450 
A* Letter from an^Angling^Ffiend> 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
Here is a letter from a friend which has in it something your 
readers will enjoy, so I send it to you for Forest And Stream. — 
Connecticut. 
Dear Friend: 
I've been fishing! Will tell you how it came about. 
I've got a friend living at Portsmouth, who knows how 
weak I am in a certain direction — and thinking perhaps 
that this season of the year would be a good time to put 
temptation in the way, he got word to me that there were 
iome trout down there — and that they were biting. Now, 
I want to say right here, that I'm not afraid of any trout- 
that ever wore spots, and that statement didn't scare me 
a little bit. To prove it, I took Annie, and we just got 
a few things (including my "armor") into a grip and 
started for Portsmouth, where we arrived in due season. 
The alarm attachment on my friend's old eight-day 
timepiece got in some work at an early hour next morn- 
ing, and I got inside that "armor" suit "right smart." 
You remember it, the same old suit I have worn _ for 
years when I go on the "war-path," or sail the "seas" in 
quest of victories. I'll admit I've seen handsomer cos- 
tumes, but I love it for the sake of old times. I've left 
samples of it on wire fences, and along the rough and 
thorny paths. I've wet certain portions of it by sitting 
down suddenly in the middle of a brook. The pockets 
could tell tales of blood and feathers that would make 
a member of the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to 
Animals turn white. The buttons have reflected many a 
beauty-spot that memory recalls with great pleasure. 
They" have held me together, also, when I've nearly 
busted the whole "shooting match" by "swelling up" over 
some little incident — such as getting a "dandy" after a 
hard struggle or dropping a bird with a lucky shot — so 
I love the "old suit. It never laughs when I come home 
"skunked," but always feels better when I have had a 
glorious day's sport, as I had that trip. When we quit 
fishing, we were guilty of having ended the suffering of 
48 speckled beauties — a fine average size, from 7 to 9 
inches, and one good plump pound and a quarter to "top 
off." My frjend is not a fisherman, but he caught a few 
and enjoyed it, but not as an enthusiast would. He is 
all right, 'and I owe him for a fine outing. 
The brooks down there are not fished hard, as the 
owners object to it, but he got permission for me and 
you know about how I feel toward him. H., I wish you 
had been there; some parts of one of the brooks would 
make you want to just sit down and feast your eyes on 
their beauty. I wonder why God makes such places and 
hides them in the forest, or rocky gorges, beside some 
singing brook, out of sight of the masses of the people, 
and fills them with wild flowers and singing birds. I 
get just a bit poetical in such places and if I could say 
what I feel I'm afraid some of our authors and writers 
would take a seat away back. 
Fishing in our local brooks is not at all good unless 
you want to make a "'big catch" and go in for a lot of 
little fellows — no sport. 
Do you realize, old man, how fast we are growing old? 
Not that you and I are old — but people generally. _ We 
are past the summit and looking down the short side — 
mile-stones come along fast — just around the turn — and 
the churchyard will tell the rest. Don't seem very long 
ago when we were living in P., with a little one coming 
along now and then; some to stay and some to stay just 
long enough to almost tear our heart out when they 
were taken away — now little ones grown up and little 
ones of their own. God bless you, dear old grandpa. 
I've got as far as the third generation and think I'll 
stop. 
There is in . that letter something of the spirit of the 
last two verses of "Ben Bolt" : 
And don't you remember the school, Ben Bolt, 
With the master so cruel and grim, 
And the shaded nook in the running brook 
Where the children went to swim? 
Grass grows on the master's grave, Ben Bolt, 
The spring of the brook is dry, 
And of all the boys who were schoolmates then 
There are only you and I. 
There is change in the things I loved, Ben Bolt, 
They have changed from the old to the new; 
But I feel in the depths of my spirit the truth, 
There never was change in you. 
Twelvemonths twenty have past, Ben Bolt, 
Since first we were friends — yet I hail 
Your presence a blessing, your friendship a truth, 
Ben Bolt of the salt-sea gale. 
Michigan Trout Streams. 
Saginaw, Mich., May 24. — Editor Forest and Stream: 
1 inclose herewith an editorial from the Saginaw Evening 
News, which seems to me to be the most common-sense 
one I have read in a long while. But the practical fisher- 
men tried to shape game legislation last year, and failed in 
it, which is always so. The selfishness of mankind crops 
out and common sense and moderation are not permitted 
in the protection of game and fish and the propagation 
thereof. The limit should be seven inches, and not 
six, in Michigan; on the Au Sable and its tributaries, it is 
eight inches. The number of fish that can be taken in any 
one day or taken from any one stream should be limited, 
and I would be in favor of a non-resident license, say_$5 
or $10 per rod, for the year, and have that license entitle 
the holder thereof to take with him from the State a 
moderate number of fish of his own taking. But best of 
all, have some means of enforcement of the laws. While 
our present State game warden system is better than 
nothing, it is a good deal of a farce after all. 
On our recent trip, our driver told that at the lumber 
camp where he spent the winter, there was a dam and all 
winter long they took sufficient trout from the waters of 
that dam to supply the camp. At least fifty fishermen 
were fishing on the North Branch of the Au Sable the 
last time I was there, and I do not believe that fifty per 
cent, of them observed the law as to the length of the 
fish, and six and, seven inch trout were put in baskets, gr 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
more frequently in bags, and gotten out of sight as soon 
as possible. 
It cannot be expected to be otherwise, with the moderate 
pay accorded to the game wardens, who actually do the 
work, not those who occupy the high positions and merely 
run up an expense account, but the pay that the real 
workers get is so small and there are so few of these 
real workers, that I say our present game warden sys- 
tem needs overhauling. It is looked upon now as merely 
a political job to be grabbed and held by a politician, and 
not a game protectionist, and the deputies are no good 
unless they are part of the political machine to devote 
their energies to lining up caucuses and fixing things 
solid for their boss with mighty little regard for the pur- 
pose for which the law intended their appointment, 
W. B. Mershon. 
It is stated that at the next session of the State Leg- 
islature, a move will be made to close by law, some of 
the principal trout streams of Michigan, for a period of 
three years. The proposition has its good features. 
There is no doubt that the Michigan streams are over- 
fished: — not by the true sportsmen, and perhaps not alto- 
gether by the people of Michigan themselves. But 
there is a kind of fisherman, a libel on the true angler, 
who, on all occasions when opportunity presents, "hogs" 
it. His main object in life seems to be to kill all the 
fish he can, and to establish a record for big catches. 
He is of a worse type than the man, who illegally catches 
all the trout he can, for the purpose of marketing them 
"on the quiet." The latter is often driven by necessity 
to such work, but the "hog" fisherman seems to have 
no reasonable excuse whatever, as he is inspired solely 
by the porcine instincts which give him his name. How- 
ever, the combination of these two, with the annual inva- 
sion of the State by thousands of outsiders, all tends to 
the depletion of the trout streams, and the destruction 
is so rapid that the best efforts of the fish commission 
cannot keep pace in the direction of restocking. Under 
the circumstances, the rest cure seems to be about the 
best that can be tried, and The News, which has always 
taken an interest in these matters, would cordially 
indorse the proposed legislation, if it is obtained under 
certain conditions. 
It would be, for instance, a proper thing to call into 
consultation with the legislative committee having the 
proposed measure in charge, a number of the represen- 
tative anglers of Michigan. These gentlemen could 
easily be selected among themselves, for, although their 
numbers are large, they are well known to ach other, 
as well as to the public generally. They are in the 
ethical sense an association, and their code is that no 
man of their number shall exceed a reasonable limit in 
trout fishing, and shall do all in his power to preserve 
the streams in the general interests. Such men, having 
expert knowledge of all Michigan streams worthy of 
name, can give invaluable advice and practical sugges- 
tion to the legislators, and with their assistance, there 
is no doubt much effective work can be done for the 
preservation and increase of the trout. It is a work in 
which most of these true sportsmen take a live and 
abiding interest, and there is no doubt they would cheer- 
fully give their assistance in devising such legislation 
as would be most practical, and follow it up by their 
hearty co-operation in securing the enforcement of the 
same. — Saginaw (Mich.) Evening News. 
Angling Near New York* 
Salt water angling in the waters around New York 
is steadily improving. The continued warm weather of 
the past few weeks has had much to do with this. The 
more desired of the salt water fish, weakfish and striped 
bass, are taking the bait, the weakfish in goodly num- 
bers, while striped bass have been taken in sufficient 
numbers to prove their presence hereabouts. In a few 
weeks this finest of all salt water fish will be furnishing 
good sport for the angler. 
Reports from Jamaica Bay indicate that the weakfish 
are very plentiful. Large catches are reported daily, the 
fish being of good size. Fluke have also begun to bite. 
A party of Brooklyn anglers caught a mess of fluke at 
the Rockaway Inlet on Sunday. It is yet a little early 
for this fish, but with a continuance of the warm weather 
they will soon be numerous. Blackfish are still biting. 
At Long Beach, Long Island, the weakfishing is 
good, and blackfish are also taken. Striped bass have 
not yet been caught to any extent, although a few have 
been brought in. 
Striped bass, weakfish and flounders are being caught 
at Glen Head, Long Island. A party of Brooklyn ang- 
lers took five striped bass and a large number of flound- 
ers one day last week. 
Salt water angling may now be said to be fairly started 
and good sport is in store for those who follow this 
branch of sport. G. F. Diehl. 
Tfouting in North Carolina* 
Asheville, N. C., May 27. — I have never known the 
fishing to be better in the mountains of the old North 
State than it is this year, especially in the Sapphire coun- 
try. While I was there Mr. J. F. Hays, manager of the 
Sapphire Company, caught a California trout in Sap- 
phire Lake, which weighed 3lbs. 2oz. There were also 
several speckled trout caught, which weighed 2%. to 2^1bs. 
Personally, I did not fish in the lake, but caught my 
tisual twenty in about four hours' fly-fishing on the 
Whitewater stream below the falls. I believe that Mr. 
Hays now holds the record for both the largest Cali- 
fornia and speckled (fontinalis) brook trout ever caught 
in the South. A. 
The "American Ambassador/' 
Messrs. William Mills & Son, of this city, have re- 
ceived one of the American Ambassador flies, an exact 
copy of the one given to Mr. Choate at the Fly Fisher- 
man's dinner in London. It is said to be a very inter- 
esting and beautiful fly. 
[June 7, 1902. 
Yachting. 
Yachting Fixtures, J 902. 
Secretaries and members of race committees will confer a favor 
by sending notice of errors or omissions in the following list and 
also changes which may be made in the future. 
JUNE. 
7. Knickerbocker, annual, College Point, L. I. Sound. 
7. Boston, Cheney cups, City Point, Boston Harbor. 
7. Atlantic, Y. R. A. of Gravesend Bay, Sea Gate, N. Y. Bay. 
7. Knickerbocker, Y. R. A. of L. I. S. s open, College Point, 
Long Island Sound. 
7. Manhasset Bay, club raceabouts, Port Washington, L. I. Sound. 
7. Seawanhaka Corinthian, club. Oyster Bay. Long Island Sound. 
7. Corinthian, club, Essington, Delaware River. 
7. Winthrop, club, Wintbrop, Boston Harbor. 
9. New York, annual regatta. New York, Lower Bay. 
14. Hull-Massachusetts, club, Hull, Mass. 
14. Seawanhaka Corinthian, club race -for Centre Island Cup, 
Oyster Bay, Long Island Sound, 
14. New Rochelle, Y. R. A. of L. I. S., open, New Rochelle, 
Long Island Sound. 
14. Bayswater, J. B. Y. R. A., open, Jamaica Bay. 
14. Kennebec, club, Bath, Maine. 
14, Ouincy, club, Quincy Bay, Boston Harbor. 
14. Beverly, club, Monument Beach, Buzzard's Bay, 
14. Hull-Massachusetts, club, Hull, Boston Harbor. 
14. Columbia, race to Michigan City, Lake Michigan. 
14. Corinthian, open, Essington, Delaware River. 
14. Winthrop, club, Winthrop, Boston Harbor. 
14. Boston, cruise, racing run, Boston to Marblehead, Mass. Bay. 
14-17. Boston, cruise, City Point, Marblehead, Gloucester and Hull. 
15. Boston, cruise, racing run, Marblehead to Gloucester, Massa- 
chusetts Bay. 
15. Bergen Beach, J. B. Y. R. A., open, Jamaica Bay. 
15. Gloucester, annual, Delaware River. 
16. Boston, cruise, racing run, Gloucester to Marblehead, Mass- 
achusetts Bay. 
17. Ouincy, club, Ouincy Bay, Boston Harbor. 
17. Atlantic, annual, Sea Gate, New York Bay. 
17. Boston, cruise, racing run, Marblehead to Hull, Mass. Bay. 
17. Hull-Massachusetts, Y. R. A., open, Point Allerton, Boston 
Harbor. 
1;. Beverly, open, sweepstake, Monument Beach, Buzzard's Bay. 
17. Corinthian, club championship, Marblehead, Mass. Bay. 
19, New York, annual. New York, Lower Bay. 
21. Winthrop, M. Y. R. A., open, Winthrop. Boston Harbor. 
21. Corinthian, club, Essington, Delaware River. 
21. Duxbury, club, Duxbury, Massachusetts Bay. 
21. Corinthian, club championship. Marblehead, Mass. Bay. 
21. Norwalk, Y. R. A. of L. I. S., open, South Norwalk, Long 
Island Sound. 
21. New Bedford, cruise to Marion, Buzzard's Bay. 
21. Larclimont, spring regatta, Larchmont, Long Island Sound. 
21. Seawanhaka Corinthian, club race for Centre Island cup, 
Oyster Bay, Long Island Sound. 
21. Brooklyn, Y. R. A. of Gravesend Bay, Sea Gate, N. Y. Bay. 
22. Wollaston, club, Quincy Bay, Boston Harbor. 
23. Eastern, open, Marblehead, Massachusetts Bay. 
24. New York, club, Glen Cove, Long Island Sound. 
26-28. Seawanhaka Corinthian, Y. R. A. of L. I. S., Oyster Bay, 
Long Island Sound. 
28. Beverly, club, Monument Beach, Buzzard's Bay. 
28. New York C. C, Y. R. A. of Gravesend Bay, Sea Gate, New 
York Bay. 
28. Ouincy, club, Quincy Bay, Boston Harbor. 
28. Kennebec, club, Bath, Maine. 
28. Indian Harbor, club, Greenwich, L. I. Sound. 
28. Corinthian, club, Essington, Delaware River. 
28. Duxbury, club, Duxbury, Massachusetts Bay. 
28. Winthrop, club, Winthrop, Boston Harbor. 
28. Boston, Y. R. A., open, City point, Boston Harbor. • 
28. Hull-Massachusetts, club, Hull, Boston Harbor. 
28. Wollaston, Y. R. A., open, Quincy Bay, Boston Harbor. 
28. South Boston, club handicap, Citv Point, Boston Harbor. 
29. Old Mill. J. B. Y. R. A., open, Jamaica Bay. 
30. Bridgeport, Trial races for selection of representative for Sea- 
, wanhaka cup contest, Bridgeport, Long Island Sound, 
For Cruising Yachtsmen. 
With the purpose of stimulating the interest in cruis- 
ing, and the keeping of a detailed log by cruising yachts 
men during the- season of 1902, the publishers of Forest 
and Stream offer prizes for the best stories of cruises 
submitted to be published in Forest and Stream. It is 
believed that these will form not only entertaining records 
of pleasant summer days spent afloat along our coasts and 
waterways, but will furnish information of practical value 
to other yachtsmen making subsequent cruises on the 
same waters. 
Prizes will be awarded to the three best stories as fol- 
lows: , 
First prize, $50.00. * \ j \ 
Second prize, $30.00. 
Third prize, $20.00. 
Contributions are invited under the following condi- 
tions : 
1. The cruise must be made in waters of the United 
States or Canada in the season of 1902. 
2. The cruise must be made in a sailing yacht, power 
to be used only as an auxiliary, if at all. 
3. The story must be prefaced by a description of the 
boat. Cruises should be treated in as interesting and 
readable a way as possible, but should be. practical and 
contain all possible information and data that would be of 
value to men going over the same route. A description 
of the handling of the ship in all weathers will be re- 
garded very favorably in making awards, and it is sug- 
gested to writers that an accurate account be kept of all 
incidents happening while under way. 
4. An outline chart suitable for reproduction, showing 
the course taken, must accompany each article. When 
possible, articles should be accompanied by amateur photo- 
graphs taken on the cruise^ including one of the boat. 
Good photographs will be considered in making- the 
awards. 
5. The. story should contain about seven thousand 
words, written on one side of the paper only, and must 
be received at the office of the Forest and Stream Pub- 
lishing Company, 346 Broadway, New York city, on or 
before Nov. IS, 1902. 
Mr. T. C. Zerega has very kindly consented to act 
judge and to make the awards. 
