May 5, 1898.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



425 



THE MOON-EYE. 



CHICAGO, April 9— Editor Forest and Stream: Will 

 vou plpafe describe a fish that is caught iu Winne- 

 bago Lake", Wis., and only caught for about ten days in 



cription would be pleased to hear from you through the 

 I columns of your paper. C. S. Burton. 



[The moon-eye, or gold-eye, of Lake Winnebago is re- 

 ferred to in Forb-st and Stream of Nov. 14, 1889; an 



each year, generally in June, while the sand flies are | illustration of the fish forms plate 219 of Sec. L, "Fishery 



THE MOON-EYE. 



around. It is a fish that greatly resembles the shad, has 

 the large scales, red tint around the eye and would easily 

 pass for a shad; it is known there by" the name of moon- 

 eye. It takes the fly freely and will often take a small 

 minnow. If you can place this fish from this above des- 



Industries, TT. S." Other names of this game fish are 

 toothed herring, moon-eye shad, fresh-water shad, sil- 

 ver bass and Naeeaysh, The moon-eye bites eagerly at 

 the artificial fly or worm and is considered one of the 

 smartest of the fishes and most difficult to hook.] 



CHICAGO AND THE WEST. 



[From a Staff CorrcspondentA 



CHICAGO, April 80.— A large hiatus in the season: 

 cold, wet, wind, desolation, so that a shooter or 

 fisher is in luck to be alive and free from pneumonia 

 when the balmy month of May starts in. A few trout 

 have been caught, and a few bass, and a few plover have 

 been shot, but all the sport has been alike uncertain and 

 unpleasant. This spring is backward to the point of 

 prudery. 



The jacksnipe have become discouraged and have 

 gone to the unknown regions. Mr, P. F. Stone has 

 killer! a great many about Wheaton. Some bags of 20 

 and 30 have been made about Momerce, where there is 

 -rery good snipe ground near by. There is little doubt 

 that the last flight of snipe is now up, but the birds are 

 scattered and wild. 



Tbe golden plover flight is also now in this latitude. 

 Mr. W. G. Payson and his friend bagged 92 last Monday 

 near Joliet, Tbe market shooters are shipping heavily. 

 At Oilman the flight yesterday was very heavy, Mr. F. 

 C. Donald and Mr. E. B. Organ went down last night, 

 and should have had fine shooting. Weather permitting 

 the plover will now linger on these uplands of northern 

 Illinois and feed till near the close of May. 



On Wendesday the wind changed to the south, and 

 though it blew a gale the weather became milder. On 

 Thursday, April 28, the first of the run of small-mouth 

 black bass in the Kankakee appeared at Momence, a run 

 of small rock bass, yearlings, also appeared. The fishing 

 should improve there now, and be good for two weeks. 

 The first buds are now appearing on the trees, and the 

 first bass come along with the first leaves. 



From the trout country [the returns are similar. The 

 fish are very dull and not rising much. Mr, J. L. Wilcox 

 has sent down some good trout from the Xinnikinnick, 

 including one rainbow taken by himself, 24in, long, 

 weight 41b. 5oz. dressed. He says, however, that the 

 fishing has been very poor. It will pav to wait a couple 

 of weeks on trout. The annual Fred Taylor party, num- 

 bering fourteen men this year, will swoop down on the 

 Little Oconto about the last week in May. They will kill 

 3,000 trout". 



Warden Buck's week at Aroma, on the Kankakee, dis- 

 covered no nets, though possibly some had been in use. 

 Set-linss by the hundred, however, were all through that 

 part of the river. Catfish were being taken on these by 

 the wagonload. Two men, Germans, on the Iroquois 

 River, were found with gill nets, but promised never to 

 use them again. 



The fishway at Aroma has never been completed, as 

 promised by Mr. H. Beardsley, the dam owner there, 

 This gentleman's promise to Mr. Cole was very explicit, 

 and the low water gave him a. very good opportunity to 

 complete the work on the inefficient way then serving by 

 nxvube. The treatment extended Mr. Beardsley was 

 courteous and considerate. It seems that does not serve. 

 We may suppose a formal notice would serve better. 



I see in tbe papers the following item: "The greatest 

 fishway in the world is in the course of construction on 

 the Potomac at the Great Falls. When it is completed it 

 will carry fish over a vertical fall of seventy-two feet." 

 This is perhaps a better fishway than Mr Beardsley 's at 

 Aroma. I am of the opinion that Mr. Baardsley's Aroma 

 fishway is an aromatic fraud, of which 72ft. would be 

 needless. 



A black bass which is a civil engineer can get through 

 the fishway at Kankakee town. 



A dogfish weighing 141b?. was caught by A. H. Harry- 

 man at Momence this week, after a hard fight, on light 

 tackle. The proper embellishment of this story, how- 

 ever, belongs rightly to the kennel department, and it is 

 respectfully submitted. 



The spring season of the trap-shooting tournament cir- 

 cuit is now at hand. Kansas City shoot will call out a 

 few of our shooters, who will wander far, far away, and 

 who will be gray-headed before they get back, if they try 

 to cover the whole circuit these days. There are fixtures 

 all the wav west to the coast, and some projecting out 

 over the Pacific ocean. What with the snipe, the fish 

 and the trap, life begins to appear more worth living to 

 the average sportsman of this unkindly clime. 



E. Hough. 



A Pale Brook Trout was described by Mr. Charles 

 W. Parkin, of Pottsville, Pa., in a recent letter to Mr . H, 



C. Ford, president of the Pennsylvania Fish Commission. 

 The specimen was 6Jin. long, liin. deep, and unusually 

 light in color. Above the middle line of the body were 

 seven rather large red spots; below the line were eight 

 spots of golden yellow. The pectorals and ventrals were 

 golden yellow, the latter with a black edge. The anal 

 fin as in the common brook trout. The fish was a female 

 with very small eggs, and unusually heavy for its size. 

 It was caught in Tumbling Run Stream. Tbe tail, as 

 the result of an accident, had only the external lobes re- 

 maining, the middle rays had been entirely lost. The 

 pale color and the thickness and weight of this trout at 

 once attracted attention. Evidently this must have been 

 wba.t is known to a few fishculturists as the pale variety 

 of fotitinalis— a race superior in size, rapidity of growth 

 and fertility to the common brook trout. The U, S. 

 Fish Commission has now a number of fine breeders of 

 this rac9 at its Northville station, and all who b^ve seen 

 them admire their beautiful form and color. We have 

 seen this race also from several other localities. 



Pike County Trout.— Dingman's Ferry, Pa., Anrfl 

 26. — An article has appeared in tbe Philadelphia Inquirer 

 of the 2 1st, saying that trout fishing in Pike county 

 streams this spring is very poor and there appears to be 

 no trout in the streams and advises people not to go to 

 Pike county for trout fishing. Tbe person who wrote 

 that article misrepresents either wilfully or ignorantly. 

 He certainly has not been in Pike county fishing this 

 spring, for if so he would have been arrested. By special 

 act of our Legislature the trouting season does not open 

 until May 1. We are a law-abiding and law-observing 

 people, and we believe the law has been strictly observed 

 by our people. If the party who wrote that article has 

 been fishing in Pike county this spring he has done it 

 sneakingly and thievishly. Our trouting opens on May 

 1 and we anticipate a splendid season. It has been a most 

 favorable winter. All reports sav that a great many trout 

 are seen in the streams. — P. F. Fulmer, 



Adirondack Preserves.— Weston. Dean & Aldrich 

 have leased to Warren Humes all of the forest lands 

 owned by them in Lewis, Herkimer and the southeast 

 corner of St. Lawrence counties, embracing about 3,000 

 acres, which the latter will reserve for the use of his 

 guests at Forest Home on the Middle Branch. About 

 10,000 acres of bnd, including Otter Lake, in Oneida 

 county; Brewer Lake, Grannis Pond and Bear Creek 

 Mill Pond, in Herkimer county, have been leased by Dr. 

 R, H. Ash and J. H. Wilcox, of Port Leyden, and they 

 have posted it according to law to use it as a private park 

 for the purpose of propagating and protecting fish, birds 

 and game. It is a very desirable preserve, the Adiron- 

 dack and St. Lawrence Railroad passing near it. — Boon- 

 ville Herald, April 28. 



The Tarpon Record at Fort Myers, for week ending 

 April 25, was as follows for fish caught with rod and 

 reel: 



April Si. J. P. M. VanCortlaudt Bt't. 10in., 1021 hs. 



April 21, A. M. McGregor 6ft, 109ibs 



April 21, A. M. McG-reeor . 4ft. llin., 591bs. 



Apvil 23. Jame- JL Breeze 5ft. 5ir>„ 9Ubs. 



April 22, B. B. McGregor 6ft. 6in„ 1401bs. 



April 22, E. P. Sherman 5ft. 2m.. 72ibs. 



April 24, B. B. McGregor 6ft. 4in„ HUbs. 



April 24. B. 8. McGregor 6ft. 3io., 13Plbs. 



April 24, E. C. Sherman 6ft. lie. 1201 bs. 



April 25. E. C. 8hermau 6ft. 3in., 1301bs. 



Previously reported 133; this week 10; total 143. 



Shark and Shuep.— The New York Sun reports that 

 "A man-eating shark, 184ft. long, with a head as big as a 

 barrel, came ashore on the beach at Trescott, Me., 

 recently. Its stomach contained a sheep and several dog- 

 fish." We have become a trifle callous to the shark's 

 pastime of shearing lamb3, but when it comes to taking 

 in an old, woolly sheep and with it a pack of dogfish, pre- 

 sumably to keep the sheep from straying into forbidden 

 pastures, we think old carcharodon is going a step too 

 far, and we advise him to go back to menhaden and sea 

 lettuce. 



Game Protector Hawn. — Syracuse, N. Y., April 27. 

 —Game Protector Hawn during the last week has taken 

 seven trap-nets and one seine, and made four arrests.— 

 H. L. 



Trout in Luzerne County, Pa.— Wilkesbarre, April 

 30. — The weather has been extremely cold and backward 

 and very dry, there having been no rain of any conse- 

 quence since the snow left. Of course there has been a 

 great deal of fishing, and a few good catches were made, 

 but, as a rule, a small catch with the ejaculation of "too 

 cold" or "water too low," or both. I was out this week 

 and did fairly well, considering that the mercury was at 

 26° in the morning, with ice on the bushes hanging in the 

 water. I caught one 12in. California mountain trout, 

 this being the first and the only one I have taken of that 

 species. I was surprised to find it in the midst of its 

 spawning season. I don't know whether this is the regu- 

 lar season or not. — M. [In tbe McCloud River, Cal., 

 from whence the original stock of rainbow trout was 

 brought to the East, the spawning season sometimes lasts 

 through April, but in Eastern waters, as a rule, the 

 spawning closes before the end of March.] 



Adirondack Trouting.— The trouting season in the 

 forest preserve opened May 1 under auspices unfavorable 

 to the angler. The cold April weather, the lingering 

 snow and the freshets in the streams have combined to 

 make the fisherman's lot an uncertain and unhappy one. 

 The growing practice of establishing private preserves 

 cuts off the general public more and more inexorably 

 from the desirable trout waters. Some owners, however, 

 grant permits to hunt and fish to law-abiding sportsmen. 

 Among these Dr. Webb is cited as a notable example. 

 Warren Humes has leased twelve miles of the Middle 

 Branch of the famous Oswegatcbie and will preserve it 

 for his friends. There will be a nice question of law in 

 the near future as to what constitutes navigable water in 

 the State of New York and the decision may benefit 

 anglers by opening up to them the Fulton Chain of 

 Lakes, as well as many other Adirondack waters, which 

 are now closed to the public. 



The Vermont Trout Law.— Rutland, Vt., April 29.— 

 The impression having: gone abroad that the action of 

 the Legislature of 1890 virtually repealed the six-inch 

 trout law (1888, No. 123, Sec. 2) I have obtained the opin- 

 ions of a number of the ablest lawyers in the State, in- 

 cluding Hon. James Barrett, ex-Judge of the Supreme 

 Court, ex-Gov. W. P. Dillingham, H. A. Huse, G. W. 

 Wing, T. W. Moloney and Edward W. Bisbee, and all 

 the opinions thus obtained agree that the aforesaid law is 

 still in force. The State League and Fish Commission 

 will act together in their desire to see this law enforced. 

 You are requested to use your influence to correct the 

 wrong impression that has gone abroad and to encourage 

 a popular sentiment toward the protection of the small 

 trout.— John W. Titcomb, Sec'y. 



Small-Mouthed, Red-Eyed, Gray Bass.— Little Rock, 

 Ark. — I notice the article in last week's issue regarding 

 the small-mouth, red-eyed, gray ba^sof Minnesota. I have 

 taken many of these same bass at Battle Lake, Miun., and 

 they are certainly as near "nitro glycerine" as any fish I 

 ever hooked. We have many of the very game fish in the 

 mountain streams of Arkansas. Their'shape and mark- 

 ings are the same. Mr. Mershon could get a supply of 

 them at Battle Lake any time from July 1 to Sept. 15. — 

 Arkansas. 



The Fishing Boat contrived by Secretary S. E. Wor- 

 rell of the Deep Lake Fish and Game Club, of Hannibal, 

 Mo., has evidently been evolverl from the brain of a man 

 who likes to fish in ease and solid comfort. The con- 

 venience and utility of the novel craft are so manifest 

 that one wonders how he has got along all these years 

 with the common fishing boats. We do not wonder that, 

 as Mr. Worrell writes us, bis advertisement in Forest 

 and Stream has attracted wide notice. 



Connecticut Trout.— Preston, April 25.— The veteran 

 angler, C. W. Barnes, is high hook thus far here. He 

 and Henry Jencks took, yesterday, thirty-two fine trout, 

 three of which tipped the scale at 7-^lbs. They were 

 beauties. The others were of good fair size. This ie 

 quite an improvement on all previous records. We are 

 also having good sport with the spirited perch under 

 Greenvil?e dam, hundreds being caught daily.— E. M. B. 



Small-Mouthed, Red-Eyed, Gray Bass, will soon 

 become known to anglers, thanks to the courtesy of Mr. 

 W. B. Mershon, who has the promise of Mr. Charles 

 Cristadore to send a specimen to Forest and Stream, 

 Mr. Cristadore has sent to Lake Ida for an example 

 which will be duly forwarded. He has seen the fish on 

 no other lakes than those at Alexandria, Minn. The 

 bass is said to resemble a cross between the small-mouth 

 black bass and the rock bass. 



Quebec Trout, Pkkerel, Dore, Bass, Maskisonge. 

 — An order issued by Acting Deputy Minister of Fisheries 

 S. P. Bauset, April 12, prescribes close seasons as follows 

 for Province of Quebec: Speckled trout, Oct. 30-April 

 30. Pickerel (dore), April 15-May 15. Bass and maski- 

 nonge, May 25- July 1. 



Vermont Bass.— We have received from H. L. Sam- 

 son, of the Lake View House, St. Albans, Vt., a 

 photograph of three small-mouth black bass, weighing 

 respectively 5J, 4f, and 3flbs., taken there in the Great 

 Back Bay of Lake Champlain. 



Opening' of tne Trout Season in Pike County, Pa. 



The Pike connty trout season opened last Monday. From all 

 reports it is probable that the fishing in that well-known locality 

 will b=> unusually good this year. The total.catch last season was 

 not up to the average nf previous years, as the streams through- 

 out The greater part of the summer were unusually low, and the 

 trout too well fed to furrish the fishermen good sport. Owing to 

 this circumstance, however, a larger number of trout than usual 

 were left for seed, and last year's misfortune promises to react to 

 the craft's advantage this. The Erie Railroad is trie great thor- 

 oughfare to this region. The principal stopping points for fisher- 

 men are Milford, Shehola, Dingman's Ferry, Lackawaxen, Haw- 

 ley, etc.— Adv. 



Mb. Thomas J. Conkoy, the well known dealer in fishing tackle 

 and camping outfit, has retmved from bo Fulton street, and is 

 now located at 310 Broadway. This old and reliable firm was 

 established iu 1630 by John Conroy, and for sixty-two years has 

 had the Falcon street address connected with its name. Tbe ne«r 

 lo"ation is most desirable, and is in the canter of the sporting 

 goods district of New York city.— Adv. 



