276 
FOREST AND STREAM 
[April 2, 1904. 
contrary, for I have found that casting lines which I 
had had four or five years in my book would stand as - 
severe a strain as those which were newly tied. 
The fly book will, of course, have to be replenished, 
and the angler who has a good bank account can draw 
on it pretty heavily if he chooses, for the tackle stores 
will offer him an endless variety to choose from. Every 
time I go into one of those establishments I discover 
new varieties that have been created by the fly-tyers, 
and many of the old standard kinds seem to have dis- 
appeared. While I do not believe in buying flies by 
the gross, I hold that the angler should always have a 
good supply of sizes and varieties adapted to all con- 
ditions of the weather and water. 
There are eight or ten standard flies, of each of 
which one should have at least a half a dozen of dif- 
ferent sizes in his book. I have already, in Forest and 
Stream, named a number of kinds that always may be 
relied on; of these the silver-doctor, in different sizes, 
is one of the most valuable, Parmachene-btlle, royal- 
coachman, red ibis, gray drake, light and dark Montreal, 
coachman, grasshopper, and hackles brown, red, gray, 
and black, should be in every book. It is very often 
the case that hackles will rise fish when all other flies 
fail, and I have seen heavy trout killed on these little 
hairy lures which seemed at the time too insignificant 
to attract the attention of such fish. A year or 
two ago I stated in Forest and Stream that it is 
good economy to have, one's flies tied to order, for 
a large percentage of the store flies are not always 
made upon honor; the silver-doctor, for example, as 
ordinarily sold is made up with very thin hackle-dyed 
feathers and common tinsel for the body. A little ad- 
ditional cost will secure a genuine silver-tinsel body, a 
little thicker hackle, and feathers from the crest of the 
golden pheasant. This tinsel never tarnishes, the feath- 
ers never fade, and the fly, until it is absolutely worn 
out, almost looks as bright and good as it was when new. 
One may always rely on carefully tied" flies which 
have been tested, and their additional cost seems trifling 
when we consider the satisfaction that is derived from 
their use. The average run of store flies are rather 
loosely put together, and many a good fish has been 
lost in consequence of a loop or snood pulling out, or 
the hook itself becoming detached from the body of the 
fly; and it is sometimes the case that such flies come 
apart, even when one is casting. 
A Fishy Deception. 
In casting for trout, . one sometimes meets with 
strange surprises. On one occasion I saw a well-known 
angler of this city hook and play, what he supposed to 
be a large trout, fully a quarter of an hour before.ithe 
fish came to the landing net; it was in the good, old 
times when fly-fishing in "the run" just above the 
Middle Dam on the Rangeleys was a sport worth going -, 
far to obtain. "The run," as it was called, was really r 
the outlet of the Welokennebacook Lake, the fourth in 
the Androscoggin system, the water was pretty deep 
and the' current was not very rapid; in fact, most of 
the time in early autumn there was hardly t any per- 
ceptible motion to it, but how the big trout used to con- 
gregate in it ! The run itself was about 200 feet broad, 
but the channel, where it was deepest and where the 
fish most loved to abide, was only a good cast in width; 
it was a celebrated locality among anglers, and I have 
seen a dozen at a time stationed a rod or two apart on 
the shore, offering their lures to the splendid fish that 
were hidden in the deep water before them. They were 
all enthusiasts, and among them were some of the most 
distinguished men of their time. 
On the occasion I refer to one of the gentlemen rose 
and hooked a strong heavy fish, which, after making 
two or three short, spiteful runs, settled down to the 
bottom where it moved about, here and there, ap- 
parently determined to stay there during the remainder 
of the open season. 
"Ah! ha! boys!" he exclaimed, "I'm fast to jumbo 
this time, sure!" and we all agreed that he probably 
had hooked the prize trout of the season. 
Well, the fish was not worth the long story, for after 
he had played it until it was exhausted and he got it 
where the landing net could encompass it, it proved to 
be a three pound chub, the largest specimen of its 
species any of us had ever taken. And what an ex- 
pression of disgust and disappointment was on the face 
of the angler as he lifted the fish and held it up before 
us. 
Say nothing about it, boys," he exclaimed 'and the 
'rhumb' is on me to-night." 
That run now alas! is entirely obliterated, for the new 
dam that was constructed a number of years ago has 
raised the water in the lake so high that every vestige 
of the old fishing ground is entirely lost to sight. 
Live Bait for Tfoot. 
As I have already stated, the average angler must 
depend on bait in spring fishing for trout, the use of 
the fly in icy and melted snow water bringing very un- 
satisfactory results. In large brooks, rivers, and the 
deep water of lakes, the minnow is by far the pre- 
ferable, and most sportsman like bait, and my best 
success has been with the red fin dace, and next to that 
the common shiner and striped minnow have proved 
most attractive to the trout. But these are not always 
obtainable; in fact, nine bait anglers out of ten have 
to depend on the common angle worm, and such is 
the bait that is generally used in most of the hurry- 
scurrying mountain, brooks, , in which it is only now 
and then that a pool six inches in depth is found in 
which the angler can drop his lure; in these his de- 
pcndance is placed on the worm bait during the entire 
season. In these little brooks the trout rarely, if ever, 
exceed six inches in length, and they have to be picked 
out with a rather stiff bait rod. as soon as they are 
hooked. 
It is astonishing how far the little beauties ascend 
those mountain streams. I remember once following 
one of these brooks in all its meanderings and twisting 
near Gilead, Me., for nearly six miles, and trout had 
in some way wiggled up over the shoal places into all 
the pools which were, of course, small until the brook 
became a mere tinkling little rill. How they managed 
to ascfnd so far was a ptizzle to me, and I concluded 
that they were a good deal like a birch canoe that will 
float quite comfortably over dew-moistened grass — as 
guides sometimes declare. On that occasion my com- 
panion and I picked out enough of the trout to satisfy 
our desires, and we left many more in the brook than 
we caught. 
How those fish managed to get through the winters 
when the brooks must be almost frozen through is 
hard to say. Ordinarily, in similar streams they must 
ascend to deeper water, but those in the brook I refer 
to, could not safely go into deep water, for it emptied 
into the Androscoggin River, in which there was an 
abundance of pickerel, whose predatory habits every 
trout is always anxious to avoid. ■ , 
Choice Anglewotms. 
Now everybody knows all about the ordinary angle 
worm, and is satisfied to use it in its normal condition, 
but there are some anglers who are rather fussy about 
this kind of bait. My old friend, John Moore, who 
was at that time editor of one of the Concord, N. H.. 
papers, kept his in damp moss which he sprinkled oc- 
casionally with Indian meal moistened with sweet milk; 
the worms when thus treated bleached until they were 
almost white, and they seemed to become tougher than 
worms usually are in their normal condition. He was 
an enthusiast in brook trout fishing, and he would talk 
on that subject for hours, and interestingly, too. 
Now, the ordinary sized angle worm is not a very 
tempting morsel to the great trout of the Rangeleys, 
unless "one had a whole gob of 'em on his hook," as 
one of the guides used to say. But- bait fishermen, 
when minnows were not to be obtained, used to secure 
a supply of the big earth worm that comes out of its 
burrow only at night. 
With feet clad in moccasins, in order that their tread 
might be as light and noiseless as possible, with lantern 
in hand, they walk stealthily about in search of the 
worms; these were most commonly found in pasture 
lands and other stretches of open sward, and they come 
out at night to feed. Huge fellows they were, six inches 
in length, with fat, yellowish bodies and bronze-colored 
heads. They never left their burrows entirely, but main- 
tained a hold on them with the extremity of their tails, 
and the celerity with which they slid back into the earth 
when it was jarred was simply astonishing. 
The worm hunter, on discovering one of these long, 
slimy bodies glistening in the light of the lantern, in 
order to secure it, was obliged to creep noiselessly to- 
ward it until he could reach it with his hand, and then 
he captured it only by pouncing upon and grasping it 
as quickly as possible. A dozen or two of these 
monsters sufficed for a day's fishing, and in the water 
their long, wriggling bodies, through which the hook 
was passed three or four times, proved such tempting 
'bait that no trout could resist seizing it. It was with 
one of these angle worms that the eleven pound trout, 
that was caught at the Upper Dam and which was sent 
to the Smithsonian Institution, was captured. 
Fish and Fishing. 
Canada's Alpine Chaf s. 
A GROWING interest is being manifested by anglers and 
others in the numerous variations and somewhat mud- 
dled nomenclature of the Canadian chars. Almost 
every season I am indebted to some of my many an- 
gling friends for specimens of peculiarly marked trout 
as they are usually called, almost all of which are 
chars, and the great majority of them simply uncom- 
monly colored specimens of Salvelinus fontinalis, or the 
comnionly called American brook trout. It is quite 
surprising how much difficulty there is in persuading 
the ordinary unscientific angler that several of the 
extraordinarily marked specimens of the common 
American brook char do not constitute a distinct vari- 
ety. _ Nevertheless, it is always quite interesting to 
receive specimens differing in any way from the more 
common examples of our native fish, though for the 
lack of sufficient material in the local museums for 
proper comparative studies, I usually find it advisable 
to forward doubtful specimens to the Museum of Com- 
parative Zoology at Cambridge. In view o^ the ap- 
proach of the coming angling season, I should like to 
indicate to anglers fishing in Canada, how desirable 
it is that several specimens of any novel variety of fish 
should be forwarded, when any at all are sent to those 
interested in their identification or nomenclature. It 
is almost impossible to speak positively as to the proper 
classification of an unusual specimen, in some instances, 
at least, unless supplied with both young and adult 
specimens of both sexes. 
Opportunities are many for the furnishing of 
specimens of out northern chars. Mr. Napoleon 
Comeau showed me a fish at Godbout last summer 
which had been caught in one of the neighboring 
streams, which looked marvelously like Salvelinus 
oquassa marstonii. Mr. W. C. J. Hall, superintendent 
of the Laurentides, National Park, read a paper on 
the park the other day before' the Canadian Forestry 
Association, in which he claimed that the Alpine char 
is to be found in the park, and this fish he confounds 
with Salvelinus marstonii, which there is but little 
doubt is to be found in the waters of the park, since 
it is known to exist in some of the neighboring lakes. 
Jordan and Evermann (Vol. I., p. 516) are very posi- 
tive, however, that with the saibling (S. alpinus), the 
Alpine char, Salvelinus marstonii has still less in com- 
mon that with other northern chars. With the ex- 
ception, of Professor Garman's distinct classification of 
Salvelinus oquassa marstonii, it is really astonishing 
how little real progress we have made since the days of 
Sir John RichardsBn in our knowledge of the far north- 
ern American Salmonidce, 
Big Troat of the National Park, 
Mr. Ifell makes an interesting reference in his paper 
on the Laurentides National Park to the big brook 
trout, so-called, which are to be found there. It is 
doubtful if larger specimens of fontinalis are to be found 
anywhere. Mr. JHall is positive that there are ten- 
pound fish of this variety in some of the waters of the 
park, and the fact that some exC^ding nine pounds 
each have already been captured, seems to fully warrant 
his belief. Not only may permits be obtained from the 
Government at Quebec for fishing within the limits of 
the park, but some of the lakes and rivers contained in 
it are actually under lease to fish and game clubs. Thus 
Lakes Batiscan, des Passes, and some others form part 
of the waters which have been under lease for many 
yeas to the Triton Fish and Game Club. The regula- 
tions governing the fishing in the waters of the park 
provide for fly-fishing only. But in the case of some of 
the larger lakes, namaycush, or so-called lake or gray 
trout, are found, and for these waters, as well as for 
some others in which the brook trout secure so much 
bottom feeding that it has been found impossible to 
tempt them with surface lures, the Government rules 
have been relaxed and trolling is now permitted. Mr. 
Hall points out in his paper that the basin of the 
Jacques Cartier River is altogether withheld from 
lease, and reserved for transient anglers fishing under 
Government permit. A five-mile drive from Quebec 
over good roads brings the angler to the starting point 
on the river, where Government canoes and camping 
outfits are kept in readiness, and good river men can 
be secured at moderate wages. 
Will be Missed in Angling Circles. 
Sportsmen who have fished or hunted in the park in 
recent years, and who have entered it through Tewks- 
bury, by the route from Quebec already described, will 
regret to hear of the death of George Colvin, the very 
efficient and very gentlemanly chief guardian of the 
park, who had his headquarters at Bayard's, just below 
,/ where the boats are usually taken for the ascent of the 
river. George was a handsome, strapping fellow, whose 
heart was always in the right place, and who took a 
pleasure in doing everything that lay in his power to 
promote the comfort and happiness of all visitors to 
the park who came in his way. 
E. T. D. Chambers. 
The Piratical Ktngf ish. 
"The kingfish of Florida straits is of the same family 
and very much like the northern bluefish, except that he 
is larger, stronger, fiercer, more voracious and more of a 
pirate generally than his northern "brother," said Captain , 
Wardwell, of the trim schooner Julia and Nancy, as 
we sailed in and out amid the green keys of South 
Florida. 
"I can tell you some tales about him that to a landsman 
may seem incredible." 
AH begged the captain to proceed, as there was no 
hmit to our credulity, and he continued : ■ 
"I was running into Santa Lucie one day when a king- 
fish leaped aboard and down the companionway, landing 
at my feet as I sat. in my cabin pouring over one of 
Miss Parloa's cook books. I called Moses, the black 
cook, and had him served up for dinner." 
"There is nothing unusual in that," said Colonel 
A] lamb, the great cattle king. "I was on a cattle 
schooner pnce, sailing down to Key _ West, when a king- 
fish jumped for a mullet and, missing, went clear over 
our stern, cutting ofif the tip of the steersman's nose 
as he passed. The fellow tumbled off his perch in a 
dead faint, and the schooner broached to before anyone 
could reach the wheel." 
' "I .knew of a feat of the kingfish even more wonder- 
ful," said Williams, the orange buyer. "You may know 
Robertson, for many years steamboat factor at Fort 
Meyers, on the Caloosahatchie River?" Several of the 
party knew Mr. Robertson. 
"What is his reputation as to truth and veracity, gen- 
tlemen?" continued Williams. 
The cattle king said he had never known him caught 
in a lie, and the others agreed that his reputation in that 
respect was without blemish. 
"He told me," added Williams, "that once, standing on 
the steamboat dock at Fort Meyers, he saw a kingfish 
strike a mullet, and, with it in his mouth, go clean 
over the ridge pole of the freight house and slide down 
the roof on the other side. He had them both for 
dinner." 
"It is a fact," remarked Captain Gibson, a veteran 
wrecker, "that one of our men had his swaller pipe 
nearly cut in two by a kingfish that cum aboard the 
Sally Mariar, much as these gentlemen have described it 
to you." 
The present writer has no doubt at all as to the ac- 
curacy of the stories told above. Later, he made the 
voyage from Cutler to Miami in a fishing schooner, her 
chief quarry being the game kingfish. The captain had 
his son with him, a bright, active lad of fourteen._ He 
was barelegged to the knee, and the stranger noting a 
livid, ugly-looking scar on his leg, asked what caused it. 
"He war bit there by a kingfish," said the father, "after. 
Tommy, here, had shooked him from the hook, They're 
longer than a shark, and a doggoned sight livelier in 
the water." Chas. B. Todd. 
Dynamiting: the St. Lawrence. 
Cornwall, Ont., March 26.— Editor Forest and 
Stream: I notice a letter in last number of Forest and 
Stream complaining of the falling off in the number of 
fish caught in the Thousand Island waters. The same 
state of things prevails in the waters adjacent to the 
Long Sault, on the St. Lawrence, but from a different 
cause from, that cited by Dr. Latim.er. Here it is from 
the netting and dynamiting of mature fish, which is car- 
ried on to a very great extent all through the season. 
Fish are exposed for sale in the shops here which show 
plainly the net marks or the action of dynamite, and 
the size of the strings, if other evidence v/ere wanting, 
is proof that they could never have been caught with 
hook and line. The transgressors are mostly Indians, 
and we hear that for one pound sold in Canada ten 
pounds are sold in the States. Besides the fish captured, 
a great rnany are killed by dynamite, and can be seen on 
the shore rotting. So far, no very active _ efforts have 
been made by the fishery inspectors on either side to 
put a stop to this destruction of fish, but the authorities 
on both sides of the river wijl have to put their heads 
together or there will soon be few food fish left, where 
they used to be very abundant. C W. Young, 
