270 
J^OREST AND STREAM. 
[April 7, 190a 
he spells minnow, trout and angler each with a capital, 
and "earth's noblest thing, a woman perfected," he spells 
with a lower case w. 
The other thing I never noticed, as much as I have read' 
Walton, until this evening. In Wendell Philhps' lecture 
upon the "Lost Arts," as I recall it, it was shown that 
there was little new under the sun, our modern inven- 
tions were known to peoples more or less ancient, and 
recent discoveries were but modifications of old prac- 
tices. I did think, however, until this evening, that the 
practice of stuffing fish with sinkers, shot and other 
things to make them weigh more than nature intended 
they should weigh, was as modem as it was questionable, 
but here is the father of anglers, the gentle Walton, giving 
testimony that is unimpeachable to this practice in his 
day, for that is the only explanation that his reference 
to the miller's possible action is susceptible of, and it is 
quite evident that Walton did not approve of any such 
practice, for he was not that kind of a man. Neverthe- 
less it is exceedingly funny to read of it in the quaint 
style in which it is told, and it adds to the evidence that 
there is nothing new under the sun. 
The Menhaden Trust. 
Since writing a note about the menhaden trust, so 
called, I have noticed in the daily newspapers that *n 
certain court proceedings loolcing to the reorganizatiui)' 
of the company the fact was brought out that the ma- 
jority of the stock of the so-called menhaden trust is held 
by people in Europe, chiefly, I think, in Great Britain. 
Therefore, if injury is being done to our food fishes on the 
Atlantic coast, it is alien interests that reap the benefits, 
where there are benefits to reap. The figures given of the 
operations of the trust in former years show that there 
were large profits, and also that such quantities of men- 
haden were converted into oil and fertilizers that I have 
no space to give the figures. 
The Tfoul Season. 
Just as I was about to wind up these notes for this 
week, I found the following in plate matter in a news- 
paper : 
"The trout season in New York State opens April i, and 
continues until July i. In Massachusetts the season is 
from April i to Sept. i, except in three, counties, where 
the season closes Aug. i. In Connecticut the season is 
from April i until July i." 
So far as New York is concerned this is wrong, but 
the law of Massachusetts and Connecticut is correct. In 
Forest and Stream of last week, March 31, Mr. Law- 
rence gives the law for New York as it is — April 16 to 
Aug. 31, both inclusive. This misinformation being in 
plate matter will have wide circulation. 
Menhad«B* 
A few days ago, imder the heading "Save the Fishes," 
the New York Herald had this editorial : "Now that the 
Menhaden Trust has proved a failure, public opinion 
ought to insist on the enactment of the. law that will forbid 
the wasteful seine net fishing that is fast clearing the 
waters about this harbor of food fish. The best sports- 
men are behind it, and public policy asks for its passage." 
A little later the New York Sun had an editorial upon 
the same subject under the head "Migration of the 
Menhaden," inspired, doubtless, by the fact that the 
Menhaden Trust had gone into the hands of a receiver. 
Much has been written for and against the industry 
which has employed a great amount of capital to capture 
menhaden and convert the fish into oil and fertilizers, 
some claiming that the menhaden were inexhaustible, and 
no matter what means were employed to capture them, 
they never would diminish appreciably, and this has been 
controverted with all the power of word and pen. The 
other phases of the question, the capture of food fishes 
in menhaden nets, and the scarcity of food fishes because 
of this destruction of menhaden upon which food fishes 
subsist, have had their advocates and their opponents, un- 
til it is most difficult for a man up a tree to decide which 
side is right and which side is wrong, for there is siip- 
posed to be a right and wrong side to every question. 
Prof. Huxley may say that the supply of deep sea fishes 
is inexhaustible, and the menhaden people may say that 
it is fish migrations which cause the scarcity at "seasons in 
certain places, and sportsmen may say just the opposite, 
until we tire of speculations and opinions and demand 
facts, all of which leads me to the one little fact which I 
have to give concerning one phase of the question. Within 
five years last past — I cannot be sure of the exact time — 
when the discussion was high regarding the capture of 
fo_od_ fishes in menhaden nets, the present shellfish Com- 
missioner of New York, Hon. Edward Thompson, dressed 
the part and hired himself out as one of the crew of a 
menhaden steam.er that he might find from personal ob- - 
servation just what the menhaden nets did take. He 
worked for one week on the steamer, which cruised in 
Princess Bay, outside of Long Island and along the New 
Jersey coast, and he assures me that during the week the 
steamer did not capture a sufficient number of food fishes 
to feed the crew. While this m.ay prove nothing that will 
be the means of settling the controversy, it is true, and 
may be accepted as evidence so far as it goes, but this does 
not touch at all upon the question of how the destruction 
of menhaden may be injurious to food fishes by cutting 
down their food supply and thus driving them off the 
shores, N. Cheney. 
The Bangof Salmoti PooL 
Boston, April 2.— The open season for salmon fishing 
in the Pool at Bangor, Me., begins to-day. A special to 
the daily papers says that Bangor fishermen have m.ade 
unusual preparations. Though there is still a good deal 
of ice in the river below, there is a long stretch of open 
water below the dam., the salmon pool being all free from 
ice. It frequently happens that many fi.ne salmon are 
taken the first days of the open season, and before the 
ice is generally out of the river, either above or beloAv 
the dam. 
Generally the first salmon of the season is sent to th? 
President or some ot^r individual of national note. This 
year Bangor reports say that Admiral Dewey is likely to 
be honored with the first fish. Bangor sportsmen 01 
means sometimes contribute the first fish taken. If it 
happens to be taken by a fisherman who d©s« mot feel able 
to contribute so much to great men or royalty, wealthy 
men purchase the fish, and they usually have to pay as 
much as $1 per pound for it, frequently more; and if the 
fish happens to weigh 20 or 30 pounds, the fisherman tak- 
ing and selling it feels that he is well paid. The prospect 
ot so lucky a strike is sufficient to stimulate hundreds of 
local fishermen. Since there is no aristocratic ownership 
of the Bangor Pool, cvejybody can fish, and some very 
queer rigs and craft are drawn out. The Pool may be 
covered with boats of all values, from the best canoe or 
Rangeley boat to the rudest punt. The fishing i^ods and 
lackle are equally varied, from a juniper pole and a cod 
fine up, to the, finest, salinon rods, reels and lines. The 
first , salmon is no aristocrat, and is about as likely to 
rise to the cast of the poor man as the rich one, much 
depending on being on the ground when the fish happens 
to bite. Special. 
CHICAGO AND THE WEST. 
The Taylor System. 
. Chicago, I11.> March 30. — In a personal letter from 
which I feel at liberty to quote in part, I hear from 
Silver Sedge, of Denver, as below: 
"If I am so fortunate as to find that your visit to the 
Prairie River should coincide with my stay there, i shall 
)e very glad to show you how little remarkable my fly- 
vying abilities are, and gladder yet to get from you, if you 
will be so kind as to give them to me, some points on the 
best way. to circumvent the Prairie fish. 
"By the way, how did you like my article on the "Tay- 
lor System" of fly-fishing in the current number of Forest 
and Stream? And don't you think in justice to Mr. 
Taylor for his discovery and in justice to his system for 
its undoubted usefulness, the method of fly-hshing he 
employs should be called by his name?" 
1 believe that Silver Sedge is quite right in accrediting 
Mr. Taylor with a distinct and useful sort of angling, and 
in giving the system the name of its inventor. Indeed, I 
think reference to the first mention of this style of fishing 
will show that I then spoke of it as the "Taylor Sj'stem.'' 
This is the natural and proper name for it, and I hope 
it may long be known as such. 
Mr. Jos. Irwin, of Little Rock, Ark., writes on the 
same topic: 
"I am niuch interested in the Taylor system of 
fly-fishing, and now think I can apply it, I hope, in White 
River, Colo., this summer. Does he use the same sys- 
tem on black bass? I expect some good bass fishing now 
in thirty days." 
The late Gen. McNulta spoke of "teasing" black bass to 
bite in this way. I cannot quote Mr. Taylor on the 
system as applied to bass fishing, but do not think it 
would be so applicable to that fish. When Silver Sedge 
first tried the Prairie he fished in the broad, as do most 
trout fishers on a new stream. Friends told him to take to 
the banks and logs, and doing so he began to have better 
luck. The trout lie hid there in that stream. The habits 
of bass are not quite similar to this, and I believe it would 
take a longer time and better concealment to work this 
method on them. A bass usually cuts and runs if he 
sees you. Sometimes a trout does, and sometimes he does 
not see you where a bass would. You can't always tell 
what a trout will do, and you can't always tell what a 
bass will do. I have had them come to the side of the 
boat, without being touched by the hook, but holding on 
to the frog like a bull dog, and I once saw one taken into 
a landing net before he saw fit to let go and get away. 
On .the other hand, bass do not commonly act in this way, 
as most bass fishers know. I presume that sometimes one 
might tease a bass into biting, but I would rather chance 
keeping back and fooling him. That is to say, it would 
not seem best to strike the water much with the fly. If 
one can keep his fly up and above the water, casting 
repeatedly over the place where a bass is thought to be 
lying, he can undoubtedly attract the bass in that way 
just as he can the trout, and I have often done this; but 
I always tho.ught a bass lad more brains than a trout. 
So far as , the Taylor system implies, an actual cutting 
of the water .with, the leader, I fear it would not work 
so well on a glassy bass water as on a rippling trout 
stream. , ,ji ^ 1 iM 
Trout, 
Chicago, 111. March 31. — This morning on the street 
I met Mr. E. H. Hughes, now of the Nickel Plate R. R., 
in this city, and asked him what he knew about the Turtle 
Lake country of Michigan as a trout country. He said 
it was' ail right, and the Turtle Lake Club men still more 
all right. I told him I was asked to up there in the first 
of May, and he said he. hadn't thought I could break into 
as .good society as that, but if the irmtation was 'oona fide 
I'd better go. I presum.e the best thing to do is to go. 
Especially does this . seem, imperative in view of Mr. J. D, 
Hawks' latest advice regarding the trout and trout fishing 
of that region, in which he says.' 
'"'A large trout in our part of the country is one weigh- 
ing 3 pounds. I do not know that I have ever caught one 
with a fly weighing more than 2 pounds, but the trout 
in the 'Sbiith Branch, of the Thunder Bay . River, in which 
most of our fishing is done at Turtle Lake, run larger 
than at FontSnalis, where jj-ou. fished with Mr. George. 
Alexander While our trout mJght not be considered 
large in soiiie parts of the country, they are large enough 
to give anybody a heap of fun on a fiy rod. 
"Mr. W. H. Boardmari, president of the Adirondack 
League Club. New York, was at Turtle Lake two years 
ago this spring, and he told m.e that it was the finest 
stream, for fly fishing he had ever seen; that they had 
nothing to equal it in the A.dirondacks, I guess he m.eant 
what he said, as he has just written m.e that he would be 
with us May I. The above refers to brook trout. We 
have not as yet caught any rainbow trout at Turtle Lake, 
but we expect to begin taking them this year or next, 
1 have heard, however, that there are rainbow trout in 
Hunt Creek and Gilchrist Creek, which are fi.ne trout 
streams som.e six m.iles from our club house, I expect 
to try these streams this year, although I have never done 
any fishing in them, yet." 
Communications like the above always have a depress- 
ing effect on one's genera! health, and if one be obliged 
to go to the woods for the sake of his health, why not go 
where thf trout and the men srrow big? 
As for our favorite, tlie sweet Httle Prairie River, which 
is a hard river to forget, I hear that it will be fished more 
than ever this spring, Charles Antoine and Edward 
Taylor (the Taylor system man) are among others who 
will go up early this spring. They will camp at the 
Lower Dells and try for some of the old lunkers that 
lie in there. The Au Sable, the Prairie, the Pere Mar- 
quette — these are three streams which should furnish news 
this summer. 
The game warden at Fox Lake thinks the carp are 
going to eat up the country, wild rice, lake, farms and 
all. They are to be seen in swarms all "through those 
waters now as soon as the ice goes out, and ruin both 
shooting and fishing. A boatman there killed one that 
weighed 31 pounds, and says one could kill a boat load if 
he wanted to do so, as they stand around on their heads 
and root in the mud like so many hogs. There never 
\vas a worse mistake for Western sport than the introduc- 
tion of these beasts into our fishing and shooting waters. 
I remember when the boys laughed at Colonel Felton 
when he introduced a resolution against carp at a con- 
vention of the Illinois State Sportsmen's Association, but 
there is no room to laugh at the carp situation to-day. 
If we could get rid of them we would, very gladly. 1 
understand that most of the Illinois carp go to' Mott 
street. New York, and are fed to the residents there or 
to the inhabitants of Sing Sing, who are comparatively 
unable to get away from them. I never heard of one being 
eaten out here, where we are more recherche, as we say 
in Chicago. 
Speaking of fish food and that sort of thing in connec- 
tion with duck food reminds me of the ramifications of 
these commercial interests which continually spoil the 
good times we might all be having. I was talking with 
Capt. Seth Baldwin, the " sturgeon king," of South Chi- 
cago, the other day — a down-East Yankee, but widely 
travSed in the West — and I asked him how the sturgeon 
industry prospered, 
"Well," said he, "of course you don't see much stur- 
geon offered in the markets nowadays. It's getting too 
scarce. We make it all into halibut, you know." 
"Yes, I know," I said; "and the Russian caviare is made 
here in Chicago, too, I presume." . 
"Oh my, yes," he said; "you didn't think it came from 
Russia, did you? No indeed. Fact is, it don't all come 
from sturgeon, either. A great deal of the sturgeon roe 
comes from Mississippi River catfish. Nearly all the 
sturgeon sold on the Chicago market is made from 
shovel-nose cats. There is a big fishery of this sort down 
near Greenville, Miss. One of my old customers told 
me to come down there with my nets and he could give 
me all I wanted to do. There are a good many catfish 
down in there — shovel-nose and yellow river cats. That's 
where we get caviare and sturgeon." 
As I happen to think of it, it is at Greenville, Miss,, 
where my old friend Billy Griggs, the king of the market 
shooters, was last year located with a big fishing outfit, 
he having found fishing more profitable than duck shoot- 
ing. Now, as to sturgeon— but nol Billy wouldn't think 
of such a thing! 
About sturgeon catching, where they really catch stur- 
geon, and not catfish, I have located the best sort of 
story with this same Captain Baldwin, and one of these 
spring days we may hear of that, though he says the 
winter is the best time to go sturgeon fishing. The stur- 
geon is actually too gamy a fish to land in the summer 
time, when he jumps clear of all restraint, like a muscal- 
lunge, breaks all sorts of tackle and says good-by. Since 
the winter is his natural sporting season, it would seem 
(hat a new sport might be added to our category. A tug 
thirty miles off sho^e on Lake Michigan, with ice a foot 
deep all over her. a mile of hooks, and a sea that keeps 
everything upside down— such would be some of the fea- 
tures. Baldwin caljs -it business, and not sport. 
Spring Goods. 
Messrs. Von Lengerke and Antoine have issued their 
spring tackle catalogue, and a very enticing bit of liter- 
ature it is — sixty-four pages of good goods and good 
prices which are well worth looking at. They report the 
fishing-tackle trade already opening, and predict a big 
and. early season. This firm, in their enlarged quarters 
at Van B uren and Wabash, have a very popular em- 
porium, much patronized by our sportsmen, 
E. Hough. 
300 BoYCE Building, Chicago. 111. 
Pfophecies from Newfound Lake 
Newfound Lake, Bristol, N. H., March ^6.~A\ last 
we are slowly emerging from die glacial period, and be it 
known that one rash young man has quietly slipped his 
■snowshoes, warmed up his patent leathers and departed 
for a city to hunt up the man who predicted this winter 
would be an open one. We are all liable to mistakes, of 
course, but ii those embryo climatic prognosticators were 
not so persistent in their declarations, we should not so 
often be so cruelly deceived. 
There is now on the lake 32 inches of solid ice; in the 
woods 4 to 5 feet of snow; for a day or two past it has 
actually thawed on the sunny side of the street, so that 
warms us up to hope that perhaps we may have som.e 
salm.on and trout fishing when the snoAVs have rolled 
awajn 
Som.e of the boys who do not mind cold weather have 
tried winter fishing and have had success which was re- 
markable, the more so because it has been said by local 
fishermen that since the Fish Commissioners have been 
artificially propagating trout here, the lake has been greatly 
depleted and winter fishing was ruined. But one man 
held to the contrary. This winter he said he would trv 
and see if there were not a few trout left in the lake; 
result was, in two hours' fishing the first time, he caught 
a 3-pound trout. A. day or so after he and another man 
cut six holes and took out four trout. Since then lots of 
trout have been taken, as many as seven in one day to 
one m.an A num.ber weighed 10 pounds each, the average 
being 4 to 5 pound fish, two men who fished together 
having caught to date thirty-nine trout, all of which goes 
to prove that the Fish Commissioners in their plan of 
stocking the lake are right, and their detractors in the 
wrong. It will now be in order for the Commissioners to 
receive apologies. 
There seem to be «Jgt!9 in th« mr ©f as ioerfsse of 
