Aug. II, i^CKx] 
FOREST AND STREAM, 
111 
I shove m with my boat to -shield me from the heat. 
Where, choosing from my bag some prov'd especial bait. 
The goodly well-grown trout I with my angle strike, 
And with my bearded wire I take the ravenous jSike, 
Of whom when I have hold he seldom breaks away. 
Though at my line's full length so long I let him play, 
Till by my hand I find he well near weary'd be. 
When softly by degrees I draw him up to me. 
The lusty salmon, too, I oft with angling take. 
Which nie, above the rest, mpst lordly sport doth make. 
Who, feeling he is caught, such frisks and bounds doth fetch, 
And by his very strength my line so far doth stretch, 
As draws my floating cork down to the very ground, 
And wresting of my rod, doth make my boat turn round. 
I never idle am, sometime I bait my weels, 
With which by night I take the dainty silver eels, 
And with my draught-net then I sweep the streaming flood. 
And to my trammel next, and cast net from the mud, 
I, beat the scaly brood; no hour I idly spend, 
But weary'd with my work, I bring the day to end. 
The quotation might easily be extended, for where de- 
scription is so charmingly easy it is difficult to draw the 
line. Those who would finish the piece must turn to their 
copy of Drayton, or to the volume in the "British Poets," 
if haply they possess a set; if not, they must be content 
with the slice here served up. 
"Rare" Ben Jonson, in "The Forest," singing the 
praises of Penshurst, leads us to, think that place must 
have been something like a piscatorial paradise. He says : 
And if the high swoll'n Medway fail thy dish, 
Thou hast thy ponds that pay thee tribute fish; 
Fat, aged carps, that run into thy net, 
And pikes, now weary their own kind to eat. 
As loth the second draught, or cast to stay. 
Officiously at first themselves betray. 
Bright eels that emulate them, and leap on land 
Before the fisher, or into his hand. 
Selfishly speaking, I should like to find a place where 
eels would leap into my hand,, though dottbtless such 
tame plenteousness would take the edge of? the sport, to 
the minds of most anglers. ■ ■ 
The author of "The Chase," William Somerville— for 
the ''gay and easy flow" of whose muse Allan Ramsay 
expressed his admiration-^in his poem on "Field Sports" 
does not forget- angling. After sketching a charming 
scene, where "the insinuating waters stray in many a 
winding maze," where: the wild duck "steals the spawn 
of teeming ;shoals," and "the murmuring stream salutes 
the flowery mead that glows with fragrance," he says : 
On the cooling bank, 
- . Psrtiently musing, all intent I stand 
To hook the scaly glutton. See! down sinks 
My cork, that faithful monitor; his weight 
My taper angle bends; surpris'd, amaz'd, 
• He glitters in the sun, and struggling, pants 
For liberty, till in the purer air 
He breathes no more. 
The difference between the St, James' Park of the 
reign of the "Merry Monarch" and that of our degenerate 
days is brought vividly before us by Edmund Waller's 
lines "On St. James's Park, as lately improved by His 
Majesty." After describing the waterfowl flying "over- 
head "controlhng the sun" with "a feathered cloud," he 
goes on : 
Beneath, a shoal of silver fishes glides. 
And plays about the gilded barges' sides; 
The ladies angling in the crystal lake. 
Feast on the waters with the prey they take ; 
At once victorious with their lines and eyes, 
- . • They make the fishes and the men their prize. 
A curious contrast to a scene worthy the brush of a 
Watteau is afforded nowadays by the predatory urchin 
who, stirred to defiance of park rules by the irrepressible 
instinct of angling, furtively fishes for" sticklebacks with 
the primitive bit of cotton for line and splinter of match- 
wood for float — one eye on the water and the other roving 
warily round in search of the dreaded keeper. 
Soame Jenyns, of whom little is heard nowadays, has 
a charming little lyric on the subject of "Chloe Angling" : 
On yon fair brook's enamel'd side 
Behold my Chloe stands! 
Her angle trembles o'er the tide 
As conscious of her hands. 
♦ ♦ * 
From each green bank and mossy cave 
The scaly race repair; 
They sport beneath the crystal wave, 
And kiss her image there. 
Here the bright silver ee! enroU'd 
In shining volumes, lies; 
There basks the carp, bedropt with gold. 
In the sunshine of her eyes. 
With hungry pikes in wanton play, 
The tim'rous trouts appear; 
The hungry pikes forget to prey, 
The tim'rous trouts to fear. 
The application of an amorous simile is, of course, in- 
evitable : but space is limited, - and the above four 
quatrains must serve as an example of the eleven. 
Coming down to modern times. Winthrop Mackworth 
Pfaed's 'Red Fisherman," who knew the secret of the 
abbot's stuttering i$ dbiibt familiar to many of my 
readers, and the lively lines— 
Oh, ohl Oh, oh! 
Above, below. 
Lightly and brightly they come and go; 
The hungry and keen to the top are leaping? 
The lazy and fat in the depths are sleeping; 
Fishing is fine when the pool is muddy — 
show at least that the author did not write without some 
knowledge- of his subject. 
Turning no.w to an author who dealfwith the matter in 
a free-and-easy style, .Barker, in his "Art of Angling," 
says of pike fishing: - " . ! . 
A rod twelve feet long, and a ring of wire, 
A winder and a barrel will help thy desire, 
In killing a pike; but tlie forked stick 
With a slit and a bladder— «nd that other fine triek 
Which our artists call snap, with a goose or a duck — 
W(91 Kill two for one, if you have any luck. 
The gentry o{ Shropshire do merrily smile 
To see a goose and a belt the fish to beguile; 
J When a pike suns himself and a-frogging doth go, 
The two-inched hook is better, I know, 
Than the ord'nary snaring; but still I must cry, 
"When the pike is at home, mind the cookery!" 
Experienced ichthyophagists will readily indorse the wis- 
dom of this closing admonition. 
Phineas Fletcher (cousin to John, the famous drama- 
tist), whom quaint old Quaiies dubbed "the Spenser of 
this age," and who was the author of that surprisingly 
ingenious poem, "The Purple Island" (in twelve cantos, 
the last of which consists of eighty-nine stanzas), wrote 
a number of so-called "Piscatory Eclogues." Small won- 
der that Addison took exception to the title, Let no angler 
be deluded into thinking there is anything descriptive of 
fishing in them — they are simply imitations (successful, 
granted) of the good old pastoral eclogue, being full of 
"hopeless swains" and "cruel maids" and all the long- 
drawn bitterness and linked sweetness of love-sick youth- 
fulness. RODWELL HOOKHAM. 
CHLICAGO AND THE WEST. 
Hot and Dull. 
Chicago, 111., Aug. 4.— Most of our Chicago bass parties 
go out from the city toward the end of the week, re- 
turning the next week, the fortunate location of this city 
placing some very good bass waters within easy reach of 
town. A few weeks ago it appeared that nearly every- 
body had gone fishing, and indeed it seemed to be a good 
deal of a temptation to go, for a great many nice catches 
Avere reported. For two days this week, however, the 
weather has been very hot, and times are very dull in the 
fishing way. But few parties are going out to-day, and 
those who do will hardly be apt to find much sport unless 
there should be a sudden change ,in the weather. It is 
hot enough to-day to take the gimp out of almost any sort 
of man or fish. Mackinac and the upper pine woods are 
the talk to-day among the tourists. 
One would think that by this time all the bass in the 
Fox Lake chain would have been caught, and that it 
would not be worth while to go there for any sort of 
actual sport with game fish. Yet there is a steady sum- 
mer angling travel into that neighborhood, and what is 
the oddest part of it, the fishermen often get fish quite 
enough to encourage them to go out again. The lower 
Wisconsin and upper Illinois fishing has held its own bet- 
ter than lower Michigan or lower Minnesota this summer, 
a fact which goes to show the quality of the Fox River as 
a breeding and supply stream, to say nothing of the good 
bass growing grounds in many of the lakes themselves. 
Who and What. 
Pawpaw Lake, of Michigan, is a much boomed summer 
place, and at times earlier in the season can show some 
bass. Just now it is dead at Pawpaw, so reports Mr. 
H. Brocklesby, of this city, who tried for eight days over 
at Pawpaw to get some fishing. Fearing that he would 
lose all his leisure time to no purpose, he left Pawpaw 
and came back to Chicago, going thence to Sand Lake, 
111., near Lake Villa, where he is at this writing enjoy- 
ing very much better sport than he had in Michigan. 
Mr. C. W. Green, of one of the Chicago daily papers, is 
looking for a place to pass a two weeks' vacation, in- 
tending to take his wife and have a quiet and restful fish- 
ing trip, somewhere not too far from Chicago. He came 
m to ask me where that should be, and I advised him to 
go to some of the lakes of Waukesha county, Wis. They 
have been having pretty good fishing up in there this 
sum^mer, quite as good as at many places much further 
away, and, besides, Waukesha county is as lovely and 
restful a bit of country as lies out of doors anywhere on 
the surface of the earth. Mr. Green thinks he will go to 
Burlington, thence take team to the Wind Lake or 
Wabassee countr}', and try for a farm house boarding 
place. Failing to get what he wants there, he will shift 
from the east to the west side of the Fox River, and 
perhaps blow in over Billy Tuohy's way, on Eagle Lake, 
from which place some very tall fish stories have beeti 
coming down lately. 
Mr. H. R. Reed. Western representative of the Re- 
view of Reviews, New York, was out in Minnesota for a 
day or so this week with his friend, Mr. Patterson, of 
Coll ier's Weekly. They left Minneapolis together and 
went to Otter Lake on the Soo road, where they had a 
great time. Not having anj'body else to do business 
with, and being accustomed to transacting business all 
the time, they signed up with a good manv pickerel, run- 
ning up to 6 or 8 pounds. They got only a few bass. 
This was about the first fishing Mr. Reed ever did in the 
\yest. Mr. Patterson says it is the first Mr. Reed ever 
did anywhere, but he is threatened with quitting golf and 
going in for the angle. He caught 40 pounds of pickerel 
and had more than that much fun. 
The Charlie Antoine trout party starts for the Escanaba 
next Monday or Tuesday, according to reports to-day. 
Those going with Mr. Antoine are Messrs. John de la 
Chaopelle, of Ottawa, 111.; V. L. Cunnvnghara and Harry 
Williams, of Chicago. Mr. Williams was with the Con- 
gre=;sional party in Minnesota last fall, and was historian 
of that expedition. It is rumored that he will take that 
capacity in the present trip, and Mr. Cunnvngham that of 
head artist, the latter being Very clever with the camera. 
They will have a good time, though they will be crowded 
for room in the boats, having so many grasshoppers and 
crickets along for bait. It is ordinarilv better to rope 
your own hoppers on the stream, but they are not sure 
there will be any on the Escanaba. 
4 G^iffits. the hard-working advertising man of 
the C. B. & O. Railroad, this ri'v. has been threatening to 
go fishing with m.e out on the Mississipoi River for two or 
three years, and I have been threatening to go with him 
We both know we can't, so there is no harm done. There 
IS another man who is wanting to go fishing with Mr. 
Griffits, and the latter has been having fun with this 
friend, telling him some gilt-edged fairy tales about the 
Mississippi, where, in fact, he never fished at all. "I 
have a house-boat up there," he told this friend, "and 
you know it wouldn't seem quite right for me to go up 
there and not use my own boat, after I've been to the 
trouble of having it made; but the fact is, just now I 
am having my house-boat overhauled, and a new ma- 
hogany veneer put on the deck, and I think I'll wait till 
that is finished before I go out there," From all ap- 
pearances the mythical house-boat will be ready about the 
time Mr. Griffits is ready for it. At this writing Mr. 
Griffits, who is really fond of bass fishing, says that- he 
is going up to Green Lake, Wis., this fall, to have a deep- 
water try for some of the mysterious but much famed 
red-eyed bass of that lake. It is not stated whether or- 
not he has a house-boat on Green Lake. 
Mr. James R. Smedberg. of this city, is figuring on a 
fly-fishing trip for bass on the St. Jo River, of Michigan, 
at sotflfe time early this fall, and probably this month. The 
St. Jo is fished considerably, but still turns out a good 
string now and then. I have heard of some fair catches 
there with grasshoppers. It is a very pretty little river 
and well worth acquaintance. 
Mr. W. P. Nelson, one of the chained-to-business sort, 
and lately pretty near to being a good example of the 
horrors of being chained to business too much, has been 
up north in the muscallunge country. He went in at 
Lake Vi eux Desert and floated down the Wisconsin Rivei' 
in a canoe, having a very enjoyable little trip. He did 
not find very good fishing, an 8-pound 'lunge being his' 
record fish for the trip, but he took enough fish to keep 
the camp going, and had no end of pleasure. Mr. Nelson 
tells me that he heard of a very good muscallunge. .?6VS 
pounds, which was taken by a boy in a pool of one of the 
rivers in that region, I think very likely the Manitowisb 
River. This is the second heaviest 'lunge I have heard 
from this year. 
Mr. H. Swanson, of this city, is among tho.se who have 
this week gone up to Lake Axilla to mingle with the big- 
mouths. He returns in a few days and has not been 
heard from as to his success since he left town. 
Mr W. F. McCracken, of this city, has left for a nice 
trip to the Mason chain of lakes near Fifield, Wis. He 
ought to get fishing there if anywhere, for the reports 
from that section have been on the average very good 
for most of the season, 
Mr. Wm. D. Miller, of Kansas City, Mo., outfitted 
here this week for a bass trip to the storied lakes of 
Alexandria, Minn. He will see what he can do with the 
historic "gray bass" of that countr3^ 
Hon. Jas. R. B. Van Cleave, of Springfield, 111., has 
always been very fond of this Minnesota country for bass 
fishing, and has been spending considerable time up there 
this summer at the Waltonia Club, not far from Alex 
andria. 
Mr. Geo. B. Johnson, of Chicago, is absent at State 
Line, Wis., this week, in a country cooler than this is now. 
He will fish for bass principally. 
Mr. Franklin A. Denison. of Chicago, has gone to the 
once famous water, Lake Gogebic, to see if he can catch a 
mess of bass once in a while. .Another Chicago gentle- 
man to try the same trip is Mr. R. L. Taylor. The sea-- 
son is, of course, more advanced that far north th^n it is 
here, and they may hit the beginning of the fall season. ■ 
Mr. James Fletcher, of this city, goes to-day up to Fo3f 
Lake, 111., for a fews days' bass fishing. Mr. G. W. 
Evans also is going to Fox Lake to escape the heat of the 
city for a time. 
Mr. Harry GriesmaUn is among the Lake Villa contin- 
gent this afternoon, and Mr Chas. Oik, also of Chicago, 
is another of the same party who will take the afternoon 
Central north. 
Bass at the Soldiers' Home. 
President Nat H. Cohen, of the Illinois Fish Commis- 
sion, has put a car load, or ninety cans, of nearly aciilt 
fish— bass, croppies, perch, etc.— in Lake Clements, at the 
Soldiers' Home, Danville, 111., there being about 3,000 
fish in the shipment. They are not to be touched for 
one year, and by that time should stock the lake very 
nicely. The citizens are very grateful to Mr. Cohen. 
This lot of fish came from the apparently inexhaustible 
storehouse, the Meredosia Flats of the Illinois River, 
where the fish are taken from the cut-off sloughs and 
bayous in thousands by the Fish Commission and sent all 
over the United States. Illinois has very much right to 
be proud of the work of her Commission. The biological - 
station of the University of Chicago is located at Havana. 
111., near this working point of the State Commission. 
No State in the Union has shown better results for the 
money expended than has Illinois in her fish work Much 
credit IS due both Mr. Cohen and the old war horse Dr 
S. P, Bartlett, of the United States Commission. 
Fly-Casting Cltib. 
Mr. F. N. Peet, of the Chicago Fly-Casting Club, tells 
me that the club is feeling very sanguine about the pros- 
pects of its tournament this month— Aug. 17-18. Mr. 
Mangjteid, of the San Francisco Club, is proving much of 
a drawing card, and many have expressed a wish to come 
to Chicago, if only to see the veteran caster of the Coast 
Mr. John Waddell, of Grand Rapids, be here, with 
others of that city, and it is hoped we shall have' some 
one on from the East. There will be two busy and 
eventful days, and the records would do well to take to 
the tall grass, or they are apt to get the wor«t of it. The 
club will provide lunch on the grounds. The casting will ' 
begin daily at 10 A M.. and will continue info the after- 
noon. 
Hartford BurtDiNG, Chicago, 111. ^' 
NAMELESS REMITTERS. 
The Forest and Stream Publishing Co. is holding 
several sums of money which have been sent to it for 
subscriptions and books by correspondents who have 
failed to give name and address. If this note cornea 
to the eye of any such nameless remitter we trust to 
hear from him. 
