May 18, 1898.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



4 SI 



will have departed by the time they reach the fishing 

 grounds. Two old hands at the sport have already got 

 tired of waiting and started for Rangeley last week. One 

 of them was in full belief that the ice would be out by 

 Friday, the day he would arrive. At last accounts he wfis 

 "up there waiting." A Mr. Hunnewell, a gentleman who 

 has fished Moosehead early for several seasons, started for 

 that point on Saturday. Some of his friends laughed at 

 him, and suggested that the ice was not out. He rephed 

 that he was aware of that, but that the ice could not last 

 more than a day or two longer, a,nd that the next day he 

 "should be sailing up Moosehead." 



The Foster party, with Mr. A, S. Foster, mentioned 

 above, at the head, ^\all not visit the Rangeleys as a party 

 this season. This party has visited Mooselucmaguntic for 

 so many years in succession that it has become one of the 

 best and most favorably known in that region, and it will 

 be greatly missed. Mr. Foster, with Mr. J. F. Henry, 

 another veteran of the party, and Mr. James Reed, of 

 WiUimantic, Conn , will go to Kennebago about the oth of 

 June. After fishing at Kennebago for a few days they 

 will follow the upper waters of that section, and fish 

 through the streams to Seven Ponds. It is possible that 

 one or two other friends may accompany them. The 

 sickness of Mr. Field casts something of a damper over 

 the enthusiasm of the others of the Foster party. 



The Governor Russell party is not likely to be just the 

 same as usual this year, thoiigh doubtless the Governor, 

 with Mr. Jolm E. Thayer, Mr. J. Otis Wetherbee, Mr. 

 Herbert Leeds and Senator John Simpkins will visit the 

 New Oxford Club camps at B. Pond, and also Mr. Bayard 

 Thayer's beautiful Birch Lodge, at the head of Richardson 

 Lake. But Mr. Bayard Thayer himself is at present in 

 Japan. 



Mr. N. T. Thayer, who has visited the Maine fishing 

 lakes with Mrs. Thayer for many seasons in succession, 

 will not be on hand this year. They will fish in Canadian 

 waters. But [Mr. J. W. Hobart, Mrs. Thayer's father, who 

 has visited the Rangeleys for about as many years as any 

 sportsman on the list, is having his rods fixed, and, with 

 his friend, Mr. Reed, will doubtless again be welcomed 

 at the Rangeleys. 



Mr. C. Z. Basset, of Appleton & Bassett, with his old- 

 time friend, Mr. G. N. Smally, will go to the Rangeleys 

 as usual. They expect to again take 4Ubs. trout on the 

 fly in the middle of Cupsuptic Lake in May. They did 

 this last year and greatly surprised all the other fisher- 

 men. They also hope to have Mr. W. C. Thairlwall and 

 Dr. S. W. Langmaid accompany them. These four gen- 

 tlemen are old-time gunning friends, and Messrs. Basset 

 and Smally desire to initiate the other gentlemen into the 

 mysteries of trout fishing at the Rangeleys. 



Mr. R. W. Reece, steward of the Megantic Club, started 

 for the club's preserve on Monday to prepare for the sea- 

 son. He has charge of the tables and the providing there. 

 He does not expect to find the ice out of the lakes, but 

 there is work enough at hand. 



Mr. Henry Thatcher, of Hyanis, sent up a very hand- 

 some trout j weighing 3Ubs., to Mr. L. Da,na Chapman, 

 last week. It would have been displayed in Dame, Stod- 

 dard & Kendall's window as a beautiful specimen of the 

 brook trout of the Cape, only it arrived a little too late, or 

 rather Mr. Chapman had scarcely got back from his land- 

 locked salmon fishing. 



Governor Russell has made another trip to Sandwich 

 for trout fishing. He was at Sagamore on Friday, the 

 guest of John P. Knowlton, with his friends Col. Wheel- 

 wi-ight and A. H. Wood. They were to try the streams 

 on Satm-day and return to Boston in the evening. A 

 couple more Rangeley fishermen have got impatient for 

 the ice to leave. They could wait no longer, and left Bos- 

 ton on Tuesda}^, hoping that the ice might be out on their 

 arrival. They are Mr. W. H. Fox and Mr. Loude of New 

 York. Ml'. Fox has fished at the Rangeleys for several 

 seasons, usually in the ooropany of Mr. G. W. M. Guild. 

 But Mr. Guild wiU scarcely visit his old fishing grounds 

 this year, for the reason that he is interested in the Mac- 

 adavie Club, in New Brunswick, and will visit the new 

 fishing grounds of that club. Mr. Guild has a record of a 

 lOlbs. trout in the narrows of Richardson Lake some years 

 since. But he hopes for better fishing in New Brunswick. 

 The above mentioned club (I am not certain about the 

 Spelling of the name) has several lakes and ponds under 

 control, with prospects of a salmon river, if the salmon 

 continue to run further and further up as they have been 

 doing for two or three years past. Special. 



liewistown Reservoir Bass. 



HuNTSViLLE, O.— Editor Forest and Stream: Refer- 

 ring to Mr, Magill and his inqiury as to bass larger than 

 71bs. let me say that I do not know anything about those 

 in the St. Mary's reservoir, but many of my customers (I 

 drive a hack from the Lewistown reservoir) have had no 

 trouble getting larger bass in the Lewistown ^eser^'oir. 

 Mr. M. E. Archer here will qualify to having caught one 

 71bs. 14oz. Frank Sanders, Lakeview, 0., in company 

 with a friend, in less than an hour and less than an acre 

 of water caught four that tipped the beam at quite 28lbs. 

 Lot Ireland, Columbus, and Wm. T. McLain, secretary 

 Board of Public Works, Columbus, 0., will testify to an 

 81bs. bass each. H. Yormg and John Bush, Sydney, O. , 

 will do likewise. Mr. Bush has his stiifted and it is still 

 on exhibition in his store window. J. W. Hague, 96 

 Diamond street, Pittsburgh, Pa., secured one 61bs., one 

 6ilbs. and sent a 7ilbs. one to C. B. Martin, Big Four 

 ofiices, Cincinnati, O. Judge Ivor Hughes, Columbus, 

 O., wiU go them aU one better and be only too glad of an 

 opportunity ta testify enthusiastically to the securing of 

 an 81bs. 3oz. bass for' the finish of his sti-ing and the day. 



By the way, it would make excellent reading if you 

 could secure the Judge's account of this catch. I befieve 

 the rest of the string contained several 7s, a half dozen 

 4^8 and three 4s. But probably the heaviest string was 

 that of Mr. Wm. Pratchett. of Ne%v York, now of Day- 

 ton, O., whose twenty-five had a combined weight of and 

 as he will tell it to you, "a trifle over lOOlbs," 



Dick Floyd. 



Death from a Pickerel Bite. 



The Kansas City Journal of May 4 recorded the death 

 of Mr. T, Ed. Campbell, county clerk of Buchanan 

 county, Mo. , resulting from a bite on a finger by a pick- 

 erel. Mr. Campbell was removing the fish from his hook 

 while fishing at the Big Stone Lake, Iowa, about eight 

 months ago. All eft'orts to counteract the poisonous 

 effects of the fish's bite proved inefl'ective. 



BOOKS IN RUNNING BROOKS. 



The balmy zephyrs of spring breathe o'er the land and 

 bud and blossom are responsive. The humming-bu'd and 

 butterfly disturb the trellis and dislodge the gem from tlie 

 petal of the morning glory, its mirrored rainbows dashed 

 to eai'th and lost to human ken. Destroyed it is not, but 

 unheard and unobserved it joins its fellows and leaves its 

 birth-place on the summit in laughing ripples and wind- 

 ing rivulets and sings ever onward, onward until lost in 

 the ocean beyond. 



Obstacles and rebuffs are encountered only to be sur- 

 mounted and overcome, and growing broader, deeper and 

 more sparkling as it journeys, it flashes back the rays of 

 the morning sun, and the schoolboy tarries by its side to 

 gather glistening pebbles. Bobolink and daffodil taste its 

 sweets, and fragrant fern and pungent mint give it wel- 

 come embrace. The timid hare in the copse shrinks 

 from its mirrored form, and modest violets are hidden by 

 mossy stones where the silver thread of our idyllic brook 

 meanders through fertile field and luxuriant meadow. 



The freshness and loveliness of eaiiy life abounds, and 

 kindly nature offers tribute of foliage, bud and blossom as 

 if fuUy in touch and appreciative of the enchantmg sea- 

 son. The miniature cascades grow in volume, pools deepen, 

 and the current cuts away the bank by the bend. Here 

 Piscator comes in early spring and drops his tempting 

 lure, and the voracious trout impaled upon the cruel steel 

 no longer dwells in his crystal home. Piscator's discern- 

 ing eye sees new beauty in the renewed landscape; his ear 

 attaned to the symphonies of hf e, is gladdened by the love 

 notes of his feathered companions, and the undying melody 

 of the rippling brook; his system thrills with exrfltation 

 as he contemplates the beauteous scene while he journeys 

 down the brook, adding to the contents of his creel, which 

 to him is the minor and less valued part. 



The sun is at zenith a,nd he betakes himself to the well 

 known spreading elm to eat his noonday lunch. 'Tis an 

 ideal 



"Lover's trysting place, 

 And brooding o'er it does the (un)wlse man sit, 

 Letting life's joys go by." 



Not so Piscator— to him each varied scene in the kaleido- 

 scopic panorama is instinct with pleasm-e and added joy. 

 Crimibs from his lunch are shared with a pair of robins 

 that have been industriously at work putting the finishing 

 touches to their new home in an adjoining ti'ee, and a 

 brown thru.sh ilits from stem to stem in the bushy imder- 

 growth, not daring to venture into the presence of man. 

 He is fatigued by the imusual tramp, and with crossed legs 

 and rod and reel by his side he leans back against the 

 tree for a little rest and qmet enjoyment, but the mind 

 cannot be disciplined like the body and it refuses to suspend 

 its functions. Without mental effort he sees in his morn- 

 ing's experience an epitome of Ufe itself — beginnings 

 the most humble and helpless, children multiplying and 

 adding strength to the family name and household even 

 as the rivulets to the brook; obstacles and hindrances in 

 the way to be overcome and surmounted; life's pathway 

 now turbulent and precipitous and anon without agitation 

 or ripple; now with bud and blossom to cheer and please 

 and again encountering the boulders and thorns of op- 

 position and difiiculty; now in sunshine and calm and 

 again with darkening cloud and forked lightning as if 

 to cast down, ci-usli and annihilate; now moving along in 

 qtuetness and alone, even as Piscator himself; now pro- 

 lific and useful and now seeming barren and useless; now 

 turning the wheels of industry mid the noise, grime and 

 turmoil in centers of population, and anon bearing the 

 burdens of commerce out to and losing itself in the 

 boundless ocean, even as does restless and resistless time 

 transport the human family out upon the measureless 

 ocean of eternity. 



The hour of noon had grown to unusual length before 

 our gentle fisherman resimaed his pleasant tramp. Not 

 without success did he tempt the wary trout, and the 

 shadows of evening f oimd him in happy mood but with 

 an unfilled creel. Before returning home his steps sought 

 the house of a convalescent friend who shared more than 

 half its contents, and who rejoiced and gave thanks that he 

 numbered the unselfish fisherman among his friends. 



Geo. McAleee. 



Worcester, Mass^ 



Lewistown Reservoir. 



HUNTSVILLE, O. — The recent breaking of the waste 

 weir at the Lewistown Reservoir did not cause the disaster 

 anticipated by the daily papers. The water simply spread 

 out like a thin veil over the filled channels of the immense 

 area of flat and already inundated country. Thus agree- 

 ably j)asses away one of the bugaboos of this country, and 

 the" reservoir may break again, as it wiU, and no one will 

 be disturbed thereby. 



PiscatoriaUy there wiU be no change except perhaps for 

 the best as the thousand and one watchers at the gateway 

 of the raging flood were electrified by seeing hundreds 

 and hundreds of all qualities and kinds of fish come up 

 from the lower waters and make their way in the face of 

 this raging torrent up into the reservoir. Thus, instead 

 of any going out with the waters, more got up into the 

 reservoir by this means than ever had a chance to before. 



The waste weir being on naturally high ground, the 

 break lowered the waters about as visitors find it here in 

 the fall, and may not be quite so low, as the natural lakes 

 with which the waters abound, notably Otter, Bear, In- 

 dian, are not yet distinguishable from the main body. 



W. E. Clarke. 



Tacoma Trout. 



Tacoma, Wash. , May 4. — A local item reports that G. 

 W. Fife and George J. Brechter have earned an enviable 

 reputation as successful anglers for brook trout. All the 

 spare time they have they devote to the rod along the 

 numerous brooks and streams in the immediate vicinity 

 of Tacoma. On Friday they returned from a day's fish- 

 ing on Chambers's Creek, having together a string of 42 

 trout that fairly ghstened with speckled spots. One trout 

 weighed SJlbs., and 8 of them tipped the scales at 19lbs. 

 These anglers have the reputation of making the largest 

 catches of the year. Chambers's Creek is 8 miles by elec- 

 tric car; fare for round trip, 30 cents. J. A. B. 



Forest and Stream's 



Fishing Postals. 



"DROP US A LINE" ON A POSTAL CARD. 



Fishing News, Place to Catch Fish, Fish Caught, 

 Fishing Incidents. 



Charlesto-vvn, N. H., May 13.— No trout fishing here 

 yet. Tried a small spring brook near the viUage Thurs- 

 day and caught 4, of which 3 had to be thrown back to 

 grow. Brook full and water very cold, just right for 

 drinking, but not for angling. Thermometer at 100 in 

 the sun, and half a mile along the meadow was all I 

 wanted. Yon W. 



AsBtiRY Park, N. J., May 13. — Fishing at this point is 

 yet very slow, nothing worthy the angler's attention save 

 pickerel. Report reached me yesterday of the capture of 

 3 striped bass in the surf, but I have been unable to verify 

 the same or get the weights. The pounds are catching 

 considerable numbers of weakfish and kingfish, this being 

 unusually early, so our season promises good sport, as our 

 rivers and Bamegat Bay have been cleared of pounds, 

 weirs and fykes. L. H. 



Geahamsvillb, Sullivan County, May 13.— Trout are 

 now being caught in the streams of this vicinity. Myron 

 Jaeger caught 70 this afternoon, largest lOin. long. 

 Streams have been swoUen and water too cold heretofore. 

 Prospects for next week good. E, A. C. 



SwiFTWATER, Pa., May 14.— Trout fishing is now in fuU 

 swing here and promises to continue. The high wa,ters 

 following the rain of week before last have subsided, and 

 the fish are greedy for the fly. Over 400 fine fish have 

 been taken in our stream during the past week, and visit- 

 ing sportsmen declare themselves thoroughly satisfied 

 Avith the sport. R. I. 



A South Dakota Record. 



Mitchell, S. D., May 13.— The following is the record 

 of fish caught by two gentlemen who started out for a 

 day's sport up the "Jim " River one day last week : Be- 

 tween 1,300 and 1,300, 900 of which were pickerel ; the 

 rest were bass, buffalo, perch and lesser varieties. Noth- 

 ing was said by them how they were caught or killed. 

 Modern inventions and discoveries are only too readily 

 taken hold of by the unscrupulous for their own base use, 

 and it is a question with me if the injury done is not 

 greater than the benefit conferred. There can hardly be, 

 it would seem, a true sportsman throughout our broad 

 land who would intentionally raise a hand to bar your 

 noble efforts for the salvation of the coursing hare, feath- 

 ered and finny tribes. Much is done thoughtlessly, the 

 perpetrator of many an outrage being innocent of any 

 evil-doing through ignorance. I say ignorance, because 

 one must be enlightened by reading the Forest and 

 Stream, and imderstand why there is such a fine drawn 

 between sporting and butchery. Its editor has much to ac- 

 complish, and doubtlessly has a shght failure of the heart 

 at times. But the good he and such writers as our friend 

 Judge S. H. Greene, of Portland, Ore. , hav^e accomplished 

 here will live after them, and their present efforts will re- 

 dound to their future glorification. H. G. N. 



Tarpon and Other Texas Fish. 



Velasco, Texas, May 13. — Though there has been 

 cooler weather this spring than usual on the Brazoria 

 coast, caused, it is said, by central and north Texas 

 storms, and the Gulf has been rough with v^ery high tides, 

 tarpon are appearing in schools earlier than for many 

 years past and Northern visitors are preparing for a long 

 season of sport with the lordly "silver king." 



The tide water lakes near the mouths of the Brazos 

 and San Bernard rivers, and the fourteen or fifteen hun- 

 dred square mfles of Chocolate, Christmas, Oyster, West, 

 Bastrop and Matagorda bays, are hteraUy swarming with 

 redfish, croakers, sea trout, rockfish, flounders and 

 Spanish mackerel, that are being hooked by wagon loads. 



The Velasco Sporting Club has leased and inclosed 

 several large fresh water lakes near the city, that are 

 from 50 to 80 acres in extent and from 30 to 60ft. deep, 

 and wfll in future systematically protect the black bass 

 and trout therein from dynamiters and seiners, who 

 would, if they had their way, soon destroy these and all 

 other fish in our landlocked waters. Tex. 



Trout in Delaware County. 



Walton, N. Y., May 8. — In answer to yours received, 

 the fishing season has just commenced and in two or 

 three weeks will be at its best. There have not been any 

 very large catches yet. J. G. W. 



Pennsylvania Fish Protective Association. 



Philadelphia, May 13. — The r<^gular monthly meeting 

 of the Pennsylvania Fish Protective Association was held 

 on Satiu-day evening. May 13, at their rooms, 1020 Arch 

 street, Philadelphia. A special committee reported hav- 

 ing forwarded a resolution to the Legislature condemning 

 the provisions of the act authorizing the placing of a dam 

 in the Delaware River below Easton. 



Numerous communications were read from different 

 counties of the State, which were acted upon. The intel- 

 ligence that certain waters were being subjected to pollu- 

 tion, endangering the supply of fish therein, provoked a 

 lengthy consideration, and it was ultimately resolved at 

 once to bring the attention of the Fish Commission to the 

 matter, and render all possible assistance in elTectuaUy 

 suppressing it. M. G. Sellers, Sec'y. 



Colorado Waters. 



Denver, Col., May 13.— State Game Warden and Fish 

 Commissioner CaUicotte has completed arrangements for 

 a new fish hatchery at Durango. It will have a capacity 

 of 1,000,000 fish. Active work has begun and the build- 

 ings will be finished before winter. 



The fishermen are getting out their tackle and putting 

 everything in readiness for the trout season. Fish stories 

 are floating around and the sporting goods stores are 

 making a grand display of fishing paraphernalia. The 

 rivers do not get in good fishing shape until about July 1, 

 as previous to that time they are usuaUy too high for suc- 

 cessful work by the ordinary fisherman, though an expert 

 can generally fill his creel any time after the first of June. 



Teseeby. 



