19, 1891.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



11 3 



weather supplies us with some of our coldest weather 

 during the montli of March. Last season we had several 

 inches of snow on the first of Api'il, and it is generally 

 well along in this month before the angler can fish, witli 

 any degree of comfort. 



Public waters are getting more scarce every year on 

 Long Island. Smithtown, Glen Cove, Patcliogue, New- 

 bridge Greet and Cedar Creelv are about the only places 

 that afford any ti-out fishing worth going for, and most 

 of these are very uncertain. The following hst of flies 

 comprise the list of well-tried favorites: Scarlet-ibis, 

 cow- dung, Abbey, dark-montreal, Cabill or Von-Patten^ 

 Imbrie, great-dun, black-gnat, coachman, professor, 



Sueen-of-the-waters, plum, Lowery, golden-spinner, 

 larch-brown, brown-hen and grizzly-king. No. 8 sproat 

 is the best size to have the flies dressed on for early fish- 

 ing. Scaelet-Ibis. 



CHICAGO AND THE WEST* 



CHICAGO, 111,, March 11.— I want to tell a very pretty 

 little story which will show the beauty and the use- 

 fulness of a right devotion to field sports, A friend of 

 mine, with whom I often go fishing, is the hero of it. 

 This friend is a newspaper man, and like all good news- 

 paper men, he tries conscientiously to live up all his 

 salary. Last week, without any very elaborate prelimi- 

 naries, the manager of the paper for which he labors 

 came to him and told him that the paper was not making 

 very much money, so he guessed he wouldn't publisii it 

 any more after the next Saturday, and such being the 

 case, he wouldn't need any editor to speak of after that 

 date. "Now, I don't know what I'm going to do," said 

 my friend, "Here I've only got just about $45, and this 

 is a mighty bad town to get broke in, I can't live for 

 over two weeks on $45, and besides that, I've got to have 

 some clothing. I've got to have some shirts, and I need 

 some other things. And you know we were figuring on 

 going fishing this spring, and I was going to buy another 

 fly-rod." 



I flatter myself that I rose to this occasion. "It is 

 pretty tough, H,," said I, "but now you want to be care- 

 ful and not spend any money foolishly till you get to 

 work again. Don't be extravagant, and buy only the 

 necessities first," 



That was good advice, as I think all will agree. We 

 then laid our heads together to determine what the 

 "necessities" were. We argued that a man could wear 

 a coat without any shirt, if need be, but that he could not 

 possibly go fishing without a rod. and that therefore the 

 rod in this case was properly to be classed as a necessity. 



"Come on,'' said my newspaper friend, "I know where 

 I can get a dandy for |15." So we went and bought the 

 rod, and I must say it was a beauty. 



Now I imagine that -a great many practical people will 

 say that was a very imwise and absurd thing to do. That 

 is all they know about it. Mark the result. Just two 

 days after my friend had bought this elegant few rod, a 

 publishing house came along and bought the newspaper 

 of his late employer, retained my friend as editor, raised 

 his salary $15 a week, and gave him an interest in the 

 business. These are actual and bona fide facts, and I 

 could give the names of all the parties if it were proper 

 to do so. To-day I met my friend again and he was happy 

 once more. We congratulated each other on our judg- 

 ment in buying that fishing-rod. I do not wish to pose 

 in the least as a wise man or an authority in business 

 methods, but to any one who finds himself in &uch straits 

 as render economy obligatory, I would i)ointto the above 

 example and rejpeat my advice. "Don't be extrvagantand 

 spend your money foolishly. Buy the necessities first." 

 And there hadn't better anybody teU me this story isn't 

 true. 



March IJf, — Messrs. A. C Ely and W. H. Comstock, of 

 this city, leave to dayfor Castajia, 0., for t'ne opening day 

 of the trout fishing, 'March 15 or March 16 (Monday.) The 

 success of the Castalia Club with its preserved stream is 

 too well known to need much mention. The gentlemen 

 will probably have rather cold weather, but last spring 

 they caught trout in a blinding snowstorm on opening 

 day. Success to the First Line.^ E. Hough. 



Wh^^vles in the Chesapeake. — The lower Chesapeake 

 is fairly ahve with whales. They have the appearance 

 of sperm whales, and the man who could corral the lot 

 would be rich. Capt. Howes of the steamer Dorchester 

 from Boston, reports three big fellows off Fortress Mon- 

 roe. They were blowing at a great rate. Neaiiy every 

 captain arriving the past week reports having seen the 

 eea monsters throughout the various parrs of the bay. — 

 Washington Evening Stat\ March 11, 



A MoosEHEAD Lakee.— Mr. F, S. Stevens, of Augusta, 

 Me., is credited with having caught a speckled laker^ 

 which is believed to be the king fish of all its species ever 

 captured at Moosehead, The fish was taken near Deer 

 Island and measured aSin. in length, lOin. from back to 

 belly, and weighed 31^1bs. 



CnuBB's Catalogue would have been noticed this 

 week, but "Podgers" saw it, the other day, borrowed it, 

 and found it so interesting that he has not brought it 

 back, 



Mh. Andrew Harris, Pro\ideiice, R.I., whose advertisement 

 appears in another coluran, carries a full line of fishing- laclile 

 and anglers' supplies. Write Mm for a catalogue.— ^cJu. 



WORK OF THE COMMISSIONS. 



Jirizona. — Arizona's Commissioners can report very little 

 as yet in regard to the fisheries in the Territory. Some of 

 her private citizens along the moimtaiu streams are doing 

 something. Mr. W. J. Hill, of Belmont, has expended not 

 a little in building ponds and placing fish in them. He has 

 met with xDoor success through want of experience, but is 

 now more tally informed and liopes to succeed. Our people 

 take to mining and not to fishing. The Legislature has not 

 b6en asked to do much, it anything, by way of appropria- 

 tions to help. We expect to niake a report of our work at 

 the coming legislative session. — T. W. O. 



Cotora rZo.— Colorado has placed W. S. Kincaid in charge 

 oC her fishcultural operaiuoa?; ;ind the result ot his wnrii bas 

 been most encouraging, botli last season and so far this 

 year. We have over 500,0011 c-gs of S, ioiitinrd's now in the 

 trays and hope to get about ,800,000' before the season tor 

 taking their eggs, closes, which is with us about Dee. 20. 

 PttPwoyk in flo.afi»x^/i to trpiit pivpanHUon ejitixelv, Ws 



handle ,S'. fonUnalis. S. 'irideus, S. fario, and S. inrginalis, 

 not the 8. spilurus or Rio Grande trout, but the black 

 sootted or Utah trout of Girard. These fish spawn only in 

 June and no earlier eggs have ever been taken by our Com- 

 mission though there are a few per.sons who claim to have 

 taken ripe eggs in May. The stocking of ban-en mount.qin 

 lakes has been very successful the past two seasons. On 

 Aug. 17, 1SS9, the State superintendent stocked Mowaine 

 Lake on the Pike's Peak trail with several thousand brook 

 trout (8. foritinnlif:). In September of this year one was 

 captured in the lake that weighed 1 '/lbs. As the lake never 

 had a fish in it of any kind prior to the above date we con- 

 .sider this a very rapid growth, as the fry put in were not 

 over 23^'in. long.' The elevation of Morraihe Lake is I0,500ft. 

 above the sea level. The cans ot Qsh were placed upon the 

 backs of burros, there being only a pack trail leadina; to the 

 place of planting. Other lakes report almost the same 

 results, wljile Echo Lake, near Idaho Springs, shows such a 

 wonderful vjrowth of ,S'. font ina lis in its waters that no one, 

 who has not actually seen the flsh, will believe the reports 

 in regard to them. An examination of the water plants, 

 that grow to such an extent as to afCord shelter and food 

 for myriads of insects, reveals the real reason for such mar- 

 vell^^us growth upon the part of these vigorous fish. S. 

 fontAnalis is an incessant teeder. He takes his food from 

 the bottom, from the weeds and mosses, rocks and from the 

 surface. Nothing in the .shape of aquatic anmial life, small 

 enough to be taken into his capacious maw% escapes his 

 efforts to devour. We have barren rivers as well, that are 

 literally alive with fish food and yet contain no flsh of any 

 kind. These we are stocking and in every case meet with 

 good results. An entomologist would find rich harvests 

 along our mountain streams and lakes.— G. L. 



lliinois.— The year 1S90 has been a great angling season in 

 this State. Outside of pond culture for carp, our method of 

 rescuing and distributing indigenous fishes is about the 

 only fishculture carried oil in thi's State.— S, P. B. 



I)idf(/na.— Wehave organized the Indiana Fish and Game 

 Association and mean to protect the food fishes of this State. 

 Over a hundred -violators of the fish laws have been punished, 

 and dynamiting and illegal seining have been checked. 

 Numerous auxiliary branch associations have been formed 

 in several coanties,'and an interest Iq fish protection is ob- 

 .servable throughout the State. During the past year we 

 have placed 30,000 young bass in various streams. At Rome 

 City we have 500,000 young wall-eyed pike in a pond. These 

 wiU be kept until a year old and then distributed in suitable 

 streams. We have also 10,000 landlockedsalmon. which will 

 be planted in Indiana lakes when old enough, The German 

 carp is not coming up to our expectations. They are poor 

 food and, burrowing in the mud like swine, they keep the 

 water so muddy as to disgu.st the clean fish and drive them 

 away. Indiana has a vast amount of water that is inhabited 

 by the betfer class of indigenous fish. Its shore line amounts 

 to oO,000 miles, and we have 300,000 acres of water well 

 adapted to fish. The value of the fishery products of the 

 State, if carefully protected, will amount to many millions 

 of dollars. The present impoverished condition of our lakes 

 and streams is due to several causes. The wholesale capture 

 and destruction of fish; obstructions in streams preventmg 

 the fish from reaching their proper spawning grounds; the 

 pollution of streams, etc., are among the principal causes. 

 We hope to be able, with the aid of our fish and game as- 

 sociations, to secure a strict enforcement of the law for the 

 protection of fish, and by restocking our streams and lakes 

 to restore them to their original condition of productiveness. 

 — W. T. D. 



Kanms.—Ouv streams are fairly well stocked with fish. 

 The most valualjle are the black bass, sun-perch, croppies, 

 channel cat and bufl'alo flsh. These are all native fish. Some 

 others of the better varieties have been deposited in the 

 streams, a landlocked salmon, weighing over 61bs., having 

 been taken in Shawnee county. Other kinds are heard from 

 occasionally, but there is so little protection aiforded flsh in 

 the State, and so little encouragement given by otrr law 

 makers to our fishing interests, that it is surprising that 

 any should live to nTaturity. The waters of the northern 

 part of the State, like those of the southern half, are pure 

 ana well suited for the propagation of all kinds of fishes and 

 are tolerably well inhabited by the finny tribe; but, strange 

 to say, there are no bass of any variety found in any of these 

 streams, except such as have been planted by the general 

 Government. The general character of the beds of the 

 streams is the same, the aquatic plants and flsh food seem 

 to abound as in the southern portion of the State; but why 

 one section should aboimd in bass and the other have none 

 is a question not yet satisfactorily answered. Because of 

 the limited area of the waters of Kansas it is very essential 

 that wise laws be enacted to protect the native fishes, 

 especially while spawning. Such protection, in connection 

 with the fish we may have from the general Government, 

 will largely supplv us with this excellent and wholesome 

 food.-J. M. B. 



Maine.— We have steadily advanced in our work. The 

 mass of the people begin to comprehend our objects. We 

 hope for better legislation by the coming Legislature. Our 

 woods are full of deer and our ponds and streams of fish. 

 The people begin to see the result of such protection as we 

 have been able to give to our game, as well as the product 

 of our fish plantings. — E. M. S. 



- Mrtryland. — The reports from the western counties of 

 this State as to brook trout are very encouraging, and from 

 what I can gather they are so eagerly sought after that the 

 Commission will have to increase the output. There is not 

 so much demand for carp as formerly. Some years ago a 

 friend and I bought 500 acres of land, through which Deep 

 Creek flows, and we erected a dam and formed a lake of 

 about fifty acres, and strange as it may appear, the fishing 

 was good the following spring. Since then 1 have intro- 

 duced the rainbow and German brown trout. Of the rain- 

 bow we have some that will measure 3ft., and as game as 

 they are large. As to the natives— the brook trout— they 

 are there by the ton.— G. W. D. 



Minnesota. — In the years 1S89 and 1890 Minnesota dis- 

 tributed more than 5,000,000 of fishes, besides 25,000,000 eggs 

 of the pike-perch (St/iostcdi.!;?;! 'Vitrcum). Of this number 

 800,000 were brook trout (S. fonUnaliH) and 347.000 lake 

 trout and 163,000 Loch Leven trout. The United States 

 Fish Commission planted in addition to these, in the waters 

 of Lake Superior within the limits of Minnesota, 36,910,000 

 fish qpnsisting principally of whiteflsh, lake trout and pike 

 perch. Every indication at the present time leads us to 

 believe that the output of the coming season will largely 

 exceed, if not double, that of the last.— R. O. S. 



Missouri. — Missouri has had her fish car out two months 

 distributing large numbers of crappie, bass and carp, for 

 which her streains are admirably adapted, especially for the 

 first two species mentioned. In 1891, if our State Legisla- 

 ture appropriates snfiicient money, we mean to double our 

 present work and handle several new varieties. — H. M, G. 



Nebraska.— The reports for the years 1SS9 and 1890 are now 

 (Jan. 15) in the State Printer's hands. The Commissioners 

 are all gentlemen of large experience in piscatorial matters 

 and take a livelv interest in all fishcultural operations. The 

 practical results of the work of the Commission are demon- 

 strated by the fact that in the few years of its existience it has 

 successfully stocked many of the waters of this State with 

 the best varieties of food fishes. Perhaps oui' greatest suc- 

 cess has been in stocking the spring streams with the brook 

 and rainbow trout. When trout were flrst planted in these 

 streams the wisdom of the undertaking was doubted by a 

 good many, as before the advent of the Commission no fish 

 of the salmon variety was ever known to be found, in the 

 jjiistorv of thA white man. in any f>f t)i9 wg-ters of this State, 



However, at the present time we are pleased to say that 

 many of these streams aft'ord the angler excellent trout fish- 

 ing, and the speckled beauties are as plentiful in some of 

 them as they are in the streams of New York and Vermont — 

 States which are noted for their excellent trout fishing. 

 What has been said of stocking the smaller streams with 

 trout might also be said about stocking the lai-ger streams 

 and lakes with the black bass and wall-eyed pike, as very 

 few of these fish were found in this State until the waters 

 were stocked by the Commission. The stocking of private 

 ponds with the German carp has also been successfully car- 

 ried on and is considered one of the most important branches 

 of our work. The State owns a fish car which the Commis- 

 sion finds a great advantage in distributing young fish. Dur- 

 ing the year.s 1889 and 1890 we hatched and distributed 

 in the waters of this State 36,925,0C5 young fish; of this 

 number 35,000,000 were young wall-eyed pike (Stizostcdium 

 vitrcum); the others were brook trout, rainbow trout, sal- 

 mon trout, black bass and German carp. The State appro- 

 priation for the Fish Commission for the biennial period 

 ending March 31, 1891, was -SIO, 000; an extra appropriation of 

 -S3,000 for a fish car is included in this sura, and the Commis- 

 sion have recommended the appropriation of •■516,000 for the 

 next two years' work. — M. E. O'B. 



Ncn- Uorfc.— Notwithstanding the increased efficiency of 

 the hatcheries, the demand for eggs and young fish for 

 planting has vastly exceeded the supply. There has been a 

 notably'ur.gent call for the propagation of whiteflsh in Lake 

 Ontario, which the Commission, with its present fimds, has 

 been entirelv unable to satisfv. The Caledonia h.atchery 

 distributed during the year 1890 upward of 20,000,000 eggs 

 and fry of food and game fishes. The total distribution for 

 the vear aggregated nearlv 40,000.000. composed as follows: 

 Frost fish or tomcod 3,330.000, wall-eyed pike 4,000.000, mas- 

 calonee 75,000, smelts 300,000, whiteflsh 3,998,000, siscoes 

 3,400,000, Atlantic salmon 50,000, landlocked salmon 18,000, 

 brown trout 1,346,500, rainbow trout 155.000, brock trout 

 2,669,.500, lake trout 7,477.000, shad 14,338.688. An appropria- 

 tion of ?38,000is e.stimated for the expenses of the ensuing 

 year. 



0/i/o.— Ohio has finished her pond hatchery at Chagrin 

 Falls, for the purpose of stocking the inland streams. From 

 this hatchery ;30.000 marbled catfish {Ictalnrus pjnictatus) 

 were distributed last year. Some small-mouthed black bass 

 W'ere turned out from the same place. We find that the 

 catfish does well in confined ponds, but that the bass does 

 not. Next year a much larger number of catfish will be 

 produced, and another effort made to ctiltivate ba.ss in these 

 ponds. Of course our work will depend largely on the 

 amount of funds placed at our disposal. Private enterprise 

 win fit some of our brooks for the retention of trout, and 

 we hope to make this fish to be no longer a stranger in 

 many parts of our State. The two-year-old fish received a 

 year 'ago from the U. .S. Fish Commission show up well, 

 measuring now 13in. and weighing from 13 to 14oz, — CV. O. 



Fcnnsiil vaj}ia. — Pennsylvania's work of propagating and 

 distributing fish was siniilar to last year's (1889)", but on a 

 much larger scale. The species a.. d varieties, which have 

 received attention at om- several hatcheries, consist of brook 

 trout, lake trout, Loch Leven trout, brown trout, California 

 trout, and some lake and brook trout hybrids and German 

 carp. ' At the Central or Erie hatchery w'e prop'^gate white- 

 fish and wall-eyed pike, and have about 20,000.000 of each, 

 which we hope" to distribute dm-ing the coming season. We 

 expect to have about 3,000,000 trout from Corry and about as 

 many from Allentown.— J. A^. L. 



Utnh.—\Jtah has no hatchery as yet. At the last legisla- 

 tive session an appropriation of S5,000 was made to build a 

 hatchery, etc., but up to date the sum has not been made 

 available. Utah has quite a large water area, which is in 

 every way adapted to the wants of fresh-water fish. Our 

 Great Salt Lake is too salt for any living thing except a 

 small shrimp (Artcmia fcrtilis), which abound in great 

 numliers. Utah Lake, some thirty miles south of Salt Lake 

 City, is our best fishing ground. During the year 1889 our 

 regfilar fishermen took from that lake 25,4501bs. of trout and 

 l,2S9,0001bs. of mullet, suckers and chubs. The number of 

 fishermen employed was 38; the number of days. 3,811: boats, 

 44, valued at 81,800; seines, 25, value 82,380. Of the trout, 

 l,5501bs, were taken with hook and line. The trout are par 

 excellence. The fishermen found ready sale for trout at 30 

 cents per pound. The mullets, etc., were sold at from ll.< to 

 3}.i cents per pound. Utah Lake is about 10 miles wide by 

 30'long. while its greatest depth is but 13ft. It empties into 

 Great Salt Lake through the River Jordan, which is about 

 40 miles long. The south half of Bear Lake is in Utah. Its 

 area is about the same as C^tah Lake, while its maximum 

 depth has not been fathomed. Then we have a large num- 

 ber of small lakes filled with native fish. The meat of the 

 suckers, mullets and chubs is white and sweet, hut, oh.- the 

 bones! Our largest rivers are Green, Bear, Weber, Jordan, 

 Prove, Sevier and Price. In all these fish abound. A few 

 white salmon are found in Green River, and they are a very 

 fine fish. Colorado heretofore has been liberally supplied 

 with Utah fish, but now the law forbids their export. The 

 General Government has been sending us carp, shad, black 

 bass, perch, crappies, etc., etc. The shad and carp are doing 

 well, the other species have been planted but a short time 

 and that they will do well no one has a doubt. — A. M. M. 



Fi)T/i?iia.— Virginia had no money last year for fishcul- 

 tural work, her last Legislature having failed to make an 

 appropriation for that pm-pose. We earnestly hope that 

 provision will be made for the work during the coming sea- 

 son, when we expect to continue the artificial propagation of 

 our most valuable salt-water flsh. Last season we deposited 

 in the Chesapeake Bay, near the Glebe hatchery in North- 

 ampton county, 7,400,000 young Spanish mackerel and 

 1,135,000 young shad in the tributaries of the Chesapeake. 

 In addition to these a large number of ova of porgy, bonita, 

 mackerel, coalfish and gray and speckled trout (Cynosc(O)i 

 regale and C. niacidatum) were secured, and with these we 

 were, in an experimental way, quite successful. Beyond a 

 douijt, if means were at our disposal for the manipulation of 

 these eggs, we could make large deposits annually of the 

 fry of these varieties of fish. LTutil two years ago it was 

 thought by those tolerably familiar with the subject, that 

 the period oi spawning of the Spanish mackerel extended 

 over a space of three months, beginning about the middle of 

 June; but we have established the fact beyond controversy 

 that the time of greatest activity in spawning is in the early 

 part of June, while after this month ripe fish are met with 

 only sporadically. An inve.stigation of the condition of the 

 Virginia fisheries reveals the lamentable fact that the catch 

 of our pelagic fish is declining year by year, and the value 

 of the product, even with the latest devices for taking the 

 flsh, is growing gradually less. This condition, coupled 

 with the fact that we have such abundant opportunities for 

 artiflcial propagation, makes it especially desirable that 

 such supplementary methods should be adopted as an auxili- 

 ary to our natural supply, and its practical value would be 

 inesti mable.— J . T. W. 



MILLIONS OF COD AND SALMON.— During the 

 months of January and February nearly nine millions of 

 young cod were planted from the U. S, Fish Commission 

 stations at Woods Holl and Gloucester, Mass. In Januaiy 

 upw.ard of twenty millions of cod eggs were taken from 48 

 females at Gloucester. At this hatchery the development 

 of haddock eggs it assuming great importance. From the 

 Clackamas station, in Oregon, young Calif ornia salmon have 

 been liberated in the river from time to time as they reached 

 the proper age, and on Feb, 28 there remained in the hatch- 

 ing house 3,500,000 young salmon. To make room in the 

 building 75,000 fry were transferred tn a small ditch, fed by 

 d-S^rift^, and here they are doing remarkably well. 



