584 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[June 23, 18«4. 



FISHING ON THE ^SHENANDOAH.— II. 



(Concluded from page 512 ) 



The local customs of the resident fishermen, some of 

 whom along the upper river are noted for their success, 

 are peculiar and interesting, while the town fisher m^n 

 use light tackle— either a light bamboo or lancewood fly 

 or bait rod, or a short Henshall rod with light line, leader 

 and rather small hooks. The local fisherman uses tackle 

 of enormous proportions, calculated to strike terror into 

 the heart of the stranger. The pole (for it certainly is 

 anything but a rod) is usually of the cane species, and is 

 seldom less than 20ft, long and large in proportion, and 

 would make a fairly respectable steamboat jackstaff. It 

 must, of course, be used with both hands. The line is of 

 oiled silk, rather thick and heavy, and of considerable 

 length, rarely less than 200ft., and is wound upon a. large 

 multiplying reel, which is usually lashed to the butt of 

 the pole. Two very large snelled hooks are used (with- 

 out leaders) about 4-0 Carlyle being the usual size and 

 pattern, and with this tackle, and standing up in the 

 boat, the large, heavy "mad toms" can be cast out over 

 the water to a, considerable distance. No sinker is used 

 'except in fishing from the bank), even in swift water, as 

 the line is generally allowed to run out with the current 

 to a great length and a sinker would be a source of end- 

 less trouble in fouling among the ever-present reefs. 



The local fishermen seldom fish from the bank; but 

 either wade— not infrequently up to the shoulders— or, as 

 more usual, fish from a boat, which is a broad, flat-bot- 

 tomed, comfortable, slow moving affair about 20ft. long 

 and capable of holding six or eight men, and is always 

 propelled by a long pole wielded by a man standing in 

 the stem of the boat. Some of the fishermen and boat- 

 men attain great skill in handling these clumsy, heavy 

 boats, and they can be forced up a rapid or against a 

 swift current by this means, where a pair of oars would 

 bp utterly ineffective. 



The boat is anchored directly across the stream, where 

 the current will permit, by means of a heavy stone at 

 each end; generally attached to a piece of fencing wire, 

 thnt will not chafe or cut on the reefs, and the anglers 

 make themselves as comfortable as circumstances will 

 permit, casting down stream, of course, and letting the 

 line run out in the current to considerable length; while 

 these in the ends of the boat, of course, have considerable 

 side sweep. When a strike is secured, the line is paid 

 out to the fish to a considerable extent — some 20 or 30ft. — 

 before striking, and the fish allowed to run with the bait. 

 After running some little distance the fish usually stops; 

 and when he again gets under way, the angler strikes, 

 with a steady, sweeping pull on the long sagging line, 

 which rarely fails to hook the fish. 



The theory that the fish seizes the bait by the tail and 

 then ejects it and turns it head first before swallowing, 

 seems to be well founded, and is sustained by careful ob- 

 servation; for, if struck too soon — befoi-e turning the bait 

 and getting the hook well in his mouth (the bait is usually 

 hooked through the lips) the fish generally escapes; and 

 when the line is reeled in and the bait examined, it will 

 be found to be scored with the marks of the teeth of the 

 fish — in some instances, crushed and killed, the marks 

 being always on the lower part of the body down to the 

 tail, showing that the bait was seized tail first; while 

 when a fish is caught, if the bait is still in his mouth (for 

 frequently a bass strikes so ardently that the bait is sent 

 spinning several feet up the line, or is thrown clear off) 

 it will be found to be swallowed head first, with the tail 

 sticking out of the fish's mouth. 



When struck, the fish is reeled in and landed as quickly 

 as possible, withoutany preliminary playing; indeed, with 

 such tackle, which is capable of lifting a 3 or 41b. bass 

 bodily out of the water and into the boat without undue 

 strain upon pole, line or hook, "playing" is unnecessary, 

 and the local fisherman is generally desirous of landing 

 and securing his fish as promptly as possible. In fact, I 

 confess to the same desire myself; and never indulge in 

 any more playing than is necessary for the safety of my 

 tackle, having no particular relish for the cat and the 

 mouse game. 



In wading, their long, heavy tackle strikes me as being 

 bulky, cumbersome and unhandy to the last degree; and 

 I find my little 8oz. steel Henshall rod of 8ft, 3in. with a 

 medium weight line— not too long— to be as near perfec- 

 tion for this kind of fishing as is attainable in this imper- 

 fect world of ours; but in boat fishing the heavy long 

 tackle possesses some undeniable advantages. In some 

 two or three weeks' fishing in the Bear Lithia neighbor- 

 hood last summer, most of which was done from a boat, 

 there was not a day's fishing in which I did not lose 

 one or more fish from having the fish shoot under the 

 boat or foul the anchor chain. The fellows with the long 

 heavy tackle, if their fish made for the boat, could check 

 him or steer him off, while with my light, delicate tackle, 

 if my fish took a notion to go under the boat, I had to let 

 him go or smash my rod. 



While the Henshall rod is unequalled for wading, prob- 

 ably the best tackle sfrr boat and shore fishing is a rather 

 stoUt lancewood or steel rod about lO^ft. long and fully 

 as many ounces in weight, which is stiff and heavy 

 enough to safely snub a fish when he darts under the 

 boat, and long enough to be serviceable; with 150ft. of 

 good, medium weight oiled silk line (not enameled) and 

 hooks of medium or fairly large size, Tanging from 

 No. 2 Sproat to 2-0 or 3-0 Carlyle", with or without lead- 

 ers, according to taste. I always use a 6ft. looped leader, 

 but I cannot say that I consider it strictly essential in 

 bait-fishing. 



In fishing from the bank a sinker is, of course, a neces- 

 sity. The generally accepted method used by Shenandoah 

 fishermen of preparing and using a sinker is to prepare a 

 number of different sized pieces of lead by first splitting 

 them with a chisel and then closing up the split by means 

 of a hammer with some six or eight inches of common 

 white cotton wrapping twine or string closed in the split 

 or opening. One of these sinkers thus prepared is selected 

 the size and weight depending on the character of the 

 water, whether swift and shallow or deep and still, and 

 tied to the end of the line, and the hook (for but one hook 

 is used in shore fishing) attached to the fine some 18in or 

 more above the sinker. 



A small piece of cork looped in the middle of the snell 

 or snood of the hook will not add to the neat appearance 

 ot the tackle but will prove invaluable in keeping the bait 

 off the bottom, which, considering the tendency of mud- 

 toms and helgramites to creep under rocks, is quite an es- 

 sential. The advantage of this peculiar combination is 



that the hook is kept off the bottom, and if anything 

 fouls (and in such reefy waters^fouls are of common 'oc- 

 currence) it is the sinker, and by a steady/strong pull the 

 string will break instead of the line or hook, and the 

 tackle will come free, leaving the sinker in the river in- 

 stead of the hook; and as lead is much cheaper than 

 hooks this is of no special importance. ' 



In fly-fishing in the Shenandoah, as elsewhere, the nnest 

 and best tackle is the most satisfactory and produces the 

 bpst results: the popular theory of the small boy with the 

 willow pole, the tow string and the pin hook to the con- 

 trary notwithstanding. A fine bamboo or steel rod, Irorn 

 10 to lift, in length and of moderate weight, not too 

 light, an enameled, tapered, size F line wound on an 

 Orvis reel (25yds. is sufficient), a 6-foot looped leader of 

 heavy single gut, and two flies of moderate size— No. 4 

 being about right— will probably prove most satisfactory. 



The bright-colored flies, such as scarlet-ibis, Parma- 

 cheene-belle, white-miller and professor, seem to be the 

 most attractive, although I have had considerable success 

 with the Governor-Alvord, particularly in trolling, where 

 the slow, steady drag of this mouselike object through the 

 water seems particularly tempting. George is a particu- 

 larly skillful and successful fly-fisher, and his favorite 

 combination is a bright fly as dropper and a dark one as 

 tail fly. His theory is that the fish is attracted by the 

 bright fly, and if in making a dash for it be should miss 

 it, or for any reason decline it, the dark fly is close at 

 hand and is seldom missed. Whether this theory is cor- 

 rect or not, his uniform success would seem to indicate 

 tha t there is at least something in it. 



The fish do not. as a rule, rise or break above the sur- 

 face, but generally strike from below, and it is but rarely 

 that I see a fish take the fly, unless I am standing on a 

 reef or other elevation from which I can look down into 

 the water and see him make his rush; consequently, in 

 casting, the flies should be dropped lightly out upon the 

 water and allowed to sink a few inches below the surface 

 — a foot is not too much, and then be gently drawn in 

 through, not over, the water. I generally get my strikes 

 just as this drawing-in movement has begun. It is not 

 usually necessary to put out a great deal of line, except to 

 search special places or spots not otherwise attainable. 



George and I have had some of our finest sport in troll- 

 ing from our canoes on our various cruises, as we cruise 

 along. A collar of flies is attached to the line as in ordi- 

 nary fly-fishing, and the casts made from the canoe, 

 throwing from side to side until some 40 or 50ft. of line is 

 out, after which the rod is laid out over the stern of the 

 canoe (the reel at the canoeist's feet, so placed that it will 

 turn freely and readily), and the tip projecting aft under 

 his right arm, with the line trailing out astern. The 

 paddle is then taken up and the course resumed. A sharp 

 lookout must be kept for stray ledges, and in running 

 rapids or threading intricate, reefy places, the line is 

 taken in. When riot in use the tackle is carried on the 

 decks of the canoes, being secured by a simple contriv- 

 ance. 



It is not advisable to use a fine fly-rod in trolling, as in 

 spite of care fouls will occur, and before the canoe can 

 be checked and turned the rod is liable to be sprung or 

 broken. I once ruined two tips in one afternoon in this 

 same way, while on the same day George only saved his 

 rod by dropping it overboard, a tedious half hour's fish- 

 ing being required before he could find and recover it. 

 A common stout lancewood or steel rod, moderately 

 heavy, is best for this kind of work. When a strike 

 occurs the fish promptly notifies the canoeist that he has 

 arrived by a jerk that makes the reel whiz with a vigor 

 and suddenness that never fails to startle him, however 

 much hp may have become accustomed to it. The paddle 

 is then dropped, the rod taken up and the sport com- 

 mences. If the fish does not much exceed a pound in 

 weight he may be landed aboard the canoe without much 

 trouble, although at all times a landing net is a necessity 

 that cannot be dispensed with without risk of losing the 

 fish; but if a large, heavy fish is struck great care and 

 patience are required in order to successfully handle him 

 from the light, cranky canoe and get him safely aboard. 

 I once saw George strike a four-pounder which gave him 

 a fight of at least twenty minutes before he succeeded, 

 and during which fight the fish actually towed George's 

 canoe slowly and gently clear across the river in his 

 rushes, until he had worked him in so close to the right 

 bank that I had to come to the rescue by paddling gently 

 in and secure his bow painter and towing him out into 

 midstream, where he finished the fight and landed the 

 fish. This sounds like a veritable fish story, but it is a 

 fact. 



The local fishermen handle their immense tackle quite 

 skillfully and effectively, but when placed for the first 

 time in the hands of a man who has not been brought up 

 on it, it is usually quite alarming. I was out one day 

 last year with Will Compton and Tom Naylor of Bear 

 Lithia, and Will's father, a prominent member of the 

 Harrisonburg bar. Compton, Sr., is an enthusiastic ex- 

 pert fly-fisher, and it is doubtful if he ever before caught 

 a bass with bait. He had run over to Bear Lithia from 

 Harrisonburg for a couple of days, and not expecting to 

 fish brought no tackle with him: and his consternation 

 may be imagined, when one of these 20ft. flagstaffs— 

 halliards and all — was placed in his hands, and he was 

 told to fish with it. 



In the fullness of time, Compton, Sr., got a strike, 



"<xive him line! Give him line!" 



"Let him run! " 



"Give him plenty of time!" were samples of the advice 

 showered on him by the full strength of the comp my 

 as he sprang to his feet, the better to handle his cumber- 

 some unaccustomed weapon, and was on the point of 

 striking promptly, as he was accustomed to do in his fly- 

 fishing experiences. He recovered himself and paid out 

 some 15 or 20ft. of line, which the fish took up as rapidly 

 as it was paid out. 



"Now strike!" exclaimed Naylor. as the fish, after 

 pausing a little, started off briskly again. 



Compton Sr. struck; not with the long, steady swino- of 

 the native, but with the sharp, quick, fly-fishing, Goz.^rod 

 strike, forgetful of the tremendous latent energy stored 

 up in that 20ft. pole. The fish— about a ^-pounder— came 

 up flying out of the river, through the air, directly toward 

 the boat. Everybody dodged, but there was no danger 

 Ihat fish sailed up the river like a flying fish, high above 

 our heads, the full length of the 60 or 70ft. or so of line 

 out before he dropped into the water again. There was a 

 shout of laughter, and Compton Sr., who probably in all 

 his previous existence had never been guilty of yanking a 



fish;,out of the water like that, sat down covered with con- 

 fusion, while he reeled in and landed his fish, receiving, 

 meanwhile, the congratulations of his friends. 



He got the fish though, which afforded him some con- 

 solation. Commodore. 



NIAGARA COUNTY CLUB'S OUTING. 



Lookport, June 8. — The Niagara County Anglers' Club 

 has attained more than a State-wide reputation for the 

 success and attractive features of its annual excursions 

 and tournaments. This year the time for the jolly outing 

 was extended to two days; the place as heretofore was 

 Toungstown on the Niagara River, near Lake Ontario, 

 where black bass abound, and perch and herring fishing 

 is excellent. 



For nearly six weeks the club has held frequent meet- 

 ings in preparation for the ninth annual excursion and 

 tournament, June 6 and 7, which was to surpass all pre- 

 vious efforts of the banner fishing club of the United 

 States. By the way, the last clause in the preceding sen- 

 tence is no idle boast, for the organization now has the 

 support of 268 active members. President Wm. H. Case, 

 Vice-President John F. Little, Secretary F. K. Sweet, and 

 Treasurer Geo. W. Weaver devoted their time faithfully 

 to the preliminaries. In addition committees were ap- 

 pointed, and their work in each case was well executed. 



A special train was chartered to carry the anglers from 

 this city via Suspension Bridge to Lewiston on the Niagara 

 Eiver. General Western Passenger Agent E. J. Weeks, 

 of the N. Y. C. R. R., who has many personal friends in 

 the club, gave this important train the right of way in 

 preference to all others on the line. Promptly at 6:30 

 A. M. Wednesday the tram crowded with the merry 

 anglers left the depot. The forward car bore the inscrip- 

 tion "Niagara County Anglers' Club." At Suspension 

 Bridge the Lockportians were reinforced by the Niagara 

 Falls members. 



At Lewiston the steamer Anna F. Owen met the party, 

 conveying the contestants to Fort Niagara, at the mouth 

 of the Niagara River. Along the dock was a long line of 

 oarsmen numbered ready to row the several pairs of "red" 

 and "blue" anglers to the fishing grounds near by. On 

 the boat Captain Charles L. Nicholls and Captain G. Louis 

 Holmes had selected their men. Subjoined are the two 

 sides that fished for a banquet to be given by the losers in 

 this city next week. There were a great many members 

 of the club who fished, but not in the tournament. With 

 the names is given the number of small-mouth black bass 

 caught by each man without reference to the heavy 

 catches of perch, herring, bullheads, eels, rock bass, etc. 



Men. 



Will R Smith 0 



M O'Connor 1 



F K Sweet 0 



John Craddock 4 



Tom Eckensperger 0 



J W Peuss 0 



Jas Rowe 0 



Will Jenny 1 



John A Merritt 0 



John F Little 4 



M Wendover 0 



Geo Nye 2 



Wm Bentley.. 0 



Men. 



H Wendover 0 



W E Shaeffer 3 



MN Haskell 0 



Geo E Emerson ,1 



Jacob Fisher 0 



Bert Stevens 0 



W E Wicker 0 



Jas McGill 0 



David Millar 1 



Fred Gerner 0 



C L Haines 0 



MH Hoover 1 



CaptGL Holmes 1 14. 



W F Bennett 1 15. 



EF Smith 0 16. 



HCHulshoff •. 0 17. 



WHCase 2 18. 



James Clifford 3 10. 



DAHixon 4 20. 



Joseph Dunnville 1 21. 



Jerome Emerson 6 22. 



Ed Brown 0 23. 



A L Smith 7 24. 



F J Davis r 0 25. 



Geo W Weaver 0 26. 



Blue Badge 



CaptC L Nicholls 0 14. 



WW Stevens ,.1 15. 



John H Buddeuhagen 0 16. 



Ed Williamson 3 17. 



WE Huston 3 18. 



Ohas Wilkinson 0 19. 



DanMcKim 2 20. 



JohnKlupf 0 21. 



Louis Lureman 1 22. 



C W Hatch 2 23. 



X D Ensign 0 24. 



WH Upson 4 25. 



Frank Allison 0 



Judge Millar's steam yacht whistled the signal for the 

 cast of lines, and the fun began. These rules were fol- 

 lowed both days: 



1. Signal for prize fishing— Three whistles denotes starts and stops. 



2. Hours for fishing— First day, 9 A. M. to 7:45 P. M.; second day, 

 early dawn to 7 P. M , start at the option of each angler. 



3. No two contestants on the same chosen side for the banquet will 

 be permitted to fish in the same boat. It is optional with members to 

 enter in this contest. 



4. Each person will be allowed to fish with but one rod and line, two 

 hooks and bait. Artificial bait allowed. 



5. Boats will benumbered, and the person drawing the corresponding 

 number will be entitled to that boat. 



6. Agreeable changes will be permitted in boats provided Rule 3 is 

 observed. 



7. The high hook banner will be in the boat having the largest black 



bass. 



8. Each person will be provided with a Bcore book and at the end of 

 each day will record his entire catch thereon. The catch must be ex- 

 hibited to judges and Bcores handed to them each day. 



9. The tournament will be decided upon points as given in the sched- 

 ule of fish adopted by the club. 



In the schedule, for example, black bass counted 50, 

 pickerel 25. perch 2, rock bas3 2, eels 30, bullheads 25, 

 white bass 20, herring 10. 



" Owing to heavy rains for a month past, the river and 

 lake were quite muddy, especially the first day, so that 

 few black bass comparatively were caught. The regatta 

 of boats had not been out on the water two minutes 

 before W. E. Huston of the "blues" captured a 31bs. 

 black bass. His comrades cheered lustily as the high hook 

 banner of the club was conveyed to his boat by M. N. 

 Haskell, who held it last year. Mr. Huston's triumph was 

 short-lived, for within 20 minutes W. W. Stevens, pro- 

 prietor of the Commercial Hotel, had taken a larger bass, 

 and with it went the banner. Ed. S. Bennett of the 

 "reds" soon stopped the merriment of the other side by 

 demanding the banner upon landing a still larger fish 

 after a lively tussle. 



And thus the sport went on. At noon the Owen carried 

 the party up to Youngstown, 1| miles, where they dined 

 at the El Dorado. Notts were compared and it was found 

 that the blues were only 45 points behind. In the after- 

 noon a northwest wind made heavy water, but the fisher- 

 men stuck bravely to their work. Up the river good 

 catches of perch were made. The bass fishing was pretty 

 generally abandoned for that day. The anglers were 

 doing what they could toward securing the individual 

 prizes for best strings of perch and mixed fish. When 7 

 o'clock came there were very few who had not caught 

 some fish despite unfavorable water and cool weather. 

 Every bold angler felt somewhat tired and ready for the 

 clam-bake already steaming on the beach. 



The word "clam-bake" does not have a soothing effect 

 upon any member of the Niagara County Anglers' Club — 

 and thereby hangs a tale. 



The special committee or*, the clam-b«*k;e made elaborate 



