Sept. 3, 1891.] 



FOREST AND STREAM 



127 



It is quite litely that Mi-. Starbuck won't thank me for 

 my sympathy, and no doubt he enjoyed his trip and is 

 well satisfied with it; but to my mind there was too 

 much discomfort, too much rain, too much rough water, 

 and too much "Ingin" in it, and too few fish for real right 

 down enjoyment. Such an accomplished sportsman de- 

 serves better luck. I hope Mr. Starbuck will come east 

 some day and try Canada, where he will find a great field 

 for exploration, where the foot of white man has never 

 trod, lakes and streams galore that have never known a 

 fly upon their bosoms. He can, too, indulge in his pen- 

 chant for Indians, but they are all good 'Indians, suffi- 

 ciently civilized to recognize a fair quantity of fire water, 

 but not given to "ways that are dark and tricks that ar-e 

 vain," as those he has had his experience with; and in 

 canoe and camp they are valuable men, of course the less 

 civilization the better the man. Podqers. 



ANGLING NOTES. 



ONE of the members of the Cascapedia Salmon Club 

 who recently returned from that river confirms the 

 report of poor salmon fishing this season. So that a scar- 

 city of salmon it not confined to the Eestigouche. Bat 

 as an oif-set Mr. Patterson says that he never had such 

 trout fishing in his life, both for sea trout and the 

 true speckled trout. He made one trip far up the 

 river with his Indians, beyond where white men usually 

 go, and captured some magnificent specimens of brook 

 trout, one of which weighed 91bs. and several over 51bs. 

 each. He found that for 30 miles up from the mouth of 

 the Cascapedia, the sea trout were the only Idnd to be 

 found, then beyond that point the brook troiit and the sea 

 trout were both found, but in the upper waters he caught 

 no sea trout at all. Whether these fish gradually lose 

 their bi-illiant silvery color and become the ordinary 

 speckled trout or not I cannot tell. 



York, especially as the fish appear to be increasing in num- 

 bers: 



During -July and August there has been a greater abun- 

 dance of blue pike in the Oswego River, at Oswego, than 

 for many years. For a period of about four weeks the 

 run of this species was phenomenally large, and the num- 

 ber of fish taken may be counted by the thoxisanda. Some 

 days in July as many as 500 people were fishing from the 

 wharves and docks and from rowboata. At the present 

 time comparatively few fish are caught, althought per- 

 haps a hundred anglers visit the river for a few hours' 

 sport. The current in the stream is quite rapid, and the 

 most usual method is to allow the line to drift, while the 

 fisherman, pole in hand, walks along the shore. There is 

 also some trolling. Spoon hooks, baited or naked, are 

 most generally employed, although not a few fish have 

 been taken with plain angle-worms. The fish have 

 weighed from a few ounces to more than four pounds, 

 individuals of the latter size not being at all uncommon. 

 The daily catches have ranged from 10 to over 100 fiah, 

 and a reliable fisherman places the number landed since 

 the beginning of the season at over 150,000, which appears 

 to be a low estimate. 



A PUBLIC-SPIRITED ANGLER. 



THE fisherman who takes California trout from Onon- 

 daga creek has good reason to be grateful to Mr, 

 Henry Loftic. This not necessarily because the fishei'- 

 man may happen to use tackle made by Mr. Loftie, but 

 because it is altogether due to that gentleman's public- 

 spirited enterprise that the fish are now to be found in the 

 stream. Indeed many waters in the vicinity owe their 



Doctor Hawes's son had the great good luck to kill a big 

 speckled trout in Preston Pond, Adirondack Club, It 

 lacked just loz, of being a 61b, fish. This is probably the 

 largest speckled trout ever killed in that section of the 

 woods, if not in the whole Adirondack region, A few 

 years ago Mr, Cromwell caught a4.ilb. speckled trout on a 

 back cast. His fly trouched the water behind him and 

 he exclaimed, "I am fast! must have caught a log or 

 stump," but the guide told him there was 00ft. of water 

 there and it could not be a stump. Ju3t then the trout 

 stai'ted and Mr. Cromwell soon found out it was no stum]^, 

 but a big fish. 



Large bluefish are being caught outside of Fire Island 

 in fair numbers. The best place is on the outer bank, 

 some 5 miles from shore. It is only safe to go out when 

 the wind is "ofl" shore." Mr. C. E. W. Chambers and two 

 sons caught 53 bluefish running from 2 to 4lbs. in half a 

 day's fishing off Rockaway Inlet last Thursday, and every 

 boat in sight seemed to be taking their share, A few big 

 weakfish were also taken on the squid. 



The New York, Maine and New Brunswick S. S. Co. 

 offer to give a two weeks' excursion to S:. John, N. B,, 

 Campobello Island, etc., for |30; this includes everything. 

 Not a bad idea to introduce that magnificent country to 

 the people, and I have no doubt that one could have quite 

 a little fishing on such a trip, as they allow about a week 

 on shore. And they visit an excellent section for both 

 sweet and salt-water fishing. 



Striped bass fishing is imoroving rapidly. A number 

 have been caught in Hell Gate waters by trolling and 

 they are now running in the salt-water creeks on the 

 south side of Long Island. Not long ago an angler took 

 a fine speckled trout while fishing for striped bass. 

 Delicate tackle is necessary for this style of bass fishing. 



On July 13 Silas Newell, John Swim, Frank Duuder- 

 berger, and George Goldsmith exploded dynamite car- 

 tridges in the Hudson Eiver near lona Island, A tew 

 days ago they settled by paying fifty dollars fine and 

 promising never to do so again. State Fish and Game 

 Protector Kidd, of Newburgh, accomplished this result. 



Scarlet-Ibis, 



THE BLUE PIKE. 



A SMALL relative of the pike-perch, or wall-eyed pike, 

 is rather widely known in the Great Lakes and the 

 Ohio River as blue pike and blue pickerel. In Lake Erie 

 this is one of the most abundant fishes, ranking next to 

 lake herring, as may be realized from the catch of 1885, 

 which amounted to 8,000,0001bs. In Lake Ontario the 

 species is not so common; but recent advices from the 

 Oswego River tell of an unusual run during August. 

 It has been recorded that Oswego fishermen sometimes 

 apply the name gray pike to the blue variety; but this 

 term is generally used for the Sanger, which is a verv 

 distinct fish. The blue pike is shorter and deeper than 

 the pike-perch; has a larger eye; is bluish or greenish on 

 the upper parts and with little trace of the brassy lustre 

 characteristic of the pike-perch; the spinous dorsal has a 

 dark band and on the posterior part is the usual black 

 blotch. In size the blue pike U usually much smaller than 

 the pike-perch, about 1 to 21bs. in weight, according to 

 locality, and 15in. in length; but specimens weighing 

 I51bs. have been recorded. 



In Ohio the fish is said to occur only in bayous and in- 

 lets, while the pike-perch is found in deep jparts of lakes 

 and in large rivers. The pike-perch spawn in the spring, 

 April and May being the montlis of the greatest activity 

 in this operation. The eggs are now artiflcally hatched 

 yearly by hundreds of millions and the fish has be- 

 come one of the general favorites wherever it has been 

 introduced, and especially in the Delaware and Susque- 

 hanna rivers. In the Susquehanna the pike-perch lives 

 in eddies and deep pools in the vicinity of rapids and has 

 a fondness for the shelter of rocks and sunken logs, where 

 it lies in wait for the minnows on which it feeds. The 

 eye of the living pike-perch is one of the most beautiful 

 things in natiu-e, combining the blue of the sky and the 

 green of the sea. The movements of the fisJi when 

 seizing its prey are extremely pike-like. 



Blue pike is the fish principally taken by the Buffalo 

 fishermen who follow ice-fishing from December until 

 March; but the most approved modes of capture are by 

 trolling and fly-fishing. Anglers will be glad to hear of 

 tine following ffood repoH (torn th^ OsSwego River, New I 



HENEY LOFTIE. 



fish supply to the same activity. Fish planting and fish 

 protection are two themes on which Mr. Loftie is ever 

 ready to talk, and what is better, he is equally as ready 

 to give time and work and money to advaiice the cause. 

 For the past ten years he has been actively engaged in 

 stocking and protecting the waters of central New York. 

 He is one of the most active members of the Onondaga 

 Anglers' Association. Mr. Loftie is an angler through 

 and through, and it was long ago accepted as a foregone 

 conclusion that he would eventually find his way into 

 the manufacture of angling goods. As the head of the 

 Syracuse Bamboo Furniture Co. he is widely known to 

 the fishing tackle trade and to fishermen, who will wel- 

 come the very faithful portrait here given. 



FISHING RIGHTS. 



FROM Mr. F. M. "Ward, of Newton, N. J., Fish Com- 

 missioner, we have received the following exposition 

 of fishing rights: 



A short time since a discussion arose among some gen- 

 tlemen of this township, relative to the rights of land 

 owners along the Wallkill, and what rights these land 

 owners have in relation to fishing in the Wallkill, either 

 legally or illegally. 



It was contended by many of them that parties owning 

 land along its shores could fish with nets or set lities or 

 any other contrivance as long as it was done on their own 

 premises, and that no law of the State could interfere for 

 so doing. They also contended that they could authorize 

 whomsoever they saw proper to fish in the satne manner, 

 ^ In order to settle the matter definitely and to have a 

 final understanding in regard to the question at israe, a 

 representative of the Newton Indepevdent interviewed 

 several of the county lawyers, State Fish Commissioner 

 Ward, Judge Martin J and'Mr. John Linn, of Hamburg, 

 President of the Game and Fish Protective Association, 

 At the request of Fish Commissioner Ward, Lawyer Henry 

 Huston, of Newton, wrote the following opinion which 

 was substantially concurred in by the gentlemen men- 

 tioned above. It is as follows: 



"The Wallkill, within this State, is subject to the laws 

 of New Jersey regulating fishing. The State has the right 

 aud_ authority to regulate and protect fish in ijri vate waters 

 in rivers where the tide does not ebb or flow, in streams 

 not navigable, and in lakes and ponds, and to impose fines, 

 forfeitures and penalties for violation of laws enacted for 

 such purpose, Wellerv. Snover, 13 Vroom, 341. Dougherty 

 V. Oonover, 13 Vroom, 19S. VanAuUn v. Decker, 1 Penn. 

 108- Champion r. Pieree* 6 Halst< 196, ShoRTOakft* -r, 



State, Spencer, 153, and numerous cases in other Spates 

 and in the Supreme Court of the United States. 



"Where a stream of water flows through a farm, the 

 owner of such farm has no right to take fish from such 

 stream except according to the laws of the State. And if 

 such owner catch fish from such stream out of season, or 

 with nets, fikes or seines, or in any other way prohibited 

 by the laws of the State, he violates the law and is liable 

 to conviction and subject to the penalties provided by law. 

 He has no more right to catch fish from such stream out 

 of season, or contrary to law, than any other iserson. If 

 such owner use nets he may be fined and the nets may be 

 confiscated. 



"Any person may catch trout between April 1 and July 

 15, and then only with hook and line; he may catch 

 pickerel at any time except March and April, but only 

 with hook and line; he may catch bass between May 30 

 and December 1, and then only with hook and line. The 

 trout caught and kept must be at least six inches long, 

 and black bass seven inches long. He may not fisl^ on 

 Sunday, The hauling of nets in fresh water or ponds is a 

 violation of law, whether any fish are caught or not. 



"No one has a right to trespass on the lands of another 

 for the purpose of catching fish without permission of the 

 owTier, and if the owner, or occupant, shall post a notice 

 adjacent to any stream or pond, the person so trespassing 

 shall be deemed guilty of trespass, and in addition to 

 damages recoverable by law, shall be liable to the owner, 

 lessee or occupant, in a penalty of $100 for every such 

 offense. See act approved March 27, 1874, section 18, 



"Generally, for any violation of the laws relating to the 

 protection of fish, the offender may be arrested, brought 

 before a justice of the peace, tried summarily and with- 

 out a jiiry, and upon conviction must pay the penalty 

 prescribed by the statutes, with costs of suit, or be sent to 

 the county jail for not less than ten nor more than thirty 

 days," Very truly yours, Henky Hustow, 



BIG CATCHES. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



Here's more of it. In a recent issue of Forest And 

 Stkeajvi a correspondent, writing from Minnesota, says 

 that he and a friend went to a lake and in just "five 

 hours caught 115 fish, nearly all black bass," and that it 

 was "nothing out of the common to take twenty or more 

 bass, weighing from 2i to 5lbs, apiece, any morning or 

 evening," Well, I should say that it was considerably 

 "out of the common." It seems to me it was uncom- 

 monly gluttonous. 



In the same jiaper another man writes of going to 

 ■ Reed's Bay. New York, and with a friend "catching in 

 two days 188 as fine small-mouth bass as one would wish 

 to see." What for? Great Ci^^sar's ghost, what for? 



And further on he says, "What we call our record day 

 was," etc. , etc. So it was a fish for record, eh? Of course, 

 so that he could boast of it. And he says the weather 

 was so bad they could fish but fotu-or five hours each day. 

 It must have been, a heart-breaking regret that they 

 couldn't fish ten hours a day at the rate of thirty-five fine 

 black bass per hour. That would have been a much big- 

 ger string to swell over. Shame! 



Again, in the same paper, "Scores of 43, 50 and 70 in a 

 day have been reported"— black bass at Greenwood Lake. 

 Praiseworthy and eminently gratifying it must have 

 been. , 



In a Philadelphia paper I read, a day or two ago, that 

 "between Tacony and Bridesburg (in the Delaware) two 

 men caught 31 dozen and 3 perch, and two reverend gen- 

 tlemen and a layman caught — murdered in cold blood— 

 24 dozen and—" That's all; 660 fish in four hours. Isn't 

 that nice! Wasn't that fine work! Isn't that a job to be 

 proud of! One hundred and ten fish apiece in four hottrs! 

 Ye gods and little fishes! What kind of humanity is this? 

 What did they do with them all? There is no record in 

 any of these stories that a single fish was thrown back. 

 If there were there would not be so much shame, by some 

 shame for each fish returned. And fishermen complain 

 that fishing is not as good as it used to be in many waters. 

 What will it be in the near future in the waters named if 

 such things be? These men did not go for food alone, thoy 

 went for sport. What is their idea of sport? To kill just 

 as much as possible in a given time? I'm sorry for them. 

 When will the custom obtain for sportsjnen to catch only 

 what they need, and if they must catch more, return to 

 the water promptly the surplus? I know it is the custom 

 with many to caich what they individually need, and 

 then all their friends and neighbors need or can get away 

 with, and so excuse their greed; but I think the needs of 

 all hands might be greatly curtailed with a little thought- 

 ful self-denial, with largely resultant benefit to themselves 

 and other fishermen. Why not let this idea soak in, and 

 act upon it you, and you, and you? O. O. S. 



TROUT FISHING AT THE "SOO." 



Q AULT STE. MARIE., Ont., Aug. 12,— Editor Forest 

 KJ and Stream: Mr. Beard and myself have been about 

 here fishing and outing since the middle of June, and 

 have had various luck in the streams, lakes and rapids in 

 this vicinity, and very enjoyable this summer, especially 

 on account of the almost entire absence of flies and mos- 

 quitoes. About two vveeks ago we struck some reef fish- 

 ing, within two and three miles of the "Soo," that has sur- 

 passed any of the fishing that has been reported from the 

 North Shore. 



One day we brought in 19 trout, caught in say two 

 hours' moi-ning fishing and three hours in the afternoon. 

 They weighed 251bs,; and a few days after we caught 

 12 trout that weighed 201bs. in almost the same length of 

 time fishing: and other days not so many, hut always 

 some weighing from 1 to 51bs,: and iAns ail within easy • 

 rowing distance of the hotels. These atvin^-s oi' fihh were 

 all weighed at Mr. Plummer's store and in the presence 

 of a num ber of people. 



The fishing in the streams back of here and all about is 

 very good; and it is no trouble at all to bring in a basket 

 of from 50 upward; but these are all small brook 

 trout, and of course do not comiiarc in sport with the 

 larger ones, I write this letter in the hope that the atten- 

 tion of your angling readers may be attracted to this place 

 and vicinity, for I am fully of the opinion that better 

 fishing for speckled trout can be had here than at most of 

 the more noted places, and at far less expense. 



And though an American in every sense, born and 

 raised in the States and now living in Memphis, Tenn., 

 let me suggest as far preferablt>, to stop on the Canadian 

 side at either of two most exeeil^fet hotels. 



