IBS 
FOREST AND STREAM, 
[Am. SI, 1897. 
SOME WEST COAST TACKLE. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
Knowing ttiat any new device for lurinj^ flsli or killing 
game is always hunted for and tried by tlie sportsmen, I have 
taken the trouble to sketch a few that I have never seen used 
away from this coast, but which have possibilities in other 
localities as well as here. 
The Siawash salmon spoon is the rig used here by the In- 
dians in trolling. They do not depend entirely on the spoon, 
but always put the hard, muscle-like "foot" of the cockle on 
the hook, too, and they catch more fish than the whites, who 
troll on the same ground, and use the same spoon, rigged a 
little different. This may be due to the cockle, and it may 
be because the Indian knows a whole lot more about salmon 
than the average white man does. 
The other salmon spoon is my own get up and is the one 
that "rattled," and thereby rattled Ex-Spc. about two years 
ago. It is made from a piece of the copper which is put on 
the bottom of seagoing vessels, and turns on a stem of elec- . 
trie light wire with plenty oi washers below the spoon, to 
insure spinning. The hook is fastened to the wire stem by a 
number of fine strands of line instead of by one heavy, solid 
line, as the Indian fastens his. I find this to give greater 
freedom to the "action" of the hook when the salmon does 
his savage head shake before coming to gaff, and the hook 
for this reason is less apt to be shaken free and is less apt to 
be torn or cut by the teeth of the iish. It is a very killing 
rig for silver salmon, and is my favorite spoon fcr these fish. 
Of the three specimens of trout spoon sent, No. 'i is my 
favorite, and is the worst thini^ that ever happened to a trout, 
sure. The little spinners lie close to the wire stem and 
work beautifully with a very slow pull in dead water — some- 
thing that IS usually lacking in spoons. With this spoon 
there is always a glitter and a bright sparkle, no matter 
whether it moves fast or slow, in a current or dead water, 
up stream or down, and trout strike at it when they won't 
rise to anything eke that 1 have ever found yet. The stem 
is spring brass wire and the spinners are nickel or nickel and 
SIA-WASH TROLLING EIG FOP SALMON TROUT. 
copper alternate and should be rather small, not larger than 
the drawing sent, and even half that size is all right. 
No. 1 is a good killing spoon too, fer troiit, and is very 
simple and durable, but I do not find it as good a killer as 
No. 3. No. 1 is made in nickel or copper or in combination. 
I find that silver makes the best spoon, and does not tarnish 
in the water like other metals. Any jeweler can make the 
spinners and there will be about 50 cents worth of silver 
used. I am making a new one for my own use from alu- 
minum, and thick it will be a good one. 
Nd. H of the trout spoons is the Tacoma, and is used some 
in several modifications of the form given here. It somc- 
simes seems to be just the right thing but more often proves 
rather a disappointment. It has not the killing qualities of 
either of the others, especially No. 2. 
The Biawash trolling rig for salmon trout is the best rig 
using actual minnow for bail that I have found for salmon 
trout, trout and bass. I have not tried it on other kinds, but 
it would no doubt work as well. It consists of a short Ime 
about 18in. long below the swivel, into which it is tied with 
a slipknot that can readily be untied. Attached to this short 
line, about 1ft. from the hook, is a piece of light line, or linen 
thread, about 1ft. long. A needle of wire, or aoy suitable 
material, is carried by the fisherman, and when the rig is 
"cleared for action" the angler unties his short line from the 
swivel, threads it through his needle, and then pushes his 
needle through the fish fiom the tail forward along the spine 
EL COMAKCHO'S SALMON SPOON, ONE-HALP SIZE. 
and out at the mouth. He now has his bait "threaded" on 
his trolling line and lies this short hook line back in the 
swivel ready for work. Now he threads the linen thread 
into his needle and runs the needle down through the head 
of the bait, pulls his minnow up to withm 2in. of where this 
thread is tied to his line, and then wraps the slack tightly 
about the nose of the minnow, closing the mouth and hold- 
ing the bait from sliding down the line to the hook, which is 
lett trailing along behind the bait as much as 4 or 5in. 
The whole operation can be done almost as quickly as one 
can hook a live minnow on to the common rig, and it has 
the advantage of using dead bait. 
The bait, when properly arranged, will not whirl in the 
water, but darts about in the most lifelike way imaginable, 
and is a better bait than any spoon or other contrivance for 
the fish named, and, I expect, could be used for any fish that 
takes a minnow, in suitable water. 
The Siawash "fish comb," which is illustrated here, is 
strictly a West Coast idea, and aboriginal as well as original, 
and it is a big surprise party for smelt and herring. In use- 
ing this queer implement, Mr. Siawash sits in theslernof his 
FISHING AT LAKE WINNIPISAUKEE. 
Welrs, N. H., Aug. 7. — Many bass are taken from this 
beautiful body of water. Owing to tlie long continued 
heavy rains, the lake is very high, higher indeed than has 
been known for many years 
Fly fishing has not been successful so far this season, ?nd 
the much-despised worm and helgramite are resorted to aS 
lures. Minnows are of use some days. 
The first day I caught, in about four hours' time, thirteen, 
but did not succeed in landing any very large ones, S-Jlbs. 
being the weight of the biggest. 
Mr. E. P. Miller, of Bost^)n, now stopping at Hotel Weirs, 
has been very successful ; one day last week he, in comoany 
with Mr. G. E Haskins, of Rockport, Mass., and Mr. Galen 
Cook, of Worcester, Mass., captured nineteen bass within 
five minutes' row of the hotel. The combined weight of 
this string was 5 libs. Mr, Haskins is conceded the king of 
bass fishermen in this region, having talien over 160 iri the 
past five weeks. This figure does not include a large num- 
ber of small ones returned to the water, as he never retains 
any of less than lib. weight. 
Mr. Miller has broken the record as to size, having taken 
a bass which tipped the scales at 61b3. 14oz 
I learn that a party from Center Harbor, N. H., caught 
thirty-two bass in one day, which weighed 601bs. 
Of course there are "oif days" in bass fishing. Some days 
they will take any kind of bait and at all hours of the day, 
while the next da.y they will refuse the daintiest morsel served 
in the most skillful way. However, I am sure no one but 
a "fish bog" would go away dissatisfied with his trip to this 
delightful place. 
Weirs is situated on the western shore of the lake, on the 
line of the Boston & Maine R, R , and is only about three 
hours' ride from Boston. The accommodations here are of 
the best for fishing and sailing, and prices reasonable. 
Dr. Makstok. 
SIAWASH SPOON BAITED WITH COCKLE FOR SALMON, ONS-HALP SIZE . 
canoe, with his face seaward and bis back to the bow. The 
"comb" is a bit of cedar, about 16 to 18ft. in length, round 
like a pole about two-thirds of its length, the rest being 
shaped like the blade of an ordinary table knife — indeed, the 
shape is similar throughout. Along the thin edge, or what 
would be the cutting edge of the knife, the Indian drives 
wire teeth, about an inch apart, and leaves them stick out 
like the teeth of a comb about an inch. These wires he 
then files to a needle point, and his tackle is ready for busi- 
ness. 
He paddles out in his canoe until he locates a school of 
Anglers' Association of [tfae St. Iiawrence River. 
Maxy important blatters came up for consideration at the 
fifteenth annual meeting of the St. Lawrence Anglers' Asso- 
ciation at Clayton, Aug. 11. A report was read showing 
that the Association has failed to reach an amicable agree- 
ment with Ogdensburg regarding the apportionment of the 
$30,000 recently appropriated by the State, inasmuch as the 
Association hekl that the larger part of the money should be 
expended at the Thousand Islands, while the Ogdensburg 
people insisted on receiving one-half, The Association 
resolved to ask of the Legislature the closing of Chau- 
mont Bay aeainst netting, nnd a second appropriation for the 
improvement of the reservation. The Association "also sent 
a request to the Fisheries, Game and Forestry Commission 
that the following islands and points at the Thousand Islands 
be purchased: Cedar Point, 20 acres, $2,300; Delanev's 
Point, 60 acres, .|4,200; Cement Point, 3 acres, $500; be 
smelt or herring, and then — down goes the "comb" into the 
water, and is swept backward and upward through the 
school of fish, impaling them sometimes by the dozen, and 
the Indian sweeps tbrm on up to the top of the water, deftly 
swings his "comb" over his canoe and twists it over, the fish 
falling off into his boat. 
They are very expert at this way of fishing, and I have 
Wolf Point, 10 acres, $500; Island Mary, $5 000; Kring's 
Point, 30 acres, $i!,500; Inside Point, Chippewa Bay, 
$2,500; and one of the Day points. 
The following officers were elected for the ensuing year: 
President, William C. Browning, New York; First Vice- 
President, H R Heath, Brooklyn: Second Vice-President, 
Hon Charles R, Skinner, Albany; Secretaiy, W. H, Thomp- 
son, Alexandria Bay ; Treasurer, R P. Grant, Clayton; Ex- 
ecutive Committee: A. C. Cornwall, George H. Strougb, 
Hon. Charles W. Hackett, A G. Staples, George C. Boldt, 
R E. Waterman. G. M. Skinner, Charh s Q Ewing, T. A. 
GiHispie, John Foley, Walter Fox and R. H Pullman. 
•The treasurer's report showed expenditures during the year 
of $290.52, leaving a balance of $266 2(i. At the invitation 
of A. G Staples it was resolved to hold the next annual 
meeting at the Thousand Island House, Alexandria Bay. 
TROUT SPOONS. 
seen a wrinkled old Siawash fill his canoe as full of prime 
herring as it would hold in half an liour. They catch the 
smaller fish for bait in the same way. 
I have caught herring about 3 to 4in. long with the fish 
comb myself, to use as bait for salmon trout, and one can 
procure enough in ten or a dozen sweeps to last for a tide in 
trolling for salmon trout. 
I think with the illustrations sent that any trout or bass 
fl herman can rig any of this tackle if he wishes to test it in 
his own domain. If so, let him be sure to try the No. 2 
spoon and the bait rig, and see if his catch isn't better than 
it was before. 
There is no patent on any of the rigs, and all are free to 
use them so far as I know. El Comancho. 
Latona, Washington, 
Sullivan County Fishing. 
LiBEKTY, Sullivan County, N, Y,, Aug. 2 —Editor Forest 
and k'tream: Trout were plentiiul in this section early in the 
spring, but during June and July poor catches were the rule. 
The largest fish I killed during July tipped the scales at a 
trifle less than lib. 
During the hot weather the best fishing is obtained in the 
small, cold brooks, while the larger streams give, as a rule, 
poor results. A few fine bass have been taken from White 
Lake, and I have louud p enty of large and gamy pickerel 
in Black Lake 
Bass are scarce in this region, most of the waters abound- 
ing in perch and pickerel. Stevensville Lake stiU furnishes 
good sport for the angler and some fine stiings of pickerel 
have been killed there this year. The white belly of a perch 
is the favorite bait." 
Game promises to be unusually abundant this fall. I never 
fail to fiush a covey or two of partridges while trout fishing, 
and rabbits are even more common. The whistle of the 
Bob White may be heard in the fields, and altogether there 
is promise that' plenty of poAvder will be burnt during the 
coming season. Mohican 
