June 23, 1898.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



B93 



There is something: particularly pathetic about this trip 

 in regard to Mr, Hills. He has become totally blind, and 

 yet tbe love of the thrill of the trout at the end of the 

 line has not left him. When blessed with his eyesight he 

 waB a most enthusiastic angler, and to-day, though he 

 can see neither trout, line nor water, yet he says that 

 "tbe thrill is there.'' Mr. Henry Litchfield, with Dame, 

 Stoddard & Kendall, has fixed up his tackle in as con- 

 venient a form as possible for a blind man to handle, and 

 he starts off with the party, apparently as happy as any 

 one of them. Who shall say that there is not a genuine 

 love for the angle as strong: as life itself? Who dares 

 make sport of the angler? Verily, there is more of genu- 

 ine pathos in it than the scoffer can ever dream of. 



Special. 



WANE OF AD1RONDACKS FISHING. 



On the 7th of last month my friend H. and I left 

 Albany for the spring fishing at the West Canadas, Adi- 

 rondacks. A day's ride on train and stage brought us to 

 Newton's Corners about sundown, and we were somewhat 

 surprised to find ourselves the first party in the year. 

 Here we met our guide, James Sturges, who informed us 

 that everything was in readiness for the fishing. Louis 

 Seymour, of whom Mr. Northrup has written in Forest 

 and Stream, had come out from the West Canadas that 

 morning, and said that, with the exception of a few cakes 

 floating around, the ice was out of the lakes. After a 

 comfortable night at "Dave" Sturges's, we started in the 

 following morning, passing the Sacondaga Fish Hatchery, 

 the last habitation, two miles from the Corners, and ar- 

 rived at Pillsbury Lake, twelve miles distant, that after- 

 noon. Considerable snow and ice were encountered 

 along the trail, especially ascending the Blue Ridge. We 

 crossed the inlet to the lake on the ice in getting at the 

 boats. Camping here over night, we continued our tramp 

 next day under heavy packs to West Canadas Lake. No 

 change in tbe trails from former years was noted until 

 we neared Whitney Stream, the outlet of Pillsbury and 

 Whitney lakes. Where previously it had been our custom 

 to cross this brook and follow a trail to Mud Stream, half 

 a mile beyond, descending this to Mud Lake, we now 

 turned abruptly to the left and made our way a quarter 

 of a mile along the bank of Whitney Stream, when we 

 took to the boats and rowed down into Mud Lake. The 

 stream was far above its natural level, the alders nearly 

 submerged and the water extended several feet up the 

 tree trunks on the banks. Mud Lake, heretofore a shallow 

 pond in which a dozen or more deer might at any time 

 have been seen feeding, presented a like appearance. 

 Crossing the lake, we rowed, up the outlet of West Canada 

 —instead of going on the old trail — carried around the 

 little falls, and after a second carry, of perhaps 500yds., 

 were at West Canada Lake, saving in this way a tramp 

 of one-half mile. South Lake is also flooded several feet. 

 And what has effected this change? The same thing that 

 has prevented the Adirondack wilderness from becoming 

 a State park — lumbering interests. 



The West Canadas, comprising South, West, Mud, 

 Brook Trout, Northrup and the Twin lakes are included 

 in the Moose River tract. This for the most part belonged 

 to the Anson Blake estate, but during the past few years 

 the greater portion of it has been bought up by the 

 Adirondack League Club, for the avowed purpose of con- 

 verting it into a park. The remaining lands and South, 

 Mud and West lakes and West Creek — upper parts — are 

 the property of Mr. A. C. Hall, lumberman of this city, 

 who has likewise announced his intention of establishing 

 a park. The flooding of Mud and South lakes, and sur- 

 rounding lands is due to the erection of a dam at West 

 Canada Creek, which drains all the lakes in this region — 

 also Pillsbury, Whitney and Samp3on — excepting Brook 

 Trout and Northrup, which are the source of the South 

 Fork of the South Branch of Moose River. Lumbering is 

 now going on six miles below the dam, and it is expected 

 that operations on South Lake will have begun by fall. 

 While there may be some truth in the statements made 

 by the parties controlling these lands, that their chief 

 object is the founding of parks; the guides and sportsmen 

 famiiar with the country attribute it to a desire to secure 

 the lumber thereon. The Moose River tract is especially 

 rich in spruce timber, and with the water supply at their 

 command, the owners can float it to market at small ex- 

 pense. Concerning the effects of the presence of the dam 

 may be mentioned a diminution in the number of deer in 

 the immediate neighborhood of Mud Lake, and the driv- 

 ing of tbe trout from the dead waters into other lakes 

 and streams. Where in past years it was no unusual 

 thing to count between 50 and 100 deer during a two or 

 three weeks stay here; last month we saw but two at 

 Brook Trout Lake. The guides are of the opinion that 

 they have gone to the Cedars, Twins and Moose river, and 

 will return as soon as water is let out of Mud Lake. Thus 

 the fall hunting will not be materially interfered with. 

 The trout have probably gone into West and South lakes, 

 and beyond the dead water in Mud and Whitney streams, 

 and will be found in Mud Lake later in the summer. 

 Notwithstanding the flooding, fishing remains good in 

 South Lake. 



On Brook Trout Lake and along Moose River notices 

 forbidding hunting and fishing have been posted by the 

 League Club. It is needless to remark that no effort is 

 made to enforce them, and but little attention is paid 

 them by guides or sportsmen. A muttered "lumbering 

 bluff" conveys their opinion of these signs in the depths 

 of the woods twenty miles from a house. 



Heavy blasting to the west of us, Jimmy ascribed to 

 tbe building of Webb's Railroad. 



Lumbering is steadily approaching the Cedars up the 

 Cedar River, and these beautiful lakes can likewise 

 escape but for a year or two tbe greed of the lumberman. 



The fishing we found poorer than ever before. Although 

 we had no difficulty in securing an abundance of fish, 

 they were small in comparison with those of other 

 seasons. Owing to the cold weather the suckers had not 

 come into the inlets, so we were obliged to use minnows 

 trolling. We caught no lake trout exceeding 5^-lbs., and 

 the brook trout averaged but |lb. The largest brooker, 

 weighing 2lb3. 14oz , and measuring 20in., was killed on 

 a spoon by Mr. Z. B. Whitney, of Gloversville, who, with 

 Messrs. Burr and Steele, came in on the loth of the 

 month. Fly-fishing was good when the weather per- 

 mitted it. Snow fell for three days successively from 

 the 20th to the 22d. The ground and mountains were 

 covered with it and bore a wintry look, H., went out on. 



the 22d, but I remained a week longer, expecting better 

 weather. However, it continued much the same. 



I have written these lines in the hope that they may 

 prove of interest to the sportsmen who have known the 

 West Canadas under happier conditions, Natttra. 



AI/BAntt, N. Y.. June 7. 



ANGLING NOTES. 



Weight of Salmon. 



In a book upon the game fishes of America, recently 

 published, Mr. Charles Hallock is made tosav. "I once 

 saw five salmon taken out of this river (the Cascapedia) 

 with fly, by ex-President Arthur and Mr. R. G. Dun, 

 which weighed 55lbs. each — all in one outing." 



What he meant to say I have not the least idea, but I 

 doubt if he really wrote what the types have credited 

 him with writing. The largest salmon that ex- President 

 Arthur killed in the Cascapedia weighed 50lbs., and that 

 remained the largest taken from this rwer by any one 

 until Mr. R. G. Dun, in June, 1886, the year of Gen. 

 Arthur's death, killed a fish weighing 54lbs. This was 

 said to have been the largest salmon ever killed with the 

 fly in this country by any one. A drawing of the fish 

 from a photograph was published in Forest and Stream 

 not long after its capture, with an article concerning it 

 written as I now remember by Mr. Erastus Wiman. 



Mr. Hallock introduces the five salmon, weighing 55lbs. 

 each, in these words: '• There are other rivers on the Baie 

 des Chaleurs besides the Restigouche which furnish giant 

 salmon, and among these the grand Cascapedia." If one 

 desires proof of this let him refer to Samuels's grand vol- 

 ume " With Fly- Rod and Camera," and facing page 158 

 will be found a reproduction of a photograph of thirty- 

 five salmon from this stream averaging in weight 29^1bs. 

 The fish were killed in three days by four rods. 



Trout Spawning. 



In the book first referred to a writer upon the subject 

 of brook trout says: ''There seems to be some uncertainty 

 regarding the duration of the spawning season. In 

 northern Michigan I have taken trout containing well- 

 developed spawn in each of the summer months." 



It is a common error, apparently, to consider the spawn 

 found in the brook trout in the summer months "well 

 developed," and within the past ten days three fishermen 

 have informed me that they caught trout either in May 

 or June, that were most ready to spawn. I assured two 

 of them that if the trout had lived they would not have 

 spawned until October at the earliest, but to the third I 

 was able to show some ripe trout eggs in alcohol, and he 

 was the most thoroughly convinced man that his mustard 

 seed eggs were not ripel or nearly ripe, that it is possible 

 to imagine. Ripe trout eggs will vary in size with the 

 individual fish and the water from which they are taken, 

 but it is safe to say that five ripe eggs placed side by side 

 in a line will measure an inch in length or about j& of an 

 inch each. The eggs are not exactly round and eggs 

 taken at random and measured through the largest dia- 

 meter have measured ^ of an inch. Eggs of the brown 

 trout measured in the same way have measured as much 

 as of an inch in diameter. Fishermen bearing this in 

 mind will not make the mistake of thinking the small 

 eggs found in trout in early summer are well developed. 



While fishermen will find eggs in trout from the first 

 day of the open season, and before if thev have a chance 

 to examine them, I know of but two instances of trout 

 producing ripo spawn before October. Both instances 

 were related to me by Fish Commissioner Hodge, of New 

 Hampshire, and the trout were stock fish in the State 

 ponds at Plymouth, N. H. Without looking up the mat- 

 ter for the precise date I should say that in each case the 

 discovery was made the last of July or the first of 

 August — one fish one year and another the next. There 

 was no ripe male fish found so the eggs came to nothing. 

 Col. Hodge was of the opinion that the fish were barren 

 for a year or more before, perhaps because of their 

 changed conditions in confinement, and this had brought 

 about a state contrary to nature. 



P. T. Barnum's Big Treut, 

 The writer already quoted says further of the trout: 

 "They rarely exceed 2 or 31bs. in weight, except in a few 

 favored localities. I remember long ago an offer of P. T. 

 Barnum of a prize for a 4-pound spotted trout, but none 

 was forthcoming." This is an apt illustration of the dif- 

 ficulty of correcting a misstatement once it gains circu- 

 lation, for Barnum's trout is an old rounder, as quoted 

 above. The great showman's offer was for a 4-pound 

 trout delivered alive in New York, and he got it; and 

 further, he could have got a ton of dead ones. I saw this 

 live fish in the old Ann street museum in 1862 or '63, and 

 there were several of about 41bs. each in the same tank. 

 This same question came up a few years ago, and I wrote 

 Mr. Barnum about it and received "the following reply in 

 his own hand: "I have no record concerning the big 

 speckled trout which swam in the aquarial department 

 of my New York Museum in the sixties. Its weight, as 

 I remember it, was 4lbs. lOoz. I mean the largest one. 

 The others weighed a few ounces less than 4lbs. each. " 



A. N. Cheney. 



A Big Trout with Primitive Tackle. 



Malone, N. Y., June 11. — I send you photograph of 

 my little daughter and the largest speckled trout taken 

 from waters of the Northern ■ Adirondacks this season. 

 The trout was caught off the boat house dock at Hotel 

 Ayers, on Lake Duane, during the first week in June, 

 1892. You will observe from the picture, taken on the 

 piazza of the hotel, that a nail in the clapboards holds 

 the "stringer," for the girl could not have held it. The 

 trout weighed, immediately after being caught, on the 

 hotel scales, which were first accurately balanced, 44lbs. 

 plump. It was brilliantly marked, there being several 

 rows of red spots. Its length was 2lin. and girth of body 

 near the back fin 13in. The tail when spread measured 

 5in. A common light but withy pin-cherry pole was 

 used, with about 8 or 10ft. of line and chub bait. 

 There was no reserve line to let out, and you may judge 

 that it was something of a job to get the fish in without 

 reel or landing net. The hook was small and came out 

 of the fray badly bent. Several witnessed me bring in 

 the game and several saw it weighed. You will observe 

 from the picture the width of trout and girl, and that 

 the trout in length covers about 64 clapboards. If there 

 is any prize offered by the game associations I think I am 

 entitled to it, tJ, D. Stevens, 



FISH IN THE WHEAT FIELDS. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



I inclose a clipping from the paper here. It will give 

 you an idea of our crops in the West. If we cannot raise 

 wheat we can raise fish. We are a wonderful people out 

 here, and our bottom lands the greatest in the world. 

 Drouth, floods, cyclones or hard times make no differ- 

 ence, the people raise crops just the same. 



S. P. Bartlett. 



Quinoy, III., June 9, 



A PISH STORY. 



Fish Commissioner Bartlett received a letter from a 

 gentleman living at Oollinsville, Madison county, in which 

 he gives the following story: 



A man named Tom Judy last Aveek caught a shovel 

 fish weighing 801bs., and it came near drowning him. 

 He is a short man, and he caught the fish in a wheat 

 field covered by 6ft. of water. He tied it to a boat. It 

 upset the boat and pulled it along as if it was as light as 

 cork. The fish also pulled Judy under the water three 

 times, and he would have been drowned had it not been 

 for timely assistance rendered him by a friend. There 

 are at present more fish than rabbits in our wheat fields. 



[The great work in which Dr. Bartlett is engaged as 

 agent of the U. S. Fish Commission and member of the 

 Illinois Commission promises to be more extensive this 

 season than ever before. With the steamer Lotus fitted 

 for the safe and rapid transportation of living bass, pike- 

 percb, crappie, red-eye perch, catfish and other valuable 

 food fishes to the Government cars, in which they are 

 distributed far and near, the Doctor has already saved 

 from destruction many hundreds of thousands of adult 

 fish, and stocked innumerable streams, and still the de- 

 mand far exceeds the supply.] 



AFTER CANADA BROOK TROUT. 



Toronto, June 13. — I visited the upper waters of the 

 south branch of the Montreal River on June 1 in quest of 

 brook trout. In about half a day I caught fifty-six of the 

 Salvelinus fontinalis, the majority of which were 14in. 

 long. They took ordinary bait, such as a piece of pork, 

 or fish, also the artificial minnow, but the best bait of all 

 was the Lake George fly. The other flies I had (red 

 palmer and Abbey) failed to secure a rise. The water was 

 so swift at the foot of the rapid that it was difficult for 

 the fish to secure the deceitful lure. This stream has 

 never been fished except by the Indians, from whom I 

 learned its attractions, and the fishing was so good that I 

 called a halt long before the day was over. The weather 

 was unfavorable, being cold, wet and windy. 



The upper waters of the Montreal River and its tribu- 

 tary streams seem destined to become famous for their 

 speckled trout, and on the main stream the black bass 

 fishing is remarkably good. 



It is a pity the trip occupies so much time. From Mat- 

 tawa on the C. P. R. it takes a day and a half by the 

 steamer up Lake Tamiscamaugue, then a two days' 

 travel by canoe to the point reached by ns. But the 

 ecenerv everywhere is grand. We returned by way of 

 Lake Tamagamamingue and with a troll took forty-seven 

 of the great lake trout (Salmo namaycush). 



I also shot three bears, and taking it altogether the 

 outing was most enjoyable. Going in on May 18 by way 

 of the Sturgeon River, I started out of the woods on June 

 7, and on the latter day for the first time was pestered 

 with the black flies. The weather up to that date had 

 been so wet and cold that the insect pests were kept 

 under. S, R. Clarke. 



CHICAGO AND THE WEST. 



[By a Staff Correspondent.} 



Chicago, 111,, June 18. — The anglers are still anxious. 

 The situation improves but little. No fishing in the 

 rivers, which are high and muddy. In the lakes the bass 

 are biting. Heavy trmnder storms and torrents of rain 

 have marked nearly every day for the past week. 



The Chicago Fly-Casting Club found one good day this 

 week, or part of one, and had a pleasant meetinsr, about 

 a dozen and a half present, at a small lake in Washing- 

 ton Park. One or two adventurous ones sought for a few 

 minutes sport in the larger lake, which has plenty of bass 

 in it, but a mounted policeman put a stop to their earliest 

 efforts. The practice is making improvement in the 

 work of the cluh. 



On June 6, at Greenwood. McHenry county, Fish War- 

 den F. L. Buck arrested eight men for seining in Nipper- 

 sink Creek. The two who owned the seines were fined 

 $20 each, the others $10 each, and the seines were 

 destroyed by order of the court. Warden Buck has done 

 good work this spring. 



Two gentlemen of Mak-saw-ba saw a woodchuck on a 

 leaning tree, and tried to punch him off into the river as 

 they passed under the tree in a boat. Result, a genuine 

 and thorough wetting for the men, and a hard time re- 

 covering their Meek reels and other valuable tools from 

 the bottom of the Kankakee. I wonder why it is that a 

 man always gets the worst of it when he goes against a 

 woodchuck's game. 



I have spoken about the very successful trip of the 

 large party of Chicago anglers to the headwaters of the 

 Little Oconto, and I could add some details of that. A 

 little persuasion with one of the partieeps criminis, how- 

 ever, has obtained the promise of a full story of the trip, 

 which I think will be enjoyed by those who have never 

 gone into that little frequented country. 



A party of four will start early next week for a camp- 

 ing trip on Phantom Lake, Wisconsin. E. Hough. 



My Best Bass. 



In 1888, when but ten years old, I caught a black bass 

 in the Wabash at Vincennes under somewhat peculiar 

 circumstances. With an ash rod, of rather unstable 

 pedigree, but fortunately with a fine of staying qualities, 

 I had been waiting and wasting worms trying to get a 

 fish. Of course we boys alwayB catch small fry, and so 

 are seldom if ever out of bait, I took one of my shiners, 

 cut off the tail, leaving only a small portion of the body 

 attached to it, and cast in. The hook hardly reached 

 tbe water when there was a great rush, a fearful tug, and 

 a sudden breaking of my rod tip: notwithstanding this 

 misfortune I landed the fish— a good 8-pounder. On ac- 

 count of my age the ten-sion on my nerves during; %8 

 struggle was something f earful, w v?w< 



