430 



FOREST ANt) STREAM. 



[Nov. 18. 1893. 



ANGLING NOTES. 



Fish and Food. 

 It is perhaps unfortunate th.tt there are times when | 

 one lacks the courage of his convictions, and this may j 

 be because tiie convictions are diametrically opposite to 

 accepted facts, and to run counter to them only subjects 

 the man of convictions to ridicule; but what are under- 

 stood to be facts are not always facts when the condi- 

 tions from which they arise are changed. But, to a case 

 in point. Some yearsago in a discussion witli an angling 

 friend I contended that fish preyed upon one another 

 only because of a scarcity of other fuod, that it was un- 

 natural for trout to prey upon their own offsprings or 

 their relatives, and that they did so only in self-preserva- 

 tion in the absence of other food, and that this had come 

 to be a habit with some old fish which an abundance of 

 other food than their own kin would correct. My friend 

 contended that trout -were born cannibals and that he 

 could prove it. A lot of trout were placed in an aqua- 

 rium, the fish being in size from fingerlings to about 6oz. 

 in weight, and with them were placed a lot of minnows. 

 Some of the minnows w^ere larg«»r than the smaller 

 trout, but no other food was provided, wliicli I admit 

 was rather rough on the minnows, and not all that I 

 desired as a test of the cannibalistic tendencies of tlie 

 trout. For a time all went well, the minnows gradually 

 disappeared and not a single trout lost its me^s number. 

 Minnows were supplied at intervals as their number 

 grew less and the trout waxed fat. On one occasion 

 only large minnows were left in ihe aquarium, and then 

 one morning one of the little trout was missing, then 

 another, untU more minnows were put in. I saw them 

 put in and saw every trout, big and little, go for them 

 and eat until they were gorged. This, to me, proved that 

 famine had stalked in the tank (come to think of it I do 

 not know as famine could stalk in the water, but it was a 

 shallow tank and I will let her go at "stalked") and the 

 little trout had been eaten only as a last resort to fill 

 empty stomachs. With fresh minnows supplied to the 

 trout they ceased to war on one another, and this state of 

 things continued untU there was a dearth of minnows. 

 As this occurred frequently the trout grew gradually less 

 in num.ber until only two remained, and they were nearly 

 of the same size. One morning one of the two trout was 

 in the tank alone and the other was on the floor outside 

 dead, with marks on its body that show^ed that his 

 brother had tried to eat him. I stuck to my original 

 belief, but I did not air my views, for they were not 

 popular. The experiment itself supported my position, 

 only I could not convince my friend to that way of think- 

 ing, for he argued, food or no food, fish were made to eat 

 each other, and a continued round of Chi-istmas dinners 

 would not change their natures. 



Testimony from Europe. 

 In one of my notes in Fokest and Stream last August 

 I made mention of a letter from a gentleman in Austria, 

 who informed me that he had solved the food question 

 for fish of all ages, by rearing natural food of various 

 kinds by artificial means at slight cost. I continued the 

 correspondence with him, and he gave me something of 

 his method of rearing the f oi-'." , and of the marvelous 

 results obtained from its use. In a paper that I wrote for 

 the Fisheries Congress of the World's Fair I gave an out- 

 line of what Mr. Von Scheidlin had accomplished after 

 forty years of experimenting, but it is too long to rehearse 

 here. This is a quotation from one of his papers: "Abun- 

 dance of food still remains the very soul of all fishcultui-e, 

 with all its issues. A proof of this is that one with suf- 

 ficient food can raise all kinds of fish, large and small, in 

 a pond, without their preying upon one another." This 

 is not guesswork, but the result of actual experiment. 

 He feeds no niammal food, but various kinds of live nat- 

 ural food — insect, Crustacea and amphibia. Of fat- pro- 

 ducing food he feeds three parts to one part of flesh- 

 producing food, and as a result has reared trout that in 

 one year have weighed one to two kilogrammes each or 

 2i to 4f lbs. ! I have for three months been steeping myself 

 in these papers and letters which give this new method 

 of fish rearing, and even yet the results make me gasp, as 

 I read them, and think them little short of the miraculous. 

 I hope later that I may be at liberty to treat the system 

 more in detail in these columns for the benefit of all con- 

 cerned. 



Rearing Trout for Market. 

 A correspondent at Palmer, N. Y., describes a spring 

 that he has, and the facilities for making a trout pond, 

 and asks if it will be profitable to build a pond and stock 

 it with, trout for market. He has a flow of water that 

 will sustain, perhaps, good adult trout, and temperature 

 and other conditions are favorable, but I was obliged to 

 say that the all important food item was lacking. With 

 Mr. Von Scheidlin's system the scheme would be feasible. 

 One of our best known fishculturists told me of his ex- 

 perience rearing trout for market on mammal food. He 

 said he hauled his liver, etc., to the pond in a two-horse 

 wagon, and carried the trout to market in a basket on his 

 arm. 



Salmon in Fresh Water. 

 I believe that it is always in season to discuss what 

 salmon may or may not do about eating in fresh water. 

 There are those wno contend most earnestly that salmon 

 do eat in fresh water, but I think that most of the evi- 

 dence is the other way, Mr. R. B. Marston is out with 

 what he has gleaned upon the subject, and it should have 

 a place in the testimony : "I have for many years past 

 made inquu-ies in all parts of the world where salmon 

 come up out of the sea into the rivers to spawn, viz., in 

 our own coimtry, in Germany, Scandinavia, Newfound- 

 land, Canada, British Columbia and along the Pacific 

 coast of the United States, especially on the Columbia 

 River, * * * My inquiries were tlirected to ascertain 

 if food was ever found in their stomachs after they had 

 been for a few hours in fresh — not brackish — water. The 

 reply was always the same: food was found in salmon 

 caught in estuaries in salt water, but nothing whatever 

 after they had been any time in fresh waters. Of course 

 I know salmon will rush at a bait, for I have caught 

 them with artificial flies, with angels, with phantoms 

 and with prawns, and I know they wiU take a bunch of 

 lob- worms in roily water. My argument is that salmon 

 when in our rivers required good square meals daily, as 

 pike, perch, trout and other fresh-water fish do, they 

 would destroy every living thing, because they are the 

 most active of all fish, and come in such vast armies that 

 the native fresh- water inhabitants could find no escape 



from them. * * * I think that Frank Buckland's 

 theory is correct, viz., that they come into our rivers pro- 

 vided with a rich store of fat on which they can exist for 

 a long time; he thought that the old kelts which are 

 unable to get away to the sea may destroy otiier fish now 

 and then," This is about the position taken by Mr. John 

 Mowat, who has had oo years' experience on the salmon 

 rivers of Canada, and may si'rve as a compr<imi3e between 

 tliose who hold extreme views on this subject of salmon 

 eating or not eating in fresh water. 



Rods. 



A correspondent writes me: "In looking over 'Stod- 

 dard's Adirondacks' I note your chapter on fishing, and 

 am glad to see that you recommend an 8 or lOoz. rod. I 

 use one of lO^oz., split-bamboo, for trout, black bass or 

 other fish, and would like to fight a lUlbs. salmon on it. 

 I have owned it eleven years, and it has won prizes at the 

 tournaments of the National Rod and Reel Associotion, in 

 other hands, and to raise over 80ft. of heavy line from 

 the water is the most severe work that can be put upon a 

 rod. The rod is as good to-day as it ever was. Of course, 

 the whippers have needed replacing, and the rod is sent 

 to the maker every spring to be varnished. Last summer 

 when the black bass would not look at a fly, I hooked a 

 small frog through the rudder post and cast it from side 

 to side of the boat about BOft, until a /Jibs, bass assaulted 

 the frog — my frog, mind you— and I was obliged to de- 

 fend my property and arrest the bass. 



"I never had a liking for those viands which give no 

 exercise to the biceps and allow a man to cast all day 

 with one arm. i^Iy old rod compels a change and has 

 made me ambidextrous in casting; although the left is 

 not so strong as its fellow, yet is capable of giving its 

 dexter brother a short rest." 



It is true that I recommend such a I'od as is mentioned 

 in the letter, saying that with a short tip it would answer 

 for both bait and fly fishing, and I believe it to be good 

 advice for a man who does not care to burden himself 

 with more than one rod, but I do not practice exactly 

 what I preach in this instance, for I have no scruples 

 about being burdened with half a dozen or more rods, 

 and always like a rod to fit the fishing as surely as I like 

 the line to fit the rod. I have two or three bamboo rods 

 weighing between 4^ and 5oz,, and have had good sport 

 with them on occasions, when very possibly heavier rods 

 would not have answered as well, but for fly-fishing for 

 trout or black bass I confine myself as a rule to a rod that 

 happens to weigh 8oz. It is true that I have several of 

 the same weight, but I think that a man becomes attached 

 to one rod -even if he owns a score of rods that are similar. 

 One thing I do not do, and that is to use a fly-rod for 

 bait-fishing, or a bait-rod for fly-fishing; each has its 

 place and I keep ea'-h in its place, A rod should not be 

 judged by weight alone. If the action and balance fit 

 the angler and' he does good work with it easily, let the 

 rod weigh what it will if it is somewhere around the 8oz. 

 notch. A 3oz. rod will kill a big fish if there is plenty of 

 water and no snags; and so a ,22cal, rifle will kill a bear 

 if the bear is securely chained and the cartridges hold out, 

 but a man does not wish to spend his entire summer vaca- 

 tion killing one big fish or one bear. There is an eternal 

 fitness of things even in fishing rods. 



Minnow-Casting Reels. 

 Mr. B. A. Warner, of Granville, N. Y., writes me: "I 

 apply to you for information in regard to reels for bait- 

 casting. Please inform me if any practical working reel 

 has yet been devised which in casting revolves only the 

 spool, leaving the handle loose. I have perfectetl such a 

 reel, and if no other is on the market desii-e to secure a 

 patent on it. You know the advantage of such a reel over 

 the old style, the principal of which is the ease and free- 

 dom with which the spool revolves, and especially the 

 smooth motion with which it may be started on relea'^ing 

 it at the cast, no force being required to overcome the 

 inertia of the handle as in the old-style reels. The hand e 

 engages automatically when grasped to reel in the line, 

 and disengages on the same principle when i-eleased. 1 

 am a constant reader of Forest and Stream and any in- 

 formation given in its columns I shall see." There is such 

 a reel now on the market; in fact, more than one, but I 

 have tried only one, and that is patented by Wm. Mills & 

 Son. Mills devised the reel at the suggestion of the late 

 M. M. Backus, of New York, as I remember the facts, and 

 the model reel was sent to me for trial. This must have 

 been eight or nine years ago, for the reel was patented in 

 1885. The reel did all that was claimed for it, and my 

 only objection to it was that the lever to engage and dis- 

 engage the handle was on the same side with it. It was 

 not H serious objection, but one that I imagine would be 

 difficult to overcome. The reel mentioned by Mr. Warner 

 may differ in its mechanism sufficiently to enable him to 

 patent it, and I judge from what he says that it does differ 

 from any that I have seen. A, N. Cheney. 



Minnow-Casting Reels. 



New York, Nov. 11.— Editor- Forest and Stream: 

 At th<( top of the proof slip you sent me I notice the con- 

 clusion of an answer by Mr. Cheney t j Mr, B. A. Warner, 

 of Granville, N. Y., wiio says he has invented a minnow- 

 casting reel, of which "the handle engages automatically 

 when grasped to reel in the line and disengages on the 

 same principle when released." Mr, Warner asks Mr. 

 Cheney if he knows whether anything of the kind has 

 already been devised. Mr. Warner should examine 

 patent No. 481,143, dated July 1, 1890, to D. Harris for 

 "Fishing Reels," which exactly meets this description. 

 Of course it does not follow that Mr. Warner's method of 

 accompUshing his result may not show a patentable dif- 

 ference from that of Mr. Harris. Henry P. Wells, 



Pickerel of the Tioughnioga. 



Cortland, N, Y., Nov. 2. — The pickerel fishing along 

 the Tioughinoga and East rivers has been a surprise even 

 to the oldest of the local anglers. Everybody has been 

 ' taking pickerel during the last month or two. Bert Hart- 

 ranft and W, A. Baker caught eight large ones one fore- 

 noon recently. Messrs, White, Edwards, Fuller, Hillick 

 and Lockhart have all taken nice catches from the East 

 River and within three miles of Cortland, The largest 

 catch is credited to Edwards, who in one afternoon 

 caught an even dozen ranging from f to 2lbs in weight. 

 The heaviest one I know of was taken by W, A. Baker. It 

 weighed 3|lbs. A few local fishermen have lately tried 

 Lock Pond, Crooked Lake. Tisco Lake, Little York Lake 

 and Uyden Lake for pickerel, but report discouraging 

 luck. M. C. H. 



CHICAGO AND THE WEST. 



[JVom a Staff Oorrespondent.] 

 The Natchaue: Prizes. 



Chicago, 111., Nov, 10. — The interesting competition in- 

 stituted by th-^ Natchaug Silk Co,, of Willimantic, Conii. 

 and Chicago, closed Nov, 1, and the company, througii 

 their Western agent, Mr. H. L. Stanton, of Chicago, an- 

 nounces the following awards of prizes, in accordance 

 with the conditions advertised in Forest and Stream for 

 the past season: 



First prize, $50 in gold, for the heaviest muskallonge, 

 was won by John J, Hddebrandt, Logansport, Ind,. who 

 caught on Oct. 26 in the Kankakte River, a muskallonge 

 weighing 26*lbs, 



Second prize, $2.5 in gold, for the heaviest small-mouthed 

 bass, was won by George J. Bradbeer, Detroit, Mich., who 

 caught Sept. 30 on a No. 1^ Natchaug silk line, in the St. 

 Clair Flats, a smaU-mouthed black bass weighing 71bs. 

 2oz, 



Third prize, $25 in gold, for the heaviest lake trout, was 

 won by Paul Lang, Orford, N. H., who caught May 14 on a 

 No. 1 Natchaug siik line, a lake trout weighing 14Jlbs, , m 

 Newfound Lake near East Hebi'on, N. H. 



Fourth prize, .$25 in gold, for the heaviest brook trout, 

 was won by R. N. Parish, Oakdale, Conn,, who caught in. 

 the waters of Rangeley Lake, Me,, on Sept. 15, a brook 

 trout weighing Gibs, 9oz, 



Fifth prize, $25 in gold, for the heaviest large-mouthed 

 bass, was won jointly by B. Waters, of Chicago, one of 

 the Forest and Streaji staff, and Ben. Wolf, Evart, 

 Mich. , each having caught a large-mouthed bass weigh- 

 ing 61bs. 2oz. 



Sixth prize, $25 in gold, for the greatest variety of 

 fresh-water fish caught in one day, was won by Will 

 Cunningham, Attica, Ind., who caught 101 fish, includtng 

 11 varieties, in one day, the largest of which weighed 

 12ilbs, 



Seventh prize, $25 in gold, for the largest fish caught 

 on a No. 1 line, was won by J, B. Carlin, Ashland, Wis., 

 who caught a 26lbs. muskallonge July 22 in Pelican Lake, 

 Wis. The fish was not weighed until the fifth day after 

 being caught. It measured 47in. in length and lilin. in. 

 girth, and no doubt would have weighed fully 281bs. had 

 it been weighed when first taken. 



Angling Information. 



I had quite a talk: with Mr. Stanton when he handed 

 me the above, and it occui's to me that among the letters 

 we looked over together there may be some angling in- 

 formation of interest to the general fishing public. For 

 instance, Mr. Bradoeer's catch of a 7 lbs. 2oz. small mouth 

 bass, is a fact worth remembering. This is the Lirgest 

 small-inouth I ever knew taken, and I should be person 

 ally glad if some one would tell us the small-mouth record. 

 Certainly this beats the big Toledo small-mouUi, which 

 atso, by the way, came from the Flats. Mr, Bradbeer's 

 letter shows that he was tickled about to death. He was 

 twenty minutes landing this fish. 



More than twenty minutes must have been .the fight 

 which Mr. W. M. Cunningham, of Attica, Ind,, had with 

 a 3jJi lb, cattish which he killed in the Wabash river, as 

 he says himself, without gaff-hook or net. Mr. Cunning- 

 ham, it will be noted, won the prize for tiie greatest 

 variety. In his letter thereon he says: " On Sept. 22 I 

 caught 60 rock bass, 3 pickerel, 1 salmon (pike-perch), a 

 numbsr of bullheads, not counted, 1 perch, 2 08weg(j 

 bass, '6 speckled ba^s, ("croppies"?), 4 black bass, one of 

 whicu weighed 4flbs., also several dogfish, and one cat- 

 fish of 12.Ubs. They were all caught one day, in the 

 Kankakee River, above Momerce. 



Frum all accounts, that must have been Mr. Cunning- 

 ham's busy day. 



Rangeley Trout. 

 Mr. Parish's 6lLi. Doz. Rangeley trout takes the prize, 

 and it must have been a noble fish. It is not, however, 

 the largest trout of the season by any means. In Sept. 

 (so it IS stated, though no dates are given), Mr. J. C. 

 Dougherty caught on the fiy in the Rangeley waters, dur- 

 ing one day's fishing, seven brook trout, weighing respeci- 

 ively 81bs., Gibs, loz., 4lbs. l3oz., 4lbs. 2oz., 3lbs. 5uz., 31bi ,. 

 4lbs, 4oz, I saw a photo>;rapli of the.se fish. The big one, 

 held by the gills in the angler's hand, dragged its tail on 

 the ground. It may be asKed why this fish did not take 

 the prize, and the answer is that Mr. Dougherty is a mem- 

 ber of the Natchang Co., and so they declared him not 

 eligible. 



Lake Trout. 



A fine catch of lake trout (Mackinaw trout) was that 

 made by Mr. J. M. Kellogg, of Manitowoc, who says that 

 " in twelve hours' tisliuig (in October) in Thousand Islands 

 Lake, northern Wiscon.'iin, I caught 29 lake trout aver 

 aging 7^1bs. each, tlie lax-gest weighing iBlbs," Mr. Kel- 

 logg sent in a photograph of 12 of these trout. The 12 

 weighed l281bs._ Yet he never got a prize, 



Another man who made a good run and got nothing 

 was Mr. L. F. Reed, of Ripon, Wis., who caught a brook 

 trout near Wautoma, May 11, which weighed 3lbs. loz. 

 Mr. Reed looks cross-eyed at the eastern catches, calling 

 attention to the fact that the Wisconsin season ends Sept. 1 , 



A Fishing Conductor. 



Away up on the Ashland division of the Lake Shore 

 road there is a fishing conductor, J. B, Carlin by name, 

 who reads Forest and Streaji and sometimes writes for 

 it. As nearly as I can learn, the Lake Shore road values 

 Mr. Carlin m'">st as a guide when some of the officials want 

 to go fishing. Early in the season Mr, Carlin bought him 

 a new No. 1 Natchaug line, and sailed in deliberately after 

 prizes. He had some magnificent fishing, as his scores 

 show. Of his trip to Thousand Island lake he has told in 

 Forest and Stream. In his detailed scrres of his catch 

 he notes, with railroad accuracy, the exact time when he 

 landed each fish, thus, one 1:33 P.M., the next at 1:4b, the 

 next at 2:35, etc. On May 16 he caught nine lake trout, 

 weighing from 2 to Bibs. On the next day. May 17. he 

 caught twenty lake trout, running from 2 to 8lbs. On 

 the iSth he took 14 lake trout, from 2 to 9Jtlbs; and on the 

 day following fifteen, from 2 to 121bs, stopping at 1:10 

 P.M. In June he took one day I27lbs. of bass, pike and 

 mascallonge. In July he went into commission To cap- 

 ture a Uve mascallonge for the World's Fair, and July 22 

 landed the famous live 'lunge which saw the World's 

 Fair — and died. This fish, six days after its capture, 

 weighed 261b8, Mr. Carlin does not claim any prize for 

 it, bat lets that go to the Kankakee mascallonge (which I 



