FOREST AND STREAM 
399 
Sept. 27, 1513. 
Is a “Dogfish” a Young Shark? 
Centre Marshfield, Mass., Sept. 5 .—Editor 
l-'oi <st and Stream: Though most of my letters 
to you are from Baltimore, Md., my summer 
home is in Massachusetts, hence the heading of 
this. 
The article on "Fish Food," signed FI. FI. T., 
brings to mind a "puzzle" presented to me some 
rears ago while I was in St. Louis, Mo. 
Mr. H. FI. T. speaks of a friend catching a 
fish in Butterfield Lake, N. Y.. that the guide 
called a dogfish, and said it was not fit to eat. 
Fie goes on to say that Flugh Smith, the new 
head of the Fisheries Bureau, says "this fish 
is simply a young shark,” etc. 
While in St. Louis I visited and heard of 
many rivers and lakes in Missouri and Illinois, 
in all of which good bass fishing could be en¬ 
joyed, but the fishermen were constantly both¬ 
ered by “dogfish.” I do not know what this 
fish is, but I feel perfectly certain it is not a 
"young shark.” It will take the fly just as 
readily as a bass will, and puts up as game a 
fir lit as a bass does. Indeed, one frequently is 
in doubt what he has hooked till the fish is 
landed. 
Everyone out there calls them “dogfish, ’ and 
as the New York guide says, they are not fit 
to eat. 
Now, this fish is in fresh water; water in 
no possible way connected with the sea, and 
though I have seen and caught a number of 
shark in salt water, I have yet to see a fresh 
water shark. 
I have fished the Atlantic Ocean at various 
places from Maine to Florida and have caught 
what the salt water fisherman said were “young 
shark” and called them ‘dogfish.” They in no 
way resembled the fresh water “dogfish.” 
Kindly look this matter up and let your 
readers hear the result. H. H. T. must have 
mistaken H. Smith's remarks. Mr. S. could 
never have made such a blunder. FI. L. 
Good Fishing in Bay District. 
BY GOLDEN GATE. 
Some splendid sport is now being enjoyed 
by anglers in the San Francisco Bay section, and 
most of the enthusiasts of the rod and reel are 
spending their spare time near home instead of 
making long trips to the mountains. Salmon 
fishing is now attracting much attention, and on 
holidays all of the available small boats on the 
bay are pressed into service. The heaviest run 
seems to be in Bolinas Bay, and some large fish 
are being taken there, Al. Wilson having landed 
the largest, a sixty-pounder. The fish are still 
running in Monterey Bay, and expert fishermen 
are taking from fifteen to thirty fish a day there. 
Striped bass fishing is also good in this sec¬ 
tion. On Wingo Slough and San Antonio Creek 
the sport has improved greatly, and almost all 
who have been there of late have made some 
kind of a catch. Louis Gothelf visited the 
former recently and took five fish, the largest 
being a sixteen-pound bass. Striped bass are 
being taken in numbers in the Feather River 
above Oroville, and recently J. E. Overholzer. 
of Thermolito, took a fish weighing twenty-six 
pounds, probably the largest ever landed in that 
stream. 
Black bass in the Kings River are having 
a hard time of it this season. The river is ex¬ 
tremely low, and in some places is dry, with 
the result that the fish are to be found largely 
in large water holes. A careful watch is being 
made to see that these holes are not seined out 
and the fish destroyed. Deputy Fish Commis¬ 
sioner Williams recently caught four men, 
George Helmuth, C. Dinein, George Nelson and 
T. Wehrwein, of Fresno, in the act of taking 
fish from the holes at midnight, and each was 
fined $10 by Justice G. W. Smith. 
Illinois Casting Club. 
Chicago, Ill., Sept. 15.— Editor Forest and 
Stream: The weather conditions on Saturday, 
Sept. 13, our first re-entry day, were very favor¬ 
able. The sky was clear, wind north, with a 
velocity of fifteen miles an hour. On Sunday, 
Sept. 14, the sky was clear, wind east, velocity 
sixteen miles an hour. The following scores 
were cast: 
Ilalf-ounce accuracy bait: 
Pierson . 99.5 
lamison . 97.9 
Linder . 97.9 
Hoxey . 9S.4 
Cook . 9S.7 
Ranney . 98.3 
Re-entries : 
Pierson . 99.3 
McFarlin . 
C W Grant .... 
Wehle . 
Kernaghan .... 
Ranney . 
Tice . 
. 98.3 
. 98.5 
. 99.2 
. 98.7 
. 97.4 
. 98. 
98 2 
Jamison . 
...:.. 98.4 
Wehle . 
. 98.3 
Eight tackle 
drv-fiy accuracy: 
Linder . 
.. 99 2-15 
C W Grant .... 
... 98 14-15 
Linder (re-entry). 99 4-15 
W T Grant _ 
... 97 2-5 
Pierson . 
.. 98 13-15 
Tice . 
... 99 1-15 
Jamison . 
... 99 
Moffett . 
... 99 5-15 
Quarter-ounce accuracy 
bait: 
Alcrarlin . 
. 98.2 
Whitby . 
. 99.7 
McFarlin (re-entry).. 97.7 
Cook . 
. 98. i 
Iloxey . 
. 99. 
Ranney . 
.99.8 
Pierson . 
. 99. 
Delicacy and 
accuracy 
fly: 
\\ bitby . 
.. .Its 3-15 
Pierson . 
... 99 7-30 
\\ hitby (re-entry). 97 29-30 
Tice . 
... 99 9-30 
Accuracy fly 
Pierson . 
.. 99 5-15 
C | McCarthy.. 
... 99 5-15 
Jamison . 
.. 99 1-15 
W T Grant ... 
... 98 7-15 
Linder . 
.. 99 5-15 
Re-entry: 
i’ierson . 
.. 99 7-15 
W T Grant .... 
... 9S 8-15 
Distance fly- 
-C\ \Y. Grant. 9S feet. 
Salmon fly - 
C. J. Met 
irthy, 124 feet. 
The next 
anti last 
re-entry day is 
Sept. 27 . 
J. D. An way, 
Sec’y. 
San Francisco 
Fly-Casting Club. 
Contest No. 7 was held at Stow 
Lake, on 
Saturday, Sept. 13 : 
Event No. 2. 
accuracy, 
per cent.: 
E. A. Mocker . 
. 95.39 
Stanley Eorbes 
. 99 8 
.1. F. Hurgin .. 
. 98 5t> 
lames Watt ... 
. 99 4 ; 
C. H. Gardner.. 
.89.8 
F. A. \\ ebster 
. 99.19 
Re-entrv: 
E. A. Mocker . 
. 97.12 
Event No. 3 
delicacy, 
per cent.: 
Accuracy. Delicacy. 
Net. 
E A. Mocker . 
97.44 98.10 
97.57 
1. E. Burgin .. 
97.44 97.20 
97.34 
C. II. Gardner 
92.44 97.10 
94.57 
Stanley Eorbes 
97.59 99.5# 
97.23 
Tames Watt ... 
97.12 97.50 
97.31 
F. A. Webster 
98.44 99.50 
99.17 
Re-entrv: 
E. A. Mocker.. 
9S.3G 97.50 
98.13 
Event No. 4. 
ha f-ounce 
lure casting, per 
cent.: 
E. A. Mocker .. 
. 9115 
Stanley 1'orbes 
. 95.5 
T. F. Burgin ... 
.89.1 
Tames Watt ... 
. 97.2 
C. H. Gardner . 
.97. 
E. A. Webster 
. 97.8 
Re-entrv: 
E. A. Mocker .. 
.97. S 
C. II. Gardner 
.... 97.9 
Event No. 6, 
drv fly accuracy, per cent.: 
E. A. Mocker .. 
. 97.11 
Stanley Forbes 
. 9^.5 
.1. F. Burgin ... 
. 99.1 
E. A. Webster .. 
. 93.9 
Re-entrv: 
E. A. Mocker . 
. 98.10 
Judges, C. 
FI. Gardner, James Watt, S 
. Forbes, 
Referee, J. IF 
Burgin ; Clerk, E. O. Ritter. 
Contest No. 7 was 
held at Stow Lake, on 
Sunday, Sept. 14: 
Event No. 1, distance, feet -Sam Wells, 104 feet. 
Event No. 2 
accuracy. 
per cent.: 
L. A. Mocker ... 
. 98.4 
C. H. 
1. F. I: 
II. 1 hompson . 
. 98.59 
Sam Wells . 
. 99.12 
Stanley 
James Watt .... 
. 9,.oi 
C II. < 
E. \ 1 
A. Sperry . 
T. 1. Cooper ... 
.99. 
Re-entrv: 
E. A. Mocker .. 
. 98 4 
.99.S 
E V 1 
F. J. Cooper ... 
Kewe!. 
Forbes 
Gardner 
Hell . 
98.59 
SfJ. 
99. 
99.12 
98.48 
Hell 
9S.48 
Event No. 3, 
delicacy, per cent. 
E. A. Mocker .. 
II. Thompson .. 
Sam Wells _ 
Accuracy. 
. 99.59 
. 97.19 
De’icacv. 
99.30 
97.20 
James Watt . 
A. Sperry _ 
. 9(L32 
98 20 
h • J. Cooper_ 
C. If. Kewell ... 
J. F, Hurgin. 
. 99.44 
97.50 
98.20 
Stanley Eorbes . 
C. H. Gardner . 
. 99.44 
. 97.59 
98.20 
97.20 
Re-entry: 
E. A. Mocker 
E. J. Cooper .., 
. 90.56 
. 9(3.24 
99.20 
97.10 
Event No. 
J'~ A. Mocker 
H. 'Thompson 
Sam Hells ... 
James Watt .. 
A. Sperry 
F. J. Cooper . 97 , 
Net. 
98.13 
97.18 
98.35 
97.20 
90.52 
97.17 
98.32 
97.45 
97.32 
97.38 
98.8 
90.47 
4, ha (-ounce lure casting, per cent.: 
L. II. Kewell . 959 
J. E Burgin . 9,73 
Stanley Torbes . 91;.3 
v. II. Gardner . 9 , 8.9 
_97 
.... 84.2 
.... 97.7 
- 90.9 
85 5 
He-entrv: 
E ■ A. Mocker 
F. J Cooper . 
9S.7 
9S.1 
F. 
E 
Hell 
M .2 
\ . Hell . 90 
If- 1 hompson . jjjj'g 
Sam EV We t lls N 0 ... 5 ’. ha,f ' OU i e Iu T re ^sting, average feet: 
James Watt . ' 119 
F. ,T. Cooper . p; 
T. II. Kewell . ]90 
casting, 
J. F. Burg 
Ktan.ey Forbes 
t II Gardner . 
Re-entry: 
.1 Cooper 
F. Hurgin 
. 195 
. 144 
Sam Wells 
137 
91 
94 
9U 
Event No. 
E. A. Mocker 
Sam Wel.s ... 
James Watt 
A. 
F. 
0 , dry fly accuracy, per cent.: 
9 s.14 
99. 
95.13 
Sperry . y; 
J. Cooper . 97.4 
T- H. Kewell . 
J- E. Hurgin .. 
Stanley Forbes 
F. \ . Hed _ 
97.10 
98.1 
97.13 
95.4 
Reentry: 
R Evem° C No r '7.i 9811 ,, F - J- Coo P e r ••• 
- ent No. t, .islit tackle, long distance. 
C. II. Kewe 1 
II. Thompson ." 'so 
Sam Wells . ye 
I- J. Cooper .. 
Re-entrv: 
F. \. Hell'. 79 
II. '4 hompson . 85 
98.2 
Stan.ey Forbes 
F. V. Bell .... 
C. If. Kewell 
79 
87 
04 
82 
Judges, C. FI Gardner, Stanley Forbes, FI. 
Thompson; Referee, C. H. Kewell; Clerk, E. O. 
Ritter. 
To Contributors. 
Contributors to Forest and Stream are re¬ 
quested to observe the following suggestions in 
sending in their matter : 
1. Say all possible in the least number of 
words. This will make your own communica¬ 
tion readable, and give someone else a chance 
to say something, too. Twelve short papers are 
bettei than six long ones. Skip the introduction. 
Come right to the point. 
2. Don't attempt fine writing and high¬ 
falutin, but write plain prose. 
3 Write only on one side of the sheet. 
4. Don't abbreviate. 
5. When you are through, stop. 
Bait on the Hook. 
A fisherman who always catches his bait 
minnows by hook and line instead of by net 
asserts that the fish thus taken are larger and 
longer lived than those which are netted. In 
the rush for the bait, runs the theory, the big 
and strong tellows get there first, and (he weak 
little chaps are crowded out. but on the other 
band the big ones escape the net and the little 
ones are caught. The hooking does slight injury 
or none at all. and the fisherman who hooks his 
minnows will thus have the most healthy, vigor¬ 
ous and attractive bait. 
