July 30, 1904.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
93 
landlocked throughout the summer. When in this con- 
dition they do not take bait very freely, for there seems 
to be an abundance of food, such as smelts, young bass, 
and minnows, in the lake, and they rarely come to the 
fly, although a sportsman occasionally takes one with 
that lure. 
Last summer they were landlocked during the entire 
season, and some of the people in the neighborhood cap- 
tured a considerable number of very large fish in the 
shoal water below the lake where the bass were en- 
deavoring to escape to the sea, the large fish ranging in 
weight all the way from eighteen to thirty pounds. 
The water in the lake rose very high during the 
freshets of last May, forcing a deep, broad opening in 
the sandy barrier through which the bass freely passed 
into the salt water ; so completely was it denuded of fish 
that during a recent visit to it after careful and persist- 
ent efforts with flies, trolling spoons, and phantom min- 
nows, I failed to discover a single bass. 
Mr. Scott, in his book on angling, in speaking of this 
habit of the bass, states that a number of years ago 
the ponds formed by the back water of the Seconnet 
River were so full of striped bass that the fish were dis- 
covered by their dorsal fins in the ice, where they had 
been frozen by too close packing. The ice was cut, and 
hundreds of cartloads were pitched out with forks and 
taken to market. Edward A. Samuels. 
Fish and Fishing. 
Salmon, Ouananfche and Trout. 
Many mixed baskets of fish have been reported by 
anglers from time to time, and both in Europe and in 
America I have fished waters that yielded half a dozen 
or more varieties, such as are sought by anglers. In 
Britain, of course, sportsmen go a-fishing for species 
that American anglers— spoilt by the abundance of the 
grandest of game fishes— would not look at, and if by 
accident they should find their flies or bait taken by 
coarse fish, they would simply throw them back into 
the water in disgust. 
Perch, ruffe, pike, chub, gudgeon and eels have all 
come to my creel out of one small stream within half 
a dozen miles of Izaak Walton's birthplace^ and I can 
call to mind long morning walks and many_ patient 
hours spent in the often vain endeavor to entice two- 
pound chub, such as in northern Canada will often per- 
sist, in the most aggravating manner, in rising to one's 
trout flies when they are not wanted. 
Mixed bags of game fish are frequent in this country. 
In the maskinonge waters of Canada, it is by no 
means uncommon to take bass, maskinonge and white- 
fish in the same lake or river, and sometimes there are 
also trout to be had there, for a time at least. Trolling 
in Lake St. John will often produce a mixed bag of 
pike and ouananiche, and in some parts of the lake, 
and especially in the rivers flowing into it, I have taken 
ouananiche, trout, pike and dore or pike-perch, in the 
same day's fishing. Salmon and trout make a mixed 
bag by no means to be despised in the later part of the 
salmon season, when the fresh-run sea trout are in the 
salmon pool, though it is extremely annoying to have one's 
salmon flies destroyed by the hard biting and ferocious 
trout, and a salmon pool spoilt for the remainder of 
the evening when one is angling for the larger fish. 
Even when the water is clear, it is not always very 
easy, unless one is exceedingly watchful, to snatch his 
salmon fly off the pool before it can be seized by a 
four or five-pound trout, for in fishing for salmon, it 
•is customary to let the fly sink a little beneath the sur- 
face of the water, and when one is all intent upon 
watching the newly cast fly, a big trout may easily dart 
up and seize it in quicker time than the average angler 
requires, under such circumstances, to withdraw his 
lure. In its proper place this sea-trout fishing is by 
no means to be despised, and I know several salmon 
fishermen who make it a point to spend a few days in 
the estuary of their river, enjoying it. 
Some of the salmon fishermen whose rivers are on 
the north shore of the St. Lawrence have been able to 
make a mixed bag of the three gamest of the game 
fishes of fresh water — salmon, ouananiche and trout. I 
know that the ouananiche run in some of these streams, 
as well as in several of the Newfoundland rivers. I 
have just heard of the capture of some in the Eternity, 
a 1-ih'itary of the Saguenay, flowing into Eternity Bay. 
Salmon fishermen who can get good ouananiche and 
trout fishing this year are, as a rule, taking it, for not 
many of them are doing much in the way of salmon 
fishing. Friends of mine who fished the Trinity have 
returned home and reported killing only a little over 
thirty fish, though the score of the river is usually over 
a hundred. The fish were fairly plentiful in this stream, 
but the condition of the water was wrong almost all 
the . season. In some of the smaller rivers, the water 
was exceptionally low and the fish yery few and diffi- 
cult to rise. From the Miramichi and other New 
Brunswick rivers come the same story of very poor 
fishing. On the Marguerite, the fishermen cast steadily 
for nearly three weeks without doing scarcely anything. 
• Hardly ever before have the pools of this river shown 
up so badly as this year. The higher tributaries of the 
Saguenay have not done much better. I am by no 
means sure, however, that notwithstanding the late- 
ness of the season, there may not be better salmon fish- 
ing yet than any that has been this season. It was not 
till about the 8th of July that the first salmon of the 
season showed up in the mouths of the rivers at Ha! 
Ha! Bay. In the Eternity River, nearly a week later, 
the fish had only ascended two miles from the mouth 
of the stream. The first fish had only reached the Bridge 
Pool, four miles higher up the river, on the 16th inst. 
I have a letter before me, written upon that date, which 
brings the tidings that the water is in excellent shape, 
and that rains have raised the river considerably. It 
is because I am under the impression that the con- 
dition of the water in other rivers has similarly im- 
proved, and that there will be a later run of fish_ in 
them in consequence, that I anticipate better fishing 
before the season ends, 
Other Fishing Good. 
The reports from the trout fishermen are as good as 
those from the salmon anglers are bad. Ex-Senator Ed- 
munds has gone home from a very successful visit to the 
preserves of the Metabetchouan Fish and Game Club 
between Quebec and Lake St. John. Mr. Edmunds was 
accompanied by General Henry, U. S. Consul at 
Quebec, who killed the biggest trout, one of nearly 
two pounds in weight, which was taken on the fly 
nearly opposite to the club house at Kiskisink. The 
largest number of fish were taken in the Metabetchouan 
River. 
Exceptionally good trout fishing is also reported 
both from Lake Kenogami and also from some of the 
smaller lakes south of it as well as in the Boivin River. 
A party of American anglers made a heavy catch of 
trout here in the first week of July, notwithstanding 
that the weather was very hot. 
From the Grand Discharge good reports of ouanan- 
iche fishing continue to arrive. Recent rains came just 
in time to prevent the water growing hot and low. 
Anglers have not yet found it necessary to descend the 
Discharge for good fishing beyond the pools at the foot 
of the Grand Chute, formerly known as Griffiths'. 
When Trout Will Not Feed. 
Observation convinced me long ago, and subsequent 
experience has justified the conviction, that there are 
times when trout, no matter how plentiful they may be, 
will not take a lure at all, being entirely off the feed. 
A case in point occurred to me only a few weeks ago. 
At the mouth of a large lake where I was fishing is 
a disused dam. In the outlet immediately below it is 
a clear pool containing hundreds of brook trout of 
various sizes, from three-quarters of a pound down to 
fingerlings. The pool is too far from civilization to 
be much fished. Not half a dozen people visit it in 
the course of a year. I fished it three evenings in sue- . 
cession. On both the first and the third evenings I 
had wonderful sport. No matter what fly was offered, 
the fish took.it freely, and after returning to the water 
nearly two dozen small trout on each occasion, I took back 
to camp, for supper and breakfast, over a dozen good 
fish. The water was so clear on both occasions that 
the fish could always be seen rising to the fly. Nor 
were they at all shy, but would rise almost at my very 
feet. On the second evening there were apparently as 
manv fish in the pool as on both the preceding and 
succeeding evenings. The weather was apparently as 
favorable for fishing , as on either of the other two 
nights. The fish were wonderfully active, but apparently 
in no way frightened. They were simply playful, swim- 
ming gailv about the pool, rising to the surface and 
then descending, without apparently sucking in any 
surface food but just stirring a ripple upon the water. 
Never a flv would they take, however. I changed the 
cast nearly a dozen times, but all to no avail. Generally 
they took no notice of the flies at all. Sometimes, 
however, they would rise to examine them, but not one 
of them took the lure at all. I tried bait, but it was of 
avail. One little fellow, which was returned to the 
water, took it, and that was all. It was impossible to 
account for such a failure. The fish were there, but 
apparently they were not hungry and would not feed. 
I took no more, precautions in approaching the pool 
upon the two nights when I was so successful, than I 
did upon the blank evening. Had the fish appeared 
frightened, I should have come to the conclusion at 
once that the pool had beep recently disturbed by some 
trout-eating animal or bird; but on the contrary the 
fish appeared perfectly at their ease. It was a puzzle 
and must remain so, I suppose, but it is by no means 
the first one of its kind that has occurred to me. Very 
often the fish would rise all around the flies without 
touching them. 
Canadian Government and the Dogfish. 
At last the Dominion Government has been spurred 
into action in the matter of the dogfish scourge, by the 
bitter reports of the doings of these pests. The Hon. 
Raymond Prefontaine, Minister of Fisheries, has an- 
nounced in Parliament in reply to a question made a 
few days ago, that the government will subsidize an in- 
dustry for the purpose of rendering down the fish for 
their oil, and to make fertilizers of the refuse. Further 
details of the government measure are not yet forth- 
coming, but it is hoped that the subsidy will be suf- 
ficiently large to insure the success of the_ industry, 
without which it cannot be maintained. It is claimed 
that joint action will be necessary on the part of the 
American Government if any great result is to be 
achieved in the matter. , 
Heav7 on the Line. 
Colonel Scott, of Roberval, was one of a party en- 
gaged in discussing fishing of various kinds the other 
day. Speaking of the resisting power of different fishes, 
the Colonel described the desperate time he once had 
bringing in his line with something of great resistance 
at the other end. He could not imagine until the fish 
came in sight what he had hooked. Then it transpired 
that he had caught an enormous eel of_ some six feet 
in length, which, in endeavoring to wriggle itself off 
his hook, had only succeeded in twining itself about 
until it had caught its tail upon one of the Colonel's 
other hooks. Hooked by both head and tail, the big 
eel thus formed a great loop in the water, and ac- 
counted for the resistance it was able to offer to the 
angler's efforts. 
Soles and Heels. 
The son of the former Governor-General tells of "an 
experience which occurred to him. Entering a London 
restaurant, with a well-known wit, he inquired what 
fish were upon the menu that day. "Soles and heels," 
was the reply. "But we cannot eat shoe leather, you 
know!" replied the wag. 
• • & T. D. Chambers, 
St. Lawrence River Angling. 
Toronto, July 18.— Editor Forest and Stream: This 
season a fee of $5 a rod is required from all Americans 
fishing on this, side of the boundary line who are stop- 
ping at American hotels, and who merely cross for the 
day's . fishing, returning at night ; and also from those 
who visit Canadian waters upon their yachts, having ob- 
tained their supplies at American ports. Where they 
obtain their supplies at Canadian ports, the fee is not ex- 
acted. We had thought of putting up the fee to $10 a 
rod, but it will remain at $5 for the present year. 
Permits for the St. Lawrence and tributary waters may 
be obtained from the following persons : D. Cattanach, 
Wolfe Island; W. H. Godwin, Kingston; John Driscoll, 
D'Arcy; G. M. Beecher, Brockville; W. Craig, Glen- 
burnie; O. V. Goulette, Gananoque; F. Williams, Rock- 
port; W. H. Shaver, Prescott; J. R. Gibson, Mallory- 
town; J. C. Judd, Morton; John Roddick, Lyndhurst; I. 
Blondin, Cornwall; or from the department direct. 
We are spending thousands of dollars in the protection 
of our St. Lawrence fisheries, and where Americans en- 
joy this fishing, and are contributing nothing to the sup- 
port of our institutions, we have thought it proper that 
they should pay this small fee. 
We are prohibiting the sale and exportation of bass, 
maskinonge, and speckled trout, but the Americans re- 
turning with their catch, I am informed, dispose of these, 
or give them to the guides, who sell them. This, of 
course, we have no power to prevent, though I have from; 
time to. time taken up the matter with the American 
authorities with a view to the adoption of a similar law 
on their side. 
With regard to the St. Lawrence, it is said that American 
yachts will come into our waters with as many as ten or 
fifteen rowboats in tow, will fish all day and pay no re- 
gard whatever, to our regulations as to the number that 
may be caught or the size thereof, and that if a boat hap- 
pens to contain two or three parties who are not fishing, 
the person fishing -will continue until he takes the legal 
complement, as if each person were fishing; and in this 
way will take as many as forty, fifty, and even sixty bass 
in a day. Our regulations provide that eight bass only 
can be taken by any one person in a day. 
I remember reading an article in Forest and Stream 
a year or two ago, over the name of Mr. Wolcott, in 
which he said that the guides had found the business 
very profitable, as they received the majority of the 
bass taken, which they sold, "one of them having made 
several hundreds of dollars from this source this sum- 
mer." Only recently I have been informed that bass 
from Canadian waters have been openly peddled in the 
streets of Clayton and Alexandria Bay. 
We have been obliged this year to require Americans 
who are stopping at our hotels, and who desire to take 
home with them a sample of their catch, to take out an 
angling permit. The fee, however, for this permit is 
nominal, $1 only being charged. The legal catch of two 
days may be taken home, but must be accompanied by the 
angler, and a coupon will be. furnished, which must be 
placed upon the box. We had found that parties fishing 
here were in the habit of sending home their catch every 
few days, and these were sold, and in this way they re- 
alized their expenses. Tons of fish were thus disposed 
of. A. T. Bastedo, 
Deputy Commissioner. 
In Colorado Waters. 
_ Denver, Colo., July 22. — Anglers all over the State are 
highly elated at the decision of Judge Theron Stevens of 
the Seventh Judicial District Court, who makes the 
sweeping declaration that all meandering streams of the 
State are the property of the people, who have absolute 
right to fish them so long as they confine themselves to 
the bed of the stream. 
The decision is the outgrowth of a suit brought by 
Alonzo Hartman, of Gunnison, against Geo. Trezize, who 
persisted, in taking fish from a stretch of the Gunnison 
some six miles long which the aforesaid Mr. Hartman 
had fenced in and claimed to own. The merits of his 
claim were not "gone into, Judge Stevens deciding that no 
trespass had been committed, and that none can be com- 
mitted so long as the angler confined himself "within 
the banks of the stream." Flis decision is based upon a 
statutory law reading: "The water of every natural 
stream not heretofore appropriated within the State is 
hereby declared to be the property of 'the people, and the 
same is dedicated to the use of the people of the State, 
subject to appropriation as heretofore provided." 
Fish Commissioner J. M. Woodard thinks the decision 
will stand the test of the higher courts, and says it will 
result in throwing open hundreds of miles of fine fishing 
territory heretofore, zealously and jealously guarded 
• from the public, in many cases without a shadow of legal 
right. He cited as a case in point one owner of a fish- 
ing camp on the Gunnison who' bought three-fourths 
mile of land on that grandest of trout streams, but 
fenced in four miles, and allows none but such as be- 
come his guests at $3 a day to invade the grounds. 
The Rio Grande Railroad is running its cheap weekly 
summer excursions to all points on the Gunnison, and 
every fishing camp in that favored section is well 
patronized. Since the willow fly disappeared two weeks 
ago, the fat old lunkers have become more than epicurean 
in their tastes, and refuse every thing but the little stone 
fly, which abounds in myriads, and its prototype, the gin- 
ger grill, oh No. 10. and No. 12 hooks, or even No. 14. 
They are also beginning to take notice of the blue grill 
midge. It is great fun, but doubly delicate work to play 
arid kill five and eight-pounders on such frail tackle. 
One Denver gentleman who is too modest to look at his 
name in print, killed three seven-pounders, one six- 
pdunder, and two five-pounders with this first named fly. 
Pretty, fair day's work, eh? But, strange to say, no one 
has so far captured a ten-pounder from a running stream. 
For near-by fishing, Bjlly Welsh's camp, four miles 
north of Lyons, on the St. Vrains, fifty-five miles from 
Denver, makes the best showing. G. Gordon Pickett 
came d°wn last Monday morning with nineteen which 
ran from ten- to twelve inches. Their weight wavered^ 
between three-fourths arid orie pound. 
