Auo. 30, 1891.] 



FOREST AND STREAM 



87 



very small fraction of a potxnd in weight, the other 

 weighing only 41bs. One of these fish went through a 

 variety of gymnastic exercises, which were far and away 

 ahead of anything in that line I ever saw any fish do. I 

 had Stephens's rod in my hand with about 150ft. of fine 

 out when T hooked it. Immediately the fish broke water 

 and just clearing it leaped away to the left, and at once 

 repeated the performance, going to the right. I handed 

 the rod to Stephens and watched the fun. When the fish 

 was in about 75ft. from the boat it sprang straight out of 

 the water about three times its length as though shot 

 from a gun, and fiercely shook itself while m the air. 



"Ave you sure that is not a tarpon?" asked Stephens, as 

 he saw the performance, contesting every inch with the 

 fish meanwhile. 4. 



"No, I'm not sure of anything only that this is most 

 glorious sport," I a,nswered. , ■, 



We had adopted a plan of getting the fish into the land- 

 ing net after our straggle with the first one. We would 

 back them into the net, or, as Stephens phrased it, "make 

 them set down in it." By doing this we saved the net, as 

 nnascalonge have an ugly way of going through a net it 

 they have half a chance; and also saved getting the net, 

 teeth of fish and hooks tangled in "confusion worse con- 

 founded." , , ^ , ^^T i.- , TT 



In the twilight we rowed back to Ool. Martin's. He 

 was surprised at our catch of five fish. "I did not expect 

 you'd get any, being strangers to the lake and to that 

 kind of fishing. I thought I'd go out with you m the 

 morning and help you get some, but you've done as well 

 as I could myself ." ^ , , ^-i, ,, 



We felt very well satisfied as we sat at the bountituily 

 spread table drinking our coffee, eating broiled spring 

 chicken, and blueberries and cream. Bed time came 

 all too soon, as we sat listening to the Colonel s lively ac- 

 count of hunting and fishing in various places, and es- 

 pecially there when he first settled on the lake. He told 

 of a mascalonge jumping clear over the boat, and various 

 other performances of the fish that were equally wonder- 

 ful, and of the old veterans that no tackle would hold. 

 He lamented the growing scarcity of game and fish, but 

 as deer were seen ev'ery day, and sometimes several m a 

 day, and a great moose had only a short time bef ore come 

 to the lake in broad daylight, but a few rods from the 

 house, drank from the lake, and walked away into the 

 woods again wliile Mr?. Martin and her daughter stood in 

 the yard looking on, we thought some game was left yet. 



We went to be d, saving that we would get up at day- 

 light and go on the lake, coming back to an 8 c. clock 

 breakfast. We were on the lake at 5 o cltck. The. first 

 fish I hooked I lost after getting it to the boat, the next 

 one wo landed, it was another 7-pound er. Soon after 

 this Stephens was pulling along, I having his rod in my 

 left hand and mine in my right, when I was most vigor- 

 ously notified that a fish was on Stephens s hook. I 

 handed him his rod. He gave a jerk or two and tried to 

 reel in, but could not. "That's no fish. I've caught fast 

 to a log or something," he said. 



"It is a fish," I replied, and just then it broke water a 

 long ways back. "Here, you reel him in," said Stephens, 

 after hehad struggled with him for a while, "while I try 

 and keep the boat out of these rushes." I took the rod, 

 and if anyone had told me there was so much fight m an 

 111b?. mascalonge, as we found it to be when we weighed 

 it, I would have told them they did not know what they 

 were talking about". Three times I brought that fish to 

 the boat, and three times it took 160ft. of fine off the reel. 

 The f-urges, runs and plunges of that fish I shall ever 

 remember, At last I told Stephens to row to the shore, 

 about 40 rods away, and we'd land him on mother earth. 

 I've led several varieties of animals in my life, but I've 

 never led any that gave me so much excitement and 

 pleasure as leading that fish. The slight bamboo rod was 

 as pliant and bent and sprung as true as steel. I feared 

 for the line, a light G silk one which had been used 

 several times before. The way that fish disported itself 

 on the Avay to the shore was wonderful, but at length it 

 lay upon the sand our prize. We now started back for 

 breakfast and caught two more on our way across weigh- 

 ing 31bs. each. ^ , -, „ ^ , ^, 



When we reached the landing and showed the fish, the 

 Colonel said: "You have far and away beaten every on« 

 who ever came here as you did, without knowing the 

 lake or the habits of the fish. It's wonderful, and you 

 haven't broken a rod or line either." 



We felt very well satisfied. We had no large fish as 

 mascalonge run, but with our tackle it was rare sport 

 with the size fish we had. We packed the nine beauties so 

 we could take them home. There were two weighing 

 31bs., one of 4, five of 7 and one of lllbs. Soon after 

 eating breakfast and packing the fish the train came to 

 take us to Park Rapids, from whence we would take the 

 train home. All too short had been our stay, and we are 

 fully determined to go again and stay longer. We had 

 always been told, and it was repeated by several m Park 

 Eapids, that the mascalonge were only to be found in 

 Elbow Lake and Sand Lake, which is near by, I have 

 read the same statement many times, but Col. Martin 

 assured us that lying north and northwest from Elbow 

 Lake,' between the Fish-hook and Crow Wing rivers, 

 there is a chain of 15 lakes, all of which have masca- 

 longe in them. "I have caught them in 10 of the lakes," 

 he said, ' 'and know they are in the others." What grand 

 possibilities for rare fishing in that chain of lakes! The 

 railroad making them so accessible now, doubtless they 

 will be visited by hundreds in the future where one or 

 two go at present. Yet Elbow Lake has been visited this 

 season by parties from New York city, Boston, Cleveland, 

 Chicago and San Francisco. Park Rapids will also be 

 the point of departure for the Itaska region until the rail- 

 road is extended on. It is rare sporting country all around 

 there. Stephens and I had our 111b. mascalonge baked 

 to-day for dinner. 'T was a rare good feed— fit for a king, 



Myron Coolbt. 



Detroit City, Minn., Aug. 8. 



Maine Fishing. — Monson, Me., Aug. 15.— Many large 

 lake trout have been taken in Lake Hebron this season 

 and an unusual number of large spotted trout. Dr. A. 

 T. Sanden, of New York city, who has spent the summer 

 in this vicinity, has been very successful and is well 

 pleased with this country for trout fishing, A Mr. Hull, 

 of Boston, took a lake trout at Lake Onaway last week 

 that weighed ISjlbs, with a 6oz. rod. He was engaged 

 about two hours in landing it. Landlocked salmon fish- 

 ing has also been good in Onaway, Long Pond, and that 

 famous ealiaqii resort, SebiBO Lake. — J. F. S, 



TAUTOG OFF MANOMET POINT. 



A WRITER not long ago expressed an opinion that the 

 blackfish ortautog was not usually considered a game 

 fish, I should like to have that gentleman down at one 

 of the "Gunning Rocks" off^Manomet Point, some good 

 day, and let him hook a "fighting bull" tautog of about 

 41b8, on light tackle, say an eight-ounce bass rod, and see 

 whether he would not change his opinion about the fish, 

 I have just come back from spending a month at Mano- 

 inet, where I managed to get two or three days' tautog 

 fishing every week, and had very good sport. The tautog 

 fishing there is certainly excellent. Although the fish 

 are not so abundant as they are further south , they run 

 very much larger, fish of liibs, being the smallest usually 

 taken, and these being rare, while 2, 3 and 4 pounders are 

 numerous, and l^h of greater weight, up to 7 or Slbs, are 

 not uncommon. Ten-pound fish are occasionally taken, 

 especially in the latter -part of the season, 



Manomet is the northeast corner of the town of Ply- 

 mouth, just where the Massachusetts coast bends to the 

 south to form Cape Cod Bay. The point itself is a high 

 bluff of glacial drift, from the seaward face of which 

 boulders of all sizes have washed out from time to time, 

 and the sea has eaten away the banks, so that they form 

 a regular "bouldertrain," continuing the point out under 

 the sea in the form of ledges and scattered rocks. Three 

 of these rocks lying i#a straight line parallel to the north 

 shore of the point, only a few hundred yards from the 

 land, and a fourth about a quarter of a mile further out 

 to sea, are the only places where the tautog are to be 

 found during the summer, imtil we reach the White 

 Horse Rocks, a mile or two to the westward, or the Fishing 

 Rocks round in Cape Cod Bay, an equal distance from 

 the point. 



After the middle of September, the fishermen tell me, 

 the tautog are to be found all over the ledges, large male 

 fish chiefly. 



My fishing was confined almost wholly to the rocks 

 north of the point, especially the three inshore rocks. 

 Two of these, called respectively the North and South 

 Gunning Rocks, are covered only by the highest tides, 

 whiJe the third and westernmost is submerged at half 

 tide. 



The fourth or off shore rock, called: the "Bass Rock," 

 is submerged at all tides and can only be fished early in 

 the tides, as this runs very hard as it approaches high 

 water. We only fished at this rock once and had no 

 luck, 



The "Gunning Rockp," and the "north rock of all," 

 are best on the last two or three hours of the flood tide, 

 and sometimes on the first hour of the ebb, though often 

 the fish stop biting as soon as the tide begins to run ebb. 

 The fish appear to go off into deep water with the ebb 

 tide and gradually work in as the flood makes to the 

 rocks, where on calm days you can see them circling 

 round and round close to the rock, as if on patrol. Some 

 days no fi^ih at all seem to come in, and at other times, 

 after biting briskly for a short time, they appear to go ofi 

 for a while and then come back again. 



My experience was not long enough for me to be at all 

 sure of the conditions that influence the movements of 

 the fish. Very rough weather and cold water seem to be 

 unfavorable. Some of the fishermen say that the fish do 

 not bite with an easterly wind, but we found a long con- 

 tinued fresh southwester quite as unfavorable. On the 

 other hand, in very calm weather the fish seem to be 

 afraid of the boat and are shy about biting. As a rule 

 the fish seemed to bite better when the tide served in the 

 morning than when high water came in the afternoon. 



The fishing, of com'se, is all done from boats. I prefer 

 to go out in one of the good-sized sailboats, such as the 

 lobstermen use, though I have gone out by myself in a 

 dory and caught tautog. The big boat, however, is more 

 comfortable to stand up in, when casting or playing a 

 fish, and it is a decided advantage to have a boatman 

 along to lay the boat up to the rocks properly, as well as 

 to prepare the bait, which is quite an art, especially 

 when lobsters, the favorite bait at Manomet, is used. 

 The boat is anchored within easy casting distance of the 

 rock, and in such a position that the tide is running from 

 you toward the rock. You then cast in close to the rock 

 and let your sinker lie upon the bottom, with the line 

 slack. The tautog usually seizes the bait with a rush, 

 and starts off to carry it under the overhanging edge of a 

 rock. This first rush must be checked by putting on all 

 the strain your tackle will bear, for the fish is pretty sure 

 to be lost if he once gets under the rocks; he will either 

 saw off your line on a sharp edge of rock, or tangle you 

 up in the rockweed and break loose. When the first rush 

 is checked and you can gain line on your fish, he comes 

 up sullenl.y, making you strain for all you take in till 

 near the surface, when avvay he goeswitli a savage down- 

 ward plunge that tests your rod severely, aiming for the 

 weeds again, A good fish will keep this up for a con- 

 siderable time before he is ready for the landing net. 

 The tautog lacks the fiery dash of the black bass, but his 

 bulldog st3de of fighting certainly gives most excellent 

 sport. We thought this summer that the male fish — 

 weight for weight — fought with more vigor and persist- 

 ency than the females, and so got into the habit of call- 

 ing them "fighting bulls." 



Most of the fishermen, visitors as well as natives, at 

 Manomet, fish forjtautog with stout handlines, and "yank" 

 their fish in hand' over hand, I and some of my friends, 

 however, found it better sport to use a rod and compara- 

 tively light tackle. My own favorite rig is one of Mt. 

 Henshall's "Little Giant" bass rods (originally described 

 in this paper), ash butt and lancewood tip, 7^f t, long and 

 weighing about 8oz,, with 50yds. of braided hnen F line 

 on a plain multiplying reel. An ordinary reel will do, as 

 long casts are not needed, I use No, 1 blackfish hooks on 

 gimp to guard against rough usage from rocks and bar- 

 nacles, as well as the tautog's hard mouth, and an egg- 

 shaped tracing sinker weighing about li or 3oz, close to 

 the hook. 



The bait commonly used, and which seemed to be the 

 most attractive this summer, is fresh loVjster, The fish 

 will not touch lobster that is at all tainted, A "black- 

 skin" lobster, that is one that is almost ready to shed its 

 shell, makes the best bait, as the whole of it can be 

 "shucked out," and it seems also to be more attractive to 

 the fish. Besides, it stays on the hook better, and holds 

 out better against the attacks of those notorious bait- 

 stealers, the cunners, who fairly swarm round the rocks. 

 Failing "blackskin," ordinary lobsters are used, a good- 

 sized piece of the fleshy tail threaded spirally on the hook, 



which is capped with a bit of "bone," usually the basal 

 point of a claw. The large "sea clam" also makes a good 

 hart, and the fish will sometimes take ordinary soft clams. 



Codfish are also sometimes taken while fishing for 

 tautog, but give very little sport. A olb. codfish will suc- 

 cumb and be easily reeled in after one or two sharp rushes. 

 My best day's score was 11 fish, only one of which 

 weighed less than 2|lbs. My largest fish weighed between 

 4| and 4f-lbs., and I had a number over 41bs. Manomet 

 is easily reached by stage from Plymouth, and has a 

 good hotel, the Manomet House, and several boarding 

 houses. There are only three or four boatmen, however, 

 who have sailboats to take people out fishing. 



Easily reached from the hotel are several ponds, which 

 furnish a few black bass and pickerel, and quantities of 

 whice and yellow perch. John Murdoch. 



Washington, D. C, Aug. 13. 



CANADIAN ANGLING NOTES. 



NEARLY all the American salmon fishermen who 

 visited Canada this season have new returned home. 

 One of the last to go was Mr, James Grant, broker, of New 

 York, and president of the St. Marguerite River Salmon 

 Club. The members of this club rejiort rather a better 

 catch than usual in their river, which is a tributary of the 

 Saguenay, 



The finest fish taken out of Lake Beauport this year was 

 caught last week by Major Geo. R. White, It weighed 

 slightly over 21bs,, and took a allow fly. Mr. John E, 

 Hubbard, of Montpelicr, Vt., a member of the Montmo- 

 renci Fish and Game Club, returned home yesterday after 

 a week's fishing of the club's preserves at Beaver Meadows, 

 twenty-eight miles from the city of Quebec, in company 

 with Dr. Henchey, of Quebec. They took an immense 

 number of trout, some of which turned the scale at 51bs,; 

 but complain very loudly of the flies. The same com- 

 plaint is made by American anglers who have just 

 returned from the waters of the Laiirentian Club, north 

 of Three Rivers, though the sport there has proved excel- 

 lent. Mr. S. C. Lewis, of New York, and Mr. T. Q. Bar- 

 stowe, of East Orange, N, J., have just returned herefrom 

 fishing these waters, and have now gone to Lake St. John 

 after the landlocked salmon. 



Reference was made in a former number of FOREST 

 AND Stream to the splendid success had by Mr. Myers, 

 of New York, in the Peribonca, On his return to Lake 

 St. John, Mr. Myers, accompanied by Rev. E. C. Sweetser, 

 of Derby Line, Vermont, took another trip, ascending the 

 Ashuapmouchouan to Lake Jeanne, and then by way of 

 the Wassiemska reaching the Mistassini, by which they de- 

 scended to Lake St. John. On this trip they took some 

 very large ouananiche, including a few specimens over 

 61bs. each in weight. This was the trip that Dr. Smith, 

 of Brooklyn, and Mr, E, N. Hurlbut, of New York, spoke 

 of making, but upon their arrival at Roberval they 

 changed their plan and ascended the Little Peribonca for 

 36 miles, then crossed into Eagle Lake and by means of 

 the river Aleck reached the Grand Peribonca, which they 

 descended to Lake St, John, where the estuary of the 

 river is two miles wide. They took any quantity of large 

 trout in the small rivers they crossed, and a l41b. pike at 

 the first falls of the Peribonca, besides several ouananiche. 



The Grande Discharge has furnished some extraordinary 

 large fish of late. Mr. J. G. Grant, of Montreal, killed a 

 5lb. ouananiche this week, and Mr. J. Lewis Webb and 

 Mr. Jas. L, Breese, of Tuxedo Park, took upward of 50 

 fish, one of which, weighing slightly over Hlbs., rose to 

 the professor fly on a No, 10 hook, and was killed by Mr. 

 Webb after a gallant struggle of 50 minutes. 



Mr, Ripley Hitchcock, of New Yrrk, has recently 

 made, in less time than a week, a splendid trip up the 

 Mistassini to the fifth falls, and made a most successful 

 catch of ouananiche, which averaged from 3 to 4|:lbs. per 

 fish all round. He has preserved a magnificent lot of the 

 skins of the landlocked salmon to take home with him 

 to New York. 



The fly nuisance, which is so bad in most Canadian 

 woods in the month of July and the first part of August, 

 is now abating, and in ten days from date the angler will 

 be very little troubled by this pest. For trout fishing in 

 Canadian lakes September is by far the pleasantest and 

 best month of the year. Anglers should bear in mind, 

 however, that the close season for ouananiche commences 

 on Sept. 15, and should govern their movements accord- 

 ingly. The open season for Canadian trout continues 

 until the end of September, 



I should like, before closing, to express my dissent 

 from the generally received idea, which I notice is firmly 

 held by writers in Forest and Stream, that the Salmo 

 sehago. as I understand the landlocked salmon of the 

 Maine lakes is pometimes styled, is identical with the 

 ouananiche of Lake St, John,. There is certainly variety 

 in the species, much more widely marked than that 

 usually existing in different fish of the same species taken 

 in different waters. There is quite a sluggishness in the 

 manner of the Maine fish as compared with the rare 

 fighting qualities and terrific battle offered by his Lake 

 St. John cousin, and I doubt whether this is altogether 

 attributable to the magnificentlj^ wild waters which form 

 his habitat. At all events the survival of the fittest in 

 the relative qualities of the two fish must have taken 

 very many generations to become as richly marked as it 

 now is. A very prominent and distinguishing point of 

 difference is the greater width of tail in the ouananiche, 

 and much more size and strength in front of the tail, 

 where are to be found, I suppose, the muscles that are 

 used as rudder chains. This may probably be a develop- 

 ment, but must have been a far more gradual one than 

 that which gives the ouananiche a slimmer body and more 

 of a graceful, athletic form than its American connec- 

 tion, whose surroundmgs offer less resistance to piscatorial 

 locomotion than do the seething waters of the Grande 

 Discharge and the rapid currents of the rivers tributary 

 to Lake St. John. But a rich contrast, that would cer- 

 tainly appear to date back to the origin of the species is 

 offered by the dark spots upon the side s of the head, 

 which are invariably much larger in the ouananiche 

 than in the landlocked salmon of Maine, 



QuEBEO, Aug. 8^ E. T. D. Chambers. 



BliUEFiSH were off New London, Conn., Aug. 11, in 

 foice. A fishing party caught 115 in two hours, among 

 them many 6- poun dpvH. 



Lake Simcoe, Canada, is suffering from over-fishing, 

 and anglers in the vicinity are promoting a protective as- 

 sociation. 



