226 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



LSept. .16, 189S. 



"PODGERS" TELLS OF SALMON. 



San Francisco, Aug. Hi.— Editor Forest and Stream: 

 Having received several letters touching upon the salmon 

 fishing question, and sundry inquiries from the readers of 

 the Forest and Stream, notably Mr. C. B. Burnham, of 

 St. Louis, I will "bunch" the answers in one general com- 

 munication herewith. 



Having been absent from California four years, 1 am 

 consequently somewhat "rusty" on the subject of saloion 

 fishing in the coast rivers, and have therefore had to rely 

 on such vague information as I have been able to gain 

 from parties who should know, i. e., those living on the 

 rivers most frequented by salmon— with the usual re- 

 sult of learning very little. 



One man who lives on the bank within 10ft. of the 

 waters of one river, thought things were "about as they 

 used to be." He saw people catching salmon and other 

 fish, but whether they used a fly or worms he had never 

 inquired. We talk about the heathen and send mission- 

 aries at great expense, and yet right here in a Christian 

 country we have a man living on a river full of salmon, 

 and he does not fish. Can the imagination picture such 

 a benighted condition of things in these days? It is mar- 

 velous. Fishermen travel thousands of miles to fish, and 

 here is a man who won't travel 10ft. to catch a salmon. 

 What are we coming to? Are we returning to our original 

 condition of barbarism, and "evoluting" backward to the 

 age when our ancestors lived in trees and hung by their 

 tails — the Darwinian age? It looks like it. 



Well, the result of my interviews thus far seems to 

 imply that the salmon do come into all rivers along the 

 coast as usual, and where there are no canneries nor nets 

 to capture them continue in business at the old stands, 

 and after the manner of salmon on this coast run into 

 the rivers immediately after the first rain, the opening 

 shower of the rainy season. After this comes an interval 

 of often 30 or 40 days before it rains again, and perhaps 

 it is 60 days before suflicient rain falls to cause the rivers 

 to rise, whereupon the fish at once turn their attention 

 to business and run up to deposit their spawn as near the 

 headwaters as they can get. Pending this rise, the salmon, 

 having idle time on then- hands, amuse themselves by 

 running out on the bars at ebb tide, and come tumbling 

 in on the breakers at flood. That is their fun, and it is 

 pending the coming of the rains to raise the rivers that 

 they will take the fly or the feathered spoon, as the case 

 may be. Some seasons they will take the fly readily and 

 freely, and sometimes they will not, and why they are so 

 fickle and notional no man has as yet been able to ex- 

 plain. It is a conundrum that is universally given up. 

 But although the true salmon fisherman may lament the 

 fact of their not taking the fly when he rt aches the 

 ground, it is no reason why he should give his soul up to 

 grief and lamentation. Life is still worth living, for he 

 can cast with his feathered spoon, or he can stand in the 

 stern of a boat with a man to row, and troll with rod and 

 reel, and have a pretty good time landing fish from 5 to 

 ISlbs, (he will not get many larger), and my experience is 

 that with even a lO pounder on your hook you won't have 

 time to light your pipe. For the space of half an hour 

 you will be a very much occupied individual, and can 

 properly hang out a sign reading, "Eagaged," 



As to the time when the salmon come into the rivers, 

 that is indefinite. It is, as I say, immediately after the 

 first rain. W^hen that comes depends very much on the 

 amount of wheat, hay and oats the granger has left out 

 in his fields piled up awaiting the shower, for although 

 he has had the experience of years, and knows that it is 

 liable to rain any day after Oct. 1, he never will remove 

 his crop until it does rain, for to remove it to shelter and 

 thereby save it from damage would be an evidenca of 

 sense and prudence which he scorns; besides, it would 

 deprive him of the excuse to quarrel with Divine Prov- 

 idence. So the coming of the rain depends upon the 

 quantity of grain in the fields, where it has been threshed, 

 sacked and piled up awaiting the first shower. If the 

 quantity is great. Providence hastens to teach the granger 

 a lesson, and it rains early (say by Oat. 10). If the grain 

 has been pretty generally carted away and there is not 

 much to spoil, it then is no object to hurry, and the 

 Weather Bureau takes it easy, and sends it along some- 

 where about the 15th or 20th. If it is only a light 

 shower, just for practice, the salmon are not fooled. 

 They don't come in, and await a more earnest demon- 

 stration. 



Mr. Burnham asks me in his letter whether I use the 

 gaff or the landing net. I never use the gaff', firstly, be- 

 cause you may make several passes with it and miss, and 

 when you do not you mangle your fish, and the blood 

 gets all over you and the boat. I use a large oblong net, 

 with an iron ring, strong mesh, and long handle, with 

 which your boatman can reach your fish at quite a dis- 

 tance, or on a pinch while you hold your rod and fish 

 with your right you can handle your net with vour left 

 hand. 



The net need not necessarily be cumbersome or heavy. 

 The bow or rim can be made to fold up and be carried in a 

 trunk. If the handle is bamboo it can be jointed as if a 

 fishing rod. Such sized landing nets are not kept in stock 

 and must be ordered. The one I use is aOin. long at ex- 

 tremes, 30in. wide in center, oval in shape, handle of 

 bamboo, 6ft. long, jointed: and it is an invaluable ad- 

 junct to boat-fishing; no family should be without one, 

 and by the same token, it is singular that no fishing tackle 

 firm has had the sense to make such a landing net. The 

 little things they do make are fit only for trout or" other 

 light fishing— abominatians when it comes to serious 

 busmess, and handling a 10 or 15 pound salmon is busi- 

 ness that a man must give his mind to. 



Now, as the case stands, I am not satisfied with the in- 

 formation obtained thus far, nor will the inquirers be. I 

 have the assurance of the man living on tne river that 

 things are ' 'about as they used to be. " If things are, then 

 it is all right, for things "used to be" very lively up there 

 especially on the Navaro (I see they have dropped out one 

 "r" in the spelling of the name and I follow suit); and if 

 salmon have not instituted new rules and regulations 

 everything will be lovely after the first rain. Still, I 

 shall investigate further; for what reliance can be placed 

 on the word or opinion of a man who don't fish? I am 

 surprised that such should ever be allowed to testify in 

 court. 



Ic 1 can find a man who has fished there this season I 

 may learn something. Strange to say, it will be difficult, 

 for while the coast abounds in good sportsmen, gunning 

 men, there are few fishermen who seem to value salmon 



fishing. They will go miles, climb rocks and up canons 

 to fish for trout, but never go after salmon, although by 

 going on a steam lumber vessel at 6 o'clock in the even- 

 ing they can land at the very spot at 6 the next evening, 

 distance 80 miles to Navaro, and other rivers above not 

 over 10 miles apart. Perhaps the indifference arises 

 from the fact that salmon are so plentiful and so common. 



At Santa Cruz, a watering place 90 miles down the 

 coast, it has been quite the popular thing for parties to 

 go out in the Italian fishing boats to troll for salmon a 

 mile off shore. I was down there a week ago and saw 

 boats come in with catches of from a half dozen to a 

 dozen, running from 6 to 10 lbs. As a general thing the 

 ocean swell is not conducive to prolonged efforts on the 

 part of amateurs. Their internals go wrong, Podgers. 



SOME MICHIGAN TROUT STREAMS. 



On Aug. 5, 1890, we left Grand Rapids for Holton to 

 put in a few days fishing, or as the old gentleman who 

 was my chum on that trip explained to everybody, "We 

 were up there to get a few blackberries." Perhaps I may 

 be better understood by some tourist fisherman if I jot 

 down a few particulars of the journey, etc., as I proceed. 



From Grand Rapids ;to White Cloud, forty-seven miles, 

 from White Cloud where we changed cars to Holton, 

 sixteen miles, or the streams could be reached by going to 

 Muskegon, then sixteen miles to Holton. Total cost from 

 G.-and Rapids less than $10. The scenery is not so grand 

 as could be wished for, but it does no harm to have a 

 change occasionally. 



We played greeny 's part on our arrival and got all the 

 pointers we could from the native fishermen, who took us 

 at our word and believed us the greenies we pretended to 

 be, readily gave us all the information we desired, think- 

 ing, no doubt, that the trout are not going to suffer at 

 our hands. They exchanged winks when we brought 

 out our lancewood rods and brand new baskets. (They 

 used, they said, stouter poles than those, and if they 

 fished all day could catch ten or fifteen. I saw one of 

 their rigs— a club with about six feet of trolling line tied 

 to it.) 



We tried Cedar Creek the first day and caught forty- 

 one trout that tipped the scales for 201b3. We left them 

 with a friend, Mr. Nash, and on going to the hotel were 

 interrogated by our advisers of the previous evening 

 about our catch, "Oh!" we replied, "we got a few little 

 fellows." Again they exchanged winks. The next day 

 we caught forty-nine, and had less brush. The stream is 

 quite free from brush from the old mill down as far as 

 we went. They swapped winks again that evening. 

 The third day we went northwest and took forty out of 

 Skeel's Creek. This is an open stream nearly to the 

 river, grassy banks, fine shade trees and good water. 



We were told of another stream not far away where 

 there were two trout to one in either of the other oreeks, 

 but we had enough for our neighbors and ourselves, so 

 we went home. 



Our success had got pretty well bruited about town 

 through the agency of the small boy who had seen us 

 empty our creels. The news had reached the men who 

 had done the winking, and we missed them from their 

 accustomed haunts that evening and the next morning. 

 But we heard threats of arrest for catching small trout 

 several times that day, and we came away happy that 

 we would not have to answer for being the cause of 

 several suicides in Holton. 



The trout preferred a queen-of-the-waters, but took 

 kindly to a Seth-Green or grizzly-king. Good bass fish- 

 ing is found in all the lakes of that region, M, E. J. 



THE KENTUCKY FISH BILL. 



Frankfort, Ky., Sept. 8.— Editor Forest and Stream: 

 "Purified by fire" may well be said of the product of 

 the concentrated effort of those who have earnestly de- 

 sired to save the remnant of fish left in Kentucky streams, 

 and to propagate the present food supply of that char- 

 acter, should eventually the fish bill now pending be- 

 fore the House be passed. After a hard and fierce fight 

 in the Senate, of which your columns have taken notice, 

 and a favorable vote on final passage of 19 to 8, the bill 

 went to the Lower House and was referred to committee. 

 Of this committee of seven, only one member was 

 hostile to its passage. 



The provisions of the bill, as adopted by the Senate, 

 are substantially as follows : 



1. To require fish ways in all existing mill dams and 

 similar obstructions to passage of fish; and to require all 

 new dams to be so provided, 



2. To provide penalties for all persons using seines, set 

 nets, drag nets, and other devices for taking fish, except 

 hook and line. 



3, Providing penalties for use of dynamite and other 

 explosive agents, medicated bait and poison, in destruc- 

 tion of fish. 



4, Giving jurisdiction to courts for trying cases and re- 

 quiring grand juries to investigate for offenses com- 

 mitted. 



A careful poll of the Lower House developed a favor- 

 able strength in its favor of about two-thirds of the en- 

 tire body, but the prevailing vice of absenteeism, where- 

 by often but little more than a bare majority was usually 

 present, made any attempt to pass the bill dangerous, as 

 the new Constitution requires 49 favoring votes out of 

 100, a full body, before any bill should become law. 



Just when the attendance at last seemed to justify 

 action, the chairman of the committee, having the bill 

 in charge, was called home for two weeks, and unfortu- 

 nately the next on committee, Mr. Beard, of a bitter 



enemy, pocketed the bill and refused to report it, al- 

 though urged by others of the committee. When the 

 chairman finally returned, the attendance was again 

 slim, and so continued till the last days of the session, 

 when other measiu-ea took precedence.' 



When the Legislature adjourned till the 1.5th day of 

 November next, the fish bill was still sleeping in com- 

 mittee of the house. Meantime, the destruction of fish 

 is still going on throughout the State, spurred on to 

 active, undisguised effort by the protection offered by 

 apparent tacit legislative approval, 



It is a singular fact that during the effort to secure a 

 valuable fish law, a single dynamiter or habitual seiner 

 would have more influence in procuring delay, or a nega- 

 tive vote, with members of the Lower House than a 

 dozen members of fish clubs, or the petition of scores of 

 constituents. This demonstrated, if nothing else, the 



necessity of popular education on the subject. Even the 

 Courier-Journal, the leading newspaper of the State, 

 manifested lamentable ignorance at times on the condi- 

 tion and character of pending fish legislation. And yet 

 it had a correspondent at the capital, and devoted a 

 weekly column to sports of the stream and field. 



If the fish bill is to be passed on the reassembling of 

 the Legislature in November, an active, concerted effort 

 at popular education and individual support must be 

 ma,de by the friends of fish protection and propagation 

 throughout the State, We suggest a meeting at Louis- 

 ville of representatives of the various fish clubs at an 

 early date, when the matter can be canvassed and proper 

 action taken. The meeting should be for consultation, 

 and not in the nature of a convention. 



At all sta.ge8 of its progress in the Legislature, the fish 

 bill has been bitterly fought; in some cases by members 

 who had not enough running water in their district to 

 afford a 6 in. fish. The idea seemed to be largely pre- 

 valent that a man should be allowed to do as he ijleased 

 with regard to fish and game, regardless of the commu- 

 nity at large. S. 



NEW ENGLAND GAME AND FISH. 



There is no use in attempting to disguise the fact, part- 

 ridge shootyig is likely to be poor in Maine this fall. It 

 is true that early reports were favorable, but since the 

 open season begun the birds have been scarce; at least, so 

 far as heard from. Labor Day (Sept. 5) was generally 

 spent by the lovers of grouse shooting in that sport in the 

 southern part of the State. The day was a perfect one; 

 slightly cloudy and with little or no wind. Such a day 

 should have given some good bags, but they are not men- 

 tioned. On the contrary, a number of sportsmen were a 

 good deal disappointed. In one case a couple of gentle- 

 men, with a boy of fourteen, each thorougly familiar 

 with partridge shooting in the section they tried, spent 

 the whole day in hunting without getting a single bird. 

 Several birds were started singly, but they were invari- 

 ably in the thick swamps — old male birds, without a 

 .doubt, Not a flock was seen. The section hunted should 

 have afforded at least half a dozen birds, with several 

 flocks started. 



Other hunters were equally disappointed on that day, 

 and they are at a loss to account for their ill success, un- 

 less it be that grouse are very scarce in southern Maine 

 this season. A couple of Franklin county hunters, who 

 have gunned a good deal since the season opened, have 

 taken out four partridges, and find the birds scarce. In 

 southern New Hampshire reports indicate better success. 

 It is also possible that later in the season there may be 

 more birds to be found in Maine. Guides and others ac- 

 customed to the woods say that there were a good many 

 flocks early in the season, and they are at a loss to know 

 what has become of them. It is possible that the great 

 abundance of blackberries, almost all over the State, is 

 giving the birds so abundant a supply of food close at 

 hand that they have moved about but little, and con- 

 sequently have not been seen since the berries began to 

 ripen. Lewiston and Auburn, Me., gunners have taken 

 some woodcock, but even these bii-ds have not been found 

 as abundant as a year ago. 



Late in August and the first days of September there 

 was some very good fly-fishing in the Rangeley, Me., 

 waters. From the Upper Dam, under date of Sept. 1, 

 Landlord J. A. Franck wrote that they were having ex- 

 cellent fly-fishing, Mrs. H. M. Preston, of Brooklyn, N. 

 Y., caught a trout weighing 31bs, The same day Mr. E. 

 S. Osgood, of Lowell, Mass, took one weighing Sflba. 

 Aug. 30 Mr. T, S. Stewart, of New York, caught a trout 

 that weighed 31bs. 5oz. The same day Mrs. Preston took 

 one weighing .5 Jibs. There are few sports womeii who 

 have the skill in handling the rod that belongs to Mrs. 

 Preston. At that time the water seemed to be full of 

 trout, and a great many small ones were taken. The 

 news spread rapidly, and report says that the hotel was 

 soon full of guests. Mr. G. W. M. Gruild, of Boston, was 

 at the lakes about that time, and it is likely that he had 

 his share of the sport. He has a friend with him. Artist 

 Mark Hollings worth, with Mrs. Hollingsworth, left Bos- 

 ton for the LTpper Dam on Saturday. He will 8]3end at 

 least a couple of weeks there, and very likely stay till 

 into October to try for a deer. 



Mr. L. Dana Chapman, with Dame, Stoddard & Ken- 

 dall, with his friend Mr. Dizer, of Prouty & Dizer, will 

 leave Boston about the 24th for a hunt in the region of 

 the lower Megantic preserve. They expect a deer or two 

 as soon as the season opens, and will ti-y for a moose. 

 They also expect to try some of the waters in the wilder- 

 ness for trout, previous to Oct. 1. Mr. Chapman, though 

 reared in the city, is a good deal of a tramper in the 

 woods, and a bed of boughs, with the stars for a covering, 

 has no terrors for him, providtd it is in a game country. 



Mr. G, B. Dexter, of Dexter Bros., has .just returned 

 from a visit to Kennebago, where he was the guest of 

 his brother Frank, He rejjorts some very good fishing 

 and shooting. He mentions the seeing of sixteen deer in 

 one evening by guests at Kennebago. A sportsman from 

 Texas, or somewhere, is reparted to have paid something 

 over $80 for the shooting of a couple of these deer. Bos- 

 ton sportsmen who have been there and seen them report 

 deer very abtmdant in the vicinity of Kennebago. 



The Maine papers have a sad account of the drowning 

 of a Miss Marcia Thomas, daughter of Wm. H. Thomas, 

 of Baltimore, Md., in Long Pond, near Rangeley, Me. 

 Mr. Thomas, with his wife and three daughters, had been 

 spending a few days at Long Pond. They were crossing 

 the pond, with M. Carlton as guide, when the boat filled. 

 The daughter Mai'cia was drowned, while the others were 

 in the water an hour or more. The most remarkable 

 feature about the affair is that this is the only drowning 

 accident at the Rangeley waters for many years, notwith- 

 standing the many hundreds that visit those waters every 

 year and go out in generally rather light boats for lishing 

 and shooting. Even in this case, it is claimed, that had 

 the young lady not been thoroughly alarmed and clung to 

 the boat, as did the others, she would have been saved. 



Special, 



Nepigon Trout. 



Mr. McCauig, manager of Molson's bank, of Wood- 

 stock, Oat., while up the Nepigon last week with a party 

 of friends, caught a number of mammoth trout. The 

 largest one was 23+in. long, 1.5in. round and weighed 

 81bs., being f of a pound heavier than any ever caught at 

 that place he£ore.—SauU Ste. Marie Neivs, Sept. 



