Mav 13, 1899.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
S69 
try, which may apparently be relied on for perpetual repro- 
duction if it has a chance, and is of litttle or no value for 
agricultural purposes. The system of cutting, howcA^er, 
with necessary modifications, may apply to other woods. 
The Province is in the habit of speaking of its surplus 
of spruce as inexhaustible, but I have an idea that there 
are very few things that are really inexhaustible — if 
wasted. 
I often think of the common saying of an old friend of 
mine, when asked to take another drink after he thought 
he had enough, "Voyons! 11 y a unc limite toujours!" 
As much as to say, "See here, there has got to be a stop to 
this somewhere." 
But I am not going to try to run the Province of 
Quebec, and have strayed a long way from the lake and 
the ice and the trout. 
Oh my way back I will tell an anecdote. On one of my 
spring visits home — to my real home 1 mean — two or 
three years ago, at a dinner party of gentlemen near 
Boston, I was seated next to one who has the preserva- 
tion of our American forests very much at heart. He 
asked me to tell him about the Quebec system of limits and 
licenses, which I did as well as I could. Before I got 
through I found I had four or five listeners instead of 
one. My neighbor remarked that neither the United 
States or any individual State had so simple, effi- 
cient and economical a plan. Someone asked, "Why 
shouldn't we have a similar plan in this country?" to 
which some one else replied, "The power of the timber 
thieves is too great at Washington." I do not know 
whether that was the correct answer to the question or 
not, but as no one gainsaid it or gave any other reply, it 
had to pass. 
The rods are in order, the fly-book O. K., the boats 
caulked and painted and the canvas canoes new varnished. 
There is nothing to be done now but wait. 
G. DE MONT.'VUBAN. 
Quebec, April 29. 
Flare Fishing for Suckers* 
Tampa, _ Kan., April 22. — Editor Forest and Stream: 
It is a rainy day here in Kansas, and that means wet. 
cold, muddy and disagreeable beyond anything known 
at the East, where a rainy day was to me always a pleas- 
ure. But here the day drags, so I thought possibly a 
few Words about a style of fishing that I used to con- 
sider great fun might not come amiss. I suppose the 
flaring up of a smoky lantern sent my thoughts backward 
some dozen years, for then the sight of a flaring torch 
and a shapely glittering spear was enough to send the 
blood tingling through my veins, and even now, al- 
though I am getting toward the years when Time's hoar 
frost will soon begin to mark me as old, yet if I were 
back on the old stamping grounds, I think a warm 
evening would find me among the familiar scenes along 
certain brooks that I know of. 
The sucker is a plebeian fish, despised by the trout 
fisherman and hated, I suppose, by the fishculturist. 
But he is in the brooks to stay; and as when taken fresh 
from the chilly waters of the springtime brook, he isn't 
to be despised for the table, and best of all furnishes just 
about'- as much fun for the small boy (and for some 
boys not so small) as any other fish. I think he fills 
out the purpose of existence as well as the rest of us. 
When the shad-blow began to whiten the woods with 
its snowy blossoms; when the shad-fly in great masses be- 
gan to dance in' the sunlight; when the little black-flies 
began to torment the horses, when we were at work near 
the woods, then we knew that all along the Connecticut 
the suckers were gathering at the mouths of the little 
brooks and would soon be on their way up to their 
spawning grounds. Then the spear, lying long idle, or 
only used in our mimic Indian battles, Avas looked up, 
its tines carefully sharpened, and its barbs cut deeper; 
the old torch, black and grimy with the smoke of many 
a nightly burning, was taken down; a file was placed 
handy by, and Avhen word came that the suckers were 
running, some eager youngsters would be seen hastening 
to the delectable grounds. Beginning as near the river 
as the water would permit of wading, with hands 
trembling with eagerness as we heard the splashing of 
the fish on the riffle, the torch would be lighted, and 
with careful but eager steps we would advance into 
the Avater. Usually the fish first run from the deep 
waters of the river would be shy and wild; but as we 
v/orked our way upstream, soon close to the bottom of 
the brook would appear what to the careless eye would 
be only a stick or two of decayed wood, but the ex- 
perienced eye would detect the fanning fins and slowly 
moving tail of a living fish. Then with bated breath we 
A^•ould raise the spear, poise it for a moment, and with 
a "chug" so familiar to the spearer, the first fish of the 
season would be thrown on the bank to the boy waiting 
with a gunny sack in hand for its reception. Then we 
could go on, picking up a fish here and there. Usually 
just above some deep quiet pool the light reveals some 
old patriarch of his tribe; but he has run the gauntlet 
of the spearers before, and so, instead_ of lying still as 
his younger brethren do, he turns quickly and makes 
for the deep water below, in his haste perhaps running 
against your feet, and even splashing the water into 
your face. But he is not of necessity lost. Go on with 
your spearing a few moments, then go back over the 
ground again, and probably you will find him in the 
shallow water carefully nosing his way upstream. This 
time you are on your guard, and with careful, stealthy 
step the light is gradually thrown about hirn, and Avith 
quick, strong blow the spear is sent home, and with a 
yell of triumph the old fellow is sent far up on the bank, 
where he lies panting in all his beauty of black and 
silver. 
But the echo of voices and the flare of other torclies 
shows that other fishers are busy, and that no time must 
be lost. Back into the brook again. An eel starts out 
from under the bank ; he is quick and hard to get, and so 
with flying feet and arms, with cries of "Here he is!" 
"There he goes!" the spearers are after him. Perhaps 
they don't get him and perhaps they do. If they do, 
look out for the spear, for the eel, winding his tail around 
the handle, will try its metal to the utmost. 
Further along you think yon see one of the old set- 
tlers; so again, with strong, sure blow, the spear is sent 
downward, only to strike the fishlike form of wood Of 
stone, and to come back, if of poor metalj bent or broken; 
but if of good steel, with dulled points to the tines. 
Here the file comes into use. and soon you are pressing 
onward. But you reach the grounds where the others 
have fished; so putting out the torch and keeping the 
willoAvs and alders of the meadow between them and 
you, with quick stealthy step you pass them, and again 
find the brook. Here is the deep pool formed by the 
old mill dam, and the light reveals shadowy moving 
forms deep in its waters, that you know are "whoppers." 
I have known those so cool-blooded that, with rubber 
boots on, they could fish night after night without wetting 
their feet; but I am of difl^erent temperament; for, al- 
though I would begin with all manner of good re- 
solves, yet over boot tops, knee deep, Avaist deep, into 
the dark, chilly waters I would go after these fish. Then 
on upstream to where the fishing grounds ended. There, 
cold, wet and tired, and feeling as if fishing were not 
Avorth the while, we would go home: but only a few days 
AA'Ould pass until night would again find us eager as 
ever on the fishing grounds. 
It is not all of fishing to catch fish. There was the 
splashing, turbulent passing of the fish over the rifiles; 
the diving of some startled muskrat; the sleepy cheeping 
of the birds, disturbed in their rest — and most of all, the 
tickling of the toads with a straw. Later in the season 
the toads seek the uplands; but now they are along the 
brookside; and if you want strong medicine for the 
"blues" look up Mr. Toad, and tickle his throat with a 
straw, and you will need no physician. 
In sucker spearing, as with hook and line fishing, it 
is the big ones that get away. One time, fishing with a 
defective spear, the big fish of the season was by his 
very weight, as I lifted him from the water, torn off 
and got away. The biggest I ever saw was once at the 
head of a httle pond, where I caught just a glimpse 
of what I at first thought was a stick of wood, but which 
at once took to itself fins and disappeared in the deep 
water, and I saw it no more. But a feeling of disap- 
pointment lingers with me even noAV as I write, because 
of that great fish. • Pine Tree. 
The Maine Fishing. 
Boston, May 6. — Fishing in Sebago Lake. Me., is still 
gouig on. though the season is not proving highly satis- 
factory, and a great many sportsmen go away without a 
fish. Still there are some successes, and these may be 
named. Mr. Field, of Bockton, with Mr. W, D. Brackett 
and Mr. Emerson, has taken a salmon of slightly over 
i7lbs. weight, a very large fish for Sebago, taken Avith rod 
and reel. Mr. Brackett got three or four salmon of 
good size, one weighing OA^er 81bs. Mr. Emerson did 
not fish much, but is interested in the new hotel at the 
Bay of Naples. Mr. Kendrick, of Boston, has taken a 
big salmon and one or two of smaller size, Mr. W. B. 
Saul, of the Sebago Clnh party, has secured a salmon of 
I3lbs., witli several smaller fish. Mr. W, T. Farley, of 
the same party, secured a salmon Monday that weighed 
gibs. The record of the Sebago Club, up to Tuesday, had 
been thirty-eight trout and salmon. A number of "red- 
spbts," as brook trout are termed at Sebago and Moose- 
head, in distinction from lake trout and landlocked .sal- 
mon, have been secured in the A'icinity of Muddy Ri\'er 
and Kettle Cove, although the "redspot" fishing has not 
yet been first class in that lake. The ice is out of Sebec 
Lake, Me., but there are no reports yet of salmon taken. 
Cobbosseecontee, Maranocook and the other Winthrop, 
Me., lakes are clear of ice. One salmoa of 7J4Ibs. is re- 
ported from Maranocook, with g larger one from Cob- 
bosseecontee. Mr. Carleton, of the Maine Fish and Game 
Commission, is reported to haA'e taken the first trout of 
the season at Maranocook. H. E. Capen, of Augusta, 
has taken a nutiiber of trout from the Wintlirop Lakes, 
J. T, Richards, in company with the Maine Fish and 
Game Commissioners, making an early visit to the Maine 
trout and salmon waters, takes home a salmon of 61bs. 
Very little fishing has yet been done at the big salmon 
pool at Bangor, the water still being remarkably high 
from the melting snows above. Still, some good fish- 
ing is looked for there when the waters do subside. All 
the Maine rivers are still swollen to almost the freshet 
pitch, and brook fishing has scarcely begun. 
The ice still hangs in the Rangeleys and Moosehead, 
though the warm weather of a week ago made great 
progress in dissolving it. But the actual freeze of 
Wednesday and Thursday has retarded progress greatly. 
Careful estimates noAv put the departure of the ice from 
thoscAvaters at from the loth to the isth; but all depends on 
the weather. The ice went out of Lake Auburn Sunday, 
April 30, several days later than last year. Fishing imme- 
diately begun, and every available boat has been in use 
almost ever since. J. Murphy made about the first rec- 
ord with a salmon of 7lbs. James Tracy has taken two 
salmon. G. J. Merrifield, F, Jackson and P. Record have 
made catches. Supt. Stanley, of the Lake Auburn fish 
hatchery, says that there are lots of fish in the lake, and 
a good season's fishing is to be hoped for. Mr. P. H. 
Dingley caught two good trout in that lake on Monday. 
Mr. B. Atherton and Mr. Fowler, of Lewiston, have 
been to Cobbosseecontee fishing, and take home sev- 
eral good trout. 
Dispatches say that the ice has left Carry, Row and 
Pleasant ponds, in northern Somerset county, Me., and 
that the trout fishing promises to be excellent. Reports 
are conflicting as to whether the ice is out of Grand 
Lake, Me., at this Avriting, but several Boston fishermen 
are on the Avay there, and expect to find the ice out. 
Newfound Lake, N. H., is not yet clear of ice, but doubt- 
less will be ere this reaches the eye of the reader, Bos- 
ton fishermen are interested, since good salmon catches 
Avere made there last year, as well as catches of big lakers. 
May 8. — The Cape Cod trout fishermen are bringing 
home some better strings since the warmer days and 
bright weather, but already there are reports of low 
water in some of the best streams. Pickerel fishing in 
Fresh Pond is now in order. It will be remembered that 
this pond is a source of supply or reservoir for the City 
of Cambridge, and hence under city control. Formerly 
no fishing Avas allowed there, though well stocked with 
pickerel, but of late it has been decided to allow two 
persons to fish there in one day, under special permit 
Mr. E. C. Stevens and Mr. Tausig had a permit for one 
day last week, and had good luck, taking eight pickerel, 
one of 3f^2lbs. They mean to try the same waters again. 
The telegraph has not yet announced the clearing of 
Moosehad, Me., of ice, though the news is hourly ex- 
pected, since the ice had left the coves on Friday, and 
some of the bays were clear. Neither are the Rangeleys 
clear. Mr. W. S. Marble, of the Rangeley Lake House, 
who has had years of experience and observation at that 
point, under date of May 6 writes that the ice is out of 
the coves, with the water in the lake the highest he has 
ever seen it. "But taking all conditions into considera- 
tion, I do not think the ice will leave before May 15." 
Webb Lake, Weld, Me., is clear of ice, and good catches 
of trout and salmon are reported. Over 100 trout and 
salmon are reported to have been taken on Monday, while 
the record of Tuesday was not far behind. The size of 
the fish taken this year is reported to be better than last, 
especially of salmon, and this is also true of Sebago and 
other waters. Commissioner Stanley is of the opinion 
that the salmon are growing rapidly. Messrs. P. O. Vick- 
ery, of Augusta; Fish and Game Commissioner C. E. 
Oak, of Caribou, and A, S. Hinds, of Portland, fished 
Lake Auburn one day last week. Mr. Oak took a salmon 
weighing lolbs., the only success of the party. 
Brook trout fishing in Maine and New Hampshire is 
reported to be excellent in all the brooks where the 
snow water is about done running. This pertains only 
to the more southerly portions of each State, however, 
since there is yet a great body of snow in the North 
Woods. Late reports establish the fact that the ice is out 
of Grand Lake, and most of the Schoodic chain. A num- 
ber of Boston fishermen have started. 
The ice in NcAvfound^ Lake, N. H., went out on Mon- 
day, and fishing began immediately. C. A. Gale, of Bris- 
tol, was the first to come in with a fish, a salmon of 7lbs. 
W. F. Gale, of the same place, followed with a salmon 
of Sj^lbs. Ansel G. Doloff, of Bristol, took a 7lb. salmon 
on Tuesday. C. E. Rounds, of the same place, has 
caught a trout of aj^albs. L. D. Fogy, of Plymouth, has 
taken three salmon Aveighing about slbs. each. G. H. 
Greely, of Plymouth, has taken several small salmon. Mr. 
Fox, of Hill, has landed a beautiful salmon. Nashua and 
Manchester anglers are also at the lake in good num- 
bers, among whom may be mentioned A. E. Clark, J. P. 
Ransom, F. H. Thurston, T. J. McDonald, S. Sawtelle, 
O. H. Brown, J. C. Fletcher and F. G. Noyes. 
Plymouth, N. H,, reports mention good catches of 
brook trout. Frank E. Rollins, of that place, with his 
two sons, Frank and Ross, caught 13S trout from Dur- 
yin Brook the first day of the open season, Tuesday. 
May 2. J. G. Fletcher and F. Fletcher caught 125 the 
same day. The same day M. Robert Burns caught fifty 
very fine trout from Palmer Brook. G. E. Edmonds 
has taken thirty-five trout from the same stream. The 
brooks in the vicinity of Hill are also being fished with 
good success. G. W. Chaffin and F. H. Briggs fished 
these brooks one day last week with the result of sixty 
trout. Anson Buxton took fifty brook trout from, the 
streams near Bristol early in the week, 
The Ice Out. 
Boston. May 8.— Moosehead and Mooselucmaguntic 
clear. Rangeley clearing rapidly. Fishing good. Rich- 
ardson clear. Speciai., 
A Mountain Trouting. 
For a week the weather had been cold and raw in the 
mountains, but June brought sunshine and the Avest wind 
in her train, and Hank and I concluded that the time was 
in floAver for a serious offensive moA^ement against the 
trout. 
Acting upon our resolve, the crisp dawn of a 
mountain day saAV us winding aAvay down the road from 
the rough little cabin on the knoll that was our home 
camp. Hank's two Aviry little horses, harnessed to a buck- 
board that momentarily threatened to collapse, made fair- 
time over a roadbed that constantly made walking a pref- 
erable mode of progress, and the foiu'teen miles to Per- 
kins' shanty at the junction of the Lewey Lake and Cedar 
Lakes trails, were traversed in time for luncheon. Leav- 
ing our horseflesh there, Ave took rods, slung pack basket 
over shoulder, and started off down the familiar trail to the 
Cedars. Having gone thre.e miles we struck off to the 
left and traveled due east, striking the Jessups River with- 
in an hour, having crossed the headwaters of the Miami 
River on the AA'ay. The character of the Avater at that 
point not being to our liking, we followed deer paths for 
about two miles up stream to where the water roughened. 
Here Ave found the remains of a tiny surA'-eyors' lean-to; 
we raised up the frame, readjusted the old slabs of bark, 
cut browse and arranged our exceedingly limited amount 
of duffle. 
An hour or more of daylight was still ours, so we de- 
termined to try the water as a forecast of the morrow. 
Going a few hundred yards above camp, we put rods 
together and started in. We killed some twelve, fishing 
back to camp, and went ashore more than satisfied with 
the prospects. The fish were there. 
That night Ave sat about the fire drying our clothes, 
talking in low tones of the coming sport, or quietly watch- 
ing the smoke plumes swaying over the glowing craters of 
our pipes. Soon, knocking out the ashes against the 
guard-log, Ave crept beneath the shelter, and wrapping 
coats about shoulders, slept. The night was destined to 
have one interruption, hoAvever. I was aroused by a soft, 
crushing sound, followed by a slight shock, which was 
in turn followed by a series of muffled exclamations. A 
glance by the dying embers of the fire revealed what had 
happened. The fork of one of the uprights had given 
way, causing the roof to tilt and slide sidewise and bury- 
ing Hank beneath it. I lifted the roof for him to creep 
out, and then Ave repaired the shack, laughing heartily 
over the mishap. 
In the grayness of dawn we left camp, and for an hour 
walked swiftly up stream until the water swirled and ed- 
died about the bases of great boulders, or sprang melo- 
diously down m.any little rapids. Here we rigged tackle, 
donned a liberal coat of tar oil, lit pipes and started in. 
The forecast of the previous day was iipheld by the event, 
and never had fisher a fairer setting for his sport; stretches 
of rapids filled with small holes, wherein lurked many a 
fine fish; pools at bends studded with great rocks; occa- 
sional long, quiet reaches; the long, winding avenue of 
