April 29, 1905.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
339 
to his creel. Neither will interviewing the farmers en 
route or the boatmen at the hotels. The best way is to 
hunt for your fish, just as you would hunt for your game 
in the autumn. To-day the bass may be at the head of 
some rift; to-morrow at the tail or in the eddies above 
or below it. Now and then one will take nice fish from 
places where none are believed to exist, and so on ad 
infinitum. There is a c-ertain element in the sport that 
makes dry-fly casting similar to that of casting with the 
free reel and long line in the rifts and eddies of the upper 
Delaware, but the latter is generally more like_ wet-fly 
casting in that one is constantly searching for his game 
instead of waiting for it to make its presence known, 
then seeking to lure it tO' the creel. 
So subject is the river to sudden rises from freshets 
following heavy downpours of rain perhaps miles_ fur- 
ther back in the mountains that one will do well to inter- 
view the railway people the day before starting for a 
cruise of short duration. Otherwise he may find the 
stream high and colored, so that until it falls and clears 
the bass may not feel inclined to take the most tempting 
lures. But there is a way to avoid this possible annoy- 
ance, by going to a part of the river near which there 
are small lakes where other fish can be caught. Then, 
if the river is discolored, go to one of the lakes until 
the stream resumes its normal state and the bass are 
again willing to inspect the new-fangled baits put out for 
them. This is an easier m.atter, as a rule, than it at first 
may seem. There are several railway stations where one 
may leave the train, obtain the services of a teamster, and 
go with him to one of the lakes within three or four 
miles of the village, taking the canoe, or at least the camp 
duffle, along. Word travels rapidly in these hills, and al- 
most any passer-by will give the camper exact informa- 
tion relative to the river's condition. If it is clearing, 
he can return to it; if not, wait a few days longer. 
Tramping over these grand hills will repay one for the 
visit, and if there are any small streams nearby where 
a trout may be snaked out now and then, the game will 
be well worth the candle. As a rule, one may be told 
that these streams have been denuded of all, or nearly 
all, fish life by the heavy freshets and severe runs of ice 
during the previous winter; but here a pinch of salt will 
do no harm, and a trial of the brooks may convince one 
that not all testimony on any subject is entirely credible. 
Anyway, half the fun of fishing is to learn facts from 
experience, and those who propose to use electricity as a 
servant in the taking of fish, turning the sport into an 
exact science — if only the fish may first be lured to the 
hook — should devote their energies and researches to 
other subjects. This applies with equal force to many 
of the weird devices invented by well-meaning persons 
and called generally artificial baits. The bait for the 
Delaware, we are told again and again, is either young 
catfish or lamprey eels of goodly size, say three or four 
inches ; but these are not easily obtained by those whose 
outfits are small and time limited, hence the growing de- 
sire to take fish with spinners, spoons and similar lures, 
or with grasshoppers, etc. But it is worth remembering 
that the black bass in this stream seem to fancy the very 
small single-hook spinners, copper, brass or silver, ac- 
cording to the light and other conditions. With such 
lures bait-casting and fly-fishing become somewhat simi- 
lar. It is true that nearly all small spinners are equipped 
with treble-feathered hooks instead of single-feathered 
ones, but in selecting these I always insist on the feath- 
ered single hooks, and if one will obtain a supply of bass 
flies or lake trout flies on eyed hooks, these can be 
changed on the spinner to suit the conditions and the 
whims of the fish. I have taken goodly fish on tiny spin- 
ners and grasshoppers in July and August, but it seems 
this is something that proves very attractive to the chubs 
in the river, and while these fish are eaten by some per- 
sons, I do not care for them, and catching one is very 
disappointing when one is casting for bass in a very likely 
spot. These eyed hook flies are most convenient for the 
bait-caster, and can be used with good success in the 
small brooks where trout abound as well as for casting 
alone for bass Avhen they are rising. A few bucktail 
flies on eyed hooks are handy for dark days and early 
fishing when the mist hangs low on the mountains, as 
it often does in summer until after ,9 o'clock, and bright 
flies seem to attract the fish at times when nothing else 
will. Crickets, helgramites and doodle-bugs, all good 
bait at times, can be picked up in goodly numbers along- 
shore by anyone who devotes a half-hour to such effort 
now and then. Preserved minnows and crayfish are ad- 
vocated by some anglers, and it is well to take along a 
jar or two of the preserved shiners or chubs, as one can 
never tell just what the bass are thinking of in the way 
of a meal, and the embalmed minnov/s may strike their 
fancy when nothing else will. Preserving one's own min- 
nows is much easier than many anglers think, and if an 
empty jar or two be taken along, and a small bottle of 
formalin, they may be preserved on the ground. The 
recipe is an old one, but worth repeating. Put the min- 
nows in a small wide-mouthed bottle and cover them 
with clean water, adding a teaspoonful of formalin and 
sealing the bottle tightly for three days, then pour off 
the liquid, add fresh water and only half as much for- 
malin as before, letting them set for a day or two before 
using. Shaking about in shipment is what makes so 
many of the preserved minnows look ragged and dis- 
colored. The less shaking the bottle gets the better. The 
same method may be followed in preserving specimens 
to take home, such as lizards, small snakes, etc. 
A great many anglers go to places visited too often 
by the week-end crowds for the best fishing. There is 
much to attract the angler to the West Branch of the 
Delawar.e, reached by leaving the train at any station on 
the Erie Railway between Deposit and Hancock, and not 
so many fish in this branch, as in the main river at 
Parker's Glen, Lackawaxen, Pond Eddy or Callicoon 
Station. It is true that the West Branch is very rocky 
and not deep enough at all times for comfortable drifting 
in a canoe if there are two aboard, but for those who 
go singly this is a charming bit of water, abounding in 
beautiful little islands, small brooks and spots no one 
will be eager to leave in haste; in fact, just the, sort of 
water to attract the lazy angler. Then it is only about 
fifteen miles from Deposit down to Hancock, and an- 
other mile to the junction of the East and West branches, 
and two large islands finely adapted to camping and to 
short trifiS ,up, or down streaia to the likely pools aia4 
eddies. Along there one sees the mountains at their 
best, and the streams are not fished so much as further 
down, and more convenient to the city. The farmers 
are very friendly, and if the wild berries are ripe at the 
time of your visit, don't fail to look for them alongshore 
and in the hills. Fried black bass wilh wild blackberries 
for dessert should tempt any angler, and if he is lucky 
enough to wheedle some farmer's wife into supplying 
him with a few fresh eggs, and the stage of water is fa- 
vorable to fishing, he need not sigh for better waters nor 
a more charmii;g place in which to pass his vacation, for 
it v/ould be difficult to find. But he who hurries should 
avoid the West Branch and launch his canoe at Hancock 
or Stockport, where there is a greater depth of water and 
smoother sailing in consequence. If the vacation is 
limited to a fortnight, the trip from Hancock to Calli- 
coon Station is long enough for those who are fond of 
taking things easy and merely drifting a few miles now 
and then, to camp for two or three days near every fa- 
vorable bit of fishing Avater, which are numerous on the 
upper river. Still, there is much good water further 
down that is not fished to death every season, and one 
can go on to Cochecton or Mast Hope. At the latter 
place there is the beautiful Ten-Mile River, only a few 
hundred yards from the village, and several lively rifts 
at the tail of which it is safe to look for the old bronze- 
backers. 
Finally, write to two or three of the railway station 
agents before starting for the river, asking them as to 
the conditions at the time. Generally the river is clear 
during the summer, but as stated above, it is very sen- 
sitive to freshets, and it is annoying to be compelled to 
wait two or three days for the water to clear and the 
fish to resume biting. From a low and clear stage I have 
seen the river rise two or three feet in an hour and re- 
main colored for four days thereafter, during which time 
not a single strike could be obtained in eddies and rifts 
famous for their bass, while during heavy rains the river 
may rise several feet and be in flood_ for a week. These 
are extreme cases, of course, but it is well to remember 
them. Perry D. Frazer. 
Hudson River Fisheries. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
What the present seaso'n will produce cannot, of 
course, be foretold, but the fact remains that the valu- 
able fisheries of the Hudson River are steadily falling 
away to nothingness. Not many years ago these 
fisheries were conducted as far up the river as Troy. 
But each year now the fish run less and less up the 
river, and very recent letters received from fishermen 
show that they are discouraged. It is not in the hope 
of offering anything new that this communication is 
sent, but rather in the hope that it will lead to an agi- 
tation which will result in giving the commission means 
to make an effort to improve existing conditions. 
After studying carefully the statistics available, I find 
that each year it has been as if an invisible line was 
stretched across the river, moving steadily down stream, 
beyond which the more important fish do not pass. 
The fishermen attest this in conversation and tell me 
that, although the greatest falling off is in the shad 
and herring and sturgeon fisheries, there also is a 
marked loss in every variety that once was plentiful. 
The following table, made up from the returns of the 
licensed net fishermen themselves, shows how serious 
is the situation: 
1903. 1904. 1903. 1904. 
Pounds of fish caught. Value of fish caught. 
Bullheads 54,174 40,825 $4,217.99 $3,206.17 
■ Carp 134,140 99,726 3,931.09 4,849.65 
Eels 7,024 • 9,586 711.82 770.20 
Frost fish 22,097 40,695 442.02 603.54 
Herring 392,110 250,719 6,570.88 3,341.80 
Perch 20,032 30,293 1,054.09 1,626.93 
Pike-perch 5,080 237.79 
Shad 723,811 161,751 35,117.24 13,219.27 
Sturgeon 16,715 11,805 2,444.59 1,098.09 
Sturgeon eggs 2,267 351 1,136.00 128.35 
Suckers 36,491 50,324 1,695.60 2,535.46 
Sunfish 4,250 6,694 205.51 352,56 
Striped bass 10.,301 14,035 1,190.05 1,564.14 
Including the miscellaneous fish reported, the catch for 
the two seasons thus compared, and the value was as 
follows: 
1903. 1904. Falling off. 
Pounds of fish caught 1,441,610 309,459 1,132,151 
^Value of fish caught $59,379.65 $33,664.00 $25,715.65 
The better informed fishermen, who also have been 
studying the situation, such men as Mr. Matthew Ken- 
nedy, for instance, tell me that they think the shad 
fishery at least can be restored, if the State and Federal 
Commission, which yearly plant millions of fry in the 
river, would first raise the fry to the fingerling stage. 
This plan has been tried by the Connecticut Com- 
mission, and excellent results as to increasing the run 
of shad are reported. To try the plan here would re- 
quire the purchase or lease of grounds, the building of 
rearing ponds, and the expense of watching and feeding 
the fish which are very delicate. Several thousands 
of dollars would be necessary, but this sum ought to be 
secured rapidly by :the Assemblymen from' the river 
counties if united for the purpose. 
My own idea would be to have first a thorough in- 
quiry by some such competent authority as Dr. 
Tarletou H. Bean, for instance, who would discover, if 
possible, why the fisheries have so greatly fallen off 
each year, and why the shad and herring no longer run 
up the Hudson beyond a fairly well-marked locality. 
It might take a year to do this, but it would furnish 
something definite to start on. Mere opinion is not of great 
value when you are dealing with a fisheries problem, 
and the Hudson River fisheries are worth enough and 
of sufficient importance to warrant any reasonable ex- 
penditure, either to save or -revive them. Personally I 
cannot see that, if the mature shad with their strong' 
spawning instinct_ will not any longer run up the river 
above -a certain limit, there is any reason to hope that 
younger fish would do so. and this is the plain meaning 
of the plan to plant fingerlings instead of fry. 
But let the fishermen themselves take a hand and let 
us see if something cannot be done. If it is not the 
steadily increasing pollution of the water that is caus- 
ing the destruction of the river fisheries, let us. learn 
what it is. . , John D. Wish, 
gecretary Forests Fish and Garne Commission, 
The First Accoant of FIy-Fishing» 
Probably few fishermen are aware that fly-fishing dates 
back to classic times. A minute description of the arti- 
ficial fly as used by Macedonian anglers is given by 
^Han, a Greek writer of the third century A. D. : "Be- 
tween Bersea and Thessalonica there flows a river, 
Astrasus by name, and there are in it fishes of a spotted 
color; but by what name the people of those parts call 
them it is better to ask Macedonians. At any rate, these 
fish live upon the native flies, which fall into the river, 
and are like no flies of any other part; one would neither 
call them wasp-like in appearance, nor would one reply 
to a question that this creature is formed like what we 
call the bumble bees, nor yet like the honey bees them- 
selves. It has really the proper fashion of each of the 
above. In audacity it is like a fly, in size it might be 
called a bumble bee, in color it rivals the wasp, and it 
buzzes like the honey bees. All common creatures of 
this sort are called horse tails. These pitch upon the 
stream to seek the food they affect, but cannot help being 
seen by the fish, which swim underneath. So whenever 
one of them sees the fly floating, he comes softly, swim- 
ming under the water, fearful of disturbing the surface 
and so scaring away his game. Then he comes near the 
shady side of the fly, gapes and sucks him in, just like a 
wolf snatching a sheep from the fold, or an eagle a goose 
from the yard. This done, he disappears beneath the 
ripple. The fishermen understand these manoeuvres, but 
they do not make any use of these flies for a bait for the 
fish; for if the human hand lays hold of them they lose 
their natural color, their wings fray, and they become 
uneatable to the fish. So for this reason they make no 
use of them, disliking them because their nature forbids 
their capture. So with angling craft they outwit the fish, 
devising a sort of lure against them. They lap a lock of 
reddish wool round the hook, and to the wool two cock's 
feathers, which grow under the wattles, and are brought 
to the proper color with wax. The rod is from six to ten 
feet long, and the horse hair line has the same length. 
They lower the lure. The fish is attracted by the color, 
excited, draws close; and, judging from its beautiful ap- 
pearance, that it will obtain a marvellous banquet, forth- 
with opens its mouth, but is caught by the hook, and 
bitter indeed is the feast it enjoys, inasmuch as it is 
captured." 
The Hudson River fisheries are year by year dwind- 
ling. A valuable food resource is falling off. The causes 
should be ascertained, the remedy applied. Mr. John D. 
Whish's letter on the subject in another column sets forth 
the situation, and his estimate of the importance of reme- 
dial action is not exaggerated. 
Legislation at Albany. 
Albany, April 22. — Fish and game matters were dull in the 
Legislature the past week. 
The Senate has advanced to third reading Senator Elsberg's 
bill (Int. No. 78) relative to the appointment of a - special assist- 
ant oyster protector. 
The Senate has passed the following bills: 
Assemblyman Bedell's (Int. No. 1087), relative to selling wood- 
cock, grouse and quail in Orange county. 
Assemblyman Bedell's (Int. No. 1181), relative to woodcock', 
grovise and quail in Orange county. 
Assemblyman Cunningham's (Int. No. 599), relative to spear- 
ing fish in Ulster county. 
Assemblyman Reeve's (Int. No. , 1074), relative to grouse and 
woodcock not being sold. 
Assemblyman Reeve's (Int. 1075), relative to penalties. 
Assemblyman Reeve's (Int. No. 1076), relative to fishing in 
Jamaica Bay and adjacent waters. 
Assemblyman Reeve's (Int. No. 1077), relative to the close sea- 
son on woodcock. 
Assemblyman Reeve's (Int. No. 1079), relative to the use of nets 
in Coney Island Creek. 
Assemblyman Knapp's (Int. No. 1365), relative to the transporta- 
tion of fish caught in Missisquoi Bay. 
Senator Armstrong's (Int. No. 110), relative to the protection of 
. the nests of wild birds. 
Assemblyman F. G. Whitney's (Int. No. 1019), relative to fishing 
throvigh the ice in the waters of i3ig Sand Pond, Oswego county. 
Assemblyman Yale's bill (Int. No. 771), relative to the close 
season for lake trout, in Putnam county. 
The Assembly has passed the bill of Assemblyman Wilson (Int. 
No. 911), relative to taking fish with nets in Lake Ontario. 
The Assembly has advanced to third reading the following bills: 
Senator Raines' (Int. No. 247), in relation to the sale of trout. 
.Senator Armstrong's (Int. No. 684), relative to the destruction 
of nets. 
Senator Coggeshall's (Int. No. 496), relative to the adoption of 
further regulations for the destruction of nets by Boards of 
Supervisors. 
Salmon River For Sale. — Your attention is called to advertise- 
ment on page x. 
Ladies* Kernel Association. 
Judges for the third annual summer dog show to be 
given by the Ladies' Kennel Association of America at 
the Fair Grounds, Mineola, L. I., June 7 and 8, 1905 : 
Mrs. E. Pulsifer, New Rochelle, N.Y., French bulldogs. 
_ G. Muss-Arnolt, Tuckahoe, N. Y., Great Danes, Rus- 
sian wolfhounds, pointers, setters, Russian sheep dogs, 
Chesapeake Bay dog.s, griffons, Dalmatians, basset 
hounds, dachshunds and Japanese spaniels. 
John Keevan, Brooklyn, N. Y., St. Bernards. 
Winthrop Rutherford, New York, English foxhounds. 
Herman B. Duryea, Westbury, L. I., American fox- 
hounds. 
H. K. Bloodgood, New Marlboro, Mass., sporting 
spaniels. 
M. N. Palmer, Stamford, Conn., collies. 
E. K. Au.stin, Brooklyn, N. Y., bulldogs. 
Clair Foster, Douglaston, L. I., bull-terriers. 
A. D. Cochrane, Hastings, N. Y., Airedale terriers. 
H. D. Riley, Strafford, Pa., Boston terriers. 
George F. Reed, Barton, Vt., beaeles. 
Charles W. Keyes, East Pepperell, Mass., fox-terriers. 
G. Gordon Hammill, Stamford, Conn., Irish terriers. 
W. B. Emery, Boston, Mass., Scottish terriers. 
Tom Ashton, Leeds, England, all other breeds, variety 
and miscellaneous classes and unclassified specials. 
Premium lists can be obtained by addressing Jarne.s 
Mortimer, superintendent, Hempstead, L. I, 
