878 
FOREST AND STREAM, 
[Mat 9 , 1891. 
YANKEE DOODLE'S PATENT STEAM FISHING ROD. 
Rangeleys, in Maine, and I have met several fishermen 
within a day or two who have set the 10th as the time 
when the Rangeleys will first be clear of ice. Moosehead 
is likely to clear a couple of days sooner; such is almost 
always the record at least. It is with sadness that it must 
be mentioned that many of the long-time parties to Moose- 
head, from BoBton, are broken up. I have seen several 
gentlemen within a few days, once among the foremost to 
be off for Moosehead when the telegrams came that the 
ice had gone. They are not going this year. "Our old 
party is all broken up," they say. Of course there are one 
or two parties left, but the old days of interest and excite- 
ment are gone. I hear that the Produce Party, always 
heretofore early to be off, will wait a week or ten days 
after the ice is out. Possibly Mr. W. S. Robinson, presi- 
dent of the Chamber of Commerce, will be in that party 
this year. I learn that Mr. C. P. Stevens, always first 
and foremost to the Rangeleys on former seasons, will not 
open his camp in the narrows of Richardson Lake this 
season. He has been sick to the extent that he desires to 
rest fully, and starts for Rangeley Lake this week, where 
he proposes to spend some time at the Rangeley Lake 
House. Special. 
Boston, May 2.— A letter received from H. O. Stanley, 
the Maine Commissioner, on April 29, stated that the ice 
is out of Lake Auburn, Swan Lake and the Belgrade 
ponds. Mr. Stanley has been fishing in Swan Lake and 
took eight or ten trout and salmon, weighing altogether 
about 301bs. He thinks the fishing opened up better than 
it has for some years, and says they have been taking 
many large salmon from Sebago. With just a little more 
of the same kind of weather that we have been having he 
prophesies open water in the Rangeleys very soon. 
A splendid specimen of a brook trout 8|lbs. weight, 
caught by S. B. Gates, of Presque Isle, Me., and beauti- 
fully mounted by Crosby, of Bangor, is shown in the win- 
dow of the Boston & Maine Railroad office on Washing- 
ton street, this week. It is a product of the Aroostook 
region, and as such has created some surprise, it being the 
impression in many quarters that fish of that size were 
almost wholly confined to the western waters of Maine. 
The coming season will cause a great change of heart in 
this direction, as there promises to be a great pilgrimage 
to Aroostook waters this year. 
One of the men who will visit the Aroostook fishing 
country this spring for the first time is Henry W. Clarke, 
of Boston. He has gone each spring to the Rangeleys 
since 1873, but thinks the time is now ripe for a change. 
His old guide, David Haines, who has been with him for 
twenty years, will be with him in the new country this 
time, and together they will go to Atkin's camps at Mil- 
nocket Lake. It is Mr. Clarke's intention to explore the 
region over there pretty thoroughly, and from what he 
has heard he feels confident of getting some good fish- 
ing. 
Moses R. Emerson, of Boston, and his friend, Mr. Heald, 
of New York, leave next week on a fishing trip to Errol, 
N. H. They have a nice camp on one of the ponds near 
Errol, and have always been fortunate in getting good 
trout fishing during each of their annual spring trips. 
For fifteen years they have fished together, thus afford- 
ing an example of congeniality not often seen. 
The new Portland fishing club, who have a fine 
club house about three miles from Crockett's, on 
Sebago Lake, have just returned from a three days' trip 
which in results was quite satisfactory to the partici- 
pants. They brought back an 8lb. salmon and several 
others of less weight, and considering that there were 
thirty or forty other boats on the lake whose occupants 
did no better, they felt well satisfied. The party in- 
cluded six men, Chas. Robinson, David Drummond, Samuel 
Boothby, a Mr, Stevens and two guests from Boston. 
Rangeley fishermen will be interested to hear that the 
new Rangeley Lakes division of the Portland & Rumford 
Falls Railway will begin running regular trains to Bemis 
on Monday. May 18 The road is finished now, but it is 
not yet sufficiently ballasted. It is the intention, I hear, 
to run a parlor car out of Boston nn the 9 A. M, train, 
which will reach Bemis about 5 P. M. of the same day. 
Good shooting grounds near Boston that are Open to 
the public are hard to find in these modern days. Most of 
the best stretches along the coast line are controlled by 
clubs or individuals who jealously guard their property 
against encroachments from outsiders. It is rare that one 
of these preserves is offered for sale, and when such an 
event occurs it does not go begging, but is snapped up at 
once by eager purchasers. Such an opportunity recently 
came to the notice of T. H. Rollinson and George M. 
Woodman, of the Oliver Ditson Co., Boston, and it did 
not take them long to make up their minds to buy. The 
property consists of a shooting cottage and tract of marsh 
land in Marshfield Hills. The cottage is on Trowaut's 
Island, and the shooting grounds border on Macomber 
Creek, the whole tract lying back of what is known as 
Fourth Cliff. It is said to be the best shooting grounds on 
the south shore, and both gentlemen feel fortunate in 
securing it. They are much attached to shore bird shoot- 
ing, and will have quarters so comfortable at the new 
place that they can take their fa nilies down and spend 
some weeks there during the shooting season. 
The Megantic Club have inaugurated a new method of 
keeping members in touch with the welfare of the organ- 
ization. A supper and talk was held at the Copley Square 
Hotel a few evenings ago, the object being that the di- 
rectors might inform members what steps had been taken 
for the benefit and comfort of all who will visit the pre- 
serve during the coming season. There were about 
thirty gentlemen present, all of whom were deeply inter- 
ested in the subjects under discussion. It is proposed to 
hold these informal talks occasionally, and it is believed 
they will do much toward keeping interest alive in club 
affairs, 
Good cod fishing is a pleasure which is anticipated, and 
better still, quite often found by many of Boston's resi- 
dents. The fishing usually begins about the middle of 
May in the waters comparatively close to the city, that is, 
just outside the harbor; but this year it has started in 
early and down around Boston Light the boats have been 
having great sport for two weeks back. No one seems 
able to explain its premature beginning this spring, but 
they have all found out about it, and while willing to 
concede the sport not as scientific as fresh-water fishing, 
still contend that pulling in the useful cod has charms 
which cannot be slighted. 
Mr. Jas. Bird has returned to Boston from theCipe, 
where he has been fishing a private stream, and also 
The above is a plan of the recent application of steam 
for the assistance of amateur fishermen, to enable them 
to take without difficulty the large bass and others of the 
finny tribe with which the streams around us are so 
plentifully filled. The application is quite simple, but 
not the less worthy on that account. We forbear further 
comment, and proceed to the explanation of the diagram : 
(A) The reel with the line (J) which is supposed to be 
carried to the end of the rod (I). (B) the crank. (C) the 
connecting rod. (D) cylinder. (E) the boiler. (F) Bupply 
pipe. (G) a dial to indicate when you have either a bite 
or a nibble. (H) pendulum. (I) the rod. 
The rod may be held in the hand, or be placed in any 
Forge Pond on the estate of Eben Jordan. From the lat- 
ter he got thirteen nice trout. The bass fishing at Bel- 
grade will occupy Mr. Bird's attention next. He will 
leave for the ponds near June 1, and expects to make 
quite a stay. It is a favorite place with him, as with 
many others. Haokle. 
CHICAGO AND THE WEST. 
Bass Fishing: in Greater Chicago. 
Chicago, 111., May 2. — During the past week the bass 
have been biting very well in the lakes and streams of 
this vicinity, and a number of large catches have been 
reported. Pawpaw Lake, in Michigan South Peninsula, 
has sent in some heavy catches, one pickerel of 161bs. 
among others, besides many bass. At Fox Lake, in north- 
ern Illinois, the catch of bass has continued, and in fact 
in all the lakes of that series the best fishing of the spring 
has been going on. The first run on the spawning beds is 
always the time for the big strings, and then the fishing 
falls off till warmer weather, to revive for a time previous 
to the sultry days, when the bass haunt the deep water and 
only feed in shallow water during the evening and morn- 
ing. This early bass fishing is frowned upon by other 
States, but iB legal in Illinois, and anglers take advantage 
of the statute. At this date the spring run of bass is far 
up the streams and much of the spawning is over with, 
and fishing this week is not the crime against angling 
ethics it was ten days ago. 
The spring run came very early this year and the stage 
of water has been such that we have every reason to ex- 
pect good fishing this season. The Kankakee has been 
yielding large takes of bass at the old favorite spots, such 
as Momence and up river from that point. The bass have 
not been so abundant in that stream for a couple of years 
as they were the few seasons previous, but it seems that 
this summer there will be more of them. The Fox River 
has been marked also by an early and abundant run. At 
Aurora, St. Charles, Clintonville and McHenry the bass 
have been up for some time, and indeed the heaviest part 
of the run is up and gone. George Morrell, who lives at 
St. Charles, says that he has had some good fishing there. 
Ed. Rock, a local angler of experience at St. Charles, says 
that he has made some very heavy catches. He adds that 
one day last week he caught 263 rock bass at one spot, his 
boat being anchored near the west pier of the railroad 
bridge above the dam. I had not thought the rock bass 
schools had gotten up so high so soon, but everyone of ex- 
perience with that easy-mannered little fish knows what 
it means to meet a school in the early spring run. .It is 
simply a question of how many one is willing to take of 
them. At St. Charles last week also one fisherman caught 
thirteen big bass, several over 3lbs., in the river above 
town about three miles. The banks of the river in the 
town are lined with anglers of the country type, and have 
been for three weeks, and nearly all of these have caught 
more or less fish, bass, rock bass and pickerel, with a few, 
a very few, wall-eyed pike. One man caught three 
pickerel in the rough water below the dam in one after- 
noon, all over olbs., and one over 9lbs. All the bass men- 
tioned in the above catches on the Fox are the small- 
mouthed bass. 
An Open Letter to Mr. Cheney. 
Hon. A. Nelson Cheney, who writes the able and en- 
tertaining ' "Angling Notes" in Forest and Stream, is an 
authority commanding respect in his field of labor. Yet 
no man can surpass him in telling a good fish story, and 
he is noted for his long-suffering patience with people 
who ask questions. I make bold to hand him, through 
the columns of Forest and Stream, a letter recently re- 
ceived at this office addressed to him, hoping he will meet 
the cheerful spirit of inquiry with his customary bland- 
ness. 
Hon. A. N. Cheney, State Fishculturist, Albany, N. Y. 
— Dear Sir: When I was in New York recently, 1 became 
very much interested in clams, and since my return to 
Chicago I have imparted some of my enthusiasm on this 
subject to a few of my wealthy friends, and as a conse- 
permanent position, and the instant some unfortunate 
torn cod takes a nibble the engine makes half a turn, and 
when the nibble has grown into a bite the engine puts 
itself immediately in motion, and the poor victim is landed 
in the most scientific manner. It may be proper to state 
that exppriments have been made in the presence of Mr. 
Webster and other gentlemen skilled in piscatory science, 
and that entire satisfaction was given. K, above, shows 
an old-fashioned rod ,such as were used when we were boys. 
Worthington's patent feeding pump may be attached 
to this invaluable invention by those who fear an explosion. 
Price with the pump $75, without the pump $55. — From 
Yankee Doodle, 1850. 
quence we hive resolved to form a club for the purpose 
of starting a clam preserve. As I know you to be 
thoroughly well posted on the habits of all our native 
American game animals, I have resolved to write and ask 
your opinion on certain matters intimately connected 
with the success of our experiment, and beg to ask the 
following questions: 
Do you think clams will be good preserved? 
Do you think the clam (Lusox luciosus) can .be acclimat- 
ed at this altitude (25ft. above sea level)? 
What are the nocturnal habits of clams? (We do not 
want them if their habits are bad.) 
Would we need wire netting around our preserve, and 
if so, of what size mesh? 
In your experience, have you known the clam to climb 
trees? 
What would you advise feeding the clams for the first 
sixty days after birth? Would it be necessary to feed 
them clam chowder after that period? 
What is the greatest size the clam attains on this par- 
allel of latitude — i. e. , what is the largest one that has 
ever come under your personal observation? 
At what season of year does the clam afford the best 
sport? 
Do you advise placing the eggs under a native hen? If 
so, what color of hen is best? 
How many acres of land would you advise for our first 
experimental inclosure? We would like to stock the pre- 
serve with at least a dozen clams to start with. 
In your experience, is it dangerous to the health of 
clams to go around with only a half shell on? This we 
ask as applying more especially to the young clams in the 
cold and rainy weather common in the neighborhood of 
Chicago in the early spring. 
In your experience, how many men would be necessary 
to night-herd a dozen clams, if proper fencing were af- 
forded about the preserve? 
Is there any probability that the clams would increase 
beyond our ability to control them, and so necessitate 
governmental action? 
Have you found it true that clams gnaw the bark of 
young apple trees in the spring? We are disposed to con- 
sider this assertion as inaccurate. Please answer, to de- 
cide a bet. 
Do clams hibernate in winter time, or do they prefer 
the summer? 
In case of a stampede of clams, what would you advise 
to stop the herd? 
In regard to the annual migrations of clam3, what, in 
your personal observation, is the greatest range of terri- 
tory north and south covered, and during what time? 
(We don't want any guess work here). 
What is the largest clam you ever ate? 
What is the State law of New York on clama? Would 
special acts of protection be a necessity in this region? In 
your opinion would Gov. Altgeld, of Illinois, veto such a 
law if passed? 
Are clams ever indigenous? If you believe they are, 
what is the reason for your belief, and do you think it 
can be cured? 
Would you blame a clam for being indigenous if it 
could not help it? 
Any further information or advice you can give us in 
the furtherance of our enterprise in acclimatizing and pre- 
serving: these interesting creatures will be very much ap- 
preciated, and if we meet with success we should be pleased 
to have you come out and enjoy the sport with us. I am a 
constant reader of Forest and Stream, and an occasion- 
al contributor, and always turn to your column after 
reading my own stuff. Constant Reader. 
1306 Boyck Buildings Chicago. E. HOUGH. 
The Texas Tarpon Season. 
Ropesville, Texas, April 24. — The tarpon season has 
opened here. Mr. W. D. Jenkins landed a fish to-day 
4£ft. long, and had six strikes besides. Mr, H. T. Drake 
and son, of Milwaukee, had several strikes this morning, 
but have not yet landed a fish, F. H. 
