June i^p^.j 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
while we were getting them into the landing net. 
Just before sundown a little breeze came up, and my 
companion, Walter S., landed two salmon weighing 
about 2^2lbs. each and a good-sized brook trout, while 
I struck one salmon and two togue. 
Speaking of togue, I was surprised to find that tWey 
could develop such fighting qualities as was shown by 
those which we caught in Grand Lake, and although 
they did not come out of the water at all wc found that 
when we got on to a good-sized one he would carry oft' 
the line about as fast as we could reel it in, and really put 
up quite an interesting fight. We also found them very 
nice eating, as their flesh was not at all muddy, being 
very sweet and equal if not superior to the salmon, 
fish we paddled to the shore and had the guides get us up 
about 9 o'clock, and after we had landed two good-sized 
fish we paddled to the shore and had the guides get us up 
one of their famous dinners. The noon hour being 
very warm we chatted and slept until about 3 o'clock, 
then took to the canoe and started for. The Birches, kept 
by Mr. Frank Ball, at the head of the lake. 
Fishing along the shore, I had ju.st landed a alb. 
salmon, when I noticed quite a commotion near the 
canoe of Walter S. and his guide McArthur. and we 
lay by to watch as pretty a fight as we ever saw. Two 
salmon had struck at once, one taking the live bait and 
the other a brown hackle, and they made the water fairly 
boil. It is a pretty good trick to handle a 4lb. salmon on 
a light fly-rod. but when a man has two on his hands 
and they are pulling in opposite directions it is not to 
be wondered at that before he succeeded in landing the 
fish one of them had broken the leader which held the 
fly. Of course, it was "the larger one nf the two," and 
tlie guide backed him up in it. but as the one which he 
landed weighed a trifle over 4lbs. we felt very well sat- 
isfied. 
We had not gone looyds, from this place when I had 
a strike which fairly made my hair stand on end. On 
the first send-ofiE this noble fellow showed his silver 
sides several times, and one leap must have been at 
least 3ft. clear of the water, and how he did make the 
old reel sing! I brought him in seven dift'erent times be- 
fore he gave up the fight, and it was as lively work as T 
have ever had. He tipped the scales to a good 5lbs., and 
was as handsomely marked as any fish I have ever seen, 
his belly being of pure silver," and the stripe spots and 
markings of his back were as black as the proverbial ace 
of spades. 
We reached Ball's camp about 7:30 P. M., and Mrs. 
Ball soon had a fine supper ready for us, which we thor- 
oughly enjoyed, and soon after tumbled into bed. 
We were up again at 5 in the morning, for unfortu- 
nately for us we did not know about the route via Winn, 
and so ha8 to go back to Calligan's to get our city togs 
and get back again in season to make Winn in time to 
take the train. 
On the way down we landed four salmon, three togue 
and a brook trout which weighed 3?41bs. and was beau- 
tifully marked. 
All the fish in these waters are particularly bright m 
color, which is explained by the fact that you can see 
the bottom of the lake in 2oft. of water, and it is cold 
and clear in all parts, the shores and bottom being cov- 
ei-ed with rocks and boulders, so that there is no part of 
it which is at all nuiddy. 
I am told that this is one of the best deer countries 
in the State, and the guides have no hesitation what- 
ever in saying that they will guarantee any man a deer 
inside of five days, and two standing shots at not more 
than Soyds. 
Moose, caribou and bear they do not brag about, as 
these are not often seen, but deer are very numerous, 
and almost any one can get all the law allows. 
Fly-fishing started in probably by the first day of June 
and will last a good three weeks, and I know of no better 
place in the State of Maine for the greatest sport ever 
known, fly-fishing for salmon. 
Although we did not have any trouble in bringing out 
our fish, yet perhaps a word of caution might not be 
amiss, as the seizures of boxes of fish have begun, owing 
to their not being properly transported. 
The law allows each person to bring out 25lbs. of fish, 
. which must be properly tagged and accompanied by the 
owner, and for the benefit of those who may wish to ship 
fish, and do not wish to haA^e the boxes opened when 
they are legally shipped, it is well to inform them that 
there is a tag that they can have affixed to the box that 
will insure the box against the raids of the wardens. 
This tag is one which bears the signature of a registered 
guide, the name of the party owning the fish, the number 
of pounds of the specified kind of fish that was legally 
caught at a certain place and packed by the guide. If 
these cards are affixed it will save a great deal of incon- 
venience, as it does the fish no good to be disturbed 
after they are once packed in ice. Thus the responsibil- 
ity is thrown upon the guide. H. B. C. 
Connecticut Fish Commission* 
Hartford, Conn., June 8.— Editor Forest and Stream: 
I send you a brief outline of our work for this season. 
We have in the State retaining ponds 9,600,000 shad fry. 
We shall keep the fish in the ponds until about Oct. 15, 
when they will be liberated. The young shad at that 
time will be 3 to sin. long; in fact a strong swimming 
fish, ready to go to sea. We are feeding for distribu- 
tion the coming fall: 600,000 brook trout, 75,000 lake 
trout, 25,000 rainbow trout, 10,000 landlocked salmon, and 
100,000 Atlantic salmon. W-e are not putting out any 
fish fry this year. The planting of trout fry is a waste 
of time, money and good material. 
\Ve now have in our pools brook trout (last winter's 
hatch) measuring 2%in. long, lake trout 3^in. long, and 
by October next the brook trout wiU be 5 to 7in. long, and 
the lake trout 6 to gin. Stocking with fish of this size 
means something. We already have filed over 700 ap- 
plications (orders) for trout eight to ten months old. 
At our nursery pools we are using 700 gallons of spring 
water per minute. W^e are able to produce a trout with 
this flow of water that is symmetrical, and one that 
looks like a trout— no "pot-bellied" thing. 
Briefly stated, we are trying to stock our streams, 
lakes and ponds with fish, and in our opinion we are on 
the right track. Wc are trying to do our work without 
any great flourish of trumpets. A. C. Collins, 
Fishing on the St. Lawrence. 
In pursuit of health and my favorite pastime, circum- 
stances induced me three seasons ago to stop at Mr. D. 
I. Dawson's, at Marysville. Wolfe Island, the first and 
largest of the Thousand Islands of the St. Lawrence 
River. I enjoyed so much real pleasure, gained health 
and had such good success in fishing, that I have looked 
forward each season since then with considerable im- 
patience for the time to come when 1 could turn my face 
northward and revisit my old haunts, to be again upon 
the bosom of that clear and noble river, and fill my 
lungs to their full with the purest of pure air. My first 
visit convinced me that it was the center, from its loca- 
tion and topography, of the best bass fishing on 
the river. Since then I have had no occasion to alter this 
conviction, but many to make, it still stronger, I do 
not wish to be selfish, and therefore will tell my brother 
anglers how to get there, with the hope that they will 
enjoy it as much as I have; giving at the same time a 
general outline of the island, a general location of the 
fishing grotinds, and the distances to thetn from my 
starting point, at Marysville. Leaving New York State 
either at Cape Vincent or Clayton, you go by boat to 
Kingston, Ontario, thence by ferry three miles and you 
are at Marysville, Wolfe Island. 
Wolfe Island is famous for its beauty and fertility, and 
may well be called the prince of the far-famed Thousand 
Islands. Lying at the southwest extremity of the River 
St. Lawrence, and at the foot of Lake Ontario, bounded 
on the north for miles by a beautiful bay called Kingston 
harbor, it divides the St. Lawrence at its origin. The 
lake has two branches, called the north and south chan- 
nels, both navigable for the largest class of vessels. The 
south channel, however, being the deepest, is the main 
channel, and forms the boundary line between Canada 
and the United States. The island is twenty-one miles 
long, and its width ranges from one to seven miles, with 
an area of 30,000 acres of fertile land, occunied and cul- 
tivated, and there is a population of about 2,500. The 
coast line is quite irregular, indented with beautiful and 
picturesque bays and inlets, giving many a thought "to 
him who in the love of nature holds communion with 
her visible form." The shores at intervals are rock- 
bound, furnishing ample protection against the wash of 
the surf, while at other points they are composed of 
sand and fine gravel, thus giving the whole coast line 
a distinctive, clear and attractive appearance; while the 
waters surrounding it are as clear as crystal, and teem- 
ing with fish. 
Marysville, the principal village of the Mand, is sit- 
uated four miles by land from the head of the island, and 
opposite Kingston, the limestone city of Canada, and 
distant from that city three miles. It has two hotels and 
two commodious summer resorts, one known as Hit- 
chock's, at the western extremity of the village, and 
Dawson's Villa St. Lawrence, at the eastern end. It Avas 
at the latter that I stopped, and all the distances here- 
after given as to the fishing grounds are taken from 
there. 
The Fishing Grounds. 
Rowing due north for about a mile, j'ou come abi'east 
of Murphy's Point, from whidi, running nearly westerly, 
but separating gradually from the point, are two reefs. 
Between these and beyond the outmost one good fishing 
is almost sure to be found; the bass run a good size and 
are gamy. Should the wind be to the northward or 
northeast, it is well to cross the river due north two 
miles, and there will be found generally, between the two 
small islands and the mainland, several good grounds, or 
after trying there you can drop down the riA^er, keeping 
near the shore, for a mile or two, with good prospects 
of success. This trip can be accomplished between 
breakfast and dinner, or dinner and supper. 
Another trip, occupying about the same time, is to 
row to Garden Island, directly west of Murphy's Point, 
and fish around the breakwater. Large catches are often 
made here. Beware of sunken logs and other obstruc- 
tions, or good-bye to your hooks and leaders. A clear- 
ing ring is an absolute necessity here. If the fish fail 
to bite, proceed westerly, keeping on the north side of 
the island, and when near its head you will come to a 
reef, which, owing to the clearness of the water, you can 
easily see, and oftentimes also the bass below you. 
This is another ground on either side of the reef. You 
then can go around the head of the island, fishing be- 
tween the reefs, and then cross to Mill Point, where 
many large bass are frequently caught. From thence 
easterly to where you started from, trolling all the way, 
with good prospects of picking up more than one as you 
go. 
For longer expeditions occupying most of the day, go- 
ing westerly you come to Simcoe. an island three 
miles long (containing 1,000 acres), and three miles from 
the village. There is good fishing on all sides of the 
island. Snake Island, north of Simcoe, and five miles in 
a direct line, is noted for its fishing grounds and the 
size of the bass. It has a lighthouse on it. Horseshoe 
Island, south of the upper part of Simcoe, and five miles 
from the village, furnishes a number or good grounds all 
around it, and especially when the wind is favorable on 
its lake side. 
Still going westerly you come to Reid's Bay, six miles 
by water and four by land. This is a very popular spot, 
and deservedly so. The bass take the fly here eagerly 
from the opening of the season and continue to do so 
longer than at any other place that I know of on the 
river. Though till about the end of the first week in 
July they will take the fly among the reefs down to 
near the village. Nine miles in a direct northwest line 
are the Brothers, at the entrance of the Bay of Quinte. I 
have never fished there, but have been told that the 
fishing there is good. In September, after the weeds 
die down, some parts of the Bay of Quinte are famous 
for their muskalonge fishing. 
Going easterly from our village and rounding Mur- 
phy's Point there are three or four good grounds, till 
you reach Knapp's Point, which is three miles dis- 
tant. Off from the lighthouse below the point is a good 
ground. Continuing you come to Boxton Harbor, which 
is five miles. This harbor is quite celebrated for its 
muskalonge, pickerel and bass fishing. Another mile, 
six in all, brings us to Oak Point, another good fishing 
ground, and at times especially so. 
There is still another trip which will sometimes pay 
you for making it. And that is to pass through the 
canal at the end of the village; and at the end of 
four miles you will reach the main or south channel of 
the river, where I have found excellent fishing (the fish 
all large), in front of, above or below Mud Island. 
From the number of grounds which I have mentioned^ 
and all of which can be reached and returned from be-- 
tvveen breakfast and supper, I think that you will agreii 
with ray opinion that this is the best center of fishing on 
the St Lawrence. The bass as a rule run above the 
medium size and weight They are the gamiest that 
I have ever handled, and I have brought many a one in 
different parts of this county to net. You can obtain ex- 
cellent boatmen here at a moderate outlay. My ex- 
perience has been that they are capital and experienced 
men. inlelligent, honest, willing and obliginr; ever watch- 
ful for your interest and success. 
Rod and Tackle, 
I would advise fbn to take at least two rods. Three 
would not be out of the way— one for bass fi.shing and 
a stronger one for trolling— I prefer a steel rod (Bristol, 
not telescopic, Henshall's design) for tliis reason: A 
large bas.s, after playing for some time, will sometimes 
appear to be coming in all, and then unexpectedly will 
suddenly turn tail up and plunge downward, bringing 
your rod in .spite of you sharply on the gunwale of the 
boat; should the rod be a split bamboo, it is broken 
close to the ferule at the second joint from the tip. I 
have had this mishap happen and have seen it happen 
to others. Use a silk line, black or dark colored— 
150 -ft. will be enough— three-ply good English gut lead- 
ers from 3 to 6ft long; hooks snelled on good gut (single 
or double). At a rule the hooks used are too lar.ge, and 
I therefore advise nothing larger than a No. 2 or smaller 
than No. 4 sproat hook, or other brands of the same size. 
I believe that from its shape the sproat is the nearest tu 
perfection of any. The point of entrance is passable 
to the point of resistance, and therefore the harder the 
line is held the deeper the point of the hook enters the 
fish's mouth, and the better the chance of netting him. 
You will certainly want a clearing ring, with at least 6oft 
of strong hnen line. There are other fish beside the bass 
— occasionally the muskalonge, pickerel, and plenty of 
yellow perch of large size and good for the pan. 
But fishing is not the only thing that aft'ords pleasure 
or recreation here. The scenery on the island and river 
is rivaled nowhere. The ever varying tints of the quiet- 
ly moving water, the lights and shades, the clear blue 
dome above you, and the gorgeous colors as the sun ' 
sinks out of sight into the bosom of the lake all appeal 
to the inner soul of mortals. The geologist and the 
paleontologist can here revel among the rocks and 
fossils of the older Silurian formation; the botanist finds 
new flora: the cyclist has but to cross the ferry to King- 
ston to find good roads and pleasant scenes, and the 
photographer will soon»be wondering not where to ex- 
pose, but which of the many gems he sees he shall take. 
Should the fisherman's outfit include a camera, he will 
never forgive himself if he leaves behind a bichromate 
ray filter. He M-ill need it to properly render the mag- 
nificent cloud effects and sunsets. Even the sleepy 
one, much to his own surprise, finds himself up before 
breakfast breathing in the purest of heaven's air with 
deep enjoyment. Jqpin H. Janeway. 
Arkansas Pickerel. 
Little Rock, Ark., May 23.~Editor Forest and 
Stream: I have been reading Mr. Mather's article on 
pike in this week's paper, and am knocked off the Christ- 
mas tree by part of it. He says the pickerel does not 
exist west of the AUeghanies. Then what have I been 
catchmg all these years? We have a little creek pike 
that sometimes gets to be a foot long, and which seems 
to be the brook pickerel he mentions. But in the lakes 
and bayous we have another pike. He grows to be 
24 to 26in. long, and he is marked all over "with the net 
marks just as the picture is. In the absence of a speci- 
men I cannot say whether the fins and jaws are exactly 
like the picture of the pickerel or not, but the net marks 
are there. And he is there too, by a large majority, in 
all of our lakes and bayous. I have never found him in 
White, or Cache, or Ouachita rivers, or any of the clear 
running streams, but I have seen him in a baj'ou 50yds. 
from Cache River. The average size of this pike is 
20 or 22in., but occasionally we find a larger one. I have 
never seen one over 3 or 4lbs." in weight, as they are long 
and slender. The habits are the same as described by 
Mr. Mather. I have often seen them in the clear water 
take the minnow and hold it and then turn it round 
before swallowing it. In fishing for them we recognize 
the fact that we have to give them time to do that We 
surely have either the pickerel as described by Mr. 
Mather, or we have another species, for every angler 
in this country will tell you that the ereek pike and the 
lake pike are not the same, the creek pike lacking the net 
marks of the lake pike, and being a babv anyhow. 
J. M. Rose. 
[Arkansas is known to have two pickerel — one called 
the "little pickerel," which is green or grayish in color 
and usually with marks like worm tracks on the sides, but . 
sometimes these markings are in the form of curved 
streaks, sometimes forming bars, or they may be like 
network, or entirely wanting. The other is the common 
Eastern pickerel, chain pickerel, green pike, or jack. 
The "little pickerel" does not usually exceed ift. ill 
length, while the Eastern pickerel grows more than twice 
as large. The "little pickerel" is found in the Mississippi 
Valley, south to Arkansas and Mississippi. The Eastern 
pickerel occurs in Mammoth Springs and other tribu- 
taries of White River, in Arkansas. Its complete range 
includes waters from Maine to Florida, Louisiana, Ar- 
kansas and Tennessee. The range of the chain pickerel 
was formerly belieA^ed to be limited to the east of the 
AUeghanies.] 
The Forest and Stream is fj'ut to press each week on 
Tuesday. Correspovclence intended for publicaUnn 
should reach us at the latest by Monday, and as muclS 
mlier aspracticable. 
