Sept. 15, 1894. J 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
229 
"I expect to take a run down the deer old Kankakee 
Sept. 8, going from Shelby, Ind., to Momence. This will 
take from two to three days, and is a very enjoyable trip. 
The last time I made it I saw more fish in the river than 
I ever saw before anywhere in the same length of time, 
but the conditions were not favorable for catching them. 
From letters I have received the fishing on the Kankakee 
is extraordinarily good, and I anticipate a good time. 
Will let you know about the trip on my return." 
The above is pretty good for the club secretary, but 
what ought the executive committee and the president to 
do? By the way, I recall that the president, which is now 
editor of a religious and dramatic paper published in Chi- 
cago, was formerly much puzzled to know which was his 
tail fly, his hand fly, his stretcher and his dropper, and 
used ed itorially to reverse them and mix them up sadly, 
the which, in his joint position of double- Jove-like dig- 
nity, he really didn't ought to do. In case of hand-books 
and keys to the angler's art, I can cheerfully recommend 
the president to confer earnestly with the secretary, Mr. 
Davidson, who knows which fly is which, and who also, 
as may be seen by the above records, knows a bit of 
angling in general. And still Chicago leads the world. 
Possibly Quadruped. 
Chicago, III., Sept. 1. — The editorial "we" sometimes 
gets persons into trouble. Not long since I noticed on the 
editorial page of a sporting publication which is (or was) 
issued from St. L'>uis, sjme comments on the activity of 
the black bass. The editor went sj far as to say, "in fact, 
we have had them to jump from between our legs when 
wading and fishing for them at night in midstream." So 
careless and indefinite a remark as to the editorial legs 
leaves the impression that possibly the editor was a multi- 
ped or maybe a quadruped. It almost reminds one of 
that other historic editor, who sail, "On account of our 
wives' absence, we are forced t© get out the paper alone 
this week." E. Hough. 
909 Security Building, Chicago. 
ANGLING NOTES. 
Death of the Hon. A. B. Abbott. 
The Mohican Rod and Gun Club of Glens Falls, 1ST. Y. , 
lias been called together for the first t me to take action 
upon the death of one of its charter members, a death by 
accident so startling that a whole community paused to 
wonder, and then to mourn, for a citizen universally 
esteemed. The morning of Aug. 27 Alson B. Abbott of 
Glens Falls left the breakfast table and went into a small 
room to clean a gun that his son might make a prompt 
start with a companion for a day's shooting. Suddenly 
there was a loud report as the gun was discharged, and 
upon entering the office Mr. Abbott was found dead on 
the floor with the gun at his feet. Just how the accident 
happened no one can tell, for Mr. Abbott was a careful, 
methodical man, perfectly familiar with firearms, and the 
last man, perhaps, in the community to take any liberties 
with a loaded gun. While Mr. Abbott was a sportsman 
with both rod and gun he was more particularly devoted 
to fishing and was an enthusiastic angler. I first met him 
on a trout stream more years ago than either of us wished 
to tell, as they are years that are passed, but from that 
first meeting till his death I found nim a delightful com- 
panion, a sportsman in the highest sense of the term and 
a. Christian gentleman. 
Upon the organization of the Mohican Rod and Gun 
Club Mr. Abbott was among the first to join it, and took 
an active interest in all its objects, but more particularly 
in opening the Hudson River for salmon and the neces- 
sary legislation to bring it about. My last conversation 
with him was in regard to the necessity for enforcing the 
8in. black bass law, ard about the desirability of a law 
limiting the number of black bass to be caught in one day 
by one rod, if we desired to preserve the bass fishing. 
Non-Resident Mohicans. 
In one of my notes in this column of Forest and Stream 
I said that so many applications for membership in the 
Mohican Club had been received from gentlemen residing 
at a distance that it had been found best to change the 
constitution to admit them. I have not a complete list of 
non-resident members of the club at hand, but I wish to 
give such as I can call to mind to show how widespread is 
the interest taken by sportsmen in opening the Hudson 
for salmon by building fishways, for it is this which has 
influenced most of those I will name to join the club. 
Robert C. Lowry. Dr. W. Seward Webb, William W. 
Ladd, Jr., Henry P. Wells, Judge Randolph B. Martine, 
H. T. McCoun, Robert B. Carpenter, of New York city; 
Archibald Mitchell, Norwich, Conn.; W. H. Rogers, 
Boston, Mass.; Ralph Peverly, E. B. Warren, Com. J. B.' 
Simpson, Philadelphia, Pa. ; William D. Cleveland, 
Houston, Tex.; Capt. John J. Phelps, Teaneck, N. J.; 
Com. W. C. Witherbee, Port Henry, N. Y. ; ex-Fish Com- 
missioner Henry Burden, Le Grand C. Cramer, Troy, 
N. Y.; Joseph A. Powers, Lansingburgh, N. Y.; J. M. 
Northrup, Jr., Fort Edward, N. Y; D. S. Griffin, Sandy 
Hill, N. Y. ; John A. Dix, Thomson's Mills, N. Y. ; Hon. 
Howard Conkling, George H. Rockwell, Luzerne, N. Y.; 
Charles F. Burhans, Warrensburgh, N. Y.; George R. 
Fish, Bolton, N. Y. 
An Unhappy Trout Family. 
During the past few years I have been asked many 
times about planting brown trout in waters containing 
native brook trout. Soon after the brown trout were in- 
troduced into this country I planted some of them in 
waters containing brook trout, and afterward became 
convinced that I had made a mistake in so doing, since 
which time I have advised that great care be exercised in 
planting the brown trout, as they grow so much more 
rapidly than our native trout, they may destroy them in 
some waters. 
In July last my brother, Mr. F. A. Cheney, of Elmira. 
N. Y.. wrote me chat if possible he would like to make a 
fish pond, or rather stock some water with fish. He is 
the manager of the Elmira Municipal Improvement 
Co., which includes the Elmira Illuminating Co., and he 
said in part: 
'.'We get our water at the electric station from two 
artesian wells 14in. in diameter and are connected, flow 
through a pipe for a mile and then into a cistern at the 
station. The cistern is 30ft. long, 12ft. wide and lOf t. deep. 
It is under cover, but lighted from windows from three 
sides. The bottom is gravel and the water is so pure and 
clean that in looking into it the cistern appears to be 
empty. The flow is about lOOOgals. per minute and the 
temperature of the water summer and winter is constant 
at 5l-£ degrees Fah." In reply I told him the water was 
suitable for trout if he could provide food and advised 
him get some trout from James Annin, Jr., and at the 
same time get a quantity of shrimp and moss from Cale- 
donia Creek, which Mr Annin would send with the trout. 
Next he wrote me under date of Aug. 9, as follows: 
"I received from Mr. Annin yesterday 85 brook, 85 
brown and 35 rainbow trout; the latter are about 6 or 7in. 
long and the others from 9 to lOin. I got also the shrimps 
and the moss and have planted the moss in boxes at the 
bottom of the cistern. I have found shrimps in a stream 
near the station and my foreman gathered a pailful, and I 
believe I can get a supply in this stream if they fail to 
breed in the moss." 
I did not see him until Sept 5, when he made a report 
about his trout which causes me to write this note. 
As I have already said, on arrival in Elmira the brook 
and brown trout were about the same size, none over lOin. 
and none, apparently, under 9in. in length. The brown 
trout began to grow very rapidly, so rapidly that, having 
occasion to net one out that had choked with a piece of 
liver, it was found, about the 1st of September, to be 12in. 
long and to weigh 15oz. The life of this trout was saved 
by removing the liver from its throat. As soon as the 
trout were accustomed to their new quarters the brown 
trout began what seemed to be a persistent war upon the 
brook trout, but never attacked the smaller rainbow trout. 
The foreman, Mr. Dittmar, took a great interest in the 
trout and watched them as constantly as he could, and 
they could be observed night and day as the cistern room 
was provided with electric lights. When he reported to 
my brother that the brown trout were bent on destroying 
the brook trout out of pure cussedness, my brother had an 
aquarium made 40x20X510 to stand on the edge of this 
cistern, where the trout could be under close observation, 
and specimens of the various kinds were put into the 
aquarium and the specimens changed from time to time. 
As a rule the rainbow trout would jump out of the aquar- 
ium very promptly back into the cistern until a screen 
was placed to prevent them. In the aquarium the war 
was waged against the brook trout by the brown trout 
until four were killed. The two species were so nearly of 
the same size that one could not swallow the other,, but 
the brown trout would bite the brook trout on sides and 
belly until death resulted. They would chase them 
into a corner and keep them there, and the brook trout 
gave evidence of their fear of their enemy. Occasionally 
a brown trout would get a good hold of a brook trout 
nearly its own size and would then swim around the cis- 
tern or aquarium holding him in its mouth until both were 
netted out. Not once did the brown trout attack the 
smaller rainbows, their attack being directed against the 
brook trout only. 
All the trout were well fed with shrimps, minnows and 
liver. Two of the rainbow trout choked to death by try- 
ing to swallow minnows too large for their gullets. For 
feeding the fish a cage was made of screen-wire, and this 
was lowered into the cistern at feeding time and the dead 
food thrown into the water over the cage; any food that 
escaped the fish would fall to the bottom of the cage and 
was removed when the cage was raised, and thus the 
water was kept pure. The trout soon learned to know 
that the lowering of the cage into the cistern meant food 
for them, and, too, they soon learned to know that a 
landing net lowered into the water meant a trip to the 
aquarium; so they quickly gathered together over the first 
and fled from the second. The trout thrive in the cistern, 
and will be watched during the fall and winter for any 
new developments; but can any one explain why the 
brown trout wage war on the brook trout and not on the 
rainbow trout? 
Round-Up of the Salmon Season. 
Mr. John Mowat, in writing me of the salmon season in 
Canada, says that on the Restigouche Rev. Dr. Rainsford, 
of New York city, was high hook with about 100 fish. 
That Messrs. Kennedy, Hollins, Fearing, De Forest and 
Penfold had gone fishing on the upper pools right up to 
July 15. That Mr. Lansing, of the Restigouche Salmon 
Club, killed 60 fish to his own rod in the month of June. 
Col. Sweeny, of England, fishing the famous Sweeny 
pools belonging to the estate of the late Capt. Sweeny, 
killed 130 fish. On my way home from Lake St. John a 
few days ago I met a gentleman in the cars between 
Quebec and Montreal who told me he was one of a party 
of American gentlemen who were negotiating for the 
Sweeny pools, either to buy or lease them, in which case 
they will go to a Connecticut city. 
Mr. Mowat killed ten salmon and seven grilse in three 
days on the Upsalquitch, and Mr. Alexander Mowat and 
Mr. Bray sixteen fish at Kedgwick. 
The Governor- General of Canada was obliged to post- 
pone his trip up the Restigouche previously referred to in 
these notes, but fished the home pool of the Restigouche 
Club at Metapedia for one day. The fish in this pool 
averaged about 221bs., largest 381bs. Mr. Mowatt con- 
cludes with the sage statement: "There are miles of 
water in which salmon will not rise, other places they rise 
at certain stages of water and are useless at any other 
stage. The fact is no salmon pool is good at all stages of 
water." A. N. Cheney. 
Large Brown Trout. 
The large fish taken in Spring Creek, recorded last 
week, were caught by Mr. P. V. Crittenden; president of 
the Caledonia Club, of Rochester, N. Y. The weights 
werelOf and lllbs. Our correspondent O. S. B. writes: 
"As they lay on a cake of ice in the window of a down- 
town restaurant with a scarlet-ibis hooked in the mouth 
of one and a queen-of- the- water in the other, they were a 
sight to call up memories in the heart of the angler who 
has been 'chained to business.' Later in the week in the 
same window was displayed a muscalonge from Rice 
Lake, Canada. A card on the ice stated the weight to be 
alfibs., but he looked heavier." 
Harry Annin, 16 years old, son of a fishing father and 
chip of the old block, is credited with three brown trout 
taken from the same waters this season, running 10J , llf 
and 121bs. 
Communications for publication relating to busiiiess 
should be addressed to tlie Forest and Stream Pub. Co. If 
addressed to an individual they will be subject to delay in 
that individual's absence. 
NEW HAMPSHIRE FISHING. 
Manchester, N. H., Sept. 7.— The same conditions that 
blight the gunner's pastime also made our brook trout 
fishing the past season nearly a total failure, and in most 
directions has spoiled it for years to come. The usual 
amount of lake and pond fishing has been enjoyed, and 
as far as my observations extend I judge the sizes of the 
strings of bass, perch and pickerel have exceeded those of 
previous years. Massabesic Lake has stood the brunt of 
the bulk of the onslaught with a creditable record. My 
personal experience there certainly has been very encour- 
aging, particularly in the line of gamy black bass — a 
fish that is not appreciated and encouraged to a fraction 
of the extent it Bhould be by our Commissioners and those 
who have charge of the stocking of our waters. The Fish 
Commissioners are experimenting with lake trout fry in 
Massabesic, putting a few in each season. Thus far none 
have been Been after being introduced except those found 
inside other fish, several instances of which have oc- 
curred. The introduction of a few full grown lake trout, 
able to take care forthemselve against other fish, and a 
heavy penalty for catching them seems to me to be a 
more practical way to make progress toward establishing 
their species there. 
What seems a far better way for the State to expend its 
energy and money, however, is to transfer its efforts from 
an experiment to a certainty, and propagate black bass 
there instead as extensively as possible; then the Commis- 
sioners would be working for a fish which they know 
flourishes in that lake, can take care of itself, has no supe- 
rior as an attraction among fishermen, and, therefore, 
cannot be too plentiful, where now already found, to 
please anglers. Many of our anglers have, as usual, spent 
vacations at either Maine waters, Connecticut lakes, or 
Winnipiseogee, Wentworth, Sunapee or Newfound lakes, 
with generally pleasing results. 
Mr, William C. Clarke, one of the best known and suc- 
cessful sportsmen and wing-shots in the State, and also the 
popular president of the Hillsborough County Game and 
Protective Association, is the leading candidate for Mayor 
of this city, and will receive united support from his 
numerous friends who love rod and gun. Payson. 
The Sale of Brook Trout.: 
For several months Forest and Stream has been advo- 
cating as a plank in the sportsman's platform the f ollow- 
lowing: "The sale of game should be forbidden at all 
times." If such a law could be enforced , it is very obvious 
that it would not be very long before the depleted game 
sections of our country would once more afford pretty 
fair sport. I believe some such measure is equally im- 
perative for the further protection of our game fish. 
Take the brook trout for instance — the time was not so 
many years ago, when they were as plenty as could be 
wished for, but a continual wanton slaughter has made 
them so scarce as to become a luxury commanding a high 
market price — as a result, a very tempting opportunity 
during the season is: always before the poacner to secure 
and sell a mess of trout. The market demand very soon 
cleaned out the streams and it was deemed advisible to 
pass a law prohibiting express companies from accepting 
and shipping them. It was thought that this would 
largely put a stop to the drains from this source, and it 
did; but the market poacher soon got around and evaded 
the law, and in some way or other the fish markets and 
restaurants manage to always have a fair supply on hand. 
But the trout ar« growing scarcer every year, notwith- 
standing the efforts that are being put forth to change 
the state of affairs, the State distributing in the neighbor- 
hood of 3,0000,000 trout fry each year and spending quite 
a sum for protectoi s, in addition to work in the same line 
being done by numerous protective associations, So that 
something else must be done, and I think a little progress, 
and perhaps a great deal, can be made by entirely pro- 
hibiting their scale. In any event, unless some effective 
measure is discovered and put into effect, it will not be 
very far in the future when brook trout will only "be 
found in club preserves, where it takes a thousand or two 
to be the owner of one share. — H. S. B., in Troy Times- 
Union. 
A Day With Captain Seavey. 
Kennebunkport, Me. — If, when you happen here you 
want fish in plenty and a fine sail in a good safe boat 
there engage Capt. Seavey. 
One day last month our party of five had that pleasure, 
leaving the port about nine o'clock and returning at four; 
although our actual fishing time was less than four hours, 
yet we managed to catch over 200 weight of goodly sea- 
food. To one who is unaccustomed to deep-sea fishing, 
the novelty paid for the labor, for it is hard work to pull 
up 100 to 150ft. of line every time a fish is on, and oftener 
yet to replenish the bait. However, with a lighter line, a 
lighter sinker and smaller and sharper hooks than is the 
custom of the regular fishermen, much pleasure can be 
obtained. Provided (and a most important provision too), 
that the individual is not overcome by mal-de-mer as was 
one of our party. The skipper would call out "Chum, 
Robert, chum," and Robert would "chum" accordingly, 
but the fishes being denizens of great depth did not profit 
thereby. 
For some persons to be "rocked in the cradle of the 
deep," lacks a proper rhythm, though it may bring forth 
volumes of harmony. 
To say nothing ot the cod and haddock with which we 
could have filled our baskets had the latter been large 
enough, the pleasant sail in the clear, bracing ocean air 
amply repaid us for the outing. W. H. R. 
Rock Codding on the Maine Coast. 
Kennebunkport, Me.-^There is codding and codding. 
The ordinary manner of catching codfish is not angling 
but genuine hard work; long hand lines, clumsy hooks 
and lialf -pound sinkers, consequently the fish comes up 
like a log from a depth of sixteen to twenty-five fathoms. 
The rock-cod, however, differs from his plainer kins- 
man in being found about the rocks in water 30 or 40ft. 
deep. He is of a beautiful bronze-red, and with his 
clean-cut build is as handsome as a trout. If one uses a 
stiff rod with a fine linen line and sharp hooks the sport 
is well worth the candle, for a 4-pounder will fight so 
hard that he has to be played some moments before the 
reeling in can be safely accomplished. Soft clams are a 
good bait and probably crabs would prove efficacious also, 
as the food of the rock-cod is gleanea from the rocks. 
W. H. R. 
