68 



ANGLING NOTES. 



OWING to the lovely cool weather during the month of 

 July and the rains, the fishing for black bass, trout 

 and salmon took quite a spurt. The June fishing, which 

 is generally the best, was a great disappointment as most 

 of the streams were too low, but the latter half of July 

 almost made up for it and the number of large fish killed, 

 particularly black bass, is unprecedented. 



Mr. B. B. Lawrence writes from Blooming Grove Park 

 that he is agreeably surprised to find the trout taking the 

 fly so welL And Mr. Alfred Eoe was so successful when 

 he was up there a short time ago, that some of the mem- 

 bers begin to suspect that his guide was helping him out 

 with his creel. Any one acq^uainted with the gentleman 

 referred to, of course, knows such a suspicion was unjust. 



From the Adirondacks I hear that there is little fly-fish- 

 ing, the trout have retired to cooler "watering places," 

 and unless at the mouth of some cold spring, they can 

 only be taken with bait or gang in deep water. There is 

 no law against this method of fishing at present, but there 

 is no telling what public sentiment and a wise Legislature 

 may do in the future. 



I would advise anglers going to the Adirondacks to take 

 some, gi-een- drakes with them . Last August I would have 

 given a5 cents apiece for a few of them. It is awfully 

 provoking to see a fly drop on the water and a great trout 

 rise and end its frantic flopping with a splash and be un- 

 able to i)rovide the fish with an imitation of it. The 

 nearest I had to it was a "professor,'' and if I happened 

 to be within casting distance and could drop my fly quick 

 enou2;]i in the widening circles, the trout would take it, 

 but I could not bring up a single fish out of the deep dark 

 water with any of the flies I had. 



I find that in deep water ti-out will not rise to small flies 

 as a rule, that is any respectable sized trout. I do not 

 believe that any angler has such a record for big fish in 

 the Adirondacks as Superintendent Pillsbury. who has 

 fished that section for thirty years, and he uses files 

 dressed on No. 3 and 4 sproats. The majority of anglers 

 use No, 8 and the result is that they only catch baby 

 trout. No. 6 is plenty small enough, and as I say, if lakes 

 or deep ponds are to be fished. No. 4 or 5 would do better 

 yet. For August and September the following flies are 

 excellent: Light and dark Montreal, great-dun, Howard, 

 Brandreth, white-miller, coachman, Abbey, green and 

 gray drakes, ibis, Yottie, professor and Beatrice. 



The fishing for black bass in Lake Hopatcong is much 

 better this season than usual. The best time of day to fish 

 is from daylight until about 8 or 9 A. M., and again in 

 the evening. On small lakes or ponds this is generally 

 the rule, but on large bodies of water like the St. Law- 

 rence, they take better in the middle of the day or from 

 9 A. M, until sundown. I do not think 1 ever caught a 

 bass after dark on the St. Lawrence, whereas at Hopatcong 

 they will rise to the fly all night. Scarlet-Ibis, 



BLACK BASS AT REED'S BAY. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



If any of your readers would like some magnificent 

 bass fishing, let them start at ont;e for Cape Vincent. 

 Stop with mine host Frisbie of the Union long enough to 

 secure honest George McDonald as oarsman, and go at 

 once to Reed's Bay, and if they are not satisfied with 

 their catch they will be hard to please indeed. 



Reed's Bay is about nine miles from the Cape, and of 

 course too far for one to fish and return the same day. 

 Go calculating to stay two or three days or longer, J. J. 

 Conly keeps a very good house at this point and his 

 charges are moderate. 



On July 29 last Mr. Ellery Stebbins, of Clinton, N. Y., 

 and myself, started for Reed's Bay for a two days' fishing. 

 The result was 188 as fine small-mouth bass as one could 

 wish to see, a large number of them weighing from 21 to 

 Silbs. on the scale. The first day we captured 108 bass, 

 trolling with minnows and fiies. What we call our record 

 day was really a part of two days, the weather being so 

 bad we could fisli only four five hours each day. Still, 

 with all the disadvantages of a hard thunderstorm, high 

 winds, etc., we saved 80 beauties. We caught several 

 doubles, some of them weighing upward of 2lb8. each. 

 One large one got away with a No. 1 Sproat hook of mine, 

 and in less than twenty minutes Stebbins took him in out 

 of the wet with my hook in his mouth; he weighed Slbs. 

 My hooks are tied with a different colored thread from 

 any I have seen, so there can be no mistake as to its being 

 the same fish. Oar catch was ponounced the finest lot of 

 bass brought into Cape Vincent for two years. 



F. A. Elliott. 



• CiiHTftNi New York. 



ROCKY MOUNTAIN GRAYLING. 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



1863, of a fine place for taking whitefish in the Madison, 

 at the upper end of the Upper Madison Canon. So I made 

 it a point to stop there for dinner and let the horses graze, 

 and laid in a store of grasshoppers as we went up the 

 canon. In about an hour's time we took about a bushel 

 of whitefish— did not attempt to count them. When our 

 "hoppers" were exhausted we resorted to horse flies, 

 which we caught on our horses. That fly proved to be 

 a killing bait. About as soon as the bait struck the water 

 we would take a fish. 



The bottom of the i-iver at that point was filled with 

 small stones, and quite rapid, and the water lukewarm, 

 occasioned by the infiow of hot and warm water from 

 springs along the margin of the stream above that point 

 and from the Firehole Basin. I surmised the reason that 

 fish were so plenty at that point was that the water was 

 of a temperature to facilitate the growth of Crustacea, 

 and thus become a feeding ground, or that the water of 

 the river above that point was too warm for them, as 

 such springs were very plenty from that point up the 

 river. 



For table use I consider the whitefish as palatable as 

 trout or grayling; in fact, many of the residents there 

 prefer the whitefish. I found the whitefish gamy, mak- 

 ing a strong fight, a fight as strong as the trout, if not 

 stronger; hanging, as one of your correspondents says, to 

 the bottom of the stream. H. L. 



A CAMP ON THE LICKING. 



JOE, Jim and Jack made up the trio that undertook, 

 one May afternoon, to make a reality of much talk 

 and much planning an expedition to the wilds of Licking 

 Creek, in Pennsylvania, object of said expedition being 

 to prevent in some measure a too close peopling of the 

 finny natives of that stream, those beauties with the 

 gorgeous spots and silvery sheen. 



A covered wagon at last held the commissary stores 

 for man and beast, and the numerous impedimenta of 

 three fishers: these last proceeded to stow themselves 

 away in the remaining space, and the party were soon en 

 route; not, however, ere we had been focused in the eye 

 of the watchful editor, who we well knew would make 

 us, nolle voile, the subject of a news item. 



After traversing eight or ten miles of roads of all degrees 

 of roughness, we arrived at the wooded country; here and 

 there a number of abandoned homes were jjassed, the 

 clearings for which the surrounding forests were rapidly 

 closing up. Deserted homes are supposed to be viewed 

 with rather sombre feelings, but in this case not so, but 

 with a grim satisfaction that here at least the forest area 

 was more than holding its ground. 



Arrived at the point selected for our rendezvous, another 

 deserted place, a very few minutes were spent in looking 

 the ground over. By general consent camp arrangements 

 were postponed till it should be too late to fish, and a 

 match was begun on the creek. Joe and Jack decided to 

 work upward while Jim followed the stream down. The 

 former two could hardly think it possible that in such 

 ideal water they should not receive a rise at least to every 

 other cast. The case was different, however, and when 

 the party met in the late twilight, they were still fishless, 

 besides minus some of their fishy exuberance. Jim's creel 

 on inspection was found to contain but four trout, so we 

 then and there decided that the trout for good and 

 suflTicient reasons were not at home to us that evening, 

 but we promised to call again on the morrow. 



On our return to camp we saw that some hustling would 

 have to be done, before we could fill the void aching be- 

 neath our belts, so with a right good will all set to work and 

 by nine we were all enjoying our first meal in camp. The 

 meal dispatched, camp was cleaned for a camp-fire chat. 

 All good things must end, and toward midnight several 

 moves were made to retire, but all were loth to shut out 

 in sleep the charm of the surrounding scene — save for 

 the constant gurgle of the mountain stream, and the un- 

 canny notes of the whippoorwill, the woods were perfectly 

 silent. At last the thought of the early rise in the morn- 

 ing drove us off to seek rest for another day's activity. 



Preparations for a good start were begun in the morn- 

 ing, but trifling over our breakfast, caused the sun to be 

 well up before we marched out. I will not state in num- 

 bers the day's take, but brother anglers have no fear, that 

 that we are of that species denominated the "trout-hog". 

 Jack scored best in size, his largest fish completely hiding a 

 foot-rule. The magnetic thrill of pleasure he experienced 

 on taking this one, he declared sufficient recompense 

 alone for this trip. 



After ten hours steady fish from six to four, and that 

 without lunch, more than hungry and with aching limbs, 

 we again sought our camp. A hurried, but good dinner 

 eaten, the unwelcome task of breaking camp presented 

 itself. All too soon were affaii's in shape for leaving, and 

 away we rolled homeward bound, with the thought that 

 there still remained some places in which one could com- 

 mune with nature in wdldness jjrimeval, Onyjutta. 



[Aug. 13, 1891. 



A MONSTER SUNFISH. 



ON Aug. 4 Story & Stevens secured from one of the 

 harbor traps a curiosity in the shape of a sunfish 

 about 4ft. long and 'l^ft. in width. It weighed about 150 

 pounds and was evidently an old-timer, as leeches and 

 barnacles were clinging to it. 



The above mention from the Gloucester (Mass.) Daily 

 Times calls to our notice one of the most singular of the 

 fishes appearing as summer visitors on the New England 

 coast. The sunfish has been aptly distinguished by Dr. 

 Jordan as a fish "apparently composed of a head to which 

 small fins are attached." A good figure of the species is 

 published in the "Fishery Industries, U. S.," plate 35. 

 The mouth is very small and the teeth of each jaw are 

 united into a beak. The dorsal and anal fins are very far 

 back and the tail fin is a mere narrow fringe scarcely 

 separated from the first two. 



Points which make the sunfish a curiosity are its great 

 size, odd shape and singular habit of floating almost hori- 

 zontally at the surface of the water. It reaches a weight 

 of 8001bs, and is known in all temperate and tropical seas. 

 Floating sluggishly for days at a time and slowly moving 

 its breast fin above the surface, it is sure to attract notice 

 and is easily captured, but as worthless when taken as the 

 sun-jellies upon which it feeds. The Italians call the fish 

 mola, which is Latin for millstone; another name, given 

 in the "Synopsis of the Fishes of North America," is head- 

 fish, in allusion to the disproportionate size of the bead. 

 The flesh is not eaten, as it consists chiefly of oil and 

 tough fibers. 



STRIPED BASS IN A MILL POND. 



IN the city of Bridgeton, N. .J., is a large mill pond of 

 about 160 acres, which was made primarily by a dam 

 over the headwaters of the Cohansey River in 1814, and 

 the area of the pond was increased about 1835 by a dam 

 ftirther down the stream. This pond has in it the ordinary 

 pond fish of New Jersey, sunfish, "raccoon" (yellow) 

 perch, pike, catfish, eels, suckers, and a rare fish known 

 here as the "silver fish," besides large quantities of roach, 

 which furnish food for the other fish. About twelve 

 years ago it was stocked by the West Jersey Game Pro- 

 tective Society with small-mouthed black bass, which 

 have become very abundant and have been taken up to 

 6lbs. weight. 



The most extraordinary catch was made yesterday. 

 A rock, or striped bass, was taken in the middle of 

 the pond in about 15ft. of water, with a large roach for 

 bait, by a glass-blower, who sold the fish in the town as a 

 black bass. Its weight was 8~ilbs. This seemed to me an 

 extraordinary catch. The employee of the Ix-on Works 

 who guards the pond claims that this is one of the small 

 rock which he placed in the pond several years ago, 

 which he had taken with a net from the river 'below the 

 dam. I think the better explanation is that this fish had 

 ascended from the river when the waste gates were 

 raised last week to vent the water from a freshet which 

 had broken a dam further up the stream, and which en- 

 dangered the dam at this pond. It must have required 

 wonderful power for this fish to ascend the waterfall 

 caused by the raising of the gates. F. S. J. 0. 



Aug. 5. 



Strange Capture of a Trout.— Mr. Gillies, Eding- 

 ton Mill, and a friend (Mr. Jones, from London) were 

 fishing from a boat in the dam road at Edington Mill, 

 when a large fish was observed feeding in the shallow 

 water just under Pear Bank stream. Mr. Jones carefully 

 rowed up behind the fish and Mr. Gillies threw the line, 

 which caught a swallow a few feet off the end of the rod. 

 The swallow and the worm struck the Avater at the same 

 time, and the fish was seen to move round. On pulling 

 up the line the fish was found struggling in the water 

 and the swallow in the air. The latter soon freed itself, 

 and it was fortunate it did , as the fish claimed all atten^ 

 tion by at once making for the deep water. The tackle 

 used being very fine, great care had to be used, and the 

 fish had a great deal of its own way; but after a fine run 

 of a quarter of an hour he was safely landed into the boat 

 and proved to be a yellow trout in splendid condition, 

 which on being weighed turned the scale at just over 

 dlhs.—Neiveastle {Eng.} Chronicle. 



The Salmon Fishing —The season is practically over 

 in New Brunswick rivers, and it has been unsatisfactory 

 because of a lack of rain. The waters are clear and low 

 and altogether too warm to induce salmon to dally with 

 th« artificial fly. The reserve of Mr, I. W. Adams, treas- 

 urer of the American Net and Twine Co., on the lower 

 Nipissiquit, has yielded about sixty salmon and grilse to 

 four rods, a poor showing for so fine a stream, but better 

 than that of many other celebrated waters. The Casca- 

 pedia and the Restigouche fell far behind their usual 

 record. Salmon were jplentiful enough and netters 

 reaped a rich harvest at the mouths of the rivers, but the 

 conditions were dead against the fly-fisherman who 

 liberally dispersed his gold and lost his patience in the 

 upper reaches. 



Gloucester, Mass.—Editor Forest and Stream: A 

 day or two ago I was informed by a resident of River- 

 dale that on Sunday, July 35, the mill pond there was 

 alive with young alewives from 1 to 8in. long. About 

 the same time the water was allowed to run out of the 

 pond, and in a large, deep hole near the dam great quan- 

 tities of white perch were seen. Yesterday mormng a 

 lot of mackerel got caught in the canal near the bridge, 

 and men and boys dipped them up with nets and with 

 their hands. The fish were of good size and quality, and 

 were estimated to be about twenty barrels. The Dai-ly 

 Times has a note on a big eel captured in Cai)e Pond on 

 Aug. 2, which was 37in. long and weighed 4ilbs. dressed. 

 — E. F. Locke. 



Union Bridge, Md. — The Monocacy has been furnish- 

 ing some pretty good bass fishing during this season. 

 Rain has greatly interfered with anglers, ho wever. Dur- 

 ing the first few days of July good catches were made. 

 On the 1st Messrs. D^rn and Hollingberger caught seven- 

 teen bass, ranging from 4 to Slbs. each, and since that 

 date have Viad a fair day's fishing, Dern catching two 

 weighing 2| and 3lbs. Later, should the weather clear, 

 we hope to give you full scores from our little riverj 

 which is well stocked with bass, — C, A, 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



Some of your contributors, if I understand them aright, 

 seem to doubt that grayling are found in the streams of 

 the Rocky Mountains, and one thinks that another corre- 

 spondent mistakes whitefish for grayling. I have caught 

 whitefish, grayling and trout in the Madison River and 

 its tributaries in Montana in 1«64 and again in 1883, 

 How any pei-son who ever heard or read a description of 

 a grayling, or saw a woodcut of one, could mistake a 

 rnountain whitefish for a grayling is past my comprehen- 

 sion. I could excuse a careless observer if he confounded 

 a grayling with a mountain trout. 



In 1883 I did much fishing in the Madison and its small 

 ti'ibutaa-ies. We would take ten times as many whitefish 

 as trout, and about the same ratio as to trout and gray- 

 ling, trout being the more abundant. 



In 1886 a friend ih Montana, a fine fisherman, long a 

 resident of Madison county, wrote me that grayling had 

 become very plenty in that river— that at a point where 

 we had fished in 1883 grayling were plentier than trout, 

 and that trout and whitefish were plenty. Whitefish 

 have a mouth much like the sucker, adapted to gathering 

 food on the bottom of the stream, such as Crustacea. In 

 fact, by an examination of whitefish I caught. I found 

 they were tlien feeding on such food. In the latter year 

 my wife, daughter, myself and a guide tramped and 

 camped for thirty days in the vicinity of and in the 

 National Park, doing much fishing. The guide, who had 

 \ieen in the country since 1863, informed me he knew, in 



CAPE COD NOTES. 



BLUE FISH continue scarce, but a few are taken 

 almost daily at Woods Holl. Three were taken by 

 a fisherman on July 28 — two of them at one time, Mr. 

 Slaughter caught one weighing 71bs. and another weigh- 

 ing eibs. July 29. On the 31st Mr. John Field took a fine 

 one w-eighing 81bs. 7oz. from the rocks, chumming with 

 menhaden and heaving and hauling with live eel for 

 bait. This is the bait generally used now at this place. 

 One of the best catches of recent date was a 34|^lb3. 

 striped bass and six bluefish by one line. The bass seemed 

 to find the eel exactly what it wanted. Afewtautog 

 are caught in Buzzard's Bay and in the "Hole." Sea 

 bass are not yet plentiful, but scup of a larger size are 

 coming in now, A brier ray, which is not at all common 

 here, was obtained on the 37th and shipped to Washing- 

 ton to be cast for the Columbian exposition. A cramp 

 fish or torpedo was one of the curiosities brought in alive 

 a few days ago. The shocking powers of this singular 

 fish were tested by a number of peo{)le, among them one 

 of the Fish Commission employees, who undertook to 

 help lift it into an aquarium. The result can be imag- 

 ined — the employee dropped a remark and the torpedo at 

 about the same time. A big sturgeon, captured last 

 month, was cleaned and from it were taken three basket- 

 fuls of eggs. T. H, B, 



Woods HotL, Mass. I 



