Mat 1, 1891.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



SIS 



ting the great raceway through the valley which even to- 

 dax gives the stream its rigid artificial look for miles, 

 built a mill, made further improvements and altogether 

 sought to take possession of the stream. The stream re- 

 sented it, rebelled and ruined him. "Nothing but trout 

 and pleasure for me," said the stream, "I will not turn a 

 wheel!" And tc-day it is wheelless from spring to mouth, 

 full of trout and full of pleasantness. Only the raceway 

 remains, miles and miles of it, as it was cut 53 years ago 

 by a man whose name is nearly forgotten. 



Three things now remain to be established; who first 

 suggested that trout would live in the Castalia stream, 

 who first put them there and who first protected them? 

 These questions run before the history of the two clubs 

 which now own the stream. 



Not long ago Forest and Stream published the obitu- 

 ary of a man prominent iu Ohio sportsmanship and 

 natural history cirolee— the late Dr. Sterling. That 

 learned enthusiast was acquainted with the Castalia 

 stream in the "oO's. So was that fatlier of fishculture, 

 the late Dr. Garlick, who=ie work antedates even that of 

 the bPloved Seth Green. Dr. Garlick's book, "Fish Cul- 

 ture," bears date of 1857. It was either Dr. Garlick or 

 Dr. Sterling, both Ohio men, who first conceived the idea 

 of planting trout in the Ashless Castalia stream. Dr. 

 Sterling claimed that it was himself who first analyzed 

 the water of the stream and found it almost identical 

 with that of the famous Caledonia stream wliere Seth 

 Green conducted his work so successfully. Soon after 

 this, says Dr. Sterling, the experiment was tried. Yet 

 now comes Mr. Milton P. Peirce, of Columbus, O., and 

 claims that when he was a boy, and a student at Cleve- 

 land, he saw Dr. Ackley and Dr. Garlick bring in strings 

 of trout from this same stream. I have this only on 

 hearsay, not from Mr. Peirce, but if Mr. Peirce thinks 

 trout were native to this stream, this being much in sup- 

 port of his well-known idea that trout cannot be success- 

 fully planted, he is sadly mistaken. I do not know how 

 old he is now, or vvas when he saw these trout, but it is 

 known to a certainty that trout were planted in this 

 stream upon the suggestion of either Dr. Garlick or Dr. 

 Sterling, made in 1867 or 1868. The first trout frv were 

 planted on the 17th of March, 1873, by Mr. Hoyt, who 

 owned the mill and dam then upon the upper stream. 



And now the weird tales about the stream seemed 

 about to be verified. The trout were put in above the 

 dam and in the great spring known as the Upper Blue 

 Hole. They promptly died. Wonder was expressed at 

 this, AS later it was found that when the dam was opened 

 the fish did very well in the live water. Scientists have 

 found the reason for aU this now, and have solved the 

 mystery of the once lifeless stream. It is easy to see now 

 that the immense body of water coursing from below the 

 surface of the earth is altogether unaerated, and, there- 

 fore, unfit for an oxygen-loving fish like a trout. Pass 

 this water over a dam, break it up, stretch it up, and it is 

 perfect for trout, and verifies the analysis. It is learned 

 now that for about two weeks of the' year, in February, 

 when the snow is sweeping into the rocks below the 

 earth, trout can and sometimes do get into the great 

 spring and live there. At the close of that brief season 

 they leave the spring or die. The snow water may carry 

 a little different quality of breathing matter with it. 



Very well. Mr. Hoyt tried again. He had some good 

 breeding troughs put in, and soon had a nice lot of young 

 trout. Unfortunately, he also had a lot of neighbors of 

 the "tough" variety. These complained of the back 

 water of the dam. They drained his pond, broke into 

 his breeding troughs, and made him all sorts of trouble, 

 including certain lawsuits. Mr. Hoyt won his suits, but 

 soon thereafter his mill was mysteriously burned. Angry 

 and disheartened, he smashed open his dam, destroyed 

 his breeding troughs and left the country. He went back 

 to New Hampshire, and is there now. Mr. Scott Robin- 

 son, who is getting up the club history, is in cotrespond- 

 ence with him now. 



After the trout were let out all through the stream they 

 seem to have been forgotten for a while. Three years 

 after that time Mr. C. W. Sadler, of Sandusky, caught a 

 nice basket of trout, away down the stream. The word 

 got gradually, and then the murderous natives went to 

 work with nets, spears and guns, and did all they could 

 to exterminate the beautiful tish, which had now attained 

 a good size. The sti-eam was full of these natural fish. 

 Of this I shall speak later. 



The fact was now established that trout would grow 

 and thrive in this stream. It was not a sporting club 

 which first took advantage of this. The first man to pro- 

 tect the trout of Castalia stream was A. G. Miller, the 

 present keeper of the "Lower Club." Miller was then 

 a farmer of very ordinary means, but he was shrewd and 

 able. Now he has an elegant home, vast barns well filled 

 with horses and beef cattle, and a valuable farm stretch- 

 ing wide over the enchanted valley. He is a township 

 oracle and authority now, but still" a trout fisher and a 

 lover of the trout, as he was that year in the late '70s 

 when he leased the fishing rights of the lower stream for 

 two years at the noble sum of |5 a year. 



Miller had trouble with the natives, who wanted the 

 trout. He has counted 21 men with forks, spears and 

 guns, standing over the spawning beds killing the big 

 trout. On one occasion he had to go to his hnuse for his 

 gun before he could drive the fellows away. Gradually he 

 broke up this sort of tiling to some extent. Then for a 

 while he charged 50 cents a day for the right to fish the 

 stream. Soon after that he saw the thing was growing 

 too big for him to hold down. The fulfillment of fate 

 had come. The stream had not a wheel upon it. It would 

 not work. Its destiny was trout and pleasure. 



Mr. Lee McBride, of whose courtesy on this quest ear- 

 lier mention has been made, heard of these trout about 

 this time, and he and Mr. Frank Mason, both of Cleve- 

 land, came down and looked over the country on the 

 advice of Mr. Adams, of the upper stream. They found 

 Mr, Hay wood holding the lower stream, mill sites, etc, 

 and of him they got the refusal of a ten years' lease. 

 Returning to Cleveland, they formed the club now gen- 

 erally known as the "Lower Club." This was incorpor- 

 ated as the "Castalia Sporting Club." Its lease was first 

 made in 1878, So club life on the Castalia stream is a 

 matter of only thirteen years. The trout were first 

 planted as fry only eighteen yeai's ago. 



The club lease proved valuable. Mr. Haywood became 

 financially embarassed. He had mortgages upon his 

 land, and foreclosures followed. The existent lease was 

 a lien upon the property, and in the legal shake up the 

 plucky little angling club, never over twenty-five mem- 



bers, but wealthy and determined, got title to the whole 

 property along the stream, from the line of the "Upper 

 Club's" property clear to the mouth of the stream in 

 Sandusky Bay. They spent nearly $40,000 at the start 

 in their two purchases and put up many improvements, 

 but they got their stream hard and fast and it did not 

 take long to stamp out the poaching absolutely. There 

 is no troitble at all with that now. 



In October, 1879, the so-called "Upper Club" was or- 

 ganized. It is a large club, numbering 67 members, and 

 at first was made up largely of Sandusky and Toledo 

 men, though many Cleveland men joined later. Their 

 first lease was of the Castalia Milling Co. and ran for 20 

 years at |50 a year. Then the milling company began a 

 systematic series of annoyances and squeezed the club 

 into sacrificing their lease and buying their property, 

 which they did, and thus got their stream in safe keep- 

 ing also. They have about $40,000 invested in their property 

 also. These figures do not represent the total amounts 

 spent by either club, but are less than such amounts. The 

 Upper Club has spent about ,$8,000 in making new stream 

 beds. 



These, then, are the two clubs which control the 

 stream, owning every foot of it, and such is a rough 

 sketch of the history of the stream. Here we must abide 

 for a week at least, for newspaper space is a limited 

 affair, but in the next writing I shall try to tell some- 

 thing more about the clubs, and about the stream and 

 about the trout. The stream is literally alive with trout 

 and it is a pleasure even to write about them both. 



E. HODOH. 



THE NEW HAMPSHIRE TROUT SEASON. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



I send you a copy of the acts proposed by our last Leg- 

 islature for the Boole of the Game Laws. You will see 

 that we have had a new trout season fixed, placing us 

 legally in the same latitude as Pennsylvania. I can only 

 say that the change was uncalled for and is utterly un- 

 warrantable and unjustifiable. It is said to be the "work 

 of a couple of young men in Manchester who wanted to 

 get at the trout brooks in the southern part of the State 

 before the first of May. One of these young men was a 

 member of the Legislature, and being a son of Col. John 

 B. Clarke, of the Manchester Mirror, was placed at the 

 head of the Fish and Game Committee of the House. 

 Aided, as I understand, by a young lawyer from Man- 

 chester, they drafted a bill, changuig the dates as shown, 

 and got it through both House and Senate without any 

 one knowing anything about it. Iliad received private 

 advices from Manchester that some such game was in 

 progress and had requested the representative from our 

 town and the senator from our disti-ict to look out for it, 

 but being in Concord on the last days of the session, 1 

 found it had passed both Houses without either of them 

 knowing it, and it was probably "squirreled through" 

 by the common legislative trick of being "read by the 

 title." 



The Fish and Game Commissioners were not consulted 

 and knew nothing about it, and I met them both at 

 Concord the last day of the session, where, having heard 

 of it, they had come to get the Governor to veto the biU. 

 I also saw Gov. Tuttle myself, and he told us aU that he 

 would gladly do so, but that the persons interested had 

 been smart enough to get it incorporated in the Eevised 

 Statutes by the Commission who were making the usual 

 decennial revision of the Statutes, and he could not veto 

 it without destroying all the laws of the State! It was a 

 smart and nasty trick, and our Legislature only meeting 

 biennially, we cannot repeal it for two years. We had 

 just got the northern New England States into line. 

 Averment Laving changed from April 1 to May 1 at the 

 last session of her Legislature, and Maine. New Hamp- 

 shire, Vermont and the Forest Reserve of New York, all 

 in the same latitude, opened the trout season the same 

 day. May 1, when these two youngsters take advantage 

 of the accidental official position of one of them, and 

 upset the "whole kettle of fish," fixing the laws of the 

 Stale on their own basis without any knowledge of the 

 State officials or any call from the people of the State. I 

 have been in Manchester since, and found many of the 

 oldest anglers very indignant, all saying that if any 

 change was to be made it should have been to move the 

 opening day two weeks later, to May 15. 



The result has been that all the boys in the State have 

 been tramping the brooks for a fortnight, and although 

 they have caught very few trout, thev have worn a good 

 path by the side of every stream. 1 was out yesterday 

 for my l^Iay opening, and saw more boot tracks than 

 trout. However, I caught a dozen, of which I retmuied 

 five to the brook as too small, but the seven I brought 

 home, from 6in. to lOin. long, gave my small familv a 

 good breakfast. 



The brooks are yet very low and the water clear and 

 cold, and we need a good warm rain, of two or three 

 days' duration, to wake the trout itp. Only one cf those 

 I caught yesterday had life enough to make a rush for 

 the hook, and he was so small that he was soon back in 

 the water again. 



My old beacon fires, the red blossoms of the swamp 

 maple, are not lighted yet, and it is not much use going 

 for trout till they are. I shall wait a week or two longer 

 before I try a gain. Angler. 



FOR "FOREST AND STREAM" READERS. 



WE have secured, for the private information of the 

 readers of Forest and Stream, knowledge of a 

 number of streams and lakes easily accessible from this 

 city, where we believe that good fisliing for trout and 

 black bass may be had. This information, much of 

 which comes from private sotu-ces, we are not at liberty 

 to print, but we shall be glad to furnish it without charge 

 to a limited number of the readers of Forest and Stream 

 who may apply for it, either personally or by letter. 



Cold-Speing-on-Hddson Association.— Albany, May 

 1. — The Cold-Spring-on- Hudson Fish and Game Protective 

 Association has been incorporated with primary objects 

 to protect fish and game from illegal capture and the re- 

 stocking of depleted rivers, lakes, and streams with fish, 

 and the fields and forests with game, and to aid and assist in 

 enforcing the laws relative to the preservation of fish and 

 game. The managers are William H. Haldane. Richard 

 Giles, Sylvester B. Truesdell, Thomas S. Boyd, Irving P. 

 McCoy, Charles De Rhau, Jr., William Chiu-ch Osborn, 

 Arthur Ingraham, Chalmers Dale, and Samuel Sloane, .Jr. 

 The principal office is in Cold Springs Village, 



ONONDAGA ANGLERS' ASSOCIATION. 



HOW is this for a record for '91 up to date? The work 

 was done by Deputy Harrison Hawn, assisted by 

 Geo. Crownhardt and Harry Jackson, hired especially by 

 the association. The lakes and rivers have never been so 

 free from illegal fishing as now. Netters are giving up 

 their work on Oneida and Onondaga lakes and the rivers. 

 Since March 31 sixty trap nets have been taken from the 

 lakes and rivers, valued at !^1,500, and thirty -nine arrests 

 made. Our Mr. Jackson attempted to arrest four netters. 

 They attempted to kill him and made a mistake. Mr. 

 Jackson was obliged to use a pistol and shot one of them 

 quite badly through the neck. Those netters would have 

 killed him if they had had a chance. All were aiTested 

 except one who left for parts unknown. This record 

 cannot be beaten I think. 



It does not look as if our jiresent Commission find Supt. 

 Pond were not doing their duty. We owe our success to 

 the assistance received from them. We have just got 

 oitr hand in. Look out for the bulletin later. It is only 

 about a year ago when twelve members formed an asso- 

 ciation. There are now 250 members with associations 

 formed all around us. We have members who go out 

 and help our game protectors. Gen. R. U. Sherman has 

 a great many friends among us. so has Mr. Drew. Mr. 

 Carr has done us good service and is a good and efiicient 

 officer. Mr. Hawn was at Skaneateles and formed an 

 association there, who, with the assistance of JMr. Pond, 

 have done eflacient work on that lake, We would be 

 pleased to have our neighbors at Utica join us in the 

 work, as we feel that we are keeping their grounds clean 

 when we take care of Oneida Lake. It costs money; we 

 cannot do this work on wind. Last year we invested 

 $500 in this good work, and now we ask our neighbors to 

 help us. Mr. Drew contributed .$10, and I do not know 

 of any other moneys being expended on this lake bv our 

 Utica friends last season The annual report of the Utica 

 Association shows that they expended about $37 last year. 

 We cannot say too much for our present Commission 

 and Pres. Blackford for the assistance they have given us 

 through Supt. Pond, who does not say, "Go on, and I will 

 follow," but always takes the lead, 'Such an officer can- 

 not help but be successful. Vv^e have no rooms, nor give 

 no fine suppers or entertainments. We meet in the Busi- 

 ness Men's Association rooms, and have a meeting the 

 first Thursday in every month, and subject to call. All 

 money received is expended in the good work. All trap 

 nets which have been taken were well filled with game 

 fish. We do not forget also the assistance of Mr. 

 Schackelton which he has given us on Oneida Lake. He 

 has done excelleiit work for us. 



If this good work is continued, readers of your valuable 

 paper will find the best fishing grounds in the State of 

 New York on these lakes and rivers. I would be pleased 

 to give them any information they desire. Our associa- 

 tion has a special protector in Harry .Jackson, who is 

 paid wholly by the association, and we do tliink he is as 

 good a man as we could have on the force, and we also 

 do not forget the work which is being done by Geo. 

 Crownhardt. 



Mr. Monroe Green, of the State Hatchery, gave us a 

 call, looking up the result of the many fish received from 

 State Hatchery in this section. There has been a great 

 showing on California trout in Onondaga Creek. One 

 catch of 13 running from 1 to 31bs. l4oz. The writer has 

 taken two; one weighing 31bs., the other Silbs. This 

 shows the good work of State Hatchery. 



Since writing the above, received telephone message 

 of three more trap nets having been taken on Oneida 

 Lake; Skaneateles Lake, eleven nets and two seines. 



Henry Loftie. 



RAINBOW AND BROOK TROUT GROSS. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



I thank my friend L. M. Brown for his corroboration 

 of my statement made some time ago in the Forest and 

 Stream that I had observed these two fish together in 

 the spawning beds and the irideus was evidently engaged 

 iu pairing with the fontinalis. In reply to your objec- 

 tion I wrote to the effect that according to the U. S. Fish 

 Commission agent in California, the spawning seasons of 

 these two species overlap, thus making it quite possible 

 for a cross to be effected in January. Mr. Brown knows 

 more about my waters than I do myself, as he is an 

 ardent fisherman and has far more leisure at the season 

 than I have, being much occupied in my literary pi-o- 

 fession.* His testimony, however, has corroborated my 

 experience in regard to the actual cross of these fish, and 

 when I doubted the fact ascertained by taking fish that 

 seemed to be crosses, his statement often repeated that he 

 had taken such tish confirmed my o^yn belief. 



There can be no possibility of any* artificially crossed 

 fish having been introduced here, as I have been the only 

 person who has stocked the streams, having been supplied 

 by the kindness of Col. M. McDonald, U. S. Fish Commis- 

 sioner, with live fish and eggs for four years past, and no 

 other person has taken interest enough in the fishing to 

 introduce any fish of any kind. As by my residence here 

 I have better opportunities of procuring specimens of the 

 cross than any one else, I will take pleasure in sending 

 some preserved specimens the coming season for your 

 study. The crossed fish have the black back of the irideus, 

 with a rather obscure redness of the sides, but the irides- 

 cence of the scales is consx^icuous. As to the game quali- 

 ties of the irideus, there is no comparison with those of 

 the fontinalis; the irideus behaves more like a salmon, 

 leaping out of the water and fighting with extraordinary 

 persistence. A friend spent half an hour last summer in 

 anding into his net a lO inch fish with a very light rod, 

 and I spent even longer time in securing a 21-inch fish 

 with a light fly- rod, and then only got it by its leaping 

 into the boat. The large fish keep in the deep waters of 

 my pond. I have not known of one larger than lOin. being 

 taken in the stream. Henry Stewart. 



HiGULAND Park, N. 0. 



Lake Keuka Trout.— Dundee, N. Y., May 2.— Editor 

 Forest and Sti^eam: On Saturday, April 25, 1891, Major 

 Gibson, of Catawba, N. Y., caught a trout in Keuka Lake 

 measuring 33in. in length, 21|in. in circumference and 

 weighed 17lb8. This breaks the record for a nttmber of 

 years. This fish was taken to Penn Yan by J, M. Wash- 

 burn, of the Lake Keuka House, where he had it photo- 

 graphed. It was afterward served for dinner at the 

 Beiiham House in that place and pronounced "very good" 

 by aH who partook of it.— Guy Gkundy. 



