158 
21% inches in girth, and weighed 27V2 pounds. 
It was the largest that has so far been caught 
at this camp, and beautifully mounted it has the 
place of honor in my den. I may some time catch 
bigger fish, and have bigger thrills. I may, I 
say. But I doubt it. 
OCEAN AND STREAM FISHING CLUB. 
Newark, N. J. 
The Ocean & Stream Fishing Club held its 
regular monthly meeting at its headquarters, 60 
Bank street, January 29th. President Howard 
Kain was unanimously re-elected as presiding 
officer. Colin H. Webb was chosen as vice- 
president; Chas. E. Kenyon was re-elected unani¬ 
mously as treasurer, and Nat W. Lawson was 
selected as secretary. Jeff. Diganard was re¬ 
appointed the official guide of the club. 
Discussions of plans for the coming season 
brought out many interesting suggestions, which 
will be acted upon at the next meeting. The 
club enters upon its second year with every in¬ 
dication of a prosperous season. Anglers are 
cordially invited to make the club their head¬ 
quarters when visiting Newark. 
BLACK BASS FISHING NEAR NEW YORK. 
If the angler will take an Ontario & Western 
train some day in July or August and ride to 
Summitville, where he will transfer to the New 
York & Monticello division, getting off at a 
little hamlet called Cuddebackville, and then 
walk one-half mile west and one mile north, he 
will come upon a little basin which was once 
upon a time a part of the old canal that used to 
run from Honesdale to Rondout. Here he will 
find his pleasure, I am pretty sure, if he will 
try live frogs on a Cincinnati bass hook, leader 
three feet, single gut and No. 6 green Cuttyhunk 
line. 
Row gently around edge of basin and into the 
inlet. Keep a moderate distance from shore. 
The best time is from about sunset until 9 or 
10 p. m. Troll from back of boat. Do not cast. 
There are many great mistakes made in fishing 
for these devil raisers. 
There are only two instances where I know 
casting is sometimes successful, and that is when 
the bass can be seen jumping or breaking at sur¬ 
face for flies, insects, etc. Then, and only then 
should one cast either with black bass flies or 
one of Jim Heddon’s Dowagiacs, green back, 
white belly. Try, and if you don’t succeed, try 
again. 
E. C. HASLEHURST. 
FOREST AND STREAM 
Shad and Striped Bass 
New York, Feb. 2, 1915 - 
Editor Forest and Stream : 
Twenty years ago shad were plentiful in the 
Hudson; so were bass; now the constant cry is 
Where have they gone? As shad ceased to come 
to our local waters, so began the disappearance 
of the gamiest fish that swims. It was little notic¬ 
ed at first, but soon became certain that fishing 
was on the wane. The hue and cry went up: 
“Stock the Hudson.” This was done, not once 
but many times without avail. It is said, and 
has been proven, that bass and salmon are the 
only two fish with the migratory lust, that al¬ 
ways return sooner or later to their spawning 
ground. It did not prove true in these many 
trials, for bass, large and small, school, and where 
ever the schools go, so go the bass, and as their 
natural food supply “shad roe” was cut off, by 
the disappearance of shad, so the once King of 
the Hudson eventually forsook us. 
When “shad roe” was not obtainable, the fish 
came closer to shore to feed on shrimp, seed oys¬ 
ters. This also, a natural food, is dying away; 
due to pollution and the visits of the seed oyster- 
men. While the water is clear and apparently 
clean to look at on top, and in shore, seventy- 
five and one hundred feet from land you begin 
to get into the muck that is stirred up by the 
tide, and never settles solid. This is being con¬ 
stantly added to by sewerage which covers the 
small oysters, clams, and mussels, preventing the 
ground vegetation (which is the fishes’ medicine) 
from cultivating, and also making it harder for 
the fish to find small worms, etc. Couple this 
with the increased traffic and the never ceasing, 
chug, chug, of motor boats on the water, drives 
the few fish into the channel or frightens them 
inshore. 
All the big fish that I have seen caught or 
heard of being caught were hooked and taken 
less than fifty feet from shore. 
Not satisfied that our only game and protected 
fish was fast leaving the Hudson, the netters half 
wav up the river decided to use more nets than 
ever and use them oftener, so as to get the bene¬ 
fit of both tides, night and day. 
As the season for what is left of our striped 
friends will soon be with us, the smell of var¬ 
nish taints the air, the old rod is scraped, oiled, 
threaded, varnished and glued to be in readiness 
for a big one. 
The baits that I would advise using in the 
spring are not many. Shad roe is the best if 
obtainable. Make up a little mesh bag of silk, 
or common cheese cloth, fill it with the roe and 
press it till the eggs in the roe ooze out. It is 
then ready for the hook. 
Bloodworm is the next best bait and is the 
angler’s spring stand-by, as it is easily purchased 
and is in fact harder to pull from the hook 
than the more liquid bait. Sandworms of the 
heavy red variety are also used. These are your 
spring baits. For the fall add shrimp and crabs. 
Shrimp preferably are the best. Hooks are 
something that every man differs, so everyone 
to his taste; for myself, I as a rule use a No. 
2 or No. 3 sproat, or a long shank weak fish 
Disappeared Together 
hook; this gives me ample satisfaction, but as I 
said before every one differs. 
It is best, in rigging for bass, to use either 
a two or three foot leader; depending of course 
upon your knowing whether the fish are feeding 
off bottom or not. This depends much upon the 
atmospheric conditions. If you have an offshore 
breeze kicking up enough to ripple the surface, 
you can lay a bet that as the bottom is clear 
inshore, your fish are feeding on bottom. A two 
foot leader then is just the thing. 
If the wind is blowing inshore the constant 
beat of the waves and tide stir up enough food, 
so the bass naturally enough, has not to forage 
the bottom. A small piece of cork on a three 
foot leader will, I think, answer the purpose this 
time. 
You are now apparently waiting the much 
coveted strike. It comes! zizz! goes the reel. 
You give the fish the barb of your hook and the 
fight is on. Before going further it is best to 
describe how bass as a rule bite. If your fish 
is hungry, he will not nose the bait, but will 
try to take it on the fly, and he can strip a hook 
from the back just as easily as from the front; 
that is why the sudden convulsive pull often re¬ 
sults disastrously to the angler, as he is caught 
unawares and frightens his fish. 
The other is when your quarry noses, and 
pushes the bait before he can make up his mind 
what to do. You feel a little tug once, twice, 
possibly three times, before your fish strikes. 
Now is the time to be on the alert; if fishing 
from a boat, the best method is to take in a 
little line, say six inches or so, then let the tide 
take it back. This usually gets your fish, for he 
strikes and the wallop is, as a rule, hard. Now 
it’s up to you to do the rest. Fishing from shore 
you can reel in a little line at a time. Keep 
your bait moving and so hoodwink your bass. 
The manner of fight he puts up depends al¬ 
together upon the way he is hooked. If the bait 
is gorged you may have a heavy, steady, pull, 
nothing else, for it apparently hurts and he sel¬ 
dom fights. 
Being hooked in the long part of the head or 
mouth makes it different and he displays re¬ 
markable vigor, fighting every inch of the way 
in a most savage manner, first heading one way 
then another. One favorite method, which very 
often fools the angler, is the slack line as he 
heads for shore in an attempt to unhook him¬ 
self. Turning quickly he often fools the best and 
if not given his head, often breaks the line to 
the dismay of the angler. 
E. A. DONNELLY. 
THE CHEAP WATERPROOF MATCH BOX. 
More than one economical woodsman has found 
that the ordinary nickel shaving stick box makes 
a pretty good match box if nothing better is to 
be had. The shaving stick box may not be called 
absolutely waterproof, but a man can fall out of 
a canoe with one and if he crawls on dry land 
inside of five or ten minutes, he will find the 
box still dry, and one that will stand a soaking 
rain all day. 
