American Game Fishes-1892

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FACULTY OF FORESTRY
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American Game Fishes
THEIR HABITS, HABITAT,

AND PECULIARITIES HOW, WHEN, AND WHERE
;
TO ANGLE FOR THEM.
W. A. Perrv (" SiLLALicuM "), A. A. MosHER, W. H. H. Murray,

W. D. ToMLiN, A. N. Cheney, Prof. G. Brown Goode,
W. N. Haldeman, Francis Endicott, Fred. Mather,
S. C. Clarke, Rev. Luther Pardee, Charles Hallock,
F. H. Thurston (" Kelpie "), J. Harrington Keene,

Prof. David Starr Jordan, William C. Harris,
B. C. Milam, G. O. Shields ("Coquina"),
J. G. A. Creighton, Dr. J. A. Henshall.
LIBRARY
FACU LTY or rORC STRY
UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO
chicago and nev^ york:

Rand, McNally &. Company, Publishers.
Copyright, 1S92, by Rand, McNally & Co.
A ^16
PREFACE
Some one has said that the easiest way to write a book is to get
some one else to write it. I pondered over this remark for several
days and then said to myself: " If it be weil to get some one else
to write it, would it not be better to get several others ?

" Surely.
And so I requested a number of my good friends, ardent
anglers, careful students of Ichthyology, and men who wield the pen
as gracefully as the fly-rod, to tell the world what they know of
their favorites of the crystal waters. Hence this book.
It would be impossible for me to express my thanks to these
gentlemen, in words, for their noble work, but every reader of this
book will join me in praising their efforts and in wishing them long
life and a full measure of that grand sport they have taught us to
love.
One of my contributors, dear old Francis Endicott, has, since
penning his charming paper on the Striped Bass, gone to his reward.
Peace to his ashes ! May an eternity of cool shades and sparkling

waters be his portion.
The Editor.
CONTENTS
PAGE.
Introduction . . . . . . A. N. Cheney. ii
The Salmon .....

Assojiafci E litor The American
Charles Hallock,
Anfjler ; aut'ior of " The Spoi'ts-
17
man's Gazetteer," etc.
The Pacific Salmon . W. A. Ferry (' S/Z/a/icum"), 51

Author of " ElkTIuiitino^ in the Olympic Mountaias," etc.
The LandTôcked Salmon . .

J. G. A. Creighton. 81
The Tarpon .....

Presiden*: Tlie Louisville Conrier-Joiirnat Co.
W. N. Haldeman, hi
The Striped Bass ....

President The National Rod and Reel
Francis Rndicott,
Association.
131
The Black Bass ....

Author of " Tiie B.iok .if
Dr. J. A.
the Black Bass," " More About the Black
Henshall, 1/9
Bass," etc.
The Bluefish ....

Assistant Secretary The Smithsonian
Prof. G. Brown Goode,
In.stitution, and author of
175
"American Fishes," etc.
The Mascalonge .... Dr. J. A. Henshall. 191
The Mascalonge in Wisconsin Waters . A. A. Mosher, 199

Ex-member of the Iowa Fish Commission.
The Brook Trout . . F. H. Thurston ('-AV/^/V"). 209
Trouting on the Nipigon . . W. H. H. Murray, 233

Author of "Daylight Land," "
Adirondack Tales," etc.
CONTENTS.
The Lake Trout . . Rev. Luther Pardee. 237
The Rocky Mountain Trout, G. O. Shields (" Coqitina "). 267
Sea Bass, Sea Trout, Spanish Mackerel,

Grouper, Mangrove Snapper, Sheeps-
HEAD, AND OTHER SOUTHERN FiSHES . S. C. ClARKE, 287
Author of "Fishes of the Atlantic Coast," etc.
The Grayling . . . . . F. H. Thurston. 345
The Pike . . . . . . W. D. Tomlin, 367

Secretary The Duluth Fisheries Association.
The Wall-Eyed Pike .... A. A. Mosher. 381
The Pickerel ...... W. D. Tomlin. 387
The White Perch .....

Late Angling Editor Forest and Stream, Assistant to the L^nited
Fred. Mather, 397
States Pish Commission, and Superintendent of the New

Y'ork State Fish Commission.
The Yellow Bass, White Bass, Strawberry

Bass, Rock Bass, Crappie, Sunfish, Yel-
low Perch, and Minor Perch and Sun-
fishes . Prof. David Starr Jordan,
. .
407
President The University of Indiana; author of "Synopsis of
Fishes of North America," " Science Sketches," etc.
The Senses of Fishes . . . William C. Harris, 439

Editor The American Angler.
Fishing-Tackle, and How to Make It.
J. Harrington Keene, 445

Author of "The Practical Fisherman," "Fishing-Tackle, Its
Material and Manufacture," etc.
Reels, Their Use and Abuse . . B. C. Milam. 541
The Angler's Camp Outfit . . . G. O. Shields. 549

INTRODUCTION.
BY A. NELSON CHENEY.
wealth on the North American Continent

THE
known game
as
of fishes
fishes fishes taken for sport and for food

with rod and Hne is not equaled, nor is it even ap-
proached, by the fishes of any other of the grand divisions of the
earth. Of Salmon and Trout alone the chiefs of game fishes
there are, native and introduced, about thirty species, and
that is but a beginning of the list of fishes which abound in the
fresh and salt water of the United States and British Posses-
sions. This grand array of fishes has been classified, and each
has found its proper place in icthhyology. One or two men
were equal to the task of accomplishing this scientific work, but
no one or two men have attempted to give a thorough popular
description of these fishes, their habits and habitat, and the
manner of, and tools used in, taking them in a sportsmanlike
way; nor are there one or two men on the whole continent
qualified to do this work, and do it thoroughly. The coun-
try is too vast, and the waters too widely scattered, for any
one man to have become on intimate terms with all of our
fishes, and to have been brought into these intimate relations
by actual and personal experience with them.

By mixing experience with the contents of text-books, a
fair but superficial knowledge may be gathered together of
the fishes of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf States and coasts;
but it cannot be a complete record of the life and habits of
the fishes such as would be acquired by a score of anglers,
widely separated, each treating of one or two fishes that he
11
12 INTRODUCTION.
has studied closely in all their relations, because they are his
favorite fishes, and because such a study is necessary in order
to be successful in their capture; for, be it understood, there
are angling specialists, as well as other specialists.
Mr. Shields seems to have realized this fact in the prepa-
ration of his fine work, American Game Fishes, for in
treating of a score and a half of our best fishes, and of the
tools used in their capture, he has enlisted the co-operation
of a score of the best writers upon the subject that are to be
found in the land. They are men who are specialists as
writers upon fishes, generally upon some particular fish, and
their fame as such has spread wherever an interest is taken in
angling or ichthyology.
The most comprehensive paper yet written concerning that
fish about which there have been so many conflicting opin-
ions, the Land-locked Salmon, or Winanishe, or Onianiche,
is the one prepared by Mr. J. G. Ayhvin Creighton for this
volume. Its history, its distribution, its habits, and its
peculiarities are treated by a master hand. The author

quotes to some extent what others have said of the fish, but
his own conclusions, drawn from an extended personal expe-
rience, are so clear and convincing that one accepts them un-
hesitatingly as authoritative, and the statement in the text
that "the Winanishe and the Land-locked Salmon of Maine
are identical, the only observable difference being a slight one
in coloration," will be received by his readers as final. Anglers
will read with regret that "any one who wants to study the
Land-locked Salmon of Lake St. John and the Saguenay will
have to hasten, for the opening of the region to fish-markets
and to tourists, by a railway, threatens their speedy extinction."
Mr. Charles- Hallock is one who years and years ago crossed
the border with rod in hand to study the Salmon in its native
Canadian rivers, and as he is one of the pioneer American
writers about this kingly fish, his paper very appropriately
opens the book.
INTRODUCTION. 1
Mr. F. H. Thurston's paper upon the fish favored of the

gods the
Brook Trout seems to sing an old, old song, with
some new and delightful airs added, such as might be expected
from so finished an angler and writer. He also tells us of
the Grayling, another epicurean fish, which was only a short
time ago apparently doomed to destruction, but which may
once more become plentiful, as the woodsman and log-driver
have done their worst in and about the streams where the
"banner-bearer" makes its home, and must perforce permit
them to return to something like their former solitude.
It is enough to say that Dr. Henshall writes of the Black
Bass; it would be like gilding refined gold to say how he writes

about the fish he has legally adopted and considers as his own
offspring. His paper on the Mascalonge will be read with equal
interest, because this is a theme upon which he has not often
been heard. It will be found, however, that he has as thor-
oughly and carefully studied this fish as he has Micropterus.
Mr. Mather has selected the White Perch as his theme, a
fish that is overlooked by too many anglers in summing up the
game fishes, and the author has sung its praises so well that
many will be tempted to seek this delicious little pan fish.
The Columbia River Salmon seems a far-away fish, and a
fish in bad repute, because of the stories told of its ignoring
the lure of silk and tinsel; but Mr. Perry brings the fish to our
very doors, makes us better acquainted with it and increases
our respect for it. He advises us that, though not aesthetic as
is its Eastern cousin, it is equally robust and gamy, and that
grand sport may be had in taking it on a trolling-spoon.
The Lake Trout is a fish that has had scant justice done it
in the past, as a game fish, by very manyand Mr.

anglers,
Pardee's scholarly paper is but a proper tribute to a most
excellent fish on the rod and on the table. Let the angler
put away heavy tackle, and seek the Lake Trout with such rod
and line as one would use in fishing for Black Bass of two
pounds weight, and when he fastens to a "Laker" of ten or fif-
14 INTRODUCTION.
teen pounds, he will have a very good opinion of the Macki-

naw Trout. This fish has not been so much in fault as the
angler and his tacicle.
There no better evidence that an angler is cosmopolitan

is
in his fishing than to find such a confirmed Trout and Black

Bass angler as Mr. Tomlin writing about the Pickerel; that
this is not a fish after his own heart it is unnecessary to say,
but he believes that justice should be meted out to all fish.
The Tarpon was comparatively unknown as an angler's fish

half a dozen years ago; but Mr. Haldeman, from his familiar-
ity with his subject, must have cultivated the Tarpon assid-
uously since it "came out."
As Mr. Mosher has had to do with bringing into the world

and distributing Pike Perch, as well as many other fishes, he
is an oracle upon them, and speaks by the book.
Mr. Harris has studied carefully the senses of fishes, and

it is not surprising that he should be able to tell so well
what they are and how they are exercised in detecting the
wiles and lures of the angler.
There is a salty flavor about Mr. Endicott's chapter on
Striped Bass, and it is generally supposed that it is the salt
spray of the sea that has flecked his hair with white. When
Mr. Shields was casting about for the man to write the best
chapter that could be written about the "Salmon of the Surf,"
Mr. Endicott's name appeared
to him something after the
manner on the wall.
of the handwriting I hope the ladies
will read that portion of Mr. Endicott's chapter which tells

of Miss Winans catching four Striped Bass weighing 177
pounds, and then try to emulate the score.
presume every one that fishes with fine tackle has at
I
least heard of the Kentucky reel, even if he does not possess

one. Mr. Milam, who first made this reel, and who still
makes them, for the first time gives, in this volume, the his-
tory of the reel, as well as an essay on reels in general.
This chapter will be read with the keenest interest, and it is
INTRODUCTION. 1
worth the price of the book. Fishing-tackle is also exhaust-

ively treated,and the angler's camp outfit as well.
I shall not attempt to particularize further, for it will be
labor lost to tell how Mr. Shields writes of the Rocky Mount-
ain Trout, that he has caught in most of the waters it inhab-
its; or how George Brown Goode, Dr. David Starr
Prof.
Jordan, and the veteran, B. C. Clarke, write of fish with which
their names are associated the world over.
The book as a whole is unequaled in the history of ang-
ling literature, for the detail with which the various subjects
are treated and grouped together, and no other volume pre-
sents to its readers so much valuable information by such a
galaxy of star writers upon American Game Fishes.
Then, in addition to all this feast of intellectual pabulum,
there is presented to the eye a rare treat in the way of accu-
rate, truthful portraits of all the fishes treated in the volume,
and besides these, there are many scenes that recall to the
memory of the angler delightful dreams of days on lake, surf,
or river, that will be green in his memory while reason holds
her sway.
AMERICAN GAME FISHES.
THE SALMON.
BY CHARLES HALLOCK.
CAREFUL review of the world's angling literature,
A from
more or
first to last, throughout
its one thousand titles,
and tongues, will be apt to

less, in all texts
beget the conviction that, after all that has been written, the
gist of the subject was fairly covered by Dame Bernes, in
her "Book of St. Albans," four centuries ago. Little in

essence has been added which did not come within the scope
of her speculative observation, whether it be technical, ethical,
physical, metaphysical, logical, biological, or theological. If
fish-lore has extended or developed since then in any direc-

tion, it has been more in the line of scientific essay than in
homily, poetry, or mechanics more in respect to distribu-
tion, nomenclature, and classification, than in the "disporte
of fysshygne." It is quite probable that the Macedonians
tossed the "hippurus" before the Christian era with the same
"delicacy and accuracy" which experts exhibit at modern fly-
casting tournaments, and that angling, pure and simple, took
high rank with the artistic expression of that remote but
classic age. Thewas thoroughly inculcated then; its
lesson
application and improvement came subsequently. These took
shape in Walton's time, and have gradually developed into
the latter-day perfection of angling literature and art the
long interim having been singularly punctured by alternate
2 17
1 AMERICAN GAME FISHES.
periods of impulse and inertness. The most notable intellec-
tual revivals occurred about the years i486, 1590, 1676,

1750, 1800, and 1850, during which many good angling books
were printed not many of great specific worth, but all valu-
able as chronological landmarks to indicate what fishes existed
at specified times, what have been extirpated or scattered
and disseminated by economic vicissitudes and incidents of
settlement, what were chiefly in request for sport or food,
and what devices and methods were in vogue for their cap-
ture or protection.
During the whole of this long lapse of four centuries, less
advance was made than in the two last decades alone.
visible
Genius and energy were long dormant. The adept had not
developed. The commonplace angler at first preferred to loll
on the bank and bob with worms. But art improves as

the passion grows. Gradually still-fishing developed into
trolling; trolling into spinning; spinning into dapping; and
dapping into fishing with the fly. Silk-worm gut is first men-
tioned in books ("Saunder's Compleat Fisherman") in 1724,
and two years later Salmon-fishing became a new experience
in England. In 1746 the use of the artificial fly was intro-
duced. It was a lost art restored. At that date the ancient
Jiippnnis emerges from its long obscurity, and behold! a mar-
velous revelation in angling is at once unfolded. Pursuit and
quest were thereby stimulated and accelerated; and by and by
they became ennobled!
Primitive ichthyology comprehended little more than a
superficial knowledge of the habits and habitudes of a few
fishes, and their general characteristics. Salmon and Trout
were prominent among those which engaged early attention,
for the Family Salmonidie are among the oldest of post-ter-
tiary fresh-water fish-forms, long antedating the glacial
epoch; and of all its one hundred recognized species, the

Salmon has held supremacy as chief from the beginning.
Evolution of the ages seems not to have made him a braver,
THE SALMON. I9
or more comely, or more edible fish than he was in the days

of Pliny and Oppian, both of whom tested his qualities and
sung" his praises away back in the second century, as well as
others in the years before them. And his geographical range
isas wide-spread as his fame. It extends around the entire
Northern Hemisphere, from latitude 40 degrees up into the

extreme Arctic region, belting the continents of Europe,
Asia, and America, in all three of which it is indigenous and
equally abundant. On the Pacific Ocean the belt dips down
to the 30th parallel,and takes in the waters of Southern
California on its eastern shore, and those of China and Japan
on the west; but in all Atlantic waters the extreme southern
limit is about 40 degrees. In Europe there is but one species
{Sa/ar), but in America there are several. These are divided
specifically, as well as geographically, into two characteristic
classes, of which one is known as Sabno (the leaper), and
the other as OncorJiynicJius (hook-nose). Of the latter there
are five recognized species, which are enumerated as follows
in Jordan & Gilbert's "Synopsis of Fishes" (1883):
SPECIES. RANGE.
Dog Salmon (C. ketu) Sacramento River to Bering Strait.

Humpback (O. ^('ri^z/ir/za) ' '
to Kotzebue Sound.
SilverSalmon (C ^?>i/A/z) " " "
Blueback (O. w^j-zâ) Columbia River " '
Quinnat {O. chonicha) Monterey to the Arctic Ocean.
The Quinnat,or King Salmon, is the most comely and valu-

able of the and may justly be called the typical representa-
lot,
tive of the OncorJiyncJius branch of the family. He is a much

heavier fish than his congener of the Atlantic, and in the rivers
of Western Alaska will average fifty pounds, individuals often
running up to seventy and one hundred pounds in weight.
His range is from Lower California up to Bach's Great Fish
River, in the Arctic Ocean. Immense numbers ascend the
large rivers of the Northern Pacific coast and Bering Sea in
spring and summer, moving up a thousand miles and more, as
in the Yukon, and crowding the shorter rivers when the tide is
at full flood, until every cubic foot of space is choked with

wedged tightly.
fish, In this helpless predicament they be-
come an easy prey and other animals, as well as
to bears
men, and one can lift them out with
his hands until he is
tired. This rush continues until the spawning season is over,
by which time most of those which have reached the distant
upper waters perish from the combined exhaustion of the long
journey and the labor of spawning. The passage of the river
is a sickening spectacle; maimed and decaying fish in myriads
offending sight and smell, and befouling the entire length of

the water-courses from the sea to their sources.
Of course under such conditions the problem of fly-fishing,
or any kind of rod-fishing, requires no solution. At tide-
water there is always good fishing with bait and spoon, au' 'n
California and Oregon and Puget Sound these methods a.
much in vogue. Fish-roe incased in a double thickness of
mosquito-netting is the popular bait. There are exceptional
rivers, notably the Clackamas, in Oregon, where fly-fishing
may be practiced at certain favorable times in special locali-
ties, the fluvial conditions being more like those of Atlantic
rivers. The shorter the rivers, the greater the possibilities
for sport. Fourteen Salmon are reported as having been
taken from a Clackamas pool in one day by a single rod.
The favorite fly is of a reddish cast^ though black hackle,
coachman, professor, red ibis, and a wine body with brown
speckled wings, were all killing flies. June, July, and August
were found to be the best months for fly-fishing.
All of these Pacific Coast fishes have their several peculi-
ties very strongly developed. The snout in the adult mal "
j
summer and fall, is greatly distorted; the premaxillaries are
prolonged, hooking over the lower jaw, which in turn is
greatly elongated and somewhat hooked at tip; the teeth on
these bones are greatly enlarged. The body becomes deep
and compressed, a fleshy lump is developed in front of the !
dorsal fin, and the scales of the back become imbedded in the
THE SALMON. 21
flesh. The flesh, which is red and rich in the spring, becomes
dry and poor then. They are in no respect hke the shapely,
symmetrical, clean, lithe, and beautiful fish which dominate
the Atlantic streams.
Typically, Salmo Quinnat ((9. cJionicJid), is described by
Jordan & Gilbert as follows:
Color dusky above, often tinged with olivaceous or bluish;

sides and below silvery; head dark slat}', usuall)' darker than
the body, and little spotted; back dorsal fin and tail usually
profusely covered with round black spots these are some-
times few, but very rarely altogether wanting; sides of head
and caudal fin with a peculiar metallic tin-colored luster;
male, about the spawning season (October), blackish, more
or less tinged or blotched with didl red; head conic, rather
po 'raited in the females an I spring males. Maxillary rather
lender, the small eye behind its middle. Teeth small, larger
On sides of lower jaw than in front; vomerine teeth very few
and weak, disappearing in the males. In the males, in late
summer and fall, the jaws become elongated and distorted, and
the anterior teeth much enlarged, as in the related species.
The body then becomes deeper, more compressed, and arched
at the shoulders, and the color nearly black. Preopercle and
opercle strongly convex. Body comparatively robust, its depth
greatest near its middle. Ventials inserted behind middle of
dorsal, vential appendage half the length of the fin; caudal

unusual in this genus strongly forked on a rather slender caudal
peduncle. Flesh red and rich in spring, becoming paler in
the fall as the spawning season approaches. Head 4; depth 4.
B. 15 16 to i8-ig, the number on the two sides always unlike;

D. 11; A. 16. Gill-rakers usually 9x14 /. e., g above the angle
and 14 below. P3'loric coeca 140-185. Scales usually 27-146-
29, the number in a longitudinal series varying from 140-155,
^"d in California specimens as low as 135.
'
ry different is Salmon {S. salar Linnaeus)
the Atlantic
to the scientific eye, when compared with the foregoing, and
described by Jordan & Gilbert, to-wit:
Body moderately elongate, symmetrical, not generally

compressed. Head rather low. Mouth moderate, the maxil-
lary reaching just past the eye; its length 2^-3 in head; in
young specimens the maxillary is proportionately shorter.
Preoperculum with a distinct lower limb, the angle rounded.
2
Scales comparatively large, rather largest posteriorly, silvery,

and well-imbricated in the jôiing, becoming imbedded in adult
males. Coloration in the adult brownish above, the sides more
or less silvery, with numerous black spots on sides of head,
on body and on fins, and red patches along the sides in the
males; young specimens (parrs) with about eleven dusky
cross-bars, besides black spots and red patches, the color, as
well as the form of the head and body, varying much with
age, food, and condition; the black spots in the adult often
x-shaped, or xx-shaped. Head 4; depth 4; Br. 11; D. 11;
A. g; scales 23-120-21; vertebrae 60; pyloric coeca about
65. Weight 15-40 pounds. North Atlantic, ascending all
suitable rivers, and the region north of Cape Cod; some-
times permanently land-locked in lakes, where its habits and
coloration (but no tangible specific characters) change some-
what, when it becomes, in America, var. Seluigo.
The natural southern limit of the Atlantic Salmon, within

historical time,was unquestionably the Hudson River. It
was so when Hendrik Hudson discovered it, but subsequent
geological changes must have occurred in its upper tributa-
ries to bar the passage to suitable spawning-grounds. Its
extreme northern limit has not been traced, but it has been
found in a dozen of the rivers which empty into the Arctic
Ocean, and its range from the Atlantic to the Pacific has
been fully established. abundant along the entire Lab-
It is
rador coast, and up around Cape Chidley, its extreme north-
ern mount, in about latitude 62 degrees, and thence around the

Koksok, Georges River, Whale River, and other rivers of the
great Ungava Bay, on the north coast of Labrador, and
thence to the western entrance of Hudson Strait, seems to be
its limit in that direction.
The Arctic habitat of the Pacific Salmon begins about
Wager and the Melville Peninsula, and continues west-
Inlet,
ward indefinitely. Between the Hudson Strait and Wager

Inlet, the great Hudson Bay is projected southward in one
tremendous indentation, and in its waters no Salmon are

found only Sea Trout. The Bay separates the family of
Salar from the family OncorJiyncJius, of which Cho)iicJia is
THE SALMON. 23
P<
finmk
I^WS-:
chief. Some of the Arctic rivers, Hke the Mackenzie, are

barren of Salmon, as is true also of some Atlantic coast rivers.
Doubtless there are abundant physical reasons to account for
this as well as for the big break in the range of the Salmon
made by the interposition of the great Hudson Bay; and when
these are ascertained, scientists may be able to discover why
the fish to the eastward of the Bay are of one species (Sa/ar),
and those to the westward of another {ClionicJid).
In the physiology of the animal kingdom, naturalists have
discovered that the quality of adaptation to environment
plays an important part in bringing about and establishing
those variations from original forms, which are called spe-
cies. Constancy of a primitive type depends upon the con-
stancy of external conditions. Now,
was long ago discov-
it
ered that not only can many species of fish gradually accom-
modate themselves to either salt or fresh water, but some
seem quite indifferent to rapid changes from one to the other.
On this basis scientists are readily able to account for that
fresh-water variety of Atlantic Salmon known as vS. Salar
var. Scbago, which in all respects, except the habit of
anadromy, it so nearly resembles. So closely, indeed, are
the generic traits maintained, that even the food materials of
both the and fresh water species are analogous, one sub-
salt
sisting on caplins, and the other on its related species, the
smelts, while the geographical ranges of the two are co-ex-
tensive and conterminous. Both the Atlantic and Pacific
varieties are represented by fresh- water analogues: for the
Land-locked Salmon are not only distributed throughout Que-
bec, Ontario, and the maritime provinces of Canada, as well
as Maine, but they occur in the lakes of British Columbia
and Idaho, and in tributary lakes of Lake Superior, where they
"are called Red Trout by the natives, and grow to the size of
forty pounds, and are not to be confounded with the com-
mon Lake Trout {S. Namaycush), whose flesh is white."
(L. H. Smith, of Strathroy, Canada, in London Field.)
THE SALMON. 2$
The Wananishe of the Upper Saguenay River, which were

long beheved to keep exclusively to fresh water, although
they had direct access to the sea, have recently been ascer-
tained to be simply a distinct class of the Sea Salmon, peculiar
to its own waters, like all the others, and of precisely the
same habits and idiosyncrasies; only the peculiar conforma-

tion of the Saguenay region and the extreme depth of the
river have hitherto prevented such practical observations as
were essential to establish the facts. In places the Saguenay
is one thousand feet deep, with an extreme average depth for
sixty miles from its mouth, and the Wananishe [iva-na-nish,

in the Indian vernacular) are not seen until they reach the
riffs Grande Discharge, which constitutes the
of the chute, or
outlet of Lake St. Like other Salmon enjoying the
John.
same fluvial condition, they spawn in the tributaries of the
lake (in nearly all of which they occur), and pass the winters
in the lake itself, where they subsist chiefly upon a species
of Whitefish {Corcgoiius) called Wutouche, which is replaced
by caplin, smelt, or other sub-species of SabnoiiidcE in waters
elsewhere. They have a xx marking on their bodies, instead
of the usual round spots; but there are Salmon in some of the
other Laurentian rivers marked in precisely the same way.
Contrary to early notions, which made these land-locked
fish an off-shoot of the Sea Salmon, naturalists now agree
that the original habitat of the entire family Sabnonid(

was in fresh water, and that it is the Sea Salmon which has

become erratic the disturbances of the glacial period having
driven them out of their primitive inland possessions. But
in obedience to the law of evolution which requires posterity
to pass through the same biological changes as their progeni-
tors did, all Salmon must be born and live for a time at least
in fresh water; hence we find our Sea Salmon coming into
the rivers and spending a large proportion of their time in
fresh water, seeking there a change of diet and hygienic
treatment against parasites and fungus. The spawning sea-
son of the Salmon is inautumn, and when they have fulfilled

the requirements of nature they remain in the rivers for a
greater or less period, according to the time of their arrival
and impregnation, and drop back to the sea again in spring.
Usually there is Salmon which follow the
a spring run of
sand-worms and herring-sile, and other shore food, into the
estuaries and up into the rivers, often remaining until the
water runs low and becomes too warm for comfort, when
they drop back to the sea again. Later on come the Grilse,
or Adolescent Salmon, some of them already in full sexual
maturity, and after them the mid-summer and autumn runs
of old fish.
The bulk of the Salmon run up in autumn for spawning
purposes, only the earlier runs being for change of water and
diet, and for sanitary purposes, as has already been stated.
A flood or a "spate" always starts the fish up-stream, and
then the fish take the fly or bait best. A great deal of bosh
has been written in all the books of the Salmon, for four cent-
uries past, about Salmon not eating, when ascending to
their spawning-grounds, but that theory is now wholl}' ex-
ploded. They not only eat, but eat promiscuously and vora-
ciously of a great variety of food, including young SabnonidcE
and other salt and fresh water fish-fry, shrimps, prawns, sand-
worms, crustaceans, cephalopods, and floating invertebrata.
Another impression is, or was, that Salmon could only be
taken with fly, whereas they readily take natural minnows,
prawns, worms, artificial minnows, spoons, and a dozen other
kinds of bait, as has been abundantly tested and proven.
Indeed, it would not be difficult to demonstrate that fly-
fishing is the recent revival of an antique art, and that baits
only were at one time used by anglers of low degree. Hence
their use becoming unpopular, the impression finally obtained
that flies only would tempt a fish. Some of these baits, it
may be observed, have been found to take best in spring,
others in mid-summer, and others still in autumn. Some
THE SALMON. 2/
take best when the water and others when it is

is clear,
roiled and discolored; some when the water is thin and low,
and others on the surge of a mighty flood. There are no
conditions or stages, it would seem, when the Salmon will
not accept one or more of the above-named baits at some
time or other in the course of twenty-four hours, as observers
have ascertained. It is remarkable that this question should
have remained open for so many centuries, and that none of

the books have set the matter right.
Directly in this connection it may be mentioned that the
annelids, or sand-worms, play an important part in influenc-
ing the spring movements of Salmon. At that season they
swarm in from the ocean to breed on the beach flats, either
swimming free like eels, in great masses, or housed in their
burrows. Indeed they constitute a most important element
in the economy of many fish not only of nomadic
kinds of
and littoral which constantly root for
species, but of those
them in their beds, like the Tautog, Haddock, etc. It is
manifest that the pulpy bodies of these worms, as well as
of much other delicate food which Salmon eat in the early
spring, dissolve in their stomachs like glucose or starch. It
is digested almost as soon as swallowed, and in the absence
of visible sustenance superficial observers have decided that

they did not eat at all.
As regards the spring run of Salmon, it would be impossible

for them to sustain life for the five months intervening until
autumn spawning season unless they fed, while in respect to
the late autumn runs they but follow the instinct of all preg-
nant creatures on the eve of parturition, eating a little here
and a little there, fastidious, whimsical, ravenous, and indis-

posed by turns. It would be inexplicable indeed if Salmon
were not required by nature to fortify
alone, of all creatures,
and strengthen themselves for the supremest act of physical
existence. Physiology will easily explain why the distended
ovaries, pressing upon the stomach and intestines, will not
permit the introduction of food, except in very limited quanti-

ties, and Dr. Pancritius, of Germany, has very intelHgently
tlescribed the chemistry of digestion in fishes: so that these
subjects are problems no more.
Possibly one reason why there has been such a wide diverg-
ence of opinion about the life-history of the Salmon is, that
there is nothing constant about them, except their periodical
visits to the sea and river, and these vary, not only with cli-
matic conditions, and the extreme diversity in the length of

rivers, but they are always liable to be disturbed by extrane-
ous contributory causes, such as sudden meteorological changes,
erratic movements of the small fish and
on which they fry
chiefly feed, raids of porpoises and
which split the
seals,
schools up into fragments, or drive the whole body off tempo-
rarily. In the Arctic rivers there is only a mid-summer run
of Salmon. There is no autumn run, for the rivers are
frozen tight by the end of September. In many Laurentian
rivers there are a spring, sunnner, and autunm run, because
the rivers are kept in full supply of cold water from the reser-
voirs of melting snow In rivers of extreme
at their sources.
length, like the Columbia, Yukon, and others of the Pacific
coast, the spring run of Salmon does not go back to the sea, for
obvious reasons. If the fish have five hundred miles or more
to ascend, they cannot afford to lose time by running in and

out. High falls especially retard their progress. To sur-
mount these they are obliged to climb their rugged abutments,
which are full of pockets and crevices and projections, over
which the lateral overflow is constantly spilling in greater or
less quantity; and it is not altogether an impossible feat for
a Salmon to mount a very high fall by these gradual steps,
stopping betimes to rest his muscles and moisten his gills in
the little basins which present themselves conveniently at

hand. But they will not essay this side-passage until they
have persistently attempted to leap the breast of the fall;
hence, some careless observers have maintained against all
THE SALMON. 29
reason, common sense, and mathematical demonstration,

that Sahnon leap falls sixteen feet high and upwards! How-
ever, up the fish must go, impelled irresistibly by the instinct
of procreation,which demands that they shall reach the upper

waters. The time of spawning often varies in the same
river, and is determined by the period at which impregna-
tion has taken place. A portion of the run, therefore, being
riper than the rest, spawn sooner, and, having fulfilled their
mission, return at once to the sea, while their less fortunate

belated kindred must continue their pilgrimage, perchance to
headwaters; for so long as their great work remains unac-
complished, they will press on until stopped by insurmount-
able obstacles. Gravid must halt in whatever part of the
fish
river the crisis overtakes them. Such as are obliged to con-

tinue on to the upper spawning-beds arrive in sorry plight,
mutilated, crushed, and almost shapeless. Fortunate are
those which have vitality enough left to be able to return to
the sea. Indeed, so great is the mortality, that it has been
generally believed that they never return at all.
Speckled Trout are found in almost all eastern Salmon

streams, and the angler who chances to try his luck in them
will often pick out of the riffs fish of varying size which he
looks at twice, being in doubt of their identity. Some of
them are half-pound with a row of six intense carmine

fish,
spots on each side, and others are but finger-long, flanked with
five dusky vertical bars. He thinks they are a new kind of
trout, but they are really adolescent and baby Salmon, called
Smolts and Parr. When the Smolt goes to sea, as he does
his second year, he will gain a pound a month in the salt
water, and after a luxurious absence will return to his birth-

place in the blue and silver livery of a Grilse, and very much
like an adult in appearance. As a Grilse he tarries in the
upper pools till spring, and again returns to the sea a full-
grown Salmon, grows fat and ponderous, and again ascends
9.5 a breeding fish of thirty to fifty pounds in weight. There
is no doubt of this wonderful growth. Marked fish have

been known to treble their weight in a twelve-month.
Late spawning fish generally drop down the river with the
"June rise" in a most emaciated and ravenous condition, and
are often picked up by the angler, greatly to his disgust, for
their stomachs have shrunk entirely away, their skin hangs
in ilabby folds, their scales have all sloughed and they
off,
seem to be nothing but back, head, and tail. Such objects

are called "Kelts," and they play havoc with everything that
has fins, destroying great quantities of small Salmon in their
ravenous raids for food.
Very different is the first-run Salmon, just from the sea,
with his plump and shapely form, broad shoulders, and glisten-
ing armature of blue and silver scales, leaping for joy at his
escape from the dangers of the passage, and dallying with
the pleasures and incidents of the way. To catch one of
these magnificent fish, to have him on your line, for an hour
at a time, to be intimate with him, as it were, is an experi-
ence which no one can appreciate who has not been through
the ordeal: for an ordeal it is, of the most trying sort. In
his "Pleasures of Angling," Mr. George Dawson describes his
sensations on capturing his first Salmon, in a most realistic
way. It seems he had raised his fish once, and looked him
full in the face, as one glares at a ghost, as' he came to the
surface with great cavernous mouth wide open, and eyes

which bulged far out into the air; and he had gone through
all the feelings of faintness peculiar to similar occasions, with
nerve twinges, electrical thrills, etc., when, having pulled
himself together, he had a second rise. "I had marked the
spot," he says, "where the fish had risen, had gathered up my
line for another cast, had dropped the fly, like a snow-flake,
just where I desired it to rest, when, like a flash, the same
enormous head appeared, the same open jaws revealed them-
selves, a swirl and a leap and a strike followed, and my first
Salmon was hooked with a thud! which told me, as plainly
THE SALMON. 31
as if the operation had transpired within the range of my vis-

ion, that him it would be my own fault.
if I lost When thus
assured, there was excitement, but no flurry. My nerves
thrilled and every muscle assumed the tension of well-tem-
pered steel, but I realized the full sublimity of the occasion,
and a sort of majestic calmness took the place of the stupid
inaction which followed the first apparition. My untested
rod bent under the pressure in a graceful curve; mj' reel
clicked out a livelier melody than ever emanated from harp
or hautboy, as the astonished fish made his first dash; the
tensioned line emitted ôlian music as it stretched and stif-
fened under the strain to which it was subjected; and for fifty
minutes there was such giving and taking, such sulking and
rushing, such leaping and tearing, such hoping and fearmg, as
would have 'injected life into the ribs of death,' made an
anchorite dance in very ecstasy, and caused any true angler
to believe that his heart was a kettle-drum, every sinew a
Jew's-harp, and the whole frame-work of his excited nerves a
full band of music. And during all this time my canoe-man
rendered efficient service in keeping even pace with the
eccentric movements of the struggling fish. 'Hold him head
up, if possible,'was the counsel given me, and 'make him
work Whether, therefore, he took
for every inch of line. '
fifty yards or a foot, I tried to make him pull for it, and then
to regain whatever was taken as soon as possible. The

result was an incessant clicking of the reel, either in paying
out or in taking in, with an occasional flurry and leap which
could have been no more prevented than the on-rushing of
a locomotive. Any attempt to have suddenl}- checked him
by making adequate resistance would have made leader, line,
or rod a wreck in an instant. All that it was proper or safe
to do was to give each just the amount of strain and press-
ure it could bear with safety
not an ounce more nor an

ounce less and I believe that I measured the pressure so
exactly that the strain upon my rod did not vary half an
ounce from the first to the last of the struggle. Toward the
close of the fight, when it was evident that the
'jig was up,'
and I felt myself master of the situation, I took my stand
upon a projecting point in the river, where the water was
shallow and where the most favorable opportunity possible
was afforded the gaffer to give the struggling fish the final
death-thrust, and so end the battle. It was skillfully done.
The first plunge of the gaff brought him to the greensward,

and there lay out before me, in all his silver beauty and
magnificent proportions,my first Salmon. He weighed
thirty pounds, plump, measured nearly four feet in length,
was killed in fifty minutes. It is said that when the good
old Dr. Bethune landed his first Salmon, 'he caressed it as
fondly as he ever caressed his first-born. ' I could only stand
over mine in speechless admiration and delight panting
with fatigue, trembling in very ecstasy.
"This victory was a surfeit for the morning. With other
fish in full view, ready to give me a repetition of the grand
sport I had already experienced, I made no other cast, and
retired perfectly contented. The beautiful fish was laid down
lovingly in the bottom of the canoe, and borne in triumph to
the camp, where fish and fisher were given such a hearty
welcome amid such hilarious enthusiasm as was befitting 'the
cause and the occasion. " '
In America there is no winter Salmon fishing, as there is in

some rivers in Scotland, for our Atlantic streams are ?\\
closed by ice. Once in a while, however, some tough old
angler who has become inured to the vicissitudes of weather
and hard knocks in general, and who "knows the ropes," will
venture down to the Port Midway and other rivers of Nova
Scotia in February, and capture some fine Salmon while the
ice is running. The game, however, is hardly worth the
candle. Most make
professional anglers it a point to be on
the Bay Chaleur streams by the first of June, and on the
Lower St. Lawrence River about three weeks later. The
AN EXCITING MOMENT.
THE SALMON. 33
Land-locked Salmon waters are open in Maine and Canada
about the middle of May, and there is good fishing for Wana-
nishe in most of the numerous tributaries of Lake St. John,
Province of Quebec, about the same time. A month later
the fish are plenty on the riffs of the Grande Discharge, or
outlet of the lake; for which I would advise the use of light
Salmon tackle, such as professiDual Salmon anglers keep for a
second outfit, as also for the Land-locked Salmon of Sebago,
Toed's Pond, and other waters, which are apt to run up into
the twenty-pound weights. For Salmon fishing, pure and
simple the old-fashioned Salmon where the rod has
fishing,
to stand a racket would choose a sixteen to eighteen
testful I
foot rod. The advantages

of length are obvious to an}' one
of experience on the heavier Canadian streams, and one need
not be talked out of his common sense by the current hue
and cry about light rods. The man who talks "light rod"
has never fished where heavy rods are needed, and is not com-
petent to coach. He does not comprehend the first princi-
ples of the situation. A wooden rod is apt to be heavier
than a split bamboo in proportion to its length; but all else
being equal, the life of a wooden rod is the longest. Any

rod whatever which is too heavy to wield without the ail
of a waistband and thimble, should be discarded. These
long, heavy rods are in request for heroic work in wicked
waters, when the wind is stiff, and the fishing may be called
taxing. Second rods are better adapted for switching where
casting room is restricted, and for use in calm days and quiet
pools. Whenever one can use this lighter rod, the climax of
pleasure is reached. The reel should be heavy enough to
balance the rod, made of nickel and rubber, with crank
enclosed by a flange, so as not to catch the line, and the line
should be as light as one can possibly make good casting
with. One hundred yards of oiled silk are enough, unless
your fish flops into a rapid, when you will want a thousand.
A bulky line shows in the water; a line that is light for its
3
bulk is of small use in casting against a wind, and one that

is hard and stiff is too long in running straight out into the
water. A as essential as a correct rod.
correct line is Let
it be perfectly and yet have enough substance in it
pliable,
to make it feel quite solid. As to selection of flies, the most

killing for mid-season are the Josh Scott, Silver Doctor, and
Turkey Wing the
brightest later on. These are chief among
six patterns selected by a composite jury of all the best anglers

of Great Britain. Yellow Mohair and Golden Pheasant are
the best for early rivers. In the evening, when the light goes
off the water, large and brighter colors can be used with
flies
effect. A silver body does well, and jungle-cock feather
shows up finely. As to size of flies, one universal proverb

will always stand: Large flies for heavy and deep water;
larger flies for waters which run rapid and rough than for
those which run shallow and quiet; large flies for evening
fishing, and large flies for early spring fishing. In these
later years I have learned to use double snoods. Upon the
whole, find Salmon less capricious than Trout.
I The truth
is, on a booming river, or when the Salmon are in a taking
mood, they are not particular as to the kind of fly they take.
There is a good deal of fresco work in the talk about killing-
flies and favorites. Pedantry will often count for more than
common sense, but it does not carry as far. '
Fish rise best the moment when the river begins to come
out. In some cases they will rise until the water becomes so
dirty that they cannot see, but in general the spurt will not
last over an hour. This, however, is not the time to fish.
No use to waste time when the fish are turning flip-flaps all
over the stream. Once, on a moonlight

night, they made
such a constant commotion in the river that I could not sleep;

what a night that was! Not a cloud or a whiff of wind. The
river was alive with them. The best time to fish is the moment
when the fish become and begin to choose
quiet their resting-
places, and the river runs clear enough for them to see the fly.
THE SALMON. .35
In a colored river, the shallowest parts should be fished, be-

cause the fish can see better there than in deep water. An
old angler, in one of the English sporting papers, observes
that "many young anglers raise a great many fish and fail to
hook them. Even some long-experienced anglers get into
this habit, and never get out of it. The reason of this is,
they cast too straight across the stream, and keep the point
of their rod too high. The fly travels round too fast, and
the fish make a dash at it and fail to catch it. The fly
should go straight out, the cast should be made well down
the river, the point of the rod kept nearly touching the
water, and the fly allowed to sink well down. The rod
should be worked slowly when the fly has nearly come over
the cast."
This is the correct talk when feeling for a fish: keep the
point of the rod dozvn, but when a fish is on, keep it up.
I am glad to quote here what Mr. E. M. Tod, an angler of

world-wide reputation, has to say in the London Fishing
Gazette, by way of instruction as to how to handle a Salmon
when hooked. He says:
"First of all, hold your rod pointing upward, so as to bring
the spring of it to bear with all its power on the fish; then
'hang on' to the fish, and do not let him have any more
line than you can possibly help, as the less line there is
between you and the fish, the better for you, and the worse
for your quarry, as if there is much line out it may get foul of
some obstacle, and the force of the current will put a heavy
strain on. If the fish is determined to run, he will take
line, and, should he take to somersaulting at each jump, the
line must be quite loose, and the rod's point dipped; but in
any other case it is best not to give a foot of line, provided
the rod be kept upward, as no rod any rate no ordi-
(or at
nary rod) can put on more strain than three or four pounds;
so there is little or no danger of a break. In this manner
many a little fish of not more than six or seven pounds weight
3
may be speedily killed without allowing a great deal of water

to be disturbed, and by keeping such a tight line fish may be
landed into which the hook has not gone over the barb,
whereas if they had not been held in tight, the hook would
have dropped out. I need scarcely say that a fish, if small,
must be kept; if large, coaxed away from any obstacle.

Should he go to the bottom like a log, as large ones some-
times do, get bclozv him if possible, and pull hard at him. If
this does not start him, pelt him with stones. This will
generally succeed, but sometimes more severe measures have
to be taken, as on the Usk, last season. A Salmon weighing
forty-two pounds, on being hooked, sank to the bottom, and
was only moved by a gallant colonel, who was present, strip-
ping and swimming in after it."
Speaking of this habit of sulking, here is what Parker Gil-

more ("Ubique") has to say about it. I had rather quote
these two old worthies than to quote myself. He says:
"Obtain the smallest hollow bangle procurable, having a
hinge at the back, and closing with a snap on the opposite
side. Have its inner surface perforated with numerous
holes, the outer surface with a few only, each to be about
the size of a No. i shot. Partly fill the interior of the bangle
with snuff or cayenne pepper.
"Suppose, now, that the angler is which has
fast in a fish
sulked. Place the bangle above the reel, around the rod and
line, pass it up till it goes over the tip of the top joint, when,
by raising the rod, and placing the strain on the line, the
bangle will at once descend to the hook. The action of the
water upon the snuff or pepper will be more than the delicate
mouth and nose of the Salmon can stand, so off he will go
for other haunts. Stop the Salmon dare not now, for, when-
ever he stops, the pungent stuff makes itself felt. In fact,
the only possible relief to be obtained is by going, and go he
will, with the velocity of a greyhound with a kettle attached
to his tail."
THE SALMON. 37
Verily, this is a wholesome way to hustle a Salmon that

sulks! It holds over any scheme that I ever struck on this
side of the Atlantic. But Parker Gilmore has been over a
great deal
perhaps he happened on it here. This is all very
well to start the fish, but the trouble would be to stop him.
This hint about holding the rod up reminds me that a differ-
ent practice is required for river Salmon than for land-locked
fish. I am convinced that anglers who have tried for the
latter without success have habitually cast too long a line.
Following the approved mode in rapid-stream fishing and

broken water, they have laid their lines straight out, and
kept the point of the rod nearly touching the water. This is
wrong. On dead water a short line is requisite; the rod

should be kept almost perpendicular, so that the fly can trail
on the very top surface; and the cast should be made straight
out in front. Not more than six feet of the gut-length
should touch the water at any time. Why.^ Because the
water is so still, even when rippled by a flaw of wind, that
the line laying its length along the water looks like a cable.
The fish are so busy investigating the phenomenon of the
line that they don't mind the fly. Perhaps they don't see it
at all. To attract his attention the point of the rod should

be pumped up and down. This will move the fly a foot or
more at each motion. Sometimes it is well to draw the line
through the rings with the left hand while working the point
of the rod, which answers the like purpose. The whole pro-
cess is Experienced anglers will appre-
e.xceedingly delicate.
ciate the difficulty of fastening to a rise with an almost per-
pendicular rod, while the liability of breaking the tip, in case
of a strike, is very great. The only way is not to strike when
a Salmon rises, but to let him pull the point of the rod down
three or four feet, and then fix the hook in his jaw by a
There is
gentle lifting of the rod so as to bring the line taut.
no method of fishing prettier than this, when one gets used
to it. It beats skittering with a spoon all hollow.
It is obvious that this mode applies to tidal waters and still

pools in rivers as well. It is much in vogue in Scottish lochs
(lakes), and is own.

just as suitable in ourSmall flies are
the best, and should never exceed one inch in
of course,
length. I have patterns of Land-locked Salmon flies with
yellow bodies, turkey wings, and claret body with mallard

wings which I have always used with success wherever tried.
Trolling for Land-locked Salmon with live smelts, or phan-
toms, is a successful method in Weld and Sebago, and as a
dernier resort, a buoy may be baited with chopped fish. Set
the buoy in thirty to forty feet of water, and fish with the
same bait as you chummed with, or with live minnows, and
use just sinker enough to carry the line to the bottom.
When a fish is felt, let him have a pull at the hook, and then
raise the rod-tip gently and firmly. This will generally fasten
him, and the subsequent proceedings will be interesting.
The number of expert Salmon anglers in this or any other
country is small, possibly because their experience is often
confined to a single river, or to rivers of the same temper. I
Rivers are as different as horses. Some are wild, im-

petuous, and untamable; others restive as an Arabian courser.
Some plod like a plow-horse, and others buck like a
broncho or kick like a mule. Some dash Jo the sea in a
straight-away course, with scarcely a break, and others
wind with a sinuous and solemn monotony, like blind cobs
in a tread-mill. Some are like circus horses, cavorting in
many an eddy, and flying leap, and others tumble and plunge
like colts at the hurdles. Some have breadth, and depth,
and sweep, while others are pent-up, curbed, and narrow,
churned into constant lather and foam. In some rivers the
pools are frequent and spacious, open to the sunlight, and
glinting with bright, pebbly bottoms; in others they are
short, angry, and broken, filled with debris and bowlders.
Some are overhung by protruding branches and thickets, while
others flow under the gloomy shadows of jutting cliffs. There
THiE SALMON. 39
is no end to the composition and phases of rivers, and, con-
sequently, no end to the artifices and methods of the angler.

It is this complexity which makes the study and practice of
Salmon angling a superlative art, and of all piscatorial accom-
plishments the most difficult to learn and master. As in
human nature, it is difficult to diagnose or interpret one face,
type, or character by another, so it is equally difficult to
predicate the disposition of one river by the idiosyncrasies of
another.
The methods of a hooked Salmon in a quiet pool of a
placid river are so simple and so uniform, that the angler goes
through the process of subduing his fish and bringing him to
gaff, in about the same perfunctory way that Gleason or Rarey
would quiet a horse that was skittish, but not vicious. The
ambitious novice can learn them as easily as he can the
fundamental rules in arithmetic. In what the Scotchmen
call a "wicked" river, the task is more delicate and exact-
ing, requiring much strategic ability, as well as physical
endurance. There is a great deal of personal risk, too,
where often a false step or a stumble when wading might
cost the angler his by pitching him into a rapid as tumult-
life,
uous as that of Niagara. On such a river one can never

count on killing his fish until he has him on the bank, stiff.
Such rivers try the angler's mettle as well as his science.
Tactics of the drill-master fail here. Instinct becomes a
better prompter than a "rule of three." Expedients are
suggested by emergencies, both to the Salmon and his
captor, in marvelously rapid The hooked
succession.
fish, after his momentaryon getting fast, collects
fright
his senses, and like the chased deer and fox, devises
stratagems on the jump. You have no time to dally. Play-
ing your fish becomes a desperate struggle, like a Spartan
bout.
You must kill your fish on short line with rod bent double,
or have him break away. You must drop your rod-tip when
he vaults clear of the water, and "slue" him off from danger-
ous places when he gathers headway. You summon the
forces of the current to your aid in accelerating a favorable
momentum, and you counteract them when the influence is
adverse. If the Salmon once gets out of the pool into the
raceway of the impetuous lower stream, there is nothing to do

but follow him down the bank and over the slippery rocks,
into the water and out of the water, shoe-deep or waist-deep,
lifting your line over obstructing bowlders in the channel,
watching out for projecting ledges or branches of trees, keep-

ing your weather-eye always on the fish and looking ahead
for the best footing, holding your rod up and never allowing
slack, even though you stumble full length over the rocks;
not minding thumps or bruises, but keeping your wind and
saving your fish, no matter if you break your neck. And you
keep this up an hour, perhaps, giving as little line as possi-
ble, until finally you are so limp and blown that you couldn't
puff out a candle with your breath, and in bodily condition
much like the Salmon, your opponent, which by this time
has haply turned up his silvery side at the foot of the rapid,
convenient for the clip of your exultant and admiring gaffer.
Your attendant is an almost indispensable factor. He

must be mentor as well as assistant. In fact, he ought to be
as intelligent and experienced as his master. He is not there
merely to basket the fish and tote them. He should have
sense when to advise his companion, and when to refrain;
and above all things he should be cool and self-possessed.
He is able to perceive from lateral points of observation what
the man with the rod cannot see, and thus often to anticipate
the intentions of the fish, and head them off. He is to clear
away bushes which interpose, and rocks which impede the
passage along the bank; he is to take the rod betimes into his
own hands while the angler gains a better foothold or more
advantageous position, to steady him by the shoulders in diffi-
cult places, to help him by the hand and steer him, as a
THE SALMON. 4
policeman guides a lady or a cripple through the intricacies

of a thronging thoroughfare; and worse than an idiot would
be the bumptious dolt who would spurn this timely counsel.
Furthermore: The gaffer should select the landing-place
in advance, if the fish is to be gaffed from the shore, as is
usually done, even when from a boat, and wade well

fishing
out, say to the depth of his knees, so that by any chance the
fish may not flounder loose by striking the bottom in too
shallow water. Then the man with the rod should lead his
captive, as best he may, up to the gaffer, so that he can
strike it. Never be in a hurry; a slip of the foot on the river
bottom may cost another hour's hard work with the rod.
Put the gaff into the water as quietly as possible, and unob-
served of the fish, to the depth of fourteen inches or so,
and make the upward and inward, endeavoring to fix the
clip
point abaft the shoulders, which is the center of gravity. If
hooked elsewhere, the fish gets a big leverage with head or

tail, and will make a ghastly rent in his body, if indeed he
does not flop off the hook altogether. Never strike a fish in
the belly. nothing more unsightly than a great gap-

There is
ing wound, especially if the entrails protrude. A gaff should

not have its point reversed, or turned inward, as we find
them at most of the tackle-shops. The point should be
parallel with the shank, so that the line of draft at the point
may be on the shank and gaff
parallel with the line of draft
handle. The hook need not exceed two and a half inches in
the width of the bend between shank and point. A four-foot
handle is the correct length. Jointed handles are convenient
to carry, but are objectionable on account of a possibility of
their telescoping or slipping at critical moments.
Unquestionably, in no part of the globe are there so many

Salmon rivers as there are in the Dominion of Canada. There
are far more than a hundred in all perhaps a hundred and
twenty which might yield fair sport to the rod, counting only
those of the Atlantic coast, and not including those of the
42 AMERICAN GAME FISHES,
Arctic and Pacific. Dozens of them have never been fished

with a fly.Some, perhaps, are virgin even to netters. Only
the rude spear or clumsy hooks of Esquimaux have tested
the quality of the most isolated.
First of all are the inimitable short rivers of Nova Scotia,
numbering fifteen or twenty, which pour out from the limpid
reservoirs on the height of land forming the watershed of the
peninsula along nearly its entire longitudinal axis of one hun-
dred and twenty miles. These are set like glistening gems in
a sylvan crown, and the water which flows therefrom is as
clear as crystal, and the Salmon which run up betimes from
the sea have only a holiday journey to make to the sources,
always blithesome and comely of form, and performing the
taxing duties of life with the ease and comfort of the favored
and high-born among men. They live in luxury, with no end
of choice food in variety, the young of lobsters, and innu-
merable crustaceans, mollusks, and annelids, which hide on
the beach and among the rocks, the herring-sile and small fry
which come in from the sea, when its waters are tepid; the
larvae and fingerlings of the upper streams and lakes, and
the endless variety which nature supplies from her largess of
woods and waters, both salt and fresh. Here, likewise, the
angler may enjoy the luxuries of civilization, without hard-
ship of the camp, or the pest of brulards and black flies, or
the taxing tedium of the wilderness canoe-voyage, or the pro-
tracted journey by sea oi route. For comfort, pure and
simple, with a modicum of fun, commend me to the rivers
and hospitality of Nova Scotia. With McKinlay's excellent
map, published at Halifax, one may soon learn the country
like a book, and he need never get permanently lost in the
woods, for this goodly strip of Bluenose Land is scarcely forty
miles wide from the ocean to the Bay of Fundy, and if the
uninitiated straîger would cross from shore to shore without
a guide, he has only to follow some water-course up to its
gource on the ridge, and then down the other side to the sea,
THE SALMON.
43
The experience is far more pleasing than wandering through

the monotonous pine forests of New Brunswick, where every
turn in the far-reaching Miramiche or Nepissiguit looks like
the and the inevitable porcupine is found rooting at the
last,
foot of every jack-pine where you camp.

Nevertheless, New Brunswick is a delectable land, traversed
as it is by interminable water-courses, which interlace at
their sources, and offer no end of canoe-routes, whereby one
may travel for summer after summer without covering the
same ground twice. And here again we have not only
McMillan's old reliable map of the Province, but a brand-new
map, recently published in Boston, prepared from the notes
of an enthusiastic canoe-man, who gives all the routes, port-
ages, and good fishing-places that are contained within a wide
district. Here in this forest land is the noble Restigouche,
famed among Salmon rivers all over the world, with its one
hundred and forty miles of length, and sixty miles of good
Salmon fishing. And here, too, are its four great branches,
the Metapedia, Patapedia, Upsalquitch, and Tom Kedgewick,
almost equally prolific and desirable, all of them leased and
fished by the magnates of the Dominion and the nobility of
England. In these rivers the Salmon run up to seventy
pounds and the annual commercial catch is some-
in weight,
thing fabulous. said that a million and a half of pounds
It is
of Canadian Salmon pass into the New York market every

year, and of this amount the Restigouche system furnishes
four-fifths! There are other rivers on the Boie des Chaleurs
beside the Restigouche which furnish giant Salmon, and
among them the grand Cascapedias is notable. I once saw
five Salmon taken out of this river with fly by ex-President
Arthur and Mr. R. G. Dun, which weighed fifty-five pounds

each all in one outing. Indeed, it may be said that all
these rivers of the Bay, being long-visited and of great reputa-
tion, and quite accessible withal, are the grand fluvial prizes
to be contended for at Quebec when the leases are up for

auction. Here, indeed, is the center and goal of every known

angler's ambition; for not only do the nobility of England
wet their lines in these choice waters, but here is the most
aristocratic fishing-club in the world, whose shares are worth
$4, 500 to own, and whose annual dues and expenses for the
season bring up the cost of the fishing privilege to a figure
which only the wealthy can reach; and to "knock the persim-
mon," the pole must be not only superlatively long, but socially
gilded and mounted.
I could tell many stories of the Restigouche, reaching well
back to ancient annals, some of which are absolutely ghostly.
F*or instance, some twenty years ago there plied upon the
river a wondrous craft, whose cognomen was "Great Caesar's
Ghost," fitted up with amplitude of cabin, kitchen, and prom-
enade deck, and drawn by horses, which plashed and flound-
ered up the long reaches of the river, alternately taking to the
bed and the banks, as the straits and exigencies of the route
required. Her owner, Mr. C. J. Bridges, whilom manager
of the Grand Trunk Railway, took many a distinguished
part}^ with him on his annual excursions, but finally he betook
himself to Manitoba for speculative purposes, and I am not
aware that even a wreck of the ghost remains. However,
in its life it was the most material ghost it has ever been my
'
fortune to encounter.
I remsmber, too, another incident. It germinated in our
atmosphere of royalty. Once we were apt to associate fish

with billingsgate and bad smells. In the Old World we
know that the chase alone enlisted the royal favor. From
time immemorial hunting was regarded as a regal sport, and
in some dominions it was the exclusive prerogative of kings.
Doubtless, in ancient time, the royal retinue, with its gor-
geous trappings and blare of trumpets, swept haughtily past
the solitary angler by the quiet river-side, scarcely deigning
him a thought, or even a sneer. Certainly enough, all the pre-
cepts of Bishop Sanderson, and the philosophy of Walton and
THE SALMON. 45
Wotton, could not command a decent respect from old Sam

Johnson, or persuade Venator that angling and hunting had
any right to be mentioned in the same breath. It is different
now. There may be no precedents of recognition in the

musty past, but the fruitful present utters no doubtful sound
at least, so far as Salmon fishing is concerned. Salmon
fishing hasbeen ennobled as a sport by Her Royal Highness,
the daughter of the Queen of England and Empress of India,
and conjointly by her noble spouse, the Marquis of Lome,
late Governor-General of Canada. With her own royal
hands the Princess Louise has captured a twenty-five pound
Salmon on the river Restigouche, and sent it home to her
Queen-mother, with the Jock Scott fly which caught it fixed
in its jaws, as a trophy of her prowess, and affidavit that the
feat was all her own!
No lukewarm sportsman is His Excellency, the Marquis.
It was my good fortune once to be privately presented to him
on the eve of an excursion down-river. It was at Quebec,
on the occasion of his inaugurating the Dufferin Terrace, in
1879. found the royal party on board the steamer Druid,
I
inspecting cabin quarters which they were to occupy en route

to the Restigouche, where they were going to fish. The
Druid was a government vessel, commanded by Captain Mar-
mion, with whom it had been my pleasure to make several
voyages around the Gulf of St. Lawrence as many as fifteen
years before. While I was pleasantly engaged in a friendly
chat with the veteran mariner, my friend, J. U.Gregory, Esq.,
came up the companion-way in
the Naval Agent at Quebec,
company with Major De Wintor, His Excellency's aide-de-
camp, and having presented me, announced that the Marquis
would be pleased to see me presently. I held one of Abbey &
Grubrie's oreide Salmon reels m my hand, and literally "stood
by the wheel," like a true helmsman, determined to shirk no
duty. Accordingly, when I came to a front face and present,
His Excellency took me graciously by the hand, and we occu-
pied common ground at once. We talked of fish and fishing-

tackle, the natural history of the country, and kindred topics,
and when we finally parted, I was quite at my ease, and felt
more than ever the truth of the old adage, that "one touch
of nature makes the whole world kin." Had we never fished,
we had never met!
Earl Dufferin, his predecessor, was a most proficient
angler, and so was the countess. Both were at one time
guests of the Hon. Allan Gilmour, of Ottawa, who owns a
princely preserve of 5,000 acres on the Godbout. They
fished that river in 1876, staid two days, and are credited with
a score of seven fish, aggregating seventy-one pounds in weight.
Dufferin on one occasion had fought a fish manfully in one
of the most difficult pools on the river, where the old Scotch-
man delights to test the mettle of his visitors. In an attempt
to bring the fish to gaff, after a long struggle, he slipped on
the rocks and plunged into the drink. He got a thorough
wetting, but saved his fish and won a reputation. The
laugh, however, does not come in here. The climax is
reached when his lordship appears an hour afterward in a dry
suit of Mr. Gilmour' s habiliments, loaned /;/ extremis, which
were as much of a fit as one could expect where one man was
only of fair average size, while the other stood six feet two
in his socks, and weighed at least sixteen stone.
The Godbout River is several hundred miles below Quebec,
and until recently was considered to be almost at the anti-
podes. At present date, however, nearly all of the rivers on the
north shore of the St. Lawrence River, which do not belong
to ancient seigniories, are up for lease, and it is every 3êar be-
coming more and more interesting to see how the spirit of
exploration and emulation is carr)'ing our own people of
the United States farther and farther into the remote por-
tions of the Canadian Dominion. Within two years they
have taken possession of a large part of the Lake St. John
country, and the wilderness lying between it and Quebec,
THE SALMON. 47
registering a club membership of over one hundred, and

numerous camps; and now the eye of the keen angler is
directed to the rivers on the eastern coast of Labrador,
which lie far beyond the line of popular ambition hitherto.
It will not be long before the Salmon rivers of Byron's Bay
and Sandwich Bay will be visited, while the Tomliscom, the

Hamilton, and the Nor'west Rivers of the Great Esquimaux
Bay, in latitude 55 degrees, which I described in "Harper's
Magazine" thirty years ago, will become places of annual
resort for anglers. These last named are fine Salmon rivers,
and the presence of two very considerable Hudson Bay ports
in the vicinity, within thirty miles of each other, relieves a
sojourn on the Bay of an asperity of aspect which might other-
wise seem hyperborean to a man who has never traveled in
higher latitudes.
The Esquimaux who live on the Bay number perhaps fifty
souls now, though once they were a community of seven

hundred; and each season they salt and smoke a large quantity
of Salmon for their own use and the consumption of the Hud-
son Bay employes at Rigolet and Nor'west River stations.
These two stations are headquarters for the Southern District
of Labrador. Fort Chimo, on Ungava Bay, is the head-
quarters of the Northern District, and there is a regular trail
from one to the other over the great dividing ridge which
separates the two. This ridge, or mountain range, extends
southwesterly across the Labrador to the Saguenay River,
touching it at or near Lake St. John. It is a most elevated
plateau, diversified by peaks and knobs, among which Mount

Nat Mokome (the Clerk) and an extensive range known as
the Mealy Mountains, are conspicuous, nearly all bare of
verdure, and snow-capped perpetually. I could write an
entire chapter about the physical geography of this region,

so little known, but this fishing paper is not a suitable place
for it. However, it is pertinent to state that on this vast
water-shed, which traverses a region containing 450,000 square
miles, are collected innumerable bodies of water, some of

them immense, like Lake Mistassini, larger than Ontario, and
others mere lakelets, out of which they discharge the melted
accumulations of winter in turbulent streams, which usually
plunge over lofty escarpments into the ocean and Gulf of St.
Lawrence, in falls from one hundred and fifty to four hundred
feet high. This feature is peculiar as well to the north shore
of the St. Lawrence River, from its mouth nearly up to Que-
bec. The celebrated Montmorenci Falls afford a striking
illustration thereof. Some of these falls impinge directly on
the river, while others are set back from one to four m.iles.
In many however, the waters of the interior find their
cases,
exit through great gorges and rifts in the rocks, and in all such
cases become Salmon rivers, unless there are obstacles to
obstruct their ascent. There are perhaps sixty of these rivers
catalogued for lease at theCrown Lands Department in Que-
bec. The most notable of theseare the LeVal,i 80 miles below
Quebec; Trinity, 276 miles; St. Margaret, 340; the Moisic,
364; the St. John du Nord, 454, constituting the boundary
line between the Province of Quebec and Labrador; the Min-
gon, 465 miles; the Natashquan, 571 miles, and the Esqui-
maux, 720 miles from Quebec. Seven hundred and twenty
miles are a good many "to make for a few Salmon. The St.
John du Nord used to be a favorite river of the Harriotts and
the Havemeyers, of New York, and actor W. J. Florence
used to fish the Natashquan. One summer, I think it was
in 1879, he went down with E. A. Sothern (Lord Dun-
dreary), the Duke of Beaufort, and Sir John Reid, ami
the party captured ninety-eight Salmon, weighing 1,328
pounds, in the course of about three weeks, though the
actual fishing time was but fifty-eight and one-eighth hours.
That bunch of Salmon must have cost the party about $3.50
per pound. The steamer which they chartered to take them
down from Quebec to the fishing-ground cost $1,000, and the
other expenses must have brought the bill up to $6,000, for
THE SALMON. 49
to be comfortable under such circumstances requires the

building of a commodious cabonc at the river; to have cooks,
gaffers, and supernumeraries; to provide liberally with pro-
visions and camp-furniture, as well as personal outfit. Even
the item of fly-oil, some wag has suggested, must have been
important of itself.
Reference to the many rivers of the Dominion to which

anglers resort would not be complete without including the
Margarie of Cape Breton, the Jupiter and Dauphine of Anti-
costi Island, and the Humber, Castor, Gauder, and Exploits,
and a good dozen others, of Newfoundland. The Margarie
and Newfoundland are easily reached by regular steamers
from Halifax, while Anticosti is accessible by chaloupes
which run frequently from Quebec to the island in the fish-
ing season.
At the present time all available Salmon rivers lie below
Quebec. But twenty years ago, and previously, the Jacques
Cartier, above Quebec, was noted for its fish, and a hundred
years ago many streams which empty into Lake Ontario con-
tained Salmon. Perhaps some day all of them may be re-
stored. In such event ambitious wielders of the ambidex-

trous rod will not be obliged to go to the Natashquan, nor
pay from $i,ooo to $6,000 for a brief period of sport. Never-
theless, thereis nothing in life better worth the paying for;,
and any man who has tussled with a big Salmon and brought
him to gaff may well feel himself a hero, and join with a vener-
able Godbout River poet, who is now far in the decline of life,
after boating and grassing hundreds of goodly Salmon, in the
epigram:
"At last the dubious fight is o'er!
The battle has been fairly won.

And the coveted prize lies safe on shore.
A beauty! a twenty-pounder good!
Hurrah! a prettier Salmon sure
Was ne'er seen beneath the sun."
50
THE PACIFIC SALMON.
BY W. A. PERRY ("sILALICUM").
the Pacific Coast there are found five species of

ON Sahiion, all of which, with the exception of one that is
locally confined, entering one short, rapid river, range up

the northwestern coast as far as the Arctic Circle, and even
beyond to Bering Straits. These fishes occupy a very impor-
tant position in regard to the welfare of the aboriginal popu-
lation of the coast, and even of the interior, in furnishing them
with their principal means of subsistence. The Salmon is, and
was, of greater importance to the Siwash (this term includes
all Indians speaking Chinook, and, in fact, all Indians be-
tween the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific, the northern line
of California, and British Columbia) than the elk, mountain
goat, moose, and deer combined. North of British Colum-
bia it is the main staple. True, there is an abundance of the
finest Halibut, Codfish, and Sturgeon, that the ocean can
produce, to be found along the entire northern coast; but

even these fishes, that supply the laboring people of the
coasts of Europe with what to them are luxuries, are by the
Indian and the Esquimau regarded with contempt, as being
fit only to be eaten in times of threatened starvation, or when
Salmon cannot be procured.
The species of Pacific Salmon are: the Quinnat, or Tyee
Salmon; the Kisutch, or Blue-back Salmon; the Nerka, or
Saw-qui Salmon; the Keta, or Cultus Salmon; the Quil-
layute, or Oolahan Salmon.
The Quinnat, or Tyee Salmon, is the largest that occurs
4 51
on the and often reaches a weight of one hundred

Pacific,
pounds. was formerly very abundant in the Sacramento
It
and Columbia Rivers, but the vast numbers caught and

canned yearly have reduced the great schools of these fishes
to but a tithe of their former numbers. They are abundant
yet in the Frazer River, and in the rivers farther north, and
are also caught in Puget Sound, but in limited numbers.
They are a beautiful fish, and a gamy one. They take the
trolling-spoon in salt water, or a hook, baited with Salmon-
roe, in fresh water.
The Kisutch, or Blue-back Salmon, is the dude among
Salmon, and is, next to the Tyee, the most valuable. It has
not the rich, firm fiesh of the Tyee, but is a delicious fish,
and the flesh is of a true Salmon colcjr. It is also a gamy
fish, and is even a greater favorite with anglers than the Tyee,
as it takes the spoon freely and lights desperatelv. This fish

is known also as Coho. It reaches a weight of over twenty
pounds, and it is in great demand with the commercial fisher-

men and canners.
The Nerka is but a rare visitant on Puget Sound, while on
the Frazer River it is the principal spring Salmon, sometimes
coming with the last run of the Tyee.
Perhaps one-half of the Salmon exported to England from
the canneries of the Frazer were Saw-qui when they sported
in that muddy stream. This fish never exceeds twelve or
fourteen pounds in weight, and is condemned by anglers.
When hooked he makes but little resistance, and comes
tamely in.
The Keta, or Cultus (meaning bad or worthless) Salmon,

otherwise known as the Dog Salmon, extends over the entire
northern Pacific coast. It is found in every river, every lake,
brook and streamlet, slough and ditch, that connect with the
rivers that afford water enough for it to swim in, and is even
said to be sometimes found floundering overland looking for
water. Its flesh is white and worthless, except to the Indians^
THE PACIFIC SALMON.
53
(Even crow is regarded as a delicacy with them.) The only

thing to be admired about this iish is its determination. It
has largely developed "get-there" qualities, and if it meets

an obstacle in the stream that it can't leap over, it will try
to climb over. Failing in this, it will ram against it with its
nose until it kills itself.
When you open a can of Columbia River Salmon, if you

find the meat white, insipid, and tasteless, you may safely
conclude that some old martyr of this species furnished the
contents. It grows to a weight of twelve pounds, takes the
spoon, and makes a determined fight.

The Quillayute is the smallest of the Salmon. It is found
only in the Quillayute River, Clallam County, Washington.
It is a short, thick fish, weighing about six pounds. It has
never been classified by naturalists. The flesh is well flavored
and firm. It also takes the spoon, and affords good sport.
On account of the richness of its flesh, the Indians have
named it the Oolahan, or Eulachon, after the Candlefish, and
no greater compliment could they have paid it, for in their
estimation the Candlefish is the most delicious morsel that
swims.
These species of Salmon are of great importance to the
white people of the northwest coast. Next to lumbering,
the handling of these fishes gives employment to the greatest
number of people. AIndians, and
great many Chinese,
"dagos" are also employed in this industry. An "off-year"
in the Salmon run means serious commercial depression in
this region, for the failure of the Salmon to come means the
locking up of millions of dollars that would otherwise be
distributed among the people.
I shall not here go into minute descriptions of the various
canneries, or of their methods of handling the fish. The only
allusion I will make is to the method of taking them.
In the early morning, boat after boat leaves the cannery
wharf. These boats are skiffs twenty feet long, and each is
THE PACIFIC SALMON. 55
manned by two men the boatman and the net-handler. In

the stern of the skiff a net of three-inch mesh, two hundred
and fifty yards long, and six feet deep, is carefully coiled.
To the brail-rope of this net empty live-gallon coal-oil cans
are attached, one hundred feet apart. Arriving at the place
selected for the day's work, the net-handler stands erect in
the boat, and quickly pays out the net over the stern, the
boatman meantime pulling for all he is worth. When the
net is once launched in the river, it is allowed to drift with
the current for half an hour, and then the which hasskifT,
drifted alongside, is rowed to the end of the net that was first
placed in the river, and the process of drawing the net and
killing the fish begins. If during the run of the Saw-qui, a
fish will be found every few feet, caught in a mesh and held
fast by the gills. The fish, in endeavoring to go up-stream,
force their way in spite of every seeming obstruction, and
when they meet the net try to force themselves through it.
The}' succeed in forcing their heads through, but cannot put

their bodies through the meshes of the net. In attempting
to withdraw their heads, the twine becomes entangled in their
gills, and the fate of poor Saw-qui is sealed. He is lifted
into the boat and dispatched with a stout bludgeon. The
net-tender then disentangles the fish from the net, and throws
it into a crate, or on the bottom of the boat. Should there
be more Salmon in the net than the skiff can carry, the nearest
boat is signaled and comes to the aid of this crew, and the fish
are taken at once to the cannery.
In 1879, while employed as an engineer on a tug belong-
ing to a cannery, myself and a friend took a boat and a net
one evening, and made a "drift." The result was four hun-
dred and forty-three Saw-qui, that would average eight
pounds. As the boatmen had concluded their labors for the
day and had gone home, we were in a plight. Our skiff
would not hold one-half the Salmon, and was soon loaded to
the gunwale. We drifted down the river, and fortunately met
a small steam-launch that took us in tow, and brought us

safely to the cannery wharf, where our Salmon were secured
and counted. We received one cent each for them, and con-
sidered ourse'lves well paid; but the next day the net-tender
put in a bill for twelve dollars damages, claiming that we had
torn and almost ruined his net. We paid the and
bill,
ever since we have considered that we "lost money on de

goods."
Various methods of taking the Pacific Salmonare by the
fish-wheel, "of all most infernal,"
diabolical inventions the
the net, the trap, the spoon, and the bait-hook. But I will
only describe here the methods of catching Salmon by hand.
When the sultry June sun shines on the Cascade Mount-
ains, the melting snow causes the river to rise rapidly. The
Indians watch and the various tribes
closely for this event,
gather in the deep, narrow canyon where the river runs.
The drying-sheds of these people have stood in the same
places since the unknown ages, and every year the same
families return to the same sheds. These sheds, or scaffolds,
are crudely, yet strongly, built. No nails or pins are used.
Posts are set firmly in the ground, to the tops of which beams
are firmly lashed with ropes of bark, and strong poles laid
from one rafter to another. Sometimes there will be a com-
plete net-work of beams and rafters, the whole capable of sus-
taining many tons of Salmon. This skeleton building is then
covered and sided up with bark, and noble Mr. Lo is ready
for business.
When the morning sun warms the air he arises, gives
himself a shake, and his toilet is made. Taking his dip-net
from the side of the bark rancherie, where he has slept, he
ambles down to the river, takes his position on a jutting rock,
and begins to drag his net down the stream. The hoop of
this net is usually thirty inches in diameter, and the net about
four feet deep. It is attached to a handle about twelve feet
long. The current of the Frazer is very swift, and in order
to fish successfully Mr. Lo has to exert himself in a manner

not at all to his liking.
It is a picturesque sight to watch one of these Indians
fishing his brown, nude figure pictured against the dark
basaltic rock throwing and withdrawing his net, and if suc-
cessful, the blue and orange of the great Salmon struggling
in the net which an interlacing of dia-
glitters in the sun like
mond cords. The fish is cast violently on the rock, and a

war-whoop thrills the air. Almost instantly, a squaw, as
nude as the fisherman on the rocks, appears and gets the
Salmon. In a short time a fire is blazing in the rancherie.
The Salmon is split in two, and on a hoop is roasting before
the fire. By the time the Salmon is cooked, the fisherman
may have a hundred lying on the rock. He then shoulders his
net, and returns to the rancherie, having all the fish that can
be cured that day. After disposing of the cooked Salmon,
he curls himself up under the shade of some rock, and sleeps
away the greater part of the day. When he dies, a great
wooden Salmon is erected on a pole over the place where he
sleeps in the Memaloose house. May he never be resurrected!
The squaw, when she finishes eating the fragments of
Salmon that her lord has left, proceeds to the rock and carries
the fish to the rancherie. She then cleans and splits them
and hangs them on the rafters. The eggs are thrown into a
hole in the corner of the rancherie. When they ripen to a
peculiar degree of nastiness, they are bailed out and molded
in a press into blocks, dried, and kept to be the food of
Tyees, on occasions of great state. The Salmon are smoked

on the rafters, then taken down, baled, and then hoisted up
into Salmon-houses, that are built high up in the branches of
trees. In former days, if any of these Indians offended an
officer of the Bay Company, he would find out the location
of their Salmon houses, and would send a missionary, armed

with a pair of telegraph-climbers and some arsenic, who
would investigate the contents of the bales. It is enough to
say that some rancheries were "to let" before the next spring;
and there would be a demand for wooden Salmon in the
Memaloose house.
A still easier method of taking the
Salmon, practiced by
these Indians, by trapping them as they ascend the smaller
is
rivers and creeks. A row of stakes, split from the red cedar,
is driven across the stream. In the center of the stream the
stakes take the form of a loop. Resting on the bottom of
this loop, and inclining upward at an angle of twenty-five
degrees, is a cradle about four feet wide and twenty-five feet
long. The Salmon encounter the stakes in the stream, and
follow the line until they enter the loop, and from there force
themselves up the slanting incline until they drop into the
cradle. This cradle, though lightly made, is strong, being
wickered up with vine-maple. During the day-time some
one is continually on the watch, and as soon as a Salmon is
floundering on the inclined platform, once removed by

it is at
the watcher with a peculiar gaff-hook, which I will describe
later.
Near the trap, on the bank, stands a bark-covered smoke-

house, such as I have described asin use on the Frazer, with
the same horrid smelling receptacle for eggs. In the morning

the trap presents an interesting appearance. The cradle is
full of struggling, writhing, flapping Salmon.' The Kisutch,

the Saw-qui, the Keta, and too often hundreds of beautiful
Mountain Trout, are heaped together in the cradle. As soon
as the Indians awake they rush out, and with shouts of glee
toss the contents of the trap on the bank, perhaps to rot
untouched, and the trap, always set, is ready for another
multitude of victims.
The gaff-hook used by these Indians is a peculiarly ingenious
affair. Procuring a shark-hook, they fasten a socket of wood
to the shank; a hole is bored into the socket to receive a
strong string. The handle of this gaff is a light pole that
fits neatly, yet loosely, into the socket of the hook. About
THE PACIFIC SALMON. 5,9
four inches from the end a hole is bored to receive a string.

The other end of the string is securely fastened to the socket
on the hook. The string is about a foot long.
When an Indian goes fishing with one of these hooks, he
rolls up his trousers, if he be the proud possessor of a pair,
and, wading into the stream, watches closely until he sees a

Salmon, when, placing the hook over the fish, he draws it
sharply toward him. If he strike the Salmon, the handle
draws out from the socket, and this prevents the handle from
being broken by the struggles of the fish. He then wades
ashore, kills the Salmon, extracts his hook, fits it on the
handle, and is ready for another assault on the innocents.
The Salmon enter the Frazer River in the following order:
The Tyee in June, the Saw-qui soon after, the Kisutch in
August, the Keta in September or October.
It is not necessary to discuss at greater length the schools
of these fishes that fill the streams from June to December.
Vast they are in numbers beyond human conception. To
attempt to describe the migration of the finny multitude
would be doing something that some men have attempted,
and have been ridiculed for their pains. I will therefore pro-
ceed with a description of how, on one occasion, we procured
Salmon for the "potlatch" of Skool, and will then treat of the
methods of trolling for the Salmon which are in vogue on the
Pacific Coast.
Potlatch is a word that
presume cannot be found in other
I
than a Chinook dictionary. The literal meaning of the term

is "to give." Used in the Siwash sense, it means a great
gathering of people, to whom some rich Siwash donates every-
thing he possesses.
Certainly this wouldn't be a bad plan for Vanderbilt, Jay
Gould, and other money magnates to adopt. Besides, to be a
guest at such a potlatch as these gentlemen could give would
be an agreeable experience for a man whose bank account can-
not be seen without a powerful magnifying glass. The giver of
6o AMERICAN GAME FISHES.
a potlatch prefaces the ceremony with a feast. It was to

aid in providing Sahnon for a feast of this kind that I volun-
teered, and the incidents of which I will relate.
I had
just returned from a hunting-trip in the mountains,
was busily engaged in reloading cartridges, when a shadow fell
across my threshold. Looking up, I saw, intently watching
me, Skool, chief of the Sumas, prince of the Nootsachs of
the Lummies, and a man fitted by nature and disposition to
be Major Domo of Hades. A dirty, sneaking scoundrel he
is, and if he knew how to be worse than he is, Skool would
certainly be worse.
I kept on with my work, paying no attention to him. For
some mmutes he stood motionless as a statue, and then, in a
voice modulated to an almost womanly tenderness, he said,
"Brother, Skool is here." Then I dropped my tools and
asked him what he wanted.
"I have known my brother these many years," began the
crafty Skool; "at times he isand uses his hands on
violent,
the heads and bodies of us, his red brothers. But for all the
beatings he has given us, still we love him. True, we do not
like to be beaten with sticks; neither do we like to be kicked.
Should any other than our brother do these things, some
night a knife would seek his heart; but to even be abused b}'
the white hunter, who fears nothing, is an honor. Skool asks
a favor of his brother. When I told Skaleel, he said, 'No;
I, Skaleel, am old and wise he will never grant even you,
"
Skool, such a great favor. '
"Well, what do you want.'" I asked.

Then Skool assumed an amusing attitude, and, in a voice
that would make the fortune of an actor, began:
"I, Skool, am brave, and wise, and rich. I have many
canoes, many horses, many blankets. In the lodge of Skool
are many bundles of dried Salmon, many bales of blankets.
I have looked at this great wealth; I have thought, here is
wealth that would make tribes happy, wealthy, and contented;

THE PACIFIC SALMON. 6l
yet here I keep it locked up. A month ago I said to the old
Prince Skaleel, who before me was the great Tyee of the
Somas, 'Skool is unhappy, because he is rich.' Then Skaleel
said: 'Let Skool give a great potlatch. Let him give a^\'ay
everything he owns. Let the wealth that troubles Skool be
distributed among the Indians, from the Salt Chuck to the
Father Hills, "^
from the .Skagit to the Yucon ;' and I said, 'It is
even as you wish it, O Father. ' Then we sent messengers to
many lands, far away, in canoes, to the green islands of the
North. Horsemen rode through the passes of the White
Mountains, and told our brothers, in the land of bunch-grass
and bright skies, to come and meet their brothers of the
North, at the potlatch of Skool. There the Hyda shall meet
the Spokane, and the Snake will meet the Tinneah. O, great
will be the gathering of the nations at the potlatch of Skool.
But morning the Skyu came unseen and entered into the
this
breasts of the young men of the tribe, and in the darkness
of the night they stole into the lodge of Skool and took from
there all the fire-water that was to warm the hearts of the
old chiefs of many nations. Now the fire-water has tied their
brains and loosened their tongues, and has taken all the
power from their legs. They are lying in the lodges like so
many hogs. And to-morrow is the feast of Skool, and not a
Salmon has he to feast a friend, not to speak of a multitude
from many lands. So I said to Skaleel: 'Silalicum will never
see disgrace rest on the name of Skool; he will think of the
time when Sumas, who
his sister, the bright-ej'ed star of the
now is a queen happy hunting-grounds of the unknown,
in the
was the friend of Skool. Not only will he come, but he will
bring his friend, he of the strong arm, with him, and together
they will catch many Salmon. ' And when the feast is spread,
I will say to the envious Smohallah, the dreamer from tiie
land of clear skies, 'Behold these great Salmon! They were

"
caught by Silalicum for the potlatch of Skool, his friend. '
Rocky Mountains.
The wily scoundrel carried his point, for in his speech he

had revived the memories of one whom to remember was
kind even of this reprobate. So, dismissing the Indian, I
walked across the valley to the house of m}' friend Nattrass,
"he of the strong arm," and told him of the promise I had
made to Skool.
"But how shall we catch them.^" he asked.
"Oh, that's easy enough," said I; "we will take our 22-cali-
ber Winchesters and shoot them."
"But what if some eastern sportsman would hear of this
and go for us in the papers.^ it's not sportsman-like."
Then I told him that if some eastern chap should give us a
roasting, it would do no harm, for nothing would be easier
than to explain that these were Keta, or Dog Salmon, who
yearly follow up the migration of the Kisutch Salmon and
destroy the spawn, and when that is accomplished, eat up all
the Trout in the brooks for amusement; that the Dog Salmon,
except for fattening hogs (for which purpose it is much used
by the ranchers), and for food for Indians, was worthless.
The next morning, as soon as the sun had risen, we were
on our way to the rancherie of Skool. The distance was
only two miles, which we speedily passed over, and when we
we were greeted byâ pandemonium
arrived near the rancherie
of noises. The young bucks were evidently not sobering off.
They peered at us from the openings in the tents, but made
no remarks. Perhaps they had reason to remember that
they had seen one of us before.
We found Skool and a band of squaws read}' to accompany
us. They were all armed with gaff-hooks such as I have
described. Hearing some murmuring among them, I asked

them why they did not want to go, and they told me that a
great cultus bear (cinnamon) had chased them away from the
fishing-grounds the day before, and that was why the young

bucks would not fish they were afraid of the bear. Just
then Skool came back, having overheard the conversation,
and struck one of the squaws in the mouth with all his might.
A moment later he was lying on his back with the blood flow-
ing in a stream from his nose. Evidently the white men ex-
pected to receive no presents from Skool.
When we we witnessed a sight almost
arrived at the falls
beyond belief. The were more of a rapid than a fall,
falls
having a descent of ten feet in twenty-five. The stream was

about eight feet wide and two feet deep, and was one living,
writhing, struggling mass of Salmon. They were passing up
in a continuous body. It was a continuous run of Salmon
from the Frazer River, six miles away, to the mountain lake,
three miles beyond. Nattrass stood like one petrified, and
gazed on the scene in astonishment. So much noise did
they make that, combined with the roar of the mountain
stream, we could scarcely hear each other speak.
I looked at Skool, who stood holding his swollen nose, and
saw that he wished me to begin operations at once; so, taking

my rifle, I fired the twenty-five shots that it contained into the
struggling mass that was forcing its way up the rapid.
Nattrass did the same. Soon the living became entangled
with the dead, and the whole mass came to a stand-still. Has-
tily reloading our magazines, we awaited the result. Soon the
jam was broken; the living forcing themselves up the stream,

and the dead ones floating back. Skool and the squaws, wading
into the stream, caught the latter and threw them on the bank.
Again we emptied our magazines, with like results. The
excitement became great, and the heap of Salmon on the
bank became large. Again, again, and again were the maga-
zines filled and emptied, until our supply of cartridges was
exhausted; but that did not occur before there was at least a
ton of Salmon lying on the bank. Then, at a word of com-
mand from Skool, each of the women, slinging fifteen of the
fish on a bark rope (they would average about twelve pounds
each), threw the bundle of fish over her shoulder and ambled
off down the path to the rancherie.
Asking Skool why he did not use the gaff-hooks, he repHed

that the hard rocks that bordered the streamwould ruin them,
and that not more than one or two fish could be caught before
the gaff would be broken. Asking him if he was satisfied with
the number of Salmon caught, he replied that he was not.
He said: "Many, many people; all the Salmon twelve women
can carry not much." By this time some of the young bucks
had partially sobered, and came staggering up the path. As
soon as they arrived they began to strip themselves naked,
and, taking the gaff-hooks,waded into the stream. They
caught but few Salmon before either the hooks or the handles
were broken. Then they began to search with their hands
under the bowlders and shelving rocks for fish. \\'hen they
felt one they would slip a hand in his gills, seize him by
the tail, bend his body so he could not struggle, and then
throw him far out on the bank.
The school of Salmon had (as always is the case in the
middle of the day) ceased to run. So it was only stragglers
that were now Skool proposed walking over a low
caught.
ridge and reaching the stream above. The stream is crooked,
and by walking a few hundred yards we would reach it at a point
where we would meet the great school of the morning. \\'hen
we arrived at the place desired, we found the stream three
times as wide as it was below, and but few inches in depth,
with a white, sandy bottom. It was literally filled with
Salmon. The Indians at once stripped themselves nude, and,

entering the living mass, began throwing them on the bank.
We walked along the bank, and, seizing a fish that ventured
too near the bank, would throw it on the shore. But we were
losing the great excitement the Indians were having, as they
ran laughing and splashing in the water. Besides, every fish
we caught would splash us from head to foot.
We could stand it no longer. I took my hunting-knife
and cut two vine-maple clubs. "Back to the Stone Age!" I
shouted. "Away with civilization!" and we were primeval
men once more. Stripping ourselves to the red flannel, we

leaped in the brook, brandishing our clubs, and for half an
hour waged a war on the poor old Dog Salmon that was never
excelled b}' starving red men for ferocity or destructiveness.
The clubs fell with a pendulum-like regularity on the heads of

the Salmon. They butted their rough noses against us, and
tried to force their heads beneath our feet. When we stooped
they would leap over us. It was a scene of grandeur as well
as of carnage. Above us frowned the eternal snow-capped
mountains; below slept the flower-decked valley of the Sumas;
beyond, the great Frazer, glittering in the light of the noonday
sun, swept onward to the ocean. Around us were the nude red
men, short of limb and long of body, whose bronze skins con-
trasted strangely with the small, broad-shouldered, slender-
waistcd white men. It took but a glance to remind one of
the change that food, shelter, and civilization wrought in the

white men. They were much the smaller, but in a battle
without weapons there would have been a sure victory for
the whites, even if they were but two to eight.
For an hour the "Stone Age" war rolled on.

half All that
time the living horde in its blue and crimson dress swept on
its upward way to the mountain lake; and all that time had
the nude men beaten and thumped the fish as they swept past.
At last the voice of Skool rang out, "Hy-yu! hy-yu!"
(enough, enough). We turned and saw a wall of Salmon
piled on the bank. Dropping our clubs and dressing our-
selves, we returned to civilization,and Skool had plenty of
Salmon for his potlatch, and yet none to spare.
It was nearly sunset when the steamer Premier left her

wharf at Vancouver, steamed out into the inlet, and thence
into the gulf. A smoky haze wrapped the distant mountains,
and the waters of the Gulf of Georgia were unruffled by even
the slightest breeze. The August sun beat fiercely down on
the deck, and most of the passengers kept in the shade of the
5
saloon, for even in the far north the August sun is too warm
for comfort.
Steadily to the south the steamer swiftly forced her way,
leaving a long trail of smoke behind her that hung low over
the water. Then there came a ripple on the water a faint
breath from the snow-clad mountains in the north and the
air grew strangely chill. The passengers sought their wraps,
and soon the bow of the steamer was crowded, all intently
admiring the beautiful scenery about them. And a fairer
scene was never witnessed on the earth. On either side of
the gulf rose a rugged line of snow-capped mountains. These
seen in the light of the setting sun seemed to be vast piles
of silver. In front rose from the water, like shadowy banks of
clouds, San Juan Archipelago, and high above the land, with
the Alpen glow shining on its bald top, rose Mount Constitu-
tion. As the steamer drew nearer, the islands assumed form,
and the rough, craggy ledges of the shore could be distinctly
seen, crowned with scattering trees of scraggy fir. The old
tourist at the angler's side viewed them with astonishment,
and said: "Nothing so grand on the coasts of Scotland or
Norway!"
It cannot be that Captain De Wolf is going to ground his
steamer.'' He is heading directly for a point on one of the

islands. Then comes a jingle on the slow bell the steamer
moves slower; then a clang on the gong, and her wheels cease
to move. Such is the depth of water among these islands that
the prow of the great steamer almost touches the rocky shore.
A boat is launched, and a lady and a little boy, accompanied
by a miscellaneous assortment of camp dunnage, is set ashore.
A moment later a splendid Hyda canoe is thrust out of the
gang-way. The angler enters it, and with one stroke of his
paddle is ashore. But he has forgotten something. "Throw
the dogs overboard, Captain!" he shouts; but the captain evi-
dently has ideas of his own, for he sends ihem on shore in the
boat. As soon as the boat returns it is hoisted in the gang-
way; there comes a clang on the gong; the angler shouts his
thanks to the kind-hearted, white-haired old captain on the
bridge, and with a waving of handkerchiefs on the bow that is
answered from the shore, the steamer glides swiftly away
from the island.
The angler is evidently an old camper. Almost instantly
the tent is raised; the camp-bed is set up, the various bundles
are unpacked, and the tent assumes a home-like aspect. Soon
a fire leaps into view at the tent door, and soon after the
aroma of coffee is spread like balm on the atmosphere. The
table is spread, a great can-like torch is lighted and hung on
the branch of a tree some distance away, from whence it
sends a bright, flickering light, making the surrounding objects
look weird in its uncanny light, beyond the circle of its blaze.
A pair of shining eyes are seen, and soon the hoot of the barred
owl rises, tremulous in its sad cadence.
But the angler and his wife are used to such sounds; so the
quivering, jarring voice of the owl has no unpleasant effect on
their nerves. As soon as supper is ended, the angler lights a
lantern, takes a spade, and walks along the rocky shore until
he reaches a sandy cove. Here he sets his lantern down
and begins to dig in the sand. At every spadeful he stops
and throws a dark-looking object to one side. When he has
secured a dozen of these objects he returns to the tent, first
placing the objects in the canoe. Then from a box he takes
his tackle and views it closely. It is common tackle, too
a long, thick cod-line, on one end of which is a broad copper

spoon. This is of rude construction. At a glance an
angler would see that it was home-made, being nothing but a
piece of copper cut out of a sheet with a tinner's shears.
This attached to the line by a swivel.
is At the other end a
hole punched in the spoon. To this end, through the hole,
is
a strong cod-hook is attache(? by a piece of cod-line an inch

long. Two feet from the spoon, in a loop, a sinker weighing
ten ounces is fastened.
6
As soon as his tackle is inspected, the angler makes prepara-

tions to retire. The dogs are chained up at the door of the
tent; he takes his rifle out of its case and fills the magazine
with cartridges, for sometimes the Indians of this locality are
inclined to be thievish, and even murderous. Then the light
is extinguished at the door, a bucket of water thrown on the
camp-fire, and all is still, save that the dogs occasionally
utter a low growl at some prowling raccoons.
At 3:30 o'clock in the morning a strange jarring, jingling
noise is heard. It is the sound of the alarm-clock set to waken
the angler at that hour. Before its whirring ceases he is up and
dressed, and, with his tackle in hand and paddle under his
arm, he seeks his canoe. But when he reaches the shore
there arises a subdued sound of muttered disappointment, but
so low that it cannot reach distant ears, for the Salmon will
not take the spoon when the tide is low. Tossing his paddle
and tackle into the canoe, he returns to the tent, unchains
his dogs,and then, taking his axe, wanders down the beach
to where there are some great logs of fir lying. Then he
engages in some of the exercise that the great English liber-
ator of Ireland loves not that he admired, or even loved, the
exercise but wood must be procured for camp use. Then,
after chopping a sufficient quantity, he began, Caliban-like,
to carry great pieces of the log to camp.' When this was
done he again chained up his dogs and returned to the canoe.
The tide had turned; but looking over the smooth channel,
he could not see the splash of a fin or a silver body leaping
in the air. He sat down on his canoe and waited.
Splash! splash! beat the waves on the shore. There was
not a ruffle on the water, yet the waves beat gently on the
shore. Strange are the mysteries of earth, but far stranger
and deeper are the mysteries of the great ocean. Who has
not listened to its strange and eerie moaning without a desire
to learn the secret of its distress
why its waves beat con-
stantly on the shore, and what causes its continual grieving.
The angler was soon aroused from his musings by a splash,

and, looking up, he saw a great silvery form rise in the air;
then another, and another. The canoe is launched with a
run. Then the angler climbs over the stern, takes his seat
in the bottom, and with a stroke of his paddle sends it swiftly
darting over the water. On every side the silvery forms are
now leaping. On
every side circular rings on the water are wid-
ening. Taking his spoon he casts it in the wake of the canoe,
and it begins to spin as he moves slowly away. Scarcely does
the paddle strike the water three times
scarcely thirty feet of
the line has been paid out
when, swish! the line is almost
jerked out of his hand. He seizes it in his teeth, drops on
his knees, and with a backward stroke of his paddle sends
the canoe astern. There are a series of jerks that almost
loosen his teeth. Dropping his paddle in the center of the
canoe, he again takes the line in both hands, and draws it
toward him. It does not come easily, for at the end of it is
a twenty-pound Kisutch, battling for Hfe and liberty. At

last he is drawn up to the side of the canoe, not exhausted in
the least. What a beauty he is, with his blue back, his sides
adorned with white, and his under-garments crimson! He
has rather an intelligent look in his bright eye. Look out!
he is making an effort to be off. He rushes up to the surface,
folds his tail under him, and is in the air in an instant. Poor
Kisutch! That is just what the angler wanted. There is a
quick jerk on the line, and the Salmon comes flying into the
canoe. A strong club is drawn and falls heavily across the
Salmon's head. There is a quiver, and then all is still.
The hook is hastily released from his jaw and is again
spinning in the wake of the canoe. Foot after foot of line is
paid out, until one hundred and sixty feet are out. Then the
angler, taking the line in his teeth, paddles swiftly away, but
does not go far before the line is jerked from his mouth with
such violence that for the instant he imagines his neck is
brokeHc Luckily, the line is fastened to the thwarts of the

canoe. Again the paddle is taken, and once more does the back-
ward stroke send the canoe astern. The hne is swerving through
the water with great velocity. Taking it in both hands, the
angler begins to haul it in, hand over hand. Then a great
Shad-like body leaps out of the water, shaking its head in a
vain endeavor to loosen the hook from its jaw; but it is firmly
caught. Again and again it leaps, but to no purpose; every
moment it is drawn nearer and nearer to the canoe. At last
it is swinmiing alongside. What a magnificent fellow it is!
But it is far too large to try to jerk into the canoe if it does
not spring, and it evidently has no idea of springing. With
a sudden wave of its tail it goes boring down. Foot after
foot of taut line is given it. All at once the pressure on the
line ceases, and the angler begins to look blue. Has the
hook broken.'* No; not yet. Suddenly the line again swerves
through the water with great speed. Hand over hand it is
drawn in again. Then the great fish rushes to the top of the
surface, and in a hurried succession of leaps throws himself
in the air, as if dancing some aquatic jig. But a tight line is
kept on him, and inch by inch he comes to the side of the

canoe. At last he is drawn, helpless and gasping, within
reach. A hand is inserted in his gills and he is thrown into
the canoe, where a blow from the club ends his existence.
He is a Tyee, and will weigh at least thirty-five pounds.
A faint gleam of light rests on the crown of Mount Constitu-
tion. Far across the gulf, the summits of the Olympics have
caught the glow of the rising sun and gleam brightly in the
early morning light. Afar off on the gulf are seen the sails of
a ship, and trailing along the horizon is a long wreath of
black smoke that indicates the course of an ocean steamer.
Nearer at hand dark bodies are moving through the water; at
frequent intervals a columiU of water rises high in the air.
The dark objects are a school of whales at play. Around the

canoe the air is filled with flashing and splashing creatures.
The angler would not exaggerate if he should say that he saw
a thousand Saimon in the air at once. When he has rested

for a few moments he again takes his paddle, and the bait is
again sent spinning behind him, only to be seized in a short

time by another Salmon.
This one, however, does not make the determined fight the
others did. There is no singing of the line, no leaping in the

air, no sounding beneath the canoe into the depths of the
water. Hand over hand the sluggish fish is brought in, and
with a jerk is launched in the canoe. It is a belated Nerka,
who should have been with his unreturning brothers when

they ascended the Frazer, months before. But if not a gamy
fish, he is a palatable one, and the angler does not regret his
delay. This specimen would weigh about ten pounds.

There are other fishermen abroad this morning. The
angler hears the swish of a paddle, and, looking up, sees an
Indian in a small canoe. He salutes the angler with a "Kla-
howa, tillicum." "Klahowa"is growled back at him. Then
the Siwash paddles alongside the angler's canoe and introduces
himself.
"I am Klumukus," he says; "I am a very good man. Do
you see where that smoke curls over the There the
spit.?
man who married my sister lives. He is also a good man;

he is a white man his name is Ben of Kalamazoo. We are

very dry so dry that I fear we will soon die if we do not
taste the fire-water of my white brother. When we saw your
canoe, Ben said: 'Do you see that beautiful canoe.-' See how
grandly the man in it paddles. He is a great man ^he is a
Hyas Tyee. No doubt he has many bottles of fire-water, and
will gladly spare his white brot-her, Ben Kalamazoo, and
of
his red brother, Klumukus, one.' Brother, I have spoken."
"Get out!" said the angler, and he turns his canoe abruptly
from the tawny villain, who had kissed the Chinook blarney-
stone, and is soon engaged in royal battle with a Kisutch.
Nor does this fight last long, for the regal fish is soon
gasping in the bottom of the canoe. This is repeated often
before the report of a rifle comes sharply over the water from
the tent, summoning the angler to breakfast. Soon, with long,
swinging strokes of his paddle, he reaches the beach near the
tent, springs ashore, and draws his canoe up on the beach.
The fish are unloaded and counted, and he finds he has caught
eighteen Salmon that will average sixteen pounds each.
After breakfast he takes a hatchet and breaks up the dark-
looking objects that he dug up in the sand the night before,
which prove to be mussels, and scours the ffesh white with
sea-water and sand. Using these for a lure on his rude
spoon, before noon he succeeds in catching twenty-four more
Salmon. When the steamer calls for him the following even-
ing, he has at least half a ton of Salmon carried on board.
Think of it! O ye anglers who pay an exorbitant license

to fish in the mosquito-haunted rivers of Canada! Here one
man intwo days has caught more Salmon (and he does not
consider himself an expert angler) than you could have caught
in a Canadian river in a whole season. Then remember
that directly west, where the Northern Pacific, or the Union
Pacific, or the Canadian Pacific Railway may land you in four
days, lies a region that for beauty of scenery, for mildness of
climate, and for absence
of insect plagues, the world
can never equal. Leave the insect-haunted rivers for old
fogies, and seek an outing in the summer-lahd of sunset, and
you will always bless the day you did so, and the man who
advised you thus.
You need not copy the rude methods of the man to whom
I have introduced you. You may, if you will (but I do not
advise it), bring with you your light, split-bamboo ffy rod,
your neatly turned Skinner or Buell spoon, your fifteen-thread
Cuttyhunk line, and your Kentucky reel, and may enjoy the
sport to your cultivated taste.
True, our Salmon do not take the ^y, but they are as gamy
when hooked as your Canadian Salmon; our waters are as
clear as your Canadian waters; our skies as bright as your
THE PACIFIC SALMON.
73
Canadian skies, and the labor of angling here is as nothing

compared to that of climbing over logs and bowlders, and
tramping through jungles on your Canadian rivers.
For thirteen seasons has the engineer caught the lordly

Salmon after the ancient and honorable manner of the Puy-
allups, the Dwuamishes, and the Lummies; which manner
consists of attaching a chalk-line to a spoon cut out of a piece
of tin, connected with a swivel. In connection with this
outfit is a stout club with whick the sportsman batters in the
skulls of his victims. This is a very killing combination.
Some kind individual, with malice aforethought, on the
publication of my Salmon-fishing sketch a year ago, sent me
an anonymous present of a fishing-rod, with reel and line
attached. It was a very pretty rod, and bore the name of a
popular eastern manufacturer. L felt proud of it, and ex-

hibited it to all my sportsmen friends. But alas! it is gone,
and should any brother sportsman in Alaska or Norway catch
a Tyee Salmon with this rod in tow, he will confer a favor
by returning it C. O. D. to Silalicum, Seattle, Washington,
and he may keep the fish.
The engineer will now proceed to unfold the growing horror
of his tale. He will unveil the dire accident that caused him
to lose his beautiful rod, and made him an ôbject of mirth
and ridicule to some hundreds of cosmopolitans who wit-
nessed his degradation, and giggled, screamed, and chattered
at his shame.
The new-born day had dawned clear and fair. A breath
of balm, wafted from fir and cedar forests, was in the air,
and a low north wind bore with it the fresh salt scent of the
sea. The stars were dying in the blue, and far across the
snow-crowned mountains in the east smiled the crimson blush
of morning. A dreamy stillness lay over the earth, sleep
ruled everywhere, and the bustling city lay wrapped in a
dream of calm,
With rod in hand the engineer sought the hoat-house, and

a short time later was ghding noiselessly over the water in
his Hyda canoe. Under wharves, among a fleet of all kinds
of smaller crafts, he pursued his noiseless way, until he
reached the city front. Then, threading ameng ships and
steamers, riding peacefully at anchor, he at last found him-
self alone on the bosom of the bay. When at sufficient dis-
tance from the shore he jointed his rod and attached a spoon
of his own construction to the line. Reeling off one hun-
dred and sixty feet of line, he knelt in the bottom of the canoe,
holding the rod between his knees, and began to paddle
swiftly across the bay.
The Hyda canoe is a craft peculiar to the northwest coast.
Formed out of a log of cedar by slow and diligent chopping
with a crude adze in the hands of an Indian it becomes a
thing of shape, balance, and beauty, that a white man can
never successfully imitate. Superstition ever being prominent
in the savage mind, the prows of these canoes are always shaped
into one of the totems by which the different families of their
tribes are designated either the bear, the raven, or the wolf.
The canoe that carried the engineer this fateful morning was
about fifteen feet long and twenty inches beam. It was
gayly decorated at the prow with a wolf-head that possessed
two large, glaring eyes of an exceedingly yellow color.
Evidently the Salmon were not hungry. The engineer pad-
dled half-way across the bay, but the savage rush that tells
that the Tyee is there was not telegraphed along the line.
Other boats now joined him, and four great scows loaded with
nets and Italians came creeping out from shore and anchored
in the middle of the bay, about a quarter of a mile apart.
Then the boats that had towed the scows out began to spread
the nets, forming a half-circle around the scows, perhaps two
hundred yards in extent. The foreign ruffians were evidently
happy, for, as they spread their nets, they sang a song very
much like this:
" We catcha plenta da salm;

We catcha him ebera day;
We sella him to da mon
At da cannery ober da bay,
Den we playa plenty da poka,
When da daylight fada away."
Boats of all kinds covered the bosom of the bay. All

nations on the earth were represented in that motley assem-
blage, from the tiny dot of an Indian girl in her little canoe, to
the English "Me Laud" whale-boat with six men at
in his
the oars. It was a good-natured, jolly sort of a mob. too,
even if it was a heterogeneous one. In crossing and recrossing

so often, lines would become entangled, but such mishaps were
taken as unavoidable, and a commendable Christian spirit
was displayed on such accidents occurring.
The engineer, gazing down the bay, saw something flash in
the air like the gleam of a silver scimeter. Hastily reeling
in his line, he began to paddle strongly in that direction.
The began to multiply by hundreds, and soon a
flashes then
great shining body leaped in the air at the very prow of the
canoe, and fell with a heavy splash, leaving a widening ring
on the hitherto unruffled mirror-like plain. A moment later
the troll was spinning through the water, soon to be seized
with a heavy twitch, and then the line began^to hiss through
the water and the reel to whir.
Dropping his paddle in the bottom of the canoe, the engineer
began "monkeying" with the Tyee at the other end of the
string in the sportsman-like manner recommended by the dude
sportsman of the effete East. A tight line was kept on him
till at last his frantic leaps and rushes were ended, and he
floated, gasping, at the side of the canoe. A boat containing
a sickly-looking dude and two pretty girls fresh from cultured
Boston now drifted alongside, and one of the ladies requested
the privilege of landing the fish. The rod was passed to her,
and after a little delay the victim was gaffed and lay flounder-
ing in his last struggle in the bottom of the skif^. From the
THE PACIFIC SALMON. 'J'J
Strike until he was landed was fully twenty minutes. In the

ancient aboriginal manner he would have been "taken in and
done for" in one minute. Nineteen minutes of useful time
wasted just to be in the fashionable swim!
After presenting the young lady with the victim she had
landed, the engineer paddled away, and soon joined the merry
throng of anglers. A myriad of Salmon surrounded them,
and but few of the two hundred or more boats that were in
the fleet had failed to capture one or more Salmon. But in
all that flotilla the engineer was the only one who attempted
the scientific method. Striking a fish, he began to reel in or

pay out his line, as the rushes of the fish required. Then
the ridiculous appearance that he made became strongly
apparent, when, after landing his quarry (a tiny fingerling of
eight pounds), he became an object of ridicule and the sub-
ject of much chaffing. Ancient squaws derided him as"cultus"
(exceedingly bad or worthless). A weather-beaten old tar
with one leg called him a dude, and said he was sorry for
him. Chinamen smiled that bland smile that means certain
death to the one smiled upon, especially if the smiler is a
member of the noble order of Highbinders, and happens to
have his Malay Kriss about him. People of many other
nations made equally flattering remarks to him. Then he
became indignant, said he would seek better company, and
began to paddle sarcastically in the direction where some sea-
hogs, or porpoises, were rolling in the straits.
The course in which he was paddling brought him near one
of the scows where the Italians were drawing a net. Four
sturdy maccaroni-fed Romans were pulling on each end of
the net, while two Greek patriots beat the water with wide
oars, that made a great splashing, on the opposite side of
the scow, in order to frighten any Salmon who might attempt
to escape back into the net. The engineer waited until the
net was drawn and the fishes tossed into the scow. In this
draw over three hundred Salmon and one small Shark were
captured. The latter, in endeavoring to escape, had torn the

net, and many Salmon had escaped through the rent. When
the poor sea-wolf was drawn upon the scow, the foreign gen-
tlemen began to slash him savagely with their knives. After
stabbing him in many places they cut off his fins, and then

threw him overboard a warning to all net-destroyers.
A short distance from the scene of this tragedy the engineer
hooked a Salmon and landed him without difficulty. This
Salmon was a Nerka, and was a tame fish indeed. Like
Crockett's 'coon, he just come in. This spiritless disgrace to
the Salmon was bestowed upon a hapless Chinaman

tribe
who was greatly out of luckand had not caught a fish all
morning. Here the engineer was joined by the Boston dude
and his fair companions, who had been unsuccessful, not even
having had a nibble all morning. There is certainly no gal-
lantry among Salmon. Even death by such fair hands must
be sweet.
While the engineer was paddling slowly along, talking to
the occupants of the skiff, he was aware of a strike of a
swift, sudden, determined strike. The rod was jerked until it
bent in the arc of a circle, and the reel made a whir like that
made by the wings of a frightened grouse. His line went zig-
zagging through the water with great velocity.
It may be easy enough to manage a fish in the dude style
where the angler has plenty of sea-room, but it is no picnic to

do so when one is in the center of two hundred or more boats.
Still the engineer kept on playing his Salmon in true scientific
style. When the line slackened he would speedily reel it in,

and when the fish pulled strongly on the line he would
allow the reel to run. He became the center of all curiosity.

Every other boat suspended operations the occupants vied
one with the other in making uncharitable remarks. The
low, guttural voices of the Indians could be heard as they
muttered curses on the iconoclast who would upset old cus-
toms. At last the Tyee was brought, gasping, to the side of
the canoe, and the engineer, taking his gaff, reached carefully
down, and was just in the act of hooking the fish, when, wath
a wave of its tail, it moved away to the leeward. The
engineer leaned far over the side, and made a fearful sweep
at it with his gaff, when his canoe glided from under him,
and he saw the butt of his beautiful rod vanish in the water,
as down, down he went. At last he returned to the surface,
blew the water from his nostrils, and swam to his canoe.
His reappearance was greeted with a chorus of howls that
made the echoes ring. The Boston dude rowed his boat
alongside, and the engineer, with the help of a hand extended
by one of the ladies, clambered into the boat.
The canoe was soon righted, and his paddle, that was float-
ing on the water, secured. Then entering it, he paddled with
downcast eyes and heavy heart through the flotilla of Salmon-
fishers, and never stopped until he reached the boat-house.
When he secured his canoe he went and danced a war-dance,

sung a scalp-song, loud and wild, and since then no one has
dared to ask him how he likes the dude way of catching
Salmon. And around the Indian camp-fires the story is often
told, how a cultus w^hite man attempted to improve on the
method of catching Salmon practiced by their fathers since
by-gone ages, and how the spirit of the waters, angered at
his conduct, dragged him from his canoe and almost drowned
him.
THE LAND-LOCKED SALMON, OR WANANISHE.
BY J.
G. AYLWIN CREIGHTON.
Synonyms. Salmo Salar, variety Sebago; Sebago Salmon; Sebago Trout;

Schoodic Salmon; Land-locked Salmon; Silfverlax; Sa/io Argentens ; Win-
anishe, Wananishe, or Ouinaniche.
used to be an article of faith with naturaHsts and anglers

IT that a
Salmon using the word in its every-day sense,
not in the technical one of Salmo, which generic name
includes many very different fish,some of them merely Trout
is a salt-water fish which comes into fresh-water rivers to
spawn, and then returns to the sea, or, to use a convenient
word, is anadromous. Hence the specific designation Salar.
The older British writers on the Salrnonid(2 seem never to
have heard any exception to this rule, or else, in referring
of
to the question whether Salmon can make their home in fresh
water, answer it with a decided negative; in a few instances
quoting cases of fish dying under the experiment.
Yet nothing in the range of observed facts relating to the

Salmonidce as to which the great modern English ichthyolo-
gist, Gunther, observes that "The unusual attention which
has been given to their study has revealed an almost greater

amount unexplained facts than of satisfactory solutions of
of

the questions raised " is better established now than the
existence in certain parts of the United States, Canada, and
Sweden of a Salmon which inhabits lakes, and is anatomically
indistinguishable from the salt-water Salmon. The Land-
locked Salmon of Maine have been well known for over fifty
years. Mr. C. G. Atkins, superintendent of the Schoodic

6 81
Salmon-breeding establishment, on Grand Lake Stream, says

that it occurs only in four limited districts, all in Maine the
systems of the Presumpscot, the Sebec, the Union, which is a
tributary of the Penobscot, and the St. Croix Rivers. Lake
Sebago in the Presumpscot system furnishes the largest speci-
mens and has given the name by which this fish is known
to scientists, Salino Salar, variety Sebago. The Schoodic
River, which is the west branch of the St. Croix, and into
which Grand Lake discharges, is the origin of another and
more popular name. Since the founding of the breeding
establishment in 1875, the Schoodic Salmon have been widely
distributed in the United States, with varying success. They
have also been transported to Scotland and Germany, where
they have done well.
The Winanishe, Wananishe, or Ouinaniche, of the Upper
Saguenay and the Lake St. John river system, has also been
well known since the settlement of that region of the Province
of Quebec, about 1850, and was familiar to the Indians and
Hudson Bay Company's voyageurs long before then. The
etymology of the name is unsettled, but is probably derived
from the Cree root "wan," to lose or mistake, applied either
to the fish having lost itself or being taken for a Salmon.
Though Charles Hallock fished the Upper Saguenay, or
Grande Decharge, as it is locally named, and described the
Wananishe fifteen years ago, only a few anglers seem to have
known either the fish or its habitat until lately. Their re-
discovery by fishing tourists and sporting journals and the
marvelous accounts given in railway and hotel advertise-
ments are amusing to those who have made for many years
a special study of the fish and region, but it is to be feared
that they mark the beginning of the end of a peculiarly inter-
esting game fish.
The Wananishe and the Land-locked Salmon of Maine are
identical, the only observable difference being a slight one in
coloration. This is always an unimportant distinction, and
THE LAND-LOCKED SALMON. 83
in this instance does not amount to so much as is often found

in Brook Trout inhabiting the same waters, to say nothing of
the wide differences in color and form between Trout of differ-
ent locahties.
The same fish occurs in several lakes in Nova Scotia, where
it is erroneously called "Grayling," in Lock Lomond and
other lakes in New Brunswick, and according to Mr. Hallock,
Peterborough County, Ontario. It is possible
in the lakes of
that the Salmon, which within this generation's memory

abounded in Lake Ontario, were also purely fresh-water fish.
That at least is the opinion of Mr. Wilmot, the superin-
tendent of the Canadian Government Fish Hatcheries, who
has studied them all his life. The "Silfverlax," or Lake Sal-
mon of Wenern and other Swedish lakes the Sahno Argen-
teiis of Swedish naturalists corresponds very closely, both as
to the descriptions of its appearance and the circumstances
under which it is found, with the others above mentioned.
In British Columbia, too, a lake Salmon is found, concerning
which my information is at present too meager to enable me
to say more than that it is highly probable that under similar
circumstances some of the Pacific Salmon, admittedly quite
distinct species from the Salii/o Salar of the Atlantic, have
acquired a fresh-water habitat. In some of the rivers of
Labrador, which are all simply the connections between, and
discharges of, extensive lake systems, I found and identified,
in 1889, my well-known friend, the Wananishe. It will, there-
fore, be seen that the range of this fish, so far from being
limited, is very extensive. The probability is that as oppor-
tunities for skilled investigation multiply, it will be found in
many other places.
Three things are noteworthy about its distribution. It is
always found at the head-waters of rivers to which Salmon
actually resort now, or to which they are known to have
resorted. Though in some places there are apparently in-
superable obstacles in the way of its ascent from the sea,
there is nowhere, so far as Ican learn, any positive evidence

that it cannot descend if it would. In every case the rivers
are the outflow of large lakes which seem to be what the sea
is to the salt-water Salmon.
It is a vexed question whether or not the species was known
in Maine before the erection of dams preventing the ascent
of the Salmon, which once were so numerous in that State;
there are no natural obstructions. In the Saguenay there are
no high falls, none of them are perpendicular, and the rapids,
though very strong, are by no means insuperable for Salmon,
and, with intervals of quiet water, extend only some forty
miles from tide-water. In New Brunswick the obstructions
are artificial, and have been made within the memory of man.
At Grand Lake, Nova Scotia, the communication with the sea
is direct by the Shubenacadic River, in its lower reaches, a
muddy, tidal stream. In other Nova Scotian localities, dams

may have cut off the connection. In the Stony Lake Chain
of Peterborough County, Ontario, there is rather a round-
about, but, on the whole, an unobstructed connection with
Lake Ontario, and thence by way of the
directly with the sea
St. Lawrence. The rapids between Kingston and Montreal
could be run by without difficulty, but the journey from salt
water is a long one, and it is many years since a Salmon is
known to have been caught in the St. Lawfence or any of its
tributaries further up than the Jacques Cartier River, a few
miles above Quebec, and now the most westerly Salmon
stream in the Province. In Sweden the Trolhattan Falls,
five in number, with a total height of one hundred and twenty
feet, in a narrow gorge, are admittedly impassable for Salmon.
In British Columbia, the access to the Kootenai lakes is

obstructed by a heavy fall which may have been surmountable
at times; but Salmon may also have found their way into
these lakes, at periods of extraordinarily high water, through
the marshy belt, only two miles wide, which separates the
Kootenai River above the lakes from the Upper Columbia,
In the Labrador rivers there are ranges of falls near the sea,
to get over which the Salmon have to await suitable stages of
water; in some instances these falls are almost insurmount-
able, but inmost cases there are large, deep lakes above them
abounding in tish-food, and connected by stretches of swift
water, broken by falls and rocky rapids.
"Land-locked," therefore, is rather a misnomer, if it is
meant to imply any natural and involuntary restriction upon
a return to the sea. But as all other designations are merely
local names, and it is hard to find a satisfactory one, it may
as well be retained.
It remains to be seen how far it is true that these so-called
Land-locked Salmon would not go to the sea if they could.
Mr. George F. Boardman, in a letter to Mr. Hallock, given in
full in the Sportsman' s Gazetteer, states that in his boy-
hood they were plentiful in most of the rivers of the Bay of

Fundy, as well as along the State of Maine; that they were
common to the tide-waters, and were taken as far down as
there were fish-weirs. Mr. C. G. Atkins says:
"There is nothing at present to prevent any of these Salmon
going out to sea from any of those waters where they are
now found. There are no obstructions to their coming back
if they once went to the sea; and these same obstructions
would prevent the sea Salmon having access to the upper
waters where the Land-locked Salmon now live."
As Dr. Francis Day observes, it is certainly remarkable that
among the Scandinavian land-locked races some are found
in a number of lakes with broad outlets into the sea. This
exactly corresponds with my own observations in Labrador,
where I found the Sabno Scbago in tidal but fresh water, as
well as at the outlet of the lakes, and in company with the
true Salmon and which gave an admirable opportunity
Grilse,
of direct comparison of the two varieties. I was fortunate in
having with me a Saguenay canoe-man, in whose company I

had caught many a Wananishe. The first of the Labrador
specimens he recognized at once with great dehght, as he

had been entertaining his incredulous companions with stories
of the fighting powers of the Httle Salmon of Lake St. John.
The other men, natives of the coast, old Salmon fishermen,
able to from different rivers, were puzzled at
tell at sight fish
the difference in colorand general appearance of the fish, but

never questioned its being a small Salmon. The external
difference between it and the Grilse, a large run of which we
were then having, was equally noticeable.
In the Upper Saguenay there is nothing whatever to pre-
vent the descent of the fish to way is direct, broad,
the sea; the
and easy, as compared with some Salmon rivers. There is
a tremendous rush of water in the rapids, but the strongest of
them all, the Grande Chute, is the one by which the fish
descend from Lake St. John. As a matter of fact, large
numbers of Wananishe are to be seen in the brackish water of
the tide-way at Chicoutimi every spring at the time of the
heavy freshets, and may be caught at the head of the tide just
below the first rapids from that time till the ice sets in; stray
ones are found in the Salmon streams tributary to the Lower
Saguenay, in the salt water at Tadoussac, and a couple were
taken in the St. Lawrence just above the Saguenay.
Whether these Saguenay fish reascend from the tide-way is
as yet undetermined. In 1883 and 1885 I marked several
hundred, but have never heard of them again. The modes

adopted cutting a hole with a punch in the dorsal fin, and
snipping off a portion of the adipose fin are unreliable, for
the fins of fish grow like one's finger-nails, and lacerations

soon heal, but they were the only means available at the
time. A systematic series of experiments by marking fish
with numbered tags of platinum, attached to the dorsal fin by
platinum wire, is much to be desired. The recapture of a
very few would probably solve the whole

fish thus identifiable
problem of their movements, and shed much light on the

questions as to the origin and permanency of the species.
THE LAND-LOCKED SALMON. 8/
The which flow into Lake St. John all contain Wana-
rivers
nishe, which, however, do not ascend them in any great num-
ber till the autumn. The ova are well developed at the end
of September, and the fish are then on their way to the
spawning-beds, which Salmon proper,

are, as in the case of the
gravelly shallows with a steady current over them. The

spawning season is at the end of October, The spring move-
ment of the fish from Lake St. John down into the Grande
Decharge, and the autumn movement up into the rivers flow-
ing into the lake, correspond with the spring and autumn
migrations observed at Schoodic Lake by Mr. Atkins. A
number of the fish, however, remain in the Grande Decharge
and evidently breed there and in its small tributary streams,
for the adults can be caught through the ice, and I have taken
parr and smolts at almost every part of the Grande Decharge.
These, however, may possibly have come down with the
spring freshets. On the other hand, I have repeatedly taken
adults there in September with milt and ova well developed;
the change of coloration, hooked lower jaw, indifference to
food, sluggish movements, and all the other characteristics
of Salmon near spawning-time, were well marked in them.
The Wananishe reach their greatest size in that region in
the large lakes connecting with the rivers that flow into the
north side of Lake St. John after long courses over numer-
ous and very high falls. Lake Tshistagama or Sautagama,
In
on the Peribonca River, the water is deep, cold, and abounds
with small food-fish. The Wananishe will not rise to the fly in
the lakes, but are readily caught with bait, a spoon, or the
artificial minnow. Specimens from this lake, weighing from
five to seven pounds, were found gorged with young White-
fish and another small fish, apparently a species of Smelt
[Osvierus), but too much decomposed to be precisely iden-
tified. observed a peculiar circumstance in connection
I
with these Wananishe on the Peribonca River, in Septem-

ber, 1885, at the Chute au Diable, a fall of about eighty feet
in height, divided by an island into two branches, one

of which is perpendicular, the other broken into steps. In a
small deep hole half-way up the latter, I caught five Wananishe
of from two and one-half to four and one-half pounds in weight,
which were apparently spawning. The ova and milt exuded
when the fish were handled; the noses of the fish were abraded
as when they turn up gravel to form their beds, and the
ovaries of one of the females were half emptied. It was
earlier than the usual spawning-time, and on the most unlikely

spawning-ground that could be imagined. I should not even
have suspected the presence of any fish there.

We were returning from a long journey up the river, and
had run out of provisions altogether. One of the men whom
I had set to work to catch something, somehow, threw his
bait into this hole casually, on his way down to the foot of
the fall, and had a rise from a large fish. As anxious a day's
fishing as I ever did succeeded this. A wary cast of a Jock
Scott brought a fish to look at the i\y, and turn back deliber-
ately. After a half-hour interval he came again. Every fly
in the book, and every dodge I knew, were pitted against the
provoking indisposition of those Wananishe to be caught. At
last it became a matter of personal pride as well as of hunger.
Eventually artfulness and patience triumphed, and an interest-
ing discovery, as well as a good supper, resulted; but it was
hard to take measurements and notes of those fish before
handing them to the cook.
The size of the Land-locked Salmon varies a good deal, in
different waters, but is pretty uniform in each locality.
According to Mr. Atkins, the Sebago and Union fish are larger
than those of the Sebec and St. Croix. The Sebago fish
average at spawning-time four or five pounds for the males,
and a pound less for the females; but specimens running as
high as twelve or fourteen pounds are not rare, and there is a
record of one weighing seventeen and one-half pounds. The
Union River fish are about the same size as those of Sebago,
The St. Croix fish vary in size at different parts of the

water system which they are found; those of the Schoodic
in
River and Grand Lake Stream, where they are most numerous
and where the hatchery is situated, average a httle less than
three pounds; specimens over six pounds are rare, and there
is no record of anything over ten pounds. It appears that
the average size in Grand Lake Stream increased to about
four pounds between 1875 and 1884. These fish, however,
were the ones specially taken for breeding purposes by Mr.
Atkins, and therefore would probably be large; and owing to
their protection for nine years, there would naturally be a
greater number to select from.
The Lake Wenern Salmon of Sweden, like the larger of the
Sebago examples, are equal to sea Salmon in size. Dr. Day
gives the lengths of a couple examined by him as thirty-one
and thirty-three inches, and other accounts show that they
run from seven to twenty pounds.
The Nova Scotia and New Brunswick fish are small the
latter especially; a couple of pounds is a good weight for
them, but the waters which they occur are comparatively
in
restricted in area, and they are much fished. Hallock states

that he has seen specimens of the Salmon from the Stony Lake
Chain, in Ontario, weighing twenty pounds. This curiously
enough, for it is the nearest to me is the only one of the
"Land-locked Salmon," besides the Swedish variety, that I
have not personally examined; but I have never been able to
visit the region during the fishing season, and cannot succeed
in getting a specimen. I sometimes think Mr. Hallock's fish
must have been the true Salmon of Lake Ontario, now all but
extinct. In spite of efforts to preserve them, and to propagate
them by artificial breeding, which promised for a time to be
successful, the changed conditions of the streams, owing to
the clearing and settlement of the country, have been fatal.
It is worth noting that, though game and game fishes can
and do survive civilization in Europe, they soon disappear

on this continent, under conditions that seem more favorable.

Trout and Salmon manage to exist in British streams bris-
tling with nets, weirs, dams, and all manner of destructive
engines, and polluted by sewage and the refuse of manufact-
ories, but in America, once the country is cultivated, they van-
islT. The preservation of their spawning-grounds in the nat-
ural condition, if they can get there at all, is probably the
reason the former case.
in In England the change in
due to the disappearance of forests, can never have
rain-fall,
been so great as it is in America.

The Lake St. John and Saguenay fish average a little
over two and one-half pounds. Four-pound fish were
numerous enough a few years ago, but anything over that
size is large, and only occasionally will a six-pounder
be found. Out of many thousands I have seen but one
seven-pound fish; it was twenty-seven inches in length,
and a very lank specimen. If properly filled out, it
would have weighed nine or ten pounds. This solitary in-
stance gives one some faith in the stories of the large size of
the Wananishe when the region was first settled, forty years
ago. Occasionally very large ones are seen feeding by them-

selves, but they are extremely wary, and there is no authentic
record of one above seven pounds, though the late Senator
David Price, of Chicoutimi, is said to have caught one of
eleven pounds in weight.
I did not get enough of the Labrador fish to establish an

average, but I imagine them to be large, because of the abun-
dance of food, great area of the lakes, and freedom from dis-
turbance. My specimens varied from a quarter of a pound to
sixand one-half pounds. The Indians said much larger fish
were plentiful far up the rivers, but we all know how that is
ourselves.
As my own observations have been chiefly of the Wananishe,
I will confine myself to the appearance and dimensions of this
variety, which agree very closely with those of the Schoodic
THE LAND-LOCKED SALMON. QI
Salmon as described by Mr. Atkins. The Wananishe is a

much longer fish, and altogether larger, in proportion to his
weight, than is the Brook Trout, as the following figures show:
z H z
< u U Z <
a: H Q u
"
I.
Sahno Salar Jordan & Gilbert
Sdhno Scl'iigo Hamlin
II
12
[I
i2
9
10
J. 15 9
3. Wananishe Lake St. John. II 14 12 9 10
4
/( ananishe Labrador 12 [I 9
5. Sahilinus Namaycush Jordan & Gilbert. II- 12 II II
6.
Salvelinus fontitialis Jordan & Gilbert. . 10 9
Specimens under a pound are rare, and are found in shallow

water and small streams. It was a long time before I suc-
ceeded in getting a Wananishe parr, even in water which I

knew to be just below favorite spawning-grounds. They are
almost indistinguishable from Salmon parr, and are probably
taken for small Trout, if ever observed at all. The four-
ounce fish have already put on the silvery livery of the smolt,
through which the transverse bands of the parr-marking
show distinctly. In specimens of from a pound to a pound
and one-quarter the silver scales rub off easily, and the parr-
bands are to be seen even on fish up to two pounds in weight.
Mr. Atkins states that the marks are distinct on the under
side of the skin of adult fish of the Schoodic variety. This per-
sistency of the parr marking is considered by him to be evidence
of arrested development, and perhaps rightly so, when we con-
nect with it the fact, established by the Howietoun experi-
ments, that the parr and smolt of the sea Salmon, both male
and female, when bred and raised entirely in fresh water, can re-
produce their species, and that their progeny again are fertile.
As to shape, the Wananishe is a perfect Salmon, only a
dwarf; and the highest ichthyological authorities on both sides
of the ocean are agreed that there is no difference of anatomy
between Sabno Salar and Salnio Sebago. I have myself dis-
sected many specimens of sea Salmon and Wananishe, but can
detect no permanent or tangible mark of difference between
them.
The preoperculum, or small bone at the back of the gill
cover, has the rounded corner characteristic of the Salmon.

The system of dentition in the Wananishe is precisely that
of Salino Salar, but the teeth are larger and more numerous
on the vomer and palatines. This is probably a case of specific
adaptation, as the Wananishe lives much on small fish, and
unlike the sea Salmon when the latter is in fresh water, is
continually feeding. In some specimens I have found a few
teeth on the hyoid bone, though Jordan & Gilbert ("Synop-
sis of the Fishes of North America," 1882, p. 311), following
Gunthsr, give the absence of hyoid teeth as a characteristic
of the genus Salar.
The number of spinal vertebrae is 59 60; of csecal append-
ages, have counted from 50-60 in different specimens.
I
There are 120 rows of scales along the lateral line, 11- 12 in
a line from the edge of the adipose fin to the lateral line,
which, if continued, would pass just above the pupil of the eye,
and is well marked.
The fins are proportionately much larger than in the sea
Salmon, especially thj tail, which is deeply forked in the 3'oung
fish, but only slightly lunate in large adults. In a five-pound
specimen it will have a spread of seven or eight inches; in a
three-pound fish, si.x inches. The dorsal is high and broad,
the pectorals long. The adipose fin is unusually large.
The number of branchiostegal and
rays has long been fin
abandoned as a specific criterion, but the following compari-

son shows the similarity in this respect between the various
species:
LENGTH OVERALL GIRTH AT DORSAL. WEIGHT.
TO END OF TAIL. INCHES. LBS. OZ
8'X 3% 4
9M ^% 6
12 6 10
15 7K I
18 9 2 2
22 10'/, 3 4
23'^ ii'4 4 2
25 >^ 11^ 4 8
25 12 5 4
26 13 6
The eye is remarkably large, about three-quarters of an

THE lAnd-loCkeD salmon. 93
inch in diameter in the adult, with a pupil a quarter of an

inch in diameter. These measurements are much greater
than in the sea Salmon of fifteen to twenty pounds weight.
In the young fish the back is of a bluish olive when just
out of water, turning into a silverish steely blue, which changes

to silver below the medial line. The belly is pure white.
The back is thickly maculated with black oval spots, not ver-
niculated as in Trout. On
specimens under a half-pound,
there are no X-marks on the sides, but seven small, round,
bright scarlet spots evenly spaced along the medial line, with
an additional one just above the pectoral fin. The dark blue
parr-bandings are eight in number, and about three-eighths of
an inch wide; the head is deep bluish green, inclining to black;
the gill covers silver, with olive and green shading. Upon
the operculum are two or three irregular, dusky olive, purple
and green patches, and two or three deep black, perfectly
The throat and branchiostegals
circular spots of small size.
are white, shaded with dusky gray, inclining to lead color.
There are some blackish spots along the base of the dorsal,
but none on the tail. The adipose fin is blackish blue.
In the fresh-run adult the color runs from deep black on the
back, through bluish green on the sides, to silvery green at
the medial line, and silvery white below that. When the fish
is just out of the water the body-color is very iridescent, show-
ing green and purple bronze with a tint of rose. The oval
spots on the back are so black and run so closely together as
to be hardly distinguishable when the fish has been a short
time out of water, but in the living fish, observed underwater
in a good light, they show plainly upon the olive ground-color.
The head deep black on top.
is The ground-color of the gill
covers is a deep-green bronze, with patches of dark purple and
greenish and blackish bronze on the operculum, which has
also three or four circular black spots of varying sizes, and
generally one large irregular-shaped black spot on it. The lower
jaw and throat, to the gills, are of a leaden gray in fine dots,
thickly spread on a white ground. Adults are all markd on

the body with black spots, either irregular (luadrilateiLs or
double X's, not the single X of the Atlantic Salmon, hese
spots do n(jt conie much below the medial line, and vry a
great deal in number and size in inili\ iiiuals. They d not
show on the gill covers, tail or dorsal tin. but the lat^.r is
usually thickly covered with circular black spots.

The coloring varies somewhat with locality, age, and scEon,
but there is no markeil difference of it in the se.xes, excct at
breeding-time, wlien the male, as in iMwr Sii/iiionidu", is uich
the brighter hued. In neither sex, however, is the chnge
so great as it is in Siiliuo Salar. The body color becmes
yellow or reddish, the white dirty, and the spots tun to
rusty i)urplish brown. The hookeil lower jaw, loss of codi-
tion, poor (piality of tlesh, indisposition to feed, and slugu'^h-
ness of temperament, that characterize the spawning Salion,

are well marked in the W'ananishe.
The qualities of the Wananishc as a game fish will intcist
brother anglers more than his scientific relationship and pccl-

iarities. After a long and varied acquaintance with Salion
and Trout in Canadian waters, from Prince Edward Islad
and Nova Scotia to the Pacific Slope, I say unhesitatingly tht,
though Wananishe-fishing has been absurdly exaggerate!,
it is unsurpassed either in charm of surroundings, its vand
and exciting nature, the skill required, or the fighting powrs

of the fish itself. With a curious combination of the hahs
of both Salmon and Trout, he has ways of his own that i-
quire studying. As he lives in the strongest of water and hs

an omniverous appetite, his fins and tail are greatly develops,
so that by constant training he is an athlete even among tc
Salvio7iidce. A two-pounder will fight like a Grilse, and a for
or five pounder, fresh run, gives as much sport as aten-pouii
Salmon.
Although at most times, especially when they are lying i
large rhools in the eddies on the border of the main current

of thu reat rapids of the Grande Decharge, Wananishe take
the f]\readily, they are as wary and capricious as any other
of the- genus, and as much affected by change of weather or
characer and amount of food.
In he early season, whether fishing from shore or
from he canoe, the flies and the methods of casting and
workigthem used in Sahnon-fishing are the most successful,
allownce being made for the peculiarity in feeding hereafter
to beoticed. As a rule, small-sized Salmon flies are the best,
say >>. 4 and No. 6 O'Shaughnessy sizes on single hooks;
but r high water, and even at other times, a large fly is often
succesful. The Jock Scott, Curtis or Black Dose, Black
Fair\ Popham, Silver Doctor, and Donkey are all good.
The irst-named is almost infallible; indeed, I sometimes
with variations in size one needs no other fly for
thin' that
Sahon, Wananishe, and really large Trout like those of the
Laurntian wilds of the Nepigon, and the sea Trout of some
Candian rivers, except a large brown hackle for the Trout, and
this ; not to be scorned as a Salmon
fly, when the charms of
goldn pheasant and jungle-cock

crest fail, though, oddly
enoL'h, it is not much good for Wananishe. Red is not a favor-

ite olor with them; yellow and black is the best combination,
antl;Tay with a yellowish body comes next. Among the

larpr Trout flies, Queen of the Water, the Professor, and the
Grizly King usually do good work.
Lter in the season, when the fish are lying singly in deep
wair along the rocks, or in small pools among the rapids, all
ons skill is required to entice them. If you understand the
fin' art of dry fly-fishing, and can maneuver a tiny dun on

a t'elve or thirteen hook so as to look like the real article,
an can also handle large fish on the fine tackle required,

yoi will get good sport and the satisfaction which comes
of atching fish as Reynol Is mixed his colors with brains.
If ot, you will have to fall back on live grasshoppers and
thickly spread on a white ground. Adults are all marked on

the body with black spots, either irregular quadrilaterals or
double X's, not the single X of the Atlantic Salmon. These
spots do not come much below the medial line, and vary a
great deal in number and size in individuals. They do not
show on the gill covers, tail or dorsal fin, but the latter is
usually thickly covered with circular black spots.

The coloring varies somewhat with locality, age, and season,
but there is no marked difference of it in the sexes, except at
breeding-time, when the male, as in other Salinojtidce, is much
the brighter hued. In neither sex, however, is the change
so great as it is in Salmo Salar. The body color becomes
yellow or reddish, the white dirty, and the spots turn to
rusty purplish brown. The hooked lower jaw, loss of condi-
tion, poor quality of flesh, indisposition to feed, and sluggish-
ness of temperament, that characterize the spawning Salmon,
are well marked in the Wananishe.
The qualities of the Wananishe as a game fish will interest
brother anglers more than his scientific relationship and pecul-

iarities.After a long and varied acquaintance with Salmon
and Trout in Canadian waters, from Prince Edward Island
and Nova Scotia to the Pacific Slope, I say unhesitatingly that,
though Wananishe-fishing has been absurdly exaggerated,
it is unsurpassed either in charm of surroundings, its varied
and exciting nature, the skill required, or the fighting powers
With a curious combination of the habits
of the fish itself.
of both Salmon and Trout, he has ways of his own that re-
quire studying. As he lives in the strongest of water and has
an omniverous appetite, his fins and tail are greatly developed,
so that by constant training he is an athlete even among the
SalmonidcB. A two-pounder will fight likeand a four a Grilse,
or five pounder, fresh run, gives as much sport as a ten-pound
Salmon.
Although at most times, especially when they are lying in
large schools in the eddies on the border of the main current

of the great rapids of the Grande Decharge, Wananishe take
the fly readily, they are as wary and capricious as any other
of their genus, and as much affected by change of weather or
character and amount of food.
In the early whether fishing from shore or

season,
from the canoe, the flies and the methods of casting and
working them used in Salmon- fishing are the most successful,
allowance being made for the peculiarity in feeding hereafter
to be noticed. As a Salmon flies are the best,
rule, small-sized
say No. 4 and No. 6 O'Shaughnessy sizes on single hooks;

but at high water, and even at other times, a large fly is often
successful. The Jock Scott, Curtis or Black Dose, Black
Fairy, Popham, Silver Doctor, and Donkey are all good.
The first-named is almost infallible; indeed, I sometimes
think that with variations in size one needs no other fly for
Salmon, Wananishe, and really large Trout like those of the
Laurentian wilds of the Nepigon, and the sea Trout of some
Canadian rivers, except a large brown hackle for the Trout, and
this is not to be scorned as a Salmon fly, when the charms of
golden pheasant crest and jungle-cock fail, though, oddly
enough, it is not much good for Wananishe. Red is not a favor-

ite color with them; yellow and black is the best combination,
and gray with a yellowish body comes next. Among the

larger Trout flies. Queen of the Water, the Professor, and the
Grizzly King usually do good work.

Later in the season, when the fish are lying singly in deep
water along the rocks, or in small pools among the rapids, all
one's skill is required to entice them. If you understand the
fine art of dry fly-fishing, and can maneuver a tiny dun on

a twelve or thirteen hook so as to look like the real article,
and can also handle large fish on the fine tackle required,
you will get good sport and the satisfaction which comes
of catching fish as Reynolds mixed his colors with brains.
If not, you will have to fall back on live grasshoppers and
have seen a Wananishe rise from the bottom Hke a flash and
take the fly before I could pull it away. Periodically during
the day they move round the pools, going from one to another
along the current lines and circling round all the eddies in each,
to feed on the and other insects that are thick in the
flies
broad patches of foam which swirl along in the currents, and

sometimes chasing schools of small fish. The number of flies
that a Wananishe will thus collect in the course of a day is
almost incredible. I have repeatedly seen nearly half a pint
of them in the stomach and intestines of a four-pound fish.

The porpoise-like roll of the fish when thus on the tour is
peculiar and characteristic; while their dorsal fins and broad
tails, appearing and disappearing with clock-like regularity,
make their presence visible at once. It requires a good deal

of practice to determine the direction of their movements,
still more to time and place the cast properly. All the while

the canoe is moving also perhaps just between the up and
down current on the verge of a big rapid.
As the water gets lower, the largest fish move out to and
lie in places to fish which it is necessary to depend on the
nerve and skill of your canoe-men, and their quick judgment

of the set of the varying currents, to keep the canoe there
by the use of the paddles only. Very often this is the sim-
plest part of the business, and the return journey means run-
ning along rapids or making a tough portage along the face of
the rocks. The novice, or a person unaccustomed to the small
bark canoes necessarily used in that region, should not
attempt this sort of fishing; but it is to other angling what
the pursuit of large game is to ordinary shooting. I am
speaking here of parts ot the Grande Decharge which the
average tourist never sees, and is not likely to venture into
if he does see them. Though lacking the element of danger,
the ordinary fishing in the large renwns as the big eddies
or pools are called, in the French patois of the region will
prove exciting enough.
A pleasant variety will be found in a clamber over the rocks

alon^ the rapids, at times high up above the water, and drop-
ping the fly into some snug little corner where the constantly
recurring tail in a circular patch of foam shows a Wananishe
"at home;" at others standing on a ledge over which the waves
roll knee-deep and break on the rocks with a roar like the
surf on the sea-shore, which drowns your attendant's voice

and reduces him to pantomimic expression of the size or num-
ber of the fish rising far out in some caldron-like whirl, where
the down and up rush of the waters meet, while you do your
best by the Spey or switch-cast to get the fly to them without
smashing it on the rocks behind. The high-tossed spray from
the crests of the waves, the seething whirlpools and the play
of light and color on the ever-changing forms of water, on the
varied foliage, and on the purple rocks, make a beautiful scene,
to which the turmoil of the rapids adds its musical charm.
you did not see them with your own eyes you would be-
If
lieve it impossible for any fish to remain in such a fury of

water, far less to feed there; but hook one, and then see how
much at his ease he is, and how he will stem the full rush
of the Grande Chute, dragging thirty or forty yards of line
after him.
It was while watching a Wananishe hooked at the head
of Isle Maligne, round which the fiercest rapids in the Grande
Decharge sweep, that I first fully realized their great strength
and greater pluck. Standing thirty feet above the water, I
could see him plainly in the clear, deep stretches between the
white-crested rollers; and a beautiful sight it was to watch
him mount a series of inclines with straight steps of three to
four feet at the top of each, and then, after resting a while
on the summit of the fall, dart off like a flash into the full
strength of the down-current on the other side of the point,
only to be steered into a little cove at the end of his run, and
there fight till, all strength gone, he lay exhausted on the sur-
face.
7
lOO AMERICAN GAME FISHES.
Then again, when eye and ear are weary of the incessant
roar and flash of the rapids, there is a restful change in the
picturesque stretches filled with islands, where you may or
may not, according to luck and the state of the water, get
some pretty fishing, either in the calm, smooth water out in the
middle or along the channels between the islands, which will
remind you of pleasant days spent on some favorite Trout
lake, or wandering along the banks of a sequestered stream.
The worst of these broad expanses is that they are great
breeding-places for Pike {Esox Lucius, Jordan & Gilbert),
better known, but incorrectly, in the United States, as Pick-
erel. Though handsome enough in their own coarse way to
be a good game fish in their proper place, they destroy the
Wananishe terribly. They lurk in the still water of the bays
into which the Wananishe wander in search of food, and even
get out into quiet holes in the rapids. Many of the larger
Wananishe bear marks of having slipped through these pirates'
teeth.
I once saw a five and one-half pound fish swimming about in
an odd and helpless manner, and found that his spine had been
broken by a Pike so that he could not use his tail. In 1887
I was fishing off the rocks at the Grande Chute, and hooked a
Wananishe which proved to weigh just less than a pound. Not

particularly caring about such a small fish, I let him wander
off while waiting for my canoe-man to bring the landing-net.
On reeling in, the weight seemed to have increased in an ex-

traordinary manner. I at firstthought the fish had fouled
something; but a rush like a Salmon's changed that idea into
great curiosity. After an anxious twenty-five minutes, for
the fish several times tried to bolt into the main current, and
there were some awkward rock ledges close in, he turned out
to be a Pike, and a good-sized one. Once within reach he
was easily netted, and was found to weigh ten and one-half
pounds. The Wananishe was in his gullet, but the hook had
slipped out of the Wananishe's mouth and caught in the socket
THE LAND-LOCKED SALMON. 1 01
of the Pike's eye inside. I have always wondered why the
leaderwas not cut by his teeth, but suppose it got between

them. These Pike run to great size in Lake St. John, and up
the Peribonca.
The "Wall-eyed Pike" {Liiciopcrca Anicricana, Gunther;
Stizostcdiuui Vitrciim, Jordan & Gilbert), called in Canada
Dore, from his golden yellow sides, is also rather too abundant
in these waters. Though the lakes in the Saguenay region
and the upper parts of the rivers tributary to Lake St. John
and the Saguenay abound with Trout, there are none in Lake
St. John itself, nor in the lower portions of its tributaries
and the Grande Decharge. In the latter there seems to be too
much water for them in the rocky parts of the river, and in
the calm reaches the bottom and banks are too clayey. An-
other reason for their absence is probably the high summer
temperature of the water in Lake St. John, which is simply
a vast evaporating-pan, being comparatively shallow in pro-
portion to its area of about six hundred square miles, and
with a bottom of sand and silt washed down by the dozen
rivers, three of them very large and over two hundred miles
long, which discharge into it.
That a true Salmon like the Wananishe inhabits such water,
is another instance of its curious variation in habits, and a
proof of adaptation to changed conditions. This is a subject

which I should have liked to discuss here, especially in view
of the growing idea I have, which is confirmed to some extent
by the results of the accurate and instructive experiments in
artificial breeding by Sir James Maitland, at the Howietoun
establishment in Scotland, by the results at the Canadian

Government's fish hatchery at Tadoussac, and by observa-
tion ofSalmon rivers, that the Salmon may not be necessarily
an anadromous fish, but is only so from choice, just as the
Trout of Long Island and many other places are, and that,
under certain circumstances of difficulty of descent, combined
with abundance of food in large bodies of fresh water, it or
at all events its offspring may prefer to remain in fresh

water, the change in habits and in appearance taking place
much more quickly than has hitherto been supposed, and the
dwarfing in size not taking more than a generation or two.
The variation in the size of Trout bred, under different con-
ditions, from the same batch of ova, and the well-known dif-
ference in the size of Salmon in different rivers, are other
arguments for this view, which would dispose of the "land-

locking" theory, already shown above as being quite contrary
to the facts. This subject would, however, require a paper
to itself. I will only add that Sir James Maitland has found
that Salmon bred and not able to go to the sea, if
in lakes
there were no charr for them to feed upon, seldom exceeded
four or five pounds in weight, and that Quinnat Salmon, from
the Pacific Coast, bred by Mr. Samuel Wilmot at the Canadian
hatcheries, when confined all their lives to the narrow limits
of the breeding-tanks, have become mature Salmon and repro-
duced their species, though not attaining a greater length than
eight or nine inches, while others more favorably situated
have reached the ordinary size.
Any one who wants to study the Land-locked Salmon of
Lake St. John and the Saguenay will have to hasten, for the
opening of the region to fish-markets and to tourists, by a rail-
way, threatens their speedy extinction, to which the careless
greed of settlers and the apathy of the government of the Prov-
ince of Quebec are contributing greatly. Already it is hard to
get a day's sport in water which formerly teemed with them.
From what I have said of their habits, it will be easily un-
derstood that the so-called "pools" were always very few in
proportion to the actual extent of water in the forty miles
length of the Grande Decharge. One consolation in this is,
that, as all the best water is private property, it can be and is
guarded carefully. But this does not preserve the spawning-

grounds.
Only ten years ago there was no limit to the number of fish
THE LAND-LOCKED SALMON. IO3
one might get in a day. I have seen forty to fifty taken by a

single rod. Nowadays it is rather amusing to see enthusias-
tic American anglers publish a score of ten or twelve as some-
thing surprising. The average size has also decreased
notably, which shows that anglers are catching younger fish.
In the times I speak of, four and five pounders were common
enough, but now they are scarce in the best waters.
In 1883, twenty days' fishing gave a score of three hundred
and seventeen fish to one rod; or, deducting Sundays,
nineteen a day; and this was not fishing all day, by any
means. Let me hasten to say that there was no desire to
make a record; that there were some very small day's
catches, owing to the enormous number of flies on the
water, which gorged the fish; that a good deal of time
was spent in work and loafing; and that all but the few
needed for food were liberated either at once or after a few
days' detention for observation in a pretty fish pond engi-
neered among the rocks.
On one of these days were taken by another
fifty-three fish
angler in the same pools Grande Chute. The highest
at the
score I have ever made was forty-two, and I only mention
it to put on record the abundance of fish then existing. But
the solitude and the charm have now gone forever from the
Upper Saguenay, together with the possibilities of those times.
I think I have said enough about the nature and ways of
these little Salmon. Let me try to describe a typical but a

real day's sport withthem, and I hope you may, my reader,
have just such an one with as good a companion and as true
an angler as I had that June day in 1888, in our Saguenay
Club waters.
We start with a ''Bonne chance, Messieurs, ^^ from the
guardian's pretty wife, a black-eyed, olive-complexioned girl
of si.xteen.
Two of the canoe-men, putting their canoes on their heads
almost as easily as their hats, have gone on; their mates wait
for the rods and traps. A fine quartet they are French
Canadians all, of the voyageur type, with all the skill of
the Indian in wood-craft, and ten times his courage; brown
and strong from trapping and lumbering all their lives, grave
and serious-looking, but with a keen vein of humor; shrewd
and hard-bargaining, but thoroughly honest; unable perhaps
to write their names, but with a genuine polish of manner
which compels respect by its dignified deference. One can
make companions and friends of such men as these. Their
costume is simple enough: home-made trousers of the home-
woven gray woolen etoffe du pay s ,\.\\cVQ.di in the wrinkled legs of
the long moccasins tied below the knee, which, in contradistinc-
tion from town-made hottcs francaiscs, are known as bottcs
salvages ; a flannel with a gay kerchief in a broad fold
shirt
over the chest; a soft felt hat of Protean shapes and uses,
with a cherished fly or two stuck in the crown perhaps, if la
blonde is near her cavalier, a feather or wild-flower in the
band.
The volume of the rapids, the swiftness, complexity, and
heavy swirls of the currents, make canoeing most exciting, and
at times a little dangerous, on these waters. They are too
deep for the use of setting-poles,and everything depends on
strength and skill with the paddle. Mounting the Grande
Decharge, when it is fifteen feet above summer level and
running like a mill-race,
.
is hard work, but, taking advan-
tage of every eddy, gripping rocks with hand and paddle,

handing along by the tops of the submerged alders, passing
between branches of overhanging trees undermined by the
current, by sheer dint of hard paddling we got up a mile and
a half. Now for the traverse. The canoe sweeps down and
across in a beautiful curve, head up-stream and the paddles
flashing like lightning, except when a tourniqjict catches her
and spins her half round a circle, while Joseph, with a sidelong
sweep, decapitates a wave which threatens to lop over the
gunwale. " 6^ animal d' nn tourniquet,'''' he says, pointing
ISLE MALIQUE.
THE LAND-LOCKED SALMON. IO5
to the funnel-shaped whirl swiftly gyrating down-stream, the

air-bubbles hissing through the yellow water like the bead in a
glass ofchampagne. We are nearly half a mile down when
the canoe swings, with a sharp shock, into the up-eddy on the
opposite shore.
^^Cest la place de pechc, Monsieur,'' says Narcisse, easing
offthe grip of his teeth on his pipe; and Joseph, having fin-
ished drinking out of the rim of his hat, remarks that ^ôn a
coutiune de prendre des grosses ici.'" Wananishe, like Trout,
are of the fair sex in French, and are roughly classified into
petites, belles, diXid grosses.
This is the famous Remoii de Caron, or Caron's Eddy.
The waves surging round the rocky island, which
big white
later on will become a point covered with bushes, are the tail
of the Caron Rapid, a crooked and dangerous one, because of
the height of its waves and the size of its tonrniquets or whirl-
pools, which suck down saw-logs as if they were chips, cast-
ing them up a couple of hundred yards farther down, to be
caught in the eddies and swept again and again through the
wild rush of water, until the ever-changing set of the current
tosses them on the rocks or carries them off down-stream.
Pool, in the angler's usual understanding of the term, there
is none; for the deep river, over a quarter of a mile wide, is
totally unlike a Salmon or Trout stream. At first he is rather

bewildered by the interlacing currents running in every direc-
tion, bearing along streaks of froth which gather in patches
as dazzling as snow, that revolve slowly for a minute or two,
then, suddenly dissolving, go dancing in long white lines over
the short ripples.
" Ca saute. Monsieur.'''' No splash marks the rise, but a broad
tail appears and disappears where a Wananishe is busy picking
flies out of the foam; then another, and another still. They
are making the tour round the whole system of minor eddies
and currents, sometimes staying a minute in some large patch
of froth where the flies are thick, sometimes swimming and
I06 AMERICAN GAME FISHES.
rising rapidly in a straight current line, and finally going out.

on the tops of the long glassy rollers at the tail of the main
eddy, into the white water of the main current, which carries
them back again to the other end of the rcinou.
A patch of broue comes swirling along with a fish in it.
It requires a quick hand to put the fly where it will do

the most good. To a novice it is much like fishing "on the
wing," but practice shows where to expect the fish. The rod
swings and out goes the fly, which is allowed to sink a few
inches and is then drawn in with a succession of slow and short
jerks, not trailed on the surface. The fish, however, is now
five yards farther away, and on the other side of the canoe.
This constant change in length and direction of cast is one
of the main difficulties, as it is one of the excitements of
Wananishe-angling.
But here come three together "//;/ bean gang,'''' to use Jo-
seph's anglicism. The fly falls at the end of a straight line;
a momentary thrill follows a gentle pull; you strike with the
orthodox turn of the wrist, and then blank reaction; the drift
of the canoe or the insetting current has slackened the line, and
the fish has been missed. ^''C'cst doinniagc. Monsieur, vans
r aves piqueey The fish evidently is piqued, in every sense of
the term, and will have no more of your flies. Another such
experience will- make him a marked misanthrope all summer.
When you strike, if you strike at all, it must be hard, for
their mouths are hard; but, as in Salmon-fishing, no rule can
be laid down beyond the golden one to keep a taut line.
Though no fish are visible, you cast right and left. Presently,
while quietly reeling in an excess of line, down goes the rod-
tip with a smart jerk; there is a terribly long pause of about
half a second, then the reel sings, and thirty yards away a
silver bar flashes through the air three or four times in quick
succession, for it is a fresh-run fish hooked in a tender spot.
You recover a little line, then out it goes again with more
pyrotechnics. At the end of ten or fifteen minutes he comes
in meekly, with an occasional remonstrance, and you think

it time for the net.
The leader shows above the water and the rod curves into a
semicircle, but no strain you can put on raises the fish farther,
which circles slowly around. A sudden dash under your feet
drags the rod-tip under water, but is foiled by a quick turn
of the canoe. Then a telegraphic circuit seems to have been
established through your tired arms to your spine. The fish
is standing on his head, worrying the fly like a bull-dog, and
slapping at the leader with his tail. All at once the rod springs
back and you are heavily splashed by a leap almost into your
face. This occurs half a dozen times. He may jump into
the canoe, perhaps over it; I have seen a Wananishe caught
in the air in the landing-net after it had shaken the fly out of
its mouth. He is far more likely, however, to smash rod
and tackle, unless you lower the tip smartly.
Some more runs may follow, or a sulking fit. The more he
is kept moving the sooner he will tire. It is well to keep
him in hand with as heavy a strain as can be risked, for he

fights to the last, and there is no knowing what he may do.
Even when he comes to the surface and shows his white side,
the sight of the landing-net nerves him to what the pugilists
call a "game finish." Three-quarters of an hour have gone,
when Narcisse slips the net under him with a' quick but sure
scoop, and kills him with a blow from the paddle. ''C est
sericuscuicnt grossc,'''' he says, as he holds up a twenty-five-
inch fish. Really the balance does seem wrong when it
marks only five pounds.
After a couple of hours cruising about the eddy with more
or less luck, we portage over the point, making our way with
some difficulty through the tangle of rocks and trees, though
the men, canoe on head and both hands full, skip along easily
enough. There we find a little family party of Wananishe
close under the bank, in a hole beneath some alder roots, which
would exactly suit a Trout's idea of home. Farther up we get
THE LAND-LOCKED SALMON. ICQ
some pretty casting from a steep, rocky beach past which a

strong eddy runs. Later on, when the water has fallen and
new eddies form immediately above the point, there will be
good fishing, either off the rocks or in the canoe, which the
men will hold in the very dividing-line between the main
current over the fall and that which sets in-shore.
At luncheon, in a shady nook, a Wananishe a la brochc

gives us a chance to test the men's cookery. The fish,
split down the back and opened out like a kite, is skewered
with slips of red willow, well salted and peppered, inserted in

a cleft stick fastened with spruce-root or a withe of alder,
and then, stuck in the ground before a clear fire of drift-wood,
is broiled without any basting but its own you prefer

fat. If
the flavor, you may skewer a piece of bacon to the upper part
of the fish. The delicate pink flesh is intermediate in flavor
between that of the Salmon and that of the Trout richer
than the latter, less cloying than the former. Planked Shad
is not better. After luncheon the pipe and a chat, with a
boiicanc to keep the flies off. The logs chafing and grinding
against the shore suggest to the men some reminiscences of
la drive and its perils. The artist gets a sketch for which
William poses. For another mile above, the rapid foams
white. That hill, covered with dark spruces, which divides
it, is the point of Isle Maligne
well named, for, surrounded by
heavy rapids pulsating in chutes through rocky gorges, it is
rarely accessible, sometimes not for several successive years,
and only one angler has ever cast a fly from its shores.
In the evening we down
fly in ten minutes what it took us
over an hour to mount. The roar of the Vache Cialle Rapid
swells like the sound an approaching train.
of The bowman
stands up to look, says a word to his mate, then both settle
low on their heels, and two bits of rapid are run like a flash,
though the trees slipping past are the only sign of motion the
passenger feels. With the current setting out straight over
an ugly-looking place, but "^
''^
the fall, it is terre, en masse,

no AMERICAN GAME FISHES.
and a bit of quick paddling brings the shore close. The men
interchange a rapid glance.
''Au large?'
''Pas tropy
The canoe from shore again, to the horror of
turns out
any passenger making the run for the first time, but, before
he can remonstrate, tilts over the pitch where a pyramidal
rock backs up the water, swings end for end, and sidles into
an eddy just its own length, which has scooped out a hollow
in the bank within forty yards of the fall.
"It is quite possible to drown one's self here," remarks

Pitre, as he takes his Monsieur's rod and coat for the walk
home. It is a point of honor, however, with these men, never
to risk a passenger's comfort, much less his safety. Any
recklessness or bungling would meet sharp criticism over
the camp-fire. They are cool and courageous in real
danger, however, and among themselves the rivalry is keen.
Nothing delights them more than to have a Monsieur who
can appreciate their points, and, not minding a few bucketfuls
of water, gives them once in a while a chance of display.
After the passenger has the best of guarantees in the fact
all,
that very few of them can swim. I speak only of the pro-
fessional canoe-men of the Decharge. Some of the Indians

from Pointe Bleue, on Lake St. John, are good enough in
the canoe; but since the railway has brought tourists along,
many men seek employment who have no experience either
in such waters or of the niceties of the fishing.
THE TARPON, OR SILVER KING.
BY W. N. HALDEMAN.
Tarpon has been technically described as Mcgalops

THE
Atlanticns and Mcgalops Thrissoidcs, the latter being
used in the excellent compilation known as "The Fisher-
iesand Fishery Industries of the United States," issued by the
United States Fish Commission. The Tarpon is therein called
Tarpum, and classed under "families related to the Clupcidiey
In this connection, it may be stated that comparatively little
is known of the habits of the Tarpon. A search through the

Encyclopedia Britannica, or other authorities, will make this
fact patent. The authority above quoted is the best with
which I am acquainted. It says: "An immense, herring-like
fish, which occurs in the Western Atlantic and in the Gulf of

Mexico, ranging north to Cape Cod and south at least to
Western Brazil. It is somewhat abundant in the West Indies,
and stragglers have been taken as far to the eastward as the
Bermudas. The sailors' name for this fish, by which name it
is also known at Key West, Bermuda, Brunswick, Georgia,
and elsewhere, is "Tarpum," or "Tarpon." It is the "Silver

Fish" of Pensacola, the "Grand Ecaille" (large scale fish), or
"Grandykye," as it is pronounced and sometimes spelled,
and the "Savanilla" of Texas.
Mr. Stearns contributes the following notes upon the fish
as observed by him: "The Silver Fish, or Grande Ecaille, is
common everywhere on the gulf coast. It is an immense
and active fish, preying eagerly upon schools of young fry, or
any small fish that it is able to receive into its mouth, and in
pursuit of which it ascends fresh-water rivers quite a long dis-
tance. During September, 1879, I saw large numbers of Sil-
ver Fish eight or ten miles up the Apalachicola River, and
am was not an unusual occurrence. They go up
told that that
the Homosassa River in Florida, and several of the Texas
rivers, so I have subsequently learned. The Tarpum will
take a baited hook, but it is difficult to handle and is seldom
landed. The Pensacola seine-fishermen dread it while drag-
ging their seines, for they have known of persons having
been killed or severely injured by its leaping against them
from the seine in which it was inclosed. Even when it does
not jump over the cork-line of a seine, it is quite likely to
break through the netting before being landed. I have secured
several specimens, the which weighed thirty

smallest of
pounds, and the largest about seventy-five pounds."
Since the publication of "The Fisheries and Fishery Indus-
tries of the United States," in 1884, much valuable literature
in connection with the Tarpon has been furnished the peri-
odical press of the country. Yet the ichthyology of the Tarpon
is far from complete, and there remain many facts relative to
his habits, habitat, etc., to be, and which it is hoped will be,
in time, unfolded.
I consider Tarpon-fishing the grandest sport with the rod
and be had upon the globe; and the study, therefore,
reel to
of the ways and peculiarities of the fish is an absorbing one.
After taking a Tarpon on light tackle, other forms of angling
become tame sport. His magnificent vaults into mid-air,
wonderful spurts, and powerful dashes for liberty, allied to
his remarkable beauty, quickly converts the tyro in this form
an enthusiast. His weight varies, according to
of angling into
my observations, between fifteen or twenty pounds and one
hundred and seventy-five, and in length they reach as much
as seven feet and over. Their build indicates great power,
and a generous and dainty fare. In shape they are very sym-
THE TARPON. 113
metrical; and in a large and powerful tail, and numerous fins

of ample sizeand sweep, they possess most formidable weapons
in a contest for liberty. They are covered with brilliant scales,
whose exposed portions are almost one-fourth of the whole.
When detached, the part of the scale which gives the fish its
beautiful luster looks as though it had been dipped in molten
silver. It is this remarkable brilliance which has won the
SCALE OF TARPON, ACTUAL SIZE.
Tarpon its designation of the "Silver King." The bronze and

golden tints on the sides of the fish, noticeable only a few
hours after being landed, add much to his beauty.
While the Tarpon may range in the latitude stated above,
so far the sportsmen who have gone in pursuit of him with
rod and reel have confined their efforts almost exclusively to
8
the waters of the southwestern gulf coast of Florida. There

he is found comparative abundance; and that coast is
in
generally looked upon and conceded to be his annual feeding-
grounds. To Mr. W. A. Wood, of New York City, is gener-
ally credited the taking of the first Tarpon of over one hundred
pounds weight, with rod and reel. The capture took place
in these waters, and occurred in March, 1885. The friends of
Mr. Samuel H. Jones, of Philadelphia, however, claim for
him priority, placing the first catch with the rod in Indian
River Inlet, on the east coast of Florida, during the winter of
1880 and 88 1.
1 To whomsoever the honor belongs, the dates
quoted will demonstrate how young the sport is. Yet these
gentlemen have had numerous emulators; and each year the
number of Tarpon taken is on the increase. Fvery season
the ranks of the Tarpon enthusiasts are augmented, and the
resorts of the South Florida coast grow correspondingly more
popular.
A number of well-known Tarpon fishermen are steam-3'acht
owners, and these take in the entire coast, being pretty sure
to find good sport at almost any of the numerous bays and
inlets between the mouth of the Caloosahatchie and Cape
Sable. San Carlos Bay, Estero Bay, the Bay of Naples,
Marco, Caxambas, and Chokoliska Inlets are all known to be
points where the Tarpon abounds. The colder the water, and
the more severe the winter, the further south the best fishing
is to be found; for the Tarpon is, without doubt, very sensi-
tive to cold. The gentleman who has been in charge of the

United States Coast Survey on the Florida coast for ten or
fifteen years, told me that after the cold snap during the
winter of 1886, which created such devastation throughout
Florida, he saw hundreds of dead Tarpon washed upon the
beach below Punta Rassa, where he was located at the time.
During the past winter the weather has been mild, and Tar-
pon have been caught in goodly numbers farther north than
is customary.
THE TARPON. I I 5
Some three or four years ago, owing to the severe and

annoying colds which the great and sudden variations in tem-
perature of our Kentucky winters subjected me to, I found it
desirable to seek a more equable climate for several, at least,

of the more disagreeable months of the cold season. I was
attracted to the south gulf coast of Florida by the glowing
descriptions given me by friends, of its balmy atmosphere
and the splendid sport which awaited the angler there. In-
vestigation showed that the reports I had received had not
at allpartaken of the extravagant. Charmed with the equable-
ness of the climate, the superb fishing, and the winter surf-
bathing, with its re-invigorating results, I constructed a snug
winter home at Naples-on-the-Gulf, which, with my family,
I have greatly enjoyed during the past two winters. Others,
likewise delighted with the locality, the wonderful climate,
and the sport, have built cottages there; a hotel has been
erected, and Naples gives promise of becoming a popular win-
ter resort. From Jacksonville the upon the open
little village
gulf is Tampa & Key West,

reached via the Jacksonville,
and Florida Southern Railroads, which convey you as far south
as Punta Gorda, on Charlotte Harbor. From there it is a
trip of ninety miles by steamer to Naples-on-the-Gulf, sixty
of these down the harbor and Carlos Bay, and thirty out in
the open gulf. A railroad to Naples, which is to be built in
the near future, will bring it within two hours of Punta Gorda.
Naples is one hundred and twenty-five miles south of
Tampa, and is about on the parallel of latitude which extends
through Matamoras, on the Mexican side of the gulf, and
through the Bahama group, to the southeast of Florida. The
vegetation is and the seasons, in contradistinction
tropical;
to our own, are divided into "wet" and "dry." The latter
corresponds to our winter, and the former to our summer.
During the past winter (1890) rain has not fallen on more
than three or four occasions, and during my previous sojourns
the rule has been beautiful days, full of health-giving sunshine,
Il6 AMERICAN GAME FISHES.
with rain not oftener, on an average, than once a month, and

a health and Hfe giving breeze from the gulf that makes the
atmosphere delightful beyond description. Here the Tarpon

abounds here is the angler's paradise.
Prior to my first trip to Naples-on-the-Gulf, my fishing
experiences had been confined principally to angling for Black
Bass in Lake Erie, with an occasional visit to the rivers of
Northern Michigan and Wisconsin in quest of Brook Trout.
I had heard of the Tarpon, but had little conception of the
real character of the sport afforded by the salt waters of South-

western Florida. Many anglers have, as I had, the idea that
the average fish of southern waters is temperament
sluggish in
and lacking in the spirit and fighting qualities which have
made famous his kindred in the cooler waters of the North.
This is, however, an error of large dimensions. The Tarpon
is beyond all doubt the king
aye, the "Silver King" of game
fishes, as the lion is the king of beasts; and the smaller
varieties of fish, with which the bays and inlets of Florida

abound, furnish as lively sport for the devotee of rod and reel
as can be had in the wide world. For one who does not care
to battle with big fish, the combative Cavalli, Spanish Mack-
erel, Grouper, Kingfish, Mangrove Snapper, Jackfish, Pom-
pano, Redfish, Sea Trout, Sea Bass, etc., furnish abundant

sport of the highest order.
At Punta Gorda, at the head of Charlotte Harbor and at the
mouth of Peace River, a locality up to this season never fre-
quented by Tarpon fishermen, the sport is reported to have
been excellent. Passing there on my return home, I saw half
a dozen fine specimens which had been caught there, and
mounted by Mr. Thomas Hartigan, a skillful taxidermist of
that place. Thus it would seem that the Tarpon is whimsical in
the choice of feeding-grounds, especially so far as concerns
the northern places where he is caught. Natives of the gulf
coast soutfi of Naples have frequently told me that they had
never been to the inlets of Caxambas and Chokoliska without
THE TARPON. II7
seeing Tarpon in large numbers. At Naples I have found

Tarpon each season in great numbers, though there have
been, apparently, fewer this season than in previous years.
This I attribute to the unusually dry weather in the fall of
1889. As a rule the waters of the Bay of Naples and its tribu-
tary, Gordon's River, are brackish, but the drouth left them
this season almost as salty as the gulf, and the Tarpon were
later in making their appearance.
The Tarpon seek this brackish water for sport and food; and
it is probably due to this fact that they were running as far
north as the mouth of Peace River so early in the season this

year. I have frequently noticed, in the early winter months,
large numbers of Tarpon of all sizes sporting in the water at

the mouth of Gordon's River, when they could not be tempted
to take the hook. Mullet, at this season, are much more abun-
dant than later, and this may explain their tardiness in tak-
ing the bait. At all events, as the season advances they bite
more frequently, and in April I have had the best fishing.
May and June, J am told, are even better months, the fish
running in large numbers and becoming ravenous. By mid-
summer the natives say the Tarpon becomes lean, losing
much of his firm flesh and hearty appearance of the early
winter. At this time, too, they are said to fight with less spirit,
and are comparatively easily handled. As I have never fished
later than April, however, I cannot vouch for these state-
ments. Undoubtedly the spring is the superior season, though
by far the majority of Tarpon anglers choose their outing
when they may escape the rigors of a northern winter. This
necessitates more time, and generally much tedious waiting,
to secure the prize; but the delights and pleasures of a won-
derful climate may be regarded as ample compensation.
The time necessary may be inferred from a statement I saw
published in Forest and Stream, to the effect that up to
the latter part of April, 1889, the total catch at one of the
principal fishing-points on the Florida gulf coast was only
Il8 AMERICAN GAME FISHES.
forty-two; and this with a score or more fishermen hard at
it during the major portion of the season, commencing in
January. At this same point, during the past season, I beheve

something in the neighborhood of seventy or eighty have been
captured. Many sportsmen, loth to bestow so much of their
time in quest of one variety, content themselves with an
annual fish, devoting the rest of their spare moments to the
smaller varieties.
As to the best tackle for Tarpon-fishing, were all that
has been discussed oftentimes in such heated debate
chronicled, it would fill tomes. I have used, in all of my
fishing, a strong, pliable, split-bamboo rod, eight feet in
length. With have taken Tarpon weighing from one
this I
hundred and one hundred and forty-four pounds, and

five to
it has served the purpose admirably. It is a one-jointed rod,
with the single joint near the butt. Many anglers prefer a
short, stiff rod, ranging and one-half to seven and
from six
one-half feet, claiming that with one of this description the

casting of the heavy bait is easier. My reels are multiplying
ones of the very best quality and of the finest workmanship,
made to order for me by Mr. James Deally, of Louisville. They
will easily hold six hundred feet of fifteen, eighteen, or twenty-
one thread linen line. One has the customary click and
check, with a leather drag attached to the cross-bar. This
has proved serviceable, but I think the second from Mr.
Deally' s workshop an improvement. Upon the right side of
this reel there aremerely the click and handle. Upon the
left, beneath the body of the reel, and extending out con-
venient to the thumb, is a drag, which may be pressed upon

at the will of the angler, so as to produce a heavy or slight
tension. During the first frantic struggles of the Tarpon, of
course he must be allowed all the line possible, and it is my
habit, at times during the conflict, to throw line out rapidly
by seizing it between the reel and the first eyelet along the
pole. A taut line is most to be feared in Tarpon-fishing^
THE TARPON. I 1
I would say four out of five fish lost are traceable to this
cause.
The line used varies from a fifteen to twenty-one linen thread.

I use a fifteen-thread Cuttyhunk linen line, the fineness of
which has inspired some of my friends, who pay very little
attention to fishing, with serious doubts. remember one

I
young- lady, who came in to inspect a mounted Tarpon in my

office, remarked, with a great deal of naivete: "Well, Mr.
Haldeman, I don't doubt you caught that fish; but really,
you ought to change your line."
A most important and much debated portion of the Tarpon
angler's outfit is the snood. A good snood is a safeguard
against the scissor-like jaws of the Tarpon. The fish's teeth
injure only by abrasion, but
jaws are massive and power-
his
ful enough to crush with ease the back of a hard-shell crab.
Therefore, the snood should, obviously, be of a soft and pli-

able texture, rather than such as to offer any resistance. It
should also be of ample length at least three feet for the
Tarpon must be allowed to get the bait well into his gullet
before he can be caught. When I began fishing, I used a
snood made of piano-wire, and landed several Tarpon with
it, which is contradictory to the statement of some authorities
that theTarpon will instantly detect the wire and spit it out.
I abandoned its use for the reason that I found the cotton
snood preferable and more economical, for where sharks capt-
ure so many of your hooks, the expense of wire snoods is by
no means insignificant. For some time I have employed a
treble braid of soft, yet strong, cotton line about the thickness
of ordinary yarn. This cannot readily be frayed, and gives
sufficiently to prevent being sawed or severed by the Tar-
pon's jaws. To prevent the fraying contingent upon playing
a fish for an hour or two, some fishermen incase their snoods
with rubber tubing. I am not aware how successful this has
proved.
The other appurtenances to a complete outfit are plenty of
lo.o Limerick or O'Shaughnessy hooks and a gaff. I have
used the O'Shaughnessy hooks, and I beheve they are gener-

ally employed.
A gaff is considered indispensable. I regarded it so until
the loss of a fine fish caused change my tactics. After
me to
a battle of over an hour, during which my finny opponent
had gone through the usual process of sky-scraping, astonish-
ing spurts beneath the water's surface and the like, I had
succeeded in getting him under perfect control and was bring-
ing him to the gaff. My boatman, as boatman so frequently
do, became flurried and made his strike in too great haste. I
was not prepared for the final move; and the stroke, coming
unexpectedly, entangled my line and, much to my disgust,
enabled the Tarpon, which must have weighed one hundred
and fifty pounds, to get away. Since, I play my fish, as
usual, until completely exhausted, when I bring him to the
side of the boat, and make the boatman run his hand and
arm up his gills, out through the Tarpon's capacious mouth,
and lift him gently into the boat. My new method has proved
efficacious in every instance in which I have tried it, and
hereafter I will exhaust my fish thoroughly, and use the gaff
only on urgent occasions. Many a victory has been won,
only to be thrown away by the awkwardness and lack of skill
of an excited boatman.
Mullet is the bait universally employed in fishing for Tar-
pon. Unquestionably, they prefer it to other small fish,
though I have had them take small Catfish, and the variety
termed "Virginia Mullet" by the coast fishermen. These
latter are sometimes called "Rat-fish," the head resembling
that of a rat. They seem to run with the Silver Mullet, and
I have frequently seen them caught in the gill-nets with which
schools of the latter were surrounded.
Some fishermen use an entire Mullet on their hooks, but
more generally cut-bait is employed. There is much room
for experiment in the matter of bait. I have heard experi-
THE TARPON. 121
enced boatmen, who have been engaged on the south gulf

coast regularly for years, say that when hungry the Tarpon
would bite at almost any kind of bait, provided it was fresh.
One gentleman told me this past season that he had seen
two Tarpon cut open, the stomachs of which were filled with
hard-shell crabs. Another observer tells me he has seen Tar-
pon feeding, presumably, upon some sort of shrimp in a most
peculiar manner. says he has frequently observed them
He
in shallow water, standing apparently on their heads. In
reality, though, their mouths were buried in the sand extract-
ing some kind of food. This odd position while feeding may
be due to the peculiar location of the mouth. It is upon the
upper side of the head. Some Tarpon anglers have expressed

the belief that they take the bait in a similar manner.
In this connection it may be apropos to relate an inci-
dent which occurred below Naples last winter, and which
will illustrate what the Tarpon will do when he is hungry,
and at the same time shows his jumping proclivities. When
the facts first reached my ears I scarcely credited them. After-
ward they were substantiated by Doctor Green, a reputable
gentleman and an excellent physician. Naples is situated on a
narrow strip of land, washed on the west by the open gulf, and
on the east by an inside passage which commences at the
head of Gordon's River and widens into the Bay of Naples.
This strip, which varies in width from one to two or three
miles, extends twelve or fourteen miles, being broken at
several points by inlets from the gulf. The Tarpon frequents
the inside passage, which, being well protected from the
storms and heavy winds of the gulf, always affords safe and
accessible About eight miles down, last

fishing-grounds.
winter, on the mainland, there was an alligator-hunters' camp
whose presiding genius was "Uncle" Charlie Cross. "Uncle"
Charlie, it seems, was advanced in years, and looked after
camp supplies, etc., rather than being engaged in the arduous
and sometimes dangerous occupation of "'gatorin'." He
was in the habit of bringing his supplies from Marco in a small

sailboat. One day in the latter part of last March "Uncle"
Charlie was returning from Marco, after having disposed of
a load of alligator-skins, and with the usual load of provisions
on board. Fortunately, he happened to have a companion
along. As "Uncle" Charlie turned from that part of Marco
Inlet known as Collier's Bay, up into the inside passage in
the direction of the camp, he steadied his boat before the wind
and started to light his pipe. Placing his knee against the
rudder he pulled a match from his vest-pocket and struck it
on his coat. Holding his hands over the pipe to protect the
blaze from the wind, he was in the midst of this interesting
act when, suddenly, a Mullet leaped from the water to port,
and darted clean across the stern of the boat, directly in front
of him. He had not time to express his astonishment ere, in
close pursuit of the Mullet, a large Tarpon rose, and came
across the boat like a bolt from a catapult. The progress of
the boat before the wind or the Tarpon's line of assault came
near making a fatal difference to "Uncle" Charlie. The huge
fish struck him full in the chest, and tumbled him like a log
over the side of the boat. The shock of the collision threw
the Tarpon into the bottom of the boat, and left "Uncle"
Charlie struggling in the water. His companion brought the
boat to, and pulled the injured man out in a sadly dilapidated
condition. Doctor Green, who attended the injured man,
says he was confined to his bed for three weeks, and doubts
whether he will ever recover entirely iTom the effects of his
wound. But for the assistance of his companion, "Uncle"
Charlie would unquestionably have been drowned. The Tar-
pon, the doctor stated, weighed one hundred and sixty-four
pounds.
To those who have never seen a Mullet and Tarpon jump,
this incident may appear remarkable; yet, so far as the jump-
ing is concerned, there is nothing whatever extraordinary
about it. Every day, during certain seasons, in those waters
THE TARPON. 123
one can see the Bay Mullet making their customary three
long skips, in any one of which they could easily clear a small
boat. When chased by large fish, I have seen them make
great leaps, darting out of the water with the rapidity of an
arrow. Tarpon frequently leave the water while chasing
Mullet, and when it comes to jumping, they are without an
equal in the piscatorial world.
With the recital of a typical day's sport at Naples, I believe

I have told the reader about all that I know and that I
will
consider worth relation in connection with this superb sport.
I say "typical," but I mean that word only in a circumscribed
sense. Possibly I should have said "typical good day's"
sport; for many are the days when the Tarpon fisherman
returns without anything to show for his efforts.
It was-early in April, and the day was a bright and beauti-
ful one. In company with my boatman, Ben, I started
from the Hotel Naples at about nine o'clock in the morning.
They do say that he who would catch a Tarpon must be up
with the dawn; but, as I have almost invariably hooked my
fish do not bother about an
shortly before or after noon, I
early start. The half-mile walk from the hotel back to the
boat-house on the Bay of Naples is soon accomplished. The
fishing-grounds are very accessible. A row of two miles up
the bay, and we are at a favorite spot. The Bay of Naples
is lined with Mangrove trees. These form a verdant border
which blends happily with the dark waters, rendering the
picture as lovely an one as human eye ever rested upon. Back
of the Mangroves are the pine and hammock lands. Near
our anchoring-point was a grove of tall palms, whose fans
were rustling in the brisk southern breeze. Before casting
anchor I drop my hook, baited with the tail-half of a Mullet,
and direct Ben to row off twenty-five or thirty yards. The
bait sinks to the bottom in five or six feet of water, near to
the channel. Nothing to do now but await developments;
SO, making myself as comfortable as possible, I picked up

a newspaper and commenced reading. Hardly had I read
half-way down column, when the noise of a large
the first
body emerging from the water opposite my boat attracted

my attention. It was a Tarpon, weighing somewhere in the
neighborhood of one hundred pounds. His rise, which was
a straight, upward bolt, carrying his tail three or four feet
clear of the water's surface, was the first intimation I had that
anything was on my line. A superb spectacle he presented, as
he glittered for a moment there in mid-air. With mouth
wide open and gills expanded, he angrily shook his head to
relieve himself from the hook, and his whole body appeared
to be quaking with nervous force. Back he drops with a
great splash, and up anchor and hurry with the oars is the
order of themoment in the boat. Scarcely a moment does
he remain below, when out again he comes in almost the
same spot. This time his efforts to free himself are success-
ful, for he ejects the baited hook with enough force to throw
it ten or fifteen feet from him. Disappointed, but knowing it
could not have been avoided, fresh bait is cast out, and we re-
sume fishing only a few feet away from the locality first taken.
As a rule the click of the reel will give notice of the Tar-
pon's presence. In this instance, the fish must have taken
the bait and advanced in the direction of my boat, thus
preventing any warning. Some persons coil thirty or forty
feet of line on the seat of the boat, after having made their
cast, and watch closely for its disappearance. With a good,
easy-running reel I consider this unnecessary.
It is a debatable question whether to "strike" a Tarpon
after he has taken the bait. Many Tarpon experts are in the
habit of doing so; many others do not. It is generally con-
ceded by all that a Tarpon must be well hooked in the gullet
before the chances are at all favorable for his capture. For
this reason he is allowed to run with the line until it is sup-
posed he has had time to swallow well the bait. When he
THE TARPON. 125
I2f< AMERICAN GAME FISHES.
feels the hook he immediately comes to the surface. If he

has not thoroughly swallowed the bait, he will eject it. If
he does not swallow it, a strike will accomplish nothing, for

the inside of the Tarpon's mouth is gristly and tough. It is
only in rare instances that Tarpon have been caught when

hooked in the mouth. Their tongue is hard, and its surface
closely resembles a whetstone. It is long, being shaped like
a calf's tongue, and with it they can eject, easily, anything

within reach. This power with the tongue is one of the most
astonishing characteristics of the Tarpon. When the bait is
well swallowed, a "strike" is unneqessary, for the movements

of the fishand the tension used when the fish is beneath the
water will fasten the hook well in him. A "strike" would also
prove disastrous if made, as it is likely to be, at the moment
the Tarpon jumps from you.
Lunch-hour came and passed without incident, save the
occasional replenishing of bait. The sun had crossed the
meridian and started upon its western descent, and the flood-
tide had reached the turn, ere Tarpon number two made his
appearance. When I next reached for my pole, which I had
restedupon the side of the boat, my attention being attracted
by the whiz! whiz! of my reel, I took the precaution to
look at my watch. It was just five minutes past one o'clock.
My line ran out rapidly, but with that steady movement so
characteristic of the Tarpon, and which so readily distin-
guishes him from a Shark, which runs like a frightened deer.
Seventy-five a hundred feet have disappeared! The excite-
ment of the moment is pictured in the darky's eyes, whose
whites appear to grow with the moments.
"Whe w! he's a regulah whale," ejaculates Ben, as my
Tarpon breaks through the water, disclosing his immense pro-
portions in a mighty leap of ten feet aloft. Another! another!
thrice more, and all in as many minutes, does Mr. Tarpon
wend his way heavenward. A large fish he is, too, and a
magnificent spectacle. In the meantime Ben has pulled in
THE TARPON. 12/
the anchor and is at the oars, backing gently in the direction

the Tarpon has taken. After his first outburst of rage and
terrificendeavor to throw out the hook, the fish begins to
take things a httle more easily. With an occasional running,
lengthwise jump, or skip, he makes up the bay, where the
channel is narrower, and the proximity to the Mangroves dan-
gerous. To head him off I directed Ben to row ahead of him
to one side, meanwhile keeping the line taut, and reeling in
as much as prudence permitted. This maneuver succeeded,
and the Tarpon started back down stream, with a rush that
carried out two hundred feet off my reel. I gave him as
much of the weight of the boat as was discreet, throwing him
line whenever he came out of water, which he did frequently.
In this manner he towed us for a mile, to where the river
widened out into a small bay. On the way I pass fellow-fish-
ermen, who greet us with hurrahs, and such exclamations as
"Ain't he a beauty!" "Don't he fight nobly!" "A hundred-
and-sixty-pounder, at least!" etc., etc.
Every time I succeeded in getting him anywhere near the

boat, he would make another spurt. Gradually these became
feebler; and he finally took to circling round the little bay,
all the time, however, some twenty or thirty feet distant from
the boat. I kept him hard at work, never allowing him to
get his second wind, and at last had the gratification of see-
ing him come to the top and turn upon his side, showing his
complete state of exhaustion. It was plain sailing after that,
and I soon had him within reach of the gaff, and when my
boatman gently drew him over into the boat it was half-past
two o'clock. He was a noble prisoner; and it had taken just
one hour and twenty-five minutes to land him. He weighed
one hundred and forty-four (144) pounds, and measured six
feet eleven inches. I had him mounted, and presented him
to the Polytechnic Society of Louisville, Kentucky.

This is the way one Tarpon was caught. Another might
act differently. While there is a general similarity in their
actions, theTarpon has a great deal of individuality, and each

of the fish have caught has acted, in some particulars, differ-
I
ently from the others. Sometimes, when they feel the hook,
they come to the surface and skip about like a small Sardine
chased by a Shark, in every direction, wild in their efforts to
free themselves, and are the very picture of frenzy.
The natural history of the Tarpon is still in a very embry-
onic state. So little is known of its habits that I have never
seen stated in print the season of their spawning. At certain
seasons their coloring is more brilliant than at others, indi-
cating that they have been in deep water. How long they
remain there, or when or where their spawning occurs, seems
to be yet undetermined. The fact that the scales on the
back are rendered black by the rays of the sun would seem to
indicate that they spend the most of their time in compara-
tively shoal water. Their backs are exposed to the sun as they
sport about on the surface, as they are so fond of doing, or
as they feed about on the oyster-shoals, or mud-shallows,
after Mullet, much in the manner of a porpoise.
The natives of the gulf coast say that the Tarpon feeds, like
the deer, when the moon is south. As the moon controls
the tides, and the best time for fishing is known to be upon
the flood or full tide, there may be some reason for their asser-
tion. I have known, too, of Tarpon taking the bait of those
fishing by moonlight.
Tarpon-fishing is still and there is room for
in its infancy,
a great deal of interesting matter upon a most interesting sub-

ject. There is no question it is the gamest fish in the world,
fights furiously and until it is entirely exhausted, and could
never be captured with a rod and reel but for its frantic move-
ments and wonderful leaps from the water, the first ten min-
utes after it feels the hook. During these ten minutes all
you have to do is to give the fish all the line he wants, and
see that the reel runs free. After he is unable to make his
leaps, he will raise his head out of the water and shake it
THE TARPON. 129
viciously. To completely exhaust him will require from one

to three hours, according to the work you compel him to per-
form in towing your boat.
I should not forget to mention one remarkable characteristic
of the Tarpon. Comparatively few of the smaller ones are
caught with rod and line. The young fish seem, contrary to
the general rule, to be more wise and wary than the older
ones. In my experience, ten fish weighing more than seventy-
five pounds are caught to one weighing less.
9
THE STRIPED BASS.
BY FRANCIS ENDICOTT.
the many game fishes which swim the salt or brackish

OF waters of the eastern coast of the United States, the
Striped Bass seems to have claimed more of the atten-
tion of the angler than any other.
Many clubs have been formed, and thousands of dollars
spent in fitting them up; islands have been bought outright,
and rocky points utilized, by building out jetties on solid
iron stanchions, for the purpose of affording angling sites
for this silver-sided racer. In fact, he has given his name to
most by anglers on the coast. If in northern
of the tackle used
waters we are fishing for the Sheepshead, the Bluefish, the
Weakfish, or the Kingfish, or in Florida waters for the Red-
fish or the enormous Tarpon, we use the Bass-rod, the Bass-
reel, the fine cable-laid linen thread line known as the Bass-
line, and the hooks commonly known as Bass-hooks.
There is a most interesting uncertainty in angling which
constitutes its great charm; you know not whether your
cast will attract a minnow or a whale, and this is perhaps
better exhibited in angling for the Striped Bass than for any
other fish, for in many of his haunts you cannot know
whether you will strike a fish of half a pound or one of sixty
pounds. As an instance, on a visit to the Cuttyhunk Club,
on one of the Elizabeth islands of that name, having a repu-
tation, as all the islands have, for the large size of the Bass
caught on their rocky shores, I saw on the records that one
of the members had caught an unprecedentedly small Bass
131
weighing two pounds. This gentleman evidently had a

knowledge of which we know nothing
some wicked game of
whatever, for opposite tha record he had written "Low."
If I remember rightly, the largest fish caught that day
weighed some forty-odd pounds, and the two-pounder is
still good for "Low" whatever that may mean.
Storer, in his "Synopsis of Fishes of North America," de-
scribes the Bass as follows:
Cylindrical, tapering; the upper part of the body of a sil-

very-brown color, the lower part of the sides and abdomen of a
beautiful clear silver color; eight or more longitudinal black
bands on each side, commencing just back of the opercula,
the upper bands running the whole length of the fish, the
lower ones terminating just above the anal tin.
I will add to on large specimens the stripes are

this that
of a beautiful purplish blue,when fresh from the water, fading

to a slate-color on exposure to the air, and later, as the
scales become dry, to a light brown.

His scientific names are many. DeKay remarks, in a tone
of mild sarcasm: "This species, it will be noticed, has had
the fortune to receive many names." Dr. Mitchill, who was
unacquainted with the labors of his predecessors, imposed
upon this species, with characteristic simplicity, his own
name.
The Hon. Robert B. Roosevelt, a sound writer on all mat-
ters pertaining to the rod and gun, in speaking of the Babel-
like confusion which exists in the popular names of birds and
fishes, remarks: "To make matters worse, the scientific
gentlemen have stepped in, and after indulging in plenty of
bad Latin, have added fresh English appellations more un-
meaning and less appropriate, if possible, than the common
ones."
The following list of scientific names of the Striped Bass
requires no comment:
Perca Lineata. Roccits Stnatus.
Perca Septentrionalis. Roccus Lineattis.

THE STRIPED BASS. 1 33
Perca Saxatahs. Scicefia Lineata,

Perca Mitchelli. Centropo7tie Raye.
Perca Mitchelli inlemipta. Le Bar Kaye.
Labrax Lineatiis.
There are but two common names by which this fish is

known throughout the extended region where he is found
they are: Striped Bass, north of Philadelphia, and Rockfish,
frequently abbreviated to Rock, at and south of that city.
And even these two names sometimes give rise to confusion.
A friend who was about to visit Admiral in Mary- ,
land, he packing his dress-coat and other "duds," and I lazily

smoking and watching his proceedings asked whether it v,'as
worth while to take his rod and reel with him. I replied,
"Do so by all means; you will have time to go fishing in the
interval of your social engagements, and will find plenty of
Striped Bass and Bluefish." On his return he told me that
he was informed that "there were no fish to be caught there
but 'Rock' and 'Tajdors, and only the niggers fished for
'
them;" whereupon he fired off some choice explosives in

ancient Sanscrit, or Phoenician, or Volapuk, directed at me.
On the day that he left for home he discovered accidentally
that the "Rock" was his favorite, the Striped Bass, and
the "Taylor" the Bluefish. Then, poetically speaking, he
danced in his wrath, and tore his hair, and gnashed his teeth,
and wept bitterly.
"A Key into the Language of America, or an Help to the
Language of the Natives in that part of America called
New England, London, 1643, by Roger Williams," gives the
Indian name of the fish, "Missuckeke"
Bass and says:
"The Indians (and the English too) make a dainty dish of the
head of and well they may, the brains and
this, fat of it
being very much, and sweet as marrow "

It is unnecessary to say that there is little probability of
this name becoming common, though it is quite as descrip-
tive as some of the scientific appellations.
Of the two popular names, Striped Bass seems the more

appropriate, asit is descriptive of the fish, and not of the bot-
tom on which they are sometimes, but not always, found; and
by this name they are best known in the region where they
are pursued most successfully, as well as most artistically, by
the angler.
Although the habitat of the Striped Bass is extended, they
are found numbers between Chesapeake Bay and
in greater
Cape Cod than in any other part of their geographical range.
Along the coast of this favored region, and in the numerous
bays and inlets by which it is indented, they are caught in im-
mense numbers by the seine fishermen, and sent to the New
York and other markets. Even the sandy beaches of Long
Island and New Jersey are made to furnish their quota of the
fish-food required to provision the great cities.
In the fall of the year, crews of hardy surfmen may be seen,
on any favorable day, coasting along in their bank skiffs, just
beyond the breakers, with one of their number stationed
in the bow as a lookout, and as they near the sandspits,
where the break of the sea lashes the water into suds, the
fish wilf be seen scudding away, frightened at the approach-
ing craft. have seen them present a particularly lively

I
appearance in the night-time, darting through the phospho-

rescent water like bolts of living fire. The seines are short,
not comparing with the enormous ones used in North Caro-
lina, and are paid out in the usual manner, from the stern
of the boat. I have known five thousand pounds of Bass to
be caught in one haul on the coast of New Jersey

As this king of the surfis indigenous to American waters
so the implements used in his capture are peculiar to this

country Salmon and Trout rods and reels are sometimes
imported, but all fine Bass tackle, with the exception of the
hook, is the result of American ingenuit}^ and is made by
ourown artisans.
The methods of angling for him in the early Puritan days,
THE STRIPED BASS. 135
and the implements used, were somewhat primitive. WiUiam

Wood pubHshed a tract in 1634, entitled "New England's

Prospect A true, lively, and experimental description of
that part of America called New England,"
in which the
manner of catching these fish by our ancestors is thus set

forth: "Of these fishes (the Basse) some be three and some
foure feet long, some bigger some lesser. At some tides a
man may catch a dozen or twenty of these in three houres; the
way to catch them is with hooke and line. The fisherman
taking a great Cod-line, to which he fasteneth a piece of
Lobster and throwes it into the Sea; the fish biting at it, he
pulls her to him and knocks her on the head with a sticke."
A recent English novelist, noted for his powers of minute
description, gives the following account of Bass-fishing in the
last century. The fish spoken of is not our Striped Bass, but
his English patronymic, the Perca Labrax of Linnaeus, Labrax
lupus of Cuvier. Old Davy tells the story in "The Maid of
Sker:" "Up I roused and rigged my pole for a good bout at
the Bass. At the butt of the ash was a bar of square oak,
fitted in with a screw-bolt, and woven round this was my
line of good hemp, twisted evenly, so that if any fish came

who could master me, and pull me off the rocks almost, I
could indulge him with some slack by unreeving a fathom of
line. At the end of the pole was a strong loop-knot,
through which ran the line bearing two large hooks with the
eyes of their shanks lashed tightly with cobbler's ends upon
whip-cord. The points of the hooks were fetched up with
a file and the barbs well blackened, and the whole dressed
over with whale-oil. Then upon one hook I fixed a soft
crab,and on the other a cuttle-fish."
Can any thing be more quaint than these accounts of
fishing in the olden time.''

The late Mr. Conroy, an octogenarian whose name was
a tower of strength in the fishing-tackle trade for more than
half a century, gave me some interesting reminiscences of the
early history of Bass-fishing in the vicinity of New York

He said that the reels were single-acting, awkward affairs at
best; that the multiplier, the balance-handle, the guides,
reel-band, and tip of the rod, and various other minor details
in both rod and reel which go to make up their present
perfection, are the result of improvements made from time
to time, suggested by the experience of anglers, or by the
ingenuity of the makers themselves. As to the material of
which the rod should be made, there is much diversity of
opinion; in fact, there are so many kinds of wood that are
excellent for the purpose, that it becomes a matter of caprice
or fancy on the part of the individual. Some prefer the joint-
ed rod of ash and lance- wood; othors the Calcutta, and others
still the Japan bamboo; while a few, who have the means
and believe that this royal fish should be hunted in regal
style, use a rod consisting of a short butt of ash, to which the
reel is attached, while the long, taperingsecond joint is made
of the choicest bamboo splints glued together and bound
with parti-colored silks, with guides and tips of agate or
cornelian. This is the rod "c/t' luxe''' lovely, costly, delight-
ful to handle, but I fear not over-reliable in wet weather, by
reason of the glue used in its construction. Calcutta or
Japan bamboo, in their natural state, possess qualities which
fit them admirably for heavy sea-fishing; the slender, tapering
stems formed of masses of tough, stringy fibers, which spread
out sparsely through the pithy inner wood where strength is
not required, and crowd so closely as almost to touch each
other as they approach the fiinty covering the case-harden-
ing as it were, which envelop the whole seem to be especial-
ly adapted to the purpose.
With such a rod you may cast all day without tiring. It
is springy, and strikes a fish sharply and at once, and has an

elastic force which will enable you to tire out a seventy-
pounder if you have the good fortune to try conclusions with
one of that weight. It requires at least as much skill to
make a cast with it as it does to cast a Salmon-fly. The bait

must go to its destination at once, or the hne has to be reeled
in and a fresh cast made; there can be no retrieving the
shortcomings of the first attempt, as can be done with the
Salmon or Trout rod. When the bait is started on its flight
through the air, the reel, if a fine one, pays out the line
much faster than the weight of the bait can carry and it off,
if not checked by the thumb, the line overruns and forms

a disagreeable snarl on the barrel of the reel the great art
being to know just how much pressure of the thumb is req-
uisite to have the line render only as fast as the bait will
carry it.
The graceful ease with which the old Bass angler makes
his cast is misleading to the tyro. His rod is thrown back
with about two and one-half feet jDf line for play; a rather
slow movement of the tip, not a sudden jerk, forward, and
the bait, describing a graceful curve, drops noiselessly in the
water, within a few inches of where he intended it should.
This is done so easily and with so little apparent exertion
of strength or skill, that the tyro seizes his rod with con-
fidence and essays to do the like; the lesult is usually dis-
astrous.
Th3 longest cast on record is that of Mr. W. H. Wood,
made at the tournament of the National Rod' and Reel Asso-
ciation at Central Park, where, with a two and one-half ounce
sinker, the average weight of a Menhaden or Lobster-tail
bait, he cast two hundred and sixty and one-tenth feet.
This has never been approached. I was present as an officer
of the Association and saw the cast measured.
The reel used in Bass-fishing is a multiplier that theis,
barrel revolves twice for every turn of the crank and is
made German-silver or brass, though the finest reels have

of
the caps and sides of hard rubber, thus avoiding the weight of
solid metal which is the great objection to large reels. The
size varies with the locality. In the creeks and estuaries of
the coast, where the fish seldom weigh over five pounds, a
reel that will carry a hundred yards of linen line is amply large,
but for surf-fishing it should be large enough to carry from

two hundred to three hundred yards. The barrel should in
all cases run on steel pivots, and in its work-
be so accurate
manship that the on the crank may be sufficient
lightest fillip
to set it running for some time. This motion should be

perfectly noiseless in whatever position the rod is held no
grating of the gearing or friction of the barrel; in short, it
should be as near as possible to perpetual motion, and

as perfect in its mechanism as the movement of a fine watch.
About six miles from the New York Cit}' Hall, as the crow
flies,where the Harlem joins its waters with the East River,
lies that pesky, turbulent region of seething currents, eddies,
and whirlpools, appropriately called Hell Gate. At slack tide
the water will be as placid as a mill-pond, with scarce a rip-
ple to betoken its treacherous character. Sloops and schooners
passing through the gate will rest quietly on its bosom, with
every detail of sail and spar and cordage accurately mirrored
from its glassy surface. Presently little eddies will begin to
form, indications of a change of tide; currents will begin to
set in contrary directions, and in an incredibly short time the
whole scene of placid beauty will change into a brawling,
foaming conflict of waters, exceedingl}' dangerous, as many
an unskillful navigator can attest. This was a favorite spot
with Washington Irving. To him the whole neighborhood
was a region of fable and romance which he delighted to
people with ghostly pirates and more substantial old Dutch
burghers and their broad-beamed wives and daughters.
Many of the localities hereabouts are rendered classic by
the glamour of his magic pen. In the whirlpool called
"The Pot," a famous lurking-place for large Bass, the gal-
lant tub of the mighty Van Kortlandt came to grief; on one
of these rocks the great Ten Broeck peeled himself like
an onion and dried his multifold breeches; on yonder island

Black Sam, the negro fisherman, watched Captain Kidd and
his men as they buried their ill-gotten treasures by the dim
light of the ship's lantern. The place is still called Nigger
Point, and is notable for the fine Bass caught there. I have
heard of no one who has been made suddenly wealthy by
the discovery of Kidd's treasure, but many places in sight
can be pointed out where the rise in value of land has been
so sudden as to verify the legend of Wolfert Webber and his
cabbage plot. For instance, below us, its dark outlines
broken by many a spire and ambitious factory chimney, lies
the great city whose site was the subject of the famous bar-
gain driven with the Indians by Oloffe the Dreamer.
In the eddies forming about the reefs by these turbulent
waters, fine fishing can be had, occasionally, for Bass weighing
from two to fifty pounds, though many stories are told of
monsters of much larger growth having been caught or
which have disappointed the angler by breaking loose just
at the moment when they were about to be gaffed. It is
well not to place too much reliance on these fishermen's

yarns, for many of them doubtless have their origin in the
atmosphere of romance which appears to pervade this neigh-
borhood, or in that habit -shall we call it exaggeration.^
which seems to be an amiable weakness of the gentle craft.
Still the fact remains that more large fish are caught in this
locality than at any other place within fifty m.iles of the city.
Hell Gate is particularly worthy of note, as it is undoubt-
edly the school from which all of our large Bass anglers have

graduated not intending, however, to say that all who at
present fish for large Bass are Hell Gate fishermen, for there are
now many excellent anglers from all parts of the Union, mem-
bers of the great fishing clubs, who have no further knowl-
edge of its intricacies than that obtained from the deck of
a Sound steamer; but that the art of fishing for heavy fish
with light tackle was first practiced in these waters, and that
THE STRIPED BASS. I4I
the tackle used at present for all heavy sea-fishing is substan-

tially the same as that invented for or suggested by the vet-
erans, founders of the great Bass fishing clubs Cutt3'hunk,

Pasque, \^'est Island, and Squibnocke who had served their,
apprenticeship and acquired their skill amid the boiling wa-
ters around Pot Rock. There are many honored names
in the fraternity. Frank Forester, Genio Scott, Peter
Balen, Robert B. Roosevelt, Ed. Phalon, Phenix Ingraham,
William Woodhull, James Vallotton, and S. M. Blatchford
the designer of the jetties now used on the ocean beaches
of New Jersey, for Bass fishing, with great success all were
graduates from Hell Gate.
There is an uncanniness about night-fishing in this local-
ity which never fails to produce a profound effect on the
mmd. The dark, swirling waters, of unknown depth, as they

sweep past the stern of the boat, are suggestive of mysteri-
ous thoughts which no amount of philosophical reasoning
can dispel. On one occasion an angler, while fishing in Hell
Gate, had come to anchor off Mill Rock, and having met with
considerable success, had prolonged his stay, notwithstand-
ing that the night had grown dark and that thick clouds had
gathered overhead, threatening a storm. A cast was made
toward the eddies which form about the rock, and as the
baited hook disappeared in the darkness he felt it strike and
catch in some object which the tide was bearing rapidly
away. For a moment the line paid out with great velocity,
but checking it gradually, he felt it slacken its speed and
come to a stop, though the pressure of the tide still kept a
severe strair on the rod. He tried to loosen the hold of the
hook by alternately easing and jerking the line, but without
success, and finding that the object yielded to a steady pull,
commenced reeling it in slowly.
What was it.'' It was evidently inanimate and floating.
He peered out into the darkness, straining every visual
nerve, but he might as well have attempted to see through
the darkness of Egypt as that which now encircled him. He

became nervous almost frightened. There passed through
his mind thoughts of the river's dead
of ghastly, sheeted
forms which he had seen on the cold slabs of the morgue;
of the horrible semblance of humanity which he had once
seen floating in a ferry-slip, the features decomposed and
half eaten by fishes, while the rayless eyes seemed to look
up to his horrified gaze in mute appeal, that they might be
laid away far from the sight of man under the sod. He felt
for his bait-knife to cut the thing loose, but a feeling of pride
came to his assistance, and he laid it down again. Finally
summoning all his manhood, he turned the handle of the
reel slowly until he knew by the position of the line that it
was almost within his reach. Here was a moment of sus-

pense. He did not wish to touch it in the darkness, neither
did he wish to use the gaff-hook. He felt in his pocket for a
match, scratched it a number of times on the gunwale of the
boat,and waiting for the sulphur to burn off, held it over
the stern, and in the dim, flickering light which it afforded,
beheld -an empty pork-barrel dancing and courtesying to
him on the waves. He burst into a laugh which had nothing
of mirth in it, but pulled up his anchor
and then I went
home, and have never fished in Hell Gate at night since.
There is a large class of anglers in the ci1:y of New York
and its vicinity, among them many experts, who can rarely
leave their business cares for more than a day at a time, and
whose trips are limited to such localities as can be reached
in an hour or two, so as to admit of their returning on the
same day. To these there is a charm about the very name
of Bass which is irresistible, and in the October days, when
the cheering word comes from any of the estuaries of New
York Bay, Spuyten Duyvil, or Coney Island Creek, or at
or
Kingsbridge, or some of the upper docks of the city itself,
these anglers of a day may be seen at the fish-markets in the
early hours of the morning, with rods and weather-beaten
THE STRIPED BASS. I43
fish-baskets laying in their stock of shedder crabs, shrimp,

and sand-worms, not forgetting a string or two of soft clams,
for Bass are capricious in their taste, and will sometimes
take the plebeian clam in preference to the aristocratic and
high-priced shedder. At this season of the year the waters
of Newark Bay, Staten Island Sound, and the Kill von Kull
will fairly teem with small Bass, rarely reaching five pounds
oftener ranging from three-fourths to one and one-half

pounds each and will be dotted with the small boats of an-
glers eager in the pursuit of the gamy little fish.
A day at one of these favored spots with a genial compan-

ion, or, if alone, spent in those delicious musings and self-
communings into which one easily falls from pure idle enjoy-
ment, broken occasionally by the tug of some prying unfortu-
nate who attempts to purloin the bait and comes to grief on
the treacherous barb, is one to be treasured in the memory
and marked with a white stone forever.
As our boat swings lazily with the current, we note the
wondrous witch-work which the frosts have wrought upon
the foliage of the neighboring hills, the russet browns, and
vermilions, and yellows mingling boldly with the dark green

of the cedars, while the soft haze of the Indian summer mel-
lows and blends the brilliant dyes into a mass of harmonious
coloring, giving them an indistinctness which makes it hard ^
we are not
to realize that in dream-land. Emerson asks,
"Who can guess how much firmness the sea-beaten rock has
taught the fisherman.-' How much tranquillity has been re-
flected to man from the azure sky.'" We give it up; we feel
in no mood to answer such questions; we know only that the
hours glide by with a fleetness unusual, and that every mo-
ment brings with it its measure of pure and unalloyed con-
tent.
What matters it if our catch does not rise above the dig-
nity of pan-fish, or even if the proverbial "fisherman's luck"
should fall to our lot.? we have a day spent in the glorious
autumn weather, breathing the balmy air of the Indian sum-

mer, tempered and softened as it comes over the salt water,
until we feel an exhilaration which will show itself for many

days after in a renewed activity of mind and body.
When the tide rises or the fish cease biting, we try other
grounds, never rowing over the spot which we propose to
fish, but approaching it with the utmost caution, particularly
if the water be shallow, for your Bass is a shy fish, and grows
in wariness as he increases in size. He is as keea of eye as
a Trout, and will take alarm at the near approach of a boat
or at any unusual disturbance of the water. So we drop our
anchor noiselessly, far enough from the feeding-ground to
have our boat swing within easy casting distance. The more
quietly these operations are conducted, the greater the proba-
bilit}^ of taking large fish.
have many times fished with an old friend that thor-
I
ough angler and excellent writer, Genio C. Scott on the
south side of Long Island for Trout^ at Rockaway Inlet for
Sheepshead; but the one day that we had, off Staten Island,
fishing for Striped Bass, when I sat, as it were, at the feet
of Gamaliel, gathering in heaps of fish-lore and occasional
fishes, will ever have a place in my memory as one of perfect
enjoyment. Peace to his ashes.
We caught, that day, thirty Bass, averaging one and three-
quarter pounds, in two hours' fishing.
The baits used in fishing for Bass, are, as Mr. Venus puts
it, in "Our Mutual Friend," "warious," depending entirely on
the location. On
the Susquehanna the Bass are trolled for
with the eel and they take it readily. At the falls of the
tail,
Potomac, and also on the Passaic and Raritan rivers, they

take the fly. No doubt they would rise to the fly in other
waters if properly invited, but thsse are small Bass. At
West Island, No Man's Land, Block Island, and the fishing
stands of the Vineyard Islands, the Menhaden bait and Lob-
ster tail are used with great success. At Hell Gate, and other
10
places in the vicinity of New York, shrimp, shedder crabs,

soft clams, squid and sand-worms are the favorite baits,
either in trolling or still fishing the white sand-worm, or
blood-worm, as it is sometimes
from the reddish fluid
called,
that it gives out when pierced by the hook, being by far the
most killing of all. They cost about two dollars a hundred,
while, when fishing at Gay Head, Martha's Vineyard, I paid
but one dollar and fifty cents per hundred for young Lob-
sters. Mr. Tillinghast, of New Bedford, stood by me where
I was fishing, and kept me supplied with bait. The tail
was cut off and the shell peeled from it that made one bait;
the rest of the lobster he cut up fine and threw into the wa-
ter as "chum," to attract the fish. After a time he became
tired, and although he declared that the water looked more
"Bassy" than he had seen it in the several days that he had
been trying for them, left me, saying jokingly, "All the Bass
you catch to-day I will put in my eye." In less than an hour
I had two, one of twenty-five pounds and one of fifteen
pounds. I shall always remember the pleasure that I took
in thinking of the unmerciful test that at his own suggestion

he would have to sustain on my return to the light-house.
Neither will I soon forget the idyl of that day, when a bevy
of laughing beauties school-girls picnicking from New Bed-
ford, accompanied by a staid, elderly matron, came trooping
along the shore, gathering up the Irish moss, pebbles, and shells
or fossils washed from the cliffs overhead, giving a scream of
delight at each new find. One of them, incited by that
spirit of mischief inherited from her grandmother Eve mis-
led, no doubt, by the roughness of my costume, the weather-
beaten shirt and hat, tattered trousers, and my swarthy, sun-

burned complexion mounted on the rock by my side, and,
in the most demure manner possible, commenced to ply me
with all sorts of embarrassing questions whether I was mar-
ried, or engaged, or had a sweetheart; and was this a cold
place to live in in winter, and other quizzing of like nature,
tending to great discomfiture and unrestrained merriment on

the part of her more bashful companions; for, although some
of the questions drew heavily on the imagination for a reply,
I had not the heart to mar their innocent fun by appearing
in true character as one of the wicked denizens of the great
metropolis, but kept up the rustic simplicity to the end, when,
tired of their chaffing, or seeking more fun, they glided away
along the beach, leaving in my memory, never to be forgot-
ten, the echo of their merry ripples of laughter.
Some of the greatest catches known, of large Bass, were
made from the iron piers built for the purpose by the late
Thomas Winans, at Newport, Rhode Island. In three
months of
one year July, August, and September he and
his nephew, Thomas Whistler, caught one hundred and twen-
ty-four Bass, weighing two thousand, nine hundred and twen-
ty-one pounds, an average of over twenty-three pounds, the
largest being one of sixty pounds. There were but nineteen
minnows taken in the season, that weighed six pounds or under.
This sounds like a fish yarn, but I have the highest author-
ity (documentary) for the statement. Noteworthy days were
those when, on the 20th of September, their two rods brought
to gaff twelve fish, weighing four hundred and seventy-seven
pounds, or on the 9th of the same month, when they landed
two hundred and five pounds, and when, on the same day.
Miss Celeste Winans caught four, weighing respectively, for-
ty-eight, fifty-five, thirty-five, and thirty-nine pounds. There
are but few Bass anglers who would not be proud of this
record made by a delicately nurtured woman. Mr. Winans
was an invalid, and fished but a few days in the season; oth-
erwise the catch would have been much larger.
Is there more royal fishing than this.' expensive, but still
royal. I have no doubt but that, taking in the cost of the
two iron structures and the many other incidentals, every

pound of Bass caught cost him five dollars. He, Mr. Wi-
nans, would buy his two hundred-yard twelve-thread linen
lines by the hundred, costing two dollars and fifty cents

apiece, and would never use one a second time, fearing that
they might have been frayed by the rocks, and thus lose him
a heavy fish. This thorough sportsman died a few years ago,

leaving some millions to his heirs he was poor, but other-
wise respectable.
But
it is time to stop. Here we are giving away what lit-
tle
we know about fishing contrary to the precepts of the
late Wynkyn de Worde (A. D. 1491) who, in his introduc-
tion to the famous ''Treatyse on Fysshynge," holds forth in
this manner:
"And for by cause that the present treatyse sholde not
come to ye hondys of eche ydle persone whyche wolde de-
sire it yf it were emprynted allone by itself put in a lytyll
plaunflet, therefore I have compylyd it in a grete volume

of dyverse bokys concernynge to gentyll and noble men to
the extent that the forsayd persones whyche sholde have
but lytyll mesure in the sayd dysport of fysshynge sholde not
by this meane utterly destroye it."
THE BLACK BASS.
BY DR. JAMES A. HENSHALL.
SIXTEEN penned the following prediction in

years ago I
regard to the Black Bass: "That it will eventually be-

come the leading game-fish of America is my oft -ex-
pressed opinion and firm belief." Also: "That by the use of
suitable tackle it would not suffer by a comparison with other
game fishes."
my opinion was correct and my belief well-founded
That
is proved by the complete verification of this prediction;
for at the present day no fish is more constantly and
more eagerly sought by bait-fisher and f]y-fisher than the
for
Black Bass. And if further proof were necessary to estab-
lish the claim that the I^lack Bass is now the leading game
fish of America, it is only necessary to refer to the fact that

follows:
When the above prediction was made there was not a sin-
gle tool or article of tackle made expressly for Black Bass
fishing, and advertised as such, except the trolling-spoon.
True, the "Kentucky reel" had been manufactured by Meek
and Milam for a number of years, but it had never been
advertised, and was comparatively unknown, except to a
few western anglers.
How is it now.' Every manufacturer of fishing-tackle is

making articbs especially for I^lack Bass fishing rods, reels,
lines, flies, leaders, etc.
and it is only necessary to refer to
the advertising columns of our sportsmen's journals to make
this fact apparent.
140
Of course, the deplorable scarcity of Brook Trout fishing,

and the continual and inevitable decrease of that noble game
fish in our dwindling and polluted Trout streams, have a
great deal to do with the manifest interest and pronounced

favor with which the Black Bass is at present regarded by
the angling fraternity; but, in my opinion, the greatest rea-
son for this marked appreciation of this grand game-fish is
the introduction of proper and suitable tools and tackle for

its capture.
Regarding the game qualities of the Black Bass I also,
years ago, hazarded this apparently heretical sentiment: "I
consider him, inc]i for inch 2.w(S. pound for pound, the gamest
fish that swims." The lapse of years, and a more extended
experience in angling, from the lordly Salmon of Canadian
streams to the legion of finny acrobats of Floridian waters,
only confirm in my own mind this seemingly broad and swêep-
ing assertion.
As to a comparison of game qualities as between the Small-
mouthed Bass and the Large-mouthed Bass, I still hold that,
all things being equal, and where the two species inhabit the
same waters, there is no difference in game qualities; for

while the Small-mouth is probably more active in its move-
ments, the Large-mouth Bass is more powerful, and no angler
can tell from its manner of "fighting" whether he is fast to a
Large-mouth or a Small-mouth Bass until he has the ocular
evidence.
As there is but little and still less in
difference in habits,
game qualities as and as the methods of
between the species,
angling for both are the same, my remarks in this paper will
apply to either species under the generic nam.e of "Black
Bass," unless otherwise distinctly stated.
ANGLING AUTHORS ON THE BLACK BASS.
Prior to the establishment of our now popular journals and

periodicals of out-door sports, there was very little informa-
THE BLACK BASS. I5I
tion concerning the Black Bass in books devoted to angling.

Both species of Black Bass being originally absent from
the waters of the Atlantic Slope of the New England and
Middle States, and our early angling authors residing in east-
ern cities, they either knew very little or absolutely nothing
of this now well-known game-fish.
John J. Brown ("American Angler's Guide," 1849), sa3^s
of the Black Bass:
"It has a thick oval head; large mouth, with rozvsoi small
teeth;a wide dorsal fin near the center of the body, another
toward the tail, with corresponding pectoral and anal fins.
The body is quite thick near the head, and tapers regularly,
terminating in a swalloio tail.''''
The italics are mine; but could any description be more

misleading.'*
Again, being misled by the name "Trout," as applied in
the Southern States to the Black Bass, he classifies it under
the head of "Brook Trout," and innocently states:
"They grow to a much larger size than northern Trout,
varying in length from six to twenty-four inches; they are of
a darker color, and do not possess that beauty of appearance
when out of the water, or that delicious flavor when upon the
table; neither do they contribute so much to the angler's
sport, as those of northern latitudes."
However, he gives, in other portions of his book, brief
notes from several western and southern anglers containing
rather fair descriptions of the appearance and habits of both
species of Black Bass.
Henry W. Herbert ("Frank Forester's Fish and Fishing,"
1850) knew no more of the Black Bass than Mr Brown. He
compiled the description of the species from De Kay and
Agassiz, and quotes the same western correspondent of Buf-
falo, New York, as Mr. Brown in reference to Black Bass
fishing, saying, wisely: "I prefer quoting him to writing of
this fish myself; as, although not unacquainted with his hab-
1 52 AMERICAN GAME FISHES.
its, I have never yet myself enjoyed the pleasure of catching

him either with the fly, the spoon, or the shiner."
Robert B. Roosevelt ("Game Fish of the North," 1862)
writes more intelligently of Black Bass and Black Bass fish-
ing than any of his contemporaries, because he wrote in the
light of considerable personal experience in fishing for this
magnificent game-fish in the St. Lawrence basin.
Thad Norris ("American Angler's Book," 1864), although
having no personal experience in Black Bass fishing, is, as
usual, quite correct, for his day, in his description of the
species, for he described them carefully from actual specimens
and the best authorities (Holbrook, Agassiz), but beyond very
fair descriptions he gives very little information.
Genio Scott ("Fishing in American Waters," 1869),
C.
although the latest angling writer of the period under consid-
eration,has less to say, and apparently knew less of the
Black Bass than any of his predecessors.
NOMENCLATURE.
There are but tivo species of Black Bass, the correct names
of which are the Small-mouthed Black Bass {Microptci-us
dolomieu, Lac) and the Large-mouthed Black Bass {Micfop-
teriis sabnoidcs, [Lac], Henshall). The numerous local or
vernacular names bestowed upon these two species in various
parts of the country have been the cause of great confusion,
and have often caused the truth-seeking angler to doubt
whethei there were one or a dozen species. Thus in
Southern Virginia the Large-mouthed Bass is known as
"Chub," as in North Carolina it is called "White Salmon,"
"Welchman," or "Trout-Perch," while throughout the entire
South and Southwest both species are generally known as
"Trout." In Eastern Kentucky the Small-mouthed Bass is
"Jumping Perch." In the North and West both species are
known as "Bass," with the addition of various adjectives
expressive of gameness, coloration, or habitat, as "Tiger
THE BLACK BASS. 153
Bass," "Bull Bass," "Buck Bass;" Black, Green, or Yellow

Bass; Lake, River, Cove, Moss, Slough, or Marsh Bass, or
Oswego Bass. These names, or others, are applied indis-
criminately in different localities to either species of Black
Bass. Throughout the Northwest the Small-mouthed Bass is
usually known as "Black Bass," and the Large-mouthed Bass
as "Green Bass," or "Oswego Bass," though the last name is
in other sections sometimes applied to the Small-mouthed
Bass. In Oswego River the Large-mouthed Bass is rarely or
never taken. Then again Black Bass species are sometimes
confounded with the Rock Bass {Aiiibloplitcs nipcstris), the
Calico Bass, or Straw Bass [Poinoxjs sparoidcs), or the White
Bass [Race us chiysops), which are entirely different fishes,
with but a very slight family resemblance to the Black Bass.
From the foregoing it will be readily seen that local names
for so widely distributed a fish as the Black Bass are a delu-
sion and a snare. The only safe rule for anglers to follow is
to use the name "Black Bass," for the ^cnus, and the names
"Small-mouthed Black Bass," or "Large-mouthed Black
Bass" for the species.
DESCRIPTION.
At day it is unnecessary to enter into a detailed

this late
description of the two species of Black Bass. The specific
differences are now apparent to most anglers, who readily
distinguish one from the other. The most striking and most
easily recognized structural differences are in the compara-
tive size of the mouth, and of the scales, as will be seen at
once in the subjoined illustrations.
It will be observed that the angle of the mouth in the
Small-mouthed Bass reaches only to, or below, the eye;

while in the Large-mouthed Bass it extends considerably be-
yond, or behind it.
The scales on the cheeks of the former are quite small as

compared with those on its body; while in the latter the
I
cheek scales are relatively much larger, nearly as large as its

body scales.
Also, there will be found ten or elevenrows of scales be-
tween the and the dorsal or back fin of the Small-
lateral line
mouthed Bass; while there will be found but eight rows in
the Large-mouthed Bass, owing to their larger size.
These differences might be epigrammatically expressed
thus: Small mouth and small scales; large mouth and large
scales. The angler who remembers this will never be at a
loss to identify the Black Bass species.
COLORATION.
The coloration of both species of Black Bass varies greatly

in different waters, and often in the same waters. It may
run from dark, bronze-green, brownish or almost black, to
bright green or even a yellowish-green. Usually, however,
the Small-mouthed Bass is darker than the Large-mouthed
Bass, the prevailing color in both being olive-green. The
color is always darkest on the back, becoming lighter on the
sides,and fading out to white on the belly.
There are usually various darker markings on the cheeks
and body. In the Large-mouth the body marks are usually
faint, longitudinal, clouded streaks; while in the Small-
mouthed Bass they are transverse or vertical indistinct bars.
In a day's fishing the angler may take Bass of a dozen dif-
ferent shades; but if they are kept on the same string, or in

the same basket, he will find at the close of the day that all
of the same species are of the same color.
BREEDING.
It is also well known that the Black Bass is a spring or

summer-spawning fish, according to climate, this function
being greatly influenced by the temperature of the water,
occurring as early as April in the extreme South, and as late
as July in the deep, cool waters of the extreme North.
THE BLACK BASS. 155
The male and female pair and form a circular, shallow nest
in coarse sand or gravel, where the eggs and milt are deposit-
ed, and hatch in about two weeks. A female Black Bass
will deposit between ten and twenty thousand eggs. The
young fry are about three-eighths of an inch long when
hatched, and remain on the nests several da3's or a week.
The parent lish watches and protects the eggs, and afterward
the young fry. The young Bass grow rapidly, reaching a
length of three or four inches when a year old, and eight or
ten inches when two years old. They mature about the age
of three years.
FOOD AND GROWTH.
The food of the young fry, minute Crus-

at inrst, consists of
tacea and other animalcules; afterward, almost entirely of

insects until a year old; the second year they begin feeding
on crawfish and small minnows, always preferring the former;
the prevalent opinion that Black Bass feed almost exclusively
on other fishes is incorrect and untrue.
The maximum weight of the Small-mouthed Bass is five
pounds, the Large-mouthed Bass growing a pound or two
heavier, though in Florida the latter reaches fifteen pounds;
of course there are individual exceptions where both species
have attained a greater weight,
DISTRIBUTION.
The Black Bass now inhabits every Stale of the Union east
of the Rocky Mountains, and portions of California on the
Western Slope. It has been successfully transplanted in
England, Scotland, Germany, and the Netherlands; in time
it will become cosmopolitan. In the Northern States it un-
dergoes a more or less complete hibernation, according to
the climate, and in the extreme South, during the hottest
portion of summer, undergoes the analogous condition of
aestivation.
OLD-TIME BASS FISHING.
If the descriptions of the appearance and habits of the

Black Bass by the authors of the anghng-books before men-
tioned are so brief or inexact, what do they say as to the
methods of anghng for this grand game-fish?
Brown says: "He is angled for in the usual way, and with
the same arrangement of tackle as the Striped Bass or Salm-
on; and with some enthusiastic western sportsmen is
thought to give more amusement than either. But the most
active and exciting mode of pursuit is with the trolling-rod
and boat." His Buffalo correspondent treats briefly and
vaguely of still-fishing with minnows and crawfish.
Another one states that: "The most beautiful mode of an-
gling for them known, is trolling either with live bait or an
artificial fiy of large size and gay appearance," and gives the
formula for the "fly," as follows: "Body of a peacock feather,

wings of bright scarlet kerseymere and white pigeon feathers;
or, the feather stripped from a white goose-quill, and wound
round like the hackle, and surmounted with thin strips of

scarlet for wings." Shades of Cotton!
In a later edition of Brown's book, a Detroit correspond-
ent says: "The modes of taking this delicious fish are
by troll-
ing, and still-fishing with the rod and
and gives very
reel,"'
good, but short descriptions of these methods of fishing, as

then practiced.
Herbert throws no additional light on the subject, but
after quoting the same correspondents as Brown, states in ad-
dition: "A friend of my own has killed man}' of this fine Bass
with a large red hackle, with a gold tinsel body, and also with
a green-tailed grannam."
Roosevelt, as before stated, is the only author mentioned
who writes intelligently of Black-Bass fishing. He sa3^s:
"They will take minnows, shiners, grasshoppers, frogs,
worms, or almost anything else that can be called a bait. *
THE BLACK BASS. 15/
* * They may be captured by casting the fly as for Sahii-

on or Trout, and this is by far the most sportsman-Hke way,
but the most destructive and usually resorted to is trolling."
But, unfortunately, the only personal description of Black
Bass fishing he gives is by trolling with large flies.
The only experience related by Norris is this: "I have

taken this Bass in the vicinity of St. Louis, on a moonshiny
night, by skittering a light spoon over the surface of the
water, while standing on the shore."
Scott devotes just three lines to Black Bass fishing: "This
fish is taken by casting the artificial fly, or by trolling with
the feathered spoon, with a minnow impaled on a gang of
hooks, and forming spinning tackle."
In the light of the present literature of the Black Bass,
these antiquated ideas are quite amusing, while in the matter
of tools and tackle they seem very crude when contrasted
with our present light and comely bait-rods and fly-rods,
to say nothing of improved reels, lines, and hooks.
But while these Nestors of the gentle art were recommend-
ing Salmon rods, and Striped Bass rods and heavy trolling-
rods for a fish they knew nothing or very little about, prac-
tically, the true Black Bass fishers of the then West and
Southwest were using light cane rods, Kentucky reels, and
the smallest sea-grass lines. They knew nothing of Salm-
on, Striped Bass, or trolling rods, and had no use for
them had they known them.
More than thirty years ago IKentucky and
saw anglers in
Southern Ohio using natural cane rods, ten feet long and
weighing but a few ounces (much lighter, in fact, than any trout
fly-rod then in vogue), with Frankfort reels affixed by grooved
metal reel-seats to these native cane rods. This gave me my
first idea of short and light bait-rods for Black Bass fishing.
Until a few months before this, as a boy in Baltimore, I
had used similar jointed cane rods, of my own construction,
for White Perch and small Striped Bass in the Patapsco
River, and Brook Trout in the mountain streams of Penn-

for
sylvania, Maryland, and Virginia. From this idea was grad-
ually evolved, some ten years later, the "Henshall" Black
Bass rod, eight and a quarter feet long, and eight ounces in
weight. Up to this time there were no jointed rods to be
had of less than twelve feet in length, (except the heavy
Striped Bass rods), or weighing less than fifteen ounces.
Lighter rods suggested and demanded lighter and smaller
lines and improved reels, so that at the present day we
have implements and tackle for Black-Bass fishing as light
and comely, as elegant and suitable as those for Brook
Trout fishing; and it is in the use of such tools that the
full enjoyment of Black-Bass fishing is realized.
MODERN BASS FISHING.
Owing to the remarkably wide distribution of the Black

Bass species, and the great variety in the character of the
waters they inhabit, it would seem that the methods of an-
gling for them, and the character of the tackle employed in

their capture, would be subject to considerable variation or
modification. But this is true to a very limited extent only,
and there is no good or valid reason for any great difference
in the weight and strength of tools and tackjc for Black-Bass
fishing in any waters. For instance, the standard "Hen-
shall" bait and fly-rods, as described in my "Book of the
Black Bass"* and in my later book, "More about the Black
Bass," t will be found sufficient and suitable, in the hands of a
tolerably expert angler, for Black-Bass fishing in any local-
*BooK OF THE Black Bass: Comprising its Complete Scientific nnd Life History, toRctlier
with a Practical Treatise on Angling and Fly-Fishing, w itli a Full Account of Tools, Imple-
ments, and Tackle. By Dr, James A. Henshall. Ulustrated. i2mo. 464 pp. 1881. Robert
Clarke & Co., Cincinnati, O.
+ M0RE About THE Black Bass: Comprising additional matter on the subject of each
chapter of the original work, arranged in tlie same order, containing the latest develop-
ment in the Scientific and Life History of this best of tlie American Game Fishes, the latest
wrinkles in Angling and Fly-Fishing, and the most recent improvements in Tools, Tackle,
and Implements. With a new Portrait and numerous Illustrations. 12 mo. 204 pages.
1889. Robert Clark & Co., Cincinnati, O.
THE BLACK BASS.
ity, and for either the Small-mouthed or Large-mouthed spe-

cies of Black Bass.
There are many men, however, who, though good and
successful anglers
who possess great love for the sport, and
who have acquired a good knowledge of the haunts and habits
of the Black Bass
yet are not expert or skillful in the use
of light tackle, and require or employ heavier and stiffer rods
than those just mentioned. These anglers are mostly bait-
fishers, and are like another class of sportsmen, who, though
only ordinary shots, make the best bags on account of their
superior knowledge of the habits of the game they seek.
For the sake of convenience, Black-Bass fishing may be

considered under twô heads "stream-fishing," and "lake-
fishing" either with the artificial tiy or with natural bait;
accordingly, I will adopt that plan, for the purpose of show-
ing where a heavier or lighter rod than the standard rod of
eight ounces may be used.
STREAM-FISHING.
By stream-fishing I mean either bait or fly-fishing from the

bank or by wading the stream. This is my usual and favor-
ite way of angling, and I think surpasses lake or pond fish-
ing beyond the bounds of comparison. Light rods and tackle
can be employed, for the Bass in rocky, swift streams are
usually the small-mouthed species, and do not grow so heavy
as the big-mouthed Bass of lakes and ponds; and especially
is this true of tly-fishing, because the largest fish, as a rule,
do not take the artificial fly. Fly-rods, then, may be used
weighing from seven to seven and one-half ounces, and bait-
rods from seven and one-half to eight ounces for stream-fish-
ing.
Boat-fishing on lakes, ponds, and broad, quiet streams is
unendurable without a companion, and the angler always has
at least his boatman for company; but in stream-fishing he
has the birds and flowers, the whispering leaves, the laugh-
l60 AMERICAN GAME FISHES.
ing water old and genial friends of whom he never tires,
whose fellowship is never wearisome, whose company is never

dull. There are no harsh or discordant sounds on the stream
nothing to offend the eye or ear. Even the kingfisher's
rattle, the caw of the crow, the tinkle of the cow-bell, the
bark of the squirrel are softened and subdued and harmon-

i;êd by the ripple of the stream and the rustle of the over-
hanging All is joy and gladness, peace and content-

trees.
ment, by the merry shallows and quiet pools of the flowing,
rushing stream. The swish of the rod, the hum of the reel,
the cutting of the line through the water, the leap of the
Bass, seem somehow to blend with the voices of the stream
and the trees on its banks, and to speak to the angler in
louder, though sweeter, tones than on open waters; such
sounds seem to be more intensified or heightened in their
effect by some mysterious acoustic property of the stream
and its surroundings. And the occasional "pipe of peace"
in some shady nook or sequestered spot, where, stretched at
full length, the angler idly watches the nicotian incense
assuming all manner of weird shapes as it ascends toward
the tree-tops, while he indulges in fanciful day-dreams, with

the cool breeze fanning his heated brow the soft ferns rest-
ing his tired limbs! Yea, verily, this is the fishing beyond
compare,
LAKE -FISHING.
Lake-fishing will include, arbitrarily, the Great Lakes, the

larger inland lakelets of Canada, Minnesota, Wisconsin,
Michigan, and other States, and the lakes, lagoons, and
broad streams of the Gulf States. Presumably, a boat is
always used in this kind of fishing, either with fly or bait, in

which the angler is
"Cabin'd, cribb'd, coniined, bound in
To saucy doubts and fears."
As the Bass grow larger, on an average, and are mostly

THE BLACK BASS. i6i
11
the large-mouthed species in all of these comparatively still
waters, and very much larger in Florida and the Gulf States,
a heavier rod may be employed than in stream-fishing.
The"Henshall rods" alluded to above, when of the maximum
weight of nine or ten ounces, are certainly heavy enough to
meet the requirements of any one, and for the Large-mouthed
Bass of Florida (running up to twelve or fifteen pounds or
more), such a rod is not too heavy, and is powerful enough
withal to kill fishes of other species of twenty or thirty
pounds weight. I am now speaking particularly of bait-rods,
though a fly-rod need be no heavier and will be found just
as effective.
There is a method of lake-fishing, however, that differs
from ordinary Black Bass angling, and requires a somewhat
different rod. I allude to the fishing about the Bass Islands
in the western part of Lake Erie. The Small-mouthed Bass

of this locality hibernate under the numerous ledges and cav-
ernous, limestone reefs projecting from and lying between
these islands; and when the Bass are coming out of their
winter-quarters, in April and May, and just before going into
them, in September and October, the fishing is very good
about these reefs and ledges; but the Bass disappear from
them during the summer months, being then absent on their
spawning and feeding grounds in other portions of the lake,
or up the streams.
There are a great many anglers who frequent Pelee, Kel-
ley's, and the Bass Islands, about Put-in-Bay, every spring
and fall, for this reef-fishing. Some of them are veterans in

the sport, having made these semi-annual pilgrimages for
twenty-five or thirty years.
As a rule, a very short, heavy, and
Lake Erie anglers use
stiff natural cane rod, and for this reason: The Bass lie
close to the reefs and under the ledges, in water from ten to
twenty feet or more in depth, and in order to get the bait
(minnow) down to the reef as quickly as possible, and to
THE BLACK BASS, 1 63
keep it there, it is the custom tc use very heavy sinkers,

weighing from two to eight ounces, at the end of the hne, the
snelled hook being placed a foot or two above it, after the
manner of the "dipsey" lead on the east coast. One or two
artificial flies are often added to the line above the baited
hook. The heavy sinker is often made to pound or strike on
the rocks, ostensibly to attract the attention of the Bass.
Of course it is Bass on these reefs in the
possible to catch
usual way with and tackle and the smallest sized
light rods
sinkers and swivels, and it is the method I employ; but it is
also certain that those who use the heavy sinkers catch the
most fish, and for this reason it is fair to presume that this
will always be the favorite method with Lake Erie anglers.
In order to induce this large class of anglers to discard the
unsightly and insufficient natural cane rods of large caliber
and great weight, as usually employed, I have devised a mod-
ification of the "Henshall rod" for this special fishing, which
requires a short, stiffish, and springy rod, of medium weight,
in order to manipulate so heavy a sinker. It will be fully
described a few pages later in this article.
FLY-FISHING.
Rods. For fly-fishing on streams a can be

lighter rod
employed than on lakes, for reasons heretofore given. This
should be ten feet and three inches in length and seven and
one-half ounces in weight, with a somewhat stiffer back than
a Trout fly-rod of the same length and weight. The rod
may vary a little in its dimensions from this standard; it may
be slightly longer or shorter, or a little lighter or heavier, to
suit particular tastes or waters; but in no case should it vary
more than three inches in length or one half-ounce in weight
in either direction.
Of course, a Trout rod of about these dimensions will an-
swer very well for Black-Bass fishing, but as the flies to be
used are usually larger than Trout flies, and as the Bass is
generally a much fish than the Brook Trout, the rod

heavier
will require a littlemore "back-bone" than is usually found
in Trout rods. At the same time it must be almost as pliant
or flexible, but more resilient, and these conditions are
attained by a stiffish back
c, the lower third of the rod.
/'.
And to obtain the necessary spring, snap or resiliency required

in a Black Bass fly-rod, much consideration must be given to
the material of which it is to be constructed.
In my opinion there is no material that combines so many
good and essential qualities as split bamboo. It is strong,
flexible, light, and the most resilient material used in rod
making, approaching steel more nearly in this characteristic
than any other wood. Ash, lance-wood, greenheart, beth-
abara, and some other woods, when carefully selected, make
excellent rods, if properly constructed, but the best are infe-
rior to a good bamboo rod. I will add, however, that
split
most of the cheap split bamboo rods now in the market are
inferior in every way to a good wooden rod, and they cost
much less to manufacture.
Reels. The best reel is, of course, the narrow, single-
action click reel, made expressly and only for fly-fishing. Most
of the fine multiplying reels, however, are now made with
an adjustable click, to permit of their being used for both bait
and fly-fishing; and while they are heavier, and the spool
wider (requiring care in reeling the line evenly), they answer
very well for fly-fishing where the angler owns but one reel.
My advice is, nevertheless, to use the click reel for fly-fish-
ing, as the cost of a good one is inconsiderable.
Lines. The best line, by all odds, is the enameled, braid-
ed silk fly-line, tapered or not, the former being better

adapted for long casting. Some are metal-centered that
is, having a very fine wire running through the center, and
while they may be as good, I do not see that they are any
better than the well-known enameled line; they are slightly
heavier, which is some advantage in windy weather. The
THE BLACK BASS. 165
two smallest sizes, "F" and "G," should be used, the last be-
ing preferable for stream-fishing.
Leaders. The leader should be five or six feet long, and
formed of the best single silkworm gut that can be obtained.
The gut lengths should be carefully selected, and be entirely
free from all flaws or imperfections. None but clear, round,
strong and sound lengths should be put into a leader for

Black-Bass and then onl}' after testing their strength
fishing,
up to a strain of two pounds dead weight. The caliber of the

gut should not be much greater, if any, than that used for
Trout-fishing. The leader should taper, somewhat, from the
reel-end to the fly-end. The lengths may be tied by the
old-fashioned water-knot; but the best knot, and the one
now most generally used, has no name that I am aware of.
It is simply a "half-hitch," except that it is tied in a double
instead of a single cord. The ends of the two gut lengths
to be tied (having been previously softened by soaking in
warm water) are passed by each other, or lapped about two
inches; and tied by a single knot, or half-hitch, drawing the
knot as tight, firm, and smooth as possible, and cutting off
the ends closely.
Leaders may be stained or not, according to the fancy of
the angler it will make no difference whatever to the fish.
Leaders should be carried in round, or

oval metal
flat,
boxes, between two layers of damp felt, to save time in

straightening them by soaking or rubbing with gutta-pereha.
Flies.
The best "general" flies for any or all waters are
the brown, red, and black hackles, to which might be added
gray and ginger hackles. The best winged flies, according
to my own experience, may be selected from the following list:
Montreal, Polka, Abbey, Golden Dustman, King of the
Water, Professor, Oconomowoc, Silver Doctor,
Oriole,
Grizzly King, Henshall, Queen of the Water, Red Ibis, Coach-
man, White Miller, and Academy.
Bass-flies are generally made too large, and tied on hooks
of too great a size. Those Trout-flies known as "lake-flies"

are large enough for Black Bass, and hooks should never be
larger than No. 2, even for lake-fishing, and maybe as small
as No. 6 for stream-fishing. Sproat and O'Shaughnessy
hooks are the best. The fly should be tied with a small,
twisted gut, or a gimp loop, instead of being tied on a gut-
snell several inches long.
Miscellaneous Articles. ^The other accessories for fly-
fishing are the landing-net, creel, or fish-basket, fly-book,

and leader-box, to which may be added hip-boots or wading-
stockings for stream work.
HINTS and pointers.
Time.
The best season for fly-fishing in the Central and
Northern states is in May and June, also September and
October, and in the Gulf States during autumn and winter.
The best hours of the day are from eight to eleven in the
morning, and from six to eight in the evening the late after-
noon hours, even until dark being usually the very best.
Wading. -In fishing a stream, the best plan is to wade
and fish with the current, or down stream. The angler
should proceed slowly and cautiously, with as little noise
as possible, and should be very careful not to disturb the
loose bowlders on the bottom, or stir up the sand, mud, or
gravel. The more careful he is in this the more successful
he will be.
Casting. He should cast in all directions to the sides and
in front of him before moving onward. His cast need not
exceed forty feet, unless the water is very shallow and clear,
when it should extend to fifty or sixty feet. He should
cast as straight a line as possible, letting his flies alight
without splashing, and should rove them to the right and left
by jerky, tremulous movements, often allowing them to sink
several inches below the surface at likely spots, such as the
edge of weed-patches, in the deeper water under projectmg
THE BLACK BASS. 1
67
banks or rocks, in the eddies of rocks and bowlders, in the

pools above and below riffles, etc.
Striking.
He should strike upon sight or touch; that
is, the moment he sees the swirl of a Bass near his fly, or
feels the slightest tug, he should endeavor to hook the fish
by a slight but quick drawing away of the rod, either to
one side, or upward with a stiffish rod, or downward with a
very supple one. This "striking" is not in any sense a sweep-
ing jerk, or a vigorous "yank," but is accomplished by a
simple, quick turning of the rod-hand toward the angler, so
as to move the fly but a foot or two along the surface should
it fail hook the fish. The slightest twitch is sufficient,
to
with a sharp hook (and the angler should use no other), to
fasten it to the jaw of a fish, aided, as it will be, by the fish
itself in its resistance; and in eight times out of ten the
Bass will hook himself (if the line is taut) unaided by the
angler; from this it follows that the angler should always
endeavor to have a straight, taut line.
Playing.
The moment the fish is hooked the rod should
be elevated to an angle of forty-five degrees, and the thumb
placed on the spool of the reel, so that the fish will have to
contend with the full spring and power of the rod. The
angler should never give an inch of line unless it is taken
from under his thumb by the fish, and even then it should
be given grudgingly; and it should be reeled in again when-
ever possible, and the fish held as before, on the spring of the
rod, until it can be reeled in to close quarters, and kept as
near the surface as possible.
The under the fish as
angler should slip the landing-net
soon as it can be done without endangering his tackle. The
fight should be between the rod and the fish, rather than
between the fish and the reel, for it is the spring of the rod
that conquers him. When the Bass leaps above the surface
of the water, let the rod straighten as he falls back, but the
moment he again touches the water elevate the rod as before.
Boat-Fishing.
The above directions for fly-fishing by
wading a stream will answer in the main for casting from a
boat on lakes or broad, deep rivers, so far as casting, striking
and playing are concerned. The boat should be kept in
deep water and the casts made inshore, along the edges of
weed-patches, projecting banks, etc., also toward
rushes,
shoals, bars, etc., between the deep and shallow water.
Tackle.
A somewhat heavier rod should be employed
in boat-fishing, for reasons heretofore given, though in no
instance should it exceed eight ounces in weight in northern
waters; in Florida and the Gulf States it may be an ounce
or two heavier, for the bass of that section run up to twelve
or fifteen pounds or even more.
For lake-fishing the "F" fly-line is more suitable than the
"G" line; and the flies may be a little larger in size, and
gayer in color, especially for rough water.
minnow-casting.
Casting the minnow on streams or lakes is a mode of
angling that is second only to fly-fishing when suitable tools
and tackle are employed. For this style of fishing I devised,
some twenty years ago, the rod known as the "Henshall rod,"
which having been extensively manufactured for fifteen years,
is now so well known that it is only necessa/y to allude to
it by name. Previous to this, long and heavy rods and
coarse tackle were employed, as mentioned under the cap-
tion of "Old-Time Bass-Fishing." Casting the minnow is
now, I might say, the most popular method of bass-fishing
among expert anglers, for it is, unfortunately, only the
minority of the angling fraternity that practice the more
artistic and preferable mode of fly-fishing for the Black Bass.
Rods.
The rod for minnow-casting should be short, light
and flexible. Many anglers use a short, natural cane rod
of small caliber, but it is too stiff and inelastic for playing a
fish properly, though it answers very well for casting, which,
THE BLACK BASS. 1 69
however, is not the most important function to be considered

in a rod a long cast could be made with a billiard-cue.
I think the Henshall rod fulfills every condition and
meets all the requirements for minnow-casting.For stream-
fishing, bank or by wading, a lighter rod
either from the
may be used than for lake-fishing, though the standard rod
of eight ounces and eight and a quarter feet will answer well
in either place.
For the peculiar style of Bass-fishing on the reefs about
the Bass Islands of Lake Erie, where a sinker of from two
to eight ounces is used (as mentioned on a preceding page),
I have devised a rod which is styled the "Little Giant" rod,
and its specifications are as follows: The rod is made in but

two pieces (of equal length) with one joint, the latter being
non-doweled with cylindrical ferrules. It can be constructed
of split bamboo throughout, or with ash butt and lancewood

or greenheart top. The entire length of the rod is seven and
one-half feet, and the weight about eight ounces, depending
somewhat on the material of construction:
Extreme length 7 feet 6 inches.
Male ferrule of joint u 32 inches diameter.
Extreme tip 3s inch diameter.
Length of grip (below reel) 8 inches.
Length of reel seal 4 inches.
Mr. Thos. H. Chubb, of Post Vermont, made me

Mills,
several rods, of different kinds of wood, and split bamboo,

in accordance with the above specifications (which are for an
ash and lancewood rod), and they all fulfilled the conditions
sought for, exactly. Mr. Chubb put this rod on the market
during the past season, and I hope to see it displace the rude
and uncouth and insufficient rods heretofore employed by
most of the Lake Erie anglers. It is stiff and powerful
enough to manipulate the heavy sinker, and springy and

pliable enough to kill the fish, without being of any greater
weight than the standard Henshall rod. It will also be found
effective for light Striped Bass fishing on the east coast, or

wherever a heavy sinker or bait is required to be cast from

a tree-running, multiplying reel.
Reels. Only the nmltiplying reel should be used in min-

now-casting, and it should be the best that can be purchased
for satisfactory work. There are now at least half a dozen
different styles of reels made for this which special fishing,
are marvels of workmanship, and ingenuity. The price
skill,
rnns frotn ten to twenty dollars, and the angler cannot go

far wrong whichever he may choose, but he should always
remember that the best is the cheapest.
Lines. The braided raw silk line is best, and the braided
Hue next.
linen Twisted lines cannot be used for casting the
minnow owing to their kinking. For stream and ordinary
lake-fishing, the "H" line, or, as it is styled by some manu-
facturers, the "Henshall" line, is the best size to use. It is
smaller and more closely braided than the old "G" line,
although as strong. Very long casts can be made with it,
and its introduction, a few years ago, was indeed a boon for
bait-fishers.
For Lake Erie fishing, where very heavy sinkers are used,
the "G," or, still better, the"F" line is more suitable. Fly-
lines of enameled or water-proofed silk should never be used
in bait-fishing where long casts are made, owing to their stiff-
ness and large caliber. "

Hooks. The Sproat hook stands at the head of its class,
with the O'Shaughnessy a good second. Most anglers
employ hooks too large for Black-Bass fishing, from 2-0 to
5-0 but smaller hooks, sizes and 2, are much to be pre-
i
ferred; they are amply strong enough, and the smaller size of
the wire is not so apt to kill or injure the minnow. The fact
of the small hooks of the artificial flics so frequently taking
and holding the Bass, should convince even the Lake Erie
anglers that they are large enough for bait-hooks as well.
Many anglers, either through prejudice, ignorance or habit,
still use the cheap Kirby bend (^tliat is, side or crooked bend)
THE BLACK BASS. 171
1/2 AMERICAN GAME FISHES.
hooks, notwithstanding their inefficiency and poor quahty.

The best hooks are always black or japanned
those of an
inferior quality are always blued or bright.
The hook should be tied on a gut-snell for stream or lake
fishing, but a gimp-snell may be used wherever Pike or Pick-
erel abound, as a matter of economy only.
Casting. The angler, then, being rigged with rod, reel
and line, affixes a small brass swivel to the end of the line,
and to the other end of the swivel loops on a snelled Sproat
hook, which he passes through the lips of a lively "shiner,"
and is ready for business or pleasure.
To make a cast he reels up the line until the minnow hangs
but a foot or two below the tip of the rod; then, with his
thumb on the spool of the reel, he makes a quartering cast,
toward his right or left front, keeping a gentle pressure of
his thumb on the rapidly revolving spool (to prevent over-
running), and as the minnow reaches the water, twenty or
even forty yards away, he stops the reel by a stronger press-
ure of the thumb.
Then, after permitting the minnow to swim about at its
own sweet will for a few seconds, he reels it slowly toward
him, and prepares for another cast in the same, or another,
direction. The casts are to be made toward the same
grounds or locations as mentioned in fly-fishing, though the
minnow can be cast farther than the fiy, and the chances for
fish are, consequently, greater. The artificial minnow, or a
small spoon, may be cast in the same manner in swift, bro-
ken water, especially about riffles and below mill-dams, with
good results.
Playing. When the Bass takes the minnow, the angler
should keep his thumb on the reel and allow the fish to run
a few seconds with the bait, and then stop the reel by a
firmer pressure of the thumb, when, if the fish gives a few
short tugs or jerks, he should be permitted to take a little
more line, and the reel again stopped; then, if the Bass pulls
THE BLACK BASS. 173
steadily and strongly, without jerking-, he should be hooked

by a turn of the wrist (as mentioned under fly-fishing). Very
often the fish pulls steadily from the time of seizing the min-
now, and goes off with a rush, when he is to be hooked at
once; and, again, he often hooks himself in his wicked grab
at the minnow.
The manner of playing the Bass in bait-fishing is to all in-
tents and purposes the same as in fly-fishing.
STILL-FISHING.
Still-fishing is minnow, crawfish, helgra-
bait-fishing with
mite, frog, etc., from a boat or from the bank of a stream.
Almost any kind of rod or reel will answer for still-fishing,
as there is, usually, no attempt at long casts. The rig
varies from a cane pole or sapling without a reel, to the
finest rods and reels made. The same is true of lines, for all
kinds are used, twisted and braided, and of all sizes. And
the array of hooks, sinkers and floats is also subject to the
same variation.
The best outfit, however, for still-fishing, should be a light
rod, say eight ounces, of reasonable length, a multipyling
reel, a''G"or"H" braided line, a six-foot leader, and a Sproat
hook, No. I or 2, on gut-snell. If the bottom is weedy or
mossy, or if crawfish or helgramite or worms are used for
bait, a small float should be employed to keep the bait from
the bottom; otherwise a float is not necessary.
The angler, after casting his bait, if it is a minnow, should
leave it to its own devices and allow it to swim about undis-
turbed, and should keep himself as "still" as possible for a
few minutes, when he may move his bait to a new position
or withdraw it for a new cast; but the less the minnow is
pulled about, the longer it will live, and the better will be the
still-fisher's chances for a bite
he can exercise his virtue of
patience to the fullest extent in this mode of angling.
TROLLING.
Xrolling is practiced from a moving boat, either with hand-
line and spoon, or with rod and reel, with minnow, small
spoon, or artificial flies. Trolling with the hand-line can
hardly be reckoned within the paie of legitimate angling;
sometimes, as in camping, it is practiced as a matter of
necessity rather than as a phase of sportmanship.
and suitable rod and tackle, and a
Trolling with light
small spoon, a minnow, or artificial flies of large size, is a
higher grade of angling than still-fishing, and is productive of
the keenest enjoyment and pleasure. Many anglers prefer
it to all other methods, as there is the variety of the slowly
moving boat, the ever-changing scene, and the fierce rush of
the Bass when he seizes the moving lure for he always hooks
himself (if hooked at all) in this style of fishing.
Trolling with the rod is usually more successful than still-
fishing, on lakes and large ponds, as the angler covers more

ground, and the bait is in constant motion, and moves in a
more natural manner. The angler also has opportunities to
indulge more in hope and anticipation than in still-fishing,
and requires less patience and perseverance and pertinacity.
But in all the methods of angling, from fly-fishing to still-
fishing (excepting always the murderous hand-line and spoon)
perhaps comparisons are indeed odious; for all methods have
their votaries, each as enthusiastic as the other, and each, no
doubt, getting as much pleasure and enjoyment out of his
own method as the other in his; and, moreover, all are alike
members of the universal angling guild, and however different
their modes and methods, one and all can say of "angling,"
as did Sir Henry Wotton (who died in 1601, aged ninety-five
years), that it was "a rest to his mind, a cheerer of his spirits,
a diverter of sadness, a calmer of unquiet thoughts, a moder-

ator of passions, a procurer of contentedness;" that "it begat
habits of peace and patience in those that professed and prac-
ticed it."
THE BLUE-FISH.
BY G. BROWN GOODE.
which on the coast of New England and the

THIS
Middle
fish,
States is called the Blue-fish, is also known in
Rhode Island "Horse Mackerel;" south of Cape

as the
Hatteras as the "Skipjack;" in North Carolina, Virginia and
Maryland it is sometimes known as the "Green-fish." Young
Blue-fish are in some parts of New England called "Snapping
Mackerel," or "Snappers;" about New Bedford "Blue Snap-
pers;" to distinguish them from the Sea Bass, they are some-
times spoken of as the "Blue-fish." About New York they are
called "Skip Mackerel," and higher up the Hudson River
"White-fish." In the Gulf of Mexico the name "Blue-fish"
is in general use.
Pomatomus Saltatrix is widely distributed in the Malay Ar-
chipelago, Australia, at the Cape of Good Hope, at Natal and
about Madagascar; in the Mediterranean, where it is a well-
known and highly-prized food-fish in the markets of Algiers,
though rare on the Italian side. It has been seen at Malta,
at Alexandria, along the coast of Syria, and about the Cana-
ries. It has never been seen on the Atlantic coast of Europe,
and, strangely enough, never in the waters of theBermudas
or any of the Western Islands. On our coast it ranges from
Central Brazil and the Guianas through the Gulf of Mexico
and north to Nova Scotia, though never seen in the Bay of
Fundy.
From Cape Florida to Penobscot Bay, Blue-fish are abun-
dant at all seasons when the temperature of the water is pro-
pitious. It is not yet known what limits of temperature are
175
the most favorable to their welfare, but would appear, from

it
the studies of the dates of their appearance during a period of

years in connection with the ocean temperature, that they
prefer to avoid water that is much colder than forty. It
is possible that the presence of their favorite food, the Men-

haden, has as much influence upon their movements as water
temperature. Certain it is, that few Blue-fish are found on
our Middle and Southern coast when the Menhaden are ab-
sent; on the other hand, the Blue-fish do not venture in great
numbers into the Gulf of Maine at the time when Menhaden
are schooling and are at their greatest abundance. Their
favorite summer haunts are in the partially protected waters
of the Middle States from May to October, with an average
temperature of sixty degrees to seventy-five degrees. The
Menhaden, or certain schools of them, affect a cooler climate
and thrive in the waters of Western and Central Maine in
the months when the harbor temperatures are little above
fifty and fifty-five, and that of the ocean considerably lower.
Since Prof. Baird wrote in 1871, there has been no great

change in the abundance of the Blue-fish. They are quite
sufficient in number to supply the demand for them and to
make great inroads upon the other fishes, some of which, like
the Menhaden or Mackerel, would perhaps, if undisturbed
by the Blue-fish, be more valuable than they are at present.
They have now been with us for fifty years. Their numbers
are subject to periodical variations, of the causes of which
we are ignorant. It is to be regretted that there are no rec-
ords of it in the South Atlantic States. If such existed we
might, perhaps, learn from them that the Blue-fish remained
in those waters while absent from the northern coasts. Only
one statement is to be found which covers this period,
although Lawson, in his "History of North Carolina," pub-
lished in 1709, and Catesby, in his "Natural History of the
Carolinas," published in 1743, refer to its presence. In "Ber-
tram's Travels," published in 1791, the "Skipjack" is men-
THE BLUE-FISH. 1 77
tioned as one of the most abundant the mouth of the

fish at
St. John's River. When became abundant,

Blue-fish again
their presence was first noticed at the South, and they seem
to have made their inroads from that direction. The Blue-
fish was unknown to Schoepf, if we may judge from his work
on the "Fishes of New York," published in 1787. Dr. Mitchell

recorded their frequent capture about New York in 18 14,
though before 18 10 they are said to have been unknown
there. In 1825 they were very abundant, and in 1841
immense numbers were captured in the Vineyard Sound,
while about Nantucket they were on the increase from 1820
to 1830. It is certain that they had not reappeared in 1822
in Narragansett Bay, for in "Dwight's Travels," it is stated
that,though formerly abundant, they had not been seen in
that region since the time of the Revolution. The first one
which was noticed north of Cape Cod was captured in Octo-
ber 1837, though we have no record of their reappearance
about Cape Ann before 1847.
The Blue-fish is a carnivorous animal of the most pro-
nounced type, feeding solely upon other fish. Prof. Baird
remarks:
"There is no parallel in point of destructiveness to the
Blue-fish among the marine species on our coast, whatever
may be among some
the case of the carnivorous fish of the
South American waters. The Blue-fish has been well likened
to an animated chopping machine, the business of which is
to cut to pieces and otherwise destroy as many fish as possi-

ble in a given space of time. All writers are unanimous in
regard to the destructiveness of the Blue-fish. Going in large
schools, in pursuit of fish not much inferior to themselves in
size, they move along pack of hungry wolves destroy-
like a
ing everything before them. Their trail is marked by frag-

ments of fish and by the stain of blood in the sea, as, where
the fish is too large to be swallowed entire, the hinder por-
tion will be bitten off and the anterior part allowed to float
12
away or sink. It is even maintained, with great earnestness,

that such is the gluttony of the fish, that when the stomach
becomes full, the contents are disgorged and then again filled.
It is certain that it kills many more fish than it requires for its
own support.
"The youngest fish, equally with the older, perform this
function of and although they occasionally
destruction,
devour crabs, worms, etc., the bulk of their sustenance
throughout the greater part of the year is derived from other
fish. Nothing is more common than to find a small Blue-fish
of six or eight inches in length under a school of minnows
making continual dashes and captures among them. The
stomachs of the Blue-fish of all sizes, with rare exceptions,
are fourid loaded with the other fish, sometimes to the num-
ber of thirty or forty, either entire or in fragments.
"As already referred to, it must also be borne in mind that
it is not merely the small fry that are thus devoured, and
which it is expected will fall a prey to other animals, but
that the food of the Blue-fish consists very largely of individ-
uals which have already passed a large percentage of the
chances against their attaining maturity, many of them in-
deed having arrived at the period of spawning. To make
the case more clear, let us realize for a moment the number
of Blue-fish that existon our coast in the summer season.
As far as I can ascertain by the statistics obtained at the fish-
ing stations on the New England coast as also from the records
of the New York markets, kindly furnished by Middleton and
Carman of the Fulton Market, the capture of Blue-fish, from
New Jersey to Monomoy, during the season, amounts to not
less than one million individuals, averaging five or six pounds
each. Those, however, who have seen the Blue-fish in his
native waters, and realized the immense number there exist-
ing, will be quite willing to admit that probably not one fish
in a thousand is ever taken by man.
"If, therefore, we have an actual capture of one million, we
THE BLUE-FISH. 1 79
may allow one thousand millions as occurring in the extent

of our coasts referred to, even neglecting the smaller ones,
which, perhaps, should also be taken into the account.
"An allowance day to each Blue-fish is not
of ten fish per
excessive, according to the testimony elicited from the fisher-
men and substantiated by the stomachs of those examined;
this gives ten thousand millions of fish destroyed per day.
And as the period of the stay of the Blue-fish on the New
England coast is at least one hundred and twenty days, we
have in round numbers twelve hundred million millions fish
devoured in the course of a season. Again, if each Blue-fish,
averaging five pounds, devours or destroys even half its own
weight of other fish per day (and I am not sure that the esti-
mate of some witnesses of twice this weight is not more
nearly correct), we will have, during the same period, a daily
loss of twenty-five hundred million pounds, equal to three
hundred thousand millions for the season.
"This estimate applies to three or four year old fish, of at
least three to five pounds weight. We must however, allow
for those of smaller size, and a hundred-fold or more in num-
ber, all engaged simultaneously in the butchery referred to.
"We can scarcely conceive of a number so vast; and how-
ever much we may diminish, within reason, the estimate of
the number of Blue-fish and the average of their captures,
there still remains an appalling aggregate of destruction.
While the smallest Blue-fish feed upon the diminutive fry,
those of which we have taken account capture fish of large
size, many of them if not capable of reproduction, being with-
in at least one or two years of that period.
"It is estimated by very good authority that of the spawn

deposited by any fish at a given time not more than thirty
per cent, are hatched, and that less than ten per cent, attain
an age when they are able to take care of themselves. As
their age increases, the chances of reaching maturity becomes
greater and greater. It is among the small residuum of this
class that the agency of the Blue-fish is exercised, and what-

ever reasonable deduction may be made in our estimate, we
cannot doubt that they exert a material influence.
"The rate of growth of the Blue-fish is also an evidence of
the immense amount of food they must consume. The
young fish which appear along the shores of Vineyard Sound,
about the middle of August, are about five inches in length.
By the beginning of September, however, they have reached
six or seven inches, and on their reappearance in the second
year they micasure about twelve or fifteen inches. After this,
they increase in a more rapid ratio. A fish which passes
still
eastward from Vineyard Sound in the spring, weighing five

pounds, is represented, according to the general impression,
by the ten to fifteen pound fish of the autumn. If this be
the fact, the fish of three or four pounds which pass along
the coast of North Carolina in March return to it in October
weighing ten to fifteen pounds.
"As already explained, the relationship of these fish to the
other inhabitants of the sea is that of an unmitigated butcher;
and it is able to contend successfully with any other species
not superior to itself in size. It is not known whether an
entire school ever unite in an attack upon a particular object
of prey, as is said to be the case with the ferocious fishes
of the South American rivers; should they do so, no animal,
however large, could withstand their onslaught.
"They appear to eat anything that swims of suitable size
fish of all kinds, but perhaps more especially the Menhaden,
which they seem to follow along the coast, and which they
attack with such ferocity as to drive them on the shore, where
they are sometimes piled up in windrows to the depth of a
foot or more.
"The amount of food they destroy, even if the whole of it
be not actually consumed, is almost incredible. Mr. Westgate

and others estimate it at twice the weight of the fish in a day,
and this is perhaps quite reasonable. Capt. Spindle goes so
THE BLUE-FISH. l8l
far as to say that it will destroy a thousand fish in a day.

This gentleman is also of the opinion that they do much
more harm to the fishes of the coast than is caused by the
pounds. They will generally swallow a fish of a very large
size in proportion to their own, sometimes taking it down
bodily; at others, only the posterior half. The peculiar
armor of certain fish prevents their being taken entire; and
it is not uncommon head of a sculpin, or other
to find the
fish,whose body has evidently been cut off by the Blue-fish.
In the summer time the young are quite apt to establish them-
selves singly in a favorite locality, and, indeed, to accom-
pany the fry of other fishes usually playing below them, and
every now and then darting upward and capturing an unlucky
individual, while the rest dash away in every direction. In
this manner they attend upon the young Mullet, Atherinas,
etc. They are very fond of squid, which may very frequently
be detected in their stomachs. In August, 1870, about Fire
Island, Mr. S. I. Smith found their stomachs filled with
marine worms, a species of Heteronereis, which, though
usually burrowing in the mud, at that season swims freely
toward the surface in connection with the operation of repro-
duction. This, like the squid, is a favorite bait for the
Blue-fish; and they appear to care for little glse when these
are to be had. This fact probably explains the reason why,
at certain seasons, no matter how abundant the fish may be,
they cannot be taken with the drail or squid boat."
The Blue-fish are believed to have had a very important
influence upon the abundance of other species on some parts
of the coast. This has been noticed especially on the north
side of Cape Cod. South of Cape Cod the small fish occur
in such enormous abundance that even the voracitj' of mil-
lions of Blue -fish could hardly produce any effect upon
them. Atwocd has recorded his belief that the advent
Capt.
of the Blue-fish drove away the Plaice or large Flounder
from those waters, not so much by their direct attacks upon
THE BLUE-FISH. 1 83
them as by destroying the squid upon which the latter for-

merly subsisted.
He is also of the opinion that the Mackerel, once, for a
time, were affected by them. The Mackerel have since
returned to those waters in their wonted numbers, but the
Blue-fish are not now sufficiently plenty north of Cape Cod
to interfere with them. The flight of the Mackerel
is not an
unmitigated evil, however, since, as Capt. Atwood pointed

out, thenumber of lobsters for a time was very considerably
increased. The Mackerel fed upon their eggs, and when
they were driven away by the Blue-fish the lobsters had abet-
ter chance to multiply.
The Blue-fish sometimes make their way up the rivers to
a considerable distance, the adults, however, apparently never
entering the perfectly fresh water. They are found in the
Potomac as far north as Acquia Creek, and also far up the
Hudson; indeed, the young of the year are taken as high as
Sing Sing on the Hudson and in other tidal rivers, v/here
the water is entirely fresh.
Summing up all the evidence in regard to the periodical
appearance of the Blue-fish, we find notice of its occurrence in
1672, or even 1659, and up to 1764. How long it existed in
the waters prior to that date cannot now be determined. The
oral testimony of Mr. Parker refers to its occurrence at
Wood's Holl in 1780 or 1790; and it is mentioned by Mr.
Smith as being at New York in 1 800, and at Edgartown, Mass.
about the same time, by Capt. Pease. Mitchell testifies to
its occurrence in New York, of very small size, in 18 10; and
it is recorded as existing again in Nantucket in 1820, and

about Wood's Holl and Buzzard's Bay in 830 to 83 and a 1 1 1 ,
little later at Hyannis. had become abundant

In 1830 it
about Nantucket, and in the fall of 1837 i^ was first noticed

in Massachusetts Bay, and then year by year it became more
and more numerous, until now it is very abundant. Several

accounts agree in reference to the very large siê (even to

forty or fifty pounds) of those taken in the last century.
Further into ancient records may tend to
research
throw more on the early history of the Blue-fish, and
light
even materially to change the conclusions already reached.
It will be observed that the references to its occurrence,
from 1770 to 1800, are on the testimony of aged persons

who have heard their fathers speak of it, although I find no
printed records anywhere in reference to it between 1764 and
1 8 10. The rate of progression to the north of Cape Cod I
have no means of indicating, although they proba-

at present
bly gradually ranged further and further north, and very
possibly occurred much further east than we have any men-
tion of at present.
During the present century the maximum of abundance of
these fish off the middle coast of the United States appears
to have been reached from 1850 to i860. The testimony

elicited from various observers, as well as from printed rec-
ords, indicates a decrease since that period, much greater in
some localities than others. About New York they are said
to have been unusually plenty in the summer of 1871, but
farther east the diminution which had been observed in pre-
vious years appeared to continue.
Diligent research by numerous inquiries during a period of
sixteen years has added little to what Prof. Baird has stated,
and it may be regarded as almost certain that Blue-fish do not

spawn in our inshore waters. The only important contribu-
tion to our knowledge on this subject is found in the notes
of Mr. Silas Stearns, who believes that he has abundant evi-
dence of their spawning in the Gulf of Mexico. His remarks
are quoted in full below. The Hon. Robert B. Roosevelt
records that he observed the Blue-fish fry less than an inch
in length in the inlet of Far Rockaway, N. Y. on the loth of
,
July.
Little is known of their reproduction. Dr. Yarrow does
THE BLUE-FISH. 185
not give any facts in regard to this subject, at Fort Macon,

except that spawn was seen to run out of a small female
caught July 14. Dr. Holbrook is also silent on this head.
Mr. Genio C. Scott says the spawning beds are visited by
the parent in June, and consist of quiet nooks or bays. Mr.
R. B. Roosevelt states that very diminutive young occur in
immense numbers along the coast end of September
at the
or beginning of October ("Game Fish of America," 1862,

1859.) Prof. Baird found the young fish at Beesley's Point,
N. J., in July, 1854, two or three inches in length, and more
compressed than the adult; but farther east, on Vineyard
Sound, although diligent search was conducted, beween the
middle of June and the ist of October, with most efficient
apparatus in the way of fine-meshed nets, I met with nothing
excepting fish that made their appearance all at once along
the edge of the bay and harbor.
According to Capt. Edwards, of "Wood's Holl, a very accu-
have no spawn in them when in Vineyard
rate observer, they
Sound. This statement is corroborated by Capt. Hunckley;
and Capt. Hallett of Hyannis, "does not know where they
spawn." The only positive evidence on this subject is that
of Capt. Pease, who states it as the general impression about
Edgartown that they spawn about the last of July or the rst
of August. He has seen them when he thought they were
spawning on the sand, having caught them a short time be-
fore, full of spawn, and finding them afterward for a time
thin and weak. He thinks their spawning ground is on the
white, sandy bottom to the eastward of Martha's Vineyard,
toward Muskeeget.
While not discrediting the statement of Mr. Pease, it seems
a little remarkable that so few persons on the eastern coast
have noticed the spawning in summer of the Blue-fish; and,
although there maybe exceptions to the fact, it is not impos-
sible that the spawning ground is in very early spring, or
even in winter, off New Jersey and Long Island, or farther
south. It is not impossible that, at a suitable period after

spawning, the young, in obedience to their migratory instinct,
may move northward along the coast, growing rapidly as
they proceed. This explains the almost sudden appearance
of fish of five inches about Wood's Holl.
We have the statement of Dr. Yarrow that vast schools of
small Blue-fish were met within Beaufort harbor during the
last week in December, 1871. These were in company with
small schools of young Menhaden and Yellow Tailed Shad,
and were apparently working their way toward the sea by the
route of the inlet. When observed, they were coming from
the southward through the sound, moving very slowly, at
times nearly leaving it, and then returning. The largest were
about four inches in length, and others were much smaller;
and as many as twenty schools were observed from the wharf
at Fort Macon, each of them occupying an area of from sixty
to eighty feet square, and apparently from four to six feet
in depth. I would not be much surprised if these fish should
prove to have been spawned late in the year, off the southern
coast.
The varies with the season and the
size of the Blue-fish
spending the summer on the southern coast,
locality, those
according to good authority, rarely exceeding two or three
pounds in weight, and being generally considerably less.
The largest summer specimens
are those found farther to the
eastward, where they are not infrequently met with weighing
from ten to fifteen pounds, although this latter weight is quite
unusual. Mr. Snow, of Nantucket, mentions having seen
one of twenty-two pounds, and others give as their maximum
from fourteen to twenty. The average size of the schools in
Vineyard Sound, during the early season, is from five to seven
pounds. The schools, however, that make their appearance
in October embrace many individuals of from ten to fifteen
pounds. It is, therefore, not improbable that the difference
between the first mentioned average and the last represents

THE BLUE-FISH. I 8,7
the increase by their summer feeding. As already remarked,

Blue-fish in the last century sometimes attained a weight of
forty or fifty pounds in Vineyard Sound; according to Zac-
cheus Macy, thirty of them will fill a barrel.
Forest and Stream, June 25, 1874, stated that L. Hatha-
way, Esq., a veteran fisherman, while fishing from the bridge
at Cohasset Narrows, Mass., with rod and reel, captured a
Blue-fish weighing twenty-five pounds. The largest previ-
ously caught weighed seventeen pounds. On getting back
to the Carolina coast in the early part of November, accord-
ing to Dr. Yarrow's statement, they are from three to five
feet in length and weigh from ten to twenty pounds. What
becomes of these large fish, that so few of them are seen in
the early spring, it is impossible to say. If it be really true
that they are much scarcer than in the fall, we may infer
that their increased size makes them a more ready prey to
the larger and cetaceans, or that they have accomplished
fish
their ordinary period of life; possibly that they have broken

up into smaller parties, less conspicuous to observation, or
that they have materially changed their locality. The average
length of the fish that appear in the spring off the coast of
Virginia and the southern part of New Jersey, according to
Dr. Coues, Dr. Yarrow and Prof. Baird, is about one foot,
being probably about one year As a general rule, those
old.
of the smaller size keep close to the shore, and can always
be met with, while the larger ones go in schools and remain
farther outside.
Prof. Baird obtained no very 3'oung fish at Wood's Holl in
1 871; the smallest found making their appearance quite sud-
denl}' along the coast, especially in the little bays, about the
middle of August, and then measuring about five inches by one
and one-fifth inches. By the end of September, however, these
had reached a length of seven or eight inches, and at the age
of about a year they probably constitute the twelve or four-
teen inch fish referred to as occurring along the southern
coast. The fish of the third year, or those two years old, are
possibly the three-pound fish, while the five to seven pound
fish may be considered a year older still. Accurate observa-
tions are wanting, however, to determine these facts; as also
whether they require two years or three or more to attain
maturity for breeding.
sufficient As far as I know, there is
no appreciable difference between the sexes in their rate of
growth or weight, excepting that the female is likely to be a
little deeper in the body.
A Blue-fish weighing one pound measures about fourteen
inches; two pounds, seventeen inches; three pounds, twenty-
six inches; six pounds, twenty-six to twenty-seven inches, and
eight pounds, twenty-nine inches.
The Blue-fish is one of our most important of sea-fishes,
and surpassed in public estimation only by the Spanish Mack-
erel and the Pompano. It may be said to furnish a large part
of the supply to the Middle and Northern States. It is a
standard fish in New York, Boston and other seaports and

is carried in great numbers into the interior. Its flesh is very
sweet and savory, but it does not keep very well. In the
Vineyard Sound the fishermen are in the habit of crimping
their fish, or killing them, by cutting their throats in such
a manner that they bleed freely. Every one who has oppor-
tunities for observing admits that fish thus treated are far
superior to any others. Great quantities of Blue-fish are
frozen in New York fur winter consumption. They are still
considered unfit for food on our southern coast, and even in
the markets of Washington, D. C. I have frequently been
,
stopped by fish-dealers who asked me to assure their custom-

ers that Blue-fish were eatable. They are growing in favor
everywhere, however, just as they did in Boston. Capt.
Atwood tells me that in 1865 but very few were sold in Bos-
ton, and that the demand has been increasing ever since.
When he first went to Boston with a load of Blue-fish he got
two cents a pound for them; the second year they were scaicer
THE BLUE-FISH. I 89
and he got two and one-half cents, and the year afterward
three cents.
Within a few years the reputation of the Blue-fish among
anglers has decidedly improved. Norris wrote, in 1865, that
the Blue-fish was seldom angled for, and that it was not
esteemed as food; in 1879, Hallock declares that the Blue-
fish and the Striped Bass are the game fish par excellence of
the brine, just as the Salmon and Black Bass are of fresh
water.
The favorite mode of capture is by trolling or squidding
process already described. This amusement is participated
in every summer by thousands of unskilled, but none the less
enthusiastic, amateur fishermen, who in their sail-boats, trail
the tide-rips from Cape May to Cape Cod. Many profes-
sional fishermen also follow this pursuit, especially in the
Vineyard Sound, about Nantucket and along the south shore
of Cape Cod, a region famous for its swift cat-boats and fat
Blue-fish.
Another mode which is growing in favor is that of heaving
and hauling in the surf, which has been already described in
writing of the Striped Bass. No rod is used, but the angler,
standing on the beach or in the breakers, whirls his heavy jig
about his head and casts it far into the sea, and having
hooked his fish puts his shoulder to the line, and walks up
the beach, dragging his prize after him to the shore. This
is practiced everywhere on the exposed sandy beaches, such
as are found atMontauk, Monomoy, Newport, and Barnegat.
Other anglers prefer to use a light rod and an artificial
minnow from a stationary skiff near where Blue-fish are break-
ing, or to fish with shrimp bait from the wharves in quiet
bays where the young "snappers" six to ten inches in length,
abound. I have seen this kind of fishing at various points,
from the mouth of the Florida St. John's to Nantucket.

The Blue-fish has also an important rank among the com-
mercial species. The wholesale dealers of New York handle
J go AMERICAN GAME FISHES.
nearly 4,000,000 pounds annually. The yearly consumption of

Blue-fish probably does not fall much below 8,000,000 pounds,
valued at $500,000. The
markets are supplied, for the
most from three sources.
part, Large quantities are taken in
the weirs, forty or more in number, planted on the northern
and southern shores of Cape Cod, in Buzzard's Bay, Martha's
Vineyard, Narragansett Bay, Peconic Bay, and at Block
Island. The yield of these is estimated at 1,300,000 pounds.
Gill-nets on the southern New England coast are supposed
to take about 3,000,000. Enormous quantities are also
obtained by line fishermen about Hyannis, Edgartown, Nan-
tucket, and Eastham, and on the shores of Long Island and
New Jersey.
On the 19th of August, i<S74, I saw 12,000 taken from
the long pound on the west shore of Block Island.
The line-fishery is probably not less productive than the gill-
netting. In 1875, we were cruising about Martha's Vineyard

in the Fish Commission yacht "Mollie." Off Cape Pogue we
noticed at least thirty cat-boats drailing for Blue-fish. These
boats were about twenty feet in length, square-sterned and
well housed over. Each carried three lines, one at the stern
and two at the end of long rods projecting over each quarter.
"Wên we anchored at dusk in Edgartown harbor, these
boats were coming in, dropping alongside 'of a New York
market boat, which lay at the wharf. The bright lantern
under the deck awning, the black forms of the fishermen,
the busy changing of the little sails, the eager voices of bar-
gaining, gave an impression of brisk trade. The same scene
is repeated day after day, from July to October, in scores of
New England seaport towns.
THE MASCALONGE.
BY DR. JAMES A. HENSHALL.
Author of Book of the Black Bass,'' ''More About the Black

Bass,"" etc.
ADOPT the name

Mascalonge for the largest and best
of
member it seems to be the accepted
of the Pike family as
I one with the majority of angling authors and anglers.
The derivation of the name is involved in much obscurity
and is ascribed to both Indian and French origin. It has
been variously called Mascalonge, Muscalonge, Muskellunge,

Muskallonge, Maskinonje, Maskinonge, Masquinongy, etc.,
etc. On the statutes of Canada it is spelled "Maskinonge,"
and there is a county, and I believe a village, of that name in
the Dominion. Mr. Fred Mather has investigated the origin
and etymology of the word to a greater extent than any one
else, and he favors the Chippewa derivation of the name;
"Maskinonje," as opposed to the French derivation of
"Masque allonge," and its variations. But common consent
and custom has decreed among the majority of anglers,
as I said before, that it is "Mascalonge," and Mascalonge it
will be for generations to come.
And lately there have been changes made in its scientific
name, both generic and specific. For man}^ years the Masca-
longe has been known to and anglers as Esox
naturalists
noln li or a.nA a very good way but owing to
name by the
the inflexible law of priority, nobilior must stand aside for
masquinongy, a name supposed to have been given by Dr.
Mitchill but his original description cannot be found, though
191
it is partly quoted by DeKay in his "Fishes of New York." On

better evidence, perhaps, the generic name Esox is now dis-
placed by the more suitable one of Lucius, so that our Mas-
calonge must now be called Lucius viasquinongy instead of
Esox nobilior.
However confusing and unnecessary, as many anglers are
inclined to think is this matter of changes in fish nomenclature,
they are not made without good and sufficient, and in most
cases imperative, reasons. It is unfortunate when an old
and characteristic name is displaced by a new and, it may
be, an incongruous one, but it cannot be helped in the effort
to arrive at a more perfect and permanent classification and
nomenclature of our fishes. In connection with this recent
change in the scientific names of the Mascalonge I might men-
tion, as a curious instance of the irony of fate, that its. scien-
tific specific name is derived from the Chippewa, and its com-
mon name from the French.
The Mascalonge, or Muskellunge as it is usually pronounced,
is a magnificent fish, truly the noblest of the pike family,
being the largest game-fish of fresh waters, and the only
member of the family fit for the table, though it has been
much overrated in both respects. ],ts maximum weight is
forty pounds, though it has been taken weighing fifty or

sixty, and Dr. E. Cleveland, Ohio, states that
Sterling, of
he speared one 1844
in weighing eighty pounds!
As there has always existed among anglers more or less
confusion in reference to the identification of the Mascalonge
Luciiis masquinongy and the true Pike or great northern
Pickerel {Lucius Indus'), it may not be out of place, here, to
say that the different species can always be readily determined
by observing the scaling of the cheeks and gill-covers,
and the number of branchiostegal rays, without reference to
the coloration or markings of the body of the fishes.
The lower margin of the gill-cover, in most fishes, is pro-
vided with a membrane which extends under the throat, where
THE MASCALONGE 193
it meets its fellow of the opposite side in the median line.
This membrane assists in closing the gill-openings; and in

order that it can be open and shut readily, it is provided with
a number of parallel bony rays called branchiostegals, which
vary in number in different fishes. In the Mascalonge
there are from 17 to 19 on each side, while in the true Pike
or great northern Pickerel there are but 14 to 16, and in the
eastern Pickerel [Lucius reticu/aJus) and western or Grass
Pickerel [Lucius vermiculatus) 12 or 13.
Just back of and below the eye is the cheek {pre-operc/c),

and behind this is the gill-cover {opcrclc). In the Masca-
longe the lower half of both cheek and gill-cover is entirely
naked, while the upper half of both is more or less covered
with scales. In the Pike the scaling of the gill-cover is simi-
lar to that of the Mascalonge, but the whole of the cheek is
covered with scales, while in the eastern Pickerel and the

little western or Grass Pickerel, both gill-cover and cheek
are entirely clothed with scales.
I have examined specimens of the Mascalonge from the St.
Lawrence; Lake Erie; Indian River, New York; the Upper

Mississippi; Eagle Waters of Wisconsin; Conneaut Lake, of
Western Pennsylvania; Chatauqua Lake, of Western New
York; and the heads of six specimens from the tributaries of
the Ohio River (one from Tennessee River), and find that
there are no important structural differences; they all agree
so well in regard to the numl)er of branchiostegals, and in
the squamation of the cheeks and gill-covers, and in measure-
ments, that they must be considered as one and the same
species, with a geographical variation in coloration only.
In the Mascalonge of the St. Lawrence basin the sides are
covered with roundish, dark gray or blackish spots, more or
on a lighter colored, greenish or grayish ground.
less distinct,
These spots are more pronounced in the young, being then
quite dark and distinct, but in the adult they become more
13
diffused and of a grayish hue, though always more distinct

toward the tail.
A few years ago it was thought that the habitat of the Mas-
calonge was confined to the Great Lakes and the St. Law-
rence River and its tributaries, and that it occurred nowhere
outside of these limits. As shown above, however, it is now
known that its range is much more extensive. It was also
supposed that in all cases the Mascalonge was always dark-
spotted on a lighter-colored ground; but as already stated,
while the young are always thus marked, these dark spots
become more or less obscure or obsolete with age, and the
largest specimens will exhibit a uniform grayish coloration,
with brownish or greenish reflections. I have seen large exam-
ples from the St. Lawrence basin that were apparently iden-
tical in color with others from Eagle Waters and the Upper
Mississippi of similar size and weight.
In the Pike or northern Pickerel, the sides of old and
young are always covered with oval whitish or yellowish
spots, always lighter than the ground color, which is usually
grayish or olivaceous.
In 1820, Rafinesque mentioned two Pikes as existing in the
Ohio and Mississippi basins {Esox vittatus and Esox sal-
monetts), growing to a length of from three to five feet, and
though his descriptions are very imperfect, almost worthless
in fact, I am confident that he had in mind the Mascalonge,
which was more plentiful there at that time than now.
The Mascalonge, like all of the Pike family, is a typically
piscivorous fish, its and tongue being armed
large mouth, jaws
with a terrible array of long, sharp and conical teeth of vari-
ous sizes, forming veritable cJievaiix-dc-frise from which
there is no escape for the unlucky fish that is so unfortunate
as to be seized by the cruel and relentless jaws.
Like all animals of prey, the Mascalonge is solitary in its
habits, lying concealed among the water-plants and bull-
rushes at the edges of the streams or channels, or along the
THE MASCALONGE. 195
shores; and woe to the luckless fish that passes within sight
of the fierce marauder, for its doom is sealed when this fresh-
water shark rushes open-mouthed upon its victim with a

speed and force as though hurled from a catapult.
The number of fishes destroyed by a Mascalonge during a
summer is almost incredible; and they are not small fry and
young such as are devoured by other predacious fishes,
fishes,
but those that have escaped the many dangers and vicissi-
tudes of adolescence, and have arrived at an age when they
are capable of reproducing their kind.
It isindeed fortunate for the rest of the finny tribe that
the Mascalonge is comparatively a rare fish. The Masca-
longe, like others of the pike family, breeds in the spring,
later however than the Pike or Pickerel. All of the pike
species resort to overflowed marshes and shallow, grassy

streams to spawn the Pickerel during March and the Masca-
longe in May.
The Pickerel thus has a start of about two months, and no
doubt the young Pickerel devour most of the Mascalonge that
hatch, for the spawn in May, in such shallow water, is ex-
posed to the ravages of turtles, frogs, ducks and coots, and
most of it is doubtless destroyed. This seems to be a wise pro-
vision of nature, for as the Mascalonge spawns from 100,000
to 300,000 eggs, according to siê, the result can be imagined
were the same proportion of eggs to hatch and reach matu-
rity as in the case of most other fishes.
In comparison with the rest of its family the Mascalonge is
a valuable food-fish, though, as already intimated, it is much

overrated, and is inferior to the White-fish, Lake Trout, Black
Bass or Brook Trout for the table. It is, however, readily dis-
posed of in the markets, and while possessing no special or
characteristic flavor, its flesh is firm and flaky, and is much
admired by many, but cJiacun a son gout.
Likewise as a game-fish the Mascalonge is far superior to
the rest of its family, and when upward of ten pounds its
THE MASCALONGE. 1 97
great vitality, weight and power give it an endurance that

is highly extolled by some, but it can hardly be compared to
the Salmon, Black Bass, or Brook Trout for pure gameness,
per se; that is, it does not exhibit the finesse and elan of
those superb game-fishes.
A may swim with a hook in its mouth for a week,
large fish
but that merely an evidence of endurance, not of gameness.
is
And as a large Mascalonge is frequently hooked by an an-

gler on a light rod, and the angler, being awed by the weight of
the fish and its fierce rushes, is afraid to give it the full spring
and power of the rod but gives line instead, and consequently
plays it in a timid, half-hearted manner for an hour, or maybe
two or three hours, until finally after both fish and man are
exhausted, the one is gaffed and the other has just breath
enough to exclaim that the Mascalonge is the "kmg of game-
fishes."
As a matter of fact, with suitable tackle, any fish should be
brought to gaff or net in a minute to the pound that is, a
five-pound fish within five minutes, a ten-pound fish within
ten minutes, or a thirty-pound fish within a half-hour.
once killed a St. Lawrence Mascalonge of thirty-two
I
pounds in twenty minutes with an eight-ounce Henshall

Black-Bass rod, and gaffed it fairly. A very expert and ac-
complished lady angler, the charming wife of the late Surgeon
General Baxter, killed several fresh-run Salmon, on the
Restigouche during the summer
was there the same
of 1886 (I
season), that weighed from twenty-five to thirty-five pounds
each, and brought each fish to gaff in from twenty to thirty
minutes. And, minutes is a long time to play a
really, ten
fish to manyseems an hour.

it
Most Mascalonge, however, are taken with hand -line and

trolling-spoon, and hauled in hand-over-hand. With a taut
line and moving boat the Mascalonge sometimes leaps above
the water, because it cannot get very far beneath the sur-
face; as a rule, however, and when on the rod, it does not
ipS AMERICAN GAME FISHES.
leave the water, and will not leap unless forced to do so, but
will endeavor to keep near the bottom, or to reach the cover
of weeds or rushes.
With proper tackle the Mascalonge affords good sport, for
being a powerful fish it requires much skill and judgment on
the part of the angler to keep it away from the moss and
grass of the bottom, or from the weeds and ^/^^ of the shore,
and to successfully bring it to gaff within a reasonable time.
The rod should be a good one of split-bamboo, or of ash
and lance-wood, and should weigh not more than ten, or at
the most twelve ounces, and should not exceed nine feet in
length. A first-class multiplying reel is indispensable, with
seventy-five yards of plaited silk line, No. 3, or letter E.
The hook should be a Sproat or an O'Shaughnessy, No. 3-0
to 5-0, and tied on a gimp snell. The best bait is a large
live minnow, or frog, either for casting or trolling, though for
the latter mode of fishing a large trolling-spoon with a single
hook may be used.
Rowing slowly and cautiously along some twenty or thirty
yards outside of the weed-patches, the bait should be cast
to the edge of the weeds, reeling it in again very slowly, or
if the bait is alive it may be
permitted to swim, just outside
of the weeds, for several seconds or a hal|-minute before
reeling. By moving along and making frequent casts the
angler's chances arc much better than in still-fishing; or the
bait, or a spoon may be trolled along the edges of the water-
plants from a moving boat. The Mascalonge bites verj' sav-
agely, and should be hooked at once, before he has time to
take to his lair among the weeds.
When hooked the boatman should pull at once for
a fish is
deep water, that is, away from the weeds, and he should
be ready at all times to favor the angler in playing the fish
by careful and judicious management of the boat. When the

fish is brought alongside, the gaff should be passed under the
fish, slowly and deliberately, avoiding all sudden and ener-
THE MASCALONGE. 1 99
getic movements, and then by a quick upward and drawing

motion the fish should be gaffed in the throat or breast,
taken into the boat, and killed by a smart stroke on the head.
These instructions apply to the Mascalonge of northern
waters, where it resorts to weedy lakes and streams; but in
the Ohio and its tributaries the Mascalonge is found in the
summer and autumn in the deepest holes of the streams, and
they are then taken by still-fishing, the bait being usually
suckers of a half-pound or more in weight. After taking the
bait, the fish is given time to gorge it before striking or hook-
ing.
now, however, a rare occurrence to take a "Pike," as
It is
it is in these waters;
called, and the fact is talked of long
afterward, and the head preserved as a trophy, while the fish
itself, being esteemed a great delicacy on account of its great
size and rarity, is made the piece de resistance of a formal
dinner, instead of being preserved iov -a. piece justificative.
For five 3'ears I have endeavored to procure a specimen of
this rare fish in the Ohio basin, but, beyond the head, my
efforts have so far failed. No one who is so fortunate as to
capture a "Pike" seems willing to part with it for love of
science or coin of the realm.
THE MASCALONGE IN WISCONSIN WATERS.

BY A. A. MOSHER.
The "Great Pike" of the Mississippi system of waters, like

its great congener of the St. Lawrence waters, is one of the
largest of our fresh-water game-fishes. It, the first named,
has its equal in regard to size and game qualities in
the "Barred Mascalonge" which, so far as the writer knows,
has not been classified, and he would respectfully suggest
that the cognomen of this fish be "Esox Major." There

is still another, locally called "Spotted Mascalonge," which is
equal in size to the others above mentioned and as gamy as

they are. The three great fishes belonging to the Mississippi
waters will, in this article, be treated separately, to a certain
extent.
"Esox Nobilior," called also "Esox Estor," will not be con-
sidered carefully, but will be referred to occasionally. "Esox
Immaculatus" is found in many of the waters of the Missis-
sippi basin but not in found in the deep holes of
all. It is
some and especially in the waters flowing

of the tributaries,
into the Wisconsin River, and in the many lakes whose out-
lets lead into the last named stream. And it is to those
fishes that the reader's attention will be especially directed
herein. In nearly all of the lakes in northern Wisconsin,
which have outlets into the Wisconsin River, the "Esox Im-
maculatus," the Barred and the Spotted Mascalonge, are found
in abundance
the three appearing to be inseparable or
nearly so. The "Barred 'Lunge" is a large fish, and the most
plentiful, generally speaking.
On the loth of February, 1890, I measured one which in
proportion was a fair specimen of the three kinds. Its length
was 46 inches; weight 26 pounds; end of tail to anus, 3

inches; anal fin to root of tail, 4 inches; do'rsal fin to root
of tail, 5 tail, 10 inches; end of nose to
inches; breadth of
pectoral fin, 9 inches; between pectoral fins and lower belly
fins, 1 3 inches end of nose to end of gills, 1 2 inches eye to end
; ;
of upper jaw, 5 inches; depth widest part, 9 inches; back

of head to eyes, 3 inches; spread of jaws, 6 inches; width of
head, top, 4 inches. This was a fair specimen, fresh from
the water. It was a female, full of eggs, which accounts for
its great depth.

On
the Barred "'Lunge" the bars are transverse, and com-
mence near the back and extend to the edge of the belly,
that is to say some of them do, while others go only part way,
THE MASCALONGE IN WISCONSIN WATERS. 20I
being quite irregular all over the sides, without any apparent
system; the dorsal fin is marked the same.
In the spotted variety the spots are also irregularly placed
and the intervening space partially by transverse bars,
filled
the dorsal fin marked with distinctive round black spots,

exactly the same as in the common Gar.
The "Esox Immaculatus" has no distinctive marks, the back
being dark green, which color extends down the sides, fading,
as it extends downward, into a greenish yellow where it blends
with the white on the belly. These distinctive marks are on
the barred and spotted specimens when very small, not over
two or three inches long, which shows that they are different
in marking, atleast, from the moment of leaving the eg^^ or

nearly so. These three varieties are found together, and in
fishing for them one is as likely to catch one kind as another.
In size and proportions there is no perceptible difference in
the three, and in the spring while they are spawning, they
are found together at the same time and place, which would
go to show that they are really of one family, for the spotted
male is as likely to be found with a barred female as with a
spotted one, or with an "Esox Immaculatus," so called.
Nature is not to be disputed, and whatever she does she does
correctly.
Admitting then that there are these three varieties of fish in
these waters, it would go to show that, while apparently sepa-
rated species, they are all of the same family. It may be that
away back in the past during some very high waters, some
of the Lawrence variety got over into the Mississippi

St.
waters and mating with Esox Immaculatus produced a hybrid

in the Spotted and Barred Mascalonge, and that nature, for
some inscrutable reason, has kept up these markings in dif-
ferent individuals.
Pisciculture is comparatively (in my humble opinion) in its
infancy, and no doubt these facts will eventually be accounted

for. We already know that fish can, and have been hybri-
7.02 AMERICAN GAME FISHES.
dized, the offspring being fertile and partaking of the charac-

teristics of both parents. There are undoubtedly places where
the Lake Superior waters rise in some large marsh, the marsh
extending for miles, the north part emptying into Superior,
the south part into Mississippi waters. There is now, within
a couple of miles of where this is being written, (in Northern
Wisconsin) a small marsh, but a few acres in extent, the
waters of which pass out of the north end, emptying into Lac
Vieux Desert, the south end emptying, by a similar stream,
into the Wisconsin River. Now happens here, it may
if this
elsewhere. While this would not, of course, be proof positive
that these fish had gotten together in this way and crossed,
yet it furnishes what would appear a plausible explanation of
the occurrence of these several varieties of Mascalonge, and
the subject is certainly worthy of investigation.
That these three kinds of Mascalonge are here and marked

as above stated cannot be denied; on the other hand it can be
substantiated by hundreds of good men who have caught them
in numbers. I am aware that the above statement is and
has been questioned by men who pretend to know, and who

claim to be authorities; but facts are stubborn things, and
the truth is sure to prevail in the end.
These fine fish are to be found, as soon as the ice goes
out, near the shores, among the rushes and 'grasses, seeking
a proper place to deposit their spawn. This spawn is not
very glutinous (as in some kinds of fishes, the Pike, Perch or
Wall-eyed Pike, for instance), but are just enough so to cause
them to fasten to some weed or grass, in shoal water, where the
sun's rays can warm the water and thus hatch out the fry.
Mascalonge delight to lurk among weeds or in old tree tops
that have fallen in the water; there they will lie, for hours,
perfectly motionless. have trolled past one, lying in a tree-
I
top, the spoon passing within a few feet of him repeatedly, he

taking no notice of it whatever until, finally, he would slip
away.
THE MASCALONGE IN WISCONSIN WATERS. 203
When lying in this way, basking in the sun, they rarely

take bait unless it be unusually attractive, but when lurking
in the weeds or rushes, waiting for some living victim, they
will take artificial bait voraciously
They do not seem to be so voracious however as their
smaller cousin, the Pickerel, and there are times when for
days together, no amount of coaxing will induce them to take
bait ofany kind.
When they do take it, then look out, for they strike with
such tremendous force as to astonish the no\ ice, and if he
happens to have the line too loose or in any way snarled,
away goes his fish, and all he has to show for it is a good
scare. They are very powerful and quick, and it is no child's
play to handle a large one. Even the experienced angler will
have his hands full, be called upon to exert all his
and will
skill to save the monster, and even after he has apparently
given up, lies on his side or back, is hauled alongside fcr the
gaff to finish the work, he frequently gives a tremendous
surge and away he goes for a final run that will test the
tackle to its utmost.
This noble fish is well entitled to the name of the "Tarpon
of the North," and will in time be so called. He is a grand
fighter,and never gives up until he is actually dead.
Talk about Black Bass, or any other kind of fresh-water
fish! There are none that can compare with this leviathan
of our inland waters, for pluck and gaminess.
West of the Mississippi those fish do not seem to be so com-
mon, though I have been told that in Elbow Lake, in the Lake
Park region of Minnesota, they are numerous and grow to a
great size. How true this is I cannot say, but that there are
large fish in that lake, similar to the Mascalonge, I have no
doubt.
These grand fish are found Northern Wisconsin m the
in
following waters: Pelican Lake, Tomahawk and adjoining

lakes, Arbor Vitae, St. Germain lakes. Trout Lake, the Eagle
Waters, a chain of lakes through which Eagle River passes,

Three Lakes and others connected therewith; Buckatarbon
Lake Lac Vieux Desert,* Big and Little Twin Lakes, Long
Lake, Sand Lake, and various others, many of which have
not yet been explored or named. In nearly all these lakes
the three specimens are found.
To the angler this region is a paradise. Abounding as it
does with beautiful scenery, ever-changing and always wild, it
will for years to come be a favorite resort for lovers of nature.

During the year of 1889 some 400 Mascalonge were
taken from Lac Vieux Desert, of sizes ranging from
three pounds to forty-two and one-half pounds, and there
seems to be no diminution in their numbers. This lake is
about five miles long and from one to three miles wide. In
early spring the best place to seek these fish is very close to
the shore, so close in fact that one can use but and little line
where the guide can push along with the paddle, by resting
it on the bottom.
My experience in trolling teaches me that a long line out is
unnecessary. From fifteen to twenty feet is enough, in fact.
I have caught large ones within six feet of the boat. A good
way is where the weeds or lily-pads are thick, and
to go out
cast with a spoon or large shiner. Lac Vieux Desert is
quite a shallow lake, being only twelve feet deep in the deep-
est place, and is very weedy. It is the head of the Wiscon-
sin River. In some of the other lakes where the water is

clear and deep, these fish seem to be just as numerous as in
Vieux Desert, so it seems they are equall}' at home in widely
different waters.
These fish ought to be protected, and why some of our
enterprising Fish Commissions have not taken steps to prop-
agate them, artificiall}', is not known.
My experience and observation lead me to believe that it
* Pronounced "View Dcsare."

THE MASCALONGE IN WISCONSIN WATERS. 205
would be an easy matter to propagate them, and it is to be

hoped that it may be tried at an early day.
In June, 1888, I was at Big Twin lake, where I had caught
several large Mascalonge, and being informed that Lac Vieux
Desert was a good lake for these fish, I took Fred French
of Three Lakes and went over to investigate.
We got there too late for much fishing that day, so we
waited till morning. We started out before breakfast and
trolled along the west shore, just outside of the rushes, for
about two miles, catching an occasional Bass, Pike or Pick-
erel, and when we got near what is locally known as '"Lunge
Point," all at once there was a fearful rush and commotion,

and we knew we had a big one.
Down he went, taking line rapidly, until he nmst have
found the bottom in forty feet of water. Then up he came
clear out of water, his glistening sides sparkling in the rays
of the rising sun, shaking his ponderous jaws in a mighty
effort to get rid of the cruel barb. He was kept well in hand
and not allowed a foot Three times he vaulted
of slack line.
clear out of the water, and fought like a tiger while in his ele-
ment. The struggle was a long and determined one, but he
finally gave up, when Fred gaffed him and lifted him into the
boat. There he lay in all his beauty, his magnificent sides
rising and falling as he sought to breathe in the lighter ele-
ment. He had an ugly look in his eyes, that warned us to
keep clear of his rugged fangs. After admiring him some
minutes I told Fred this was glory enough
an early morn- for
ing, and we bent our oars for camp. At the house our pri/e
tipped the beam at thirty-three pounds, good, honest weight.
After breakfast we started out again and before ten o'clock
returned with six Mascalonge, weighing seventy-two pounds,
one Pickerel of twelve pounds, one Large-mouth Bass, six
pounds, one Wall-eyed Pike of nine and a quarter pounds,
besides various other smaller making a total weight of
fish,
one hundred and twenty pounds. I was tired out and said
to the guide that I had had sport enough for one day.
The rig used for this work was an eight-ounce Goodridge

combination rod, a "G" hnen hne, to a common multiplying
reel, and a number eight Skinner spoon. The
was a new
line
one, but it was so frayed when we quit work that it was
taken ofif and is still in my tackle box, kept as a memento
of one of the grandest pieces of sport I ever enjoyed.
On the fifth of August, 1887, Mr. L. Thomas came to me
and said, "Don't you want to go out and catch a 'Lunge," and
I said that was just what I did want, and we were soon on
the water with his son Louis as the third member of the
party. It was about four p. m. when we threw out our lines.
Mr. Thomas had a hand-line, a number 4 Hill gold bait,

a double gang of hooks number 8, and a large chub min-
now hooked to the upper gang. I had my old rod, a small
line, a double Skinner spoon, one number 7, the other num-
ber 8, with a double gang of number 8 hooks and a large chub

on upper gang.
We had proceeded but a short distance when Mr. Thomas
had a strike, and after the usual course of maneuvering we
took his victim in, started on again and soon it came my turn.
I had a lusty strike, and after playing after my fish some
time and the weeds being thick we went ashore and slid him
out on the stones very nicely. Mr. Thomas now changed
with his son and took the oars. In a short time Louis had
a strike, and as his fish proved to be a large one we went ashore
again, at the same place, and landed this specimen without
trouble. This last one weighed thirty-eight pounds, and his
stuffed skin is now on exhibition in the city ticket office of the
M. L. S. & W. Ry. at Chicago. We started again and
soon I got another large one, but he got into the weeds, in
spite of all I could do, and I lost him.
We then started for home, and just before we got to the
rushes, Mr. Thomas, who had the line again, had a heavy
strike but he missed. He said to his son, "Turn right
around; we'll go over that ground again and get that fellow
THE MASCALONGE IN WISCONSIN WATERS. 20/
yet." After passing over the spot twice and getting no strike
I proposed giving him up, but Mr. Thomas who had had
more experience than I, said, "No; we'll try him once more,"
and as we passed over the spot a third time the old Esox
took my spoon with a terrific splash.
"There you have him," said Thomas. I at once realized
that, and I had him sure enough. After a long and hotly con-
tested fight we took him in and went ashore. The four fish
weighed, respectively, thirty-eight, thirty and one-half, twen-
ty-nine and one-half, and thirty-three pounds, and a prettier
sight I never saw those noble fellows lying side by side.
To say we were proud would illy express our feelings.
208
THE BROOK TROUT.
BY F. H. THURSTON.
Brook Trout, Salvclinus fontinalisy

THE Spotted
most
of the beautiful fishes in existence. It
is one
belongs to
the division of the Salmon family known to the English
most part to fresh-water
as "Chars," a group confined for the
brooks and streams, and, according to Professor Goode,
distinguished from the true Salmons by a peculiar arrange-
ment of teeth on the vomer, and also by their very small
scales, and usually by numerous crimson or orange-colored
spots, which are especially conspicuous in the breeding sea
son. Its home is between latitudes 32.\ degrees and 55
degrees, in the lakes and streams of the Atlantic water-shed,

near the sources of a few rivers flowing into the Mississippi
and the Gulf of Mexico, and in some of the southern affluents
of Hudson Bay. Its range is limited by the southern foot-
hills of the Alleghanies, and nowhere extends more than three
hundred miles from the coast, except about the Great Lakes,
in the northern tributaries of which Trout abound. At
the south it inhabits the head-waters of the Chattahoochee, in
the southern spurs of the Georgia Alleghanies, and tributaries
of the Catawba in North Carolina. It also occurs in the

Great Islands in the Gulf of St. Lawrence Anticosti, Prince
Edward, Cape Breton and Newfoundland.
The shape, size and coloration of the Speckled Trout vary
much according to the conditions of food and water under
which it exists. There are waters in which it is so nearly black
14 209
2IO AMERICAN GAME FISHES.,
as often, exceptupon close examination, to be mistaken for the

chub, or other fish. In some waters, as for example those
of the tributaries of Torch Lake, in Michigan, the Trout
which were planted some years ago, still retain to some
extent their distinctive characteristics of shape and color,
and may often be distinguished from the native Trout. The
following extracts are from "Goode's American fishes."
"When Trout have no access to the sea, they still contrive
to avoid a change of temperature with the seasons. In mid-
summer they lie m the bottoms of the lakes cooled by springs,
in the channels of streams, or in deep pools, lurking behind
rocks and among roots. In spring and early summer they
feed industriously among the rapids. At the approach of
cold weather in the autumn they hasten to the clear shal-
low water near the heads of the streamlets. It is at this
time that they deposit their eggs in little nests in the gravel,
which the mother-fish have shaped with careful industry,
fanning out the finer particles with their tails, and carrying
the large ones in their mouths. After the eggs are laid, the
parent fish covers them with gravel, and proceeds to excavate
another nest. The same nests are said to be revisited by
the schools year after year.
"The spawning season begins in New England in October,
continuing from three to six months, and during this period
the fish should be protected by stringent laws. Mr. Livings-
ton Stone observed that in his ponds at Charleston, N. H.,
spawning began October I2th, and ended early in Decem-
ber; at Seth Green's establishment near Rochester, N. Y.,
it began on the same day and continued until March. At
the former station spring water, with a uniform temperature
of 47 degrees, was in use, while at Caledonia the eggs were
kept in brook water, which is colder in mid-winter, retard-
ing development."
There seems to be some uncertainty regarding the duration
of the spawning season. In Northern Michigan I have taken
THE BROOK TROUT 21 I
Trout containing well developed spawn, in each of the sum-

mer months. Such cases are not infrequent, and I believe
that similar observations have elsewhere been made.
Trout are cold water fishes, and according to Green, can-
not thrive in water warmer than 68 degrees Fahr. They
are at their best at the approach of winter. They rarely
exceed two or three pounds in weight, except in a few favored
localities. I remember long ago an offer of P. T. Barnum of
a prize for a four-pound Spotted Trout, but none was forthcom-

ing. In the Rangeley Lakes they have been taken weighing
eleven pounds or more. One taken in 1867, in Rangeley
Lake, weighed ten pounds after three days captivity, and
was thought by experts to have lost a pound and a half in
transit from Mainj to New Jersey, where it died. Its length
was thirty inches, and its circumference eighteen.

"The Nipigon River claims still heavier fish. Hallock
mentions one said to have weighed seventeen pounds."
According to Agassiz, these large Trout may have reached
the age of one or two hundred years. "The rate of growth
is determined by the amount of food consumed. Some two-
year-old fish weigh a pound, some half an ounce, as Mr.
Stone's experience shows."
Endless are the dissertations which have been written in
praise of the Speckled Trout and its pursuit '^with the angle,"
but no one has as yet succeeded in so portraying this sport and
its objects as fully to equal the'remembrances which live ever in
the memoryof an old and successful Trout-fisher. For him

there no
is sport like Trout-fishing, and though seduced per-
haps from time to time by the lordly Salmon, the silvery Tar-
pon, or other of our notable game-fishes north or south, he
ever returns with renewed zest to the pine-shadowed lake
or brawling mountain stream the scenes of earlier tri-
umphs; and as he sees the bright hues of a ten-inch Trout

gleaming through the meshes of his landing net, he once more
says, as often in the past: "Well, there's nothing like Trout-
fishing after all."
THE BROOK TROUT. 213
Should doubt that the Speckled Trout is fully entitled

an}'
to distinction as emphatically a gentleman among fishes, the

following quotation from Mr. James W. Miller should forever
set the question at rest:
"His whole wooing is the most polite attention and the
gentlest of persuasions. He moves continually to and fro
before his mate, parading his bright colors, while she rests
quietly, with her head up stream, vibrating her fins just suffi-
ciently to keep her from floating down. At Waterville,
Wisconsin, I had the opportunity of watching their habits.
"A pair of large Trout had selected a spot near the bank
of the stream, where the water was about ten inches deep.
The female had fanned the gravel with her tail and anal
fin until it was clean and white, and had succeeded in excavat-
ing a cavity. They were frightened away as I came to the

edge of the bank. Concealing myself behind a willow bush,
I watched their movements. The male returned first, recon-
noitering the vicinity, and satisfying himself that the coast
was clear, spent a half-hour in endeavoring to coax the female
to enter the nest. She, resting half-concealed in the weeds,
a few feet away, seemed unwilling to be convinced that the
danger was gone; and he, in his full, bright colors, sailed back-
ward and forward from the nest to his mate, rubbing him-
self against her, and swimming off again in a wide circle
close along the bank, as if to show her how far he could venture
without finding danger. She finally entered the nest."
Trout are also pugnacious at times, and have been known
to engage in desperate conflicts with each other, sometimes
resulting in the death of one or both of the combatants.
Many and various are the haunts of the Spotted Trout;
from the pebbly shallows of the crystal lake, or the tranquil
reaches and foamy pools of the tumbling river, where it is a
joy to cast the iiy, to the cold spring brooks far up on the
mountain hidden by rocks and brushwood, and some-
side,
times flowing unseen for many a rood, through subterraneous

channels. Again the home of the Trout is in a rushing river,

sometimes many yards in width, and bridged throughout by
a tangled wilderness of cedar trees, some standing, but many
of their trunks lying at every possible angle, n.nd in all stages
of decay. Through this series of obstructions the patient an-
gler works hisway, sometimes losing sight of the stream while
he hears it gurgling beneath the mossy log on which he finds
his footing, then, afew feet further on, he sees below a black
pool of icy water, perhaps not three feet across, but of un-
known depth. Here, as in the rare glimpses of running
water on the semi-subterraneous mountain streams, the ily
is useless.
Some think that the skilled fly-fisher never uses bait. He
does, an' he be wise. Few are older or reckoned better an-
glers than Dr. William C. Prime, who says:
"The true angler is not confined to fly-fishing, as many
imagine. When the' fly can be used, it always should be
used, but where the fly is impracticable, or when fish will not
rise to it, he is a very foolish angler who declines to use
bait."
Many good and sportsman-like Trout-fishers there are, who
when circumstances render such effort feasible, will use noth-
ing but the fly, but who from the nature of the streams
among which they are compelled to seek their pastime, find
it often advisable to resort to bait.
Bait-fishing, in the words of Genio C. Scott, "is of all
field sports the parent of more patience and eager persever-
ance than any other;" and Thomas Tod. Stoddart, writing of
summer fishing in Scotland, offers to prove "that worm-fish-
ing for Trout, when the waters are clear and low, the skies
bright and warm," "requires essentially more address and
experience, as well as better knowledge of the habits and
instincts of the fish, than fly-fishing.
True is the saying: "It is not all of fishing to fish," and
while there is a mild pleasure in casting a fly over the roof
THE BROOK TROUT. 2 I
5
of a sixteen-story flat, and a deep satisfaction in making

the longest cast at an angling tournament, there yet no
is
feeling which can take the place of that in the mind of the
tired and muddy angler, who as he wends his way homeward in
the gloaming, is reminded by the weight of his creel, of the
various incidents of weather, stream, rock, tree, flower, bird,
animal, insect and fish which together have combined to
make up his successful day's fishing.
The Brook Trout! How the memories of early and later
days throng upon the mind of a "down-east" angler at the
name. I remember as it were yesterday, when, a little boy,
and listening wide-eyed to the converse of my elders, I heard

such stories of great strings of beautiful Trout brought home
from the brooks as set my blood on fire to emulate these
achievements. Would I never be big enough to go Trout-fish-
ing?
There was upon my father's farm a meadow through which
ran a sparkling brook with pebbly bottom. As I one day
approached this little stream, saw a fish dart under a log
I
which lay buried in the water. It must be a Trout, and here
at last was my opportunity. I had a small silken line and
several hooks, which had been given me by my big brother

in Boston; and rapidly as possible, I hastened home, cut a
stout apple-tree wand, and rigged my tackle. Placing upon
the hook a worm, I hurried to the haunt of the Trout. I had
heard enough of the modus operandi of the sport to keep out

of sight; and carefully very carefully, I approached the
brook. My heart thumped loudly against my ribs as slowly
the bait settled upon the water
I couldn't do it better to-
day, though nearly fifty years have passed since; like a gleam of
light, the Trout darted across the pool, and straight there was
a thrilling tug upon the line. The lithe sprout bent double
to the weight of the fish, for it was a good half-pounder;
and when at last he lay quivering among the clover-blossoms,
there was in all the northern land no prouder boy than I.
2l6 AMERICAN GAME FISHES.
In those days we used hickory rods^poles we

called them;
and one merit at least they had they never broke. The
line or hook might fail at sorest need, but for the pole, you
could surge and strain your best, and never fear consequences.
It was with one of these machines, wire-ringed and copper-
ferruled, that I first cast a fly. The rod weighed several

pounds, and casting was no boy's play; so that I soon wearied
of the fruitless labor, and seating myself upon a stone,

allowed the fly I remember that it was small and red to
drift upon the surface of the current while I sought in my
pocket for my luncheon. As I lazily watched the fly de-

scending into a foamy pool just below my seat, there was a
gleam and a mighty surge. I grasped the rod too late, the
fish had detected the imposition and vanished. No further
thought of luncheon. I fished that pool for hours, but no
rise rewarded my efforts. Next morning I was again upon

the spot, having meanwhile obtained another fly a black
hackle. This I added to my cast, and very carefully dropped
it upon the surface of the brook. There was no rise, but as
I was retrieving the line, and before I knew what had hap-
pened, a large Trout was fast to the hook. How I managed

to save him I can hardly say, but save him I did, and ran
exultant home. I caught no Trout as large^ as this in many
after 3'ears.
When I was young, an old friend and experienced fly-fisher
once told me that the talk about the importance of having
the flies fall like thistledown upon the water was all moon-
shine. Said he: "If you get the fly on the water at all, and
the Trout wants it, he'll take it."
I cannot tell among what sort of Trout my friend had

gained this experience; but in my own I find that the more
lightly my flies descend upon the surface of the stream, the
more likelihood is there of a rise.
There is no such might}^ mystery in fly-fishing, more than
in rifle-shooting; and while superior skill in either is confined
to the few, the main principles of each may be learned [not

mastered] in a few minutes.
In my judgment, the most important point in Trout-fish-
ing is gained by him who has acquired the correct method of
giving what is termed the "strike." It should be prompt, yet
delicate
prompt because the fraction of a second of lost
time may mean the loss of your fish, and one has to see but
once the suddenness with which any distasteful morsel is
ejected some inches from the mouth of the Trout, to realize
the importance of promptitude in responding with the turn
of the wrist to the first gleam that denotes a rise.
It is well to have the knack of making long casts, but they
are seldom requisite to success, particularly in stream-fishing.
With more fully master of the situation,
a short line you are
and the most Trout are taken within thirty feet. A
of the
long cast however, sometimes enables one to reach points
otherwise unattainable, but in practice nobody casts a fiy
eighty or one hundred feet. That is casting, not fishing.

When fishing for Trout, e3ê on the stream.
keep your If
you see a rise, mark the spot, but be not in haste to reach it.
A master of the angle is seldom in haste. When near enough,
cast your fly a little short of the point you have noted.
Then, if necessary, cast a little further, and if your cast is
well chosen and well made, the fish will probably show
itself.
Ifyou are wading, you cannot be too deliberate or cautious

in your movements, and by observing such a course, you
may sometimes even pass through a school of Trout without
sensibly alarming them.
Study the insects along the stream, and make up your cast
accordingly, if practicable. Mr. H. Cholmondeley Pennell ad-
vocates the use of three typical flies for Trout, to the exclusion
of all those now in Never having tried them, I cannot say
use.
as to their efficiency, though I had hoped to test them during
the present season, but a malady of the eyes has prevented
my giving them a trial. They are green, brown and yellow,

and have certainly a most attractive look, as tied by Mr.
Charles F. Orvis from whom I obtained some specimens.
A good assortment of flies is desirable, especially while on
a journey; but the fly-book of an expert is more notable for
the selection of the flies which it contains than for their num-
bers, and seldom will he wet more than a half-dozen in a
day's fishing.
It is well to take a few lessons from an accomplished fly-
tyer,and to carry materials for extemporizing a cast which,
though not scientifically tied, may yet prove attractive to the
denizens of the brook.
In casting across a stream, which, where practicable, is
the better way, do not hurry, but draw the flies slowly toward
you, lest the Trout be alarmed. And when the fish is hooked,
especially he be large, do not seek to land him hastily,
if
unless compelled by the surroundings to do so, lest haply he

break away. The most that escape are lost through undue
haste.
When Trout have become "educated, " and sometimes where
they have not, the smallest flies on number 12 to 18
hooks, with gossamer gut, will prove more attractive than
most others, and such are extensively used upon the much
fished streams of England, as also upon those of New York
and others of our states which have for years been resorts
for anglers. The gossamer gut, however, deteriorates in
quality in a short time, and is not ordinarily requisite in the
capture of our American Brook Trout. The drawn gut is best
preserved by being kept wrapped in oiled paper.
The rods now in favor are very much lighter, though more
effective, than those formerly in use. A click reel not a
multiplier and thirty yards of water-proof line (the tapered
lines are best) will be found most effective. And it is well
that the line should fit the rod. As truly said by Mr. Orvis:
"A heavy line on a very light rod would be bad; a very light
THE BROOK TROUT. 2ig
line on a heavy rod would be worse. I find many are

inclined to use too light a line, supposing the lighter it is, the
less trouble there will be in casting it. This, I think, is an
error. It is impossible to cast well against or across the wind
with a very light line; and very light lines do not 'lay out'
as accurately as do the heavier ones."
I think that the lighter rods are growing in favor. Good
work has been done with three to five ounce switches in
waters adapted to their use, but for swift streams they seem
to me to be unsuitable, at least for the larger fish. For
"brushy" streams, a stiff rod is best.
Many Trout which would otherwise be lost may be saved by
the use of a landing-net. If from the water
the fish is lifted
by the hook, and the tackle be fine, it is liable to be broken.

Neither a low barometer nor an electric storm are conducive
to success in fishing. In choosing the day, as in selecting
and proving the tackle, experience is the road to success.
A change of weather is often the prelude to good luck in
fishing. A thorough angler will seldom use a leader that
has not been tested, and it is stated by an eminent authority,
Mr. Henry P. Wells, that "a leader which will endure five
pounds steady strain with a spring balance, will, when
backed by the elasticity of a fair rod, resist the utmost effort
of the largest Trout that swims the Rangeley Lakes."
Test, therefore, the gut you use, and never bend it when
dry, or allow it to be stepped upon at any time.
I shall not attempt to offer many suggestions as to the
proper flies Their name is legion, and
to be used for Trout.
each has its advocate. There are some, such as the coachmen
and professors, that have a place in every fly-book. For the
Rangeley, I suppose that no single fly will take as many
Trout as the Parmacheene Belle, though as it was not invented
when I fished those waters, I cannot say from experience.
It is always safe to have plenty of hackles of different colors
the red is a favorite with many anglers and of small,

plain colored liies with light wings. These will, in the New
Hampshire streams, in those of Northern Michigan and m
many other localities, often serve better purpose than larger
and gaudier fîes.
Trout may be taken after dark by the use of the white

miller and some other light colored lure. In some waters
they will rise at gaudy flies during the night, and it is sta-
ted that even the black hackle has proven attractive in cer-
tain localities.
The scarlet Ibis, though very taking in some waters of the
Eastern and Middle States, seems less attractive in the North
and West. It is well to carry a few Hies with more
or less blue in their make-up. If your Hies are sufficiently
attractive, the Trout will rise to them, even
in mid-winter.
Make the best selection in your power, and be not in too
great haste to change your cast. If after a fair trial, you
find that the fish will not rise to the fly, fear not to use bait;
remembering that there are few indeed of our most accom-
plished anglers, who do not thus when other methods fail.
The more attractive baits include minnows, minnows' tails,
red worms, white grubs, the various larvae to be found in
decaying wood, grasshoppers and the throat or belly fin of
the Trout itself. Fly-fishing is not commoirly successful until
the spring is well advanced. Never think that you know a
brook until you have fished it thoroughly, as the best Trout
are sometimes taken in the most unlikely spots.
One September day, more than thirty years ago, I found
myself at old Dan Quimby's, on Rangeley Lake. Few anglers
were at that time in the habit of visiting those waters.
In fact, I myself was there more for the purpose of hunting
than fishing. Large game, however, was scarce, much more
so than at the present time, and I consequently gave the
more attention to the Trout.
My first essay was at the mouth where my guide
of a cove,
had a boat in readiness. On our way, he had looked care-
fully to the right and left, to find, as he said, "some-

thin' fer bait. I want ter find a potridge, ef I kin, though a
red squir'l '11 dew."
As he spoke, a fine cock grouse rose near us and settled
on a branch, to be the next instant beheaded by the rifle of
my companion.
"I'd a goo' deal ruther hev a potridge 'n a squir'l or a
meat-hawk," he said as, cutting from the leg of the luckless
bird a liberal portion, he proceeded to impale it upon the point
of a number 6 Limerick. Next he drew from beneath some
bushes a seasoned juniper pole, some seventeen feet in length,
attached thereto a "C" size line, spat on the bait, unmoored
the boat, and was ready for business.
We pushed off a few yards and anchored. It was late in
the afternoon, a southerly breeze just rippled the water,
while the dull, gray sky, and the mournful soughing of the
wind among the pines bore token of a coming storm.
Aleck dropped his bait into the water, while I cast my jay-
fly and gray hackle toward the mouth of the brook, drawing
them slowly across the ripples, but at first without success.

"Hello!" said Aleck, "I've got the fust one."
His fish was a large Trout, but broke away as he attempted
to raise it from the water; and almost at the same instant,
three or four Trout seemed to rise at once at the jay. One
was fast, and another seized the hackle instanter. Aleck
dropped his pole and looked on with much interest as
they dashed from side to side, I playing them, and they often
playing each other; for when one sounded, the other was
pretty sure to shoot upward.
"Well," said the guide, after a long pause; "I never see a
pole buckle like that 'n afore."
This was an English rod of ash and lancewood, which I
had bought since leaving home, in a tackle store in Boston.
It was a very light, and for those days, a very expensive one,
the best the vendor had. It weighed thirteen ounces, and

cost nearly five dollars. Please remember that this was

almost thirty years ago. That rod was well worth its price,
and money wouldn't buy it, for I have it still. It is good
even yet, although the butt, after many years of faithful serv-
ice, took such a "set" that I replaced it with another; thereby
reducing the weight of the rod some three ounces. I seldom
use it, but the many memories which attach to this old rod
are such as I can associate with none other in my collec-
tion.
The Trout were soon tired out, and duly transferred to our
basket, where, lying on a bed of fern, they furnished food for
pleasurable anticipations for the remainder of the trip. They
weighed respectively one, and one and a quarter pounds, and
were much the same with a score of others taken that evening
on my rod. I am, however, obliged to confess that Aleck
beat me, not in numbers but in weight. I had, however,
returned to the water several half-pounders, while Aleck

kept all his fish. His catch aggregated thirteen in number,
one of which weighed over four pounds.
The wind arose as we left the lake, and a drizzling rain
set in, which with occasional intermissions continued through-
out my stay.
During an interval of sunshine, I rode over to the mill-
dam, where I found a native, equipped with a small rifle and
a "jigger." He had shot a "spruce grouse," the plumage of
which was nearly black; and had captured a Trout weighing
some three pounds. He looked with disfavor upon my flies,
and said that they were well enough to play with, but
wouldn't fetch the Trout.
I cast my flies upon the surface of the foaming current, when
they floated downward to the edge of a little eddy, and dis-
appeared from view. There was a savage strike, and a great
Trout dashed half-way across the stream and sprang into the
air. He was fast to the jay-fly, and I at once renewed a res-
olution I had previously formed, but neglected to carry out
to use but one fly on my cast where the big fellows were
known to exist.
The largest Trout I had ever hooked was fast fast and
furious. I did not time the struggle, but it was long, and
my rod was tried to its utmost capacity. When at last the
Trout found a hiding-place behind a rock near the shore, and

sulked at the bottom, the native, who had looked with much
interest upon the contest, approached and offered to "jigger"
the fish; which courtesy I curtly declined, not liking the look
of his weapon.
The Trout again roused himself for the fray, but he was
wearied, and before many minutes I succeeded in bringing
him to the net. His weight was about three pounds, and he
was the largest fish which I took at any time upon the
Rangeley lakes.
I heard talk there as elsewhere, of the extraordinary size of
the Speckled Trout there taken, but at that time no compe-
tent guides were to be had, and I did not then know, what
has since proved to be the fact, that those large fish are not
surface-feeders, and it is believed that they do not rise to
the natural fly.
The Parmacheene Belle, which is one of the most taking

flies for that region, was, I understand, suggested by the
appearance of the belly-fin of a Trout a bait much in use
with many fishers. The Grizzly king, Montreal, Silver Doc-

tor, and other gaud}' flies, are taking at different times.
Large hackles, gray and brown, are often attractive, but in
my own experience, the jay-fly has proved the best. When
a fly is taken by the larger of these Trout, it is always when
below the surface of the water. Cast a straight line, let the
fly sink a foot or two, then draw it toward you with short
pauses, finally retrieving quietly to make another cast.
When the ice goes out of the Rangeleys, the Trout are not
commonly taken until the temperature of the water and that
of the morning air are nearly the same. In hot weather,
the fishingis at the mouths of streams and in swift water.
Trolhng is common, earher, with a six-inch chub a deadly,

though objectionable method. The employment of more
than one hook is prohibited by law. As the water grows
warmer in June, the Trout seek the shallower points near
shore, there feeding upon the various insects.Good sport
may then be had, but in the heats of summer they again
resort to the cooler depths of the lakes, and not until Septem-
ber do they again take to the pools.
The known points where the best fishing occurs are uncer-
tain and variable, and the stranger must trust to his guide
for these, Attempt to
as for other elements of success.
guide him and he will serve you well, but let him see that
you acknowledge his superiority in his calling, and you will
have your reward. He will tell you to be on hand early, for
the first rays of the sun are often death to your success.
It is my belief that the Trout caught in those v/aters run as
large, and probably larger, than those of years ago, and at
present, nearly one-eighth of the catch is land-locked Sal-
mon, which have been planted in the lake, and the sport is the
greater for the very uncertainty whether the next fish to rise
willbe Trout or Salmon.
My fishing on the Rangeleys was prosecuted under serious
discouragements, from the continual storms, and I soon left
the lakes for that season.
The next September found me in Piscataquis County, on
my way Moosehead region, but chancing to meet a
to the
young fellow whose knowledge of the country and its sports
seemed nearly exhaustive, I changed my plans, and we hunted
and fished together that fall. He wassomethingof a charac-
ter, being the son of a wealthy man, of literary tastes, who
had brought his library into these forests years before; but
losing his property through investments in unprofitable lands,
had and of his fortune, little but the library was left.
died,
The son had read it all, and his tenacious memory was
THE BROOK TROUT. 22 5
stored with the oddest hterary jumble I had ever known.

He was continually breaking out in quotations, mostly from
the poets; so that he was commonly known
"Old Poetry." as
Old Poetry and I started out one fine morning for the
woods. He had told me of a stream flowing from a spring
high up on the mountain side, which he had crossed in
winter, when in pursuit of a moose, and pointed out far to
the northward, the gleam of the cataract, almost hidden in a
dense spruce forest.
"I always thought," said he, "that I'd go there again, and
catch some fur. There's some little ponds there, and Trout
you can't rest, and where you find Trout a-plenty, there's
till
always mink, sure. But it's a mighty hard road, and I never
got to trap there yet."
This spot was our objective point, and heavily laden as
we were, with provisions, et cetera, we made but slow prog-
ress. Indeed, had I known beforehand of the nature of the
country we must traverse, I should hardly have undertaken
the trip.
Pausing at a brook. Poetry detached from his belt a silver

cup, and gave me to drink. The elegant form and chasing of
the vessel attracted my attention, and he told me that it was a
parting gift from a New York gentleman with whom he had
often hunted in the past. "And ah," said he looking fondly
at the battered treasure,
"My eyes grow moist and dim, to think of all the vanished joys that danced
around its brim."
'Twere long to tell of the weary two days tramp which

brought us at length to the verge of a rocky cliff, where we
threw off our packs and looked down into a clear pool of
water, many feet below, and some fifty yards in length,
which filled the rocky chasm, and fairly swarmed with Trout.
Verily, it was well worth the weary journey we had made,
but to see the schools of fish. The afternoon sun lighted
i5
up the and the briUiant colors of the fishes shone out

rift,
in full display, asback and forth beneath our stance they

flashed and glided past. I had not then, nor have I since,
seen such a magnificent fish preserve, albeit scarce noted by

eye of angler till we reached the spot.
Taking Old Poetry proceeded to build a camp,
his axe,
while I made up a cast of hackles, gray, brown and red, and
sent them downward from the rocky shelf on which I sat.
They were instantaneously seized by as many Trout, and I
found that the fish were larger than I had thought. To land
them was the difficulty, and this was at last accomplished with
the loss of one, but the school had departed.

They were not of large size few being over a pound in
weight, but their numbers seemed endless.
I went to the head of the pool where a fall of three or four
feet poured in, and taking off two of my flies, secured a Trout
at nearly every cast, until a halt was called, my assistance
being required in arranging the roof of our bark camp. I
hung my string of Trout upon a stub, some five or six feet
from the ground and obe3'ed the summons. Returning in a

quarter of an hour, I found to my surprise that the most of
my fish had disappeared, while those remaining were all more
or less mutilated. Calling the hunter in my turn, his practiced
eye took in the situation at a glance.

"The spoiler hath and "it's a cussed
been here," he said,
mink. I'll him after supper."

set a 'kilheeg' (log trap) for
This was done, and thoroughly wearied with our long tramp
we lay down on our beds of fir boughs before the fire, and
soon slept the sleep of the weary.
At daybreak Poetry was up, and inspecting his trap, in
which he found a half-grown mink. " 'Twasn't you, you little
cuss," he said, "'twas your mother, and I'll have her 'fore
night;" and sure enough he did.
It was still too early in the season to find the furs in prime
condition, and the hunter passed the most of his time in
THE BROOK TROUT. 22/
making a thorough exploration of the surrounding country,

with a view to future operations. We remained three days
at this dehghtful spot, and but for the Trout, our provisions
would have been exhausted before the end of our stay. It
is Trout would take

interesting to note that while at first the
readily any fly in my book; before we had
they had be-
left,
come notably suspicious, and on the morning of our depart-

ure, would rise to nothing but black and brown hackles.
The Rangeleys have perhaps held their own as well or
better than any other of our waters long famous for
Trout. Of the many lakes or streams of the forests of North-
ern New York, there are few, indeed, which now yield to the
angler the same returns as in former years. This is also true
of Pennsylvanian waters. The most of the streams of New
England, where unpolluted by the refuse from factories, are
favorable to the breeding of Trout, and there is still oppor-
tunity to make fair creels in many of them, as for
example
in New Hampshire, the tributaries of the Pemigewasset all
furnish Trout, though seldom of large size.
East of the Mississippi no better Trout-fishing can be found
than in the streams emptying into the northern portion of Lake
Michigan and in the tributaries of Lake Superior, among
which the Nepigon,for the size of its Trout, justly claims the
precedence. To fish that stream, however, it is necessary to
obtain the permission of the Government authorities. For
the rest, the experienced angler has learned not to expect
too much, whatever the name or reputation of the waters he
may fish, and should he return only
fairly successful, from
an angling tour in the vicinity of Lake George, the Saranacs.
or others, long favorites of the tourist, the beauties of the
scenery everywhere presented to his gaze, will, if he be a
genuine lover of nature, go far to compensate him for his

lack of sport. If it is but the Trout he seeks, this paper was
not penned for him.

On a fine August day, some years ago, a party of three,
consisting of two young collegians and myself, started from

a small saw-mill, situated on a large brook which rippled and
iâshed down a mountain side in one of the forests of New
Hampshire. We were in quest of a lake from which flowed
the stream above mentioned, having been told that there
the Speckled Trout did much abound. Our informant, how-
ever, a young farmer of the neighborhood, cared but little
apparently for the Trout, but was extreme in his laudation
of the size end quality of the "Bull-pouts" which likewise
inhabited Pennyroyal Pond, for so this lake was named.
The miller had shown us one end of a trail which he said
would lead to the pond by a more direct route than we could
have by tracing the course of the stream. We however
learned to our sorrow that several logging roads and other
trails branched from or intersected the one we desired to fol-
low, so that we missed the proper course and were at last

only enabled to find the object of our search by climbing a
tree, and, by compass, taking the bearings of a granite peak
at the foot of which I knew the lake to be situated. At last,
near sunset, we reached the shore, and seating ourselves
upon the most comfortable log we could find, gazed out upon
this little mountain tarn.
It was situated in a bowl-shaped depression among the hills,
and a dark spruce forest rose from shore to summit in smooth

and regular sweep. To our right was the gray granite peak
which had been our guide, reflected from the clear waters of
the lake, which here and there were dimpled by rising fish or
the trail of the summer duck. It was a beautiful scene, and
my companions, who had stood the tramp pretty well, were

enthusiastic in its praise. Never before had they been so
completely isolated from civilization, and to them nearly
everything we saw was a novelty. Having rested, two of us
set to work to prepare a camp, while the other, after joint-
ing his rod, walked down to the lake in order to catch some
Trout for supper.
By the time we had roofed the camp and had the fire well
under way, the angler returned. "Look here," said he. "I
thought you said those were Trout out there rising in the
lake."
"So I did," said I.
"Well, they are nothing but Bull-pouts."

I am afraid that I did not succeed in repressing the smile
which rose to my lips as I replied: "Bull-pouts don't rise
in that way. How many did you catch?"
"Seven."
"Did you keep them.''"
"No. I thought we were going to have Trout for supper.
Think you, we left the classic hills of Harvard to initiate our

first camp amid these granite solitudes by a banquet on Bull-
pouts.^ Perish the thought!"

"Perhaps would have been safer to keep the Bull-pouts, as
it
we are all rather hungry, but we wiU see what can be done."
Preparing my tackle I walked along the shore near the foot
of the granite cliff where the water was deep, and a tree had
fallen into the lake. Standing alongside a large bowlder I cast
my hackles toward the tree-top, and the first cast fastened
an eight-inch Trout. I continued my fishing for half an hour,
by which time enough had been secured for present needs,

and we returned to the camp-fire.
During our meal, Rob, who had watched my fishing with
interest, inquired the reason why he had only caught Bull-
pouts, instead of Trout as he had expected; to which I replied
that he had selected for his fishing a little muddy cove which
was the natural home of theBull-pouL, and added that fishing
as he did with bait, he would do better to seek for Trout
among the ledges. My advice was followed, and before
night closed in, we had taken several more Trout the two
young fellows with bait, and I with white miller. We walled
in with loose stones a little pool in which to keep our fish
alive, and at last, thoroughly wearied with the toils of the
day, we replenished the fire, for the nights were chilly in

those mountains, turned in and slept soundly.
At dawn we ware astir, our breakfast was soon dispatched,
and rods in hand, we sallied forth in quest of new achieve-
ments. The weather was wild, windy, and unfavorable for
fly-fishing, and when at noon we assembled for dinner, it
was found that the catch of the bait rods had the advantage
in both numbers and weight, whereat my friends rejoiced.
And while dinner was in progress I noted occasional innuen-
dos concerning the inferiority of flies as compared with bait.
None of the Trout thus far taken, were more than a pound
in weight, l)ut my friends were very desirous that some of the
big fellows of which they had heard might fall victims to their
skill. I remarked that we had already corraled five times as
many Trout as we could use, and that most anglers would be

well satisfied with such a catch, whether size or numbers were
considered. But the big Trout still formed the burden of their
conversation.
After an hour's rest wo walked along the shore in the
direction of an old catamaran or raft formed of two logs
about twenty feet long, which had been placed side by side,
and rudely connected by cross-bars and withes. Some dis-
cussion was held about the propriety of puMing out into the
lake upon this raft, but the gusts which swept the surface
seemed to render such a voyage inexpedient. During the
conversation I had advanced to the end of the catamaran
which lay off shore, and was casting my fly toward the cen-
ter of the lake, while joe, with an improvised handspike in-
serted beneath the raft, essayed to move it from its resting
place. Much to his surprise the crazy fastenings of the logs
gave way, and the outermost one on which I was standing,
intent upon my cast, aided by an inopportune puf^ of wind,
swung outward and away from shore. I did not realize my
situation until a warning shout caused me to turn my head
too late.
"Holy Moses!" shouted Joe. "What'll we do now?"

The log began to roll, and in order to maintain my upright
position, I was obliged to seat myself astride upoa it with my
legs in the water. And thus I slowly drifted out into the lake.
The consternation of my friends for my mishap soon gave way
to mirth, as they saw me comparatively master of the situation,
and those irreverent youngsters opened a fire of remarks
more or less nautical and tantalizing in their character.
"Ship ahoy." "Where are you bound.^" "Hard a-lee."
"Hard down your helm." "Give her the sheet and let 'er
howl," etc.
I made no response, but continued casting to the right and

left, as I The talk of large Trout had induced
drifted onward.
me change the red hackle I had used as a
after dinner to
stretcher fly for a large blue-jay. I had no expectation of a
rise so far from shore, but to my surprise, when almost in the

middle of the lake, the jay was taken and by a very large
Trout. It was a battle royal which followed, but by the
time the log had drifted ashore the fish was conquered, and
when at last we grounded, and disembarking from my uncom-
fortable craft I waded to dry land, I led the fish into a shal-
low pool of water where he was safe. I was soon rejoined
by my companions who had hurried around to meet me,

meanwhile watching the contest with much interest.
"Ah," said Joe, as, panting and breathless he gazed upcii
the magnificent fish, "Isn't that a Jiand crcdoT''
The fish weighed upward and was by far
of three pounds,
the largest taken during our stay. For still another day we
whipped the waters of the little lake, and before our depart-
ure on the following morning, we opened our corrals, and
gave liberty to nearly two hundred of our bright-hued cap-
tives. Our tramp homeward was without incident, and we
parted next day at the railway station. Since that trip we
never meet without some allusion to the big Trout of Penny-
royal Pond.
TROUTING ON THE NEPIGON.
BY W. H. H. MURRAY.
exclaimed, as glanced at the time-table,

HELLO!" I I
which, in the form of an illustrated itinerary, lay on

the table. "We must be nearing the Nepigon."
"The Nepigon!" exclaimed the judge, with the ardor of a
sportsman. "More monstrous Trout have been caught in
the Nepigon than in any other river on the continent. I have
friends who firmly believe that it is one of the four sacred

rivers that flow out of paradise."
"I think I would agree with them," I laughingly returned,
"if they would make their paradise include not only the
river, but the lake in which it heads. For if Lake Nepigon
was not in paradise it was a great loss for paradise." And
as I spoke, the train struck the bridge which stretches
across the noble and noted river, and as it was gliding
smoothly on it slowed, and suddenly stopped.
"Oh, oh, oh!"
"See, Tom, look!"
"Jones, where are you.?"
"Fo' de Lawd, Mars' Judge," exclaimed the waiter, "you
two gemmen git to de hind end ob de kyar, ef you wants ter
see what's gwine on down dar in dat ribber."
The excitement was contagious, for the car was full of
shouts, cheers, and exclamations. The judge rushed down
the aisle to the rear of the car.
"Great heavens!" he exclaimed, as he reached the plat-
form. "Look at that!"
A
hundred feet below us flowed the noble current, a deep,
wide, strong-moving mass of water. Here and there an eddy
marked it with its huge circumference. But in the main it
moved downward toward the great lake, shining in full
view, as a river flows between widened banks and with plenty
of room. In the middle of the river, nearly under us, was a
canoe with an Indian at either end, and a man in a velveteen
jacket standing in the center. In his hands was a rod. and
the tip of the rod was doubled backward nigh to the reel, the
ringing whir of which filled the air. His pose was that of
an angler who had struck a fish a big fish a fish that is
fighting him gamily and stubbornly, and which he is resist-
ing with the cool, determined skill of a veteran of the rod.

"What a picture," exclaimed the judge "Gad! whai a pict-
ure."
Well might he exclaim, "\Aniat a picture!" The wide
river; the island-studded lake, into which it emptied; the
lofty banks; the great dome sky above; high over the
of blue
stream, as if hung in mid-air, the long train, every window
filledwith heads, every platform crowded with forms, the
engineer, an angler himself, hanging oat of the cab, swinging
his hat; below, the canoe, the ochred Indians, the bent body
of the angler, the swaying, quivering, doubled-up rod
what a picture.
Suddenly, we, who were looking, saw the rod straighten.
Some of us knew what it meant. The judge clinched my
arm, and in an instant out of the water came the Trout,
mouth open, fins extended, tail spread.
"Jerusalem!" screamed the judge. "He's a twenty-poun-
der!"
Dear old judge, thou hast the true angler's eye that eye
which enlarges and multiplies by a happy trick of vision, not
merely the size of the fish, but the enjoyment of the soul.
Ay, ay, it was a twenty-pounder to both of us old sports for
the instant, and if the envious scales did shrink the noble
TROUTING ON THE NEPIGON. 235
form to shorter and thinner proportions, it could not rob us

thank heavens!
of the ecstasy of our first estimate,
And the fight that followed
what words may set it forth?
O anglers, shut your eyes, and see and hear it from behind
your closed lids. Call memory to your aid
the memory of
the sternest fight you ever fought, of the swiftest torrent, of
the wildest pool, of that favorite rod smashed to splinters, of
paddle broken, of the "biggest fish that ever swam," lost or
won. Stop, I and

say, from behind closed lids see all this,
and you will see what we saw under the great bridge over
the Nepigon on that bright June day.
Whoever the man in the velveteen jacket might be, he was
of the right sort
an angler of whom anglers need never be
ashamed; for as he fought that fish he gave us such an exhi-
bition of angler's fence as ranked him one of the best that
ever fingered reel. An eight-ounce rod against an eight-
pound fish, a strong, deep current, and a Nepigon canoe.
Grant anglers such conditions, and how many shall make a
winning fight?
Twice the huge fish broke water, and twice the long train
cheered him to the echo. The judge was wild. Each time
the fish broke the surface, he fairly jumped! He leaned far
over the rail. He swung his hat, and when the monstrous
Trout broke the surface the second time, he yelled:
"Save him, save him, and I'll nominate you for the Presi-
dency."
Once the great fish for an instant burst through his
oppo-
nent's guard. Once, must confess, my heart sank within me,
I
as a stone sinks to the bottom of a well. When he was a

hundred feet from the canoe, the rod nearly tip and butt,
and the silk line stretched through the air like a wire, the
fish doubled and lanced backward like a flash. We saw his

wake that sharpened wedge of water which anglers dread
and as he went under the canoe, and, in the stillness, that
had come to us, we heard the line rattle on the bark, a groan
escaped the judge. He rolled his eyes U-pwa^d, and roared

as if stricken with pain: "Great Scott! he s lost him!"
But the fish was not lost. The angler recc vered his advan-
tage, and fought the fight to the end, skillfaMy and coolly.
The fish was deftly gaffed by one of the Indians, and
quickly lay on the bottom of the canoe. The Indians seized
their paddles, and the light craft glanced toward the western
bank, the man unjointing his rod as the boat shot along, and
in a moment they came panting up the embankment with
a huge hamper in their hands, in which, amid flowers and
grasses, lay six other Trout, nearly as large as the one we had
seen captured.
Seldom is such a reception granted to a mortal as was
given to the man in the velveteen jacket. The engineer
cheered and swung his hat; the fireman, sooted and begrimed,
capered and danced on the coal-box like an electrified imp;
the passengers yelled; the ladies fluttered their handkerchiefs;
while we anglers of the party fairly took him in our arms and
liftedhim onto the platform, where the judge enfolded him
in an embrace which the stranger will never forget a hug
such as an old angler gives a younger one to whom he is in-
debted for an exhibition of skill which has brought back to
his memory all his own former victories, alid proved to his
anxious soul that the gentle art is not being neglected.
Never fear, never fear, dear old judge, that the art of all
arts will be lost, or the skill of trained finger and eye be for-
gotten. We shall pass; but still the streams will flow on, the
pools will go round, and the Trout love the coolness of
springs and the rush of swift waters. The boys will grow up
water and sun, loving forest and rap-
like their sires, loving
ids. With brown faces and hands, and with eyes keen as
ours, they will stand where we stood, they will boat where
we boated, they will camp where we camped, and the
dead ashes of fires that we kindled they will kindle to
new life again. The gentle art will live on, while nature is
nature and mankind is man.

THE LAKE TROUT.
BY LUTHER PARDEE.
Lake Trout, or Sali'clinns JiauiaycusJi as he is more

THE accurately described in the language of the scientist, is,
according to Professor Goode, of the Smithsonian Insti-
tute, "a non-migratory species, inhabiting the chain of Great
Lakes, from Superior to Ontario, as well as Lake Champlain,
and many other smaller lakes of the United States and Brit-
ish America. * * * The usual type to be found in the Great
Lakes is brown or gray, dappled with lighter shades of the
same general tints. * * * Every lake of Northern New
York and New England has its own variety, which the local
angler stoutly maintains to be a different species from that
found in the next township. Some are as black as a tautog,
some brown with crimson spots, some gray, with delicate
reticulations like those of a Pickerel. The usual typeis brown
or gray, dappled with lighter shades of the same general tints.

Naturalists have been sadly mistaken by their protean modi-
fications. The 'NamaycusJi,' of the North, the 'togue' or
'tuladi' of Maine and New Brunswick, * * '-
the Trout of
Winnipiseogee and that of the Adirondack lakes, have each
been honored with a distinct binominal. The angling authori-
ties still refuse to admit that the Lake Trout of the east is
identical with the Mackinaw Trout or NaniayciisJi, supporting

their views by accounts of their different habits. A careful
study of the dead fish is sufficient, however, to convince a
trained observer that there are no structural characters by
which these different form: may be separated into species.
237
238 AMERICAN CxAME FISHES.
"The Naniaycush reaches its greatest perfection in the

Qorthern parts of Lakes Huron and Michigan, and in Lake
Superior, where it is quite generally known as the Mackinaw
Trout. In New York lakes the same species occurs, being
known by the names of Lake Salmon, Lake Trout, and Sal-
mon This by no means, however, exhausts the list
Trout."
of names with which he is enriched, for in Canada and
Maine he is known as "tuladi," "longe" or "lunge," in Vermont
as "togue,"and he will respond, if you call him Red Trout,
Gray Trout, Forked-tail Trout, Great-lake Trout, or Lesser-
lake Trout.
The scientific description of this fish is given as follows, by
Professor David Starr Jordan, of the Indiana State Univer-
sity:
''
Salvclinus naviayciislC (Walbaum) Goode Macki-
naw Trout, or Great-lake Trout, also locally known as
"longe," "togue," "Salmon Trout," etc. (the latter name to
be discouraged, as it is applied in England and elsewhere to
very different species, as Saliiio fario, etc.
"(A). Characters shared with other Chars, but not with

the species Sabno:
"Vomer boat-shaped, the shaft much depressed; no teeth
inserted on the shaft; scales very small, and somewhat im-
bedded, about 200, in a longitudinal series; fins moderate,
the anal rather short, 9 to 1 1 developed rays; the caudal forked

in the young, becoming nearly truncate with age. Branch-
iostegals, 11 or 12; gill rakers, 16 to 20; pyloric caeca rather
few and large. Sexual peculiarities not strongly marked;
the breeding males with the premaxillaries lengthened, and
with a fleshy projection at the tip of the lower jaw. Color-
ation dark, without black spots; sides with round spots of red-
dish or grayish; the head, back, dorsal and caudal fins usually
marked with wavy lines.
"(B). Characters distinguishing 5. .V(7;//<'r_rr//.r// from other

Chars:
THE LAKE TROUT. 239
"Vomer with a raised crest, armed with strong teeth extend-

ing backward from the chevron, but free from the shaft; a
band of strong teeth on hyoid bone (base of tongue). Head
very long, somewhat flattened above, its length averaging
nearly one-fourth the total (exclusive of caudal); body rather
slender (varying much with food, etc.), its greatest depth
averaging little more than length of head. Space between
eyes about one-fourth length of head. Mouth very large,
the length of its cleft averaging about half of head, the
maxillary extending much beyond eye. Teeth very strong.
Adipose fin small. Caudal fin always more or less concave
or forked.

"General color dark gray more or less olive-tinged in
life, the color varying with circumstances from very pale to
almost black. Upper parts, especially top of head, with ver-

miculations of darker olive or gray. Dorsal and anal fins
reticulate. Sides with round pale spots, usually light gray or
somewhat yellowish, said to be sometimes tinged with reddish.
Lower fins less ornate than in the brook Trout; usually nearly
plain."
The Lake Trout is essentially a deep-water fish, and as soon
as the temperature of the water changes in the spring, he

leaves the surface where he has been for a short time, and
seeks the more congenial "deep sea." It is doubtless
largely owing to is known of him as a
this fact that so little
game fish, since, in order to catch him in the deep waters

w^here he is usually found, such a clumsy form of tackle has
ordinarily to be used as almost deprives the process of any
pleasure or sport. Yet, whileeminently true that he
it is
lacks the verve and dash of the Trout or the Bass, he has
a manifest and dogged determination all his own, that marks
him as being very different from the sluggish Pickerel.

In our western cities, especially those bordering on the
Great Lakes, his form is very well known, being seen in every
fish-stall, and being highly esteemed for its toothsome quali-
ties; but the method of his advent there is one that concerns
us not, connected as with the vulgar and mercantile gill

it is
and pound nets. Our acquaintance with him is to be rather

that which rises from first having ceremoniously "dropped
him a line," and receiving his reply \n foniin propria, before
we proceed to seek his more intimate acquaintance. But let
me tell you, brother angler, an' you know it not already,
that if you will have true sport with him, and win his pro-
found gratitude for being so handsomely "taken in," you will
always see to it that your tackle shall be as light and delicate
as the spider's gossamer, and that the barbarous "trolling-
line"
the hand-line of commerce
shall have no place in
your well chosen stores. Listen to what "TimonTyde," who,
as is well known, "wait(s) for no man," says of the practice:
"Did it ever strike you that trolling with a hand-line wasn't
real sport.-' It is a good deal like towing on a canal, with a
strong team of mules and a heavy line; the boat hain't got
no chance. Neither has a fish, with two hands going one
over the other, taking in string like a revolving drum. I used
to do it, but I got ashamed of it. You don't get the sport out
of a fish on a hand-line that you do with a light rod. A man
doesn't get the credit for being a great fisherman because he
brings home a boat-load of fish. Ask the beatman who pulls
him around for his opinion of his man. It's either, 'he's a
daisy,' or, *he wanted all the fish in the lake.'"

Be generous with your opponent! let it be give and take;
give him at least an equal chance with you; let him test to
the full of your
the spring of your slender rod, the strength
delicate line, and the glittering vanity of the whirling spoon;
and then, when you come forth proudly victor, as in sooth
you will, if you are a true disciple of the gentle craft, there
will be no tinge of regret in your rejoicings, nor suspicion of
sordid motive attaching to your doughty deeds. And then,
too, you will know, as then only you can know, how much
of genuine sport there is in angling for this hardy prince of
THE LAKE TROUT. 241
16
the hidden realms of Neptune. But I am not yet through

with the prosaic part of my tale, and must fain detain you
longer, oh patient follower of these lines, while I sketch for
you, ciir rente calavio, some facts "tis well to know, before we
go a-fishing. And first, to quote from kindly Seth Green, of
fragrant memory:
"There are no fish which require a more uniform temperature
of weather, and when they cannot have access in the warm

summer months to the deep water where the temperature is
the same the year around, where it is not affected by any
of the changes of the atmosphere in either winter or summer,
death will ensue from suffocation.
"Many times in fishing for Salmon Trout in summer, when
I have hooked a Trout in the deep water, he would come for
a distance without much struggling, but as he neared the sur-

face where the temperature began to affect him, he began to
suffocate, and his struggling greatly increased."
Cheney says: "The Lake Trout inhabits only lakes con-
taining deep, cold, clear water, and they are the first of all
the Salmons to succumb in waters of high temperature. Seth
Green made an experiment to determine this question, using
California and Kennebec Salmon, California Trout, Gray-
ling, Brook Trout, and Lake Trout. The/ Lake Trout died
first, and before the mercury reached seventy-four degrees;
the Brook Trout ne.Kt, and then death ensued in the follow-
ing order: the Grayling, the California Trout, the Kennebec
Salmon, and, last, the California Salmon."
This characteristic of the Lake Trout will account for the
fact that in all save the Great Lakes, fishing for him is either
confined to a limited time in spring and fall, when the sur-
face water is very cold, or else the tackle that is used must be
such as will take him at a depth of from forty to eighty feet,
whereby the element of sport is largely eliminated from the
act of fishing.
The time of spawning of the Lake Trout is in the middle
THE LAKE TROUT. 243
fall, when they leave the deep recesses of the lakes, to seek
the shoals for this purpose. The proportion of spawn
deposited is said to be about 2,000 ova for every pound in
weight of the female. The same uncertain chance attends

the hatching of the eggs as is seen in the cases of so many
other fish. If they escape the eyes of other spawners,
it is only to fall a prey in large numbers to the hungry and
greedy prowlers that are always on the lookout for just such
delicious bonnes bouchcs. Once past this fateful time, how-
ever, the NaniaycusJi grows lusty and strong, and increases so
mightily in size and weight as almost surpasses belief, although
his average weight is only about six pounds. In the Great
Lakes, the captains and mates of the schooners that trade from
port to port give startling records of catches made from the
decks of their vessels, and prove them by the iish.Thus Mr.
Cheney reports that in 1882 his brother saw on the deck of a
schooner at Muskegon, Michigan, nine Lake Trout, the small-
est of which weighed eighteen pounds. (I thank thee. O
Cheney, for leaving to the glorious uncertainty of conjecture

the weights of the other eight!) The same writer is authority
for the statement that Dr. E. Sterling of Cleveland, Ohio,
saw a Lake Trout taken Thunder Bay, Lake Huron, that
at
weighed seventy pounds. My own companion of the yachting
trip, described later in this paper, "the captain," on one of his
tripscaught a monster, korrcsco rcfcrcns, so great as to defy
description! I can only report that he encased him tenderly
in icy bands of swathing, and sent him to the steward of his

club here in Chicago, with a preceding note of explanation that
he sent him "a fish" for the club; whereat the lordly steward
tossed high his head, and curled his patrician nose in scorn at
thought of "a fish" supplying even for a single day the gas-
tronomic wants of his many guests. Yet tradition has it
that there was enough and to spare, so that perchance even
the minions had taste of this wondrous fish. The record of
the smaller lakes also shows numerous well authenticated
cases of fish caught that weighed from twenty-five to forty

pounds.
The food of our Mackinaw friend is varied. He is not
over-scrupulous, yet he has a leaning to nice, juicy, tender
young White-fish, while not despising the grosser pabulum
that frisks from time to time invitingly before him. He
is withal a good hearty eater, which is much to his credit,
and in our favor. It is not uncommon for a Trout to swal-
low a fish nearly as large as himself.

As regards the gauiencss of our subject, much has been said
on both sides. He has been persistently vilified by some,
and as earnestly championed by others. I am glad to see
that Mr. A. N. Cheney, than whom I know of no more

practical expert, in all matters pertaining to this fish, classes
him as distinctly a gauie fish. I cannot do better than to
quote his own words:
"There is not such a vast difference between the play on
the hook of the Lake Trout and the Speckled Trout. The
latter at the time of taking a fly will jump above the surface
of the water, which the former will not do in taking a bait,
or subsequently, and the Speckled Trout swims near the
surface when hooked, while the Lake Trout bores downward,
but there is not sufficient difference in their tactics when
hooked to cause the Fontinalis to stand with the elect, and
the Namaycusli to herd with the goats.
"Lake Trout fishing is becoming more and more each year
a favorite mode of angling, particularly for the invalid, the
indolent, and those whose heads are whitened with the frost
of many winters. The latter, seated in an arm-chair in the
stern of a broad, safe boat, can be rowed over the trolling
ground and all fatigue avoided, except that bravely encoun-
tered by the boatman for three dollars per day. Often the
tug of a 'laker,' (out of courtesy we call it a 'strike') arouses
the veteran in his easy-chair from a dream of wading moun-
tain brooks before his joints became so stiffened, and his
THE LAKE TROUT. 245
steps SO feeble and casting- his fly for a smaller and more
beautiful fish. Good anglers may dread a worse fate than
becoming confirmed 'boat fishermen' for Lake Trout."
Personally, I must say that I had a leetle rather fish for Bass
or Trout, but I would respond just as readily to a well-backed
invitation to go again to "Kitchi-gummi" after lakers, as I
would to one that took me among the black flies and "no-
see- 'ems," and mosquitoes, and underbrush, that are the well-
nigh inseparable attendants of the Speckled-sides and Bronze-
backers. Namayciish is a good, sturdy, persistent fighter.
^^'hat if he does lack the vim and abandon of the others.?
What if, instead of going off in a hundred unexpected,
bewildering dashes, he fights it out on one line, however long
or short the summer. It is a question of degrees and kind of
gameness only. Let the Tarpon fisher assert that there is but
one game-fish in the world and that his fish! We refuse
to believe him; nor w^ll we allow those who have not
tasted the steadfast joys of Lake Trout fishing to underrate
those qualities that make him dear to us.
The methods of taking the Lake Trout differ so materially,
and are so much more varied in the smaller lakes, that for
the purpose of this paper it be necessai-y to give them
will
somewhat in detail. Here, also, I am indebted very largely
to the freely granted courtesy of Mr. A. N. Cheney, and to
the results of Seth Green's labors. The latter used for deep-
water trolling, which is decidedly the most sportsmanlike
method, a gang of hooks, which he describes as follows:
SETH GREEN S GANG.
"There are several methods of trollins^ for Salmon Trout,

both with trolling-spoon and gang. Nearly all trollers of
experience have their own pecuHar ways of arranging their

tackle, and handhng, and while they all differ nôre or less
in minor details, they are practically the same. I will
describe the tackle with which I have met with the best suc-
cess.
"The angler may use a hand-line or a rod, but the latter
is the better, because its spring helps in playing the fish
when struck. The rod used is a hawser-laid Striped Bass
line
linen line, size No. 9. These lines usually come in 600-feet
lengths, but it is rare that more than 300 feet are used or
required. Before using a new line, the stretch should be
taken out of it as much as possible, else it is very difficult to
strike a fish. In fishing, the line should be paid out slowly

in order to prevent fouling, which the position of the sinker
might otherwise cause. The leader, nine feet in length, is
of single gut, one size finer than salmon gut. It is tied in

two sections, with a swivel three feet from the lower end,
and wit^ another swivel on the gang of hooks. A six-ounce
sinker is tied on the end of the line, and the leader is fastened
to the line four feet above the sinker. It is also advisable to
place another swivel on the end of the leader, to be attached

to the line, and this swivel should play on a round glass bead,
which is kept in place by a knot on the under side. The
object of the bead is, in case the sinker should strike a hill,
and roll, it will do so without tangling the leader.
"The hooks are flatted O'Shaughnessy's No. 8. These are
the only hooks that I have found which will stand the strain.
There are two sets of three each, and a single lip hook in a
gang; and they are tied on, back to back, in the shape of a
grapnel. For a minnow five inches long, the middle set of
hooks is placed three inches from the upper hook, while the
former in turn is two inches from the lower set. If the min-
now is longer or shorter, the gang must be correspondingly

proportioned, care being taken always to place the hooks in
the same relative distances as above noted. The middle set
THE LAKE TROUT. 247
is placed below the center of the gang, because Salmon Trout

strike the bait well toward the tail. If, therefore, the min-
now is not hooked below the middle, the Trout is quite likely
to getaway with the lower end of the bait. Before the min-
now is placed on the hook, it is stunned by pinching its head.
The upper or lip hook is then run through both jaws, fasten-
ing them together, while one of the lower hooks is inserted
near the and one of the middle set in the side. The
tail,
minnow should have a slight curve when on the hooks, which

will give it a rotary motion resembling a crippled minnow.
It should not be curved so as to revolve rapidly. In fishing
the lines should go down at an angle of about forty-five
degrees. As the tackle described is tine, a fish must be
played cautiously until its strength is exhausted. So long as
the line is Trout is not likely to escape.
kept taut, the In
trolling in July, August and September, fish in from fifty to
eighty feet of water, and keep the bait within a foot of the
bottom. The angler can make sure of this, only by allowing
'the sinker to touch the bottom occasionally. In the months
above named, the Trout bite very early in the morning, and
in the evening. During May and June Salmon Trout are
found near the surface, and no sinker is then required on
the line."
The following are the dimensions of the "Seth Green
Gang," as illustrated in the cut. The hooks are number 8,
forged O'Shaughnessy. From the bend of the lower treble

hook, A, to the bend of the treble hook B, one and one-
quarter inches; from the bend of the treble hook B, to the
bend of the double hook, C, two inches. The double hook
is made of a number 8 and a number 6, the latter for putting
through the head of the bait. From the double hook, C, to
the swivel, D, two and a quarter inches; swivel, one-half
inch, making a total of six inches. The hooks are whipped
on with waxed silk, and the gut is double between the double
hook and the swivel.
Mr. Cheney's method is as follows:
A. N. CHENEY S GANG FOR TROLLING.
"The tackle for deep trolling consists of a stiff rod about

ten feet long, in three joints, with double standing guides on
second joint and tip, so that as the rod becomes bent from
the heavy strain, the upper joints can be turned to present
the opposite side to the pressure. A multiplying reel to hold
150 yards of number 4 or 5 braided silk or linen line; single
leaders of best silk-worm gut, from nine to twelve feet long,
with two swivels tied midway in them. (I use what I call a
swivel line, made of five box-swivels, number eight, fastened

together by bits of fish -line nicely whipped with waxed
silk, and this I connect the reel or hand-line with
use to
the leader.) The swivels will be found very necessary to
keep your rod-line from twisting. A drop of porpoise
oil will increase their freedom of action. Lead sinkers from
two to sixteen ounces in weight are needed for deep-water
trolling.
"For surface trolling, or when a very light sinker is used,
any light bait rod will answer the purpose.
"The last of the tackle to mention is what is fastened to
the end of the line the minnow gang. The treble hooks
for thegangs are made by soldering three first quality
O'Shaughnessy hooks together, back to back.
"The gang, as illustrated above, is such as I make and use
for my own fishing. I make them of different sizes, /. c,
of different distances between the hooks, and of different
THE LAKE TROUT. 249
sized hooks, from number lo up to number 5. I do this
to be provided for different sized bait-lish. I use the whole

gut length, of round, smooth, cream-colored gut, with the
superfluous ends cut off, and the m.easurements of the one in
the cut are as follows:
"A to B, one and one-eighth inches; B to C, one and one-
quarter inches; C to D, a single lip-hook, one and three-
eighths inches; D to and one-half inches. The
E, five
treble hooks are number

8, and the lip-hook number 6, all
round- wire O'Shaughnessy's.
"An excellent lip-hook for the latter gang is made so that
it will move on the gut, thus enabling the angler to fit min-
nows of various sizes to one gang. The hook is fashioned by

soldering two small loops of brass wire to the back of the
shank of the lip hook, one at the extreme end, the other
where the hook begins to bend sharply. Or, what is better,
make the loops by whipping on to the hook's shank a piece
of doubled gut, the two ends of the gut coming together
under the whipping. Before the swivel is fastened on, put
the end of the gang gut through the lower loop, then around
the shank of the hook, and then through the other loop.
The move up and down on the gut. Always soak
lip-hook will
the gut before moving the hook.
"The bait is fastened on by first killing the minnow, or
golden shiner, and putting the lip-hook through both lips of
the minnow; then bend the bait and put one of the treble
hooks into the back of the fish near the dorsal, and another
near the caudal. A Trout almost always strikes a fish toward
the tail. The baited gang should revolve slowly, with a motion
as though the minnows were crippled. Practice will teach
one the proper bend to produce the proper motion.
"The bait most generally used, and considered the best, is
the golden shiner, or bream, particularly for deep trolling,
as its burnished scales can be seen for a great distance in
clear water. For surface trolling, suckers, chubs, dace, and
:5o AMERICAN GAME FISHES.
inything that comes to your net in the shape of minnows,

will answer for baiting the gang. Where bait is scarce, it is
well to bind the minnow to the gang, with a few turns of

strong white or lead-colored linen or cotton thread.
-
e t
GEAR FOR DEEP TROLLING.
"Figure shows the lower end of a rod or hand-line, as it

i
is supposed to be in the water. The gang A is fastened to the

leader at C; at E the leader is attached to the reel, or hand-
line, D D; at B a cone-shaped sinker is fastened to the
THE LAKE TROUT, 25 I
reel or hand-line by a half hitch of the sinker-line, which is
about three feet long, and of weaker material than the reel-
hne. So, if the sinker gets fast, and something must be
broken, you will lose only the sinker. From A to B there
should be a distance of about twenty-five feet. If the swivel-
line is used, it should connect the leader and reel-line.

"Figure 2 shows Seth Green's hand-line, sinker, and three
gangs. The sinker is fastened to the end of the hand-line,
C C. The line, as I remember it, is about the size of a hard
braided linen line, number o. The gangs and leaders, A B,

twelve feet long, are fastened to the hand-line one above the
other. To use Seth Green's own words:
'"The first leader is usually about three feet from the
sinker, and the others vary from eight to twelve feet apart,
according to where the fish are. If I do not catch them fish-
ing low, I raise the leaders, that is the two upper ones, but
leave the lower one the same.
"The line with the single gang has the sinker fastened with a
half-hitch, so it can easily be taken ofi, for it is not desirable
to take the sinker into the boat when it is fast to the line,
as a run on the part of the fish might find the angler unpre-
pared to put the sinker overboard at the right moment. In
the spring, when the Trout are at or near the surface, little
or no sinker is required.
"Let }our line run slowly off the reel, checking occasion-
ally, and, as it were, feelifig for the bottom with your sinker,
until it strikes; and check your line at the moment of
try
contact, and reel in a few feet. As the boat moves on,
repeat this manceuver until you have out the proper length of
fine, and this depends much upon your sinker; a heav}'
sinker means a short line, while a lighter one takes a longer
line. The idea is to keep your sinker as near the bottom as
possible; you will touch once in a while, to make sure, but
do it lightly, and beware of rocks!
"Spoon baits are also used in deep trolling, and in the
absence of live minnows you may be compelled to resort to

the artificial. You make no change in your tackle except the
bait. (The gang is also a favorite bait in shore or surface
trolling for Bass and Pickerel. It is more deadly than the
spoon.)
"A Bass-spoon may be much improved by tying a hook,
with a length of gut, so that the hook falls two inches below
the burr of the spoon. You will be surprised to find how many
Bass miss the treble hook and catch the single one. The
larger fish are caught in the deeper water, as a rule. Always
see that your hooks are sharp before you put out your bait,
and examine well your gang after catching a fish.
"If any one imagines that deep trolling is very simple,
affording little sport, I only ask him to defer judgment until
he has tried it."
Buoy fishing is now practiced very little, having made way

for what is far better trolling. It is so unsportsman-like
a method, that I will do no more than mention it here, adopt-

ing Seth Green's description as sufficient comment:
"Anchor a buoy out in deep water, and cut fish in pieces
varying in size from a hickory nut to a butternut, scattering

the pieces around the buoy for some days; then anchor your
boat to the buoy, using a piece of the same'kind of bait on
your hook that you had been in the habit of scattering
around your buoy; fish near the bottom, and give it a little
motion by giving your line short jerks. The buo}' should
not be baited the day you go fishing."
Still another method adopted is that of the ardent sports-
man, who cannot wait until the spring, but cuts a bell-
shaped hole in the ice of the lake in midwinter, puts his little
three-sided shanty to windward, and with a hand-line keeps

his baited gang in motion, until rewarded with a strike or
a frost-bite! The process resultant to the strike is surpris-
ingly simple. The line is thrown over the shoulder, and the
stiff-limbctl fisherman runs or hobbles off, till the poor defense-
THE LAKE TROUT. 253
less flung up and out through the hole, and left to

fish is
freeze on the ice, while the hook is baited for fresh slaughter.
I recall one instance where a clerical friend of mine bought
some fish caught in this way, and gave them to the cook
with instructions to put them in a pan of water to thaw out
before cooking. She, poor soul, was horrified, in the course
of a quarter or half an hour, to find them vigorously and
indubitably alive. It was merely a case of suspended anima-
tion. But I cannot recommend this ice-box method, either

for comfort, or for sport.
The Lake Trout is occasionally taken with the fly, though
the cases are so exceptional as almost to verify the contrary as
the rule. Mr. H. H. Vail, of Cincinnati, states
in "Fishing
with the Fly," that "at several points on the Nepigon river,
particularly in the wild water at the foot of falls, the
Mackinaw Trout [Saivclijuis nainajciish) was abundant, and
took the fly with as much vigor as any Salvcliniis fontinalis.
We could not which we had struck, except from a flirt
tell
of the caudal The 'well-forked' caudal fin of the Macki-

fin.
naw Trout was frequently distinguished by our guides at a

great distance. They do not play toward the surface so much
as the Brook Trout. They were fat and lazy, two or three
long runs generally wearying them so that they led peacefully
into the net."
Another writer, unknown to me by name, says:
"I have just returned from a three weeks trip to Moosehead
Lake, Maine, and my experience this season is a repetition
same place. I took with
of the past five or six years at the
the one half-dozen Lake Trout, weighing from one
fly at least
and a half to three pounds each, and I have taken them weigh-
ing four pounds, but they are rarely taken above that weight
with fly. The time when the fly is most successful with
them is from 4 to 7 P. M., though I have occasionally taken
them in casting, even at high noon.
"It is difficult to tell their 'swirl,' or rise, from the true
Sabno fontinalis, but their tactics after being hooked reveal

their true family quickly, as they set out at once on a grand
exploration of the bottom.
"I have also taken this fish with fly at the Sysladobsis and
Grand lakes, Maine."
Thus we have been considering the characteristics of
far
the and the methods of his capture that are used in the
fish,
smaller lakes during the summer months. But in the Great

Lakes no such preparations are necessary. In them the
water is so cold that he is not confined to the deeper por-
tions, but is found very near the surface, certainly in the
northern parts of Lakes Michigan and Huron, and in Lake
Superior. In these waters, from early spring until late tall,
our friend NamaycnsJi may be caught, with trolling line or
rod, from sailing vessel, yacht, or boat, in waters that range
during the whole sunnner from 55 degrees in the neighbor-
hood of the Manitous or Thunder Bay, to 38 or 40 degrees
in the waters of Lake Superior. No wonder that under such
bracing circumstances the Trout is lusty and frolicsome, and
ready to take his chances at any time in an encounter with
the fascinating and mysterious spoon.
I have a dream, which sometime I hope to realize. Others
have proved its worth and pleasures, but for me it is still in
the vague "to be." It is to take a Mackinac boat and a coup-
le of trusty Indians from the Sault, and coast north along
the shore of Lake Superior, with not more than two or three
friends for company, putting in at night, or during stormy
weather, into one of the numerous shelters that the guides
know very well, and fishing during the day, either from the
boat or the rocks; enjoying meanwhile the balm-laden air,
and the glorious scenery that belong inseparably to this
lake. Even the prosaic cyclopaedia enters into the realm
of the romantic in describing this wildly picturesque re-
gion:
"The rivers of the North Shore of Lake Superior flow
THE LAKE TROUT. 255
through a rough, granitic country, and are interrupted by

numerous falls, many of which are highly picturesque.
"The coast is for the most part rocky, and the north
shore is much indented by deep bays surrounded with high
rocky cliffs. Countless islands are scattered along this
coast, many of them rising precipitously to great heights
directly from the deep water.
present castellatedSome
walls of basalt, and some rise in granitic peaks to various
elevations, up to 1,300 feet above the level of the lake.
Nowhere upon our inland waters is the scenery so bold and
grand as on the north shore of Lake Superior. The irregu-
larities of the coast, with the general depth of water, afford
numerous good harbors." {American Cyclopa:dia, article

''Superiorly
But if I dream thus of future joys of angling, and of
nature's beauties, it is because I have already had a taste
of them in the past.
My memorable experience of this sort was as far back
first
as in when I was one of a party of four who, in a

1884,
well-manned and well-provisioned yacht, set forth to spend
the month of July cruising in Lake Superior. We talked
bravely on leaving Chicago of the Nepigon River as our
objective point, and really did cherish some hopes, I think,
of seeing its wild beauty, and letting our lines fall in its
pleasant places for the sportive and toothsome creature, that

is know to all honest and simple-minded anglers as Salvelinus
fontinalis. But "the best laid plans of mice and men"
don't always run our way, as we full soon found out. The
early part of our trip was decorated by those highly-colored
events that are always happening in books. We almost
capsized during a sudden squall, when the green hands were
on deck and the seasoned hands (I wonder if that is why
Salts".'') were below.
they are called "old We had numerous
encounters with wild storms and ferocious and persistent
winds, sufficient almost to supply Clark Russell with material
for a new marinetale. Through it all, however, we passed

safely, and managed, during one of the pleasant days, when
we were making what our captain liked to call "a famous
run," to catch, by trolling, a MackinawTrout of eight or ten
pounds, this being in the neighborhood of the Manitou
Islands, in Lake Michigan. This, mark you, good reader,

was on the 7th or 8th of July mighty close to the dog-days
when of all fish the "lakers" are supposed to be farthest
removed from all proximity to anything but the most heavily
leaded "leaders." But then that is water as is water, that is
to be found from the Manitous northward
cold, clear, pure
fit home for such a fish. In it he can frolic, with no fears
of fevers and kindred ills that sap his strength in warmer
floods.
Once in Lake Superior, we headed to the north' ard with
stout hearts and fond anticipations. We fed a long time on
anticipations. A stiff head-wind made it too rough for any
change to fish diet, and the only thing that was at all sug-
gestive of such a change was an impertinent little island
named "Leach," on the map, which tantalizingly stuck to us
we vainly endeavored
for the greater part of the day, while
to shake and go our way. By sundown we realized
it off,
the actual discomfort and possible danger to' our little craft
of spending the night in such a "nahsty" sea, and choosing
discretion for our companion, we took the advice of Louis,
our half-breed pilot (what a land-lubber of a pilot he was,
even if he did know the shore!), and putting about, ran
before the wind for Gargantua harbor, a haven of rest and
perfect security the most charming spot on all the north
shore, I verily believe. How great our delight and ease of
sailing was, none can tell, save they who have been in like
good fortune with ourselves. We fled lightly before the
pursuing wind and sea, and rapidly approached a shore that
showed no outward sign of welcoming us in peace, but rose
in majestic fir-crowned glory, where every point seemed
THE LAKE TROUT. 257
inhospitable, and everywhere the dashing surf beat itself out

in long lines of snowy rage. Yet, even as we were ready
to question the knowledge and the honesty of our dusky pilot,
and trembled before a seeming danger, his course was justi-
fied, and there opened before us a narrow passage between
two points of rock, beyond which lay a calm expanse of

water, on which a navy might have ridden securely. Meantime
our anglers had not been idle, but as we neared the land, had
been guarding the trolling line, to try their luck with "lakers."
Just as we made fast to our "wharfing privilege" the virgin
shore on one side the yacht, and four fathoms of water on
the other preparatory to that prosaic but very necessary con-
clusion of a day's labors, the supper, the last man at the line
brought two-pound Brook Trout, a rara avis, indeed.
in a
We wondering whether this was to be the custom of

fell to
the land, but it was so unusual as to be unique; we caught
no more of that kind of Trout in that kind of way.
But we did have some royal sport with the "lakers." Our
captain, even, was roused from his daily "bath," and dreams
of "magnificent runs" for our trim little craft; and, sallying
forthamid the dews of the early morning, with "Louis" to
paddle his canoe (or mine, for my birch-bark was common
property through all our cruise), came home with a job-lot of
fish, the biggest of which was "way up" a good, clean "high
hook," with pounds of "too, too solid flesh" to his credit.
I3.\
I, fortunately, was not far behind; "fortunately," I say, for
thus the unkind and unhandsome feelings of envy or of jeal-

ousy were not aroused. It was a pleasure so Protean in form
that no one joy eclipsed the others, to ride in the tiny birchen
shell, that responded as surely to the lightest touch of Louis'
deftly handled blade, as the clean-cut racer of the ocean to

the pilot's will. In the early morning sunlight the blue
waters reflected the clearer blue above, as they quivered
beneath the kiss of the wooing breeze, and the frail craft
traced its dainty way in and out among a thousand rock-
25S AMERICAN GAME FISHES.
built islets that gemmed the waters, some barely breaking

the placid surface of the lake, others towering precipitously
to dizzy heights above us. It was a very primal hour, and
savagedom most fitted it. The rude canoe, the dusky guide,
the wild scene, drew vague curtains of immeasurable distance
between civilization and me, and I was well content. It
would have been an ever-new pleasure only to have floated
thus, and dreamed; but as action is ever better than mere
contemplation, except it be on the mysteries of divine love,
it was fitting that our dreams should be often interrupted by
the leap of the whirling spoon, and the sudden arch and
spring of the rod, that an unwilling captive, struggling
tell of
to be set free.
And then the contest how it waged from
side to side, now here, now 3'onder, never in doubt, thanks to
the consummate skill of Indian-born Louis, and the trusty
fibers that linked tlie angler to his prey, yet always attended
with such delightful uncertaint}' asmade its attractions only
more piquant and fascinating. Mystery surrounded the cap-
tive's every movement. No glimpse of him was seen; only
the tense line, and the swaying boat, and the springing rod,
showed how and where the light was being waged, until at
last, one by one, the beautiful cold Trout were brought to gaff
and the 7iltinia tliule of all good fish, the jangler's "string,"
by the combined efforts of Louis and myself. The results
were not stupendous, since the largest fish weighed only
nine or ten pounds, but what need had we of more.'* Our
wants were fully met, and we had had a witching day. Its
fragrant memory lingers yet with me, and I joy in recalling
its incidents. Five long years have passed since then, and
other scenes of action far more varied have followed; yet
still my heart goes back with strong desire to those countless
islands of the deep, and lofty, verdure-topped heights of

inaccessible rock, and I would fain be there again, to float
and dream, and dream and float, and lead the lotus-eater's
life of ease.
THE LAKE TROUT. 259
One of the most famous spots for Lake Trout fishing that
is at present known to anglers is Stannard's Rock in Lake
Superior, forty-four and a half miles north-by-east from
Marquette. It is a deadly reef, rising only in a few points,
and to the height of a few inches, above the surface of the
lake. Undistinguishable in calm weather, its presence would
only be made known to the mariner in storms by the seeth-

ing foam that marked its resistance to the angry waves. It
was, fortunately, discovered and definitely located a number

of years ago, by a vessel captain whose name it bears. The
government has built upon its northern end a massive light-
house, whose flashing white light, a hundred feet above the
surface of the lake, gives warning to sailors eighteen miles
away of the dangers that surround it. Thus it is robbed of
its terrors, and becomes instead of a constant menace to navi-
gators, a guide to the venturesome angler who seeks excite-

ment and his fill of sport. Southwest from the light, distant
perhaps a quarter of a mile, there is a submerged plateau,
lying north and south, and covered by eighteen or twenty
feet of water. This is where the Trout are to be found in
seemingly countless numbers. The lighthouse-keepers must
find the place for you, and you must scale the outside of the
lighthouse-tower to find the keepers. Genial men they are
when found, and trusty, leading a life of solitude that would
be unbearable were it not for the constant duties that engross
their time. If you go to see them, reader, take with you
fresh
meat and vegetables not as a bribe they do not need
it but to vary the monotony of the salt pork and canned
goods diet to which they are necessarily so much restricted.
I wish I could give the names of the men who greeted our
party with so much courtesy, and showed us such kindly

attention; but alas, the log of the Argo is deficient in this
regard. It matters not whether they are still there, or have
been transferred to other fields of usefulness, the lighthouse-
keepers will gladly go and buoy the spot, and set you fishing.
Hither, in the middle summer of 1887, a party of four, of
which I had the privilege of being one, hastened in the

schooner yacht Argo, anxious to make trial of the sport.
After enduring the customary trials of the yachtman's life,
including the unavoidable "splicing of the main brace," which
seemed for some unexplained reason to be in a very unstable
condition, and to require unusual care, we reached at
last one afternoon our destination. Everything was favorable.

The sky promised a quiet night, a gentle breeze just ruffled
the water, and served to render visible the grizzly terrors of
the reef. We
visited the lighthouse, of course. In fact that
was the first thing we did, "going ashore" up the side of the
lighthouse foundation, a good fifty feet above the water. It
almost took our land-lubber's breath away, and if we had

reckoned on the return, some of us would certainly have
stayed at home on board our little vessel. With the utmost
courtesy the keeper and his assistants showed us over the
house, which was as bright as a new pin, and as clean as if
an army of housekeepers had just put it in order. They

promised on the morrow to come off early and "stake off our
claim" for us, a thing which it would have been quite impos-
sible for us to do. They also promised us a quiet night, and
the prospect of a good day. But, "landy!"âs I heard a good
angler vociferate the other day, do you suppose we were con-
tent to wait until "to-morrow," when opportunity still waited
on to-day.' Nay, verily, as soon as politeness let us leave
the tower, we set to work, and when darkness and hunger
both warned us to quit the sport, we had already a fair store
of sightly fish to grace our vessel's "counter." We had the
quiet night that was promised us, and shortly after sun-up
our friends came off, and planted can-buoys at each end of
the fishingground and let us set to work. Every boat we
could command was impressed into the service, and every
hand that was not engaged in pulling an oar, or tending the
wheel, was yanking and pulling here and there with the con-
THE LAKE TROUT. 26
stant excitement of the chase. Back and forth, "down the

middle and back again," we "chassez-ed" and "allez-ed," the
yacht meantime becoming infected with the spirit of the
chase, and fishing across our tracks, the cook, even, having
"rigged a cast" of a big hook adorned with a bit of red flan-
nel, which proved quite sufficiently "taking." The others
were disposed at first to laugh at my eight-ounce rod and
light line, and to assert that they would have "more fun"
than I; but after they had seen the process of "playing" a
fish, and bringing him to gaff, they concluded that although
I might not catch quite so many, I was having my full share
of sport. The "midshipmite" was most successful in qiiaiititv,

but as afterward in our hours of ease, he was heard slangily
to asseverate that "there were no files on" the Marquette
girls, we concluded that his taking ways proved him a "spoon"
of the first water. In the matter of quality I felt myself

abundantly satisfied. The biggest fish of the trip fell to my

rod a rousing i8-pounder, which met me with the veritable
"laker" tactics, sounding at once, and playing low as long as
he had any fight in him. I should think that it took me
about fifteen minutes to bring him to gaff, up to which he

was led without trouble. My other noteworth}' fish scaled
eleven, thirteen and one-half, fifteen and sixteen pounds,
and there were a number that ranged in weight from nine

down to two and one-half pounds. Our total catch for the
evening and the morning was 151 fish, weighing in all 550
pounds. We quit the sport at i \ o'clock so as to make sail
and reach Marquette if possible before night-fall. I may
remark in passing that the uncertainty of a yachtsman's life

was shown in that unfulfilled expectation. The wind died
away, the threatening clouds came up, and we sailed igno-
miniously into the harbor the next morning in the midst of a

dense and driving mist forty-five miles in twenty hours!
It might have been worse, but for that invaluable "main
brace" and its exacting condition.

The Mackinac Trout were

characteristics of the fully shown
during this outing at Stannard's Rock. Not a single fish
broke water after being struck, nor did we see them at all
until just as they were being brought to gaff. They showed
no tricky ways, and only ordinary caution was necessary in
boating them. But they were very active in the water;
again and again as one fish was being reeled in, he would be
followed by others, apparently out of wanton curiosity, who
would come close to the boat, and then, with a saucy flirt of
the tail, turn away, only, perhaps, themselves made captive,
to be followed in turn a minute later by their still untram-
meled brethren.
Lake Gogebic furnished wonderful fishing when its waters

were still new to the angler so did the Eagle Waters so
have many other newly opened-up lakes and streams which
now have lost their pristine glory; but here is an apparently
inexhaustible source of fish sport, if only commerce, with its
insatiable greed, does not deplete it. It is so far removed from
land, and the fishing is attended with so much of uncertainty
and danger on account of the elements, that it must be always
an open question whether the sportsman-angler will meet
with the fulfilment of his plans. We were exceptionally for-
tunate; the weather could not have been better if it had been
"made to order;" even a few days earlier or later, in our
own case, and rough weather would have made it necessary
for us to forego our pleasure.
Other yachting parties have visited this rock and carried
away immense catches. A well-known Chicago club-man is
said to have caught over 2,000 pounds of fish in one day's
fishing over these grounds, and our captain of my first yacht-
ing trip herein mentioned caught over 1,000 pounds in a sim-
ilar length of time. This seems very "hoggish," as one looks
at the total, but in our own case the fish were given to the
crew, and salted down by them for the market as soon as we
reached Marquette, thereby furnishing a material addition to
THE LAKE TROUT. 263
their wages. presume the same was done in the other

I
cases I have mentioned, thereby, I hope, removing these

particular instances from the charge of being either mercenary
or excessive.
I have heard and read many "fish stories" some of which

had "a very ancient and fish-hke smell" but the wildest of
them could hardly outdo the reality that confronted us at
this famous spot.
My pleasant task is well-nigh ended, my reader, yet I fain
would add one parting word of most prosaic sort. The old
adage hath it that the hare must first be caught before he's
cooked. Our Trout are caught; how shall we serve them in
toothsome form to the friends who gather to hear the story
of their capture.-* The flesh of the Lake Trout is firm and
hard, and has more or less of that "dryness," like the Brook
Trout and the Salmon of the waters, and the quail on land,
that makes it pall soon upon the appetite. It tastes very
well at first is rich and toothsome
but after a time even the
most ardent advocate of "brain food" v/ill admit that he
would relish a change. Hence the importance of variety in
the ways of serving this fish. Availing myself again of the
kind permission of Mr. Cheney, I quote him, premising it
by saying that, for myself, I never saw a fish spoiled by
being delicately and carefully broiled, and served with plenty
of sweet, butter-gravy.
"There maybe a better way to cook Lake Trout, but I do
not know it. A fish would have to be a leviathan that I
would boil or bake, and as for broiling, I leave that for salt
mackerel.
"Of course, when fishing I select the smaller fish to cook,
as they are more easilyand quickly cooked and the larger
ones are better to
send to one's friends the happy fate of
most Trout we take in Lake George.
of the
"Clean, and split your Trout open on the back; if then too
large for a frying-pan, divide again vertically; if still too large,
cut into pieces four or five inches wide; roll the halves or
sections in Indian meal or cracker crumbs some prefer to
dip their fish in egg, white and yolk beaten together. Fry
some clear fat pork in a frying pan over a
and when
/lot fire,
the fat is fried out, put in your fish, flesh side down; finish
cooking with the skin side down. Cook quickly and serve
hot, with pepper and salt. When the crust which frying
makes is broken, you have ^the delicious, white, moist meat,
with all the richness which a fat Trout affords, making a dish
fit for a hungry angler."
It is always pleasant to quote oneself against oneself, so I
quote Mr. C. again, suggesting merely that this last recipe is

the result of four or five years added experience:
"Occasionally there is caught in Lake George a Trout shorter
and deeper than his fellows of equal weight, with real salmon-
colored flesh and with creamy curds between the flesh flakes.
Such a fish has devoted his whole mind to his diet, and good
living has changed his appearance; simply this and nothing
more.
"One year I cut my fishing short home to an
to return
entertainment under the old roof-tree. had scarcely got
I
my traps into the house, when my grandmother told me that

she must have a Salmon for the lunch the next day. I showed
that it was impossible to telegraph to New York and get a
Salmon at the hour it was required, and disappointment
reigned. Among the fish that I had brought home was one
of these specially fed Trout of io.\ pounds. I asked for the
list of the expected guests, and when I had read it I announced
that I had a Salmon that I had until that moment overlooked,

and I advised that it be boiled and served cold, covered with
mayonnaise and garnished with parsley, and placed before
me to serve. Considering the occasion, I was only shaky
about one of the men, for I knew he had eaten Salmon from
the Columbia River to New Brunswick, and he might be
critical even in a friend's house. The only one who ever
THE LAKE TROUT. 26$
spoke of that fish to me was that very man, and it was when
we were at table together and actually eating Salmon, that
he compared the real with the bogus, and the bogus won
by a throat-latch."
Here is the Bisby-Club cook's way, and they do say that
she has no equals and few superiors in the art that goes so
far toward solving the question, "Is life worth living.'" I do
not know to whom I am indebted for it:
"Our party caught several small Lake Trout, which,
dressed, beheaded and deprived of were plumped
all their fins,
into the bubbling water on top of the potatoes a few minutes
before the latter were cooked through, and transferred to
our platters piping hot, so that the butter would instantly
melt and permeate the flesh. The method was new to some
of us, and every man acknowleged that he had never tasted
Lake Trout at its best before. We had eleven members at
the table yesterday, and the verdict was unanimously in favor
of boiling the Lake Trout. As between broiling and frying
there was a variance of opinion, but a majority put down the
latter method as the third best."
The Bisby Club will please excuse the liberty I have
taken.
In gaffing the fish, if the angler can handle the gaff himself
it will be well, both because one is loth to scold himself in
case of failure, and also because he can then use the gaff in
the most satisfactory way, striking up from below, and draw-
ing the fish tovv'ard him with the same motion. When there
is time for deliberation it is well to place the gaff as near the
throat of the fish as possible to avoid unsightly disfiguring.
Then, when you have your fish, be merciful, and deal him
the coup de grace quickly, by striking him sharply on the
head with a small club, or the end of the gaff-handle. After
you have practiced on a few of them, you will know just how
to hold the fish so as to avoid hitting )'our fingers as the
"thumping stick" slides off the slippery head. Perhaps it
will be just as well to begin by holding just back of the gills
and hitting across the head.

A fish should never touch the ice when being prepared for
keeping or transportation. Without washing him, after you

have drawn him, "wipe him dry as possible with a bit of old
muslin, and wrap him up in a piece of the same, and pack
in straw, dried leaves or grass, that have also been placed in
the ice-house. A fish is firmer and better and will keep
longer under this treatment. Never wash a fish you wish to
send away."
THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN TROUT.
BY G. O. SHIELDS {CoquiUil).
It is popularly supposed that there are many species of

Trout in our western mountain streams and lakes, but, in
fact, all the Trout found in waters west of the Missouri River
may be referred to three species. These are (a) the Rocky
Mountain Trout, Salmo piirpiiratus, also variously known
as the Salmon Trout, the Yellowstone Trout, the Lake
Trout; (b) the California Brook Trout, Salnio irideiis, other-
wise known as the Rainbow Trout, the Sierra Nevada Trout,
the Lake Tahoe Trout, etc., and (c) the Rio Grande Trout,
Sabno spihirus.
It is not strange that even close observers, who are not
experts in ichthyology, should be misled in judging of these
fishes, for individuals of any given species vary so under vary-
ing conditions as at times to require the most careful scru-
tiny of the expert to place them in their proper class. For in-
stance, a iish-dealer in
Tacoma an intelligent, well-informed
man by the way told me that there were live distinct species
of Trout in the waters thereabouts, and proceeded to select one
of each from his stock and explain its peculiarities. He called
them, the Salmon Trout, the Sea Trout, both of which he
said were caught in Puget Sound; the Puyallup Trout, taken
only from the lower Puyallup River; the Bull Trout, found
in all the streams flowing into the sound, and the Glacier
Trout, that he said was found only in the head-waters of
streams flowing out of the Mount Tacoma glaciers.
When one of each was ranged on the board, the variety of
267
colors and shapes was indeed enough to puzzle the most

learned ichthyologist in the land. The Salmon Trout was
mildly colored and deep in proportion to his length; the Sea
Trout was brighter and was long and slender a veritable
greyhound in build; the Puyallup Trout was heavier in pro-
portion to his length than either of the others; his spots were
black and well accentuated, and his whole contour showed
that he was lazy and well-fed. The Glacier Trout was
smaller than any of the others, and the dealer said he never
grew to weigh more than a pound. He was of a dull, milky

hue like the water he inhabited was lank, lean and looked
as if there had been a famine in his neighborhood.
The Bull Trout was king of the group. He hailed from
the Green River and wore such a suit of clothes as could only
preserve the resplendent colors in its icy crystalline embraces.
He was and lusty, fat and pugnacious-looking, with a
large
head like his namesake and a belly that showed he had
been living on the fat of the land. His pectoral fins and
throat were a fiery, cardinal red; his belly and sides, silvery;
his back, a dark somber green, and his round black spots
appeared to stand out like the heads of hobnails. His whole
aspect showed him to be an aggressive, intrepid navigator, a
fish that would stem the wildest cataract on the river and
that, if hooked, would make sad havoc of any but the best of
tackle, and of even that, unless managed by an expert
angler.
Nearly every stream and every lake of any note, in our great
western mountain district, has a Trout that neighboring
ranchmen, if there are any, deem a distinct species peculiar
to that water. In other waters you will find Trout bearing
other local names, as the Flathead Lake Trout, the Yellow-
stone Trout, the Green River Trout, the Geyser Trout, and
many which their sponsors claim characteristics
others, for
not to be found in any other Trout. But these characteristics
may usually be traced to certain conditions of water, food,
THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN TROUT. 269
color and character of rocks, or other matter, composing the

bed of the stream or lake in question, and the fact should
never be lost sight of, that if a Trout be taken from any one
of these waters, transported and placed alive in any other
water inhabited by Trout, he will in a few hours, or days at
most, be substantially like his new neighbors, not only in
color but in other respects.
There are Trout in the Bitter Root River that grow to

weigh ten to fifteen pounds light-colored, long-waisted fel-
lowswhich the natives call Cannibal Trout, because they
can only be caught with a minnow. The ranchmen on
live
that stream will tell you that Cannibal Trout are not found
in any other water in the territory.
And when all these supposed species of Trout come to be
critically examined b)'' a skilled ichthyologist they prove to
vary from the type of their species only on account of cer-
tain conditions under which they have lived. Salt water,
brackish water, fresh water of slow current and only par-
tially clear; the milky, lime-charged water of the glaciers;
the clear, cold water that foams over rapids in the typical
mountain streams; scant or abundant food, and its quality
as well as quantity; sex, old age or youth, are all important
and shaping Trout.
factors in coloring If pne of the Sea
Trout were taken from Puget Sound and placed in the icy
currents at the foot of the Tacoma glaciers, and one of
the Glacier Trout taken from his home and turned loose in
the sound, they would change color, and, to some extent,
other characteristics, soon after changing places.
All these Tacoma Trout, as well as the Cannibal Trout
and in fact as well as nearly Trout to be found in any
all
mountain water west of the Missouri and north of the fortieth

parallel of north latitude
belong to the species that forms
the subject of this paper i.e., the Rocky Mountain Trout,
Salmo pnrpiiratus. This species is described by Professor

David S. Jordan and Charles H. Gilbert in
THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN TROUT. IJ
CONTRIBUTIONS TO NORTH AMERICAN ICHTHYOLOGY.
Salino purpnratus
Pallas. Salmon Ti-out of the Columbia;
Yellowstone Tro2it ; Rocky Monntahi Brook Trout ; Lake
Trout.
Body moderate elongate, compressed. Head rather short,
mouth moderate, the maxillary not reaching far beyond the
eyes. Vomerine teeth as usual, set in an irregular zigzag se-
ries teeth on the hyoid bone normally present, but often obso-
;
lete, especially in old examples. Dorsal fin rather low; cau-

dal fin slightly forked, less so than in iridcns [This is the
California Brook Trout or Rainlnnv TrouC\, more than '\n spilu-
rus [Rio Grande Trout], the caudal more forked in 5'oung indi-
viduals than in the adult, as in all Trout. Scales moderate,
varying to rather small. Back and caudal peduncle profusely
covered with rounded black spots of varying size; dorsal, cau-
dal and adipose fin covered with small black spots about as
large as the nostril; a few spots on the head; belly rarely spot-
ted ; inner edge of the mandibles below with a red blotch;
sea-run specimens are nearly uniform silvery; males with
a broad lateral band and patches of light red; extremely
variable in color and form. Head 4; depth 4. D. 10 A.
10.; Caeca 43. Scales variable in size, 33
150 30 to 39

170 30. The common Trout of the Rocky Mountains
and Cascade region, abounding in all the streams of
Alaska, Oregon and Washington, where it descends to salt
water, and reaches a weight of twenty pounds (Columbia
River, Charles J. Smith); also in the Yellowstone Region,
the Upper Missouri, the Upper Rio Grande, Colorado, and
the lakes of the Great Basin of Utah, being very abundant in
Utah Lake. Not common south of Mount Shasta in Califor-
nia. This species is apparently the parent stock, from which
our other Black-spotted Trout have scarcely 5'et become dif-
ferentiated. Considerable local variations occur, especially in
size, coloration, and size of scales. The red blotches on the
lower jaw between the dentary bones and the membrane join-
ing them is very constant and characteristic. [Synonomy.]
{^Salmo purpuratus, Pallas, Zool. Ross. Asiat. iii, 374, i8ri
31: Sahno Rich.

clarki^
Fauna Bor. Amer. iii, 224, 1836:
Fario stellatus, Girard, Proc. Acad., Nat. Sci. Phila. 219, 1856;
Salnio hrevicauda Suckley, Am. Lye. Nat. Hist. N. Y. vii, 308,
1861: Salnio steliratus, gibbsi, 3 and hrevicauda, Gunther, vi. 117
120; Sahno clarki, Jordan, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. i, 77; Salmo
tsuppitch, Jordan, Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. i, 72; Fario aurora,GiTard,
18
272 AMERICAN GAME FISHEg.
Proc.Acad.Nat.Sci.,Phila.viii,2i8, i?>^6;Salar lewis i, Grd. Proc.

Acad. Nat. Sci., Phila. 219, 1856; Salar virginalis, Girard, 1. c.
220; Salmo carinatus, Cope, Hayden's Geol. Surv. Mont. 1871,
471 472; Salmo Utah, Luckle}^, Monogr. Salmo, 136; Salmo
aurora, lewisi, and virginalis, Gunther, vi, 119 123.)
In "The Fishery Industries of the United States," issued
under the auspices of the Smithsonian Institution, the fol-
lowing observations are made on this fish:
BLACK-SPOTTED TROUT SALMO PURPURATUS.
This fish is known as the "Trout," "Mountain Trout,"

"Spotted Trout," "Black Trout," "Silver Trout," etc., in
the mountains, but when in the ocean, full grown, as "Sal-
mon Trout," or "Steel Head." The Indian name, "Preestl,"
is also ascribed to it on the Upper Columbia. It reaches
a weight of thirty pounds under the most favorable circum-
stances, but may be found in any stream or lake, of any
length from two inches up to two or three feet. Unlike
5". Gardiiicri, the young are very common, and it probably
begins breeding in mountain streams, at a length of less than
a foot. It is universally distributed through the Rocky
Mountain region, chiefly east of the Sierra southward, but

reaching the sea from Mount Shasta nortbward. It occurs
in every lake of New Mexico, Utah, Western Colorado,
Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. Every
stream throughout the most of this region abounds in them;
in Puget Sound the young of every size occur in the salt
waters in abundance. Individuals are occasionally taken
along the California Coast,
Local variations occur in abundance. Specimens from
Seattle have the scales notably larger than those from Vic-
toria and Astoria, which agree with Utah Lake specimens
in this respect. Those that live in the depths of shady lakes
are almost black, while others are pale. Those in the sea are
silvery, and only faintly spotted. Only in Lake Tahoe,
THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN TROUT. 2/3
do the variations assume any marked importance {var Hen-

shazvi.) Individuals intermediate between this species and
5. Garditicri are not rare, and there is no doubt that the
latter is simply an offshoot from this general stock, as are S.
iridens and stoniias.
.S". It feeds on any living thing it finds
near it. In the mountain lakes it spawns in the spring,

running into the rivers for that purpose. Its great enemies,
at that season, are the various species of Suckers and Chubs,
which feed, the former upon its eggs, the latter upon the
young Trout. So very destructive are the former in many
Trout lakes, as Utah Lake, that the destruction or diminution
of the Suckers ought to be accomplished by law. A parasitic
tapeworm, Dibothcriiun corticcps, Leidy, is said to frequently
infest this species so as to render its flesh uneatable in the
summer, in the Yellowstone Lakes. (Yarrow.)
As a food fish this Trout is excellent. Large numbers of
the variety HcnsJiazvi are shipped to the market of San Fran-
cisco. Attempts have been made to cultivate it in ports of
California, with success. A small hatchery has been estab-
lished at Tahoe City for the purpose of keeping stocked a
small branch of the lake in which summer visitors may fish.
In the opinion of the writer this species is likely to prove
much more valuable for introduction into eastern waters than
the Rainbow Trout. It is more active, more gamy, reaches
a larger size and thrives in a greater variety of waters.
The habits as well as color and shape of the Rocky Moun-
tain Trout vary in different waters, but in all cases are widely
different from those of the eastern Brook Trout. The latter
loves to hide under a log, a drift, or a rock, while the former
seeks an open riffle or rapid for his feeding or lounging ground
and when alarmed takes refuge in some deep open pool, but
rarely or never under a rock or log. Fontinalis is a lover of
dark, shady nooks, while Purpuratus always prefers the sun-
niest parts of the lake or stream. The eastern Trout feeds
till well into the night, many a basket being filled with him,
after the shades of night have drawn over the water; while
his mountain cousin usually suspends operations promptly at
sunset.
As to game qualities, the western Trout is every inch the
peer of his eastern congener; and some anglers have claimed
that his first rushes were even more vicious, and that he was
a wickeder tackle-smasher than the civilized Trout. It is
difficult to judge accurately on this point, certain individuals

of either species possessing more of the wild-cat impulsive-
ness than the average of their fellows; but there can be no
doubt in the minds of those anglers who have thoroughly
studied both species under all the varying conditions of sea-
son, character of water, weather, etc., that the Rocky Moun-
tain Trout is not excelled in game qualities by any species of
this noble family.
Generally speaking, the same tackle is required for the
average Mountain Trout as for Brook Trout. If, however,
one is to fish some of the larger creeks and rivers that have
not been "fished out," so that a lusty five or ten pounder is
liable to be encountered, then Salmon tackle should be

employed. These very large ones rarely take a lly, how-
ever; but when they do, the best double-gut leader, the best
number 6 braided silk line and a ten or twelve ounce split-
bamboo rod will be taxed to their utmost to land him. Sev-
on record wherein a six or eight inch Trout has
eral cases are
been taken on the fly, and while being reeled in has been
swallowed by one of these- ten-pounders. Where very light
tackle was being used, the big Trout of course took it, and
walked off with his tail over his back; but in other cases the
implements and the skill of the man at the other end of them
were sufficient to stay with him, and then a fight has ensued
that can only be compared to that of a wild grizzly that has
been roped by an intrepid cowboy.
As to flies, I have usually found a brown hackle and a
white moth the most kilHng for Mountain Trout the former
for sunshiny weather,and the latter for cloudy weather or for

morning and evening. Both should be of large size such as
are made for Bass and Salmon
and should be tied on 3-0
Sproat or Limerick hooks, and these mounted on the best
double and twisted gut snells.
Generally speaking, it is not sportsman-like or esthetic to
use bait in taking Trout, but there are times when no fly in
the book Mountain Trout; and at such times the
will lure the
angler is justifiable in resorting to more substantial diet,
especially if he have traveled a long distance and incurred a
heavy expense to reach the mountains. At such a time he
need not seek farther than the plebeian grasshopper. For
all-around work, every day in the week, it is the most killing
bait extant. There is not one Trout in a hundred but will
pounce upon a good fat 'hopper, like a hungry dog on a piece
of raw liver, and if you are on a stream that has Trout in it,
if you have good tackle, a tomato-can full of 'hoppers and
then don't fill your creel it's your own fault. The only Moun-
tain Trout that ever turns his tail to a grasshopper is the
big old fellow
the ten-pounder
the "Cannibal Trout" of
the Bitter Root; and almost the only bait that will raise him
out is a minnow baby Trout.
or a
If you ever tish a large mountain stream, â river that has
large deep pools that you can't see the bottom of, go up one
of the little brooks that flow into it, to where you can catch
some finger-long Trout; put them in a pail, keep them alive,
and go back to the river. Put on a 3-0 hook, pass the point
into the mouth of one of the small Trout and out at his gill,
so as not to hurt him cast into the deepest part of the pool,
;
lethim run and you are liable to get into trouble. Under-
stand, I don't advise this method as a steady occupation, but
only as a last resort and to take one of the big Trout in this
;

way one that is so blamed smart he won't look at a fly, or

even a 'hopper is, I claim, legitimate sport.
I have never resorted to this means myself, for I have
THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN TROUT. 2//
always been able to catch plenty of two and three pounders

with a fly or with grasshoppers, and they were good enough;
but I have known others to do so, and if ever I get left on the
fair-sized ones I am
go after one of the big ones in
liable to
this way. I speak of using small Trout for

bait, only because
chubs or other minnows are rarely found in mountain streams.

Worms need scarcely to be mentioned here, for they are
not indigenous to the mountain soil, and so the Trout there
are not educated to them. They occasionally take them,
when offered, but not with the eagerness of the Brook
Trout.
Of all angling known to lovers of angling, that wherein the
Mountain Trout is the object of pursuit is surely the grandest,
the most fascinating. That this statement will be challenged
by the Salmon angler, and the more modern Tarpon angler, I
am well aware; and though I grant the advocates of each of
these, all the glory and all the sport there is in their kinds of
fishing, yet I am prepared to stand by my assertion; and if
only the devotee of either of the big fishes will but come with
me into the mountains for a week, I will convince him that I
am right.
The joys of Mountain Trouting are largely owing to the

surroundings. The character
of the streams and lakes, the
grand mountain ranges that overshadow them, the rare,
exhilarating atmosphere that fills the sportsman's lungs and
buoys up his spirits, are conditions that are not enjoyed in
any other class of fishing, unless it be that for Salmon, and
not usually even this. Then the fact that the Trout rise
greedily at almost every cast, and that frequently a dozen or
more of them will rush for the flies at once, while in Salmon-
fishing a rise is a thing usually to be long and eagerly worked
for before being obtained, places Mountain Trouting far in
advance of it, in the men who have enjoyed
opinion of most
both, notwithstanding the difference in size of the two fishes.
A better idea of the sport under consideration may per-
haps be conveyed by a narration of a day's experience in it,

than in any other way, and this I will Venture to give.
On a bright morning in May, 1888, I left Tacoma, "Wash-
ington, on an east-bound Northern Pacific train, and after
riding some distance up the Puyallup Valley I left it, crossed
through some heavily-timbered foot-hills and emerged on
Green river, a good-sized stream that rolls down out of the
Cascade Mountains. At the first station on this stream, I
went forward and got on the engine in order to get a better
view of it. I had been over this part of the road before, but
in the night, and had not seen this stream. I inquired of the
engineer and fireman concerning the fishing, and they said it

was good; that several large catches had been made within
the past two weeks, and that one Trout weighing seven
pounds had been taken a few miles above where we then
were.
The fever began to come on me at once, and as we thun-
dered round the short curves and sped along rocky walls, ten
or twenty feet above the stream, as we rolled over the nu-
merous bridges whence I looked into the sparkling, eddying
pools and saw great dark-backed Trout, darting hither and
thither in Ihght from the rumbling monster above them, be- 1
came more and more nervous Great mountains rose from the
bed of the river, and here and there the stream hewed its way
through imposing ledges of granite. Occasionally the engi-
neer would call my attention to a dissolving view of old Mount
Tacoma, now but a few miles away, as we sped by an open-
ing in the foot-hills. Then he would point out a rugged
mountain side, whereon some hunter of his acquaintance had
slain a bear, or a dark canyon wherein someone else had
killed a cougar, or a clump which a big elk had fall-
of pines in
en a prey to still another sportsman. Then he would tell of

the sheep and goats on the peaks farther back, of the trail to
Tacoma and of the coal mines back in the hills. But though
all these things would have been full of interest to me at
THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN TROUT. 2/9
another time or in another place, I heard Httle of them now.
I was too busy watching the rapidly changing panorama of

that grand torrent beneath our wheels. Not a stroke of the
piston rod or an exhaust of the cylinder, as the great engine
climbed the steep grade, and rounded the ever-recurring
curves, but revealed new beauties, and inspired fresh admi-
ration.
I inquired the distance to the point where we should leave
the stream, and learning that it was yet some miles ahead, I
rushed back to the coach, found the conductor and besought
him to give me a stop-over check, and have my baggage
unloaded. He complied, and a fellow-passenger who had
been watching the stream, and had heard our conversation,
made a similar request. So we were both unloaded at the
mouth of a wild gorge where there was a small, new board
building, that served for the station, and a few log-cabins
occupied by the section men.
The sun was now well toward the zenith, and by the time
W3 exchanged our good clothes for our fishing suits, and got out
our tackle, the dinner-horn blew. We went into one of the
cabins, elbowed our way among the section men, and wrestled
with corned beef, salt pork, potatoes and sour bread until we
felt equal to a big afternoon's work. In the course of our
conversation, I learned that my fellow-traveler was a Congre-
gational minister, from a thriving city in Pennsylvania, and
that he was on his first journey west of the Mississippi; so that
this wild country was especially wild and fascinating to him.
Dinner over, we walked up the track about two miles to
where there was a good place to get down to the stream,
waded into it, and the trouble began at once. We entered
at the head of a boiling rapid, and both cast at about the
same time. I missed my first rise, but my companion hooked
a big one that, after making two frantic leaps, turned and
went down the stream like a bolt of lightning, taking the lead,
fly, and a foot of leader with him, He appeared to be
about eighteen inches long, and would probably have weighed

three pounds or more. I had meantime secured a couple of
small ones, that fought gamily, but came to the net without
serious difficulty.Meantime my neighbor had repaired the
damage to his tackle, and at the next cast secured three
two of about a pound each, and one of half a pound. They
gave him a lively tussle for perhaps ten minutes, when he
netted and creeled them safel3^ I had meantime fished on
down to the foot of the rapid without getting another rise.

We whipped the big pool at the foot of the rapid, from oppo-
site sides, without success, and then started down the next
reach of swift water. At the second cast I made
in this, a

two-pounder took my first dropper a brown tackle and
began a series of leaps and rushes that made me shudder.
He finally headed down the stream. I gave him line, and
when he had taken out perhaps fifty feet of it I felt a fearful
surge on my rod, that told me plainly my foe had received
reinforcements. An instant later a Trout fully twenty inches
long leaped full out of the water, turned a complete somer-
sault, shook his jaws savagely and returned to the foaming
element, with a splash that threw sparkling drops high on the
shore. The big fellow now headed up the stream with such
vigor and determination as to tow his mat^ bodily through
the current for some twenty feet, though the junior captive
plunged and bucked like a wild cayuse in his efforts to resist.
I trembled for my tackle, but, releasing the spring of the
automatic reel, every inch of slack came in as fast as it was

given.
The big Trout soon tired of his load; turning square about,
he made a dive for the pool at the foot of the rapid, and his
running mate seconded the motion. Again I pressed the spring,
and the reel sung a lively song as the line went out. Mean-
time, I followed as fast as I could, but my footing was inse-
cure, the rocks slippery, and I was in constant fear lest an
unlucky slip should land me on my back in the icy water.
When the pair of racers reached the deep water, they were
nearly a hundred feet ahead of me, and I wished I could have
had a telegraph wire on them, instead of the little frail silken

line that was singing through the water and vibrating in the
air ahead of me.
I held it taut, rushed down the river as rapidly as possi-
ble, taking up all the line I could get as I went. When I
reached the head of the pool and got a footing on a bed of
gravel at the water's edge, my hopes returned, but I was
still sorely harassed by fears, for my Trout were now cutting,
darting and leaping hither and thither at such a rate that it
seemed impossible that the delicate tackle could stand the

strain much longer.
Presently the smaller of the two began to tire of the uneven
contest, and gradually yielded to being towed about by his
powerful companion
sometimes on his side and sometimes
on his back.
I now took a firm control of the big one, and commenced to
haul in on him. He and fought obstinately,
still resisted
but time and his heavy load at last began to tell on him too.
His rushes became less vigorous than at first, and he
yielded more and more to the strain of the rod. He had
now not more than twenty feet of line out, and occasionally
showed a disposition to stop and rest, but this I did not allow.
I stirred him up and kept him moving. Gradually he sub-
mitted to tension. I got the landing-net ready, and waded
out till the water came near the tops of my rubber boots. I
made one more recovery of line, passed the rod well back over
my shoulder with my right hand, and as the two racers came
floating helplessly toward me I slipped the net under them,
raised them partially out of the water, staggered to the shore,
and sank on the gravel almost exhausted, but as proud a
man as ever drew the breath of life.
The parson, who had long since quit fishing, came down to
the pool and stood watching the fight; but I didn't know it
until he spoke.
"Great Caesar!" he said, as he saw the fish safely envel-

oped in the net; "that sight is worth all my trip has cost
from Pennsylvania out here. If I could catch such a fish as
that big one, I don't think I should sleep a wink for a week."
"Well, I hope you'll get a larger one before night, though
I don't want you to lose any sleep over it, if you do."
I lifted the two fish from the net, laid them tenderly on
the gravelly beach, and we sat down to admire them; and if
God ever made anything more beautiful than they were, it
has not yet been my good fortune to see it. Their symmetri-
cal shape, the dark green of their backs, the iridescent, sil-
very whiteness of their sides and under parts, all sprinkled

with tiny black dots; the scarlet covering of their throats

and the delicate tinting of their fins all combined to make
up an ensemble of loveliness that could scarcely be excelled,
if all the elements of beauty in nature were merged into a
single object.
The larger of the two Trout measured twenty and three-
fourths inches in length and twelve and one-fourth in girth;
the smaller fifteen and one-half in length and six and one-
half in girth. We regretted that we had not a scale with us,
but estimated the weight of the larger fish at something over
four, and of the smaller at two pounds.
After resting a few minutes I began to dismount my rod.
"Why!" said the parson, "what on the earth are you
doing that for.?"
"I'm through," I said. "I've caught all the fish and had
all the glory I want to-day."
"But you surely are not going to quit fishing while you are
in the presence of such lovely water and such glorious sport
as this.?"
"That's just it. I have had enough of it, and I could not
think of breaking the charm cast upon my fancies, by kill-
ing that pair, with catching even one smaller and less noble
Trout. I will go with you the rest of the afternoon, enjoy
seeing you fish, and help you, if you need my services in any
way, but for myself, 1 have had enough."
had a good deal of difficulty in getting the big Trout into

I
my but by carefully curving him around, I succeeded.

creel,
The parson had resumed operations, and just as I finished
stowmg away my reel and flies, he struck a large one, in the
big pool, with which he had grand sport for some fifteen
minutes. He finally succeeded in landing it, and when the
tape-line was applied to it, it scored seventeen and one-half
inches. Then we followed down over a succession of rapids
forprobably half a mile, to a point where the river made an
abrupt turn and had cut a deep hole in the opposite bank.
A shelving ledge of limestone projected out over this, and
beneath it the water whirled and effervesced, flecked here
and there with little balls of foam that came dancing down
in a never-ending procession, from the foot of the rapid.
"Look out for a big one there, parson."
"It does look promising, don't it.''" and he made a skillful
cast, his flies falling gently on the whirling water, well over
toward the shelving rock. Instantly there was a commotion
on the surface, and the form of a mighty Trout was seen to
whirl upward and dart back under the rock. The parson
struck at the proper instant, and settling th-e butt of his rod
well forward, checked the rush of the fish slightly, when it
turned and made a dash up toward the head of the pool.
The parson gave him line, and he sailed through the water,
with the speed of a carrier-pigeon through the air, until he
reached the very foot of the rapid. Then he turned and
made another dash for the hole under the rock. The angler
reeled in his line as rapidly as possible; but the fish was too
quick for him, and darted under the rock, leaving several feet
of slack hanging loosely in the water. I shuddered lest it
should foul on some projecting rock; but when it came taut

again, it seemed to be clear. The Trout sulked for a moment,
but the parson urged it; when it felt the twang of the steel in
THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN TROUT. 28$
its jaw it came out again like an arrow, and this time went
down stream. It took out the Hne rapidly, and before it
could be safely checked was leaping and cavorting in the

lower rapid, threatening destruction to the tackle.
I shouted to my companion to give him line and run down
stream. The parson obeyed, but it took him some time to
get over the rocks and logs that environed the pool, and
when he did reach the foot of it the fish was seventy or eighty
feet below him on the shoal, and still fighting like a wild cat.
The parson plunged into the water and started down stream
on a run, knowing that the only hope of saving his fish lay
in getting him into more quiet water. But he had only taken
a few steps, when his foot slipped off a treacherous bowlder;
he staggered, and tried to regain his footing, but the more he
struggled the more his feet became entangled in the rocks;
and at last he lost control of his movements entirely, and
went down full length in two feet of icy water. I rushed to
his assistance, but before I could reach him he had regained

his footing and stood, half-strangled, gasping for breath, with
the water running off him in torrents, but bravely hanging
on to his rod, though his hat was being whirled away on the
angry flood toward Puget Sound. I ran down-stream, waded
in and intercepted it, and the plucky parson came staggering
along with his fish still under fair control. As soon as it
reached the next deep water, it began to circle, which enabled
the parson to take up line as he came on down. He got a
firm footing near the foot of the fall, and from that time on
the fight was one-sided. The fish soon began to yield visibly
to the pressure of the rod.
The parson handled him with rare skill, and soon had him
completely exhausted. I was on hand with my landing-net,
but my neighbor courteously declined my services, declaring
that he must reserve that pleasure for himself. A few min-
utes later he deftly passed his own net under the now almost
lifeless Trout and carried him ashore.
He was the very counterpart of mine, and not until we

measured him could we determine any difference in size;
then we learned that the parson's fish was a quarter of an
inch longer than mine. The killing of this Trout had occu-
pied, as nearly as I could judge, about twenty minutes, but
the parson thought it must have been an hour.
He now took off his rubber boots, poured the water out of
them, wrung his coat and vest, and as the sun was already
behind the mountain we decided to go to the station.
The parson insisted that the memory of that day's sport
should ever be one of the fondest of his life; and as for me, I
have had few days that I recall with feelings of more genuine
pleasure.
SEA-BASS AND OTHER FISHES.
BY S. C. CLARKE.
THE CHANNEL BASS OR RED-FISH Scicena ocellata, {Gil ut her.)
UCH has been written on the Striped Bass, more of
M the Black Bass, and their alhes, the White, Green, and
Speckled Basses, but few writers have treated of the
above species, which is a fish of great merit in many ways.
It is known to school-men as Perca ocellata, Linn; Corvina
ocellata, Cuv. and Val; C. ocellata, Holbrook; Scicena ocel-

lata^ Goode and Jordan.
With names in the vernacular, it is still more liberally
supplied. Channel Bass, Red-fish, Red-drum, Red-horse,
Spot, Sea- Bass, Branded-drum, and Bass, pure and simple
these according to locality, from Barnegat Inlet to Texas.
As Professor Goode remarks, "this species is very much in need
of a characteristic name, as all the above names belong to
other species," and he suggests "The Southern Red-fish" as
most suitable. An objection to this is that the fish is not
always red, the young being not at all so, and the adult fish
as often of golden hue as red, and to change the popular
name of fish or bird is perhaps impossible.
Our Bass is a stout, thick-set fish, in color reddish-brown
on the back, red or golden on the sides, according as the
fish is found in fresh or salt water
white beneath, with one
or more black spots on the base of the tail. Hence the spe-
cific name, ocellata, signifying "eye-shaded spots." It is well
19 287
supplied with large and covered with big scales, which

fins,
in large specimens removed with a hoe. Head and

are
mouth large, with fine teeth in the jaws, and paved teeth in
the throat. The lips are tough, holding a hook securely,
when lodged. In size from one pound to fifty, averaging,
says Prof. Goode, ten pounds; but in the experience of the
present writer, somewhat less perhaps seven. The smaller
ones run companies, and go by the name of "School Bass."
in
The large ones go in pairs, or singly, and are called "Chan-

nel Bass." It is not a shy fish, like the Striped Bass, requir-
ing delicate tackle and long casts for its capture, but is a
bold biter, always hungry, and ready to play his part and
he plays it hard and long on the hook in open
well, fighting
water disdaining such tricks as running into holes, and tak-
ing the line round roots and snags, or sulking at the bottom
like the lordly Salmon, or biting off the line like the .Shark
or the Pike. By his deeds, if not by his words, the Red
Bass tells the angler that it is to be a fair fight and trial of
skilland strength between the combatants; and I have seen

a large Channel Bass break a heavy cod-line, in the hands of
a too impatient fisherman who tried to force the fighting.
Be it remembered that the native fisherman on the southern
coast uses the hand-line. "
From its size, abundance, game and edible qualities, the

Channel Bass may be considered the most valuable sporting
fish of the southern coast. In its habits it somewhat
resembles the Striped Bass of northern waters, and many of
those, who have taken both species on a rod, consider the
southern fish as equal to the other in game quality; and the
pursuit of our fish has this advantage: that the angler may
rely, three days out of four, whereas
in making a catch ;
the rule is reversed in the case of the Striped Bass. If you

can kill a good-sized Striped Bass, one day in four, you do
better than the average
as far as my experience goes. How
many days I have sat on the rocks at Newport or Narragan-
SEA-BASS AND OTHER FISHES. 289
sett, with a crowd of patient anglers, waiting for the strike

of a
Bass which came not.
This species roams widely. In summer it is taken as far
north as Barnegat, and of very large size. At all seasons it
isfound on the Atlantic and gulf coasts of Florida, and on
the coasts of Georgia, the Carolinas, and Virginia. In win-
ter it is confined to Florida waters, running well up into fresh
water, but disappears when a norther brings cold weather.
Seldom have I seen a Bass at these times; but as soon as a
change of wind brings warm weather we find the Bass on
hand, ready for business. Good fishing-grounds are at the
mouth of the St. John's river, and this fish has been taken
as far up as Magnolia, some fifty miles from the sea. I have
also taken them
in the fresh water of Spruce Creek, while
trolling for Black Bass. Bass are taken on the beach near
St. Augustine; at the Halifax River Inlet is also a good fishing-
ground. New Smyrna, on the Hillsboro' River, and the
Indian River Inlet, where the writer, in 1870, found the fish
too abundant and eager to be caught
but perhaps this
objection has been removed by the large number of anglers
who have frequented that region of late years.
In summer the Bass is found along the beach in immense
numbers. As the fishermen say, "the surf is red with them,"
and great sport may be had with rod or hand-line, by casting
into'the surf, as the fish seem to fight harder in open water
than in the rivers. The water being quite warm, say seventy
degrees, wading is agreeable, and to capture a ten-pound
fish while indulging in a warm bath is a novel experience to
most anglers. Sharks are found sometimes in the surf, but
do not come into the sloughs, or depressions of the beach,
where the Bass come to feed.
Bands of roving hogs frequent the beach, and were ready
to steal my fish if exposed; and once I found a couple of
marsh ponies devouring my Bass; in this region man, beast
and bird all live on the fruit of the sea, and there is enough
SEA-BASS AND OTHER FISHES. 29I
for all those destructive engines, the pound-net and the

mile-long seine, not been introduced.
having as yet
Twenty-five or thirty Red Bass have been taken by one rod,
in the Hahfax, in a day, weighing some two hundred to two
hundred and fifty pounds. The largest one ever taken by
the writer weighed thirty-seven pounds, and the struggle
lasted about forty minutes. It was taken on a rod, from a
boat, and the fish towed us at least one hundred yards before
it was gaffed. Its mate, weighing twenty-five pounds, was
soon after taken by my boatman, with a hand-line. My
next in size weighed thirty pounds, and while playing it, my
companion hooked its mate, weighing twenty-eight pounds,
at the other end of the boat. Both were saved in about
thirty minutes time. The same tackle that is used for the
Striped Bass is suitable for his southern cousin, except that
a sinker of one or two ounce weight is used in casting from
the reel, and it is unnecessary here to use gut or delicate
tackle, which is apt to be cut by the oyster shells that cover
the bottom of the best feeding-grounds of the Bass. Use a

two-pieced bamboo rod what is called a chum-rod eight
feet long; one hundred yards of Cuttyhunk line, and fifteen
thread, with multiplying reel, with drag. In the matter of

hooks, anglers have their different fancies, and I have never
been able to find exactly the hook for Red Bass. It should
be sharp and penetrating, and at the same time heavy in the
wire the hollow-point Limerick, seven-o, does pretty
well, have seen a hook known as Abby & Imbries
but I
Whiting hook three-o, which I prefer I use them ringed,

as more easy to tie to the snood, for which I use a
cotton line rather heavier than the reel line, as a fine line
is apt to be frayed off by the teeth of the Bass. We lose
many hooks from the oyster and some anglers use

shells,
a fine wire next the hook. Perhaps the best pattern of hook
is the Sproat, but they do not come ringed or flatted. Add
to this equipment a stout long-handled gaff, and a pair of knit
thumb-stalls and you are ready for the fray. The Bass come
in from the sea with the and are found at different
tide,
stages of it, either near the Inlet, on the sand banks, in the
creeks, or along the edge of the marsh and a stranger needs
;
a guide to find the fish. For bait, cut-mullet, or small ones

used whole; the half of a crab is a good bait also. We usu-
ally fish on the bottom, but Bass will take at mid-water, or
on the surface, and often near the boat. This fish spawns in
August or September, in the inlets and bays, as I am
informed by Florida fishermen, and deposits many eggs,

making it a prolific species perhaps the most abundant on
the southern coast. Specimens of ten or twelve pounds are
the best for the table; the large ones are coarser, and the
young fish have less flavor. They may be boiled, baked, or
fried, auvl make a firm, well flavored and succulent dish.
The following description is from Jordan and Gilbert's
Synopsis of the Fishes of North America:
Scicena ocellata
Gthr. Channel Bass Red Bass: Graj'ish
silvery, iridescent; scales with dark spots forming faint
irregular undulating stripes; upper part of base of caudal with
an oval black spot as large as tlie eye, bordered by Avhite or
orange; this spot is often duf)licated. Body rather elongate,
not much elevated, ccmpressed behind, an almost even curve
from snout to base of dorsal; preopercle distinctly serrate;
eye large; one and a half in. snout; five and a half in. head;
gill-rakers short and thick; mouth large; maxillary nearly
reaching the posterior margin of the orbit; caudal truncate;
second anal spine rather strong, two thirds as long as first ray ;
pectoral fins ver)' short, not reaching half way to lower;

pharyngeals narrow, with conical teeth. Head 3)3 depth 3)^ ;
D. X.
I. 25; A. II. 8; Lat. I. 50. Cape Cod to Mexico,
common southward; known at sight by the peculiar caudal
spot.
BASS-FISHING IN WINTER.
'The noble bass, with scales intensely dyed,
At bay and inlet drift in with the tide;
A roving fish, deep channels it explores,
Mud-flats, and oyster-beds, and shelly shores."
McLellan^s Poems of the ''Rod and Gun.^^
In the month of February, 188- leaving the frosts and
snows of New York, with the mercury near zero, my young

companion and I, after three days of easy travel, found our-
selves under the sunny skies of Volusia County, East Florida,
at a point known on the maps as Mosquito Inlet, and at the
pleasant cottage of B.C. Pacetti, sometimes called "the count"

perhaps because one of nature's noblemen at any rate the
head fisherman of the coast. The house stands on the bank
of the Halifax River, which enters the ocean a mile below,
m a fine orange grove, at the time of our visit full of delicious
fruit, ofwhich we took many samples the first day.
My companion I will call "the major," because he was a
minor, young, and ambitious of killing the big fish of which

I had told him
his former experiences having been confined
to Black Bass and Trout. In this narrative, I shall be

known as "the judge" as everybody in the south is expected
to have a title, and this one suits a man of ancient if not

venerable aspect.
Having filled and drank by
ourselves with the golden fruit,
way of contrast water

of the powerfully flavored sulphur
that flows from a fountain in the grove, we unpacked our
tackle and made ready for the morrow. It dawned bright
and propitious, with the south wind, loved by anglers, even

from the time of Father Walton. We started at eight
o'clock after a breakfast of sheeps-head and oysters, cooked
by our good hostess in a style the result of many years
experience.
had a roomy and comfortable flat-bottomed boat ready
P.
for us, and with him at the oars, we went up the river, with
the tide about one-quarter flood. "Where will you take us
to-day.'" I asked. "I think I will go up Spruce Creek; the
tide will serve both ways." The Halifax River, so called,
is one of those long, narrow bays or sounds, which are found
along the Atlantic coast from the Delaware Bay to Florida;
this one is about thirty miles long, running north and south;
and from half a mile to a mile in width, shut off from the
ocean by a narrow peninsula of sand hills, and navigable for

small craft in its whole length. Another river or bay, com-
ing from the south, enters the ocean at the same inlet; this
is called the Hillsboro' River, and is some twenty-five miles
long, being connected at its southern end with the Indian
River by a canal. On the Hillsboro', is the town of New
Smyrna, one of the oldest in Florida, having been founded
during the English occupation in 1769. Its interesting and
painful history may be found in a work called "Old St.

Augustine," published in New York in 1885, by Chas.B. Rey-
nolds. It was destroyed during the Seminole war, and after-
ward in the War of Secession, and has but lately begun to
grow to the position which its situation and rich lands will
ultimately give it.
Our comes of the Minorcan race, which settled New

host
Smyrna, one hundred and twenty years ago, and is a fine,
vigorous looking man of fifty years.
We cross the Halifax River to the mouth of Spruce Creek,

about one hundred yards wide, ilowing through a labyrinth
of islands and creeks reaching many miles south and west.
Here P. stops at a sandy shoal to catch mullets for bait.
This is done with a cast-net, in the use of which Florida

fishermen are expert. A circular net, about j;en feet in diam-
eter, loaded at the edges u ith lead, and so arranged as to draw
up into a bag, with pockets at the sides to retain the fish.
P. takes the net in both hands, with the drawing cord in his
mouth; he wades along the shoal, looking for Mullet; with a

circular sweep the net falls on the water, and sinks to the
bottom. He hauls it in slowly, and we see the glittering
Mullet within the meshes. He comes to the boat with half
a dozen fish, eight or ten inches long, bright and silvery.
In the course of a few casts he gets twenty more, which will
suffice for a day's fishing. The cast-net is absolutely neces-
sary to the Florida fisherman, as the Mullet is used for bait
for all the best fishes, except Drum and Sheeps-head. Besides
which, the Mullet is, in summer, considered the best table-

fish on the coast. The use of the cast-net looks easy, but it
really requires considerable practice and some strength of

arm to deliver it properly; and the beginner must be careful
to have no buttons on his dress to catch in the net, other-

wise it may pull him down, as has often happened to ambi-
tious novices.
We then proceeded up the creek, the banks of which are
low and covered with salt grass, and bordered with man-
grove trees; the trees which, as we learn from scientists, have
built up the peninsula of Florida, assisting the subaqueous
work We anchor in a deep channel
of the coral insect.
about half a mile above the mouth of the creek, and near the
bank; the boat swings to the tide. I take the stern, the
major amidship, and P. at the bow. We then cut up a few
Mullets into chunks of two inches square, and baited our hooks.
We each had a bamboo rod, eight feet long, with reels
holding one hundred yards of line, with 7-0 Limerick
hooks, and one ounce running sinkers. I made a cast about
twenty five feet astern, and P., taking the major's rod,
cast the bait into midstream iifty feet away. "Now," said
he, "let the bait lie on the bottom; if there is any Bass
around they'll find it." He baited his own hook, on a
heavy hand-line, with half a Mullet, and swinging it around
his head, cast it one hundred feet astern.
We were in a wilderness of wood and water, with no traces
of human occupation. A fiock of blackbirds circling above
the marsh, a white heron sitting on a mangrove tree, a fish-
hawk occasionally stooping for a fish, and a few turkey-
buzzards wheeling aloft in graceful llight, were all the animal
life in view.
"How far does the tide make up here.''" said I.
"Three or four miles generally, but in rainy weather the

creek is fresh clear to the mouth, so that the Black Bass are
caught where we are now,"
^
" "/-
f
"What?" said the major, "Black Bass here?"

"Plenty of them up the creek, and big ones at that,"
said Pacetti.
"How large?"
"Well, I've seen them caught weighing ten or twelve
pounds and I've heard of some as heavy as fifteen to
eighteen pounds."
"What!" cried the major. "Bass weighing twelve to eight-
een pounds! I never heard of such a thing; six or seven
pounds is as large as they grow at the North."
"Well, they grow bigger in Florida, I reckon," said P.
"but I've got a Bass," and he began to haul in, hand over
hand, and soon we saw the red sides of a big fish, darting
here and there, at the end of his line. It was a Channel
Bass of about ten pounds a fine fat fish.
"That's the kind for you to hook, young man," said P.
"Do you expect to hold one on that rod?"
"I would like to try, anyhow," said the major, and just
then he had a strike; his line began to run out rapidly, and
he tried to stop the fish.
"Better him run," said I, "and put on the drag." This

let
he did, and the fish showed itself on the surface, a five-

pound Bass, which, after a few minutes play, was brought
along-side, and gaffed.
"Well," said the major, "that's the biggest fish I ever
caught on a rod."
"You will get some twice as big, before you leave the
Halifax, "said P.
My bait had been lying for some time quietly on the bot-
tom, and raising my rod, I found the hook fast to something;
as I gave a pull, my line began to move slowly away, but.
with great force so that I could not check it.
"I think. P.," said I, "that I have hooked what our old
friend from Rhode Island used to call a barn-door."
"Well," said he, "what will you do cut it loose, or play
it?"
"It is not a very large one," said I. "I will try to kill it, and
show the major some sport." The Sting-ray ran out some
twenty-five yards of line, and then went to the bottom, when it
stuck fast. P. took up the killick, the lines were taken in,
and the boat was placed over the fish, and P. punched it
with a pole till it started on another run of twenty yards,
then it stopped and was again punched and followed. Then
the ray started off again, towing the boat, but this exhausted
its strength, and I reeled it up alongside. P. turned it over,
belly up, with his long-handled gaff, against the side of the
boat, so that it could not use its tail; then with a big knife
he gave it several stabs in the throat and breast. The blood
gushed out freely, and the strength of the ray was soon
exhausted. Then the tail, with its formidable weapon, was
cut off, looking like a long black wagon whip. The fish was
about three feet across, and with the tail, five feet long,
weighed perhaps fifty pounds.
"There, major," said P., "you can dry this tail and take it
home with you for a riding-whip." Then he let loose the

ray, and let it drift down the tide. "The Sharks will soon
find it; there's no better bait for a Shark than a chunk off
a Stingaree."
Sure enough, the carcass had not floated a hundred yards,
beforewe saw and heard a great commotion in the water, as
of big fish struggling. "There," said P., "they have got it
butwe had better move away a little; those Sharks will scare
away the Bass."
We went round a bend in the creek, and found a wide
pool of rather shallow water with a small island in the
middle.
"Here a good place for Bass; but the bottom is all oys-
is
ter shells,and may cut your fine lines, but we'll give it a
try." He anchored in the middle of the pool, the water
being five feet deep on an oyster-shell bank. We threw out,
and in about a minute I had a strike, and found myself fast
3o6 American game fishes.
to a good fish which took across the tide. After five minutes
play I had it in the boat
a very red Bass of six pounds.
"This is really a Red Bass," said I.
"They grow red up in the fresh water," P. replied.
Now the major was fast to another; but his line came
home without hook, cut off by the shells; then P. hauled in
a five-pounder, and I got one of four pounds. But in my
next cast my hook was cut off. We got three more School
Bass here, when they stopped biting, and we moved up the
creek half a mile to a large pool with a high hamak on the
south side, covered with wild orange trees and magnolias.
(The above word is usually written "hammock," or "hum-
mock," but I write "hamak," as instructed by Floridians.
The late Capt. Douglas Dummet, of South Florida, an
educated man, long resident on the Indian River, told me
that the word belonged to the Seminole tongue, and was
neither hammock nor hummock. This is also the spelling
adopted by Mr. C. B. Reynolds, one of the editors of "For-
est and Stream," himself a native of Florida.)
"Now, here," said P., "we are apt to get big fish, Bass, and
sometimes a Grouper." He anchored the boat on the north
side of the pool, in a deep hole where the tide ran strongly.
Wewith rods fished near the boat; P. senjt his bait far out
in the pool; the major had the first fish
a Black-fish of about
a pound, which species is found smaller in these waters than
further north. Then I hooked a Bass, seemingly of great size;
itran clear across the pool to the opposite bank, fifty or

sixty yards away, then turning, came back at full speed, and
ran wildly round the pool. After ten minutes of this work,
I brought him to gai, when it proved to be a six-pound
Bass hooked in the vent, which attack in the rear had
so alarmed the fish, that it became frantic and fought
hard enough for a twelve-pounder. After the commotion
in the pool had subsided, the major took a Bass of
five pounds, and P. hooked a very large one, which, however
SEA-BASS AND OTHER FISHES. 30T
after five minutes play, broke his hook and then escaped.
"That's a mean hook," said he; "I ought to have saved

that Bass."
"Perhaps you did not play him long enough; it was a
heavy fish," said I.
"I don't believe in fooling with them. I just haul them
in and give 'em no quarters," said he.

"Well, here is a hook for you that ought to stand,"
giving him one of my best Cuttyhunks.
Presently my line went off steadily and swiftly, and I
could not check it. After sixty yards had run out and the
fish still went on, I said: "He has got most of my line; I
think P., that you must raise the anchor and let him tow the
boat." He did so, and paddled after the fish, so that I was
able to recover most of my line, but the Bass towed us some
twenty yards before it gave up, and rested on the surface.
As we approached, it made one more run, and then turned
over, exhausted
a fine, fat, copper-red fish, which weighed,
after we landed, twenty-four pounds. The contest lasted
twenty minutes.
We
then returned to our former station, and it being past
noon we opened the lunch-basket, where we found slices of
corned beef, bread and butter, and doughnuts, also a dozen

oranges fresh from the trees which always taste better to
me on the water than ashore.
"How many Bass have we.^" said the major.
"Eight or ten Bass and a Trout; but we will get more yet,"
said P. "They bite well to-day; we have not lost a fish,
except the one that broke my hook. Take another orange,
judge."
"I will; they are the best oranges I ever ate."

"That's what most people say the oranges that grow on
these shell mounds are much finer than the St. John's River
fruit."
"Do you ever send them to market?" I asked.
20
"I tried it once, some years ago; I sent a few boxes to

Jacksonville and when the merchant sent my account of sales,
he brought me in debt seventy-five cents. Since then I find
it better to eat them."
"I see," said I, "the weeds are beat down along the bank;
are there any cattle on these marshes.^"
"That's done by alligators there's a big one lives about
here, and I've tried to shoot him, for he eat up one of my
best dogs, but the cunning brute hides away when he hears
or sees a boat."
Just then the major, who had left his line in the water, saw
it running off, and found a heavy fish hooked, which did not
run like a Bass but fought near the bottom and seemed hard
to move.
"That is a Rock Grouper," said P. ; "we often find them in
this hole." After about five minutes hard pulling, which

tried the rod severely, the fish was brought to the surface

and gaffed a thick-set fish, brown with light-colored spots,

and small scales weighing six or seven pounds. "Just as I
thought, a Rock Grouper; a good fish it is; I have taken
them in summer weighing twenty-five pounds."
As the tide had turned, we concluded to drop down with
it, homeward; when we reached the shadow pool at the
island, the major let out a spoon with thirty yards of line.
"You might catch a Bass or Trout that way," said P., "but
you are likely to hook a Shark, and lose your spoon."
As we left the pool through a narrow channel with a swift
current, the major had a strike, and reeled in a handsome
spotted fish of two pounds or so, which P. told him was a
Trout.
"It certainly looks like the Lake Trout of the Adiron
dacks," said the major; "but how does he come in the salt-
water.^"
"The fish is not a Trout," said I, "but a cousin of the
northern Weak-fish, and not related to the Salmon; you see,
it has no adipose fin. It is a good fish to eat, Salmon or

not."
Now the major had another strike from a large fish which
took a turn, and the line came in without the spoon. "That
was a small Shark. I saw him when he bit off your spoon,"
said P.
"Do they always do that.^"
"No, we sometimes save them that is, if the hook is so
fixed that they can't get hold with their teeth; but I have
no use for Sharks, and am glad to let them go except
when we go a Sharking, and then I take a big hook with a
chain, with a strong rope."
When we reached the main river, P. stopped on the west
bank. "Perhaps you might pick up a Bass or two here,
judge."
The was running out strongly, and we anchored about
tide
fifty from the marsh, and cast toward it. The major
feet
got the first fish
a five-pound Bass; and I soon got hold of
a strong fish, which proved to be a five-pound Trout, which
I boated after a few minutes play.
"Isn't that a beauty," said P., as he held it up admir-

ingly. Next, the major caught a three-pound Cat-fish
nasty slimy creature.
"Come, major," said I; "it's time to quit,
you are going if
to catch Cat-fish and

words of Father Isaac, 'We
in the
have had a most pleasant day for fishing and talking, and
are returned home both weary and hungry, and now meat
and rest will be pleasant.'"
THE sheep's-head.
Sargus Ovis, CUVIER. Archosargus Probatocephalus, GILL; Diplodus Prohato-
cephahis, GOODE.
This popular fish is, it will be perceived, well equipped

with scientific names; all, however, significant of its sheep-
like profile and teeth. The name given by Cuvier, Sargus,
says Prof. Goode, indicates its size and value; and Diplodur^
used by others, meaning "double-toothed." The Sheep's-head
is one of the few species which goes by the same nan ,
wherever known, from Jamaica Bay to Cape Florida. The

Florida people, however, omit the s, calling it the "Sheep-
head." The ancients had a Sargus, to which Walton alludes,
quoting his favorite Du Bartus, in a curious legend which
attributes to the fish certain disreputable habits, unknown
to our quiet Sheep's-head. This species is supposed to be
hatched and bred in southern waters, mainly on both coasts
of Florida, where the spawn is deposited at the mouth of
rivers and March and April, in the shallow water
inlets, in
near the shore, where both sexes may be seen sporting on

the sand-bars. At this time they become thin and unfit for
food, and will take a Mullet bait, which, when in condition
for the table, they reject. In summer they make a northern
migration, as far as New York, and grow large and fatupon
the mollusks and Crustacea, being taken up to fifteen pounds
weight, and are considered a great luxury, bringing high prices.
In 1814, Dr. Mitchell wrote that "the Sheep's-head contin-
ued about New York from June to September, and was then
abundant, so that hundreds have been taken at one haul of
the seine in Jamaica Bay and Fire Island. They were highly
colored, and the capture of one with a hook and line was
considered the most desirable combination of luck and skill.
He knew an ancient fisherman who used to record in
a book the time, place, and circumstances of every Sheep's-

head he caught." This high estimate continues, but the
record of captures in New York waters would require few
pages now. The you go the more abundant
farther south
the Sheep's-head become, though they nowhere take the hook
freely till air and water are warm. In the St. John's River
in Florida they will be found all the year, though during the
prevalence of a "norther " few can be taken, as they run at
these times into deep water.
SEA-BASS AND OTHER FISHES, 505
On the coasts of Florida, this is so abundant a species as

to be rather undervakied. when they first arrive,
Ang;^lers
engage in the pursuit of Sheep's-head with great eagerness,
but after a time it becomes monotonous to catch them at the
rate of forty or fifty in a tide, averaging three
pounds each.
Many go to five and six pounds. My heaviest weighed seven
pounds, from many hundreds; and I have heard of one of ten
pounds; many aie taken of four to eight ounces, which are
returned to the water, fish being so abundant in Florida
that the "lish hog" seldom appears.
I knew a man who caught Sheep's-head for market, and
with a hand-line, and the barb filed off the hook. He could
supply a smack with one hundred a day at five cents apiece.
But the fish died in the well of the smack, and the enter-
prise was a failure. Although some Sheep's-head migrate,
and some run up the rivers into fresh water, yet it is usually
a stationary species, living indeep channels and tide-ways
along the shores of the bays and inlets, among rocks and the
roots of mangroves, and other trees that have fallen into the
water, as these are soon covered with barnacles, upon which
these fish feed, as well as upon crabs, clams, and oysters.
Especially the small crab called the fiddler, which is a fa-
vorite bait, but it is easily taken off the hooi< by the project-
ing teeth of this fish. In places where much fishing is done,
the Sheep's-head become very expert in stealing bait, and if
you secure one out of four baits you do well. Where little
disturbed, they seize the hook eagerly, and are easily taken
by a stroke vigorous enough to penetrate the hard pavement
of teeth which they carry. Their jaws are strong, and the
hook must be equally so, and if large, it is necessary to give
your fish line, till it is somewhat exhausted. When it is
brought to the surface, it makes a violent rush to the bottom,
and if too suddenly checked, hook, line, or rod is apt to be
broken. It makes no long runs, like a Bass, but fights up
and down, with heavy surges. A good-sized landing-net will

prevent the loss of many fish, in boating them, and the

novice had better beware of the sharp and strong fin-rays,
and let his boatman unhook the fish.
As to its table qualities, it is among the best of sea-fishes,
firm, rich, and well flavored; either boiled, if large, or fried
if small. It lives upon crabs and mollusks, which is the food
of oar choicest fishes like the Pompano of the salt-water,

and the White-fish of the Great Lakes. During the spawn-
ing season, the Sheep's-headbecomes unfit for food; this is in
the spring months, when it is usually taken by northern
anglers, who at once declare the southern fish to be inferior
to those of the North. When taken in the fall or winter,
there is little difference in quality. The Sheep's-head is also
known to feed upon salt grass, and other vegetable matter
along the flats. The natives usually fish with a hand-line,
and drag in the fish by main strength; more can be taken in
this way in a given time, but the only sporting method is
with rod and reel.
The bottom being generally foul, many hooks and sinkers are
lost, so that a good supply should be taken along. A taut
line should be kept, for the bite of this fish is usually very
light, and you will find the bait often gone without notice
given; so raise the hooks often, and you catch the fish in
the act of robbing you.
If feeding at all, the Sheep's-head will take a fiddler; next in
value is a large crab, cut in pieces; then the hard-shell clam,
like those in northern waters, but larger. At half-tide, either
flood or ebb, these fish bite most freely; at slack water they
often stop feeding.
It must not be supposed that even in Florida waters
Sheep's-head can be taken abundantly every day. In cold
raw weather, better smoke the pipe of peace by the fireside.
On such days if mine host of Ponce Park wants a mess of
fish, he goes with his cast-net to some deep hole in the
river, and with one throw he gets a back load. At the Hal-
ifax River Inlet, at New Smyrna, and at the Indian River

Inlet, the angler will usually find all the Sheep's-head he
wants; doubtless in other places also, but these can be
recommended.
In Jordan and Gilbert's Synopsis, the following description
is given:
sheep's-head DIPLODUS PROBATOCEPHALUS (WALT. )
Grayish, with about eight vertical black bands, which are

about as broad as the interspaces; dorsal dusky. Body robust,
becoming very deep with age; the back compressed and ele-
vated; axis of the body below the middle of the depth; snout
entirely below axis of body; profile very steep; preorbital
broad. Mouth low, horizontal; incisors broad, serrated in the
young, then becoming emarginate and finally entire. Cheeks
with six rows of scales; scales on breast very small, crowded.
Dorsal spines very strong, higher than the soft rays, the
last considerably shortened, so that the outline of the fin is
emarginate; second pnal spine very strong, nearly as long as
the snout and eye; pectoral very long, reaching past the front
of the anal; ventrals reaching vent. Head 3^; depth i^.
D XII, 12; A. Ill, 10; Scales 7 4516. L. 30 inches.

Cape Cod to Texas abundant.
;
The same rig that is used for Channel Bass a two-piece

bamboo rod, eight feet long, multiplying reel with drag,
and one hundred yards of Cuttyhunk line, 15-thread. In
Florida-fishing, the unexpected often happens,and while look-
ing for a four-pound Sheep's-head, you may hook a twenty-
five pound Bass or other runaway fish. Some anglers put the
sinker at the end of the line, and tie the hooks eight or ten
inches above. Others use round perforated sinkers, with
the hooks below; the sinker, from one to two ounces in
weight, lies on the bottom.
Only the best Virginia hooks can be trusted to resist the
jaws of the Sheep's-head (No. 4 or 5) and these sometimes
fail. A piece of hemp or cotton line rather thicker than the
reel-line makes the best snood; no however strong or
gut,
doubled, will resist the teeth of the Sheep's-head. With two

3 TO AMERICAN GAME FISHES.
hooks, about eight or ten inches apart, the angler may often
hang a pair, when, in the words of Dame Berners, "surely
thenne is there noo man merrier than he is in his spyryte."
THE GROUPER EPINEPHELUS MORIO (CUV. , GILL).
I give to this well-known and valuable food-fish of the

name affixed to it by scientists, as I sup-
Florida coast, the
pose, though thesynonomy of the genus is much confused,
and the name, to be adopted, uncertain. The description
given by Jordan and Gilbert, of E. iiwrio, seems more like
the common Grouper than any other which they describe.
Holbrook, in his"Fishes of S. Carolina," describes what I
take to be the same species, under the name of Scrraniis

crythrogastcr. The name Grouper is found in Roman's list
of the fishes of the East Florida coast. How far north it
occurs I do not know, but it is abundant and large in the

West Indies, as I am informed. It is a thick-set, robust fish,
of the Perch family, with hard spines in the dorsal fin; large
head and mouth, with sharp teeth. Color, light olive, mot-
tled with darker lines, like tortoise shell. Fins tipped with
blue; inside of mouth red.
The Grouper is found near the bottom, in deep holes and
channels, near the roots of mangrove tree^ under which it
makes its stronghold. It is never found far from this for-

tress, to which it retreats when hooked or alarmed. The
bait is Mullet, either cut or whole, the latter attracting the
larger specimens. In size it is taken from half a pound to
fifteen pounds, seldom with the net. It is voracious, but
shy and easily alarmed; and after one has escaped from the
hook, or after the capture of two or three, the others seem to
take fright, and will seldom take a bait in that place for
some days. When hooked, it makes straight for its hole,
and can only by main force be kept from it; so that only
those of moderate size are taken with rod and reel say up
to five or six pounds weight. The larger ones can only be
landed with a hand-line. It is a trial of strength between

the man and his tackle and the fish the latter, if of large
size, often breaking loose, or gaining its hole under the roots
from whence it cannot easily be dislodged, the result being
the loss of tackle and patience. The rod-fiaher loses more
than half the Groupers he hooks. have never been able to
I
kill, on a rod, a Grouper over five pounds. Other rod-fishers

have perhaps been more fortunate or skillful. As is well
known to anglers, the first rush of a strong and heavy fish
cannot safely be resisted, and the Grouper makes only one.
If he woidd fight in open water, like the Bass, he could be
tired out; but he takes all the advantage, and one seldom
gets more than two or three in a day.
The flesh of the Grouper is rich and well-flavored, and is
highly prized, perhaps partly on account of the scarcity of

the fish, and difficulty of its capture. To my taste it much
resembles that of the Red Bass, when in good condition.
JORDAN AND GILBERT'S DESCRIPTION.

Red Grouper Epinephelus morio (Cuv., Gill), brownish, mar-
bled with ash; Salmon-color below; soft parts of the vertical
fins margined with blue. Body oval, compressed above; profile
oblique, gently curved; mouth terminal, large, somewhat
oblique; maxillary reaching beyond eye; eye about as long as
snout. Head 2>4; depth 3. D. XI, 17; 'A. Ill, 9; Lat. I
106; caeca 28. Atlantic Coast, chiefly southward.
THE MANGROVE SNAPPER LUTjANUS AURORUBENS (CUV. GILL). ,
Professor Jordan's description suits our South Florida fish,
except which respect our fish resembles

as to canine, in
L. caxis, which has canines in the upper jaw. The
generic name, according to Jordan and Gilbert, comes from
"Lutjany," the Japanese name of some of the species
which are numerous in tropical seas. I find the name
"Mangrove Snapper " in Roman's list, and it is signifi-
cant, as this species lives in holes among the roots of
that tree. Jordan places it in the same genus with the Red
Snapper, L. blackfordi, which an ocean species of quite

is
different habits. Like the Grouper, the Mangrove Snapper

is stationary, seldom found from its hole, in which it
far
takes refuge when alarmed. one of the most shy and
It is
cunning fishes of the coast, and long casts from the boat are
necessary to beguile it. It makes soon as
for the roots as
hooked, after the manner and is a more
of the Grouper,
active fighter, though perhaps not stronger, than that fish.
Probably fine tackle would be more successful than the
coarse hand-lines generally used, but the Snapper has very
sharp teeth, and silk-worm gut would stand no chance. Cut
Mullet is the bait commonly used, cast as far as possible
from the boat into the deep channels near the mangroves.
Let the bait rest quietly on the bottom for five or ten minutes,
and as soon as the bite is felt get the fish away from the
bank, or he will be lost. In form the Mangrove Snapper
resembles the Small-mouthed Black Bass. Color, a reddish
brown, with golden reflections. Canines long, with which it
snaps savagely when captured. Eye very large and bright,
with golden-colored iris. Head small, with i\vide mouth,
well filled with teeth. Half of dorsal fin with hard spines;
scales large. The large eyes seem to indicate nocturnal
habits, confirmed by the fact, that the Snapper feeds more
freely at night, and on dark days. The fishermen say that
when placed in a car with other fish, the Snapper will mangle
and devour them. The young, say of a pound weight, are
often in considerable numbers in deep holes, and are taken
with the cast-net. Size, in Halifax River, from half a pound
to five pounds. In the Indian River they have been taken
of tenpounds weight. A fish of good quality on the table,
and keeps well.
Lutjanus aurorubens (^Cuv. & Fa/.). Ceniropistes anrorubcns
{Storer'). Rhomboplites aurorubens {Goodc and Bean).
"Vermilion red above, rosy below; sides with oblong irreg-
SEA-BASS AND OTHER FISHES. 31?
ular yellow spots; dorsal and pectoral fins red; ventrals and
anal lighter. Body oblong elliptical, moderately compressed,
not elevated. Mouth moderate, without distinct canines.
Tongue with a large oval patch of teeth, besides which are
five or six smaller patches. Nostrils round, near together.
Preopercle finely serrate, its notch obsolete. Gill-rakers very
long and slender. Dorsal spines rather slender; second anal
spine a little longer than the third; caudal fin lunate, its lobes
not attenuate. Head 314 depth 3. D. XII, 11; A. Ill,;
;
Lat. I, 54. L. one foot. West Indies, north to Florida and

S. Carolina."
sheep's-heads, groupers, AND MANGROVE SNAPPERS.

" There where the affluent current pours
The deepest o'er its muddy floors.
The greedy sheep's-head hidden lie,
To seize whatever may float, by.

Isaac McLellan, "Poems of the Rod and Gun."
At breakfast the next morning we met with a new-comer,
Dr. Williams, a professor in a Western College, a tall slender
man of some thirty years old, with dark complexion, hair,
and eyes. He had come to Florida for health and sport,
and also to make collections in natural history. "What fish
are these.-*" be inquired of our host.

"That is Channel Bass you have on your plate. The
judge, here, caught it yesterday, a fine, fat fish."
Judge: "Let me recommend a squeeze of this lemon on

the fish, doctor; the fish and the sauce are both natives."
Professor: "An improvement, certainly. How large was
this fish?"
Host: "Twenty-five pounds, or so."
Professor: "Did you catch it with the rod I saw on the
piazza, judge.''"
"The same."
Professor: "Well, I want to try this fishing that I hear so
much about, but I fear that my tackle will not answer; my
rod never killed a fish over two pounds."
Host: "Perhaps you had better begin with a hand-line; I
can fit you out."

Professor: "All right, I will do so. Do these oysters

grow in this river.-"'
Host: "Yes, sir; we get them close by the house; but
better ones grow in the other river."
Professor: "What river is that.^"
Host: "The Hillsboro' across the Inlet, about two miles

south of here."
Judge: "Mr. Pacetti, as our friend here would like to go
out to-day, perhaps he had better go with us, and the major
can go in another boat with one of your sons."
Host: "Yes, that will do. Burt has another boat. I
want to take you toward the Inlet to-day; we will fish on

this shore till the tide slacks, and then cross to the mouth of
the big creek, where there is a plenty of good fish."
Professor: "What kind of fish.?"
Host: "Sheep's-head, Grouper, Snapper and Bass, per-

haps."
Burt: "Sharks, too, father, and Stingarees."
Host: "No doubt; but these gentlemen from the North all
want big you know."

fish,
Major: "Me
too; I want to catch a Shark."
Host: "Perhaps the Shark may catch you."
Major: "All right; I hear a great deal abeut Sharks, and I
want to see one."

So, as arranged, we went down the river against the tide
in two boats. Two
hundred yards below the house we
anchored near the bank in some fifteen feet of water; the
bank was about ten feet high, and covered with live oaks and
palmettos. One big tree was lying in the water, and near this
we anchored. We had a few fiddlers for bait, this being a
Sheep's-head ground. The professor's hooks were first
baited by P., who threw them into the channel.
"Draw your line taut after the lead touches bottom, and
watch for a nibble," said he.
I cast thirty feet astern. The tide was strong and took
21
my bait some distance before it reached the bottom. As

I raised my sinker, I felt a nibble, and hooked the fish, which
was a good one, and made several short runs and surges
before I got him near the boat, then he went for the bottom
so strongly that six inches of my rod tip went under. When
I got him alongside so that the net was put under him, he
was found to be a four-pounder in good condition.

As P. unhooked the Sheep's-head, he said: "I reckon,
professor, they have got your bait." And so it proved.
"Why, I felt nothing," said he.
"The fish in this channel are well posted," said P.; "they
know how to steal bait."
Again and again the professor put out his line, and again
his bait was taken. In the meantime I boated another of
three pounds, and lost another by the breaking of a hook.
Presently the professor managed to save a two-pound
Sheep's-head, and then another. We got ten here, when our
bait gave out and we went down the river. A hundred yards
below where we fished, the high bank drops to a low sandy
flat, which extends south half a mile to the Inlet; this flat
shore extends a quarter of a mile east, to the ocean. We

left this shore and struck across the river west through a mile
of shallows and sand-bars, with narrow channels between

them. On these sand-banks were flocks of wading birds,
willets, plover, yellow-legs, oyster-catchers, and gulls, and
on the bank of the Inlet sat a great flock of brown pelicans,
apparently asleep, their great bills and pouches resting on
the sand.
come here with my gun," said the professor; "I
"I must
want some of those birds for our museum."
The other boat was following us, and hailed: "How many
fish, judge.!*"
"About a dozen and youi*"

"Only three Sheep's-head."
As we approached the west shore, we found it to be a low
region, with many creeks and islands, some of them wooded

with pines and palmettos others low, and covered with
mangroves. A perfect solitude prevailed everywhere. We
headed for the largest creek, which was about a hundred
yards wide at the mouth, part very shallow, with a deep
channel on the south side, in which we anchored near the
mouth of the creek.
"I will go ashore and get some fiddlers." said the skipper.
We both landed with him, and passing through a belt of
mangroves we came to a low sandy flat thinly covered with
marsh grass, where hundreds of these little crabs which go
by the name of fiddlers, called by the learned, Gelasimus
pugilator, were running to and fro. They scampered for
their holes as we approached, but we soon picked up a quart
or two of them, not without some pinches from the big claw
which they brandished at us. Then we returned to the boat
and began to fish for Sheep's-head. We found that here they
were larger and bit more eagerly than at the other bank
probably because they were not much fished for here. The
fun was fast and furious for half an hour, in which time we
had taken twenty, averaging four pounds; then at slack
water, they stopped biting. The other boat was near us,
and had good sport also.
"Try a Mullet bait, judge," said the skipper; "you might
get a Grouper."
I baited with Mullet, and cast up the channel as far as
possible, and near the bank. Then the professor put on a
pair of small hooks with Mullet bait to try for some small
fish. Soon he had specimens of "Sailor's choice," Whiting,
Black-fish, Pig-fish, and a young Blue-fish, about six inches
long. "These I want for specimens for my museum," said
he, "and here is another odd fish"
as he pulled up a vicious-
looking creature.
"That is a Toad-fish," said the skipper; "look out for his
teeth!" My bait had been out ten minutes or so, when I
had a vigorous snatch at it, and hooked a stout and active

fish, which made for its hole. By main strength I got it
into open water, and after five minutes play, I had it along-
side, when P. put the landing-net under it a four-pound
Mangrove-snapper.
"I want the scientific name of this fish, if you can give it
to me, professor," said I.
"When we get home I will examine it with the help of

Jordan's book."
"Oh! He has just
professor, do you see that fish-hawk?
caught a Mullet; now
an eagle on the dead pine on
there is
yonder island that's watching the liawk, and you will see the
rascal rob the poor hawk directly."
The osprey caught his fish, and was frying away with it,
when the eagle sailed from his perch in pursuit. When the
osprey found itself overtaken, it uttered a scream and dropped
the and the eagle stooped and caught it before it struck

fish,
the water. The osprey went off to look for another Mullet.
"There," said the professor, "is what the books have been
telling us from the time of Doctor Franklin, but eagles are
scarce at the north and we seldom see that robbery; here it
can be seen every day."
"Do the eagles themselves ever dive foriish.?"
P.: "Not often; they make the fish-hawks do that work;
though when I catch Mullet in the fall for salting, and have
a big pile of them on the beach, the eagles will come and
steal them."
Judge: "How did this eagle get its common name of bald
eagle.? its head is as well covered as yours, professor, though
much whiter."
Professor: "I suppose that some early observer seeing the
white head from afar, took it and so reported
for a bald head,
it. An error, once started, has great vitality, and the news-
paper writers, many of whom perhaps never saw an eagle,

kept on calling it bald. Naturalists however, have named it
properly, calling this species the white-headed eagle

"
Halictiis leiicocepJialiis.
Judge: "The fish have stopped biting, Pacetti."
P.: "Some Shark or other big fish around the boat, I
reckon."
Professor: "My hook seems to be fastened to the bottom;
please try to loose it for me."
P.: "You are fast to a big fish; I can't move it. Now it
starts it's powerful strong. I know what it is a Nurse-

Shark," and with much difficulty he began to drag it up. It
was a heavy pull of a dead weight, but he got it up so that

with a gaff hook it was got alongside. A thick-set, light
brown fish, about seven feet long and a foot through, came
slowly up. It resembled a Shark in outline but did not fight
like a Shark.
"I will have to cut off the hook; it's too far inside to med-
dle with," said Pacetti, "the teeth are small, but it could
cut my hand off."
Professor: "I would like to save that fish, and take his
skin home with me."
P. "Then I will kill it, and we will leave it here on the
:
bank till we go home."

So we hauled it ashore and killed it by blows on the head
with a club.
"Now we had better take lunch," said P., "it's nearly
noon. Ham, bread and and oranges; take hold,
butter, pie,
judge. Here is something I want you to try, gentlemen
Mullet roe, smoked; I put it up every year for my own
use."
Judge: "And a very good relish it is the Mullet must be
larger than those you catch for bait."
P. :"In the fall we get them to weigh three or four pounds."
While we lunched, my line had been in the water, and
now I saw it moving; before I could get hold of the rod, the
fish, probably a Grouper, had reached its stronghold under
21
the snags, and as I could not get it out, I was obliged to

break my line, losing hook and sinker. I put on another
hook, and put the bait near the same place, and in a few
minutes I hooked another Grouper of over four pounds, which
with some difficulty I boated. The tide having now turned,
we dropped down with it, and crossed the sand ffats, then
anchored near the channel which led to the Inlet.
"What sail boat is that coming across the Inlet.'"
"One of the Smyrna boats bound up to Daytona," said P.
We were anchored in about six feet of water and cast our
baits into the channel. Soon I had a strike, and the line
ran out thirty yards, and a good-sized Bass showed himself on
the surface. As I was playing it, suddenly the pull became
very heavy, and a big surge appeared on the water. "A Shark
has got your Bass," cried Pacetti, and my line came in with
half of agood sized Bass on the hook. "Bit it off, as if cut
with an ax," said P. "now I will have satisfaction out of that
Shark," and he took a heavy line with a big hook and chain,
from a locker, and baited with the head and shoulders of the
Bass, which he cast out in the channel. There was a bare
sand-bank near by, and there we landed and drove a stout
stake into the sand, and made the line fast to it. In about
ten minutes P. began to haul in the line; as^he bait came in
sight we saw a large Shark following it, and when it came
within ten feet of the bank, it was seized and taken away.
Then P. gave a smart pull. "He is hooked! lay hold, boys
and rouse him out on the bank." Easier said than done,
for the Shark, turning, dragged the three of us to the water's
edge, and we had to trust to the stake, which, however, held,
and after some heavy drags at it, we again laid hold and
succeeded in hauling the Shark ashore. "Look out for his
tail," said Pacetti, as he pounded the head of the fish.
It was eight or nine feet long, and showed a fearful set of
teeth.
"Can I take this one too.-*" asked the professor.
P.: "lean catch one for you at the landing, most anytime,
and save the trouble of carrying it home."
"All right."
Judge: "I noticed when that Shark followed the bait,
that he took hold like any other fish. Now I often read
about a Shark being obliged to turn over on his back before
he can take hold. How is that, Pacetti.^"
P.: "Well, as far as I know, they take hold like other fish,
and I have caught hundreds of them."

Judge: "Probably this is another of those popular errors,
copied by one ignorant writer from another of the same kind,
like the bald-eagle business, professor."
Professor: "I am glad to have seen, myself, how a Shark
takes a bait."
We fished again in the channel, and got, in the course of
half an hour, four Bass, weighing eight, six, five, and five
pounds, and then left for home. As we went up the river,

P., whose eyes were good, espied a rattlesnake swimming
across to the peninsula, and started to cut it off. The snake
swam strongly, wdth head well out of water, and when it
found its retreat cut off, it turned and made for the boat.
"M'hy," said the professor, "it is coming on board, I believe."
As it came near, looking warlike and formidable, P. caught
it a heavy blow with the oar, which disabled it, and it sank.
"I never let one pass," said he; "they have killed too many
of my dogs."
"I did not know that a rattlesnake could swim across a
wide river like this," said the professor.
P.: "Oh yes, they do it; they used to be very plenty in
this country, but it is settling up too fast now forthem to

increase much. Last summer a big one, seven feet long, was
killed in my door-yard by a gopher-snake."
Judge: "What kind of a snake is that.'"
P.: "It's a big black snake, seven or eight feet long, that
makes war on rattlesnakes and moccasins kills them every
time, and eats them but he always bites off the head where
the 'pizen' is; he never eats that. A rattlesnake is mighty
afraid of a gopher-snake, so I use to encourage them to stay
about my place; and they are great rat-killers too. But
after a while they got to eating up our chickens, so I had to
drive
them away but I never kill one."
The steamer that plies between the two rivers now came
in sight, bringing passengers from Daytona and Ormond.
She stopped at the lignt-house wharf, just below our house,
to land passengers.
"There's more fishermen for our place," said P. "Daytona ;
men, I reckon. Well, we have got fish enough to feed them,

anyway."
SALT-WATER TROUT OR SOUTHERN WEAK-FISH CYNOSCION

CAROLINENSIS (GILL).
This species is allied to the Weak-fish or Squeteague of

the northern coast, handsomer and better fish.
but is a
Color, silvery sides, darker above, with rows of black spots
above the lateral line. Body silvery. Head small, mouth
large, and well supplied with sharp teeth; in form and color
much resembling the Lake-trout of Northern New York, but
wanting the adipose fin. Predacious in habifs, takes Mullet-
bait eagerly, fights hard on the hook, and gives good sport
with rod and reel, though rather less enduring than the Red
Bass. This fish does not well bear keeping, but eaten fresh
from the water is sweet and well-flavored. It is largest and
most abundant in warm weather, when it may be heard on a

still night snapping along the shore in pursuit of small fish.
I have taken them from two pounds to six in weight, at

Halifax Inlet, in winter. Very large specimens are taken in
Musquito Lagoon, south of New Smyrna, weighing, it is said,
as much as twenty pounds.
It takes bait on the bottom, at mid-water, and on the sur-
face, and I have killed them in fresh water, while trolling

for Black Bass in Spruce Brook, a tributary of the Halifax.

These were of small size, about two pounds, and were taken
with a spoon; and it is said that they can be taken with a
fly. It is a roving fish, and is taken on the same grounds as
the Bass, preferring, however, tide- ways and rapid currents;

the same tackle will serve that is made for Bass. In the
Halifax River it is not abundant. One seldom takes more
than four or five in a day's fishing. On the Gulf coast it
would seem to be plenty, as "Al Fresco" writes of taking 383

pounds of them in one forenoon. Cut-Mullet is the usual bait,
though no doubt live minnows would prove more attract-
ive probably also to Sharks, which abound in these waters,
and take away the angler's tackle, and his fish also. One
great pleasure in angling in these waters is the variety of
fishes encountered; you never can tell whether your next fish
will weigh one pound or twenty.
JORDAN AND CILBERT's DESCRIPTION.

Spotted Sea TROUT.
Cxnoscion maculatum (IMitcliell, Gill).
Bright silvery, darker above; back posteriorly with numerous
round black spots as large as the pupil; l>oth dorsal and caudal
fins marked with similar somewhat smaller spots, much as in
a Trout and dusk}' maxillary reaching to posterior edge of
eye; canines moderate. Longest dorsal spine not quite half
the length of the head; pectorals short, not/ reaching tips of
ventrals, not half length of head; caudal lunate. Head 3^4,
depth 5, eye large, about six-inch liead. D. X. I., 25; A,
I, 10; Lat. I, about 90. Virginia to Mexico, very abundant
southward."
THE CAVALLI OR CREVALLE CARANX HIPPUS (GUNTHER).

I am unable to decide to which of the species of Caranx
that frequent our Southern coast the Cavalli belongs, but
probably it is C. Jiippiis. It is a fish which affords good
sport to the angler, but is of only moderate quality on the
table, the flesh being somewhat oily, with black streaks,
like that of the Mackerel.
In form the Cavalli is deep and compressed, with a long
MîW' '^S.!^!
double dorsal fin extending to the tail, which is deeply forked.

The colors change rapidly after the fish is taken from the
water, green, yellow, and silvery, predominating. Eyes large,
mouth ditto, with sharp conical teeth. Grows to the weight
of twelve or fifteen pounds, averaging perhaps three in the
spring run. It is very strong and active, fighting to the last
on the hook, and dying as soon as taken. Very voracious,

taking all sorts of bait, on the bottom, at midwater, or on
the surface
cut-Mullet being commonly used. I have taken
it with a trolling spoon, and others have taken it with a fly.
A Cavalli of four or five pounds must be carefully handled
on a rod, as its movements are rapid and unexpected leap-
ing out of the water, running under the boat, and conduct-
ing itself in the gamest fashion, so that many escape.
The Cavalli usually appears at Mosquito Inlet in April, or
earlier if warm, in large schools, and is discov-
the water is
ered by the commotion which it causes among the small fry,

especially Mullet, which it hunts and devours incessantly,
often driving them on shore. In the Indian River it is found
all winter. Spawns in May, in the ocean.
Says Professor Goode: "The name of this fish is usually
written and printed, 'Crevalli, but the form in common use
'
among the fishermen of the south, 'Cavally,^ is nearer to the

Spanish and Portuguese names, Caballa and Cavalla, mean-
ing 'horse.' It should be remembered that in South Caro-
lina the name Crevalli is most generally applied to quite
another fish the Pompano."

Crevalli, Horse Crevalli
Car anx hippos {<^x\ni\\^x^. Oliva-
ceous above; sides and below, silvery golden; a distinct
black blotch on opercle, and one on lower rays of pectorals,
the latter sometimes wanting; axil of pectoral dusky; anterior
edge of dorsals black; upper edge of caudal peduncle dusky.
Body oblong, the anterior profile very strongly arched. Head
large and deep. Mouth large, low, and nearly horizontal
below axis of body; lower jaw included maxillary extending
to nearly opposite posterior border of eye. Teeth in upper

jaw in a broad villiform band; an outer series of large, wide-set
conical teeth. I'eeth of lower jaw in one row, a distinct canine
on each side of symphysis; villiform teeth on vomer; pala-
tines and tongue. Lateral line with a wide arch, its length
three-fourths that of straigtit part; plates not covering all of
straight part. Dorsal spines short, rather stout procumbent ;
spine obsolete. Gill-rakers stout, not very long, 15 below

angle. Occipital keel sharp. Eye not very large, longer
than snout; 4 in. head.
THE LADY-FISH OR BONE FISH ALBULA VULPES (GOODE),

ALBULA CONORYHNCHUS (GUNTHER).
Pectoral falcate, longer than head. Breast naked, with a
small patch of scales in front of ventrals only. Caudal lobes
equal. Head 3.\; depth 2},; Lat. I. (scutes) about 30. D.
VIII I, 20; A. II I, 17. **Cape Cod to West Indies,
common southward."
But a single species known, according to Jordan and Gil-
bert, and found in all warm seas, and very extensively dis-
tributed
in the West Indies, the coasts of North and South
America, the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea, and on the coast
of Japan, according to Professor Goode.
In the Bermudas it is considered good eating, but on the
Florida coast it seems to be a mass of bones and fat. To
the angler, however, the Ladyfish affords more sport than
any other species on the southern coast.
No sooner is it hooked, than it begins to throw itself from
the water in successive and lofty leaps, then darting round
and round the boat, under it and over it, till exhausted, or
until it escapes by casting out the hook, or cutting the line
with its sharp labials. The mouth being hook
tender, the
does not take a firm hold, and one-half of the number hooked
usually escape. I know of no fish which equals it in activity;
even the Grilse, or the Land-locked Salmon make fewer
leaps and are less active in play. Like the Cavalli, it makes
its appearance with the first warm weather, in schools, feed-
2a
ing both at the bottom and on the surface and readily takes
fly or spoon. preys voraciously on Mullet, Menhaden and
It
other small fishes, often driving them on shore. It is a
slender and handsomely formed fish, built for speed, with a

high dorsal fin, and deeply forked tail. Weight from two to
four pounds, but pulls like a six-pounder.
Description of Lady-fish
Albnla Vulpes (Goode), [from a
freshly-caught specimen.] Body slender and cylindrical.
Head one-fifththe whole length. Eyes very large, fins yel-
low. Mouth teeth small; labials long and large, with
large,
fine teeth on edges. Scales small. Fins all soft-rayed, dorsal
high, in middle of back; i8 pectoral i6; anal lo; tail deeply
;
forked. Color of head greenish, back dark blue, sides and

belly silvery. Length one to three feet.
FLY-FISHING IN SALT-WATER.
" The pleasant'st angling is to see the fish
Cut with their golden oars the silver stream,
And greedily devour the treacherous bait."
Shakespeare.
Which seems to mean fly-fishing, and as the poet lived
near the "Soft-flowing Avon," he probably was an angler.
In fact there are many passages in his plays to show his
familiarity with the art.
But to return to Mosquito Inlet. As the season advanced
the weather grew warmer, and some of the southern fishes
were seen feeding upon the Mullet. The'Cavalli and Lady-
fish, and near the Inlet, the Tarpum showed his vast and
brilliant form on the surface, leaping and rolling in the tide-

ways.
So one morning the major and I, with our host, started to
look after these new-comers. We dropped down with the
tide, then about three-quarters ebb, and crossed the river to
the mouth of a large creek about half a mile from the house.
In the middle, the water was shallow, but on the north side
the channel was eight or ten feet deep and ran strongly, near
the bank. Having procured a dozen Mullets with the cast-
net, we anchored in mid-channel, the tide beginning to set
up the creek. had hrought with me a twelve-ounce fly-

I
rod, made by Scribner, of St. John, with

of greenheart
which I had killed many heavy Trout in New Brunswick. It
was a spliced rod about eleven feet long, and carried a click
reel with fifty yards of silk line, a six-foot leader, and a large
red-and-white Bass-fly. The major was using one of my chum
rods, and dropped his hook over the stern. P. sent his big
hook and half a Mullet well out into the stream, and I cast
about thirty feet astern, sinking the fly six inches in the
water, and then drawing it up
this for some time without
result. Now the major hooks what he supposes to be a Bass,

but proves to be one of those active sea Cat-fishes, some-
it
times called from its high dorsal fin, "The Gaff-topsail"

a clean-built, handsome fish, blue and white in color, and
fighting long and hard on the hook. Like all the Cats, it is
covered with a nasty slime, which adheres to hands and

tackle; and it is also armed with sharp and poisonous serrated
bones in the pectoral fins, which inflict painful wounds on
the incautious.
"When these Cats appear, it is a sign of warm weather,"
said P.. as he unhooked the fish; then he slashed it open with
his knife, bringing out a bunch of eggs, in form and color
like golden grapes; "I always kill them, so that they can't
bite again," said he.
Judge: "Is it good eating.^*"
"Well, we don't eat them, we have so many better fish;

out the meat looks white and nice enough."
Presently I have a rise, and hook a Salt-water Trout of
three pounds, which gave very good play for five minutes,
bending my pliant rod till P. declared it must break; but the
fish was brought safely to the net. At the next cast I got a
four-pounder; while playing it, the major was engaged in
combat with a good Bass, which he boated a six-pounder.
"That's the kind I want; no more Cat-fish for me," said he.
My fish was saved also.
The tide was now in full flow, and with it came a school
of Cavalli, snapping and leaping after a school of Menhaden.
P. hooked one of about three pounds, and hauled it in
quickly, after the manner of hand-line fishermen.
"That's the first Cavalli I have caught this year, judge;
there's plenty more; you've got one."
And so I had; it sprang up into the
air, ran out twenty
yards of line, round the boat, and cut up many

circled
capers for a few minutes, but when boated was dead. We
got three more of about the same size, and the major lost
one, before the school went by. We could see them for a
long distance, chasing the Menhaden, and driving them
ashore, where they were picked up by a flock of gulls, ospreys
and pelicans. Next came along a school of Lady-fish, also
hunting the poor Menhaden and Mullets. The first that
took my fly came out of the water four feet, and three times
at that; then darted under the boat, and up in the air again,
shaking out the hook. Both P. and the major were engaged
in like manner with two silvery harlequins, which seemed to
stay in the air half the time. As long as the school of fish
remained near us, we had fine sport and got five or six of
them, averaging two pounds in weight but they soon went ;
off up the creek in pursuit of their prey. ,
P. : "What do you think of Lady-fish, major.-"'

"I should call them flying-fish, myself."
Judge: "It is the greatest jumper I ever saw, and I have

caught some pretty active fish in my time; how is it for eat-
ing, Pacetti.?"
"Not good for much mostly bones."
Here he found himself fast to a big Sting-ray, from which
he cut his line loose; and next the major struck a large Bass,
which proved too much for him, and broke away after a few
minutes.
"I saw him, judge," said he; "he was a big one."
P.: "The one that gets away is always the big one.'
\l
Major: "To be sure it is; the little ones can't break the
line."
I now had a twitch at my fly, under water, and struck
something heavy, and gave it thirty yards of line before it

stopped then it returned toward the boat, showing itself
on the surface. So we had it, back and forth, for about ten
minutes, giving and taking line, till the Bass showed his red
sides on the water, and it was reeled in within reach of the
gaff a ten-pounder.
"Pretty well, that, for a fly-rod; I never did think it could
be done," said Pacetti. "Hullo! there's a turtle," and he
made a dash over the side of the boat with the landing-net,
and secured a small green turtle of about six pounds weight.
"That will make a nice stew; we haven't had one since you
came, judge." My next fish was a Sea-Cat, which made a
sturdy fight, worthy of a Bass or a Trout. Then the major
got a Salt-water Trout of three pounds.
"What kind of a fish is this," said P. as he tugged labori-
ously at his line, when presently appeared a formidable
weapon like a saw, two feet long, striking right and left.
"This is the worst fish of all to handle; I do despise a Saw-
fish," said he, and he cut the line, and the huge fish, some
six or seven feet long, swam away. "Tliey are worse than
Sharks or Stingarees, and ruin my nets."
Judge: "Did you ever get struck by one.''"
"I have had them hit my boat, and cut big splinters out of
it. You see they lie on the bottom, in shoal water, and the
boat is apt to run on them; if you do, then look out for that
saw."
Major: "Could a Saw-fish kill a Shark.?"
"I don't know as to that, but I know that Sharks often
eat Saw-fish. We find the small saws on the beach, when
the balance of the fish has been eaten up by something no
doubt Sharks and a piece of Saw-fish is a good bait for a
Shark."
We got another Bass, and then took hinch, after which

P. raised the anchor, and we went up the creek with the tide.
"I will go home," said he, "by the inside passage, so we
willhave the tide with us." A few hundred yards, and we
came to a creek running north and south which intersected
the one we were in. At the point of junction the water
flowed very deep around a high bank, with some large tree-
tops above the surface.
"Now, here is a deep hole where the biggest fish live
Groupers and Snappers and Bass," said P. "I often lose

hooks and lines here shall we try them.'"
We anchored, and the major and P. both dropped their
baits into the hole; while I made a cast into mid-stream,
where the tide ran quickly over an oyster-bed.
"Hold him fast!" shouted P., as the ma^jor's line ran off
"I can't hold him there
he has got me fast to the bot-
tom."
Judge: "Let the hook lie for a while; perhaps the fish will
loose it."
Now P. had a heavy bite, and by main force he hauled

out a Grouper of some five or six pounds.
"This is the kind of line for Groupers; yours is too light,
major." And some timd" the major was
after waiting for
obliged to break his line, the hook being in some hole in the
rocky bottom. Presently P. hooked another and larger fish,
too heavy for even his line, for it parted at the hook.
"I reckon they have got the best of us, major; we might as
well quit." That must have been a Jew-fish that I got hold
of; have caught a twenty-pound Grouper with this line."
I
Just then I hooked a two-pound Trout on my fly; and after

boating it, we left the deep hole, and went northward with
the tide through many winding ways, among islands so intri-
cate, that without a good pilot, one would soon be lost
This we had, for P. traced his devious course without hesi-
tation.
Major: "These creeks and islands all look alike; how do

you find your way?"
"Well, I've been doing it this thirty years, day and night,
and ought to know the road by this time."
Judge: "Are we near that Rock House that you told me
about.?"
P.: and I will stop there if you like."
"It's not far,
After several more turns, we came to a shell-bank landing,
with a high hamak covered with live oaks and cabbage palms.
A hundred feet from the creek stood a house or the four
walls of one, for roof and doors were gone
the walls were of
coquina rock, some fifteen feet high, and about twenty by
thirty feet on the ground. On one side it was shaded by a
huge live oak, and on the other grew a large fig tree.

Judge: "So, this is the Rock House who built it, and
when.'"
P.: "That is more than
know. IOld people who lived
here forty years ago it was here when
said that they were
born. Captain Dummitt, who came to this country from
the West Indies fifty years ago, and who lived hereabouts
many years, used to say that the house was built by some of
Turnbull's colony, and there was formerly quite a large
plantation here. This big tree is one of the Turnbull
people's trees. Anyway, the house was built by a Catholic,
for you can sec the recess in the wall, where the crucifix
stood."
"And has no one lived in it all this time.'"
"Oh, yes, a number of families have tried to live here.
One or two repaired the house, and put furniture in it, but
they could not stay. I don't know why. There's many
queer stories about the house. There was a young fellow
here, from Chicago, or somewhere out
just after the war,
West, who used to hunt and fish about here. Well, one night,
he got caught in a storm in these creeks, and went to the

house for shelter but he soon took to the woods and lay
out all night. I was in Smyrna the next day when he came
in and badly scared he looked. He wouldn't say what
scared him, but he said he would not go to that house again,
for all Florida."
Judge: "You mean to say that the house is haunted.'"
"So some people say. I don't, for I never saw anything
strange, myself."
"Who owns the place, now.'"
"There's two or three men claim it. One man from the

West St. Louis, I think was here two
years ago, and got
me to bring him to see it. He said that he bought it with
about 200 acres of land, of some person in New York, for a
trifle, but he thought it might be valuable some day; the
land is very good."

Judge: "And it is a fine situation for a house, with deep
water in front, and a fine landing place."
P.: "Yes, the man that picked it out knew what he was
doing. and the old Kings road from St. Augustine to Smyrna
runs throuirh the hamak."
Judge: "Now, major, here is a chance for you if you want
to sleep in the haunted house.'"
Major: "Much obliged, but I have no curiosity, and prefer
'
Mrs. P. 's good beds."
Judge: "How is it that the Indians did not destroy this
house, when they ravaged all this country, and burned up
everything.'"
P. : "That I don't understand; there was nothing to hinder;
and they ruined every building on this coast except this one,
and this they did not touch. Well, gentlemen, if you have
seen all you want, we will be going."
The route homeward was through the same wilderness of
islands and marshes, with no trace of mankind. Many birds
were flying about, or perched among the mangroves -egrets,
white herons, blue herons, pelicans, ospreys while along the
shores great numbers of the noisy clapper-rail ran in and out
SEA-BASS AND OTHER FISHES. 34l
among the bushes and coots and shelldrakes sported in the

water. In these soHtudes the birds remained safe from the
murderous cockney gunner from the North, who is always
wanting to kill something, and has driven away from the great
frequented routes of travel much of the bird-life formerly
so abundant.
SURF-FISHING FOR RED BASS.
"Off where the slender light-house lifts
Like sheeted ghost, above the surge,

Casting its warning flames at night
Far dim horizon's verge;

to the
There anchored, when the tides are low.
And first the young flood bubbling flows.
The fisher far the spinning line
Deep down with trustful ardor throws."
McLellan, ''
Poems of Rod and Gun.''''
February twenty-fifth, the weather being warm, and the tide

serving this morning, we went down the river for a few hours
fishing in the surf. Leaving our boat where the high bank
joined the beach, we crossed a wide expanse of sand, bounded
on the north by dunes fifteen or twenty feet high, on the
south by the Inlet, and on the east by the ocean beach, level,
solid, and about lOO yards wide at low water. Above this
gently-sloping beach the sandy flat was nearly a quarter of a
mile wide, scattered with sea shells of various kinds, cast

up by the waves clams, mussels, conchs, scallops, with egg-
cases of Sharks, and other sea-fruit; a fleet of the Portu-
guese man of war, Physalia, stranded on the beach and
drying in the sun. Here and there, the burrow of a sand
crab, its owner peeping out; vestiges of wrecks, in the shape
of water-worn spars and broken planks; sea-beans which
have floated from West India shores, and occasionally the
delicate shell of the paper nautilus, or Argonaut usually
more or less damaged. One of these shells was once found
here containing its living inhabitant, which is very rare, as
34^ AMERICAN GAME FISHES.
the creature is not attached to the chell, but uses it as a sort

of nest, for incubating the eggs, as we learn from late observ-
ers. Closet naturalists declare that the old account, given
by poets and others, as to the sailing habits of the nautilus,
is a fable, but the present writer, having repeatedly seen,
on the calm surface of tropical seas this navigation in prog-
ress, believes they were correct, and man might
"Learn of the little nautilus to sail."
We put up many sea birds from their nests, slight depres-

sions in the sand, the eggs so concealed by their color as to
be almost invisible. There were gulls, terns, shearwaters,
petrels, and the like. In front was the ocean deeply and
beautifully blue, with a line of breakers outside the long nar-
row slough or gully which lay just outside low water-mark.
It was in this slough that we were to fish, and our guide
looked carefully along for the Bass. Presently he said he

could see them, and wading in till the water reached his
waist he swung the baited hook and the lead around his head,
and cast it away into the surf. The major followed with a
hand-line, and I having also waded into the slough cast from
the reel as far as possible the water I found to be pleas-
antly warm; the sun was hot and the wind southerly. It
was young flood, and the tide rolled the baited line ashore,
making frequent casts necessary. Our guide, whose casts
were longer than ours, got the first Bass a six-pounder
then another before we either of us had a strike. "We must
make longer casts, major; as far as the line of surf." This
being done, both of us soon had a fish hooked and in full
play. I found that the Bass here in open water make a
longer and fiercer struggle than those in the river, but assisted
by the incoming waves, we were able to handle them.
There was quite a large school in the slough, and we got
seven of them, from four to six poimds in weight.
"There," said P., "I think we have as many as we want to
tote across the beach."
SEA -BASS AND OTHER FISHES. 343
I was playing a good Bass and had got it nearly

at the time,
to the shore, when a six-foot Shark followed and seized it.
I pulled and the Shark pulled, thus bringing itself further in,
when a big wave caught it, and rolled it ashore almost high
and dry. P. and the major each seized a club from the drift-
wood and beat the Shark over the head; in spite of its furi-
ous struggles and vicious blows with the tail, they killed it
but my Bass was cut in two.
A few hundred yards from where we were fishing was the
wreck of a steamer half-buried in the sand at low water-
mark, the stump of a mast and part of her smoke-stack above
the waves. To the wreck we went, and climbed on board.
Her hold was full of water, washing in and out, and we could
see large fish swimming about inside.
Judge: "This looks like an old wreck; when did she come
ashore.'"
P. : "I think it was just after the surrender. She brought
down a load of nigger soldiers to settle at the. Inlet. They
built some houses and a steam saw-mill, about a mile above
my house."
Judge: "The same old mill that we see there now in ruins.''"
P. "Yes; the boiler bursted and killed two or three of the

people, and the colony soon broke up, after the Yankee
colonel that brought them here went away. Come, major,
we had better shoulder our fish, and start for the boat."
AU SABLE CHASM. RLNNING THE RAPIDS.
344
THE AMERICAN GRAYLING.
BY F. H. THURSTON ("kELPIE").
"Thegraylynge, by a nother name callyd ombre, is a delycyous fyffhe to manys

mouthe. And ye maye take hym lyke as ye doo the troughte * * * And yf ye
fe ony tyme of the daye the troughte or graylynge lepe, angle to hym wyth a dubbe*
acordynge to the fame moneth." Dame Juliana Bermrs.
peculiar history of "The rise and of the Gray-

THE veryling," as it has not inaptly been termed by Mr,
fall
W. David
Tomlin, has already been written by so many famous ang-
lers and facile pens, that it seems to me almost a work of super-
erogation to attempt a new one in my own words.
For much and historical portions of this
of the technical
paper, I have freely drawn upon the writings of others sci-
entists and anglers. Where practicable, I have given the
proper credit, but I may here say that I am largely indebted
to theworks of Professor G. Brown Goode, to the "Forest
and Stream," and to the "American Angler."
The following technical description is taken from Goode's
"American Fishes."
"Two species of the genus Thymalhis occur in North
America, one, the Arctic Grayling, T. signifer, the other the
Michigan Grayling, T. tricolor, the diagnostic characters of
which are thus defined by Bean:
SPECIES OF GRAYLING.
A. Gill-rakers 22, pyloric cceca ig, maxilla one-third head;

mandible equal to anal base; eye nearl}' equal to interorbital
* Fly 345
space; dorsal when laid back not reaching adipose fin. t.

TRICOLOR.
Aa. Gill-rakers i8; pyloric coeca i8; 3-10 head; mandible
much shorter than anal base; eye much less than interorbital
space; dorsal when laid back reaching end of adipose fin. t.
SIGNIFER.
To the anglers and ichthyologists of the United States

the Grayling is comparatively a new fish. The Arctic spe-
cies was described in 18 19, by Sir John Richardson, of the
Franklin expedition, and called Thynialliis signifer (stand-
ard-bearer); TJiymallus having reference to the odor resem-
bling that of thyme or cucumbers, which causes it in England
to be known as "the flower of fishes"; but which appears to
be peculiar to the Grayling of Europe.
The Esquimaux of the Mackenzie River give this fish the
name of Hewluk-powak, or tJic fish zvitJi the iving-likc fin.
The Grayling is of the family Salmonidse, and is distinguished
from the Trout by its smaller mouth and teeth, and by the
greater size of the dorsal fin. The scales are also much
larger.
This fish is more elegantly formed than the Trout; it is of
a beautiful silvery gray, the fins olive brown, the pectorals

shading into blue near the ends. Its magnificent dorsal is
dotted with purple or reddish spots, surrounded in life by

greenish tints, and is about one-fourth the length of the fish.
with a gracefully curving outline to a height of two
It rises
or more inches in a Grayling weighing a pound, and its

apparent use is to enable the fish to rise and descend rapidly.
In Michigan waters the weight of the fish seldom exceeds
a pound and a half, and they are not often taken above fifteen
inches in length.
The Jordan, the Boyne and the Boardman were once noted
as Grayling streams, but, as far as can be learned, the Trout
were then new-comers, having as is believed migrated within
forty years from the streams of the upper peninsula, where
THE AMERICAN GRAYLING.
347
23
they have always been numerous, to those of the lower,

where they are said to have been previously unknown.
I first saw the Grayling caught near the mouth of the
Cedar, in the Intermediate River, where now stands the

village of Bellaire.
Ten years ago they were fairly numerous in Cedar River,
but none of the streams I have mentioned now contains more
than an occasional Grayling.
It is Fred Mather hatched the first Grayling,
said that Mr.
in many attempts have been made
1874; and since that time
to propagate this fish, notably those of the Michigan Fish
Commission, which, I regret to say, have proved a failure. I
cannot learn that others have been more successful. In

many countries of Europe, the Trout and Grayling are found
side by side, and the same is true in the streams forming
the head-waters of the Missouri. In Michigan, however, it
has been observed that wherever the Trout have found their
way into a Grayling stream there has ensued a serious dimi-
nution in the numbers of the latter fish. The favorite theory
has been that the Trout devour the spawn and the young of
the Grayling; but some accurate observers hold to the opin-
ion that the latter, being in its habits a local fish, and not
aîven to migration, like the Trout, has sijnply been "caught
Dut" by anglers. In the words of Mr. J. B. Battelle, "it is
the fishermen and not the fish, who are respon.iible for the
disappearance of the Grayling."
Wright L. Coffinberry, a surveyor in
In 1854 or 1855, Mr.
the employ of the General Government, found Grayling
abundant in the Muskegon and neighboring streams, and
called the attention of Michigan scientists to the fact. It is
numerous that they were

said that the fish were at that time so
taken in wagon loads by the settlers, and salted as provisions.
rhey were locally known as "Michigan Trout." Soon after,
Dr. Parker, of Grand Rapids, succeeded in procuring an
imperfectly preserved specimen, and pronounced it a true
THE AMERICAN GRAYLING. 349
Thymallus, a decision confirmed in 1865 by Professor Cope,

and later by Agassiz, to whom specimens had been sent by
Mr. Charles Hallock.
Slowly the Grayling worked its way to public notice.
Genio C. Scott, writing in 1869, devotes less than seven
lines of his book to this fish, though he gives it a good char-
acter.
Later, Fred Mather writes: "There is no species sought
for by anglers that surpasses the Grayling in beauty. They
are more elegantly formed and more graceful than the Trout,
and their great dorsal fin is a superb mark of loveliness.
The sun's rays lighting up the delicate olive-brown tints of
the back and sides, the bluish-white of the abdomen, and the
mingling of tints of rose, pale blue, and purplish-pink on the
fins, display a combination of colors equaled by no fish out-
side of the tropics.
It should, however, be stated that the peculiar coloration
which has gained for the Michigan Grayling its specific name
of Tricolor, is not always apparent. Its hues vary under
different conditions, and are sometimes mainly confined to
the silvery-gray and olive brown.
Much discussion has been held among anglers concerning
the merits of the Grayling as a game fish, and also as to its
excellence as an article of food; and opinions widely differing
on both these points have been advanced by men whose
views are entitled to consideration. I am inclined to the
opinion that these differences are largely due to the particular
months in which the were taken.
fish
In the Au spawns in April, and I think

Sable, the Grayling
earlier in some other streams. The proper months for taking
this fish in Michigan are September, October, and Novem-
ber; but a recent act of the Legislature of that State has
fixed the close time first of September to the suc-
from the
ceeding May. hoped that at a future session the
It is to be
law may be so amended that the open season shall be from
3 so AMERICAN GAME FISHES.
July to December first; or if this be thought too long a period,

let them cut off the summer season, but in the name of all
that is sensible and fitting, let us have the first two months
of autumn.
The following extract from a work on fly-fishing, by
Edward Hamilton, M. D., is here given place as having a
peculiar appropriateness in this connection:
"There is something, however, in fly-fishing for Grayling,
and it has its own peculiar charms. First the time of year
when Grayling are in season the sultry days of summer are
past; the autumn colors predominate; all the senses are
quickened; the breeze is fresh and balmy just enough to
send your fly farther over to the other bank; the temperature
pleasant; the water not too cold for wading in fact, every-
thing combines to make this fishing very fascinating. I like
Grayling fishing also for the fish itself. A Grayling, in sea-
son, is worth catching.. I call in season, September, Octo-
ber and November; then the fish is as different as possible
from the same in June, July, and August, both in beauty
and in courage; no dcad-heartedness then; and look at his
color
he is indeed a glorious combination of purple, gray
and gold. I like him also for his boldness and daring, rising
again and again at the fly

"Unabashed, will dare.
Balked e'er so oft the disappointed snare
Shnple and bold.
"I say the Grayling and daring riser, and why is

is a bold
this.'' He lies lowwhen watching for his prey,
in the river
and therefore is not so easily disturbed; and if you remain
quite still when he has risen and missed the fly and gone
down to his lair, he will surely, after a short time, rise again.
He rises, too, differently from a Trout. A Trout lies close to

the surface when he is feeding, and takes without effort the
flies floating over him, and also is easily scared. A Grayling,

from lying deep in the water, almost close to the bottom, comes
THE AMERICAN GRAYLING. 3^1
up with great rapidity and never takes the fly till it has
passed him, and, should he miss it, disappears so quickly that
he may compared to a shadow. Should he, how-
well be
ever, take the hook, mark then what happens: up goes his
great back fin, and down goes his head in his determination
to get to his hiding-place, and then comes the struggle. For
a time he is always boring with his head up stream to get
below, and it depends on his size and gameness, as well as
on the skill of his captor, whether he succeeds or not. I
say the great dorsal fin is raised to its utmost in the fish's
endeavor to go down. Now as this fin is a great character-
istic specialty in the Grayling, let us consider for a moment
what is its use, and why it should be of such a size.
"It appears evident that its purpose is to enable the fish

to descend with great rapidity. I believe the large air blad-
der is, with the fin, the chief cause of its rapid rise to the
surface, and I think it also probable, that in raising the large
fin in descending, the thereby able to compress the
fish is
air-bladder more and thus increase the facility of

effectively,
descent. This is a question of extreme interest, and I hope
soon to have further evidence on this point. All who watch
the Grayling after he is hooked will observe with what
tenacity he endeavors to get to the bottom of the river, and
how large the dorsal fin appears during the fight.
been remarked by some writers that the Gra3ding
"It has
when hooked keeps his head up stream, but still downward
toward the bottom. So he does for a certain time; but find-
ing himself baffled he takes to running down-stream (always
boring his head downward, particularly the large fish), and I
have known a big Gra3ding run down from above the lunch-
eon-hut to the sheep-bridge on the Houghton water before
he could be landed and then to call him a dead-hearted
fish!"
The Grayling streams of Michigan are the Hersey, the
lower Pine, the Manistee and its many feeders. The Musca-
gon, undoubtedly, at some time was a Grayling stream.

The Pigeon River, the Sturgeon, the Au Sable, the Maple,
the Black, and other streams flowing into the "Inland Chain"
of lakes and rivers, are, however, still fairly stocked with
this fish.
It has been said by some anglers that the flesh of the
Grayling is preferable to that of the Trout. It is assuredly
most palatable, and has this in its favor: that "one can eat
it every day during a long outing, and the last meal is as
hearty as the first."
There appears to be a difference in the structure and

habits of the Grayling in different waters. Those found in
the streams emptying on the western shore of Michigan are
smaller than those of its eastern waters; and it has been said
that "the fish of the Manistee is a jumper, while that of the
Au Sable is a low, deep, hard puller, with slightly different
tactics to free himself than the Manistee Grayling."
With regard to the Montana Grayling, I can hardly do
better than introduce an article from the pen of William C.
Harris, editor of the"American Angler:"
"Within a short distance (soon walked) from the hotel,
the three rivers above named
Gallatin, Madison and Jeffer-

son flow close together and are indiscriminately fished by
the resident anglers. In all the rivers the Grayling, the
Rocky Mountain Trout (ySalvclinns pjtrpiiratus') and White-
fish {Coregojius zvilliamsoiiii) can be found, but the Gallatin
is the fish river of my dreams. In its waters the three fish,
just named, veritably 'swarm.'

"We from
fished the Gallatin at a point about four miles
the town, and as descended the bank to reach the stream,
I
the surface of the pool before me was mottled with jumping

and feeding fish. Here a Grayb'ng, there a Trout, and in
between, a White-fish. It seemed a sacrilege to the memory
of Brother Izaak to place a lure before them. Stifling our
qualms (easily done) we walked above the pool and cast our
two flies end of the incoming rapid. Two fish,

at the lower
of course
one a Grayhng, the other a Whitefish; the first on
a brown hackle, the latter on a coachman. Again a cast,
again two fish, and so on for a half-hour, alternating in
species between the Trout, the Grayling, and the Whitefish.
"I did not move more than ten yards from my first posi-
tion during the half-hour, at the end of which I became sated
and started up-stream to fish the unlikely places, recalling
to mind a similar experience on my first visit to the Gogebic
Bass, when, to the surprise of my guide, I told him to take
me to some place where the fish were not so plentiful. This
satiated cry 'enough,' 'enough' is doubtless a personal
experience with many of my readers and it is the sign manual
that distinguishes the angler from the pot-fisher.
"The Grayling of Montana, to catch which I had traveled
more than 2,000 miles, did not disappoint my angling expec-
tations. It is. I think, a stronger fish, with sturdier fighting
qualities, than its congener of Michigan waters. It has a
thicker, broader body, and a somewhat longer head, but is
much less beautiful in contour and coloration. The Eastern
more clipper-built, leaping frequently from
fish is the water
when hooked; in fact reminding me, measurably of course,
of the Skip-jack or Lady-fish of Florida, which is almost con-
stantly out of the water 'dancing on its when you are
tail,'
bringing it to creel. The leap of the Montana Grayling is

not frequent, as the fish is disposed to fight deep, making
longer and stronger surges under the restraint of the tackle,
than those of Michigan waters. The coloration of the two
fish differs: the violet bloom of the body, seemingly trans-
lucent, is of a more delicate tint in the Eastern fish and more
generally diffused. The dorsal fin, from which the Graylings
derive their specific name signifcr, 'the standard bearer'
is not so high or so resplendently colored as those of the
Michigan fish.
"Two striking differences exist between the habits and habi-

23
tat ofthe Montana and Michigan GrayHngs. The latter

Hves and thrives only in rivers, spring-fed, with sandy bot-
toms, and of a temperature seldom exceeding fifty-two
degrees. Our recollection of the Manistee in Michigan, upon
which we spent several days among the Grayling two years
ago, is that we did not see even a pebble upon the bottom,
except, here and there, a small cluster of stones not much
larger than hen-eggs, which were exposed on the rapids by
the rapid rush of the stream, and these stony rifts were of
small dimensions, and often a mile or two distant from each
other. The rest of the stream consisted of shallow, sandy
reaches and pools, at the bottom of which the sand was
mottled with patches of white and yellow with dark blotches
here and there, formed by a deposit of drift. In the Gallatin
the conditions are reversed. The temperature often reaches
sixty degrees, and the bed of the river is for the most part
rocky, at least, covered with stones, the smallest of which
may be represented by the cobble-stones of street pavements.
In truth, the pool above referred to, in which I caught most
of my Grayling, was rough-strewn with rocks, many of
which sized up to that of a bushel measure; a sandy reach
was not seen along the two miles of the stream fished by our
party. ,
"Again an established fact that the Michigan Gray-

It is
ling cannot live and increase in any stream in which trout or

other fish have established themselves. They seem to
diminish very rapidly under such conditions, and, strange to
say, the reverse is the fact in English waters, where Thymal-
lus holds itsown against the brown Trout. In the Gallatin,
the Trout, the Grayling and the Whitefish live in harmonious
brotherhood. On one occasion, using three flies as an
experiment, I caught one of each of these three fish, at the
same cast, showing that they feed and range together.
"The ordinary Trout-flies used in the East will, under fa-
vorable conditions, lure the Grayling, the Trout and the White-
fish, of Montana waters. The brown and

hackles, black,
gray, should always be and of the winged flies,
in stock,
the Professor, Lord Baltimore, Abbey, Yellow Sally, Montre-
al, etc.. are useful."
The number of anglers at the Gallatin increases rapidly,

and a very few years may serve to throw light upon the ques-
tion whether the Trout or the fishermen are to be held
responsible for the dearth of Grayling in their former favor-
ite haunts.
The proper tackle for Grayling is the same as that used
for Trout: a light rod, click-reel, and twenty-five or thirty
yards of water-proofed line. The weight of the rod may
depend upon the swiftness of the current to be fished. If this
is not too rapid, a rod of four to six ounces will land the
largest Grayling in Michigan or Montana waters.
Generally speaking, however, an eight-ounce rod is not
too heavy, and will be found more satisfactory for all waters.
The Grayling can fight hard when he chooses. I have seen
a pretty good rod broken at the handle by a bait-fisher, in
trying to throw out a large Grayling by main strength.
Nevertheless, in fishing for the Grayling, do not forget, partic-
ularlyif you are a Trout-fisher, that it has a very tender
mouth, much more so than the Trout, and must be dealt
with accordingly.
It is well to have a good assortment of flies, the same you
would choose for Trout. The Grayling is naturally a surface
feeder, and not being as easily scared as the Trout, will often
rise again and again at the same fly. Not unfrequently the
stomach has been found to contain cedar leaves, etc., which
the fish had swallowed, thinking them insects.
It should, however, be stated that there is evidence show-
iijg that the Grayling is to some extent a vegetable feeder,

and the leaves or similar substances may have been inten-
tionally swallowed.
The different hackles, black, gray, brown and red, are
good at all seasons. In the early summer months the small

brown or gray gnats are taking. The Grayling shows a slight
preference for afly with some white in its make-up the
coachman and the Beaverkill wrapped with silver tinsel are
killing.
Among the favorites are the grasshoppers, yellow and

green, the Bee, grizzly king, royal coachman, jungle cock,
Montreal, Lord Baltimore, Professor, Abbey, yellow Sally,
etc. I have seen the Grayling rise freely to the blue dragon-
fly, but only on one occasion. I have since tried it with
very unsatisfactory results.
I am not opposed to bait-fishing at times, and
I once fished
for Grayling with a piece of pork. There was nothing else

to bait with, and I caught no fish. My companion, using
the same lure, was more successful, and managed to secure
enough for our dinner. I remember one day sitting in a
boat on the Manistee, in a heavy rain, and ineffectually cast-
ing my flies; while the man opposite, using angle-worms,
caught, in half an hour, nearly a score of fine fish. He was
a skilful Trout-fisher, and it was interesting to note the differ-
ence between the methods of the Grayling and those of the
Trout in taking a bait. The latter comes with a rush, and
a snap; while the former moves so carefuUy that it is often
only by the motion of the line that the angler can tell if the
bait has been taken.
Some of the best Grayling streams of Michigan remain
such because they are difficult of access and known;
little
and it was toward one of these, not many years ago, on a

calm, still September afternoon, that the writer bent his way
in company with a friend who was
shall be called John. It
our first visit and on the way we interviewed

to that locality,
a native who professed to know something of the river.
"Wa-al," said he, biting at the end of a piece of "navy
plug," "the's fish enough, but yeou want ter gi'daown tew
three mild 'fore yeou'U find many on 'em. The river's
THE AMERICAN GRAYLING. 35^
full o'rapids, 'n I do' know haow yeou'll git along."

We informed him that we had a boat.

"Ya-as so I see. The most o' them ben daown
'at's in
a boat gin'ly ties a piece o' railroad iron to the hind eend o'
ther gi'daown ther rapids kind o' stiddy like."

skift, so's ter
John and I looked at each other and grinned. Fixing the

moss-back with my eagle eye, to him then thus in substance
I replied:
"My cautious friend, to us it skills not that every boatman
hereabout should tardily tow a railroad in his rear, what
time he runneth rapids. Life is all too short for that sort
of foolery. For two-score years and more, as opportunity
occurred, have I cruised the rushing rivers of our fatherland,
yet have I never tied to the tail of my craft any such contrap-
tion as this you advocate; and further I may add, the Nine
gods helping me, I never will."
"Wa-al, mabbe yeou know best, yeou're the doctor, 's the
sayin' is, but it's most darnation aowly on them there rapids,
naow I tell ye, 'n I'll be gosh darned ef I'd put intew that
thjre river 'ithaout suthin' ter stiddy ther bwut daown apast
them there rocks. It's a kinder temptin' o' Providence."
"We can tell better after we get through."
"W'y, yeou don't 'xpect go clean threw, dew ye.^"ter
"That's the plan. There'll be no cordeliering on this trip."
"Wa'al, yeou'll hev ter dew it, I s'pose, 'f yeou say so, 'n
'ta'nt no bisness o' mine. But yer baound ter git 'n trouble.
Ther rapids isn't all, by a darned sight. The's rocks, 'n
logs, 'n daown timber, 'n jam-piles, 'n telerguf poles, 'n
cedar ties, 'n every other dum thing yeou c'n think on.
Yeou do'no what yer a comin' tew, no time."
"That is just what brought us here, my friend," said John.
"We want to see what sort of a river it is, and what's in it;
and if we knew just what we were going to find there, we
would change our plans and choose another."
The sun was sinkmg toward the western horizon when we
reached the house on our road; a small log-cabin, before

last
which a huge woman sat knitting, and smoking a cob pipe.
She courteously answered our inquiries concerning the proper
route, and as several logging roads branched from the track,
she called her son
a boy of about twelve years and told
him to guide us to the river. The little fellow ran into the
house, and soon reappeared, carrying an immense army
musket.
We could not repress a smile when, shouldering the
preposterous weapon, the boy took his place in front of the
team, and prepared to lead the way.
The mother laughed good-humoredly. "It /s a pretty
big gun, but Jock knows how to use it. Git us somethin'
for supper, Jock, 'fore ye come back."
A mile of rough travel brought us to the edge of a small
marsh, beyond which we saw the gleam of the river. Here
it was necessary to leave the wagon, the ground being
impracticable for horses.
Lifting the boat, we passed the marsh, the boy in advance
holding his musket at a ready, and as we neared the stream,
a pair of ruffed grouse rose near our feet and sped across
the river; but before they had gone thirty yards, the old gun
spouted forth its flame, and the leading' bird dropped into
the bushes on the other side of the stream.
"Whew!" said John. "Who taught you to shoot grouse
that way.?"
"Dad," replied [the boy. "They a'n't grouse, they're
pat'ges."
"You're a promising specimen of Young America, I must
say. We'll buy that bird of you for supper."
"I don't want ter sell 'im. Marm likes 'em."
Just at this stage of the colloquy, we noticed that the fish

were rising at the feathers which had settled on the water.
"Brown hackles, eh, John.?"
"Of course see "em jump; but we can't fish now, we
must have a better camp-ground than this, and it's growing

late."
The boy was rewarded and sent home ; the driver
instructed to meet us three days later with the team at a
given point some thirty miles below; the boat was launched
and stowed, and soon we were gliding down the swift, shallow
river, bending our gaze to the right and left, in search of a
camping-place. Rounding a bend, the current became
swifter, and soon we were rushing toward a gleam of foam
which seemed to stretch clear across the river.
"Which way now.'"
"Right through that little slick patch ahead, and then
dodge to the right."
Straight for the "little slick patch" we sped, and were
through it an
in instant, just missing the ledges to port,
while the spray flashed over the bow, as short to the right
we turned, and dodging the bowlders that lay in wait, the
powerful sweeps of the paddles sent the good boat round the
rough point of a threatening reef, and away we went in the
whirling waves, down a slope of feathery foam.
"Pretty good for an introduction that."
"Yes. Wonder where we are going to camp.'" said John.
"I want a Grayling for supper."
"Can't tell yet," I replied; as, standing in the stern, I griped
more firmly my long Canadian paddle, and kept my eyes on
the channel straight before. Old Joe Le Clair had made
that paddle, and a better piece of timber never graced the
hand of a steersman.
Swifter and swifter grew the current; the drooping
branches which brushed its surface were swept downward by
its force, and, laden with tufts of moss and leaves, splashed
in and out of the stream with a queer, jerky motion, as we

hurried past, while now and then, with plash and scream, a
water-fowl arose from the pools along the margin, and
flashed away through the sunlit leaves.
And now arose on either hand dark hmestone cHffs, rifted

and seamed, and hung with ferns and clematis vines, and
the blue bells of the campanula. Below us was the "Devil's
Elbow," so called by the raftsmen who plied their adventur-
ous trade along the stream, and as this gorge of ominous
name now opened on our view, I thought that despite the
coarseness of the appellation, it was hardly inappropriate.
Down the steep slope we sped, straight where the swollen
river flung its force against a wall of rock, beneath the frown-
ing front of a precipice, and, wheeling sharp to the left with

a foaming swirl, was lost to view in the depths below.
"By Jove," said John, "there is a singular example of
stratification."
"No talking to the man at theStand by to fend
helm.
off." Our prow was cutting the wall of foam at the base of
the cliff, but swerved to the powerful sweep of the paddles,
and the reeling boat shot down the gorge, past rock and reef,
that showed their teeth to weather and lee, through the
gleam of the plunging foam.
The river widened, and in live minutes more we were
floatingupon a swift but tranquil current. The sun had
set,and the evening twilight rested on the forest, when we
moored our boat to a projecting root, and made our camp in
a grove of great canoe-birches.
The shades of night were falling fast before our tent was
pitched, but in no long time were for us dispelled by the
flames of a glorious camp-fire whose huge logs glowed in the
fervent heat, while eddying sparks and volumed smoke
whirled upward through the birchen boughs, and stirred their
whispering leaves.
Mind that was builded for its own dear sake. We
this fire
were no greenhorns, to try to cook our supper by a volcano.
Our culinary department was situated in the background,
and though comparatively inconspicuous, proved thoroughly
effective, as was made manifest by the savory steams which
hung on the still night-air.

During our meal, the conversation naturally drifted toward

the objects of our cruise, and when we had finished, John
arose, took up his rod, and attaching a white miller to his
leader, stated his intention of trying a cast by moonlight.
This he accordingly did, but unsuccessfully; and after one or
two changes of flies, he gave up the experiment, returned
to the fire and lighted his pipe.
The air was frosty. Fresh logs were heaped upon the fire,
and, disposing ourselves upon the blankets, we leaned our
backs against the birches that towered aloft against the starry
sky, their white bark gleaming in the ruddy blaze.

Said John, reflectively: "The best day I ever had was on
the Jordan, long ago. Jim S. and I caught one hundred and
forty-two Grayling in one day, besides those we returned to
the water. We took home nothing under a pound, and
many were nearly twice that weight. There are none such
to be had now. It was in July, and we used nothing but
gnats and gray hackles.
"Jim got excited once, when he had three big fellows on
atone time, and broke the second joint of his rod. Then
we dropped the hand-fly, and at last used only one gnat
apiece. The last time I fished that river, I caught fifty-six
Trout, but not a Grayling rose to the fly.
"In Maple River they are still plentiful, and (so I hear) in
Portage Lake.
"On theAu Sable, the best fishing-grounds are forty miles
further down than they used to be.
"I have had good success on the Buttermilk and Cannon
creeks, but you have to go pretty well down the streams for
the best fish. Cannon Creek seems to be full of little fellows.
On the Little Manistee the Grayling is still plentiful, but I
fear not for long, at the rate they are being taken.
"I believe that the way to insure the preservation of this
fish is to pass an act prohibiting, under a heavy penalty, the
catching of Gra3ding at any time except during the
month of They are in season then, if ever."

September.
The was told, the last pipe smoked. Fresh logs
last tale
were heaped upon the fire; we spread our blankets in the

tent, above our fragrant couch of hemlock tips, and soon the
hush of the forest rested on the camp, while
"Through it, and round it, and over it all,
Sounded incessant the waterfall."
I was astir soon after daybreak, but truth compels me to

say that this state of things was consequent upon the advent
ofJohn at the door of the tent, with his four-ounce rod in
one hand and a pair of resplendent Graylings in the other.
"I wanted fish for breakfast," he explained, "and thought
it wasn't worthwhile to waken you. So I brown
just cast a
and a gray hackle outside the little cove, just below the camp,
and in two seconds I had 'em."
The fish were soon in the pan, and breakfast dispatched
in "short order;" the tent struck, and we once more were on
the water. The Grayling should, if possible, be eaten soon
after it is caught, as it will become unfit for use much sooner
than the Trout. Wishing, however, to take home a reason-
able number, we had provided salt, and a small tub; and it
was agreed that only the finer specimens of our catch should
be saved.
We anchored near the spot where John had taken his fish,
and soon perceived a school of Grayling, some of which dis-
appeared in the grass and weeds at our approach, while oth-
ers remained in sight. I was still busy with the anchor line
when John, waving the delicate rod around his head, sent
his flies some thirty feet down the stream, and just at the
edge of the weeds. A noble Grayling broke water, and was
fast to the stretcher on the instant. "See his fin," shouted
my companion, his eyes glistening with excitement as the
fish leaped clear of the water in his efforts to free himself,
the great dorsal flashing like jewels in the rays of the rising
sun.
"What's the matter with you now?" I replied, hastily rais-

ingmy own rod from the thwarts. "Seems to me that a
man who could coolly comment upon the formation of the
rocks, while running the 'Devil's Elbow,' needn't make such
a beastlyrow about a pound Grayling."
"He's nigher two pounds than one look him now no at
he ain't either;" for another leap of the hsh showed that it
was hooked back of the gills, and my friend more coolly than
at first, proceeded to draw his prize nearer the boat, and
within reach of the landing-net.
"Not as big as I thought, but isn't he a beauty.'' Somehow,
the first one always excites me I can't help it."
Meanwhile, I had cast a pair of hackles, red and gray, and
soon had hooked a fish, while John was playing a pair of

them upon the other side of the boat. In a few minutes we
had secured half a dozen, ranging from half a pound to a
pound in weight. We could clearly see the fish against the
bottom of yellow sand, and decided that there were none
larger in the school.
We therefore raised the anchor, and taking up the paddles,
floated down the stream. So clearwas the water that we
could see nearly every object which it contained, and now
and then, as we passed a pool, a school of Grayling would

scurry away to seek better cover.
The current grew more rapid, and as we alternately made
casts, one fishing while the other steered, we found that
John's four-ounce rod was rather too light for this rapid
stream, I was using a ten-ounce rod, of English make an
old favorite and had less difficulty in bringing my fish to
the net.
Near the head of a short rapid, John, who had changed his
flies for a coachman and a professor, hooked a big fellow,
and I held the boat with a setting-pole, while the fish made
a determined effort to get to the bottom. Unsuccessful in
this piece of strategy, he made one or two leaps, the great
24
back fin raised to its fullest extent, the gold and purple shin-
ing in the sun; then after another effort to sound, he changed
and away he went, down the rapid, John keeping
his course;
a steady strain upon the
fish, while I dropped the pole and
grasped my paddle, and down we went in the wake of the

Grayling.
There were some ugly bowlders strewn along our course,
and the angler was compelled to put forth his best skill to
prevent the Grayling from .snapping the line around some of
them; but we passed the rapid in safety, the fish still fast to
the hook, and by this time pretty well wearied, so that,
rounding to in an eddy, I managed to hold the boat while
the net was put in requisition, and the fish boated. He
weighed nearly two pounds, and was the largest taken dur-
ing the trip.
Here we moored the boat, and had good sport, casting our
flies from the reefs which projected from the shore; and
returning to the water two fish out of every three that we

caught.
We dined at this place, and once more proceeded on our
cruise, feeling rather jolly, as we erroneously supposed that
we had passed the worst of the obstructions in the stream.
We had left behind a forest of spruce,^ and were passing
through a swampy region, when I became aware of a large
doe, standing upon a shallow, and looking down the river.
She made a beautiful picture, her glossy form in full relief
against the swaying clematis vines, and dark green alder
leaves; and not until we were within thirty yards did she
turn her head, when, taking a short but steady look at us,
she leisurely hopped into the bushes. We saw several
others on the trip, but such a picture as this one presented
lives long in the memory of a sportsman.
We soon encountered more rocks and rapids, and as we
swung around a curve, John lifted his voice and energetically
said: "A jam-pile, by thunder!" True enough, the river
below was effectually blocked by a jam of telegraph poles,

which were piled to a height of many feet, in the bed of the
rushing stream.
Here was our first "carry," and it took us nearly two hours
to make but at last the work was accomplished, and, well
it;
wearied, we made an early camp and fished the rapids, but

with small success. This, however, did not distress us, as
we had enough; and we devoted ourselves to salting the fish
that we had saved. There were about sixty, all of large size.
Had we retained all we caught, we should have more than
trebled this number.
Our rest that night was peaceful, and before sunrise we
were on our way. We
judged that we were within five
we expected to find our team, and
miles of the bridge where
we hoped to be able to take home a few freshly caught
Grayling.
we were not disappointed. It seemed rather late
In this
in the season for gnats, but John attached a red and a brown
for his first cast, and did not again change the flies, which
were well suited to his light rod.
Mine was heavier, and I did not try the gnats, but held to
the hackles, brown, red and black; steering and casting alter-
nately with my companion, and each meeting with good
success.
Too soon the bridge and the driver hove in sight; we each
made one more cast "for luck" and reeled in. The driver
waved his hat and cheered, as the last resplendent fish was
drawn from the water and held up and we pushed
to view;
ashore, with forty fine fellows for our morning's catch.
In ten more minutes we had left behind the river, all save
its delightful memories, and were swiftly rattling over the
road in the direction of civilization.

SNAGGED.
THE PIKE.
Esox Lucius EsocidiE.
BY W. DAVID TOMLIN.
"The Pike belongs to the family of tlie Esocidse. Body elongated, sub-cylin-
drical, with small scales, margin of upper jaw formed by intermaxillaries and
maxillaries laterally; mouth very large, jaws elongate, depressed teeth strong,
;
h -oked, unequal on intermaxillaries, vomer and palationes; dorsal short, opposite

anal; gill-openings wide; air bladder present; voracious fish of the fresh waters of
the northern regions. Genus one; species, six or seven." Jordan.
Pike family are familiar objects to any person whose

THE habits lead him to frequent the banks of sharp-running
boy who
rivers or cold clear lakes, but especially to the
goes a-fishing. To between the branches of the
distinguish
family, however, the boy must either lay them side by side, or
if he be taking object-lessons in free-hand drawing, let him
sketch a Pike, and then continue his studies; there will

remain an impress on his brain that years of business cares
will not efface. X^'henever in after years the strong, promi-
nent features of a northern Pike are introduced to him he
recognizes the friend of his boyhood days. The Pike to him
remains a Pike forever.
What is a Pike.?
Ichthyological: A fish of the genus Esox, named for its
length, and shape or form of its snout. It is distinguished
by its projecting lower jaw and its full, prominent eyes.

Its head and back are a dark green, shading nearly to

black graduating to a pearly white on the belly; the belly
fins, four of them, are green, tinging to pinkish hue around
367
368 American game fishes.
the edges, the dorsal and anal fins being large, of bony,
sinewy structure, giving the fish enormous power in the
water. These two, with the caudal fin, are dark green in
color. Its sides are marked by bars or blotches of dusky
white streaks running from the back down toward the white
of the belly. Its caudal fin attracts the attention of any one
examining the fish; it is not truncate, but just enough bifur-
cated to give it itsalmost lightning speed in turning, or hold-
ing its own in a sharp current.
The prominent features in the Pike are his large opercu-
lum, or cheek-bone, his strong jaws, and his general build.
He is designed for speed, and for fighting.
Where does he live.'*
His home is in the large lakes and rivers of the North-west,
especially from the St. Lawrence throughout the chain of
lakes connecting therewith; the lakes and rivers of Ohio,
Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and the water-shed
of Canada, connecting with large lakes leading to the St.
Lawrence water-shed. You may find him in the bays con-
necting with these lakes wherever the long wiry rushes grow,
or where the yellow lily-pad shows. grows to a length of It
three feet -sometimes

more and weighs up to about eight-
een or twenty pounds. Specimens have been taken in
Michigan, and along the bays connecting with the north shores
of Lake Superior, weighing up to twenty-five pounds.
It is a powerful fish, and is no coward; it will fight as
viciously as a terrier. We have seen smaller Pike with jaws

locked and lashing the water around them like a boiling
cauldron. Occasionally letting go and backing out, they
would again rush at each other with open jaws, and keep up
the fight until one is beaten and driven away, or until both
are exhausted.
Some years ago I found two dead, with both jaws fast set,
so that they could not be pulled open. Both of them
were handsome male fish, and must have fought fiercely,
THE PIKE.
369
for their bodies were cut all along the sides and bellies.
The Pike is not particular as to the quality of his food.
Anything that is alive or can be digested is eaten and
enjoyed. I can remember in my boyhood days, a smart
spaniel pup that would go anywhere his young boss told him
to go. I sent him across the large fish-pond, in the grounds
at the rear of the old home. While swimming across he

began yelping most pitifully, and put on a spurt to the bank
of the pond where I was standing; I was on my knees ready
to lift him out; a big Pike was following him. I caught the
dog by the neck, pulled him out and took him to the house.
Mother dressed a badly lacerated hind leg. Boy-like, I was
fond of that pond, and after getting several duckings that
closely approached drowning, and thrashings almost without
number, and after a sheep had been drowned in the pond,
it was decided that it must be drained and filled up. The
big Pike that snapped at the spaniel was there, but not a sign
of a turtle of any kind. There were fish in abundance, but
by far the largest and handsomest was the pup's enemy,
which, when dressed, weighed twelve pounds.
My home was near a large paper-mill, having an abun-
dance of cold spring-water draining a valley twenty miles
long. Two rivers and several creeks fed the large streams.
It was a splendid feeding and breeding ground for the
Esocidae. Trout were also found in the smaller streams,

but in the two rivers the Esocidie could be found anywhere.
Abundance of flags and rushes lined the banks of one stream;
these were the home of the hell-diver family
and of the
mud hen. Many times have I laid watching the antics of
the young of both species. As they grew larger the mother
bird would take them into the larger stream. One day,
while I was watching the diving and preening of the family^
one of them suddenly disappeared under the water. The
hen-bird began to gather the little ones around her with such
a squawking and clucking that I, too, grew interested and
THE PIKE. 371
excited. She hustled the young birds up to the bank of the

stream, but too late Before she could get them all out, the
!
wicked eyes and prominent snout of a big Pike came to the

surface and sucked down another little birdling of the flock.
I rose in the brush that hid me, and saw the cunning face
of the Pike. And if ever a fish laughed, he did! The

mother bird saw me too, and hustled the remainder of her
family into the rushes.
Wewere raising some young ducks at the time; a fancy
breed; but they had been hatched by a hen. I predicted
they would be Pike-food before they were a week old. The

old hen strutted around, proud of her family, but one day
she led them into the meadow through which the tail-race of
the mill ran a stream of w ater five feet deep and the home
of the Pike and the Pickerel.
Hearing the cackling of the hen, I ran out and found the
ducklings in the water, and jumping into the boat, drove them
out, after a long chase. Once or twice I saw the sharp
dash of one of the Esocidae after them, but I got them in
safely. Mother promised me something handsome, if I could
keep them out of the water for a few days, until they got big
enough to go with the old ducks. Coming out of the mill
the next day, I saw the ducklings paddling around in the
rushes, and the old ducks near them, quacking and calling as
ifsomething were wrong.
I dashed through the hall of the house, catching up my
sixteen-gauge single gun as I went, banging doors behind me

and all the time vowing dire vengeance on any specimen of
the Esocidae that might show his long face.
Just as I jumped into the boat, after counting them, I
heard the minature, peeping "qu-a-a" of a duckling, but it
was never finished! It disappeared under the water, and I
saw the broad tail of a big Pike as he swung out into deeper
water. Of eleven ducklings five went this way; the others
we saved until they could take care of themselves.
Is any wonder I exercised all the cunning of a boys'

it
nature all the budding ingenuity of a mechanical taste, just
developing, to circumvent these "varmints?"

Another brood of ducks was being raised at this time.
A dead bunch of yellow down was brought out one morning,
causing a shout that rung through the house. "Mr. Pikee, I
am going to get you now!" I cunningly cut it open, inserted
a cork in the small duck, fixed my double hook inside, bent
the snood on my line, and was ready for business. Jumping
on a raft that I used for fishing, I drifted down-stream, letting
my line and the duckling float ahead of me. I dropped my
stone anchor and prepared for a surprise pulling off my
shoes to be ready for a swim, if need be. Almost lOO feet of
line had run out with the current when
a plunge and quick !
as a flash my duckling had gone. I let him go for some time

without offering any resistance, for I wanted to be dead sure
of the long-snouted poacher. I allowed him all the time he
wanted to taste his duckling, but at the first move he made
to run down-stream, I struck. I had a full hand! A mad
fish especially a powerful Pike no task
is light for aboy
to handle. For some minutes he rushed up-stream, down-
stream, across every way, to find a friendly stump. "Aha!
my long-nosed beauty! your duck-hunting âys are over!" I
knew every hole in the tail-race, almost every yard of the

water, as well as the Pike, and had swam the whole length
of that tail-race too many
times for any Esox to fool me.
Managing somehow up the stone-anchor, and take a
to pull
turn of the anchor-line around one of the big spikes in the
raft, I drifted, yelling and shouting as any boy would under
similar circumstances. Some of the men employed in the

mill, seeing my Indian dance, had run down the river banks,
and were giving me plenty of advice. Gradually drawing in
the fish until close to the raft, I saw that I had him played
out, and taking the line into my fingers, I dropped my rod,
and quick as thought, plumped flat onto my stomach, slipped
THE PIKE. 373
my and hauled him on the raft.

forefinger into the fish's gills
Then jumping for my I gave him a crack over
pushing-pole
his big eyes that paralyzed him. Lifting the pole to give him
number two, the weapon hung fire. My line had, in some
way, coiled around the pole, and instead of the blow coming
on the head of the Pike, it came across my bare toes! In a
flash Iwas bottom-side-up under the water, fussing and
spluttering as a boy always does when anything hurts him.
I fairly howled with pain, until I saw that the squirming
Pike was getting too near the edge of my raft, when, towing
it to the bank, I transferred my rod, line and fish, to dry
ground, and then "whoop-e-e-d" over my first big Pike!
It was only about thirty inches long, but it was the fish that
had taken such a fancy to our downy ducks; and my victory

over him, won, as it was, at the expense of a wound and an
involuntary bath, was a most glorious achievement.
The hiding-place of the Pike is under a channel bank
where rushes grow to the edge of the channel; or, in the
vicinity ot tree-stumps and submerged logs, especially if the
old roots project out into the running streams, he can often
be found in the deep water, a little above the mouth of a
channel, between two lakes, or in the pool at the foot of sueh
channel.
How am I to catch him.?
A few years ago English methods were described in reprints

of English books, or written by Englishmen who had become
Americanized, yet who taught that the "Thames style," or
"Nottingham fishing-tackle" were the proper methods by
which to catch Pike, or other "coarse fish," as they called
them, to distinguish them from the gamy Trout. But with
the improvements introduced in late years by American
tackle-makers, the English methods are relegated to the
shades of the past, by American anglers. I will refer to one
or two points in the manner of casting, that experience has
led me to adopt when

fishing for Pike in our wide rivers, or
bays on the great lakes.
The Pike is a sharp-eyed, shy fish; you must reach him
"a ways off"; you cannot expect to stand on a big rock, drop
down water beneath you, and get hooked to a great
in the
northern Pike. "He aint nobody's fool, and don't you be-
!"
lieve it
Take a trolling or spinning hook, baited with a piece of fat

pork, cut in shape like a fish, have a boat pulled alongside
the rushes I have spoken of; let out twenty yards of line,
and then have your oarsman pull a long slow stroke, and if
the Pike family are receiving visitors, you will soon know it.
Trolling with a long line and three sets of hooks is a most
barbarous way of fishing for the Pike. I care not if this
family are the Sharks of fresh water, they are entitled to fair
play. His Satanic Majesty is never as black as he is painted,
so the Esox lucius is cousin german to the Nobilor vulgate
Mascalonge, and partakes of his noble nature. He is a foe-
man worthy the steel of the most ardent angler. Some an-
glers call the family "snakes." I pity them! Go where Pike
can be found, fish for them with legitimate tackle, and give
them a fair chance, and they will give just as much pleasure
as any royal Small-mouth Bass that ever swam.
FISHING TACKLE.
A lance-wood or bethabara-wood rod, of about nine feet

long, a "Milam," "Chubb's," "Henshall," "Van Antwerp,"
"Abbey & Imbrie, Steel-pivot Multiplier," or an "Automatic
reel" a strong but not heavy
line, silver gimp snoods of
about two feet long, then with a heavy sneck-bend hook
with a small lip-hook whipped into the gimp snood to fasten
the bait to, and a good gaff-hook, and the angler is equipped.
With a silver chub or shiner for bait, run out about five feet
of line from the tip of your rod, casting sideways out from
THE PIKE. 375
the body into the stream, or from the boat. You will find
the weight of your bait will run out twenty or thirty feet of
line; draw in the tip of your rod sideways about two feet,
then allow the bait to sink a little, giving it a moment's rest,
then gently jerk the tip sideways two or three feet; and
keep on in this way until the bait is almost under your rod.
Practice soon renders angling for Pike almost perfect in cast-
ing, when one has good fishing tackle. The angler should
never be satisfied until he can lay out seventy to one hundred
feet of line, with no other sinker than a common buckshot,
and a silver shiner (L. selene).
But to young anglers whose purse is often slender, and to
whom a Milam reel is a luxury, the art of casting for Pike
can be attained with a little diligence. My earlier experi-
ence in Pike-fishing has never been forgotten; my pole was
a strip of white pine cut from a clear board twelve feet long,
tapered into shape, the standing guides whipped into it; my
reel a primitiveone made by myself, and with no multiplier.
My practice was to gather up the line in folds in left-hand,
holding the rod along the right side and extending under the
forearm to the elbow. This steadied the rod and gave good
casting power.
By gathering up the line in the hand in folds or plaits
left
you can readily loop up fifty feat of line, and casting out as
described before, drop your bait almost within a foot of any
desired point, without a snarl or kink in the line. By closing
the fingers over the line you can hold all you need for cast-
ing. I often do this now, though possessing better tackle
than anglers dreamed of in earlier days.
An old Englishman named George put some wrinkles of

this kind into my head, and they have stayed by me. He was
a genuine cockney, and in spite of his continual assertions
that "They do things better at 'ome," George did know
how to lay out a line "fine and far off," as the Thames fish-
ermen called it.

have seen him drop a Hne lOO feet from the point where
I
he was standing, without any exertion. I soon "caught on,"

and since that time have laid out a Hne in a way tliat even
old George admired.
Fishing up in Michigan with a party of Indiana friends, I
had in the same boat a friend who used an Orvis combina-
tion rod and a Milam reel
a successful fisherman and an
enthusiast. The waters had been fished a great deal that
summer, so our hopes for fish depended on the skill dis-
played in casting. My reel was an Abbey & Imbrie click
and drag. My friend was casting overhead, a style adopted
from Dr. Henshall's methods in fishing for Black Bass. He
caught some small Bass and Pickerel, but no large lish; yet
we were in waters famous for the Northern Pike.
My rod was a bethabara-wood, heavy for its size, but which
would spring almost like steel. Putting on a large shiner for
bait, and drawing out about fift}' feet of line, I coiled it in
my left hand as described; bringing my rod round to the
right with a sharp swing, my bait was spinning in the air just
a little above the water. The line uncoiling from my hand
just as I wanted it, it dropped sixty feet away from me, tak-
ing up all my slack; my friend's bait dropped about the same
distance from him, his Milam reel giving him all the advan-
tage. Not getting any strike, I again gathered up the line
until almost close to the boat; elevating the tip and swing-
ing the bait higher, slipping the drag off the reel, my line
ran out and the bait dropped out about ninety feet, without
any plashing. The first jerk I gave, the bait was seized;
something left a big swirl on the surface of the water; the
line ran out about ten feet and stopped. I let it go, gave the
fish a chance to swallow the bait, and then struck sharp
enough to set the hook. The fish resented this treatment,

and went off on a tear. The reel buzzed, my line steamed
as it tore through the standing guides; the weeds through
which the fish passed were cut and floated to the top of the
THE PIKE. 377
water. Throwing on the drag, and getting the pressure of my

thumb on the plate of the reel, I snubbed him, and he bucked
like a Broncho. He twisted and shook himself, and finally
went to the bottom and sulked. My line was taut, but "nary
a move" could I get out of him; the quivering, ringing sen-
sation that comes from a taut line telegraphed that the fish
was either trying to smash my hook, or worrying at the
gimp snood.
''Something's got to be did!" came from my Indiana friend.
"How big is he.'"
"I think a small Pike, from the way he's fighting."

I pulled he tugged ! I
up he backed out. Expect-
reel'd
ing every moment my would part, I resorted to an
line
artifice to scare him; slipping on a clearing ring on the taut

line, I elevated my tip and down went the ring.
"Look out! T he's going like a racer!"
;
The ring was too much for him; to the right, then to left,
and then up to the surface, a handsome Pike thirty inches if
an inch; my friendbegan shouting:
"He's a fine one! handle him carefully!"
One more spurt, but my rod controlled him, and in a few
moments he lay beside the boat, "played out." My friend
lifted him, a finely marked Pike, a male fish, just a trifle
over thirty inches long.

In the vicinity of Edmore, Michigan, there is a chain of
lakes that have an abundance of northern Pike in them, but
you cannot get any sport fishing with fine tackle. The fish
are "foolish." A pole, a clothes-line, a big triple hook, any

kind of bait, a big jerk, a yank, and you could drop your pole,
haul in your clothes-line, and pull on the raft a Pike weigh-
ing from ten to Put on a minnow, frog,
thirty pounds.
mouse, piece of any kind of spoon, and you
fat pork, or
could get another big fish in a few moments.
What fun is there in fishing, when three men can catch
two hundred pounds of fish in three hours and then cannot .'^
give them away! I want none of it ! It's barbaric butchery!

In fishing with a single hook, you must insert the hook
through the gills, out of the mouth, and leave the gimp
snood to run along the side. A simple rubber band or piece
of silk will fasten the snood and fish, so that you can use the
bait for casting; but the best system is to use a lip-hook on
your snood, and then shp a rubber band over the tail of the
minnow, or to put the hook through the mouth and gills
then hook the fish through the back just behind the dorsal
fin, so that when a Pike seizes the minnow you can readily
hook him.
While fishing in Pike Lake, near to Duluth, with a strong
line and a New York spring-steel hook, and fishing with green
frog bait, a big fish took my frog. His strike and rush were so
sharp so surprising, that the spring of the rod in the recoil
drove the steel into his lower jaw. The break was so quickly
made that the reel gave one long scream; the fish threvv^
himself clean out of the water, within twenty feet of us
handsome fish almost three feet long. He gave a lash and a
plunge as soon as he struck water, and away he went, the
hook coming back to us in the boat almost straightened
out. We were fishing for Bass, and had just dropped anchor
in a bunch of yellow lilies; I got in my bait first; my friend
sat dumb and amazed; we did not dream we should find a
big Pike in these yellow lilies.
Within a few days a northern Pike weighing eighteen

pounds was killed in this lake, whose jaws bore the marks and
scars of several hooks that he had broken from. He had
lived to be a noble-looking fish, but died an ignominious
death. Some moss-back speared him!
A few miles back of Traverse City, Michigan, lies a chain
of lakes, famous amongst anglers as the home of the Esox.
The nobilor and lucius have been caught there in such sizes
and weight that seemed almost beyond belief. I saw a dead
one that bore marks of having been speared; his length was
THE PIKE. 379
over two lengths of a two-feet rule, but he smelt so strong,

that even by holding the nose we could only just slip the
rule on him twice and then run for dear life The stench !
was too much to investigate any further.

Fishing in this same river one evening, we had caught
some nice lish, when my boatmen said, "See that!" I looked,
saw the circles extending outward until the ripples touched
the boat; a new minnow was put on and fixed; the boat
stopped and I cast out up-stream, a few feet above the cen-
ter of the ripples. My minnow dropped splendidly; it scarcely
touched the water before Esox had it, and ran. The river
was full of roots and submerged logs. I had to strike or let
him go. I struck sharply.
"Let the boat go, Charley!" The boat drifted, and by sheer
force I reversed my rod and hauled the fish into the chan-
nel; then began the fun! The moment I gave him a slack
line he plunged for the bottom, but I stopped him; then he
made a rush for the banks, across and across the river for
some minutes. I never handled a crazier, or so mad a fish;
my rod bent so #hat I dare not count on the fish he was ;
full of fight, and kept it up until I had him close to the boat.
Charley, my boatman, gave him a crack on the head across

the eyes, with the butt of a paddle. This stunned him. In
a second he was at my feet, and a knife into his spinal col-
umn back of his head a splendid fish, weighing about
twelve pounds.
Many anglers use a Salmon-gaff for handling Pike. They
are splendid things in a boat where only two men who know
how to use them are fishing. In the hands of many ordinary
men you lose more fish by mis-strikes than you can catch
with them.
Esox lucius is diminishing in numbers, and especially in
size. Better fishing appliances, and the pushing in of rail-
roads into unfrequented lake countries, have opened up

regions to the angler little dreamed of twenty years ago. The
25
ambition of lady anglers to join their husbands and to get

the biggest Pike or Mascalonge in the camp, have all told
against the genus lucius. Any angler, man or woman, who
has ever fought a ten-pound lucius, and landed hmi, is proud
of the record. Such anglers don't call them snakes.
It was not my intention to say anything about the cook-
ing of the Pike, but my wife, who is by far my best camping
companion in many a fishing trip, and who, woman-like,
"knocks the biggest persimmons" when we are fishing, says:
"You take the jacket off that long-face and I will give you a
treat."
We get the treat baked Pike the concomitants
being some water, some butter, some pepper, and salt, and a
dash of vinegar at some stage of the cooking. Yum! it's a
dish fit for the gods!
THE WALL-EYED PIKE.
BY A. A. MOSHER.
ri^HE Wall-eyed Pike or Pike-Perch, so-called, belongs to

I the Acanthopherous species bearing, as the name signifies,
^ spines. These fish have various names, in various locali-
ties. In the North-west, and along the Ohio and Tennesee
rivers, they are, for some unknown reason, called Salmon, and
many of those who thus misname them will insist, most
tenaciously, that they are Salmon, and no amount of argu-
ment will convince them to the contrary. This reminds me
of the "Trout" in the Southern states that are, as every well-
informed angler knows, Black Bass.
The Wall-eyed Pike is gregarious, nearly always running
together, in schools of greater or less numbers, and when
fishing for them, if you get one Wall-eye you will generally
get more.
They most Northern waters, and in some are
are found in
very numerous; are eager biters, and not particular as to
bait, taking almost anything that is offered. They spawn in
spring on the cobble-stones or pebbles that line the shores
of the lakes or streams.
They appear in large schools at this time, the bottom
frequently being covered by them. Their eggs are very
glutinous stick fast to anything they touch, and do not
become detached (unless by violence) till hatched out. There
are, in some of our lakes and rivers, some large specimens
381
of this fish, weighing as high as thirty pounds; these usually

are found in deep holes where they can secrete themselves
under sunken logs or the banks. These big fellows are gen-
erally of a rusty color; the edges of their scales are sharp
and rough. There is a good deal of difference in the color
of these fish in different waters; in some lakes, especially in
the "Lake Park" region of Minnesota, where they are found
in great numbers
some of them (and in some lakes most of
them) are dark russet on the back, this color gradually fad-
ing down the sides till it blends with the white on the belly.
The difference in color in different individuals is so marked
that one is often tempted to believe them to be of different
species. They all have however that distinctive mark
belonging to this fish, the white tip at the lower caudal
extremity; this is always found in the true Pike-Perch, or
Wall-eyed Pike. There is another member of the same fam-
ily called the "Rock Pike." I have never seen it in the West,
but in eastern waters, especially in Lake Champlain, they
are quite numerous.
This fish is darker,rounder and smaller than the common
Wall-eye. They are frequently found on the rocks lying
perfectly still.
The flesh of the fish is firm, white and o^ fine flavor. It is
not often they take a hook; we used to spear them at night.
The common Wall-eye may occasionally, in time of high

water, be found ascending small creeks, that empty into
lakes, and they will then crowd up through grass till their
backs are out of the water; they only do this in the spring
freshets, and then only when the water is uncommonly high,
which leads me to believe that they are seeking other waters
as these creeks when they are thus found have their source
in some large slough. The fish are often found in such
sloughs, after these creeks are dry.
These fish, in still water, are not good game, as a general
thing, though I once caught one in "Big Twin Lake," in Wis-
THE WALL-EYED PIKE.
^^3
,^' v' ,
-<m
i
^ ''^Qi.
3{^4 AMERICAN GAME FISHES.
consin, thatwas game enough for anyone. I was trolHng

for and had caught a twenty-nine and one-
Mascalonge,
half-pounder with which I had a fight of an hour and a-half
before I got him in the boat, when I had a tremendous
strike. Down went the fish into deep water, and there he
staid. I toldmy guide I did not know how big he was, but
was satisfied he was larger than the one we had caught yes-
terday. We pulled for shoal water, about half a mile away,
but the fish kept down in spite of my efforts to bring him to
the surface.
We finally stopped and reeled in. Itwas slow and difficult
work, but he finally showed up and it was only a six and one-
half-pound \^'âll-eye! How a fish of that size could offer so
much resistance was, and is yet, a mystery.
Take these fish in swift water and they are as full of vim,
and fight, as any fish, except the Brook Trout.
As an edible fish the Wall-eye may be classed A No i.
The flesh is white, firm and flaky. Steamed, baked, broiled
or fried in butter, they are hard to beat.
There is no ])lace in the United States, to my knowledge,
where the Wall-eye is more plentiful than in the lake region
of Northern Wisconsin, along the line of the Milwaukee,
Lake Shore and Western Ry.
This road, runs clear around and incloses hundreds of lakes,
where not only the Wall-eye is plentiful, but Mascalonge,
Bass, Pickerel and Trout are found in great numbers.
In 1868, in company with the Hon. U. O. Finch, of Des
Moines, Iowa, and a gentleman by the name of Deaver, I
went to a small inlet on the west side of vSpirit Lake, in Dick-
inson County, Iowa, to fish for Wall-eyes and Pickerel. We
had poles, cut from iron-wood, near the lake, coarse lines,
and big hooks. We had no boat, so we rolled up our trou-

sers and waded out to the edge of deep water, where the little
inlet purled over the shelving pebbles into the lake. We had
a fin or two to commence with, but ere long we had all the
fins we wanted.
THE WALL-EYED PIKE. 385
Sport? Yes, we had it, and plenty of it. No sooner would

the hook strike the water than with a whirl and a splash a
Pike or Pickerel would take it; then the fun would commence.
Now this way and now that he would go, making the tough
iron-wood bend nearly to the butt; and away we would go for
the shore.
Various gyrations of Mr. Pike, or Mr. Pickerel, as the
case might be, would detain us more or less on the way, but
inthe end we slid him out on the pebbly shore.
Finch nearly went crazy. When he had hooked one, he
would stand, legs wide apart, eyes sticking out, both arms
apparently all elbows, and let it play awhile. Then he
would start for the shore, with his pole over his shoulders,
dragging his fish, and finally slidmg him out on the shore.
He would square himself in front of his victim and deliver
a lecture quotations from Latin, Greek, French, Demos-
thenes and Cicero and other ancient heroes. The classics
were reviewed as he fired ancient history at the poor fish;
then he would extract the hook, fix his bait and go in again.
The fish run large, several of the Pickerel tipping the
beam at ten to twelve pounds each, and the Pike averaging
some four pounds. We returned a good many of them to
the water for we had all we could use within a few minutes
after we commenced fishing.
We fished some three hours and took home seventy-five

Pike only. That afternoon will long be remembered by all
of us as one of the most enjoyable of our lives.
25
;^^ ,^^
386
THE PICKEREL.
BY W. DAVID TOMLIN.
w HEN
sires
looks out of the
sunny youth or lovely girlhood takes to
when woman, "spurred with
even to eclipse her husband
windows is growing dim
a vaulting ambition," de-
when the soul that
when the grinders
!
fishing;
cease because they are few; when the ambitions of earth wane,
and the days slip almost unconsciously by, and of the loves
of former years that remain the love of boyhood; the
strong love of a strong manhood; the declining love of well-
spent life the desire comes once again to go-a-fishing
and the slippered feet are once again guided gently to a boat

and made comfortable, and and to fishing the old sire goes.
All the memories of boyhood's days return again, and the
cunning of his hand comes to him once more; he recounts
incidents of many years fishing lore, but it is of Pickerel fish-
ing.
To the boy just beginning his piscatorial career, the Pickerel

is the fish of all fish. The "Beauty that draws us with a
single hair," does not at first attempt to inveigle the wary
trout; but the Pickerel is fair game and many a bout does
fair womanhood have with rtticulatiis before she attempts
to fling a line for either Bass or Trout.
But what is a pickerel.''
"English as she's spoken," says Pickerel or Jack is a young
Pike. This idea was fostered by some transplanted Anglo-
387
388 AMERICAN CAME FISHES.
Americans who thus tried to engraft EngHsh names on the

fauna of the American waters; but Cope, Gill, Thompson
LeSeur, Kirthmd, an Jordan have taught even boys bet-
I
ter; they know more than tlieir fathers did the difference
between the members of the Esox family.
E. rcticiilatus (L :Seur). Common

Eastern Pickerel; Green
Pike. Tlie snout much prolonged;
front of eye about midway
in head; eye more than three times in snout; colorntion,
green; sides with a net work of brown streaks.
Streams of Atlantic States abundant, but not found far in
the interior.
E. cypho (Cope). Vulgate f-Iumpbacked Pickerel, probably
best known by tiie elevated b.ick and broad swollen ante-dor-
sd region. Colors usually plain (olive green) or somewhat
reticulate. Western States.
E. AiiicricaiiKs (Gmelin). Ijanded Pickerel: Trout Pickerel.

The snout much shorter than in the preceding; eye nmch
nearer snout than opercular margin. Color: dark green; sides
with about twenty blackish curved bars; scarcely reticulated.
Length, rarely a foot long. Home, Atlantic Streams.
E. Salmojicwi (Rafinesque). Little Pickerel: Western Trout
Pickerel. Size and general form of preceding, (about a
foot long,) or more slender. Color, olivaceous green above,
tinting to a white below; sides with many reticulations and
curved streaks, instead of bars; a black streak in front of
eye as well as below. Western streams abundant. Iêsem
bles icticulaiiis more than Aincricatuis. Jordiin.
Comparing the rctiailatiis and liiciiis, anyone can readily
distinguish the points of difference deiined in the descriptions
of Rafinesque. Cope, and LeSeur; and the Pickerel once
out of the water, his relations with the Pike family are
established.
The Pickerel arc spring-spawncrs hence boys see them just

as soon as the ice has cleared out, thesnow-water gone and
the warm days come. They are found in shoal water
amongst weeds, or where the branches of trees are project-

ing from the shore into the water. Here they are found in
pairs, gently swimming backward and forward in the stream,
THE PICKEREL. 389
rubbing side by side until the female is ready to spawn.

They are careless fish leaving the spawn to take care of
itself until the gentle undulations of the stream and the

warmth of the sun's rays produce the young fry.
As soon they
as these are able to take care of themselves,
show the family likeness, and begin their bold predacious
attacks on the fry of the silver chub and shiner family. They
are greedy feeders, and from the time they are the length of the
little finger, the Pickerel are looking for something nice to
eat.
Years ago, ere the appliances for fishing had improved to
their present stage, I was fishing with a crude, jointed rod,
home-made the rod a simple home-spun affair and was

enjoying the sharp vicious strikes of Pickerel that were
abundant in the local waters, forgetting that my ancient
enemy, a pugnacious and well-developed ram, was in the
pasture lots. His butting propensities had caused a declara-
tion of war between us; boy like, I enjoyed many a bout
with him, but always had to cut and run, for he would chase
and butt at me until my wind was exhausted. Being fleet of
foot could outrun him every time.
I
I was quietly casting across stream into some dog-tail

weeds, where we could always find Pickerel, when hearing the
familiar b-a-a-h-h ! behind me, I turned, and there was my
"sniffing the battle afar off." I had just
enemy, head up and
been congratulating myself that I was safe, shaking my fist
and laughing at him, because another stream ran between
him and myself, about forty feet wide
A Pickerel took my bait and was running down stream. I
was fishing just then: the ram did not trouble me any.
After playing this fish a few minutes I landed him, and put
on another minnow, had cast out a few yards down stream,
and struck another fish; he was gamy and gave me plenty
of fight.
Absorbed with my fish I forgot my surroundings. The
THE PICKEREL. 391
Pickerel was fighting to get my line round some of the roots
that run out into the stream. The hook held good but my
fish was too cunning for me ; a quick movement and my line
was in a tangle. I stooped to disentangle the line, my head
well over the river, when a fearful butt, a plunge, a splash,
a yell, a sputter, and a half-choking boy came to the surface.
The moment he got his breath, there was a string of threats
and vows of death and vengeance against the old ram. Ha-
tred and scorn could not wipe out this bitter insult. If it
must be a fight, let us have it out now; but the ram was
rampant; never an inch would he yield, not even to let the
boy get out of the water. Hadn't he put in some good licks
and run up the pasture, and jumped at the end of the stream
to come at me.^ Hadn't he come to accept the challenge.^
Hadn't he took me at my word and downed me.^ and I was
all this time swimming. Yes he had got the best of me but ;
I must get out or drown! Making for the bank, I seized the
butt of my rod, detached it, and as Mr. Ram charged, I gave
him a crack across his nose that halted him.
I was out on the bank in a second, and ready for the sec-

ond charge in rebuttal. I cracked him one over the head,
and then began a picnic!
I was cold and shivering when I came 0ut of that mill-
stream, but in a few minutes my clothes were steaming from the

violence of my exertion. He had ram'd me once, and tried
many times to again butt me into the river. I could swim
like a duck, but was opposed to being driven into the water
like a musk-rat. of us were tired out, and my only hope
Both
of victory was hanging on the horns of the brute and
in
getting in whacks, when I could, on his head and sides.
I let go and lifted my club; but he turned tail, and ran. I
loosed my fish line and fortunately the Pickerel was still

there. I took him in, rod and line, bat the butt was a total
wTCck. Taking my two fish I made my way to the house,

where mother, meeting me at the door, with wondering eyes

exclaimed "You'll be drowned yet!"
i
THE PICKEREL. 393
No wonder! nose bleeding, liands torn and scratched,

pants split into ribbons but I had my fish, and kept a close
mouth. The ram was a valuable animal, of choice breed,
and I knew that in case he died there was a choice licking in
store for me. "Silence is golden," sometimes, and I kept
mum. For years my old enemy and I understood each other
thoroughly.
Rams seldom die, unless killed. I could always thereafter
fish that stream again unmolested ; but let me go out of the
pasture gate without a stick, and the ram was rampant.
HOW CAN I CATCH PICKEREL.?
With anything a walking-stick, and a string with a spoon-

hook on it or with a long stick cut beside the stream, a
tow line as large as your little finger, and a big hook impal-
ing a mouse, a frog, a piece of fat pork; a slice of bacon,
with the outer skin lefton and cut about two inches long,
shaping the bait like a minnow. The Pickerel is a fool fish
when hungry, and I am inclined to think will jump at even
bare hooks, if only they spin. But there is as much concen-
trated essence of fun in fishing for Pickerel, with fine tackles,
as you can get out of the mailed warrior, boasting the grand
lineage of a Microptcrus Dolomicii ; and the former fish com-
pletely puts in shade the StizostetJiiiiin vitreiint, for fighting
to the last gasp.
With a Bethabara wood rod, whose tips would slip into a
barley straw, a fine Trout line, a rubber click-reel, and a
single Sproat or Sneck-bend hook, impaling a Storer's min-
now, or silver shiner through the back, I have hooked and
landed Pickerel, after fighting them for several minutes. No
Trout ever gave more fun than Pickerel will, when they do
take a notion to rise to a fly. Large gaudy flies, allowed to sink
beneath the surface, are attractive lure for any of the reticu-
latiis family.
Where cold, clear streams abound, the Pickerel give an

26
amount of pleasure equal to that obtained in angling for

the Pike. The savage seizing of a minnow bait; the rush,
for fifty or sixty feet ; the strike, and the sharp struggle that
ensues, engage an angler's attention, and give him a most
all
delightful occupation for the time.

My own system of fishing for the Pickerel is similar to that
of Pike-fishing laying out as long a line as possible, gather-
ing the line in the hand in the same manner, covering all of
one hundred feet with the line, and fishing up-stream. While
fishing in waters peculiarly the home have
of the Pickerel, I
anchored a boat, cast out a line fifty or sixty feet, kept the
bait off the bottom, and moving all the time; and could have
filled the boat with fish if I had been so disposed.
While fishing in a Minnesota Lake one summer evening,

at the mouth of a small but quick-running stream, I found a
school of Trout-Pickerel common in this lake, and a hand-
some, clean fish.
I was fishing for Wall-eyed-Pike at the time a fish often

caught in this lake, weighing five to eight pounds and used
a pair of Bass flies, the "Oriole" and "Black-and-Gold".
At the first cast I made the fish came to the surface by the
half dozen. I saw they were "Banded and spotted," but
could not for the moment place them. I knew they were
not Wall-eyes, but could not for the moment determine what
they were.
My second cast was made, and away went my fish. In a few
moments I saw that I had hooked a second fish, and they
began pulling two ways at once. Though not large fish, I
had all I could do to save my rod. Gradually bringing them
to the boat, I found one hooked safely and the fly outside of
its mouth; the other was hooked just above its tail foul-
hooked, but I managed to save both. For an hour I had
all the fun I wanted, and could have caught fifty Pickerel
during the time, all with big Bass flies. I could not eat so
many; there was no one near to give them to; so we moved

THE PICKEREL. 395
away from the stream, found a bank where the Wall-eyes

were feeding, and put in the balance of the evening, until
nearly ten o'clock, fishing for these with flies and grass-
hoppers.
Fishing in Douglass County, Minnesota, during June,
1888, I found a stream running into a lake, and some boys
having "dead loads of fun," as they expressed it, fishing for
Bass and Pickerel. I secured a boat, pulled out from shore
until I found the channel-bank, a shelving ledge, that dropped

from about four deep down to about twelve feet; dropped
feet
my anchor and then run out until I
in the four feet of water,
could fish in the deeper part. I had minnows for bait, but
wanted to try for Bass with flies, as they took the bait gamily
and seemed inclined to rise for it. Putting on a Cheney and
Black-and-Gold, I cast out a few times and found the spot
where Pickerel were lying. I hooked two fish and played
them carefully. When getting them to the boat I found a

Pickerel and a Wall-eye on the hooks. I spent an hour at
that spot, and caught thirty pounds of fish, distributing them

amongst the boys who were fishing on the bridge crossing
the stream and who had not caught anything. Then lifting
my anchor I drifted out into deeper water, but the Pickerel
seemed to follow me, for at every cast a Pickerel rose to my
flies. I would skitter the flies along the surface of the water,
when flip! swish! would come several fish at the same time.
I had to pull up my anchor and get! the only time in a
life-time when Pickerel were too many for me. But what
was the use of catching them.^ the hotels were full of fish:
the farmers caught all they wanted; even the boys cried
"enough!"
Shortly before pulling up anchor I hooked, on a dark
brown fly, a Pickerel weighing about one and a half pounds.
While fighting him, my gut leader somehow caught another
fish; it pulled and tugged, squirmed and twisted, until I
expected to lose flies and leader, but by handling them gently
I brought them to the boat, when I found the leader had

caught into thegill and the dropper had twisted around the
gill. dropped the unhooked fish into the water again, and
I
pulled for my hotel, having been surfeited, for once in my

life, with Pickerel-fishing.
i
THE WHITE PERCH.
BY FRED MATHER.
I'Ô-NIGHT my banjo is attuned in a minor key to sing of a

minor fish, which, in some lands, would take higher rank
-
thanit does on our Atlantic coast where it is native. All
fishes which take the fly deserve to be classed above those
that can be lured only with bait.
A man in the audience here suggests that the banjo is not
properly strung, and intimates that the White Perch, which
tie calls Rocciis Amcricanus, would, under this ruling, be
classed as superior game to its big brother, the Striped Bass,

or Rockfish, which it pleaseth him to speak of as Rocciis
lineatus. This interruption cannot be noticed now, for one
cannot improvise without having some hours wherein to do
it, and, had he been a friend, he would have warne me 1
some days advance that he had a plan to bring down the

in
house with my answering verse. As it is, the head usher

gets the sign that I do not know the person, and he is ejected
for disorderly conduct. The dignity of the profession must
be maintained at all hazards, and my course is based on
what lago says of Roderigo:
"For I mine own gained knowledge should profane,
If I would time expend with such a snipe."
This is a favorite gag that I always get off on a snipe-

shooting companion when I miss a bird, but have not sprung
397
iton the fishermen before. I learned it from Edwin Booth;
he has made it a chestnut to his audiences, but I might

work it in as original in the dime museums until the fat man
takes to applying it to the living skeleton; that would para-
lyze it for future use.
Once in a while I get a sore-headed fit but it passes like a
thunder storm, leaving a better atmosphere behind it. Such
a fit comes on when I hear, or read of, a good fish being
denounced as a "vulgarian" because it is not "first-class."
In Europe it is said that only princes and Americans ride
first class, and I have seen the time that a cattle-car would
have been welcomed as a means of abolishing space, while

"counting railroad ties" was the only alternative between
walking when "the ghost did not walk" and paying railroad
fares. do not rage with the heathen, but accept
Therefore I
the best that is Years ago, when living in New

to be had.
York City, I have gone to Italian opera, on off-nights when
there was no sparring at Harry Hill's or dog fight at Harry
Jenning's, and really enjoyed it as a change, on the same
principle as the old European Professor who rode in the

third-class coach because there was no fourth.
After reading the above there appears to be a digression,
but foot-paths are always more attractive than highways;
and if I can't digress, then, to use the simile of the beginning,
I had best let the banjo bridge and "uncork." The
down
point that was intended to be made is this: It is the fashion
in this country to decry certain fishes, that are so far above
many both ancient and modern British anglers
of those that
fish for that has become
it necessary to defend some of the
New World forms which have made the heart of I/aak Walton
rejoice. First in this class the Big-mouthed Black Bass,
is
which a few still persist in calling "Oswego" Bass (how I hate

It is a grand game fish, and is more certain
to
that name!)
Small-mouth, to which its detractors
rise to the fly than the
always compare it. Where is the other duffer in the audi-
THE WHITE PERCH. 399
ence now who insists that the banjo never was in tune? If
he interrupts I will refer him to Dr. Henshall, and if he can

find anything that the apostle of the Black Bass has said
that will sustain his position, or controvert mine, then we
confess judgment and invoke mercy from the court.
There was no digression in the last paragraph, although
one was attempted. The fact is that some American fishes
have not received their proper rank as game, and the Big-
mouthed Black Bass was instanced as a most glaring case in
which a noble fish has been actually abused and reviled. In
the subject of my song, the White Perch, no such claim is
made; it has simply been neglected. I get some fair sport
out of it when the Trout streams are far off, railroad fares
high, and time, which was not made only for slaves and set-
ting-hens, is limited. The White Perch was one of the
things that I pursued in childhood, and in advancing years it
still finds favor. Like a poor man it fails to receive justice.
"Here's a fish hangs in the net like a poor man's right
in the law; 'twill hardly come out." Pericles, Act ii., Sc. i.
"The imperious seas breed monsters; for the dish, poor
tributary rivers as sweet fish." Cymbclinc, Act iv., Sc. 2.
Often while playing my favorite part of a truant school-

boy a role which pleased a few chums but never met favor

from parental authority has a small White Perch shown its
silvery sides and bristling spines between the surface of the
water and the deck of some craft at dock on the upper Hud-
son. We boys fished on general principles, in those days.
There were no rods, lines or hooks for special fishes; we
went to the village grocery and bought a few knots of the

cheapest line, half a dozen hooks two for a cent, pounded
out a piece of lead for a sinker, and there we were, equipped
for several days fishing for ten cents!
Floats and poles we despised, because as our oracle, John
Atwood, said: "They aint no use, 'cause when you got a pole
you just yank 'em out so quick you don't have any fun;
THE WHITE PERCH. 4OI
but when you haul 'emin lively on a hand-line you've got
time to 'em wiggle, and to wonder what you've got."

feel
This, then, became our fishing law, for John had laid it
down, and we wanted to "feel 'em wiggle," whether Chub,
Sun-fish, White Perch, Spawn-eater, Bull-head or Eel; for,
as before said, we
on general principles for anything
fished
that had an appetite worms. How our blood stirred
for
when a half-pound Eel made us think we had a monster
Perch or perhaps a Bass! Ah me! what fun we all had when
boys. "Fun" was the word then; as we get older it becomes
"sport."
The Perch of those days we will drop distinctive names

now seldom grew above six inches in length in the Hudson,
about Albany, and was like burnished silver, a brilliancy that
it loses in brackish water, where it breeds and grows to its
limit. Then we did not know that learned men would dis-
pute about name, whether it should be Moroiic or Roccus
its
Avicricaiius; and it is possible that our interest would not

have been thoroughly aroused to the important fact if we
had. We would probably have asked John Atwood about
it. John was at least a dozen years old, and if any person
knew more about fish than John, we did not know who he
was. He could make a bob for Eels, snare Suckers, and
could tell whether a nibble was made by a Sun-fish or a
Perch; and as for names of fish, bless you! he knew them all.
In later years the books tell me that this Perch is found in
brackish waters along the Atlantic Coast of North America,
from Cape Cod to Florida, and I have learned that its com-
mon name is shared with a worthless fish which dwells in the
Great Lakes, and with some other fishes either inland or on
the Pacific Coast; but my song is not of them.
The White Perch had passed away into the realm of boy-
hood recollections by reason of years of wandering inland,
where it is unknown, and the fly-rod had displaced the hand-
line which John Atwood had taught was the highest form of
36
sportsmanship, when suddenly Perch appeared as a fish

this
that readily took the fly, and was therefore elevated from the
realm of boyish fun to "legitimate sport." And this is the
way it happened: An invitation to fish for Black Bass, in a
private pond on Long Island, had been accepted, and several
flies were cast, one evening toward the close of July, without
reward. Flies were changed

and position was shifted sev-
combination was a clear spot in some
eral times, until the
weeds and a red ibis and gray drake on the leader. Then
arise; my boatman irreverently said: "arise my soul, arise!"
The reel sang as the morning stars never did, and a silver-
sided fish leaped into the air. It was not a Bass, but some-
thing strange; the spring of the rod soon checked the stranger,
and the reel began to draw us into closer relationship. As
we were approaching each other a second fish seized the
other fly, and then the real contest began. My ordinary
practice is to fish with one fly if the and to
fish will take it,
put on a second one only when they seem what indifferent to

is offered. Two fish on a single gut do not represent two
souls with but a single thought, although they may have two
mouths which jerk as one, and they often part company
when their desires to separate are synchronal; hence the
experienced angler seldom cares to risk his leader in a con-
test with a double, and, if it is repeated, will remove one fly
and content himself with one at a time. A school had been
struck
for this perch is gregarious, and is usually present in
numbers or is entirely absent; and soon a fine fish was struck
that leaped into the air three times before it was brought to

hand a habit not mentioned, to my knowledge, by angling
authors, none of whom mention fly-fishing for it.
Norris says: "Frank Forester, in his book on angling, dis-
misses it (the Perch), after a slight notice, as 'not sufficiently
important to merit more particular notice. ' The latter gen-
tleman missed much, by not becoming acquainted with our
little friend Pallidiis.''' But even Norris, the Nestor of
The white perch. 463
American anglers in his day, only mentions our fish as inhab-

iting the estuaries and fresh waters that run into the sea, and
does not speak of its capture with the fly. Scott, who was
not much of a fly-fisher, if at all, says: "This fish is peculiarly
adapted for the sport of juveniles," and after recommending
its capture with light Bass tackle, further says: "A White
Perch which weighs but a pound affords sport with light
when weighing three pounds, it plays very vig-
tackle, and,
orously." No doubt! I never took one that would weigh
two pounds, and have had good sport with them. Do you
ask about tackle.'' A Trout rig, I use that for everything, a
ten and one-half foot split -bamboo rod of ten ozs., a water-
proof silk line (heavy "D," I think,) and an eight-foot gut
leader, with either a red ibis, gray drake, Parmacheene-belle,
royal coachman fly, dressed on a No.
or other bright 5 or 6
Sproat hook. Myheavy enough to cast a small frog,

rod is
if I condescended to use bait, or to handle a larger Black

Bass than ever struck it; and with that rig I would like to
strike a ten-pound Salmon. True, it might be a bad day for
the "rig," but if the fly had done its full duty and neither
man nor age had impaired the strength of the leader, it would
delight me to see a ten-pound fish, of any species, smash the
rod or break the line. This rod has stood the severest strain
that a rod can get, and that is in tournament casting, and
the necessary preliminary practice; and it has won prizes,
in other hands. But all this is a digression, provoked by an
inviting foot-path across the untrodden fields of fly-fishing
for White Perch, and just how to get back into the forsaken
highway is a problem. My evil genius suggests that I give
a technical description of the White Perch beginning with ;
its systematic name, or names, and after giving all the syn-
onyms, and a map of its fin-rays, to enumerate its scales in

both lateral and vertical rows, ending with its dental and
digestive apparatus, which all readers will acknowledge to be
the product of a learned man but will not read. A better
adviser, vie judicc, says that if it is certain that the read-

er will skip all that,had better do so. I ask my
then I
good angel what to substitute, and intimate that 1 have

already said all that is necessary on the subject of fishing
with the fly for White Perch but my mentor says that so
;
far the fishing has been in mill-ponds, where they are rarely
found, and has not touched upon the taking of them in the
brackish waters where they most abound; and suggests that
something be said of that. Now there is nothing more to
be said on the subject; you can take the fish wherever you
find it, with either fly or bait, and it is no part of my purpose
to tell about taking them with worms, pieces of fish, crickets,
or other gross lures which appeal to their baser appetites.
With Dr. Bcthune, "I have long since washed my hands of
the dirty things," and will only say. do not put a water-proof
silk line into saltwater, because it will soften and ruin it;
use linen or other material.
If after reading "this bald unjointed chat" there is a desire
for a serious consideration of the merits of the fish, take down
Goode's "American Fishes," and read his last paragraph, p.
38; it gives the White Perch a high grade, and recommends
it to "the easy-going British Angler of the Waltonian type,
to whom the pleasure of the rural scenery and quiet outing

is of more moment than the strength and voracity of the
fishes," etc. Goode and Norris are the only writers that I
recall who have given this game fish a fairly decent notice.
But this yarn has been spun too long and I am reminded of
Edgar's remark (King Lear, Act ii., Sc. 4): "Frateretto
calls me, and tells me, Nero is an angler in the lake of dark-
ness." And thereby hangs a tale! "To this complexion may
we come at last." How many of us can plead not guilty to
Caesar's charge against Antony:
"He fishes, drinks, and wastes the lamps of night in rev-
el .?"
If there is any moral to be drawn from what has been

THE WHITE PERCH. 4O5
written I would much like to know it, for I assure you that
none was intended; believing, with the servant in Romeo and

Juliet (Act i., Sc. 2), "that the shoemaker should meddle with
his yard, and the tailor with his last, the fisher with his pen-
cil, and the painter with his nets," I will put the banjo in its
case and no longer mar the harmony of the night, lest some
one say with Hotspur:
"I had rather hear a brazen can'stick turned,
Or a dry wheel grate on the axle-tree."
The ditty has been hoarsely sung, the curtain rung down;
the lights are out Good Night!
;,T,"
S?
406
THE YELLOW BASS, WHITE BASS, ROCK BASS,
CALICO BASS, CRAPPIE, YELLOW PERCH
AND OTHER "BOYS' FISHES."
BY DAVID STARR JORDAN.
THE SAUGER Stizostediuvt canadeiise (C. H. Smith).
Description. Body
elongate, more terete than in the Wall-
eye, with the broad and scarcely compressed; depth of
baclv-
the body four and one-half to five times in length; head quite
pointed, about three and one-half in length, slope of the pro-
file greater than in the Wall- eye; eye smaller, five to five and
one-half times in the head; mouth rather smaller, the lower
jaw included; maxillary reaching to opposite posterior margin
of eye; opercle with a sharp, flat spine, usually a smaller one
L:elow it, and an obscure one above; sometimes two or three
smaller ones below, often" none; the position and number of
these spines extremely variable; specimens: preopercle strongly
serrate, the lower spines hooked forward; cheeks usually

scaled the hinder third, or less, sometimes naked; median
furrow on top of head closely scaled. Coloration paler and
more translucent, the shades less blended than in the Wall-
eye; olive gray above, sides considerably brassy or pale orange,
with much black mottling; the black gathered into several
definite dark areas, the most distinct of these being opposite
the second dorsal; two others fainter, at each extremity of
the spinous dorsal, and one at base of caudal these blotches
;
are irregular and diffuse, but very characteristic; young spec-

imens are pale orange, with broad black shades; spinous
dorsal, with two or three rows of round black spots, one of
each row on the membrane between each pair of spines; indis-
tinct blotch on posterior part of the fin; a large black blotch
at base of pectorals; second dorsal with about three rows of
irregular dark spots; caudal yellowish and dusky, almost
40-]
barred. Fin-rays: dorsal XII, 1-17, varying to XIII, i-t8;

anal II, 12; lateral line with ninety-two-ninety-eight scales;
pyloric caeca four to seven, four of them larger than the rest,
of different lengths, all small and shorter than the stomach;
the usual number is six, but the two small ones are some-
times one or both absent, sometimes duplicated. Length of
adult 10 to 15 inches.
EVERYWHERE to the North, from Quebec to the Ohio

River and on north-westward to Montana, wherever the
great Wall-eye goes, there is found its little brother, the
Sauger. Like the Wall-eye, it is a long, slim, swift, pirate-
rigged fish, with a mouth well armed with the sharpest of teeth.
It is a fish of finer texture than the Wall-eye, richly shaded
with yellow, and translucent when held up to the light. The

Sauger ranks as a food fish lower than the Wall-eye, and is
usually classed by the lake fishermen as a "soft fish," while the
Wall-eye is unquestionably a hard one. But the difference
may come from the fact that the Sauger grows to a small
solely
size, seldom or never more than eighteen inches in length,
and oftener not more than a foot. It is a fish of lakes and quiet
rivers, often found on sandy bottoms, hence its name of
"Sand Pike," heard in many localities. It is however not a
Pike, and the name Sauger which belongs to no other fish is
the best name that anglers can use for it. The very worst name
for either species is the name "Salmon.^' In fact, for an
angler to call any spiny-rayed fish a "Salmon," is an
acknowledgment on his part that he is no angler at all,
but simply a fish hunter to whom all fishes are so much meat,
and who has no care for niceties in language, or for nicety
in his The
work. uneducated people of various
fact that the
Southern States who have never seen a Salmon, suppose the
Pike-perch to be such, is not a justification for those who
know better.
So far as the game-qualities of the Sauger are concerned,
I know nothing which will distinguish him from the Wall-eye
or the Perch. He is a carnivorous and voracious fish, not
likely to let anything escape which seems to him good to eat.
THE YELLOW BASS AND OTHER BOYS' FISHES. 409
27
4IO AMERICAN GAME FISHES.
THE SUN-FISHES CentrarcJiidce
Every boy east of the Rocky Mountains begins his career

as a real angler with the Sun-fish. He may have caught
Horned Dace or Shiners with an angle-worm on a crooked
pin, but to catch such fishes even the smallest boy knows is
not angling. He feels his first real angler's enthusiasm when,
seated on the projecting roots of the big sycamore tree, at
the "old swimming-hole," he sees this little strutting fish,
round as a dollar and resplendent in orange and green, trying
to keep off intruders from its nest of gravel and sand. He
throws his bait in the direction of the nest. The little fish
sees a new enemy and makes a quick rush at the bait.
The cork bobs excitedly. Excitement seizes the boy, and the
little fish is the first prize of the young angler.
If he lives in the East or the North, the Sun-fish he takes
will be the old-fashioned Sunny or Pumpkin-seed, Leponiis
gibbosiis, the brightest and most active of them all, although
not the largest. Should he live in the South-west, some of the
other species will fall to his lot; but all the genuine Sun-fishes
stand in the same relation to their friend, the boy. Let me
quote from Professor Goode's admirable account of the
Youthful Fisherman:
"The 'Pumpkin and the Perch are the first trophies
seed'
of the boy-angler. Many
are the memories of truant days
dreamed away by pond or brook-side, with twine, pole and
pin-hook, and of the slow homeward trudge, doubtful what
his reception will be at home; pole gone, line broken, hook
lost, the only remnant of the morning's glory a score of lean,
sun-dried Perches and Sunnies, and, mayhap, a few Eels and

Bull-heads, ignominiously strung through the gills upon a
willow withe, and trailing, sometimes dropping from weary
hands, in the roadside dust.
"Then in later youth came the excursion to some distant
pond; the early start, long before sunrise, the cane-rods trailing
over the tail-board of the wagon, the long drive between
THE YELLOW BASS AND OTHER BOYS FISHES. 41 I
fresh forests and dewy meadows, the interested faces at the
wayside windows. Then at the pond the casting of the seine

for minnow-bait, the embarkation in the boat, the careful
adjustment of sinker and float, and the long, delightful, lazy
day, floating over jungles of Eel-grass and meadows of lily
pads; now pulling in by the score the Shiners, Pumpkin-seeds
and Perch; now passing hour after hour without a bite.
"Just as the nightingale and the lark, though eminent
among the lesser song-birds of Europe, would, if natiê to
America, be eclipsed by the feathered musicians of our groves
and meadows, the Perch and Sun-fish yielded to the superior
claims of a dozen or more game fishes. The Sun-fish and
the Perch must not be snubbed, however, for they are prime
favorites with tens of thousands of anglers who cannot leave
home in quest of sport. They will thrive and multiply, almost
beyond belief, in ponds and streams too small for Bass, and
too warm for Trout and Land-locked Salmon; and I proph-
esy that they will yet be introduced in all suitable waters
throughout the continent, which they do not now inhabit."
Besides the real Sun-fishes, which the books call Lepomis,
there are other fishes more like them and o][ the same family,
which form a regular gradation in size and gameness, from
the Pumpkin-seed to the king of our western and southern
rivers, the Black Bass. And the boy recognizes this series.
He knows that to catch a Red-eye is to place himself on the
grade of promotion; above the Red-eye comes the Crappie,
and above the Crappie the Calico Bass. One step more
to the Black Bass. Could there be a more natural grada-
tion.? Yet that these species are only Sun-fish of a larger
growth goes without discussion.
THE COMMON SUN-FISH, PUMPKIN-SEED OR SUNNY LcpOUlis
gibbosus (Linnaeus).

Body deep, very gibbous, both dorsal and ven-
Description.
traloutlines strongly curved; depth in adidt, a little more
than half its length without caudal; the head a little more
than a third; eye large; 8 to 4 1-2-in. head, about equal to the

opercular flap; mouth small, the maxillary scarcely reaching
to orbit; profile usually forming an angle above eye; fins well
developed, the spines of the dorsal rather high; the spines as
long as from snout to past pupil; pectoral fins long, reaching
to anal; opercular flap moderate, broad and short, bluntly
rounded, black except a broad edge on the lower posterior
part, which in life is always bright scarlet and always a strik-
ing feature; fin-rays: dorsal X, 10; anal III, 10; lateral line
with 3610 45 scales; coloration very variable, according to the
surroundings of the fish; back greenish-olive, usually dark;
sides profusely spotted with orange; belly orange-yellow; lower
fins orange, the upper olivaceous, with the membranes closely
spotted with orange and olive, with clear blue wavy streaks.
Length 6 to 8 or TO inches.
The common Sun-fish is found throughout the Great Lake

Region, in the Upper Mississippi, eastward to the rivers of
Maine, and thence southward as far as Georgia in the streams
east of the Alleghanies. Its geographical range, singularly
enough, exactly coincides with that of the Yellow Perch, but

no other fish whatever shows the same eccentricity of going
southward on the east side of the moutains, while avoiding
the middle and lower Mississippi.
As already stated, the Sun-fish is pre-eminently a boy's
fish. It is active, handsome and voracious. Any bait small
enough for it to swallow, it will take with an energy worthy
of a fish ten times its size.
The following account of its nest-building habits is given
by Dr. Holbrook. I suppose that other Sun-fishes share these
habits, but no other species has been so carefully observed.

"This fish prefers still and clear waters. In the spring, the
female prepares herself a circular nest, by removing all reeds
or other dead aquatic plants from a chosen spot of a foot or
more in diameter, so as to leavebare the clean gravel or sand
this she excavates to the depth of three or four inches, and
then deposits her spawn, which she watches with the greatest
vigilance; and it is curious to see how carefully she guards
this nest against all intruders; in every fish, even those of her
THE YELLOW BASS AND OTHER BOYS' FISHES. 4^3
414 AMERICA^f GAME FiSHfiS.
own species, she sees only an enemy, and is restless and

uneasy till she has driven it away from her nurser3\ We
often find groups of the nests placed near each other along
the margin of the pond or river that the fir.h inhabits, but
always in very shallow water; hence they are liable to be left
dry in seasons of great drought. These curious nests are fre-
quently encircled by aquatic plants, forming a curtain around

them, but a large space is invariably left open for the admis-
sion of light."
Thoreau ("Week on Concord and Merrimack''^ thus spoke
of this fish:
"It is the most common and seen on every
of all,
urchin's string, a simple and inoffensive fish, whose nests

are visible all along the shore, hollowed in the sand, over
which it is steadily poised through the summer hours
on waving tin. Sometimes there are twenty to thirty nests
in the space of a few rods, two feet wide by half a foot in
depth and made with no little labor, the weeds being removed,
and the sands shoved up on the sides like a bowl. Here it
may be seen early in the summer assiduously brooding, and
driving away minnows and larger fishes, even its own species,
which would disturb its ova, pursuing them a few feet, and
circling around swiftly to its nest again; the minnows, like
young sharks, instantly entering the emp1:y nests, meanwhile,
and swallowing the spawn, which is attached to the weeds
and to the bottom on the sunny side. The spawn is exposed
to so many dangers that a very small proportion can ever
become fishes, for besides being the constant prey of birds
and fishes, a great many nests are made so near the shore, in
shallow water, that they are left dry in a few days, as the
river goes down. These and the Lampreys are the only
fishes' nests that I have observed, though the ova of some
species may be seen floating on the surface. The breams are

so careful of their charge that you may stand close by them in
the water and examine them at your leisure. I have thus stood
over them half an hour at a time and stroked them famiharly

without frightening them, suffering them to nibble at my finger
harmlessly, and seen them erect their dorsal fi^ns in anger when
my hand approached their ova, and have even taken them gen-
tly out of the water with my hand; though this cannot be accom-
plished by any sudden movement, however dexterous, for
instant warningconveyed to them through their denser
is
element, but only by letting the fingers gradually close about

them as they are poised over the palm and with the utmost
gentleness raising them slowly to the surface.
"Though stationary, they keep up a constant sculling or
waving motion with their fins, which is exceedingly graceful,
and expressive of their humble happiness, for unlike ours, the
element in which they live is a stream which must be con-
tantly resisted. From time to time they nibble at the weeds
at the bottom or overhanging their nests, or dart after a fly
or worm. The dorsal fin, besides answering the purpose of

a keel, with the anal, serves to keep the fish upright, for in
shallow water where this is not covered, they fall on their
sides.
"As you stand thus, stooping over the bream in its nest,
the edges of the dorsal and caudal fins have a singular dusty
golden reflection, and its which stand out from the head,
eyes,
are transparent and colorless. Seen in its native element, it
is a very beautiful and compact fish, perfect in all its parts,
and looks like a brilliant coin fresh from the mint. It is a
perfect jewel of the river, the green, red, coppery, and

golden reflections of its mottled sides being the concentra-
tions of such rays as struggle through the floating pads and
flowers to the sandy bottom, and in harmony with the sunlit
brown and yellow pebbles. Behind its watery shield it
dwells, far from many accidents inevitable to human life."
Dr. Goode quotes from Mr. W. C. Harris: "I confess to

a fondness for catching the 'Pumpkin seed' upon the lightest
of light fly rods with leader and line of a spider-web consist-

ency. I have caught them, averaging a half pound in

weight, by the dozen, with black and brown hackles, and
when they reach that si/e they are so sprightly in their play,
when hooked on Trout tackle, that we cannot deny them a
niche in the gallery of game fishes."
THE LONG-EARED SUN-FISH Lcpoiuis vicgalotis (Rafincsque).
Description. Body deep and ratlier short, the profile high
and strongly curved; dorsal outline convex; depth more than
half the length; heatl with flap a little less; dorsal spines
low, lower than in most of the other species, in adults shorter
than from snout to middle of eye; pectorals not reaching
vent; gill-rakers very siiort and soft; opercular flap very
long in adult, always with broad pale edge which is
pinkisli behind and bluish in front; in young specimens the
flap exhibits every stage of development, no two individuals
being alike in this respect. Colors very brilliant, more so
than in any other of our Sun-fishes, but fading rapidly after
death. The general color of an adult specimen is brilliant
blue and orange, the black chiefly blue, the belly entirely
orange, the orange forming irregular longitudinal rows of
spots, the blue in wavy vertical lines along the series of
scales; vertical fins with the soft rays blue and the membranes
orange, sometimes fiery red; ventral and anal, dusky blue;
lips blue; cheeks with blue and orange stripes; top of head
and neck black; iris bright red; tins unspotted; young speci-
mens with the ear-flap small, and the coloration variously
dull; D. X, lo; A. Ill, lo; lat. I. 40.
Throughout the Mississippi valley, and on south-westward

to the Rio Grande, this gorgeous little fish is abundant. It
is also occasionally taken in the streams of the North-west,

it may be found on every urchin's string in Indiana and Illi-
nois. It is smaller than the common Sun-fish, and less

active, although in coloration it is one of the gayest fishes
that swim.
THE YELLOW-BELLY OK " BREAM." LepOtuis ilUrltUS

(Linnaeus).
Description.
Bod}' elongate, not much elevated. Snout mod-
erately prominent. Mouth rather large oblique, the maxillary
reaching past front of eye. Cheeks with rather small scales,
in about 7 rows. Scales of breast small. Palatine teeth few,

rather large. quite short, but stiff and rough;
Gill-rakers
wide apart. Opercular flap very long (longer in the adult
than on any other of the Sun-fishes except Lcponiis me}:âiofis),
narrow, not usually wider than the eye. In the young the
flap is variously shorter, but always narrow; lower margin of
flap usually pale. Dorsal spines rather low. Color olive;
belly largely orange red; scales on the sides with reddish
spots on a bluish ground; vertical fins chiefly orange or yel-
lowish; head with bluish stripes, especially in front of eye;
no dusky blotch on last rays of dorsal and anal. Head (with
out flap) 3-in. length; depth 2 1-8. D. X, 11; A. Ill, g; Lat.
I. 47. L. 8 inches.
This handsome Sun-fish found in all ponds and streams

is
east of the Alleghanies from Maine to Florida. It reaches a

length of eight to ten inches, and is a pan-fish and a game-
fish not to be despised. In Virginia and the Carolinas, it is
the most abundant of the Sun-fish, and thrives wonderfully
in millponds.
THE BLUE-GILL OR DOLLARDEE LcpOUlis p(XllidllS (Mitchillj.
Description.
Body deep and compressed, rather elongate,
with slender caudal peduncle when young; short, deep and
almost orbicular in very old specimens; head moderate, about
one-third the length, with short snout, large eye, and steep
profile; depth of body about half the length, in old specimens
somewhat more; mouth quite small, the maxillary not reach-
ing eye; opercular flap large, entirely black, with narrow
margin at base, nearly as broad as long in adults; in young
specimens the flap is usually quite small, and broader than
long; fins large; dorsal spines very high, often higher than
soft rays in young, their length about equal to the distance
from snout to posterior margin of eye; pectoral fins very long
and falcate, reaching beyond beginning of anal; scales mod-
erate; those on cheeks in about six rows; lateral line with
45 to 48. Coloration, adults dark olive or bluish green;
belly and lower parts more or less coppery; no blue stripes
on the cheek; a large dusky or "inky" spot on the last rays of
dorsal and anal; young specimens show several undulating or
chain-like transverse olive bars, and a bright purplish luster in
life. Length 6 to 10 or ra inches.
This species is the most widely diffused of all our Sun-
27
fishes, and westward it is everywhere the most abundant.

Like Lcpouiis Dicgalotis it is subject to very great variations
in form, coloration, and general appearance, yet it is usually,
of all Sun-fishes, the species most readily recognized.
This fish, called the Blue Gill, in Michigan, is abundant in
all waters from New York to Dakota, and thence southward
to Florida and the Rio Grande. It reaches a larger size in
the North, and in the vicinity of Lake Michigan it is the most

important of the tribe. In large lakes it grows large, but in
small streams it adapts its body to what it can find to eat
an arrangement not unknown elsewhere in the class of fishes.
THE GREEN SUN-FISH Lepoiiiis cyaiiclliis (Rafinesque).
Description.
Body oblong, or elongate, the depth usually
about 2 i-2-in. length; the head about 3; mouth pretty wide,
the maxillary reaching nearly to middle of eye; lower jaw
rather longest; fins rather small, the dorsal spines very low,
the longest scarcely longer than snout; scales always small,
about 46 in the course of the lateral line; opercular flap short
and small, less than eye, broadly margined with pinkish, the
black confined to the bony part of the flap. Colors extremely
variable, the prevailing shade usually green, with a strong
brassy luster on sides, becoming usually yellow below; often
nearly all deep green, often with the blue predominating,
sometimes in northern specimens nearly black; each scale
usually with a sky blue spot, and more or less of gilt-edging,
which gives an appearance of pale lines' along the sides;
besides the blue spots, some specimens, usually young or
half-grown ones, are crossed by vertical bars of a brassy olive,
or sometimes almost black color; many adults are further
marked by sprinklings of black dots; vertical fins marked with
green and blue, the anal almost edged in front with pale or-
ange; ventrals usually yellowish; iris red; cheeks with narrow
wavy stripes of bright blue; usually a round black spot on last

rays of dorsal and anal behind the latter, and sometimes both,
obsolete. A species extremely variable both in form and col-
oration, yet easily recognizable at sight.
This is a small but active and voracious sun-fish that

generall}' makes his presence felt whenever an angle-worm is
dropped in his vicinity. It is found in all waters between the
Tttfi VfiLLoW bAss and other boys' fishes. 419
Rocky Mountains and the Alleghanies, and from Michigan to

Texas. Wherever it is found it is abundant.
The other species of Lepoinis are either scarce or small, or
else wholly confined to the lowland waters of the South, and
it may not be necessary to refer to them farther.
Closely related to these are some small species of other
genera of Sun-fishes, found only in the lowland waters of the
Eastern States from Massachusetts to Florida. These are
the Banded Sun-fish, Mesogonistias cJiaetodon (Baird), straw-
color, with jet-black cross-stripes, too small for a food fish,
but too handsome to be overlooked by any angler. It is
common only in the lowlands of the Delaware River.

EnncacantJius obcsits and gloriosns, with shining spots of
brown and blue, have a wider range, but reach no larger size,
while AcantharcJius projiiotis, the Mud Sun-fish, dark green,
with darker stripes, much resembles the Red-Eye or Rock
Bass,
THE WAR-MOUTH ChcBHobryttiis gulosus (Cuv. andVal).
Description.
Body heavy, deep and thick, depth 2 1-8 in.
length; head about 2 2-3; mouth large, its maxillary reach-
ing nearly to posterior margin 01 eye
the supplemental bone
strong; scales on the cheeks in 7 to g rows; mucous pores
about head very large; spines very stout, the longest as long
as from snout to middle of eye. Color very dark green, some-
times almost black; three oblique bands across the cheeks,
and a black opercular spot, pale-margined below, as large as
the eye; young specimens are profusely mottled, like young
Rock Bass; very old specimens from the lakes are dark olive
grten above, sides greenish and brassy, with blotches of pale
blue and bright copper}^ red, the red predominating; belly
bright brassy yellow, profusel)' mottled with bright red; lower
jaw chiefly 3'ellow; iris bright red; opercular spot short, as
large as eye, black, bordered below with copper-color; 3 or 4
wide dark red bands radiating backward from across cheeks
and opercles; separated by narrow pale blue interspaces;
upper fins baired with black, orange and blue, the former
color predominating. Length 8 to 12 inches.
A big, hearty, voracious fellow, the War-mouth lives in

42d AMERICAN GAME FISIiES.
the deep pools under the logs, and is the terror of the min-
nows and chubs. The species is common in all the lowland
streams from North Carolina to Texas, and then northward
into the Great Lakes, but it reaches its greatest abundance
in the South. In size, color and habits, he is the duplicate
of his cousin the Red-Eye or Rock Bass, and as a game-fish,
is equally interesting.
THE ROCK BASS, RED-EYE OR GOGGLE-EYE AviblopUtcS ril-
pcstris^ (Rafinesque).
Description. Body oblong, the deptli about 2 1-2 in length;

head 3 in length; profile convex, eye very large, about equal to
snout, 3 1-2 to 3 3-4-in. head; cheeks with about eight rows
of scales and a naked area; preopercle very weakly serrate,
dorsal spines stout, rather low; D. XI, 11; A. VI, 10; lateral
line with about 40 scales. General color, brassy olive-green,
with much dark mottling, the young irregularly blotched with
black, the adult more uniformly coloreil, each scale with a
squarish dusky blotch, tliese forming more or less distinct
longitudinal stripes; fine dark olive, the soft rays more or less
barred; iris red. This species reaches the length of about a
foot.
This well-known fish marks the transition from Sun-fish to
Bass, and for its angler-lovers, the transition from youth to

manhood. It is a fish of ponds, lakes and sluggish waters.
You can catch them any place where a fish
in the canals, or in
of meditative habits can maintain It is abundant

itself.
throughout the Great Lake region, and thence south-west-

ward in every stream as far as Texas. East of the mountains,
I have seen it only in the Roanoke It is most plenti-
ful in the North, as it is not fond of vvârm water or of mud.

Besides its name "Rock Bass," a good name of long standing,
and embalmed in the specific name "rupestris," it has some
other names equally good and appropriate, as "Red-Eye," and
"Goggle-Eye," and by any of these names the anglers will
know it anywhere. It is a pity to waste three good names
on one fish, when so many other reputable fishes have no dis-
THE YELLOW BASS AND OTHER BOYS' FISHES. 42 I
tinctive name at all, but are compelled to wear the cast-off or

made over names of other fishes.
THE SACRAMENTO RED-EYE ArcJiopUtcs iutcrruptus (Girard).

Description.
Body oblong-ovate, compressed, the back con-
siderably elevated anteriorly, depressed over the eye, the
snout projecting at an angle. Mouth terminal, very large,
the maxillary very broad, extending be)'ond pupil. Eye very
large, 4 to 5-in. head. Scales on cheek in about eight series.
Preopercle decidedly serrate. Dorsal spines rather low,
strong. Pectoral short, barely reaching anal. Color blackish
above, sides silvery, with about seven vertical blackish bars,
irregular inform and position and more or less interrupted; a
black opercular spot; fins nearly plain. Head 2 2-3; depth
2 1-2. D. XIII, 10; scales about 7 51 14.
L. 12 inclies.
Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers; abundant; the only fresh-
water percoid west of the Rocky Mountains.
This double of the Rock Bass, which it
fine fish is the
resembles very closely, in size, color and habits. It is found
only in the sloughs of the Sacramento and the San Joaquin

Rivers, and it is the only fresh-water fish of the Perch or
Bass kind which is found west of the Rocky Mountains. It
seems to be a lineal descendant of our Rock Bass, and how

it came to California is one of the standing puzzles in the
geographical distribution of fishes.
There is in the Sacramento another fish, likewise wrongly

called a "Perch," a viviparous "Surf-fish" or Embiotocoid,
Hysterocarpns traski. This species is of little importance
as food or as game, but it is very interesting to naturalists
from the fact that it brings forth its young alive. It gives
birth to some eight or ten young, each about an inch in
length, and quite ready at birth to take care of themselves.
THE ROUND BASS Centra rchiis uiacroptcrus (Lacepede).
Description. Body very short, suborbicular, the snout pro-

jecting; back and belly closely compressed; the greatest
thickness of the body being through the opercular region;
top of head broad and flattish, the interorbital space being
about equal to eye; mouth small, very oblique, the maxillary
scarcely reaching middle of eye; eye very large, about 3-in.
424 AMtTRlCAN GAME FISIIES,
head; head 3 in length of body; greatest depth 2; dorsal XI

to XIII, 12 or 13; anal VIII, 13 or 14, lateral line with 37 to
4.3 scales. Color silvery green, with about 20 horizontal dark
stripes along the rows of scales: a black spot on last rays of
dorsal: a blackish bar below eye. Length 4 to 6 inches.
An elegant little fish, very abundant in the lowland streams
of the South, and coming as far north as Virginia and South-
ern Illinois. It is a good food-fish, but it rarely weighs half
a pound. It especially abounds in the clear dark waters
among the cypress-knees.
THE CRAFFiKPo;/wxis annularis (Rafinesque).
Description.
Body elongate, the depth usually about 2 1-2-
in. length of body, the profile more or less strongly S-shaped,
owing to the projecting snout, depressed occipital region and
strongly prominent, thickened ante-dorsal area; head long, about
3-in. length; the mouth very wide, the mandible being about
as long as the pectorals; eye large, about 4-in. head; fin-rays,
dorsal VI, 15, the spines varying from V to VII; anal VI, 18,
the spines frequently but 5 in number, the number of spines
is subject to considerable variation, but the normal number
both in dorsal and in anal is six; the proportions of the spines
also vary somewhat; lateral line with about 42 scales (36 to
48); color, clear silvery olive, mottled with dark olive green,
the green being chiefly on the upper part of the body and
having a tendency to form narrow vertical bars; dorsal and
caudal mottled with green; anal pale, scarcely marked at all;
soft rays of dorsal and anal very high but still lower than in
the Calico Bass. This species reaches the height of about
a foot. The form varies much with age, large specimens
having the body much deeper and more compressed than is
the case with young fishes.
The Crappie
is one of our best pan-fishes, greedy and vora-
cious as a black Bass, but less active, and giving up the fight
at once when the hook is in his jaws. It reaches usually a
length of ten or twelve inches, and a pound weight, but
there are records of Crappies weighing three pounds.
The home of the Crappie is in the Mississippi valley, espe-
cially from St. Louis southward, although it ranges northward
to Minnesota. It thrives best in sluggish waters, and is not
averse to warm water or even mud. Young Crappies run by

thousands into the muddy bayous, and when these ponds and
sloughs dry up in the summer, multitudes of these little fishes,
with the young of the Large-mouthed Black Bass and others,
are left to die.

The Crappie is known by a variety of other names, at dif-
ferent localities within its range. In the Ohio River it is
"Bachelor," and sometimes "New Light," or "Campbellite,"

its advent in certain rivers of Kentucky being reputed to be
coincident with the preaching of Alexander Campbell. " Bride

Perch" and "Chinquapin Perch" are meaningless names
heard on the Mississippi River. Tin-mouth is another name
with some shade of appropriateness, while about New
Orleans is heard the inexplicable appellation of "Sac-a-lait,"
also freely applied to the larger Killi-fishes. Of these names
Crappie is to be preferred, because it is most widely used,
and because it belongs to no other fish.
The Crappie feeds on small fishes and crustaceans. It
takes very kindly to life in ponds and with the Calico Bass
and the Rock-Bass, it is one of the species best adapted for
the stocking of ponds.
Professor Goode quotes from "St. Louis," in the Ameri-
can Angler, the following account of Crappie-fishing near St.
Louis:
"Our 'Crappie,' the greatest pan-fish of the West, is highly
esteemed by us for the table. We have seen a monster
Crappie this spring, weighing over three pounds, taken at
Murdock Club Lake, near St. Louis, on the IlHnois side.
We consider one of one-and-a-half to two pounds a large
one. They are taken about logs and tree-tops, on the water's
edge in our rivers and sloughs. They are greedy fellows,
but as soon as hooked, step right into the boat without a
struggle for liberty.
"A gentleman of this place, a member of one of our old
French families, who turned the scale at about three-hundred
28
pounds, was noted for his success in Crappie-fishing. He

would have his large flat towed to a tree; when, tied to a
limb, he would settle himself for the day on a pillow placed
in a large split-bottom chair. Hauling his live-box and min-
now-pail alongside, he would bait two hooks attached to a
strong line, using a weak snell, so that in case the hook
should foul, he could break it loose. He used a float and
short, stout bamboo rod, and, shaking the bushes a little,
*to stir up the fish,' would select an opening and carefully

drop on the minnow, two feet below the surface, pass the
end of the rods through rings in the side of the boat, light his
pipe, and wait for something to happen. It was not long;
and after the fun began, it was the same monotonous lifting
out of fish, and dropping them into the live-box all the day
long, and was continued on the next, until he had brought
to creel over three hundred.
"I have always associated in my mind the Crappie, and
the love of ease and quiet of our old French inhabitants.
Nothing could more truly represent contentment and ease
than the picture of this simple-minded old gentleman on his
annual Crappie fish at King's Lake."
THE YELLOW PERCH Pcrca fiavcsccHs (Mitchill).
Description. Body oblong, compressed, moutli moderate, the

maxillary not quite reaching to orbit; lower jaw a little the
longest; eye moderate, 4 1-2 to 5-in. head; top of head naked,
the bones rough behind; cheeks with rather large scales, well
imbricated; opercle naked and with radiating striae, of which
the uppermost forms a long, flat spine, below which seven
or eight striae end in sharp teeth preopercle strongly serrate,
;
the lower serrae hooked forward, gill-rakers comparatively

short, in length about equal to the diameter of the pupil;
pseudobranchiae very small; scales rather small, 55 to 62 in
the lateral line; first dorsal spine inserted above base of pec-
torals; head 3 1-2 in. length, deptli 3 3-4; fin-rays D. XIII I,
13; A. n, 8. Color dark-olive above; sides more or less
brassy-yellow; belly white; about six irregular, dark olive bars
on sides; lower fins clear, orange, sometimes red; second
dorsal and caudal yellowish olive, somewhat dusky tinged; first
THE YELLOW BASS AND OTHER BOYS' FISHES. 42/
dusky yellow at base, a black blotch on posterior part of the

fin; lower jaw, etc., translucent reddish. The coloration va-
ries much with circumstances, individuals living in weedy
streams being much darker and more spotted than the average
lake specimens are. Length of adult 8 to 12 inches.
The yellow Perch is a fish which has been on good terms with
the angler ever since the first angle-worm was wet in American
waters. He is generally ready to bite, always ready to be
hooked when he has bitten, and may always be counted in as
a notable part of the day's result when he is in the basket.
The Yellow Perch is found throughout the Great Lake

Region, and in some parts of the Upper Mississippi. Its
range extends thence eastward, including all the rivers of

New England except the very coldest. Thence it extends
southward in the lowland streams as far as Georgia. Why
Perch should be found in the rivers of the Carolinas, and not
at all in the streams of Kentucky, Missouri and Southern
Illinois, is one of the things which are hard to explain. Nor
is this fact made any simpler when we remember that one
other fish, and only one, the old-fashioned "Sunny," {^Lcpomis
fibbosus) shares this peculiar range with him.
The American Perch is a handsome fish in color. His
back is green, his belly, and across his sides are four or five
broad black bands. There is a big black spot on the spinous
dorsal fin, while the lower fins are bright orange or even
cherry red. From the black stripes the fish has received the
names of Ringed Perch and Raccoon Perch. The name
Yellow Perch is more commonly heard, and this appropriate
title was long ago put into Latin by Professor Mitchill to
form his scientific name, Perca flavcsccns, the Yellow Perch.

Perca fluviatilis, the River Perch, is almost the duplicate
of our species, and it is as common in the waters of Europe
as is ours in the rivers of the Eastern States. The Ameri-
can species, flavescens, is the handsomer fish, however, with
his coat of cloud and sunshine, while the duller olive and
gray of the European fish suits the hazy sky of an English
summer.
THE YELLOW BASS AND OTHER BOYS* FISHES. 429
The Perch abounds in quiet, deep places in the river and
in ponds and lakes. It feeds mainly upon minnows and
worms, having a constant though not voracious appetite. It
reaches a length of about eighteen inches and a weight of a

pound or two. As a food fish it is respectable, though fall-
ing far short of the best.
once spoke rather lightly of the Perch as food, and was
I
taken sharply to task by a New York angler devoted to the

Perch. I sent immediately to the market, bought some Perch
and had them properly fried, but I found them even poorer
and drier than I had thought. But these were market Perch,
tired, and crushed beneath a mass of ice. The flavor is said
to be best during the spawning season, after which, accord-
ing to Dr. Goode, the flesh is soft and watery. Taken at its
best, the Perch is a good pan-fish
and every fish has the
right to be taken at its best.
The best bait for a Perch, so far as my experience goes
and I hasten to say that it does not go very far is an angle-
worm. This, with a stout hook, a float and a sinker, serves
the essential purpose, and a rod of alder does as well as the
finest bamboo. According to Dr. Goode, this form of tackle
is effective when Perch are numerous and hungry, and thus I
have generally found them.

Thoreau says of the Perch:
"The common Perch, Perca flavescens, which name
describes well the gleaming, golden reflections of its scales,
as it is drawn out of the water, its red gills standing out in

vain in the thin element, is one of the handsomest of our
fishes, and moment as this reminds us of the fish
at such a
in the picture which wished to be restored to its native ele-
ment until it had grown larger.
"The Perch is a tough and heedless fish, biting from
impulse, without nibbling, and from impulse refraining to
bite, and sculling indifferently past. It is a true fish, such
as the angler loves to put into his basket or hang on the top
of his willow twig,on shady afternoons, along the banks of

the streams. So many unquestionable fish he counts, and
so many shiners which he counts, and then throws away."
I have spent a good many hours in the company of the
Perch, but my most successful day at Perch-fishing was in
June of 1874, on the Little Suamico River, in North-eastern
Wisconsin.
I had gone up there on a hunting and fishing trip and had
taken with me a bright young student, a Scotch boy from a
Wisconsin farm, afterward well-known to naturalists as
Charles Leslie McKay, and who later was lost on the shores
of Alaska, while in the service of the Smithsonian Institution.
Two years before, the fires had raged through the pine
woods of Oconto County, burning the trees and carving great
ponds in the driedmuck. The dark trunks rose like skele-
tons of the living things they had been, but the bird-life was
as full among them as ever, and all about us the white-
throated sparrow whistled and the rose-breasted grosbeak
kept up his querulous questionings. The yellow-breasted
chat made the bare condition of the trees a subject for his
best jokes, and we found one compensating advantage amid
the dismal scenery in the fact that we could hear the birds
so well. But we came this time for lish, not birds, and all I
need say is, that Perch, near the mouth of the little river,
were as plenty as the shiners, and of the shiners we caught

more than we cared to count or keep, or even to throw away.
THE DARTERS EtJlCOStovia.
But more interesting than the real Perch was a little fish
in blue and crimson which we found lying in the bottom of
the river, insensible to any bait we were able to offer it. It
was not more than two inches long, and as slender as a

shingle nail. We rigged up an impromptu dip-net and suc-
ceeded in taking some of them. We had never seen them
before, and that is not strange, for they were then new to
THE YELLOW BASS AND OTHER BOYS FISHES. 431
science. Later they received their name of Etheostoma eos,
the Darter of the Sunrise.

When we found these Httle fishes, we cared no longer for
the Perch, great, gaudy yellow fellows, fit only to be fried,
while these were as beautiful as the dawn for which we
named them, (Êtheostoma eos) and as delicate as they were
beautiful.
Still, these little "Darters" are the children of the Perch, if
the tales of the evolutionist can be trusted, and the Perch is

chiefly interesting to me on account of its singular progeny.
There are some seventy kinds of Darters, all dwarf or
diminutive Perches, and swarming on the bottoms of every
clear stream from Quebec around to Rio Grande and beyond.
The largest of them is not more than eight inches long, and
the smallest less than two, yet in spite of their littleness they
are not so much dwarfed as concentrated fishes, each one as
perfect in form as the Perch, and as delicate in color as
though it had been separately hand-painted.
These diminutive creatures are Perch in all their essen-
tials, and seem to have arisen in the first place from the
adaptation of young Perch to smaller and smaller streams

and scantier sources of food supply.
But the story of the Darter is a long story, much longer
than the story of the Perch, and few anglers will listen to it,
for though Rafinesque says "They are good to eat, fried,"
each one has about as much meat as a beech-nut, and one
would as soon think of filling his pan with wood-warblers as
his creel with the "Darter-perches."
THE YELLOW BASS Movoiie iutcrrupta (Gill).
Description.
Brassy, tinged with olivaceous above; sides
with 7 distinct longitudinal black bands, those below the later-
al lineinterrupted posteriorly, the posterior part alternating
with the anterior; body oblong-ovate, with the dorsal outline
much arched; head depressed, somewhat pointed, its profile
concave; eyes large, their diameter equaling length of snout;
THE YELLOW BASS AND OTHER BOYS FISHES. 433
mouth somewhat oblique, maxillarj' nearly reaching middleof

orbit spines very robust, second anal spine 2-5 length of head;
;
dorsal fins little connected; head 3-in. length; depth 2 2-3; D.

IX-I, 12; A. Ill, g; Lat. i. 50. Length 10 to 15 inches.
Very similar to theWhite Bass is the Yellow Bass, which
is found in the waters of the Lower Mississippi, rarely going
farther north than St. Louis or Cincinnati. It frequents
ponds and the deeper parts of the streams, seldom ascend-

ing brooks or passing shallows. The most northern locality
from which specimens have been seen by me are Brookville,
Ind., and Peoria, Illinois. The Yellow Bass is a fish of
more pronounced qualities than the White Bass. Its mouth
is larger, its spines are much stronger, its scales are larger
and rougher, and its coloration more definite, brassy yellow
with lengthwise stripes of black. From its general appear-
ance it should be an excellent game-fish, and such no doubt
it is. Dr. Goode remarks that it is called in Louisiana "Bar-
fish," probably on account of its stripes. "The appellation,"
says Hallock, "is equally appropriate as applied to its habit
of congregating in great numbers upon the shoals of clear-
water branches and bayous which empty into the Mississippi.
The minnows and shiners seem to seek the bars at night.
In early morning the water is alive with Bar-fish and "Trout"
(Black Bass), in pursuit of the minnows, until it fairly boils.
This is the time of day to go fishing."
THE WHITE BASS Roccus cJirysops (Rafinesque).
Description.
Silvery, tinged with golden below; sides with
blackish or dusky longitudinal lines, 4 or 5 above the lateral
line, I through which the lateral line runs, and a variable num-
ber of more or less distinct ones below it, the latter some-
times "more or less interrupted or transposed so as to appear
like ancient church music;" dorsal outline much curved, sec-
ond anal spine 1-2 length of head; axis of body rather below
the middle of its depth; head conical, slightly depressed at
the nape; mouth small, nearly horizontal; maxillary reaching
middle of pupil: head about 3 1-3 in. length; depth about
2 1-2; eye large, its diameter equal to the length of the snout;
28
D. IX-I, 14; A. Ill, 12, scales, 7-55-13. Length, 10 to 15

inches.
A gentle, quiet, handsome fish, common enough, yet never

very abundant; fairly well known yet unobtrusive, never
taking a prominent part in anything. Such is the White
Bass. found throughout the region west of Lake Cham-
It is
plain, north of Tennessee and east of Dakota. A few White

Bass may be found in any pile of Black Bass or Sunfish from
the lakes, as they lie in the market stalls. Yet no one ever
saw a catch of White Bass, and no one ever went fishing
especially for them.
It is a food-fish of good flavor, similar to the Black Bass,

and not inferior. lives in deep or still waters, both in
It
rivers or lakes, but seldom ascends small streams, and dis-

it
likes waters which are muddy or weedy. It is said to do
well in ponds. It may be caught in the same ways as the
Black Bass, though it is certainly less voracious and less

gamy.
THE CALICO BASS Pouioxis spciroidcs (Lacepede).
Description.
Body oblong, elevated, greatly compressed,
the depth being nearly half the length, the head one-third; profile
more regular than in the Crappie, the projections and depres-
sions being less marked; head much deepeF and shorter than
in the Crappie, the mouth considerably smaller, the mandible
being considerablj' shorter than pectorals; snout projecting,
forming an angle with the descending profile; fins very high;
anal rather larger than dorsal, its height being from one-
fourth to one-fifth of the length of the fish without caudal fin;
dorsal VII, 15, varying to VIII spines, very rarely VI; anal
VI, 18, varying to V, 17; lateral line with 40 to 42 scales;
color a bright silvery olive, mottled with clear olive green,
the dark mottlings gathered in irregular small bunches, rath
er than in lines or bars, and covering the whole body and
the soft rays of the anal as well as these of the caudal and
dorsal fins; usually a dusky opercular spot. This species
reaches a lengtli of a little more than a foot.
Closely allied to the Crappie, but loving colder and clearer

f$nmm ^V'^'
waters, and therefore a finer, firmer, more deeply colored

and more vigorous fish, is the Calico Bass.
The range of this species extends from South Carolina
north-westward to Kentucky, Vermont, Iowa and the Great
Lakes, being almost identical with that of the Rock Bass.
Many fishermen fail to distinguish this from the Crappie, and
Dr. Henshall has proposed to spread the same name over
both, calling this the Northern Crappie. It has, however,
good names of its own, and the observant angler will notice
that while the true Crappie has but six spines in its dorsal
fin, the Calico Bass has seven, and its anal fin is mottled
and spotted like the dorsal, while in the Crappie this fin is
almost plain. In Lake Michigan, where this fish is abundant

and the Crappie is not found at all, the name of Bar-fish is
in common use. In Ohio and Illinois, besides the appropri-

ate name of Calico Bass, there are others of less pertinence.
Strawberry Bass, Grass Bass, Bitter Head and Big Fin Bass
are among the best of them, but it will be best to let them
all die away through disuse.
The Calico Bass is an excellent game fish, rather superior
to the Rock handsomer and usually
Bass, inasmuch as it is
grows larger, and shows a good deal of eagerness and spirit.

Of all our American Bass-like fishes, this will probably
prove to be the one best adapted for artificial ponds, espe-
cially those with weedy or mucky bottom and clear water.
The case for the Calico Bass is thus strongly put by Dr.
Jared P. Kirtland, as quoted by Dr. Goode:
"The Grass Bass has not hitherto been deemed worthy of
consideration by fish culturists; yet from a long and intimate
acquaintance with its merits, I hesitate not to pronounce it
the fish for the million. It is a native of our western rivers

and lakes, where it usually resorts to deep and sluggish
waters; yet in several instances, where it has found its way
into cold and rapid streams, and even small-sized brooks, by
means of the constructing of canals or by the hand of man,
it has adapted itself to the change, and in two or three years

stocked to overflowing these new locations. As a pan-fish,
for the table, surpassed by few other fresh- water species.
it is
For endurance and rapidity of increase it is unequaled. * *

The Grass Bass is perfectly adapted to stocking ponds. It will
thrive without care in very small ponds of sufficient depth. * *

It will in nowise interfere with the cultivation of any number
of species, large or small, in the same waters. It will live
harmoniously with all and while its structure and
others,
disposition restrain it from attacking any other but very small
fry, its formidable armature of spinous rays in the dorsal and
abdominal fins will guard it against the attacks of even the

voracious pike."
THE SENSES OF FISHES.
BY WILLIAM C. HARRIS.
the mental and emotional capacity of

THE fishes
subject
is
of
the cause of much curious comment and specula-
tion among angling naturalists, who do not willingly con-
sent that the class Pisces shall be placed upon a plane of intelli-
gence below that of the insects. The belief that fishes possess
qualities which reach a standard beyond the instinct of self-
preservation has recently gained in strength and interest,
Ovving to the increased facilities that fish-culture has given
us for observing their habits. Seth Green, the Nestor of
fish-culture in America, believed that
fish talked to one
another; and the idea by no means an extravagant one.
is
It is conceded by naturalists that certain insects and many
of the lower animals have the power of imparting mutual

intelligence by processes unknown to us. The little ants
hobnobbing with each other, the cooing dove wooing its
mate vocally, the hen clucking her brood under protecting
wings, are familiar instances of vocal intercourse among
insects and and no one who has watched the minnows
birds;
of a shallow pool, or those in an aquarium, has failed to see
equally sure indications that fishes have a way of their own
in communicating with each other. They dart up to one
another, put noses together for a moment, and then dart off
with an air as much as to say, "All right."
"Old Eschylus, in one of his poems, calls fish 'the voice-
439
less daughters of the unpolhited one;' but many of the

ancients and moderns testify to the utterances of fish. Phny,
Ovid, and others tell us of the Scarus and its wonderful
powers of intonation. In the days of old Rome certain fish

were said to have a regular language, 'low, sweet and fasci-
nating, '
and the Emperor Augustus pretended to understand
their very words. We have all heard, or heard of, the vari-
ous sounds of the Gurnards, of the booming of the Drum-fish,
the grunt of the Croaker, Weak-fish and others. The Grunt-
fish of the Gulf of Mexico is said to express discontent and
pain, and when touched with a knife fairly shrieks, and when
dying makes moans and sobs disagreeably human. Take it
all in all, we cannot but believe that fish have the power of
making intelligent communication to one another, mouth to

mouth, and we have frequently noted, or thought we did, a
kind of knowing look about their eyes which led us to credit
them with looking unutterable things."
The scientists tell us that in many fishes no trace exists of
an organ of hearing; that the tympanum, its cavity, and the
external parts of the ear, are entirely absent; that in others
this organ is only imperfectly developed, and that in the
remaining few, such as the shark, the shad, herring, and
others, there is an odd connection between the organ of
hearing and the air-bladder. With these crude facts before
him, the ichthyologist leaves the angler to work out the
answer to the question, "Can fish hear.'"' which is a most
practical one to the careful angler, in his pursuit of the edu-
cated game fish of our inland waters. We sum up briefly
the conclusions of an old Black-Bass angler on this subject:
Fish hear no sound originating in the air.
Place a cannon upon an India-rubber carriage, sufficiently
large and elastic enough to deaden, when fired, all concus-
sion upon the ground, and Mr. Fish, after the explosion,
will be as placid in his pool as a gounnand after dinner.
But, step as lightly as one may upon the margin of a
THE SENSES OF FISHES. 44
Stream, and the fish will scatter like shot, from the shallows
where they are feeding or frolicking. The larger the fish and
the lesser the depth of water, the greater and wilder the
scattering will be.
Security seems to lie with them in the relative depth of
the pools, as the step of the angler only disturbs them in a
foot or two of the water. A fish lying in a hole three or

four feet deep, close to the banks, is undisturbed by any
ordinary concussion.
Again, any concussion originating in or upon the bed of the
river or below the fish, does not appear to disturb them.
This was verified by this old angler one day upon a large
Bass which he saw lying motionless within a foot of the
stake to which the camp boat was tied. The water was
about four feet deep. He struck several successive hard
blows upon the top of the stake, which protruded about two
feet out of the water, without causing a flirt of the fin in the
fish below.
Our angler at once concluded that the Bass could not hear
the noise made by footsteps upon the bed of the river when
wading in the stream and, as the jolly fins could not hear
the conversation originating out of the water, anglers may
indulge in social chat and pleasantries whenever inclined,
taking care, however, to be always on the safe side, by not
becoming too boisterous in their discussions or hilarity.
"Boys," said a fly-fisher on one occasion, "what fools these
bait-fishers are to put their comfort in a straight-jacket
when they go a-fishing. Some
old fellows won't let you
whisper and are as querulous and over-cautious
in the boat,
as my grandfather was whenever he had an attack of the

gout. He would lie flat on his back in bed, with his gouty
foot propped up on a pillow laid across a chair, placed bot-
tom upward, and m this position would center and strain his
eyes and fears upon the knob of the chamber door, which
was no sooner turned upon its axle than he was heard crying
out with prospective pain, 'Watch out for my foot?''"
442 American game fishes.
"It is just so with these old bait- fishers. A motion of

your hp, although voiceless, and they would cry out (if they
dared), 'Watch out for my coming bite!' They are right in
thinking that the least motion of the boat is apt to frighten
the fish, but 'I won't go home till morning,' by a dozen bass
voices is less disturbing to a pool or a bank than the twitch-
ing of a toe on the bottom of a boat."
Anglers generally agree on the subject of the sense of sight
in fishes. A fish can see in water but not out of it.
The shadow thrown across a pool

of a split-bamboo rod
will create in a fish the same skittishness as would be caused
by an elephant browsing upon the bank.
A passing cloud over a shallow and pellucid pool protects
the angler and puts another fin or two in his creel, where a
moment before each cast of his drove the fish to deeper
pools or behind protecting rocks.
An old angling friend once said to me that fish were like
ostriches in some of their ways, notably in that they seemed
to feel safe when their noses were hid behind a tuft of grass
or in the crevices of a sunken rock.
"Fish facing the sun, and forget not this rule, even when
the twilight is over the waters, by casting toward the west,"
was the law enacted by his knowledge, based upon experi-
ence, of the effect of shadows upon the wary fins, who are
more startled by unusual appearances on the surface of a
pool than they are by strange things below.
Vision and hearing, in fishes, being the senses most impor-
tant to the angler, in his water sports, those next in value
are smell and taste. The possession of these by fish seems
to be a disputed point. They have evidently taste in a mod-
ified degree, as they will reject the artificial lure if the barb
of the hook is not immediately imbedded in their flesh, but
on the other hand, they will take a leather or rubber imita-
tion of the natural bait with as much gusto as a live minnow
or bug hence the question is a see-saw one.
THE SENSES OF FISHES. 443
Of course, among angling naturalists, the gift of the senses

is, or at least they think it should be, confined to game-fish,
as they cannot imagine any dispensation of providence that
places the ignoble Catfish or the snaky Eel upon the same
plane with the Salmon, Trout and Bass.
Fish, no doubt, in common with other animals, have the
instinct of danger developed almost to the quality of reason;
and it is no bar to the truth of this to argue that, because a
fish will take the bait with a half dozen broken hooks in its
mouth, it follows a brutish appetite that is blind to danger;

for, look you, be ye an angler or a butcher, that stomach of
yours is death to you every day of your life; that smoking
dish, be it canvas-back duck, is causing
a red herring or
you to make rapid strides grave-ward, and you know it; and
yet you gorge yourself every day upon your favorite dish.
It ill becomes a man to argue that, because an animal
cannot control its appetite, it has not the lordly gift of
reason. To sum up:
Can a fish taste.'' Certainly he spits out his artificial
bait.
Can a fish smell.^ Aye, there's the yet why the

rub;
anointed lures so prized by old anglers and many modern
ones.^
This fact, however, is sure: fish are susceptible to anger
and jealousy; for we have seen them fight, and we all know
how tiger-like in combat Salmon and Trout are, on their
spawning beds.
FISHING TACKLE AND HOW TO MAKE IT.
BY JOHN HARRINGTON KEENE.
Author of "Fly-Fishin,^ and Fly-Making," etc.
INTRODUCTORY.
desirability of self-help more conspicuous

THE
gard to angling than any other sport.
is
Very few
in re-
fisher-
men are quite unable to help themseh'es, it is true;
but imagine the plight of would-be angler by the
the
side of some splendid trout wherein he ever and
pool,
anon catches sight of incarnadined and gleaming fish-
forms, without the least idea of tying a hook, or
making a fly, and with only some twine and loose
hooks in his possession! Or suppose him to be scores
of miles from the nearest town, with broken rod, reel
full of sand, leaders used up, and flies of the wrong sort all
of which may happen, together or separately and observe

what a benefit the few envelopes of feathers and silk, or the
hank of gut, screw-driver and oil-can, and loose hooks, with
the knob of wax, are to the sportsman who knows how to fix
his own tackle. That man who has taken the trouble and
to the true angler it should be a pleasure to learn to make
his own tackle, is alone worthy the name of "Senior angler,"
and to him assuredly come the highest guerdons of the
craft. He
is never "cornered;" and the gratification of tak-
ing fishenhanced a thousand-fold by the thought that it

is
was done by means of one's own handicraft throughout.

To make one's own rod, tie one's own leaders, dress one's
own flies, search out oneself the haunts of the stream's Apol-
lo, the trout, catch him oneself, and share him around the
camp-fire with one's friend, is, me seems, the very pinna-
cle of piscatorial accomplishment. Thus did the past mas-
ters of the gentle craft, from the earliest days to those of
Uncle Thaddeus Norris, of fragrant and well-loved mem-
ory.
Not that the desirability of professional tackle-making is
less, but that the principle of resourceful adaptation should

be more, in the angler. Flies, and the various appurtenances
of the fisherman, can be much better and more truly made
in the work-shop than in the wind-swept woods. There are
those who cannot alYord the time to attend to the practical
refurnishing of the tackle-basket. Life is too short already
for such, and certainly too brief for the minutiae of fly-
making. They pursue wealth, and get it. They can afford
to fill the fly-book, etc., with the best that can be bought.
There is nothing to say against this. But such people
are in danger of becoming mere "dudes," in the art-piscatorial,
and they are apt to evoke a smile of genuine pity from the
practical fisherman, as he realizes how much is lost in true
enjoyment by this growing tendency of wealth to have every-
thing done for it by others.
George Dawson has well said: "It is not all of fishing to
fish." So far as I am personally concerned, the aesthetic
pleasures of fishing far outbalance the mere gratification of
the grosser man
of the hunting instinct. To sit down and
imitate some fairy-winged insect and have the seal of appro-
bation placed on it b}' the leaping fish, is a mental treat to
tickle the palate of the intellectual epicure. To make your-
self a graceful greenheart or rent cane rod, light and pliant
FISHING TACKLE AND HOW TO MAKE IT. 447
as an Ariel's wand, during the boisterous days of winter,

and by its means, through many years, to gently force
thousands of fish to your creel, is to create a friend and
servant around which will cluster associations of jeweled
luster. Nay, will not such a weapon, in the sportsman's
sanctum, often and often, as he glances through the smoke
of his evening pipe, bring tears to his eyes, recalling from
shadow-land "the touch of a vanished hand and the sound of
a voice that is still.-*" Odds and ends of tackle are strewn
around me on the table even as I write. Some are suggestive
of friends scattered over this broad fair land
others of good
anglers and true across the ocean; and dearest of all are
those mementos of him to whom I owe all of the enthusiasm,
and skill, as a practical fisherman, I possess. He it was who
taught me to tie a hook at five years of age, and catch a
three-pound trout soon after; and who has now passed to
where, "beyond these voices there is peace" my father.
Such associations are inexpressibly welcome to the angler,
but they are practically unknown to the dilettante fisherman.
Of a verity, "It is not all of fishing to fish."
In the following paper I purpose giving (i) my deliberate

selection as to the most suitable tackle for angling of all
kinds, (2) and explanations of its materials and methods of
amateur manufacture. Of course my opinion is but that of
an individual, and doubtless good anglers and true will differ
from me but it will be an honest one, and in matters of fact
;
I shall state what I knozu. Not one assertion will be found

that depends on the experience of someone else. Thirty-
years in the midst of fishing and tackle, in two hemis-
pheres, should have taught me enough to set me up in expe-
rience of my own. At any rate I am willing to stand by what
appears in this chapter, and to the end that it may be of the
utmost utility to the tyro, it has been boiled down to an
intense concentration and terse practicality.
The first thing the amateur fisherman had better learn to

do is to tie the various knots indispensable in joining tackle.
This is a lesson necessary at the very outset of his appren-
ticeship.
SECTION I KNOTS AND TIES.
The properly tied leader, hook and line, bear the same
relation to "good form" in the angler, as the trim, well-
finished harness of a "two-forty" trotting horse does to the
good form of its owner. Imagine a symmetrical brilliant-
coated pacer tied to the sulky by means of hideous knots
and make-shift splices instead of smart buckles and carefully
adjusted straps neat and Or
strong in their arrangement!
fancy a man of reputed taste promenading the
in dress
streets in fine broad-cloth sewed together with twine, and
pinned or tied instead of buttoned! Precisely analagous is
the condition of the outfit of whose good gut

that angler
leaders are joined with knots that are unsightly and insecure,
and whose hooks and lines are strung together according to
his unskilled fancy.
The remedy is simple, and one which every follower of the
"gentle craft" should be aware of. Efficient knots and ties
are as easily and swiftly made as insecure a4id unsightly ones.

A little careful attention to the following directions, and
practice with a piece of common cord for one half-hour, will
forever dissipate the angler's ignorance on this subject, and
give him the ability to have strongly made tackle, of the
appearance of which he need never be ashamed.
To plunge /// vicdias res of the subject, it is certain that
one of the very first lessons the angler has to learn is how to
tie a loop. This process seems easy enough; and so it is, if
the only material to be tied is a silk or cotton line. Almost
any loop will do, in such case. But assuming that gut is
required to be looped, its nature requires a knot of different

character to that which will serve for ordinary purpose. Gut

will slip, under some circumstances, and it will become brittle
under all.
How then ought we to proceed.'

I have experimented with all kinds of loops and ties, dur-
ing the past twenty years, under all possible conditions, both
in Europe and this country, and the best and most reliable
knots I declare to be as follows:
First, the loop for gut or any other material: Fig. i
shows my favorite. It is recommended by the English
Alpine Club a club of mountain climbers whose very exist-

ence occasionally depends on the reliability of a knotted
cord. It will be seen to consist of two single ties one in
the free end of the line, and the other in the line itself.
When the two are drawn taut they form a perfectly secure
and very neat tie, which has the merit of having each part
of it under evenly distributed strain. In all knotting, this
latter quality is the great desideratum.
Another loop seen in fig. 2, and it also is a very secure

is
one. It is made.
easily The loop being formed, it is passed
in a figure-8 form and drawn tight. Of course, it need
scarcely be added that gut or hair should be well soaked
before tying. Fig. 3 shows the famous bowline knot, and it
needs no special recommendation from me. It is secure,

and easily loosened; but on this latter account it is not, I
think, to be unqualifiedly recommended for gut leaders.

The three loops above are all-sufficient for snells or lead-
ers. Before leaving this part of the subject, however, I
must draw attention to the best method of joining the reel-
line to a gut or gimp snell or leader. Fig. 4 indicates it.

The tighter this drawn the more secure it is, and yet it
is
can be instantly undone by pulling on the free end a con-

sideration sometimes of great value, when time is of impor-
tance.
Junction knots serving to connect the parts of tackle for

example, leaders need to be especially secure, and as far as
possible, free from sharp and sudden angles and bearings.
Usually with the ordinarily tied leader the breaking strain
causes it to part at the knot. This need not be so, if figs.
FISHING TACKLE AND HOW TO MAKE IT. 45t
5 and 6 are used. Fig. 5, drawn tight, is reliable, and readily

made. Fig. 6 based on the same principles with the addi-
is
tion of an interlacing of horse-hair or gut, as shown. This

latter acts as a buffer, like the buffer-springs of a steam car,
Fig- 5-
and does not add to the size of the knot materially. When
all is drawn tight, the actual bearing is on the intervening
"buffer", and of course the risk of breakage is thus reduced to
Fig. 6.
a minimum. If a loop be desired in the leader, it can easily

be woven in between the knots, and is absolutely secure.
One other knot may be given as reliable and convenient.
Fig 7 shows it. I give it place here as an alternative
only, and do not recommend it in place of the "buffer,"

(fig. 6). It is the one commonly used, but is liable to snap
when dry, as I have proved to my cost.

The above knots are sufficient for any and all purposes,
and I need not add to this part of the subject of tackle-
preparation by additional descriptions.
SECTION 2 lines: gut, hair, silk, gimp, ETC.

The next consideration obviously is the materials in con-
nection with which the knots given are used. The first of
these, and perhaps the most important, is gut. This mate-

rial is a transparent thread, of one fiber, apparently (though

really many massed together), and derives its name from
are
the fact that taken from the viscera of the silk-worm
it is
{bombyx uwri). Its length varies from twenty-three inches

(and even longer) to six inches; and its gauge or thickness is
from that of a thick carpet-needle to that of a fine human
hair. This latter is not often produced naturally, but is
got by a process termed "drawing"
through fine holes in
steel plates
in a way similar to the drawing of wire.
Attempts have been made, in this country, to obtain longer

and thicker as well as strong gut from the native silk- worm
{attacus cccropici), but they have failed the gut being
very brittle, though of good appearance, and in some in-
stances, three yards in the length of a single strand.
The process of gut-production, as practiced by the peas-
ants of Murcia (Spain), from which cholera-tainted town
almost all the gut in use is imported, is described by Mr. S.
Allcock, the largest gut-factor in the world, as follows:
"Worms are bred by the country people in their cottages
or houses, which usually consist of two rooms on one floor.
The roofs of the houses being nearly flat, no fire-place in
the houses, the cooking is done outside in the yard. The

windows are simply iron cross-bars without glass in the
sleeping room. They tie together bamboo cane reeds (which
grow plentifully there) with string, forming a bed from
twelve to fifteen feet long by four feet wide, raised from the
floor about four feet high. The worms are spread all over
these beds formed of cane, and are fed five times daily by
covering them with mulberry leaves. Before feeding, all the
dead and sickly worms are picked out, so that the others are
kept in a healthy state. The worm lives about fifty days,
during which time they sleep three days at a time, in all
twelve days. When they are ready to spin into the cocoon
they creep upon branches of small trees cut out of the gar-
dens, which are placed over the worms. They are taken off,
put into vinegar, where they renuiin for six hours, then put
into water. Some of the country people make a special
business of this, and purchase the worms from others, and
employ girls to draw out the gut, which is done by taking off
the head and taking hold of the entrails by the thumb and
finger and pulling them out as long as they will come, then
placing the gut in clear water again. When a sufficient
quantity of two or three thousand are made, it is tied in
bunches, and hung up to dry in the yard or garden. Some
worms produce one gut, some two, and a few three guts.
It is afterward sold by the pound-weight of rolls to the gut-
makers. The gut-makers boil the gut with soap and a little
soda, when the outer skin or film comes off easily. It is then
washed, bleached and hung up in rooms. Then girls are
employed who place each gut between their teeth, holding

the other end wuth their fingers, and rub it with wash leather.
It is then sorted the strength, lengths, and quality re-rubbed
and tied in bundles of 100, then in 1,000 each, for sale."
This graphic description was written by Mr. AUcock on the
spot,and I need not remind my readers that he had unrivaled
opportunities of knowing, having a factory there, and prepar-
ing, as he does, all the gut he imports so vastly.
Good gut is of course expensive, but it is by far the cheap-
est, in the end. The characteristics of good gut are as fol-
lows: Length the longer the better [ccBtcris paribus)
thickness (for Salmon gut), and strength. The best Salmon
gut I ever saw was over twenty inches long, very thick, and
sustained a dead weight of twelve pounds. This, however,
was worth more than its weight in gold.
Good gut, when bent, should not form a permanent right-

angle, showing what medical science terms a "green stick
fracture." It should be round also. This is easily deter-
mined by taking it between the finger and thumb of each
hand and twisting it in contrary directions. Of course if
the fiber is flat it will look like a long miniature screw,
because of the angular twist. Gut that is old, or has been

exposed to the sunlight, becomes brittle, and will break like
a carrot. Refuse this always.
To keep good gut in a fine state of preservation and
really good gut is worth keeping the following is a capital
formula: take chromic acid, one part; water, five parts; dis-
solve the chromic acid. Of this solution take one ounce,
and mi.x with live parts glycerine. Steep the gut ten days;
at the end of that time submerge the gut and keep it entirely
in one part carbolic acid and five parts glycerine. This is
unequaled as a preparation of gut for tying, and as a pre-
servative afterward.
Of course when one is not preparing to tie leaders for
Salmon, such elaborate precautions are not necessary. For
Bass and Trout (brook and the Von Behr species) the ordi-
nary thicknesses in use are suitable. Before tying this
together it should be soaked in water of about 80 degrees Fah.
for an hour or two. Each knot should be drawm tight with
a pair of tweezers; and the leader, for the sake of appearance
chiefly, may be stretched on a long board by means of brass
pins, till dry. The length of leaders varies from one yard to
three the latter is the general length for Trout-fishing.
Besides the two end-loops, two others shguld be tied in the
junctions for the admission of the snells of two dropper-flies.
The proper distance of the first from the terminal loop should
not be less than twenty inches, and the second should be
two feet from the first.
Fig. 8.
In the tying of snells it is frequently advisable to reinforce

that part nearest the hook, because the teeth of the fish fre-
quently fray it disastrously. I have found nothing superior
to the device shown in fig. 8. Of course the knotting there
shown is drawn snug and and the result is tJiree

tight,
strands nearest the fish's If two be

teeth. preferred, a
long loop is simply tied and cut through at its apex, leaving
the two strands to be joined to the hook.
Horse-hair is seldom used for leaders nowadays, for
the reason that it is not strong enough. It is exceedingly
rare to find hair capable of lifting more than two pounds.
If be scarce, however, the resourceful angler will
fine gut
not disdain a few hairs from the "gray palfrey's tail." The
hair of a stallion is preferable to that of a mare or gelding.
manufactured state of course, forms the staple
Silk, in its
of reel-lines. These are commonly braided by a machine,
sufficiently indicated in fig. 9. The various grades and
gauges most suitable for each fish will be given when the
tackle for them is considered, and therefore it would be a
work of supererogation to recite them here. The dressings
of the lines most in use, also, will be given under the appro-
priate heading. Gimp is extremely useful on which to
mount gangs, spoons, etc., for the more voracious fish, such
as Pickerel, Pike, Mascalonge, etc. The difficulty in pro-
curing good gimp is if it be bought from
rather considerable,
the ordinary retailers.There is much adulteration going on,
and the core of the gimp, which should be pure silk, is too
often nothing but a mixture of silk and cotton. The best
plan I know of is to buy banjo strings; these are splendidly
strong, and though more expensive, are incomparably more
satisfactory than the ordinary silvered gimp. If the silver
brightness is too ostensible, it may be turned to a dark
neutral color by the use of the following solution: bichloride
platinum, one part; water, ten parts or sulphide of potas-
sium, one part; water, ten parts, will do as well.
A splendid substitute for line gimp is a banjo string with
core of fine steel wire covered with silvered wire. It makes
the best kind of trace for Pickerel or Mascalonge.
SECTION 3 WAXES, VARNISHES, LINE-DRESSINGS AND STAINS.

In order to clear the ground as I go, it is now proper to
speak of the waxes that are necessary to the and fly-tier
general maker of tackle. The old-time wax was that used by

shoemakers; and for stickiness and generally reliable endur-
ance it is, without question, as good as any. But it some-
times becomes necessary to show the color of the tying silk,
and especially does this natural color show to advantage on
flies of delicate colors, and on light-hued rods. This being
so, a colorless wax was the desideratum, and the following
are recipes I have used with satisfaction. I give them in
their order of excellence, according to my experience:

1. One pound clean white resin; melt it over a slow fire.
Four oz. diachylon; add to the resin and stir till thoroughly
incorporated, then add two ozs. Bergundy pitch. Pour out
into a vessel of cold water and pull till cold. The more it is
pulled the whiter it gets. The wax is suitable especially for

Salmon where grease is
fly tying, likely to be detrimental to
the fine shades of silk employed.
2. Two yellow resin; one drachm white beeswax
ozs. best
sliced; dissolve,then add two and one-half drachms fresh
lard. Pour out into water and pull till cold.
3.' Yellow resin, twenty-three draehms; beeswax, thirteen
drachms; suet (without skin) two and one-half drachms;
melt together and pour into water, pulling till cold as before.
Either of the above recipes may be rendered tougher and
more sticky by the addition of say five per cent, of gutta-
percha the sheet gutta-percha is the best.
With these formularies the tyro is well supplied. It will
perhaps be necessary to keep all of these in moderately warm

quarters, that they do not become brittle, but in summer
they should be stored, either in clean water or in a cellar
where the temperature is not liable to great change.
The most useful all-round varnish is that made from
bleached shellac. It can be manufactured by the amateur
without difficulty, from alcohol and pulverized bleached

shellac; but it is better to buy it from some good varnish-
maker, because there is the certainty of its having been
matured, in that case, before it is offered for sale. This
shellac varnish requires to have been made quite a long time,
before it is at its best for use on flies, hooks, and whipping
generally. When using it, it should occasionally be thinned
with a little 95-per-cent. alcohol. It ought to penetrate
not simply lie on the outside of the whipping.

Here is a "wrinkle" worth knowing, in connection with all
alcohol varnishes: Alcohol has a strong affinity for water,
and extracts it from the atmosphere whenever the cork is
out of the varnish-bottle. Of course the amount it attracts

is infinitesimal, but "many mickles make a muckle," as the
Scotch say, and the least amount of water in the varnish
tends to render it less resisting to moisture. To cure this I
30
45^ AMERICAM GAME ElSHES.
place a few slips of gelatine in the varnish. This gelatine in

turn attracts the water from the varnish, and the proof of
this is the swollen and damp appearance of these strips
when one reaches them, as the varnish is used up.
This varnish is the one I use for allwork where silk is
employed for whipping, binding, etc., and as it dries rapidly
and is transparent and hard, it is very satisfactory.
Another good orange-colored varnish is that made from
the unbleached shellac. Take alcohol, three ounces; shellac,
one and one-half ozs. gum benzoin, one-half oz. mix, cork,
; ;
and stand in a warm place till dissolved.

The best coach-varnish is unapproachable for rods. It
should of course be applied by means of a camel's-hair brush,

in a room where no dust is flying about.
Another good varnish is the following quick-drying one:
Cut the whitest pieces of copal with oil of rosemary, and add
alcohol in small quantities, shaking well. All of the above
hints are the result of actual experience, and can be relied
on.
The dressings for lines are numerous, and the differences of
opinion in regard to them are legion. experiments My own
have led me to discard the so-called enameled line. It is
true the enamel looks very pretty, but it encases the line as in
a tube, and in the casting of the line from the reel the sharp
angles described by the line and the top of the rod breaks
this tube, letting in the water. This moisture soaks far into
the line, beneath parts which are intact, and hence, from
this spreading on either side of the broken enamel, the line
may become rotten without showing a particle of wear on
the surface. The result is, a lost fish, at some time when

you most required that fish and of course the lost fish is the
biggest you ever caught That is always the case.
!
Boiled linseed oil is, without qualification, the best dress-

ing I know of. It takes a long time to dry, but it is a true
preservative.
The following are good dressings also, and I have used

them all with (The secret of
success at different times.
keeping lines good shape is to put little dependence on
in
dressings, and more on drying the line, each time after using.
Never omit this attention. Those reels on the market that
profess to obviate the necessity for this, are a delusion and a
snare. A perforated reel-plate is a good thing to aid in dry-
ing off the hne, but the latter should always be unwound on
a chair before the fire or stove, and thoroughly dried.)
1. Boiled oil and best coach-varnish, equal parts; mix at
blood heat, and immerse line twelve hours.
2. Boiled oil and gold size, equal parts.
3. Boiled oil, one pint; beeswax, one-fourth pound. Put

the oil in an earthenware jar and stand this in a pan of water,
kept boiling. Add the wax in small shavings. Immerse
line when the dressing is still hot.
4. Half a pint boiled oil; three-fourths oz. beeswax; one
and one-half ozs. Burgundy
one tablespoonful copal
pitch;
varnish. Raise the heat of this mixture a
little above the
heat necessary to make a complete solution. Allow the line

to remain in it at least twelve hours, keeping in a warm place
all the time.
5. One-fourth beeswax; one-half pint boiled oil; one-
oz.
fourth pint gold size. Immerse line a few hours, keeping
the dressing hot; stretch and dry.
6. Paraffine wax, i pound; yellow resin, one-fourth pound.
Melt and immerse line. Rub off superfluous wax with a damp
cloth. The line requires to be drawn from the hot mixture
through a hole in the lid of the receptacle, because it cools
so fast. A beautiful surface can be obtained by using this
dressing, but it is not a very lasting one. Of course the
dressing can be renewed at will and therefore it is an entirely
valuable one to take in the woods, when camping.
All the above dressings are applied by soaking, and, with
the exception of No. 6, all are then taken out and stretched
where dust and rain cannot get to them. The superfluous

dressing is then carefully rubbed off, by aid of a piece of
chamois leather held between the finger and thumb. A part
of an old kid glove will do admirably, if the chamois is not
convenient.
Quite a large number of feathers, etc., require the aid of
the dyes, and I may as well at once give a few recipes for
staining wool, feathers, gut, etc.
First, as to gut: The analine dyes are not suitable, unless
very largely diluted, because they are, in the majority of cases,
corrosive, and destructive of the silk fiber of the gut.
This is produced as follows: Take a piece of
Mist-color:
copperas about the size of a coffee-bean, and dissolve it in a
cup of boiling water. Now take a teaspoonful of logwood
chips and infuse them in a half-pint of water (boiling). When
the temperature of the infusion has lowered to about 100
degrees, immerse the gut and let it remain till it seems to
have well taken the dark wine-color of the infused logwood.
Then turn in the solution of copperas. The result will be,
the "misf'-color so carefully guarded as a secret by more
than one tackle- maker. The shade must of course be a mat-
ter of experiment, as in all dyeing.
For feathers the Diamond Dyes, to be gotten at any drug-
store, areboth convenient and effectual. The feathers need
thoroughly washing and rinsing, and to be dyed whilst wet.
The directions that are given for silk, on the packets, may
be applied to feathers in every particular.
Hackles should be tied on sticks, and when dyed the sticks
should be whirled between the palms of the hands till the
feathers are dry. They then assume their original shape.
Black is a difficult color to dye, and yet it is often indis-
pensable. have got a good black by soaking the hackles
I
in (warm solution) and then boiling in an

acetate of iron
infusion of madder and logwood.
Dun hackles are also very difficult to get natural. White
FISIIINCx TACKLE AND MOW TO MAKE IT. 46
feathers are boiled in a mordant of alum and water, and then

in an infusion of fustic, sumac, and a small portion of cop-
peras.
Some writers prefer alum as a mordant in all cases, and I
am not sure it is not the very best one can employ. The
proportions should be one oz. alum to one quart boiling water
and the feathers should remain in this solution quite a long
time sa}^ twelve hours, if delay is of no consequence. The
very killing colors of the smaller fhes are often exceedingly
and the following recipes from Halford's
difficult to arrive at,
fine work on the "Floating flies" used on the chalk streams

of England, may be found useful. I have tried them and
they are very satisfactory.

Green Olive: Tea-cup ebony chips in a quart of water, to
which is added a piece of chrome potash about the size of a
small pea. Boil down to a pint; fill up and boil down to a
pint again. Pour off, and add three drops of muriate of tin,
then immerse the feathers and dry as usual.
Medium Olive: Boil for two or three hours two good
handfuls of the outside brown leaves of onions in distilled or
fresh-caught rain-water, to which is added sufficient good vin-

egar to make it perceptibly acid. The addition of a piece of
copperas darken the dye.
will
Brown Add to the above a small quantity of black
Olive:
tea and a small piece of copperas
the more of the latter that-
is used the browner will be the solution.
There are several varieties of the "May flies," "Canada
comprised under the order Neuroptera
soldiers," etc., all

genus Ephemera and all have wings shaded more or less with
a greenish tinge. The best stain I know of to imitate the
natural tint is as follows:
Natural Tint: One quart soft water; one-half tea-cup ebony
chips; chrome potash, size of pea. After dyeing the feathers
in this bath, rinse thoroughly and immerse momentarily
in very light-green Diamond-dye solution, to which a little
slatehas been added. Of course one must be watchful not to

allow the latter bath (or indeed the former) to become too
deep in color.
Slate Color: Handful logwood chips; quart boiling water;
copperas, size of a small nut. I find it best to soak the
feathers well in the infusion of logwood first, and then add
the copperas, stirring till it dissolves.
Practically the above answers all the requirements of the
amateur tackle-maker, and though there are more tints
required b}' the professional Salmon and Trout fly maker,
they are all more or less matters of experiment on the emerg-
enc}'. The tyro will naturally achieve these as he goes on, and
the foregoing is ample foundation for him to work upon.

SECTION 4 HOOKS.
The selection of the best hook for "all-round" fishing is
more difficult than at first appears. Experience alone teaches

the make to be depended on in the majority of cases. And
U VjUm vJvJ
Aberdeen. Dublin Liiner- Kendal Sneck
ick or
O'Shaughnessy
Fig. lO.
Carlisle Sproat Turn Down
and Limerick
the experiences of anglers differ just as widely as do their

scenes of operation. One man swears by the O'Shaugh-
nessy, and his neighbor by the Sproat; both are justified by
their experience. It is only after gathering the consensus
of opinions and reinforcing this by studious experiment that
one is I have done this

entitled to speak authoritatively.
carefully,and here declare that, at the time of writing, the
"Dublin-Limerick", or "O'Shaughnessy", at present is the
best all-round hook, followed closely by the "Sproat" bend
of hook.
In order to make plain this matter of shapes to the unini-
tiated, I give, in fig. lo, the different kinds chiefly used in
fresh water, as manufactured by Allcock, of Redditch the
largest tackle-maker, in the world.
The process of manufacture has been so often described
that do not think it is necessary to here again repeat it.
I
Those who arc curious on the subject will find it described

at length in my book, "Fishing-Tackle Its Materials and
Manufacture" (Ward, Lock & Co., 33 Bond-st. New York).
Of all the shapes of hooks, as I have said, the Dublin-Lim-
erick is the nearest to perfection; and personally, I prefer
this hook, eyed with the bashful turn-down eye, as shown.
The eye obviates the tying on of a snell, of course, and it
has this supreme advantage: when the gut is at all worn or

frayed, it is not necessary to discard the hook. All you have
to do is to cut off the gut and re-tie. This advantage is
patent to everybody.
Fig. II.
This section would be incomplete if I did not here pause

and tell how to tie and re-tie the knots referred to. There
are four really good ways of tying, but on the whole I prefer
fig. 12. It is the one I always use myself, and has never
drawn or failed me in any way. I do not say the others
are not good, but my experience declares for this one.
Fig. 1 1 is thus tied: Tai<e the fly by the bend, in the posi-
tion shown, with the eye turned uj)ward. Pass two or three
inches of the end of the leader (B) ,
previously well moistened,
through the eye (A) toivard point of the hook; and then,
tJie
letting go of the fly, double back the gut and make a single
slip-knot (C) round the center line (Dj. Next draw the slip-
knot tight enough only to admit of its passing freely over the
hook-eye (A), then run it down to and over the said eye, when,
on gradually pulling the central link (Dj tight, the jam knot
is automatically formed. Cut off the end of gut, and you
have a knot which will not draw, or allow the hook to hang
hinged, loosely, as it were.
Fig. 12.
Fig. 12 is and explains itself. Take care

far less intricate,
to pull the you can get it. Then draw it
end (Aj as tight as
down to the eye, giving a good pull to fix it.
C.^=^^
V^ Stage
lit Stage (I.imt Komplrh)
'
Sfaiyp
Fig. is thus described: First stage, pass the end of the

13
line (A) through the hook-eye (Bj, and run the hook a few
inches up the line, out of the way; then ;nake a running
noose (C) with the slip-knot (D), and draw the said knot
as tight as possible. Second stage: Run down the hook
again to the position shown in first stage, and passing the
noose (Cj over it, pull the line (E) quite tight, cutting off the
spare end. This completes the knot, and it appears as shown
in third stacc
I'iy. 14.
In tig. 14 we have an exceedingly useful knot where addi-

tional strength appears necessary if indeed further security
ca7t be added to the foregoing. Salmon fishermen prefer
this knot, if only because it looks surer and it is possible, on
second thoughts, that it is so in reality, because of the greater
ratio in the size of the hook.
thus tied: Take the hook by the bend, between the
It is
finger and thumb of the left hand, and with the eye turned
downward, in the position shown in the diagram; then the
gut of course having been well softened push the end a
couple of inches or so down through the eye (B) toward the
point of the hook, then pass it round over the shank of the
hook, and again from the opposite side downward through
the eye, in a direction away from the hook-point (the gut-
end and the central link will now be lying parallel) make ;
the double slip-knot (A) round the central line or link (C),
and pull the said knot perfectly tight; then draw the loop
of gut together with the knot (A) backward (toward the tail
of the fly), until the knot presses tightly into and against the
metal eye of the hook (B), where hold it firmly with the fore-
finger and thumb of the left hand, whilst with the right
hand, the central link is drawn tight, thus taking in the
slack of the knot. Cut off the end and the knot is finished.
To tie a double slip-knot: make a single slip (see a, fig.
15) and before drawing it close, pass the gut-end (B) a sec-
30
ond time round central link c, and then again through the
loop (a), then the knot will be like (A) in fig. 14, To finish,
pull the end of the gut (C) gradually, and at last very tightly
t>g- 15-
straight azvay in a line that is with the central link (C).
SECTION 5 FLY-FISHING.
Tackle for angling may be conveniently divided into three

categories: i. Tackle for top- water fishing fly-fishing with
artificial insect.
2. Tackle for mid-water fishing trolling, bait-fishing,

live-baiting, etc.
3, Tackle for bottom-fishing fishing for Bull-heads, Eels,

Suckers, etc.
The distinctions between the tackles used for these differ-
ent styles are not arbitrary, of course. They are merely

adopted for convenience, and to aid the tyro in referring.
Fig. 16.
(i) Tackle for Top-water Fishing. the Fly.

(a)
Fly-fishing with the artificial fly is par excellence the chief
of all sports and the chief item of the necessary outfit is,
without question, the artificial fly.

iPisMlNG TACKLE AND HOW TO MAKE IT. 467
I take it for granted that all of my readers are familiar

with the appearance of an artificial fly, as made after the con-
ventional pattern. However, to bring the ensemble more

vividly before their notice, fig. 16 is interpolated. That it is
not at all like a fly, in detail, is nothing to my present pur-

pose. Itwhat Dudley Warner terms a "conventionalized
is
creation," not an imitation; and it undoubtedly does catch fish!

There is probably no more fascinating work than the making
of these dainty fur-and-feather lures; and I shall not waste
time in further preface, but, assuming that the reader desires
to learn how to "dress" a fly, I beg him to at once begin with
me the construction of his first "brown hackle" which I
choose as being the simplest form of so-called artificial fly.
To Make the "Pennell" Brown Hackle. Take a hackle
(proportioned to the size of the hook) and having bound the
hook on with waxed silk, lay it on the end of the shank, as
Fig. 17.
shown at fig. 17, with the under concave side upward. Tie it
securely. Then take the tip between the forefinger and

thumb of the right hand, and take several turns around the
hook-shank (see fig 18); tie as shown. Let the turns be
sufficient in number to allow of as much remaining hackle as
isshown in fig 18. This hackle is then bound tightly side
by side of the shank, and a double hitch secures it at a point
about opposite the barb. The projecting remainder of the
hackle forms a tail.
This is the simplest fl}^ made, and it can be manufactured

from almost any small feather seconds a boon to
in fifty
woods who prefers the fiy to the bait.
the angler in the
To Make the Ordinary Brown Hackle. Here I must
Fig. IS.
diverge a little, and explain a very important labor-saving

method of preparing the hackle for all kinds of flies (and
necessarily of course for the "brown hackle").
It is easy to see, if one takes the hackle fresh from the
rooster's neck, that it is almost impossible to roll it evenly
round the shank of a hook, unless it is done as recommended
Fig. 19.
for the "Pennell " hackle, and this method is fai' from neat,
or satisfactory in any way, when applied to the tiner-winged
Fig. 20.
470 AMERICAN GAME FISHES*
flies. The fibers are apt to get criss-crossed, and entangled,

one with the other, and the result is, a mass of fibers as in-
effectual as unsightly. To obviate this, the hackle is taken,
and after stripping off the fluffy feathers from the butt-end,
Fig. 21 .
the fibers are stroked carefully in the reverse direction until

they resemble fig. 19.
The next process is to attach a pair of pincers to each end

as in fig. 20. Now let an assistant take A firmly whilst the
Fi-. 22.
tyro grasps B in his left hand. Passes are now made on

each side of the mid-rib, as shown, with the forefinger of
the right hand, bringing the nail close to the roots of the
fibers. This proceeding doubles them back and downward
until they assume the position shown in fig. 21. This "turn-
ing of the hackle" is one of the trade "kinks" which is here
fully explained in a printed volume for the first time.

But to resume the making of the "Brown Hackle." The
hook is duly attached to the snell, and the body of the fly
formed for which see figs. 18, 19, p. 468, and the hackle turned
ready for attachment. Fig. 22 shows where this attachment
is made. The tip with the fibers turned back is placed as
indicated and securely fastened
the tying silk coming up
toward the end of the shank being retained between the gut
and the shank as shown in fig. 22. Then the hackle is wound
in a spiral whose coils are close side by side, and finally tied
at the end of the shank by means of two half-hitches. The
Fig. 23.
final result is shown at and is a very killing lure,

fig. 23,
wherever it is presented, to any and all fish that take the fly.
Of course the size of hook varies from the smallest 14 or 16
for Pennsylvania Trout to the number i-o and 2-0 for the
Black Bass of Michigan waters.
When the tyro has made a few dozens of these two hackles
he will be prepared to learn how to make a fly like fig. 16.
This is the way: Fig. 24 represents the hook tied on and

secured by means of a half-hitch (A). The tying silk is then
run up by wide coils toward the end of the shank. Next, two
slips of feather taken from two feathers from the right and
miiitT-tVT-p-T^
Fig. 24.
left wings of a bird areon each other so that they are of

laid
one size perfectly. They are then taken between the left
forefinger and thumb and arranged by side of the hook as
Fig. 25. ^
shown in fig. 25. Whilst in this position the silk is passed

round them (they are still lying flat) and as the finger and
thumb grasps them somewhat tightly the thread is drawn
tight and the ends are whipped down the shank as shown at
fig. 26.
The next operation is to form the body. Suppose, for
example, it is to be yellow silk ribbed with silver tinsel and
brown hackle tail -the silver tinsel A is tied in first, then the
floss silk (cable silk is good) B, and next the three fibers of
cock's hackle at C, fig. 26. Then the silk is rolled up taper-
ingly, and fastened off by the whipping silk; then the silver
tinsel is wound in wide coils for the ribbing, and finished off
duly.
Now the fly lacks the hackle. This is attached in precisely
the same way as in the case of the brown hackle (see fig. 27)
Fig. 26.
and finished off. Then the wing is turned or reversed an^

tied down. The end of whipping silk is clipped off, the head
is touched with varnish, and your fly is done, and resembles
fig. 16.
The foregoing terse directions form the foundation of

fly-making. The angler who can make his flies from them
has conquered the chief difficulties. All other flies are com-
paratively easy in proportion to the amount of time
expended in practice on these primary specimens.
31
474 AMERICAN GAME FIfHES.
A description of the flies represented on the colored plates

may here fitly be introduced, and the more so because the
majority of them are departures from the usual patterns.
Plate i A. Poor Man's Fly. Body, worsted or seal's
fur; hackle, white; wings, gray turkey wing- feather.
Fig. 27,
B. Brown Squirrel Hackle. The body of this capital

Bass and Trout fly is composed of a strip of brown or red
squirrel fur; the hackle is a reddish-brown one from the game
rooster; tail-fibers from ibis wing-feather.
C. Black JuNE(quill body).
This is a new dressing of a
favorite fly for Bass. The ordinary "Black June" is endowed
with a peacock herl body, and this being frail, soon gets cut
by the sharp teeth of the fish.
To obviate the danger of this, I make it of a strip of quill

torn from the mid -rib of a crow's feather. (If I am making

Trout sizes I get this from the red-winged blackbird. J The
wings are double and water-proofed crow feather.
This water-proofing process for Bass and the larger Trout
I conceive to be a great improvement. The feather is natu-
rally held together by means of the clinging, hooked processes,
to be found on the two sides of each fiber. These, however,
are very feeble, as compared with the strength and ferocity
of the fish, and ordinarily the first fish tears the wings into
a straggling, shapeless mass. The semblance of a wing is
hopelessly gone. Moreover, the feather gets water-logged

and "soggy" and generally demoralized, so that the fastidious
fisherman feels like putting on a fresh fiy especially if the
quarry are not rising very freely.
My method of getting over this difficulty to a very satis-
factory degree, at all events is to water-proof the feather

precisely in the same way that water-proof sheeting is made.
A water-proof preparation impregnates two surfaces of
feather, and these are placed one on the other, and submit-
ted to pressure. This forms one wing. The same process
is of course necessary for the other, and thus four slips of
feathers are used instead of two only, and they are rendered
not less pliable, but tougher, and not likely to separate into
fibers of independent directions at the touch of the fish.
Moreover, tiie water cannot wet them through, any more
than it can a rubber coat.

D.
Mouse-Fly.- Trout and bass will take mice, if the fish
be large and the mice small. Some makers produce a pretty
close imitation of the quadruped himself; but in the fly before
the reader its color only can be said to be counterfeited.
The body is of muskrat-fur, the end of body tipped
of this fly
red silk and tinsel. The wings are from the gray goose, or
brant, and should be lead-colored dun in hue.
E. White Moth, for Trout. Body quill stripped from

white dove's quill-feathers; ribbed yellow silk under quill;

wings, white dove; hackle, white leghorn rooster.
F. FiTZ-MAURiCE. Body, black chenille, and red silk
ribbed gold tinsel; tail, peacock fibers; hackle, yellow; wing,
mallard breast-feather.
G. Reuben Wood. Tag, red silk; tail, fibers brown
mallard; body, white chenille; hackle, brown; wing, mallard
breast-feather.
H. Straw Floater {Ephcuicrid(). This fly is an imi-
tation of the May flies (Ephemeridae) and the body can vary
in color according to the fly to be imitated. It is made of
rye-straw, dyed and softened by soaking in warm water. A

suitable length is then cut and placed round a hog's bristle to
which has been attached the whisks to form the tail. It is
then secured in place by the tying silk being wound spirally

in loose coils around it and finally attached to the hook which
has already been tied to the gut. The wings are commonly
two small separate feathers of the mallard breast, and may
be stained or not according to the necessities of the case.
These flies float on the water and are very killing, being such
close imitations of the natural insect.
I.
QuiLL-BODiED Gray Dun. The quill-body is from the
feather of the moor or water hen, and is possessed of a lighter
and darker strip each side so that when wound on it success-
fully imitates the ringed markings of the actual insect. The
wings are the dun under-feather of the mallard or wild-
duck's wing, and the hackle is a blue dun from a rare breed
of chickens managed to secure one day when I was in luck.
I
K.
Parmacheene Belle. This handsome fly is my first
example of the compound wing. With care the red ibis and
white goose feather can be "married" together and turned as
one feather. The hackle is white first and then red; body,
yellow seal's fur ribbed with broad silver tinsel; and ending
with a tag of peacock tail, two slips of feathers ibis and
white goose or swan.
L. Abbey. This well-known fly is thus dressed: wing,
FISHING TACKLE AND HOW TO MAKE IT. Ml
teal-breast; body, cardinal silk; tag, peacock herl; tail, fibers
from golden pheasant tippet; hackle, brown.
M. Alexandra.
This fly is formed as follows, and is an
instance of a bunch of separate fibers forming the wings.
Wing of peacock feathers; tail of peacock fibers; body, white
silk ribbed silver tinsel; tag, red silk; hackle, white. This is
the invention of an English Trout-breeder and sportsman,

the late Col. Gerald Goodlake. He used it with great success
American Brook Trout he bred for his fish-
in taking the large
ery. By the way, these fish grew to six and seven pounds
weight, and then disappeared
probably down-stream to
the ocean.
Plate 2. N. Silver Doctor ^Salmon Fly. This fly
A B CD e F
Fig. 28.
is a superb creation, and as productive of sport as it is
handsome to look at. (Before describing it, however, it is
necessary tomake the reader acquainted with the technical

names of the different parts of a fly. As these are more
numerous in the Salmon-fl}', I give in fig. 28, the diagram of
478 AMERicANf Game fishes.
a representative one- the "Greenwich fancy," which will

serve the double purpose of enlightening the tyro as to the
parts of both Trout and Salmon fly so far at least as the
technology of both is concerned. In the Trout-fly there
are necessarily less parts, but the names of those that are
present are the same as on the Salmon-fly. The "Green-
wich fancy" (fig 28) is thus described: A, tail; B, iron or
hook; C, tag; D, butt; E, body; F, throat-hackle (also
extending down the body;; G, head; H, loop or gut snell; I,
J, outer wing; K (topping of golden pheasant), over-
cheeks;
wing; L, feeelers or horns; M, wing).
'Silver Doctor,' is thus described:
Tag, silver tinsel and
yellow silk. Tail, golden
pheasant topping (feather from
the crest or top of the head of the bird) butt, dark scarlet ;
wool; body, sliver tinsel, flat-ribbed in a wide coil with

silver wire; throat-hackle, of guinea-fowl feather and white
hackle dyed blue; wings, connected strands of golden pheas-
ant-hackle (or tippet, as it is termed) ; wood-duck, pintail
duck, golden-pheasant tail, swan (a goose), dyed light
yellow and light blue; strips, of mallard and bustard, and
the over -wing a topping (golden pheasant crest); horns,
blue macaw (fibers from the quill-feather); head, dark-
scarlet wool.
O. Dark Dun (A/Z/rwr/vV/.?). This fl'y is made of a new
material, with the exception of the legs, which are of horse-
hair, of which the interior of the body is also formed.
This material is the membrane found on the under sur-
face of the large silvery scales of the Tarpon (Silver
King, specific name, mcgalops tlirissoidcs), found in
southern waters. It is the toughest membrane in nature,
and has several peculiarly valuable properties. First, it
is capable of being procured so thin as to be finer

than the insect's wing itself. It lakes a dye readily,
and, when both out and in the water, stands erect, as
shown in the illustration. When dry it is rather stiff and
FISHING TACKLE AND HOW TO MAKE IT. 4/9
quill-like, but unlike quill it softens right down when wet,

becoming more pliant than and yet retaining feather,
in fact increasing
its toughness. Both the body and wing
of this fly are of this material; the legs are of hair, and I
need scarcely say it is almost indestructible. No wonder the
tackle-makers do not care to make these flies and it is a
fact that they are slow to take them up.
P. Yellow May Fly. This beautiful and favorite fly is
found very plentifully on northern streams, during summer

and the "counterfeit presentment" on plate 2 is an exact imi-
tation. The wings are stained Tarpon membrane, the legs are
horse-hair, and the body is of horse-hair wound round with
horse-hair. The tail consists of two fibers of the mallard
breast-feather. I leave it to the unprejudiced reader to say
if a nearer imitation of an actual insect is possible.
Qand R are two forms of the favorite "brown hackle." Q

is the palmer hackle and R the brown hackle.
S.
Grasshopper-Fly. ^Why this is so called I do not
know. Orvis & Co. (tackle-makers), figure it in their
elaborate catalogue, "Fishing With the Fly," but it certainly
resembles no grasshopper of this sublunary sphere. All the
same, it is a good Trout-fly, and with it I have taken some
big fish. It is thus dressed: Tag, silver tinsel and green silk;
tail, yellow swan and wood-duck (the black-and-white-tipped

feather) body, brown silk; hackle, cardinal; wing jungle-
;
cock feather, with over-wing of red ibis and yellow swan

(dyed) head, peacock herl.
;
T. Adjustable Bass or Lake Trout Fly. There is
a peculiarity about this fly which demands close attention.

It is made in two on a system new to fly-makers.
sections,
The body and tail are formed on the hook, and a thin tube
of brass, or even quill, is inserted, after the fashion of the
female ferrule of a rod. The hackle and wings are tied
securely on a pin, which, when inserted into the aforesaid
tube, fits snugly and completes the tout ensemble. The

hook-part, of course, is securely attached to the snell, and
the adjustable wings and legs do not throw out, but are
naturally tightened by the water.
This novel invention is (like all the other novelties
described in these articles), my own, and I claim for it quite
an extended range of usefulness. It often happens that the
Bass, Trout, and even Salmon fisherman finds it necessary

to change his flies till the right color and arrangement are
hit upon. If he possess twelve only of these sets of adjustable
flies that is, twelve bodies, twelve wings, etc., he can

make twelve dozen or 144 different changes, and a gross
Fig. 29.
of these flies, costing no more than a gross of first-class flies

ever do, will provide him with not 144, as would be the
case with a gross of ordinary but twenty thousand
flies
seven hundred and thirty-six changes

sufficient last to a
life-time. It should be said that the adjustable system is
FISHING TACKLE AND HOW TO MAKE IT. 48 I
applicable to all sizes of hooks larger than number 8 (Red-

ditch numbering).
U. CoRK-BODiED FLOATING Fly. Body, cork; tail, fiber
from peacock wing-feather; hackle, brown; shoulder, two

turns of peacock herl; wîng, mallard breast-feather.
The details of the making of this exceedingly killing fly
are worth giving. Two bristles are taken, and the fibers
for the tail are attached by strong tying silk, as in A, fig. 29.
A slice of good clear cork is then cut (B; and soaked in
warm water for a few moments to render it pliant. It is
then wrapped round A, and the tying silk (of appropriate

color, of course), is rolled round it in wide coils, and the cork
is then placed on the shank of the hook (C). The coils are
continued and finally secured. The peacock herl hides the

junction between cork and hook; the hackle is added, and
then the wings; and the fly is finished.
V. Double-winged Red Spinner. This feature of

double-winging not only imitates many of the natural insects,
but owing to the greater volume of feather (usually from
some water-bird whose feathers are always most buoyant) it
renders the fly a floater, when the wings are dried, by whirl-
ing in the air once or twice between each cast, as is practiced
on the much-fished streams of England. This is pretty fish-
ing
to see the fly sailing down, wings erect, on the water,
until the rising fish takes it with a musical smack of his
snowy lips. What says Shakespeare.'
"The pleasantest angling is to see the fish
Cut with her golden oars the silver stream,
And greedily devour the treacherous bait."
X. The Royal Coachman. Tail, wood-duck; tag, pea-
cock herl; body, scarlet silk; shoulder, peacock herl; hackle,
brown, A splendid all-round fly.
Z. Red-legged Grasshopper. Body, yellowish green

chenille; legs, mid-rib of hackle, fibers clipped close; wings,
sparrow small quill-feathers; head, peacock heil. As will be
observed, this is an imitation of nature. I have tried
3^
all kinds of imitations, and this is the one with which to best
fool Trout, in a clear stream, in the grasshopper season. Of
o
Fig. 30.
course the natural insect is more killing, but this is very effect-
ual, even in comparison.

The chief of the flies to be found near water can be very

closely imitated in gut, for the bodies for quill) and the scale-
membrane wings are always acceptable, when the insect to
be copied is possessed of a one-hued wing. Of course, if it
is of various shades and tints the scale fails and we are

obliged to resort to feather.
The process of the making of the ordinary gut-bodied,

detached membrane winged fly is shown in the diagram, fig.
30. The flattened waste-ends of hank-gut arc soaked, and
drawn between the thumb-nail and finger to straighten them.
One is then taken and set on, round three or more hog's
bristles (see A), and continued till the stage B is arrived at.
The gut is then further wound on, and secured finally by
the tying silk. Next, the hackle is set on, then the wing.
This latter is formed thus: Take a piece of scale-membrane,

and double it then cut it till the free edges resemble C.
Next cut a piece out of the fold, as shown by the dotted line
in C, leaving a minute piece joining the two wings at top and
bottom. Next, place it and tie it in situ (see D) ; finally tie
on a piece of ostrich or peaccok heil for head, as shown.

Sometimes a fluffy and woolly body is preferred. In such
cases fig. 31 shows the amateur what to do. Take two
pieces of well-waxed tying silk and secure them, as shown,
to the hook. Pick out the fur or wool, etc., and lay it care-
fullyon the left-hand thread; then bring the other on top of
it,and twist both threads to the left till the two threads
have gathered up the dubbing satisfactorily. It can then be
wound on as one thread. This is a far better plan than using

one thread only and trusting to the stickiness of the wax.
All the quill-bodied gnats are made from the quill of the
fibers of the peacock eye-feather. The list of the fiber is
stripped and there remains a parti-colored strip which,

off,
when wound on the hook as a body, is wonderfully like the

natural insect. These imitations can be varied indefinitely,
and the taste of the tier is brought greatly into play in the
manufacture of these tiny flies.
In the above directions and explanations sufficient has
been said to put the learner on the right track, and it is his
own lack of enthusiasm to blame if he does not profit by
them. The following are the dressings of the chief and
most valued patterns of Trout, Bass and lake flies. [Salmon
flies will be dealt with in another section.]
NAMES AND DRESSINGS OF STANDARD TROUT FLIES

FOR THE AMATEUR FLY DRESSER.
HACKLES.
BROWN HACKLE. YELLOW HACKLE.
Tag. Gold tinsel. TA(i. Silver tinsel.
BoDT. Peacock herl. Body. Yellow silk, ribbed, silver tinsel.
Hackle. Brown. Hackle Yellow
.
SCARLET HACKLE. GINGER HACKLE.

Tag. Gold tinsel. Tag. Gold tinsel.
Body. Scarlet silli, ribbed, gold tinsel. Body. Light brown wool yarn.
Hackle. Scarlet. Hackle. Light brown (ginger).
WHITE HACKLE. GRAY HACKLE.
Body.White silk, ribbed, gold tinsel. Body. Green silk, ribbed, gold tinsel.
Hackle. White. Hacklb. Gray, from Plymouth Rock
rooster.
WINGED FLIES.
COACHMAN. GREAT DUN.
Tag. Gold tinsel. Brown mallard.
Tail.
Body. Peacock horl, ribbed, black silk T\G. Gold tinsel.
thread. Body. Brown wool.'
Hackle. Brown. Hackle. Brown.
Wings. White dove. Wings. Dark lead feather from mallard
under wing.
CO VCHMAN, LEADWING.
Tag. Gold tinsel. CINNAMON.
Body. Peacock herl, ribbed, black silk Brown mallard.
Tail.
thread. Tag. Gold tinsel.
Hackle. Brown. I?ODT. Bright cinnamon-brown wool.
Wings. Leaden feather under wing of mal- Hackle.- Brown.
lard. WiNOs. Brown (light) feiithcr from turkey
tail or wing.
COACHMAN, ROYAL.
Tail. Fibers of black and white wood-duck DEER FLY.
feather. Tail. Black hackle.
Tag.- Gold tinsel. Tag. Gold tinsel.
Body. One-third peacock herl, one-third Body. Bright green silk.
scarlet silk, one-third peacock herl. Hackle. -White.
Hackle. Brown. Wings. White dove.
Wings. White dove. RED POX.
COACHMAN, RED TIP. Tail. Fibers of mallard.
Tag. Gold tinsel and red silk. Tag. Gold tinsel.
Body Peacock herl. Body. Red brown wool.
Hackle. -Brown. Hackle.- Brown.
Wings.- White dove. Wings. Light dun under feather of mallard.
COACHMAN, GILT. GOVERNOR.
Tail. Yellow. Tag. Scarlet silk.
Tag. Gold tinsel and two turns of peacock Body. Peacock herl.
herl. lUcKLE. Brown.
Body. Green silk, ribbed, gold. Wings. Dark brown mottled turkey.
Hackle. Brown. GREEN DRAKE.
Wings. White dove. Brown mallard.
Tail.
CO^TJUNG. Tag. Gold tinsel.
Tag. Gold tinsel. Body. -Dirty yellow silk, ribbed, brown.
Body. Yellowish-green wool. Hackle. Brown.
Hackle. Brown clipped and coiled-up body
; Wings. Mallard breast feather, stained yei-
Wings. Brown hen wing. lowish-green.
BLUE JAY. ALDER FLY.
Tail. Yellow goose. Tag. Gold tinsel.
Tag. Yellow silk. Body. Dark brown wool.
Body. Claret silk. Hackle.- Black.
Hackle. Wine color. Wings.- Very dark slate duck feather.
Wings. Blue jay. SOLDIER.
RED ANT. Tag. Gold tinsel.

Tag. Gold tinsel. Body. Scarlet silk.

Body. Butt of herl, body red silk. Hackle. Brown.
Hackle .Scarlet. Wings. Light dun mallard wing.
Wings.- Ibis.
BLACK ANT. OAK FLY.

TG. Gold tinsel. Tail. Golden pheasant
- tippet.
Body. Butt of ostrich, body black silk Tag. Gold tinsel.
-
Hackle. Black.
Body. Yellow silk.
Wings. Crow. Hackle. Brown.
SETH GREEN. Wings. Dark mottled turkey.
Tail. Mallard. YELLOW MAY.
T G. Gold tinsel. Brown mallard.
Tail.
BoDT. Light green, ribbed, gold or yellow Tag. Gold tinsel.
Bilk. Body. Yellow silk, ribbed, gold.
Hacklb. Brown. Hackle. Yellow.
Wings. Lead feather under mallard's wing. Wings. Yellow swan or dove (dyed).
PROFliSSOR. BL.\CK JUNE.
Tail. Ibis. Tag.- Gold tinsel.
Tag. Gold tinsel. Body. Ostrich herl.
BoDT. Yellow silk, rilibed, gold. Hackle. Black.
Hackle. Brown. Wings. Crow.
WiNOS. Mallard breast feather. TEAL.
BLUE PROFESSOR. Tail. Black hackle.
Tail. Ibis. Tag. Gold tinsel.
Tag. Go' d tinsel. Body. Dark wine silk.
Body. Blue silk, ribbed, gold. Hackle. Dark green.
Hackle. Brown. Wings. Green feather from quills of teal
Wings. Mallard breast feather. wing.
DARK STONE. REUBEN, WOOD.
Tail. Brown mallard. Tail. Brown hackle.
Tag. Gold tinsel. T\g. Gold tinsel, and red silk butt.
Body. Dark chocolate wool. Body.- White chenille.
H ackle. Brown. Hackle. Brown.
Wings. Mallard back feather (brown). Wings. Mallard breast feather.
SILVER BLACK. RED SPINNER.

Tag. Silver tinsel. Tail. Brown hackle.

Body. Black silk, rilibcd, silver. Tag. Gold tinsel.
Hackle. Black center, white tips. Body. Crimson silk, ribbed, gold.
Wings. Crow. Hackle. Red and gold.
SCARLET IBIS. Wings. Pale dun feather from mallard
Tag. Gold tinsel. under wing.
Body. Scarlet, ribbed, gold. AVIDOW.
Hackle. Scarlet. Tail. Black hackle.
Wings. Ibis. Tag. Silver tinsel.
STONE FLY. Body. Blue silk, ribbed, silver.
Tail. Mallard fiber. Hackle. Black center, wliitc tips.
Tag. Silver tinsel. Wings. Medium dun feather from mallard
Body. Gray silk, ribbed, silver. under wing.
Hackle. Gray dun. GRASSHOPPER.
Wings.- Gray dun lead feather from under Tail. Wood-duck, black and white, and
mallard's wing. yellow swan.
WnilTE MILLER. Tag. Gold tinsel.
Tag. Gold tinsel. Body. Green one-sixth, brown five-sixths.
BooY. White chenille. Hackle. Wine-color.
Wings. Jungle cock.
Hackle. White.
Wings. White dove. STEBBINS.
FIERY BROWN. Tail. Mallard.
Tail. Red, ibis. Tag. Gold tinsel.
Tag. Gold tinsel. Body. Blue silk (dark).
Body. Red-brown wool. Hackle. Partridge.
Hackle. Brown. WiNciS. Medium under duck wing.
Wings. Brown hen's wing. or.\nge bl.\ck.
YELLOW DRAKE. Tail. Golden pheasant tippet.

Body. Yellow silk, ribbed, gold. Body. Orange, ribbed, gold.
Hackle. Yellow. Hackle. Black.
Wings. Mallard breast feather, dyed yellow. Wings. Black crow.
COCH-Y-BONADHU, or MARLOW BUZZ.
GRIZZLY KING.
Tail. Red, ibis. Tag. Gold.
Tag. Gold tinsel. Body. Peacock herl and ostrich, half each.
Body. Green (light), ribbed, gold. Hackle. Brown tips, black center.
H ackle. Grizzly. AUGUST DUN.
Wings. -Mallard breast feather. Tail. Two rabbits' whiskers.
SOLDIER PALMER. Tag. Gold.
Tag. Gold tinsel. Body. Brown silk, ribbed, yellow.
Body- Red silk, ribbed, gold, hackle carried Hackle. Brown.
up the entire length. Wings.- Brown hen's wing feather.
Hackle.Brown.
CHANTREY. WHIRLING FLY.

Tag. Gold tinsel. Tml. Ginger hackle.
BoDT. Peacock herl. Tag. Gold.
Hackle.- Brown. Body. Squirrel's red fur, mixed with yel-
Wings. Dark brown motUed turkey quill low mohair.
feather. Hackle. Ginger.
Wings.Darkish lead feather from mallard
ETHEL MAY. wing.
Tail. Black hackle.
Tag. Gold tinsel. BROWN COFLIN.
Body. Green, ribbed, gold tinsel. Tail. Mallard liber.
Hackle. Black. Tag.- Gold.
Wings. Guinea-fowl feather. Body Gray and bright claret mohair, mixed,
KATOODLE BUG. tipped with orange ailk.
'J'AIL. Mallard. Hackle.- Gray.

Tag. Gold tinsel blue silk.
airrt Wings. Light lead-color.
Body.- Light egg-yellow mohair. PALE EVENING DUN.
Hackle -Brown from half-way up body. Tail. Pin-t>iil fibers.
Wings. Black-and-brown mottled turkey.
Tag. Silver tinsel.
PARMACHEREE BELLE.
Body. Yêllow silk (pale lemon), ri1)bed,
sliver.
Tail.- White and led, white below.
Tag. Silver, l)utted, peacock herl. Hackle. Yellow(lemon).
Body. Light yellow mohair, picked out and Wings Pale lead feather, from under wing
ribbed, broad silver tinsel. of mallard.
Hackle.- -Red and white
Wings. Red and white, half each.
LAKE TROUT FLIES.
SILVER DOCTOR. MONTREAL.

Tail. Wood-duck (black and white barred), Tail. Ibis.
yellow swan (dyed), and ibis. Tag. Gold.
Tag.
Gold and yellow silk, then crimson Body. Crimson, ribbed, gold tmsel.
silk. Hackle. Wine-color.
Body. White silk, ribbed, silver tinsel. Wings. Brown turkey quill feather.
Hackle. Yellow first, followed by guinea- BEE.
fowl. Tag. Gold. , , .
Wings. ^Brown mottled turkey, surmounted Body. Peacock herl, ribbed with yellow
by stripe of ibis. chenille.
SCARLET IBIS. Hackle. Black center, brown tips
Brown mallard.
Tail. Wings. Bronze ends of wild-turkey tail.
Tag. Gold tinsel. TOM AH JO.

Body. Scarlet silk, ribbed, gold. Tail.Yellow hackle.
Hackle. Scarlet. Tag. Gold and peacock herl (two turns).
Wings. Ibis. Body. Silver tinsel.
BLACK JUNE. Hackle.Yellow and scarlet, mixed.
Tag. Gold. Wings. Black and white barred wood-duck
Body. Peacock herl, ribbed, gold thread. feather. Head, peacock herl.
Hackle. Black. BLUE BOTTLE.
Wings. Crow. Tag. -Gold tinsel.
GRAY' DRAKE. Body. Blue slik, ribbed, gold.
Tag. Silver. Hackle. Black.
Body. Light leaden-colored silk, ribbed, Wings. Crow.
silver tinsel. CANADA.
Hackle. White. Tail. Ibis.
WiNQS. Mallard breast feather. Tag. Silver tinsel.
CAPTAIN. Uody. Black silk, ribbed, silver.
Tail. Ibis and wood-duck barred feather. Hackle. Yellow.

Wings. Gray turkey quill feather.
Tag. Gold and peacock herl (two turns).
Body. Lavender silk. NO NAME.
Hackle. Wine-color. Tail. Ibis.
Wings. Leaden-color feather from ma'.lurd Tag. Gold and scarlet silk.
under wing. Body.Y'ellow silk, ribbed, gold.
ACADEMY'. Hackle.Brown.
Tail. Ibis. Wings. White swau, over wiu^s of ibis.
Tag. Gold and section of scarlet silk.
Body. Peacock herl, ribbed with brown
hackle.
Hackle. Brown.
W1NG8. Owl's feather from quills, Bur-
mouuted with stripe of ibis.
488 AMERCIAN GAME FISHES.
BLACK BASS FLIES.

LA BELLE. HENSHALL.
'I'a II,. White and scarlet. Tail. Four fibers peacock tail feather.
Tag. Silvt-r ami scarlet silk. 'J'ag. Gold.
BobY. Blue silk, ribbed, silver. Body. Peacock herl.
1Ia( KLE. Blue. H \ckle. Dirty white.
Wings. White swan or goose. Wings. Dove's wing (light drab).
WHITE MILLEK. ALEXANDRA.

Tag. Silver. Tail. Four fibers peacock tail feather.
Body. White chenille. Tag.- Silver.
Hacki.e. White. Body. Scarlet silk one-fourth, silver tinsel
Wings. White swan or goose. rest.
Hackle. White.
POLKA. Wings. Fibers of peacock tail feather.
Tail. Brown and wh te.
Tag. (;old. TRIUMPH.
Body. Scarlet silk, ribbed, gold. Tail. Parrot.
Hackle. Red. Tag. Gold.
WiNQs. Guinea-fowl. Body. Green silk one-half, light brown
chenille one-half.
ORIOLE. Hackle. Black.
Taii,. Black and j'ellow.
Wings. Crow.
Tag. -(iold.
Bout. Black silk, gold tinsel ribbing. JUNGLE COCK.
Hackle. Black. Tail.
Yellow, scarlet, and peacock herl.
Wi.NGs. Orange (dyed goose). Tag. Gold.
OnONOMOWOC. Body. Yellow silk, ribbed, gold tinsel.
Tail. (iinger hackle.
Hackle. Yellow.
Tag. Gold.
Wings. Jungle cock, head black.
Body. Yellow silk (lifrht). DA IS.
Hackle. White and dun. Tail. -Y'ellow and red.
Wings. Woodcock brown feather. Tag. Gold.
Body. Yellow silk, ribbed, gold tinsel.
LORD BALTIMORE. Hackle. Green.
Tail. Black. Wings.- Brown turkey, mottled black.
Tag. -Gold.
ij,ji)Y.
Orange silk, ribbed, gold. McCLELLAN.
Ibis.
Hackle. Black. Tail.
Wings. Crow. Tag. Silver (broad)

Body. Orange, ribbed, broad silver tinsel.
Hackle. Guinea-fowl.
Wings. Wood-duck black-and-white barred
feather.
The angler who can make a jiifood Trout-fly will find little
difficulty in theconstruction of a Salmon-fly, except such as

will arise from the increased care and greater sense of pro-
portion necessary. A few words preliminary to the intro-
FISHING TACKLE AND HOW TJ MAKE IT. 489
duction of the dressings of some of the best flies for the

"lordly" fish will not, however, be out of place.
The easiest Salmon-fly to make is perhaps the "hackle"
shown in the illustration. I call it the "Fascinator," and it
may be thus described: Tail, golden pheasant crest; tag, gold

tinsel; butt, black ostrich; first section of body, black silk;
first hackle, black, butted with dark gray ostrich; second
section; white ribbed silver wire; second hackle, gray, butted
with black ostrich; third section, dark crimson ribbed gold
tinsel; third hackle, dark wine-color; head, brown ostrich.
Now, this hackle is made making an ordi-
precisely as if
nary Trout hackle, and the extra care necessary is expended

on the selection of the right-sized hackle, and in tying each
section neatly and smoothly. There is absolutely no diffi-
culty that care and practice will not overcome.
The bodies of all Salmon-flies are made in an analogous if
not similar manner. And the hook being larger, they are in
reality much easier to construct than the tiny midges and
gnats of the Trout fisherman.
The winging of a Salmon-fly, however, presents some diffi-
culties. Each side must be prepared separately, and it is
necessary that the fibers of the different feathers should be

laid with care that their ends be level and not uneven. One
side is then placed on the other, and the two are up by lifted
placing the forefinger of the left hand upon them flatly and
then passing the stiletto or large darning needle underneath.
By this means the two wings can be lifted from the table
undisturbed, and embraced by the thumb and finger, then to
be tied in place strongly and firmly. After the side
wings are tied the cheeks and top-wing are adjusted, then
follows the horns, and finally the head though pre-
vious tohead being wound on, the whole mass of
the
crushed feather-ends should be soaked well through with
the varnish. There really seems to be little else to be
said of great importance about Salmon-fly tying. Of
32
course one does not begin to tie a Salmon-fly at first that

is the wrong end of the string but having begun at the A
B C, in the "Pennell" hackle, and worked on, the amateur will
find this cJicf iT auvrc of the fly-dresser's art by no means so
unattainable as it looks.
The following dressings are those of a dozen of the most
killing combinations known, and are veritable jewels, in
feather, fur and silk.
DRESSINGS OF SALMON FLIES.

BUTCHER. DURHAM RANGER.
Tag. Silver twist and yellow eilk. Tag. Silver twist and very dark yellow silk.
Tail. A topping, teal and powdered blue Tail. A topping and Indian crow.
macaw. Butt. Black herl.
Butt. Black herl. Body. Two turns of dark orange silk, two
Body. In four equal divisions, beginning turns dark red-orange seal's fur; the rest,
with and continuiu"; with
ligiit red-claret, which is about half, black seal's fur.
light blue, dark led-claret, and dark l)lue Ribbed. Silver lace and silvei tinsel.
seal's fur. Hackle.- J'rom orange seal's fur, a white
Ribs. Silver tinsel, jjreceded on large hooks coch-y-l)onddu dyed orange.
by silver lace. Throat. Light blue hackle.
Hackle. Natural 1)lack from light red-claret
Wings. Pour golden ])heasant tippets, over-
seal's I'lir. lapping, and eu\el(ipiiit; two projecting
Throat. Yellow hackle and gallina. jun',de fowl feathers (bat'k to back), and a
Wings. -.\ tippt-t and breastTeather of the topping.
Kolden ])lifasuiit, back to back, both Ijeing Cheeks. Chatterer.
well veiled on t-ith.-r side with slight strips IloRNs. Blue macaw.
of teal, eoUlen pheasant tail, gallhia, bus- Head Black Berlin wool.
lard ana peacock wIml', with stiands of
JO;'K SCOTT.
parrot and swan (dyt-d yellow), and with
two strips of mallard at top.
Tag. Silvertwist and light yellow silk.
Tail. A topping and Indian crow.
Horns. Blue macaw. Butt. Black herl.
Cheeks. Chatterer. Body. In two equal sections; the first, light
Head. Black herl.
yellow silk ribbed with fine silver tinsel;
POPHAM. above and below this are placed three or
Tag. -Gold twist. more toucan's feathers, according to the
Tail. A topping and Indian crow. size of the lipok, extending slightly beyond
Butt. Black herl. the butt, and followed with three or four
Body. In three equal sections, butted with turns of black herl. In the second half we
black herl. The first dark orange silk, rib- have black silk, with a natural black hackle
bed with fine gold tinsel, having Indian running along it, and ribl)ed with broader
crow al)ove and below, as Bhown; the silver tinsel (.and silver lace on very large
second, or middle joint, of yellow silk, with ho;)ks).
the ribbing and crow's feathers repeated; Th 140 at. Gallina.
the third, of light blue silk, but with silver Wings. Two strips of black turkey with
ribbing and the crow's feathers, as before. white tips, two strips of bustard and gray
Hackle. Jay, at the throat only. mallard, with strand* of golden pheasant
Winos. Tippet, teal, gallina, golden pheas- tail, peacock (sword featherl, red macaw
ant tail, ]iarn>t, liL'l't brown mottled turkey, and swan (dyed blue and yellow); above
bustard, red macaw, yellow macaw (swan, there are two strips of uiallard, one on
dyed yellow for large sizes), with two strips either side, and a topping.
of mallard above and a toi)i)iiig.
Sides. Jungle fowl.
Horns. Blue macaw. Cheeks. Chatterer (formerly kingfisher).
Cheeks. -Chatterer. Horns. -Blue macaw.
Head. Black herl. Head.- Black herl.
DANDY. Throat. Pintail.

^ ^VINGS. Two strips whitc-tippcil turkey
Tag. Siivei twist and yellow silk.
Tail. A topping, strands of Punimcr duck (black), golden pheasant tail, bustard (light
(barred), and a chatterer feather. and dark), gallina, white turkey (dyed
Butt. Black hfrl. green and scarlet), gray mallard, with two
Body. Silver tinsel (flat), and very light strips of mallard above and a topping.
blue gilk.
Sides. Jungle fowl.
Rib?. Silver tinsel (oval). Horns. Blue macaw.
Throat. A very light blue hackle and gal- Head. Black wool.
lina. BLACK DOSE.
W'iNGS. Twotippptg (back to back) envelop- Tau. Silver twist and very light orange silk.
ing two projecting jungle fowl feathers Tail. A topping, teal and il)i;;.
(back to back). Body.Two or three turns of light blue seal's

81DES. Summer duck. fur and black seal's fur.
Cheeks.- Chatterer, and a topping above. Ribs. Silver tinsel.
Horns. -Blue macaw. Hackle. Natural black, along t"a3 back
Head. Black Berlin wool. seal's fur.
CAPTAIN. Throat. A very light plum-claret hackle.
T 4G. Silver twist and light blue silk. Wings. Double tippets, veiled with teal,
Tail. A topping and chatterer. light-mottled turkey, golden pheasant
unbarred summer duck, peacock
tai',
and
Body. Two turns very dark yellow silk, herl,
two turns very light orange seal's fur, two mallard, strands of ibis and parrot for small
Itatterus; swan (dyed the same two colors),
turns red-claret seal's fur, and finish wiih
dark blue seal's fur. for large sizes.
Ribs. SilTer tinsel. Horns. -^Blue macaw.
Uacklb. A white coch-y-bonddu, dyed rod- Head. - Black herl.
rJaret, from the very light orange seal's fur. t.mte's fancy.
Throat. Light blue hackle and gallina. Tag. Silver twist and blue silk.
Wings. Pintail, teal, gallina, peacock wing. Tail. A topping and toucan.
Amherst pheasant, bustard and golden RtTTT. Black herl.
pheasant tail, swan (dyed light orance), Body. Silver tinsi-l (flat).
dark orange, dark claret, and dark blue, liiBs. Silver tinsel (oval).
with two strips mallard above and a top- Hackle. - Claret, from the second turn of
ping. tinsel.
Sides. Jungle fowl. Throat. Blue hackle.
Horns. Blue macaw. Wings. Hen pheasant tail, peacock wing,
Head. Black herl. swan (dyed very dark red orange), golden
SILVER-FLY. pheasant tail, and two strips of mallard
Tag. Silver twist and yellow silk. above.
Horns. Blue macaw.
Tail. A topping and unbarred summer
duck. Head. Black herl.
Bl'TT. Black herl. LION.
BoDT. Silver tinsel (flat) Tag. Silver twist and yellow silk.
Ribs. Silver tinsel (oval). Tail. A topping.
Hackle. A
silver furnace hackl* along the Butt. Black herl.
body. Body. Silver tinsel (flat), ribbed with silver
Throat. Widgeon. tinsel (oval), about one-fifth part being left
Wings. Golden pheasant tippet, strands and at the shoulder for dark scarlet seal's fur,
tail, bustard, swan (dyed j-ellow), gallina, well picked out.
powder-blue macaw, mallard, gray mallard, Hackle. Natural black.
and a topping. Throat.- Gallina.
Horns.- Blue macaw. Wings.- Commencing with a few fibers of
Sides. Jungle fowl. golden pheasant tippet, sword feather of
Head. Black Berlin wool. the golden pheasant, and peacock herl, yel-
GREENWELL. low macaw, red macaw, bustard, golden
Tag. Silver twist and yellow silk. pheasant tail, teal, gallina, with two strips
Tail. A topping and jungle fowl. of mallard above, and a topping.
BcTr. Black herl. Sides. .Jungle fowl.
Body. Light blue silk. Horns. Blue macaw.
Hackle.- The same, colored blue from the Head. Black Berlin wool.
first turn of the ribs. SILVER DOCTOR.
Ribs. Silver lace and silver tinsel (.flat). See page 477. and N, plate 2.
FLY-FISHING CONTINUED.
The Leader (b). A few words in the heading "Gut" have
already been said in regard to the leader or length of gut which
interposes between the fly and the reel-line. It need only be
added that its selection as to gauge should be dependent on
the state of the water and the size of the fish expected to be
taken. If the water be low and clear a fine leader is mani-
festly necessary. If it is roily, and the fish run large, a
thicker one is advisable. It should at least be as long as the rod.
The Reel-line (c). It is almost impossible to single out
the best makes of line. My personal preference is for those
made by Mr. E. J. Martin, of Rockville, Conn., and for the
Acme copper gimp-centered line of Foster Bros., Ashborne,
Derbyshire, England. The latter is heavy without bulk, and
is exceedingly easy to "lay out" on the surface of the water.
The Reel (d) . So many
splendid reels are now on the
market, that the task of se-
lection is almost invidious.
The diagrams show those I
use myself. Fig. 33 is the Au-

tomatic. /This operates au-
tomatically when a fish is
hooked and it is desired to
reel in. The whole opera-

tion is performed by one
hand. The little finger bears
on the brake, and the reel be-
gins to wind in; and the fish
has a spring operating against

him all the while. Fig. 34
Fig. 33-
is that Chubb, of Post Mills, Vt.

patented by Mr. It is
termed the "Henshall-van Antwerp," and for all-round fly

fishing cannot be surpassed. Of course for Salmon a larger
reel is necessary.
The Fly-book (e). This is a consideration of some
importance, and the number of different patterns in existence
proves that there are differences of opinion as to the best.
The gut-snell of fly-books in this country is for some reason
fixed at four and one-half inches, and the ingenuity of inven
Yig. 34-
tion has been exercised over the discovery of some device

which shall retain the snell straight, before and after use.
The most efficient, as far as I have been able to examine

and I have seen all is the Bray arrangement. The hooks
are hung over a bar, and then brought down between
the close helices of a spiral wire fixed crosswise in the
book. The same idea appears in another device of later
design, in that separate rings are crowded together on a rod

confined at the ends. Both are good, but the "Bray"
arrangement is best.
The fly-book of the future will not be arbitrarily arranged
for the four-and-one-half-inch snell, for the reason that the
snell of the future will probably be as long as possible with-
out a knot. When the fish of this country become educated
to the height of culture exhibited by their European cousins,
the farther the loop of the snell is from the hook the better.
There is an inevitably bad feature of all the fly-books, as at
present made, also in that they crush the fly, and if it should
be of the "roofed" or flat- winged species it is entirely put out of
shape every time. I am getting up a book which isn't a
book, for it is made of tin or zinc. The flies extend beyond
the top in a kind of wooden case, and each one can
be drawn out without disturbing its fellow. There is nothing
so attractive to a shy flsh as a brand-new fly, floating with dry
buoyancy along the crystal stream, with the sunbeams filter-
ing through its lace-like wings, and glinting on its gay-
colored body and opalescent hackle.
I am also parfecting a fly-fisher's hat, the description of
which may thus be shadowed forth: A hat having a belt-
attachment instead of band encircling it, with books, etc., for
the attachment of flies and leaders. Under the helmet-
shaped peak, fore and after, are pockets for spare leaders,
etc., and on each side an attachment for spare flies. If the
angler wants to go to church in this hat he can do so, after
removing the attachments, leaving it a respectable-looking

chapeau enough anyhow, good enough for a truth-pervert-
ing angler.
[For "Rods and Rod-making," see chapter under that head-
ing]
I'ig- 35-
SECTION 6 TACKLE FOR MID-WATER FISHING.

Tackle for Trolling. Artificial Bait. The etymol-
ogy of the word "trolHng" need not concern us very much
here, beyond pausing to say that it is evidently derived from
the French trolcr, to lead about. Trolling may be defined
in this connection as fishing in mid-water with lure, natural
Fig. 36. Fig. 37.
or artificial, using a running line in doing so, and so manip-

ulating the bait as to keep it constantly trolling or moving
about. Fish of prey, such as Salmon, Trout, Bass, and the
Esocidae, are thus killed by the angler.
I shall first refer to artificial baits. The spoon is without

question the chief of those, and in thousand-and-one mod-
its
ifications is invariably a successful lure. It would be invidi-
ous to single out special makes as being superlatively supe-

rior. Competition looks after the quality, and reliable tackle-
sellers keep good goods. "Cheap," in refer-
ence to spoons, infallibly means "ncsty."
Fig. 35 represents the orthodox spoon-bait.
The attractiveness enhanced by of this is
adding tufts of gaudy feathers, and there-

fore American ingenuity has improved on the
original plain spoon of Britain, and we find
a combination spoon, as shown at fig. ^,6,
is preferred by trollers for Mascalonge or

Pikerel or (Pike).
The difficulty with spoon-trolling is, that
the hooks being necessarily so exposed, they
catch into weeds and grass with annoy-
ing frequency. This has been obviated by
the device shown in fig. 37; i and 2 and 3
are each arrangements for deflecting or
throwing off the weeds, 3 being a flattened
bar protecting the point. As it is of spring-
steel, it fits, with a slight degree of tension,
against the point; and the impact of soft
weeds is not sufficiently strong to force it
away from the guarded hook, whilst the

fe: H spring is not strong enough to prevent the fish
being hooked as the bait is seized. This

arrangement must be seen to be apprecia-
Fig. 38. ted. It is patented by the Syracuse Fish-
Rod Co., N.Y.
Another novelty, of an exceedingly effective form, is made
by the same firm, and I give it place because I have person-
ally proved its efficacy. It is shown at fig. 38. When the
Fig- 39-
flanges are spinning, they represent, from below, a bright and

multi-moving fish. The dotted hnes in the diagram show
the outhne. This is a genuine improvement. Of the dis-
tinctly artificial, or rather "fancy" baits, the trolling-fly
deservedly stands amongst the These are made of first.
the ordinary material, as a general thing, andsome times

a small spoon is placed above them, to their great improve-
ment. But the ordinary fur-and feather f\y is too frail for
the teeth of fierce predaceous fish, coming at it with a tiger's
dash, and the result is great destruction to one's tackle, in
an ordinarily good day's fly-trolling. I make most of my
trolling-fliesso as to be practically indestructible. The
body is of silk, covered over with transparent Tarpon
scale-membrane, and the wings of the membrane also.
This being, thickness-for-thickness, the toughest skin in the

world, baffles even the destroying fangs of the Pickerel, and
absolutely defies the horrent teeth of the Bass. Of course
the material can be dyed any color deemed necessary.
Artificial frogs, helgramites, and the various abominations
that baits smeared with Bal-
termed "luminated" baits is,
main's Luminous paint need not here be recounted. have I
undertaken only to tell of those baits I consider /-"e-i-/

-without
fear or favor.
Of course the novice can manufacture his spoons, if he
can afford to buy a stamping apparatus. It is improbable
that he can do so, however, and I think he would find a

difficulty in getting the spoons separate from the gearing at
least in this country. He can, however, make the flat-m^tal
baits, such as that figured termed "James'
in fig. 39. It is
trolling bait." A and

consists of tinned coper, or tin only,
at the head and tail are soldered two loops through which a
long-shanked hook is passed. Two beads of solder are fixed
on the shank (see fig. 39) to retain the hook, and a swivel is
entered into the loop at the end of the shank. The whole
bait is simplicity itself.
Tackle for Trolling with the Natural Bait. There

is always, to my mind, satisfaction in using the dead natural
bait it requires a certain art in adjusting, and the lure is
certainly more in keeping with what we know of the food of

the quarry. To me, an air of ghastly unreality pervades
the gyrations of the glittering spoon. The fish comes up,
the victim of morbid suicidal mania, rather than of healthy
gormandizing. caught by the "giddy pleasure of the eyes,"
It is
rather than the promptings of a healthy appetite for food.
The gangs in ordinary use for trolling the

dead fish are wrong in principle, and are
the same as have been used in the early
days of British angling I specially refer to
the three hooks and lip-hook.
triplet For
these ten hooks I substitute four, and find
them amply sufficient. Fig. 40 represents
my device, and by practical experiment I
find it superior to all others though the
"Pennell," and my "Nonpareil" run it close.
[These are described later.]
Fig. 40 may be thus described: A lip-hook
is tied on to good fine gimp (A), and two
loops of the same material are also tied in
(BB). The loose end of the gimp is now
turned back and passed through B B and
a large single hook (Limerick) is whipped
on to it (G) ; above this another is attached
asshown (F). The barbed arrangement (E)
must now be explained: It consists of two
pieces of rather thick sheet-copper or brass,
cut and filed into the shape shown. (If of
brass must not be hardened.) A loop is

it
tied into the gimp at D, and the cross-piece

Fig. 40. E is placed therein as shown. An inch
I'ig. 41. Fig. 42

Fig. 4.3- rig. 44-

FISHING TACKLE AND HOW TO MAKE IT. SO3
further up the line another hook is tied (C), and the ap-
paratus is complete.
Fig. 41 shows the gang baited. The manner of accom-
t'ig- 45- Fig. 46.
plishing this is as follows: kill the minnow, then insert the

two long prongs into the fish at a point a little tailward of
the dorsal fin, and push it as far as it will go toward the fork
of the tail, along-side the backbone of the minnow. Now

below the head of the lish insert the short barbed forks, and
press them up to the cross-bar, withdrawing the long forks
at the same time-, of course. It is now baited as shown (fig.
41), with the exception of the bend in the tail-end of the

body. This is made to the extent required, according to the
judgment of the angler. About the bend shown in the dia-
gram is sufficient, ordinarily, to make the fish revolve with
celerity, and without much "wobbling."
Fig. 42 shows the "Pennell" gang, and it is deservedly
popular, in England; the only fault I find is that the triplet
often fails to hook the fish. It is the fault of all triplets.
One hook goes in and holds quite tight enough for

quicker,
me. Fig. 43 shows the gang baited. Fig. 44 shows the
"Nonpareil" gang. The junction at A allows of the lip-hook
being shortened or lengthened, according to the size of the
bait. shows the bait in situ. The sinker is placed
Fig. 45
in the mouth, and the lips are closed by means of the lip-
hook. The back is turned and bent as shown, to produce

the spin or "wobble" so necessary to attract the attention of
the fish.
Fig. 46 indicates the ordinary trolling-gang, and it is not

to be entirely condemned, because it undoubtedly does catch
fish. The lip-hook in this case is stayed irf its place by means
of a twist or two round the shank. The above tackle is
sufficient for all practical purposes in trolling.
Sometimes, when the grass is too thick to allow of a bait

being drawn through the water without the hooks fouling,
the dead gorge bait is used. In this country it is deservedly
reprobated, except under the circumstances I have named;
and in the British Islands it is equally decried, during late
years, though books have been written about it, in the "long
ago," as witness Nobbe's "Art of Trolling." The ordinary form
of the hook is shown at fig. 47. A is a pear-shaped body of
lead, and the hook is passed, by means of a baiting-needle,
FISHING TACKLE AND HOW TO MAKE IT. 50s
in at the mouth and out

at the tail, the double hooks lying
by the side of the bait's head, just under the eyes. This bait
is not drawn through the water, as the spoon or dead gang-
bait is drawn; but, after casting, it is manipulated with a

sink-and-draw motion, and when the angler has a "strike,"
he lowers the point of the rod, and gives five minutes or so
for pouching or "gorging." He then reels in does not strike
and the hooks penetrate the gullet of the fish.
Fig. 47-
An improvement on this hook is shown at fig. 48. The

body of the affair is made of linked leads or sinkers, and the
hook itself is adjustable, so that no matter what size the bait
is, the angler has only to add to or take away from the leads,
Fig. 48.
and alter the size of the hook, to suit the bait. With fig. 47
this is impossible. A fresh hook must be substituted each
and every time.
Tackle for Live-minnow Fishing. The ordinary single
hook, hooked through the lip or under the back fin, generally
suffices the rough-and-ready angler. But the observant
angler notices that only a comparatively small percentage of
fish are hooked when they are "coming short"
33
or not biting
5o6 AMERICAN GAME FISHES,
with avidity. To avoid this, I commonly adjust a large sin-

gle hook or triplet, as in fig. 49, below the single hook; or,
as in fig. 50, a rubber band is tied so that it keeps the hooks
Fig. 49.
in situ, thus causing no inconvenience to the bait except that

of having a hook through the gristly cartilage of the nose
which do not think the bait objects to very much.
I
Fig. 51 shows a more brutal "gorge" live bait. It vs, deadly
Fig- 5"-
because the fish is allowed to gorge it before the angler

strikes on him. That is all the recommendation I can give
it.
In fig. 52 we have the best arrangemen-t for live-bait fish-
ing, where large Pickerel, Pike, or Mascalonge are expected.
Fig. 51.
The hook near the gills is lightly hooked under the pectoral
fin, and that on the back penetrates the cartilage of the dor-
sal cruel to the bait, but deadly. With it Mr. Alfred Jardine,
of London, England, took the two largest Pike ever taken
with a hook and Hne. They weighed seventy-two and-one-

half pounds the pair.
-X- i<- * -X- * * * * *
Of all live-bait tackles, however, I prefer (individually ) the

"paternoster " (so-called from its succession of hooks, proba-
Fig. 52.
bly, like beads on a rosary). Fig. 53 shows it. The main line
may be either gimp or gut, and the hooks are attached as
r^.
Fig. 53-
shown. At the lower extremity is a pear-shaped lead. This

tackle cast out gently, and as gently worked in toward
is
the boat; and thus it searches the water within considerable

5o8 AMERICAN GAME FISHES.
radius. Sometimes a couple, or even three, Bass are on

the hooks at one time, and then, look out for fun!
Here endeth mid-water fishing, so far as the actual hook-
tackle is concerned. A
few remarks on other parts of the
outfit may be in order, and they need be only very few.
First, as to the leaders, or "traces," as they are termed,
"over the water": In order to avoid "kinking," it is necessary
that to all trolling baits swivels should be used. I prefer at
least three one at each end and if a sinker is needed, one
just before it on the The traces are best of stout gut,
line.
or fine gimp, or twisted gut. The latter make elegant and

very strong lines.
mentioned the sinker, just now.

I Of course, in the case
of fig. 44, no sinker is needed on the line to sink the bait,
but one is to be preferred with all the others. This sinker
should be heavy or light, according to the depth of the water,
or the rapidity of the stream if there is a current. If possible
it should be adjustable, and it should always lie under not
t^'ig- 54-
on the line. Fig. 54 shows an adjustable sinker of the

shape I prefer. It is rendered adjustable by means of the
spiral terminations into which is forced a piece of soft India-
rubber cord. As can be seen, it is possible to alter the posi-
tion to far or near the bait, at will, and if this be used as
well as three swivels, there need never be any "kinking."
The reel should be of either of the good makes. Do not
purchase a cheap imitation of a good make; and let the one
you get be large enough to hold at least 300 feet of line.
SECTION 7 BOTTOM-WATER AND BAIT FISHING.
Very little so-called "bottom-fishing'' is practiced in this

country, but it seems likely that the Bull-head, Sucker, Eel,
and several other useful fishes, might be more readily made
to render sport, if a little more attention were paid to their
methods of capture.
Take for example the Bull-head: There is a right and a
wrong way of putting on the worm for this fish. It should
be threaded right up the center, though I am aware that
Fis. 55-
when they are freely biting it matters little how the bait is
affixed. For bait-fishing for Trout, the best tackle is that

shown at fig. 55, and the way to adjust the wriggling worm
is as shown in fig. 56.
Ordinarily, the best sinker is a round shot; but in the case
Fis- 56.
of fishing in a swift stream, the leaden sinker shown at fig. 57

is far superior. When draws the line in the
a fish bites it
direction of the arrow, and the fisherman at the opposing end

feels it instantly, and strikes. Sucker-fishing with the suc-

culent worm and fine tackle is far from ignoble sport, at the
proper season of the year.
Bottom-fishing is much practiced in Europe, where fish
of the ground-feeding kind are more frequently met with
than is the case here. Still, there are times when the sta-
Fig- 57-
tionary sunk worm will take Bass, and nothing else will
this is also the case with the Trout (5. Sahw/inns).
The newly acclimatized Carp may be caught by still-
bottom-fishing, but a previous ground-baiting is necessary.

The bait either a paste of cheese, or worm, should be
allowed to rest on the ground, and the wily fish will then, if
the tackle be fine, avail themselves of it. They are "kittle-

cattle," however, to capture.
I have thus briefly and succinctly sketched the lesser
tackling of the angler, and the methods of making. The
matter of rods is a very serious one, and demands a sepa-
rate chapter, which is accorded it. The two subjects
are separated for the convenience of the reader, rather
than because they are necessarily of distinct nature. Any
and all anglers can learn to make their flies, leaders, etc.,
but to make rods requires closer attention, and is really a
trade in itself.
THE FISHING-ROD, AND ITS AMATEUR MANUFACTURE.
The origin of the fishing-rod is lost in the mists of

antiquity and it is of not much consequence. It may be
FISHING TACKLE AND HOW TO MAKE IT. 5 I I
interesting, however, to briefly note the differencebetween

the "angle" described in the first "Treatyse of Fysshynge,"
and the wand-hke rod so ineffably graceful and beautifully
made, now to be seen on every hand. The fish in this
country in the great majority are about the same in education
as they were four hundred years ago, when the "Treatysse" was
printed; but how changed the tackle! Listen to the following:
"Ye shall kytte, between wyghelmas and candlymas, a fayr
staffe of a fadom and a-halfe long, and arme grete (thick as
one's arm), of hazyll wylowe, or ashe (this is for the butt).
^ * * "In the same season take a fayr yards of grene
hazle (this is for the second joint); * * * Take a fayr
shote of black thorn crab-tree, medeler, or of jenypie (this is
for the tip). Then shave your staffe and make hym tapre
wexe (wax taper)." "Hopes of yren" hoops of iron are to
bind it for strength in place of the modern ferrule (vyrell)
and there is no doubt the entire apparatus must have weighed
several pounds. My split-cane Spalding, with which I have
killed tons of fish during the past five years, weighs just
seven ounces, fittings and all complete.
The present beautiful weapon is the evolved production of
four centuries, and the survival of the fittest, unquestionably.
The different types of rods may be here briefly enumerated:
(i) Rods for Top-water Fishing. These are the finest
productions of the rod-maker's art, as befits the use to which
they are put, and are of several different classes of material.
In my mind the best kind is that manufactured from the outer
skin or enamel of the ordinary bamboo cane. This material
is found to be tougher and lighter than any other wood as
yet discovered, and it is detached from the cane in such a
way as to admit of the greatest amount in the smallest com-

pass when the rod is made. The process will be explained
hereafter. It is sufficient here to say that the shape of the
finished rod is commonly
six-sided, it being contended that
this shape admits of the most enamel to the least amount of
inside wood
which is of practically no elasticity. The
weapon, from butt to tip, is composed of strips cut from the
large butts of the bamboo-cane. These are glued together,
and whipped with silk at intervals, and are of course tapered
perfectly to allow of the maximum of strength, lightness and
resiliency.
jl
The Trout-fly Rod is used usually in the
single hand that is, two hands are not taken
to it for its manipulation. The reason for this
ll [ \ probably is the fact that the rivers in which
the Brook-trout is found are for the most
part really brooks as to size, and the largei,
heavier and longer fly-rod is not necessary
to command the water. Hence the Trout-fly
rod in ordinary use in America is seldom
more than eleven feet long, and from three
and one-fourth to ten ounces in weight.
The three and one-fourth rod is admirably
adapted for ladies, and the ten-ounce rod for
gentlemen who prefer a heavy weapon, because
of some inherited fancy; but I personally pre-
fer a seven-ounce as the happy medium. One
should be able to wield such a rod for weeks
without undue fatigue: I have'certainly done so.
It is difficult, if not impossible, to convey an

accurate on paper, either by diagram or
idea
description, of the appearance of such a rod.
Fig. I will give an idea of the proportion pre-
served, and the following are the measurements:
length of each joint, three and one-half feet;
diameter of handle, one inch; diameter just
L above swell of handle, six-sixteenths; diameter
s
Fig. I. at point just below first ferrule, five-sixteenths;
above first ferrule, five sixteenths; below second ferrule,
three-sixteenths; above second ferrule, three-sixteenths; end

of tip below terminal ring, three thirty-seconds of an inch.

Fig. 2 shows a section of the wood from which the rod is
made, and the method of cutting it out. The dotted lines
represent the shape of the strips when they are planed down
to the proper angle for greatest strength.
Fig. 2.
The apparent fragility of this rod does not indicate its
actual strength. I have, during five seasons, used mine on both

Bass and Trout, and the largest Bass was six pounds. It is
to-day as straight and strong as when I got it from the maker.

There is nothing to be said against the solid-wood rod if
properly made. Several kinds of wood are in popular use,
and the favorites, both in this country and England, are
greenheart, blue mahoe, lance-wood and hickory. Occasion-
ally one meets with ash, but it is seldom used, except for
butts. Lance-wood and greenheart (bethabara I hold to be
a species of greenheart, and very unreliable at that) are the
chief of these four, and may be said to be preferable above
all the solid woods used in rod-making so far.
The split-cane Salmon-rod is but an enlarged edition

of the split-cane Trout fly-rod. I have seen a very good
specimen on the Restigouche.
of the kind of rod used The
specification of this rodwas furnished to Mr. Chubb (Rod-
maker, Port Mills, Vermont) by Dr. Baxter, weighs from
twenty-five to twenty-eight ounces, and is composed of eight
strips, therefore being octagonal. It is four-jointed, sixteen
feet in length, and of course is very powerful and satis-

factory.
For my own part I prefer a double-action, solid-wood
greenheart rod, for Salmon, built on the "Castle-Connell"
principle. Doubtless a little fur-
ther explanation will be accept-

able to the amateur. By double-
action is meant a rod with rather
exaggerated resiliency, insomuch
that its tip, when striking a fish,
first goes forward and tJioi back-

ward i.e., its action is double.
The "Castle-Connell" rods are
also without ferrules, the joints
being put together by splicing (see
fig. 3); hence a most important
feature, elasticity, is preserved
along the entire length of the rod,
and not interfered with by the
unyielding ferrule. There is also
in this rod considerable play in
the butt-joint, which is not the
case with the ordinary make. I
have just received one from "Joe"

Dalzell, of St. Johns, N. B. the
best Salmon-rod maker I know of,
and with it a few of "Joe's" senti-

ments on spliced rods. He
says
and I fully concur: "I
rik'- 3-
think there is no rod like a
spliced rod. Of course I have to make ferruled rods, but I
'cuss' when I come to put a strain on them, to see two stiff
parts in the rod (the ferrules). In making my rods I glue

them up the full length -sixteen feet, or whatever it may be
and then work all down together, so I am sure that every
FISHING TACRLE AND HOW TO MAKE IT, 515
part of my rod works in unison Rods that are made to

gauge in separate pieces are not near so good, as you will
findsome parts of them more dense in grain, and other parts
more open. By working all together you can make them
act in unison that is, each part of the rod does
its share of the work, I think you will find
every part of my rods does its share of the work.
/ from Jiandle to tip. Most rods
))iakc it zvork
are made with stiff butt. This is good enough for
g
its purpose giving length. In a rod of that
kind the fish is killed on the weakest part; in
my rod you kill him on the strongest. Also,
in casting a line if you get impetus from the
resilient butt you can cast with less exertion,
and a smaller rod of this kind will do the work
of a much larger one of the ordinary build."
Rods for Mid-water Fishing, such as troll-
ing, fishing with live bait, etc., need to be of
rather sterner character. For Bass-fishing, Dr.
Henshall recommended an eight-foot three-inch
rod of eight ounces, made of ash-butt; lance-
wood and second joint. For
tip my own part I
prefer one rather longer, but this is a matter of

choice. The ten-foot two-joint rod (Chubb's)
fig. 4, with reversible hand-grip, is to me a
splendidly efficient weapon. By the way, this
hand-grip is a good idea. It allows of the reel
being below or above the hand, and one can
from the reel or not, according to choice.
cast
Of course the short, strongly built Tarpon and
Fig. 4. Mascalonge rods are "horses of a different color"
to the above. I have one made of greenheart from an old
ship's knees or ribs, which weighs 28 ounces, and is but

twelve feet long but oh! the strength! It is capable of
helping a man out of the water without straining, and is fine-
ly trimmed, and in everything good for

purpose catch- its
ing big fish and kilHng them and
one needs a boat-
quietly; if
pole, on an emergency, he has just the implement handy.
Not only has the vegetable kingdom been laid under contri-
bution for material in the manufacture of rods, but also
the mineral. Naturally, steel has come in for a share of at-
tention. Forty years ago old Giles Little, of Fetter Lane,

London an enthusiastic fisherman and tackle-maker
made a steel rod. It was simply a tapered steel-spring,
with a swelled butt or handle, and was light and exceedingly
powerful. I saw it and handled it, in 1879, and thought
then that the time was not far distant when a really efficient
jointed-rod of steel would be introduced to anglers.
The thought is realized in the steel rod produced by the
Horton Steel-rod Co., and I have had the advantage and
pleasure of testing one of these rods with great severity.
First, I may premise that the ten-foot fly-rods will lift a

dead weight of ten pounds there is no wood-rod fit for fly-
fishing that will do that
and in practical fishing they are
unbreakable, and as far as I have gone they don't rust.
They are made from fine sheet-steel, in tubes, not brazed
but brought round together without actual juncture. Some of
these rods are telescopic, and act very^ satisfactorily, if a
fine line be used; but a thick line is apt to cling to the large
surface of contact, because it runs through the interior of
the rod. These rods are, however, now made with guides out-
side, and the improvement makes an extremely useful rod
for rough usage
camping, etc. The temper of the steel is ex-
cellent, as it of course must be to be of any use.

Other rods of whalebone which trenches on the ani-

mal kingdom for material made like a whip with braiding,
have been tried, and I myself once endeavored and shall

do so again to produce a rod of steel and vulcanite; but
the split cane, as yet, is triumphant over all its competitors.
There are some pretty rods made, both in England

and this country, with metal centers. The "Foster" rod is
steel-centered, and the "Hardy" rod (both English) is not
only steel-centered but "built up," as it is termed,
of bamboo. Fig. 5 shows the "Foster," with its
guides on both sides and its reel at the end; and
fig. 6 indicates the process of "building up"
ill
practiced by Hardy Bros.
Another capitally made rod is the built-up rod
of Edwards (Hancock, Del. Co., N. Y. ). It is
substantially similar to that of Hardy, except that
I
it does not contain the steel core. For my own
parti don't want the steel core. This maker says:
"I have, for about ten years, made the single
enamel, split-bamboo rods. During this time I have
used nearly all kinds of ferrules to prevent their
breaking ofi at the ferrules. Finding this was a
failure, generally, as the bamboo was strong only on
the outside the inside being at the best very
poor the idea occurred to me to plane away as
much of the inside as was poor, and glue
another piece of enamel in its place, thereby
making the whole rod out of enamel. It takes
forty-eight pieces or strips to make a rod with two
tips."
A brief glance at the most desirable trimmings
rings or guides, ferrules, reel-plates, etc., is
now in order. They have gone through as many

vicissitudes as the rods,and are now so improved
as to be practically perfect. There are, how-
ever, many old-fashioned arrangements on the
market, and I make the following remarks to in-
form the reader of the des^ out of these. Nothing
is so objectionable as a good rod with bad trim-
Fig. 5-
miners
^ it is like a beautiful woman in tinsel
5i8 AMERICAN GAME FISHES.
and tawdry finery instead of real jewels and good dress.

First, as to guides or rings: these have to receive and allow
the line to pass through them, and the minimum of friction
Fig. 6. Before cementing. Fig. 6. After cementing.
is a desideratum. There also should be no possibility of en-

tanglement. This being so, I can find no better ring than that
Fig. 7.
shown in fig. 7. It can of course be made ia all sizes ; it is sim-

pleand lasting.
For a butt-ring on the Bass casting rod, I know of no better
one than that shown at fig. 8. It allows the line to pass
through without confining it unduly, which

most necessary is
for long casting. The arrangement is

simplicity of this
obvious. It simply consists of two loops of wire tied on in
juxtaposition as shown, and touched with hard solder at

their points of meeting. It is a device of my own, and

exceedingly practicable. Of course it can be varied as to
size, etc.
The ordinary rings for l^y-rods are shown in fig. 9. They

consist simply of a round metal ring held on the rod by the
tie, which is whipped with silk. This is a useful ring for
Fig. 9.
f^y-fishing even then not wholly satisfactory,

only, and
because of the severe friction on the line. Nothing is so
discordant to the finished angler as friction in
regard to any part of his gear. It sets his teeth
on edge. Hence the folding rings (fig. 9) "must
go."
Tip-rings are extremely various in make. One
of the best is that shown at fig. 10. It simply
consists of a hard ring agate, preferably set
between two uprights so that it will be freely

movable according to the angle assumed by
the line. Of course the size is regulated to suit
Fig"io. the rod, though a comparatively large ring is
undeniably to be preferred over small ones. Fig. 1 1 also

shows a ring, not on the market, but the like of which I
made fifteen years ago. It consists of a ball and socket

joint. As will be perceived, it will move in any direc-
tion, but needs to be exceedingly well made to stand
wear and tear. Fig. 12 shows the solid agate tip ring;
and its neat and effective appearance needs no commen-
dation. If one can afford to put a jeweled tip to jfis rod,
the saving in the wear and tear of the line amply compen-
sates him. For myself I am content with the ring shown in
fig. 13. It is simply a bended wire, but so far as its effi-
ciency is concerned, is quite equal to more elaborate contriv-

ances. Perhaps the best rings of the whole number are figs.
T2 and 13
only do not hesitate to have them large.
Ferrules form an important part of the ordinary rod, and
Fig. II. Fig. i2. Fig. 13.
require some careful consideration.
It has been pretty generally thought that the shape of the

male ferrule should be as shown in fig. 14 that is, provided
with a dowel (A). This was supposed to render the joint more
secure, and probably to render it more pliant and elastic.
Fig. 14.
It certainly does not alloiv a joint to be secure, unless the

latter is tied wedge-shape of the dowel is precisely
in, for the
the shape of all others most likely to loosen the joint in the
act of casting, etc. In the most approved rods of the pres-
ent day-.this dowel is, however, omitted, and thus we witness

another return to first principles for my father bought and
made rods after this style at least twenty-five years ago, to
my certain knowledge, and he always preferred the undow-
eled ferrule.
This ferrule is shown in fig. i 5, and i and 2 in the diagram

represent the points of contact between the male and female
ferrule. Both at i and 2, plates of metal should be soldered,
that the entire arrangement may be water-proof.
L JUl
Fig. 15-
H
Most English rods, of this day, not only possess the dowel,
but are so ill-fitted that the bayonet-fastening, screw, or loops
of wire, ateach end of ferrule, are necessary to keep the rod
from throwing asunder. This is simply a confession of bad

workmanship there is no reason for it in the climate, as I
have heard it plausibly suggested. The fact is, the ferrules
are not "trued" one to the other, and they are not of the
right material. Most of them are of brass, and very few are
of german silver. This latter metal is the best for a ferrule
intended to hold together by its own cohesion.
Of course the metal must be flawless and hardened the

tubing should be drawn inside and out that is through an
annular die, upon a highly smooth mandrel, and I prefer
grinding the two parts together with very fine emery and oil
and afterward rotten stone and oil, until the surfaces are
absolutely smooth
so smooth in fact as to require quite a
little force to put them into place. After these ferrules
have been together a few minutes, and the condensed
air has gradually found its way out, it is almost impossible
to pull them asunder quickly, owing to the vacuum exist-
ing and the pressure of the atmosphere outside in fact,
in the ferrule made as I suggest, they form an actual pneu-
matic tube similar to that of the air-pump.
34
The weakest part of the rod has hitherto been at the

junction of the ferrule and the wood in a word, at 3,
fig. 15. Ferrules made as fig. 1 5 represents at 3, "3",
are destructive. They are not fit for a fine
elaborate rod, because, as no chain is stronger
than its weakest link, so this weak spot is a blemish
as bad as a spavin on a pacer. The rod is certain
to give way at that point before it does anywhere
else, and there is no help for it as long as the fer-
rule is of the shape shown.
All great discoveries are simple, and that shown

at fig. 16 is at once simple and great; it is the
ideal ferrule, and if I know it I will never purchase
a rod without it. Unfortunately it is patented
though I presume the amateur will not find difficulty
in getting permission to use it and therefore only
the best makers are licensed to use it. Precisely
how this matter stands, I do not know.
It will be seen that the serrated edges do not
bear on the wood at all to its detriment, but rather
as a support; and at the same time they take off
the strain which, were they not there, would

come on the solid part of the ferrule just above
them. The device is a perfect adaptation of the
means to the end.
The ordinary reel-seat is confessedly inconveni-
ent. It is shown at fig. 17 as now made,
Fig. 16. and it must be admitted that when the material is
german silver it presents a handsome appearance. But
it does not allow of various sized reel-plates being fastened,
and herein lies the disadvantage. Notwithstanding the
standard adopted by the National Rod and Reel
of sizes once
Association, few makers make to it; and the result is that
only one or two reels that you meet in a life-time fit the
FISHING TACKLE AND HOW TO MAKE IT. 52.
reel-seat. Then again the band is forever working up,

unless it fits very tight; and who amongst my experi-
enced readers has not met with that awful catastrophe
a disengaged reel, just loosened at the period of greatest
agony and excitement, when the fish is
doing his best to run all the line out?

Even now I could groan at the loss of one
mighty Salnio at least, through this very
cause.
American ingenuity, however, comes to

the rescue again (fig. 18). The upper and
lower receptacle for the plate-ends are
tapered hence they can take from the least
to the largest, and the upper band is mov-
able. It is shown at A. Moreover, behind
it is placed an which is
ingenious
clutch
shown out and in situ in the
of gear in A,
larger diagram (fig. 18). I have seen it on
Trout, Bass and Salmon rods, and it works

like a charm.
HOW TO MAKE A ROD.
In the following directions for the making

of rods I shall purposely place myself in the
position of a novice who has never made a
rod, but has ingenuity and some mechanical
Machinery is rapidly taking the
aptitude.
place of manual labor, and the various
Fig. 17. parts of most of the rods we see are made
by that method. There is, however, great pleasure if not
profit in the construction of the weapon with which you in-
tend to slay the coming summer's monarch of the brook;
and it will be all the more valued if its manufacture is

completely your own that is, as far as may be, for I do
not think it advisable to describe the
I
detail of ferrule and reel-plate making,
when they can be bought so much easier
Ir^'SlE
than made. They can be obtained of
any of the* tackle-makers.
Perhaps the best rod for the novice
to begin on will be a three-jointed,
ten-foot lance-wood fly-rod. The diffe-
rence between the make-up of a fine rod
and one of inferior build, is great in ef-
fect as regards actual wear and tear,
but in the manufacture there is little ap-
preciable difference, on the principle
that it is always nearly as easy to do
good work as it is bad, and to make
a fine fly-rod as one approximating to
the so-called "pole" of our ancestors.
As the tyro and myself intend to make
the rod together, and as I imagine
him to know absolutely nothing about
rod-making, a word or two about tools
are necessary:
These are neither elaborate nor ex-
pensive. First, it Ts desirable to have
a good stout bench or table to work
upon. It should also stand in a good
light, and be of a height commensurate
with that of the operator, so that he

may incur as little fatigue as possible.
A tired man at any task is seldom a
minutely particular man, and it must
be understood once and for all that
eternal vigilance is the price of good
rod-making. A vise is desirable also,
bv.t not absolutely necessary. One
Fig. 1 8. can generally resort to a neighboring
PISHING TACKLfi AND HOW TO MAKE IT. 525
carpenter's shop for any vise-work he has to do.
First of all you should get three or four three at least,

good planes. I prefer the Bailey iron planes and so does

every rod-maker of my acquaintance and the sizes are those
marked in the catalogue of the
Stanley Rule and Level Co. as
No. I, 6-inch; No. 5, 14-inch; and
No. 50, 3 I -2-inch the three
costing in all about seven dollars.
These are by far the easiest for
the novice to manipulate and keep
sharp.
Files of several degrees of cut,

and wood-rasps, sand-paper, bro-
ken glass, and some pieces of an
old saw-blade, make up the really
indespensable tools. The ma-
terial lance-wood can be pro-
cured of Chubb, and he is very
particular in picking out good
pieces.
The first thing to do, when one

has decided to build anything
from a hog-pen to a railway bridge
is to get out a working plan of
the task to be done. My own
usage always has been to take a
piece of sheet-brass or copper, and
true the upper edge of it square.
Fig. 19. I then begin to think out the

dimensions of the rod. Suppose we say ten feet long over
all. The handle is to be ten inches, which, deducted from
122 inches (ten feet) leaves 1 12 of rod now to be made.
How thick through should it he? Say, at the butt-
end, where it goes into the handle, half an inch, and at

the extreme end of the tip we will render it one-eighth
of an inch (see fig. 19). How long shall each of the joints
be.-* The first or butt, may be forty inchcr-; iJ^ two others
thirty-six each.
I 1
These dimensions being deter-

mined upon, I draw a perpen-
dicular line down the brass or
copper plate, with a sharp point
of some almost any
kind, of
length. Indiagram it is
the
four inches long. This repre-
sents 112 inches the length of
the rod. Now, across the upper
end a line is drawn precisely equal
to the diameter of the butt-end

of the rod in this case half an
inch (see fig. and at the
19),
lower end I draw another precisely
'equal to the diameter of the
'extremity of the rod or tip in
this case one-eighth of an inch.
Now two lines 4rawn from the left
and right extremities of the upper
line to the left and right extremi-
ties of the lower line, represent a
plan of the taper of the rod.
jNow take the compasses and di-
|Vide this four-inch perpendicular

into eight equal portions, each rep-
Fig 20. resenting fourteen inches. Then
draw straight lines right across at each intersection, and
the length of each of these lines represents the actual thick-
ness your rod should be at each section. Thus fourteen
inches from the largest end the rod is to be seven-six-
teenths of an inch; at twenty-eight inches six-sixteenths,

and so on till, at the extremity, it is but two-sixteenths or
one-eighth of an inch in diameter.
Having marked the plate precisely as shown in the dia-
gram (fig. 19), and that very legibly, go to the next tin-smith
and have him cut out the piece of marked diagram from
the plate, reducing it to the appearance shown at fig. 20.
You have in this simple device, a gauge of your rod from
butt to point, and one of the chief difficulties is over. As you
taper the wood under your hands you can bring it to gauge
b)' passing it into the slit to its proper number. Thus at
seventy inches in length it should be one-fourth-inch in
diameter, and so on to the end.
The wood will come to us in square strips. Bore two
holes right through the butt-end of each strip, eo that
when planing, the end can be slipped onto a pin driven into
Fig. 21.
the table or bench (see fig. 21. A, pin; B B, holes).

You can then plane from you, and will find it much better
than if the upper end were fixed against a stay. In the lat-
ter case the wood (especially lance-wood) is apt to bend and
get out of line owing to the pressure exerted upon it in push-
ing the plane.
First, plane one side perfectly smooth, then plane the
opposite side; next take a right and then a left side, and so
plane that a true square is preserved, no matter what taper
is arrived at. You want a tapered square for the first joint
that at the butt will just go in the gauge at the half-inch
jnark, and at the other end will fit just short of the forty-two-
inch notch. Having planed until you have got these meas-
urements, you are ready for the next operation. {Par par-
cnthcse, each joint should be long enough to allow for the
cutting off of the bored end.)
The next process is to convert the square into an octagon.
To do this you need a length of wood groved out to the
Fig. 22.
extent of a right-angle (see fig. 22) in which to lay the joint.

It may be one piece, or two pieces, glued together, the
of
latter is easiest to make. Before placing the square joint,
however, it is well to take up the ends and mark with pencil
a true octagon, and cut with a sharp knife carefully to the
Fig. 2T,.
marks (see fig. 23). Then plane away, as before. Of

course a constant constricting of the gauge is necessary in
this as in the preceding process, so that none of the sides
are untrue. The next process is, with the small plane to
shave off the corners of the octagon, and further lightly
shave until a round joint is approximated to. This rounding

process can be continued with scraper, glass and fine sand-
paper, till it is true and exactly to measurement.
I mentioned the pieces of old saw-steel in my enumeration

of tools. Here is just where their usefulness comes in. Fig.

24 represents a piece filed into semicircular hollows, with
their edges made sharp. With this convenient tool you will find
the process of obtaining a truly round joint greatly facilitated.
Now test your material. Bend it with considerable force in
different directions. If it resumes the original shape without
any set, you are a very fortunate individual in possessing a
piece of superlative lance-wood. If it "i-t-^j-" badly, hang \\.
up in a dry room for the next three months; it is not suffi-

ciently seasoned.
Fig. ^4.
Now go to work and round up your other joints in precisely

thesame manner. The next operation is to fit the ferrules.
The ferrules I recommend are those without dowelpins, and
the female ferrule should be fitted on the wood with care, using
the file and scraper for the .purpose. Be very careful to
evenly cut away the wood, so that they go on perfectly
straight. Be also careful not' to push the joint too far in
the ferrule, but just enough to hold the male securely. Fig.
16 shows about the right proportion. It is well to give the
wood plenty of room in the ferrules, which room or space is
to be filled up with whipping and cement. This is to provide

for the possible swelling of the wood. I have seen the male
ferrule split and enlarged so that the rod could not be jointed
together, owing to the tightness of the fit and the accidental
immersion of the joint.
I have tried various cements, but have narrowed down my
preferences to two: one is the liquid solution of India rubber

or gutta-percha (I don't know which), termed, in the hard-
Ware stores, Prof. Callan's Brazilian Gum. A solution of
India rubber in c-hloroform isgood, if this cannot be had, or a

sohition of the same material in bi-sulphidc of carbon. These
are of a family, and are about equal in merit readily melted, if
a break of the rod necessitates, and drying quickly when ap-

plied. The other cement is the same that I, personally, use
as a wax in fly-making. It is thus composed: one ounce clear
light resin; one teaspoonful oil (boiled is best); one drachm
gutta-percha (sheet). Melt all together, pour into water,
and pull as you would pull candy. Le Page's glue is also good.
Having prepared those parts of the joints destined to

receive the ferrules so that there is a small but appreciable
space left between the wood and metal, wind the wood with
silk rubbed well with the cement. You will have already
decided how far the ferrule is to go on the wood, and have
wound the silk to that point. Now push on the ferrule,
leaning the end against a firm wall or door-post. Do not of
course use a mallet, but when you have got the ferrule on as
far as you can get it by main force, light your spirit lamp
and heat the ferrule or hold it over the hot stove coals till
the inner cement is softened, and the ferrule itself somewhat
expanded. Then push the ferrule into place, and it is a
hundred chances to one against its ever starting, even in the
driest weather. If ever it does, the operation must be repea-
ted, using a little thicker silk and more cement.
Never under any circumstances drive a pin in to secure the

ferrule itis a source of weakness, and if you have to replace
the ferrule it causes four-fold labor.

You have now got your rod to position where you can test
its "'feel" hanging and balance.
-its It is not finally round-
ed off; and though you have "trued" it to a taper as far as you

could, you have to correct crookedness and lack of balance
poise
in the hand. Joint it together and handle it. I go to
the length of fitting on the handle (which I make separately,
sometimes half-a-dozen at a time), and attaching reel and
PISHING TACKLE AND HOW TO MAKE IT. 53 I
line, and casting with the rod to see the kind of implement I
have.
The changes to be made can scarcely be enumerated here,
so much do they depend on the quality of the wood the
individual likes and dislikes of the user and his previous skill.
A fly-rod should be stiff enough to have no droop in it that

is, for single-handed weapons. If it is unevenly elastic (and
the best of lance-wood must be reduced, where it
is that) it
isstiffer, to adjust it to the strength of the most pliable part.
Other points will occur to you as you go along, but be sure

that your rod suits your hand. An ill-fitting rod is as bad as an
ill-fitting gun, and both are abominations. If the joints crook
at all, heat over a warm stove, and get the wood as you
wish it, then tie to a perfectly straight steel rod for a time.
Having, scraper and sand-paper, adjusted
with file,
your rod, next proceed to smooth it with the finest sand-

paper, using plenty of elbow-grease. powdered A little finely
tufa (pumice) aids one to get a very smooth surface, and

after this if each joint be rubbed briskly with a handful of

good hard-wood shavings those you have slivered off your
rod, will do the surface will be perfect for varnishing.
The next
however before varnishing to be consid-
thing,
ered, is Of course you can enlarge your lower
the handle.
joint if you choose, in the old-fashioned way; but I prefer the
handle made of some nice-grained wood, such as sumach, or
it may very commendably be a plain wood wrapped round at
the grasp with flax-twine, well waxed, or covered, as one of

mine is, the hand never blisters,
with India rubber tubing
if this is These handles should be ten inches long
used.
over all, and the diameter should not be more than one inch
at the largest "swell." The interior of the upper part should
be bored to receive the butt-end of the largest joint of the
rod. This requires whipping and cementing with the same
care as bestowed on the ferrule-fixing, and any ornamental
whipping or banding at the junction is permissible.
Varnishing is now in order. I use coach-varnish, the best

I can get; there is nothing better, and it is well to give it
several coats, drying it each time in the air, in a bright sun-

shine, if possible. It should be thinned with turpentine till
it flows readily from the brush, and a very thin coat should
be put on, repeating it several times. When four or five
coats are dried on hard they can be rubbed down with pum-
iceand water (pumice-blocks ready prepared for the work
can be procured) washing off every now and then to see how
the surface is progressing. When sufficient has been done,
rotten stone and water follows, and finally, dry rotten stone.
Then wash to clear it entirely, and dry quickly. Then rub
the rod with a handful of the finest tissue paper, pretty vig-
orously, changing the paper occasionally, and the result will
be a brilliant polish. The same treatment applies to all
kinds of rods if you desire a really handsome appearance. If
that is a matter of no consequence an ordinary vanished sur-

face will serve indeed very few of even fine rods are pol-
ished as above described. The materials for the ordinary
varnishing process are procurable of Mr, J. C. Chubb, of Post
Mills, Vermont.
The making of a split-bamboo rod demands much higher
skilland carefulness, but it is not so difficult as it appears,
when one can readily and neatly finish a whole-wood one.
It bears a relationship to simple rod-making similar to that
borne by Salmon-fly making, as compared with ordinary

Trout-fly manufacture. It is impossible for the absolute
novice to make a Salmon fly at first sight; and the same may
be said of that fairy-wand, the modern split-bamboo fly-rod.
The cane generally used is the Calcutta bamboo, with the
brown mottling, and only the last five feet of any stick is
useful. In selecting it be careful to look it over for worm-

marks; reject canes that have that ominous boring in it,
all
and select only those that are perfectly sound and not burned

deeply for the mottling is undoubtedly due to burning.
The whole process of preparing the spht cane, by the large

manufacturers, is effected by machinery; but in the present
case we must be content to make the rod by hand, strictly;
and the first thing is to split the bamboos for use.
Now take a cane in your hand and look it over. You will
find thaton two sides the knots possess little pip-like pro-
jections. On these sides the cane is useless for rod-making.
You require, therefore, that part which lies between these
two unusable parts.
Some saw the cane. I prefer to use a knife, and for this
purpose I have placed an old carving knife in a stout wooden
handle. By the aid of a mallet I split the cane end-to-
end, and with care this can be done with surprising ease and
precision, even with such a rough implement. Having done
this, take the portions which arc of no use for rod-making
and try the flexibility and resilience of the wood. This will
give you an idea of the worth of the parts you reserve for
use.
Your split bamboo is now in your hands in the form of a
strip with a rectangular section, and the object you have in
view is the reduction of six of them to tapering sections of
Fig. 25.
exactly sixty degrees (fig. 25 also

showing amount to
fig. 2,
be planed off), the rind to remain outside and untouched,

and the apex of the triangle to be directly opposite the
middle of the outer rind.
First pick out six strips for your butt, cut them ofi the
length required (that is, an inch or two longer than the joint
is to be), the knots smooth, and endeavor to so select the
file
strips that no two knots are near each other when the strips
are glued in place.
Now the form of the completed strip is that of an equilat-
eral triangle i.e., each side is equal. If therefore you
decide that the butt-end of the first joint shall be one-half
an inch iti diameter, it is certain that you require six strips

with three sides, one-fourth-inch each (see fig. 26). Your
first operation therefore is to square your strips so that they
are one-fourth-inch square. Remember, nothing must be
Fig. 26.
taken off the outer or rind side.

Now take a piece of sheet-brass and cut out an angle-
piece of sixty degrees (seefig 26), and mark out the plan of
your rod. have already begun to do this, at A and B.

I A
indicates the point to which the largest strip must come at
its larger end. B shows the point for its smaller end.
Mark the size of the ends of each of the other joints plainly,
and keep this plan for gauging the final results. For pre-
liminary results fig. 27 hints at a device that is most useful.

This diagram is marked out for a four-joint rod, but the same
principle is precisely applicable for the three-joint. A per-
fect guide is presented, in figs. 26 and 27, to the sectional
make of the split-cane rod.
The planing of the strips to the exact pattern, so that each
one 'tapers truly, will tax all the care and patience of the
operator. Having squared his six strips, he must make a
four-foot block ofhard wood with grooves of the angle shown
in ^g. 28. This had better be made in sections as shown,
and joined together. In this case they can be planed to the
correct angle with the planes you have; but if you do not
mind the expense, you can, of course, have planes made to
cut the grooves you want. If you are going in for making
many rods this will be the better plan it is not necessary,
B A
m
Fig. 28.
however, to the tyro. The groove must be of a depth to

suit the plan of the rod, and should be of slightly decreasing
depth to form the taper. Assuming that the grooved block
is ready, lay the square strip in it and plane away, with
great care, all that part above the dotted line in fig. 28, A.
Having done this, place it in the left-hand groove, at B, and

again plane it of course not touching the enamel; and the
result should be as shown at fig. 25.
Of course, the shape will not be quite correct. Take now
a piece of saw-steel, and file with a trianuglar file several
processes, like that shown in fig. 29. you go to the trouble
If
of marking them, as in fig. 27, so much the better for your

correctness of angle and truth of taper. Place the strips
now and
together as they are destined to be in the rod, every
then, and so adjust them; but remember, the rod must be
solid when ghied, and to this end each section must fit its
neighbor exactly. Use the file frequently, and always at
right-angles to the grain, in fitting. Precisely the same
process is to be gone through in regard to the other joints,
with the addition of ever-increasing care as to detail, till the
three or four joints are got out, and are ready for the next
process, namely, gluing together.
A word as to the glue: Le Page's glue is the best I know,
but the ordinary Russian fish-glue is very good. Be careful

to use it hot, and let your strips be warm also. Apply the
glue with a brush rapidly, and glue in pairs first, and then
the three pairs altogether next. Do this as quickly as possible,
and then take a long piece of strong twine and wrap it
rapidly and tightly around the strips in the same way as in
the splicing of a Castle-Convill rod (see fig. 3), bringing the

line back in a double coil, as shown at fig. 3, by the dotted
lines. Let the joints dry in a warm room thoroughly. Any
excess of glue on the outside can be scraped oi^ when the
wrapping: is removed.
The most difficult part of the making of a split bamboo
is now completed, and you have been conscien-
if
tious and thorough you will at least have a strong and even
elegant rod, sufficiently enduring and presentable to encour-

age you to make another.
But the rod is as yet far from finished. After smoothing
it off, the next operation is the For the details
ferruling.
of this you must refer back to what has already been said.
It is specially necessary to be careful with them, and to make

them a good fit, to prevent water getting into the rod and so
loosening it this is of very rare occurrence, however. Hav-

ing fitted the ferrules to your satisfaction, joint the rod and
Fig. 3-
try it as recommended for the whole-wood rod; a little may

be taken off either end, if you find the balance not quite to
your liking, but no other alteration can be made.
The winding by which is meant the whipping of silk
36
thread at intervals up the rod to increase its strength and

the tying on of rings or guides is a pleasant task, though
requiring patience. The chief thing about it is the knowl-
edge of how to tie off, or in other words, form the invisible
knot. If the learner will carefully look over the diagram
(fig. 30) he will be able to puzzle this task out without diffi-
culty. Let him take a piece of string and a stick and hold
it in the left hand with the thumb uppermost. Now pass one
end of the string under it with that end pointing to the right.
Now bring the twine down under, up, and over toward him

and over the end of the twine placing the thumb firmly on
it. Repeat this two or three times. Now to fasten off with
the invisible knot. Still holding the thumb at A, insert the
end of the thread in a quill and retain it there by means of a
plug (B). Now pass the thread in a large loop to the right,
and drop the quill over in coils as shown, three or four times;
finally bring it up to C as shown in the dotted line. Now
wind D side by side with A and over C, not too tightly, and as
you turn the stick round to do so you will find all the coils
(E) unwind, being transferred as a continuation of A. C will
be laid underneath them, and you have to do is to pull
all
gently but firmly on C, and the knot is made.

The whipping should be at intervals of a few inches all
down the rod, and may be of any-colored silk, waxed with
either of the transparent waxes, or even with the cement
given for ferrules.
Necessarily in the foregoing a great deal has been left to
the reader's ingenuity. Mechanical operations are the very
hardest of all to describe, but as each process is explained in
exact accordance with my own first efforts, I am induced to
think this chapter will be sufficiently comprehensive and
detailed to be useful. I once visited Alcock's factory, at
Redditch, where five hundred people are regularly at work
turning out tackle, and saw the chief Salmon-fly tier turning
out most beautifully finished "Jock Scots'" at a rate that
astounded me. "What is the secret of such fly-making.^" I
asked. The answer came, paraphrasing Demosthenes' famous

reply as to the secret of oratory: "Practice, practice, practice!"
So I say, in concluding this chapter. Do not be discouraged
by by the tediousness and seeming difficulty of the
failure,
task, by the possibly clumsy look of the finished rod, or by

the lack of proportion. The secret, whole and entire, of

pleasurable rod-making in its facility and the beauty and
satisfaction of the result, is "practice, practice, practice."
REELS THEIR USE AND ABUSE.
BY B. C. MILAM.
invention of the fishing reel dates back something

THEover two centuries. The earhest mention of it, so far
as I know, is in Baker's "Art of AngHng," London,
165 1. He says:
"Within two foot of the bottom of the rod, there was a
hole made for to put in a wind, to turn with a barrell, to
gather up his line, and loose it at his pleasure."
In the second edition of his work, the author says:

"You must have your winder within two foot of the bot-
tom, to goe on your rod, made in this manner, with a spring,
that you may put it on as low as you please."
In the "Compleat Angler," 1655, we read:
"Note also that many use to fish for a Salmon with a ring
of wire on the top of their rod, through which the may run
line
to as great a length as is needful, when he is hooked. And

to that end, some use a wheel about the middle of their rod,
or near their hand, which is to be observed better by seeing

one of them, than by a large demonstration of words."
The "Experienced Angler; or, Angling Improved," by Col.
Robert Venables, 1662, shows, on its frontispiece, an illus-
tration of the reel, as it was then made, and in the text the
author says:
541
"The next way of angling is with a troll, for the Pike;

you may buy your ready-made, therefore I shall not
troll
trouble myself to describe it, only let it have a winch to
wind it and when you may certainly conclude he
withall,
hath pouched your bait, and rangeth abroad no more, then
with your troll wind up your line, till you think you have it
almost straight; then with a sharp jerk, hook him, and make
your pleasure content. '^ * "-
"The Salmon takes the artificial fly very well; but you must
use a troll, as for the Pike, for he, being a strong fish, will
hazard your except you give him length."
line
From the character of these statements, we may safely
conclude that the reel had but just been introduced, and was
not then by any means well known. It appears, however,
to have grown rapidly in favor during the remainder of the
seventeenth century, and to have become recognized, by the
beginning of the eighteenth, as a necessary article in every
well-to-do angler's equipment. There are still to be found
men who take fish with a hook, and who think they enjoy
doing so, who adhere to the ancient float, and who scout the
reel as a superfluous bit of modern extravagance. Such
men, however, do not cannot obtain the full meed of sport
from angling. They are ignorant of one of the greatest
sources of pleasure in either bait or fly fishing, namely, the
music of the reel, the pleasure of taking and giving line, and
the confidence and sense of superiority that the angler feels
who holds the crank of his reel and watches the frantic leaps
of the gamy Trout, the lusty Black Bass or the lordly
Salmon.
No Angler's outfit is, complete therefore, without a good
reel, and the better the the more complete his outing
reel,
and his summer As the heart is the seat
pleasure will be.
of and as perfect health depends upon its action, so the
life,
reel is the most important part of an angler's kit, and the

success of his tours depends upon its good behavior. Nothing
REELS THEIR USE AND ABUSE. 543
can be more annoying, and I might say heart-rending, than

to have your reel give way at a critical moment, when a
"champion catch" is tugging away at the end of your line; or
equally sad and terrible is it to have a handle drop off or a
screw work out and be lost, when you are far away from
shop and civilization, leaving you helpless as a "condemned
soul without claws," to watch the sport go on and gnash
your teeth in agony.
In order to avoid such misfortunes as above mentioned,
and to furnish the Angler with an article he can depend on,
a great deal of care and time, to say nothing of money, has
been spent to perfect a reel to stand hard use and rough
trips, and stay with him "from start to finish." In this broad
land of ours, a man can find a reel, like everything else, to

fit atiy purse.
There are many different kinds of reels made, of various
shapes and at various prices; but when you get one because
it is cheap, you must expect a very unsatisfactory affair, and
must prepare yourself for many a troublesome accident; for

a good article cannot be made cheap.
The cheapest is the common spool, with handle riveted
directly to spool-bar; and the bearings of the bar at center
of reel-plates. A will allow you
good pattern of this form
to cast fairly well, but when you begin
draw in your line, to
the trouble begins, for you lack speed. There are some
styles of this spool made though, tall and narrow; this
increases the diameter, and by mere size causes the line to
be reeled in quite rapidly.
The click- reel is of this style, being a spool with a perma-
nent click attached. This is used only for fly-fishing, where
an easy, free-running reel could not be used, because the rod
is caught above the spool and the line drawn off and whipped
over the water.
Then there is the automatic reel. This implement
handles the fish literally on its own hook, and a sports-
man who loves to feel his fish, and whose blood tingles
when his rod bends and his line cuts the water, who revels
in that honorable, just feeling, peculiar to all true anglers,
when he puts his skill and generalship against the finny
beauty's pluck, endurance and strength, could never use and
enjoy this style of reel.
We have, in the next class, the multiplier. This class is
as numerous as the sands, and the price varies according to

material and workmanship. They are all made after the
same style and upon the same principle, viz: a wheel work-
ing into a pinion, the pinion attached to the spool multiply-
ing twice, four times, or even oftener. Some people are sur-
prised when they hear that a fine multiplying reel costs sev-
enty-five dollars or one hundred dollars; but when we explain
that these extra fine ones are made of coin-silver, with gold
slidesand trimmings and jeweled bearings, the price does not
appear extravagant.
The material generally used for their construction is brass,
hard rubber, and german silver. By german silver, is not
meant nickel-plated for this is only a brass foundation, plated
over with nickel, and after a short service, the latter rubs off,
leaving an unsightly looking surface; but german silver is
hard solid metal, the same color clear through, takes a high
finish, and is about the best material used for making reels.
A perfect multiplier requires as much care in its construc-

tion and as skilled workmanship as the finest watch; and when
you see an announcement that a firm is making an all-machine
article, and have done away with "the old-time hand-made
principle," you had better not go to this firm, for a lasting

companion.
In 1834, fifty-five years ago, I saw the need of a first-class
reel
one that could be relied upon, and that would always
be found in order, I was then at the watch-making business.
I spent several weeks at hard work, and at last finished a
reel of as fine workmanship as I was capable of doing.

This was made of brass. I had hardly finished it, when a
local angler who had experienced much trouble, came in and

at once bought it for twenty dollars. He used it for a long
time, and it proved so easy and so smooth, in operation,
and stood the rough usage so well, that several other anglers
came and ordered duplicates of it. So the "Frankfort, or
Kentucky" Reel was first made.
Those made for local anglers found their way abroad, and
a good trade has been built up on this class of reels. Anglers
have found' that a reel that is high-priced at first, proves
cheapest in the end, for those made away back in the thirties,
are good to-day, and have been in constant use ever since
they left the shop. There is only one way to make a perfect
whole, and that is to make each part perfect as you go. In
the first you should get your metal rolled hard till it
place,
springs like steel. The caps and plates are then cut from
this. Never should a casting be used; it is too soft, and a
smart fall may break your cap, and render this part of your
outfit useless. Bars are turned from the same hard material.
Next, your gearing must be adjusted so that you feel not a
bump, but a steady roll when the handle is turned and the
weight is put on. The pinions must be of properly tempered
steel, and the wheel of hard-hammered brass. Thus, all
your parts gotten out, they must be put together with
great care, so that when the thing is complete, it runs noise-
lessly and smoothly, yet the spool is free from shake or
vibration.
The secret, in a long-lived reel, is the gearing. This must
be made to absolutely roll. If there is the slightest friction
the evil will continue to grow with use, and soon you will
have a regular coffee mill. This is the part that requires the
greatest skill in its construction.
The truest machinery will occasionally produce an imper-
fect tooth. After we have made our wheels with the latest
and best gear-cutter, also our pinions, every pair is tested
and the least bump or jar is taken off with a file by hand.
This requires experience and knowledge, and herein lies the
superiority of our hand-made gearing. We expend more
time and labor on our gearing alone than is used to make
a complete machine reel; but after this is done, and done

correctly, you are equipped for a life-time. We make eleven
sizes, from 00 to 9. The 00 is one and one-fourth inches in
diameter, and the 9, three and one-half. Nos. 7, 8 and 9
are for Tarpon-fishing and heavy sea-work, while o and 00
are fancy sizes, and too small for much heavy angling. Nos.
2, 3 and 4 are the sizes most used. We attach a click and
drag so that our reels can be used for bait-fishing, fly-fishing
or trolling.
A reel requires a great deal more care than many of them
receive. We frequently get them- in, for repairs, that have
been used ten or twelve years, and that have never been
oiled. A reel is a delicate piece of machinery, and requires
oil and care accordingly, if you would get the best work out
of it. Properly, it should be cleaned and oiled every fall,
after the fishing season is over,and every spring before it

begins. With a little care, one can clean the reel himself,
and save time and money. First get a screw -driver, small
enough to fit the screws on face-plate, then take the handle
off first, next remove the top screws, then'the bottom screws.
Never touch the alarm and rubber screws; let them alone
and they will take care of themselves. They are so arranged
that you can get your cap off and not interfere with the
blocks. So, be careful, for this is where you are likely to
get into trouble, by taking out alarm and rubber blocks and
not being able to put them in properly. It is best, as already
stated, to let them alone. Now you have all the screws out
of the cap, and you find the cap refuses to slip off. See if
you have the rubber off; if you have, that is the cause; for
the rubber block is under a spring that is screwed to the
inside plate, and holds your cap fast; so slip the bottom, so
that the drag is on. Now try, and if you cannot pull the cap
off put one of the top screws in the outside hole, in the one
it came out of; don't screw it in, simply put it in as far as it
will go, and then tap the head with the butt of your screw-
driver, and your cap will drop off. Now take out the screw
in the end of the top-bar, and your end-plate will come off,
and your reel will be in pieces and ready to clean. Get a
tooth-brush and some alcohol, and clean every part, and
then take a piece of pine, sharpen the end and put in the first
holes at the ends of plate and cap, cut off the lock dirt and
put it in again, and again clean it till the stick comes out
clean. Clean inside of wheel in same way. After you have
your parts all bright, you are ready to oil. The great mis-
take made, generally, is in putting in too much oil. By
doing this, you cleg your spool and it will not run. Put one
drop of good sperm oil in the first hole in plate, one in cap,
two on pinion that reel runs on, one on end of drag-pin, and
three on the teeth of the brass wheel at different points.
Now put the parts up just as you took them down, and your
reel is as free-running as when new. Do this every fall and
spring, and a good reel will last fifty years.
No matter how tight-fitting your reel may be, you shcjuld
clean and oil it after fishing in salt water not every day,
but after each salt-water trip, it should be cleaned and oiled,
for nothing injures a reel so much as salt water. It fairly
chews up the steel parts, so the salt water should not be

allowed to stand loner on a reel.
i
PRACTICAL POINTS ON CAMPING OUT.
BY G. O. SHIELDS.
many of the best fishing waters are in the wilderness,

AS remote from hotels or even from farm houses and ran-
and as much of the best fishing can therefore be
^ ches,
done only from camps, it is deemed proper to give here some

general observations and instructions on the subject of camp-
ing out. What I shall say will be designed specially for
young sportsmen, or novices in the matter of field sports,
and yet it is possible that my thirty years of experience in
wood-craft and mountaineering may enable me to say some
things that will interest the "old boys," as well.
So many anglers are also devotees of the rifle or gun that
it may not be out of place to cover, in so far as it can be
done in a limited paper like this, the subject of camping in
general, whether for hunting, fishing, or merely for fresh air,
rest and recreation,

CLOTHING.
Before camping come the busy notes of preparation for

camping; and the firstand most important question on this
point is, "What shall I wear.'" My answer to this question
is,"Whatever you wear, let it be all wool." No matter at
what time of year you are going out, whether in mid-summer

or in mid-winter, in spring or fall; whether your destination
549
isAlaska or Florida, Canada or California, the Adirondacks

or the Rockies, don't put on a garment that has a thread of
cotton in it, unless it be in the way of overalls or overcoat.
I say this advisedly, and you will agree with me when you
have studied and experimented on this subject as long as I
have. In fact, this rule should be rigidly adhered to, by
every man, woman and child, the year round, at home or
abroad. adhered to by every man and woman who has
It is
given the matter thorough and careful consideration.

Woolen underwear, especially, is cooler in summer and
warmer in winter than cotton, linen or silk; does not stick
to you when you perspire, and if you wear it you will not
know one half the aches, pains and chills you have known
while wearing either of the other fabrics. you are caught
If
out in a rain-storm and get wet to the skin, or if your boat

capsizes and you have to swim, neither the water nor the
air will feel half so cold to you if dressed in woolen as if in
cotton. The woolen goods dry more quickly, and you suffer
less than half the ill effects, in either case, that you would
hav'e suffered had you been clad in cotton. Observe the
loggers, the raftsmen, the cowboys, the miners, professional
hunters and trappers. They wear woolen the year round,
and they ought to know what is good for them, for nearly
their whole lives are spent outdoors aild where they are
exposed to various kinds and degrees of hardship. Go thou
and learn wisdom from them. I have not worn a cotton or
linen undergarment, at home or abroad, for years, and I
never knew how to enjoy hot weather until I discarded those
delusive "duds."
Select then for your outing two suits of woolen underwear
light weight if you are going in hot weather, heavy weight if
you are going in cool or cold weather. Let your outside

shirts be heavy-weight woolen, no matter what the weather
is to be. Dark blue is the best color for these. Socks may
be light or heavy, according to the season, and to your fancy,
PRACTICAL POINTS OM CAMPING OVT. 55 1
but heavy weight is best if you are liable to get your feet
wet. Six pairs of these and two suits of underwear will be
enough for a month in camp. You can wash them or have
them washed once a week, or oftener, if you choose. A
coat, vest and trousers of almost any strong woolen goods
may be worn. An old, cast-off business suit is just the
thi.ig. Plenty of pockets are desirable, and it is well to
have two large inside pockets made in the skirt of your coat,
which will be found useful for carrying your lunch, a pair of
dry socks, a reel, and other bulky property. A canvas hunt-
ing-coat and a pair of canvas overalls may be worn over
these if desired.
Personally, I prefer buckskin for hunting, in the late fall
or winter. It resists brush and cold winds better than any-

thing, but is likely to be sneered at by the "smart Alecks" in
the rural districts.
In summer a light rubber coat should be carried; in fall or
winter a Mackintosh is better. It should be made to reach
nearly to your heels, and is about the only kind of overcoat
that should ever be carried in the woods or mountains. A
heavy overcoat is bulky, and is a burden to a man when
hunting. If the weather grows extremely cold, put on your
other heavy blue flannel shirt. It will answer the same
purpose, and be much less burdensome.

If you are to sleep in blankets, a long flannel night-shirt,
long enough to come below your feet, will add greatly to

your comfort; but if you are to use a sleeping bag this will
not be needed, and in fact it cannot be conveniently worn in
the bag. In either case, take off all your clothing except
undershirt and drawers. The old hunter's plan of sleeping
and even coat, is not a good one.
in trousers, vest,
About the best head-gear, for winter or summer. North or
South, is a medium light-weight, light-colored felt hat with a
moderately broad brim. This withstands all kinds of
weather, can be rolled up and stuck in the pocket, in a war-
bag or valise, and is an adequate protection against the rain

or the rays of the sun. A pair of ear-muffs should be pro-
vided, to wearextreme cold weather.
in For mid-winter, in
high latitudes, a thick, knitted woolen cap is good, and this
should be large enough to come well down over the ears and
back of the neck. A silk or light worsted skull-cap is some-
times needed when sleeping outdoors in cold weather, but
should not be worn unless absolutely Never
necessary.
wear a fur cap when hunting, if you value your hair or your
health. If you do so, your head will get hot when you walk,
and the perspiration will run down your neck; you will take
off your cap to get relief, and will get a cold in your head
that is liable to last you a month.

As to foot-gear there is a great diversity of opinion among
sportsmen. No boot or shoe has ever been made that was
perfect in every particular for hunting and fishing. Rubber
and leather are both objectionable, under certain conditions.
suitable for wading, nor for walking in the woods
No leather is
in rainyweather or in wet snow, because no leather is water-
proof; and none of the so-called water-proofing materials
will make it so. They will render it partially so, for a time,
but you may soak your boots in the best of it, then put them
on and walk half a day in wet grass or wet snow and the
water will get in all the same. As good a thing as any
extant for all-round hunting and fishing, aside from wading,
is a medium-weight leather walking-shoe with a heavy sole
and a broad, low heel. It should be made to fit the foot, and if
so made one may walk comfortably in it all day. You may
be compelled to wade a creek or a swamp occasionally, and
so to get your feet wet; but if you wear thick woolen socks,
as already advised, no serious trouble is likely to result from
this. You are not likely to take cold, your feet are not likely
and you will be much less tired than if you
to be blistered,
had worn a pair of heavy leather boots.
For wading, for walking in wet weather, or in wet snow.
PRACTICAL POINTS ON CAMPING OUT. 55;^
I have never found anything better than the Hannaford

ventilated rubber boot, with rubber Hning. If this boot gets
wet inside, either from perspiration or from getting beyond

your depth in water, take it ofT, pour out the water, and in a
few minutes the boot will be dry again, and your socks and
trousers are not dyed red, green or blue, as they would have
been if the boot had been lined with felt of either color.
When the upper portion of the leg of the boot is not
needed for wading, turn it down clear to the foot, then turn
it and bring the upper edge to the top of the stiffened por-
tion of the boot-leg. The lower end of the fold will now be
midway between the knee and the foot. Give this two turns
upward, and you have the surplus material neatly reefed in,
just below the knee, where it will stay a week if desired, and
give little trouble by catching on brush or other obstructions.
Felt boots are a favorite with lumbermen for winter-wear,
and, with rubber shoes over them, make a comfortable foot-
gear for extremely cold weather. Rubber wading-trousers
and wading-stockings are good in fishing-waters, where there
is little walking to do on dry land; but where there is much
of this to do, they make the wearer uncomfortable because
of the lack of proper ventilation. After walking a few
hundred yards in them, either through woods or fields, in
hot weather (and the weather is usually hot when men go
Trouting) you will get so hot that you will wish you had
never seen the pesky breeches, and that you had worn simply
a pair of hip rubber boots. If the water be too deep for hip-
boots, I prefer to wear simply a pair of old leather shoes, and

to get wet; for if one be dressed wholly in heavy woolen
clothing there is little danger of any serious results from
getting wet.
For dry weather and dry land, winter or summer, in the
woods, in the mountains or on the prairies, the most com-
fortable and serviceable of all foot-gear is a pair of heavy
buckskin moccasins. It is the most natural, reasonable, per-
se
feet piece of foot-wear ever known to human beings. The

only time I ever feel thankful to the man who invented
Indians is when I get away from civilization and put on a
No. 1.
No. A.
INU. .1. No. 4,
i>0. "i.
pair of moccasins. I then forget about my corns and othei

troubles, and wish I could stay in the wilderness forever.
PRACTICAL POINTS ON CAMPING OUT. 555
For fall and winter-hunting they should be made large

enough to permit the wearing of two pairs of socks, and if
the rocks hurt your feet put a pair of sole leather insoles in
the moccasins. The accompanying diagram will enable any
glove-maker or shoemaker to make a pair.
If you wear leather shoes you will need, in addition, a
pair of leggings. I have never seen a pair of these that I
liked, and so devised an improvement on existing styles. I
bought a pair of ordinary brown canvas leggings, that were

made to buckle on the inside. I cut off the straps and buck-
les, and sewed on, at one side of the opening, a flap half an
inch wide, in such a position that when the legging was

wrapped tightly around my leg, one edge overlapping the
other about two inches, this flap would nearly meet the outer
edge.- Then put eyelets in this flap and in the opposite edge
of the legging. I now take two extra-long shoe-laces, splice
them, and, beginning at the bottom, lace the leggings up as I

would a shoe, and have a leg-gear that fits, sets easy, and
has no hooks or buckles to catch in brush or weeds, and
which, consequently, saves much of the annoyance that is
inflicted on the wearer of any of the other styles in the
market.
Buckskin makes about the best glove for all-round work,
except for wet weather, and then a pair of rubber gloves will
add greatly to your comfort. For hunting, in extremely
cold weather, a heavy, loose yarn-mitten, that you can pull
on over your buckskin glove, is invaluable.
Snow-shoes are indispensable for winter-hunting, either in
the North-woods or in the mountains. Those made by weav-
ing raw-hide thongs on a wooden bow are best. They can
usually be bought of the large dealers in the cities or in the
settlement or town nearest to the hunting country.
THE WAR-BAG.
And now that you have made up your list of wearing

apparel, you want something in which to carry that part

of it that you do not put on at the start. The simplest,
cheapest, and one of the most serviceable articles for this
purpose an ordinary seamless grain-bag.
is It costs twenty-
five cents, and is more popular among loggers, freighters,

cowboys, miners and other professional rustlers than any
other "trunk" in the market. In such circles it is universally
known as the "war-bag." go boots, clothing, grub,
Into it
ropes, tools and everything else that cannot be carried else-

where. It is always ready and there is always room in it
for something else. The only objection to it is that the

thing you want sure to be at the bottom of it; but it is the
is
work minute to dump the whole business on the

of only a
earth, get what you want and stow the rest away again. It
is well to put a coat of water-proof paint on the bag in order

that if caught in a rain it will keep your outfit dry. The
rubber companies make a bag, of rubber or Mackintosh,
that is thoroughly water-proof, and
is an excellent thing to
have wet weather, or in case your boat capsizes when your

in
worldly effects are on board; but it is rather expensive, cost-
ing about six dollars.
If, however, you are to travel entirely by rail or team, a
trunk is admissible. It should be as small as possible,

should be covered with raw-hide and well ironed. A small
trunk may even be carried on a pack-mule, but it is a cruelty
to the mule to put such a thing on him, and it is furthermore
a constant source of annoyance to its owner and to the
packer.
TOILET-CASE.
A valuable toilet-case is made of two pieces of drilling

.hirty-six inches long one nine inches wide, the other eight-
een. The wider piece is cut square at one end and tapered
to a point at the other. The narrow strip is now laid through
PRACTICAL POINTS ON CAMPING OUT. 5^7
the center of the wide one, sewed across each end and along one
edge, being held full so as to shorten it to the length of the
wide part of the longer strip. The space is now divided into
a series of pockets, varying in width from one to six inches, by
running seams through both thicknesses of the cloth. Now
sew a yard of tape to the pointed end of the outer piece of
drilling, bind or hem the raw edges of the goods, and you
have a most convenient catch-all for your soap, towel, comb,

hair-brush, tooth-brush, needles, thread, bachelor buttons,
and various other small articles that would get lost anywhere
else.
MOSQUITO- DOPE.
If going into the woods or mountains in summer, you will
require a lotion to keep off mosquitoes and flies. Many
preparations are sold for this purpose, all of which have
more or less merit; but the objection to most of them is that
they are not durable. They evaporate rapidly and have to
be applied every half-hour or so. I have tried nearly all of
them, but have never found anything that did the work so
thoroughly as the following mixture: To three ounces of pine-
tar add two ounces of castor-oil and one ounce of oil of
pennyroyal. This mixture has a good body, an odor like a
tan-yard, will last all day, and can be relied on to stand off
any herd of mosquitoes this side of New Jersey. Those
muzzles that are made of gauze and intended to be worn
over your head are a failure. Several times while wearing
one I wanted to spit, and forgot that I was muzzled until I
got myself in a most uncomfortable predicament. When
I wanted to eat or drink I had to take the measly thing off,
and then the mosquitoes crawled down my spine and made

me wish I were dead. Finally, while wading a Trout-stream,
an overhanging limb caught the gauzy gaud, flipped it over
into the next school-district, and I have never seen it since.
Then I greased myself with my tar-ointment and was happy.
55^ AMERICAN GAME EISHES.
BEDDING.
Too much care cannot be given to this subject. Next to

that of a good suit of clothing it is the most important part
of a camp-outfit. As I have before had occasion to say, I
would rather get into a good bed at night, without my sup-
per, than sit at a feast and then sleep on the hard ground
without covering enough to keep me warm. After a hard
day's work at tramping or rowing, agood night's rest is abso-
lutely necessary to prepare one for the labor and fatigue of
the following day. This can be had only in a good bed.
You may possibly tramp all day with your feet wet all your
clothing wet, if need be without injury to yourself; but be
sure you crawl into a good, warm, dry, soft bed at night.
Blankets are the staple article of camp-bedding, and you
should never go into camp with less than two pairs of good
heavy ones, even in summer; and in fall or winter the num-
ber must be increased as the temperature descends.
But the boss camp-bed for all times and all climes, for all
tramps and all climbs, is a sleeping-bag. I would as soon
think of going into the woods without my rifle as without my

sleeping-bag.
The following description of it, taken from my book,
"Cruisings in the Cascades," is re-printed "here for the bene-
fit of such as may not have seen it there:
The outer bag is made of heavy, brown, waterproof canvas,
six feet long, three feet wide in the centre, tapered to two feet
at thehead and sixteen inches at the foot. Above the head
of the bag proper, flaps project a foot farther, with which the
occupant's head may be completely covered, if desired.
These are provided with buttons and button-holes, so that they
may be buttoned clear across, for stormy or very cold weather.
The bag is left open, from the head down one edge, two feet,
and a flap is provided to lap over this opening. Buttons are
sewed on the bag, and there are button-holes in the flaps so
it may also be buttoned up tightly. Inside of this canvas bag

is another of the same size and shape, less the head flaps.
This is made lamb skin with the wool on, and is lined with
of
ordinary sheeting, to keep the wool from coming in direct con-
tact with the person or clothing, and with one good heavy
blanket inside, the whole business weighs but eighteen pounds.
One or more pairs of blankets may be folded and inserted in
this, as may be necessary, for any temperature in which it is
to be used.
If the weather be warm, so that not all this covering is nee-
ded over the sleeper, he may shift it to suit the weather and
his taste, crawling in on top of as much of it as he may wish,
and the less he has over him the more he will have under him,
and the softer will be his bed. Beside being waterproof, the
canvas is windproof, and one can button himself up in this
house, leaving only an air-hole at the end of his nose, and
sleep as soundly, and almost as comfortably in a snowdrift on
the prairie as in a tent or house. In short, he may be ab-
solutely at home, and comfortable, wherever night finds him,
and no matter what horrid nightmares he may have, he can
not roll out of bed or kick off the covers.
Nor will he catch a draft of cold air along the north edge
of his spine every time he turns over, as he is liable to do when
sleeping in blankets. Nor will his feet crawl out from under
the cover and catch chilblains, as they are liable to do in the
old-fashioned way. In fact, this sleeping-bag is one of the
greatest luxuries I ever took into camp, and if any brother
sportsman wants one and cannot find an architect in his
neighborhood capable of building it, let him write me and I
will tell him where mine was made.
Good cot-beds are now made for camp-use, that fold into
a small package, are light, but strong and durable, and if
you have the means of carrying one. it is well to take it

along, for it will add greatly to your comfort. If you have
not, here is a map of one that you can carry on almost any
trip: Take a piece of eight-ounce duck-canvas, about six

inches longer than yourself and forty inches wide. Run a
hem on each side six inches wide double-seaming it, on a
machine, with the heaviest thread it will carry. Then when
you get into camp take two poles, about three inches in
diameter and a foot longer than your canvas, and run them
through the hems; lay the ends in four good strong forks
driven in the ground, or lay them on two logs and brace the
ends of the poles apart with two sticks cut to the proper
length to stretch your canvas tightly. You now have a good
springy cot, on which you can spread your blankets or sleep-
ing-bag, and sleep more comfortably, after a hard day's
tramp, than you would on your woven-wire or spring-and-
hair mattress at home, after being shut up in your office
all day.
you have plenty of transportation and don't take a can-
If
vas-cot, take a cotton or wool mattress. It need not be
more than two feet wide and three inches thick. The weight
is insignificant. The only question is that of bulk, and if
you can take it along it will go a long way toward shortening
the nights. As a substitute for this and the cot, carry an

empty bed-tick. It weighs only a couple of pounds, and you
will often find chances to fill it with straw, hay, or even with
green grass, weeds or browse, any of which are better than
nothing.
One way to provide for a comfortable night's rest, in
extremely cold weather, is to build a big log-fire, let it burn
several hours, then move it away and make your bed where
the fire was. The earth is thoroughly heated, and by cover-
ing up the site and preventing in a measure, at least the
escape of the heat, the ground will keep warm all night, and
you may sleep as comfortably as it in a feather-bed at home.
A good soft pillow is also essential to a good night's rest.
It costs but a trifle, weighs about the same, and takes up
but little room. It may be loaded with corn-shucks or goose-
hair, the latter being generally preferable. If, however, you

are traveling with a small pack-train, where every inch and
every ounce of weight must be carefully considered, a good
substitute for a civilized pillow is made by placing a couple
of suits ofunderwear in a flour-sack. They should be folded

carefully and laid in smooth, so that there may be no lumps
or wrinkles, and in this way they make a very fair pillow for
a tired man. When it becomes necessary to wear them, you
wash your others and put them in the bag in place of those
you have taken out.
The rubber pillow cannot be recommended. It is not so
bulky as a feather-pillow, it is true, but is fully as heavy and
not so comfortable to sleep on.
A rubber blanket is a good thing to have along to spread
on the ground under your bed, if you do not use a cot, or to
spread over your cot if you have one. It prevents dampness
and cold from coming from the ground into your bed. It
will also be found useful to roll your bedding in while travel-

ing, to protect it from rain and dust.
Two or three sheets of water-proof canvas, each four feet
wide and eight feet long, are useful in camp for various pur-
poses. One of them should be over your bed. It is good
protection against cold winds and against rain, if you have to
camp without a tent, as is sometimes necessary. Others are
useful for covering up saddles and other property in camp,
and to spread over the packs while traveling. When thus
used they are called manteaus.
For winter-camping, in cold climates, a buffalo robe is
useful, but under any other circumstances, is an unnecessary
incumbrance.
If you have not a canvas-cot or a mattress, always procure
pine, hemlock, fir or cedar boughs for a foundation for your
bed, if in a country where they can be had. If not, then
brush of almost any kind is better than the hard ground. If

none of these can be had, get hay, straw, rushes, grass, or even
weeds anything that will have some elasticity and relieve

the solidmonotony of mother earth. Remember that a good
bed makes a short night, and vice versa. You had better
work until ten o'clock at night in making your bed, than turn
into a hard one at dark, and then groan with tired joints
from midnight until daylight.
Some hunters condemn boughs as useless, and say they
soon pack and become as hard as the ground itself. This is
because they don't put down enough of them. Always lay
them from a foot to two feet deep, and be careful to have no
large limbs among them. In this way you will have a bed
that will give with every movement of the body and that
will remain soft all night or a dozen nights in succession,
for that matter.
CAMP-EQUIPAGE.
The first and most important article in this line is the tent.
The size and style of this must of course depend, in a great
measure, on the number of persons to occupy it and the kind
and quantity which the party is to be
of transportation with
provided. If four men and have a wagon,
are going together
or a large boat, and no portages to make, or if they are to
travel with packs and have plenty of therrt, then a wall-tent
eight by ten, or ten by twelve feet, may be taken. In mak-
ing up for the pack or boat outfit, the tent-poles should be
jointed, the various joints being not more than three feet
long. This is done by means of wrought iron strap-hinges
screwed to one side of the pole, and two staples or strap-iron
loops, one above and one below the cut, on the opposite side
from the hinge, with a half-inch round iron pin passing
through both. For a larger party of course a larger sized
tent is necessary, and where it is possible to carry it, a Sibley
tent, such as is now used by the United States army, is an
excellent thing. But better than either is a round tent, after
the style of the Indian teepee. The one

have used on
that I
several trips is eight feet in diameter on the ground, and

eight feet high, tapered nearly to a point at the top, and hav-
ing an opening there eighteen inches in diameter. One of
the seams is split from the ground four feet upward, has flaps
on either side, and strings attached with which to loop it up.
This forms a door. The tent has loops at intervals of two
feet allaround the bottom, and a half-inch rope is rove into
the edge of the canvas around the top-opening. It is made
of a light-weight, firmly woven drilling, weighs only eight

pounds, affords ample sleeping-room for two men, and stor-
age room for their baggage. It is mounted on four or six
poles (the latter number is best) eleven feet long, which are
cut wherever night overtakes us. These are tied together six
inches from the top- end, the ends are slipped through the top-
opening of the tent; they are then set up, and the lower ends
are spread so as to form a perfect square, if there be but four
poles, or a hexagon if there be six". The tent is now pinned
down tightly and is ready to live in. Jointed poles may be
carried for this tent also; if so, there should be but three of
them. These should be made fifteen feet long and in five
pieces. They should in that case be made
heavy bamboo of
and jointed with strong brass ferrules, the same as are used
for heavy bamboo fishing rods. They may then be placed
outside of the tent and erected in the form of a tripod, the tent
afterward being suspended to them by ropes attached to the
small rope which encircles the opening in the top of the
tent.
A fire may be made in the center of this tent when needed.
Thus it proves a great advantage over a walbtent, or any
other style which will not admit of fire being made inside
without a stove. A one of the
large, roaring, log camp-fire is
important elements of comfort in a camp, when the weather

will admit of its being maintained and enjoyed; but there are
times when it cannot be, on account of rain or severe cold,
and in such cases it is a great luxury to be able to build a small

fire inside of the tent, crawl in, close the door and defy the
elements. Mr. Orin Belknap, an old-time hunter and ranch-
man, of Thetis, Washington Territory, and well known to all
readers of sportsmen's literature as "Uncle Fuller," devised
a plan for feeding a fire inside a tent of this description, which
he called by the name of a certain well-known cooking-range
in the market, but which I have thought proper to rechristen
the "Belknap Range." The plan is this: two trenches, six
inches wide and deep, are cut from the outer sides of the
tent running at right-angles to each other and crossing in the
center of the tent. These are covered with bark or boards
or fiat rocks, except at their intersection. Here two green
sticks, about two feet long and four inches thick, are laid at
a distance of two feet apart; a piece of heavy sheet-iron or a
large flat rock is laid on them and the fire built on this. The
purpose of these trenches is to supply fresh air for the fire
and thus create a draft to carry off the smoke, through the
opening in the top of the tent. This arrangement has been
found effective, and has afforded a great deal of comfort in
many a bitter cold night, to "Uncle Fuller" and his compan-
ions, while hunting in the mountains.
If a wall-tent be used, then a sheet-iron stove should be
carried along. There are several of these m the market one
at least intended solely for heating purposes, and others for
both heating and cooking. Any tinner can make a good
camp heating-stove. The best pattern is simply a cone
with the pipe collar on the smaller end. This is placed with
the larger opening on the ground; and near the lower part of
it is a door about six inches wide by eight inches high.
Four joints of pipe should be carried, each about twenty-two
inches long, and made to telescope so that when packed they
are but little longer than one joint would be. The stove may
be made in any desired size, but one of about eighteen inches
in diameter at the mouth and eighteen inches high, will, if
well fed with good dry wood, roast you out of a tent twenty
feet in diameter when the mercury stands forty degrees below
zero.
Camp cooking-stoves are made either solid or to fold
up, but the former pattern on the whole most desirable.

is
The size of this would also be regulated by the number of

hungry men to be fed from it; but by economical use a stove
twelve inches high, sixteen inches wide and twenty-six inches
long, with four holes and an oven, will furnish cooking
capacity for six men. Little space need be occupied by the
stove, for in packing for transit you can fill both the oven
and fire-box with tin-ware and cooking utensils. The stove
should be packed in a strong box or trunk, made for the pur-
pose, with metal corner-pieces, handles and lock. It can
then be checked on railroad trains as other baggage, and may

be placed on a pack-animal or hauled in a wagon over any
kind of road without injury
Another important item in almost any camp outfit is a
boat. If the chief object of the expedition be fishing or
duck-shooting, or if for any reason a large portion of the out-
ing is on water, where boats are not kept for rent, then
to be
this item will be one of the first to be considered, and sub-
stantial lap-streak or other wooden boats would be provided.
But if the trip is in search of large game there is scarcely
any section of the country likely to be visited in which a boat
of this character could be carried conveniently, and yet a boat
is sure to be frequently needed. Lakes or streams are likely
to be encountered where some kind of a craft would be a
welcome accessory for fishing, exploring or for reaching
desirable hunting grounds, that would otherwise be inacces-
sible. Canvas folding boats are now made that are so serv-
iceable and seaworthy that I should never start on a hunting
trip, any country where I expected to find much water,
in
without one in my outfit. One of the best of these, so far
as I know, is made by N. A. Osgood, of Battle Creek, Mich.
His No. 2 boat, which is twelve feet long, three feet wide,
and weighs when light-rigged but twenty-eight pounds, folds
into a package sixteen inches in diameter, three feet long,
and is capable of carrying 600 pounds.
A photograph camera is another essential element of the
pleasure of almost every party in search of either iish or game.
In the selection of this instrument of course you must consider
your bank account and the question of transportation. A
tripod camera, that will make a five-by-eight picture, fitted
with a twenty-five dollar lens, is desirable, but is both bulky
and expensive. A good detective camera, carrying a four-by-
five plate, is sufficient for recording all the choice bits of
scenery, views of camp, fish, and game, and
making por-
for
traits of These vary in
the party, of a satisfactory quality.
price from ten or twelve dollars up to one-hundred dollars.
The little Ivodak, and the Waterbury, are good for the
prices at which they are sold; but if one's means will admit
of a larger outlay, then it is better to have an Anthony
instrument, costing, when fitted up with roll-holder, about
eighty dollars. Glass negatives should no longer be thought
of for outdoor work. Celluloid is now prepared for this
purpose, and works so successfully as to effectually displace
glass for all time to come. No chemical outfit need be car-
ried for developing plates in camp. This part of the work
should be deferred until your return to civilization. Photog-
raphy has been so simplified of late years by the introduc-
tion of the dry-plate process, and by various other improve-
ments, that by careful study of the little book entitled "How
to Make Photographs," which is furnished with each camera,
and a few days devoted to making experiments, any person
of ordinary intelligence may learn to make fair pictures. Of
course it requires years of careful study and practice to become
an expert photographer; but such is not the aim of most per-
sons who take up the subject simply as an adjunct to hunt-
ing and fishing, and to make such pictures as would be sat-
isfactory to most people under these circumstances, I repeat,

but little study and practice are needed. A strong, solid
trunk should be made for the camera, into which it should fit
snugly, and be protected from concussion by pads of cotton
or wool. Apartments should be made at one end of the
trunk to hold the celluloid rolls and such other items as
may be provided to carry with the camera The trunk
should be thoroughly ironed and provided with handles. It
may then be checked as other baggage, without fear of injury
to its contents. A rubber bag should also be provided, into
which the camera can be inserted for carrying it short dis-
tances, as a protection against rain.
Another handy item in a camp-outfit is a pack-strap. This
is a kind of human harness,
made to fit over the shoul-
ders, and with straps at-
tached, for buckling up the
roll of bedding, clothing, or
whatever else is to be
carried. The accompanying
diagram will enable any
shoemaker or harnessmaker
to make one. This strap is
often useful in carrying a

light outfit into the woods or
mountains, or for carrying
game out of sections of coun-
try where a horse cannot
travel. Each man should
carry, when tramping or ri-
ding in the country, a rubber
drinking cup. He should also advise his companions to do
likewise. This thing of all having to drink out of one cup is
not always pleasant, and often entails unnecessary delay

when crossing a stream.
A generous supply of rope should be provided in every

camping outfit. It will frequently come in demand for vari-
ous purposes. Not less than fifty feet each of quarter-inch

and half-inch should be provided, in addition to the picket
ropes, tent ropes, etc.
Each man should carry a field-glass. It is one of the
greatest luxuries imaginable for a trip on the mountains or
plains, and will often come into play in wooded countries.
By its aid rocks are often turned into living animals, and
vice versa. Elks or bears are often found to be only cattle
or horses; and domestic sheep sometimes turn out to be
antelopes. A clear pool of water is often transformed into
a dry bed of alkali, and a white rock sometimes proves to be
a wild goat. The glass is useful in hunting lost horses and
in looking out favorable camping grounds. It saves an
immense amount of riding and walking, and pays for itself

once a week regularly. While you are buying a glass get a
good one. It will cost twenty to thirty dollars, but will prove
a good investment.
A good compass is another important item. It should
cost two to three dollars, and should be set in a nickel or
silver hunting case.
No man should ever go into the woods or mountains
or on the plains without a water-proof match-box. And
yet, strange as it seems, there is no such thing in the
market. There are several which purport to be water-
proof but are not thoroughly so. You can get a surgical-
instrument-maker to make one out of a piece of brass tubing,
say three-quarters of an inch in diameter and about two and-
a-half inches long.
A and serviceable camp-kettle is made of
convenient
heavy galvanized iron, and if intended for three or four men
should be ten inches in diameter and sixteen inches deep.
It should have a ^-inch wire around the top, a bail of the
same size, and heavy malleable iron ears. If built on these

specifications it may be packed on a horse, and if properly

placed in the pack the lustiest packer in the mountains may
cinch it until he turns black in the face, and cannot hurt it.
Two tin pails, made of heavy block-tin, should be made to

nest in this kettle. They should be nine inches in diameter
and eight inches deep. They should have flat covers, that
fit tightly, with small movable iron rings at the sides, below the
cover. Then when you desire to cook dried fruits, rice, oat-
meal, farina, beans, and other food that is liable to scorch
when cooking, in an ordinary camp-kettle, you can place it in
one of these pails, put in with a sufficient quantity of wâter, fit
the lid on,your camp-kettle half full of water, drop three

fill
or four pebbles in the kettle, set your tin-pail in on them, put

a rock on top of it to hold it down, then put 3'our camp-kettle
on the hottest fire you can make, and let it hump itself until
dinner is ready. Now take out 5'our tin pail, take the cover
off, and your rice, fruit or whatever it may be, will show up
as clean and as deliciously cooked as your mother, wife or sister
could cook it at home. If you cook more than you need for
one meal, and are to move camp before the next, fit the cover
on the pail, set it in the camp-kettle, and the cooked rations
will ride to your next home as well as though they had not
been cooked.
Yoli will need one or more large frying pans with flat
wrought iron handles. When cooking on a big fire you can
cut a stick two or three feet long, split the end of it, slip the
end of the iron handle into the split, wrap the stick with a
cord, and then stand so far back from the fire that your meat
will fry before your face does.
You should also carry a good-sized wire broiler, made
double so that the meat can be laid on one part and the
other will fold down on it. The two handles fasten together
with a running ring. The handle may be spliced out with a
split stick the same as the frying pan. A half-inch board
should be cut, of a size slightly larger than the broiler, to
37
fold in it when packing, and to keep it from being crushed

in the pack.
If traveling with teams and without a stove, a "Dutch oven"
will be found useful for baking bread, meats and vegetables.
But if you travel with pack animals, canoes or mackinaws,
it will be found cumbersome and in all such cases it is better
;
to depend entirely upon the frying pan for baking, and on

this, the camp-kettle and broiler for cooking meats and veg-
etables.
The coffee-pot and tea-pot should be made
heavy block- of
tin, with pressed lid. The handle should be riveted on and

the bail attached by heavy malleable iron ears.
Plates and cups should also be of block-tin; the latter
should be pressed, should have the handles wired on at the
top and loose at the bottom, so that any number of them will
nest. Knives and forks should be of steel
not cast iron, and
the former should be kept sharp enough to cut meat without
generating profanity.
The ax should be a full-sized one weighing about three
pounds; should have a full-length handle; and should be
carefully muzzled so that it will not cut up any other articles
in the pack or wagon. A good muzzle is made of sole-
in the
leather, fastened with copper rivets, and should have straps

to pass around the pole and over the handle and then buckle.
Inever could see the value that many hunters attach to a
hatchet. A large hunting knife will do almost any work that
a hatchet will do, and much in the up game,
way of cutting
etc., that it will not do. When there is a log to chop off or
a tree of considerable size to cut down. I want a full-grown
ax. Even when canoeing or tramping in the woods I carry
an adult ax.
It is possible to dispense with a number of the articles
enumerated in the foregoing pages, when it is desirable, from
any cause, to travel very lightly. For instance, when trav-
eling on foot, in a big woods, and carrying the entire outfit
on your own back, you you can get along with

will find that
a limited supply of bedding, extra clothing, and cooking

utensils; and for such work it is almost impossible to give ab-
solute instructions. Each man must act in a measure on his
own judgment, his own taste, and his own willingness to
carry a big load or to live like an Indian. One cannot be
too careful in sifting out all unnecessary articles, in a case of
this kind. It is possible for a man
go into the woods and
to
live in comparative comfort for a month with no other outfit
than a gun, a supply of ammunition, a pair of blankets, a
few fish-hooks, a line, a bag of hard-tack and two pounds of
salt.
In nearly every company of three or more men will be

found one who, if not a professional mechanic or artisan, is at
least handy in the use of tools. When possible, such an one
should carry with him a kit of tools and materials, such as
are most likely to be needed for repairing possible injuries or
breakdowns that may occur to guns, fishing tackle, boat,
harness, wagon, cooking utensils, or other portions of the
camp-outfit. This kit need not be complete, however, nor
expensive, for under compulsion an ingenious mechanic may
make one tool answer several purposes. He may draw on
nature for many implements and materials needed, if he have
not brought them with him. The kit should include one of
the latest and largest tool-holders, which has a thumb vise at-
tached, and contains brad-awls, chisels, screw-driver, file, and
several other tools in the handle. The list should also include
a pair of strong pliers, a hammer, small hand-saw, two or
three shoemaker's awls, a harness-needle, and a sail-needle.
Among materials to be carried should be a strip of thong-
and half a pound each of
leather, a piece of strap spring-steel,
Nos. 8 1and 24 copper wire; a few wire nails, and brads%
assorted sizes, a few horseshoes
assorted sizes, a few
horseshoe nails, a few screws, and a supply of the com-
ponent parts of each rifle and gun carried by members of the
party. All these except the saw should be carried in a stout

canvas-case, made after the same pattern as the toilet-case
described on page 26 of "Camping and Camp Outfits."
It should be made large enough to hold, in addition to
these articles, the reloading tools, if any are to be taken
along, though as a rule it is not advisable to carry them.
The saw should be between two thin pieces of board,
tied
of the proper size and shape to hold it so that the teeth can
not come in contact with any other object.
A temporary vise may be made anywhere in the woods by
cutting down a small tree and splitting the stump in the
center. You can spread the jaws open with the ax, insert
the article you wish to work on, and then, if the pressure
should not be sufficient to hold it firmly, put a rope around
the stump just below, rig a tourniquet, and turn it until you
get the proper pressure.
GUNS AND RIFLES.

On this subject there is leally little that can be said in a
paper of this character. presumed that ever}' man who
It is
reads this book has already formed his idea as to the best
arm for his use. This must of course depend on where you
are to go and what kind of game, if any, you are to hunt.
It ispresumed, furthermore, that nearly every man who goes
on a camping trip of any kind, either for pleasure or on
business
and even if the principal business is to be fishing,
or resting is to carry a firearm of some kind; for in nearly
every wild country there is game, either large or small, and
nearly every man likes to shoot at it when he sees it. Per-
sonally, I prefer a large-bore rifle for all kinds of large game,
and recommend nothing smaller than a 50-caliber for any-
thing from deer to moose and bear. There are those, how-
ever, who object to carrying so heavy an arm and such
heavy ammunition. Deer, antelope, and even larger game
may be killed, and often is killed, with a 32, 38, or 40-rifle;
but unless hit in a vital part an animal shot with either of

these is liable to run a long distance before giving way, and
many animals, although killed, are thus lost. I consider it
more humane and sportsman-like, therefore, to use a 50-

caliber express, which will kill the game dead in its tracks
if fairly hit.
If one is not expert in the use of the rifle and prefers to
use the shotgun, he will of course in most cases have made

his choice as to the and weight of the gun. In
make, size
this line I prefer a lo-bore, and
heavy charges for all
game larger than quails and snipe. As already stated, I
advise for either class of arms the carrying of a full supply of
loaded cartridges, and that reloading tools be left at home.
If you carry your cartridges in a belt you should be provided
with suspenders, bringing the weight on your shoulders instead

of at your waist. To this belt should be attached if you are

hunting big game the scabbard containing your heavy hunt-
ing knife, skinning knife and steel. For wing-shooting the
better plan is to wear a vest with cartridge-holders distrib-
uted over the front. If going long distances, you should
provide for your guns heavy wooden cases, with lock and key,
and well ironed, so that they may be checked with your other
baggage.
FISHING TACKLE.
This is another subject that may not here be spoken of

at length, for reasons stated in the chapter on guns, and for
the further reason that my colleagues have prescribed the
kinds and qualities of tackle needed for taking every variety of
fish treated of by them. It may be briefly said that ifone
is going into the Far West he should carry both a fly and a
bait These should be packed into a strong wooden
rod.
case that may
be carried in a pack, and cinched tightly, or
may be thrown into a wagon and buried up in boxes of grub
and other bric-a-brac without danger of injury. If on a

special hunting trip, take as Httle other fishing tackle as
possible. What you do carry should be in a wooden box.
Your tin tackle-box is no good for the wild and woolly
country.
PROVISIONS.
The question as to what kinds and what quantity of food

to carry on a camping trip is perhaps more difficult to settle
satisfactorily than any other that besets the sportsman when
preparing for an outing. In making up his commissariat he
must of course be governed by the number of men that are to
make up the party, the length of time the trip is to occupy,
what is to be its means of transportation, and how much

of
that is to be provided; where the' party is to go; whether the

trip is to be in quest of fish or game or both. If you are to
travel by team, over good roads, you may of course carry a
much more elaborate bill of fare than if by pack-train, by
canoe or on foot. As a rule, however, only plain substantial
food should be taken into camp. This is the kind you will
crave, the kind you will need, and delicacies should be left at
home. As a rustler once expressed it, "Pie and cake are good
enough at home, but they don't climb the hiils worth a d n."
Cancel all the knickknacks on your list at the start, and
give your stomach a rest during your outing. You doubtless
need a chance to recover from the ill effects of the rich food
you have been living on for years past. Bread, meat, vege-
tables and fruits are the staples that you will require when
you come to climb the hills, tramp over the prairies, wander
in the dense woods, or pull on the paddles. How to make
up a list of edibles suitable as to quantity, quality and vari-
ety for a given number of days in the woods is therefore a
serious question, to those who only go into the woods occa-
sionally. To the old-timer it is the work of but a few min-
utes. He knows by experience just what he wants to eat

and drink, and how much of it he will need per day. His
requisitionon the supply-store, for a month's trip in the
mountains, is usually 50 pounds of flour, 25 pounds of bacon,
2 pounds of salt, 5 pounds of tobacco, and 5 gallons of
whisky; but a man of temperate habits would make an

entirely different selection.
As to quahty, buy the best of ever3'thing; it costs but lit-
tle more than an inferior grade and the best is none too good
for an honest man, when hard at work. As to quantity and
variety, no better guide can be given than the army regula-
tions regarding the soldier's ration. This is made up as the
result of years of study and practical experience, by men
whose lives are spent largely in camp, and who have learned
to a nicety what an ordinary man, engaged in active outdoor
vvôrk
or play, for that matter -requires to keep him strong,
healthy and happy. The lists of provisions appended to this
chapter are based on the figures given in the army regula-
tions as constituting the soldier's daily ration; and any man
who has had the good fortune to fall in with a party of sol-
diers when engaged in partaking of a meal, well knows that
they live on the best, for their purpose, that the land can
afford.
If you are sure you are going to find plenty of game or
fish, you can reduce the figures given as to the supply of
meat materially. But don't be too sure on that point. This

world is full of disappointments for hunters and anglers.
You have heard of men going for wool and coming back
shorn.
Unless you are going to have a permanent camp, that
can be reached by good wagon roads, don't carry any
canned fruits. They are a delusion, and are two-thirds water.
The chances are, you will get better water where you are
going, and save the freight. Fruits are dried or evaporated
nowadays in such an excellent manner that there is no need
of carrying them done up in tin and water. These remarks

apply with equal force to the popular Boston fruit canned
beans. All provisions should be put up in good strong canvas
bags, or in wooden or tin boxes. Never risk paper packages
on a camping trip, or you will very likely find your sugar,
salt, coffee, beans and other staples sadly mixed.
WHISKY.
Don't take any. The guide, packer or cook is sure to
steal it and get drunk, if you don't keep it under lock and
key, and you and your friends are better off without it.
There are many other points that I should like to treat of
but have not space to do so here. I must therefore beg
modestly to refer the reader to my book, "Camping and Camp

Outfits," wherein exhaustive details are given on all points
pertaining to this subject.
CHECK-LISTS.
Of Articles Consti tut i)ig Camp- Outfits, for Various Seasons

and Under Varying- Conditions.
With first of the following lists it may be

reference to the
noted that a strong man can carry fifty pounds ten or fifteen
miles a day comfortably, when accustomed to this kind of
labor. If traveling by canoe the only addftion necessary to
make would be the canoe and
to the loads, in case of portages,
paddles. no long portages are to be made, a photograph
If
camera should be added to the list, and a few luxuries may

be taken along; but they should be such as are light, and
take but little room.
The total weight of such articles, enumerated in the second
list, as are to be carried on the pack-animals, is about 320
pounds, or 160 pounds to each animal. With these loads

they will travel comfortably twenty to thirty-five miles a day.
As the provisions and cartridges are used up, skins, heads or
other trophies may be added to the load in their stead. No
animal should ever be allowed to carry more than 250 pounds,

and small ones not more than i 50 to 200. Overloading is
cruel and is nearly sure to cause sore backs.
SUPPLIES FOR TWO MEN FOR A TEN DAYs' TRIP ON FOOT.
10 pounds hard bread. 2 belts and hunting 1 coffee pot.
12 pounds bacon. knives. 2 tin plates.
3 pounds dried apples or 2 pocket knives. 2 spoons.

peaches. I axe. 2 tin cups.
2 pounds salt. 1 tent. 1 dish cloth.
3 pounds sugar. 2 pack straps. 2 pounds tobacco.

2 pounds coffee, roasted 2 suits e.Ktra underwear, 2 pipes.
and ground, or in bags. 1 map.

i pound tea. 4 pairs socks. 300 matches.
2 sleeping bags, or 2 rubber coats. 2 water-proof match
blankets. 2 compasses. boxes.
2 rifles or guns. 2 watches. 2 ounces insect lotion.
100 cartridges. I camp kettle. 2 cakes soap.
2 fishing rods. I frying pan. 2 towels.

2 reels. I wire broiler. 2 tooth brushes.
Hooks, lines, flies, reels, I stew pan. Supply of small change.
etc.
Total weight about go pounds
It is possible to curtail this list slightly, but not without some sacrifice
of comfort.
37
SUPPLIES FOR TWO MEN FOR TEN DAYS, TRAVELING WITH

TWO SADDLE HORSES AND TWO PACK
HORSES, SUMMER OR FALL.
2 saddle horses. 12 flies, assorted colors. 2 tin cups.
2 pack horses. 2 sleeping bags, or 2 dish cloths,
3 riding saddles. 3 pairs heavy wool 1 box matches.

2 pack saddles. blankets. 2 water proof pocket
2 bridles. 2 pillows. match boxes.
4 saddle blankets. 1 tent. 20 pounds flour, or
2 sheets, canvas. 1 5 pounds hard bread.
4 picket ropes.
2 sling ropes. 2 suits heavy woolen 14 pounds bacon.
2 lash ropes. clothes. 3 pounds dried apples or
2 cinches. 4 heavy woolen under- peaches.
2 manteaus, shirts. 3 pounds oat or rye meal.

50 feet quarter-inch rope. 4 pairs heavy woolen 3 pounds beans.
50 feet half-inch rope. drawers. 3 pounds rice.
2 gun slings. 4 heavy woolen outside 2 pounds salt.
2 rifles or guns. shirts. J pound pepper.
200 cartridges. 6 pairs heavy woolen 3 pounds sugar.
2 cleaning outfits for socks. 2 pounds roasted and
guns. 2 light felt hats. ground coffee, or
1 small can of oil. 2 pairs buckskin gloves. i pound tea.
2 belts. 2 rubber coats. 2 pounds desiccated vege-
1 axe. 2 pairs rubber hip boots. tables.
2 hunting knives. 2 prs. heavy leather shoes. 2 pounds tobacco.

2 skinning knives. 2 bags to carry clothing 2 pipes.
2 pocket knives. in. 2 toilet cases, each con-

soap, towels,
2 steels. 4 pairs buckskin mocca- taining
1 map. sins. tooth-brush, needles,
2 compasses. I camp kettle. thread, buttons, safety-
2 watches, Stamped envelopes and pins, and other small

2 pack straps, paper. articles.
2 prs. goggles or smoked I frying pan. I kit tools and materials

glasses. I wire broiler. for repairing camp
2 pairs ear muffs. I stew pan. equipage, etc.
1 photograph camera. 1 coffee pot. 4 horse shoes.

2 tin plates. 1 pound horse nails.
3 dozen celluloid plates.
2 fishing rods. 2 spoons. 2 pounds powdered alum.

2 reels and lines. 2 knives. for curing skins.

12 bait hooks, assorted 2 forks, Supply of small change.
sizes.
SUPPLIES FOR TWO MEN FOR TEN DAYS, TRAVELING BY

TEAM, SUMMER OR FALL.
I team and its equipment. I tent. 2 tin cups.

50 feet quarter-inch rope. I camp cooking stove. 2 dish cloths.
50 feet half-inch rope. 2 sheets, canvas, 4x8 ft. I bar laundry soap.
2 rifles or guns. I folding camp table. 1 box matches.
2 gun slings. 2 folding camp chairs. 2 waterproof pocket
200 cartridges. I hammock. match boxes.
2 cleaning outfits for 2 suits heavy woolen 20 pounds flour, or
guns. clothes. 15 pounds hard bread.
I small can of oil for 4 heavy woolen under- 14 pounds bacon.
guns. shirts. 2 pounds dried apples.
2 belts. 4 pairs heavy woolen 2 pounds dried peaches.
I axe. drawers. 2 pounds dried apricots.
2 hunting knives. 4 heavy woolen outside 3 pounds oat or rye meal.
2 skinning knives. shirts. 2 pounds beans.
2 pocket knives. 6 pairs heavy woolen 2 pounds rice.
2 steels. socks. 5 pounds salt.
2 compasses. 2 light felt hats. i pound pepper.

2 watches. 2 pairs buckskin gloves. 3 pounds sugar.
2 pack straps. 2 rubber coats. 2 pounds roasted and
I map. 2 pairs rubber hip boots. ground coffee, or
;2 prs. goggles or smoked 2 prs. heavy leather shoes. i pound tea.
glasses. 4 pairs moccasins. 25 pounds potatoes.
Stamped envelopes and 2 bags to carry clothing 2 pounds tobacco.
paper. in. 2 pipes.
2 pairs ear muffs. I folding canvas boat. 2 toilet cases, each con
I photograph camera. I camp kettle. taining soap, towels,
24 celluloid plates. I frying pan. tooth brush, hair brush,
2 fishing rods. I wire broiler. needles, thread, but-
2 reels and lines. I stew pan. tons, safety pins, etc.
12 bait hooks, assorted I bread pan. I kit tools and materials
sizes. I coffee pot. for repairing wagon,
12 flies, assorted colors. I Dutch oven. camp equipage, etc.
2 sleeping bags, or 2 tin plates. 4 horse shoes.
4 pairs of heavy wool 1 folding rubber bucket. 25 horse nails.

blankets. 2 spoons. 2 pounds powdered alum
2 mattresses, or 2 knives. for curing skins.
2 folding cot beds. 2 forks. Supply of small change.

2 pillows.
If more than one pack-animal to each man is provided,

then a folding canvas boat, folding cots, chairs, and even
a table may be carried. A sheet-iron cooking stove may be
taken, but it adds greatly to the labor of packing and but lit-
tle to the comfort or convenience of the party.

For a larger or smaller number of people, or for a longer
or shorter outing, the requisite quantity of supplies may be
determined by multiplication or subtraction.
fhe Big Gajne
OF
fJorth /^fnefica.
Its Habits, Habitat, Haunts, and Cbar-
acteristics. Hov^^, Wben, aod
Wbere
to Htint It.
A BOOK FOR THE SPORTIAII AND W NATURALIST.
EDITED BY
a. O. SHIELDS (-COQUINA"),
Author of "Cruisings in the Cascades," " Rqstlings in the Rockies," "Hunting in
THE Great West," "The Battle of the Big Hole," "Camping
AND Camp Outfits," etc.
8vo, 600 Pages, 80 Illustrations.

Cloth, $3.50; Half Calf, $5.00 ; Full Morocco, $6.50.
OOlsTTEITTS,
Introduction, by the Honorable John Dean The Buffalo, by Orin Belknap (" Uncle Fuller").
Catou, author of "The Antelope and Deer of The Musk Ox, by H. Blerdebick, of the Greeley
America." etc. .Vrctic Expedition.
Moose Hunting in the Rocky AFountains, hy the Antelope, by Arthur W. du
Still-lMU]! iiig
New cm HI hi IS ("Koxey Newton").
I UiHV (" (iancho").
Elk Hiuitiiitr in the Olympic Mountains, by W. Coursing thi- Antelope by M. E. Allison.
A. i'l-iry Sillalicuui").
( The Death of Vrnus (Poem).... by Wm. P. Lett.
Tlie Wapiti (Poem) ...by "Wah-bflbini-mi." The Kocky MouniainGoat by John hannin.
The Caritiou, by Will'am Pitlman Lett t" Al- The Itoekv Mountain Sheep, ))y G O. Shields
Kon(iuin"j and Dr. R. B. Cant: ell. ("(Joquina").
Tlie .Mule Deer, by Rev. Joshua Cook The Peccary byA.G. Requa.
("Boone"). The Coiig.ir, or Mountain Lion, by W. A. Perry
The Mule Deer of Southern California, V)y T. S. ("Sillalicum ").
VânDyke authorot "The Still Hunter," etc. The Lynx - by J. C Nattrass.
The Columbia Ulack-lail Deer, by Thomas G. The Wolf byWm. P. Lett.
Farrell. The Wolverine.. hy C.A.Cooper ("Sibyllene").
The Virginia Deer, by Walter M. Wolfe ("Sho- The Wild Cat, by Daniel Arrowsmith ("San-
shone"). gamon").
A Deer Hunt (Poem) hy " Wah-bah-ini-mi." Coon Hunting in Southern Illinois, by Daniel
Himting the Grizzly Boar, by Rev. Dr. W. S. Arrowsmith (" Sani;amon ").
Rainsford. Fot Hunting in Virginia. ...by Mr. M. G Ellzey.
The I'olar Bear, by Sergt. Francis Lons, of the Alligator Shooting in Florida, by Cyrus W.
Greeley Arctic Expedition, and George S. Butler.
McTavish, of the IIud.son Bay CoinpHny. The Ethics of Field Sports, by Wm. B. Lefflng-
A Polar Bear Hunt well,
The Black Bear by Col. Geo. D. Alexander.
The Honorable John De;in Caton, the eminent naturalist and juri.st, author of " The Ante-
lope and Deer of America," etc., says of this work: "It is, without exception, the most
elaborate, compreheusive, and valuable treatise on our Big Game Animals that has ever
been published."
This book will be mailed, post paid, on receipt of price by
RAND, McNALLY & CO.,

162 to 172 Adams St., CHICAGO.
DO YOU THAT THE
KNOW
Hannaford Ventilated Rubber Boots
CAN EE -WORN "WITH
ABSOLUTE COMFORT
WITHOUT SWEATING, CHILLING, OR DRAWING THE FEET?
ASK YOUR DEALER FOR THEM OR SEND FOR CIRCULARS.
HANNAFORD VENTILATED BOOT CO.,

79 MILK STREET, BOSTON.
ANGLERS WHO ARE IN WANT OF

Rods, Lines, orAND HooksTHAT WILL NOT BREAK,
Reels which will not get out of order through fault of
material or workmanship,
AND Alvlv AT MODERATK PRICES,
Send Ten Cents in Stamps for a Ninet.y-page Blustrated Catalogue
and Price List of Fishing Tackle, to
L B.SHIPLEY & SON., Factory and Warehouse, 503 Oommerce St., Philadelphia.
MAPS AND GUIDES TO ALL OP THE
PRINCIPAL CITIES
Every Country in the World.

Globes, Map Racks, Spring Map Rollers, Wall and Pocket
Maps, Historical Maps; Classical, Biblical, Historical,
Anatomical, Astronomical, Physical, and General
Atlases of all kinds kept in Stock.
Address RAND, McNALLY & CO.,

MAP PUBLISHERS AND ENGRAVERS,
166 and 168 Adams Street, CHICAGO, ILL.
WILD FOWL SHOOTING
BY
WILLIAM BRUCE LEFFINGWELL
TREATS OF
Guns, Decoys, Blinds, Boats, if/ Retrievers,

FOR WILD FOWLING.
This Book has never Received an Adverse Criticism.
First Edition of 1,000 Copies sold in less than 30 Days.
Endorsed by Every Prominent Sportsman and Sporting Paper in America.
DR. N. KOWE, o( Ameiicfui /'<VA:/, the leading aulliuiity in America, sa.vs :
Frank Forester has the reputation of having been the best writer on field sports we
ever had, but he never wrote a work of such enduring merit as this. I consider it the best
book on field sports ever written
Forest and iSt ream; Shooting and Fishiny; Outing; Turf, Field, and Farm;
Breeder and Sportsman; Sports Ajield; Sporting Goods Gazette; Charles W.
Budd; James R. Slice; H. McMurclnj, and hundreds of others, endorse it as tlte
best icork on the subject extant.
Write for Descriptive Circular to
RAND, MCNALLY & CO.,

Chicago, III.
Price, $2,50 Cloth ;
$3,50 Half Morocco.
E^^perienced
Travelers
Always take the Popular
Burlington,
--
Cedar Rapids 6l
Northern Ry
FOR
Chicago, St, Louis,
Minneapolis, St. Paul,
Des Moines, Omaha,

Kansas City, Denver,
Colorado Springs,
AND ALL POINTS IN
Texas, Oklahoma, and California.
Call on B., C. R. & N. Agents for further infor-

mation, or address
J. MORTON, G. T. P. A..
Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
SH American game fishes
4.61
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Presented to the Faculty of Forestry

^'^2 ' C /*>-^ y>^ "^ 1 ^ -

THEIR HABITS, HABITAT,

TO ANGLE FOR THEM.

W. A. Perrv (" SiLLALicuM "), A. A. MosHER, W. H. H. Murray,

F. H. Thurston (" Kelpie "), J. Harrington Keene,

J. G. A. Creighton, Dr. J. A. Henshall.

chicago and nev^ york:

to write it, would it not be better to get several others ?

And so I requested a number of my good friends, ardent

their favorites of the crystal waters. Hence this book.

It would be impossible for me to express my thanks to these

One of my contributors, dear old Francis Endicott, has, since

Peace to his ashes ! May an eternity of cool shades and sparkling

The Salmon .....

man's Gazetteer," etc.

The Pacific Salmon . W. A. Ferry (' S/Z/a/icum"), 51

The LandT^ocked Salmon . .

The Tarpon .....

The Striped Bass ....

The Black Bass ....

The Bluefish ....

"American Fishes," etc.

The Mascalonge .... Dr. J. A. Henshall. 191

The Mascalonge in Wisconsin Waters . A. A. Mosher, 199

The Brook Trout . . F. H. Thurston ('-AV/^/V"). 209

Trouting on the Nipigon . . W. H. H. Murray, 233

The Lake Trout . . Rev. Luther Pardee. 237

The Rocky Mountain Trout, G. O. Shields (" Coqitina "). 267

Sea Bass, Sea Trout, Spanish Mackerel,

The Grayling . . . . . F. H. Thurston. 345

The Pike . . . . . . W. D. Tomlin, 367

The Wall-Eyed Pike .... A. A. Mosher. 381

The Pickerel ...... W. D. Tomlin. 387

The White Perch .....

States Pish Commission, and Superintendent of the New

The Yellow Bass, White Bass, Strawberry

The Senses of Fishes . . . William C. Harris, 439

Fishing-Tackle, and How to Make It.

J. Harrington Keene, 445

Reels, Their Use and Abuse . . B. C. Milam. 541

The Angler's Camp Outfit . . . G. O. Shields. 549

wealth on the North American Continent

by actual and personal experience with them.

peculiarities are treated by a master hand. The author

Mr. F. H. Thurston's paper upon the fish favored of the

Bass; it would be like gilding refined gold to say how he writes

in the past, as a game fish, by very manyand Mr.

teen pounds, he will have a very good opinion of the Macki-

There no better evidence that an angler is cosmopolitan

in his fishing than to find such a confirmed Trout and Black

The Tarpon was comparatively unknown as an angler's fish

As Mr. Mosher has had to do with bringing into the world

Mr. Harris has studied carefully the senses of fishes, and

will read that portion of Mr. Endicott's chapter which tells

least heard of the Kentucky reel, even if he does not possess

worth the price of the book. Fishing-tackle is also exhaust-

CAREFUL review of the world's angling literature,

and tongues, will be apt to

her "Book of St. Albans," four centuries ago. Little in