March 12, 1898,] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
are schools of white perch, and indeed these may be 
caught ahiiost throughout the course of the stream. In 
the upper shallows a good many carp, catfish and eels 
are taken by the natives, who know something of their 
haunts and habits. A stranger would grow weary try- 
ing to find a carp, notwithstanding their plenty. 
Just above the bridge the Pennsylvania Railroad 
■crosses a low trestle, overlooked by the Congressional 
Cemetery, and beyond this the flats were formerly 
known as Lickin's, and most fishermen started from here 
for their day's sport. Still further up are three islands, 
known in commercial days as Thoroughfares Nos. i, 2 
and 3. The course of the canal boats, which were poled 
from the canal in Washington with supplies for Bladens- 
burg up this channel, depended on the state of the tides. 
At high tide the boats made a short cut behind the 
islands, but at low water threaded their tortuous way 
around. One of these boats lost its captain, and his 
widow Peg managed the boat for several years, but she 
too in an unlucky moment fell off her unwieldly craft 
and never rose again. This spot is still called Peg's 
Hole, and is said to then have had a depth of 40ft. 
From this place, as far as one may go with a boat, 
chub or fall fish may be found by one careful enough 
for this wary fish. In deep water any one can get them 
with bait, but the angler who can coax them to the sur- 
face, where they can take a look around, and keep them 
there lonp- enough to take the fly is already a pretty fair 
fisherman. 
_ Tall waving ribbon grass that hardly shows at Irigh 
tide packs down into solid looking flats at low water, 
through which it is difficult to work a boat; but just 
along the edges of the channel this grass is favorite cover 
for the perches — white, yellow and sun. 
Opposite and below the Navy Yard white perch are 
plenty, and about the timbers of a couple of old wrecks 
nearly sunk in the mud we have found them of first-rate 
size, though for the most part the deep-water bait- 
fishmg takes a larger average in weight at any hour be- 
fore dark. From then until 10 or n o'clock, if the tide 
IS right, the fly will take the largest in the neighbor- 
hood. The reason is to be found in their natural shy- 
ness and the neglect of the angler to take sufficient pre- 
cautions. There are places and times and conditions 
when 6ft. of rod and only as much of line will catch 
perch as fast as they can be unhooked, but for the most 
part to fish far and fine" is as much better in perch fish- 
ing as for trout, especially if one fishes the same water 
long. You get the stupid ones caught out after a while 
i-r which have been oricked learn caution, as does 
all hte from danger; and the plebeian perch is no slower 
about It than his fellow citizen with a longer pedioree 
and more gorgeous coat of arms. " * 
The flats at the mouth of the Eastern Branch have 
long been a favorite seining ground, as have all the 
broad openings off the river front, like Gravelly Run 
at the south end of Long Bridge. Four-Mile Run, etc. 
Ihese fishermen, some of whom live in house boats 
on the river, have set nets and seines, and have worried 
the authorities and anglers not a little. 
Some of the fish they are catching now are already 
heavy with spawn, as yellow perch. A good many fish 
too are taken called by these seiners capital fish, nearly 
3plbs. being caught at a single haul on the nth inst 
these are like the goldfish in general build, but silverv 
m color, and are apparently a deterioration of the Chinese 
carplet. The Potomac has a great many goldfish de- 
scendants of stock escaped from Washington ponds 
and aquariums, and these of fairly good color and as 
large as the golden ide may be often seen in the waters 
below the city. This capital fish may be a decadent, 
the color modified by changed conditions of sunlight 
and muddy water and feed. Though eaten they are not 
considered delicacies, and as they do not readily take 
the hook are of no interest to sportsmen, save as a pos- 
sible supply of food for better fish. If the seiners did 
no other harm than to remove these there would be but 
little opposition to their depredations. But when they 
are reported as hauling their seines to the shore and 
leaving the small fish to die on the gravel, using them 
afterward, if at all, for fertilizer, anglers grow frantic 
some of them incoherent. ' 
Efforts are being made to prevent this destruction in 
the District, but the press reports that on the trial of one 
the other day his defense was that the law only forbid 
such seining in the Potomac, and though the information 
located the offense in the Eastern Branch of the Poto- 
mac it was in reality Anacostia River, and an old map, 
on which the Eastern Branch bore that name, was sup- 
posed to fortify that po-sition. If the alleged offense had 
been committed in the main stream it would probably 
be considered a sufficient defense to exhibit an older 
map, on which the Potomac is Pot-o-wam-meck, to let 
a culprit go "unwhipt of justice." 
The case is still pending, and it is to be hoped the de- 
fendant is innocent of any violation either in Anacostia 
or the Eastern Branch. One thing only is sure, East- 
ern Branch it has been for a hundred years and Eastern 
Branch it will remain. These fishermen who depend on 
their nets for a livelihood cannot understand the antag- 
onism of the sportsmen. They think he desires to rob 
them of their hard-earned chance to get bread and but- 
ter; that fish in tide waters ought to be free; and that it 
IS only another instance of the oppression to which 
the rich are always subjecting the poor. In this he is 
mistaken. The anglers who feel most the effect of the 
havoc wrought by these illegal nets are themselves poor. 
The well-to-do sportsman takes his outing at a distance, 
and goes to waters where the fishing is different. Most 
of them indeed have a contempt for anything but a trout 
or a salmon, and they have as much trouble as the man 
with the nets in understanding anybody's objections 
if all the fish in the neighborhood were taken. Even as 
fertilizer is better than no use at all, and they haven't 
the slightest use for the little fishes. 
But the clerk and the laborer, whose means and 
duties will not permit him to leave the city save for a 
few hours at a time, and who needs these hours in God's 
sunshine worse than any, these are the people who are 
hurt, to say nothing of the thousands of boys who have 
some rights to a nearby place to cast a line, and the 
still poorer, whose only chance for a bit of fish is of their 
own capture. 
The legitimate netting is not objected to. The hard- 
earned pittance of the toiling fisher in the wet and mud 
is not begrudged. He has sympathy instead for all this, 
and the absurd prices ha must accept for the small fish 
turned in. It is only Avhen he breaks the law, not only 
as it is written, but the laws of humanity and decency, 
in the wanton destruction of the ripe fish and tiny fry; 
when he throws these upon the sands to die, or on' the 
fields, that the lover of the rod waxes indignant and de- 
nounces the class and the business in terras perhaps 
too general. Then the netter gets indignant and says 
that if Sunday angling could be restrained fishing would 
get good again, Who can blame him? Yet one haul 
of his net may work more destruction to next year's 
supply than all the anglers here may do in a season. 
If the seine hauler Avould only .show some considera- 
tion, ever once return the useless fish, the babies, to the 
water, better relations might be established, and his own 
chances of prosperity increased. One trouble lies in ed- 
ucation. He has been taught to drag his net to shore, 
and knows no other way; if ha would lift his net in the 
shallow water and turn it over after culling he would get 
more sympathy and less abuse, but we cannot forgive 
the destroying of the little ones. 
At the bridge across the Eastern Branch, just above 
the Navy Yard, manv rock fish are caught, and of good 
size, by the light of the bridge lamps on summer nights, 
when the May fly is ,out and the tide is flood about 
10 P. M. ^ ^ 
Nearly any sunny summer day with a fly first-rate sport 
may be' had in and out among the numerous piers by 
quietly stealing along with a light skiff and throwing your 
fly around the corners. When the water is clear and the 
tide runs swift these shadows are favorite shelters for 
rockfish, perch and sunfish. But when the nose of your 
skiff reaches an opening the fish are gone. It is some- 
times tantalizing, but this is always a part, and a prin- 
cipal part, of the pleasures of the chase. 
Henrv Talt!ott. 
An Invitation to Angling* 
Edtior Forest and Stream: ■ 
In these days, while we are yet surrounded by the evi- 
dences of the eccentricity of the earth's orbit, as well 
as that of "Old Probs," there comes now and then a 
balmy day suggestive of the approach of spring. Ah. 
yes; the coming of spring, with its promises of flower.^ 
and fishing, makes the pleasures of hope to dim even 
those of pleasant memories. Once more my heart, like 
that of the Psalmist, "panteth for the water brooks"-— 
for the freedom of the primeval forest and its balsamic 
odors— the murmurous music of the pines— the Rem- 
brandt lights and shadows of the camp-fire by night— the 
mysterious cry from the sylvan shades, as the ghost-like 
owl . , , , 
Hoots his melancholy lay 
Away, in the twilight soft and gray. 
—the loon's weird nocturnal laughter from the lake— the 
drowsy perfume of the bed of balsam boughs and the 
soul-subduing lullaby of summer showers. 
I am blessed with a brother-in-law who is an Episco- 
pal clergyman; and who is withal a thoroughly good 
felloAy in every respect, and especially as a companion 
for an outing. His particular delight is like that of the 
elegant piscatorial poet of your own city, to escape in- 
tramural monotony; and with that author's "Little Riv- 
ers," Fred Mather's "Men I Have Fished With," Row- 
land Robinson's "Uncle Lisha's Outing," Thoreau's 
works, and a few more of that sort of literature, to "flee 
into the mountains of Flepsidam." He is of large and 
imposing presence, and I have not inappropriately 
dubbed him "The Bishop"; and my pious aspiration is 
that he may yet wear the lawn with all the dignity and 
grace which is native to him. I have recently written 
him a letter on the subject so dear to both our hearts; 
and as it may interest your readers to speculate upon 
their own feelings, had they been the recipients instead. 
I will venture to insert it: 
"My dear Bishop: 
"Lo, many revolving years have shed their blossoms 
of beauty and their snowdrifts of sorrow upon our 
heads since I first began our correspondence on the 
subject of vacations in the wilderness; but bearing in 
mind my recent remissness in this respect, I now ap- 
proach thy pontifical presence with due humility, having 
a lively appreciation of my penitential position as regards 
j^our hierarchical highness of the miter. Speaking of 
bishops and miters, I never see a picture of one of those 
episcopal monstrosities, looking like an absurd pine- 
apple cheese with a lon,g', acute wedge taken out of its 
top, without being tempted to call bishops 'split-heads,' 
from the form of the chessman of that name. 
"Well, my dear old 'split-head,' I understand that you 
have recently been suffering with the premonitory symp- 
toms of the Waltonian fever. No, I will not call it Wal- 
tonian, for the much belauded old duffer from whose 
name the adjective was constructed was not my kind of 
a fisherman. Nay, don't hold up your hands in holy 
horror; I know that you are bound by your birthright 
as an Englishman to venerate all that pertains to that 
home of the oldest civilization on earth; and generally 
speaking, I am with }^ou; but I draw the line at Izaak. 
That delightfully innocent old manufacturer of golf stock- 
ings never really 'went fishing,' in the sense that we use 
the phrase. He was simply hampered by his natural 
environment; and his little 'pent-up Utica' compelled 
him to be merely an amiable and harmless old crank 
who liked to hear himself lecture on natural theology, 
while his clumsy old 'pole' was stuck into a claybank, 
as his float bobbed peacefully up and down on the placid 
waters. 
"When his didactic discourse had been duly delivered, 
and the doxology sung, this tired and tiresome old 
gentleman would excavate the butt of his rod from the 
bank, haul up the float which had been submerged un- 
noticed for perhaps two hours, hoist up a mud-flavored 
carp or tench — Heaven save the mark — and then pro- 
ceed to inflict upon his gasping and whndering compan- 
ion and victim a recipe for disguising the beastly taste 
of his captured water-hog; all of this being couched in 
florid and pedantic phrase fit only to stuff his fraudulent 
fish with. Oh, yes, I am a 'disciple of Walton' — -I don't 
think. Why, bless your apostolic eyes and limbs, if 
the ghost of old Izaak should rise in the gloaming, on 
a lake in northern Wisconsin, and seat itself in my boat, 
I would furnish that beneficent and silly old shade with 
a 50Z. split-bamboo, an automatic reel, a fine braided 
silk line, and a lively creek chub for a lure; and when a 
3lb. small-mouth struck him, that unfortunate old spook 
would get right up and howl, and frankly admit, then 
and there, that while in the flesh he didn't know the first 
principles of 'goin' a-fishin'.' 
"After this long exordium it is perhaps unnecessary 
for me to add that I too want to go fishing; and I want 
some one for a companion — somebody who is compan- 
ionable, and not quite as expert as myself, for I do not 
wish deliberately to wound my own self-esteem; and 
after canvassing the list of my eligible acquaintances I 
have concluded that you will fill the bill elegantly. And 
now, if you will consent to bear with your usual patience 
the peculiarities (to use no worse name for 'em) of a 
tolerably rough and careless old boy who delights to 
dabble in water, catch the various denizens thereof, 
smoke a corncob pipe and write sentimental verses about 
fish and females — or, combining the two, 'mermaids'— if 
you can stand that kind of a combination another trip, 
suppose we talk the matter over and arrange for an 
outing whenever your 'parochial' duties will permit. 
Apropos of fishing and versification. Forest and 
Stream has honored ray muse by publishing my song 
of the 'Kentucky Reel' which seemed to have met with 
your Reverence's approval when I sent it to you. Per- 
mit me to make my acknowledgments for your high 
encomium upon my effort; and inasmuch as you sug- 
gest that I should 'strike the lyre a,gain,' presuming that 
you mean that I should 'hit the same old fish liar again,' 
I will take you at your word and proceed to reach for 
his solar plexus thusly: 
A SUNSET IN SUMMER 
'TiS a sunset in summer, and fold upon fold 
Glow the clouds in their draping of scarlet and gold 
And the bright dimpled waters are sinking to rest. 
Lulled to sleen by the breeze breathing out of the we^t. 
The oars are abandoned~we gaze with rapt eyes 
On the Occident mantling with exquisite dyes. 
As the pearl and the amethyst mingle their glow 
With the torquoise and ruby that glitter below. 
So we drift as we watch the magnificent sight 
Of the rich tints evoked by the magic of light; 
Until nearing the shore, when, as iiuick as a flash. 
The picture's fprgotten— there's a musicBl .splash 
Of a bass, as he leaps from his watery lair. 
Flinging glittering drops on the soft summer air. ; 
The boatman, in warning, genlly raises his hand, 
^ And points to the circlets just kissing the land. 
Then deftly he hooks on a minnow with care, 
And whispers: "Now make a cast just over tliere." 
When away flies the hire with such delicate skill 
As scarcely to ripple the waters so still. 
A moment of waiting, then a tentative bite. 
And the fish steals away with a motion so slight 
r can hear my heart beat. Ah! the thrill that I feel 
As the silk slowly glides from the low clicking reeU 
Now he halts, and 1 strike — ^a magnificent jump — 
And my heart in response gives a rattling thump; 
For my bass is a beavity — what are gorgeous skies 
To the bronze and the pearl of an angler's prize? 
"There, no matter if the poetry isn't up to grade, just 
give it the stamp of your approval, and like Horace's 
head my old bald pate will scrape the welkin. Just think 
what that celebrated Brooklyn divine did for a no less 
celebrated brand of soap; and reflect what a proud thing 
it will be to you in after life to boast that you discov- 
ered and encouraged a struggling fish poet. Your own 
reputation will doubtless be enhanced, and your glory 
be gilded by the dazzling coruscations which will light 
ray pathway to Parnassus. 
"Oh, yes, Fred; you work up a little favo 
able sentiment in my behalf — make 'em believe that in 
our gas factory we manufacture the genuine afflatus, 
and that I am the high priest of the cult — and at the 
risk of my reputation I will try and convince the people 
that you are an eloquent preacher, ram jam full of un- 
uttered eloquence, silver-tongued oratory, soulful syllo- 
gisms, etc; and the first thing you know, j'our pet name 
of Bishop wfll no longer be a mere pseudonym, but a 
bona fide title. Is it a whiz? ^ 
"As ever, your brother angler. Zero." 
Boys vs. Hoodlums. 
Charlestown, N. H., Feb. 28.— Editor Forest and 
Stream: I willingly accept Mt. Tom's apology for mis- 
quoting me in regard to the "farmers' boys." although 
he seems to think it unnecessary, as shown by heading 
his letter with a quotation from something I did write 
six years ago, and which bore no more relation to farm- 
ers and their boys than it did to the man in the moon! 
I spoke of the "inherent cussedness of the ignorant 
country hoodlum," referring to that class of idle loafers 
who infest many of our large villages, hanging around 
the taverns, stables, saloons or billiard rooms, where 
there are any, working enough at "odd jobs" to support 
themselves after a fashion, and stretching all laws fear- 
fully, even if they do not break them. Their highest 
form of amusernent seems to be in doing something to 
annoy more quiet and steady' people. 
These are the fellows who on the night before the 
Fourth of July take down the signs of stores and offices, 
unhinge front gates and hide them, and carry off any 
stray chairs that may have been left out of doors. The 
farmer's boy is "not in it" all, and I never thought of 
him when I wrote. 
I h"ave had the padlocks on boat chains smashed with 
a stone, or the staples wrenched out of the boat, filth 
left on the seats, and all sorts of other nasty tricks. 
Public attention has been called to the growth of 
this element in our larger villages by crimes of a more 
serious nature, which seem to be the result of unbounded 
liberty degenerating into license, and lead one to think 
that a slight return to the strict discipline of our Puritan 
ancestors might be advantageous. 
The "yellow literature" of the day has something to 
do with it; police gazettes, with glaring pictures of every 
crime, and portraits of every murderer; other news- 
papers whose columns are filled daily with details of 
all such occurrences, and that mawkish sentimentality 
