342 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



(April 20, 1898. 



WHERE THE OLD TROUT HIDE. 



The rosy lips of morning kiss the blushing cheek of spring, 

 The first bluebird ol: summer is already od the wing, 

 The pussy willow heads are nodding in the gentle breeze. 

 The buds are swelled to bursting on the sappy maple trees, 

 Tlie wine of life is mingled with every breath you take- 

 All nature is responding to the summons to awake. 

 And the resurrection lifts you hke a mighty rolling tide, 

 As you early seek the deep pool where 



The 

 Old 

 Trout 

 Hide! 



flow unwillingly you left them when last year's season closed; 

 How you labored for that big one, who only calmly dozed 

 In the shadow of the rock there, while he winked the other eye. 

 "Do you take me for a baby, to be tickled with a fly?" 

 How dignified and lazy as he came forth from his lair, 

 And smelled your scarlet-ibis and your royal-coachman there; 

 How every speckle glinted like a ruby in his side. 

 And you almost got to sweai'ing where 



The 

 Old 

 Trout 

 Hide! 



There never was a fisherman, so I've heard the old folks say. 

 Who caught the biggest fish. Always sure to get away. 

 And it's just as true in trouting as it is in other thmgs. 

 That blessuigs seem the brightest when they spread their golden 

 wings 



And soar where you can't touch them; but only stand and wish 

 That you had them in your basket, with the other little fisli. 

 If wishes were but fishes, how your heart would swell with pride. 

 As you landed that thi-ee-pounder where 

 The 

 Old 

 Trout 

 Hide! 



Yet after all the sportsman, though he doesn't catch liis fish. 

 Catches all the life and sunshine that a happy heart can wish; 

 Old Mother Natiue takes him and smooths life's wrinkle out. 

 So get your rod and basket, for this mornmg's made for trout; 

 You'll go back to your labor, to your di-y and musty books, 

 In your soul a Uttle laughter, of the laughter of the brooks; 

 In your heart a little singing, like the singing of a bride; 

 And you got your inspiration where 



The 

 Old 

 Trout 



Hide! 



J. H. La Eoohe. 



IN QUEST OF BASS. 



New York, April, 1893. — Last summer I determined to 

 take a week from the office and spend it with the black 

 bass. After diligent inquiries as to the location of the best 

 fishing grounds I started for Lake Hopatcong, New Jersey. 

 I found to my disgust no black bass were being taken. I 

 was assm'ed that there were plenty in the Jake, but they 

 would not bite at the mo.st alluring bait oHered. I re- 

 mained three days, and was obliged to content myself 

 with sunfish and minnows (I had not caught the former 

 since boyhood days, when a bent pin and a piece of cotton 

 thread was the most expensive outfit I used). 



On the last day of my stay a gentleman caught a 51b. 

 pickerel, which so tickled him that he had it photo- 

 graphed. The photo was then handed around to prove 

 that there were fish in the lake. That was enough for me. 

 I left on the next train for New York. I was of com'se 

 dissatisfied. I could ill afford the time, but finally deter- 

 mined to visit the Muskoka Lakes, and in due tune was 

 flying toward Canada. Leaving a $5 bill on the Canadian 

 side of Suspension Bridge as a guarantee that I would re- 

 turn my gun to the United States, and my gun in Toronto 

 in lieu of $25 for a license to shoot a few ducks (of which 

 I did not see a single specimen), I finally arrived at Bella 

 Falls Hotel, Muskoka Lakes. Here I made the acquaint- 

 ance of two young gentlemen from Buffalo, N. Y^., who 

 proved very agreeable companions. 



We caught in the eddies (below the falls, on the Mus- 

 quash River, an outlet of the lakes) a large number of 

 what the natives called pickerel, but which were wall- 

 eyed pike; these varied in size from+lb. to 61bs. in weight. 

 My companions, like myself, had come to the lakes on 

 bass intent, and were disappointed at not catching any. 

 They said, at the hotel, the bass had been biting poorly 

 that year, still, parties came in with strings I envied. We 

 determined to tiy Clear Lake, at the end of a pull of 

 thi-ee miles from the hotel, and a long poi'tage through 

 the woods. It was a windy, dreary day in September, the 

 occasional light rains that fell had the effect of only 

 slightly dampening our mdor, as under the burden of a 

 heavy boat we slipped through' the argillaceous soil; but 

 we were after bass and did not mind a wet skin or Cana- 

 dian mud if we could only hook a few. We were told by 

 a farmer that as the wind was blowing heavy down the 

 lake there could be no lee shore, consequently the bass 

 would not bite; we, however, rowed over to a sunken 

 tree, the roots of which were still fastened in earth, and 

 we made fast to a branch protruding above the surface of 

 the water. 



While my companions were making fast I baited my 

 hook Avith a live frog, and dropped it down beside the 

 submerged trunk, allowing the frog to sink in about 12ft. 

 of water, without a strike. I raised it to make another 

 cast, when suddenly the line straightened out like a 

 whip-cord, and a few moments later a fine 21b. bass leaped 

 into the air, savagelj^ shaking his head to dislodge the 

 cruel tortme. After playing him a little I succeeded in 

 getitly drawing him within reach of the landing net which 

 was slipped under him. 



My companions and myself now eagerly ran each of 

 our hooks through the lii^s of a frog, and quietly dropped 

 them into the pool. As before there was no strike until we 

 attempted to withdraw them, when a simultaneous yell 

 from us three Indians announced each had hooked a bass. 

 It only required a fraction of tune before those three 

 cunning fishes had our .lines hopelessly snarled; two of 

 the bass got away and owing to our lines being tangled 

 each thought the remaining bass was fastened to his fine; 

 as it broke from the water and shook the hook from its 

 mouth, disclosed a 41b. beauty, and our lines hung hmp 

 and lifeless. (It is suggested that I say the bass was a 

 5-pounder, but I am not going to have my veracity called 

 into questipn for the sake of a pound.) It is needless to 



say each of us claimed the honor of having hooked the 

 big fish. 



Regardless of the ominous clouds that were rising 

 around us, we continued to fish, for the other two were 

 selfish enough to refuse to draw in their lines; conse- 

 quently, to the amusement of the bass, we continued to 

 get our lines snarled with each other. I succeeded in 

 landing another bass before the heavy shower that had 

 been threatening us for some time drove ns to the 

 shelter of a near-by farmhouse. 



We had landed five bass and lost fifteen. We vowed we 

 would return to Clear Lake the next day and renew the 

 contest, but the rain kept us indoors for the two succed- 

 ing days. It was now imperative to return home. 



I have figured that my two bass cost me, exclusive of 

 fishing tackle and loss of business while fi-om the ofiice, 

 $50 a piece, though, doubtless, I should credit a portion 

 of that sum to the enjoyment derived from the trip, 

 change of scene and a renewal of health. 



While at Muskoka I ascertained that the fishing in Lake 

 Nipissing is superior to any in Canada. As spring 

 approaches an indescriba.ble longing seizes me for the 

 thrill of battle with the bass, a nd my thoughts turn long- 

 ingly to Nii)issing. My Avife says I will finally bring up 

 in Hudson Bay or at the North Pole, and suggests that 

 I write to the readers of Forest and Strba^i to direct me 

 to some stream nearer home where I can get good bass 

 fishing. 



I have no time for experiments such as Hopatcong. I 

 would prefer to go five hundred miles to where I would, 

 undoubtedly, get good fishing, than go a mile from my 

 office and fish an hour or two between bites. 



E. J. Tucker, M. D. 



[See note of Lake Winnipeseogee, N. H. , bass fishing 

 in this issue.] 



A Megautic Dinner. 



Some fifty members of the Megantic Fish and Qame 

 Club sat down to an informal dinner at the Hotel Bruns- 

 wick on Thursday evening last. Dr. Heber Bishop being 

 absent at the preserve, Mi-. W. C. Prescott presided. The 

 object of the meeting was to choose a nominating com- 

 mittee, and to give those who were not able to be at the 

 annual dinner in New York an opportunity of hearing 

 just how the club stands, and what it is proposed to do in 

 the way of improvements. Mr. Prescott outlined the 

 work of the past year. Numerous camps have been con- 

 structed, improvements made in the club house, and boats 

 and canoes purchased, until to-day the condition of the 

 preserve is very satisfactory. Mr. L. Dana Chapman, 

 treasurer, showed in his report the following figures: 



Total receipts $9,986.76 



" expenditm-es 7,057.53 



Balance, cash 2,929,22 



Total valuation of club property !|>ll,8r2.00 



Cash balance 2,939.23 



Due from members 2,900.00 



Total $17,701.33 



Liabilities 2,415.00 



Balance.. 4 w. .i. . .^.t.....^; $15,276.23 



Mr. Chapman also earnestly advocated the building of 

 hatcheries on the club's preserve. He believed that the 

 fishing of the future is to be kept up by this means. The 

 committee appointed to nominate twenty-five members 

 from which the fifteen directors must be selected w-as: 

 Chairman, A.W. Robinson, James Brown, C. A. Kilham, 

 James H. Lake, Seth Perkins. These gentlemen will de- 

 cide upon the provisional list. From this list the mem- 

 bers are expected to select the board of directors by ballot. 



The annual meeting of the Megantic Fish and Game 

 Corporation will be held on May 9. 



After the conclusion of the business meeting speeches, 

 songs and toasts occupied the attention of the members 

 until a late hour. Special. 



Proprietors of Water Besorts. 



We believe that at the present time illegal fishing is 

 going on in all the lakes and bays in western New Y''ork. 

 This illegal fisliing will continue throughout the summer 

 unless the authorities adopt diffei*ent tactics and search 

 for jjoachei's with greatel- diligence. The game protector 

 in this district seems to be an active and energetic official, 

 but the difficulty is that he has, in the aggregate, a great 

 amount of w^ater to watch, and though some of the law- 

 breakers think otherwise occasionally, it is a fact that he 

 can be in only one place at a time. The fishing around 

 Rochester ought to be unsm'passed. The lake, the river 

 and numerous bays out to be full of fish. But as a matter 

 of fact the fishing is poor because of the constant use of 

 nets and other unlawful devices by those who care noth- 

 ing for the game laws. It has always seemed strange to 

 us that the proprietors of resorts on the lake and bays 

 have not been vigorous opponents to illegal fishing. One 

 would think that selfish considerations at least would 

 cause every one of them to be a fish and game protector, 

 for, of course, if the fishing were good the people would 

 crowd to the resorts and patronize them liberally. It is 

 to be hoped that during the coming summer every man 

 who loves a day's outing with rod or gun, every person 

 interested in a lake or bay resort, and every officer of tlie 

 law will make a personal effort to prevent violation of the 

 game Isms.— Hochester Post-Ex]iress. 



Salmon Fishing and Salmon Painting. 



The ice left the Penobscot River, in Maine, as far up as 

 Bangor, last week. This opens the celebrated salmon 

 pool again. But up to the date of writing no salmon had 

 been taken. The season is late. The first salmon was 

 taken last year from that pool April 12. Mr. Fred W. 

 Ayer, who has the best salmon record of any sportsman 

 who has ever fished there, had the pleasure of landing the 

 first one. He has been in Boston and New^ York of late, 

 but on the news of the ice going out he immediately 

 started for Bangor. Mr. Walter M. Bracket, the salmoia 

 artist of this city, has just finished a most beautiful paint- 

 ing of a Salmo salar for ]\lr. Ayer. It is an excellent rep- 

 resentation of a "fresh run" salmon of good size, and will 

 pass admirably for a Penobscot salmon. Mr. Brackett 

 says, himself, that he thinks it is the best salmon picture 

 he has ever painted. The coloring, with the iridescence 

 and the spots, make up a featm-e to delight the heart of 

 any salmon angler of less means and success than Mr, 

 Ayer, while the background of river, falls, rocks and mist 

 is true to nature. The pose is easy, showing the magni- 

 tude of the fish to the best advantage. The picture may 

 be on exhibition in Bcfiton for a few days. Special. 



Kough Traveling for Poachers. 



Cortland, N. Y., April IZu— Editor Forest and Stream: 

 The road of the illegal fisherman is getting to be a pretty 

 expensive one to travel, as a number of local statute 

 breakers have just found out. 



Last week Geo. Salisbury paid $100 for illegally catching 

 fish in Otselic River. A. T. Dickinson and son, of VirgU, 

 paid $100 for violating the fish laws. Fred Turner and 

 E. Thompson, of Truxton, paid $28.88 each for a similar 

 offense. For fishing out of season Eugene Smith paid $25 

 fine and $16 cost; Alf Smith and N. Vandenburgh forked 

 over the same amount of fine and costs each, making a 

 total of $133 paid by these three worthies for the fleeting 

 pleasure of slyly casting a line in Norton Brook. M. Dris- 

 coll, for catching suckers in Tioughnioga River parted 

 with $25. John Sager paid $25 for catching trout in Fac- 

 tory Brook. 



It is said that a number of other suspected offenders are 

 so busy watching game inspector E. D. Crosley of this 

 county that they are not getting their meals regularly. 

 It's just this sort of straight up one side and down the 

 other law enforcement business that is yearly increasing 

 the game fish supply of Cortland county. 



Seventy thousand brook trout fry have been recently 

 deposited in neighboring streams. The fish and game 

 club of McGrawville, through its hustling secretary M. C. 

 Bean, got 10,000 of the above nimiber. 



Anglers were early on the move this morning, but as 

 pretty nearly if not all the streams are running full of 

 snow water no big catches are anticipated. M. C. H. 



Effort in a Right Direction. 



Ofbtoe ow the Association, No. 1038 Arch street, Phil- 

 adelphia. — Editor Forest and Stream: The Pennsylvania 

 Fish Protective Associa,tion is aiming at educating the 

 pubhc earnestly to support the present fish laws, which 

 now to a large extent are erroneously interpreted as operat- 

 ing in favor of and solely for the benefit of sportsmen 

 from the larger cities. Such belief greatly wrongs this 

 class of persons, discredits the intelligence of those who 

 framed the laws, ignores the hard work faithfully and 

 gratuitously done in the interests of all inhabitants of our 

 State who ever use fish as food, and nullifies much of the 

 actual result derivable from the outlay and labors of our 

 State and National Fish Commission. Were it not for 

 these laws, the propagation of fish by the State hatcheries 

 and the labors of the fish organizations in behalf of stock- 

 ing streams with various kinds of fish, those who com- 

 plain "they are deprived of their right to catch fish" (at 

 times and by methods most agreeable to them), would 

 have no fish to "catch." 



As an association we are glad to be able to report that 

 angling is becoming popular, because of the increase in 

 game fish that makes it possible, and because persons who 

 once enjoy the j)leasure as anglers of "catching fish in 

 style," become converts in favor of fish protection, having 

 learned there can be more pleasure in catching one on a 

 hook than bushels in a net. M, G. Sellers, Sec'y. 



A Previous Salmon. 



Portland, Ore., April 8. — Editor Forest and. Stream: 

 Mr. J. J. Evans, who lives just above town, awoke about 

 3 o'clock last night to the fact that something unusual 

 was transpiring at his boat, moored to the bank of the 

 Willamette, a few yards from his house. Thinking that 

 possibly some marauder was taking undue liberties with 

 his personal property he dressed quickly and repaired to 

 the river. Imagine his surprise when he found a fine 

 sahnon of about 151bs. weight gasping in the bottom of 

 his boat. It being close season until after sundown to- 

 morrow evening he dumped his lordship back into his 

 native element and retui-ned to the house, not in the hap- 

 piest frame of mind or disposed to congratulate the 

 salmon on this manifestation of his earnest desire to get 

 up higher. Mr. Evans's veracity is unquestionable. 



Tills occurrence remuids me that three or fom- years 

 ago, while the ferry boat w^as crossing the Columbia at 

 Vancouver a large salmon sprang out of the water and 

 upon the boat, where it was captured. There may be 

 nothing unusual about these occurrences, but I think that 

 they indicate that the salmon are either quite plentiful or 

 decidedly energetic^ S. H. Greene. 



Bait-Casting for Bass. « 



Cape Girardeau County, Mo— Editor Forest and 

 Stream: I subscribed for the Forest and Stream a few 

 months ago and have become so much attached to the 

 paper that I feel that I cannot do without it, A number 

 of local sportsmen to whom I have shown copies have 

 expressed a decided preference for it over another journal 

 of field sports which they are now takuig; so you may 

 expect some new subscribers from this vicinity. I have 

 been very much interested in the articles on "bait-cast-, 

 ing" by Mr. Abbott, of Chicago, and I write this letter in 

 order to beg him to give through the columns of Forest 

 AND Stream complete directions for the benefit of those 

 who are unacquainted Avitli that method of fishing. I 

 have just purchased a split-bamboo casting rod and outfit 

 for trolling, but I think bait-casting must be more effective 

 as a means of securing fish, and what is of far greater 

 importance in my estimation, more si)ortamanlike. The 

 fishing season may be said to have opened here last 

 Friday, April 7, when about fifty black bass were caught 

 at one place on White Water. Piscator. 



Bass of Lake Winnipiseogee. 



Nashua, N. H., April ?.— Tliinking perhaps a word 

 about New Hampshire bkick bass might interest you, I 

 inclose a photograph of four specimens I took with an 

 80Z. rod and line off Bear Island, Lake Winnipiseogte, 

 between 10 and 13 o'clock, Aug. 22, 1892; tliese fish weie 

 weighed some three hours after they were killed and d d 

 not vary more than 2oz. from the figures on the cards — 

 41bs., 4|lbs., 51bs, and 6 libs. 



One would suppose a person with that stiing of fish 

 would wear a great big haff-moon smile, but in spite of 

 good luck, a sort of I ate- to- dinner expression will creep 

 over one's countenance after being in a boat from 5:30 

 A. M. to 1 o'clock in the afternoon. 



The aggregate weight of these fish is no unusual catch : 

 in fact a friend and I took 841bs. from these waters be- 

 tween 9 A. M. and 4 P. M., July 27, 1891; but I had never 

 before been fortunate enough to take from northern 

 waters fom- small-mouth bass in succession that would 

 average as large as these. Ira F. Habris, 



