458 
FOREST AND STREAM 
April 12, 1913 
Pearl Fishing on the Wabash River 
By TH0M4S M. CISEL 
across a sharp ledge between ns. The guide 
worked the line off with his gaff and the fish 
started another race down stream into another 
pocket. We worked him out of that, and then 
down further he went and played out and across. 
The guide waded in to end the salmon's troubles, 
hut not a bit of help would the fish accept, but 
still further through some rough water between 
the rock.s he rushed until he snagged the leader 
on a stub and rested. The guide again waded 
in and cleared the leader, and down went the 
salmon between two rocks where the water ran 
swiftly, but with a sort of quiet pocket at the 
bottom. 1 couldn't feel the motion of the fish 
at all, and thought he was free. The guide 
hunted up a long pole, and, after getting out 
in the water where he could get hold of the 
leader, announced that the fish was still on. lie 
prodded the pocket until he touched a silvery 
side, and away it went up stream and down again 
where we soon brought him to gaff. We found 
the hook set in some tough grizzly material. You 
see, that fish had a number of favoring condi¬ 
tions to free himself, but his mistake was in 
resting when he ought to have been working. 
It is quite a trick to recognize opportunity and 
use it. The privilege of fishing for salmon is 
a royal one, and in twenty-five years, or even 
less, it is likely to he rare and costly. It is 
easy to take the 8 o'clock morning train out of 
Boston via St. John, N. B., and in forty-nine 
hours be putting your tackle together for salmon 
on the Little River on the Codroy. 
Although an easy journey there, it is hard 
enough to quit and go home, or to keep away 
after one trip. 
American Forestry Association. 
Washington, D. C., March 28 .—Editor 
Forest and Stream: The directors of the Amer¬ 
ican Forestry Association held their spring meet¬ 
ing on March 25 and 26 at Asheville, N. C., 
where, in addition to the discussion of the asso¬ 
ciation's forest conservation work, the directors 
and their guests inspected the Biltmore and the 
Mount Pizgah forests, through the courtesy of 
George W. Vanderbilt and his superintendent, 
C. D. Beadle. 
In the evening a public meeting was held at 
the Langrcn Hotel and a large number of guests 
heard addresses on forestry, the progress of 
forest conservation, the relation of the broad¬ 
minded lumberman and forest progress, by Dr. 
Henry S. Drinker, President of the American 
Forestry Association; J. E. Rhodes, Manager of 
the National Lumber Manufacturers' Associa¬ 
tion; J. S. Holmes, Secretary of the North 
Carolina Forestry Association ; Capt. J. B. White, 
of St. Louis, one of the leading lumbermen of 
this country, and ex-President of the National 
Conservation Congress; John Birkinbine, Presi¬ 
dent of the Pennsylvania Forestry Association; 
A. B. Farquhar, President of the Pennsylvania 
Conservation Commission; D. J. T. Rothrock 
and S. B. Elliott, members of the Pennsylvania 
State Forestry Reservation Commission, and 
others. P. S. Ridsd.vle. 
Forest and Stream is what it purports to 
be — the most conspicuous example of a thor¬ 
oughly dependable sportsman’s publication in tbe 
United States. 
P EARLS are found in fresh waters in many 
parts of the country. Tennessee, Arkansas, 
Wisconsin and Illinois all have well de¬ 
veloped pearl fisheries along their rivers and 
lakes, and there are frequent finds of the gems, 
some of which are equal or superior to the best 
salt water pearls. The rivers of Illinois lead 
in the production of pearl-bearing clams The 
Wabash, flowing along the eastern lioundary of 
the State, is considered the best field for pearl 
fishing. These waters are strongly impregnated 
with limestone, which seemingly is necessary to 
the development of perfect gems. 
To become an expert clam catcher requires 
not only an outfit of the proper equipment of 
tools, but the understanding of movement of the 
clams. Early spring finds the clams at the top 
of the deep mud deposits where they have spent 
the winter months safe from the danger of ice. 
Here they remain until about tbe first of June, 
when they leave the mud banks for the rock 
and gravel shoals. 
The mode of fishing depends upon the sea¬ 
son or the location of the clams. The mud banks 
require the use of large heavy iron tongs that 
are forced down into the mud, the spiked jaws 
forming a basket of steel that catches and holds 
almost a bushel of mud, rocks and clams. Once 
the tongs are forced down and closed, leverage 
is taken over the boat end to aid in raising the 
heavy mass. The clams are sorted from the 
rocks and the refuse is returned to the water. 
This method is hard work, and is only used in 
early spring before the clams have reached the 
surface of the mud fills. Once they have reached 
the top and are feeding on the slime and river 
filth, the crowfoot bar is used. This consists of 
an iron bar eight feet long attached to a net 
of strong twine. Fastened to the twine are from 
four to five hundred four-point grab hooks. This 
hook-covered net is held on the bottom by the 
weight of hooks and bars. The fisherman now 
throws out an anchor. When the anchor is 
firmly caught, he is enabled to drag the net 
along the clam beds. IMillions of mussels and 
clams cover the bottom of the river, and when 
feeding lie with their shells open; the hooks 
catch in the open shells, causing the clams to 
quickly close. Once the hook is grasped, the- 
clam will remain until removed by force. Slow¬ 
ly the nets are drawn along the river bottom 
until most of the hooks are full, when the nets 
are raised and the clams removed. Eight bushels 
is considered the average day’s catch for one 
man with the ordinary outfit—boat, drag net, 
anchor and tongs constitute the water or catch¬ 
ing equipment. 
The camp equipment consists of a furnace 
over which is set a large steel tank called a 
cooking vat. This vat holds several gallons of 
water which is kept at the boiling point. From 
the boat the clams are scooped into this tank 
of boiling water, a tight lid is placed over the 
tank, and the clams are allowed to steam for 
several minutes to kill them and make their re¬ 
moval from the shell easier. Care must be taken 
not to subject them to too great heat, else the 
pearls they may contain will be ruined. After 
the clams have been well steamed, they are taken 
from the vat and placed upon the shelling table. 
Here the meats are removed from the shells and 
each is carefully looked over for pearls and 
slugs. The pearls are usually found in the meat, 
but sometimes one is found fast to the shell or 
imbedded in the shell itself. The perfect or high 
\alue pearls are few, although almost every clam 
contains a slug or low grade pearl. The value of 
a pearl depends upon its color and size. Color 
is first considered, the round or ball pearl being 
most desired. Next ermes the near, the double 
BOAT, WITH GRAB NET; STEAMING VAT, SHELLING TABLE AND OTHER CAMP TOOLS. 
