OOT. 37, 1893.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



S61 



the time has come yet for us to allow fishing on Sunday. 

 It is forbidden now. There are a great many fishermen, 

 though, who are clamoring for it. It is also unlawful to 

 spear oi: shoot fish on vSunday. Most people don't know 

 this, nor do they know that there is a fine of $100 for it. 

 Regarding this," however, I don't think any action will be 

 taken at this time. 



"If there is one place where the laws need revision 

 more than another it is in that .part which relates to the 

 duties, powers and compensation of a fish warden. The 

 duties are now too onerous, the powers too greatly re- 

 stricted and the compensation ridiculously small. The 

 . pay a warden gets does not nearly pay him for his time. 

 He should receive such remuneration as would enable 

 him to devote his time to his office. Now, unless he is a 

 sportsman himself he can't do a thing. The anglers 

 themselves do not do much, and it is hartl 

 on a warden who is trying to work for 

 their interest to get no encouragement. Home of them 

 are interested and are glad of 'the benefits they derive 

 from the fishery protection. For this tlie warden gets 

 mighty little. His source of income is in prosecution . If 

 he succeeds in convicting a man of seining he gets half 

 of the $100 fine and half of the other fines. I haven't 

 collected a |ilOO fine yet. The usual thing to do is to take 

 the seine and scare the owner half to death, and put him 

 under obligations to give you pointers hereafter. The 

 wardens are better looked after in Ohio. There a warden 

 gets $300 or 800 a year from a county, and if he has from 

 two to four counties in his district he can afford to devote 

 his time to it, and the fisheries of Ohio show it, too. We 

 have every bit as good here, but it must be taken care of. 

 There should be more wardens appointed also. 



•'And it may be of interest to my fisher friends also,'' 

 continued Mr. Hague, "to say that the United States Fish 

 Commission has discovered a new food fish in the ocean. 

 They have received a few hundred specimens and will 

 try to cultivate them. If they succeed, I think we can 

 have some of them in Pennsylvania, at least in the 

 streams that run into salt water.'' 



*THE BRITISH ANGLER'S LEXICON. 



Mk, Njven has undertaken, out of his ripe experienci- 

 in all branches of angling, to prepare a "condensed 

 reference to all that relates to fish and fishing, so that 

 the tyro, for whose especial benefit it is maioly designed, 

 may easily gain practical information on any subject. ' 

 The "Lexicon" is not intended to supersede the angler'.s 

 books, but rather to facilitate their use. The author lin^ 

 succeeded admirably in his object, and has presented ;t 

 highly useful and convenient work for the expert as well 

 as the unskillful angler. With the exception of the ilhis 

 trations, which are not uniformly up to the modern stan- |' 

 dard of excellence, we commend the book, not only 

 the British angler but aleo to his American cousin.. 



The arrangement of the articles is alphabetical, ard 

 they are as concise as possible with due regard to clear- 

 ness. Whenever the subject is too extensive to be treated 

 in full, the reader is referred to standard writers for 

 additional details. The account of the American black 

 bas.«, for exani]ple, closes with a reference to the Bass 

 Supplement of Forest and Stream. 



The method of bronzing ferrules is thus described: 

 "AVhen the brass ferrules of a rod get bright and have 

 lost their bronze appearance, they can be recolored by 

 applying the following mixture: One ounce oxide of 

 iron (rust) and one ounce arsenic, mixed in half-pint 

 muriatic acid. Cleanse the brass from gi-ease or dirt by 

 washing it in soda and water, very hot. Wipe dry and 

 bold before a fire until the brass is well wai-med: then 

 apply a little of the above mixture with a feather or cloth 

 wrapped round a stick, or a brush. When the desired 

 color is obtained rub with oil, which stops the process. 

 The ferrules may then be lacquered or varnished." 



For carp fishing Mr. Niven recommends a well scoured 

 worm, baited upon a No. ^ or 6 hook of the Kendal scale. 

 The bait is to be kept on the bottom. "It is usual to 

 ground-bait the place where carp are to be angled for, 

 doing this with broken worms, boiled wheat, rice or peas." 



The British charr, which is very nearly related to the 

 golden trout of Now England lakes, does not readily take 

 a fly; it has been caught with a minnow by spinnirij^- 

 slowly. Its wholesale slaughter by netting during the 

 spawning season has caused this beautiful trout to become 

 scarce, and spearing upon its spawning beds has produced 

 the same effect upon its relative in New England. 



Da]>iag, clipping or debbing is the term applied to fish- 

 ing with natural insects, usually a bluebottle fly, a green 

 drake, a moth or a beetle, wafted by the wind over the 

 rising fish or the supposed location of a fi^h. "Sniggling" 

 and "clod fishing" are methods of catching eels, the latter 

 being known in the United States as "bobbing." 



The articles on feathers and fishing-rods contain much 

 useful information in concise form, and the same thine is 

 true of the treatment of many other leading topics. For 

 preventing the ravages of moths among feathers camphor 

 is praised, and scraps of Eussia leather are said to answer 

 the same purpose. 



A French polish for finishing ofl' vodi is made as fol- 

 lows: One pint of methylated spirits of wine: ioz. gum 

 copal; i07.. gum arable; loz. shellac, Place the spirits 

 and the gums in a vessel closely corked, put near a warm 

 stove and shake frequently: in a few days all will be dis- 

 solved, when it should be strained through a piece of 

 muslin and kept well corked. 



(jrimp can be dyed a dark color in the following man- 

 ner: Cleanse the brass gimp thoroughly: then brush it 

 over with the following solution, which should be boiling: 

 Distilled water, 100 parts, by weight; caustic soda, 13 

 parts; neutral chloride of platinum,! part. Then wash, 

 dry and varnish. The color given is something like oxi- 

 dized silver, and is a very desirable one. 



The grayling, according to Mr. Niven, are caught 

 chiefly by the artificial fly, but are fond of worms and 

 maggots, and are often fished for with an artificial grass- 

 hopper. The flies used are similar to those employed for 

 the brown trout, bixt slighth^ brighter in appearance. 



In the description of silkworm gut is introduced an 

 account by Mr, Samuel Allcock of its preparation in 

 Spain. The notes on hooks, knots and lines are practical 

 and. to the point. The Loch Leven trout, a handsome 

 lilack-spotted species now pretty well established m the 



•'The British. Aneler'S Lexicon. By Kiobard Xiveu Illuatiaied. 

 Pnhlished bv W. -J. C:ammins. North of England W"vks. Bishop 

 Auckland. L->ndon; SaiBuaon Lo(v, Marstou. Hes\rle & Rlyinsrtou 

 (Limited). m4, , - > 



United States, is fished for in Scotland successfully with 

 the following flies: Teal, woodcock, bloc, white-tip and 

 mallard wings, with red, yellow, green, claret, and black 

 bodies, tinseled; also Zulus, Sam Slicks and March 

 bi'owns, Manj' are taken also hy trolling with the arti- 

 ficial minnow. 



For carrying the May flies a good form of box is illus- 

 trated. A. somewhat detailed guide is given for Norway 

 fishing: this contains all the items needed for the infor- 

 mation of the angler on topics of importance. 



The article on pisciculture is short and might be greatly 

 improved; the "Levingston Stern " referred to is our Liv- 

 ingston Stone, auj)erintendent of the CJalifornia stations 

 of the U. S, l''i8h Commission. 



The directions for dressing flies are full and very clear, 

 and the methods of staining feathers and woods are well 

 set forth. The chapters on trout, trout fishing and trout 

 flies are among the liest of the Lexicon. Mr, Nevin says 

 "there are perhaps more trout killed over the country 

 with the March-brown artificial Hy than with any other.'' 



On the last ]>age the author mentions a novel mode of 

 getting wormp. "Drive a spade into the ground, and^ 

 using the shaft as a lever, rock backward and forward, 

 and in a minute or so all the worms within two yards of 

 the spade will be seen emerging from the soil, hastening 

 to escape the unusual disturbance. They can be picked 

 uiJ clean and bright, superior in appearance to what they 

 would be if dug out in the usual manner." 



FISHING ON THE METABETCHOU AN. 



The Metabetchouan is a small river in the Province of 

 Quebec running into Lake St. .John from the south. 

 About seven miles from the mouth of the river are the 

 falls of the Metabetchouan, very wild and beautifid: ju.st 

 at the foot of the falls the river turns abruptly to the 



OLANANtOHE I'HOM TilK METABIilCHOUAN. 

 .VmateUl- plloin by C.l?. Frltts. 



right, and the canon broadens out to the width of 250f|. 

 In this broader part of the canon lies a small island, oOf i . 

 wide by 150ft. long, and a .short distance below the lowest 

 end of the island the river breaks into rough, ra])id water, 

 falling fi or 8ft. in the next 150. The falls, because of 

 the turn in the ri\'er, cannot be seen from the island, but 

 its roar is continuously heard, and the spray rising from 

 it to the sunlight curtains the upper end of the carmn 

 with a bright and fleecy cloud, ever clianging in its pris- 

 matic hues. The walls of the caiion are sheer and high, 

 and for the most part naked rock. 



This is the Third Pool of the Metabetchouan, and in the 

 proper season abounds with that beat of all game fish, the 

 ouananiche. 



Between the lake antl the falls there are three pools, of 

 which the third is the largest and best; .and the fishing 



TAKItSO A OUANANIOHli IN THE iXliTABETOHOO AN. 

 Amateiu' photo by Df. O. E. Frltts. 



is practically confined to these three pools, except for a 

 few days in May when the fish rise eagerly to the fly in 

 and about the mouth of the river. 



A bright morning in August last found Dr. W., Dr. F. 

 and myself, with Maurice, most faithful and honest of 

 guides, at the third pool. Dr. F. and I had taken a day 

 with the ouananiche in this same pool last year, but W. 

 was new to the place and to the fish, although he had long 

 been a tireless and successful fisherman for trout and 

 bass in other waters. 



As soon as the sun was shining on the pool we began 

 casting; I from the lower end of the island, F. midway up, 

 and W. from the upper end. At the second or third cast 

 I had a rise and struck a fair-sized fish. Two or three 

 wild leaps and rushes and he is gone, lost through too 

 great eagerness to see him in the net; and it is a good 

 long hour before I raise another. 



In a abort time a shout from W. announces that he is 

 engaged in hk first tussle with an oiianauiohe, We at 



once drop oxtr rods and [rim to watch the fight. The fish 

 is large and strong, and throws himself out of the water 

 half a dozen times. He leaps and runs and sulks in 

 a way to delight us onlooker?, and gives such an enter- 

 tainment in aijuatic gymnastics as only a surprised qnd 

 disappfjinted ouananiche can. But W. is cool and care- 

 ful, and in twenty minutes has the satisfaction of seeing 

 safely in the landing net his first ouananiche, a fish that 

 on the scales weighs 51bs. 14oz,, and declares himself well 

 paid for his trip by the taking of this single fish. 



After congratulating our lucky friend in the usual way 

 we again begin our casting, and in a few minutes F. 

 sti'ikes a line fish and loses him; then W. fastens to his 

 second and lands him. 



So it goes on until we stop at about I o'clock with nine- 

 teen beautiful fish, averaging olhs. in weight, and with 

 the honors divided as evenly as possible between the three 

 rods. 



F. had varied his pleasure during the day by attempt- 

 ing to catch with his Kodak a leaping fish in air. The 

 inclosed photograph shows his nearest approach to suc- 

 cess. Had he been half a second cpjicker he would have 

 had the splendid leap of a filbs. ouananiche: as it is he 

 has a splash and a hole in the water. 



The other picture sent shows fifteen of our catch; the 

 other four had already gone the way all good fish should 

 go, and had added another element to the contentment 

 and satisfaction we all felt with our lot. 



This was a single day of a most delightful and success- 

 ful trip. Its main features were repeated on other days, 

 yet this, like all other fishing, is uncertain. I saw numer- 

 ous parties come and go without killing a fish. On one 

 of our best days we found on reaching this pool the bank 

 on either side occupied by a fisherman and his guide. 

 We, of course, took to the island. From the frequent 

 calls from one shore to the other we soon determined that 

 we had as neighbors two new medical men. As the fish- 

 ing went on we made frequent captures, but the strange 

 doctors caught nothing. This was more than they could 

 bear gracefully, so they came over to interview us, and 

 to find out, if possible, the reason of their non-success. 

 After a long conversation with them W. announced to 

 mo privately, "That it was no wonder they couldn't catch 

 Pisli, that they were a couple of homoeopaths from 

 H wtt)n." 



Not being a member of the medical profession, and not 

 bailing from Boston, I cannot say whether or not there 

 is anything in the training of a hom(3eopath from that 

 locality that prevents his being a good fisherman. I 

 simply record the fact that they didn't get any ouanan- 

 iche. It need not be added that my friend W. is an 

 allopath. 



What did we do with our fish after getting them? I 

 will tell you what we did with some of them. Maurice 

 kilkd and cleaned them as soon as taken, he washed 

 and thoroughly dried them and made a deep cut the 

 length of tlie fish on each side of the backbone; in this 

 cut he rubbed pepper and salt. He then carefully wrap- 

 ped each fish in freshly-gathered birch bark and hid it 

 for an hour and a quarter in the hot ashes of our camp- 

 tire Cooked in this way and served on a log in the 

 bright sunlight and crisp, sweet air of the Canadian 

 woods, a five-pound fish to each person, he is a revela- 

 tion of unexpected pleasure. 



Standing over the fragments of such a feast, our 

 unanimous verdict was that the man and the fish were 

 well met; that the ouananiche is the most delicious of 

 fish and Maurice the best of cooks, D. 



lIt'i>soN, N. y. 



FOX LAKE, ILLINOIS, FISHING. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



Your favor of Sept, lO duly received, but your letter 

 was misplaced and has just come to light. Your doubt- 

 ful coiTespondent is partially right. The largest catch 

 we (my wife and I; made in one day was 154 silver bass, 

 weighing ll-olbs. ; the day following this catch we caught 

 147 silver bass, weighing I04lbs. ; on both of these days 

 we signalled the boats and fi.Hhing parties around us to 

 come as close to us as possible so every one would get 

 fish, but for some reason or other the other fishing parties 

 got but very lew fish. The catch on both occasions was 

 made in about the same spot, near the center of Fox 

 Lake, in a direct line between the Lippencott Hotel and 

 Howard fJouse. Our fishing hours were from 9 o'clock 

 A. M. until 13 o'clock noon on both days. We had very 

 good luck all summer catching black bass, pickerel, wall- 

 eyed pike, and once in a while we would get a large-size 

 garfish. But the game tish at Fox Lake are pretty well 

 educated, and it recpiires considerable skill and work to 

 get them. While we were at the lake a report reached 

 us from the Howard House (we were stopping at the 

 I,ippencott Hotel) that one of their guests had landed 

 seven black bass in four oasts, haAnng three hooks on his 

 line; the Howard House people all said it was so, so of 

 course we had to believe it. W. E, Goodman. 



South Evanston, IU. 



Spawning of Sti-iped Bass, 



Sava^'jsau, Ga., Oct. 15. — Editor Forest and Stream: 

 I notice in your issue of Oct. 13 an inquiry about the 

 spawning of the striped bass. They spawn on every 

 stream on the Atlantic coast, from the Capes of Florida 

 to the coast of Labrador, in brackish water always, I 

 think. Their habit is the same as that of the salmon, 

 going to the utmost limit of the stream, sometimes in 

 j)laces they can reach only after a heavy rain. The effort 

 is to reach the most inaccessible spot, where their spawn 

 will not be disturbed by their enemies. I am spending 

 my summer on an arm of the sea, and the water is 

 brackish about three miles above my home. Heretofore 

 the young fry have been caught in the spring, in March 

 and April, and the parent fish in the winter. Now, within 

 a year or two a canal has been cut connecting this salt 

 river with a stream running into the Savannah River, and 

 the fish have disappeared from their old haunts. I am 

 satisfied they will be found spawning at the highest 

 point accessible through the canal. 



Not far from Waynesboro, I dro,^e over a road through 

 a stream not deep enough to go over a horse's hoof where 

 8trii>ed bass of 40 and SOlbs. go when it rains, and the 

 neighbors knock them in the head, in the spring as they 

 pass over the road to get into a morass to spawn, theif 

 fins showing above the muddy water. They come from 

 a hyanoh of the Great Ogeechee River, and push up into 



