Aug. 19, 1893.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



14 B 



much more a greedy mackerel. As Polky, in the voice of 

 Stentor, shouted "hard-a-lee," and the good catboat 

 swung around obediently, each of us three pulled in a big 

 mackerel, in spite of our three lines getting badly tangled. 

 Then the fun begun in earnest. 



Wherever we saw a flock of gulls we gave chase and 

 soon had fifteen rousing good bluefish. Polky was j ubilant. 

 He said, "Boys, I can catch more fish, dire down deeper, 

 stay under water longer and come up muddier than any 

 man in Cape May county." 



"We dined while with sail down, and with cordage 

 mildly creaking drifted on the throbbing, pulsing bosom 

 of the sea, till there seemed a kind of human tenderness 

 in the sympathetic air. It was a day glorious and fresh 

 from the Maker's hand; such a day as the eye of faith first 

 saw when the poet sings: 



"The stars forever singing as tliey shine, 

 The hand that made us is divine." 



Tired of pulling in the mackerel, we turned our boat's 

 prow toward the home of the black bass, off Anglesea, 

 where we found a dozen boats yanking the toothsome sea 

 bass galore. 



It did not take long to fill a barrel with bass, and no 

 good sportsman ever catches more fisli or shoots more 

 game than he can use. Polky was loth to leave. He en- 

 joyed the scene and was wild over our good lunch, for 

 Polky is an emotional animal. With a strong Cuttyhunk 

 line out, with staunch Limerick hook on it, . Polky swore 

 he'd catch a 15ft, shark or the first red drum of the season. 



While idly lounging on the deck admiring the big catch 

 of the day, Schellengers line began to whizz through his 

 fingers like greased lightning. 



"Hold him tight," said Doc. Miller. 



"No, play him for all he's worth," said the poet Dan 

 Dawson. 



But presto, as Polky leaned too far over the rail he fell 

 into the briny deep, in thirty fathom water. 



"Throw me a line," said the scared Polky, "I'll save 

 this fish or drown," and he hung on to his hand line like 

 grim death to a defunct Scipio Africanus. The fish w^as 

 rapidly towing J. K. P. S., who is a good swimmer, off 

 toward the bell-buoy. The sea was full of sharks, but we 

 douljted whether they would bite a tough sinner like 

 Polkyr 



A Swede boy and the writer jumped in the little boat 

 and by hard pulling reached the swimmer in two min- 

 utes, still hanging on to his red drum, which proved to 

 be a sixty-pounder. 



We hauled Polky in by main force. He was dripping 

 like a drowned rat. "I've eaten lots of fish," he ex- 

 claimed, "but I thought these fish would eat me this 

 time." 



All's well that ends well, and five happy and hungi-y 

 fishermen came sailing home, after a jolly day's sport, 

 whUe the harbor bar went moaning. 



James Matlack Scovel. 



ANGLING NOTES. 



Of Interest to Fishculturists. 



A FEW days ago I received a letter from an engineer in 

 Austrian Silesia fi-om which I am led to believe that 

 something of vital interest to fishculture in this country 

 may result. I give an extract from a translation of the 

 letter, and it is quite likely that later I will have more to 

 say about it in detail: "In an Austrian journal was pub- 

 lished by Herr Max von dem Borne, a renowned German 

 pisciculturist, an article entitled 'Results of Artificial Fish- 

 culture in the United States of North America,' in the 

 form of a letter to which your name was signed. * * * 

 The first and most important question to be raised in the 

 artificial culture of all fish is as to the proper food with 

 refexence to theu* kind, stage of growth and the purpose 

 they are to subserve. This question so long unsolved, 

 except in part, by all nations, 1, by following further on 

 in the line of the Frenchman Lugrin, have solved, and 

 have tested the solution as being good, cheap and practi- 

 cally feasible, and I desire to intrust it unreservedly to 

 you' For America, with her extensive inland-water 

 fishculture and her great interest in this subject, which 

 has as yet not been developed to such a point upon the 

 Continent, my method would have a priceless value." 

 M. Lugrin's method, in connection Avith M. du Roveray, 

 as practiced at Gremaz, in the Department of Aix, , in 

 esBtern France, is, in brief, a system of breeding daphnia, 

 Cyclops, fresh- water shrimps, etc., in countless myriads 

 at merely nominal cost. 



Friends. 



I do not know that I am blessed above other men in the 

 number and steadfastness of my friends, but certainly I 

 have a large number of Yevy dear friends and very 

 thoughtful friends. If anything comes to them in rela- 

 tion to fishing or fish that can be conveyed to me, I am 

 quite sure to get it. 



The president of one of our solid insurance companies 

 once met me with the greeting, "I have been keeping 

 something good for you for weeks, It is so good that I 

 was strongly temptc^d to tell it at a public dinner at which 

 I was a speaker, but I have kept it locked up for you." 

 It was a fishing story, and I afterward told it in Forest 

 AND Stream. 



A staid banker in New York city, who looks when in 

 his oflice as though he never heard of such an amusement 

 as fishing, has been known to turn from the contempla- 

 tion of stocks going skyward or downward out of sight, 

 and send me a fishing item about a certain species of fish. 

 He says it relieves the pressure for a time that seems to be 

 driving him mad, and he knows that sucli items are 

 always grist in my mill. These little attentions on the 

 part of my friends are always appreciated, and I speak of 

 the matter more because one of these good friends of mine 

 has just sent me a page of the Christian f7«io>i containing 

 an article by the "Spectator.'' My friend says: "Here is 

 some word painting that will delight your soul and take 

 you on the wings of thou:i:ht away from the heat and 

 worry of town to the balsam-scented woods and the wave- 

 lapped shores of a trout lake." Why is it that we are criti- 

 cal? Why not take what the gods send, and not kick 

 because of one or two false notes? 



Now the "Spectator" has given us a most charming bit of 

 word painting, as my friend says, and I enjoyed it, en- 

 joyed it greatly, and thought that the man who writes so 

 fascinatingly about fishing should at once set about be- 

 coming a fisherman himself, for it is very apparent that 

 he haa it in him to become one. How do I know that 



one who writes so feelingly of angling is not an angler? 

 Because of the earmarks, "One afternoon early in July 

 the 'Spectator' asked leave to accompany a fiy-fisherman 

 on his trip along the shores of an Adirondack lake. Permis- 

 sion was granted, but not till he had been duly warned 

 that those in a fisherman's boat must have patience, and 

 must be skilled in the diflicult art of sitting still. Trout 

 cannot be treated Uke bullheads or chubs." That alone is 

 a confession that the writer is not skilled as an angler, 

 but the following extracts are just as convincing; "We 

 were moving slowly along the shore, and as we went the 

 fisherman threw his long line and catgut leader toward 

 the bank. * * * At regular intervals the long, slen- 

 der fly -pole sawed the air with deliberate and stately 

 motion and the flies fell close to the boulders and into 

 water that lay cool beneath the shade of overhanging 

 branches. Several times the trout rose to the bait and 

 one nearly a foot long was hooked. * * * Finally 

 (the boatman) would reach forward with the landing net 

 and slip it behind the trout with so dexterous and smooth 

 a motion that the shy fish attempted no struggle till all 

 struggles were too late." 



Where the idea originated that the silkworm gut leaders 

 used by anglers were made of catgut I never knew, but I 

 liave seen it so stated on one or two previous occasions. 

 The mere fact that a man called a fly -rod a fly-pole would 

 be to most fly-fishermen conclusive evidence that he who 

 used the term was not a fly-fisherman, and I would not 

 require the further evidence that rising to a fly was 

 called rising to the bait. To be sure a fly is a lure, but in 

 the nomenclature of the fly-fisher a fly is a., fly, simply, 

 and never under any circumstances is it a bait, for in this 

 country we do not practice "dapping," "bibbing," or 

 "daping" with the natural fly, as is done on the other 

 side of the big water. A fly is a counterfeit; a bait, as a 

 rule, is real. If a trout is netted from "behind" it must 

 be netted tail first, and while small trout may be safely 

 netted tail first it is not a practice to be commended, for 

 from habit an angler might try to put a big fish tail first 

 into a landing net and so lose the fish. 



A fish moves forwar.l in its efforts to escape, not back- 

 ward, and many good fish have been lost through trying 

 to net them tail first. When the tail touclies the bottom 

 of the landing net, if the fish has life left, it wfll spring 

 forward, and, aided by the purchase obtained by the tail 

 against the net, the chances for escape are increased. 

 Head down in the net the action of the powerful propeller 

 tail only drives the fish more cert-iinly to its fate My 

 friend who sent me the page from which I have taken 

 the extracts that I have criticised, did not see what I did 

 in the article, for he is not a fly-fisherman, and perhaps it 

 would be as well had I seen nothing to criticise, for the 

 article in its entirety is excellent and written by one who, 

 as "Nessmuk" used to saj'', evidently "loves the blessed 

 woods," and I am sure that he ]-equires only practice to 

 become a fly- fisherman, and then he will say nothing 

 more about "catgut leaders," "fly-poles," "netting trout 

 from behind," and an artidcial fly will not then be a 

 "bait." . A^ N. Cheney. 



NEW HAMPSHIRE FISH AND GAME. 



Manchester, N. H,, Aug. 9.— Editor Forest and 

 Stream: Noticing that your correspondent, A. N. Cheney, 

 stumbled over the words "alleged," used in one of my 

 communications in connection with Lake Sunapee as the 

 home of bass, and Newfound Lake where trout are 

 "said" to abound, I will say to our new friend that in 

 neither instance are the words used in a slurring sense, or 

 to sully the reputation of either sheet of water as fishing 

 grounds. From my personal experience, and from any- 

 thing I had ever seen, I could not refer to them other- 

 wise, whereas if my luck had been like Mr. Cheney's, or 

 the man of whom he speaks as taking forty in a day from 

 Sunapee, or I had ever ssen samples of the above-named 

 fish that had been taken from the waters in question, the 

 words as quoted would not have occurred. Two years ago 

 last month a friend and myself visited Sunapee Lake, 

 stopping at the Forest House, Blodgetta Landing, arriving 

 there Tuesday morning, with the intention of spending 

 the balance of the week bass fishing. We fished tfll dark 

 in a pouring rain the first day, begun again Wednesday, 

 at daybreak, having one of the best of guides, and with 

 the exception of lunch time did not stop a moment till 

 dark, when our catch for the two days amounted to one 

 bass, too small to evade the law, and I presume he is there 

 yet Nothing else troubled our bait, which consisted, in 

 tm*n, of helgramites, shiners, crickets, grasshoppers, angle 

 worms and frogs. Thursday we shook Blodgett's dust 

 from the first boat. My experience at Newfound is 

 practically the same, without the one small fish, A friend 

 of mine in the city spent eigiit days constant fishing at the 

 latter place, at the opening of the trout season, without a 

 sti-ike. Yet I have no doubt the two places are good 

 grounds for the kinds of fisli with which they have been 

 stocked, that pleasing results can usually be obtained at 

 any of them, and good sport also, but that they are as 

 good as theu' most interested friends claim them to be, 

 unfortunately ray limited experience, and that of my 

 acquaintances, has not prepared me to affirm, hence I 

 spoke of them in my letter as I knew them. 



Fish and Game Commissioners W, H, Shurtleff, W. H. 

 Griflm and Nathaniel Wentworth visited this city the 4th 

 inst. to make arrangements toward forwarding the new 

 fish hatchery, the production from which is to be used 

 for the benefit of this county, and is expected to reach a 

 million or more young trout each year. The preserve is 

 to be located on Hon. Perry H, Dow's place, has an excel- 

 lent water supply for the purpose, and brook trout fisher- 

 men are looking for happy results from this new enter- 

 prise by the State in the near future. They promise to 

 produce from six to eight million fish per year for distri- 

 bution in the brooks of the entire State. Another thing 

 the Commissioners propose to do, quoting from Colonel 

 Shurtleff. " is to colonize some game birds here. Ruffed 

 grouse are becoming very scarce, as some msect is de- 

 stroying them. We are going to secure a few Chinese 

 gi-ouse, and put them where we can watch them. They 

 are a beautiful bird, larger than a prairie chicken, and 

 are extremely gamy. They are secured from Oregon, and 

 thrive finely on the Pacific coast, and I don't see why 

 they shouldn't here." 



Reports from all parts of the State indicate that game 

 birds and gray squirrels are imosuaUy plentiful, thus as- 

 sm-ing the gunner plenty of spore dicer September 1, 

 when most sportsmen wui gladl/ lay aside rods and take 

 up their guns, which have Deen qoiecly resting in hot at- 

 tics or dai'k and remote closets, remove the rust prevent- 



ive, and limber them up ready for use. The fishing sea- 

 son, heartily welcome as it is, furnishes intense enjoy- 

 ment, and filling in for sportsmen a segment in the circle 

 of the year which, without it, would be an entire blank 

 in their line, can never be more than a weak substitue for 

 the pursuit of game. The two branches of sport compare 

 very much as a beggar and landlord do. If by using aU 

 the' coaxing, bait, allurements, etc., at your command 

 the fish chooses to become your prey, it is your good luck, 

 while on the other hand he may as easily, and often more 

 likely will turn up his nose and bid you and your entice- 

 ments " good day," which is luck of another character. 

 Whereas, after September 1, ff with gun in hand you get 

 your eye on a choice piece of game and it does not come 

 to your call when properly extended, you have only your- 

 self to blame, unless you can shoulder the failure off, as it 

 is sometimes a relief to do, on to your innocent gun or its 

 fll-prepared contents, which in either case is productive 

 of more satisfaction than is experienced in seeing a nice 

 fish swim away with a look of disdain in his eye. The 

 all-round sportsman who does not very much prefer gun 

 to rod, I think, is a rarity. 



I have often wondered why it is that in visiting an un- 

 familiar pond, lake, etc., whoever is guiding or directing 

 you, from whatever point of the compass you approach, 

 the good fishing grounds are on the opposite side, neces- 

 sitating a long puU in a boat, and the boat, my experi- 

 ence dictates, my memory suggests, is not always bmltlike 

 a duck, as though intended for use on the water, but more 

 like a dump-cart; sits on the water like a washtub, keeps 

 its course as easfly, is just about as sensible a thing to 

 puU, and usually has a porous bottom. This seems to be 

 the inexplicable fate at times of some fishermen, but being 

 an uncomplaining class such things all pass for sport. 



W. C. Hubbell hooked a 14lbs, female landlocked 

 salmon at Lake Sunapee the 4th inst. Said to be the 

 largest female salmon ever taken there. Sylvanus In- 

 galls assisted in landing it. George Woodward a short 

 time previous took two of the same species weighing 81bs. 

 and lOlbs. respectively. 



Dr. George H. Fowler, of Bristol, is still at his old 

 tricks. In five days at Newfound Lake last week he cap- 

 tured five trout, one each day, the two largest weighing 

 loUhs. and 201bs. The latter went to Boston friends. 

 The man has not yet appeared who can touch the Doctor's 

 success on Newfound, His position is secure at the head. 



I wish to doff my hat to "Von W.," of Chaiiestown, 

 for his kind hints and criticism on Sunapee salmon and 

 bass. Payson. 



ESCAPE AND CAPTURE. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



A late article m your paper entitled "Escape and Cap- 

 ture" puts me in mind of a rather remarkable experience 

 I had this summer. 



AVhile fishing on the waters of the Culasagee River, in 

 Macon county, N. C, durmg a blinding rain storm' I 

 made a cast close under a fall and hooked what promised 

 to be a very fine fish. The pool at the foot of the fall was 

 about 40yds. long, but was partially divided into two, 

 near the foot, by a ridge of rock that came within 6iu. 

 of the surface. The volume of water passing over the 

 falls made a very strong current the whole length of the 

 pool, and the very narrow ledge of rock, close up under 

 the falls, from which I struck my fish, made it a very 

 difficult matter for me to handle him to my notion. After 

 a very tierce fight, in which my mam object was to keep 

 the fish from getting over the ridge that divided the 

 pool, 1 found tltat the strength of the water added to 

 that of the trout was too much for my fight tackle, and I 

 was forced to aUow him to cross the bar. During the 

 fight he had leaped cleai' of the water two or three times 

 when I discovered that he was hooked on my top or 

 "bob" fiy, which I knew to be a brown hackle that had 

 done a good deal of service and could not be relied upon; 

 Just as I expected, as soon as he got over the ridge he 

 made a dive for the bottom, when the sudden slackening 

 of the line told me the sad truth that he was gone. It is 

 useless for me to tell fishermen what my thoughts were 

 at that moment. 



I had hardly time, however, to formulate an address to 

 him before a savage tug at my line told me the father 

 of the trout family had taken a notion to sample my flies. 

 It soon became evident to me that I had now hooked no 

 common fi&h, and that if I was successful in capturing 

 him I would have something to brag about round the 

 camp-fire. Now commenced a fight the equal of which I 

 have never experienced in fishing for trout. For about 

 half an horn- he surged back and forward in the depths of 

 the pool, but very strangely never coming to the surface 

 so that I could get a ghmpse of him. By slow degrees I 

 worked my way along the ledge of rock on which I was 

 standing down to the ledge that divided the pool, gaining 

 line inch by inch. At last my labors, aided by my tough 

 little rod, appeared as if they were to be rewarded. 

 Slowly but very reluctantly the fish began to come toward 

 me, and at last a flash of silvery light under the water 

 gave me my first sight of him. With a sweep of the 

 landing net I had him safe. 



But what was my surprise when a glance revealed the 

 fact that, instead of the monster that I had fondly thought 

 him to be, be proved to be a rainbow trout that would not 

 weigh more than If lbs. The mystery was soon explained 

 by my discovery that he was firmly hooked close to the 

 tail, hence the fierce fighting he put up. But surprises 

 were not at an end, for when I looked closer I found from 

 the fresh scar on his mouth that he was the same fish I had 

 lost shortly before. I suppose that when he broke loose, 

 m diving to the bottom, the released line, meeting him 

 with a sudden jerk, had planted the tail-fly in him. Any- 

 how, if I did not get the father of the family, I had 

 had about three-quarters of an horn- of as wild sport as 

 any angler need want. 



This stream was j)lanted with the rainbow trout some 

 5 years ago through the enterprise of Mr. Henry Stewart 

 of Highlands, N. C, and they have thrived so weU that 

 now about 75 per cent, of the fish caught for 10 miles 

 below where tney were planted belong to this breed. 

 Some very fine fish have been caught, weighing as high 

 as S^lbs., and that was two or three years ago. I have 

 noticed, however, that as the rainbows increase in num- 

 bers, the native speckled trout seem to decrease, and I 

 would like to know if the one is destroying the other. 

 Probably some of your correspondents might be able to 

 answer this. 



The fishing has been very fine in western North Caro- 

 lina this summer. W. M. Beown, 



