June 30, 189S.J 



FOREST AND STREAM: 



615 



heard as to the species of the fish. He said that Mr. J. T. 

 Buel introduced the fresh-water drum into Lake Boma- 

 seen from Lake Champlain. Mr. Pike said the weight was 

 remarkable although it was a drum ; but as they grow to 

 upward of oOlbs. , there is nothing remarkable about one of 

 twenty odd pounds. 



A College Story. 



My friend Col. J. L. Cunningham, president of the 

 Glens Falls Insurance Company, told me that at a meet- 

 ing of insurance men he heard a story which from that 

 moment he kept specially for me, but it is too good to 

 keep in private stock. A professor in a certain college 

 became greatly interested in two young men whom he 

 bad picked out to graduate first and second in their class. 

 There was no question about their ability to do all he had 

 planned, but they were a trifle sby on application. 

 Together they were missing froni class on certain kinds 

 of days with a regularity that promised conditions, and 

 the professor was in despair. Brought to judgment, the 

 men confessed that the time they were absent was spent 

 in fishing, which pastime was denounced in unmeasured 

 terms as likely to ruin their whole future. Asked if he 

 had ever fished, the professor said no, as it was an occu- 

 pation for fools. It was suggested that before condemn- 

 ing it utterly he should try it, which he consented to do. 

 He was taken out for his first lesson, placed in the shade 

 on the bank of a pool, his hook baited, and he was left 

 with his rod and a book. The young men turned from 

 him to seek their own fishing places with the parting in- 

 junction to keep his eye on the float, the going down of 

 which would indicate a bite. Before they reached their 

 own stations up stream they heard a yell of triumph. 

 "Whoop, whoopee!" and turning back they met the pro- 

 fessor; hatless, almost breathless, he was running toward 

 them, his face beaming with pleasure and his eyes flash- 

 ing: with intense excitement as he fairly gasped out: 

 "The cork is down, the cork is down — tell me quickly, 

 what shall I do next?" 



The Season of Trout Spawning. 



I notice that Mr. Gilbert thinks that if you were better 

 posted you would not make the mistake of criticising his 

 bill as to the time that trout spawn. That at least is the 

 implication. Really I find in your comment no cause for 

 stricture on bis part, for you simply say, with truth, that 

 trout should be protected during the spawning season. It 

 ifl Mr. Gilbert who fixes the time of swawning — not 

 FOREST and Stream. He says trout are through spawn- 

 ing in New England and southeastern New York on 

 Dec, 15. I believe that fishculturists admit that the 

 colder the water the earlier trout will spawn. Seth Green 

 once put it, "The colder the climate, the earlier trout will 

 spawn." At my request John Danforth, the prince of 

 woodsmen and guides, and one who understands the 

 habits of wild animals far better than some closet 

 naturalists, examined into the time that trout spawn in 

 the Parmachenee Lake region in Maine, near the Boundary 

 Mountains of Canada. Oq Dec. 23 he examined 

 a large spawning bed in Black Pond close to the Cana- 

 dian border. He saw hundreds of trout on the bed, "and 

 to all appearances their labor had just commenced;" but 

 he was not satisfied with this but caught a female, and 

 found that under pressure the eggs would come from her, 

 and judged that it would require two weeks more to 

 finish the work of spawning. Seth Green said that the 

 trout at Caledonia spawned up to March 1, and on Long 

 Inland trout spawn after Dec. 15, as the State reports will 

 show. The brown trout, now so generally introduced, 

 spawn even later than the native brook trout. 



Every fisherman knows that our season for trout fish- 

 ing opens now too soon for wild trout to be in good con- 

 dition, and even in April they are stupid bottom feeders, 

 resembling a sucker in action, and quite unlike the sleek, 

 well-fed fish of a month or six weeks later, after a diet of 

 insect food, which comes with the disappearance of ice 

 and snow. A. N. Cheney. 



CANADIAN ANGLING NOTES. 



Quebec, June 23.— From reports so far received from 

 the various salmon streams, it would appear that better 

 sport is attending the anglers' efforts this year than many 

 of them experienced last season. Lord Mount Stephen 

 has already killed a number of fine fish on the Metapedia, 

 and several of the spoils of his rod have been received by 

 friends in Montreal. On the St. Anne des Monts River 

 in Gaspe, Mr. Hogan of Montreal and a party of friends 

 are having good sport. The Restigouche, the Moisie, the 

 Godbout and the Roinaine are all now being whipped by 

 enthusiastic American and Canadian anglers, from whom 

 very little has yet been heard here. Mr. Walter Brackett 

 and party of Boston went down on Tuesday to the Mar- 

 guerite, and the Governor-General of Canada, Lord 

 Stanley, is still fishing the Cascapedia. 



All through the month of June, the trout in the var- 

 ious lakes and streams north of Quebec have been biting 

 freely, and so have the flies. From Lake Edward come 

 reports of magnificent catches of very large trout, some- 

 times running to 4 and 5lbs, each. 



American anglers returning from their various club 

 lakes along the line of the Quebec and Lake St. John rail- 

 way report splendid sport. Among those who have 

 passed through Quebec lately, literally laden down with 

 the spoils of their recent victories, are Dr. and Mrs. Porter 

 of Bridgeport, and Messrs. Wilcox and A. Chamberlain 

 of Meriden, Conn., all members of the Metabetchouan 

 fishing and game club. 



I have not heard within the last few days of any large 

 catches of ouananiche in Lake St. John br its tributary 

 streams, the fish being now en route for the Grande Dis- 

 charge. They are at present in large numbers about the 

 commencement of the lake's outlet, and may be freely 

 taken in the immediate vicinity of the Island House for 

 the next ten or fifteen days. They are already making 

 their appearance too, in the favorite pools amotig the 

 rapids of the Grande Discharge. The riparian owner of 

 the fishing rights on th* south side of the first pool below 

 the first chute in the Discharge, is now demanding $8 a 

 day per rod for the right of fishing his pool, but the 

 hundreds of other pools about and below Scott's Camp for 

 miles and miles about both sides of the Diecharge are as 

 free to anglers who are guests at the Roberval Hotel or 

 Island House, as they have been for the last four or five 

 years. E. T. D. Chambers. 



VERMONT FISHING. 



There are still a good many fair trout streams in this 

 State. Windham county is one of the best regions for 

 wild native trout. Sherwin Brook, in the vicinity of 

 Grafton, is a good stream, There is also a nice pond on 

 Stratton Mountain, about twenty miles west of Brattle- 

 boro. In recalling these places where I roamed forty 

 years and more ago, many pleasant adventures come to 

 mind. With a strong line, a small, straight sapling for 

 the rod , and a bait of meadow earthworm or white grub, 

 it was an easy and pleasant task to take as many trout as 

 one could use, then, too, of a good size. While those 

 good old days are no more, nor yet can be, there are 

 places now, if one can find them, where good trout fish- 

 ing is to be had. 



Speaking of trout recalls to mind a circumstance that 

 happened to me in about the year 1853 when living in 

 Keene, N. H. One Sunday morning I took a walk down 

 the turnpike, and in passing over a little bridge noticed 

 in the stream below a beautiful trout— an immense 

 fellow. Surely here was a dilemma. It being Sunday I 

 had no tackle with me. "Necessity is the mother of in- 

 vention," we were all taught at an early age, so I took 

 from my pocket a piece of string (have you ever seen a 

 boy's pocket stringless? I haven't met with one yet), and 

 making a pin hook, which I baited with a white grub, I 

 was soon flat upon my stomach gently pulling the tempt- 

 ing morsel to and fro near the trout's nose. Pretty soon 

 the fish commenced to work its gills, and I was getting 

 very anxious, when all of a sudden it struck and without 

 any play I landed my fish, which weighed exactly l^lbs. 

 This, under the circumstances, was my best trout. 



We used to have good pike fishing, and some largh fish 

 were taken. I remember one of 181bs, , that was taken at 

 the mouth of William's River. This was ten years age. 

 It was the largest I have heard of from that section. 

 Bellows Falls at the foot of the locks was a famous place 

 years ago. From Ludlow clear up to Plymouth and on 

 up to Pittsfield there are a great many ponds of large size. 

 These contain lots of perch, pickerel and horn pouts. In 

 Londonderry there is also a pond full of fish. Another 

 old stamping ground was Minard's Pond, west of Bellows 

 Falls. Pike and perch were plentiful, and besides the 

 many days of good fishing here I had one of the experi- 

 ences that a man will never forget. An old tree had 

 fallen right out into the pond, and not being wholly sub- 

 merged made a capital hiding place for pike and a good 

 way for one to get on the pond without a boat. I walked 

 out upon the trunk upon this occasion and cast my line 

 when, all of a sudden, I had a tremendous strike, a 

 violent pull, and off I went into the water. When I got 

 out and looked around my rod was some distance from 

 shore, being towed away with all the tackle I had brought 

 with me, by the pike. He was a big one, no doubt. 



W. B. K. 



FLY-FISHING IN NEW BRUNSWICK. 



Last summer I spent my vacation in New Brunswick, 

 and had a chance to enjoy good fly-fishing. I boarded at 

 the house of a Mr. Davis, in Brockway, about thirty-five 

 miles from St. Andrews. Mr. Davis is a famous bear- 

 trapper and hunter, and can throw a fly to perfection. 



We planned a trouting trip to two lakes, the nearest 

 situated about five miles from the house; and we four, 

 Mr. Davis ("Mister"), Jimmy, Billy and I, started off 

 Tuesday morning, going down the river two miles in a 

 boat. From the river it was then about three miles 

 through the woods, and up hill most of the way. As it 

 was a hot day, you can imagine how we suffered, each 

 carrying a heavy load of the necessaries of camp life, 

 such as guns, rifles and fishing tackle, potatoes and other 

 eatables. We passed several beech trees on the way that 

 the bears had worked on the fall before, breaking the 

 branches off and spoiling the tree generally. We also 

 saw fresh tracks of deer. 



We arrived at the first lake, where our log camp was 

 situated, about noon, and were greeted by the discordant 

 cries of several loons. Our camp was on a small island 

 in the lake, to be out of harm's way in case of a forest 

 fire. By means of a small raft one of us went out to the 

 island and brought back one of the boats which was 

 stored in the cabin. 



After dinner we decided to spend the rest of the day about 

 the big lake, and to start early in the morning for the 

 grand fishing place. Jimmy and Billy went across the 

 lake to where two brooks met, running from two lakes 

 near by, while "Mister" and myself went down the lake 

 to the dam, errected for logging purposes. We here took 

 quite a number of trout with the flies, but as the water 

 was low they did not rise very briskly. By patient fishing 

 we succeeded in getting enough for supper and then went 

 back up the lake. On returning we saw the tracks of 

 several deer on a sand point, but did not see any of the 

 deer. The others had had fair luck and lots of sport. 



Next morning after an early breakfast in camp we 

 started for the second lake. After two miles of hard 

 walking through swamps and over fallen trees we came 

 suddenly out of the woods and before us stretched the 

 waters of Little Kedron. What a beautiful sight was the 

 lake, with its waters pure as crystal, surrounded by the 

 fir and spruce forests which characterize New Bruns- 

 wick. 



We bailed out the old boat which we found there, much 

 the worse from age and porcupines. The prickly "hogs" 

 had eaten a hole through the bow, and nearly all the 

 seats were serrated by their teeth. We started up the 

 lake a short distance and anchored just in good casting 

 distance from a bunch of lily pads near Bhore, and then 

 the sport began. I made the first cast, and hardly had 

 the flies touched the water when up came a trout and 

 was soon landed. Then for two hours we caught trout of 

 all sizes. I gave an exhibition of fancy fishing by hook- 

 ing a two-pounder near the tail as he rose for a fly. Such 

 pulling and tugging my little fly-rod had never experi- 

 enced before, but I finally landed him. 



We had a very exciting time, for every large trout we 

 struck would invariably make for the lily pads, and it 

 was "nip and tuck" to "keep them out, Soon after they 

 found they could not get to the pads, they would make 

 for the boat, where another struggle would take place. 

 We allowed all the small ones to go, and some that we 

 called small would have gladdened the heart of many a 

 New England brook fisher. We got all we wanted in two 

 hours, having between twenty and twenty-five pounds of 

 trout. They were beautiful fish, too, white like silver with 



spots of gold. We reached camp early in the afternoon and 

 had a trout supper, and retired to our bunks early in the 

 evening well satisfied with our trip to Little Kedron. 

 Next morning after more trout were cooked and eaten 

 with a relish known only to campers, we started for 

 home. 



We had, when we reached home, fourteen trout that 

 weighed lo^lbs, and the largest was 19Jin. in length — this 

 twenty-four hours after taking, and of course they had 

 shrunk some. I had many trouting trips after that but 

 none as successful as that one. Web. 



THE GOLDEN TROUT OF MT. WHITNEY. 



State op Nevada Fish Commission, Carson City, 

 June 21. — Editor Forest and Stream: In your issue of 

 Nov. 5, 1885, there appeared a letter entitled "Fishing 

 about Mt. Whitney," in which are described the "golden 

 trout." Now, after many years and through the courtesy 

 of Mr. A. E. Harvey, of Lone Pine, Inyo county, Cali- 

 fornia, I have been able to procure three specimens. 

 They were brought from the Mountain over a narrow 

 trail on horseback, packed in snow. I then encased them 

 in a block of ice and shipped by express to W. H. Shock- 

 ley, at San Francisco, and they were by him forwarded 

 to Prof. Jordan. They were seven days in transit. 



The result of Prof. Jordan's investigations is given in 

 the inclosed copy of his letter to Mr. Shockley. 



Geo. T. Mills, Com. for Nevada. 



Offtce op the President Leland Stanford Junior 

 University, Palo Alto, California.— Menlo Park, Cal., 

 June 18. — Mr. W. H. Shockley, Bohemian Club, San 

 Francisco, Cal.: Dear Sir — The three specimens of 

 trout from Mt. Whitney were extremely acceptable. 

 They are the famous golden trout of Mt. Whitney and the 

 Upper Kern River, which has attracted the attention of 

 anglers for some little time, but which has not yet, so far 

 as I know, received any adequate notice in print. 



The trout were first brought to my notice by Lieut. 

 Wheeler's geological survey, which brought me speci- 

 mens in 1877. These were not in very good condition. I 

 regarded them as of the same kind as the trout in the 

 headwaters of the Colorado, at the same time calling at- 

 tention to the remarkable distribution of species on both 

 sides of the desert and the mountains. Later I received 

 other small specimens, but still in such poor condition 

 that I could do nothing more with them. The three 

 received from you were in perfect condition, and I have 

 had a colored painting made of them. 



The fish is really a distinct species of trout, entirely 

 different from any found elsewhere either in the Rocky 

 Mountains or Sierra Nevadas. The very small size of its 

 scale, the lack of teeth on the hyoid bones, and the 

 peculiar color markings are all distinctive of this trout, 

 which will in time receive a name of its own, thanks to 

 your kind thoughtfulness. 



It seems evident, so far as one can judge of such mat- 

 ters, that this trout is descended from the trotit of West- 

 ern Colorado, which abound in the tributaries of the 

 Clear River, the Green River and the Grand River and 

 the Gunnison district. But in being separated from 

 these trout it has undergone considerable change, and 

 one would think this separation must have occurred 

 before the Sierra Nevadas were elevated. It has already 

 been claimed by geologists that the Kern Valley, although 

 on the California side of the Sierras, is geologically a part 

 of the Great Basin. Its trout at any rate are wholly dif- 

 ferent from the rainbow trout of California. 



David S. Jordan. 



PIKE PERCH IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



As 1 learn, the circumstances of the capture were 

 about as follows: The boy was fishing the Wells River 

 for any small fry that came his way, especially suckers. 

 His hook becoming caught in the shallow water he 

 waded out to detach it rather than lose the hook, to him 

 quite valuable. Arriving at the end of the line he found 

 his hook attached to this large pike, being hooked under 

 one of the forward fins. 



The fish being heavy with spawn, and, I guess, in the 

 very act of spawning, and the water very cold, made no 

 effort to escape and was seized by the boy by the gills 

 and dragged ashore. It was a pure accident, though the 

 next day two smaller ones of 6 or 71bs. were taken at the 

 same place by some of those people who think fish are 

 the product of spontaneous development and don't lay 

 eggs. Some of the authorities in Vermont after con- 

 siderable urging finally put a stop to it. 



Ten or a dozen of the same fish were afterward seen 

 near by during the week, evidently in the same business, 

 but none as large as the first? Is not this (ll^lbs.) a very 

 unusual size? 



The weather has been simply frightful for a week or 

 more, but has warmed up the fish so that some very good 

 strings of small trout have been brought in, both from 

 local brooks and some of the streams near Fabyans and 

 Mr. Washington. Also the bass began to bite well the 

 day the law was off — the 15th. Two were taken in the 

 village limits of S^lbs. each by a local fisherman, and 

 several smaller ones. C. S. Griswold. 



"WoonsvmnE, N. H., June 20. 



[The pike perch reaches a large size ; specimens weighing 

 401bs. are mentioned in the books. If spawning fish are 

 found in April, that month should be added to the close 

 feason. The penalty of $10 which the law now provides 

 for each fish taken in May or June would doubtless deter 

 the pot-fisherman from snatching them off their spawn- 

 ing beds.J 



Colorado Trout. 



Denver, June 22.— The Republican this morning re- 

 ports: "Muddy waters have made the supply of fish and 

 fish stories backward this year, but P. M. Lessley starts 

 the ball rolling with the biggest trout thus far killed. He 

 caught it yesterday in the Mile Gulch, eight miles above 

 Platte Canon, twenty miles from Denver. Mr, Lessley 

 brought the trout with him to the Republican office, where 

 it was found to measure 23iin. in length and weigh o^lbs." 

 This is authentic, as I saw the fish. It was a native trout, 

 silver-sides with black spots.— Banks, 



