120 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



(Aug. 11, 1892. 



immediately start again for another try at them. He is 

 looking "as brown as a nut," and is as genial and earnest 

 in the cause of salmon protection as ever. Mr. Walter 

 Brackett, with his son Arthur, on tlie same river, have 

 had rather poor success this season. 



Mr. C. E. Fitch, president of the Waltham Watch Co., 

 h{»,8 just returued from the Romaine River. Usually he 

 ha.s had good success, but this year the sport has been in- 

 diflFerent. The same is reported to be true of the Nataah- 

 quan, the Godbout and other North Shore streams. The 

 Natashquan has been fished by J. L. Pike, of New York, 

 and J. C. Cramer and F. S. Hodges, both of whom have 

 returned to Boston. Special. 



Forest and Stream's Fishing Postals. 



»Di?OP US A LINE" ON A POSTAL CARD. 

 FiMniJ Nem, Place to Catch Pish, Fisli Caiight, Fish^ 

 ing Incidents. 



Manistee, Mich.— I spend much of my time in the 

 ■woods looking pine land and carry a fish-line in my pocket, 

 and sometimes a gun, and take what fish and game I 

 need for camp. The best trout fishing I ever found was 

 in the headwaters of Fence River, in the Upper Penin- 

 sula of Michigan. It is also a great country for deer. I 

 spent last summer in the woods from July 13 to Nov. 28. 

 At the headwaters of Manistee River is the best place 

 for grayling in the State. I went trout fishing twice this 

 spring. Caught 23 in Cedar Creek, 8 miles south of 

 Manistee, B. B 



♦ 



Lake View House, Vt., Aug. 3.— Record of bass 

 caught at Lake View House, St. Albans, Vt., by Mr. A. 

 F. Troescher, of 860 Broadway, New York city: July 23, 

 23; July 25, 24; July 26, 22: July 37, 47; Julv 28, 7; July 29, 

 10 ii day); Aug. 1, 20; total, 152. Weighed Hlbs. to 4ilbs. 

 each. • Samson. 



♦ 



Goshen, INIass.— Trout fishing in Hampshire and Hamp- 

 den ct unties closed Aug. 1. If the close season could now 

 be extended to cover two half years from date, the range 

 of sport would be materially enlarged. Meanwhile the 

 State Commissioners ought diligently to replenish the 

 rivers and brooks with fry and tingerlings. Twenty-five 

 years ago hundreds of trout were caught to tens now. 



Chaeles Hallock. 



♦ 



Fleminoton, N. J., Aug.— At Corson's Inlet (N. J.) 

 fishing good. Flounders biting well, my best catch be- 

 ing ten within two hours. Sea bass plenty, weak fish 

 commencing now, sheepshead around, can be seen around 

 the piling of the railroad bridge, but are rather shy, few 

 catches being made by the champion sheepshead fisher- 

 men; season now about opening and continuing to keep 

 good until Octo ber. j, H. S. 



WASHINGTON FISHING. 



Mr. Charles J. Bell, of Washington, has spent sev- 

 eral weeks trouting and salmon fishing in Canada and is 

 again home after a very successful trouting, but reports 

 very poor salmon fishing. Messrs. Ives and Bell took 

 sixty-eight trout in one day, the weight of which was 

 501bs. They were the sea rim trout in their silvery dress 

 and none of them weighed over 31bs. Flies with red, 

 such as red- bodied hackles, were the best. It is claimed 

 by old residents that the salmon fishing is being ruined 

 , by the Government. So many spawning fish are netted 

 for the purpose of propagation that the fish are being lit- 

 erally driven from the rivers by fright. 



Mr. George Kennan, the well-known writer, was met 

 by the streams, and is said to be very enthusiastic over 

 the subject of salmon and trout, as the angler views them, 

 The Helmet Fishing Club, 12 members, all good, hard- 

 working, bona fide anglers, will go to the head of the 

 Chesapeake aboat the middle of August. A yacht will 

 be procured at Havre de Grace, with which the bass fish- 

 ing of the lower Susquehanna can be reached, and later 

 the party will go to Mountain Shore, or Carpenter's 

 Point, for rockfish and white perch. Aug. 11 this club 

 gives their annual excursion to Marshall Hall, on the 

 Potomac. The committee of arrangements is as follows: 

 C. J. James, E, M. Tolman, H. Weyl and C. Birch. All, 

 or many of the anglers of Washington are expected to be 

 present and a royal good time is promised. 



The bass are having a midsummer rest here, as the 

 Potomac water is muddy. A few days of clear weather 

 and black bass scores will be as thick as flies again. 



The fishing in the lower Potomac has not been up to the 

 standard lately; too much natural food i^erhaps. It will 

 doubtless surprise some people to know that crabs are 

 taken in very dry seasons at the Navy Yard bridge, here 

 in Washington, and that sharks often come within sight 

 of Alexandria. 



Having some curiosity to know what tarpum tastes like 

 I followed one over from the market here a few days 

 since to a restaurant on the avenue where it was served 

 up for lunch. The fish would never be taken for fish 

 when boiled and served in big solid chunks were it not 

 for the bones, and even they were mongrels. The flesh 

 had a very ancient veal-like appearance, but tasted like ? 

 It is beastly bad eating to my thinking, and if a man had 

 to eat tarpum after catching it I hardly think he would 

 want to take the second one. I secured a large garfish 

 in market last week and had it served up at the table. 

 This fiMh is stated by Dr. De Ivay in his "Fishes of 

 New York " to be highly prized by epicures. I am not 

 an epicure and could not go into ecstasies over the 

 excellence of the silver gar, or bill- fish as it is 

 called in Great South Bay, N. Y. The green colored 

 bones of this fish, as well as its curious form, and the 

 great prolongation of the jaws, make it a curiosity. The 

 stomach of this example contained one lone fish, a spot 

 or young croaker. The gar itself was 3ft. 7in, long, and 

 came from the lower Potomac. They are very common 

 in the Chesai3eake and in the Potomac, and occur here at 

 Washington in considerable numbers. A more voracious 

 fish would be hard to find. They arc bait stealers too of 

 the worst stamp, and are seldom if ever hooked, as they 

 take a minnow in the middle, owing to the structure of 

 their jaws. Their internal structure is as simple as could 

 well be devised; a simple stomach, with a moderately 

 long, simple intestine, which has the appearance of being 

 especially well adapted for rapid transit, Bon. 

 WASHiNOTorr, D. C, Aug. 8. 



JACK AND I AND THE MASCALLONGE. 



I heard the distant waters dash, 

 I saw the current whirl and flash. 

 And richly, by the blue lake's silver beach, 

 The woods syere bending with a silent reach. 



-H. W. Longfelloiv. 

 In my mind's eye and ear, as Shakespeare would say, 

 I heard and saw the blue waters of the lake and the swirl 

 and dash of river the first week in June, and all the ordin- 

 ary things of life became as mererefuFc, things despised— 

 for a-fishing I must go. "No," said Stephens, "I cannot 

 go. There'll be thousands of bushels of wheat coming in 

 this week and next; and if I'm to get oS for om- trip along 

 the North Shore in August, I must attend to business 

 now." Knowing this to be so, I went to see Jack. Jack 

 and 1 are always taken for brothers when we are together, 

 though why it is so neither of us has been able to find 

 out. I found Jack busy finishing a barge. "Well," he 

 said, when I made known my errand, "if I can get this 

 barge launched by to-morrow night I'll go," 

 Where should we go for a week? 



"By remote Superior Lake 

 And by resounding Mackinac, 

 When northern storms the forest shake 

 And billows on the long beach break." 

 Yes, we would go along old Superior, either to Knife 

 River, between Duluth and Two Harbors, or else to 

 Stewart River, just beyond Two Harbors. But the next 

 day Jack said he would rather go after mascallonge at 

 Elbow Lake for the week, and take the trouting trip 

 when we could have more time. So we arranged it, and 

 Monday morning found us whirling eastward from De- 

 troit on the Portland express, and noontime found us 

 waiting in Waldentogo northward; and by the gleaming 

 light of the setting sun, sent throxigh rifts in skurrying 

 clouds, we went to Park Rapids on a mixed train such as 

 the Great Northern Railroad Company delight to harrow 

 the finer sensibilities of humanity with. The Great 

 Northern agent at Waldena refused to check our dunnage, 

 and -said we must ship it as express or freight. I flatly 

 refused to do either, and left the outfit lying on ' the 

 platform until the train pulled in, when I went to the 

 train baggage man and asked him if he would not take it 

 in his car, and he very graciously said "Yes." Jack said, 

 ' 'It was all your cheek that did it." 



"The shades of night were falHng fast" when we 

 reached Park Rapids. Should we go to a hotel? No. We 

 would begin camp life at once. So in the gathering dark- 

 ness, in a grove of pines on the river's bank, we set up 

 our tent, and after making arrangements for a team to 

 take us to Elbow Lake in the morning, we went to bed 

 and went to sleep with the sound of the rushing river in 

 its channel and the sighing of the wind among the pine 

 trees in our ears. We were awakened in the early morn- 

 ing by the song of birds, and by half past seven were on 

 our way to the lake. It is a beautiful drive, through the 

 pine woods most of the way. By 10 o'clock we were at 

 the lake, and setting up the canvas boat, placed our dun- 

 nage and ourselves in it and started to hunt a camping 

 place. As we went out into the main lake, one of the 

 half dozen islands that beautify it was directly in front of 

 us. "There is where I want to camp," said Jack. I pre- 

 ferred some of the pine groves on the main land and 

 said so, but after cruising along for a mile or so and 

 finding nothing entirely satisfactory I gave in and told 

 Jack to pull for his island. I had his rod out and was 

 trolling, hoping we might get a fish for dinner. When 

 about half way to the island there was a tug at the 

 line and a splash far behind, and a mascallonge was 

 hooked. Jack had never caught a mascallonge so I 

 handed the rod to him and told him to reel the fish in. 

 The fish fought well and kept Jack busy for a time, but 

 finally he brought it within reach and a nice 61b. mas- 

 callonge lay in the boat and Jack had christened his 

 new greenheart rod. We pulled ashore, built afire, and 

 soon had dinner ready, of which broiled mascallonge 

 formed a toothsome part. 



After dinner we walked across the island to look up a 

 good camp site, which we soon found in a little grove of 

 pines, with the water but a few feet away on two sides 

 of us. Jack staid there and went to clearing up the 

 ground while I went back to the boat to bring it and our 

 dunnage around to the beautiful sand beach on the south 

 side of our proposed camp. As I went around the western 

 point of the island I stopped rowing long enough to 

 cast my line out, and then taking the rod between my 

 knees I rowed along and had gone but a short distance 

 when there came the familiar tug at the line, just as 

 though the hook had caught on a log. I had my hands 

 full right away. A stiff head wind was blowing, and to 

 keep the boat headed up away from the rocky shore and 

 at the same time hold the rod so as to keep a tight line 

 on the fish required all the skill that I was possessed of. 

 Once I brought the fish to the boat, but had to let it go 

 again. Finally I saw that the boat was going on shore 

 anyway so I headed in, and after the boat struck I sprang 

 out, holding the rod in one hand and catching the boat 

 and hauling it up with the other, after which I proceeded 

 to reel in the fish and soon had the satisfaction of seeing 

 the beautifully- marked fellow lying on the stones at my 

 feet. I killed it, and shoving off started toward where 

 Jack was. I had just reached deep water and cast my 

 line in again when Jack came in sight along the shore. 

 He at once called out: 



'Where have you been, I thought you were drowned?" 

 'Oh, I've been having some fun down here." 

 'Fun? How much?" 



'As much as one can get in landing a ten-pound mas- 

 callonge." 



"You never have gone and caught a mascallonge com- 

 ing up against this wind." 



"Yes, I have, and— I've got another as sure as you live. 

 Jack!" 



It was true, and without trying to reel the fish in, I 

 beaded directly for shore, and when the boat came within 

 reach Jack caught it and pulled it up while I proceeded 

 to land the fish, which I soon did to Jack's great satisfac- 

 tion. That's one of Jack's characteristics, to enjoy a 

 friend's success as much as .bis own. I landed the last 

 fish only a few rods from our camp site, and we at once 

 went to work to pitch our tent and fix up for our five 

 days' stay. In a little while the tent was up and fragrant 

 spruce boughs laid down, making a mattrass more than 

 a foot thick, on which we spread our blankets. 



We went out on the water and staid out until "near the 

 Betting of the sun," taking two more of the lusty, game- 



some mascallonge, when we thought it time to call a 

 halt, as the five we had now would keep the table sup- 

 plipd for our whole time in camp. 



We enjoyed the supper amazingly, and while I made 

 the bed and ai-ranged the dufile in the tent, Jack built an 

 enormous bonfire. 



"Well, if this isn't homelike I don't know what is," he 

 said, as he surveyed the bed and the tent after everything 

 was fixed. "I'm so glad and happy I can't keep still. 

 Whoop!" As we were going to bed the moon rose in 

 majesty o'er the tops of the pine-tree-crowned eastern 

 shore, and a great expanse of silver sheen spread from 

 the darkling shadows of that shore to the sand beach by 

 our tent. 



As we lay in bed there came to our ears clear and flute- 

 like the cry of a whippoorwill, and several times during 

 the night I heard the song, Whip poor ivill; wMp-poor- 

 will; and one night there were four singing all at once. 

 We named our camp "Whippoorwill Camp." The next 

 day we started to explore some. We went up one arm of 

 Elbow Lake, and entering a narrow deep inlet, along 

 which we went for nearly a mile, then came to a small 

 lake, across which we went, and entered another narrow 

 passage, which soon made an abrupt turn, and then 

 another and still another, until Jack declared that we had 

 "turned to every point of the compass, and more, too." 

 On we went for miles, "The Thoroughfare," for so we 

 learned that it was called, being generally a few rods 

 wide, bordered by heavy timber all the way. Sometimes 

 80 stately were the pine trees along our watery way that 

 what Longfellow has sung in his prelude to "Voices of 

 the Night" seemed true for us. 



"Before me rose an avenue 

 Of tall and sombroiis pines; 

 Abroad their fan-like branches grew. 

 And, where the sunshine darted through. 

 Spread a vapor soft and blue. 

 In long and sloping lines." 

 It was very strange and we enjoyed it very much, 

 winding about and at last entering a narrow .gorge 

 through which the water came rushing like a trout stream. 

 On we went a mile or so further, when we pulled up to 

 the bank, built a fire, boiled our cofi'ee and eat dinner. We 

 wondered where we could be, and found out later that 

 we had come about nine miles, and where we ate our 

 dinner was very close to Little Sand Lake, just beyond 

 which is Big Sand Lake, then Turtle Lake and Man Trap 

 Lake, all of which are famed muscallonge waters. 



"Oh," said Jack, "if we could only stay a month and 

 explore to our heart's content," and I heartily echoed 

 what he said. Back we started , stopping at one place, 

 where a trail led through the pines, along which we 

 went but a short distance, when we came to a lake, a 

 beautiful sand beach all the way around it so far as we 

 could see. Bull Lake, we learned the name to be on in- 

 quiry. Returning to the boat we retraced our way through 

 the Thoroughfare by the devious way of crooks and turns, 

 until we reached Elbow Lake, again across which we 

 went to Jack's Island and Camp ^Vhippoorwill. We 

 were pretty well tired out, but did not mind that, for we 

 had seen something the like of which we did not know 

 existed in Minnesota— the crooked Thoroughfare between 

 Elbow and Little Sand lakes. The next day we went to 

 the east end of the lake, picking up a couple of tigerish 

 mascallonge on our way; and here we had another sur- 

 prise. Entering a narrow channel that seemed to lead 

 nowhere in particular, we came out to a part of Elbow 

 Lake that we had not seen before, and following along 

 the shore entered another channel, narrow, but very 

 deep, and came out in Elbow Lake again off the east 

 end of Jack's Island, the supposed east shore of the 

 lake, thus proving to be an island completely hiding a 

 long arm of the lake, which extends eastward over a 

 mile, I should judge. Jack drew a long breath, and 

 said, "Who'd have thought it." 



In the afternoon we went fishing a while and I hooked 

 "a whale" as Jack called it. I very foolishly told Jack to 

 row to shore, and protesting against it he did. I com- 

 menced to reel the big fish in when something so strange 

 happened that I record it as one of the many surprising 

 things that happened on the trip. The fish ran around a 

 bunch of rushes and I lost him. 'Twas very singular, and 

 he was the lai-gest one I hooked on the trip, too. Jack 

 was almost heart-broken and would hardly be consoled 

 for my mishap. 



"If you'd only let me pull out into deep water as I 

 wanted, you would have had that fish" he lamented, and 

 I agreed with him only did not tell him so. It was one 

 of the mistakes in judgment that we all make sometime 

 or other in oui- lives. 

 That night as we lay in bed Jack gave a big sigh. 

 "What's that for?" I asked. 



"It's our last night here and I wish we had a month 

 more," he repUed, It had been very pleasant indeed, 

 Jack and I had never been off in camp before, but I had 

 thoroughly enjoyed being with him, and hope we mav 

 have many trips together hereafter. 



The next morning "we fished for keeps" as Jack said, 

 and although no very large ones were taken we caught 

 enough to make several of our friends feel very kindly 

 toward us on our return home. 



After dinner we reluctantly took down our tent, went 

 over to the mainland, where the team was to meet us, 

 rolled up our canvas boat and at 7 o'clock were in Park ■ 

 Rapids. We packed our fish in ice and I asked the agent 

 at the depot to check our outfit and he promptly refused, 

 "Will you put the things in the car for us?" I asked, 

 "No, I wiil not." 



"Can I leave them here at the depot until morning?" 

 "Yes," but with evident reluctance. 

 After supper we strolled around town awhile, went to 

 the river and examined the new fishway just put in, 

 then went to the hotel and asked to be shown to our 

 room. The door would not shut tight, so I placed a chair 

 against it, and placed my heavy grip on the chair. It 

 was very hot, so we undressed, and lying down on the 

 bed, Jack went to smoking, while I read aloud from the 

 Forest and Stee4M, Some one came along the hall, 

 grasped the knob to our door and half opened it, then 

 catching sight of t^vo pairs of legs on the bed beat a hasty 

 retreat. Then there was a row outside. Evidently the 

 landlord had put us in some one else's room or had sent 

 some one else into our room. Finally the clamor died 

 away and we were disturbed no more. 



In the morning when we went to the train I went 

 into the baggage car and told Jack to hand me our dim- 

 nage, which he djd. I stowed it away and told the somcv 



