190 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[Sept. 7, 1901. 
T, Thompson on the subject of feeding fry,^which may be 
found in the proceedings of this society for 1900, pages 
143-146. I wish to indorse and emphasize what he says 
concerning the feeding of fr}'- before the yolk-sac is ab- 
sorbed. I first adopted the plan of feeding grayling fry 
as soon as hatched several years ago, and afterward trout 
fry in a similar manner. My plan is to feed the bloody 
water from finely ground and screened liver by placing 
it in the horizontal aerating screen at- the head of the 
hatching trough. While no particle of food may be ap- 
parent to the naked eye in the bloody water, it is there, 
nevertheless, and it is carried along with the water at 
the bottom of the trough, where the fry soon learn to 
appropriate a part of it as it floats by them. Coral polyps 
and other marine invertebrates that are not free swim- 
mers depend entirely for their food on the passing cur- 
rent. 
By this early feeding of fry the nourishment contained 
in the umbilical sac is augmented, and when the sac is 
absorbed and the alevin becomes a free-swimming animal, 
it has become accustomed to the liver water, and has ac- 
quired a taste for that kind of food. The subsequent 
surface feeding of liver emulsion then becomes an easy 
matter. The plan of feedin.g fry before the absorption 
of the sac is especially demanded where spring water is 
used, as it contains no natural food, unless it flows a 
long distance before enterin.g the hatchery. Where spring 
water is replaced by stream water as soon as hatching is 
completed, or where stream water is used entirely, and 
where, consequently, there exists much natural food in 
such water, the early feedin.g of fry is not so imperatively 
demanded. But if considered in view of the subsequent 
surface feeding of liver emulsion, which is rendered easier 
by an early acquired taste for it, as mentioned, it would 
not be amiss to practice the plan in any case. 
CHICAGO AND THE WEST. 
How They Catch Fish at Meredosia. 
Chicago, 111., Aug. 17. — Mr, L. E. Rodgers, of De- 
catur, 111., sends the following account of how the big 
market fishermen of the Illinois River scoop out the fish 
with their gigantic seine.«. These Meredosia flats are 
on the same waters where the Illinois State Fish Com- 
mission annually takes out many thousands of young 
bass and other game fish for distribution. It is perhaps 
questionable whether any water in the United States is 
more prolific of fish life. It is an open secret that the 
Illinois State Fish Commission plays for the food fish in- 
terests of this State, rather than the sportsmen's or popu- 
lar interests. In fact, the work of the Commission^ is 
producing inany thousands of tons of coarse fish, wh'ich 
naturally bring considerable sums of money for a few 
market fishermen. When it is cited that legislation in 
favor of sportsmen is class legislation, the retort would 
naturally arise that legislation which makes money for a 
few fishermen is all the more to be called class legislation. 
It is true that a great many of the poorer classes of the 
East are benefited by these carp and bufl'alo fish from 
the Illinois River, but the sportsmen of Illinois are not 
so much concerned with the doings of Mott street, New 
York, which is the great market for these Illinois River 
fishers. It is naturally to be supposed that in operations 
like those described,' where thirty thousand pounds of 
fish are taken at one haul; there would be many game fish 
included. This is how the thing is done : 
We boarded a little steamer and were taken up to the 
bay, where the Graham & Yeck Company were prepar- 
ing to make a haul with their big seine. This seine is the 
■ largest ever constructed, being nearly two miles long. 
The exact length of it is 3,000 yards. It is 10 feet wide. 
A complete outfit is carried by this firm, so that all their 
packing is done right on the spot. They have a big house- 
boat with barrels, ice and all that is necessary for getting 
the fish ready for shipment. 
Besides the house boat and bulkheads, there are six 
big flatboats on which nets and other necessary articles 
are loaded. This fleet is manned by thirty men and boys. 
The fishing ground was the lower part of Meredosia 
Baj', which is six miles long. The width varies from 100 
feet to a mile and three quarters, and it is narrow at each 
end. The water is from 4 to 5 feet deep, and as blue as 
that of Lake Michigan. Where the net was started the 
bay is a mile and a quarter wide. The four barges were 
distributed along the bay and the net was lowered. There 
were nets across the ends of the bay to keep the fish from 
getting out. By the time the net was in place it was 11 130 
Sunday morning, and all hands stopped for dinner. 
After dinner the work of hauling in the net was begun. 
The men were divided into three crews, one crew at each 
end and another on a barge in the middle. Each end of 
the net was pulled in as the barge advanced, and finally 
the ends of the net touched the bank. Then the ends were 
made fast and the men began pulling in the net by loops. 
They would get hold of the net about 50 feet from the end 
and pull it in and stake it, and then go about 50 feet 
further and do the same thing, until they got near the 
barge. 
The barge divided the big semi -circle formed by the 
net and the bank in half. The loop that inclosed the barge 
was, of course, the one from which the fishermen expected 
to make their big haul. It was a sight to behold. It was 
about 100 feet square and was perfectly, alive with fish. 
The Decatur men had been prepared with big boots and 
big straw hats by the firm and they waded out into the 
mess of fish to see what it Avould be like to have the fish 
slapping them about the legs. The fish lashed the water 
into foam and made it mudd}', but thousands and thou- 
sands of them were in plain view. It was a Avri thing, 
seething mass that made one dizzy to look at it. 
It Avas about 10:30 Sundajr night when the men were 
i'eady to take out the first half of the catch. They jumped 
in among the squirming fish and gathered them up in their 
hands and threw them into the barge. They worked very 
fast and it took till 6 o'clock in the morning to finish that 
half. About 5,000 pounds of fish were got by that time. 
Then the work of taking the fish from the other half of 
the seine was started. This sweep was much the largest 
and netted about 20,000 to 25,000 pounds of fish. 
In all about 30,000 pounds of fish were caught at that 
one haul of th« big seine, It had been the iiiten^ion to 
make a clean sweep ol the bay,, but a number of things 
combined to cause a smaller haul than was expected. 
Another firm had just tAvo days before made a haul there 
and taken out 18,000 pounds of fish with a 1,400-toot net. 
The men all seemed to knoAV their business and Avorked 
fast. The buffalo and carp were all taken out of the 
barges and packed in refrigerator cars and shipped to 
New York Avithout dressing. The fine fish were put in 
flatboats and coA'ered with wet. gunny sacks. Later they 
Avere taken to the house-hoat. Avhere they were packed 
in l)arrels in ice and. sent away by express. 
Great quantities of turtles are caught Avith each haul of 
the net. These are all thrown in Avith the fish and later 
l)acked in ice and shipped East for terrapin. Graham & 
Yeck- said that they avouUI net about $1,200 from that 
haul Sunday. 
Chicago Fly-Casting Club. 
The following scoreg^ were -made by the Chicago Fly 
Casting Club in the last meet. Aug. 24. Re-entry day. 
Sept. 7, is next on the list, and the members are invited 
to turn out in full force: 
Accuracy and Delicacy 
Long Distance Delicacy. Bait Casting Bait. 
Fly Feet. Per Cent. Per Cent. Per Cent. 
11. II. Aiusvvorth 95 5-(! 
I. I), iielasco 87 .. .. 86 1-2 
L. I. Blacknian.,.^..,,!,^ .. .. 8.5 1-2 
W. T. Church .. .. 85 1-2 
H. (ireenwoQcl 9U 9:j t-B .. 92 5-G 
N. C. rieston 75 92 .. 91 
N. Peet 98 m l-'Z 
H. W. Perce 87 1-3 .. 96 5-0 
C. B. Kobinson .. .. 85 2-.^ 
A. C. .Smith 9B 95 
Winning scores : 
Long Distance Ply— F. N. Peet, 98 feet. 
Accuracy and Delicacy Fly — PL H.' Ainsworth, 95 5-6 per cent. 
])elicacy I'ait — H. W. Perce, 96 5-6 per cent. 
Every Man His Own Guide. 
The forest, with its lakes and .streams, holds a great 
spirit of felloAvship for man. and he who fails to take ad- 
vantage of its restful attractiveness is unfortunate, indeed, 
for he misses one of the greatest pleasures this modern 
Avorld of ours affords. The healthful and invigorating 
exercise, the consequent ai)petite and perfect enjoyment 
of one's food and sleep, and. above all. the freedom from 
care and the complete mental rest amid the best and most 
beautiful Avhich Dame Nature possesses — to knOAV these 
things Avere a full half of life: and the angler knoAvs them 
Avell, 
The greatest enjoyment, huAvever, is not always attained 
from this companionship Avith nature, because too much 
dependence is put tipon the guide or helper. The ideal 
Avay to make an excursion into the forest Avould be to do 
each and every iota of the Avork alone, save for the assist- 
ance of one's companion or companions on the trip, even 
from the selection and purchase of the outfit and provi- 
sions to the arrangement of the tackle and the polishing of 
the guns and the careful putting of everything in its 
place on the return. The more the Avork and the respon- 
sibility, the greater the fun and the .satisfaction. 
This scheme of "every man his own guide'' is not prac- 
licable for many. The countr3' into Avhich the pilgrimage 
is to be made is imknown, or the vacation is too short to 
cover the desired territory, or some good reason calls 
loudly for the assistance of a good guide, in Avhich case 
engage the best man obtainable, but in letting him do most 
of the work be careful he docs not steal away mcst of the 
fun 'along with it, Avhich is more than Hkely to happen 
in most cases. 
For example ; When a new lake is to be fished, is "it not 
the custom of many people to permit the guide to take the 
boat to a place where he thinks the fish may be found? 
Why should this be so? Surel}% if the angler knoAVS any- 
thing about the fish he is after — and be should find out be- 
fore he tries to capture them — then be is as capable as any 
one else to select a likely piece of Avater. Again, in many 
instances when a fish is hooked the guide Avill not only 
take the boat out of the weeds, but Avhen he conjes into 
the clear Avater he keeps rowing, making it almost impos- 
sible for CA^en a novice to haA-e a slack line for an instant. 
Fie upon you, sportsmen. Avho permit this ! Stop the boat 
and give the fish a chance against your skill, and if you 
lose hin\, blame yourself, and go after another. Yet many 
are they Avho tolerate the method even with bass, but usu- 
ally Avith the muscallonge m the waters of northern Michi- 
gan and Wisconsin. 
Again, the guide— always the guide — ^Avill select the hook 
for the fisherman. Avho really is no fisherman at all ; he at- 
taches it to the line, baits it and then, mayhap, tells his 
patron hoAv to use it. Verily, I say, Avhen such practices as 
these hold, the glory of the capture is his also. 
Therefore, if a guide is neces.sary, take Que. Let 
him keep the camp in order and row the boat, but do the 
fishing yourself and take care of your OAvn tackle. Fig- 
ure out your own campaign against a fish and make your 
man assist 3'ou in carrying it through to a successful 
finish. Do not allow him to do the planning and give 
the orders and meekly folloAV all his suggestions. If you 
do yotir man is doing the fishing, and you might as Avell 
be a thousand miles aAvay. 
Always bear in mind the maxim : The niorg the AATorli 
and the responsibility, the greater the fun ahd the satis- 
faction. EnwAKn Morton Holl.and. 
How to Tell the Agfe of Fish* 
In the Deutsche Fischerei Zeitung I find a most inter- 
esting account of a discoverAr by which it is claimed tlie 
age of a fish can be settled Avith certainty. Size is no 
tiue criterion, as a fish which has been Avell fed may be 
twice the size of one of the same species which has been 
poorl}' fed. and yet not half as old. I have seen yearling 
trout Avhich Avere only a quarter the size and less than 
a quarter the Aveight of other yearlings. The rings on 
the scales of fish are not quite safe criterions. and in 
many fish they arc too small to be seen to any purpose, 
But according to Prof. Hensen. the rings on the ear, 
or hearing stones (Gehorsteine). afford a sure clue to 
the age of the fish in Avhich they are found. These ear 
stones are of varied forms and sizes, and look like little 
bits of china. These bones groAV Avith the fi.sh, and a 
new ring is formed each year, as in the case of trees. — 
?i, ^Ursden, in J.wOudon Fishing GazeU^. 
Fishing for the Carp. 
TiiK carp has never found much favor with anglers in 
this country, but that it is not Avholly despised as a game 
fish abroad appears from this paper on carp capture, 
which we find in the London Fishing Gazette: 
For more than thirty years I have placed carp fishiji.g 
at the head of all so-called "coarse fishing," for the foi- 
iowing 'reasons: FirSl. they give more sport than any 
other "coarse" fish with Avhich I am acquainted; second, 
their extreme artfulness makes their capture a greater 
iruimph than is to be felt by the landing of almost any 
other fish. In my time I have caught a fcAv salmon and 
many trout, and my experience teaches me that a carp 
of fuMU 4 pounds to 6 pounds will give as much sport 
(though of a different character) as a trout of, say, 3 
pounds, hooked on fly. Holding these views, I venture 
to lecommend carp fishing to my brother anglers, and 
shall in this paper give brifly my idea as to the best 
method to adopt for their capture. Most of us know 
that carp wdl take a great variety of bait — worms, 
gentles, potatoes, peas, pastes made of bread, sponge- 
cake, biscuit, honey paste, yellow paste, pink paste, 
shrimp paste, cherries, bananas, boiled wheat, small fish. 
In fact, it seems diflicult to find a bait they Avill not take 
at times. But this "iresh-Avater fox" has a very fickle 
ai-petite, and to, tempt him, after he has reached yearss 
of discretion, his food must be daintily offered, and in 
such a manner that he Avill suspect no "poisoned cup.'' 
We very often hear the remark that "at so and so there 
are lots of very fine carp, but, it is no use fishing for 
them, as they will not take a bait." 
T Avould advise the OAvner of a Avater about which 
this can be said to try the folloAving remedy, Avhich I 
have known to have the desired effect: Select the most 
ci.mvenient spot to angle from — a spot that will give free 
scope for the rod and a long run for the quarry, when 
hooked, before reaching the Aveeds — any depth of water 
not less than 2 feet Avill do, and for months — say from 
now xmtil next May — throw in food every day. I am 
told that kitchen refuse, such as vegetable scraps, includ- 
nig potatoes, is good; but in the case that came under 
my own ken Spratt's do.g biscuit was all that Avas used. 
F.ach day two biscuit were broken up and scalded and 
thiovvn in at one spot, and for months afterward there 
v»as never any difliculty in catching carp there. On 
Several occasions I caught more than I could carry; but 
my plan was to fish until I had filled a large roach 
basket, and then transport the carp to another water, a 
sliort distance away, and "da ca(,r)po!" Plain bread 
piiste Avas the bait used. My (almost) unvarying plan 
ol fishing for carp is to select a short-shanked No. 10 to 
12 hook, Avithout an outAvard bend to it, for the reason 
that Avill presently appear. The gut must be fine, and 
should be stained "khaki" color. Attach the hook to 
a length of sound gut, that should be, at any rate, equal 
in length to the depth of the water fished. About a foot 
from the hook tie one inch of very coarse gut at rig'nt 
a.ngles with the Une, and. after considerably enlarging 
the hole through Avhich the gut trace passes, thread a 
pieiced bullet of the size of a large pea. The object of 
the inch of gut noAV becomes apparent. It prevents the 
bullet slipping down the line, and it is of no Aveight 
{i.iv the carp to lift Avhen it takes the bait. The reasons 
that small hooks without an outward bend are recom- 
uj ended are that they have finer gut attached, and that 
carp, in my opinion, often reject a bait after "mouth- 
ing"' it. as they feel the coase gut, or the "core" (Avhich 
is the hook) inside the bait, the flat hook being less 
likely to be detected. At one time I always used small 
triangles, but discontinued the use of them for the fol- 
lowing reason: I Avas carp fishing by the side of a 
fiiend, ahd now and again getting a decent carp, while 
he. though he often had "touches," never had a "run." 
After one of these unsatisfactory "touches," I per- 
suaded him to carefully lift his bait to shore, and upon 
it AAas the distinct impression of the upper and lower 
lip,'^ of a carp. After changing his triangle for a No. rr 
hook, he Avas no more bothered in this way, but enjoyed 
some sport. The best float to use in calm Aveather is a 
porcupine quill, as it offers a minimum of resistance lo 
the Avater, and goes through Aveeds better than any 
other. AlloAV the float to be about a foot deeper than 
the Avater. measuring from the bullet to the float. Tliis 
Avill prevent the line standing perpendicularly over the 
bullet, and so bring it farther from the bait. The float 
Avill, in this case, lie flat. Do not strike until the iloat 
has moved aAvay a foot or so. Use a f\y rod. with a 
stiffish fop and a very free running Nottingham rceL 
A\ith not less than 80 yards of line. An undressed silit 
hue, Avell greased for 10 yards from the point of attach- 
ment to the gitt trace Avill float for many hours. The 
bait (plain bread paste) should not be less than the size 
tj a large damson, and of the same shape, though I have 
often used bait as large as a small Avalnut successfully. 
The object of so large a bait is to prevent the hook be- 
ing detected. When rebaiting always Avash the fingers 
Avell. Never touch the paste with the hands when 
n,akin,g. The crumb of a loaf of the previous day's 
baking should be placed in a clean cloth and submerged 
for a few seconds in clean water, and after most of the 
water has been squeezed from it, the bread should be 
kneaded in the cloth until it is of the desired consist- 
ency. When carp fishin.g it is best to use the same bail 
fcr ground baiting as that used on the hook, the idea 
I'cing that the "foxj^ carp's" suspicions are less likely 
to be aroused; he picks up small pellets of paste with' 
impunity, and simply finds one pellet larger than these 
he has gobbled. When fishing never throw in ground 
bait by the handful (ground baiting overnight for the 
next day would be an exception), but use one pellet at 
a time, rather larger than a pea. 
As a last Avord, I Avould say, keep out of sight as much 
as possible; avoid making the slightest vibration i>u 
the bank, and, when you have hooked your carp, let him 
run absolutely free, your fly rod and free-running reel 
doing the rest until the first rush is over; then gently 
feel his mouth all the Avhile prepared for another .30- 
yard or -)o-yard rush; and Avhen yott have safeh- netted 
him. I am. sure you Avill agree Avith me that if carp fish- 
ing is "coarse fishing," it is for all that a grand sport. 
Carpc diem! W. F. B: 
The FoKEST AND Stsbaic is put to ^reit each we«k on Tuesday. 
„^.,,i„„^„ int'-nrlcd for publication should reach ua |^ ^fi 
