TtJI,Y 27, ipOI.] 
FOREST AND STREAM, 
67 
popularity enjoyed by Maine to-day in offering such 
superior inducements to the sportsman is due more to the 
strict observance of the game laws by the guide than any 
other source, I wonder if Mr. Hull is aware that the 
later . in the season the deer are hunted with hounds th^ 
more deer are killed. What guide of any experi'ence will 
not acknoAvledge how much quicker an old buck will 
=!;ake to water on a cold and frosty morning with a dog 
after him than if pursued earlier in the season "during 
the warmer weather? arrd in consequence how much 
asicr hi'i runway is located? The race is invariably a 
liort one, and the hound, fresh for another one. This 
IS the reason why there is such a "hue and cry" among a 
certain class every time the matter comes up in the 
Legislature to have the hounding season extended to a 
*ater date in the fall, for they know full well how easy 
ti is to drive a deer to water. If all sportsmen and guides 
were equally conscientious in .the matter of always shoot- 
ing their deer from the shore of the lake into which they 
I e dri\;en or take their stand on a runway, then we might 
(dopt some of Mr. Hull's suggestions with success, f 
have made a study of this matter of non-hounding for 
.several years, and from observations and contact with 
I lie guides and natives have concluded there is but one 
\va}' to raise the standard in the matter of deer -pro- 
tection, and that is to stop Imunding indefinitely. 
J. Thomson Gall,. 
BlOO.MINGDALE, N V,, July ;i. 
Proprietors of fishinR resorts will find it profitable to advertise 
them in Fore.st and Stream. 
ANGLING NOTES. 
Fly.R&ds and Fly-Tackle. 
Ir seems difficult to find ati excuse for the existence 
of some books alleged to be devoted to fish or fishing or 
fishing tackle or all combined, as one turns the leaves 
and finds palpable inaccuracies and pages padded with 
antiquated beliefs, theories and methods handed down in 
hooks since Walton's time through generations of anglers, 
and valueless in this day. To be just, however, such 
books are not common, but I had labored partly through 
such an one iust before the second edition of ilr. Henry 
P. Wells' "Fly Rods and Fly Tackle" came to me. and 
the contrast between them Avas marked; hence these tears 
at the opening of this note. Sixteen years ago Mr. 
Wells presented us with the first edition of his most 
\ aluable book, and there was need of it, and of all men 
rhyt I knew, the author was peculiarly fittted to prepare 
It. Never was a book more thorough in all its parts; 
-peculation has no place in it, and the results of careful, 
painstaking experiments are given instead of guesswork, 
and it is a master workman's and master angler's pro 
duction. The new edition contains nearly one hundred 
pages more than the first, all as practical and void of 
theory as the original matter. That the book has been 
out of print for ten of its sixteen years of life is perhaps 
better evidence of its value than any commendation from 
my pen, and it is a plea.sure to praise a book like this in 
imqualified terms without a single mental reservation, and 
It is one of the very few angling books that I have read 
from introduction to finis. The first edition was at- 
tractive, with its cover design of a trout in the meshes of 
a landing net; but I think the second even more at 
tractive, with its cover design of a page of a fly-book — 
Mr, Wells' own invention, by the way — with flies in 
colors. The frontispiece, a picture of the author standing 
in the doorwaj' of John Danforth's old Camp Caribou 
at Parmachenee Lake, will bring back pleasant recollec 
tions to manv of the readers of the book, 
Salmon and jhe Dry Fly. 
Some readers of my "Angling Notes" will re- 
call a suggestion of mine that it might be 
profitable to try the floating . fly on the waters 
of a salmon pool when the water was very low 
and very clear and the salmon would not rise to the 
Ordinar}' salmon fly Avorked in an orthodox manner. I 
say a few will recall the suggestion, because som_e 
friends have had a little quiet fun at my expense for 
making it, and I have been perfectly contented to let 
them have their fun, for there are occasions when those 
who laugh last laugh best. This was how it came about-: 
I was visiting at a country house, and so was Mr. Oliver 
W. Bird, and he told me that while he and Mr. F. O. 
Beach were fishing the Vanderbilt water on the Risti- 
gouche they saw salmon rise slowly in the water and 
suck in midge flies from the surface, scarcely disturbing 
the water. This was when the pools- were very low and 
very clear, and salmon would not come to the salmon 
fly. My suggestion came in at this point, but I never 
intended that the little trout flies should be used, as our 
salmon fishing friend intimated to me when we were both 
fishing in the Ristigouche, for I said that the flies would 
•of necessity have to be specially made for this experi- 
ment. Now, I will call the attention of several gentle- 
men who have written and- talked to me about salmon 
and dry fly-fishing to the Fishing Gazette, London, of 
date June 29, and on the first page, first article, under 
the caption, "Occasional Notes by the Editor," will be 
found a sub caption "Salmon and the Dry Fly." I do 
not suppose any of them will read the item when they 
get that far; but to cut off further communication to 
me I will copy what the editor of the Gazette says: 
"South West writes to me to say [and right here I de- 
sire to say that South West is Major Carlisle, one of the 
best English anglers, which includes salmon fishing], T 
have read your extract in Fishing Gazette from Forest 
ND Stream, and thought that perhaps Mr. Cheney would 
be interested to know that salmon in the Test have often 
been caught with a floating May-fly. They rise at the 
natural fly just as the trout does. I have never known 
any one fish a pool over on chance with a floating fly 
for salmon, but those caught have been seen to rise, and 
in some instances no doubt the angler thought he was 
stiner for a big trput. J. can ,giY? ^Tl instance qf this, ag 
was told me by a friend. He was salmon fishing one day 
on the lower Test, and had done nothing. Seeing what 
he thought was a trout or grayling rise, he asked a 
brother angler, who was passing, if he had a trout fly in 
his book, On looking, a chub fly was discovered, a 
good-sized Palmer. This was substituted for the salmon 
fly, and the cast made. Up came the fish and fastened, 
when there was a battle royal, for it was a salmon of, if 
I remember rightly, 26 pounds, and w'as duly killed. I 
quite agree with Mr, Cheney that it would be worth 
while trying a floating fly for salmon when the river is 
dead low, but I do not think the idea has presented itself 
to salmon anglers, I quite believe that salmon do some- 
times go for floating objects on the surface. I myself 
have seen them in the Usk rise at dedd leaves floating 
down the river in October.' ", 
T make my salutation to South West, and 1 am very 
glad that such an eminent authority conies to my rescue, 
and my friends who thought my suggestion so amusing 
may find food for reflection in. the extract I have quoted. 
Long ago I discovered that it was not safe to say that 
fish would not do certain things that others claimed that 
they had seen them do, simply because I had not myself 
seen the fish do them. Twenty-four years ago I caught 
a small-mouth black bass weighing 8% pounds, and 
the lact got into print. Such weight was never before 
known for this species of fish. Those who knew me 
thought the scales were wrong (the fish was weighed on 
four different scales in the presence of more than a dozen 
men); those who did not know me and said anything 
about it thought I was a monstrous prevaricator Some 
I bought it must have been a big-mouth, and one gentle- 
man collected evidence from a lot of anglers who had 
caught thousands of small-mouth bass, and all declared 
that they had never caught or seen a bass so large as 
the one I caught, so the weight of mine must be wrong. 
In fact, not until I sent to Forest and Stream and ex- 
hibited in Blackford's market a tew years after a small- 
mouth bass that did weigh in New York city 8y4 pounds 
were some of the unbelievers silenced. Since that time 
I have seen a small-mouth black bass caught in the same 
water that furnished mine that weighed 10 pounds, and 
1 have had a rest about my fish, or the skeptics are dead 
who doubted that this species of fish grow to 8^4 pounds 
ft is the man who first does or sees the unusual thing 
who has to get on the witness stand for a cross examina- 
tion as to truth and veracity and previous condition, but 
when two or more have seen it or done it the bricks are 
thrown in so many different directions that the first man 
can dodge som.e of them and not be obliged to take them 
al! in the pit of the stomach- 
Black Bass in Salt Water. 
" Recalling to mind the controversy over the weight of 
black bass rem.inded me that in my big blue envelope I 
had a clipping about black bass, cut some time ago 
from the London Fishing Gazette, It would seem that 
friend Marston had entertained an American angler in 
London, and the American had heard of the difficulty 
that Marston, the Marquis of Exeter, and perhaps others 
had encountered in trying to acclimate the black bass in 
Great Britain, and from Pittsburg, Pa., he wrote to the 
Gazette, making some suggestions and giving the habits 
of the black bass. The American says that at a dinner 
given by a piscatorial society he learned from the 
speeches that the reason the planting of black bass had 
been a failure in England was that the fish ran down to 
the sea and never returned, and then he tells how it 
should be done. "In the first place, it will be necessary 
that you select a stream or lake or pond, or, in fact, any 
body of water which is clean and clear, whether adjacent 
to or beyond the reach of salt water. * * * the 
early spring, during the months of April and May, and 
as late as June and July, the fish leaves the deep water, 
where he has been all winter, and seeks the shallow and 
warm.er water at the head of the streams, and having 
found a suitable spot, he will proceed to fan out with 
his tail a clean spot the middle of the stream, and 
from, the small gravel which he uncovers he will proceed 
to build his nest by piling up the gravel in a circular 
form of from 18 inches to 2 feet m diameter and several 
inches high, according to the material he may have in 
'nand- Having cleared it from all rubbish, he w^ill then 
bring his mate, and having inspected it, she will proceed 
to lay her ovary upon this nest, while the master remains 
down the stream, protecting her from any violence or 
interference. Having deposited what ovary are ripe, he 
will proceed to deposit his milt upon the nest, whereby 
the eggs become impregnated, and when they have be- 
come exhausted from the operation above described they 
will remain in the vicinity of the nest until the warm heat 
of the sun and also the warm water have completely 
hatched out the contents of the nest. They then remain 
in the vicinity of the nest until the fry appear or until 
the sac is completely gone or disappeared, and the fry 
move off to other fishing grounds, the old ones accom- 
panying them, protecting and caring for them until they 
are able to maintain and feed themselves, the older ones 
then taking their departure * * * During the winter 
months he will have no desire to seek the salt waters if 
food IS plentiful and there is no disturbing cause to. 
drive him from the place he is in. One cause to drive 
him from a pool or pond or river is the constant stirring 
up of the mud by the ground feeding fish which would 
be constantly rooting up the mud and keeping the water 
in a muddy condition." 
I have an idea that our friend is a German-American 
from some of his expressions, and while he has a gen- 
eral idea of the spawning habit of the black bass he is 
specifically incorrect in a few particulars. For instance, 
it is the female black bass which prepares the bed, and 
during the act of spawning the two fish are close to- 
gether, and it is the male black bass which broods the 
young after they are hatched and until the brood sep- 
arates; but these are minor matters, as compared to two 
questions which arise from reading the article: Do black- 
bass build nests by piling up stones several inches high? 
and do black bass have the habit of going down to salt 
water? The circular spawning bed of the black bass is 
made by the movements of the fins and tail of the 
female in scouring it, and she will remove some stones 
with her mouth, but this, it has been believed, was simoly 
for the purpose of getting thejn off the bed, and not for 
t|]q purpose of building a fortificatiQU ai-ound the be4, 
It is reteorded that (in Michigan, I think; it is in one of 
Henshall's books) some nests were found built on brush 
several feet above the bottom of the stream or pond, but 
these nests or spawning places were composed of water 
weeds and moss, as I recall it, and the black bass were 
observed in them, but not in the act of building. This 
IS the only evidence that I have ever noticed of nest 
building, literally, of the black bass. It is well known 
that they will remove anything placed on their beds 
after they are prepared, and this they often do. to their 
destruction by poachers. The suggestion that black bass 
lun down to salt water is something new. If they do 
ever go to, the sea it is not in winter, tor in winter they 
hibernate, and consequently they do not feed during the 
hibernating period, so it is not necessary for them to 
seek new pastures in the winter season. 
Does any reader know positively of black bass going 
to sea for a time and returning to the fresh water? 
A. N. Cheney. 
A Bass Fishing Incident. 
A UNIQUE and unusual incident befell two Chatham 
anglers on Tuesday, July 16, while they were fishing 
for black bass at Erieau, Ont., a summer resort on the 
north shore of Lake Erie, situated on Rondeau Harbor. 
These waters are noted among the followers of Walton 
as the best for black bass fishing. Here are caught the 
largest and finest specimens of this grand game fish. In 
no other fresh water are such beauties taken, and for this 
reason this spot is often the rendezvous of American 
experts with rod and reel. Rondeau, with its black bass 
hlshing. is well known to Judge Brown, Col. Kress, Harry 
Reymer and other Clevelanders with a national reputation 
as fishermen. Rondeau is the resort of Chatham. Ont.. 
nimrods, and on Tuesday, July 16, A. C. McKay, busi- 
ness manager of the Chatham ^Planet, and E. J. Macln- 
tvre, a leading Maple City jeweler, went fishinsr to the 
Eau. About 9:30 A. M. Mr. Maclntyre had a strike, but 
after playing the fish a few minutes his line parted. About 
20 yards of Mr. Macliityre's line accompanied the bass 
to the depths below. Quite a number of black bass were 
secured before luncheon, and, when the two fishermen 
w^ent to eat, they left their I'nes set on the pier. When 
they returned Mr. Maclntyre found all the bait gone from 
his hooks, but Mr. i\IacKay found a fish on his line. After 
playing it for a while he landed a nice black bass which 
weighed 3 pounds 7 ounces. What was his surprise how- 
ever, to find in the mouth of the fish Mr. Maclntyre's 
hook and the piece of line lost in the morn"ng attached. 
The catch was one of the most remarkable in the annals 
of Rondeau fishing. 
There was a friendly dispute, though, between the two 
fishermen as to who owned the fish. Mr. Maclntyre 
claimed the fish, saying he had hooked Ht first, and his 
line was still attached to the fish when taken from the 
water by Mr. MacKay. The latter, however, declared the 
fish his because he had caught it and taken it from the 
water, and that Mr. Maclntyre had neither caught the 
fish nor seen it. Mr. McKay even went further and 
claimed salvage on the hook and line. The ownership of 
the fish is still in question between the two, and they 
would like some authority to decide for them the owner- 
ship. 
Mrs, Noble, a Cleveland lady staying at the Pavilion, 
was the only witness of the catch outside of the two oar- 
ticipants. She happened to be fishjng on the pier at the 
time. J. w. Young. 
Down in Maine. 
Boston, July 22.— Many of the Maine papers are after 
Fish and Game Commissioner Carleton for his speech 
at the recent gathering of the Maine Sportsmen's Fish 
and Game Association at Kineo. They are particularly 
disturbed by his calling the remarks of an agricultural 
paper upon the administra.ion of the fish and game laws 
''the veriest rot," and terming the writers of such criti- 
cism, "demagogues and ranters." The Maine Farmer 
(agricultural) says: "If Mr. Carleton was in earnest 
his remarks were unfortunate, and when the day comes 
that the voters of this Sta.e cannot question the course 
of legislation or criticise public officials, the State of 
Maine is on dangerous ground." 
Another lead ng daily journal says: "Incidentally we 
may here mention that neither the farmers of Maine nor 
the Journal wish to upset ihe game laws of this State. 
They are willing to encourage anything that brings any 
bqsiness to our State. All they ask is that those laws 
shall be reasonable, and their enforcement placed in the 
hands of men whose heads are not swelled by their own 
importance. This happy condition of affairs does not 
exits just at present and hence all this unpleasantness. 
The servant has usurped the position of the autocrat and 
the people are getting excessively wearied." 
Bass and white perch fishing absorbs a good deal of 
the attention of the summer boarders at many of the 
Maine resorts. At Maranacook the summer cottages 
and the hotels are most occupied. There are thirty-two 
cottages on the shores of tha!t lake, ,and two or three 
hotels, or summer camps, where anj'body can be enter- 
tained. Fishing is the leading sport morning and even- 
ing. The Readfield. Smithfield and Belgrade lakes and 
ponds above Maranacook are well patfonized by summer 
guests, all armed with fishing rods. Perch and bass 
enough are easily obtained for the tables. Anahessa- 
cook and the Monmouth ponds below are also well pat- 
ronized. The general verdict is that white perch fishing 
is good, when the weather is not too ho!'. At Cobbos- 
seecontee the summer guests are mostly fishermen. Still 
the Sabatis Pond is well patronized by the wh'te nerrh 
fishermen. The request that the number of perch tn'-eti 
in one day be limited is hkely to be gran'ed by the F\y^ 
and Game Commission. China Lake, at China. Ma'n' , 
is noted for its bass and pickerel fishing, and local fish 
ermen, as well as guests from Waterville and Vassalborn 
frequent that lake a good deal with rod and reel, '^t 
Windham, Maine, reports say that the fishing is ernd 
there, and that many large bass and white perch are 
bemg taken. 
The s'-ory is out that a short time ago the +wo s-^ns of 
a Mr. Hines, of Bigelow. northern Franklin c.onn'-v. 
Maiiif , fonnd a very smaU fewn in the wQods., Th? Isoy? 
