Feb. 3, 1912 
FOREST AND STREAM 
147 
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Indian Anglers. 
Raleigh, N. C., Jan. 26.—Editor Forest and 
Stream: There yet remain two tribes of Indians 
in North Carolina, the Cherokees, in the high 
mountain region, and the Croatans, in the south 
marshes is the one known as the blue bream, 
which is a very bold fish and gives as fine sport 
as the large-mouth black bass. These blue bream 
weigh generally from a pound to two pounds and 
they are delicious eating. Ang'ers can go to 
that section from a considerable area. 
central section. I spent 
a few days in May 
with the Croatans, and 
in August with the 
Cherokees, and was 
brought into the most 
intimate association 
with both tribes. 
The streams in that 
section are deep and 
swift, though the coun¬ 
try is sandy, and in 
general quite flat, and 
there are extensive 
swamps and great 
areas of long-leaf pine 
timber. The jack or 
pike grows very large 
and is in much request. 
The rivers are entirely 
fed by springs and are 
bordered by forests of 
cypress and juniper 
which literally cover 
the swamps and which 
give the water the 
color of light choco¬ 
late in the mass, 
though when taken in 
a glass it is as clear 
as crystal and is ex¬ 
tremely palatable. 
The Indians fish with 
all sorts of bait, some¬ 
times with worms and 
often with what they 
call roaches, for black 
bass, which they term 
trout or chub. The 
main stream is the 
Lumber River, which 
properly is the Lum- 
bee. The poles are 
long and so are the 
lines, and the fishing is 
done either from the 
banks or from boats. 
The cypress “knees” 
stand up thickly, and 
the streams run so fast 
through the_ shallows 
and the woods as to 
make a kind of whis¬ 
pering noise, very peculiar at night. The bot¬ 
tom of the streams is generally covered with a 
luxuriant growth of slender green vegetation 
which trails like a snake and has stalks some¬ 
times fifteen to twenty feet in length. 
One of the most prized, and at the same time 
handsome fish in the Lumber River and its 
numerous small tributaries and the outlying 
Croatans generally use shotguns for killing game, 
though rifles, old and new pattern, are very fre¬ 
quent. Strange to say, these Croatans have al¬ 
ways used the cross-bow, being the only Indians 
so far as known that ever used this weapon, 
riiey got this of course from the English side 
of their race, and it is a survival of the days 
of Queen Elizabeth. Of course they used the 
long-bow, too, but this has gone out for many 
a year, while cross-bows are yet made, though 
now these are not used for killing game, but 
merely for purposes of amusement, though some of 
them are extremely 
well made and dupli¬ 
cate the lines of the 
once so deadly English 
weapon. 
The Cherokees, with 
the usual Indian im¬ 
providence, have liter¬ 
ally exterminated all 
the game in their won¬ 
derful region, which 
extends from the top 
of the Smoky Moun¬ 
tains, on the Tennes¬ 
see border, down to 
the tableland some 
sixty miles westward 
from Asheville. These 
Indians use blow-guns 
for killing small game, 
and the scarcity of 
everything in fur or 
feathers is remarkable. 
The principal streams 
are Oconalufty River, 
the Nantahala, the 
Soco Creek, etc. The 
canoes are all dug- 
outs. The Indians 
prize the brook trout 
most, next to this 
ranking the black bass, 
which they, too, call 
chub, and there are 
very handsome yel'ow- 
throat perch of good 
size. The streams are 
so clear that they look 
like quicksilver. For 
bait they never use the 
fly, but often grass¬ 
hoppers and wasp 
grubs, together with 
worms and little sala¬ 
manders, which they 
find under stones and 
logs alongside the 
streams. They have 
very great skill in tak¬ 
ing fish, coupled with 
infinite patience. They 
fish by day and by 
night. They also “bait” 
certain places in the streams, where there are 
rather deep holes, by throwing food there from 
time to time, so as to accustom the fish to go 
to these places. 
On one occasion Jim Tail, whose name in 
Cherokee is Coneetah, had just come in from a 
hard morning’s work and was getting ready to 
(Continued on paqe ifio I 
M TAIL READY FOR FISHING WITH WASP GRUB BAIT. 
The Cherokees have exterminated the game 
in their high mountain country, and therein are 
widely different from the Croatans, for in the 
section inhabited by the latter there are yet 
many deer, wild turkeys and squirrels, while as 
already stated there are no end of fish. The 
Croatans show more up-to-date methods in pre- 
servinsr their game than do the Cherokees. The 
