March 17, 1894.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



S2 9 



ANGLING NOTES. 



Big Speckled Trout in Canada. 



In Forest and Stream of Feb. 24 I quoted from a letter 

 written to me from Quebec by an Englisb gentleman 

 traveling in this country, as follows: "I thought our 

 Kentish Stout trout, which run up to 8 J- and- 91bs., were 

 large, but those here scale lOlbs." He did not say what 

 kind of trout they were, but I assumed that they were 

 our fontinalis, and if so I thought lOlbs. rather large 

 even for Canada at carnival time, therefore I wrote to 

 my friend, Mr. E. T. D. Chambers of Quebec, to ask 

 about the species and the weight, and whether it was 

 carnival weight or old-fashioned avoirdupois. Mr. 

 Chambers writes me: "Your last letter interested me 

 very much, particularly as I happened to have seen and 

 know all about the big' trout therein referred to. They 

 were monsters, no doubt, and all fontinalis at that. But 

 they played the same trick upon the visual contemplation 

 of Mr. H. , that really good fish always do with the weights 

 and measures department of even the best balanced mind 

 of the enthusiastic angler. The heaviest one of the lot 

 weighed within a trifle of 81bs. But everything looked 

 large up here in carnival week, and at times even the 

 inhabitants felt big over the success of the carnival and 

 the general good time. Sorry you were not here, and 

 sorry that I did not meet your friend, though naturally 

 pleased that I should have been the means tnrough send- 

 ing you the carnival programme of bringing him up here. 

 But to return to our trout. They were caught in January 

 in the waters of the Batiscan that are comprised within the 

 limits of the Triton Fish and Game Club. Of course they 

 were taken upon lines set through holes in the ice, and by 

 special permission of the Crown Lands Department, see- 

 ing that fishing through the ice is now prohibited here. I 

 suppose that from three to four dozen were brought to 

 town, weighing from over 3 to between 7 and 81bs. I saw 

 them all. Part were displayed at the Garrison Club and 

 part at the Chateau Frontenac during carnival week, and 

 one I dissected at table. To be exact, I have inquired of 

 Seaton, superintendent of the club, who brought the fish 

 to town, what the heaviest one weighed, and he frankly 

 admits that it was barely 81bs. But he believes, and so 

 do I, that the lOlbs. trout are there where the 8-pounders 

 came from, and the 7-pounders in plenty. And seven or 

 eight of the heavy hooks such as held the 7 and 81bs. 

 trout were broken through by the big 'uns that escaped. 

 Shall we go up there together this year and try to find 

 them? These fish, particularly when frozen, do look, if 

 ever fish did, as if there was something wrong with the 

 scales that weighed them. So symmetrical, and yet so 

 plump and finely conditioned ! And despite their freezing 

 their livery of crimson and fine gold is wonderfully lus- 

 trous, and they must during life have fared sumptuously 

 every day. 



' 'The unfortunate that I subsequently carved looked a 

 six pounds fish . So I guessed before weighing him, but 

 he turned the scale at five. Others had similar experi- 

 ences, so Mr. H's was not a solitary one." 



Ouananiche Spawning. 



Having in mind what I wrote about the spawning of 

 ouananiche or landlocked salmon in Maine and New 

 Hampshire waters, as related to me by Mr. Atkins and 

 Dr. Quackenbos, I asked Mr. Chambers about the habits 

 of the fish in the Lake St. John waters, as he has made a 

 special study of the fish of that region. This is his reply: 

 "Now about the spawning habits of the ouananiche, I 

 know many of them run up stream to spawn, and I know 

 the streams they ascend for the purpose. But from the 

 immense quantities of young fry seen in parts of the 

 Grand Discharge, I am inclined to believe that some of 

 them run down; just as you say of the Schoodic variety. 

 This is a matter worthy of careful study and 1 am still 

 investigating it, though for years past I have been collect- 

 ing all available information on the subject." 



To be successful in stocking new waters with landlocked 

 salmon it is highly important that their spawning habits 

 should be fully understood and the plants be made to 

 accommodate them if possible. It is really of no special 

 moment if the salmon do run down from the waters in 

 which they are planted to spawn in the streams below, 

 provided the fry get back into the water in which the 

 plant is made for the purpose of establishing them therein, 

 out the outlet stream of some lakes, admirably suited for 

 salmon, are of such a character that it would seem impos- 

 sible for young, or even old fish to return if once carried 

 down. 



As Mr. Chambers says, the matter is worthy of careful 

 study as I imagine that many thousands of salmon fry 

 have been planted with but little thought as to suitable 

 conditions existing for their welfare. 



"Game" and "Gamy." 



We often read that a fish is gamy (and sometimes the 

 word is incorrectly spelled gamey) or that one is gamier 

 than another, or that still another is gamiest of all. To- 

 day I read a report of a State Fish Commission that "the 

 pike-perch is a very gamy fish"; and again, "Mr, M. says 

 lie cannot speak too highly of this handsome and gamy 

 fish (brown trout)." Another State report records: "They 

 (black bass) have no superior among fresh-water fish in 

 » point of gaminess." That may be a misprint, but a news- 

 paper clipping on my desk, in which is quoted something 

 that I wrote about landlocked salmon, makes me say 

 "gamiest" where I wrote gamest. In a local- newspaper 

 when I wrote that "the Loch Leven trout is one of the 

 handsomest and gamest of the trout of Great Britain," 

 the printer made gamest into "gamiest," and when I read 

 proof I corrected it, but as the printer had the last whack 

 at it he let it stand gamest, but the word appeared in 

 quotation marks, as though he protested in the most em- 

 phatic manner of "Yours truly, Slug Two." 



An authority upon, the proper use of words says: "Game 

 is an adjective, meaning pertaining to certain animals or 

 birds that a sportsman hunts, as game animals, game 

 birds. It also means having a plucky spirit like such 

 creatures. Comparison: Game, gamer, gamest, like tame, 

 tamer, tamest. There is another adjective gamy, which 

 describes the flavor of a grouse hung by the leg till he 

 drops! Gamy is sometimes, though only colloquially, 

 used in the sense of plucky. It runs: Gamy, gamier, 

 gamiest. A good writer would use it only with reference 

 to flavor." 



How Smelt are Transported. 

 Since writing the reply to the Philadelphia correspon- 



dent who wished to obtain the eggs of fresh-water 

 smelt, I have hunted up the details of the experiments 

 in smelt-hatching conducted by Mi-. George Ricardo, to 

 which I referred in Forest and Stream, Feb. 24. The 

 report of Mr. Ricardo's operations in hatching the smelt 

 of the Hackensack and Raritan rivers, is found in the re- 

 port of the New Jersey Commissioners for the years 1.884- 

 85. Apparently Mr. Ricardo had less trouble in handling 

 smelt eggs during the process of hatching than did Mr. 

 Marten, although he does not give the percentage of fry 

 hatched. 



But it is to the transportation of the fry that I now 

 refer. Mr. Ricardo says: "It has been an open question, 

 whether the young smelt fry could be transported with 

 any degree of success on account of their apparent delicacy 

 and infinitesimal size, as it is almost impossible to change 

 the water in the cans without a great loss of fish, for it 

 seems that they can pass through anything that water 

 will run through. I have tried a number of experiments 

 last year in the transportation of smelt fry. I sent them 

 all over the State in cans and bottles, without the loss of 

 a fish. They will live for ten days without any change of 

 water, and may easily be sent from New Jersey to Califor- 

 nia by express without requiring any attention en route. 



"At the last meeting of the American Fish Cultural As- 

 sociation at Washington, D. C, I gave to Prof. H. J. Rice 

 a number of smelt fry to be exhibited at that meeting. I 

 put them in a bottle of water, and he placed them in his 

 satchel and carried them to Washington without giving 

 them any air. He reported to me that he did not lose a 

 fish ; a result showing beyond doubt that the young fry 

 are very hardy and easy to transport." 



In Forest and Stream, Dec. 2, 1893, under "Angling 

 Notes," will be found an account of transporting trout fry 

 in air-tight vessels as practiced in New South Wales. 

 Quite a number of people are desirous just at this time of 

 stocking inland waters with smelts, and for 4 this reason I 

 have given Mt. Ricardo's experiment as to fry, and the 

 fry may be obtained of the United States or New York 

 Fish Commissions, as both are hatching the fish, but, if 

 the adult fish are used, as I advised in a former note, the 

 mistake, should not be. made of trying to transport them 

 in the manner suggested by Mr. Ricardo for the fry. The 

 adult smelts are found in cold water and they must be 

 kept in fresh, cold water until they are planted in their 

 new home. A marked change of temperature will prove 

 fatal to them. Doubtless they will accustom themselves 

 to a change if the change is brought about very gradually, 

 but in the summer I have found in catching smelts for 

 landlocked salmon bait that drawing them from the cold 

 depths of a lake to the warmer surface water will kill 

 them, and it required rapid movements to get a smelt 

 from the bottom, transferred from the smelt hook to the 

 salmon hook, and. back again to the bottom as bait, and 

 not kill it in the operation. 



A Changed Heart. 



A few years ago a man was arrested in northern New 

 York for breaking the game law. He had been rather 

 pronounced in his declarations that he should catch fish 

 when he wanted them and he was not particular about 

 the means employed to this end. He was not considered 

 a bad man except in his disregard of the game laws, and 

 those he regarded as infringing upon his rights as a 

 citizen and a taxpayer. A game protector finally caught 

 him red-handed with fish that he had taken illegally, but 

 he "gave the law a tussle," and the law got the best of it 

 and the man was landed in jail. There he had time for 

 reflection, evidently, for so far as is known he never 

 again put himself in a position to "have a tussle" with 

 the game law. A few days ago I was talking with the 

 officer who arrested this man and he told me that the one 

 conflict with the law and the result had completely 

 changed the man, and he was now a strong advocate of 

 the game law and was active in enforcing it in the com- 

 munity where he lived. 



With that he took from his pocket a letter which he 

 gave me to read, and it proved to be from the foreman of 

 the last grand jury of the county in which the ex-poacher 

 lives, It certified", privately, that the writer of his own 

 knowledge knew that the ex-poacher had learned that 

 deer had formed a "yard" on the side of a mountain near 

 his house, and fearing that they would be killed by crust 

 hunters he had watched the yard for five days when the 

 crust was hard and had thus been the means, probably, 

 of saving the deer from destruction, for it had been dis- 

 covered that some one was watching the yard, and men 

 who might have a weakness in that direction had not 

 dared to go near it. As privately as the letter was sent 

 to the officer, the officer sent a letter to the ex-poacher, 

 saying that he had learned by the underground line that 

 he had -watched the deer yard for five days and he com- 

 mended him for his action, and as proof that he was in 

 earnest in his commendation he inclosed $5 as part pay- 

 ment of five days of good work well done. I wish that 

 I was at liberty to give the name of the officer who con- 

 tributed $5 from his own pocket to encourage an ex-law- 

 breaker in his change of heart regarding game laws. 



A. N. Cheney. 



Florida Tarpon Fishing. 



Punta Gorda, Florida, March 5. — The tarpon fishing 

 here is ahead of last season and the regular warm weather 

 wmich has prevailed has made it almost a certainty to get 

 a strike any day. The following is., the record to date : 



SEASON OF 1894. 



ft. in. lbs, 



Dec. 27, >93, A. F. Comacho, New York .6 5 150 



Jan. 5, A. F. Comacho, New York 5 6 80 



" 6, G. B. Magoun, New York 5 8 95 



" 6, A. F. Comacho, New York 6 3 130 



" 8, C. A. Dean, Boston 6 2 138 



" 8, G. B. Magoun, New York 5 9 90 



" 10, G. B. Magoun, New York 5 2 78 



" 12, L. P. Magoun, New York 6 0 90 



" 34, J. N. Camden, Jr., W. Va 6 3}^ 135 



" 25, G. B. Magoun, New York 5 0 75 



Feb. 22, R. N. Johnson, New Jersey 5 9 106 



11 26, W. Y. M. Ripley, Vermont 6 8 103 



Mr. F, A, Brown caught two beautiful tarpon last week 

 in one day. When we do not care for such large fish, we 

 enjoy ourselves from the hotel pier catching trout and 

 sheepshead. Mr. J. C. McCoy, of New York, who is here 

 with Geo. B. Magoun, on board the Oriole, caught a monster 

 jewfish here the other day, weighing 8801bs., and meas- 

 uring 6ft. Mr. Cecil Hayter, of England, shot a seven-foot 

 alligator here last Friday. So the variety of sport would 

 suit any possible inclination. The average temperature 

 here in February at 6 A. M. was 67°. H. B, W. 



BOSTON NOTES. 



The wonderfully pleasant weather the first twelve days 

 of March has taken away a good deal of the snow and ice, 

 and an early spring is promised. So far the season is 

 certainly two weeks ahead of a year ago. Early trout 

 fishing is promised. Boston fishermen who go down on 

 the Cape are very much interested. Some of them have 

 already been down to the streams and ponds to look after 

 the trout that may be caught in Massachusetts after the 

 first of April. Artist Mark Hollingsworth, than whom no 

 man loves to fish for trout any better, will be one of the 

 earliest on the ground. Charles Sias will go down to the 

 trout preserve, belonging chiefly to himself and brother, 

 as soon as the law is off. 



There is yet some hope that the dreaded Gilbert trout 

 bill may again be defeated. The House amendments 

 have not yet been concurred in by the Senate. The 

 measure is to come up again early this week. Through 

 the energy of Mr. Charles F. Chamberlayne the following 

 circular has been issued and thoroughly distributed: 



Boston, March 8, 1894. Dear Sir: The ''Gilbert Trout Bill" of 1894 

 can still be defeated by instant effort. Otherwise it is likely to become 

 a law. Are you willing to assist in preventing the threatened destruc- 

 tion o£ wild trout for the profit of a few individuals? If so, there is 

 but one thing to do. Write at once to your Senator and Represent- 

 atives in the General Court, urging them to use their best efforts to 

 prevent the enactment of the' bill. If you see these fail, write the 

 Governor. Write at once, and write strongly. I send this circular at 

 the request of certain friends of trout preservation. Very respect- 

 fully, Charles F. Chamberlayne. (No. 60 Devonshire st.) 



A good many letters have been written to Senators 

 and Representatives, the result of the above circular, 

 but I have not great confidence in the final defeat of 

 the bill. Senators and Representatives have been ap- 

 proached and urged to vote against the measure. Gov. 

 Greenhalge is also being urged with the necessity of 

 vetoing toe measure, but to me it is extremely doubt- 

 ful as to his taking the interest in sporting matters suf- 

 ficient to cause him to stop the measure. 



Mr. Ireland has a letter from W. S. Hills, the blind 

 fisherman, who is now in Florida, and is having a grand 

 time and enjoying it greatly. He goes bluefishing nearly 

 every clay and takes some days as many as seventeen fish. 

 This is early bluefishing, but it must be remembered that 

 the fishing ground is far south. I have very little news 

 of success of Boston sportsmen with the silver king this 

 spring. Mr. Richard C. Harding is on a vacation at 

 present in the vicinity of Ossipee, New Hampshire. He 

 went away with the intention of doing some pickerel fish- 

 ing, but the extreme thickness of the ice had hindered him 

 at last accounts. Mr. Geo. B. Appleton, who had the 

 misfortune to slip on the ice and break his leg some weeks 

 ago, is out again, though on crutches still. He says that 

 the recent spring days in March brought him out, though 

 contrary to the advice of his physician and his best friends. 

 His firm does not propose to make their usual show of 

 live trout in the window on the first day of April this 

 year; they are satisfied that the show of live trout attracts 

 the rabble rather than the sportsmen. 



Capt. Fred C. Barker, the well known camp and steam- 

 boat proprietor of the Rangeleys, is on his way home from 

 his trip to Southern California. He was in Boston on 

 Saturday, and appears to be much improved in health. I 

 honestly believe that his greatest trouble is overwork. 

 There is not a man in the business of catering to sports- 

 men and taking care of them who puts in so much hard 

 labor and personal attention as Capt. Fred. Everybody 

 who has ever had to deal with him has a good word for 

 him. Would that there were more like him in the same 

 business. If he agrees that his boat shall be at a certain 

 landing, in season, the storm must be a terror that can 

 hinder it. Whatever he agrees to do, or that coupon 

 ticket calls upon him to do, that_is Just what is going to 

 be done. 



Some amendments are being tacked on to the bill now 

 before the Massachusetts Legislature to prevent the sein- 

 ing of smelt at any season in the streams and bays along 

 the South Shore and the Cape. The smelt seiners are loth 

 to give up their practices, though ruinous to hook and line 

 fishing. The close time on smelt begins, in this State, on 

 March 15. The fish dealers accede to the requirements of 

 this law cheerfully, and all the smelt disappear from 

 their places of business before that day. They are either 

 disposed of or are shipped out of the State. New York 

 evidently gets some of them. But the local smelt fisher- 

 man along the South Shore streams and on the Cape does 

 not yield to the requirements of the law very willingly. 

 He is in fact likely to cause the fish protectors a good deal 

 of trouble. Special. 



SHE DIDN'T LIKE FISHING. 



I FEAR that I can claim for myself no immunity from 

 the rule that the old angler invariably grows uneasy on 

 the approach of spring, and I am reminded of this by a 

 letter lately received from a settlement in Ohio, in which 

 the writer mentions sixty-three waters, or thereby, which 

 he desires to fish during the coming season. 



Finding myself in better health and spirits than I have 

 enjoyed for some years past, I am reminded that I have 

 laid up in memory sundry waters to be explored whenever 

 I could manage to look them up. 



As I write, the memories of old fishing days come 

 crowding in upon my brain, I recollect that I one day 

 surprised the echitelka, who was not fond of fishing. 

 Nevertheless, she said that she would like to go out with 

 me when convenient, in my boat. She didn't feel very 

 well, and it might do her good. I replied that I should 

 be pleased to accommodate her, and would leave my fish- 

 ing tackle at home, as I had heard that she did not enjoy 

 the sport. She said that it was true — she didn't like to see 

 the poor fish taken off the spear, nor to have them thrash- 

 ing about in the boat; yet she insisted that I should make 

 no change in my arrangements. So we went, and had a 

 pleasant row, but did no fishing until on our return, while 

 off the mouth of a brook where in former days the bass 

 had the habit of interfering with my tackle (though none 

 had been taken there for some time), I thought I would 

 try a cast. 



"I did not think that your line was so long, and I don't 

 see how you can throw it so far," remarked the lady, with 

 some appearance of interest. "What makes it act so? Is 

 there a fish there?" 



"Truly" I replied, "I am forced to the conclusion that 

 there is some creature of that nature, for the reel sang 

 a tune which meant a 3-pounder." 



"Well, I thought maybe they would bite at your tackle, 

 it looks so nice. See the pole bend. Does he pull?" 



