146 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[AvQ. 19, 181*3. 



CHICAGO AND THE WEST. 



[Fi-om a Staff Cot-respondent.] 

 The Chicago Fly-Casting Club. 



Chicago, 111., Aug. 11. — ^Last Wednesdaj^ afternoon 

 Mr. "Waters ajid myself were trying to get even with the 

 world by taking a cup of coffee at the Guatemala build- 

 ing, on the south shore of the "north pond" of the lagoon 

 a.t the World's Fair. This is just opposite the Walton 

 lodge, and as we sat we could see the members at work 

 in their casting, this being the tenth club contest. It was 

 Waltonian day, but the Waltonian tournament was post- 

 poned. From our position we saw the best of the work 

 done. The first caster, Mr. Isgrigg, we mentioned to 

 each other as being of pretty good form in his work, and 

 we liked his rod, which seemed quick and steelly. Foot 

 by foot his fly crawled out, and we saw it go past the 70ft. 

 float, and we knew, even at our distance, that he had 

 done good work. 



Next we recognized Mr. Babcock at the score, and if he 

 will forgive us, we thought he had a little too much arm 

 push to just suit us, though he seemed to get out some 

 line. Then we recognized also Mr. Goodsell, and we 

 criticised him some, and thought his rod was too slow in 

 its action, and allowed he couldn't cast a little bit. 



Then we went over to the club house and found that 

 Mr. B. W. GoodseU, who we thought couldn't cast, had 

 won first for distance, retaining the club medal for dis- 

 tance he won last week. Mr. Goodsell cast 75ft., and we 

 foimd the slow rod he was using was a heavy tournament 

 Kosmic, which wasn't particular how far it cast. Mr. 

 Isgrigg had out 75ft. with his rod (the make of which I 

 could not learn), but he failed to recover his line. Mr. 

 Isgrigg, however, won the club medal for accuracy and 

 delicacy, taken last week by Mr. W. H. Babcock. Last 

 week was Mr. Babcock's busy day, for he also won then 

 the medal for accuracy and distance in bait-casting. Mr. 

 W. E. Wilkinson won the latter this time. 



A Congress of Fisheries. 



On the grounds we met Capt. Collins, Chief of Fisheries, 

 who said, in regard to the proposed meeting of anglers 

 and fishermen next month: 



' 'I can now announce definitely the dates of Sept. 19 

 and 20 as established for the Congress of Fisheries. This 

 I have called in the interest of all sorts of legitimate fish- 

 ing, fish protection and fish jiropagation. We hope to 

 have it not only a collection of scientific men, fishcultur- 

 ists, etc., but also a collection of anglers. I hope all 

 clashing interests may be united for that date and this 

 purpose, and trust that harmony and good fellowship will 

 prevail to make the occasion one long to be remembered 

 by all taking part in it. This is a season of congresses of 

 all sorts, and we want to have one right here as good as 

 any. In view of the probable importance of this meeting, 

 the opening tournament of the Chicago Fly-Casting Club 

 wiU be held then." 



Possible Looseness of a Screw 



By the way, Forest and Stream had received no notifi- 

 cation of this club meeting, althougli its representative is 

 a duly paid up member of the club. My friend, Mr. 

 Davidson, the secretary, however, tells me the notice was 

 mailed, and I believe him. 



There was a toui-nament committee meeting last week, 

 however, of which Forest and Stream of course received 

 no notice. That would be asking too much courtesy. In 

 regard to some of these things I am inclined to think there 

 may be a screw loose. Let us see. 



Last week's committee meeting was called by the 

 president. The president had no notice sent Forest and 

 Stream or its representative, though the latter is a regu- 

 lar paid member. All members were excluded. It was 

 a star session meeting. But it leaked. 



The president is Mr, Strell. Mr. StreU is employed on 

 a Chicago sporting paper. That paper goes to press 

 Tuesdays, By calhng meetings for Monday evening or 

 Tuesday before evening the president, in his capacity as 

 employe of the Chicago paper, coidd (if Forest and 

 Stream had no more resources than the Chicago paper 

 has) either come out a week ahead of Forest and Stream 

 with each club report or cause the latter and better paper 

 a little trouble. The records of the club will show that 

 the president, in his capacity as employe of the Chicago 

 paper, has always caUed his meetings with one eye on 

 Forest and Stream's publication day. In other words, 

 he has constantly used an ofiicial position for busiaess 

 purposes. In journalism this is considered unpro- 

 fessional. I do not know of any other paper which would 

 do that. I do not now happen to have among my friends 

 a newspaper man who would do tliat. It is out of form. 



Couldn't Beat Her. 

 But beat Forest and Stream? Oh, no, not in a thous- 

 and yeai-s. Not even by a specially guarded star chamber 

 session. 



Forest and Stream, neither East nor West, can be or 

 will be beaten on any matter of news it wants to get. 

 There is no concern about that. It takes newspaper work 

 to do that. You can't beat her. But that isn't it. 



Can Beat the Club, 



You can't beat Forest and Stream, but you can hurt 

 the Chicago Fly-Castmg Club, You can hurt it, damage 

 it, practically destroy it, make it a by-word and a term 

 of scorn among gentlemen. This can be done easily. It 

 can be done by conduct such as the above by any one of 

 its oflicers. It can be done by prostituting the ioterests 

 of the club to individual interests. 



Now, I have the story of this last committee meeting, 

 which belonged of right not only to me, but to each and 

 every member of the club. It would only harm the club 

 to publish it verbatim. I would rather not revert to it at 

 all, but fear I must. In brief, the president, for what 

 reason I do not learn and cannot imagine, took occasion 

 to state, from his position in the chair (though whether 

 ia his capacity as club ofiicer or paper employe I cannot 

 say), that he "did not wish to be compared ia any way to 

 the Forest and Stream representative; there was no 

 comparison; he did not compare himself in any way with 

 the Forest and Streajm representative." 



Thanks. But now, after all, when one calmly thinks 

 the thing over, isn't that one of the things one would 

 rather have left unsaid? For the sake of the club, isn't 

 that one of the things far better left unsaid? Even if it 

 had been the case — which it never was— that the Forest 

 AND Stream had ever begun the odious game of compari- 



sons personal, would it not have been far better, for the 

 club's sake, to leave such boyish foolishness rmsaid, 

 whether in regard to this member or any other member, 

 whether at a star chamber or any other session? Would 

 it not have been better, if the president in his personal 

 capacity felt that he could not lick the Forest and Stream 

 man in a news way or any other way, to wait till the 

 latter came under the window, and then pour water on 

 him, or call him real mean? 



Forest and Stream will not scrabble in the dirt for 

 pennies with any one. It will get what news it wants to 

 get, and cut out news it does not think useful for its 

 purposes. It will be always a newspaper more than able 

 to hold its own, but it will be a newspaper conducted in a 

 gentlemanly way. If I should set about it, I could, per- 

 haps, in my journalistic capacity, say as unkind and 

 harsh things as the president of the Chicago Fly-Casting 

 Clvib did in his presidentio-journalistic way. But I do 

 not think it right to do so. One of the worst results of 

 that would be still further damage to the best interests of 

 the Chicago Fly-Casting Club, an organization which, 

 while its late mistakes and misfoi'tunes have been numer- 

 ous enough, is still a body potential for usefulness in a 

 worthy line of sport. The club numbers- over fifty mem- 

 bers. Perhaps among these a wider interest could be 

 created if a. wider and less jealous disposition were shown 

 on the part of a few. This club, in common with all 

 other sportsmen's clubs in this day of dignity and worth 

 in sport, owes to itself a dignified purpose and a living up 

 to it. It owes to itself dignified and parhamentary meet- 

 ings, not egotistic and wholly unparliamentary ramblings 

 from the chair. It owes itself a dignified and hearty 

 comradery, not bickerings and jealousies, at its field 

 meets. It owes to itself the keeping of every promise it 

 makes. First of all, it should make to itself the promise 

 of generous and chivalrous fellowship, indoors or out of 

 doors, ia competition or out of competition. The woiid is 

 old, and will grow older. It is not all on our shoulders. 

 Let the other fellow live — especially if he's going to do it 

 anyhoM^. 



That's the way to make a good club, a club whose news 

 the public will like to read. 



What They Read. 



Meantime, the members of the club, and everybody else 

 who wants the angling news, here and all over the cotin- 

 try, and also the literature of the kindly sport treated in 

 an intelligent and modern way, continue to read Forest 

 AND Stream, which has set its standard high, and which 

 keeps the promises it has made itself. 



Forest and Stream has a larger circulation in Chicago 

 than any sporting paper published. It is more quoted. It 

 is more read. It is more respected. It is more believed. 

 "Along the Line." 



Aug. 1£.—The Wisconsin Central Eailway has this sea- 

 son issued a neat and useful angling hand book, which it 

 calls "Along the Line." The information is brief, but is 

 based on actual knowledge of the spots named. AH the 

 old favorites of the Fox Lake system are named, and then 

 the scene shifts to the far North and the pine woods coun- 

 try. The hardly known chain of lakes near Fifield are 

 mentioned. To read the little book makes one a bit un- 

 easy for a fish. It is thought to be more reliable than the 

 ordinary railway flamer. 



Low Waters. 



The Illinois, Kankakee, Fox and other rivers hereabout 

 are at exceptionally low stage of water. Fishing has, 

 however, been good of late. Mr. E. B. Organ took seven- 

 teen fine bass on the Kankakee last Saturday, near Mak- 

 saw-ba club. The small-mouths are just beginning their 

 campaign in Fox Eiver district, so says our friend Mr. 

 Kenyon, lately back from a week's trip, E. Hough. 

 90D Secdbitt Building, Chicago. 



MICHIGAN, MY MICHIGAN.— III. 



"Birds of Michigan." 



Lansing, Aug. 1,— Prof. Cook, of the Michigan Agricul- 

 tural College, has just published a most excellent little 

 book entitled "The Birds of Michigan." The book is well 

 worth a place in the library of any of our bird-loving 

 people. It is the only work that has been published for 

 many years upon this subject that especially interests 

 Michigan ornithologists. 



The bird fauna of Michigan seems to be constantly 

 changing, and it requires close application and abundant 

 opportunity for the study of bii'd life to keep fairly well 

 posted upon the subject. Prof. Cook has been an enthu- 

 siastic student of ornithology for many years. He is a 

 lifelong resident of our State, has been a close and accu- 

 rate observer of bird life since boyhood, and in his work 

 at the State college has probably had better opportunities 

 for the study and investigation of our birds than any otlier 

 ornithologist in Michigan. The book is published as Bul- 

 letin No. 94 of the Michigan Agricultural College, and is 

 creditable alike to its able author and to the State. As I 

 understand it, the book is not for sale; but a few copies 

 have been published, and they are intended for purely 

 scientific work. It is to be hoped that Prof. Cook may 

 see his way clearly to publish an edition that will be 

 placed on sale. Such a work is of great value and the 

 demand for it would be large. 



At Niagara River. 



Mr. A. H. Whitehead has just returned from a fishing 

 tour to the mouth of Niagara Eiver. His fishing partner 

 was Mr. Charles Clark, of Buft'alo, N. Y. Mr. Clark often 

 visits Lansing and when he is here the feasting and fes- 

 tivities at the Whitehead cottage, at Pine Lake, are some- 

 thing to be long remembered. The two lone fishermen 

 first caught their minnows, or chubs, in the rapids in the 

 river above the falls, and they claim that the minnow 

 fishing is the most exciting part of the entire business. 

 The water runs so swift that it is all one's life is worth to 

 anchor the boat in the stream and fish for minnows. The 

 smalL-mouth bass were plenty and bit well. They are 

 more gamy than our Michigan smaU-mouth and fight the 

 battle to the end. Lake trout of five to ten pounds weight 

 would now and then jump out of water near the boat, but 

 they refused to take the bait. The smaU-mouth bass were 

 taken in forty or fifty feet of water, and when they took 

 the bait they started for the surface and would often turn 

 a summersault in the air before striking the water again. 

 The two, fishing from the same boat, caught twenty-three 

 smaU-mouth bass Monday evening. Ducks, locally known 

 as cowiaes, were jjlenty on the river. The ducks seemed 



to be well contented and at home, and quite tame, Mr. 

 ' Whitehead shot a cormorant, or water tm-key, at Pine 

 Lake this spring. 



Fishing with Floats. 



I Pap Fillmore had it put to him rather strong that his 

 fishing Avith tin can floats was a direct violation of the 



j Michigan fish law. Pap don't like to be known as a law- 

 breaking fisherman, so he called upon Attorney-General 

 Ellis for authority in the matter. The attorney-general 

 has had occasion to look up the law very carefully, and 

 he gives it as his opinion, that there is no law that pro- 

 hibits fishing with fioats or bobs, in any of the waters of 

 Michigan. Tlie last act of the fish law of this State, in 

 no way applies to fishing with floats or bobs, which are 

 not in any way connected as set lines. The attorney-gen- 

 eral has published an opinion upon this point, in the case 

 of Major Winans, who was arrested for fishing through 

 the ice with bobs, in a small lake in Livingston county, 

 and that method of fishing was held to be strictly legal. 

 Game Warden Hampton is an attorney, and according 

 to his views of the fish law, the fishing with any line 

 fastened, or set, or tied, and not constantly held in the 

 hand, whether attached to a rod fastened to a boat, or 

 stuck in the mud, or fastened between stones on the banks 

 of a stream, would be legally understood to be set lines. 

 It was decided that the game Avarden was not correct, 

 and Major Winans was declared not guilty. A set line 

 as the Jaw intends, is a line with a number of baited 

 hooks attachtd, and the fine then placed in the water 

 and fastened at each end, and intended to be left in the 

 water for some length of time and not requiring the im- 

 mediate attention of the fisherman. It was held that to 

 fish with a tin can, or a bottle, or coi-k, or with any other 

 floating substance, whether fastened to a line or left to 

 float in the water by itself, was not a violation of the 

 law. With the attorney-general as his backer. Pap Fill- 

 more feels that his case is fully vindicated, and that he is 

 not liable to be arrested as a law-breaker, for fishing 

 with tin can floats. Julian. 



SOME MICHIGAN FISHING. 



Bass fishing around Lansing just at present is like a 

 faded flower; and he is a lucky man who can catch a 

 string of the beauties. Pine Lake, where such large 

 catches were made during April and May, has yielded 

 very few up to date, but they are biting a Uttle freer at 

 present than the past eight weeks; and in two or three 

 weeks, bass fishing will be good again. 



At Grand Ledge, fly-fishing for bass is all the go, and 

 there large strings are caught thus in that manner. 



Pefhaps the most lucky among them is Geo. Coryell, 

 who may be seen any day with rod and flies whii^pingthe 

 river below the Seven Islands; it is t-aid by those who 

 know him that he would rather fish than eat; it certainly 

 looks that way. 



There are fishermen who fish in reality and others who 

 fish at home. Lansing has one of these in the shape of a 

 doctor, who, by the way, has everything a sportsman 

 wants, and who is as fond of talking and showing his 

 tackle and guns as one who spends his time in camping. 

 He is a great lover of all kinds of outdoor sports and 

 never tires of talking about them; he reads all the papi rs 

 that treat of sporting life, and Forest and Stream is his 

 favorite. A camp that could have the doctor as one of 

 the party would never be lonesome, for he is one of the 

 jolUest of the jolly, 



Mr. B. Sumner and the writer have made several trips 

 in a folding canvas boat from this city to Grand Ledge, 

 which by water is about twenty-five miles; and success on 

 the road was very good , but as the water is rather low, 

 there wfll be no more tvips until fall, wlien the river will 

 have risen so as to allow the boat to float without taking 

 off the canvas from the ribs. There is no fun in carrying 

 a boat fifteen out of twenty-five miles, even if it does fold 

 up. 



Many Lansing people are camping at the World's. 

 Fair or at Park and Pine lakes; many others who would 

 like to, cannot, for then." cash is camping in banks which 

 have closed their doors to the public. 



Pike (or as known here, pickerel) fisliing is very good; 

 and it is the only fish that is fit to eat caught in Grand 

 Eiver around Lansing, for now the bass are grubby. 

 Since aU the sewerage from the cities above Lansing and 

 of Lansing empties into the Grand, and the water is 

 filthy, it is a wonder that the people on the river below 

 Lansing are alive, for the filth lies half the length of the 

 dam, is a foot thick in places, and the stench is awful. 

 Whether it is this or the use of bombs to kill fish is not 

 known, but there is any amount of dead fish along the 

 banks above Delta. Jason Nichols says he is going to 

 enforce the law in regard to illegal fishing; and that is 

 just what the sportsmen want done. Monte Christo, 



Salmon in the Connecticut. 



HOLYOKE, Mass., Aug. 13,-1 think the dream of Mr. 

 Charles Hallock, of salmon once more rujining uj) to their 

 old beds on the Connecticut can in a measure be realized, 

 if he will do the writing and you the printing, and help, 

 as you so well know how, with the voice of i'oREST and 

 Stream, It is a fact which seems unknown to the public 

 at large, that there has been a large number of salmon in 

 the pool below the Holyoke dam every summer for several 

 yeai-s. Three years that I know of they have been there. 

 This year they seemed as j)lenty as ever — nice large ones. 

 Now, what is wanted is a way for the fish — not a "fish- 

 way," for we have that now. The Water Power Co, are 

 to buUd a new stone dam here, I think, if a few of the 

 many able writers for the Forest and Stream will ask, 

 and keep on asking, and then ask some more, that we will 

 have a way for the salmon to get to the old bed at Hadley. 

 Once get them over the dam here and all dams above will 

 soon be fixed. I think it worth trying for. Raymond. 



Canadian Salmon Fishing. 



Tadousac, p. Q,, Canada, Aug, 2,— Salmon fishing with 

 me this season has been a failure, all on account of such a 

 heated term such as 1 never experienced ia Canada. 

 Thermometer from 80° to 90 ', temj)erature of water 7;^°, 

 at which point or even much below salmon wiU not take 

 a fly, Walter M. Beackett. 



The. Forest and Stream is put to press each week on Tues 

 day. Coi-resporulcnee intended foi- pvAjlicndon shmld reach 

 un at the latest hy Monday, and as much curlier as xiracticahla 



