FOREST AND STREAM. 



tJAtt. 13; 1894. 



MAINE AND MASSACHUSETTS. 



The pickerel season is on in Massachusetts, and Christ- 

 mas Day, Dec. 25, was really the opening day with a good 

 many men who love fishing through the ice. Mr. ClatmV 

 H. Tarbox, of the Boston grain trade at the Chamber of 

 Commerce and with A. P. Aldrich & Son, put in Christ- 

 mas Day on his favorite pond, Crane Pond, partly in By- 

 field and partly in Georgetown. Mr. C. O. Bailey was with 

 him. They were determined to reach the pond early, and 

 having some distance to make, they were up by 4 o'clock 

 in the morning, which is really pretty early for this season 

 of the year. Their only desire was to reach the pond be- 

 fore anybody else. They had every reason to believe that 

 others would be out on that day. With bait can, ice 

 chisel and traps in hand, they made all speed to the pond, 

 and were there before daylight. They lost a good 

 deal of courage when before they were within a quar- 

 ter of a mile of the pond they heard the cutting, 

 crunching sound of an ice chisel. Getting to the 

 pond they found another party there. They bad been at 

 work with a lantern, and had already nearly 50 holes cut 

 and traps out. The early fishermen evidently knew the 

 ground to perfection, for their traps were set completely 

 around the pond, in the form of an ellipse, and just the 

 right distance from the shore. The pond is a small one, 

 and for a moment Claude and his friend were a little dis- 

 couraged, but they concluded that their only hope was to 

 set their traps in a row directly up and down the pond, 

 through the middle, lengthwise, and within the ellipse of 

 the other company's traps. They set to work, and soon 

 Claude- had two traps in, with the hooks baited, and was 

 cutting a hole for the third one, when the first flag was 

 down. Banning to that trap he soon had a fiue pickerel. 

 It was just daylight, and the other company had not yet 

 taken a fish. The first hook was quickly baited again, 

 and by this time the second flag was down and a pickerel 

 was secured. In this way the sport continued at inter- 

 vals, scarcely giving Claude and his friend time to get the 

 whole 25 of his traps out till the early morning was over. 

 At the close of the day they had taken 25 handsome fish, 

 from fib. to 2lbs., and exactly the same number as the 

 other party had taken with their whole 50 traps. Mr. 

 Tarbox's idea now is that through the middle of the pond 

 is often the best, though previous to Christmas Day he 

 had always supposed that the best grounds in that pond 

 was a certain distance from the shore, and about where 

 the other fellows traps were out. 



The upper pond in Wakefield yielded some tine strings 

 of pickerel on Christmas Day, and it was well fished. This 

 pond has been closed altogether by law for a number of 

 years till the close season w as off on Oct. 1, 1893. The 

 effect of the close time has evidently been good. The 

 number of pickerel is good that the fishermen are getting, 

 and the size is much larger than before the close time. 

 The ponds in Reading weie also, many of them, fished on 

 Christmas Day. At Hurd's Pond, in Wayland, some good 

 strings of pickerel were secured. 



But the Christmas pickerel fishing of Mr. E. C. Paull 

 did not prove as pleasant as it might have been. Mr. 

 Paull is also of the Boston flour and grain trade, at the 

 Chamber of Cummerce. His home is in Taunton, how- 

 ever. There are some ponds down there that he delights 

 to fish. He was out on Christmas Day on one of these 

 ponds. The day was unusually warm, it will be remem- 

 bdred, and the snow nearly all departed, and the ponds 

 as far south as Taunton begun to break up. Mr. Paull 

 and his man had got well to work with traps and lines 

 when they found that the pond they were on was break- 

 ing up. They started to run for the nearest shore. The 

 ice was cracking and breaking behind them, and actually 

 cracked and broke under their feet as they ran. They 

 got ashore without severe mishap, however, but a good 

 deal exhausted and somewhat frightened. The fright 

 made Mr. Paull's man actually sick, and he began to 

 wretch and vomit; so sick that he could scarcely stand. 

 An old countryman had seen them running for the shore 

 and had come down to see if he could be of any assist- 

 ance. He consoled the sick man and congratulated him 

 on his escape, remarking that the pond was a dangerous 

 one. "I got in ther' once myself!" he remarked. "I was 

 in all over and the ice broke every time I tried to climb 

 out on to it. I was more scared than you be," he snid to 

 the sick man, "and did not vomit either!" Mr. Paull 

 had to laugh here and the sick man felt better. "I got 

 out, though," the countryman continued. "It was a 

 blusterin' cold day an' I see that every time I put my 

 mittens out on the ice they nearly froze there. 1 had on 

 big yarn mittens. Then 1 thought how to save myself; 

 jist to wait till the mittens froze solid on to the ice. 1 

 did it and that gave me a holt on the ice, so that I pulled 

 myself out, high and dry." 



"V^u're a liar!" shouted the sick man, who was now 

 well from the effects of the hearty laugh the three men 

 enjoytd. 



Mr. Edward J. Walker, who died at Plymouth last 

 week, was an ardent lover of the rod and reel. He loved 

 to fish the ponds and streams in the country about him, 

 and not infrequently paid big prices for the privilege ot 

 fishing in private, stocked waters. He never seemed to 

 care for the fish, generally giving his catch away. 



Mr B. D. Wyatt, of Boston, has leased property in 

 Hancock county, Me., covering Tunk and a number of 

 other ponds, tie has been stocking these waters with 

 some 14.000 young fish this season, including German 

 brown trout, Loch Leven trout, English brown trout anil 

 landlocked salmon. A club has been organized through 

 Mr. Wyatt's exertions, and camps and hatohpries are 

 being built. Some seventy-five m mbers are already oij 

 the books of the club. Special. 



Protecting the Headwaters. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



I was very much interested in the remarks of Commis- 

 sioner Titcomb, of Vermont, read at the meeting of the 

 Fish and Game League at Burlington, a short time ago, 

 as given in your paper. 



His plan for the protection and increase in the supply of 

 trout by shutting off all fishing in small streams or head- 

 waters of large streams (usually consisting of little rills, 

 the outpour of some spring), struck me Has being more 

 feasible than the present six-inch law and the difficulties 

 of its enforcement. There are few times when a basket is 

 searcned, although we often have a pe^p at the top layer; 

 but trout, you know, like apples or potatoes, always conn 

 with the big ones on top. While if any one is found fish- 

 ing on a posted brook that would settle it, no im re evi- 



dence being required. I have seen some very flagrant 

 cages of the violation of the six-inch law in New York, 

 Massachusetts and Vermont ; and although I reported one, 

 I did not hpar any more of it. My business being that of 

 a commercial traveler, I cannot take the time belonging 

 to my employers to appear as a witness in such cases, or 

 perhaps someone would have suffered; whereas, had there 

 been a law forbidding fishing in a brook, the chances 

 would be that they would have a number of witnesses. 

 As to allowing the taking of trout of any size in all other 

 waters, as proposed by Mr. Titcomb, I think there would 

 be nearly as many fingerlings returned to the water then 

 as now, for those of us who return the little fellows now 

 would be apt to do so anyhow, while those who keep the 

 poor little fellows because they fry up so crisp and brown 

 so that you can eat them in your fingers, could not keep 

 any more than they could catch; and they could not get 

 as many down stream as up near the headwaters. 



I hope to see this discussed, and tried in Vermont at 

 least, whose mountain streams are so well adapted to it. 



H. C. Kirk. 



"Coahoma" as^Seen in a Vision. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



I have not contributed anything to your columns for a 

 good while, having nothing of sufficient interest to com- 

 municate. I am, however, minded to relate a dream, 

 which my little twelve-year-old daughter related to me 

 when I visited my home Christmas. It is a very simple 

 affair, but appeared to me quite funny. It should be 

 borne in mind that I am a civil engineer, that my bus- 

 iness keeps me from home most of the time, and that 

 my present employment is on and along the Mississippi 

 River, some 150 miles from my home. 



My little daughter Fannie said, "I dreamt that mama 

 was going to a reception at Mrs. Blank's, and she saw 

 father coming down the strett, and he looked very for- 

 lorn and troubled about something, and his clothes were 

 all torn and dirty. And mama said, 'What in the world 

 is the matter?' And father said, 'I have ruined all the 

 fishing in the river.' And then they came home and 

 father wouldn't come in the house, so we carried him a 

 chair out in the street, and he sat out there with his 

 face buried in his hands. He said the fish had laid a 

 great many nice eggs, and he allowed the negroes to go 

 and get the eggs, and the fish wouldn't lay any more till 

 next year, and so the fishing was destroyed, and he felt 

 so bad about it; and after a while he got up and went 

 away to his work up the river." Coahoma. 



Dec. 29, 1893. 



Black Bass of the Patapsco. 



Alberton, Md., Dec. 27.— I have been an interested 

 reader of your many articles upon fishing, particularly 

 those relating to the spawning season of the bass. Our 

 law designates the month of May as the close season for 

 this fish as its spawning period. In the last ten days oi 

 October, 1892, 1 took in one afternoon four small-mouth 

 bass from l^lbs. to 21bs., which, when opened, revealed 

 in all well opened spawn; and to this day I regret that 

 catch. 



The Patapsco River is a small, rocky stream, rarely ex- 

 ceeding 50yds. in width, with sluggish pools and swift 

 rapids alternating, the water mostly of wading depth, 

 and would be an ideal stream for bass if it were not 

 for the numerous dams across it, there being seven of 

 these structures between Alberton and Relay, a distance 

 of only eleven miles. A few years ago fair sport could be 

 had in these wateis, but since the breaking of the Alber- 

 ton dam on July 3, 1892, very few fish have been caught. 

 Young bass were placed in the mill race at this place on 

 Dec. 23, 1885, by Mr. S. F. Cobb, manager of the Alber 

 ton Cotton Mills, and this gentleman informed me that 

 none other than these were put into these waters during 

 the twenty -three years he has resided here. We hope to 

 see this river restocked with this noble fish. G. 



Osprey Rod and Gun Club. 



Alberton, Md., Dec. 27.— Editor Forest and Stream: 

 The Osprey Rod and Gun Club was organized last night 

 at the residence of Dr. Wm. B. Gambrill, near this place. 

 The object is to develop a knowledge of, and to practice 

 legitimate sport with, rod and gun, and for social inter- 

 course. It is the purpose of the members to spend an out- 

 ing m tent or shanty for a week or ten days of each year, 

 in pursuit of health and pleasure, and not to make a mur- 

 derous record. It will be a part of their work to encourage 

 respect for, and obedience to, the game and fish laws of 

 the State, and, wherever they may be able, to exert an in- 

 fluence, and to call the attention of proper authorities to 

 all willful violations that may come to their notice. They 

 will also use their influence in having the waters of this 

 State properly stocked with game fish. Dr.Wm. B. Gam- 

 brill, a practicing physician of this place, was elected Pres- 

 ident; Mr. Elmer M. Harn, principal of the Ellicott City 

 High School, Secretary, and Mr. W. C. Hagan, telegraph 

 operator at Hollofields, B. & O. R.R., Treasurer. B. 



The Hendryx Reel Catalogue. 



The illustrated catalogue for 1894 of the A- B. Hendryx 

 Co., of New Haven, Conn., manufacturers of fishing reels, 

 has just been received. It is a hmdsome volume of 86 

 pages, with a black and gold cover, and on each page are 

 f ( mnd illustrations of reels or parts of reels, which t can 

 hardly be looked at by the angler without a desire to own 

 most of them. The Hendryx Co. , claims for its reels in 

 an especial degree, the desirable qualities of lightness, 

 durability, wearing qualities and low prices. They man 

 uf acture reels of all sorts and descriptions and call especial 

 attention to their patent adjustable globe bearing, which 

 improvement, they say, is the most important addition to 

 ashing reels ever made, as no ordinary accident will unfit 

 for use a reel which has those bearings. We can well 

 imagine that there will be a very large demand for this 

 catalogue. 



One of the interesting exhibits at the World's Fair was the 

 fisheries. Here was to be seeo a species of nearly every fish 

 to be found in the waters of the United States and ''adjoin- 

 ing territory," and all the different kinds of tackle with 

 which to catch the wary fish. The Forest and Stream had 

 a cozy corner in the building where the thousands of its 

 readers failed not to call and receive a warm greeting from 

 ^orae one of its representatives who was ready to give all 

 the information pisaible. — Ashtafiula, 0, Sentinel. 



<gi$ht[tilttm mid ^ginli §rotedion. 

 THE COAST FISHERY CONFERENCE. 



Proceedings of Conference Held to Consider 

 the Subject of the Exhaustion of 

 Coast Line Food Fishes. 



OFFICIAL REPORT BY SECRETARY E. P. BOYLE. 

 ■ (Contirmed from Page IS .) 



Mr. A. Walling, Jr. (Keyport) said that he had been 

 appointed to represent the National Association of Purse, 

 Pound and Trap Fishermen recentlv organized, aDd he 

 represented more particularly on this occasion the pound-net 

 fishermen engaged on the Atlantic coast of New Jersey and 

 the south shore of Raritan Bay, and those for whom he 

 appeared were fearful that this conference might through 

 mistake, or ignorance of facts, make some recommendation 

 that would be prejudicial to that interest, and he had pre- 

 pared a paper that would clearly demonstrate the proposi- 

 tions of the gentlemen for whom he appeared. 

 Mr. Walling then read his paper, as follows: 

 The first pound net that was set on the New Jersey coast 

 was placed there about twentv-five years aso. There has been 

 a gradual increase of the number until during this year from 

 a point about twelve miles north of Barnegat to Sandy Hook 

 there are twenty-four pound nets. It is a fact suscept i hie of 

 the clearest proof that each pound each year has on an aver- 

 age taken the same quantity of fish, or. rather, that there has 

 been a slight increase in the annual take of each pound. 

 That is to say, in twenty-five years there has been an increase 

 of twenty-four times the quantity of fish taken, twenty-four 

 times more fish have been taken in that territory this last 

 year than were taken twenty-four or twenty-five years ago. 

 in 1893 therp were taken in those twenty four pounds 

 about 7,000,0001bs. of fish, and for 1893 the statistics show 

 about 10,000,0()0lbs. of fi-h taken. This proves that the quan- 

 tity of fish coming annually to our shores shows no diminu- 

 tion. It is the experience of the men engaged in this busi- 

 ness that there is no diminution of the quantity of fish 

 coming to our shores. Fishes are irregular in their habits; 

 one kind will come this year, and the next year they will be 

 gone, for some years, and then they will come again. It 

 seems to be that man's devices, as Capt. Church has said, 

 figure but little in this matter; the ocean supply of fish is as 

 unlimited and inexhaustible as saving grace. The pound 

 nets along the coast furnish a large percentage of the market 

 supply. Without pound nets the market could not be sup- 

 plied; it would be an absolute impossibility for any other de- 

 vice in common use to furnish a supply of food necessary for 

 the markets of this country. The remainder is furnished by 

 the seines, hook and line, and other means of capture. It is 

 a matter of common knowledge that many of these fish can- 

 not be taken except by some character of nets. The shad 

 will not bite. Very few of the large weakfish that are found 

 upon the Jersey coast will bite They must be taken in the 

 pound net because that is the form of net that can be most 

 effectively used upon the coast. The result has been an 

 increased distribution of this valuahle article of sea food. 

 The markets are now supplied with food that twenty years 

 ago was not known, as to some kinds. There is not a mar- 

 ket within a thousand miles of the coast that does not have 

 its fish branch, simply because man's devices has provided 

 fish for them from an inexhaustible supply, coupled with 

 improved transportaiion facilities and improved methods of 

 taking fi.sh. Prescott, in his "History of the Aztecs," states 

 that by a system of carriers fresh fish from the Gulf of 

 Mexico w r ere placed on the table of Montezuma for his morn- 

 ing meal; that luxury was restricted to the royal table and 

 the common people got none. But in this country every 

 man is a Montezuma in his fish supply and in his ability to 

 get food fish at a reasonable price. Why? Because man's 

 devices have increased the supply and made it possible to 

 distribute fish all over the land. It is within the knowledge 

 of most of those here that the price of food fish has steadily 

 diminished from year to year, in support of my assertion I 

 have here a statement signed by all hut two of the whole- 

 sale fish dealers in Philadelphia which says that the supply 

 of food fish, such as weakfish, sea bass, Spanish mackerel 

 and bluefish, has greatly increased during the past ten 

 years, in view of the fact that the population of this country 

 has increased about 16 per cent, in that time. 



. PETITION FROM FISH DEALERS OF PENNSYLVANIA. 



We, the Tin del signed fish dealers of Philadelphia, do by these pres- 

 ents, as set forth, affirm that che supply of food fish such as weakfish 

 sea bass and Spanish mackerel, buttei fish and blutfish has greatly in- 

 creased during the past ten years. In view of the fact thai the popu- 

 lation of this country has increased about 16 per cent, during the last 

 decade, the increase of food fish has been such that the supply has 

 been greater than the demand, thus causing the average price to be 

 less during the past five years than in former years, which fact can 

 only be attributed to the increase of the supply by the natural causes 

 of propagation, as well as the increase and improvement in the de- 

 vices for catching fish. It is a well known fact that weakfish abounds 

 in our waters to a very much greater extent every year, and is an evi- 

 dence that the propagation must be on the increase instead of a de- 

 crease, 8nd the prices which naturally follow the production of any 

 commodity, whether it be large or small, is an evidence (during the 

 period as staled) that what we say is a well known fact. The average 

 price for weakfish in their season and during the period alluded to has 

 not averaged over two and one-half cents per pound, which enables 

 thousands of our population to avail themselves of a commodity at 

 prices within the reach of all classes. 



A. W. Rowe & Co. E F. Hopkins, 



is. F Sparks & Co. M. H. McCormick & Col 



Wm. T. Benner. John Dickinson & Co., 



Glickman, J. A. Dee & Co., 



John McCormick, A. S. Helms, 



M. E. Hinchman & Co. A. M. Wilson & Co., 



C. C. Wairer & Co. Hall, Stiles & Co. 



The supply has been greater than the demand, thus caus- 

 ing the average price to be less during the last five years than 

 in former years, which fact can only be credited to an 

 increased natural supply, as well as to the increased devices 

 for catching fish. Weakfish abound in our waters more and 

 more every year, and reduction fol lows reduction in prices. 

 It is a well known fact that the average price of weakfish in 

 their season during the period alluded to has not been over 

 2k' cents a pound, enabling thousands of our population to 

 as r ail themselves of fish at prices within the reach of all. 



In conclusion, I wish simply to say that if the object of 

 this meeting is to recommend legislation, I trust that you 

 will bear in mind the interests of the wage working millions, 

 and that you will not recommend legislation that has for its 

 object the advancement of the interests of a much less 

 numerous body of men. I offer the following resolution: 



First— That the use of pound nets in fishing has continuously 

 increased the take of food fish, and this too, without any perceptible 

 diminution in the average quantity of fish annually coming to our 

 shores. 



Second— That as a result of pound net fishine there has been a 

 steady annual increase in the supply and distribution of food fish, and 

 a wholesome and necessary article of food has been furnished to the 

 people at reduced prices. 



Tnird— That the interests of the wage-working millions, who are 

 thus supplied with food fish at reduced prices, arc far more important, 

 and. upon the theory of the greatest good to the greatest number, 

 should receive more attention from the law-making powers than the 

 interests of the limited hundreds who clamor against the pound nets 

 for the reason that their use interferes with the indulgence by this 

 class of people of their taste for sport, or upon some other ground of 

 no greater merit, 



