks are to be found. Often after a storm 

 a few big yellowlegs can be killed or a stray plover or 

 two. By the middle of September the great army of 

 tourists have left the woods, and the sportsmen will find 

 plenty of room and attention at the hotels, as well as the 

 choice of the best guides. The brook trout season ends 

 Sept. 15 and the lake trout Oct. 1, but October is a grand 

 month for the deer, and sportsmen on the lookout for 

 fine heads will find this the best month in the season to 

 obtain them. 



Mr. John G. Heoksher writes from Newport that he 

 has had excellent striped bass fishing. Among many big 

 ones he has killed one of 35 lbs. , one of 3i)lbs. , one of SOlbs. 

 and one of 571bs., all royal good fish. 



PICKEREL BAIT AND WATEKSNAKE. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



While fishing for pickerel one day last week in Stony 

 Brook, South boro', Mass., I had an experience with a 

 watersnake or water adder, as it is sometimes called, 

 which developed a phase in its habits and character 

 positively new and surprising to me. I had waded out to 

 the shore nearly a rod, and was standing on an old stone 

 wall, now almost wholly submerged, though here and 

 there a stone would show up above the surface of the 

 wa ter. 



While casting from one of these uncovered stones I 

 glanced along the line of wall and twenty feet in advance 

 of me was another stone which showed a little above the 

 water, and right beside it and out of the water about two 

 inches was something which at first glance I took to be a 

 frog"s head : but a second look assured me that it was the 

 head of a watersnake. I paid very little attention to it 

 until I had whipped the ground all over, and bagged two 

 very good pickerel, when, as the head had not moved, it 

 came into my mind to try the pickerel bait on his snake- 

 ship, and see how he would act. 



Accordingly I very carefully dropped the bait (frog's 

 leg) within fifteen or twenty inches of him and slowly be- 

 gan to circle it around his head, all the time lessening 

 the circle. He paid no attention to it until it got within 

 four or five inches of him, and then, as it passed directly 

 in front, he struck at it viciously. I struck also, but 

 missed him. Then I put the bait just in front of him 

 and he gobbled it instantly. 



I waited until I thought his efforts had compassed the 

 hook, and then I struck. Well, Mr. Editor, from the 

 twisting and splashing I thought I had hooked not only 

 one snake, but a whole family. 



I put a good pressure upon my rod and tried to raise 

 him from the water, but he quickly coiled about a bunch 

 of reeds, and by giving him all the pressure my rod would 

 bear I could not get over a foot of his body out of the 

 water. Then I slowly backed away from him, and as I 

 moved the force brought the rod down until it was level. 

 Then I slid from the wall into the water, waded ashore 

 and put the strength of my line against his grip on the 

 reeds. He was very stubborn, but as the pull increased 

 he yielded inch by inch, and soon I had him free and 

 headed for the shore; but just before he reached it a 

 friendly bunch of grass gave him another chance, and 

 he was round it like a flash. However, he was near 

 enough for my purpose, so I laid my rod down, cut an 

 alder and despatched him. He proved to be the largest of 

 that species of snake I ever killed, measuring 4|ft. in 

 length, and I should say quite 3in. in diameter at 

 the largest part of the body. 



Did any of your readers ever meet with anything like 

 it?* J. W. B. 



Boston, Mass., Aug. 3. 



THE SUSQUEHANNA. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



"Salmon" (pike-perch) and black bass fishing up to the 

 present time has not been very profitable, and we look 

 forward for much better sport when the season advances. 

 The Susquehanna at this place has been visited by 

 anglers daily from all parts of eastern Pennsylvania. 

 They have been trolling in quest of wall-eyed pike and 

 have met with some success. The best place for 

 "salmon" is right at the foot of the falls where the 

 water is very deep, furnishing a harbor for the fish, and 

 if the angler knows how and uses proper bait, success is 

 sure to follow. I always find that trolling is the surest 

 and best method of fishing for pike perch, using the 

 lamper eel, stone catfish, or sunfish for bait. The bait 

 must be fresh and alive in all cases. Some very good 

 catches of "salmom" have been made during the past 

 two weeks. Messrs. El. and Walt. Haldeman, of Barn- 

 bridge, spent a day here last week, and succeeded in 

 taking twenty-one fine "salmon." These ranged in 

 weight from two to four pounds each, making enough 

 weight for several good baskets. Trolling spoon and 

 lamper eel were used. The largest "salmon" 1 have ever 

 caught here I pulled in a short time ago. It weighed 

 6|lbs. and was a beauty. The largest known to have 

 been caught here weighed 91bs. Mr, George Blotcher 

 landed one of this weight. I have every reason to believe 

 that the river at this point is full of these big fellows. 

 Just a few clays ago, my friend, Col. John Frazer, while 

 trolling hooked a fish which weighed apparently 12 

 or , I51bs. and broke the line before he was able to land 

 it. I have heard of several such instances already this 

 season. The river seems to be well stocked with "salmon," 

 but the river has been high and water muddy so much 

 for the past eighteen months, that the average catch has 

 been poor. The river is now getting low and clear, which 

 will, we hope, give us a successful fishing season from 

 this on. 



The black bass are not so plentiful this season as they 



have been in the past years. lean not aocount for their 

 non appearance, unless it is caused by the June, 1889, 

 flood. After that flood and enormous washout I found 

 thousands of bass, and beauties they were, on the islands, 

 in swamps, and, in fact, all the lowlands were full of the 

 pride of our river. These were left only to perish as the 

 waters receded. Comparatively few bass have been taken 

 this season, and these few have been small as a rule. 

 This fish can be found below the falls. Above the York 

 Haven Paper Mill dam is one of the best places, and the 

 river at that place is daily spotted with parties bass fish- 

 ing. The best baits here for bass are helgramites ("ho 

 jacks" of our people), minnows, small toads and grass- 

 hoppers. I had better success with the minnow than the 

 others here mentioned, and ha,ve caught a good many 

 bass with the common earth worm for bait. The largest 

 bass I have any record of was caught by myself , a week 

 ago, near Shelby's Island. It weighed 4|lbs. and was a 

 monster, and he fought like a tiger. Lots of sport catch- 

 ing those fellows. Mr. John Snyder, of Roanoke, Va., 

 met with good success this week at Collins Station. John, 

 formerly from Mt. Joy, and a friend brought to basket 

 thirty-eight bass which averaged about l^lbs. each. This 

 is evidence that as the season advances fishing will im- 

 prove. These gentleman used minnow for bait. 



I hope in a very short timo to be able to furnish the 

 readers of Forest and Stream a more encouraging 

 account of doings here. I am confident that we are 

 going to have a successful season yet, we have the salmon 

 and before the finish many bass will ha.ve been reeled in. 

 The river is now coming into first-class condition for the 

 sport, better than it has been for the two past seasons, 

 and unless heavy rain dash our hopes to the bottom of 

 the river, some of us will be on deck and entitled to a 

 place. Walton. 



Falmouth, Pa., Aug. 8. 



CHICAGO AND THE WEST. 



CHICAGO, 111., Aug. 4.— I am indebted to two corres- 

 spondents in the issue of July 31 for comments on 

 my whilom bass jumping story, both of which are of the 

 knew-it-all-the-time sort which we all love naturally. In 

 the first place I should say that these gentlemen are quite 

 mistaken if they think I claim to be either an old-timer 

 or a wise man. I am neither. All I do is just to stump 

 around, willing to learn from the wise, and ready at any 

 time to chronicle what seems new to me and most of my 

 acquaintances. I don't know much about it, as Colum- 

 bus said when he stood the egg on end, but this is the 

 way I do it. And the Homeruses said they knew it all 

 the time and kept it dark for fear the public would go 

 around smashing eggs too much. Frankly, it seems to 

 me better to ventilate a thing of this kind and bring it 

 within the cognizance of the law, as has been done in the 

 Fox River cases through the comment in these columns, 

 than to protect the guilty kjly silence. It looks that way 

 to me, but probably I don't know. In common with 

 many anglers, I have long ago discovered that the black 

 bass will sometimes jump into a boat, but that their 

 jumping could be so guided and controlled as to be made 

 a process highly destructive against them, was news to 

 me and a great many others. In this connection I beg 

 to point out a slight discrepancy in the comment of our two 

 authorities here, "Homerus" and "Ah Look," who knew 

 it all the time. The former says, "Under ordinary cir- 

 cumstances there is not much chance for 'jumping' bass 

 into a boat: but it is when a stream is rapidly rising," 

 etc., etc. The latter is more liberal, and remarks, "The 

 practice of jumping bass we boys would invariably in- 

 dulge in when the fish would not bite," etc., etc. The 

 doctors disagree. Now, I don't know much about it, but 

 both these doctors also disagree from the facts we found 

 at Yorkville. They told us there that "when the water 

 was high and muddy" was the best time to jump bass. 

 The river was not rising, but falling rapidly on the night 

 when some fifty odd bass were taken in one boat that 

 way during our stay at Yorkville. The Yorkville story 

 is about as authentic as any, it {vould seem, and the 

 fact that it didn't happen B.C~ is not against it, but in its 

 favor. 



It is not often I care to walk the same road twice, but 

 just now I do. It mostly pays to be good-natured, and it 

 takes more than a B. C. bass-jumping story to affect my 

 sweet and amiable disposition; but when Mr. "Ah Look" — 

 whoever he is; he might be politer if he would abandon 

 the old-fashioned business of a sporting nom de plume— 

 casts even an implied challenge on my facts, I confess 

 freely that it makes me a trifle warm and also a little 

 tired. I was about to say that the gentleman might 

 come around to my office, and if I liked his ah— looks, I 

 would take him out on a $5 bass trip, one of the kind 

 which he thinks impossible, but perhaps that won't be 

 necessary. The fact is, he had just finished reading 

 about a $5 bass trip when he wrote what he did. To 

 Yorkville on the "Q." is fifty-one miles, and the round- 

 trip fare is, roughly speaking $3. (It is less, but I do not 

 recall the exact figures.) At the City Hotel in Yorkville 

 one can get very good country board, as that goes, at $1 

 a day. I know, because I have been there. He will not 

 need any boat, and he is right at the fishing. He can 

 make this trip, fish a day and get back home on less than 

 $5. Our party indulged in the luxuries of a $1.50 a day 

 hotel and livery ride to Aurora, and it cost us for two 

 nights and a day out of town $5.15. 



I have not spoken of long trips, and have meant such 

 as we have usually taken, of two nights and a day. These 

 trips were not taken on an ornamental basis, and no pro- 

 vision was made for elaborate liquid or other refreshment. 

 As to the fares, not being a railroad man, I mostly pays 

 my fare or walks. If Mr. "Ah Look" should wish to try 

 the Fox at or near Aurora, where many good bass have 

 at times been taken this summer, he will find the dis- 

 tance less— only thirty-eight miles — commutation tickets 

 possible and the trip cheaper. He can reach the river or 

 lake system of the Fox at many other points just as 

 cheaply. I can take Mr. "Ah Look" on either a bass trip, 

 a woodcock trip, a snipe trip, a plover trip or a duck trip, 

 each in season, and get game, too. Such trips have often 

 been described in these columns, and I would rather re- 

 peat here than anywhere that there is no city from which 

 so varied and so cheap an amount of good sport can be 

 had as the city of Chicago. This statement has nothing 

 to do with the personal preferences of a sportsman as to 

 expense. Each trip can be as expensive as one likes; but 

 I am talking bed rock. To-day when I read Mr. "Ah 

 Look's" wish for $5 bass waters, I turned around to Charlie 



Porter, an enthusiastic young angler whose desk is not 

 far from mine, and said, "Charlie, what did your trip to 

 Loon Lake day before yesterday cost you?" He studied 

 a moment and said, "Four dollars." He was up on Loon 

 Lake with Jim Clark one day, near Antioch, on the Wis- 

 consin Central. 



"Yes," he continued, "two dollars for railroad fare, and 

 seventy-five cents for three meals at the hotel, and one 

 dollar for my share of the boat and boatman expense, and 

 twenty-five ents for a 'bus fare. They sent a 'bus for .us 

 from Antioch. I ate one meal in Jim's tent, and slept 

 there one night. I could have staid at the hotel till the 

 following morning and still not have spent $5 in all." 



"Well, here's a gentleman who doesn't think you can 

 take a bass trip out of Chicago on $5," said I, and I 

 showed him the comment. 



"Phew!" said Charlie, as he threw down the paper. 

 "You tell him I can take him out for a day and buy him 

 four dozen frogs and get him back for $5 !" 



A trip to Deep Lake, Channel Lake, Camp Lake, Lake 

 Maria, or any other of half a dozen more would cost 

 just about the same. At Fox Lake, or Grass Lake, unless 

 one went to Paddock's, the cost would be more. One 

 must avoid the summer resorts and keep to the plain 

 country if he wants a $5 trip. He can't take a piano and 

 a cow along with him to be sure, but I never needed any. 

 I could think of a good many of these $5 trips, and could 

 make a good many more if I had time, but we will close 

 the list with one more, on still another railroad. 

 Wauconda Lake was once a fine bass water, and is still 

 a fair one. It is reached via Barrington, on the North- 

 western road. Round trip on Barrington is $1.65. Hack 

 fare to lake, two ways, $1. Supper, lodging, breakfast, 

 dinner, supper, lodging and breakfast again, $1.50. 

 Total, $4. 15, or 85 cents left for a boat, at 50 cents a day. 

 In all these estimates, railroad fares are quoted from 

 memory, but I think I have them right, and inquiry 

 will find them close thereto. 



Now, about the results of such a trip. Young Porter, 

 Jim Clark, Harry Eaton and Frank Reed took in their 

 one day's fishing twenty-two black bass and one pickerel. 

 These are facts, too. There are plenty of bass to be taken 

 on a $5 trip, if you know how. 



Jim Clark has caught a great many bass out of his 

 little lake camps in the Fox Lake region this summer. 

 He has found a way that lessens even the slight expense 

 found necessary above, for every one knows that you can 

 live for about thirty-five cents a day in camp. Jim has 

 been sitting around, camping and casting, and inventing 

 things, pretty much all summer. He asks me to come 

 up next week and spend a day or so witli him in his tent, 

 and if I have luck I shall go. When I come back I may 

 perhaps go the matter one better, and write a book on 

 "$4 fishing trips," instead of $5 trips. 



I am suffering from a combination of ill-natured ail- 

 ments as I write these lines, but I trust that neither "Ah 

 Look" nor "Homerus" will find them unduly vinegary. 

 That wouldn't be right at all. Only, I don't want to 

 have it even partially understood that I am disposed to 

 prance out and say anything that happens to come into 

 my head, without having any facts to support the state- 

 ment. Such is not the case. 



The best strings of bass brought into the city continue 

 to be those taken by the bait-casters. It is still a puzzle 

 to a great many who fish faithfully, but who don't know 

 how to shoot with the live frog, how some anglers can go 

 out and catch big black bass on the very water where 

 they themselves have steadily failed to do so. It all lies 

 in the art of casting with the free reel. Most people for- 

 get that the black bass is a mighty shy bird, and won't 

 hold still while you row up to him and ask him to have 

 one with you. Thirty or forty yards is the best distance 

 to strike up a speaking acquaintance with the black bass. 



Aug. 6. — If I may be permitted I would like to add my 

 testimony about "Preservaline" to that of "Parson" in 

 laBt week's paper. Last week, when at the Wausaukee 

 Club in Wisconsin, I took a dozen sample boxes of this 

 compound, not being able to get it in any other form. At 

 the close of my day's fishing, I cleaned and wiped dry 

 my trout, and soaked them for about three hours in a 

 solution made by emptying the IS boxes, perhaps half a 

 pound in all, into about a gallon and a half of water. 

 Upon taking the trout out I wrapped them in grass, and 

 put them carefully into the straw covers of a lot of cham- 

 pagne bottles I found lying around. The trout remained 

 in a box, so packed, until 4 P. M. the next day, when I 

 got anxious and put some ice in the box. On reaching Chi- 

 cago, on the next morning following, the trout were wet 

 and squirmy, but still in the box. I gave them to friends, 

 sending about a dozen of the best out to my parents in a 

 Western town, which they reached about noon the next 

 day. These also had ice in the box with them. The re- 

 port received thence a few days later said: "The preserv- 

 aline gives a twang that destroys the real fish "flavor." 

 This agrees exactly with the idea I had after trying a few 

 of the trout, which I did before offering any to friends, 

 in order to see whether the powder would be injurious to 

 the health or not. Perhaps too strong a solution was used 

 in this case. The taste was very sharp, stronger than that 

 of salt, and there was no taste of fish at all. The fish seemed 

 in very good order otherwise, and I believe would have 

 been just as good without ice. Not the slightest delete- 

 rious effect was noticeable from eating the "preserved" 

 fish. Lately I read a newspaper article describing the 

 nearly fatal sickness of a family, resultant upon eating 

 meat on which salicylic acid had been used in the curing. 

 I don't know what Preservaline is made of, but although 

 it seems harmless, its flavor is not altogether an enraptur- 

 ing gastronomic discovery. 



Speaking of trout reminds one of little trout. It is 

 against the law of Wisconsin to take trout less than 6in. 

 in length. A prominent Wausaukee member said to me, 

 "We are going to stock these streams so constantly that 

 we won't have to throw back the little ones. If we 

 hatch and plant our own trout, going to all that trouble 

 and expense, the trout will belong to us, and we will not 

 be liable to the State for what we do with them. What 

 would be the use planting them otherwise?" The club 

 man is doubtless wroug, and if he were to figure in a 

 test case he would probably find that one can't break a 

 State law even if he is on his own ground. The "6-inch" 

 law is valid on every foot of Wisconsin waters, and it 

 ought to be observed. That is the only way in which 

 good fishing, or rather the best fishing, will ever be had. 

 The farmer who has a covey of prairie chickens on his 

 farm has no right to kill them before the season opens. 

 They are still ferm nafum. I believe that Forest and 



