862 
FOREST AND ■ STREAM. 
[Deo. 22,'18W. 
Days and weeks slipped away until the day for his de- 
parture to join his regiment arrived. He had invited me 
to join him in his last attempt to capture a black sea bass, 
and by 7 o'clock we were rounding the end of the island 
in a small naphtha launch, headed for the fishing banks 
near Silver Canon, The Major's outfit was a 14oz, lance- 
wood rod, called by the Tuft- Lyons Co., of Los Angeles, a 
yellowtail rod. His bine was a 21-strand Cuttyhunk, with 
a cod-line leader a foot long. The reel was a silver one, 
that I believe came from Abbey & Imbrie's years ago, and 
held 500ft. of the small, light line, which presented a 
marked contrast to the halibut line usually employed. 
The hook was a large-sized cod hook, and baited with 
half a barracuda. 
We came to anchor on the edge of the kelp, a good 
place for fish, but a bad one for fishing, and threw over 
three lines, one a hand line, the Major his rod line and I 
a similar outfit though a lighter striped-bass rod, 18 Cutty- 
hunk and No. 2 expert reel, used here for yellow-tail 
from 15 to 401bs. We had evidently struck a school, for 
the excitement soon began. The Major took his place in 
a small boat from which he did his fishing, so that the 
moment he hooked his fish the skipper could cast off and 
take the oars and aid in the catch. In less than ten min- 
utes he had a strike, then another, but missed. Then a 
bass took the hand line which I had, and for ten minutes 
amused itself with me. I brought it within 30ft. of the 
launch and then gave up, not being in good trim profes- 
sionally, and passed the line to the Major, who had never 
taken one of these fish, who landed him after a good fight. 
I say landed; he brought him to the surface, and when he 
was killed and lashed to the launch after giving us all a 
shower-bath with his powerful tail, this fish weighed 
2801bs. 
In a few minutes later the Major had another strike on 
his rod-line and hooked the fish. It has been my good 
fortune to listen to the voice of many reels, but I never 
heard one ring in quite so high a key as this. It was a 
hiss from a silver throat, and the force of the run fairly 
doubled the rod up. How so light a line could stand the 
mere rapidity of such a rush was astonishing. It was 
difficult to tell how much line the fish took, but by skill- 
ful manipulation, the Major succeeded in stopping it by 
lusing a patent home-made break of leather of his own 
iinventing which he used with a thick glove, and this was 
an important factor in the struggle. The Major would 
gain a few feet, then would come the high staccato of the 
reel, and gradually the big fish took the fisherman off 
ishore. When it was not rushing and pounding on the 
line it was sulking; then it would come in with a rush, 
only to turn and start to the bottom like a whale sounding. 
t The reader to appreciate this must remember that it 
was all on a 21-strand line, which well illustrates the skill 
with which the game was handled. Four or five times 
the fish in one of its terrible rushes passed around the 
kelp, and finally the Major called to me that they would 
have to come aboard for a boat-hook. The oarsman had 
an oil can as a buoy in the boat, and to this the rod was 
fastened and left while they came aboard the launch, 
where the boatman rigged a pair of hooks, back to back, 
to fish up the kelp, after which they returned to the 
anchored fish. A shout and the screaming of the reel 
told me that they were again successful. 
For two hours and a half the fight was kept up, during 
which the excitement was at fever heat, despair and vic- 
tory alternating. Finally I heard a shout, the Major 
waved his hat, and I saw the boatman rowing, while the 
black sea bass was towing behind with a rope through its 
gills and the little hook and line still fast in its bony jaw. 
During the two hours and a half fight I had landed a 
lOOlbs. black sea bass on the hand line and lost e very hook 
, on the launch from my rod, and demonstrated that from 
an unanchored boat the catch was impossible, so we 
: steamed into port with three bass, which when hung up 
to be photographed weighed respectively 227, 100 and 
il581bs., the latter taken by the Major on his rod, the 
heaviest fish, if I am not mistaken, ever taken on a rod 
in these waters. 
These fish spawn in September and bite well. In 
iNovember and later they school and when struck are 
found ravenous, often ruining the other fishing. For any 
one who desires hard work that requires skill this sport 
can be commended. Santa Catalina Island is a new fish- 
ing ground, but is yearly attracting more sportsmen, and 
combines the possibilities of taking many game fish with 
a rod and reel with good quail and wild goat shooting. 
PlSCATOR. 
California . 
Michigan Trout. 
Manistee, Mich. — The trout fishing is improving 
rapidly. The trout are mostly planted in the smaller 
streams which, as a rule, run through cedar swamps and 
are fishable only by the most patient — not to say "tough- 
est skinned," for tne mosquitoes are terrible in their day — 
fishermen. They increase very fast and grow to a large 
size. Remembering the trout which I used to catch in 
New York and in the New England States, it seems to 
me that the fish here are much heavier for their inches, 
being more "chunky." I saw one weighed two years ago 
which after being out of the water all day tipped the 
scales at olbs. He was 21|in. long. I caught one this 
last season which was 17iin. long and weighed 2£lbs. 
after I got him home. Both of these trout were not 
symmetrical, having a decidedly aldermanic pursiness of 
the bread basket — or should I say, "worm basket." Both 
were very dull in coloring and both were taken from 
streams running into Lake Michigan, near their debouch- 
ing points. Possibly this last fact may have had some- 
thing to do with their color and developement. 
Trout grow fast in this section, but I was not prepared 
to believe that a fry would attain to a pound weight in 
the fourth year after it was planted. In the month of 
March, 1891, I stocked a stream with fry, which so far as 
anybody knew had never contained any trout. In August 
of this year (1894) I saw one taken from it which weighed 
a plump pound and several others nearly as large. 
Several creeks — all small streams are criks in Michigan 
and one soon falls into the vernacular — have been stocked 
with rainbow and German trout, which are doing well 
and bid fair to outstrip the — I had almost said native 
trout, but we have no native fish, all having been planted 
— 8. fontinalis in weight and speed in taking on weight. 
The grayling is not nearly as heavy a fish as the trout, 
for his length, as his form is more trim, tapering from 
just before the dorsal fin to the caudal. There is also less 
weight in his head than in a trout's. F. A. M. 
TEXAS FISH, FLESH AND FOWL. 
Velasoo, Tex., Dec. 15.— If you will take a redfish or 
trout weighing about 31bs., clean carefully and cut in 
pieces the size of your hand, season and roll in Indian 
meal, and then fry over a hot camp-fire until brown, you 
will have a feast fit for a king; it will beat tenderloin 
trout out of sight, and if you pile the flaky morsels on 
the bleached side of an old piece of drift timber you will 
have a service full as tempting as the choicest Sevres. 
The Velasco Rod and Gun Club has been indulging in 
such primitive cookery for the past ten days or two 
weeks. 
The camp was pitched on the banks of the San Ber- 
nard River, a beautiful stream flowing into the Gulf 
about ten miles south of Velasco. 
The San Bernard is locally famous as a fishing place 
and the neighboring woods abound in game of various 
kind. Squirrels are plentiful, and if I attempted to tell 
you some of the lucky bags of partridge brought in by 
banker J. M. Moore, our champion wingshot, you would 
think my story exaggerated. 
And the bill of fare is not limited to fish and game. 
The Cridar Lake oysters are equal in size and flavor to 
the finest in the world, and being a native of the shores 
of Chesapeake Bay I may profess to be a judge of 
oysters. It is no trouble to obtain any quantity and Dr. 
Boyd, who sports the longest legs in east Texas, easily 
supplied the camp by wading out in rubber boots and 
grappling with a tongs. If you have ever eaten roast 
oysters, seasoned with a round of good stories, and by a 
bright camp-fire, I think you will agree with me in say- 
ing steamed oysters are "not in it to any great extent." 
Some of the club members who are artists with the fly- 
rod, wanted to go about eight miles further to the large 
lake on Governor Wells Thompson's plantation, but the 
weather turning bad the trip was abandoned. The Gov- 
ernor told the boys a tale of his negroes catching an 8lb. 
black bass by lowering a cotton basket in the lake and 
then dragging it up quickly; and Messrs. Lee, Boyd and 
Morrissy have been uneasy ever since. 
The weather has not been cold enough to bring in the 
ducks and geese in their usual numbers, although a party 
of Pacific Express employees headed by Route Agent 
J . A. Russ, of Palestine, Texas, who camped upon Cridar 
Lake a couple of days, dead-headed a barrel of ducks, two 
barrels of fish and a half carload of oysters to their 
friends, as the result of their outing. 
Mr. W. H. Holman, of Argonia, Kansas, had an adven- 
ture with a large sawfish a few days ago. Mr. Holman 
was on the coast for the first time in his life. He had a 
shotgun. He saw the fish in shoal water close to shore, 
and concluded to head it off after the Kansas style of 
hunting jack rabbits. He waded beyond and around the 
fish, getting it between him and the shore, shooting it 
with both barrels, whereupon the monster proceeded to . 
saw Mr. Holman's leg in the most workmanlike manner. ' 
Fortunately a friend went to his rescue and hauled him 
out of the water, where he was almost helpless from the 
pain of his wound. Dr. Foster dressed his leg and he is 
doing well. He lost his gun and thinks he does not need 
it to hunt sawfish with anyway. 
Certain parties living north of town have been killing 
deer and selling them to the butchers in town. The mem- 
bers of the club have them spotted and have registered a 
solemn vow to get even with them on every occasion they 
may have the chance in business transactions and other- 
wise. The game butcher is an Ishmaelite to all true 
sportsmen. 
Mr. Walter Farwell, a son of ex-Senator Farwell, has 
been here in company with Mr. G. R. Scott, of Chicago. 
Mr. Farwell had quite an exciting adventure with a large 
wildcat while hunting in the Brazos bottom. Fortunately 
Mr. Farwell's dogs distracted the brute's attention for a 
few moments, and Mr. Farwell, being a pretty fair 
sprinter, managed to get over into the neighboring county 
before the cat got its business end ready. 
Mr. Scott caught the biggest tarpon on record so far. It 
weighed a little over 2071bs., while the one that jumped 
on the deck of the steamer Mollie Mohr last season and 
was dispatched by the crew, weighed but 187. 
David Llewellyn. 
Texas Tarpon and Florida Tarpon. 
San Antonio, Tex., Dec. 9.— Editor Forest and Stream: 
Mr. A. N. Cheney in your issue of Dec. 8 discredits the 
Texas tarpon fishing record to show that "L. F. M," was 
mistaken in his claim. But Mr. Cheney did not state 
how many people were to be credited with the Florida 
fish while the Texas record was as follows, which I 
obtained from one of the party: H. M. Wallis, 44 strikes, 
5 tarpon landed. W. M. Louis, 30 strikes, 4 tarpon 
landed. F. K. Bull, 25 strikes, 3 tarpon landed. This is 
a record of 99 strikes and 12 fish brought to the boat by 
three men. But Florida fishermen must not think that 
this is owing to any lack of skill on the part of the fisher- 
men. When it comes to trolling for tarpon as compared 
to still-fishing as practiced in Florida there is as much 
difference as there is between bait-fishing and casting 
the fly. In the Texas fishing the tarpon is given no 
chance to gorge the bait, but must be fairly hooked in 
some part of the mouth, and it is a well-known fact that 
a fish hooked in the mouth will fight longer and harder 
than one that has been hooked in a vital spot. 
I will be glad to answer to the best of my ability any 
queries made in regard to the Texas fishing, as I firmly 
believe that it cannot be excelled. My address may be 
obtained from Forest and Stream publishers. 
W. M. S. 
Mississippi Tarpon. 
Biloxi, Miss. — Now that your angling contributors are 
beginning to talk of tarpon, it may interest them to know 
that we have tarpon fishing here. One day this autumn 
a tarpon measuring 6ft. 4in. long, weighing 9olbs., was 
taken here on a rod and reel by Messrs. R. V. R. Schuyler 
and Wallace Montross. The fish was captured only after 
a hard fight lasting upward of three hours, during which 
time he led his captors a chase of nearly three miles. He 
was hooked from a wharf in front of the Montross Hotel 
and was followed in a small skiff until he was finally 
landed. The channel runs close to the beach at this point, 
and when the tide is running its strongest, either flood or 
ebb, thousands of mullet and sardines pass up and down 
stream on their way from the flats to deeper waters of the 
guff. It is then that the tarpon, or silver fish as they are 
called here, bite best. They can be seen striking and 
jumping out of the water close to the pier heads in pursuit 
of their food. The best bait is a live mullet, which is 
fixed on the hook by passing the point through the opening 
behind the gills, and allowing it to come out of the mouth. 
In this way mullet can be kept alive for a long time. The 
bait is cast out a short distance from the wharf, and is 
allowed to swim about close to the surface. The tarpon 
takes live bait very much as does the black bass the fly, 
jumping out of water the moment he feels the prick of 
the steel. His runs vary from 200 to 400ft., always end- 
ing in one of the terrific jumps that only a tarpon can 
make. It is a beautiful sight as he emerges from the 
water, his scales glistening like molten silver. He is game 
to the last, fighting until the gaff is driven into him, and 
he is drawn into the boat. The writer, who has caught 
tarpon on the lower Florida coast, considers this point 
for many reasons far the better for tarpon fishing. These 
fish certainly are more difficult to catch here, possibly 
owing to the fact that the water is cooler here than 
further south, making the fish more active. In addition 
to this the style of fishing, viz. , the using of live bait is 
far more exciting than still-fishing. This portion of the 
gulf coast is easy of access from any of the Northern and 
Western cities. The accommodations are first-class and 
there is no difficulty in procuring bait and boats. The 
best season is during the months of August, September, 
October and November, as during these months the tar- 
pon fairly swarm in these waters. Any one visiting 
Biloxi for this kind of sport can be absolutely certain of 
hooking one or more of them every good day, S. 
^inhqultmt mid protection. 
The Maine Commission. 
The Maine Fish and Game Commissioners have submitted 
their biennial report to the Governor and Council. It is a 
report that the people of the State should be proud of. In 
regard to landlocked salmon, the report says that stocking 
has been very satisfactory. The number of parent fish enter- 
ing upon the spawning grounds and coming into the weirs 
on Crooked River have doubled during the past three years, 
as shown by the number of eggs taken. In all waters of the 
State where these fish have been planted for a term of years 
sufficient for natural developments they have appeared in 
large numbers, as compared with the amount of the original 
stock, and in many places are propagating themselves by 
natural processes. 
Stocking the Penobscot River with sea salmon has been 
pre-eminently successful. Twelve thousand sea salmon were 
taken in the weirs of the Penobscot River and Bay and in its 
pools during the season of 1894. These fish sold in the mar- 
kets of our Atlantic cities for a price ranging from 25 cents 
to $1 per pound. At the average price of 25 cents per pound, 
this fish product would be worth §45,000. The cost to the 
State of keeping up this industry is $600 per annum or less 
than 1% per cent, of the selling price in the market. 
The Commissioners say that the .best results can be ob- 
tained by closing the streams that feed ponds and lakes and 
stop all fishing for trout till May 1; cut down the number of 
pounds of these fish the angler may have at one time, stop 
the market for trout and landlocked salmon and, with what 
facilities we now have for stocking our lakes and ponds, we 
will always have them with U3 in good numbers. 
In regard to the big game of the State the Commissioners 
say: 
"The large game of the State, by which we mean the 
moose, caribou and deer, is, without doubt, increasingly 
abundant. From the most reliable information gathered 
from statistics furnished by express companies and common 
carriers at important points in our State and from personal 
inquiry and observation, we think it a conservative state- 
ment that for the open time of 1891, 4,000 of these animals 
will be taken. During the fifty days ending Nov. 21, 800 
were shipped by express over the Bangor & Aroostook Rail- 
road in cars running from Houlton to Bangor. Moosehead 
Lake regions and west over the Canadian Pacific to the 
Canadian line furnish as many more. Hancock and Wash- 
ington counties, two of the best deer counties in the State, 
are not far behind these figures. Then going west through 
Somerset, Franklin and Oxford counties, we have another 
equally large supply of this game. Outside of these princi- 
pal sections, there are scores of towns in the State which, 
while they are thickly papulated, are at the same time well 
stocked with deer. These estimates represent what have 
been taken and brought out of the forests and no account is 
here made of the large number of deer that have been killed 
and consumed by parties while on hunting trips. 
"There have been taken in the State this year about 100 
moose and 200 caribou. Of these probably one-third, at least, 
have been cows. 
"The number of those who hunt and kill our large game 
is increasing from year to year at the rate of 25 per cent, 
annually, 
"What is the value to the State of its fish and game inter- 
ests? Various estimates have been made, ranging from 
$3,000,000 to $4,000,000 per anumn. The Commissioners state 
that they know that each year there go to Rangeley Lake 
region 5,000 sportsmen and hunters. They tarry on an 
average ten days each, and the average expense to each 
person from the time he enters the State until he departs is 
$75, aggregating $375,000, while $50,000 per anumn is paid to 
taxidermists. In looking over the field the Commissioners 
are of the opinion that $3,000,000 is a reasonable and modest 
estimate of the money left in the State every year by visitors 
attracted to Maine by fish and game interests." 
The Commissioners will ask for $30,000 per anumn for the 
next two years for the propagation of fish and the enforce- 
ment of the law for the protection of fish and game. 
Special. 
Lobster Shorts. 
A Boston exchange of recent date reports: A tugboat 
steamed down Boston Harbor yesterday afternoon, and when 
several miles off the Brewster. Islands, slowed her speed. 
Several men were gathered round a pile of barrels stored 
aft, and as the tug lost headway proceeded to dump the con- 
tents of the barrels into the sea. There were 17 barrels in 
all, and they contained no less than 3,328 lobsters. 
To whom they belonged is a mystery, but they were what 
are technically known as "shorts," and were seized by State 
Officer Proctor at the Providence station. The lobsters were 
consigned to a New York firm, and probably came from 
Maine waters, although this is not known. No person has 
put in a claim of ownership, and no person is likely to. The 
law requires that lobsters, when offered for sale, shall be at 
least 10>^in. in length, and every one of the lot captured was 
by actual measurement below the standard. 
This is the largest seizure of this kind ever made in this 
State, and, so far as known, in New England. Could the 
shipper of the lobsters be arrested and convicted, he would 
be liable to a fine of not less than $16,610, for the law pro- 
vides that any person in whose possession short lobsters are 
found may be fined $5 for each lobster so found. It is pos- 
