436 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Dec. 18, 1890. 



FISH ROOSTS. 



PHILADELPHIA, Pa,, Dec. 10.— Editor Forest and 

 Stream: Your correspondent "Isaac, Jr." describes 

 how fishing grounds were made in a lake in Missouri 

 which he calls a croppie roost. In Pennsylvania there is 

 a lake containing black bass and other fish. All the land 

 surrounding the lake is cultivated and there are no 

 streams flowing into or from it, being entirely spring 

 water. There is no refuge or shelter for the fish and for 

 some time lately the fishing has been unsatisfactory, the 

 fish could not be found, they were apparently scattered. 



On one side of the lake there was a clump of small wil- 

 lows, which during the winter were cut off and thrown 

 on the ice as the easiest way of getting rid of them. 

 When the ice broke up in the spring the wind carried the 

 ice and branches to the lower end of the lake, where the 

 latter were dropped on the bottom together in one mass, 

 about 50ft. in diameter, in about 15ft. of water. The 

 branches were soon covered with animalcules and spawn 

 and they have made the best fishing grounds in the lake. 

 A dozen black bass were caught out of the brush, while 

 others near by not knowing the reason were unable to 

 get a fish. 



I send you this with the hope that it may cause those 

 who would be interested in a "fish roost," during the 

 proper season for fishing, to exert themselves a little 

 with the hand axe at this the proper season for its use; 

 thinking of the pleasure they will give themselves and 

 others in this season of good will, in addition to making 

 a feeding place for the fish. J. M. T. 



A COMPANION OF THE TROUT. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



We mountaineers of Pennsylvania have to do our trout 

 fishing in small streams as a general rule, and our expe- 

 rience is that the sport in the waters on the western slope 

 is just about a compromise between hunting and fishing. 

 Nevertheless it is great sport, and we have many good 

 people who seem to enjoy it. After reading Dr. Sterling's 

 articles, it occurs to me to try to find out what kind of 

 fish it is that travels with our common speckled mountain 

 trout. They are shaped exactly like trout, have the same 

 peculiarity in the position of fins, no scales, etc.; but in- 

 stead of the red spots of our native trout or the brown 

 spots of California trout, they have a single red line on 

 their sides. I do not want any one to think I refer to 

 the rainbow fish, because I know them also. The fish I 

 refer to is often met with in our streams where the water 

 is cold, and undoubtedly associates with our mountain 

 trout. I have never seen one over six inches in length. 

 Is this fish a hybrid? Unless I obtain an answer sooner, 

 I shall send Dr. Sterling a specimen when I fish next 

 spring, provided he should be willing to examine it. 



Hilary S. Brunot. 



OrREENSBURG, Pa. 



[If a specimen be sent to the Forest and Stream office 

 we can readily tell what the fish is. We are at a loss to 

 know whether it is a trout or not. The male of the Cali- 

 fornia trout, also known as rainbow trout, has red bands 

 along the sides in the breeding season. If the species be 

 not a member of the salmon family it may be one of the 

 dace, which abound in clear cold brooks and mountain 

 streams in company with the brook trout. The best way 

 to determine the question, however, will be to send us a 

 specimen of the fish, either in alcohol or in strong brine. 

 The brook trout has scales, but on account of their small 

 size they are often overlooked.] 



"AS TO AUREOLUS." 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



A private letter received from you under date of Nov. 

 21, breaks off very suddenly with these words, "As to 

 aureolas" and the sentence is unfinished, so I know not 

 what you meant to suggest. Taking up your words, "as 

 to aureolus,'" I do not knew what to say or think; the 

 letter of Mr. Garman, identifying the fish with the Salmo 

 alpinus, or European saibling, is very interesting, but it 

 is certain that the fish could not have come from the 

 saibling sent to New Hampshire by Prof. Baird in 

 1881, and equally certain that no European fish of that 

 species had ever been introduced in these waters before. 

 The finding of these trout in Dan Hole Pond in 1889, in no 

 way disproves the "hybrid" theory, for Commissioner 

 Hayes, of New Hampshire, put 10,000 landlocked salmon 

 in Dan Hole Pond, as he informs me, in 1883. This was 

 the first place I ever heard of the "new trout" in New 

 Hampshire, and information came from the late A. H. 

 Powers, at the meeting of the New Hampshire Fish and 

 Game League, at Manchester, in April of that year. In 

 1885, Mr. Powers and Commissioner Hodge found them 

 on the spawning beds. The white trout said to have been 

 caught in 1887 may have been one of the landlocked sal- 

 mon introduced in 1877 or '78. 



I place very little reliance on any of the reports of these 

 fish having been known for 60 or 70 years. 



It has been well known that very large trout have ex- 

 isted in both Dan Hole and Sunapee, for that length 

 of time, for I saw one myself from Sunapee 60 years ago 

 which, as I remember it, must have weighed 3 or 41 bs., 

 but it was a genuine, red-spotted and mottled Salmo 

 fontinalis. 



Now the ruling characteristics of the trout, to the rustic 

 angler, are these distinctive markings, and I cannot 

 believe that a fish so entirely different in all external ap- 

 pearance should have passed without notice, if it had 

 ever been seen. I think if it had been, it would be 

 more likely to have been called a " whitefish ' than a trout. 



I hope it may be clearly proved that the Salmo alpinus 

 of Em-ope is also a native of our waters; but to do so it 

 must be procured from some waters in which no other 

 variety has ever been introduced, as they have been both 

 in Sunapee and Dan Hole Pond. 



Winter is on us early and strong. The thermometer 

 has been 10 deg. at sunrise for two mornings, and people 

 are crossing the Connecticut on the ice. Luckily the 

 springs and brooks were all well filled, and I hope the 

 trout will come out strong in the spring. Von W. 



CHARiiESTOWN, N. B., Dee. 9. 



[The published reports of the New Hampshire Fish 

 Commission, which we have consulted for the period 

 from 1866 to 1886. show that landlocked salmon were 

 deposited in Dan Hole Pond in 1882, 1883 and 1884, the 

 total plant having been 20,000 fish. No record is made 

 of the introduction, of any other species into this pond, 



At the time of the planting of landlocked salmon, trout 

 were said to occur in this body of water. If, therefore, 

 the large trout collected for Col. Hodge in 1889, and by 

 Mr. Aiken and Mr. Dey in 1890, and identified with the 

 aureolus of Sunapee Lake, be a hybrid, it would presum- 

 ably be the result of the union of landlocked salmon and 

 some form of trout. It is a well known fact, and has 

 been stated in these columns, that a cross between a 

 large-scaled salmon or trout and a small-scaled trout will 

 produce a large-scaled fish, no matter which way the 

 cross be made. The golden trout does not correspond 

 with this definition, and on this account we cannot regard 

 the landlocked salmon as one of its progenitors. In our 

 issue of Nov. 27, in commenting upon Mr. Garman's ar- 

 ticle on the golden trout, we stated that the first saibling 

 eggs sent to New Hampshire by the U. S. Fish Commis- 

 sion were received at Plymouth in 1883. This error is 

 perfectly unaccountable to us, for the complete record 

 was in our possession at the time, and we knew that a 

 very large consignment of saibling eggs was forwarded 

 to Mr. Powers in February, 1881, and the resulting fry 

 planted in Newfound Lake in May of the same year.] 



THE SAIBLING IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. 



THE first saibling introduced into America by the IT. S. 

 Fish Commission appear to have been the lot re- 

 ceived Feb. 1, 1880, of which only about 6,000 eggs sur- 

 vived the ocean voyage. These were sent to Mr. W. L. 

 Gilbert, of Plymouth, Massachusetts, who reported that 

 all of them were lost in hatching. The next invoice of 

 ftaibling eggs is referred to in the report of the TJ. S. Fish 

 Commission for 1881, page xlv., in the following terms: 



"On January 10, Mr. Schuster, Burgomaster of Frei- 

 burg, Germany, announced that he had sent 60,000 saib- 

 ling eggs by the North German Lloyds steamer Mosel, of 

 January 8, consigned to the United States Fish Commis- 

 sion. These reached New York January 22. Mr. Fred 

 Mather took charge of them and forwarded them the next 

 day to Mr. A. H. Powers, Plymouth, N. H., which point 

 they reached on the 24th. The entire loss while crossing 

 the ocean and being transported to the hatchery was but 

 5,000 eggs. Mr. Powers was directed to hatch them and 

 place them in Newfound Lake, located 7 mile3 from Ply- 

 mouth. The eggs were all hatched by February 28, with 

 a loss in hatching of 6,515 eggs. Mr. Powers deposited 

 30,000 fry in Newfound Lake, May 18." 



In the report of the New Hampshire Fish Corhmission 

 for 1881, page 20, we find the following acknowledgment 

 of the reciept of eggs of the saibling: 



"German Red Trout. — We have also received a very 

 valuable present from TJ. S. Commissioner Baird, in the 

 form of 60,000 eggs of the saibling or Salmo salvelinus, 

 the red trout of Upper Austria, the Tyrols and Switzer- 

 land, * * * After correspondence with Prof. Baird, 

 it has been decided to place the young fish which we ob- 

 tain from these eggs in Newfound Lake, as being particu- 

 larly adapted for them, from its deep cold water, and its 

 freedom from other predatory fishes, such as black bass 

 and pickerel, which might destroy the young saibling." 



The best account yet written of the saibling is that pre- 

 prepared by Dr. G. Brown Goode, shortly after the intro- 

 duction of the species into America, which was published 

 in Forest anl Stream, and is quoted in the New Hamp- 

 shire report above cited. Dr. Goode's sketch is given on 

 pages 14 to 20 of this report, and from it we make the fol- 

 lowing extract: 



"In selecting a place in which to deposit the saibling 

 eggs just received, the Commissioner of Fisheries has 

 endeavored to find a body of water as similar as possible 

 in depth and temperature to the larger Swiss lakes, and 

 he has therefore sent them to Newfound Lake, New 

 Hampshire. Here the whole 60,000 will be planted with 

 the hope that by placing so large a number together in a 

 lake of moderate size the experiment of introduction 

 may be a success." 



It may be that some of the saibling of the first ship- 

 ment were retained at the Plymouth hatchery, for in re- 

 port of Mr. A, H. Powers, superintendent of the hatchery, 

 printed in the report of the New Hampshire Commis- 

 sion for 1881, pages 67 and 53, we find the following- 

 statements: 



"Jan. 24 I received from Germany some 50,000 saibling 

 eggs, a present from Prof. Baird, which have hatched, 

 and I have some 35,000 or more young saibling to plant. 



"We wish to preserve at the hatchery a few hundred 

 each of these new varieties, such as the saibling and the 

 carp, for breeders, and separate ponds are necessary for 

 that purpose." 



In the report of the U. S. Fish Commission for 1883, 

 page Ixxix. , we find the following additional history of 

 the introduction of the saibling: "Among the most highly 

 esteemed species of the trout family of Europe is the 

 saibling, known in England as char and in France as ombre 

 chevalier. Through the courtesy of the president of the 

 Deutsche Fischerei-Verein a number of the eggs were 

 received in January, 1881, and sent to the fish commis- 

 sioners of New Hampshire, at Plymouth, for development. 

 They proved hardy and grew satisfactorily, and on Dec. 

 3 of the present year about 600 eggs were taken by Com- 

 missioner Hodge, These will be transferred to another 

 station, to be hatched and reared, and it is hoped that the 

 species may in time become well-know in this country. 

 The fish is specially adapted to the deep waters of cold 

 lakes, being very abundant in the Geneva and other lakes 

 of Switzerland." 



Col. E. B. Hodge, now one of the Fish and Game Com- 

 missioners of New Hampshire and thoroughly acquainted 

 with the history of the species under discussion, became 

 superintendent of the Plymouth hatchery in 1882. He 

 was familiar with the work of the late Mr. Powers and 

 is entitled to speak with authority concerning the at- 

 tempts to acclimatize extralimital fishes in New Hamp- 

 shire. In 1883 Col. Hodge had under his charge at 

 Plymouth some of the saibling above referred to. He 

 begun a series of experiments in hybridizing various species 

 by impregnating the eggs of the brook with the milt of 

 the saibling, and undertaking other operations with the 

 Atlantic salmon, brook trout and California salmon. In 

 the New Hampshire report for 1884, page 34, Col. Hodge 

 says: "I am in hopes that the cross between the brook 

 trout and saibling will produce a fish that will breed." 



The New Hampshire report of June, 1888, mentions the 

 receipt of 3,000 saibling eggs from Germany, which were 

 hatched and distributed from Plymouth, N. H., in the 

 spring of 1888. 



The published reports of the New Hampshire Commis- 



sion have no reference to any introduction of saibling 

 into Sunapee Lake, and they point cleaxly to the intro- 

 duction in Dan Hole Pond of no species of the salmon 

 family except the landlocked salmon. In addition to 

 these statements we have the positive testimony of several 

 persons who are entitled to speak with authority to the 

 effect that saibling were not introduced either into Suna- 

 pee Lake or Dan Hole Pond. 



For the above reasons, which appear to us conclusive 

 and in every way worthy of acceptance, the golden trout 

 of Sunapee Lake and Dan Hole Pond could not be iden- 

 tified with the European saibling. We have already 

 pointed out certain differences between the specimens of 

 golden trout, which we have examined, and examples of 

 the saibling from Norway and Germany. It would afford 

 us intense gratification to look upon the splendid trout of 

 Sunapee and Dan Hole Pond as one of the triumphs of 

 fishcultural effort; but under the circumstances above 

 set forth in detail, we could not do otherwise than con- 

 sider it a native species. 



A DAY'S FISHING AT HOME. 



IN western Pennsylvania the stream, known as French 

 Creek or Venango River, flows quietly through the 

 city of Meadville, and betrays to the stranger no signs of 

 the fact that hundreds of game fish make their home in 

 its clear water. This creek is not navigable for large 

 boats except in very high water, and it is a rare occur- 

 rence to see what is called a "flat boat" on its way to 

 Pittsburg moving along in the current with a speed of 

 about four miles an hour. The bed of the stream is very 

 much inclined in many places, however, and there are 

 many strong rapids between Meadville and Franklin, 

 which give the fish the necessary exercise that makes 

 them muscular and plucky in a fight for life. When the 

 water is at a proper stage, preferably low water in sum- 

 mer, an ordinary flat-bottomed skiff will float down any 

 of these rapids without difficulty, and it is in this way 

 that we make our weekly journeys down the creek for a 

 distance of eight miles, casting a minnow on every side 

 for game. 



As I am to describe a day's sport at home it will be 

 pardonable if I give a short description of the "outfit" in 

 which I am so often a guest and companion. My friend, 

 Mr. F., has spared no pains in making things comfort- 

 able; and as he casts a bait for the very science of it, he 

 declares that every trip more than pays him for the ex- 

 pense and trouble he has had in fitting up so elaborate 

 and serviceable a craft. The wagon on which the boat and 

 belongings are hauled from place to place is of unique 

 pattern and is perfectly adapted to this use. The axles 

 are bent at right angles at the wheel and the bed is thus 

 brought much nearer the ground than that of an ordin- 

 ary road wagon. Good substantial springs rest on the i 

 axles and on these a board bottom, to which the boat is 

 fitted. 



The boat is quite different from the usual flat-bottomed ? 

 skiff, being built like a scow, but narrowed at each end. 

 This gives better standing room in front, and as speed is j 

 not a requisite, every purpose is served as well by this j 

 arrangement. The boat is built of thin boards and is I 

 completely covered with sheet iron. This makes the < 

 boat very heavy, but it adds a feature which is much f 

 more desirable than lightness, namely steadiness. A 

 man can stand on the edge of the boat without sinking it | 

 below the water. This property of steadiness is very ] 

 essential when fish are taken in a rapid part of the 

 stream or under circumstances when unseen snags and > 

 bars are struck. A paddle, oaxs, cushions, oilclothes and i 

 blankets, gaff hook, lantern, sponges and nets, make up 

 the complement of fixtures. Our rods are of light cane, 

 about 16ft. long, and mounted with large wire loops for 

 guides, and a ring, of wire, fully three-quarters of an 

 inch in diameter, for a tip. This mounting enables us to 

 throw a long line and to loosen a hook should it get fast 

 in any way. First-class reels, lines, leaders and hooks; 

 are always used, as it certainly never pays to economize 

 at these points. We catch our bait from the little creeks, 

 and are constantly supplied with over a hundred chubs.; 



On the day which I have in mind, equipped as above 

 described, with the addition of a lunch, we started at 7 

 in the morning, and drifted slowly down through thei 

 town. A mild south wind was beginning to assert itself 

 and a few clouds appeared to check the heat of a Sep-;, 

 tember sun. The omens were favorable and we confi- 

 dently looked for a large catch. We had gone a distance 

 of one and a half miles to a point where a railroad bridge 

 crosses the creek and where there is a very deep pool ' 

 caused by the water being forced to flow through between 

 two abutments. Thus far we had been unsuccessful and 

 were going around the abutment a second time, trying 

 to entice a fish to try our bait, when a loud splash an- 

 nounced to my companions that the wary bass had at: 

 last selected my minnow. It had jumped clear out of 

 the water as it saw my bait approaching and sank at 

 once with it. A moment of suspense, a sharp strike, and 

 I have him racing up and down, while a few strong 

 strokes of the paddle carried us out of range of the drift 

 wood which had collected against the pier. With a taut 

 line always ready to yield but never to slacken, he was 

 very soon safely landed in the boat, the first fish of the. 

 day. He was still on my hook when the boat started: 

 forward. Mr. F. had made a cast or two, when I heard ; 

 a rush, and looking up I saw the last move of a very' 

 large fish as he slowly settled down into very deep water. 

 "A pike!" exclaimed three of us, and we all stood waiting 

 further developments. This time we did not have tol 

 wait very long, for the bait was small for pike, as we 

 were fishing for bass, and we soon saw the line slowly 

 moving toward the lair from which his pikeship liar 

 lately sprung. 



The hook was skillfully fastened and the fight com 

 menced. The pike gave a wild leap into the air and was. | 

 let back into the water by Mr. F. in so easy a mannei 

 that the fish gained nothing by this or by any subsequent 

 move of the same kind. The line was small and botl. 

 leader and hook light; yet skill and care tired the game f 

 in a reasonable time and he was soon safe, in the bottou; | 

 of the boat. This was indeed a good beginning, and the . 

 12-|lbs. pike made us very confident and happy. , 



As we floated on we caught several small bass and a 

 few fish which are commonly called in this locality 

 "6almon." They are wall-eyed pike (Stidostedium vit 

 reum). At last we reached the long line of slack water s 

 eight miles from home, where our horse and wagon hat [ 

 been taken by a boy awaiting our arrival, This deej; I 1 



