May 11, 1895.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
371 
Ice in the Lakes. 
A friend who has just returned from an extensive drive 
through the Adirondacks tells me that on April 28 the ice 
had not left Lake Pleasant, the western boundary of his» 
drive, nor Thirteenth Lake. The streams were high and 
the water thick, and there was no fishing to be had. On 
the 27th, with Mr. W. F. Rathbone, of Albany, I went to 
Port Henry on Lake Champlain, and Commodore W. C. 
Witherbee drove us into the mountains on the extreme 
eastern edge of the Adirondacks. The ice was out of the 
ponds, but the water was high and thick. One of the 
highest peaks was covered with fresh snow that looked as 
if it had fallen the night before, In spite of the sun there 
was a chill in the air, even at midday, and altogether it 
was too early for trout fishing. A few trout had been 
caught in the streams, but their actions were very like 
suckers, as they remained at the bottom and took bait 
with great deliberation. The truth is, that the 15th of 
April is too early for good stream fishing in northern New 
York. 
"Trout of Any Kind." 
The fish and game law of New York provides that 
"trout of any kind" shall not be taken except at certain 
times, and this language has caused no end of confusion, 
for it does not mean what it says. It is apparent that 
"trout of any kind" refers only to the various species of 
shallow water or brook trout, as by reading a number of 
sections from 103 to 116 it will be found that a distinction 
is made between "trout of any kind" and salmon (lake) 
trout. Section 105 is the one that provides that "trout of 
any kind" shall be taken only at certain seasons, and 
Section 108 provides a distinct and mandatory season 
for catching "salmon trout and landlocked salmon." 
Other sections provide that "trout of any kind, salmon 
trout and landlocked salmon" shall not be taken under 
6in. in length. This language is repeated in several 
sections. Lawyers have been called in to settle the ques- 
tion of what the law really meant, but they could not 
agree. 
I wrote to the Attorney General for a construction of 
the law, and after quoting the two sections, 105 and 108, 
he says: "I do not believe it was the intention of the 
Legislature to include salmon trout or landlocked salmon 
within the provisions of Section 105. This seems to be 
clearly evidenced by the fact that Section 108 makes all 
necessary provision for them in a way that is unmistak- 
able. To my mind Section 105 refers to brook trout and 
that to embrace all species of the brook trout family. 
This, in my judgment, is the only solution of the apparent 
conflict between the two sections." This opinion of At- 
torney General Hancock has not satisfied people who 
should be satisfied, and I doubt if a conviction could be 
obtained, before a jury, for catching lake or salmon trout 
between April 15 and May 1. It may be said that this will 
make little difference, as there is now a new codification 
of the game law before the Legislature which will prob- 
ably become a law before the Legislature adjourns; but 
this new game bill contains the exact language of the 
present law in that it provides a close season for ' 'trout of 
any kind," and a different close season for salmon trout 
and landlocked salmon. If this language is not changed 
before the bill becomes a law the confusion and conten- 
tion will continue until it is amended. 
A^ N. Cheney. 
THE FISHING SEASON IN CANADA. 
An Earlier Opening than was Expected. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
It is quite a common expression that "there is no spring 
in Canada," so sudden is the transformation from winter 
to summer. I have |known the thermometer to register 
upwards of 80° in the shade before the last snow-drifts 
had disappeared in shady nooks, and while ice still held 
upon some of our northwestern lakes. Anglers, however, 
still hug the theory of a Canadian springtime, as the fre- 
quent references in angling literature to "spring fishing 
in Canada" amply testify. If we measure its duration by 
the space of time that elapses between the disappearance 
of ice from the surface of angling waters and the period 
when summer's heat drives the trout into deep water se- 
clusion and brings forth its annual plague of flies, the 
season is decidedly short. Hence, no doubt, the desire of 
so many American fishermen to be kept posted by friends 
in Canada in regard to the prospects for the opening of 
the angling season. 
I do not, at the present moment, call to mind any sea- 
son in which promises of late spring fishing have been so 
agreeably disappointed. A month ago it looked as though 
the opening of the season of 1895 would be as late as that 
of 1894 was early. Present indications are that it will not 
be more than a week or ten days later in the y ear than 
was its predecessor. This morning I received a postal 
card from Robewal, signed by Mr. A. W. Patterson, who 
was last year in charge of the Island House and of the 
guides at the Grande Decharge, and is at present manager 
of a new hotel at Lake St. John. He says, speaking of 
that lake: 
"Water rising. Ice getting shaky. I have men on 
the watch for the first fish. Expect fishing earlier than 
we had thought." 
From this I take it that the ice may leave Lake St. John 
at any time within the next week, and almost certainly 
before these lines appear in print. The postal card was 
dated yesterday, April 29. The 15th of May is not likely, 
therefore, to be too early for spring fishing, either for 
ouananiche in Lake St. John or for trout in other north- 
ern waters, and this would place the opening of the sea- 
son at the Grande Decharge at about the 8th to 10th of 
June. 
Mr. R. R. McCormick, of Cocoanut Grove, Florida, and 
his son write me that they will spend much of the sum- 
mer camping and fishing in northern Canada. They will 
make a tour in the country beyond Lake St. John, and 
after acquiring membership in a couple of clubs control- 
ling trout waters in Canada will spend some time upon 
the preserves in question. 
Colonel Andrew C. P. Haggard, D.S.O., author of 
"Tempest-Torn," "Dodo and I," etc., a brother of Rider 
Haggard, who ascended the Peribonea with me in 1893 as 
far as Tschotagama, and whose acquaintance was formed 
in that year at Lake St. John by many American anglers, 
writes me from Scotland, where he has leased a shooting 
lodge, that he hopes to return to America for a season's 
shooting and fishing in July next. 
Everybody interested in the subject of fish protection 
will regret to learn that from motives of economy the 
Canadian Government has decided this year to reduce by 
$10,000 the vote for salary and disbursements of fishing 
overseers and guardians, and that upon similar grounds 
the Government of Newfoundland has decided to abolish 
its Commission on Fisheries. E. T. D. Chambees. 
Qdebec CiTir, April 30. 
BOSTON AND MAINE. 
Boston, May 3. — So far the returns from brant shooting 
along the Massachusetts coast have been very unsatisfac- 
tory. The first party to visit the shooting home of the 
Monomoy Brant Club got one brant. The second party 
got eight. The third, or Boys' party, got seven; not one 
brant apiece. Mr. E. Frank Lewis, one of the most 
genial sportsmen of the party, was brought home last 
Saturday dangerously sick with pneumonia. Mr. Warren 
Hapgood, the senior member and founder of the club, is 
absent now at the shooting boxes. Mr. Walter L. Hill 
is with him as an invited guest. It is a feature peculiar 
to the present season that all the birds killed are old birds. 
The absence of young birds is remarked by almost every- 
body who has gunned along the coast this spring. 
The ice is not yet out of the Rangeley Lakes, neither 
is it out of Moosehead. I have a personal letter from Mr. 
O. A. Dennen, proprietor of the Kineo House, dated. April 
29. He says: "I should say, from present indications, 
that the lake would be clear of ice about May 10; possibly 
sooner." Mr. Dennen is very good authority on the ice 
in Moosehead, having followed it for years, and if he is 
correct in his conclusion this time, the ice may be ex- 
pected to be out of the Rangeleys about May 12, since the 
Rangeleys usually clear about two days later than Moose- 
head. The only theory that disfavors this conclusion is 
the fact that several of the other Maine lakes and ponds 
have cleared earlier relatively than follows in line with 
such conclusion. Swan Lake, near Belfast, is clear, and 
Commissioners Stanley, Wentworth and the new mem- 
ber, C. E. Oaks, were fishing there last week. Reports 
say that some large trout were taken. Lake Auburn is 
also clear of ice, and the same Commissioners have been 
fishing there. What success they had is not yet made 
public. Reports also say that Sebec Lake is clear of ice. 
This lake is usually clear five or six days earlier than 
Moosehead. 
Newfound Lake, in New Hampshire, was partly clear 
of ice a couple of days ago, the ice having moved down 
from the upper end. Immediately some of the fishermen 
were on hand to try for the celebrated lake trout that are 
early taken from that lake each year by those who know 
how it is done. Gen. Paul Lang landed a magnificent 
trout 41iin. in length and weighing lSlbs. The fish was 
shown in the window of the Boston & Maine Railroad 
office, on Washington street, this city, and attracted a 
crowd of the curious. The big trout of Newfound Lake 
is a feature of recent date. A few years ago such trout 
were almost unknown to residents. 
Among the most anxious for the ice to leave the 
Rangeleys is Mr. C. P. Stevens, the owner of Camp Vive 
Yale, in the Narrows, Richardson Lake. He has several 
wagers that the Rangeleys will be clear by the 5th, but he 
is likely to lose. He is to start even before the ice is out. 
He will be alone this year, with Charles Edgar Marston as 
guide. Mr. Frank Stevens, of the same office, cannot get 
away this year. Mr. E. J. Shattuck has become more 
interested in fishing some waters further into the wilds of 
Aroostook county. Mr. Smart is too busy to go a-fishing. 
Both of these gentlemen were the early founders of Camp 
Vive Vale, with Mr. Stevens. 
Another early fisherman to that lake will be Mr. Edwin 
A. Dow, of Woburn, but of the leather house of Stephen 
Dow & Co. , Boston. He expects to be accompanied by 
Mr. Place, a long-time fishing and yachting companion. 
They will go to Camp Stewart, with the Cutting boys, 
Will and George, as guides. Mr. Dow's business partner, 
Mr. Frank F. Dodge, has recently built a hunting and 
fishing camp on a celebrated lake in Nova Scotia. With 
a cousin and fishing friend he has already made a trip to 
that lake this spring, and has had good sport with the 
trout. Later he will have photographs of his camp and 
the surroundings, and he will give me all the particulars 
concerning the location — a comparatively new one to the 
fishermen from "the States"— for the Forest and Stream. 
They have been able to purchase a good share of the 
shores of the lake where their camp is located, for a very 
reasonable sum, and from the fact of the rapid growth 
in sporting interests in that direction they are naturally a 
good deal pleased with their success. 
Boston, May 4. — Mr. Walter L. Hill has just returned 
from his outing with Mr. Warren Hapgood, of the Mono- 
moy Brant Club. This was the last party of the season. 
Not a brant was shot by this party. In a measure to make 
up for the lack of brant to shoot, Mr. Hill shot a skunk 
that had previously been caught in a trap. This may seem 
like a trivial record, but it goes on to the Monomoy records 
as the only brant shot by the party. The record shows 
the poorest season for brant since the club was formed — 
for some thirty years, in fact. As mentioned above, party 
No. 1 got one brant; No. 2, eight; No. 3, seven; No. 4, one 
skunk. Mr. Hapgood has a theory that the sand is gradu- 
ally washing into the grass, hence the brant are ceasing 
to come there to feed. But in connection with this theory, 
it must also be remembered that the Muskeget Club mem- 
bers and shooters have taken very few brant this year. A 
i-eport is at hand, however, that there has been good brant 
shooting within a week at several points along the Nova 
Scotia coast, and a number of brant have just arrived in 
the Boston markets from these points. 
Tom French, of Andover, Me., and well known as pro- 
prietor of one of the Richardson Lake steamers, writes Mr. 
Geo. T. Freeman, under date of May 2, that the ice will 
doubtless be out of the Rangeley Lakes by the 7th or 8th. 
Mr. G. W. Wadsworth, who will be one of the early ones 
to be off for the Rangeleys, has a letter from his guide, 
Geo. B. Huntoon, which suggests that the ice will be out 
of Rangeley by the 10th or 12th. The proprietor of the 
Mooselucmaguntic House writes friends here that the lake 
will hardly be clear of ice before the 12th. The Forest 
and Stream will have a special dispatch if the Rangeleys 
or Moosehead clear before this number goes to press. 
Otherwise, it may be safely concluded that those lakes 
will be clear by the 12th or 13 th of May. I notice that a 
•correspondent'of the Forest and Stream is in doubt about 
the date of the Rangeleys' clearing in 1893. If he had 
looked at the record annually published in thi3 paper by 
myself for the past dozen years he might have seen that 
the ice cleared from those lakes May 20, 1893. Special. . 
NORTH CAROLINA STRIPED BASS. 
A negro fisherman, named Mose Peet, caught a 50- 
pound rockfish, or striped bass (Roccus lincaius), last 
I 'riday with hook and handline, and cut fish for bait, in 
Bryce's Creek, a fresh-water' stream which empties into 
the Trent River, some two miles above Newbern, and 
some forty miles from the ocean beach. Striped bass are 
very abundant in Bryce's Creek just at this time and run 
in great schools in pursuit of the herring which are pass- 
ing up to the head waters of the stream to spawn. As 
an indication of the vast multitude of the herring in this 
and neighboring waters of the North Carolina sounds, it 
may be mentioned that Dr. Wm. P. Capehart, at his 
notable fishery at Avoca, on Albemarle Sound, caught 
400,000 at a single haul of the seine one day last week; 
and it may be assumed that striped bass are favorable, 
though very few were taken just there. They are more 
abundant in the tributaries of Pamlico Sound. They run 
up all the rivers in vast numbers, and if rod fishermen 
were only made aware of their opportunity they could 
find sport with correct tackle at the Trent River county 
bridge, near where Mose Peet took his fish, beside which, 
the old performances at McComb's Dam, on the Harlem 
River, forty years ago, would dwindle into insignificance. 
Tarpon fishing in Florida won't compare with it. 
The remarkable aspect of the whole matter is that up 
to recent date scientists have expressed incredulity re- 
garding declarations that striped bass (Roccus lineatus) 
were found in great size and numbers in the upper waters 
of Southern streams, and as recently as 1888 a notable 
ichthyological authority questioned in an official publica- 
tion my statement printed ten years previously in the 
Sportsman's Gazetteer to that effect, intimating that I 
was "probably mistaken by the resemblance of this species 
to the brassy bass (Roccus interruptus)." 
Besides this splendid game fish, which attains a weight 
of TOlbs. and upward, we have here the finest black bass 
fishing, with twenty other varieties to select from; and it 
seems strange that these waters, from which our fish- 
packers ship |200,000 worth to Northern markets every 
season, should, have been so long overlooked by anglers, 
who persist in going to Tampa, Aransas, Indian River, 
Homosassa or anywhere else, no matter how distant or 
however poorly rewarded and little encouraged. We 
have here at Newbern the Hotel Chattawka, which the 
Forest and Stream advertised all winter, and at More- 
head City the magnificent seaside Atlantic Hotel, with 
its accommodations for 800 guests and vaulted ballroom 
100ft. square; while at Beaufort, within sight of where 
President Cleveland trolled for Spanish mackerel last May 
a year ago is the snug and homelike house of Sarah Davis, 
whose fame has had a steady growth for thirty years all 
over the country. 
Mem. — Fifteen years ago I told your readers about the 
Roseau Region in Northern Minnesota, near where I built 
a comfortable hotel for sportsmen, and begged them to 
come up and shoot the moose, elk, deer, caribou, geese 
and grouse, but no one came except old John Davidson 
and Andrew Carnegie, and Dr. Phillips's party of Penn 
Yan, New York; and now I dare say, after I am dead and 
buried, and the last fish has migrated to other waters 
and departed forever, they will begin to find out where 
the most delectable fishing ground on the Atlantic coast 
was; just as they have now discovered the Roseau Region 
after forty post offices have been located there, and an in- 
hibitory law enacted to prevent the destruction of the 
remnant of the game. 
Let your anglers of leisure come down and try the salt 
water and estuary fishing in this vicinity until the 10th of 
June, and by that time I would direct them to Covington, 
Va., 2,000 feet above sea level, in the heart of the Blue 
Ridge, where they can then catch mountain trout, black 
bass and pike-perch until the end of summer, with com- 
fortable home and board at reasonable rates. 
Newbern, N. P., May 1. CHARL ES HALLOCK. 
ANGLING WATERS NEAR BOSTON. 
Boston, Mass. — There are very few places in Massachu- 
setts which contain as many anglers as the city of 
Worcester. It has even been said that they far outnum- 
ber the trout native to that locality. This assertion is 
stoutly and seriously denied by some of the knowing 
ones, who always know where to go to find a good mess. 
A. number of very good brooks are to be found within 
easy distance of the city. While all are not successful in 
fishing them, the finished artist seldom fails to secure a 
sufficient number to satisfy a modest ambition. There 
are a few private or leased waters in the vicinity which 
are not open to the public, but enough are left open 
(barring an occasional "no trespass" sign) to provide very 
good sport to all wishing to try their luck. The names 
and location of some of these streams are : Bummet brook, 
North Grafton; Merriam brook (quite a large stream), 
Grafton; Bumbo brook, Paxton; Fessendon brook, Pax- 
ton; Bryant brook, Leicester; Nigger brook, Spencer; 
Cold Spring brook, Harvard; Dark brook, Auburn; South 
brook, Shrewsbury; Happy Hollow brook, Oakdale; and 
Muddy brook, Boylston. All of these streams have par- 
ticular places, known best to the initiated, where the 
trout hide. 
The streams named are all within easy distance from 
Boston and are quite olten visitf d by fishermen from the 
Hub. In the other direction from Boston, on the line of 
the Boston & Maine R. R., are several good brooks, natu- 
rally improving as one gets further away from the city. 
Over the Maine State line near Berwick are some notably 
good streams. A friend, fishing in this locality recently, 
secured a nice string, the largest weighing 1-Jlbs., the 
brook being very high and swollen at that. 
Coming close to the city, we have a few brooks which 
at one time afforded excellent sport, but now, although 
quality remains, quantity is much reduced. Some of 
these which might be mentioned are: Traphole brook, 
Sharon; Walpole brook (emptying into Fowl Meadow), 
Canton; William Henry brook, Canton; Cheesecake 
brook, Newton; and several fair streams in Sudbury, 
Dedham, Lexington and Arlington. Those who know- 
how sometimes astonish their friends by bringing home a 
number of fair-sized trout even from these waters. 
Everybody is aware that old Cape Cod is the banner 
ground for trout fishing near Boston. While very many 
of the best waters on the Cape are controlled by clubs or 
individuals to the exclusion of the public, there still re- 
main many places where that highly flavored beauty, the 
brook trout living in tide-water streams, may be found. 
Some of these I will mention in Forest and stream later 
on. Hacele. 
