3 72 FOREST AND STREAM [May 7, 1898. 
the number of fish planted. The next da}' the newspaper 
gravely informed its readers that the State had hatched 
and planted 2.113,000 fish in one year. How the figures 
became twisted around is beyond me to explain, for they 
were quite correct in tlie reporter's notes. 
How to Gaff a Fish. 
A correspondent asks, "How would you gaff a fish, by 
placing the gaff under or over the fish?" That would 
depend upon the fish and wdiere it was at the time it was 
to be gaffed. Salmon are usually gaffed from the shore 
by placing the gaff" over the back of the fish, but salmon 
are generally gaft'ed in w^ater that is shallow, and it 
might be difficult to place the gaff underneath, although 
some anglers advocate gaffing salmon from underneath. 
Lake trout are as a rule gaffed when they are drawn to 
the surface, where the water is deep, and they are gaffed 
from a boat. For many years I gaffed my own trout, 
and always I gaffed them from underneath upward, for 
the reason that when a trout sees the gaff' he will try 
to settle in the water, and naturally he settles on to the 
staff of the gaff, and a quick stroke does the rest. If 
the gaff is used from above downward the trout settles 
away from it if he settles at all, and yet I have seen 
many trout gaffed from above downward. I used to 
think I had to gaff a big trout near the tail, and many 
a time I have played a trout to get a tail hold with the 
hook, but as I have grown older I have grown less par- 
ticular, and a safe rule is to gaff a fish, no matter 
what kind, where the hook will hold and the fish will 
not get aw^ay, and if this is done it will be the right 
way, whether it is from above or below^ 
■Whitefish on Hook and Line. 
Mr Rowland E. Robinson writes me as follows: 
"About the middle of February one of our market fish- 
ermen who was fishing for perch and smelt in FUit 
Rock Bay caucht a whitefish or lake shad of 2^ or 3lbs. 
It was taken in about 2Sft. of water on a small hook 
baited wnth eye of a smelt. Our lake shad are so rarely 
taken on a hook that it is certainly worth mention. 
Lots of very large smelts are caught here this winter, 
more meat to the dozen, but not so toothsome as the 
little fellows." , ^ 
It was very good of Mr. Robmson to take the trouble 
to write me about the whitefish, and in doing so he 
£rave me some information previously unknown. Jne 
iises the term smelt in a way that would horrify some of 
my friends on the other side of the lake who persist in 
calling them ice fish. They know they are smelt, but they 
wish to possess a fish that is not known elsewhere and so 
they talk and write of ice fish and ignore the tenia 
smelt In fact a friend sending a box of the fish to me 
this winter said they were really ice fish, ^^^J^^ f 
marked the box, and not smelt, but I do not caie what 
they are called if I only get them I did not know 
that they were caught where Mr Robinson indicates 
as Lake Champlain people pretend to say that t |ey^ are 
found only at Port Henry, West Point and Burlmgtom 
The siuall fish are usually considered ^est but I ha^e 
come to consider the larger they are the bet er. Ta ng 
with a fisherman this winter, he told me that the laige 
Irnelt are never seen in the lake except just before the 
ke forms and after it has formed, but the 
may be seen at all times durmg the ^'|"t"''Thfrhelos 
in the vicinity of a brook entering the lake. This helps 
a theory I have been trying to work out. 
Salmon Problems up to Date* 
The ways of the Salmo solar are past finding out. The 
salmon philosopher of any standing has long ago dis- 
covered that the more experience he seems to be accu- 
mulating in regard to angling and fishing lore, and the 
ways of the salmon generally, the less he seems to 
know. In short, he feels that the older he grows the 
more need he has of more and more exact knowledge, 
and the less and less conceited he becomes m his ideas 
as to salmon problems. But although this may assuredly 
be the case with most open and inquiring minds, yet 
there are some well-defined rules, the result of long and 
continuous observations, as to the migratory move- 
ments of the Salmonidae family, Avhich the salmon phi- 
losopher will not readily give up without good cause. 
He will hold to his belief tenaciously, because it is not 
only founded on his own meager and perhaps intermit- 
tent observations, but it has also been the belief— tradi- 
tional or otherwise— of other and more sage observers 
in times past. One of these popular beliefs has just re- 
ceived a severe shaking. 
It has been so common an observation in past seasons 
that a good grilse season is certainly to be followed 
by a good early run of spring fish, and, conversely, that 
a bad grilse season is as certain to be followed by a 
bad spring fishing, that it has become a fixed rule among 
fishermen that when the one happens so certainly will 
it be followed by the other. In fact the law of cause 
and effect over again. , 
Now it may be remembered that last seasons grilse 
crop was an entire failure, as far as the most prolific 
of Scotch salmon waters was concerned. There had not 
been such a poor show of grilse during any previous 
season within the memory of the proverbial oldest fish- 
erman. But memory was not trusted to alone. Statis- 
tics kept regularly at most, if not all, the netting stations 
showed the same disastrous state of matters. Nor was 
the angler a whit better than the netter in regard to 
his head of grilse, but worse. From this it was con- 
cluded that the present spring would prove a very poor 
one in regard to the crop of early spring fish. 
During the first two days of the present season over 
1,000 salmon were netted on the Dee and adjacent^ coast 
stations between the first dipping of the net at 12 o'clock 
on Thursday night— or rather Friday morning— and 6 
o'clock on Saturday night, when the Sunday slap in- 
tervened and put an end to the slaughter. Add to this 
that only a certain part of the Dee tidal is netted, and 
that a strong westerly gale prevented the full benefit 
cf the coast stations being reaped, as it was next fore- 
noon before all the leaders could be got in, and that the 
leturns from them were very meager for the first day, 
and the full significance of such magnificent results 
will become more apparent. — London Fishing Gazette. 
Boston and Maine. 
Boston, April 28. — The weather, with a hard freeze 
and ice in the streams yesterday, and snow and hail to- 
da3s has stopped a number of trouting parties to the Cape. 
One company of four went down to Plymouth, to a trout 
preserve, on Wednesday. The weather was so cold that 
they did not try the trout at all, but were back'in Boston 
to-day. 
The legal trout season in Maine opens May i, and 
one or two parties from the Hub will start by train Sat- 
urday night for trout waters that they know. The ice is 
out of the Schoodics, and landlocked salmon fishing has 
begun. No reports of catches are at hand, doubtless for 
reason of the cold and storm. Mr. Lyman Underwood 
will leave for the home of the Duck Lake Club on Sat- 
urdajf to put matters in order at the camps. Mr. Harry 
LTnderwood expects the Duck Lake party of fishermen 
this spring to number about thirteen, an unlucky number, 
but the boys, all Boston merchants and manufacturers, 
will take the chances about May 20. 
The war is actually drawing from the ranks of the rod 
and reel sportsmen. One shoe manufacturer will be 
forced to stay at home from the Duck Lake Club party, 
for his partner is daily expecting to be called out; an 
officer in the militia. Another diT goods dealer expects 
four men to go from his store, and if they go, his spring 
fishing trip will have to be given up. At the Rangeleys 
a bigger business than usual is looked for by the hotel 
and camp people. The dangers of war promise to drive 
people to the mountains and inland, rather than to the 
seashore. It is reported that, the Rangeley hotels and 
camps already have more guests booked than usual. , 
The Fish Commissioners are to give a hearing at the 
Rangeley Lake House, May 17, as to the proposition 
to close the whole Rangeley system to all bait-fishing 
after July i of each year. The summer guests at the 
hotels will oppose the action, but the sportsmen, who 
usually fish by trolling in the spring and with the fly in 
the fall, are strongly in favor of some action that shall 
stop the taking of trout by what is termed "baiting up" 
in the summer time. Deep water is selected, and min- 
nows, chopped up, are thrown in for several days in suc- 
cession. When the big trout have been tolled to these 
feeding grounds the hooks are brought into requisition, 
attached to 50 or looft. of line, as the case may require. 
In this way many beautiful trout are taken that have 
sought the deep waters to escape the heat. The petition 
to the Commissioners is directed more especially to the 
stopping of this sort of fishing. 
Boston, May 2. — A number of Boston merchants and 
business men are much interested in the affairs of the 
Commodore Club, with club houses and fish hatcheries 
located at Moose Lake in Hartland, Me. Mr. John 
G. Wright has taken a good deal of interest in restock- 
ing that lake. He remarks that "Somebody is going 
to get some good fishing in the future, though we may 
not live to enjoy it. We have now in our hatcheries 
30,000 landlocked salmon fry, hatched from eggs re- 
ceived from the State of Maine hatcheries at Orland 
last fall. The U. S. Government hatcheries at Green 
Lake also gave us 10,000 landlocked salmon eggs and 
50,000 steel-head salmon eggs from the Pacific coast. 
These we have hatched, losing but a very small per- 
centage. Then we have 30,000 brook trout fry, hatched 
■from eggs from the State of Maine hatcheries. We shall 
hold and feed these fish till fall and then turn them loose 
into the tributary streams of our lake. In all, our lake 
has been restocked with over 300,000 salmon and trout 
since we began the work. A number of small salmon 
have already been taken there, and they are to be seen 
in large numbers at the inlets of the streams where we 
have put them." 
Mr. D. H. Blanchard and his fishing friend, Mr. 
Keeler, are about starting on a fishing trip. They have 
both Lake Auburn and Lake Hebron, in Monson, in 
view. Mr. Blanchard has fished the Monson Lake a 
good deal and had good success there, but having heard 
of the good success at Lake Auburn, would like to try 
it. There is not much news of success at the big salmon 
pool at Bangor. Mr. John Caswell, of Boston, is there 
to give the salmon a try. After that he will visit Green 
Lake for a few days. Fishing has been reported good 
there. Fish Commissioners Stanley and Oak have just 
visited Sebago Lake for landlocked salmon. They are 
generally very successful there, both being "sportsmen 
that stick," but this time they have taken but very few 
fish. They have also fished Swan Lake and taken a 
number of the beautiful brook trout that lake is noted 
for, but no landlocked salmon. The ice is out of Lake 
Megantic, and Spider Lake is rapidly breaking up. Mr. 
L. Dana Chapman, treasurer of the Megantic Club, with 
one of the directors, will make a trip of investigation 
immediately, and have matters put to rights for the 
spring fishing. They also hope to get a few days' fish- 
ing. Sebec Lake, Me., is clear of ice, and salmon fish- 
ing has begun in earnest. The clearing of Grand Lake 
and Grand Lake Stream has started the Hoyt party off 
for those excellent landlocked salmon waters. In the 
party besides Mr. Hoyt are Messrs. Puffer, Slack and 
Holmes. Dr. Carrol, of Newton, is back from his fish- 
ing trip to Newfound Lake, N. H. He found terribly 
cold weather, with winds so high that it was almost 
impossible to be out on the lake at all. One evening his 
friend S. B. Bray, of Beverley, took two salmon of 5 
and 7lbs. weight respectively. Dr. Carrol will try the 
same lake again as soon as the weather is fine. J. W. 
Sampson, of Hebron, upper end of Newfound Lake, has 
just reported a salmon of i3>41bs., taken there. Particu- 
lars of its capture were to have come in season for this 
letter, but they are delayed. S. J. Byrne, who managed 
the advertising and newspaper departments of the late 
Sportsmen's Show with so much success, with S. S. Hib- 
bard vviil be off for Moosehead Lake as soon as the ice 
is om. They will fish Moosehead for a few days and 
then go to Northwest Carry. The ice is still hanging 
in Moosehi^ad, as well as the Rangeleys; the clearing 
doubtless put back by the recent cold weather. Moose- 
head usually clears two or three days before the Range- 
leys. 
Henry C. Litchfield says: "Our old fishing friend Row- 
ell, of East Andover, has been in to get his tackle put in 
order for the spring campaign with the black bass, in 
spite of the war with Spain," 
The legal opening of the Maine trout waters, May i, 
has started several Boston trout fishermen in that direc- 
tion. On the Boston & Maine train Saturday evening 
there were six or eight rods, which Avere dropped off at 
several stations between Berwick and Portland. Early 
this week we may hear from them. Dr. Heber Bishop, 
with a fishing friend, has started for Maine. Dotibtless 
he will fish the Rangelej'- waters as soon as the ice is out. 
C. P. Stevens will go down to his camp, Vive Vale, at 
the Narrows, Richardson Lake, as soon as the ice is 
out. He will remain there for the spring fishing. It is 
reported that A. C. Lombard, of Lowell, is to build a 
steam launch at Sunapee Lake, N. H., this season, and 
that several new cottages are to appear. Good fishing- 
is looked for there. Special. 
CHICAGO AND THE WEST. 
Bass Biting. 
Chicago, 111., April 30. — The bass are beginning to 
bite in good shape in Indiana. As early as w^eek before 
last some strings had been taken in the Kankakee, and 
the fishing is still better now. Mr. H. A. Newkirk, of 
this city, writes me that he caught a nice lot of black 
bass at Cedar Lake, Ind., last w^eek. The lily pads 
were not yet up. The weather was stormy, but Mr. New- 
kirk thinks that a few days of good weather would insure 
fine fishing with frog bait on Cedar Lake. This is one 
of the earliest bass waters about Chicago. 
I should think that within the coming week one could 
have some fun with the bass along the Fox River in 
this State, if he cared to go out in the beginning of 
what is the spawning season on that stream. This is a 
lovely water, and the Fox at such points as Clinton- 
ville, St. Charles, etc., offers a nice place for a day's 
loafing and angling. It is about forty miles from Chi- 
cago, and the angler who is also a wheelman can spend 
two or three days very pleasantly by visiting the points 
above named in the early summer. 
Tro«t. 
Mr. E. G. Taylor, of this city, started this afternoon 
for Dudley, Wis., on his trout fishing trip, which will be 
of some duration. He promises to report the outlook 
on streams of that neighborhood. Thus far very few 
Chicago men have been out, and of course there never 
is such an exodus here as there is from the large Eastern 
cities on the opening of the season in Maine. We are 
not so blest with trout Avaters in this part of the world. 
But after all is said and done it is just as much fun to 
catch a little trout among little ones as it is to catch a 
big trout among big ones. It is all in the way you look 
at it. 
A report from Parrish, Wis., states that on the first 
day of the season Messrs. J. Shepard and J. Hamlin had 
very good luck on streams of that neighborhood. Mr. 
Shepard caught nine trout, weighing gibs. 2oz,, his 
largest fish weighing ilb. 120Z. Mr. Hamlin had twenty, 
weighing in all I3lbs. 140Z. Their thirty-one trout 
weighed in all 23lbs. It is very rarely indeed that we 
hear of so large an average among the Wisconsin trout, 
and I am inclined to believe that it is due to the fact 
that the rainbow trout are becoming more numerous in 
many of the Wisconsin streams,' where they have been 
planted by the Fish Commission. 
To-morrow is opening day in Michigan, and many a 
rod will be busy soon after early dawn, I fear, in spite 
of the church-going bells. The southern peninsula of 
Michigan is a wonderful fishing country, and there is 
no place between the Atlantic and the Rockies which 
offers so good an opportunity for fly fishing in practica- 
ble streams. Soon w^e shall hear of the sport along some 
of these streams, had in the early days in the merry 
month of May. 
Anglers. 
This week the Western office of Forest and Stream 
was favored by a call from Mr. C. IT. Ames, of Boston, 
Mass. I regret very much that at the time of Mr. Ames' 
visit I was out looking for a boarding place for a dog, 
and so unfortunately missed him. Mr. Ames was, how- 
ever, conducted through the principal parts of the estab- 
lishment, and was shown the Kekoskee fish story medal 
and other articles of vertu which have blown in here 
in the course of the years. Mr. Ames, I recollect, was 
one of those who took great interest in the legend of 
Kekoskee, and had I been able to meet him it would 
have given me pleasure to conduct him to that very 
spot in Wisconsin where the incidents perpetuated in the 
legend actually occurred. He should have stood upon 
the very bank, once slippery with the tails of myriad 
bullheads. Nay, he should have gazed at that very spot 
whence burst forth that eruption of virile bullhead life 
that brought fame to an otherwise obscure village in 
the heart of a distant land. I know Mr. Ames would 
have enjoyed seeing that historic spot, just as I myself 
should enjoy visiting Bunker Hill. There is no dif- 
ference between Kekoskee and Bunker Hill except that 
Kekoskee has no monument. That is to say, it has no 
monument builded of stone and mortar, though above 
-it tOAvers imperishable the record of its greatness. I am 
sorry Mr. Ames did not get to see Kekoskee. 
Mr. Emile Pragoft", of Louiville, Ky., was another 
among the callers at the Forest and Stream office. 
Mr. Pragoff is in the sporting goods trade at Louis- 
ville, and is a devotee of the rod and gun also in an 
amateur capacity, being especially fond of fishing. He 
tells me that one of his favorite bass waters, out of all 
he has ever tried, is the Cumberland River up toward 
its head. To reach this stream necessitates a long ride_ 
by rail from his city, but the trip is worth it, for it 
takes one into another world. Here the inhabitants 
are the quaint and primitive hill dwellers of whom so 
much has been written in current fiction and truthful 
narrative. Mr. Pragoff says that up in that country 
the people live as they did before the flood, trusting 
mostly to the good offices of nature. They have but the 
rudest of dwellings, and how they make a living from 
their -tiny and ill-tilled fields is something never fath- 
omed by an outsider. The cabin has but one room, 
and here the whole family sleeps. Mr. Pragoff says 
