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 I 
 
AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
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» M o R • ,. t D I T I O N . 
 
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 ■■«K, 'V 
 
MEMORIAL EDITION. 
 
 THE 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK: 
 
 KHBRACINO 
 
 % natural iisforjj of Spriing gu^ 
 
 AMD 
 
 THE ART OF TAKING THEM. 
 
 Wna IMTllCOTIONS IN 
 
 FLY-FISHING, FLY-MAKING, AND ROD-MAKINGj 
 AND DIRECTIONS FOR FISH-BREEDING. 
 
 TO WHICH 18 ADDID, 
 
 DIES PISCATOEI^; 
 
 DESCRIBING NOTKD FISHING-PLACES, AND THE PLEASURE OP 
 SOLITARY FLY-FISHING. 
 
 WITH A SUPPLEMENT, 
 
 OONTAliONG DESCB1PTI0N8 OF SALMON BIVEBS, INLAND TBOUT FISHING, ETC., ETC. 
 
 By THADDEUS NOERIS. 
 
 JlIujBttatiU faitf) HEtflttj jEnijrabdtaa on QSooD. 
 
 PHILADELPHIA: 
 PORTER & COATES. 
 
Knterod, according to Act of Congrew, in tbe year 1864, by 
 
 E. H. BUTLER A 00. 
 
 U. the a«k., Offlco or .he DUtHct Court of the United SUte.. ,n and for the «a.ter„ r«.tHc. 
 
 of Pennsylvania. "m"^!!.! 
 
TBI 
 
 FOLLOWING PAQKS ARE DKDIOATBD 
 
 to 
 
 ®t)t Uttlt Ciui 
 
 or 
 
 HOUSELESS ANGLERS;" 
 
 AKT) TO 
 
 -ALL THAT ABE LOVKRS OP VIRTUE. AND I.AUE TRUST IN PROVIDENCF 
 AND BE QUIET, AND GO A-A.VULING.- 
 
! 
 
TO THE READER. 
 
 In offering this book for the perusal of those who may feel suffi- 
 ceatly interested in the subject to read works on Angling, I deem it 
 an act of courtesy to say a few words in explanation of the motives 
 which prompted me to commence, and then drew me on in the prose- 
 cution of a work involving, as it has proved, no small amount of time 
 and labor. 
 
 Every true lover of angling- knows that the pleasure it brings with 
 It, does not end with the day's sport; that besides being "a calmer 
 of unquiet thoughts," for the time, it impresses happy memories on 
 themmd; and he looks back to many a day, and many a scene, as 
 an oam by the wayside in the rough journey of life; and like Dog- 
 berry 8 friend Verges, " he will be talking" when he finds an interest 
 ed hearer, and may he tempted, as the author of these pages has 
 been, to write of it. 
 
 Notwithstanding the many books on angling by British authors, 
 but few Amencan works on the subject have yet been offered to the 
 
 (7) 
 
VIU 
 
 TO TUB READER. 
 
 reading public; and this in the face of the fact that we are an 
 angling people, and that our thousands of brooks, creeks, rivers, lakes, 
 bays, and inlets abound in game-fish. 
 
 The best informed of those who have written on American fishes, 
 have omitted many important species, and treated slightingly of 
 others which are worthy of a more extended notice. Since the pub- 
 lication of Dr. Bethune's " Walton," and subsequently Frank For- 
 ester's " Fish and Fishing," sporting-fish have decreased in some 
 parts of the country where they were once abundant. In the mean 
 while, the opening of new lines of travel has brought within reach 
 of the angler many teeming waters that were then almost inaccessible. 
 With a view of filling up the blank left by my predecessorn, of 
 correcting some erroneous ideas that have been imparted, not only 
 concerning fish, but the adaptation of English rules and theories, 
 without qualification, to our waters; and with the object of making 
 the angler self-reliant, and to encourage him as much as possible to 
 make the best of such resources as may be within his reach, espe- 
 cially as regards his tackle, I have devoted many spare hours to the 
 following pages ; in writing which, to uae the words of Isaac Walton, 
 " I have made a r€cr(jation of a recreation ;" and as reminiscences of 
 my boyhood or maturer years have come back to me, and the mood 
 was on me, I have at times indulged my sense of the ludicrous or the 
 ridiculous ; and, again adopting the words of Walton in his address 
 to his readers, " I have in several places mixed not any scurrility, but 
 some innocent harmless mirth, of which, if thou be a severe sour- 
 oomplexioned man, then I here disallow thee to be a competent judge, 
 for divines say there are offences given and offences not given, but 
 offences taken." But I am sanguine enough to hope that my simple 
 narrations or allusions to such incidents will touch a chord of sym- 
 pathy in the breasts of good-natured readers " who love to be quiet 
 and go a-angling " 
 
 I had collected most of the matter contained in this book— much 
 of it as the reader finds it, but a greater portion in rough notes— 
 when the present unhappj rebellion broke out. I then thought it 
 doubtful whether the following pages would ever be printed, but 
 
TO THB READER. 
 
 IX 
 
 some of my angling friends, one or two of whom had read parts of 
 my manuscript, urged me to publish, and overcame my scruples as 
 to my short-comings as a writer, for I profess to be only an angler. 
 One of these, who regards the author and his project perhaps in too 
 favorable a light, addressed me a letter on the subject. I conceive it 
 to be so strong an argument in favor of angling, and so much more 
 to the point than I could express it myself, that I insert it here. 
 
 My Deae Friend : Several times you have told me that you entertained 
 the idea of writing a treatise on angling. Let me beg of you not to suffer 
 this " good intention" to be turned into a paving-stone for that locality into 
 which all unfulfilled good intentions are dumped for cobble. 
 
 I feel great confidence that if you can impart to beginners but a share 
 of the practical knowledge and insight of the gentle craft which you have 
 obtained by years of patient, observant, and appreciative practice, or can 
 imbue them with a part of that genuine love for the sport which has grown 
 into and with you, then you will be doing the youth of our country a real 
 service. 
 
 Perhaps few people claiming to be civilized have greater need than we 
 Americans to be taught the necessity of innocent out-door recreations, for 
 the healthy development of mind, body, and spirit. To the struggle for 
 wealth, and place, and fame, we devote such unremitting ardor, that we 
 are too apt to overlook the simple and innocent joys which a kind Father 
 has so bountifully placed within our easy reach ; by neglecting which, we 
 miss the natural means for renewing the spring of life, and keeping fresh 
 and green in our memories the happy days of boyhood. 
 
 I have ever felt grateful that as a boy I imbibed a love for angling, for 
 in my maturer years it continues to afford me a keener enjoyment than 
 any other recreation. Nothing has survived to me of my boyish davs 
 which has the peculiar abandon and charm of boyish joy like this. At 
 each returning season, when the warm breath of spring flushes the maples 
 with the ruddy glow of budding leaves, what can equal the angler's de- 
 light, as, rigged out in sober woollen suit and hob-nailed wading shoes, 
 with creel o'er his shoulder and pliant rod in his grasp, he is permitted to 
 revisit the bright familiar stream (scene of his former triumphs), to listen 
 to the music of its flow, and to try once more if his right hand has lost its 
 cunning, or his flies their attraction. 
 
 Though I have always loved angling, I think if I had known you earlier 
 I should have loved it even better. I realize how much I have learned 
 
TO THE READER, 
 
 from you m the few years we have fished together, and I look back with a 
 kmd of regret t. .t I did not have the benefit of your kindly teaching ear- 
 
 L o 7 ' "' "'" '" ''' *"' '^^^ "' *"««"« in hin.. comes so far 
 «hort of the enjoyment he could have, for want of willing and faithful 
 teaching at the commencement, from those whose experience and skill 
 are above his own Some anglers do not think enough of their duties to 
 ^eir juniors in this respect. I reckon among the chiefestof your qualities 
 as an angler the piacere sympathy you have always manifested towards 
 any novice who showed that he had a love for the art. and your willingness 
 to teach to sueh what you knew. Why not manifest this on-a mor! ex- 
 panded field, and speak through a book to all who are seeking knowledge 
 upon angling, and are disposed to avail themselves of your experience ^ 
 
 There IS one department of the school for anglers in which I think you 
 are qualified to speak e. catke<Ira. I mean the mechanical; if you will 
 undertake to teach what you know upon this branch, you can enable an 
 angler, who has any aptitude for mechanism and a reasonable facility of 
 manipulation, to manufacture for himself, his own rod, flies, and tackle, of a 
 ti service and effectiveness, which will not suffer in comparison 
 w,th those to be procured in any good tackle-store in the country. No one 
 has a better right than I to bear this testimony to your handicraft, for my 
 favorite fly-rod and book of flies are the product of your skill 
 
 We have a good many fishermen in this country, and too few anglevs • 
 weareapttovaluemoreaglutthanaquietday's sport, where skill and 
 painstaking will reward us with a moderate sufficiency. Catching fiJi 
 not necessarily angling, any more than daubing canvas with paint is pll 
 
 It 'T r^' ''" ""'' "^^^ ""''' ^'^'"^ -^ ^ *^« attainmen of t 
 truer and juster perception of the delights and uses of angling ; and aid 
 your reader, if he has a sympathetic ^ul. in th. a tainmen of thlt 
 
 sweet content" which can be drawn from all the accessories of the al 
 and the beauties of nature amid which it is practised 
 
 I say, therefore, write. The labor will not only pleasantly recall m;.ny 
 scenes of your piscatorial experience, and memories of the choice spirite 
 with whom you have taken your diversion, but will make you to be re- 
 a^embered with gratitude by those to whom your labor of love will brin« 
 an innocent pleasure. 
 
 Truly your friend and fellow-angler, j 
 
 Most of the engravings of fish in this book are from nature The 
 marine species, Ibund in the chapter on salt-water fehing. are reduced 
 
TO THE READER. 
 
 Zl 
 
 copies of those found in Dr. Holbrook's work. The vignettes are the 
 production of the pencil of a good brother of the angle, an amateur, 
 drawn mostly for his own amusement and occasionally for mine ae 
 the subjects have been presented to his appreciative eye during the 
 last ten or twelve years. Many of them are his earlier sketche" He 
 has expressed an unwillingness that I should reproduce them, after 
 finding that I was in earnest in doing so in this work ; but I have, in 
 most cases, so intimately associated them with the subjects or topics 
 to which they serve as vignettes, that I cannot oblige him by relin- 
 quishing my purpose. 
 
 Most of the tackle and diagrams, and a few of the fish, were drawn 
 by the writer; I confess with some labor, for they are purely 
 mechanical productions. 
 
 All of the drawings on wood, with the exception of the plate of 
 hooks and Salmon-flies by Mr. Wilhelm, are by D. Gordon Yates, of 
 this city, and were cut by himself or under his supervision. 
 
 I have received so many useful hints from Dr. Bethune's notes to 
 his edition of Walton, and from English works on angling during the 
 laat fifteen or twenty years, that I am at a loss to whom to accredit 
 any particular item of information ; having so entirely appropriated 
 such knowledge, and stored and mingled it with whatever necessity 
 and some aptness of my own has taught me, as to consider all alike 
 my own property. 
 
 Tackle-making I have learned as a pleasant recreation. My tactics 
 and rules are based on my own experience and upon that of brethren 
 of the rod with whom I have angled. So also is my knowledge of 
 fishing-grounds. 
 
 Anglers are all more or le3s conceited, or, to say the least, self- 
 opinioned, and I may at times have given directions or laid down 
 rules contrary to the views or practice of the reader, or may not have 
 expressed myself as plainly as I endeavored to do ; but 
 
 " What is writ is writ ; 
 Would it were worthier," 
 
 <^nd I only ask the same indulgence of opinion I am willing to extend 
 tc those whc hold opposite notions. 
 
xu 
 
 TO THB RBADBR. 
 
 To the living, with whom I have enjoyed long days of unalloyed 
 pleasure in boyhood, by the dear old mill-pond, and in manhood by 
 the mountain stream, on the sylvan lake, or within sound of » the 
 warning off the lee shore, speaking in breakers," I send these pagen 
 as a reminder of the past. In reference to those who are no more on 
 earth, I quote as applicable those simply beautiful lines of Walton, 
 and say that my allusion to some of the incidents herein contained, 
 " is, or rather was, a picture of my own disposition, especially in such 
 days as I have laid aside business, and gone a-flshing with honest Nat 
 and R. Roe ; but they are gone, and with them moat of my pleasant 
 hours, oven as a shadow that passeth awav and returneth not." 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Adorbss to tee Riadis 
 
 Pages 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 ANGLING. 
 
 after mfluence on ma»hood.-Its social tendency. -What and Who 
 Thr^ Tl""'!'''""* '"'' of Anglers.-The Snob Angler.- 
 IdRerA 7 7'''^ Spick-and-span An,ler.-The Lgh- 
 «.d-ReadyAnger^The Literary Angler.-The Shad-roe Fisher- 
 »an.-The English Admiral, an Angler.-The True Angler 
 
 27 
 
 CHAPTER IT. 
 
 GENERAL REMARKS ON FISH. 
 
 ''tr^Tl'T "' "f ^" ereation.-Nature,l .ode of propag. 
 ^on.--HabUs as regards maternity.-Migration.-Vitality-E,- 
 ternal organs-Internal organi,ation.-Ichthyology '* 3, 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 TACKLE IN GENERAL. 
 Hooks. —Sinkers. — Swivels —«iif t„j a , 
 
 ileel-.-Rods.-Bow I^;^ '"*'7^^";^^"7«-°^--^-- 
 
 (13) 
 
 63 
 
XIV 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE PEROH FAMILY — PEROIDJ!, 
 General Remarks on the Percidae.— Great number of American 
 genera and species.— Paucity of European species.— Distinguish- 
 ing marks.— Their abundance and variety in the Valley of the 
 Mississippi.- Migratory habits.— 'Che Rockfish or Striped Bass, 
 Labrax lineatua. Rockfish Tackle. Rock-fishing on the lower 
 Rappahannock.— The White Perch, Lahrax pallidtis. Perch-fish- 
 ing.— The White Bass of the Lakes, Labrax albtdua. White Bass 
 taken with the artificial fly.— Fresh water Bass of the South and 
 West, Oryatea aalmoidea. Bass-fishing. Bass Fly-fishing,— Black 
 Bass of the Lakes, Gryatea nigricana. Trolling for Black Bass with 
 spoon, and with artificial flies —The Striped Bass of the Ohio, 
 TMbrax cArysop*.— The Short Striped Bass.— Oswego Bass.— The 
 Grapple or Sao-a-lai, Pomoxia hexacanthua. —The Yellow Barred 
 Perch, Percajlaveacena.— The Sunfibh or Sunny, Pomotia vulgaria.— 
 Bream, Ichthylia rubricvnda. Bream-fishing on Bayou La Branch.— 
 The Pike Perch or Ohio Salmon, Lucioperca Americana.— Thtt 
 Buffalo Perch, Ablodon gruwiena 
 
 77 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE PIKE FAMILY — ESOOIDJI. 
 
 Remarks on the Pike Family.— Mascalonge pictured by Cuvier,— 
 
 European species.— American species.- The Garfish; manner of 
 
 taking it.— Dr. Bethune's remarks on Pikes.— Their introduction 
 
 into England.— Pliny's Pike.— Gesner's Pike.— The Great Lake 
 
 Pickerel, Eaox lucioi/lea. Trolling from a boat for Pickerel. The 
 
 Mascalonge, Esox estor. Angling for Mascalonge.— The Pond 
 Pike, Eaox reticulatua. Pike-fishing. Trolling for Pike with the 
 gorge-hook. Pike-fishing in Eastern Virginia.— The Great Blue 
 Pike.—The Little Pike of Long Island.— The Streaked Pike of the 
 Ohio. Story told about a Pike taken in the Kanawha . . .12'; 
 
 CHAPTER VT. 
 
 THE CARP FAMILY — CYPRINIl)^, 
 Remarks on the Cyprinidas.— The Sucker, Catosiomua communu,— 
 Buffalo Fish, Catosiomua bubalus. Buffalo Fish as an article of 
 
 I 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 X7 
 
 77 
 
 diet— The Chub or FalIfi8h,iL<«two;«iwrAo/Ae««, Errors of Ameri- 
 can writers in regard to the size of the Chub. Chub an annoyance 
 to fly-fishers. Chub-fishing on the Brandywine. Umbrella invented 
 by a Chub Fisherman.— Roach, and Roach-fishing . . .155 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE HERRING FAl.ILY— OLUPEID^. 
 Remarks on the Herring Family, from the " Iconographio Encyclo- 
 poBdia." Their abundance in the waters of the United States. 
 Great numbers of them taken in the Potomac. Herring-fishing 
 with the artificial fly.-the Shad, Alosa prasatabilia. Its delicacy 
 and value as food. Migratory habits. Shad taken with the min- 
 now. Shad-roe as bait jg. 
 
 CHAPTER VIIL 
 
 CATFISH AND EELS. 
 Catfish, SUuridce. Extract from Iconographio Encyclopjedia. Catr 
 fish of the Atlantic States and Western waters.— Eels. Observations 
 on the PetromyzoHiidcB (Lamprey Eels), on the Murainida: (Common 
 Eels), and on the Oymnotidas (Electric Eels)._The Common Eel 
 Anguilla vulgaris. Fishing for Eels. Migratory habits. Young 
 Eels as bait. Eels not hermaphrodites ..... 177 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 THE SALMON FAMILY.— SALMONIDJS. 
 Remarks on the Salmonid»._The Brook Trout. Scientific descrip- 
 tion. Habits and manner of breeding. Growth. Difference in 
 size between Trout of still waters and those of brisk streams 
 Effect of light and shade, and bright or dark water, on the color 
 of Trout. Errors as regards new species. Food of the Trout. Its 
 greediness. Its geographical range. Former abundance and causes 
 of decrease. Size of Trout in the regions of Lake Superior and 
 State of Maine. Size in the preserved watefs of England, and size 
 the angler is restricted to in rented waters—The Salmon. Former 
 abundance in the rivers of New York and (l.o Eastern States. 
 Great numbers in California, Oregon, and British Possession*. 
 
xn 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 Doclinft of the Salmon-flsherics in British Provinoes. Scientific 
 description. Natural process of propagation. Their growth. Parr, 
 Smolt, and Grilse. Mature Salmon. Size of Salmon. Instinct. 
 Restocking depleted rivers, and introducing Salmon into new waters. 
 Their migration from sea to fresh rirers, and gradual preparation 
 for their change of habitat. Salmon-leaps. Food of Salmon at sea.— 
 The Canadian Trout, or Sea Trout, Scdmo Canadenaia. Error in 
 referring it to the species Salmo trutta of Europe ; their dissimilar- 
 ity. Its affinity to Salino fontinalu (Brook Trout). Sea-Trout 
 fishing in the Tabbisintac. Mr. Perley's and Dr. Adamson's account 
 of Sea-Trout fishing. Their abundance in the rivers falling into 
 the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and annoyance to Salmon-fishers.— The 
 Schoodio Trout, or Dwarf Salmon of the St. Croix, Salmo Oloveri. 
 Account of three summers' fishing in the Schoodio Lakes.— The 
 Groat Lake Trout, Salmo namaycush. Manner of taking them.— 
 The Lesser Lake Trout, Salmo Adirondacua. Trolling for Lake 
 Trout.— Back's Grayling, Thymallua aigntfer. Dr. Richardson's 
 remarks on the Grayling.— The Smelt, Oamema viridiacena. Their 
 great numbers along the northern part of our coast. Smelt in the 
 Schuylkill. Quantity sent south from Boston. Smelt used as a 
 fertilizer.— The Capelin, Mallotua w//o«m».— The Whitefish, Co- 
 regonua albua.—Tcout Bait-fishing igj 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 SALT-WATER PISH AND FISHING. 
 Introductory Remarks.— The Sheepshead.- The Weakfish, or Salt- 
 Water Trout— The Barb, or Kingfish.- The Spot, Pigfisb, or 
 Goody.— The Croaker.— The Redfish of the Gulf of Mexico.— The 
 Bluefish, or Snapping Mackerel.- The Spanish Mackerel.— The 
 Pompano (Southern).— The Drumfish.— The Flounder.— The Sear 
 Bass.— The Blackfish.— The Mullet.— The Tom Cod, or Frostfish.— 
 The Porgy . . £77 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 TROUT PLY-FISHING.— OUTFIT AND TACKLE. 
 
 Wading-Jacket.— Trousers.— Boots.-Creel or Basket.- Landing-Net. 
 —Rods.— Reels— LJnes.-Leaders.-Flies.-The Whip . . 30S 
 
00NTBNT8. 
 
 zvu 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 TROUT PLY-FISHINO.— THE STBBAM. 
 Casting tho Fly.—Theory of strict imitation.—Striking and killing a 
 Fish.— Likely places, how to fish them 327 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 SALMON-PISHINO. 
 
 Tackle used in Salmon-Fishing.-Rods.-Reels.-Reel-lines.-Cast- 
 ing-line8.-Salmon-fiie8.-Matorial8 required for Salmon-flies for 
 American rivers.-Salmon-flies for the rivers of New Brunswick 
 and Canada—Theory and practice of Salmon-fishing.-Salmon- 
 fishing compared with Trout^flshing—Casting the fly.-The straightr 
 forward cast, casting over the loft shoulder, casting in difficult 
 places, explained by diagrams—Casting in an unfavorable wind— 
 Striking.-PIaylng a Salmon— What a Salmon will do or may do- 
 Gaffing— Camping on the river.-Camp equipage.-Proteotion 
 agamst mosquitoes, black-flies, and midges— Clothing, Ac-Cook- 
 ing uten8ils.-Store8.-Co«,king Salmon on the river.-To boil a 
 Salmon— To broil a Salmon— Cold Salmon— Soused Salmon.- 
 To bake or steam a Grilse under the coals and ashes.-Kippered 
 Salmon— Smoked Salmon.-Law and Custom on the river . . 345 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 SALMON-RIVERS OP THE BRITISH PROVINCES. 
 Salmon-rivers of Lower Canada-Salmon-rivers emptying into or 
 tributary to rivers flowing int« the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Bay 
 of Chaleurs— Salmon-rivers of New Brunswick, and those of 
 
 Canadaadjacent— Mirimichi.-Ri8tigouche.-Metapediac— Cas- 
 oapediaes— Bonaventure— Tittigouchc-Nipissiguit . . .379 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 REPAIRS, KNOTS, LOOPS, AND RECEIPTS. 
 Repairn— To wax silk, thread, or twine— Tying on hooks and making 
 loops, illustrated.-Splicing a line and splicing a rod, illustrated.- 
 Knots— The angler's single and double knot, and knot used in 
 
 2 
 
XVIU 
 
 OONTBNTB. 
 
 tying on drop-fliea, WMntfld.— A gang of hooka, illustrated.— 
 Receipts. — For making wax. — For dyeing gut. — For dyeinp^ feather* 
 and flubbing 405 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 PLY-MAKINO. 
 
 ImplemontB.— Hand-Vice, Spring-Pliers, Ac— Book for holding mate- 
 rials.— Materials.— Hooks.— Out.— Tinsel.— Dubbing.— Hackles.— 
 Wings.- To tie a plain Hackle.— To tie a Palmer.— To make a fl.v 
 with wings , 419 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 BOD-MAKINO. 
 
 Woods used in making rods. — Wood and Malacca cane for fly-rods. — 
 Materials used by amateur rod-makers. — To make a fly-rod of three 
 pieces. — To make a tip. — To stain a rod. — Oiling and varnishing. — 
 Wrapping splices and putting on rings. — To make a " rent and 
 glued," or quarter- sectioned tip. — Draw-plate and V tool illustrated 
 and explained. — Manner of splitting cane and joining the pieces of 
 a quarter-sectioned tip described by diagram. — Making middle 
 pieces and tips without splices. — Manner of making a fly-rod to be 
 adjusted to light or heavy fishing. — Ferule-making . , , 441 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 FISH-BREEDIMQ. 
 
 Causes of the decreaso if Salmon and Trout. — ii.'iriiirkrt on fish-pond^ 
 and the manner of stocking them. — Artif cinl f'sh Huuding — with 
 illustrations, showing the manner of expressing the ova and milt, 
 tlie arrangement of hatching-troughs, and the growth of the fish ; 
 from " A Complete Treatise on Artificial Fish-Breeding," by W. H. 
 Fry, Esq., with some remarks of the author of this work. — The 
 >i(«uarium — its appropriate size and form, and manner of stocking 
 it with fish and introducing suitable aquatic plants . . , 459 
 
00NTKNT8. 
 
 xix 
 
 DIES PISCATOKI^. 
 
 Thi " HousiLBss Anglim" 
 
 Tm Noonday Roast 
 
 Firnt Nooning— Trout-flshing in Hamilton County, Now York 
 Second Nooning— Trout-fishing in New llampuhire 
 Third Noon in-— Trout-fishing in the regions of Lake Supe 
 Fourth Nooning— Trout-tishing in the Adirondacks 
 
 Flv--Fi8hino Aloni . 
 
 • » • . « 
 
 The Angler's Sabbatm .... 
 Conclusion 
 
 Page 480 
 . 497 
 50.3 
 513 
 531 
 647 
 067 
 689 
 600 
 
 nor 
 
 SUPPLEMENT. 
 
 Address to Readers . , , , , , ana 
 
 Salmon Rivers ^ gnw 
 
 Oeographioftl position ^ _ qq-j gQg 
 
 Salm.m-fishing in Canada.— Tho Ooodbout, Mii ^-an and Mani- 
 
 tou, Moisie, St. John, Natashquan, St. Mnvgar. Laval, Jaques . 
 
 Cartier, Trinity, St. Margaret (e« bos), Ber. aiis, Romaine 
 
 600, 610 
 Account of Salmon-fishing in the St. John, Goo )out, Moisie, 
 Nipissiguit, Mingan, and Manitou, in 186;i . . . 611, 612 
 
 "All about Fishing" ... ' ' «io 
 " ol3 
 
 Salmon-fishing on the River St. John, C. E.-Journal of a trip to 
 
 the St. John in 1863 g,^ 
 
 The Moisie.— Score of Three Rods in 1862 and 1863 . . 626 
 The Goodbout.— Score of Three Rods in 1864 . . . .628 
 The Great Natnshqunn.— Journal of Dr. Fiske . . . .629 
 Tho Nipissiguit.— Journal of the Author in the years 1863 and 
 '"•* 632 
 
XX 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 Sea-Trout Fishing 649 
 
 Description of the Sea-Trout.— Frank Forester's and Mr. Perley's 
 
 account of, reviewed 649 
 
 Rivers and stations where found . . . . . . 653 
 
 Inland Trout Fishing 654 
 
 Journal of an excursion to Lakes Umbagog and MoUyohunke- 
 
 munk, in 1864 654 
 
 r- 1 Trout-fishing in the Adirondacks 668 
 
 The true spirit of Trout-fishing 669 
 
 Striped Bass Fishing 671 
 
 The " mode peculiar."— Where to Ssh, and the tackle to be used 
 
 671, 672 
 Fish Breeding 
 
 Natural and artificial breeding of Trout 
 Observations on the manner of fecundation 
 Stocking Trout-ponds on Long Island . 
 Stocking ponds and lakelets with Black Bass 
 Prof. Agnel's experiment .... 
 Conclusion 
 
 677 
 
 677 
 683 
 686 
 688 
 689 
 692 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 PRONTISPIBCB— VIEW OF THE GRAND PALLS ON THE NIPISSI- 
 
 GUIT, From a Photograph bt Russkl, of St. Johb, N. B. 
 RIVER SCENE p^^^ 5 
 
 HALACOPTERYGII AND ACANTH0PTERYGII-P08ITI0N OF FINS 
 
 IN THE TWO ORDERS ..... s» 
 
 POSITION OF TEETH AND GILL-COVERS 
 HOOKS AND SWIVELS 
 R0CKPI8H, OR STRIPED BASS . 
 UNCLE ROLLY . 
 
 WHITE PERCH.— GRAY PERCH . 
 FRESH-WATER BASS OF THE SOUTH AND WEST 
 BLACK BASS OP THE NORTHERN LAKES 
 ORAPPIE, OR SAC-A-LAI 
 YELLOW-BARRED PERCH . 
 SUNFISH, OR SUNNY .... 
 FISHING FOR SUNNIES . 
 GREAT NORTHERN LAKE PICKEREL 
 CANADIAN BOATMAN 
 
 MASCALONGE 
 
 POND PIKE .... 
 
 GORGE-HOOK ..... 
 THE MAJOR 
 
 • • • 
 
 THE HOSTLER TELLING A PISH STORY . 
 THE CHUB-FISHER'S IMPROVED UMBRELLA 
 GIRL FISHING FOR ROACH .... 
 
 («i) 
 
 • 
 
 ERS 
 
 • 
 
 
 8' 
 
 • 
 
 ■• 
 
 . 89 
 90 
 
 ST . 
 
 
 . 99 
 108 
 
 • 
 
 
 . Ill 
 114 
 
 . • 
 
 
 , 116 
 
 iir 
 
 • 
 • 1 
 
 
 131 
 
 134 
 
 • 
 • « 
 
 
 136 
 138 
 
 • • 
 
 • * 
 
 139 
 146 
 
 • 
 
 
 160 
 
 • 
 
 . . 
 
 160 
 
 , 
 
 
 162 
 
xzu 
 
 LIST OF ILLUSTP.ATIONS. 
 
 BROOK TROUT 
 
 SALMON 
 
 • • • • 
 
 GROWTH OF THE YOUNG SALMON 
 SALMON-PRY.— PINK AND SMOLT . 
 GUIDE 
 
 • • • 
 
 GREAT LAKE TROUT . 
 
 LESSER LAKE TROUT 
 
 GANG OP HOOKS, BAITED 
 
 SMELT .... 
 
 CHILDREN ON A TROUT STREAM . 
 
 SHEEPSHBAD 
 
 WEAK-FISH . . . 
 
 BARB OR KINGFISH 
 
 SPOT, PIGFI8H, OR GOODY . 
 
 CROAKER .... 
 
 REDPISH OF THE GULF OP MEXICO 
 
 BLUEFISH OR SNAPPING MACKEREL 
 
 SPANISH MACKEREL . 
 
 POMPANO.— CRBVALLB . 
 
 BOAT 
 
 TROUT-FLIES . . . , 
 
 LANDING-NETS FOR FLY-FISHING . 
 
 HEAD OF A TROUT 
 
 THE OLD SPRING BY THE ROADSIDE 
 
 REEL FOR SALMON-FISHING 
 
 SALMON-FLIES 
 
 RIGHT AND LEFT-SHOULDERED, AND D 
 
 BARK-PEELER'S HORSE AND STABLE 
 
 CANOEMAN 
 
 TYING ON HOOKS AND LOOPS 
 
 SPLICING LINE AND ROD 
 
 KNOTS . 
 
 • • • 
 
 GANG 
 
 • • t 
 
 SETTLER'S CABIN 
 
 PIN-VICE AND SPRING PLIERS . 
 
 FLY-MAKING .... 
 
 FEATHER CUT FOR WINGS 
 "PLEASE, SIR, GIVE ME A FLY-HOOK?" 
 
 
 FAOB 
 
 
 194 
 
 
 . 205 
 
 • • • 
 
 224 
 
 
 . 227 
 
 
 247 
 
 
 . 249 
 
 
 255 
 
 
 . 258 
 
 
 288 
 
 
 . 274 
 
 
 280 
 
 
 . 283 
 
 
 28A 
 
 
 . 289 
 
 
 391 
 
 
 . 293 
 
 
 294 
 
 
 . 290 
 
 
 298 
 
 
 . 802 
 
 
 806 
 
 
 . 807 
 
 
 826 
 
 
 . 842 
 
 * * • 
 
 848 
 
 
 . 353 
 
 FICULT CASTING 
 
 362 
 
 
 . 376 
 
 * * • 
 
 402 
 
 
 . 406 
 
 » • , 
 
 408 
 
 
 . 409 
 
 * • • 
 
 409 
 
 
 . 41(1 
 
 * • • 
 
 420 
 
 
 . 429 
 
 * • • 
 
 434 
 
 
 . 438 
 
 mmnitm 
 
 ^iritoilMMiii 
 
 «i l i 1 1 1 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIOyS. 
 
 ZXlll 
 
 ROD-MAKING— V TOOL AND DRAW-PLATB 
 
 MAKING QUARTER-SECTIONED TIPS 
 MALACCA CANE . 
 FISH-BREEDING— HATCHING TROUGHS 
 ' EXPRESSING THE SPAWN 
 OVA AND YOUNG SALMON . 
 
 SCIENTIFIC ANGLING 
 
 SAW-MILL ON TROUT STREAM 
 
 AFTER THE ROAST 
 
 " THEE MUSN'T GO THROUGH THAT RYE !" 
 
 A THIEF'S PORTRAIT 
 
 UNCLE LOT .... 
 
 BLACKSMITH'S BOY 
 
 DISCUSSING THE DRAFT 
 
 OFF FOR A DEER DRIVE 
 
 WATCHING FOR DEER 
 
 STONE THROWER . 
 
 SAND-PIPERS . 
 
 RIVBR 80BNB 
 
 THE ST. LAWRENCE, QUEBEC, AND CITADEL 
 
 ST. JOHN, N. B. . 
 
 THE 8AGUENAY 
 
 THE TROUT POOL .... 
 
 PAOB 
 
 449 
 . 450 
 461 
 , 468 
 469 
 477 
 482 
 404 
 600 
 610 
 628 
 644 
 662 
 664 
 660 
 664 
 676 
 6f 
 
 e . 
 
 649 
 662 
 664 
 
<'ii ■iwli.iiriM*uMMii%MaMM 
 
 ■"MBmMmmpih 
 
m MEMORIAM. 
 
 The guild of anglers has lost a master of the gentle art 
 Thaddeus Norris, of Philadelphia, widely known throughout the 
 country as a teacher and authority on fish and angling, has passed 
 away. Suddenly but painlessly he fell into his final rest on the 
 11th of April, 1877, at his home in this city. 
 
 To those who enjoyed intimate companionship with him no 
 words the writer can pen are needed to keep his memory green; 
 still, a duty remains to outline, however feebly, some of the ch J 
 racteristics of an angler whom Walton would have loved as 
 a kindred spirit. To attempt to furnish even a brief record of 
 the events of his life is not the writer's purpose. It will be suf- 
 ficient to notice that he was born near Warrenton, in Virginia, 
 in 1811, and at an early age he removed tb Philadelphia, which 
 was his home for the rest of his life. He acquired, as a boy 
 a love for fishing; but, to quote his own words, he "never became 
 an angler until he ceased to trust in the flesh"— that is, had 
 abandoned the bait and learned to cast the fly. But this latter 
 art, once acquired, became a delight of his life; and an experience 
 of over thirty-five years' practice as a fisherman in one so patient 
 so close in observation, and so fair in his conclusions as Mr. Norris' 
 gave his name deserved weight with naturalists and savans, as well 
 as anglers, in all questions touching the genera, habitats and cha- 
 ractenstics of fish, as well as the best methods for their capture 
 
 The special charm in Mr. Norris to his brother-anglers was his 
 subtle and artistic perception of all that is poetical and beautiful 
 
IN MEMORIAM. 
 
 in the surroundings of the angler at his sport, and his power to 
 portray truthfully and impressively the comfort and delight they 
 imparted to his own physical and spiritual being, by bringing him 
 into the closest contact with the wonderful and beautiful creations 
 which the great Maker and Builder hath wrought in His handi- 
 work which we call Nature. To some men life in the woods and 
 by the stream is a kind of inspiration. If Thoreau had been an 
 angler, he would have been one after the heart of our departed 
 friend. And the reader of Mr. Norris's miscellaneous sketches at 
 the conclusion of his " American Angler's Book," especially the 
 two entitled "Fly-Fishing Alone" and "The Angler's Sabbath," 
 will in some measure comprehend, if he has the stuff in him 
 whereof the true angler is made, how closely the writer of them 
 dwelt to Nature's true " inwardness," and how keen was his appre- 
 ciation of the secrets which the woods and waters reveal to those 
 who love them. 
 
 For twenty years I was his companion in many of his excur- 
 sions to the mountain- streams for trout fishing, and while in ex- 
 pertness, perseverance and keen relish for luring the wary trout to 
 his fly he had few superiors, it was not by these that he made a 
 trip in his company one long pleasure. The vista down the stream 
 underneath o'erarching boughs ; the sturdy or graceful forms of 
 the various trees, according to their kind ; the exquisite forms of 
 vegetable life as shown in the mosses, ferns and lowly growths of 
 the forest and along the margin of the stream ; the aromatic balm 
 of the air, laden w^th the resinous odors of spruce and hemlock ; 
 the habits of birds and insects ; the expressions and colors of the 
 dawn and sunset; the changing face of a familiar landscape under 
 varying skies, with alternations of lights and shadows,— all tJiese 
 things fed his soul with joy and moved him to the utterance of 
 devout gratitude to God, who thus opened His storehouse of won- 
 ders and beauties to all His children, and made His best gifts com- 
 mon to all the race. 
 
 Possessing great mechanical gifts, he was led on little by little 
 
IN MEMORIAM. 
 
 to essay making his own implements for his spring and summer 
 campaigns, and in time acquired such great facility and such 
 accurate knowledge of the best materials for their construction, 
 that his rods and flies, in the judgment of many experts, had no 
 superiors. He was ever full of sympathy and encouragement fjr 
 every novice in angling or tackle-making who chose to appeal to 
 his stores of useful knowledge for suggestions or aid. The boy 
 who loved to go a-fishing always found the soft spot in his heart ; 
 • and his love for children was as remarkable as his success in win- 
 ning them to love him. He ever manifested the heartiest sympa- 
 thy and respect for the worthy poor, and his sudden depai-ture 
 will be mourned in many a lowly home where the dwellers had 
 had their burdens lightened and their hearts cheered by a friend 
 whose interest in their welfare they knew by an infallible instinct 
 was genuine and sincere. 
 
 Without professing any ability for literary work, his accurate 
 knowledge and his thorough appreciation of the subjects of which 
 he wrote, enabled him to produce one of the most instructive and 
 entertaining books on angling which has ever been published, 
 while his work on pisciculture is recognized as a standard author- 
 ity on a subject now engaging widespread attention. 
 
 His experience in angling was wide and varied. From the 
 lordly salmon to the smallest member of the finny tribe, he had 
 captured many varieties, and in many waters. But after all this 
 experience was attained, he was ever ready to confess that his 
 highest enjoyment from the sport was attained by an excursion 
 with a congenial spirit to a mountain trout-stream which he could 
 wade, and along which he could wander at will, taking in due 
 season his "nooning" and rest for the impromptu dinner, made up 
 in good part from the morning catch, and where the pipe and 
 sweet discourse which followed whiled away the time until the 
 afternoon sun lowered to the proper point for beginning the even- 
 ing fishing, which was protracted into the gloaming: this was, in 
 his opinion, the crown of the angler's delight. How often hal it 
 
IN MEMORIAM. 
 
 •Tr t,T ' "" '^ *" ™J°^ """ '«"=« «'"■ 1-i". 1 What 
 full of knowledge m all things pert«m„g ,„ ,he er.ft, What a 
 drol raoomeurl How vividly he ocld depict the .„u,i„g „r 
 grotoque pomte of the ,„ee, people he had met I how full of fe^e 
 .»d »„g and story I and withal how noble, how u„«lfch, and how 
 warm-hearted - Dear Uncle Thad ! never again shall we take our 
 diversions together, or revisit the scenes of our former exploits by 
 the hmp,d wate« of tl,e mountain-streams, where our frLdshil 
 was strengthened to a true brotherhood ! mendship 
 
 ^ But if this feeble tribute to thy worth and admirable qualities 
 shal help to lead the younger band of enthusiastic angle™" 
 emuhtte thy example, by cultivating the habi, of so usingThe^ 
 wanden„gs,n quest of recreation that they shall grow in useful 
 
 andll*'; ;: ""' *■": °' ""■"-"■'^ -" '^■"'•v. <» •- of o^ 
 
 and thc.r fellow-men, then it is «. that out of a full heart these 
 few feeble words have been spoken. 
 
 Joseph B. Townsekd. 
 
 PHrtADELPHIA, April, 1877. 
 
 L_ 
 
What 
 lources, 
 Nhat a 
 jing or 
 'f verse 
 id how 
 ke our 
 oits by 
 udship 
 
 lalitief) 
 era to 
 their 
 useful 
 rOod 
 these 
 
 ND. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 ANGLING 
 
"QoiTuma fcan, bewrt-tMring can*, 
 Anziout itgh*, untimely taan, 
 
 Jfly, fly to court*, 
 
 Vly to fond worldlingi' iporta, 
 Whare strained Sardonic iniilee are gtutin^ »tlU, 
 And griaf ia Ibroad to laugh agalnat l>ai wlUj 
 
 Where mirth's but u.^. jmery, 
 
 And sorrows only real be. 
 
 'fly from our country pastlmat, I7, 
 Bad troopa Pi' hninan miaary:— 
 
 Come, serene looks, 
 
 Clear as the crystal }• ooss, 
 Or the pure asure«.' heaven that smllea to m« 
 The rich attendance on our poverty; 
 
 Peace, and a secure mind. 
 
 Which all men seek, we only And." 
 
 WALtOM. 
 
 ■MMkMMi 
 
 ■iMki 
 
CHAPTER I. 
 ANOLINO. 
 
 ItR hamoniilng influences.— aocollections of Angling in boyhood, its after 
 influence on manhood.— Its sooial tendency.— What and Who is an 
 Angler?— Diff-erent kinds of Anglers.- The Snob Angler.— The Greedy 
 Angler.- The Spick-and-Span Angler.— The Rough-and-Ready Angler. 
 —The Literary Angler.— The Shad-roe Fisherman. -The English Ad- 
 miral, an Angler.— The True Angler. 
 
 It is not my intention to oflfer any remarks on the 
 antiquity of Angling, or say much in its defence. Dame 
 Juliana Berners. Isaac Walton, and more recent authors, 
 have discoursed learnedly on its origin, and defended it 
 wisely and valiantly from the aspersions and ridicule of 
 those who cannot appreciate its quiet joys, and who know 
 not the solace and peace it brings to the haras&id mind, 
 or how it begets and fosters contentment and a love of 
 nature. 
 
 I ask any caviller to read Dr. Bethune's Bibliographical 
 Preface to his edition of Walton; and then Father Izaak's 
 address to the readers of his discourse, " but especially to 
 THE HONEST ANGLEK," and accompany him in spirit, as 
 Bethune does, by the quiet Lea, or Cotton by the bright 
 rippling Dove; and if he be not convinced of the blessed 
 influences of the "gentle art," or if his heart is not warmed, 
 or no recollections of his boyish days come back to him, I 
 give him up without a harsh word, but with a feeling of 
 regret, that a lifetime should be spent without attaining so 
 much of quiet happiness that might have been so easily 
 
 (27) 
 
28 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 possessed, and quoting a few sad >7ord8 from Whittier's 
 Maud Muller, I only say '•' it might have been." 
 
 Many anglers, such as Sir Humphrey Davy and Sir Joshua 
 Reynolds, besides some of my own acquaintance, have sought 
 Its cheering influences in advanced life. I know of one whose 
 early manhood and maturer years were spent on the boister- 
 ous deep, and who, though now past eighty, is still an ardent, 
 but quiet angler; and when no better sport can be found, 
 He will even fish through the ice in winter for Roach. No 
 doubt his days have been lengthened out, and the burden of 
 life lightened, by his love of angling. 
 
 But how sweetly memories of the past come to one who 
 has appreciated and enjoyed it from his boyhood, whose 
 almost first penny, after he wore jacket and trowsers, bought 
 his first fish-hook ; whose first fishing-line was twisted by 
 mother or sister ; whose float was the cork of a physic vial, 
 and whose sinkers were cut from the sheet-lead of an old tea- 
 chest ! Thus rigged, with what glad anticipations of sport, 
 many a boy has started on some bright Saturday morning, 
 his gourd, or old cow's horn of red worms in one pocket, and 
 a jack-knife in the other, to cut his alder-pole with, and 
 wandered "free and far" by still pool and swift waters, 
 dinnerless — except perhaps a slight meal at a cherry tree, or 
 a handful of berries that grew along his path — and come 
 Home at night weary and footsore, but exulting in his string 
 of chubs, minnows, and sunnies, the largest as broad as his 
 three fingers! He almost falls asleep under his Saturday 
 night scrubbing, but in the morning, does ample justice to 
 his "catch," which is turned out of the pan, crisp and brown, 
 and matted together like a pan-cake. 
 
 In my school days, a boy might have been envied, but not 
 -Dved for proficiency in his studies ; but he was most courted, 
 WDo knew the best fishing-holes ; who had plenty of powder 
 
ANGLING. 
 
 29 
 
 and shot ; the best squirrel dog, and the use of his father's 
 long flintlock gun. And I confess, as I write these lines with 
 my spectacles on, that I have still a strong drawing towards 
 this type of a boy, whether I meet him in my lonely rambles, 
 or whether he dwells only in my memory. 
 
 Sometimes the recollection of our boyish sports comes back 
 to us after manhood, and one who has been " addicted" to 
 fishing relapses into his old " ailment ;" then angling becomes 
 a pleasant kind of disease, and one's friends are apt to 
 become inoculated with the virus, for it is contagious. Or 
 men are informally introduced to each other on the stream, 
 by a good-humored salutation, or an inquiry of " Wliat luckr 
 or a display of the catch, or the offer of a segar, or the flask, 
 or a new fly ; and with such introduction have become fast 
 friends, from that affinity which draws all true anglers 
 together. 
 
 But let me ask what is an angler, and who is a true angler ? 
 One who fishes with nets is not, neither is he who spears, 
 snares, or dastardly uses the crazy bait to get fish, or who 
 catches them on set lines ; nor is he who is boisterou.s, noisy, 
 or quarrelsome; nor are those who profess to practise the 
 higher branches of the art, and affect contempt for their more 
 humble brethren, who have not attained to their proficiency, 
 imbued with the feeling that should possess the true angler. ' 
 Nor is he who brings his ice-chest from town, and fishes 
 all day with worm or fly, that he may return to the city and 
 boastingly distribute his soaked and tasteless trout among 
 his friends, and brag of the numbers be has basketed, from 
 fingerlings upwards. 
 
 Anglers may be divided into almost as many genera and 
 species as the fish thev catch, and engage in the sport from 
 as many impulses. Let me give, " en passant," a sketch of a 
 few of the many I have met with. 
 
80 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 There is the Fussy Angler, a great bore; of course you will 
 shun him. The " Snob" Angler, who speaks confidently and 
 knowingly on a slight capital of skill or experience. The 
 Greedy, Pushing Angler, who rushes ahead and half fishes the 
 water, leaving those who follow, in doubt as to whether he 
 has fished a pool or rift carefully, or slurred it ove- in his 
 haste to reach some well-known place down the stream 
 before his companions. The company of these, the quiet, 
 careful angler will avoid. 
 
 We also meet sometimes with the "Spick-and-Span" Angler,, 
 who has a highly varnished rod, and a superabundance of 
 useless tackle ; his outfit is of the most elaborate kind as 
 regards its finish. He is a dapper "well got up" angler in 
 all his appointments, and fishes much in-doors over his claret 
 and poteen, when he has a good listener. He frequently 
 displays bad taste in his tackle, intended for fly-fishing, by 
 having a thirty dollar multiplying reel, filled with one of 
 Conroy's very best relaid sea-grass lines,strong enough to 
 hold a dolphin. If you meet him on the teeming waters of 
 northern New York, the evening's display of his catch, 
 depends much on the rough skill of his guide. 
 
 The Eough-and-Eeady Angler, the opposite of the afore- 
 named, disdains all "tomfoolery," and carries his tackle in 
 an old shot-bag, and his flies in a tangled mass. 
 
 We have also the Literary Angler, who reads Walton and 
 admires him hugely; he has been inoculated with the 
 sentimeni only ; the five-mile walk up the creek, where it has 
 not been fished much, is very fatiguing to him ; he " did not 
 know he must wade the stream," and does not until he slips 
 in, and then he has some trouble at night to get his boots oft". 
 He is provided witli a stout bass rod, good strong leaders of 
 salmon- gut, and a stock of Conroy's "journal flies," and 
 
ANGLING. 
 
 81 
 
 wonders if he had not better put on a slwt just above his 
 stretcher-fly. 
 
 The Pretentious Angler, to use a favorite expression of the 
 lamented Dickey Biker, once Eecorder of the city of New 
 rork, is one "that prevails to a great extent in this com- 
 munity." This gentleman has many of the qualities attri- 
 buted by Fisher, of the "Angler's Souvenir," to Sir Humphrey 
 Davy. If he has attained the higher branches of the art, he 
 affects to despise all sport which he considers less scientific; 
 if a salmon fisher, he calls trout "vermin;" if he is a trout 
 fly-fisher, he professes contempt for bait fishing. We have 
 talked with true anglers who were even disposed to censure 
 the eminent Divine, who has so ably, and with such labor of 
 love, edited our American edition of Walton, for affectation, 
 in saying of the red worm, "our hands have long since been 
 washed of the dirty things." The servant should not be above 
 his master, and certainly " Iz. Wa.," whose disciple the Doctor 
 professed to be. considered it no indignity to use them, nor 
 was he disgusted with his " horn of gentles." But the Doctor 
 was certainly right in deprecating the use of ground bait in 
 reference to trout, when the angler can with a little faith and 
 less greed soon learn the use of the fly. 
 
 The Shad-Toe Fisherman. -The habitat of this genus (and 
 they are rarely found elsewhere) is Philadelphia. There are 
 many persons of the aforesaid city, who fish only when this 
 bait can be had, and an idea seems to possess them that fish 
 w.ll bite at no other. This fraternity could have been found 
 some years back, singly or in pairs, or little coteries of three 
 or four, on any sun-shiny day from Easter to Whitsuntide 
 heavmg their heavy dipsies and horsehair snoods from the 
 ends of the piers, or from canal-boats laid up in ordinarv-the 
 old floating bridge at Gray's Ferry was a favorite resort for 
 
88 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 tbem. Sometimes the party was convivial, and provided with 
 a junk bottle of what they believed to be oU rye. 
 
 Before the gas-works had destroyed the fishing in the 
 Schuylkill, I frequently observed a solitary individual of this 
 species, wending his way to the river on Sunday mornings 
 with a long reed-pole on his shoulder, and in his hand a tin 
 kettle of shad-roe; and his "prog," consisting of hard-boiled 
 eggs and crackers and cheese, tied up in a cotton bandana 
 handkerchief. Towards nightfall "he might have been seen" 
 (as James the novelist says of the horseman), trudging home- 
 ward with a string of Pan Eock and White Perch, or 
 " Catties" and Eels, his trowsers and coat sleeves well plastered 
 with his unctuous bait, suggesting the idea of what, in vulgar 
 parlance, might be called "a very nasty man." 
 
 But let us not turn up our scientific noses at this humble 
 brother; nor let the home missionary or tracr distributor rate 
 him too severely, if he should meet with him in his Sunday 
 walks; for who can tell what a quiet day of consolation it 
 has been to him ; he has found relief from the toils and cares 
 of the week, and perhaps from the ceaseless tongue of his 
 shrewish "old woman." If his sport has been good, he 
 follows It up the next day, and keeps "blue Monday." 
 
 We have seen some very respectable gentlemen in our day 
 engaged in fishing with shad-roe at Fairmount Dam. The 
 bar even had its representative, in one of our first criminal 
 court lawyers. He did not "dress the character" with as 
 much discrimination as when he lectured on Shakspeare, for 
 he always wore his blue coat with gilt buttons: he did not 
 appear to be a successful angler. " Per contra" to this was a 
 wealthy retired merchant, who used to astonish us with his 
 knack of keeping this difficult bait on his hooks, and his skill 
 in hooking little White Perch. Many a troller has seen him 
 flitting bolt upright in the bow of his boat on a cool morning 
 
ANGLING. 
 
 83 
 
 in May, with his overcoat buttoned up to his chin, his jolly 
 spouse in the stern, and his servant amidship, baiting the 
 hooks and taking off the lady's fish. The' son also was an 
 adept as well as the sire. Woe to the perch fisher, with his 
 bait of little silvery eels, if these occupied the lower part of 
 the swim, for the fish were all arrested by the stray ova that 
 floated off from the " gobs" of shad- roe. 
 
 As we love contrasts, let us here make a slight allusion to 
 that sensible "old English gentleman," the Admiral, who 
 surveyed the north-west coast of America, to see, if in the 
 contingency of the Yankees adhering to their claim of "fifty- 
 four forty," the country about Vancouver's Island was worth 
 contending for. He was an ardent angler, and it is reported, 
 that on leaving his ship he provided stores for a week,, which 
 comprised of course not a few drinkables, as well as salmon 
 rods and other tackle, and started in his boats to explore the 
 rivers and tributaries, which, so goes the story, were so 
 crammed in many places with salmon, that they could be 
 captured with a boat-hook ; and still with all the variety of 
 salmon flies and the piscatory skill of the admiral and his 
 officers, not a fish could be induced to rise at the fly. He 
 returnea to his ship disheartened and disgusted, averring 
 that the country was not worth contending for; that the 
 Yankees might have it and be ; but it would be inde- 
 corous to record the admiral's mild expletive. 
 
 The True Angler is thoroughly imbued with the spirit of 
 gentle old Izaak. He has no affectation, and when a fly-cast 
 is not to be had, can find amusement in catching Sunfish or 
 Roach, and does not despise the sport of any humbler brother 
 of the angle. With him, fishing is a recreation, and a 
 " calmer of unquiet thoughts." He never quarrels with his 
 luck, knowing that satiety dulls one's appreciation of sport 
 as much as want of success, but is ever content when he has 
 3 
 
84 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 done his best, and looks hopefully forward to a more pro- 
 pitious day. Whether from boat or rocky shore, or alon^ 
 the sedgy bank of the creek, or the stony margin of the 
 mountain brook, he deems it an achievement to take fish 
 when they are difficult to catch, and his satisfaction is in 
 proportion. If he is lazy, or a superannuated angler, he can 
 even endure a few days' trolling on an inland lake, and 
 smokes his cigar, chats with the boatman, and takes an 
 occasional "nip," as he is rowed along the wooded sliore and 
 amongst the beautiful islands. 
 
 A true angler is generally a modest man ; unobtrusively 
 
 communicative when he can impart a new idea ; and is evei 
 
 ready to let a pretentious tyro have his say, and good- 
 
 naturedly (as if merely suggesting how it should be done) 
 
 repairs his tackle, or gets him out of a scrape. He is 
 
 moderately provided with all tackle and "fixins" necesoary 
 
 to the fishing he is in pursuit of. Is quietly self-reliant and 
 
 equal to almost any emergency, from splicing his rod or 
 
 tying his own flies, to trudging ten miles across a rough 
 
 country with his luggage on his back. His enjoyment con- 
 
 sists not only in the taking of fish : he draws much pleasure 
 
 from the soothing influence and delightful accompaniments 
 
 of the art. 
 
 With happy memories of the past summer, he joins to- 
 gether the three pieces of his fly-rod at home, when the 
 scenes of the last season's sport are wrapped in snow and ice, 
 and renews the glad feelings of long summer days. With 
 what interest he notes the swelling of the buds on the maples, 
 or the advent of the blue-bird and robin, and looks forward 
 to the day when he is to try another cast I and, when it 
 comes at last, with what pleasing anticipations he packs up 
 his "traps," and leaves his business cares and the noisy city 
 behind, and after a few hours' or few days' travel in the cars, 
 
AX G LINO. 
 
 86 
 
 and a few miles in a rough wagon, or a vigorous tramp over 
 rugged hills or along the road that leads up the banks of the 
 river, he arrives at his quarters I He is now in the region 
 of fresh butter and mealy potatoes — there are always good 
 potatoes in a mountainous trout country. How pleasingly 
 rough everything looks after leaving the prim city ! Hbw 
 pure and wholesome the air ! How beautiful the clumps of 
 sugar-maples and the veteran hemlocks jutting out over the 
 stream; the laurel; the ivy; the moss-covered rocks; the 
 lengthening shadows of evening! How musical the old 
 familiar tinkling of the cow-bell and the cry of the whip-poor- 
 will ! How sweetly he is lulled to sleep as he hears 
 
 " The waters leap and gush 
 O'er channelled rock, and broken bush !'" 
 
 Next morning, after a hearty breakfast of mashed potatoes, 
 ham and eggs, and butter from the cream of the cow that 
 browses in the woods, he is off, three miles up the creek, a 
 cigar or his pipe in his mouth, his creel at his side, and his 
 rod over his shoulder, chatting with his chum as he goes ; 
 free, joyous, happy ; at peace with his Maker, with himself, 
 and all mankind ; he should be grateful for this much, even 
 if he catches no fish. How exhilarating the music of the 
 stream ! how invigorating its waters, causing a consciousness 
 of manly vigor, as he wades sturdily with the strong current 
 and casts his flies before him I When his zeal abates, and a 
 few of the speckled lie in the bottom of his creel, he is not 
 less interested in the wild flowers ou the bank, or the scathed 
 old hemlock on the cliff above, with its hawk's nest, the lady 
 of the house likely inside, and the male proprietor perched 
 high above on its dead top, and he breaks forth lustily — the 
 scene suggesting the song — 
 
 ' The bee's on its wing, and the hawk on its nest, 
 And the river runs merrily by." 
 
86 
 
 AMBRICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 When noon comes on, and the trout rise lazily or merely 
 nip, he halts "sub tegmine fagi," or under the shadow of the 
 dark sugar-maple to build a fire and roast trout for his 
 dinner, and wiles away three hours or so. He dines sumptu- 
 ously, straightens and dries his leader and the gut of his 
 dropper, and repairs all breakage. He smokes leisurely, or 
 even takes a nap on the green sward or velvety moss, and 
 resumes his sport when the sun has declined enough to shade 
 at least one side of the stream, and pleasantly anticipates the 
 late evening cast on the still waters far down the creek. God 
 be with you, gentle angler, if actuated with the feeling of our 
 old master I whether you are a top fisher or a bottom fisher ; 
 whether your bait be gentles, brandling, grub, or red worm ; 
 crab, shrimp, or minuow; caddis, grasshopper, or the feathery 
 counterfeit of the ephemera. May your thoughts be always 
 peaceful, and your heart filled with gratitude to Him who 
 made the country and the rivers; and "may the east wind 
 never blow when you go a fishing J" 
 
 i'i 
 
 i8 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 GENERAL REMARKS ON FISH. 
 
"l" thn boglnnlii^ v rn tho. Word, nml the Won) wm with Ood, nnd 
 the word wa« Ood. * » '' All tliliiKS wore iqa. o by him ; and without 
 him WHB uot any thing made tliat wiw made " 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 GENERAL REMARKS ON FISH. 
 
 Definition.— Origin and order in creation.— Natural mode of propagation.— 
 Habits as regards maternity.— Migration,— Vitality.— Extei"-al or- 
 guns.— Internal organization.— Ichthyology. 
 
 A Fish, according to the definition of naturalists, is a 
 vertebrate animal with red blood, breathing through water 
 by means of branchiae, generally called gills. The term fish 
 is frequently applied by unscientific persons, to animals not 
 of the ichthyic class, as in the case of the Whale, which is a 
 true mammal, but resembling the fish in many respects, 
 although its tail is placed horizontally instead of in an upright 
 position. Crustacea and Molluscs (Crabs, Lobsters, Oysters, 
 Clams, and Muscles), are also erroneously called "shell-fish." 
 In the records, of Creation, as shown by Paleontologists, 
 the remains of the earliest fishes appear in the upper Silurian 
 system, immediately beneath the Old Eed Sandstone. They 
 were the first vertebrate animals, and were cotemporuneous 
 with the earliest terrestrial vegetation. These fish were all 
 of one order, and are termed Placoids by Professor Agassiz. 
 They had internal cartilaginous frames, and an external 
 armature of plates, spines, and shagreen points. This order 
 has representatives at the present day, 'in the Sharks and Dog- 
 fish of our salt-water bays and inlets. Some of the ancient 
 Sharks had a mouth terminal at the snout, and not under- 
 neath as our man-eater, and instead of sht>rp incisors, the 
 
 (39) 
 
40 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 • ! 
 
 1 
 
 interior of the mouth and throat was tbiclcly studded with 
 hard, crushing tooth. 
 
 Next to the Placoidal order, and before they had dimin- 
 ished ill number, came the Ganoids, whose covering consisted 
 of a nearly continuous armor of hard bone with an enamelled 
 surface. One of the few representatives of this order, known 
 to us, is the '' Lepidmlexid' (the Gar-fish of the South and 
 West), whose coat of mail appears to be made of diamond- 
 shaped pieces closely joined with sutures between. Hugh 
 Miller .<4ays, " with the Old Red Sandstone, the Ganoids were 
 ushered upon the scene in ama/.ing abundance, and for untold 
 ages, comprisi-flg mayhap, millions of years; the entire Iclithyic 
 class consisted, so far as is yet known, of but these two 
 orders (Placoids and Ganoids). During the time of the Old 
 Ked Sandstone, of the Carboniferous, of the Permean, of the 
 Triassic, and of the Oolitic systems, all fishes apparently as 
 numerous as they now are, were comprised in the Ganoidal 
 and Placoidal orders. At length during the ages of the 
 Chalk, the Cycloids and Ctenoids were ushered in, and 
 gradually developed in Creation until the human period, in 
 which time they seem to have reached their culminating 
 point, and now many times exceed in number all other 
 fishes." 
 
 The " Ctenoids," l^ere mentioned by Miller, as the third in 
 order < f Creation, is one of he four lers erected by Agassiz, 
 and comprise all of those fishes, the free edges of whose 
 scales are serrated or pectinated like the teeth of a comb. To 
 this order belong the whole family of Perch, and other 
 families which have sharp spinous dorsal fins. Amongst the 
 Cycloids, are contained all those whose scales have smooth 
 continuous margins; these are generally or entirely soft- 
 finned fish, as the salmon, shad, herring, carp, chub, &c. 
 In describing the fishes of the earlier periods, Hugh Miller 
 
OBNERAL REMARKS ON FISH. 
 
 41 
 
 continues in his cnrnost mimner: "Tlio dynasty of thu Ganoids 
 waa at one tinie co-extensivo with every river, lake, and sea; 
 and endured durin<^ the unreckoned eons, whicli extended 
 from the time of the lovvor Old Eed Sandstone until those of 
 the Chalk. I may here mention, that as there are orders of 
 plants, such as the Eosaoae, and the grasses, that scarce 
 preceded man in tlieir appearance ; so there are families of 
 fishes that seem to belong peculiarly to the human period. 
 * » » # # rpjjy delicate Salmonidaa and I'louronectidte 
 families to which the Salmon and Turbot belong, were 
 ushered into being as early as the times of the Chalk ; but the 
 Gadidse or Cod Family did not precede man by at least any 
 time appreciable to the geologist." We might follow Miller 
 further in his remarks, and might show the reptilian and 
 ichthyic characteristics in the same animal; a fish apparently 
 approaching the reptile, and the reptile the fish. 
 
 We do not intend here to go into a lengthy or scientific 
 description of the roe as it exists in the female ; its ejection 
 and impregnation by the milt of the male; its progress in 
 iii^u nation, and the production and growth of the young; but 
 refer the reader to our article on Pisciculture, for all essential 
 information on so ii 'cresting a subject. 
 
 All observing anglers know that the roe is contained in 
 two sacks; this, as well as the milt ^f the male, is gradually 
 formed and developed as the fish arrives at the age of 
 puberty, and the same rule of formation, and growth of the 
 roe or milt, is repeated in the same individual after it recu- 
 perates from the exhausting effects of spawning. 
 
 Fish of the genus Sahm, wliich includes our Brook Trout, 
 are amongst the few that spawn in autumn. The ova of 
 these require water highly aerated, much oxygen being 
 needed in the incubation. These select the gentle current 
 of the streams, but if this is not accessible, as is the case in 
 
42 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 ;' 
 
 Jk 
 
 sluggish trout rivers and lakelets, they find some pool with 
 gravelly bottom where a cool spring enters. They generally 
 spawn in pairs or communities. After preparing the bed, by 
 displacing the gravel with their noses, and excavating an 
 oblong furrow of a few inches in depth, the female deposits 
 her spawn in the trench, and the male ejects his milt over it, 
 when fecundation ensues and the gravel is replaced. Another 
 furrow is then made; the spawn and milt cast; the ova 
 covered over as before ; and the- process repeated until the 
 roe and milt are exhausted. 
 
 The time required for hatching out the spawn, is various 
 with the different orders and families, Tn the same genera, 
 or even in the same species, the time may vary. Much de- 
 pends on climate and the temperature of the water ; the 
 warmer streams hatching out the eggs before those of a lower 
 temperature. The spawn of the Trout, wliich is deposited from 
 the middle of September to the first of November, produces 
 the yoang froin the first of December to the first of March, 
 and in artificial ponds, if protected from the cold winds, the 
 young fish are produced sooner, and grow faster than in 
 streams of the forest. I have seen young Trout taken below 
 an artificial pond, near Philadelphia, two inches long, in the 
 latter part of April. 
 
 Fish that spawn in still water generally deposit their ova 
 on plants, which give out sufficient oxygen to promote fecun- 
 dation. 
 
 It is seldom tliat the .young of any fish are taken by the 
 angler during the first summer, as they avoid the waters 
 where he finds his sport, awl seek smaller streams, and 
 shallower water, to escape the larger predatory fish ; the fiict 
 of their being of the same species as the destroyer, is no pro- 
 tection to the small fry. 
 
 It is unnecessary to go into an account of the mode of pro- 
 
GENERAL REMARKS ON FISH. 
 
 48 
 
 .luction of viviparous fish, the Shark, for instance, and others 
 that produce their young alive, as they are of little interest 
 to the angler, as far as sport is concerned. 
 
 Naturalists who confine themselves closely to in-door studies, 
 sometimes adopt general rules and construct theories, to which 
 observers of less scientific knowledge, but with more frequent 
 opportunities for observation, find many exceptions. 
 
 One would conclude from the writings of ichthyologists, 
 that fish always desert their ova after fecundation, and, with 
 slight precaution against enemies or accident, leave them to 
 their fate; never caring for, or protecting their ova. It is 
 true that many families, including the Salvionidse, are reck- 
 lessly improvident of their fecundated spawn ; male Trout have 
 been found with their stomachs full of the roe of their asso- 
 ciates on the same spawning-bed. But to the rule which in- 
 door naturalists suppose to be general, there are many excep- 
 tions; some of them interesting cases of provident care in the 
 protection of the impregnated spawn, and even of maternal 
 solicitude, for their young. We might instance that of the 
 little Sunfish, which spawns in the month of June, around 
 the gr-avelly shores of mill-ponds, removing the pebbles and 
 twigs to the margin of its bed, which is frequently two or 
 three feet in diameter, piling them up a few inches as a ram- 
 part to its fortress, driving off all intruders, and keeping 
 watch and ward until the young are hatched. The little l?od 
 Fin, which spawns in communities, is frequently observed 
 by the trout fisher constructing its mound of pebbles with 
 skill and care. Scoras or hundreds of them may be seen work- 
 ing together assiduously, piling up alternate layers of gravel 
 and impregnated spawn, until the top of the heap is some- 
 times twelve or fifteen inches high, and its base three or four 
 feet in diameter, leaving it a mass teeming with embryo life. 
 The common Catfish of our raill-nonds and ditches mav fro- 
 
44 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 quently be seen with her family around her, protecting and 
 seeking feeding grounds for her dusky progeny. The Stickle- 
 back builds a nest, mounts guard, and pugnaciously warns 
 off all intruders of like, or even larger size. 
 
 All fish, in spawning, instinctively seek water containing 
 more or less atmospheric air; Carp, and other Gyprinidse 
 requiring less for the vivification of their eggs than other 
 fresh-water species, 
 
 Griffith, in his Animal Kingdom, says some of the Pelagian 
 genera spawn amongst floatl.ig grass and sea-weed, and says 
 that broad bands of fish-spawn have been seen south of the 
 equator, producing mile-long patches of unruffled surface. 
 I doubt whether this can be so ; if true, such instances are 
 rare exceptions to the general rule of spawning on the bottom. 
 
 The family of Oaddidse, which includes Codfish, it is sup- 
 posed spawn in deep water, thougli this cannot be at any con- 
 siderable distance beneath the surface, as the solar light, 
 which is necessary to the hatching of the ova, does not 
 penetrate many fathoms. 
 
 Tlie knowledge attainable respecting the haunts, habits 
 and breeding of Pelagian fish is necessarily limited. 
 
 Oviparous animals are the most prolific, and of these, fish 
 excel all others. A full-grown Carp is said to produce from 
 one hundred thousand to two hundred thousand eggs, a Perch 
 thirty thousand, a Pike from thirty to eighty thousand, and a 
 Codfish a half a million. It is said that a single pair of 
 Herrings, if allowed to reproduce undisturbed and multiply 
 for twenty years, would not only supply the whole world with 
 abundance of food, but would become inconveniently numerous 
 The average number of ova in a Salmon is stated at twelve 
 thousand ; if it were possible that all these eggs produced fish) 
 and they arrived at maturity, there would be twelve thousand 
 Salmon, or six thousand pairs, whose produce, at the same 
 
GENERAL REMARKS ON FISH. 
 
 45 
 
 rate, would be seventy-two millions. At an average of ten 
 pounds, these fish, of the third generation, would weigh seven 
 hundred and twenty million pounds, or enough to lold three 
 • hundred and twenty-two ships, of a thousand tons each. 
 
 Some fish produce large ova, covered with horny shells. 
 Some few, including the true shark, are viviparous, producing 
 their young alive; tlie eggs, of course, being fecundated in 
 the abdomen; but with all fish which contribute to the sport 
 of the angler, the female casts her roe, which is impregnated 
 by the milt of the male being cast over it. 
 
 There are no hermaphrodites amongst fish, as has been 
 supposed by some ichthyologists, who cite the Lamprey as 
 one. It has been satisfactorily ascertained, that amonost all 
 the verobrates, on land or in the water, there are no such ex- 
 ceptions. 
 
 There are immute' 'e lam in God's providence, which 
 compel the migratior .' fish as well as of birds. Some 
 species are anadromo , as the Salmon, Sea Trout, Smelt, 
 Shad, and Elver Herring; these change their habitation 
 annually from the sea to fresh rivers, which they ascend 
 for the purpose of spawning; most of them with v™nderful 
 mstmct returning, if there be no obstructions, to their native 
 streams, and in their course supply us with food, when in 
 their greatest physical perfection. After propagation, in 
 meagre, lank condition, they seek the sea again, where, from 
 the abundance and great nutritive quality of their food, they 
 recuperate and grow rapidly. The young fry that go seaward 
 
 adult flsh, perfect m their powers of reproduction 
 
 Some ot the species common to the long rivers and great 
 lakes of our interior, also change their abodes, traversing 
 perhaps as great an extent of water a, the Shad and Salmon 
 though not for the purpose of spawning. 
 
'li! 
 
 46 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 That law of nature, though, which impels the migration of 
 «tome genera to distant waters of the ocean is most wonderful. 
 Many Herring and Codfish come to us from the Arctic seas, 
 the former are the surplus production of that great storehouse 
 thrown oitj never to return ; furnishing in their distar.t jour- 
 ney, food to the barbarians of the coast, and wealth and occu- 
 pation to vast numbers of civilized men ; and their yearly 
 advent is looked for, and depended upon, with as much confi- 
 dence as the return of summer. 
 
 The Scomhridse, embracing the difterent species of Mack- 
 erel, come to our latitudes from the south ; their natal shores 
 and waters unknown ; they come all of them adult fish, fur- 
 nishing food and employment to thousands, as well as a great 
 maritime school for seamen ; it is most likely that most of 
 these also never return to the regions from which they mi- 
 grated. 
 
 Many fish which are bred in the Gulf of Mexico, and the 
 bays and inlets of our southern coast, arrive in our waters 
 mature fish, and are found all summer in our markets. 
 Amongst these are the splendid Spanish Mackerel, the 
 Sheepshead, Croaker, Barb, Spot, and Mullet. The.so \\ e may 
 reasonably set down as the surplus production of the waters 
 where they breed, and probably never return from their long 
 northern journey. They are not known to us before the age 
 of puberty, whih. their young are found in great shoals in the 
 shallows of the Gulf of Mexico and our southern bays. 
 
 The Sheepshead, in the New Orleans and Mobile markets, 
 are most of them pan-fish, from a half-pound to a pound and 
 a half in weight, while they are seldom found in this latitude 
 ])elow four or five pounds. From any point of the southern 
 coast which approaches the Gulf Stream, fish, by coming up 
 with its current, would be sensible of little or no change of 
 temperature. One cause of the migration of southeri\ fish 
 
GENERAL REMARKS ON PISH. 
 
 may be attributed to tbe sea weed which comes northAvard 
 with the Gulf Stream; floating on its surface, and amongst, 
 and in it, are found small Crustacea, minute Mollusca, gelati- 
 nous animals, and the small fry, which many species follow to 
 feed upon. 
 
 It was supposed at one time that Shad and Herring, which 
 enter our rivers for the purpose of spawning, migrated from 
 the south, where it was thought they hibernated. Such sup- 
 position was based upon the fact that these fish are found at 
 an earlier period of the season in the bays and rivers of a 
 more southern latitude on our coast. But it is now thought, 
 with much greater show of reason, that they enter those waters 
 earlier only because the season for spawning there, precedes 
 that of our more northern rivers, and that these fish, as Avell 
 as Salmon, do not wander any considerable distance from 
 the mou*hs of rivers and bays from which they migrated the 
 preceding summer or autumn. 
 
 We should not omit, in these general remarks, to mention 
 the peculiar powers given to some fish of existing for a time 
 out of their natural element, and retaining their vitality when 
 animation is apparently suspended ; and also the wonderful 
 vitality of the impregnated spawn. 
 
 It is well known by many of our city anglers, that the little 
 Roach, which is taken in winter, and thrown upon the ice or 
 snow, even if it is entirely frozen, will become quite lively 
 if placed in hydrant water of ordinary temperature ; this is 
 also said to be the case with the Trout, which, if transported 
 in winter when frozen, will swim about, if placed in sprin<y 
 water. It is said, however, that fish once frozen, lose their 
 sight; the delicate organization of the eye being destroyed by 
 its liquids having been congealed ; if this be a fact, it may 
 prevent their breeding, on being transferred to other waters, 
 in such condition. 
 
48 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 When the temperature of the air is below sixty-five, it is 
 very easy to wrap a Eoach or Chub of six inches long, in a 
 wet handkerchief, and bring it home alive. White Perch, 
 Labrax pallidiis, taken towards sundown in cool weather, if 
 placed carefully in a basket, will live more than an hour, and 
 bo n^ lively in a few minut(>S in a tub of hydrant water as in 
 the river. 
 
 A friend assured me that once, when a boy, during a driz- 
 zling rain, he got up into a cherry tree, and in order to keep 
 his string of Catfish, which he had lately caught, from the 
 depredations of some hogs beneath, he took them up also, 
 while he got his fill of cherries, and that he forgot his fish 
 in his hurried departure, but found on going back for them 
 the same afternoon, that they were nearly all alive, and evinced 
 it by flapping their tails. Here was an instance of fish living 
 out of water with a switch thrust through one of their gills. 
 
 It is stated on good authority, tliat in Germany, Carp are 
 even kept in a basket or net in a damp cellar, through winter, 
 with the snout protruding through wet moss, and fed with 
 crumbs of bread, and fattened after the manner of cramming 
 poultry. 
 
 In China, the spawn of fish is a regular article of traffic, 
 and is exported from one part of the country to another, after 
 being im]^regnated with the milt. 
 
 It is an established fact, that on draining Carp ponds in 
 Germany, to cultivate the soil, which liad been flooded and 
 made a fish-pond of, for the purpose of enriching it, that the 
 spawn of the Carp, left after drawing off' the water, does not 
 lose its vitality, though exposed for two or three years to 
 the heat of summer and frost of winter; and tliat, when the 
 field is again converted into a pond, there is no necessity for 
 restocking it with Carp, but the ova remaining beneath the 
 
GENERAL REMARKS ON PISH. 
 
 49 
 
 surface of the ground produces a stock of Carp; thus keeping 
 up an alternation of crops — fish and vegetables. 
 
 The ability of a fish to retain its vitality out of water, 
 depends in a great degree on keeping the delicate tissue of its 
 gills wet. For this reason, a few of them have a peculiar 
 construction in the head, in which water is retained after 
 leaving a river.or lake; the gills b^ang kept wet by percola- 
 tion from this reservoir. Such fish sometimes have also the 
 power of using the lower fins as feet or legs, and are enabled, 
 by these two singular gifts of nature, to pass over land from 
 one body of water to another. Incredible as it may appear, 
 It is even said, that in India, there is a species of fish that by 
 an extraordinary use of its fins can climb trees. A iriend, 
 who is curious on such subjects, has handed me the following 
 account of those that travel over land ; it was clipped from 
 one of our daily papers. 
 
 "Sir Emmerson Tennant's account of fishes walking across 
 the country, has excited much astonishment and no little 
 incredulity in England. The following passage from the 
 Penang Gazette, is singularly corroborative of that gentleman's 
 statement : — 
 
 '^ 'A correspondent in Province Wellesley informs us that 
 while passing along during a shower of rain, the wide sandy 
 plain which bounds the sea-coast in the neighborhood of 
 Panaga, he witnessed a singular overland migration of Ikan 
 Puyu (a fish much resembling the Tench in size, form, and 
 color), from a chain of fresh- water lagoons lying immediately 
 within the sea-beach, toward the second chain of lagoons, about 
 a hundred yards distant inland. The fish were in groups of 
 from three to seven, and were pursuing their way in a direct 
 line towards a second chain of lagoons, at the rate of nearly a 
 mile an hour. When disturbed they turned round and endea- 
 vored to make their way back to the lagoon they had left, and 
 
50 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLKR'& 1500K. 
 
 would very soon have rep.chcd it, had they not been secured 
 by the Malays who accompanied our Cv»rrespondent, and who 
 looked upon the migration as an ordinary occurrence at this 
 season of the year. Upwards of twenty were thus taken 
 during a walk of about half a mile, and no doubt many more 
 could have been obtained had the Malays been allowed a 
 little delay. The ground these fish were traversing was 
 nearly level, and only scantily clothed with grass and creeping 
 salolaceous plants, which offered very slight obstruction to 
 their progress, 'ihis singular habit will account for the 
 rapidity with which the paddy fields in Province Wellesley 
 become stocked with fish when they are flooded by the rains. 
 The lagoons from which they come contain water throughout 
 the year, while those toward which they are going are mere 
 hollows, filled by the late rains.' " 
 
 Although digestion in fish is rapid, they are capable of 
 living longer without food than land vertebrates, and appa- 
 rently suffer little from an abstinence of many days. Fis'i of 
 quick growth digest food rapidly. It is said that a Pike will 
 digest a fish of one-fourth its length in forty minutes. If this 
 be so, it sufficiently accounts for the circumstance of this and 
 other predatory species being found so often without food in 
 their stomachs, and little or nothing in their intestines. 
 
 It is yet a mystery, how Shad fatten and increase in flavor 
 after their appearance in fresh water ; no food ever having 
 been detected in their stomachs after leaving salt water. The 
 same emptiness of stomach is also common to the Salmon 
 when taken in fresh water: this peculiarity appears to prevail 
 witli anadromous fish. 
 
 The several species of the genus Coregomis (Whitefish) 
 of our northern lakes, are also said to be found generally 
 with empty stomachs. There is a theory adopted by many, 
 that such fish as the last mentioned, as well as the Shad, live 
 
GENERAL REMARKS ON FISH. 
 
 51 
 
 on the animalculao retained in the passage of the water 
 through their gills. • 
 
 Shad caught in the salt water of the Chesapeake Bay and 
 brought to this city, have been found with small fish in their 
 stomachs, but they were of species known only in salt water. 
 All fish are more or less omnivorous I have opened liock- 
 fish, which are known to be predatory in their habits, and 
 found the tender shoots and stalks of aquatic grasses in the 
 throat and pouch. 
 
 The fish which furnish sport to the angler, have generally 
 eight fins ; two pectorals, two ventrals, one anal, two dorsals, 
 and one caudal. 
 
 The pectorals, as the term implies, are the breast fins, and 
 project from the humeral bones ; they are homologous to the 
 arms in man, or the fore legs of quadrupeds. The ventrals, 
 named from being attached to the belly, in most spine-rayed 
 fish, are immediately or nearly under the pectorals ; in soft- 
 finned fish, about midway between the head anl tail The 
 anal is immediately behind the vent ; the dorsals on the 
 back; and the caudal, which is generally called the tail is 
 the hindmost fin. This last fin is the chief motor ; it is used 
 as an oar in sculling, and acts also as a rudder: the dorsals 
 and anal preserve the equilibrium, or, in nautical phrase 
 keep the fish on an "even keel." The ventrals are used 
 principally in rising, and the pectorals in backing, and keep- 
 nig the fish stationary; when they are used alternately, and 
 not simultaneously, as any other pair of fins. 
 
 The eye of the fish has no lids, as land animals have, but 
 a very thin transparent membrane drawn over it, which does 
 not give It the power of excluding the light; hence the eyes 
 are always open, whether awake or asleep_if a fish can be 
 said to sleep. By the prominence of its eyes it is able to 
 direct Its sight, somewhat backward and downward, as well 
 
52 
 
 AMERICAN AlfQLBR'S BOOK. 
 
 as forward and upward. The iris is capable of no contraction 
 or expansion, and in order to avoid an oHjectionablo degree 
 of light, it seeks greater depths, or the shady banks of the 
 stream. As the fish may bo said to have no neck, its head 
 being set immovably on its shoulders and spine, it is neces- 
 sary to change the position of its whole body, in order to 
 obtain much variety in the direction of its vision. 
 
 The nostrils are situated between the eyes and the snout 
 they are double, and not constructed in such manner as to 
 allow the water to pass through them in breathing, that func- 
 tion being periormed entirely by the gills. Notwithstanding 
 this, smell appears to be the most acute of all the senses in 
 fish, and one which contributes much to procuring their food. 
 
 The gill-covers, in the generality of fish, are-divided into 
 four parts : the preopercle, the opercle, or gill -cover proper, 
 the subopercle, and the interopercle. The opercles are in- 
 tended as a protection to the delicate organization of the 
 gills and branchiostegous rays, and open and close as the 
 water passes through them. 
 
 That brilliant substance which imparts a metallic lustre of 
 so many hues to fish, is secreted in the dermis or skin, 
 beneath the scales ; the scales themselves are transparent, and 
 are formed of a homy substance, though, in some families, 
 the outer covering is of a bony substance, and frequently 
 covered with an enamel. The "lateral line," is a series of 
 perforated scales, which extend in most fish from the gill- 
 cover to the root of the tail. 
 
 The gills consist of series of leaflets, suspended to certain 
 arches, termed " Os hyodes ;" each leaflet is covered with a 
 tissue of innumerable blood-vessels. The water which enters 
 the mouth escapes through the gills posteriorly, and the air 
 contained in the water acts on the blood, which is constantly 
 impelled through the gills from the heart. The venous blood, 
 
 i 
 
GENERAL REMARKS ON PISH. 
 
 68 
 
 after being changed into arterial, by its contact with the air 
 in its pussiige through tho gills, paases into the arterial trunk, 
 situated under the spine, and is dispersed by diniiuishiu" 
 blood-vessels, through the body, whence it returns by the 
 veins to the heart. 
 
 As Fish breathe through the intervention of water alone, 
 and restore to their blood its arterial qualities, by means of 
 the oxygen which is suspended in the water, their blood is 
 naturally cold, often below the temperature of the water they 
 inhabit. Immediately under the back bone is the air-bladder 
 divided into two lobes or parts, which, by expansion or 
 compression, enables the fish to change its specific gravity, 
 and maintain any desired elevation in the water. In con- 
 nection with the gills, the air-bladder is homologous to the 
 lungs in land animals. 
 
 There is no outward ear in fishes; in.. rnally there is a 
 sack representing the vestibule, filled with gelatinous fluid. 
 By frequent experiments, Mr. Eonalds, the author of "The 
 Fly-Fisher's Entymol.jgy," ascertained that trout are not dis- 
 turbed by frequent and heavy discharges of firearms, if the 
 flash of the gun is concealed, and justly holds in derision, the 
 notion, that fish are frightened by persons talking on a 
 stream. They arc more easily startled by the sudden^ar of a 
 heavy tramp on an ov rhangiug bank, or a thump on the 
 bottom of a boat ; the vibration from either of these causes, 
 acting on the nerves generally, rather than on the ear of the 
 fish. There are instances recorded, however, where fish have 
 been called by the riugmg of a bell, or a familiar voice. 
 
 There are no organs of voice in fish ; though some,-as the 
 Weakfish, Croaker, Oatfish, and Drum, make a croaking 
 noise when taken from the water, but these sounds are en" 
 tirely guttural. 
 
 The sense of taste is necessarily deficient, or wholly want- 
 
64 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 iiig ; tlie tongues of SDrno spocios uro nothing moro than hard 
 cartihigo, in uthons tho tongue in annod with teeth. None iiuve 
 the .salivary ghinds to lubricate the parts with the moisture 
 necessary to tlie sensation of taste. 
 
 The sense of feeling is coulined almost entirely to tho nose; 
 most iish being covered with scales, which are of a horny or 
 bony substance, with as little sensation as a man's linger-nails. 
 In some, as the southern Garfish, the scales are enamelled, and 
 it is said, resist a bullet if not fired point blank. The Cattish, 
 and uls(j the Barb (a species of Umhrina) have barbels or 
 cirri, by which they appear to detect the nature of substances 
 and whether they be food or not. These organs of touch, as 
 they may be termed, are provided by nature to assist them in 
 their nocturnal search, or groping in deep water for food. 
 
 Yarrell, in his work on the Fishes of Great Britain, says: 
 " There are external openings to each nostril, surrounded by 
 several orifices, which allow the escape of a mucous secretion. 
 These apertures are larger and more numerous about tho 
 heads of fishes gimerally, than over tho other parts; the 
 viscous secretion defendiiiij; the skin from the action of the 
 water. Whether the fish inhabits stream or lake, the current 
 of the water in one instance, or progression through it in the 
 other, carries this defensive secretion backwards, and diffuses 
 it over thj whole body. In fishes with small scales, this 
 secretion is in proportion more abundant." 
 
 The latter part of the above quotation sufficiently explains 
 the presence of a largo supply of this mucous secretion uu 
 Trout and Catfish, and the increased quantity of slime on Eels. 
 Teeth, with which fish are generally well supplied, are not 
 not only serviceable in seizing their prey, but by their 
 peculiar position and form assist them in swallowing it. 
 Teeth are found in many genera on the maxillaries, inter- 
 maxillaries, palatine, vomer, and tongue; son uptimes also on 
 
flNEKAL REMARKS ON FISH. 
 
 05 
 
 the arches of the gills, us i,. the Piko; but only ou the pbu- 
 ryngeul bone of tho Chub-apparoutly backiug the u^scrtion 
 ot the httlo boy, who said it had " swallowed its tot-th." 
 
 Tooth are of somo i.nportaiioo to the naturalist, in del - 
 mimng gonora uud species. The observing angler will know 
 from them, tho habits of fish, wholiier they are prodnt ,ry or 
 1 ve ou vegetable substances, or by crushing moUu ... a.d 
 Crustacea, 
 
 Fish .hod their teeth, the new coming up beneath the old 
 and d' 4 Miu^ them, or tlio new tooth appears at the side 
 pushi. g out f,l, .Id one and occupying its place. 
 
 The ii^u bur. J so different in its structure and internal 
 organizai. a from land v.>rtobrates,.and inhabiting' a cold, dense 
 element, must necessarily ditler also in its einotional iiature 
 It IS coldly obtuse in its sexual emotions, and in its cares or 
 joys of maternity; no feeling of friendship attac^ies it to a 
 higher being, as with the dog. With blunted sense of hear- 
 ing an.l Noiceless, no call of mate attr..cts it, ,,v draws 
 ' forth response, as in the bird. And in the dense medium 
 through which it looks, no object delights its lidles. eye 
 Reproducing its species, or migrating in obedience to a law 
 of Its nature, it appears with many faniilies, . if condemned 
 to roam the wastes of ocean, or lie torpidly in silent depths, 
 until storm or hunger or enemy incites it to activity. 
 
 Yet tills class of animals, so cold, so dull in its sensations- 
 IS one of the most beautiful and wonderful of th. Almbrhty's 
 creations-nothing exceeds it in its symmetrical propor- 
 tions; no form so well adapted for motion throu-h the 
 element it inhabits; no organs of motion so well contrived 
 for imparting rapid and easy progress as its fins; no bur- 
 nished or molten silver, or gold, more brilliant than the 
 varied reflections of its sides ; no armor so light, or so well 
 adapted to its wearer, as its lustrous scales. It will always 
 
56 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 remain an object of interest to man, from its beauty, the 
 strangeness of its habits, tlie mystery of its haunts, and its 
 trackless wanderings. 
 
 Ichthyology.— To the angler, this is the most interesting 
 of the natural sciences. It received little attention until the 
 time of Linnaeus. Afterwards Cuvier, by a more natural and 
 judicious classification, divided the Ichthyic class into Orders, 
 Families, Genera, and Species, which has been adopted in the 
 main, by all ichthyologists who have succeeded him. 
 
 Of the four orders established by Professor Agassiz, already 
 mentioned in reference to pakeontology ; the two last, Ctenoids 
 and Cycloids only, come properly within the scope of the 
 angler's ichthyology. 
 
 The Ctenoids' are those whose scales are pectinated on the 
 edges ; these comprise all the Acanthoptherygii, which em- 
 brace the Perch family ; and a few of the Malacopterygii. 
 The Cycloids have scales with a continuous margin, and 
 include most of the Mahwopterygii, or at least thoy>> with 
 which the angler has to do. 
 
 The term ■ Acanthopterygii" is derived from the Greek 
 words, acantha, a thorn, and i^terrugion, a little feather. 
 "Malaco])terygii" has its origin in the Greek word ma /aco«, 
 soft. The wood-cut on the next page is introduced to eluci|late 
 the diiference between these two divisions, and to exphdn at 
 the same time the position of the different fins, and their 
 scientific names. 
 
 The upper figure represents the outline of a Trout, one of 
 the Malacopterygii ; the lower, that of our White Perch, one 
 of the Acanthopterygii. The first fin on the back of either 
 figure is the first dorsal; the second back fin is the stcond 
 dorsal; the fins just behind the gill-covers are the pectorals - 
 the ventral fins in the Malacopterygii are about midway on 
 
GENERAL REMARKS ON PISH. 
 
 57 
 
 the belly; m the Acamhopterygii, they are just below the 
 pectorals, or very near them; the anal iin in both is just 
 behind the anus or vent; the caudal, the hindmost fin is 
 commonly called the tail. 
 
 Of fish that come under the notice of the angler, the Mala- 
 copterygii embrace those that are called " abdominal^ from 
 having the ventral-fms on the belly. The Acanthopterygii 
 include the " thoracic^ which have the ventrals ftear the 
 throat. Some flimilies of the former division have only one 
 dorsal fin, others two. and son-.o even three, as the Codfish. 
 The Acanthopterygii have either one of two dorsals; if only 
 one, the anterior rays are spir.ous, and the posterior soft and 
 flexible ; if they have two dorsals, *he first is com.posed of 
 sharp spines, and the second of rays, or one or two spines 
 followed by soft rays : this division has also one or more 
 spines on the pectorals and on the anal fin. With the excep- 
 tion of the Salmonidw and Esoculie. nearly all of the game- 
 fish the angler meets with, belong to the Acanthopterygii. 
 The Acanthopterygii belong to the order of Ctenoids, a°nd 
 the Malacopterygii mostly to the Cycloids. 
 
58 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLKK'S BOOK. 
 
 The reader will observe the peculiar shape of the second 
 dorsal of the first figure ; it is one of the characteristic marks 
 of the Salmonidee. No other fomily the angler meets with, 
 has it except the Siluridse (Catfish). This fin is adipose, 
 generally opaque, and without rays — being nothing more 
 than a flexible cartilage. 
 
 The first figure of the annexed wood-cut represents a front 
 view of the open mouth of one of the species of the Salmon 
 family, and shows the position of the teeth. Those along the 
 centre of the roof of the mouth above 1, are on the vomer ; 
 those on the sides above 2, are on the palate ; those around 3 
 are the pharyngeal teeth ; those on the edge of the upper jaw, 
 are tiie upper or super maxillaries ; and, those on the edge 
 of the lower jaw, the lower or inferior maxillaries. 
 
 The second figure of the same plate shows the anatomical 
 structure of the head, including a side view of the teeth. 
 1 is the preopercle or fi^e gill-cover; 2, the opercle or gill- 
 cover pro})er ; 3, the subopercle or under gill-cover ; 4, the 
 interopercle of intermediate gill-cover ; and 5, the branchios- 
 I'gous rays, or, as they are more generally termed, the 
 branchial ravs. 
 
 \iy reference to the foregoing wood-cuts, and reading with 
 some care, scientific descriptions of fish, an angler may be 
 able to describe anj^ species, which may be unknown to him, 
 
««»«E4L KEMAKItS ON PISH. 
 
 59 
 
 mth sufficient accuracy, for the uaturalisi to refer it to it» 
 f-imily, genus, and species. 
 
 Any description of „ fish, is of course rendered more intelli. 
 .bte by an accompanying sicctch, even if it is rudely done. 
 And tf the „ng cr will de^ribe. as accurately as he can, 
 e genera outhuc and forn, ; the proportions of the length 
 of th head to that of its body (exclusive of th3 tail); its 
 breadth, as compared with its length, its color, .narking , and 
 the course of the lateral line; the gilLcover and fore .i^ 
 cover, whether cither or both have scales, and on which tlcy 
 are largest-mentioning also, if the gilLcover ha, spines on 
 .ts posterior margin; the number of branchial rays, fin rays 
 and spme., also the color of the ,i„s ; the dental arrjngemen ' 
 M then the general local nan.es: he may contribut: m h 
 that w. I be .nteresting to . ,rs, while it will be a source 
 of satisfaction to himself. 
 
 Linna.us received his description of American fishes from 
 D. rdon, of South Carolina. B.och, and Schoef (who 
 «s surgeon .„ the British army, during the American 
 Bcvolution) as well as C.atcsby, contributed, though mea^reTy 
 to ur .chthyology. The descriptions of the latter Cr^ 
 mo., ly of the fish of the Caribbean .Sea, a..d our Soutre™ 
 co.as . In 1820, Rafinesquc, a French naturalist, pnbrhed ™ 
 Lexington Kent.icky, an account of the flshe of th Ohb 
 and Its tributaries. His nomen.laturo, as well .as his mode of 
 description and classification, differs from that of Cuvier hi 
 descriptions, generally are not minute, but .somo of them are 
 .nteresting. His work is not illustrated by drawing.,. J, 
 gave Lacepede descripMons of some species found in ou 
 .valors. In 18U, Dr. Mitchil, of l.ew York, entered wth 
 .ome z.,.al into the work; and, in periodicals, described more 
 spcc.es than had been before noticed. 
 lu 188ti, D,-. Kicha.d»on produced his -Fauna Boreali ' 
 
60 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 which includes some of our Northern genera. Dr. Storer, in 
 1839, published an able report of the fishes of Massachusetts. 
 De Witt Clinton, Mr. Wood, of Philadelphia, Eedfield and 
 Haldeman, also contributed to this branch of natural science. 
 It was reserved, however, for Dr. De Kay to give the first 
 elaborate description of American fish, which he did by 
 authority of the state of New York in 1842 ; his work is 
 illustrated by engravings that are badly colored, and some of 
 them are incorrectly drawn. He enumerates thirty-two fami- 
 lies, one hundred and fifty-six genera, and four hundred and 
 forty species. His description includes the Lacustrine genera, 
 as well as those of the coast of New York. Amongst the 
 latter are many that' are emigrants from Southern waters, 
 which fact he fails to note. Dr. Ilolbrook, of Charleston, has 
 recently published an interesting work on the fishes of South 
 Carolina, which is of much interest to the angler, as it con- 
 tains an account of the habits, as well as scientific descrip- 
 tions of many game-fish, common to this latitude and the 
 Western States. His work is beautifully illustrated with 
 colored engravings. Girard, Gill, and Professor Spencer P. 
 Baird, of tlie Smithsonian Institute, have recently made 
 valuable additions to American ichthyology. 
 
 In closing these observations on the natural history of fish, 
 it is proper to remark, tliat they are those of a mere angler, 
 who aspires to no place ainongst the learned doctors, and who 
 has picked up such information, as he has imparted to the 
 general reader, from the books of the Academy of Natural 
 Sciences, and from his own observations noted here and 
 there, as any fish thnt takes a bait has interested him. He 
 presents what is here written with the hope of inciting other 
 anglers to a study of the fishes that aftbrd so much pleasure 
 in the taking of them. 
 
er, n\ 
 setts. 
 . and 
 lence. 
 
 first 
 a by 
 rk is 
 ae of 
 fami- 
 i and 
 mera, 
 t the 
 aters, 
 1, has 
 iouth 
 
 con- 
 scrip- ^1 CHAPTER IE I. 
 I the 
 
 with 
 er F. 
 made 
 
 Ffish, 
 igler, 
 I who 
 o the 
 itural 
 and 
 He 
 other 
 asure 
 
 r^OKLE IN GENEBAL 
 
" Let mj tell you, Scholnr, that Diogono.! wolkod on a dny, with a 
 friend, to sen a country fair ; wliero lie saw iPil.oiis, and looliing-BlaoHes, 
 and nut era kors, and fiddles, and liol)by.lior...vi, and man, other gini-' 
 cracks; an .1, j^ (i served tlioni, and all the ..tlior flnnlnibnins that 
 make a complete r.untry n.ir; lie said to his fri,„d, " I,„rd, haw many 
 things art there in this world of which Diogenes hath no need!" 
 
 Waliox. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 TACKLE IN GENERAL. 
 
 Hook8.-Sinker«._Swivel8.-Gut.-Leadcrs.-Snood8.-Line8.-Reela. 
 
 Rods. — Bow Dipays. 
 
 In these observations it would be well to have some set- 
 tled plan or ordei- in which Tackle should be mentioned- 
 I have, therefore, thought it better to commence at the bot' 
 torn and go upwards. 
 
 HooKS—Of the various kind of hooks sold in this country 
 
 the Kirbv is mostly used. The point of this hook is not 
 
 ui the same plane with the shank, but is bent to one side 
 
 and IS therefore less apt to draw from the mouth of the 
 
 fish without hookin. . than the Limerick. There are several 
 
 varieties of the Kirby ; those made with short shanks and 
 
 of stout wire (some of which have flattened heads), are most 
 
 appropriate for fishing with dead bait, or where the fish are 
 
 large, or their mouths hard. 
 
 The long-shanked Kirby is to be preferred for live-bait 
 fisliing, or where much nicety is required in putting on a 
 worm, brandling, or grasshopper : they are made of fin°e wire, 
 and tlu. barb not so rank as the Limerick. These are some' 
 Limes called "Weak Trout Hooks" by tackle venders. 
 Limerick hooks, although preferred by many on account 
 
 (63) 
 
64 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 of their superior temper, are better adapted to tying flies on, 
 than for bait-hooks. 
 
 The O'Sliaujrhnessy differs materially from the common 
 Limerick, in the shape of the bend, and in the direction 
 of its point, which sets out at a slight angle from the 
 shank ; it is much surer of hooking than the old Limerick, 
 and is preferred by all anglers who tie their own flies. 
 Salmon hooks of this shape, some of which are hammered 
 after being bent, are highly esteemed by Salmon fishers. 
 Trout hooks of the O'Shaughnessy shape, are sometimes mado 
 of very fine wire, lightness being a desideratum in artificial 
 flies, particularly in droppers. 
 
 The Limerick hook, as its name implies, as well as the 
 O'Shaughnessy, which bears the name of its original maker, 
 were made first in Limerick, Ireland. They have since been 
 imitated and made at a much lower price in England, 
 where most of the hooks known by these names are now 
 manufactured; they are not as well tempered, though, as the 
 Irish hooks. 
 
 The " Sneck bend" is much used by fly-fishers in Scotland, 
 though I have failed to discover its merits. The peculiarity 
 of this hook consists in its bend, whica assumes more the 
 form of the three sides of a square than a continuous curve. 
 I have never heard or read of any plausible reason for its 
 shape. 
 
 The " Virginia hook," it is said, was first made by a black- 
 smith named Eivere, in the lower part of Virginia, and at 
 one time Avas held in much esteem by bait fishermen, on 
 account of its strength and supposed adaptability to fish of all 
 sijjcs. Its peculiarity consists in its shape and the tapering 
 of tlie steel from the top of the shank to the bend. I have 
 reason for doubts as to the person and place of its invention. 
 
TACKLE IN GENBR 
 
 AL. 
 
 ds 
 
 ,Ker, 
 
 6 
 
TACKLE in OENEIl*!,. 
 
 97 
 
 « uvo 6 u„<l th„,„ „„„,„„„ ,, ji,„,i„^^ 
 h. ...ns, „. an e„riy p„ri«l of ,n^ f,,,,;,,^ „ ,„i„„„^. 
 It .. s.« that Priuco Knpcrt flr,t taught .he art of tern- 
 
 72^: : ': " ""-""''^ ™^-°f ^-^"■' -^^ *■ ™me 
 
 W *',^'""'';r' - """.monly „,ed. Sir Humphrey 
 
 oecdcd m makmg l,„oi« which did .hom good aorvicc. 
 
 T ere arc other hook, kept by the tackle store, which wa 
 thmk .t unnecessary to describe here; as, double-hooks, eel- 
 hooks, . p-hooks, «Wofay„, io., ,„„,j „j. 
 worth the notice of the angler. 
 
 On the plate of hooks o°n the opposite page,, the top row • 
 represents the O'Shaughncssy. Commencing on the righl 
 the first size is No. 2, and then 4 6 8 and 10 i„ 
 towards the left. ' ' '" ^"°°«»'<»' 
 
 In the second row. No. 1 is „ short-shanked Kirby No 2 
 the^old style Limerick ; No. 8 a Sneek bend ; No. 4 aJ Aber 
 
 The third is a row of Salmon hooks, the sizes aecordin. to 
 th Stan ard adopted by the author of "The Book of "the 
 
 No. 8 and the smallct No. 10. There are inlermediate si.es 
 2 w<'ll a, three sizes larger than No. 4, viz.: S. 2 ^ 
 
 JNos. 7 ,in 3 being the prmcipal size.,. 
 
 Ki?b?- I""'".'"'? ° '■» " "Shanghai," 6 ., long-shanked 
 
 K.rby, , a V,r.,n,a hook, and 8 a stout short-shanked Kirbv 
 
 J he two nmuuning iig,.:.es are Swivels; the one ' the 
 
 Ho«H „„cl, he „ ., p„pa,,d e,pre,sly for thi, book. 
 
68 
 
 AMERICAN ANOLBR'B BOOK. 
 
 right is a "hook" Swivol, and that on the left a "box" 
 Swiv«!l. 
 
 Sinkers.— In bottom or bait fishing, ainkera of various sizes 
 and si I pes are used; the woiglit proportioned to the tidt or 
 ourruut. Those in general use are s{)lit shot. The sliding- 
 sinker is oblong with a hole running longitudinally through 
 the eentre. The advantage of this is, that tlie bait may drift 
 off with the tide while the sinker is comparatively at rest. 
 The swivel sinker is a combination of sinker and swivel, 
 which allows the snood and bait to revolve; it is seldom used. 
 
 In bottom fishing or trolling deep, where the bottom is 
 rocky, the sinker is apt to be caught foul. To provide 
 against loss of leader and hooks, in such cases, it is better to 
 have the sinker attached, where the leader joins the line, by 
 a piece of weak gut or thread ; so that the angler, if he is 
 obliged to pull away at the risk of losing some of his bottom 
 tackle, may only lose his sinker. 
 
 Swivels are necessary when the bait is required to spin 
 or revolve. The box-swivel is used by looping the leader c . 
 bottom through one ring and the line through the other. When 
 it is necessary to disengage the bait and snood from the leader, 
 as in trolling for Pike, the hook-swivel is convenient, and in 
 many cases indispensable. All bottom fishers and trollers 
 should be well supplied with these useful little articles ; steel 
 swivels should be used for fresh-water, and brass swivels for 
 salt-water fishing. 
 
 Floats are made of cork, hollow wood, or (^uills, of a great 
 variety of shapes and sizes. The quill is preferred for Roach, 
 Chub, and other fish that bite delicately. The size of the 
 float should always be regulated by the weight of the sinker • 
 the shape is a matter of fancy. I have whittled shapely floats 
 out of the bark of a pine tree. 
 
 Gut Leaders, Snoods. Traces, &c.— Silk-worm gut, which 
 
TACKLE IN GENERAL. 
 
 .f" '" h".-™ ■» a„ im,„alure «.„.„, „,„, i, „„„,„ ^y 
 st.0,,,.. *a ,„«.t i„ vinegar or »o,„. other .ei„, „ ,„ort 
 
 ;;'" "^ t » "--^ I' i« 'l.o„ dive.ted of any ex. 
 
 Spa ,„ and luly, ,„ ,,a„k, „f ,. h„„„,„„ „.^„„,^_ „^,, ^^^ ^ 
 a t,,„ .aekle store, the price varying according to it. .,iz' 
 
 °„f ■ T ;"""'"""■ ^ """""n" »"-" informed me once 
 hat he l„,d produced the veritable article, by stretchin,. ont 
 1.0 >vor,„s after steeping them in vinegar, L seeuri„: h 
 head. a„,l ta.l. in notches made in each end of a shin.de 
 
 Though „t alway. essential, in fine a„g„„g ;. ;, i„„i„,;„^„. 
 blc. It, strength ,s astonishing, as every angler knows from 
 experience It .is almost transparent in water, when dyed of 
 aneural fnt. This color is to be preferred to any other 
 
 LEAOERS-Although double g„t and twisted g„t leaders 
 
 and of the best quaUty, to answer every demand made on i 
 by the strength of the fish. Single gut is certainly nite 
 -1 - en .t .s borne in mind that the spring of the rod. ad 
 he judtcous use of the reel, contribnte so much to lesKe, he 
 
 gut wh ch „11 bear a strain of five pounds would secure a 
 tsh of a:iy s,ze he may be lucky enough to hook 
 
 or fly.fisoing, the gut lengths of a leader should always be 
 
 jomed by a neat knot, the double knot .s preferable. The 
 
 eaders sold at .he tackle stores, generally have the ends of 
 
 the gut secured with silk lashings, which are liable to fray 
 
70 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 out, and being usaally of some bright tint, deceive the fish 
 into rising at one of these frayed lashings for a %, and indis- 
 pose them to take the cheat you intended for them. 
 
 On a subsequent page, the reader will find directions for 
 making leaders and tying gut, with descriptions of the knots 
 used by anglers and tackle makers. 
 
 Leaders, bottoms, and snoods, are made also of horsehair 
 and sometimes of " gimp" (the article of which the coarse 
 strings of violins are made). The latter is used for Pike, 
 Bass, Sheepshead, Bluefish, or where gut is liable to be 
 frayed by coming in contact with sharp rocks, or to be bitten 
 off by the fish. 
 
 Anglers who have not the skill or patience to tie on their 
 own hooks, purchase them already snooded at the tackle 
 stores. A more economical and convenient way for one who 
 can tie them himself, is to cut up a gut length into pieces of 
 
 two or three inches— short refuse pieces will answer as well 
 
 and forming a short loop, seize it on to the shank of the 
 hook. 
 
 In leaders ibr fly-fishing, the gut nearest the line should 
 be stout, each length diminishing in si.^e to the finest that 
 can be procured, whore it is tied to the stretcher fly. 
 
 Lines are made of flax or plaited silk for bottom-fishino- • 
 flax IS preferred wlien it is necessary to make a long cast, as 
 in Bass or Pike-fishiug, as it runs more freely through the 
 rings or guides, and the end of the tip. 
 
 Plaited silk is to be used invariably for trolling from a 
 boat, as it does not kink in passing through the ^vater, as a 
 twisted line is apt to do. 
 
 The best lines for fly-fishing are made of silk and hair; 
 they taper gradually from the end which you attach to the 
 axle of the reel, to the end which joins the leader. I wou'd 
 here remark, that in fly-fishing, the usual clumsy loop, oj a 
 
TACKLE IK OENERAL. 
 
 71 
 
 knot m the end of a reeUine should be dispensed with bv 
 «o.z>„g oti a length of stout gut to the end of the line, to re 
 mam there permanently ; the leader should be attaehed to this 
 p.coe of gut with a neat knot. By this contrivance, you 
 avorf he contmgency of having fish rise at the loop, as they 
 will at. a b.t of frayed silk, as mentioned on the preeeding 
 
 th. e!T T. "*■ " ''"""'' ''"'^ " S-"-'""? «>i^'=' on 
 
 loop n,,, end, as desenbed in our article on tackle-making. 
 
 Oiled-silk piaited lines are frequently used for trolling but 
 more generally for Salmon-fishing. ^ 
 
 EEEi,3_Many innovations have been made on the old 
 Engbsh Boel by American anglers and n.echanic; some of 
 these, It ,s contended, are not improvements 
 
 The .alancchandle, patent-check, and jewelled bearings of 
 *e modern multiplier, are certainly desiderata in reels used 
 for Bass and are now considered indispensable by crack 
 fls ers, but the simple reel with a click' and without e 
 balance handle, is to be preferred for fly.iishi..g ; it i, k,, 
 h.xb.e than the multiplier to get out of "order Td th: " 
 .s not so apt to be caught by the handle or crank. An im 
 provement ,„ Bngl.sh Salmon-reels has been lately Iml 
 .Inccd, which precludes the possibility of the I,. ..r comin 
 gency: n « the insertion of a short handle or pin n, a disk 
 revolving parallel to. and agai„.,t the outer plate;" ,h J it' 
 P ovement is applicable only to simple reels for fly.flshin" 
 
 on Jackie for Salnnra-fishing. 
 
 Some anglers prefer the multiplier even for flyfishing on 
 lecount of its enabling them to .■■.orten line faste i a Lu^ 
 on being hooked should run towards them. Th eldom 
 liappens ,„ wading a brook or creek; but ,n deep, sti 1 : e" 
 
¥■ 
 
 'S 'iii 
 
 72 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 where the angler fishes from a boat, and large trout endanger 
 his tackle, such a necessity sometimes arises. 
 
 Whether it be a multiplier or simple reel, in fly-fishing for 
 Trout, it should be small ; for a greater length than twenty 
 yards of line is seldom if ever required. 
 
 By the aid of the balance-handle (an American inven- 
 tion which helps to keep up the momentum when the bait 
 is cast), reels have been made to run Avith so little friction, 
 * that the motion imparted by a whirl of the crank, with the 
 hand, causes the spool to revolve for two minutes. The 
 bearings of the more costly reels are made of jewels. I know 
 of one made by an amateur mechanic, without the jewels, 
 which will run for a minute and a half. Eeels of this kind 
 are used mostly by Bass-fishers, who make long casts, wdien 
 it is desirable that the line should run out as freely as 
 possible. 
 
 In all reels a sliort axle is to be preferred, as it enables one 
 to wind up the line quicker and more compactly on the 
 spool. 
 
 A well-made reel does not jar or clatter, but while the 
 journals fit nicely, they run easily in their bearings, and the 
 inner plates of the spool revolve without friction in the outer. 
 
 Rods. — Although rods are still imported from England, 
 and those made by her celebrated tackle-makers are thoiight 
 by many to possess some qualities not found in American 
 rods, the latter as a general rule are equal to the English, 
 and in many respects better adapted to the requirements of 
 our anglers ; the metallic tip and guides being preferred by 
 all (in any but fly-rods) to the English mode of having rings 
 for the line to pass through, and the usual wire loop at the 
 tip. In bass, pike, and trolling rods, they are now con- 
 sidered indispensable, as the line passes through with less 
 friction, and in casting, the line is less apt to get foul. 
 
 .^ 
 
TACKLE IN OENBRAt. 
 
 78 
 
 There i« a divorritj of opinion as to the weight and length 
 
 fancy ™"°" ""'' °' "''""«■ '' '^ """"^ » '-"-of 
 
 The wood, in general use are ash for the butt, hickory for 
 
 for the up,; of course they should be well seasoned. 
 
 The best materials for a fly.rod, are ash for the butt, iron- 
 wood for the middle joint, and bamboo for the tip 
 
 Hy^ods in three pieces are to be preferred, as they require • 
 
 Strott'r 
 
 h iis wnole length. It i.s better for those who have 
 pafenee aud knack, to join the tip to the middle piece whh 
 neat splt^, ^^p,, ,,;,, ,„„^^_ ^^„^^^^^^ J -^^ a 
 
 only one ferule necessary. ° 
 
 The angler whose park of artillery consists of one piece of 
 
 Tot::..: :^irr::.:r ," - ---■ - -^ ^ 
 
 together for trolling, for bait-fishing, and should occasion c^U 
 
 ! '""'"'°'""- .^ «»-»• ™<'. if made in pieces of two fee. 
 can be eonven,e„..v carried in a travelling trunk- i, "It 
 
 ou the usual wooden sockets. By dispensing with the htter 
 --™..W ..rules short, the elast,city:f .1,0 ro:::t 
 
 c ut kn ds of fl,sh,ng, as I describe each RA and the manner 
 of angltng for ,t; and advi.se that the ta rod should be 
 bought for any or each kind of Ashing; though, let me Lre 
 -y, the most expensive is not always the ukJ suitable 
 
 The ...w Dn..,y._A friend has lately shown mo a Chines; 
 .ontrtvance, which was brought over many years sine byl 
 
74 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 old East India merchant; it may have caused the introduo 
 tion of ihe "bow-dipsy" in Philadelphia. This is a piece of 
 whalebone bent at right angles, each side or arm being iifteen 
 to eighteen inches in length, with a snood attached to the 
 ends. It is lowered to the bottom by means of a hand-line, 
 and a conical leaden sinker fastened ten or twelve inches 
 beneath the angle. It is well adapted for taking small fish 
 in any rapid tideway (especially White Perch), where they 
 • collect in schools and bite rapidly. It is braced by lateral 
 pieces of cord, which cause the whalebone to give and resume 
 its position as the fish takes the bait— making it almost sure 
 to hook him. I have heard of forty dozen White Perch 
 being taken in the Delaware by three fishermen, in the last 
 two hours of an ebb-tide, with this strange-looking con- 
 trivance. 
 
 The tackle used exclusively in fly-fishing, I will mention 
 under its appropriate head, in a subsequent article. 
 
 There is a great deal of superfluous tackle pictured and 
 described in English books on angling. There is the clearing 
 ring, the angler's friend (a curved blade sharpened on the 
 inner edge), baiting-needle, disgorger, paternoster, kill-devil, 
 a plummet to get the depth of water, &c., &c., which would 
 better grace the window of a tackle shop, or a museum 
 of useless tackle than an angler's wallet. It is amusing and 
 even wonderful, what an amount of such stuff an ardent, green 
 angler, whh a flush pocket, can collect. As he grows older 
 in the art, of course he throws it away, or imposes it as a 
 present on some one no less verdant than he was himself a 
 Ibvv summers before, exclaiming with that ancient philoso- 
 t)lier : •' Lord, how many things there are in this world of 
 which Diogenes hath no need I" 
 
CHAPTER JV 
 THE PERCH FAM£l.r 
 
m 
 
 " As inward" lovo bropdo outward talk, 
 The liouiid Konic jinilMo, aiiil sdiiio the hawk: 
 Some bettor pleiused with private upoi £, 
 Use tennis, sonio a mistress eonrt : 
 But tlipse dellnlit.s I iicitli' r wish, 
 Nor envy, while I freely f^sh. 
 
 "Who hunts, dotli oft in diint;i v t la; 
 
 Who liawks, lures oil lidth far (,.iJ wiite; 
 
 Who uses uaines, shall often ])!>j\a 
 
 A loser; but who falls ill lovo, 
 
 Ie fettered in fond Cupid's snare 
 My angle broods mo no such .^or^ 
 
 "Of recreation there is none 
 So free as flsiiint; is alone: 
 All other pastimes do no less 
 Than mind and body both possess: 
 My hand alone my work inn do, 
 So I can fish and study too." 
 
 Waliow, 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE PERCH FAMILY-PEROID^. 
 
 General Remarks ON THE PFBf<m^ 
 and specic-Paucitvof Eur f ^'^* °'^™^'^'- ^^ A'-"can genera 
 
 Thpir nK . ^ European Specie8.-Di8tingui8hin.r marks 
 
 Ta. E.cKp,s„ „r Stmpkb B.s,. mra, i.„«„,._E„elfeh Taekl. 
 R«ckh.l„»g „„ u,e lo«r H,ppaha„„„ok. '" 
 
 Black Bass of the Liirps a^,, 4 • ■ 
 
 MiE i.AKEs. Grysies mgncans.^TioUiacr for Blaok Ro=- 
 ^ with spoon, and ^yith ;irtif5c?.i flies. ^ ^"' 
 
 The Stru'bd Lai o* tup Om- t-^a t 
 iHE Short Striped ?ak-. 
 Oswego B.-.ss. 
 
 The Crapp.e or Sac-a-lai. PomoxJs hexacanthus. 
 The Yellow Barred Perch. Percaflavesceus. 
 iHE SuNFisH or Sunny. Pomotls vuhjaris 
 
 sav? ,'^^^' "''°'' ""^ ™ '°''"'y»>°8>- -3 published i„ 1846 
 say. there „re more than sixty genera and six hundred 
 speo.cs of i.ererd» known a, .hat .i„,e. How .any nlw 
 
 (77) 
 
78 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 species have been added to the number since, it would be 
 difficult to say. 
 
 It is somewhat remarkable, that in British works on 
 angling, we find only one species of this family described ; it 
 is a barred Yellow Perch, resembling our Perca Jlavescens. 
 Cuvier describes comparatively few as being found in Europe; 
 while hero the Percida) include as many fresh-water species 
 of game-fish, as all the other families combined. / nd our 
 anglers of the Atlantic States are not generally aware of the 
 great variety found in the Southern and Western States, and 
 the sport they afford to the fishers there. 
 
 The distinguishing marks of the Percidfe are, edges of gill- 
 cover or fore gill-cover, and sometimes both, denticulated or 
 pectinated like the teeth of a comb, or armed with spines. 
 Both jaws, the vomer and palatine, armed with teeth. First 
 rays of the dorsal, or entire first dorsal (if there be two), 
 armed with sharp points ; the first ray of the anal-fin being 
 always spinous ; and the ventrals with one or more spines. 
 The free edges of the scales are pectinated, and th.3 ventral- 
 fins under the pectorals. From this latter peculiarity, the 
 ventral-fins being in close proximity to the throat, earlier 
 ichthyologists termed them Thoracic fishes. The sharp spines 
 of tl.e fins have caused the Percidae to be placed amongst the 
 Acanthopterygii. According to Professor Agassiz's classi- 
 fication in reference to paleontology, they belong to the 
 Ctenoids — the third order of fishes in creation. 
 
 The Yellow-barred Perch, although the type of the family, 
 is its least worthy representative. The splendid Rockfish, 
 and the Southern Bass belong to other genera. Tlie latter, 
 which is found in all the Southern and Western States, 
 furnishes great sport to the angler. It is taken with minnow, 
 shrimp, spoon-bait, bob, and artificial flies. If by any dis- 
 
THE PERCH FAMILY. 
 
 79 
 
 pen.,„t,o„ of ProvKlence the Percoul, should hecome extinct, 
 th.,. «uW hardly be .sport left to the angler, who fi„h the 
 numerous crock.,, rivers, and ,ako, where they now „l,„u,„l. 
 
 I have alluded on another p.ago, to the rcplenishinij "f the 
 lakelet., found so abundantly scattered alony the margin „f 
 the M.s.„s.s,pp,, through i„ ,,lh,vial botton, land.,, by the 
 occastonal overflow of that river. This phcaoracnon is 
 strongly presented to the notice of observing anglers in .he 
 neighborhood of St. Louis, and one is apt to wo^ider where 
 he gre.,t numbers and varieties of the Perch family come 
 fron,, to stock those sluggish waters. In thinking over the 
 matter I have fallen back on u,y favorite theory, t^^^^^^^Z 
 r^.,raUo„ of surplus proa,.ction, as applicable to fre.,h-water 
 fishes, as well as to salt water or pehigiau genera 
 
 If the reader will take the trouble to look at a good map. 
 he wtll see that the states north and west of the confluence 
 of the Mississippi, and Ohio, are threaded for thousamls of 
 miles by rivers of gentle flow, and dotte,! with innumerable 
 lakelets which, to a great extent, are the feeders and sources 
 of the Mississippi. These .are the breeding phaces of Bass 
 Crappie, and other Percoids; most of them .sp.awa earlv iii ' 
 the spring, soon after the ice h.as left the lakelets; and as 
 most fresh.water species in.,ti„ctively run down stream after 
 spawning, ,t ,s easily conjectured how 'argc schools of the.,e 
 
 that are fed by the overflow of the great river 
 
 After a rise in the Missis.sippi, the lakes and ponds that 
 Uit IS course above the mouth of the Ohio, and down 
 through the regions of cotton and sugar, are fliled with lis], 
 oi this ramilj. 
 
 In the ponds which have been replenished in this wav in 
 the neighboriiood of St. Louis, their numbers decrease very 
 ■ittle the first summer; the second season they spawn and 
 

 80 
 
 AMERICAN ANOLFR'S T500K. 
 
 brood, as in their native waters, h ,d if the ponds are not 
 refreshed by an overflow of the river -ry two or three 
 years, the waters lose tlie chemic:il cond tion necessary to 
 the reproduction of fish, from a coi.unued infusion of de- 
 cayed ve-^^etablo matter, ami the Iukcs become l-irren, until 
 anotlier overflow of the mighty river comes rushing through, 
 clearing them of foul, and iilling them with fresh w iter; and 
 resto'.-king them at the same time with fi most nume- 
 
 rously with Percoids. 
 
 Below its junction with the Ohio, the Mississippi has made 
 in the course of time, many a "cutoff,' fore g its wav in 
 times of flood, across the neck of a peninsuhi or a ben in 
 seeking a more direct course, and leaving consideral>?e "bodies 
 of water, of a horse-shoo shape, as the old channc closes. 
 These are fed by the annual or occasional ovci \nv of the 
 river, and their waters refreshed and restocked with fish, as just 
 described. Bruin Lake, opposite Grand Gulf, Mississippi, is 
 ii, water of this kind, and is said to contain Bass (or as they 
 ,ii-e there called Trout) of immense size. I have been told 
 by an angler, that \w has taken there, in a day's fishino-, 
 thirty of these fish, whose aggregate length was sixty feet. 
 
IflB ]' 
 
 PAMILT. 
 
 81 
 
 m 
 
 THEROCKFTP R STJJIPED BASS 
 ^' 'itua: CuFiER. 
 
 Tho following de* .„ ;, taken from a fish of .torn 
 proporfon, ^ghin, .„„ po„„d,,; i., ,e„,.h ,i,,J 
 mches, exclusive of ita caudal, breadth five i„che» 
 
 Form elliptical, compressed ; length „f h„ad compared witu 
 bodv, „., 6i to 19; tail slightl, Med; tead opcreleZ 
 preopcrcle scaly; two flat spines oa the posterior margin 
 he operele, w.th a membrane between and extending bcylnd 
 
 tUird of the distance between the tip of the snout and 
 postenor an,de of opcrele : Irides light /ellow. Tee h „„ h 
 ma., lar,es and palatines, also on the sides of the to„„u 
 *ch.s.., and on the arches Of the, lis; the l„w::i:: 
 
 Color; bluish green on the back, shading gr.a<l„ally li„h.er 
 he latera hue, ^-hich commences above the superfor pine 
 
 wh.te There are e.ght dusky stripes, the four above the 
 lateral l,nc extending to the tail. The lower margi, ^f 
 prc„,.re,e an thechin are roseate white ; caudal an^d d^l 
 du ky led eolor; pcctor,aIs roseate at the roots and .-eenish 
 
 caudal fm. ^^ P^^^^^orly. S.ales on the roots of the 
 
 6 
 
IMAGE EVALUATION 
 TEST TARGET (MT-3) 
 
 1.0 
 
 1.25 
 
 UiKi |2.5 
 
 |5o ■^" HHi 
 
 ^ m 12.2 
 
 1.1 f.-^na 
 
 1.4 
 
 1.6 
 
 
 '/ 
 
 Photographic 
 
 Sciences 
 
 Corporation 
 
 33 WEST MAIN STREET 
 
 WEBSTER, N.Y. 14530 
 
 (716) 872-4503 
 
 \ 
 
 01 
 
 r^s^ 
 
 <> 
 
 ^'\ 
 
 
 
 O^ 
 
 <.' 
 

82 
 
 AMBRIOAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 The first dorsal has nine stout spines ; the second one ^ine 
 and twelve soft rays ; pectorals seventeen rays ; caudal six- 
 teen ; ventrals one spine and five rays ; anal three spines and 
 eleven rays. 
 
 Rockfish are not plentiful in the Gulf of Mexico, but are 
 abundant along the whole coast, from Georgia to the Gulf of 
 St. Lawrence, and are found in larger numbers from the 
 Chesapeake Bay to Nantucket, than in any other part of their 
 geographical range. They have been known to reach the 
 weight of ninety pounds, and have been taken with rod and 
 line as high as forty or fifty, — though one of six or eight 
 pounds affords the angler sport enough. As far as game 
 qualities are concerned, it is the finest fish the American 
 angler meets with, south of the regions of the Salmon. 
 
 In the Chesapeake and Delaware bays, they leave the salt 
 water as soon as the ice disappears from the rivers, and have 
 been taken in the Schuylkill, at Fairmount dam, as early as 
 the 20th of March, by trolling with a minnow, or roach, or a 
 small pickled eel, kept from the previous season. The first 
 Rock-fishing of the season, on the Potomac, is at the Falls 
 above Georgetown, where great numbers, and large ones, are 
 sometimes killed ; and there is no doubt that thev can bo 
 taken in this latitude, as early as April or May, on any 
 river communicating with salt water, where the , tide is 
 obstructed by a dam or impassable fall. At Newport and 
 Narragansett Bay, they are caught from June to ^ ovember, by 
 baiting with a small species of herring called Manhaden. 
 Along the sedgy creeks and inlets, from Cape Henlopen to 
 Sandy Hook, they are taken with soft crabs and shrimps, 
 during the months of August and September. Large Rock- 
 fish are frequently caught in nets, when they are following 
 a school of herrings on the fishing grounds, where they cause 
 
n 
 
 w 
 
 w 
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 GO 
 
 n 
 I 
 
 oo 
 
 H 
 SO 
 
 M 
 
 R 
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 U 
 
 00 
 
 03 
 
THE PERCH PAMIIT. 
 
 83 
 
 much annoyance to the fishemen by tearing .heir nete, and 
 
 allowing the shad and herring to escape. 
 
 An erroneous opinion prevails, that Bockflsh ascend fresh 
 nvers above the head of tide to spawn ; but food is their only 
 object. They generally spawn in tidal creeks and nvcr^ 
 where smaller streams of fresh w.atcr enter. When tbev 
 are taken .n the Delaware and Hudson above tide, they are 
 
 a^s:::;^^^'-'.^"^-^-"^-'— -t"- 
 
 RocK.F,8H,K»._Thc first dash of a Eockflshis terrific to a 
 n v,ce. Thmy yards are frequently spun off the reel before 
 a large fish can be checked. At the Falls of the Potomac or 
 m the rap,ds of the Susquehanna. Ms play i, not less vigor- 
 ous than a Salmon's; his runs are much longer, and he 
 frequently escapes by chafing or cutting the line or leader 
 agamst the sharp edges of rocks, being ,.sisted in his 
 desperate struggles by the strong current. Still, though 
 sturdy, he IS a fair fighter, and where there are no such 
 obstructions, a gentle hand, a taut T.ne, and a steady pull 
 secures him. •'^ ^ 
 
 You must not be too anxious when playing him, to get a 
 first sight of yonr prize, or be too familiar by bringing him 
 close to the boat or shore, until he is well tired out. When 
 he gives in at last, and lies exhausted on his broad side, vou 
 may, in absence of a gaff or landing-net, put your thumb in 
 his open mouth and your fingers under his chin, and lift him 
 
 ^CrcoT " *^ ^^"^ ""^ "' ''" *"" "- ^P™ - 
 
 In Wol fi1°" '"°""" '" "^ '" ""«'»« f- B-kflsh. 
 In bottom-fishing ,n a tideway, one of twelve feet with a 
 
 stiff tip ,s necessary. When using a float, one of greater 
 
 length and more pliability affords better sport; but in 
 
 casting a minnow over a bold, rocky stream, which is the 
 
84 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 neplm ultra of .Bass fishing, a stout salmon-rod, or a bamboo, 
 or a native reed pole of eighteen feet, fitted with reel and 
 rings, is more appropriate. 
 
 In all cases a good multiplying reel should be used, with a 
 hundred yards of well-laid hemp line, which should pass 
 through metdlic guides, and a metallic tip at the top of the 
 rod. The crack Bass fishers of New York are so fastidious, 
 as even to have the tip (the end-piece through which the line 
 passes) jewelled, in order to lessen the friction as the line 
 runs out, when casting. 
 
 Many anglers do not feel secure unless the leader be of 
 double gut, which is entirely unnecessary, unless there are 
 sharp rooks on the bottom ; for a single strand of the best and 
 stoutest gut, when wet, will bear nearly as much strain, as an 
 ordinary hemp line. Stout-wired Kirby hooks, long or short 
 shanks, from No. 1 to 00, are preferable; they are much more 
 certain of hooking than the Limerick. 
 
 The weight of the sinker should be proportioned to the 
 depth of the water or force of the tide. In bottom-fishing, an 
 oblong sliding sinker may be advantageously used. In 
 trolling or casting over rapids, a bullet, from the size of a 
 buckshot to a half ounce, is best ; then, also, one or more 
 swivels should be looped on, to insure the spinning of the 
 minnow. 
 
 The usual mode of using the minnow, when trolling, is to 
 " hridy^ it, which is done in several ways. The easiest is, to 
 put the hook in at the mouth, out through the gill, and then, 
 after taking a half hitch around the head, to pass it through 
 the side of the back ; so that the bend of the hook may set 
 upwards, with the point towards the head of the bait. 
 
 Another and a better plan, is to have a small hook (size 2) 
 on the snood, about three inches above the larger ; the smaller 
 book is passed through the under, and out through the upper 
 
THE PERCH FAMILY. 
 
 85 
 
 lip of the minnow; and the largei hook, as just described, 
 through the back. To increase the spinning or twirling of 
 the bait in its passage through the water, it is better to Vt 
 on the minnow slightly bent, which is done by passing th4 
 larger hook through the back nearer to the tail than you 
 would when you intend the minnow to swim straight, and 
 then doubling it a little. 
 
 In baiting with shrimps, which are good in some waters, 
 and at certain seasons, a float should be used, if the tide is 
 not too strong; this bait should not touch the bottom, as 
 Eockfish are not in the habit of looking for them there; it 
 should also be kept in motion by occasional short jerks or • 
 twitches of the rod. Soft crabs are always found on the 
 bottom by the fish,. when feeding on them, and, of course, in 
 using crab-bait, you should fish near the bottom, whether it 
 be with or without a float. I have sometimes found Eock- 
 fish so well on the feed, as to take a slice or oblong piece of 
 fish-bait, readily striking at it, if it is white and well put on; 
 for, like other fish, they have not the delicate sense of taste,' 
 that anglers give them credit for. 
 
 The pearl minnow, or a tuft of raw cotton, or a white rag 
 tied on a hook, will frequently take small Eockfish, where a 
 strong tide sweeps ui^der a bridge, or around the corner of a 
 pier. The fish wait in the eddies on the lee side of the tim- 
 bers of the bridge, or angles of the pier, for minnows or 
 shrimp; and seize any small object having the appearance of 
 life. There is no doubt that at such times, a light colored fly 
 particularly the white moth, would be taken greedily, though 
 a white rag answers the purpose as well. Half flood is the 
 best time of tide for such fishing. The pearl minnow should 
 be drawn against the current, a few inches below the surface 
 and near the edge of the eddy; the angler being careful to 
 keep out of sight and not to cast his shadow over the swim 
 
86 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK 
 
 lb 
 
 At the Rancocas bridge, a few miles above Philadelpliia, some 
 years ago, a party of three anglers, on a day in the latter part 
 of Junj, took fifteen dozen Rockfish, from ten to fourteen 
 inches long, with the pearl minnow. 
 
 In strong tideways, or deep water, the last half of the ebb, 
 and the first half hour of the flood tide is generally consi- 
 dered the best time for taking this fish. In the shallow bays 
 and sounds extending along our coast, there are thoroughfares 
 between the low grassy islands, which are almost dry at low 
 water. Here crabs are found in great numbers, and the Rock- 
 fish come in with the flood tide in search of them. In such 
 ' places, the last half of the flood and high water are the proper 
 times. The most fiiraous place along the coast for catching 
 these fish, is Narragansett Bay. I have heard stories o** the 
 Bass fishing there, that it is not prudent to repeat. 
 
 The American Angler's Guide, by J. J. Brown, Esq., of 
 New York, has an excellent article on Striped Bass fishing in 
 the waters around New York. 
 
 Frank Forester, in speaking of this fish, says, "The fly 
 will take them brilliantly, and at the end of three hundred 
 yards of line, a twelve-pound Bass, will be found quite suffi- 
 cient, to keep even the most skilful angler's hands, as full as 
 he can possibly desire." The author in question must have 
 delighted in "magnificent distances" ; for a line oi three hun- 
 dred yards, with a Bass at the end of it, would certainly be 
 " playing at long taw," and is suggestive of " shooting with a 
 long bow." Most anglers will kill a Bass of any size, and 
 not give him fifty yards of line. Frank Forester's idea of 
 trolling for Rockfish, as some anglers fish for Pike, with a 
 leaded gorge hook, from the shore, even if successful, would 
 be dull sport compared with the usual mode of taking them. 
 It would moreover be degrading to the bold Rockfish, to 
 place him iu the same category with a sneaking Pike. 
 
TB« PERCH FAllHy. 
 
 S7 
 
 b of he Sou hern Baaa or the Black Ba. of the great Lea; 
 «t. J It .s not an uneommon thing to take Bockflsh with a 
 
 n hook wrapped wuh a piece of yellow, or .cnetime. wi!h 
 red flannel will answer the purpose. This fish follows and 
 
 sZf ,/ r"" ""^^ *"" "•' '"^ -'«>». -J doe. not 
 
 Eookflsh below twelve inches are not good, the flesh an 
 
 to that of a four-pounder, as veal does to beef. When of two 
 or three pounds, they should be split and broiled, they are 
 then very good,, above this size, they are generally boiled. 
 They are better though, cut into steaks,-that is, in transverse 
 sh^s-and broiled, and served with melted butter and parsley 
 The flesh of overgrown Eockfish is said to be coarse, and is 
 not esteemed. 
 
 Most tidewater anglers have pleasant reminiscences of this 
 ash but no recollection of Bass fishing comes back to me 
 with greater pleasure, than my first essay amongst - e "big 
 ones. It was many years ago, in the month „i June 
 when on a visit to a relative-an ardent though not a scien.' 
 tiflc angler-who hved on the banks of the broad Rappahan. 
 nock, near its mouth. On the morning after my arrival, my 
 host mprovised a bout with the Eockfish; and I saw from 
 my chamber window, a negro boy, with no other implemen" 
 than a four.pronged stick, capture as many soft crabs as 
 sufficed for bait and breakfast. Our canoes were sta ou" 
 some .stance from the margin of the sandy beach, which 
 made It necessary to be carried to them. This task was 
 ^eedily a«>mplished by a sturdy little negro; who J," 
 trousers rolled up on his sable drumsticks, dumped the 
 whole cargo-bait, rods and four anglors-into two .dug 
 
88 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 out8." We were soon staked down on the flats, a half mile 
 from the shore, where the water was six feet deep. Our ob- 
 ject was, to place the boats in such a position, as tp fish into 
 the "galls," or bare places, where there was no grass; these 
 were of various sizes, from three rods square to half an acre. 
 The rods, reels and scientific tackle of the city anglers, ex- 
 cited the wonder, and no doubt the silent contempt of the 
 native fishermen ; who were rigged, one with a hand-line, and 
 the other with a stout cedar pole, with a line attached to it, 
 that might have held a Shark. My host, a staunch Democrat 
 and anti-bank man, dubbed my rod, which was not over stout 
 and fifteen feet long, " The Nick Biddle pole," and assured 
 me it was all well enough for White Perch, but would rot 
 hold a Rockfish, such as he could bring with a strong pull, 
 and a " whop," right into the canoe. 
 
 It was my good fortune to hook the first fish, a fine fellow 
 of six pounds. There was much laughter, of course ; Uncle 
 Roily declared I would never get him in. " See how your pole 
 bends ! Why he's way off in the middle of the gall already I 
 Why don't you pull him in ?" The old man was here inter- 
 rupted by the disappearance of his pine-bark float, and in less 
 time than it takes to tell it, he had his fish flapping in the 
 bottom of the canoe. " There !" said he, " I can catch ten to 
 your one. I tell you, your Nick Biddle pole will never do 
 here I" By this time I had my fish pretty well in hand, and 
 after a dash or two more Jordan, the negro boy, put a wide 
 crab-net under him, and lifted him in. The next fish Uncle 
 Roily hooked broke his hold ; so did a good many more, and 
 large ones too ; while every fish struck by the dandy pole, 
 was killed artistically, though the old man thought with 
 much unnecessary ceremony. At the ebb of the tide science 
 had told. We had a good time of it, and the owner of the 
 " Biddle pole" felt great confidence in his fine tackle, and 
 
THE PERCH FAMILY. 
 
 89 
 
 much quiet satisfaction in his first success with it; while 
 
 Uncle Roily laughed at hie tactics. We went homo and ate 
 
 the stewed head and shoulders of a large Rockfish and soft 
 
 crabs for dinner. Next day we tried our luck again with 
 
 equal success; and before leaving for home one of the town 
 
 anglers killed a Rockflsh of twenty-five pounds, which Uncle 
 Roily would certainly have lost. 
 
 Besides the fishing in this part of the Old Dominion, I have 
 Vivid recollections pf the hat, hair, and hospitality of 
 
 "Uncle Kolly.'' 
 
90 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 WHITE PERCH. GRAY PERCH. 
 
 Labrax pallidua : De Kat. 
 
 Color— back, bluish gray; aides, silvery gray ; belly, white ; 
 body compressed, elliptical ; breadth, one-third of its length ; 
 head not quite a third; eye one-third distant from snout; 
 opercle and preopercle scaly, a single flat spine on the 
 opercle, with a membrane extending beyond; preopercle 
 serrated on lower margin. Branchial, and fin rays. B 6 ; 
 D 9, 1, 12; C 16; P 14; V 15; A 3, 10. Compared with 
 Labrax rufus of De Kay, this fish is of a more lustrous 
 silvery hue; its fins longer and more transparent; the 
 rays more delicate ; spines longer and sharper, some of the 
 dorsal spines with a sabre-like curve. The facial line is 
 more depresses, eye full, mouth larger, and bearing all the 
 marks of a game predatory fish. It is seldom found north 
 of the Delaware. 
 
 De Kay's specific appellation "Pallidus" denotes the color, 
 and marks the difference between this and his Lahrax rvfus, 
 or Ruady Bass. I believe as he did, that the two are distinct 
 
TIIK PEECH FAlllLl. 
 
 «1 
 
 Hpodea. HolWk, quoting Gmclin, clU itZabrax A„.„: 
 «......, and ail. ,„.o the ,an.„ „„or ., Cuvier and Sto,-er, 
 
 nmking no sr«;ciflc difforonoo between the two 
 
 of New York. I,» ,,„bit, difl'or fr„,„ tho«, of PalUJ,., b„i„g 
 o„nd mostly on flat clayey „nd „,uddy boa„„«, „nd i , »,,.! 
 ow^ and .n aome of the fresh-water pond, of the New Eng. 
 land states and New YorL- t* i x , ° 
 
 oepaiaius. ■ " ■'" ""' *" «™« 1""""™ 
 
 The White Perch i. a congener of the magniflcent Eockfi.h 
 and „ frequently found feeding i„ the »ame place and in hi 
 company, i., , ,,„^,, .^ ^.^^^ ^^ _^.l ^ . ^^_^^ 
 
 not often more than twelve, though in rare instances it is 
 found fourteen inches long. 
 
 This beautifnl, free-biling little flsh, which affords so 
 much sport, and, which is found in all the fresh and brackish 
 t.cle waters, from Cape Uatteras to Sandy Hook, doeTuot 
 receive that favorable notice from writers on ichthyolog! 
 and anghng which it merits. De Kay. ., .„eaking of it,X 
 descnbmg the Buddy Bas, says: "Like the pree^dlg s, ots 
 nhabtts salt and brackish waters; but as far as my ob. , vt 
 t.ons have extended, it is invariably a small fish, and rarely 
 
 . Whif P r*'/"^ ''^- ^"' ^""« ^^"'« Bass, 0^ 
 Whte Perch, may be readily distinguished from the other 
 by Its hght color, small si.e, and very compressed body » ' 
 I am disposed to object to its being called a salt-water fish 
 Its most natural habitat is fresh tidal-rivers. It is frequemly 
 found iar above the terminus of the tide, and they alt" n 
 mor. abundant in fresh than in brackish waters, atL season 
 of he year when they are sought for by anglers. This flsh 
 when found m salt-water creeks, is darker in color, but there 
 13 no speoiflc diflerence. 
 The remark above quoted, that it is "rarely brought to 
 
02 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 market for food," is an error so glaring, as to cause one to 
 suppose, that the explorations of the naturalist in question, 
 could not have extended south of New York. The same 
 author also says or implies, thac its average size does not 
 exceed six or seven inches; by which he also evinced 
 his slight knowledge of this fish. Frank Forester, in his 
 book on angling, after a slight notice, dismisses it, as "not 
 sufficiently important to merit more particular notice." The 
 latter gentleman missed much, by not becoming acquainted 
 with our little friend Pallidus. In season, the White Perch 
 is the pan fish (and there is none better) of the Philadelphia, 
 Baltimore, Washington, Norfolk, and Eichmond markets. 
 And as for sport ; should it be said that a man or boy has no 
 sport, or is not an angler, because he does not use reel or 
 gut? Did not Billy Jones, the chair-maker, down town, 
 go a Perch-fishing four or five times every summer ; shut- 
 ting up his shop for the day, and taking his wife, children, 
 and apprentices in his sailboat down the river— or in a 
 furniture car down the "Neck;" and with his brandling-worms 
 in an old coflfee-pot. and his minnow-net and frying-pan, and 
 store of bread and butter and bottled ale, make a day of it ? 
 Did not "our Johrny" shoulder his reed-pole every Saturday 
 morning, when there was a run of Perch at Fairmount dam; 
 and return at night with a string of them as long as his leg, 
 and his trousers snjeared with shad-roe ? Is not Uncle Jim— 
 a respectable colored gentleman— who lives in a quiet nook 
 by the Curratoma, down in Old Virginia, always sure of a 
 mess of them ? And Old Davy, whose shanty is on the high 
 blufi; by the mouth of the Sassafras, does he not "count on 
 'em ?" And still the learned De Kay, and the eloquent Frank 
 Forester speak disparagingly or hardly notice this game 
 IHtle fish, £0 intimately associated with the early, and happy 
 
IHB PJIBCH rjMlLT. 
 
 •3 
 
 reooUeclioB, of every angler of the waters that find their way 
 into the Cnesapeake and Delaware. 
 
 White Perch hybernate in the deep salt water of our bays 
 and a^end the fresh tide-rivers soon afler the ice and snow-' 
 water have run off. They feed greedily on the spawn of other 
 fish, particularly that of the shad , on insects, g-nhs, minnows, 
 and on the migratory schools of young eels, which are found 
 
 rapid or dam obstructing the upward flow of the tide. Perch 
 usually spawn in May, and then resort to deeper waters to 
 recuperate, and all sun r long, are found by the angler 
 ever sw,mm,ng around the deep sunken pier, or the timlr^ 
 of the nekety old bridge, snapping at shrimp, or chasing th" 
 minnows on the flood-tide high up amongst the water-lflie 
 and. verrefusmg a bait, if of the right sort, and properly- 
 
 The first Perch-flshing of the season, is alwavs at th, 
 termmus of a tideway, as just mentioned, nlgt h 
 summer, they are taken on the ebb-tide in deep wfter on 
 -ndy or rocky bottoms or muscle-beds, or around stone 
 piles or sunken hulks; and on the flood-tide, awte 
 margins o rivers, or creek, where the long grass^^ or wa^ 
 lihes afford a home for the minnows 
 
 In brackish water, shrimps are decidedly the best bait • in 
 deep holes, in fresh tide rivers, brandling-worms, on hefi^or 
 ^de, along the margin of the grass or water-lilies, m miows 
 »-e good, or a wedge-shaped fish-bait is greedily taL i tie 
 Perch are well on the feed. This last should U cut with tL 
 
 e.»ht fish may be taken bc&re renewing it. For earlv 
 fishing, young eels, spawned the preceding autumn, ZlZ 
 
 rrra3rThr::r""\"T« 
 --e.thetideisim;irby"r::irHer: 
 
u 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 the Perch and Eockfish devour immease numbers of them, 
 and it is only at such places that these fish look for them! 
 The vitality of these little animals is wonderful; and if the' 
 hook is passed through them below the vitals, which are 
 easily seen, they remain 'alive for some time. Two or three 
 eels are put on each hook. This bait is found in small pools 
 left by the ebb of the tide, and can be easily secured with a 
 small net of sea-grass skirting. 
 
 The first catch of Perch, with Philadelphia anglers, is, or 
 u;a5, below the dam at Fairmount waterworks; beginning in 
 April with young eels, and occasionally small minnows for 
 bait. Early in the season, the most likely places are where 
 the rapid subsides into deep, still water; in May they are 
 found more in the rapids and nearer the fall of the dam 
 
 The tackle which afibrds the best sport is a common native 
 reed poie, of twelve or thirteen feet, not thicker at the butt 
 than the thumb, and tapering to a fine point, which can be 
 rendered still finer and stronger by splicing on a tip of lance 
 or iron-wood. The same rod may also be used with a reel 
 by putting on rings, and a metallic tip at the end for the line 
 to pass through. 
 
 A fine line of flax or silk should be used, with a gut leader 
 of three or four feet, with two hooks, one at the end, and 
 one eighteen inches or two feet above. The best hooks when 
 baiting with little eels, are those termed "weak trout" hooks 
 They are long in the shank, which facilitates baiting and 
 taking ofi- the fish ; the wire is also delicate, mutilating the 
 bait less than a coarser hook, and being more elastic, or at 
 least more flexible, lets go its hold more easily when caught 
 on the bottom. If in pulling it away, the hook should 
 straighten to any extent, it may be easily restored to its 
 shape, by pressing the bend together between the fore teeth 
 With delicate handling, these hooks are strong enouc^h to 
 secure a three-pound Eockfish, if he should take your bait 
 
THE PERCH FAMILY. 
 
 95 
 
 The sinker, conical or round, should be in size from a buck- 
 shot to a half ounce bullet. Its weight must depend on the 
 depth and force of the current; it should be attached by a 
 weak piece of gut or thread at the junction of the leader with 
 the line; so that in case of its being caught between the 
 rocks, you may lose only the bullet, and not your leader and 
 hooks. 
 
 When fishing in slack water, especially by the edge of the 
 water-lilies or grass, it is advisable to use a float; the Perch 
 like other predatory fish, seldom taking a bait on the bottom,' 
 unless It IS in motion. The distance between the hooks and 
 the float should not be more than two-thirds or three-fourtha 
 the depth of the water. 
 
 Where the tide sweeps around the end of a pier, or the piles 
 of a bridge. Perch frequently are found in the eddies on the 
 edge of the current, waiting for minnows or shrimp; then a 
 short line (without a reel) is preferable. In such places they 
 can at times be taken with a pearl minnow. In a tideway or 
 lively water, always fish down stream, to prevent the current 
 bringing your line home to you, and so as to allow it to lift 
 the sinker and leader from the bottom, and veer it about in 
 such way, that the bait will appear attractive. In fishing 
 from a boat, anchor just far enough above the desired place 
 to fish into it, occasionally trying either side. If you are in 
 the right place, and the fish are on the feed, there is no ne- 
 cessity for striking, if the line is kept taut, for they generally 
 hook themselves at the first pass they make at the bait 
 
 If the angler is not greedy for a large catch, and the fish are 
 found near the surface, and on the shallow rapids, as they 
 sometimes are on a v.arm day in May, a stout fly-rod and 
 light tackle might be used, baiting with a single eel and 
 without using a sinker, casting and drawing as with a heavy 
 fly. Of course it takes longer to secure a fish by such means 
 but the sport is heij^lii^-ned. 
 
96 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 Perch-fisliing in the moD*h of May, iu brisk water, where 
 the run of fish is from nine to twelve inches, is not a whit 
 inferior to bait-fishing for Trout. I prefer the former, because 
 Perch, by such appliances as I have described, are taken in a 
 sportsmanlike manner, and Trout (which should be taken 
 only with a fly) are not. Sometimes in deep holes at the 
 Jiead of tide-water, when fishing with a minnow, the broad- 
 sided Shad will take the bait ; or a three-pound Eockfish will 
 come into your swim ; then if you have no reel, or your hand 
 be not gentle, and if you do not grasp your rod by its extreme 
 butt, and give him the whole spring of your fragile reed, you 
 are a ruined angler; and you may not forgive yourself for a 
 week, for lack of skill or precaution. 
 
 Many anglers object to a reed rod, on account, as they say, 
 of a feeling of insecurity in its use. But for Perch-fishing, 
 its lightness, and graceful bend, when a fish is on, commend 
 it ; and the very objection that is urged increases the sport to 
 one who is fond of fishing fine. 
 
 The Perch is decidedly a pan-fish; and when rolled in 
 grated cracker, or coarse corn meal, and moderately browned, 
 is better fried than broiled. To a man of wholesome, un- 
 pampered appetite, it is hard to serve up a better dinner than 
 fried Perch, with good bread and butter, and a little claret ; 
 or what is still better, though more homely, a bottle of 
 Philadelphia ale. Large White Perch are sometimes boiled, 
 and served up with egg sauce. 
 
 A piquant dish may be made as follows :— Cut off the heads 
 and tails, and fry the fish enough to lay them open, and take 
 out the backbone and ribs, dividing each fish into two slices ; 
 then put them in the pan again, and brown them in coarse 
 corn meal ; pouring over them, when nearly done, a little 
 Worcestershire sauce, or walnut catsup, and serve them up 
 with drawn butter and an additional quantity of either sauce 
 or catsup. 
 
THE PERCH FAMILY. 
 
 97 
 
 THE WHITE BASS OP THE LAKES. 
 
 Labrax alhidua : De Kay. 
 
 De Kay says: "This fish is bluish white above the lateral 
 me a few narrow dusky parallel streaks above and beneath 
 this line; sides and belly white , pupils black; irides white 
 intermixed with a little brown; dorsal, caudal, and anal fins 
 brownish, tmged with blue ; pectoral fins whitish, tinged with 
 ohve green; ventrals light transparent blue, tipped with 
 whx e. Length 5-10, depth 3-0. Fins, dorsal 9, 1, 13; pec- 
 torals 17; ventrals 1, 5; anal 3, 12; caudal 17. This is a 
 very common fish in Lake Erie, and is known at Buffalo 
 under the name of White Bass." 
 
 In the year 1844, I made an appointment with a fine old 
 gentleman of the medical profession, known and loved bv 
 all Philadelphians, who had taken up an idea that I was 
 something of an angler, to meet him at Mackinaw, on my 
 return from a western tour. We were to have gone to 
 bault St. Mane, where he had renewed his early love fo^ 
 angling, by taking some of the large Trout in the rapids, the 
 previous summer, with an outfit which I had furnished him 
 Much to my regret I received, a letter from him, when ] 
 reached Mackinaw, telling me that his presence at home was 
 indispensable, and requesting me to call at Detroit and spend 
 a few days with his son, then a lieutenant in the U S 
 Engineer Department, who had charge of the construction of 
 a fort there. I stopped, and we spent two long days angling 
 
AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 in Detroit River. Our success was varied. On the afternoon 
 of the first day, near sundown, we took twenty-five White 
 Bass, with the artificial fly, in a creek on the Canada side 
 opposite the town. They were all of a size— eight of them 
 weighing just seven pounds. The fly was a rough affair of 
 my own make, the wings being of the end of a peacock's tail 
 feather. We afterwards learned that we had been fishing in 
 preserved waters ; the Canadian fishermen, who supplied the 
 Detroit market, had caught the fish with a net in the river, 
 and had turned them loose in the back-water of the creek and 
 placed some brus'h across, so as to have them ready when 
 there was a demand for them. 
 
 I have passed Detroit since, and tried to identify the place ; 
 I think the railroad depot at Sandwich, on the Canadian side, 
 is near it ; the creek has been drained off, or has become a 
 mere ditch or uninhabited water, and the lieutenant, in the 
 course of promotion, has become a great general. I wonder 
 if, amidst the arduous duties of the present, he ever thinks 
 of that quiet afternoon ? 
 
THE PERCH FAMILY. 
 
 99 
 
 FRESH- WATER BASS OP THE SOUTH AND WEST. 
 
 Grystea aalmoides : Cuvier. 
 This fish is known under various names, through the wide 
 extent of its habitat. In the neighborhood of Richmond, it 
 IS called the James River Chub, sometimes Bass. In its more 
 southerly range, it goes bj the names of Trout, Black Trout 
 and Brown Trout, and is seldom called Bass, except in the' 
 Northwestern States. Although it is called "Trout," at the 
 South, there is no family or generic affinity between it and 
 our northern Trout. 
 
 The following is an abridgment of Holbrook's description 
 
 connected with a few observations of the writer. Head and 
 
 body, dusky olive above, sometimes with a yellowish tint 
 
 lighter on the sides. Belly white; opercles light green or 
 
 greenish yellow; first dorsal fin, nine spines and eighteen 
 
 soft rays; pectorals, fifteen ; ventrals, one spine and five rays • 
 
 anal, three spines and twelve rays; caudal, nineteen rays! 
 
 Body elongated oval, straight on the belly. Eye large. 
 
 Mouth very large, lower jaw longer. The vomer has bru^h- 
 
100 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLBR'H BOOK. 
 
 like teeth in front. Teeth on the palatines and pharyngeal 
 bones. Tongue smooth, without teeth in front. 
 
 They are found in the James Eiver, in the lagoons of the 
 Dismal Swamp, in the Boanoke, and in every fresh-water 
 stream of any size in the Southern Atlantic States ; in the 
 streams and lakes of Florida, and in all the rivers which flow 
 from the north into the Gulf of Mexico along its whole ex- 
 tent. All the creeks and bayous are stocked with them; so 
 are tbe lakes formed in the old bed of the Mississippi, wher- 
 ever the river has made a cut-oil) though they are seldom or 
 ever taken in the river itself— the fish of most families only 
 using it as a high road or thoroughfare from one lake to 
 another. They are also found in the Cheat, Holston, Green, 
 Kentucky, Alabama. Cumberland, Tennessee, and Ohio, and 
 in their tributaries, to their very sources in the highlands and 
 mountains. They are not so plentiful in the streams or their 
 tributaries that fall into the Mississippi on the western side ; 
 but the long still lakes of the alloivial bottom lands on the 
 east side, from the Ohio to Eock Eiver, are stocked with this 
 and other percoids by the occasional overflow of the Mis- 
 sissippi. 
 
 The rivers of Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, and the streams 
 and clear lakes of Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, also sup- 
 ply them, with a little variety in form and color. 
 
 This fish is taken generally by still fishing, with a live 
 minnow, and it is only of late years in the Southern States, 
 that anglers have used the spoon, which is found to be very 
 destructive. An accomplished angler of the "Houseless," gave 
 me a glowing description of a party who started from Colum- 
 bia, South Carolina, to fish the Edisto Eiver, in the month of 
 May 1860 ; they used the spoon bait, trolling near the bank 
 under the overhanging branches, each angler occupying a 
 boat paddled by his servant. They collected at night on 
 
THE Pl!»ca FAMIIT. 
 
 101 
 
 board of the flat-boat which accompanied them down the 
 mor, with storea, cooking utensils, and bedding. They fished 
 my or s.xty mdes of the river, and had a glorious tirne of it, 
 taking Bass weighing as high as eight pounds 
 
 In the states bordering on the Gulf of Mexico, this fish is 
 taken with the minnow, shrimp, and bob ; the latter is an arti. 
 ficial bait, made of gaudy feather, and tinsel (on two or three 
 hooks); It IS „s large as a humming bird. It is said that 
 the tip end of a buck's tail answers the same purpose in 
 Flor da. The bob is usrf from a boat, with a long ro^ and a 
 short line; the boat is paddled silently along, a. a convenient 
 distance from the shore, while the angler is dapping his bob 
 along in hkely places near the, bank; or, if he "paddles 
 his own canoe/' the end of a long reed with a short line 
 pro;ects beyond the bow of the boat, the bob just tonchin. 
 .he water. When the fish seizes i, which is always with I 
 
 t w. TV' "'""«'' " """•' """^ ■^""^'^"o '-^»>'= »s»es, in 
 which the flsh IS taken by the angler or the rod is carried 
 away by the flsh. 
 
 I have taken this Bass in the vicinity of St, Louis, on a 
 moonshiny nigh, by skittering a light spoon over the surface 
 of the water while standing on the shore. In the South a 
 mianow or shrimp is considered the best bait, and a float of 
 suitable size is used on such occasions 
 
 on the Gulf coast between the latter city and Mobile, formeriy 
 enjoyed Bass-flshing to its full extent; many of them "Z 
 ardent and skilful anglers. mem were 
 
 I have often thought that this flsh would take a large arti. 
 ficial fly well, and give groat sport, on a stout trout rod, tid 
 
 rrespondmg tackle. My belief has lately been veriflcdTy 
 an account given me of an English or Scotch angler who 
 spent last summer at the town of Bock Island, Illinois. H 
 
102 
 
 AMERICAN ANOLBR'S BOOK. 
 
 waded Rock River and fished for Bass as for Trout or Salmon, 
 and killed a great many, some of which were of vary large 
 size. I hope he did not take the chills and fever home with 
 him, to disturb his pleasant reminiscences of his sport. 
 
 The rod used is generally a springy weapon of fourteen 
 feet for bait-fishing, and a lighter one with the bob. A good 
 reel, and stout line and gut are required ; the hook from No. 
 1 to 00 ; the latter size is preferable, as the Bass has a large 
 mouth. 
 
 This fish is unsurpassed in flavor by any of the Perch 
 family. The smaller are broiled or fried, the larger should 
 be boiled and served up with egg sauce. 
 
TBH PERCH FAMILY. 
 
 108 
 
 BLACK BASS OF THE NORTHEEN LAKES. 
 
 Gryateanigritans: Aoassiz. 
 
 The color of this fish (which appears to vary with locality 
 or the season) is geaerallj dark olive-green on the back 
 shading gradually into a brownish yellow on the sides • belly 
 opaque white. Body compressed, oval ; back arched; belly 
 less curved than the superior outline; breadth as two to seven 
 Lateral line concurrent with back. Head small, little less than 
 one-fourth the length of the body; preopercle covered with 
 small scales, scales larger on opercle. The eye is on a line 
 between the snout and posterior angle of opercle, one-third 
 distant from the snout, and is about five-eighths of an inch in 
 diameter; the irides are dark brown above, and pale yellow 
 below. Nostrils small, double. Tongue toothless; both jaws 
 with small brushlike teeth, small patches of the same on 
 each side of the pharynx, as well as on the branchial arches 
 Branchial rays seven. The first dorsal fin has ten sharr. 
 spines, the anterior ray being short; the second dorsal is 
 
m 
 
 AMIltrrA9 ANOLBK'R BOOK. 
 
 covered at its base with scales, and nas fifteen rays, preceded 
 by an obtuse spi i*? of half their length ; this fln is arched, and 
 rounded posteriorly. The "^ctorals beginning imnnul lately 
 beri^mtk the point of the ope.jle are yellow, nearly obovate 
 in shape, and have eighteen rays. Ventrals coimnoncing 
 slightly posteriorly, have five branched rays^ The anal 
 terminating beneath the posterior point of the second dorsal, 
 has two sharp, and one longt^r obtuse spine, and twelve 
 branched rays. The caudal is very slightly forked, and has 
 eighteen rays. 
 
 The specimen which the wood-cut at the head of this 
 article represents, and from which my description wa>« taken, 
 was caught early in September near Rouse's Point, on Lake 
 Champlain. I have been particular in my description, and 
 find it differs from that of Agassi z and De Kay; from the 
 former, in the color, 8[)ines, and fln rays. The difference of 
 color I attribute to the season of the year, or some local cause. 
 
 I regret that my sketch, which is accurate as regards 
 proportions, does not do justice to the original in other 
 respects. The specimen was fourteen and a half inches long, 
 and about two pounds in weight ; one of four pounds taken 
 on the same day, measured only eighteen inches. 
 
 There is some difference between this fish and his Southern 
 congener ; he is much stouter, and not as symmetrical in his 
 proportions; his habits and manner of taking th • bait are 
 much the same, but his haunfs — from the differenc.p in the 
 waters which he inhabits — are necessarily unlik • ' i': 'urkiug. 
 places of the Southern Bass. The Black Bass of the Lakes 
 loves the rocky shores of the islands, the sand-bars, and reefs. 
 L takes a live minnow in still-fishing, which is by far a 
 cio"v ■ v -tsm-'i'ilike mode of capturing him than trolling 
 ■ . <on,* though the latter is the method most in 
 
 wn:";i 
 
 * Buel's patent is most generally used. 
 
THB PBRCM FAMILY. 
 
 105 
 
 voguo. He 18 also tn,> ' .i for with Urge ^.audy flieH-«ol,l at 
 tlie tackle stores expressly for the purpcso-froin tour to six 
 of thorn being attached by single lengths of gut to a long 
 salmon casting-line. But the neatest way of taking these fish is 
 practised by a veteran angler, who spends part of his su.. aers 
 1.1 Trout-fishing on Manitoulin Island ; to vary his arausement 
 1.0 takes Black Bass from the shore, with a stout trout-rod. 
 They rise so readily at the artificial fly, that it is almost 
 unsportsmanlike to kill them in any other way. In trolling 
 for those fish, a stout rod of ten feet and a good multiplyiug 
 reel, ccmtaining from fifty to a hundred yards of phuted silk 
 line, are required ; a pair of swivels are necessary whe using 
 the spoon, but may be dispensed with if trolling with liies. 
 
 Written directions for trolling from a boat are h .rdly 
 necessary, as the boatman, who is generally acquainted vith 
 the feeding.grounds, rows over the most likely places. W hen 
 a Bass is struck, the boatman should cease rowing, ana as he 
 fish IS generally securely hooked if trolling with the spoon, 
 there is little chance of his escape, except from undue exeit.>' 
 ment, or unskilful handling on the part of the angler. In 
 trolling with a gang of flies, it is best to have a landing-net 
 about eighteen inches in diameter. 
 
 With all the game qualities of the Black Bass, his capture 
 by trolli,,,. with spoon or flies does not afford the pleasure 
 that taking fish from the shore does; there is no skill 
 required ,n finding the game, for that is done by the boat- 
 man; striking is not necessary, as the fish hooks himself, and 
 as for killing him, you must take him, to get him off the 
 hook. So, in going out with a boatman who knows the 
 waters, it necessarily follows that the merest bungler is as 
 fapt to have as good a catch as an expert angler. It is 
 exciting certainly, when trolling with flies, to h°ave two or 
 three plucky fish on at the same time, fighting hard, and 
 
106 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK, 
 
 leaping above the water; but like all trolling from a boat, 
 one lias little else to do than wind up his line. How different 
 from putting on a brace of light hackles, and going at sun- 
 down to try "a comfortable conclusion" with a Trout that 
 refused your fly at midday I 
 
 Before the introduction of the spoon, the best fish were 
 taken with the minnow, by still-fishing, from a boat anchored 
 in some favorable place, a long rod without a reel being used, 
 or a shorter one with the reel, and a good-sized float. This 
 we consider far preferable to trolling with that deadly and 
 unsportsmanlike implement, the spoon, as a fish will always 
 give moro sport, and has a better opportunity of displaying 
 his pluck when he commences the fight at close quarters, and 
 increases the distance by bold dashes and desperate leaps, 
 obliging the angler to give and take line, and deal promptly 
 and coolly with his adversary ; while in trolling, you strike 
 him at a long distance, and though he veers from side to side, 
 leaps high, and fights hard, there is much of a dead pull in 
 winding in so long a line, while it strains your rod, and is 
 distressing to the works of a good reel. 
 
 Black Bass were once abundant in Lake George, but the 
 steady demand for them at the watering-places has almost 
 depopulated that beautiful water, and those that remain are 
 mostly small fish, taken by deep still-fishing with a drop-line. 
 They are still plentiful at the northern end of Lake Cham- 
 plain. Alburg Springs is a favorite place for an angler's 
 sojourn. They are found in abundance at many places on 
 the shores ot Lake Ontario, at Cape Vincent, and Alexandiia 
 Bay, opposite the Thousand Islands ; also in the Niagara and 
 Detroit Rivers, and in Lake Erie. Squaw Island, near San- 
 dusky City, Ohio, is a noted place for them. They are found 
 likewise in Lake St. Clair and Lake Huron. 
 
 The usual route for anglers of the Atlantic cities who visit 
 
THE PERCH FAMILY. 
 
 107 
 
 the Thousand Isles, is by the New York Central Eailroad to 
 Rome thence to Cape Vincent, and early next morning by 
 steamboat to Alexandria Bay; where Eowe Brothers have 
 quarters that would have delighted Father Izaak himself and 
 where boats and oarsmen can always be procured. Anglers 
 from all the towns of New York on the Central Railroad 
 come in large numbers to this place, and have immense sport 
 amongst the Bass, Pickerel, and Mascalonae. 
 
 Like the other fish of this genus, the Bass is esteemed for 
 the excellence of its flesh, though I think it is somewhat 
 overrated. 
 
 This fish differs from the Oswego Bass, to which it bears 
 so close a resemblance, in having a smaller head, and its 
 belly less protuberant, though the position of the fins their 
 shape, and number of spines and rays, are almost identical 
 It spawns in the spring on th. breaking up of the ice, when 
 many of the largest fish are speared on their spawning-beds 
 
 An officer of the United States Engineer Department, who 
 had charge of the construction of a fort or lighthouse on Lake 
 bt. Clair, some twenty years ago, informed me that on several 
 occasions he took scores of Black Bass by trolling with a 
 hand-hne from a boat ; the average size was four pounds • he 
 showed me the artificial bait he used, which was a large Lim- 
 erick hook about an inch and a quarter across the bend, with 
 a white feather whipped to the back of it. 
 
108 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLKR'S BOOK. 
 
 THE STEIPED BASS OF THE OHIO. 
 
 Labrax chrysopa : Rafinesqvb. 
 
 I adopt the scientific name given by the naturalist above 
 quoted, with a condensation of his description. 
 
 Body oblong, silvery, with five parallel longitudinal stripes 
 on each side, two of which reach the tail. Lateral line diag- 
 onal, but straight. Head brown above. Mouth large. First 
 dorsal fin eight spines ; second, one spine and fourteen rays ; 
 pectorals, sixteen rays ; ventrals, one spine and five soft rays : 
 anal, one spine and fourteen rays ; branchiostegous rays, six. 
 The tail is forked, roseate, tipped with brown. 
 
 Though this fish is longer in its proportions, it may be the 
 same species as the Striped Bass found at the mouths of the 
 fresh-water bayous and rivers that fall into Lakes Ponchar- 
 train and Borgne, and along the Gulf coast ; the latter being 
 modified by a change of its habitat, becoming deeper and 
 more compressed. This species was called " Kockfish" by the 
 early settlers of Kentucky, who supposed it to be identical 
 with the Rockfish of the Atlantic States. It differs, however, 
 in the number of stripes on its sides ; the Rockfish has eight 
 and this only five ; the other has two spines on the opercle, 
 and this only one ; there is also a difference in the number 
 of spinas and rays of the fins. 
 
 This fish has been takeu in the Mississippi above its junc- 
 tion with the Missouri, weighing as much as six pounds 
 though that size is extremely rare. I have never taken it 
 above a pound. The largest are taken with a live minnow, 
 and no doubt afford excellent sport. 
 
THE PERCH FAMILY. 
 
 109 
 
 THE SHORT STRIPED BASS. 
 
 1 regret that I have no engraving or ichthyological account 
 of this pretty fish, but if the reader will imagine our White 
 Perch with stripes on its sides resembling those of the Rock- 
 fish, though not so many of them, he will have this Bass in 
 his mind's eye. 
 
 There is also a variety called the "Broken Striped Bass," 
 which I have no doubt is of the same species ; for we frequently 
 find individual cases in which the stripes on the Rockfish are 
 not continuous, but irregular and broken. 
 
 The Short Striped Bass of both of these varieties are found 
 frequently in great abundance in Lakes Ponchartrain and 
 Borgne. and along the Gulf coast, where fresh- water bayous 
 and rivers come in. They are most abundant in Lake Pon- 
 chartrain when the Mississippi is high, and discharges some 
 of its water by crevasses or smaller channels into that lake'. 
 I have taken fifteen pounds of them before breakfast, off the 
 pier of the New Orleans and Ponchartrain Railroad. With 
 a neat rod, a float, and small hooks, they afford fine sport. 
 The best baits are shrimp, the head and legs taken off; and 
 the hooks baited with only the white meat of the body. They 
 are not inferior to the White Perch of this latitude, and 
 resemble them much in flavor and firmness of flesh. 
 
 The Creoles of Louisiana sometimes call these fish "Pattisa ;" 
 this name, however, is applied by them indiscriminately to 
 any small pan-fish. They are taken from seven to twelve 
 inches in length, and sometimes longer; though nine inches 
 is a good average size. 
 
iV) 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 OSWEGO BASS. 
 
 This fish resembles the Black Bass so closely, that tew 
 anglers have any appreciation oi the differeiice. It is taken 
 on the same feeding-ground, and in the same way ; it leaps 
 from the water when struck, though perhaps not as often as 
 the latter, and is almost as game ; its flesh is said to be inferior 
 to that of the Black Bass. 
 
 The only difference perceptible to the angler, is the greater 
 bulk of this fish in proportion to its length, a greater pro- 
 tuberance of belly, and larger head. 
 
 I counted nine spines and fifteen rays on the dorsal fin, the 
 pectorals had sixteen, anal thirteen, preceded by two short 
 obtuse spines detached from each other. The specimen I 
 examined weighed three pounds, was sixteen inches long 
 thirteen in girth, and five and a half broad. There is cer- 
 tainly a specific difference between the two, though natu- 
 ralists, as far as I have been able to ascertain, have failed to 
 notice a fact which is apparent to anglers. 
 
THE PERCH FAMILY. 
 
 Ill 
 
 CEAPPIE, SAC-A-LAI, OR CHINKAPIN PERCH. 
 
 Pomoxia kexacanthus : Cuvieb. 
 
 Form— body oval, much compressed; breadth compared 
 with length as 3 to 7. Lateral line concurrent with the back. 
 Head small, facial line much depressed; small scales on 
 proopercle, but larger on the opercle, which is without a 
 spine ; nostrils small and double ; a few denticulations at the 
 lower posterior angle of opercle ; branchial rays seven ; dorsal 
 fin seven spines and sixteen soft rays; pectorals twelve, 
 ventrals one spine and five rays ; anal large, with six spines 
 and eighteen rays ; caudal eighteen rays. 
 
 There are five indistinct dark lines above the lateral line 
 in the fish of Louisiana, but wanting in those of Illinois ; I 
 have found dark transverse markings on the latter. The back 
 is yellowish blue ; sides silvery ; belly white, tinged with 
 yellow. The pectorals carnate nearest the humeral bone, with 
 a light shade of orange at the tips ; ventrals pink, tipped with 
 
 ■ 
 
112 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 black ; dorsal, anal, and caudal, with dark irregular transverse 
 markings. Teeth on vomer, tongue, and palatines acute, they 
 are small, and recurved on maxillaries. 
 
 The specific name, BexacarUhua, is significant ; its anal fin 
 being armed with six spines, which number of anal spines 
 exceeds that of any other percoid,— at least as far as the writer 
 has observed. 
 
 This graceful fish is known by the Creoles of Louisiana as 
 the "Sac-tl-Lai," where it is also sometimes called "Chinkapin 
 Perch." In the neighborhood of St. Louis, Mo., it was called 
 originally " Crappie," by the old French habitans, and still 
 bears that name. It is known in some of the north-western 
 lakes as " Grass Bass." It is found in the Atlantic States 
 south of Cape Hatteras, in the bayous in the vicinity of New 
 Orleans, and all the creeks, lakes, and ponds, fed by the over- 
 flow of the Mississippi, from Louisiana to Minnesota. It 
 abounds particularly in the lakelets of what is termed the 
 " American Bottom," extending along the Illinois side, oppo- 
 site St. Louis. 
 
 The lakes, as they are called (though they are more properly 
 ponds), along the alluvial banks of the Mississippi, become 
 very low after a succession of dry seasons, and the fish cease 
 to breed in them ; this, with excessive fishing with nets and 
 hooks, almost depopulates those waters ; but when a good rise 
 in the river overflows the bottom lands, the ponds are swept 
 of the foul water and replenished with fresh ; and, at the same 
 time, restocked with fish. Then it appears almost miraculous 
 where the vast numbers of Crappies, Bass, Perch, and other 
 fish come from, and there is no other way of accounting for 
 this feet, than by supposing that all the lakelets and streams 
 of Wisconsin and Minnesota to the north, have thrown oflF 
 
 their surplus production, which they appear to have garnered 
 up. 
 
THE PEROn FAMILY. 
 
 118 
 
 As soon, then, as the water becomes clear in the lakes and 
 ponds, there is a great turnout amongst the fishermen of St 
 Louis. But to have good sport with the Crappies, one should 
 get on the right side of Squire Cogswell or of Uncle George 
 Matlack s boys, who think it a small matter to hitch up their 
 team, and stowing in tent, ice-box, minnow-kettle, frying-pan 
 and provender for men and horses, are ready at almost an; 
 time for a start to Long Lake ; or thirty miles away to Mur 
 dock s Lake, for Bass and Crappies. 
 
 Crappies are frequently taken in company with Bass. Thev 
 love to lie in the brushwood, and about the bushy tops of 
 trees that have fallen in the water ; a sultry showery day is 
 most favorable for them. 
 
 A live minnow, hooked below the back fin, is the best bait • 
 a substitute for which may be found in a wedge-shaped piecJ 
 of fish, with the smaller end pendent from the hook ; in fish- 
 mg with the latter, the bait should be kept in motion. 
 Worms are objectionable, as they attract the smaller fish 
 while they are not fancied by Crappies. Shrimp are generally' 
 used by the New Orleans anglers. 
 
 Whatever be the depth of the water, the float (which is 
 generally used) should not be more than three or four feet 
 above the hook. As the mouth of the Crappie is large, a 
 Kirby hook. No. 1 or 0, is to be preferred. The dangerous 
 vicinity of brushwood makes the use of the reel objectiona- 
 ble ; for then it is necessary to secure them as soon as pos- 
 sil)le after being hooked. 
 
 Holbrook states the extreme length of this fish to be 
 twelve inches. I have seen it, in the vicinity of St. Louis, as 
 
 long as fifteen, and in one instance, seventeen inches. 
 
 o 
 
114 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK 
 
 YELLOW BARRED PERCH. 
 
 Pffrca flaveacens : Cuvier. 
 
 Back yellowish green; sides yellow, with six or seven 
 dark vertical bands; body compressed, elongated; back 
 slightly arched and tapering towards the tail, it is quite slim 
 between the second dorsal and caudal fin; the anal and 
 pectoral fins are of a yellowish red, or bright orange ; the 
 first dorsal has twelve or thirteen spinous rays; the second, 
 two spinous and fourteen soft rays ; ventrals, one spine and 
 five soft rays ; anal, two spines and eight soft rays ; caudal, 
 slightly concave, with seventeen rays. There are some beau- 
 tiful tints about this fish. 
 
 Yellow-barred Perch are found in most of the large north- 
 ern lakes, and with some other species which they closely 
 resemble, as far south as Carolina, inhabiting tidal waters or 
 lakes indiscriminately. They are easily taken with minnows 
 and worms. In trolling the lakes for Black Bass, the angler 
 is frequently annoyed by the great numbers of these Perch, 
 and holds them in small esteem when in search of nobler 
 prey. 
 
THB PERCH FAMILY. 
 
 115 
 
 SUNFISH. • 
 
 Pomotis vulgaris : Cuvier. 
 
 There are several species of Pomotis, and even fish of 
 other genera known as "Sunfish." A diminutive species 
 of the genus Centrachus is constantly called by that name. 
 I have taken a synopsis of a description of the true Sunfish 
 {Pomotis vulgaris), from Holbrook, one of the most exact 
 ichthyologists of our day. • 
 
 Body ovoidal in form, convex above and below, but straight 
 on the belly; color of body brown, with a greenish tint 
 above, with pale blue, waving, horizontal lines on the preo- 
 percle and opercle. Opercular appendix dark, with a bright 
 red blotch on its posterior margin. The dorsal fin has ten spines 
 and eleven rays; pectorals, thirteen rays; ventrals, one spine, 
 and five rays ; anal, three spines and ten rays ; caudal, seven- 
 teen rays. Mouth small, rather protractile, and armed with 
 small thickly-set teeth. Extreme length eight inches. 
 
 This beautiful little fish, associated in the minds of all 
 anglers with the first rudiments of a piscatorial education, is 
 known in the Middle and Southern States as the Sunfish or 
 
116 
 
 AMERICAN ANOLBR'S BOOK. 
 
 aii 
 
 " Sunny." Yankee boys call them " Punkin Seeds," or by the 
 more euphonic though appropriate name of " Kivera ;" prob- 
 ably from their appropriate shape for the cover of a tea-cup 
 or pickle jar. 
 
 It is a bootless task to describe the manner of taking 
 Sunnies ; any incipient angler of twelve summers would beat 
 Theophilus South or Sir Humphrey J), vy at catching them. 
 
 It would be hard to tell the amount of early Saturday 
 morning digging for earth-worms ; or how much bark-peeling 
 of old logs for grubs ; or how much anxious search for wasps' 
 nests, they have occasioned. Or how many long sunsbiay 
 Saturdays have been spent in search of them ; or, when altorrat- 
 ing swimming with fishing, and starkly skirting the edge of 
 the mill-pond, how often the youthful "sans culotte" has 
 dropped his bait before their noses, beside the old stump or 
 big rock, and " whopped them out," 
 
 Many an angler will remember the untiring patience with 
 which, in boyhood, he has displayed his w^orm-covered houk 
 before a half score of these pretty fish, and seen the larger 
 {dux gregis) separate himself from the rest and come towards 
 the bait, sail majestically around, backing and filling, eager, 
 though doubtful of the cheat, and glaring on it with his big 
 permanent eye, and, at last, just as the little angler gives up 
 the game, and is despairingly drawing it away, with a bold 
 rush, the Sunny seizes the barbed hook, and in a trice he is 
 bouncing on the grass, and a hand is on him that relaxes 
 not its grasp till the cruel switch is thrust through his gill. 
 
 Sunfish are extremely predatory in their habits, and the 
 tyrannical little fellow of our aquarium, whom we have 
 dubbed " Captain Walker," is dearer to us, because he is a 
 representative of those we were accustomed to fish for in our 
 schoolboy days. 
 
 In preparing their bed for spawning, a pair of Sunfish will 
 
THE PBROH FAMILY. 
 
 117 
 
 clear a place a foot or two in diameter, piling up the gravel, 
 chips, and twigs on the margin; at such times they refuse a 
 bait, remove anything offensive as soon as it drops in, and 
 pugnaciously drive off all intruders. 
 
 A neat line, small float and hooks, number six to ten, are 
 appropriate tackle. 
 
 I have a valued friend, who, although long since passed the 
 meridian of life, will still roll up his trousers, and angle for 
 this attractive little fish, with all the ardor of his youthful 
 days. 
 
118 
 
 AMERICAN ANOLBR'SBOOK. 
 
 BREAM. 
 
 In tho Southern States this* fish is called "Bream/' from some 
 fancied likeness to the European fish of that name, which 
 it resembles only iu its outline. The true Bream belongs to 
 the peaceable family of Cyprinidw, and our rapacious little 
 friend to the Percidse. The first attains a weight of five or 
 six pounds, in England, and the latter is seldom taken over 
 eight or nine inches long. It is found in nearly all of the 
 Atlantic States, and generally in the small streams and lake- 
 lets through the whole length of the Mississippi valley, 
 decreasing in size as its range extends northward. It is an 
 excellent pan fish, its flesh being firm, crisp, and well flavored. 
 I have been told that the Red-Bellied Bream is taken of a 
 pound weight iu the still waters of North and South Carolina. 
 There are two species of Bream described by Dr. Ilulbrook. 
 The one he describes as "Ichlhylia incisor;' is the Blue Bream, 
 or Copper-Nosed Bream ; it seldom exceeds eight inches iu 
 length. The other, " Ichthylis ruhricunda;' is the Red-Bellied 
 Perch, or Red -Tailed Bream. 
 
 There is yet another Percoid, with brilliant sides and dark 
 green mottled back, known as the Goggle-Eye, or War- Mouth 
 Perch. Its shape is different from either of tho first named, 
 carrying its oval form no farther than the anal fin, where 
 it falls off suddenly, and is thence very small to the caudul. 
 I have never seen a description of it in any work on iolithy- 
 ology. These three species are frequently called Sunfish, or 
 Sun Perch, and are taken in the same company. 
 
THE PKiiCH FAMILY. 
 
 119 
 
 Bream arc taken with shrimp, minnows, crawfish, red worms, 
 or a wedK'- shaped finh-bait. They shouUl be fished for with 
 a aliglit reed rod, short line, and a No. 3 Kirby hook; the 
 bail from fifteen to twimty-four inches below the float, Avhat- 
 ever be the depth of the water. They haunt the mouths of 
 small brunches that put into creeks, pond.s, or bayous, and are 
 found around old stumps and logs, and love to lie beneath 
 the scum or drift of sluggish waters. 
 
 In fishing the bayous in the South, the angler frequently 
 pushes aside the light drift with the end of his rod, and drops 
 his bait into an opening not larger than the crown of his hat, 
 and in a short time has captured a hatful of them. They are 
 the delight of all juveniles; a little urchin of ten years 
 frequently catching a string of them as long as himself, and 
 when Bass are not on the feed, they are the dernier reasort of 
 the more ambitious angler. 
 
 I have taken all three of these species in Bayou La Branch, 
 about thirty miles north of New Orleans, on the Jackson 
 Railroad, going and returning the same day. With a pleasant 
 companion, a bottle of claret, ice, and cold fowl, the day would 
 pass pleasantly enough. In the month of April the black- 
 berry bushes that grew along the banks of the bayou were 
 laden with fruit, and when we could not reach them from the 
 pirogue, we were sometimes tempted to go ashore for them, 
 at the risk of meeting an alligator in its journey from the 
 bayou to its nest in the canebrake. It was a dismal water 
 with long weepers of gray moss drooping from the trees ; 
 and when a solitary fisherman paddled his canoe over the 
 dark, waveless bayou, his form in the distance would suggest 
 the idea of Old Charon. It certainly was a river of "sticks,''^ 
 if not of Acheron. 
 
 Will 1 ever wet my seagrass line in Bayou La Branch 
 again ? I think not. 
 
120 
 
 AMERICAN ANaLER'S BOOK. 
 
 PIKE PERCH. OHIO SALMON. 
 
 Lucioperca Americana: Cuvier. 
 
 Of the many misnomers given to fish, that of "Salmon," as 
 applied to this, is the most inappropriate. It has as few of 
 the characteristics of the true Salmon as the Southern Bass 
 has of tlie Trout. Still we are not disposed to find fault with 
 rustic anglers because, in the absence of scientific knowledge, 
 thej have given what seemed to them the most fitting name 
 for it. 
 
 Anglers who look into books on ichthyology are at a loss 
 to know why this fish, with its elongated body and general 
 appearance so unlike the Perch, should have been placed in 
 the ftimily Percidae. The scientific name " Lucioperca" (Pike 
 Perch), adopted by Cuvier, indicates its affinity to the Pike 
 as well as the Perch. Recent ichthyologists, however, 
 amongst whom is Mr. Theodore Gill, are in favor of placing 
 it in a sub-family, " Percinse." 
 
 Having no specimen at hand, we copy from Mr. Gill's 
 "Synopsis of the sub-family Percinse," and his description of 
 this genus : — 
 
 "Body slender, elongate, fusiform, covered with scales 
 arranged in oblique rows. Head semiconical, quite broad, 
 with cheeks and opercles generally covered with scales; 
 isolated patches of scales on the sides of the posterior part 
 of the head ; rest of the head covered with naked skin, Pre- 
 opercle serrated. Opercle armed with from one to five spines. 
 
THE PERCH FAMILY. 
 
 121 
 
 - Dorsal fins two, the first supported by from twelve to fourteen 
 spines. This genus is peculiar to fresh- water streams, rivers, 
 an 1 lakes of North America." 
 
 There are several species of this genus found in Europe, 
 where it is known as the Sandre. 
 
 I have seen this fish as far south as Memphis, Tennessee. 
 It IS common, though not numerous, in all the tributaries of 
 the Ohio and Mississippi. It is taken in Lake Champlain 
 where it is called Pike, in contradistinction to the Pickerel 
 found there. It is remarkable that the Susquehanna and 
 Juniata are the only rivers on the eastern slope of the Alle- 
 ghames where it is found ; but it is not as abundant as it once 
 was There also, as west of the mountains, it is called 
 "Salmon." 
 
 Its flesh, which is perfectly white, is highly esteemed by 
 the residents along the Ohio Eiver. It is said that it does 
 not bite freely at a bait. When fished for, a live minnow is 
 generally used; a float and large hook are required in still- 
 fishing. It is sometimes taken in trolling with the spoon in 
 Lake Champlain. It is taken in the Alleghany from one to 
 four pounds in weight, by trolling with a minnow at the foot 
 of the rapids. 
 
122 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 BUFFALO PERCH. WHITE PERCH OF THE OHIO. 
 
 Abloden grunniens : Rafinesque. 
 
 Although this fish is known by the above common names, 
 it is not a species of Percidae, but belongs to an entirely different 
 family, that of Scienidae. It is the only Scienoid found in 
 our rivers, and is confined to those on the western side of the 
 Alleghanies, which flow into the Gulf of Mexico. I have 
 placed it amongst the species of this family, only because it 
 has the common name of Perch. 
 
 Rafinesque's description of this fish, which was published 
 nearly half a century ago, is quite interesting. I quote from 
 his work on the fishes of the Ohio : — 
 
 "Entirely silvery, upper lip longer, lateral line curved 
 upwards at the base, bent in the middle and straight poste- 
 riorly, tail lunate, first dorsal fin with nine rays, the first 
 very short, the second with thirty-five rays, the first spiny 
 and short. 
 
 " The vulgar names of this fish, are "White Perch, Buffalo 
 Perch, Grunting Perch, Bubbling Fish, Bubbler, and Muscle 
 Eater. It is one of the largest and best found in the Ohio, 
 reaching sometimes to the length of three feet, and the weight 
 of thirty pounds, and affording a delicate food. It is also one 
 of the most common, being found all over the Ohio, and even 
 the Monongahela, and Allegheny, as also in the Mississippi, 
 Tennessee, Cumberland, Kentucky, Wabash, Miami, and 
 all the large tributary streams, where it is permanent, since it 
 is found in all seasons except in winter. In Pittsburgh it 
 appears again in Februr.ry. It feeds on many species of 
 
THE PERCH FAMILY. 
 
 128 
 
 fishes; suckers, catfishes, sunfishes, &c., but principally on 
 the muscles, or various species of the bivalve genus Unio, so 
 common in the Ohio, whose thick shells it is enabled to crush 
 by means of its large throat teeth. The structure of those 
 teeth IS very singular and peculiar; they are placed like 
 paving-stones on the flat bone of the lower throat in great 
 numbers, and of different sizes; the largest, which are as big 
 as a man's nails, are always in the centre; they are inverted 
 m faint alveoles, but not at all connected with the bone- 
 their shape is circular and flattened, the inside always hollow' 
 with a round hole beneath: in the young fishes they are 
 rather convex, and evidently radiated and mamillar, while in 
 the old fishes they become smooth, truncate, and shining 
 white. These teeth and their bone are common in many 
 •museums, where they are erroneously called teeth of the 
 Buffiilo-fish, or of a Catfish. I was deceived so far by this 
 mistake, and by the repeated assertions of several persons as 
 to ascribe those teeth to the Buffalo-fish, which I have since 
 found to be a real catostomus; this error I now correct with 
 pleasure. 
 
 "A remarkable peculiarity of this fish consists in the 
 strange grunting noise which it produces, and from which I 
 have derived its specific name. It is intermediate between 
 the dumb grunt of a hog and the single croaking noise of the 
 bull frog ; that grunt is only repeated at intervals and not in 
 quick succession. 
 
 "This fish is either taken in the' seine or with the hook 
 and line; it bites easily, and affords fine sport to the fisher- 
 men; It spawns in the spring, and lays a great quantity of 
 eggs." 
 
 The fish here described, though quite, common in the Ohio 
 River, my own observation leads me to suppose is compara- 
 tively scarce in the Mississippi, above its junction with the 
 former river. 
 
124 
 
 AMERICAN ANOLBR'S BOOK, 
 
 At the time of the Sauve Crevasse, in the Mississippi 
 above New Orleans, about fifteen years since, it found its way 
 into Lake Ponchartrain, and thence into Lake Borgne, and 
 the brackish and salt waters along the Gulf coast, where it is 
 now permanent. It is very prolific and has improved in its 
 flavor and appearance, having an increased silvery brightness, 
 is more elongated in form, and of more graceful proportions. 
 These changes are no doubt owing to the greater abundance 
 of molluscs and Crustacea found in its new habitat. It has 
 the true characteristics of the Scienoids, which are mollusc- 
 eating fishes, indigenous to shoal salt water. It is not very 
 unlike the Croaker in shape ; it makes a similar noise, and is 
 sometimes takec in company with that fish. The pharyn- 
 gal bones, with their peculiar crushing teeth, closely resem- 
 bles those of the Drum-fish. 
 
 When young this is one of the most beautiful of the 
 
 Acanthopterri. I have never seen it larger than five pounds in 
 
 the New Orleans market,— there it is generally of a good size 
 
 for the pan. In the Ohio it attains four or five times that 
 
 size, ten or twelve pounds not being uncommon. This is no 
 
 doubt the fish referred to in the "American Angler's Guide," 
 
 (page 220), in these words :— " Of the Catfish.— This is the 
 
 common fish of the western waters, and is taken bv western 
 
 sportsmen by squid and fly-trolling, and affords capital 
 
 •amusement. They take their name from the noise they 
 
 make, similar to the purring of a cat." 
 
 I have never heard them called "Catfish" along the Ohio 
 or Mississippi,— that name being applied only to the big- 
 mouthed fish, known all over the South and West by that 
 appellation ; they do not take a squid or fly. Mr. Brown has 
 doubtless been imposed upon, by some person addicted to 
 telling "fish stories." 
 
CHAPTER V 
 
 THE PIKE FAMILY 
 
" Oreen ulr thy waters— greea as bottle glasa 
 
 They lay strutchcd thar ; 
 Fine Muscaloiigy and Uswegu Bass 
 
 Are ketchcd thar ; 
 Wonst the red Injuns thar took their delights, 
 
 Fiuht, fit and bled ; 
 Now the iDhabltanta is mostly whites 
 With nary red." 
 
 From " A Node to Lake Ontario," found in the 
 " K N Ptpper /bpcrj,"— quoted from memory. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 THB PIKE FAMILY — ESOCIDiB. 
 
 Remarks on thk Pike Family. Mascalonge pictured by Cuvier.— Eu 
 ropean species.— American species.— The Garfish ; manner of taking 
 it.— Dr. Bethune's remarks on Pikes.— Their introduction into Eng- 
 land.— Pliny's Pike.— Gesner's Pike. 
 
 The Great Lake Pickerel. Esox lucioides. —TroWmg from a boat fop 
 Pickerel. 
 
 The Mascalonge. Esox estor. — Angling for Mascalonge. 
 
 The Pond Pike, Esox re<icufe<u».— Pike-fishing.- Trolling for Pike with 
 
 the gorge-hook.— Pike-fishing in Eastern Virginia. 
 The Great Blue Pike. 
 The Little Pike of Lono Island. 
 The Streaked Pike of the Ohio.— Story told about a Pike taken in the 
 
 Kanawha. 
 
 In Cuvier and Valenciennes' great work, the only fish of 
 this family I find pictured is our Mascalonge, Esox estor. 
 The figure is incorrectly colored, and in its markings re- 
 sembles the Great Northern Pickerel, Esox lucioides, rather 
 than the fish it is intended to represent. There iire but few 
 species of Pikes found in Europe. Esox Indus, which is 
 common both to England and the Continent, is a handsome 
 fish and grows to a large size. 
 
 I think it quite likely that there are American species of 
 this family which have not yet been described. Be Kay, 
 Eichardson, and Hclbrook, jointly, do not mention more than 
 six or seven. Besides the Mascalonge and Great Northern 
 
 (127) 
 
128 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 Pickerel, I am impressed with the idea that there are two 
 other species in Lake Ontario. The large fish called the 
 "Blue Pike" or "Black Pike," found in Pennsylvania and 
 Virginia, west of the Alleghauies, which equals the Masca- 
 longe in size, and another species found in the Ohio and its 
 tributaries, I have never seen properly described or pictured. 
 Frank Forester, in his remarks on the Esocidse, assigns the 
 Great Garfish of the Southern and Western States to this 
 family, calling it " Esox osseua:' There can be no generic 
 affinity between the two. The Gar {Lepido3teus), as I have 
 remarked on a preceding page, is one of the few representa- 
 tives of the ancient order of Ganoids remaining at the present ; 
 while the Pikes, according to Hugh Miller, were not ushered 
 into existence until perhaps millions of years after. Even if 
 they had been cotemporaneous in Creation, the two orders, 
 being so entirely different, would not admit of such classifi' 
 cation. 
 
 In the waters along the Gulf of Mexico, Gars are frequently 
 an annoyance to the fisherman; they appear sometimes in 
 numbers, scaring away other fish, taking off one's bait, and 
 often cutting the line with their sharp teeth, while there is 
 hardly a possibility of hooking them in their hard bony jaws. 
 I have tried frequently to secure one, but was never success- 
 ful. A friend has since told me of a way of taking them, in 
 which he says the negroes are more fortunate ; he describes 
 It thus :— A noose is made by passing a string through a fish 
 of suitable size, say of seven or eight inches, lengthwise, 
 which can be done with a long baling-needle, and then 
 through a loop at the other end of the string, where it is tied 
 to the tip of a long pole or stout reed. The fish is adjusted 
 so as to form the base of a triangle, the slip-knot being at the 
 upper angle, nearest the pole. This triangular snare°is then 
 displayed on the surface of the water, and dabbled up and 
 
THE PIKE FAMILY. 
 
 12» 
 
 down to attract the notice of the Gar, whieh soon appears, 
 and as it seijsea the fish crosswise (which is its custc.i) it 
 runs Its long upper jaw or rather its bill into the noose when 
 the string is tightened by lifting the pole, and the Gar drawn 
 ashore. I have heard it said that the Alligator Gar has been 
 taken as long as eight feet. 
 
 Dr. Bethune in his notes to his edition of Walton, says- 
 " The name E,ox is first used by Pliny, who describes a great 
 fish in the Rhine, which attained the size of a thousand 
 pounds (! I !), was caught with a hook attached to a chain 
 {catmato hamo), and drawn out by oxen {bourn Jngis)." Of its 
 introduction into England he remarks: "The Pike is said to 
 have been brought into England about the time of the 
 Reformation, according to a distich erroneously quoted by 
 Walton, when speaking of the Carp, from Baker's Chronicles 
 0^. 317, ed. 1665), where it is, 
 
 ' Turkeys, Carps, Hoppes, Piccarel, and Beer, 
 Came into England all in or q year ;' 
 
 i. e., the fifteenth year of Henry VIII. This is, however, all 
 error. Pike or Pickerel were the subject of legal regulations 
 in the time of Edward I. Turkeys were brought from 
 America about 1521. Hops were introduced about 1524." 
 
 The Doctor says that Pliny, in his description of the thou- 
 sand pounder, wrote only from hearsay. In alluding to 
 Gesner's Pike, he quotes Bloch, the ichthyologist, who slys- 
 "Tiiis Pike was fifteen feet long, and weighed three hundred 
 and fifty pounds His skeleton was for a long time preserved 
 at Manheim." 
 
 Pickering, in his Piscatorial Reminiscences, speaks of a 
 Pike killed (caught) in Loch Spey that weighed one hundred 
 and forty-six pounds. Of another of twenty-eight pounds in 
 
ISO 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 i 
 
 I 
 
 which the cook found a black ribband and keys. Quoting 
 Dodaley's Register, 1765, he says: "In emptying a pool 
 which had not been fished for ages, at Lilleshall Lime Works 
 near New Port, an enormous Pike was found, weighing one 
 hundred and seventy pounds." 
 
 It is said that Pikes will eat all the smaller fish in a con- 
 fined pond, and then the larger will devour the smaller, until 
 at last only the largest remains, a solitary proprietor of the 
 domain. 
 
 After being so amiable as to quote the foregoing "fish 
 stories," without openly expressing a doubt as to the truth of 
 them, it would hardly be fair in the reader to doubt the story 
 of a large Pike on a subsequent page, which was told to me 
 by the hostler of a hotel in Wheeling, twenty years ago. 
 
 The term " Pickerel" is applied to all fish of this genus, 
 with the exception of the Mascalonge, by the people of New 
 York and the Eastern States. In the Middle States they are 
 called " Pike," and in Virginia and further South they go by 
 the name of " Jackfish." 
 
noting 
 . pool 
 Vorks 
 g one 
 
 a con- 
 , until 
 of the 
 
 "fish 
 
 itli of 
 
 story 
 
 to me 
 
 »enu8, 
 
 ' New 
 py are 
 goby 
 
u 
 
 a. 
 u 
 
 u 
 
 » 
 
 V 
 
 S 
 
 le 
 
 he 
 
 nu 
 
THE ITKR FAMILY. 
 
 181 
 
 GKEAT LAKE PICKEREL. 
 
 Enox lucioidea. 
 
 The bo,ly of this fish presents the characteristics of all the 
 Ike Hunly, carrying the breadth of body well aft, even to 
 1.0 anal fin; its section is almost rectangular. Length of 
 head compared with body as seven a.ul a half to twenty eight- 
 breadth one-seventh ; back one-twelfth. ' 
 Color, dark bluish-green above, with a lighter tinge of the 
 same on the sides. Belly white. The markings are white, 
 irregularly shaped on the back, but rectangular on the side, 
 and twice or thrice as bug as they are wide. 
 
 The head is long, depressed between the eyes, witli a slight 
 upward curve of the snout. The under jaw has also ''an 
 upward curve, nn.l projects beyond the snout; it is armed on 
 each side with seven long sharp teeth projecting forward but 
 with the ,,oints curved somewhat back. The teeth of the 
 upper jaw are shorter and inverted. The palatine teeth are 
 gradually larger towards the von.er. The vnn.er, pharynx 
 ami branchial arches have teeth which are shorter, but not 
 less keen. 
 
 The eye has its posterior margin nearly half way between 
 the snout and angle of opercle, and is slightly below the 
 aoial line ; its diameter is about one-tenth the length of the 
 head. 
 
 The sj,, cimen I examined exhibited a deficiency in the 
 number of fin-rays as compared with I'rank Forester's de- 
 
182 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 scription. There are fourteen branchial rays. The dorsal fin, 
 which is one-eighth the lengtli of the body, has eighteen rays ; 
 pectorals fifteen; ventrals (midway between snout and end of 
 the caudal), fifteen rays ; anal (slightly posterior to the dorsal), 
 fifteen. The caudal is bilobed, rather than forked; it has 
 eighteen rays reaching the posterior margin, and two or 
 three stout rudimentary rays above and below them; the 
 upper lobe of the caudal is the longer. 
 
 For want of a better artist, T was induced five or six years 
 since, when on a visit to the Thousand Isles, to try my hand 
 for the first time on this fish ; and with the aid of an inch 
 measure — for it is a purely mechanical production — made as 
 correct a drawing as I could. The figure at the head of this 
 article is a reduced copy of it. As I had never seen the pecu- 
 liar markings of this fish correctly drawn, I took some pains to 
 do so. My description is from one taken at the same time. 
 
 This fish is known about the Thousand Isles as the Marsh 
 Pickerel, and is found more generally in the coves and on the 
 flats than in the deep water. The "Channel Tickerel," which 
 I suppose to be another species, is a more symmetrical fish, 
 with less fulness of body between the dorsal fin and the tail. 
 It has a yellow iiastead of a leaden tinge. The markings are 
 three times as numerous and about one-third the size, though 
 of tne same shape as those of tlie Marsh Pickerel ; it is found 
 generally in deep water. There is a third variety, which is 
 shorter in the body than either of these, but the colnr and 
 markings the same as the Marsh Pickerel; some of them, 
 though, are the shape of the letter L, with the lower limb 
 elongated. It is called the "Short Pickerel." 
 
 The larger species (the Marsh Pickerel) grows to the 
 weight of twenty-five pounds ; it is even said that it has been 
 taken as high as thirty-eight. It is common in the St. Law- 
 rence and Lake Ontario, and all of their connecting waters. 
 
THE PIKE FAMILY. 
 
 183 
 
 and in Lake Champlain. It has been introduced into Lake 
 George within the last seven or eight years. 
 
 Pickerel are taken almost entirely by trolling with some 
 artificial spinning bait; of these the murderous implement 
 called the spoon is in general use. A stout trolling-rod often 
 feet, a multiply ing-reel with a hundred yards of plaited-silk 
 line, and the spinning bait, attached by one or two swivels, 
 completes the troller's outfit. A gaflf is sometimes used ; but 
 as the fish, when he is drawn up to the boat, has generally 
 two or three hooks in his jaws, it is not required. 
 
 Alexandria Bay, near the Thousand Isles of the St. Law- 
 rence, is a favorite resort for those who fish for Pickerel. In 
 trolling for them, when the angler takes his seat in the boat, 
 he generally finds his oarsman supplied with one or two 
 stout cedar poles, which by your permission he will rig out 
 on one or both sides, like studding-sail booms. Trailing 
 from each of these poles, there will be thirty or forty yards 
 of strong hemp line, with a spoon attached by a swivel ; and 
 while he looks after them, he leaves you to the enjoyme'nt of 
 your jointed rod, your multiplying-reel, and your pipe, in the 
 stern. When a fish is hooked the boatman slacks his speed, 
 keeping easy way to prevent the lines on the other rods from 
 becoming entangled, or tl^e spoons from sinking to the 
 bottom. If the fish be on the line attached to the native rod, 
 you throw the point forward, grasp the line, and pull in. the 
 victim hand over Imnd. As he nears the boat, he will 
 perhaps raise his head out of the water and rattle the spoon 
 (in the oarsman's vernacular, "ring the bell"). By the time 
 you get him alongside he is generally docile; when you put 
 your hand over and grasp him by the nape of the neck, bring 
 him on board, disengage the hooks, give him a few taps on 
 the head with a stick kept in the boat for that purpose, and 
 the drama is played out. When you strike a fish with your 
 
184 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 own rod, if you request it, the boatman will cease rowing, 
 draw his lines in, and let you fight your adversary in your 
 own way, which after all is not much of a fight, and after a 
 steady strain on your rod and reel, he is drawn in and 
 knocked on the head, as just described. 
 
 The number and weight of Pickerel taken in a day's fishing 
 in this way is considerable; though I cannot see that the 
 wear and tear of fine tackle expended on them is justified by 
 trolling for them, with any other than that used by the natives. 
 But to one to whom anglmg is really "the contemplative 
 man's recreation," the fairy boat, the clear deep water, and the 
 beauty of the Thousand Isles, are suggestive of the far-off 
 times, when the Indian in his bark canoe, the early explorer, 
 the devout Jesuit missionary, and hardy voyageurs passed 
 over the great inland seas and their connecting witers; and 
 strange legends, traditions, and history almost forgotten come 
 up before him. 
 
 if * I 
 
THE PIKE FAMILY. 
 
 185 
 
 MASCALONGE. 
 
 Esoxeator: Cuvier. 
 
 Bodj elliptical, elongated ; section oval, not quadrancrular 
 as in the Pickerel. Color green, with a tint of steel blue on 
 the back, shading lighter and into a bluish pearl color on the 
 -tes; the body is covered with round or oval spots of much 
 '.rker color. Belly white; the whole body has a pearly 
 lustre. Head not quite one-fourt^ of its length, and very 
 slender, causing it to appear much logger in proportion to 
 length of body than it really is ; tL skuII depressed between 
 the eyes, and the profile concave between the eyes and snout- 
 upper part of preopercle and opercle covered with small deep 
 green brilliant scales, those on opercle are the larger Eyes 
 large, near the top of the head, and midway between snout 
 and angle of opercle. Irides light yellow. Cheeks and oiH. 
 covers resembling gray pearl, with four or five clouded spots 
 on preopercle, and one or two on opercle. Upper jaw broad 
 verging to a point; under jaw terminated with an upward 
 curve. Branchial rays seventeen, the series extending high 
 up against the opercle. The arrangement of teeth similar 
 but not quite the same as in the Pickerel. Fins all covered 
 with dark spots half the size of those on the body. I counted 
 in my specimen seventeen rays in the pectoral fins, which are 
 pinnate m shape, a.xd situated beneath the extremity of the 
 gill-cover. Ventrals slightly posterior to its mid-length with 
 twelve rays. Anal seventeen. Dorsal two-thirds length 
 
i 
 
 186 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 from the snout, twenty-two rays. The caudal, which is 
 deeply lunate, has twenty-eight rays ; the six in the centre 
 are branched. 
 
 The specimen from which Frank Forester's drawing was 
 taken must have been unusually stout; a fish of eighteen 
 pounds should measure over three feet, instead of two and a 
 half My representation is a drawing of a smaller specimen ; 
 like the picture of the Great Northern Pickerel, it is an attempt 
 of my own, which, though rude, is mathematically correct in 
 its proportions. 
 
 The Mascalonge differs materially from the Pickerel de- 
 scribed on a preceding page ; the head is extremely small, a 
 section of the body presenting almost an oval ; the njouth is 
 smaller, not opening so for back ; the color of its body much 
 more silvery, the spots being dark instead of white, also of 
 different shape, and much larger than in the Pickerel. The 
 tail of the Pickerel is bilobed ; while that of the Mascalono-e 
 is deeply lunate. 
 
 It is said that this fish is found in the "Wisconsin and 
 Upper Mississippi, about the Falls of St. Anthony. It is 
 generally sought for in the upper waters of the St. Lawrence, 
 and the smaller lakes on the Canada side, by anglers from the 
 Eastern cities. From all accounts they were never numerous ; 
 the angler who captures four or five of fair size in a day's 
 fishing at Alexandria Bay, is considered in luck. Eico Lake, 
 farther west on the Canada side, is said to afford them in some 
 abundance, though twelve or fifteen of six or seven pounds 
 weight is reported to be a good day's fishing even there. 
 
 This fish is said to attain a weight of sixty or seventy 
 pounds, but gerxcrally it does not exceed the size of the Blue 
 Pike taken in the rivers and small lakes of Western Penn- 
 sylvania. Its size varies from three to thirty pounds ; a few 
 have been taken as high as forty ; one or two instances only 
 
K'\ 
 
 
 ! ! 
 
 !i 
 
THE PIKE FAMILY. 
 
 187 
 
 ;:jf'" of „be. .he .eight .. . „,,H . .even., 
 
 have m„. pluek than the Intjl I """' "■"' 
 who hold, a stout trollin^.rod V M ""'"^''^"y ""«'- 
 
 Who ^r: i:?-:i- J— ~d hette. th.,, 
 .«it on a cushioned sea, with a cu h nrfblT T ""' 
 a boat, and s„fe themselves to be puld «!„;;?'"" ■",' 
 a .roUi„g..od extended fro. each sfde I nev" ^ m' """' 
 ciate this inactive mod,, of , i ■ ^ , "*'<'"°"M appre- 
 
 than coclcney p^n &ht, , ,'"^ ' "'"°' " ""'" •>««- 
 skill Tf P "' °.*'"S' ""<' ""oes not require one-tenth the 
 -fall If spoon.flsbmg had been practised in Maelzel' d 
 and that ingenious man had been an an.,ler „ f ^ ^' 
 would have constructed an automato: pS^.:;^^' "^ 
 
188 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 I 
 
 THE POND PIKE, OR COMMON PIKE. 
 
 The smaller species of Pikes are confined almost exclusively 
 to the streams on the eastern slope of the Alleghanies. There 
 is much resemblance in their general appearance. I give the 
 wood-cut at the head of this article, as a general representative 
 of the whole. 
 
 The Pond Pike is not often taken above five pounds, its 
 average being less than a pound and a half. They are seldom 
 if ever captured by trolling with a spoon ; I suppose, for the 
 reason that they are not fished for in that way. The live 
 bait is used in still-fishiug, when the Pike generally takes 
 it near the bank, where he is in the habit of looking 
 for small fish. In fishing a pond, where there are water- 
 lilies, grass, or other aquatic vegetation, it is generally from 
 a boat, with a long light rod, the bait a minnow, frog's leg, 
 a piece of the Pike's belly, or a strip of pork. 
 
 The Pike of England is larger than our common Pond 
 Pike, and doubtless more worthy of the elaborate tackle and 
 scientific angling used in its capture. And, although there 
 is a prevalent indisposition amongst our anglers to learn any- 
 thing out of a book, there are still a few who have profited 
 by the lessons taught in English books, and use the leaded 
 gorge-hook, with much advantage over the usual manner of 
 
THB PIKE FAMILY. 
 
 180 
 
 fishing for them here. The tackle and the mode of taking 
 thorn, described with so much minuteness by Ilofland and 
 Salter, are seldom resorted to in this country. Our anglers 
 having 80 many fish amongst the Perch and Salmon famnies, 
 and salt-water species, affording an infinite deal more sport,' 
 the Pike of our ponds are considered fish of secondary or 
 third-rate importance. 
 
 When fishing a pond from a boat, the snood should have 
 two hooks, the smaller about two inches above the larger; 
 the end of the bait or head of the minnow being held" by 
 the upper, while the lower hook is passed through it mid- 
 way. When the Pike takes the bait he should be allowed to 
 run a short distance; the line should then be tightened and 
 the angler strike, and get the fish into the boat as soon as 
 possible, never allowing him any slack line. 
 
 Trolling fok Pike with a GoRGB-IIooK.—Where there 
 are deep holes close in by the bank, trolling with the gorge- 
 hook is far more successful than any other mode. A go'^od 
 bass rod of twelve feet, with metallic guides and tip, and an 
 easy-running reel with forty yards of plaited-silk line, nre 
 then required: a tin bait-box, carried at one's side like a 
 powder-flask, is best to hold the minnows used for bait ; they 
 should have bran, coarse meal, or saw-dust put in with them, 
 to prevent their rubbing or bruising. A piece of gimp of 
 tweVe inches is attached by a box-swivel to the line, and a 
 hook-swivel is fastened at the other end of the gimp, for the 
 purpose of taking off or putting on the bait after it is placed 
 o;i the 
 
 fir^ymaf^fj^jr.^jMj^^f^ft, ,, ^ 
 
 GORGE-HOOK. 
 
'i 
 
 :!,. 
 
 t 
 
 ii',^: 
 
 I'll ' 
 
 1 
 
 M 
 
 140 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 The disgorgiug-hook and baiting-needle are considered 
 superfluous by American trollers, a forked stick being used 
 to disengage the bait when it is far down the fish's throat. 
 
 In putting on the minnow fi)r a bait, the tv/isted wire to 
 which the leaded hook is fastened is put — small end foremost 
 of c(jurse — into the mouth of the bait, and worked a^ong the 
 backbone until it comes out at the tail, when it is drawn 
 entirely through, the lead lying in the belly of the minnow. 
 The tail and back fins are then nipped oft' with a knife, or 
 with the thumb and finger-nails, and the minnow bent slightly 
 near the tail to insure its spinning or twirling, and attached 
 to the gimp by the hook-swivel. In trolling, the minnow is 
 'drawn through the water tail foremost. If you cast much 
 among weeds and grass, it is necessary to tie the tail of the 
 bait to the wire of the gorge-hook, with a few turns of coarse 
 thread ; it is perhaps better in all cases. English anglers are 
 sometimes so nice as even to sew up the mouth of the 
 minnow. 
 
 With a line of convenient length, not longer than the 
 rod, approach the bank carefully, casting close in shore, 
 dropping the bait in softly, and by successive short pulls, 
 raising and lowering the point of your rod, draw it towards 
 you. You will notice that as you lower the point of the 
 rod, the bait shoots forward and downward with a spiral 
 motion, assisted in its twirling by the easy turning of the 
 swivels and its having been bent, and that it spins or 
 twirls in the same way as it is d-awn towards you. When 
 you have drawn in the bait sufficiently near you by these 
 short pulls, raise it gently from the water, and cast and draw 
 as before. If your bait is not taken near the bank, extend 
 your cast up and down, and across towards the opposite bank, 
 and towards the water-lilies, brush- wood, and under-bushes, 
 and around and about old stumps, being careful not to be 
 caught by roots or brush. 
 
THE PIKE FAMILY. 
 
 141 
 
 As the length of the cast is increased, draw a proportionate 
 length of line from the reel, holding part of it in a coil 
 in your loft hand, and letting it go as you cast; the 
 impetus acquired by the leaded bait will not only take the 
 coil held in your hand, but an additional quantity from the 
 reel, if it tuns freely. The extra length of line is recovered 
 by winding up ; or gathering at each raising, and loworinc^ 
 of the point of the rod, a foot or two at a time, with the left 
 hand, holding it in coils ready for the next cast. It is said 
 that English Pike-fishers are able to cast thirty yards oi 
 more, when they cannot approach a desirable spot. 
 
 It is well to draw the bait well home between each cast, as 
 a Pike will occasionally follow it for some distance, when he 
 is not hungry, as a cat does a mouse, and seize it only when 
 he finds that it is about to escape, as you draw it from the 
 water. When your bait is arrested, or you feel a tug, lower the 
 point of the nd, and give the fish as much line as he wants; 
 he will take it to his haunt, or .some place near at hand, and 
 swallow, or, as the English anglers say, "pouch it;" for the 
 Pike seisses his prey crosswise in his long jaws, and taking it 
 to his haunt, turns it and swallows it head foremost. As this 
 requires some moments or perhaps minutes, the angler is 
 kept in hopeful suspense, and in the meanwhile his line 
 should remain perfectly slack : but as soon as the fish has 
 pouched the bait, the hook pricking the sides of his stomach, 
 causes him uneasiness and he starts off; then give him a yard 
 or so to run, and winding up the slu^k strike sharply, for in 
 nine cases out of ten he is hooked beyond all peradventure 
 of escape. If he is a fish of moderate size, reel him in and lift 
 him ashore, or catching hold of the gimp trace, throw him out. 
 If he is large and requires line, give it grudgingly, and keep 
 him away from all places that would endanger your tackle, 
 or enable him to get your line foul; if you do so, there is 
 
142 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 Ilv 
 
 little chance of losing him, for he pulla as steady as a 
 Conestoga wagon-horse, and knows few of the wiles of the 
 Trout or liass. 
 
 If after seizing your bait and making his first run, he 
 ai'poars long in pouching it, you may feel him gently, by 
 winding up the slack slowly and bearing on him slightly. 
 If ho is still there, he will resist or signify his dissent by a 
 shake or another tug, when the line must be again slacked, 
 and more time given him. 
 
 On certain kinds of days a Pike will seize the bait, make his 
 first run and then drop or only chew it, as if he was overfed 
 or indifferent. Then it is better to use hooks, as described 
 for pond-fishing on a preceding page, putting the smaller 
 through the lips of the minnow, and the larger through ihe 
 back, .just behind the dorsal fin, and fish as there directed. 
 
 Much depends on the day in Pike-fishing, some persons 
 say even on the quarter the moon may be in. On a cloudy 
 day, if not too warm, I have found them to take a bait from 
 sunrise to ten o'clock, or from four in the afternoon until dark, 
 though sometii.ies they are on the feed all day. 
 
 The Pike spawns in this latitude in the latter part of 
 February, or early in March, or directly after the ice is gone, 
 and soon recovers condition. He may be taken by snap- 
 fishing at almost any season after spawning. Trolling with 
 the gorge-hook is not successful until later in the season — 
 from August until November is considered the best time, or 
 even later if the weather is warm. They may be taken all 
 winter in open weather by trolling, and numbers of them are 
 caught by fishing through holes cut in the ice. 
 
 Trolling from the bank is the most sportsmanlike way of 
 taking the Pike ; and, as will be observed, is very different 
 from trolling or rather trailing the bait from a boat, as it is 
 rowed along. Still, after one has taken the magnificent 
 
THE PIKE FAMILY. 
 
 148 
 
 Stripcfl and Fresh -water Bush, Trout, Weakflsh. Barb, and Rod- 
 fidh tlirough the Hurniner, at the end of a long lin«, he is ajit 
 to think trolling for Pike stupid sport, notwithstanding the 
 importancio attaohed to it by English anglors. There ia one 
 recouuiiondation to it, however ; it is apt to fill the creel, in 
 parts of the country where diminutive streams and ponds 
 furnish no oth' r iluin small or worthless flsh. 
 
 It is scarcely necessary to say to a sagacious angler, that 
 the larger the run of P"' • the larger the bait to be used, and 
 us a cousequLMice t) arger the hook. When the fish .ire 
 small — from three-c uartcru a pound and a quarter — a 
 minnow the size of oncV- littk- Jnger is large enough ; if they 
 run two pounds and up./ard, a roaoh or chub of four or five 
 inches is better. A pike of foi^' pounds will readily take a 
 roach of six inches. 
 
 Pike-fishing is enjoyed much by the anglers of Virginia, 
 between tidewater and Blue Ridge, in the fall of the year. 
 The usual method is to bait one or more holes for Carj), a? 
 they are called there (though truly Suckersl A half-peck 
 or so of coarse corn meal is made into a stiff' dough, and 
 thrown in at intervals of two or three days, for a week or so, 
 to attract the Carp, which aro fished for before breakfast, „ id 
 late in the afternoon. This food also draws the minnows, 
 and the small fry of course attract the "Jackfish," as the 
 Virginians call the Pike. 
 
 Early on some frosty morning, then, the angler of the Old 
 Dominion may be seen wending his way to a baited hole, 
 preceded by a negro boy, with four or half a dozen pine poles 
 on his shoulder, and a chunk of corn bread in his hand, the 
 use of which I will mention auou. When he gets to the 
 baited hole, he proceeds deliberately to bait his Carp-hooks 
 with earth-worms, and drops them quietly in, some distance 
 out from the shore. Then with a small hook and line he 
 
144 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 catches his minnows, baits his Jack-hooks (which are sus- 
 pended to the ends of stout lines two feet or so below large 
 corks), and ranges them in a line close to the bank, where 
 the Pike are most likely to lie in ambush for the minnows, 
 as Captain Walker used to wait in the chaparral for the 
 " Greasers," down on the Eio Grande. 
 
 After he sets his poles he then " sets himself," on a stump, 
 or log, or on a bench made for that purpose, and for the use of 
 all angJers who fish that hole, and waits patiently for a bite. 
 When there is a tremulous motion of bis Carp-corks, the 
 angler shows a disposition to rise, as if to discuss an "abstract 
 question ;" but if a school of minnows skip suddenly along 
 the surface, mention of the John Brown raid could not arouse 
 him so thoroughly— Jack are about! his middle cork sails 
 away and disappears; he gives him a little time, then palls 
 with all his might, and the fish is landed. He places 
 the toe of his boot under the abdominal fins, and sends 
 Johannis Esox some ten paces farther inland, and leaves him 
 flouncing and rustling in the dry leaves. Then baiting his 
 hook again, he "sets his pole," and takes his seat on the 
 bench to wait for anot -■ or bite. 
 
 If there are no signs of Jack, after awhile he crumbles up 
 a little piece of the corn bread his black adjutor has brought 
 along, strews it over the water to attract the minnows, and 
 sits down again, perhaj'.^ rising occasionally to land a Carp- 
 but look out! the minnows skip again! there, the cork 
 nearest the alders ! jerk— he has missed him— he pulled too 
 soon. Parliaps he " cusses" a little, but baits his hook again, 
 resets l-is pole, and once more takes his seat on the bench. 
 If the Jack bite well, he resigns the capture of the less noble 
 game— the Suckers— to his henchman, who has been standing 
 all the time with his hands in his pockets, rubbing one foot 
 over the other to keep them warm, and shivering as a negro 
 
THE PIKE FAMILY. 
 
 145 
 
 boy always will on a frosty morning, whether he is cold or 
 not. As the day advances, he wiles the minnows with the 
 crumbs of corn bread, and the minnows attract the Jack- 
 fish. At last, after more or less sport, he strings his fish on 
 a dogwood switch, hands them to C»sar, goes home, takes a 
 honey dram, or, if he has taken the temperance pledge lately, 
 compromises on a mug of persimmon beer, which he calls 
 "36.30," and sits down to breakfast; and such a breakfast as 
 is seldom found outside of the Old Dominion. 
 
 On such excursions, when I have been with "the Major," 
 minnows would be scarce, and the Ju.kfish would keep their 
 hiding-places; then with my trolling-rod and gorge-hook, I 
 have forced from him acknowledgment of the superiority of 
 science over native aptness. But he always viewed trolling 
 in the light of some new-fangled "Northern heresy;" and 
 when I have attempted to drill him in my tactics, he would 
 make a few casts and return to his big cork lines; and still 
 adheres to their use with as much pertinacity as he does to 
 the "political teachings of Thomas Jefferson," or the doctrine 
 of State Eights. 
 
 I would not imply from the foregoing, that the anglers of 
 the Old Dominion are solitary or unsocial in their sports; on 
 the contrary they are gregarious, and consequently convivial. 
 A fishing-party, if stationary, sometimes lasts all day, and is 
 apt to draw an occasional passer-by; when a game of "seven- 
 up" or a tune on a fiddle is interluded. " The Major" says, a 
 cockfight sometimes varies the amusements of the day; and 
 that he has even known a quarter race to come off in an 
 adjoining lane, by way of finale to the day's sport. 
 
 [Since penning the foregoing sketch of an old friend, the 
 besom of war has swept over the broad fields along the upper 
 Rappahannock, where he lived ; crops have been destroyed 
 
148 
 
 AMERICAN ANOLBR'S BOOR. 
 
 farm stock driven off, servants scattered, and many a hos- 
 pitable home, that was open to all comers, has been desolated, 
 I prefer not altering what I have written, for I love to think 
 of that pan of the country and its people as they were, and 
 indulge the hope that when our Union is restored, I shall 
 again behold " the Major" as I last saw him after returning 
 from Jack-fishing — warming himself before his big log-fire.] 
 
THB PIKE FAMILY. 
 
 147 
 
 GREAT BLUE PIKE. 
 
 This fish has a broad short snout, which is very different 
 from the ducklike bill of the Pond Pike; its head resembling 
 what one might imagine the produce of the bulldog and 
 greyhound would be. It has a formidable array of broad 
 lancet-looking teeth. I have the head of a specimen, sent 
 from Meadville, Pennsylvania, in a jar of alcohol, which 
 measures twenty-five inches in circumference; after large 
 slices of it being cut off, to get it into the jar. 
 
 Mr. Wilson, who keeps the gun and fishing-tackle store in 
 Chestnut Street below Fifth, Pbiladelphi. h the dried head 
 of a Pike of the same species in his window, with its two 
 rows of teeth all complete ; it is worth examining. 
 
 This fish is found in the lakelets and in the streams that are 
 tributary to the Ohio, in the south-western part of New York, 
 Pennsylvania, and North-western Virginia. A friend tells me 
 it takes a live bait nine or ten inches long, and pulls like 
 a Shetland pony. It has been taken weighing as much 
 as eighty pounds in Connaught Lake in Bradford County, 
 Pennsylvania. 
 
 THE LITTLE POND PIKE OF LONG ISLAND. 
 
 In olden times on Long Island there was a small Pike 
 which bothered the fly-fisher a great deal, rising at the fly 
 and insisting on being caught. Frank Forester describes 
 it at length in his book as Esox fasciatus. 
 
148 
 
 AMBRICAN ANGLKR'S BOOK. 
 
 THE STREAKED PIKE OF THE OHIO. 
 
 Esox vittatua : Rafinesque. 
 
 Of the Pikes found in the Ohio, Rafinesque says : — " There 
 are several species of Pikes in the Ohio, Mississippi, Wabash, 
 Kentucky, &c, I have not yet been able to observe them 
 thoroughly. I have, however, procured correct accounts, and 
 figures of two species ; but there are more. They appear to 
 belong to a peculiar subgenus distinguished by a long dorsal 
 fin, a forked tail, and the abdominal fins anterior, being 
 removed from the vent. It may be called Picarellus. The 
 French settlers of the Wabash and Missouri call them Piconeau, 
 and the American sett'ers Pikes or Pickerels. They are 
 permanent but rare fishes, retiring however in deep waters in 
 winter. They prefer the large streams, are very voracious, 
 and grow to a large size. They prey on all the other fishes 
 except the Garfishes, &c. They are easily taken with the 
 hook, and afford a very good food, having a delicate flesh. 
 
 " Streaked Pike. Esox vittatus. Brochet raye. 
 
 "White, with two blackish longitudinal streaks on each side, 
 back brownish ; jaws nearly qc-xoX, very obtuse, eyes large 
 and behind the mouth ; dorsal fins longitudinal between the 
 abdominal and anal fins ; tail forked. 
 
 " This fish is rare in the Ohio, (although it has been seen at 
 Pittsburgh), but more common in the Wabash and Upper 
 
THB PIKB FAMILY. 
 
 149 
 
 Mississippi. It is called Picor^au or Picaneau by the Cana- 
 dians and Missourians. It reaches the length of from three 
 to five feet. The pectoral and abdominal fins are trapezoidal, 
 the anal and dorsal longitudinal, with many rays and nearly 
 equal. It is sometimes called Jack or Jackfish. Lateral line 
 straight." 
 
 I saw an account, and an engraving of a fish of this species 
 m some scientific journal a few years since, at the Academy 
 of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, and fully intended to have 
 referred to it in this work ; but on looking for it recently- 
 having forgotten the title of the periodica^-- r^viz':. to my 
 regret I was unable to find it. even with the assistance of the 
 librarian. 
 
 I have been told by Kentucky anglers that this Pike takes 
 a Chub or a Sucker a foot long, and prefers a bait of that size 
 to a smaller one; and that in setting night-lines for it the 
 usual way is to go in a boat to pools which it frequents, 'and 
 tie the line to the limb of a tree, extending over the water 
 When the fish takes the bait, the branch giving, allows him 
 to run a little with his prey, and when he is securely hooked, 
 It also acts as a rod, yielding, though still holding him. 
 
 Miraculous stories are told of the size of a Pike found in 
 the Kanawha and other tributaries of the Ohio, below Wheel- 
 ing, Virginia, which must be of the species referred to above 
 If these accounts are to be credited, it is the largest Pike 
 ever taken with hook and line-excepting, always, Pliny's . 
 and old Gesner's. 
 
 One of the stories alluded to, I heard many years ago, when 
 detained at Wheeling, Virginia, waiting for the Cincinnati 
 packet. It wa; from the hostler of the hotel opposite the 
 steamboat landing. He told me that the proprietor, who was 
 then on a fishing excursion to the Kanawha, on a former trip 
 
 '.^■^' 
 
150 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 had taken a Pike which reached clear across the diniop-t<>,ble 
 after its head and tail were cut off; and that it was rieoe-.savy to 
 have a tin boiler made expressly to cook it. He did not say 
 how much wood was consumed in boiling if, ; probably some- 
 thing less than a cord. From his '• dare-davil" au.. and the 
 leer in his eye I had a feint imprf;s3!t>u that he was quizzing 
 me. But he affirmed positively a3 to the length of tlie fish, 
 as he sat in his shirt-sleeves, with hu thurubs under his bus- 
 penders, and a very long native segar in hia mouth. 
 
 
■tiihle 
 aiy to 
 ot, say 
 aome- 
 id the 
 izzing 
 e fish, 
 is sus> 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 THE CARP FAM1. Y. 
 
** lilT me live barmlossly, aud near the brink 
 Of Trent or Avon, liuve a liwoUiuis-piutf ; 
 Where 1 uuy see my quiU ur curk duwn einli 
 With eager bite of Torch, or Bleak, or Dace, 
 And on the world and my Creator think; 
 Whilst Home men strive iil-gottcn goods to embraca, 
 And others spend their time in base excess 
 Of wine, or worse, in war and wantonness. 
 
 ■"Let them that list, these pastimes still pursue, 
 And on such pleasing fancies feed their flU, 
 So I the fields and meadows green way view. 
 Ana dully by fresh rivers walk at will, 
 Amoi.g the daisies and the violets blue, 
 Bed hyacinth, aud yellow daflbdll. 
 
 Purple narcissus like the morning raya. 
 Pale gander-gross, and azure uulverkeys." 
 
 Jo. Davoss, Ea(). 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THK CARP FAMILY— CYPRINIDii. 
 
 Remarks on the Cyprinid.i:. 
 
 The Sucker. Catoatomua communis. 
 
 Buffalo Fish. Catoatomus 6«6ai«M.-Buffalo Fish as an article of diet. 
 
 The Chub or Fai.lkish. heucoaomus rhotheua.-'&nors of American 
 writers in regard to the size of the Chub—Chub an annoyance to 
 fly-fishers—Chub-fishing on the Brandywine.-Umbrella invented by 
 a Chub Fisherman. 
 
 Roach, and Roach-fishing. 
 
 This family furnishes but few species that may be called 
 game fish. The more ambitious angler who has access to 
 Trout-streams or waters where Bass and Pike are found, 
 seldom fishes for them in this country. As food they are not 
 esteemed, and in warm weather are scarcely edible. 
 
 There are pleasing associations, however, connected with 
 some of the fish of this family. To many an angler they 
 have furnislied the means of a rudimentary knowledge of the 
 gentle art, while the pursuit of them along the streams that 
 flow through green meadows, has likely fostered a love of 
 quiet pastoral scenery; and if, in after years, he reads the 
 lines attributed by Walton to "Jo Davors, Esq.," quoted on 
 the preceding leaf, he will more thoroughly appreciate the 
 character of our simple-hearted, though strong-headed Father 
 
 (153) 
 
IM 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 Izaak, as in nis f-Micy he hears him discourse with his pupil, 
 under a honeysuckle iietlge during a ahower. 
 
 The ch'iiucteristics of this family are : the mouth slightly 
 cleft; WO! k jaws, most frequently without teeth; margin 
 of the jaws formed by the intermaxillaries. Pharyngeals 
 strongly toothed ; lips fleshy. Bra'ichial rays few. Body 
 scaly. One dorsal fin. Bi^l'.y not compresst I; never serrated. 
 Intestinal canal short. The least carnivorous or predatory 
 of all fishes. There are nearly thirty genera, and over two 
 hundred species. 
 
 THE SUCKER. 
 
 Catostomus communis : De Kat. 
 
 There are several species of the genus Catostomus known 
 by this common name; they appear to be ubiquitous in the 
 streams of the Northern, Middle, and Western States, are less 
 numerous in the Southern, and are seL i found in those 
 states that border on +he Gulf of Mexico. 
 
 The Sucker cannot be call 1 a sporting fish, yet the diffi- 
 culty of takivi;'; it with hook 1 line, n id the nicety required 
 in fishing for it, makes the taking of it a matter ot interest t<^ 
 those who like to accomplish something difficult in angling. 
 As an article of food it is only esteemed when other fish ; re 
 scarce. 
 
 When fly-fishing in the moutii of June, I have ffpquently 
 fvjund them to collect in L ^ ibers in some title current 
 to spawn ; then Trout ai ^ -pt lie at the h 'V end of the 
 school to catch the ova as it drills down strea. . At such 
 places the angler is sure of a good catch of Trout, which will 
 rise readily at the fly although they may be gorged with the 
 spawn of the Suckers. 
 
 k 
 
THU CARP FAMILT. 
 
 166 
 
 In Eastern Virginia the Suoker is oallod "Carp," and they 
 are fished for in the same manner as the Carp in England 
 this mode of angling having no doubt been handed down 1 J 
 .he early settlers. A hole in the creek, river, or mill-pond 
 IS baited every evening for a week or ten days with eoarse 
 orn.meal dough, and is then fished early in the morning and 
 
 z ritr" ■ '"" ^^" "' ''' '-'■ ^^^'' °-»- 
 
 In still water a float is used, and a small hook with an 
 earth worm put on sn ,s to let it crawl on the bottom; it is 
 sucked tn by the fish ; .he motion of the cork is slight, the 
 
 undeT * " " ""^ '"'' "' " " " ^^ Sently 
 
 I 
 
 BUFFALO FISH. 
 
 m.utiming the specific characteristics of this fish, Eafl- 
 ne.,,ue ,vs: "Diameter one-fifth of the total length; oliva. 
 cous brown pale beneath, fins blackish, pectoral flna brown 
 and short; head sloping, snout rounded, cheeks whitish- 
 lateral straight, do, < flu narrow, with twent, Jght equal 
 rays, anal trapezoidal > -h twelve rays." "Itiscl, . verv 
 Inhere Bufialo Fish, and ■ Pieoncau' by the French settlers o^ 
 Loni„ana It is eom:,onlv taken with a dart at night when 
 asleep, or .n the seine; it, ... uot bite -eadily at tl hod 
 It .ed. on small. she, ..nd .,hell,.and often goes in shoals.- 
 
 --i^ke^kedong.tei_ ^f ou^ hful days. Its sha^ 
 • A, .m,r. None .f „., a.,„to„i f^^ „„ m^^^^^i~^^^^;^~ 
 
166 
 
 AMBRICAN ANOLKR'S BOOK. 
 
 resembles what a huge Porch might be, if infliit(!<l ; for its 
 body is not only veiy <leop, but thick and full, and is puffed 
 up to the very tail; a fish of thirty inches, weighing almost as 
 many })ounds. u is seldom taken with a hook and line, and 
 is of little interest to the angler. I notice it here, only 
 because it is never seen by the angler of the Atlantic States, 
 though it is common to all the waters that connect with the 
 Ohi' and Missis8ipj)i. Its flesh is gross and unpalatable. 
 
 At St. Louis I have seen a dray-load of these unwieldy, mis- 
 shapen fish, brought on board of a steamboat bound for New 
 Orleans. Although kept in ice, they would get rather stale 
 by the time the boat reached the cotton and sugar regions. 
 Billy Clark, an assi.^-tunt clerk on one of these boats, who was 
 somewhat of ;' wag, would write them down at the head of 
 the bill of fare "Mississippi Salmon k la tartare," but quietly 
 remarked, he would as soon eat a piece of the Ohio Fat Boy. 
 Some of the natives though, who came aboani, apparently 
 from inland, on our passage dowu, seemed to relish them 
 hugely. I remember one of these, a short, pot-bellied, bald- 
 headed little man, with low-quartered shoes, short trousers, 
 and a brown linen jacket, an outline of whose figure closely 
 resembled the fish in question. There used to be some fast 
 eating on western steamboats in those days. I have seen all 
 the courses from "soup," down to "almonds and raisins," 
 done in twenty minutes: but when this piscivorous little 
 gentleman sat down to boiled BuflFalo, it was astonishing to a 
 man accustomed to slow eating. The mention of this fish 
 brings up other ludicrous reminiscences ; but . 
 
 " Farewell ! a word that must be, and hath been — 
 A sound which makes us linger— yet, farewell !" 
 
 The Sunny South — farewell, great Bubalus, and all the 
 minor Catostomi. 
 
THE CARP FAMILY. 
 
 167 
 
 THE CHUB, OR FALLFISH. 
 
 lieuco.iomut rhotheua. 
 
 TWe arc several species of the genus Leucosomns found in 
 the Eastern and Middle States. I therefore omit u deserip- 
 tion ^of any or.e species as a representative of the fish called 
 
 The Chub is a persecuted individual in a Trout-stream • 
 one whoso name is cast out as a reproach amongst fly-fishers 
 whose head is knocked off; or he is thrown ashore on a sun- 
 8hmy day to linger and die on the pebbly beach, like an 
 Ishmaehte in the sands of the great Sahara. Every man', 
 hand is against him. 
 
 Dr Bethune, in a note to his edition of Walton, says: 
 The Chub in this country is the scorn and vexation of the 
 angler^ and, except when large, is by no means the shy fish 
 that Walton and other English writers describe him to be • 
 on the contrary, he is a bold biter, more ready than welcome 
 at any bait offered him." Mr. Brown, in the "American 
 Anglers Guide," says, "Their length is not usually over ten 
 inches;" and Frank Forester writes, "The American Chub 
 never exceeds ten inches." 
 
 The writers last quoted could not have fished many of the 
 tributaries of the Delaware and Susquehanna, or they never 
 would have recorded so gross an error. The Upper Dela 
 ware, the Beaverkill, Schuylkill, West Canada Creek and 
 many other streams, abou d in large Chub, and any urchin 
 «rho wets his clumsy line, with a white grub at the end of it 
 knows better. Immediately below Frank Forester's remark 
 just quoted, I find (in a copy of his book in my possession) 
 the following note by the president of our little club- "A 
 
158 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 MvU 
 
 mistake — I have taken them twenty-two inches long and 
 weighing three pounds ; common in the Schuylkill, eighteen 
 inches." 
 
 Dr. Bethune is unnecessarily disparaging in his remarks 
 on this fish. In many sections of the country it furnishes 
 excellent sport, especially in those streams where Trout have 
 been fished out, or have disappeared from other causes; it 
 takes a grasshopper at midwater or on the surface, and on a 
 warm day rises freely at the fly, and shows much pluck when 
 hooked. But wlien fly-fishing for Trout, in some streams 
 they are so numerous as to be deservedly considered a nui- 
 sance ; for it is a severe trial of the angler's patience, when 
 he hooks a good Trout in a rift, and as he gets him into still 
 water and has almost drowned him, to have a big Chub with 
 his fresh vigor seize the other fly, and be held tight by his 
 leathery mouth, while the chances for the escape of the Trout 
 are augmented. Tlien again they will be jumping at your 
 flies, frequently getting the start of a shy Trout, or, after 
 being hooked, swim deep and strong, and encourage tho vain 
 hope that it is a stout, steady-pulling Trout ; but one glance 
 at the back fin or his forked tail as he gives in, dispels the 
 illusion. They prefer a fly with a big red body, and in such 
 streams those who fish for Trout should avoid a dubbing of 
 that color. 
 
 Some years back I was one of a party on the Beaverkill, 
 when an incipient fly-fif her hooked a large Chub, and played 
 it some minutes, supposing it to be a Trout ; on landing it, 
 he looked at a veteran native angler, as if to solicit his 
 approval, but 'Uncle Peter," turning over the Chub with 
 the toe of his boot, remarked in his quiet way, " why, he's as 
 big as a lamb." There was a laugli, and of course the angler 
 was chagrined, when he was told the Chub was never 
 basketed there 
 
THE CARP FAMILY. 
 
 169 
 
 A friend v^ho is a veteran Chub-fisher, and who stands up 
 for his favorite, writes thus in his defence; I insert his 
 remarks, word for word : — 
 
 "I suggest that the mistake of Frank Forester arises from 
 the fact of a fish with a clumsy, horny head, which is washy 
 and worthless, and rarely attains a greater length than ten 
 inches, is frequently found in Trout-streams, and is called 
 ' Chub.' But the fish in question, which is known in Chester 
 county and in many other parts of the state as 'the Fallfish,' 
 probably from his being .:n the best condition and moJt 
 readily taken in the autumn months, is a shapely, 'cleanly 
 fish, with a white, silvery belly, and when well grown is shy 
 and requires careful and quiet fishing. The sides and heads 
 of those above twelve inches are often colored with a pink 
 tinge." 
 
 From the above it will be seen that the Chub is much 
 esteemed in many streams for the sport he affords in bottom- 
 fishing. The best season of the year is September; a grass- 
 hopper or grub-worm, or a small cube of tough cheese, is a 
 g0(xl bait; the bottom-tackle should be neat, as he 'bites 
 delicately; a long, light cane rod, a small float, and a No. 1 
 Kirby hook, are appropriate tackle. 
 
 Some anglers now residents of the "Quakor City," who 
 came from an adjoining county, as our friend just quoted, are 
 expert Chub-fishers. T am acquainted with a retired mer- 
 chant, a neat, dapper old gentleman, who fishes the Brandy- 
 wine, and has all kinds of c,)n' i ranees pertaining to catching 
 them. To be appreciated, he should be seen with his tin 
 bait-box strapped before him, his portable stool, and his im- 
 provement fbr holding his umbrella without the use of his 
 hands; the latter invention is a long pocket, two inches 
 wide and twelve inches deep, down the back of his coat, into 
 wliich he slips the staff of his umbrella, and waits patiently 
 
160 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 for a bite, regardless of April showers or July's scorcliin,<,' 
 sun. When the mild Indian summer is over, he greases his 
 long reed pole with linseed oil, and lays it carefully away ; 
 viewing it now and then with the same satisfaction that 
 Gloster did his " bruised arms hung up for monuments." I 
 have suggested to him the use of the artificial fly, but he 
 believes not in things ethereal, or things ephemeral, but has 
 more "confidence in the flesh," viz. red worms and white 
 grubs. Long may he live to fish for Chub, chewing "the 
 cud of sweet and bitter fancy," as well as his Bologna 
 sausage at noon, while he contemplates the beauties of nature 
 by the peaceful Bmucivwme. 
 
 m 
 
 "Caveat ENTEREn." 
 
TI'B CARP FAMILY. 
 
 161 
 
 THE ROACH. 
 
 Of course no angler will fish for Eoach when better sport 
 3an be had ; but as they are only in season when all other 
 fish refuse a bait, and thus act as a palliative to one who 
 suffers from " Anglo-Mania," they deserve some notice 
 
 On any warm day from October to April, the angler may 
 unite recreation with exercise, by taking his walking cane 
 rod :n his hand, and with a lump of tough dough or^a few 
 small wood-worms, have an hour's sport with these pretty 
 little fish. If he has some juvenile friend with him thi 
 pleasure is enhanced. I have taken score, of them durin. 
 the winter, from seven to nine inches in length, at Gray'^ 
 Ferry, also in Cooper's Creek, and at Red Bank below the 
 city, rhey are generally found on the lee side of a pier 
 stretching into a fresh- water creek or river; and sometimes 
 in the dock itself. 
 
 When fishing for Roach I have frequently laid them on 
 the snow or ice, when they would become frozen; but on 
 taking them home carefully, and putting them in hydrant 
 water, would have the whole catch swimming about There 
 IS some mcety required ir. Uking Roach artistically, whi.h 
 IS not attained by bungler,,, and this fict adds to the pleasure 
 ot this kind of winter angling. 
 
 The rod should be slight lui from eight to ten feet Ion.- 
 the lu,e ot fine sil!:- botton, „f fl„e gut; hooks Eo. °2 
 Kirby, one of which should l,o seized to the extreme end' 
 a.ul three others to short pieces of gut, diverging at intervals 
 
fVi 
 
 162 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 of eight inches ; float, a neat quill ; the sinker should be just 
 heavy enough to sink half or two-thirds of the float; the 
 bottom hook should tovich or be near the bottom. 
 
 The bait, if paste, should be rolled in small pellets, not 
 larger than a No. 1 shot, between the finger and thumb ; it 
 should merely cover the point and barb of the hook. When 
 they bite freely, a small mite of the tough skin of a chicken's 
 leg will obviate the necessity of baiting often. Worms ob- 
 tained by peeling the bark from rotten logs, are generally 
 used in winter. On a cold day a bite is almost imperceptible 
 to a novice, but a little observation will soon teach him when 
 to strike, which should be done by a quick but slight motion. 
 Roach will not rise at a fly in winter, but I have caught them 
 when casting for Trout on a pond in Marcli. They are soft, 
 and have a muddy taste. 
 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 THE HERRING FAMILY. 
 
i'l I- 
 
 ( I. 3 
 
 guakfr Lady (raising the window). I say, man— thee with the wheel- 
 barrow—what does thoo ask for shad f 
 
 Oulured Fislivemler. Ilay dur! (turning quickly round and touching 
 the rim of Ills buUcrowiu'd luit) From three tips, uiarni, to u ijuiuter 
 and a flp, 'cordin' to do size of 'oni.— None of your grass-fed shad, iiiHrm, 
 
 hut ru'iil fat corn-fed fellows. Slm-and, shad ! let go my knife and 
 
 fork, frail shad! Whih ! Iktu dey go! 
 
 Old Timet in PItiladelphia. 
 
 Ji 
 
 ill -r 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE HERRING FAMILY— OLUPEIDJ!. 
 
 Rkmarks ON XHK H.RR,.o F.Mz.v, from the " Iconographic Encyclo- 
 psedm. -Their abundance in the waters of the United States.-Great 
 number, of them taken in the Potomac.-Herring-fishing with the 
 artincial fly. 
 
 The Shad. Alosa pra^stabilia.-Its delicacy and value as food -Mi- 
 gratory habits.-Shad taken with the minnow.-Shad-roe as bait." 
 
 Although this family of fishes is of little interest to the 
 angler, as far as sporting qualities are concerned, its import- 
 ance in I a ^noDomio and commercial point of view is so great 
 that I am i..] iced to copy at length an interesting article' 
 from the " Iconographic Encyclopaedia of Science, Literature 
 and Art," a work whicu has been translated from the German' 
 and edited by our countran. n. Professor Spencer F. Baird' 
 of the Smithsonian Institute ...I published by the Messrs' 
 Appleton, of New York. 
 
 " Clupeid^. The fishes of this family exhibit considerable 
 analogies to the Salmonouls, differing, however, in the absence 
 of an adipose dorsal. Both maxillaries and intermaxillaries 
 are employed in forming the margin of the upper jaw, instead 
 of the usual introduction of the latter alone. The body is 
 well scaled, the scales sometimes very large. Bones of the 
 mouth variously provided with teeth, these occurrin.. some- 
 times on the pectinated tongue. ° 
 
 ^' The fishes of this family are among the most useful and 
 indispensable to man. It includes the Anchovy, the Sardine, 
 
 (165^ 
 
^i 
 
 i4) 
 
 ' ir I 
 
 bJ.'S' ' 
 
 166 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 the Sprat, the various Herrings, and the Shad. The Anchovy 
 Engraulis encrastcholus, is a small fish, a few inches in length, 
 distributed throughout Europe, and especially abundant in 
 various parts of the Mediterranean. It is distinguished, as a 
 genuS; by the projecting and pointed upper jaw, and the long 
 anal. The top of the head and back is blue ; irides, sides, and 
 belly, silvery white. This fish was well known to the ancient 
 Greeks and Eomans, who prepared from it a sauce called 
 garum, held in great favor. They are taken in countless 
 numbers on the coast of Sardinia, 400,000 having been 
 caught at a single haul. The fishing is highly successful by 
 night, when the Anchovies are readily attracted by the glare 
 of fire-pans. In preparing them for purposes of commerce, 
 the head and viscera must be removed; the former being 
 bitter, and for this reason called Encrasicholus by Aristotle. 
 The Anchovies, after being washed clean, are placed with the 
 belly upwards in vessels, u layer of fish alternating with one 
 of salt, until the whole is full. Pressure must be exerted to 
 drive out the oil as much as possible. A hole is left in the 
 top of the vessel, which is then exposed to the sun. After 
 fermentation has commenced, the hole is stopped up, and the 
 vessel removed to a storehouse. The operation is not com- 
 pleted until the following year. The Anchovy is taken from 
 December to May. 
 
 "The Glupeidee, with non ])rojectinir n])per jaws, are divided 
 mto various genera, as Ohipea, Sardinella, Harengula, Pellona, 
 Meletta, Alosa, and others. A distinction was formerly made 
 between a genus Alosa, characterized by an emargination of 
 the upper jaw, and Clupea, with the border of the jaw con- 
 tinuous or entire. This division, however, has been found 
 to be inadequate to the wants of the present system. 
 
 "Alosa vulgaris, a European species, is represented in 
 America by one of much finer flavor, the A. sapidissima, or 
 
THE HERRING FAMILY. 
 
 167 
 
 jommerce, 
 
 common Amori.an Shad. This well-known species com- 
 rnences its entr... c into our rivers, at periods varying from 
 .January to May, according to the latitude. It penetrates all 
 the Atlantic streams, and when unobstructed by dams or 
 other impediments, travels to a considerable distance from 
 the mouth for the purpose of depositing its spawn. They 
 nre taken m great numbers, especially in Chesapeake and 
 Delaware Bays, by various means, the most conspieuous of 
 which are large seines and gill-nets. The price varies from 
 five to fifty dollars per hundred, according to the abundance 
 or size. As already remarked, various Herrings occur in 
 inmiense numbers. Conspieuous among European species 
 HI this respect, is the Sprat, Rarenr,ula spratlm ; but vastly 
 more so the common Herring, Clupea harengns. The true 
 abode of the immense hordes of Herring is not, even at this 
 •Iny, definitely ascertained, the fish being scarcely known 
 except in its wanderings. Some naturalists suppose it to 
 come from the high north to deposit its spawn upon the 
 shores of the North Sea; others, again, consider the bottom 
 the ^vth Sea to l>o its home, since it is first visible at the 
 Shetland Islands in Aj.ril. Here myriads of Herrings com- 
 bine into armies many miles in length, and then pass on to 
 the coasts of Norway, England Germany, and the Nether- 
 ands._ In-om the main army, branches go oft" iu various 
 <ln-ection.s, supplying almost the whole coast of Europe and 
 l^ossibly extend their migrations even to the northern coast 
 of ^orth America. They have never been seen to return to 
 Mh> north, and their migrations themselves occur neither at 
 perlectly regular intervals nor in the same direction The 
 . ensity of the columns also varies mu.h iu different parts of 
 tl'o army. In some seasons the numbers are countless, in 
 others very hmite.l ; at one time the individuals will be fat 
 and large, at another very lean. By the end of August they 
 
■mi 
 
 168 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 are»no longer seen. Tlie Dutch, who, since lift, h.'-e pro 
 secuted the Herring-fisliery witli tlie greatest success, some- 
 times employ whole fleets of boats in the pursnit. At no 
 very remote period, the number of boats annually leaving 
 the Texel, under the protection of vessels of war, amounted 
 to not less than eleven or twelve hundred. This titdo was 
 at its highest state of prosperity in the year 1618, ; wlii. h 
 time the number of boats employed was 8000, maiinca by 
 fifty 10 sixty thousand men. Since that time the trade has 
 passed out of the hands of the Dutch, to a certain extent, and 
 is carried on by many nations of northerly Europe. Accord- 
 ing to Black, the fishermen of Gothenburg alone, in' his time, 
 took upwards of 700,000,000 Herrings. More than 130,000 
 barrels have been exported from Bergen in Norway ; the 
 amount consumed in the entire land exceeding double this 
 number. At the present day, the largest quantities are taken 
 on the shores of England. Recent investigations have ren- 
 dercfl U i'joi.>able that the Herring actually does live within 
 a modcr.iiv'- distance of the localities where it is caught, 
 coming in from the deep water for the sake of depc^siting its 
 spawn. 
 
 " A beautiful spectacle is seen when the Herring approach 
 the shores ; the rays of the sun are reflected from myriads of 
 silver scales, and above the army may be seen hovering hosts 
 of gulls, terns, and other sea-birds. Behind and alongside are 
 numerous rapacious fish, which, with seals, porpoises, and 
 other marine animals, devour immense numbers. The water 
 is filled with loose scales, rubbed off by their close proximity. 
 On account of their vast numbers, these fish are vory easily 
 captured. Tliis is done by means of nets, either on shore or 
 at sea. Every Dutch smack has four smaller boats along 
 with it, to carry fresh fish to the sea-ports, and for other pur- 
 poses. They use nets of 500 or 600 fathoms in length, made 
 
THE IIERRIXO P A :> 
 
 169 
 
 of CO... .e Per«mn s.lk, as being stronger than hemp. These 
 are blackened by smoke, in order that the fi«h may not be 
 frighten. hy the white thread. The nets are set in the 
 evenmg, buoyed by empty barrels, an,l stretched by weights -• 
 tl>ey thus rest at the surface of he ae. In the morning^'they' 
 are drawn in by means of a windh.s, The Herrings are 
 son.otimes attracted within .acl „ets by lanterns 
 
 suspended at various intervals. f^int idea can be 
 
 formed of the actual number ,. . p,,Hfie fish,,, which 
 
 exists at one time in the ocean. , hen we remen.ber, how- 
 ever, that an annual consumption of over two thousand 
 m^ mn.. m Europe, not to mention the myriads devoured by 
 t. bin s, and various marine vertebrata, scarcely appears 
 to affect their number, we may obtain an approximate con- 
 ception of what- that number must be to which the sum of 
 those annually destroyed is in sneh small proportion 
 
 "As the Herrings are so abundant, and the flesh at the 
 same time so excellent, various modes have been adopted to 
 preserve them for a certain lengti. of time. Even at sea 
 many are salt.d down, an.I sold in this state. This is called 
 by the French .a^er.. vrac. To keep them longer than is 
 permitted by this method, two other ways are made use of • 
 they are callerl white-salting and red-salting (sal^r en Mane 
 arid saurer) 1 o white-salt E.rring, they are gutted on being 
 aught, and packed in ban .Is, with u thick brine poured over 
 them. They are there retained, until it is convenient to give 
 them a fi.utl packing, .^fter the bustle of the fishing is over 
 the smacks or busses run in and discharge their cargoes, when 
 the barrels are inspected, and the fish sorted under the in- 
 spection of official authorities. They are then repacked with 
 fresh lime and salt, and the particular quality marked on the 
 barrel by the brand of an inspector. The red-salting is 
 effected by allowing fat Herrings to lie for a eonsiderabh 
 
EMAGE EVALUATION 
 TEST TARGET (MT-S) 
 
 
 %^ 
 
 1.0 
 
 I.I 
 
 ■^■21 |2.5 
 
 |50 "^^ llni^B 
 
 ut 
 
 IM 
 
 II 
 
 2.0 
 I. 
 
 
 1-25 1 1.4 III 1.6 
 
 
 ^ 4" 
 
 ► 
 
 Photographic 
 
 Sdences 
 Corporation 
 
 33 WEST MAIN STREET 
 
 WEBSTER, N.Y. 145<>0 
 
 (716) 873-4503 
 
// 
 
 
 
 i 
 
170 
 
 AMERICAN ANOLBR'S BOOK. 
 
 t 
 
 time in the brine, then arranging them on hurdles, and 
 placing them in ovens holding from ten to twelve thousand, 
 for the purpose of being dried and smoked. The invention 
 of pickling, as applied to Herring, has been ascribed to 
 Wilhelm Boekelson, or Beukelson, a fisherman of Viervliet 
 in the province of Zealand (about 1440) : he, however, only 
 improved an art known before his time. The Emperor 
 Charles V. eat a herring over his grave, in thankful acknow- 
 ledgment of his worth, and erected a monument to his honor 
 in 1556. 
 
 " Several species of Herring are caught in vast numbers on 
 the coast and in the Atlantic rivers of the United States. 
 The principal of these is the Glupea ehnguta, the representa- 
 tive of G. harengus. Besides Ahsa sapidissima, or Shad, 
 already mentioned, Alosa tyrannm and A. fnenhaden are of 
 economical value, the former as an article of food, the latter 
 for manure. Immense numbers are taken and spread on 
 poor lands, to which they impart a fertility not inferior to 
 that produced by guano." 
 
 In the United States, Herrings are most abundant in the 
 rivers that flow into the Chesapeake. In Maryland and 
 Virginia they have even been used as manure, as the small 
 species known as " Manhaden" and " Mossbunkers" have been 
 farther north. In Virginia and North Carolina, the custom 
 of visiting the "fishing-shores" annually for a supply of 
 Herrings to salt down, still exists as an "institution," and 
 the inhabitants for many miles back from the rivers that 
 furnish these fish, come every spring and take away immense 
 numbers of them. 
 
 One of the greatest hauls with a seine that I ever heard of, 
 was made by a fisherman on the Potomac near Dumfries, Va. 
 With one sweep of his long net he encompassed a school 
 which supplied all applicants. Ht dold them as long as they 
 
THE HERRING FAMILY. 
 
 171 
 
 v^rould bring a price, and then, after furnishing them to the 
 people of the immediate neighborhood without charge, lifted 
 his net and allowed the remainder of the imprisoned fish to 
 escape. 
 
 The Herring will occasionally take a bait, and on a sun- 
 shiny day in May, when the wind is from the south, will jump 
 at a piece of red flannel tied to a hook. An old Scotch 
 merchantof NewYork— a superannuated Trout-fisher— some 
 years back was in the habit of fishing for them with a fly, 
 from the decks of vessels in the East River. 
 
 THE SHAD. 
 
 Aloaa pfcestabilus : Db Kat. 
 
 The Shad is held in greater estimation by the epicure than 
 by the angler. When property in season, it is considered by 
 many the most delicious fish that can be eaten. Fresh 
 Salmon, or a Spanish Mackerel, or a Pompano may possibly 
 equal it ; but who can forget the delicate flavor and juicj 
 sweetness of a fresh Shad, broiled or "planked;" hot from 
 the fire, opened, salted and peppered, and spread lightly with 
 fresh May butter. 
 
 There is one peculiarity of the Shad, which some of its 
 advocates of our city claim for it, which is, that the longer it 
 remains in fresh water up to the time of spawning, the fatter 
 and iLore juicy it becomes. This is seemingly paradoxical, 
 as the Shad is never found in fresh water with any food in its 
 stomach or intestines. What then does it feed on ; or how does 
 It grow fatter as it gets towards its place of spawning? Is the 
 theory, or more properly the hypothesis, that it "lives by 
 auction," correct? That is, that it retains aninialcula and 
 
172 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLIR'S BOOK. 
 
 microscopic animals contained in the water as it passes 
 through its gills in breathing, and appropriates such food to 
 its sustenance. 
 
 It is hardly worth while to go into a description of this 
 fish, or give a portrait of it ; for the outline of its form and 
 general appearance is as familia/ to us all, as the cut of the 
 coat worn by "one of our oldest and most respectable 
 citizens," to which coat the Shad has given h name — may 
 his tribe decrease not, nor his fatness and flavor diminish 
 with each vernal return of his Shadship I 
 
 Yarrell says the Alice Shad, a European species, also 
 improves the higher it ascends the rivers. It is admitted, 
 however, by Englishmen, that the flesh of the Shad he men- 
 tions, bears no comparison to ours ; nor does it attain more 
 than one-third the size. 
 
 Shad ascend all our rivers, from Georgia to Maine, in the 
 spring, for the purpose of spawning, and at one time every 
 tributary of the larger rivers, that had depth enough to float 
 these deep-bodied fish, were annually visited by them, until 
 mill-dams, tanneries, and other obstructions and nuisances 
 prevented their return to their native waters and spawn beds. 
 They entered the various creeks and brooks that feed the 
 Susquehanna, away .up amongst the mountains, hundreds of 
 miles from their marine feeding-grounds, where they had spent 
 the winter in attaining that increase in size, which is only 
 exceeded by the almost miraculous growth of the Salmon. 
 It is hardly to be wondered at, that many of the old settlers 
 on the stre; ms in the interior, opposed the introduction of 
 canals and slack-water navigation, when these improvements 
 were at the expense of the annual visits of the Shad, which 
 not only furnished them an article of luxurious diet until the 
 month of June, but gave them a stock of smoked and salted 
 fish for the winter. 
 
THE HBRRINO FAM.ILT. 
 
 178 
 
 bhad are taken at Savannah in the latter part of January 
 Aa the season advances, they enter the rivers successively 
 along the coast towards the north, and are not found in the 
 waters near Boston until about May. 
 
 It was supposed at one time that Shad, as I have already 
 remarked, were of southern birth, and that the same great 
 migratory shoal gradually found its way along the coast It 
 has smce been pretty clearly ascertained that this is not the 
 case; and it is now thought, with much show of reason, that 
 they do not wander far from the mouths of the bays and 
 rivers from which they migrated the preceding summer or 
 autumn. 
 
 the Shad and Salmon; both are anadromous fishes, chanang 
 their habitat annually from salt to fresh water to spawn 
 both present the same phenomenon of never having any food J 
 in whatever process of digestion-in :aeir stomachs, after 
 reaching fresh water ; and both are not only fish of extremely 
 rapid growth in salt water, but present the same peculiarity 
 of proportions, that is, a remarkably small head and deep 
 fleshy body. ^ 
 
 Frank Forester's idea that the Shad habitually takes a bait 
 or an artificial fly is an erroneous one; it is not a predatory 
 fish, and It is to be feared that his impression, or hope of its 
 being classed among game fish at some future day will 
 never be realized ; though there may have been rare instances 
 in which It has been taken with a fly, and occasionally with ■ 
 a small silver minnow. I waa once fortunate enough to hook 
 three m succession, when fishing for Peroh with a bright 
 little mmnow below Fairmount Dam, and secured two, the 
 third was lost for want of a landing-net, for the mouth is 
 extremely delicate. They have also been taken, though 
 rarely, with shad-rob. A friend of the writer, a novice in 
 
in 
 
 AMBRIOAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 I 
 
 angling, some ten or twelve years ago went to Fairmount, 
 and in the course of a morning's fishing caught three with 
 this bait. He has never been fishing since to my knowledge, 
 and I have no doubt, he is thoroughly convinced that they 
 can be taken in the same way at any time, and perhaps even 
 in the water above the dam. 
 
 I have had young Shad to leap into my boat in the twi- 
 light, pursued, likely, by Eockfish ; they were not as long 
 as the blade of a breakfast-knife and not much thicker. One 
 of these I examined carefully ; but a slight handling of the 
 silvery delicate thing destroyed the young life, which next 
 season after its return from sea would have made a meal for 
 two or three hungry men. 
 
 After spawning, the Shad, in Salmon-fisher's parlance, is a 
 kipper, and has lost nearly half its weight ; it then finds its 
 way to the sea, and next season returns with its accustomed 
 size and fatness. 
 
 The roe of the Shad is a tempting bait to all fish, and is 
 much used by Philadelphia fishermen ; great care is required 
 in attaching it to the hook by means of the slight membrane 
 that envelops it. Each ova as it is washed from the baited 
 hook and floats off down the tide, is greedily swallowed by 
 any fish, small or large, and he is toled along until he finds 
 the "placer," when the "nugget" is swallowed at a gulph, if 
 his mouth is large enough. Then if the fisher strikes at the 
 particular time he hooks his prize ; but an inexpert person 
 will lose a hali dozen baits. for every fish he catches, and will 
 bedaub the but of his rod, hands, and coat sleeves, until he 
 presents anything but the appearance of a well-dressed 
 angler. 
 
lount, 
 5 with 
 ledge, 
 they 
 I even 
 
 e twi- 
 long 
 One 
 
 )f the 
 next 
 
 il for 
 
 3, IS a 
 is its 
 omed 
 
 md is 
 uired 
 brane 
 taited 
 dby 
 finds 
 )h, if 
 it the 
 erson 
 I will 
 til he 
 essed 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 CATFISH AND EELS. 
 
! 
 
 " Cms and Ens, and tick aa that." 
 
 "O.NBSat'day night 
 Ee niggns went a Inmtin', 
 De dogs dey run de Coon, 
 De Coon he run de Wolver, 
 De Wolver run de StilMeg, 
 De Stfff-leg run de Devil, 
 Dey run liini up do bill. 
 But dey cotch hloi on de leveL 
 
 " Sat'day night come arter, 
 De niggas went a-flahln', 
 Dey call for Billy Carter, 
 'Case he want to go a-caUin', 
 Dey filled de Jug an' started 
 For de Pocomoka river, 
 Chicken-guts wus better bait, 
 Dey dug a gourd o' wurrinia." 
 
 IVom a long n/the " Peasantry qfthe South"— iat\jo 
 aeeompanimetU omitttd. 
 
CHAPTEB Vril. 
 oatush and mls. 
 
 O.T«sH. ^tf«ruf«.-.Extraot from loonoKraphio Encyclop«iia. 
 
 Catfish and E.L8 a« ,„ closely Ms«=i.ted in the mind, 
 of anglers, tha. I h„e thongi. i. ^^j^ ^ ;„„,„,, ,^^^ .^ 
 the same chapter. In treating of them I give a brief b„, 
 oomprche„s.ve article from the Iconographic Eneyclopiedia 
 on the &lur.d«. as well as an account of the different fami. 
 wrrk "°^""''''°™ *'''™ '^'""™ •» Eels, from the same 
 
 "SILDBIDA-Fishes of this femily have the skin either 
 naked, and covered «th a slimy secretion, or provided with 
 os^ous plates of various number and shape. The head is 
 usual y depressed, and provided with a variable number of 
 
 ..mes confluent with .he caudal. The first rays of the dorsal ' 
 and jK^ctor^ flos .„ generally enlarged into strong spines 
 and he pectoral spine is capable of being inflexibly fi«d by 
 peouharmechanism, in a direction perpendicular to the ^l 
 of the body. The edge of the mouth is formed by the inter. 
 
 (177) 
 
178 
 
 AMERICAN ANQLKR'8 BOOK. 
 
 maxillaries suspended fVom the sides of the ethmoid, which 
 Hnters into the outline of the mouth, forming the superior 
 median portion. The suboperculum is absent in the whole 
 family. 
 
 " Species of this polymorphous family are found distributed 
 throughout the globe. In Europe, however, there is found 
 but one species, the Silurus giants, or Sheat Fish. This 
 species, interesting fron. the fact of its being the largest fresh- 
 water fish in Europe, the Sturgeons excepted, is most abund 
 ant in Central Europe, its existence in England being hypo- 
 thetical. The weight has been known to exceed 100 lbs., in 
 this respect equalling some of the American Siluridse. It 
 differs from the North American species in the absence of a 
 posterior adipose dorsal, iu the very small true dorsal, and in 
 the very long anal. Other species of this restricted genus, 
 Silurus, are found in various parts of Asia, and perhaps 
 Africa, but not in America. The American forms are highly 
 varied, those of the northern continent, however, being quite 
 uniform in structure. The two most conspicuous fresh-water 
 genera are Pimelodus and Noturus ; the former with a distinct 
 adipose dorsal, the latter with this dorsal confluent with the 
 caudal. Numerous species of Pimelodus (Catfish, Horned- 
 Pout, Bull-Head) occur in the various waters of North 
 America, some of which acquire a large size. One species, 
 from the Mississippi, has been known to weigh over 100 lbs. 
 The flesh of many species is highly prized, owing to its 
 sweetness and freedom from bones. The genus Noturus, 
 known provincially as Stone Catfish, embraces but few species, 
 found in the Atlantic streams south of New York, and in 
 those of the Mississippi valley. They will probably be dis- 
 covered in the eastern rivers (in the Hudson at least), when 
 their ichthyology has been more fully studied. Marine forms 
 
CATPI8II AND EELS. 
 
 179 
 
 are met with in Oahichthys, Arius, and Bagm,, the former 
 characterized by the high dorsal and pectorals. 
 
 "South America exhibits some Siluroids of especial inte- 
 rest. Conspicuous among these are Arges cyclopum, or Pime- 
 loduscyclopum of Humboldt, and Brontes prenadilla, which 
 mhabit the highest regions in which fish are known to live 
 They are found in Quito, at elevations of more than 16 000 
 feet above the level of the sea, living in the streams running 
 down the sides of Cotopaxi and Tunguragua. The most 
 interesting fact in the history of these fishes is, that they are 
 frequently ejected from the craters of the above-mentioned 
 volcanoes, in immense numbers; the supply being probably 
 derived from the subterranean lakes in the body of the 
 mountains. Our space will not permit us to mention any 
 other members of this interesting family, excepting the mL 
 laplerus electricus, the Silurus ehctricus of older authors 
 Tks species is characterized generically by the absence of 
 the first dorsal, the adipose dorsal alone existing, as also by 
 the possession of an electric apparatus or battery, somewhat 
 intermediate in character between those of Gymmtus and 
 Torpedo, although of much finer texture. The whole body 
 beneath the integuments is enclosed by the -^naratus in two 
 layers of great compactness, and at first siyhr suggesting a 
 deposit of fat. A dense fascia separates the battery from the 
 muscular system. The cells, formed by transverse and longi- 
 tudinal fibrous partitions, are rhombic in shape, and exceed- 
 mgly minute The nerves of the outer organ come from 
 blanches of the fifth pair of nerves, the inner organ is sup- 
 plied by the intercostal nerves. The direction of the current 
 1.S probably from the head to the tail ; the cephalic extremity 
 being positive, and the caudal negative." 
 
180 
 
 ▲ MKRIOAN ANOLHR'8 BOOKt 
 
 CATFISH OP THE ATLANTIC AND WESTERN 
 
 WATERS. 
 
 No artist, not even Landseer himself, could give a correct 
 picture of this familiar old friend. A profile does not convey 
 a correct idea, and a perspective view won't do ; so I give it 
 up in despair, believing that photography would even fail in 
 its likeness. 
 
 It is not necessary to tell the angler that there are many 
 
 species of Catfish in this latitude. There is the Catfish of 
 
 our sluices, meadow-ditches, and ponds. The less ugly White 
 
 Catfish, of rare excellence for the pan, which comes up our 
 
 rivers in April, stays all summer, and goes back to brackish 
 
 or salt water in winter. And there is the great " Sockdologer" 
 
 of the Mississippi and its tributaries, with a mouth large 
 
 enough for a little boy to get his head into, and a throat big 
 
 enough to thrust his leg down. Old Jack, a "short-haired 
 
 brother" of the angle, down in Mississippi, has declared to me 
 
 he has seen one " as long as a cotton bale." I have, myself, 
 
 seen one carried through the streets of New Orleans, tied by 
 
 the gills to a fence rail, with a negro man supporting each 
 
 end, and the tail of the fish touching the ground. I have 
 
 heard of them weighing one hundred and twenty pounds ; 
 
 but I forbear, lest the reader should think I exalt this fish 
 
 above measure. At the cabarets along the levee at New 
 
 Orleans, I have heard the music of the frying-pan, as steaks 
 
 of these " whoppers"^ were cooking, and have seen the laborers 
 
 eat them with an appetite, but never had the curiositj to tasto 
 
 of them. 
 
CATFISH AWD BJIL8. 
 
 181 
 
 There are two varieties of these monsters iu the Ohio and 
 Mississippi: the "Mud Cat," with a broad flat head, and the 
 
 aannel Oat." The latter is far more active and stronger 
 tnan the former. 
 
 la my boyhood, I frequently went C«tfl,hi„g with a rustic 
 ■ugler, whom I ehall nev„r forgot. After breakfast, oue of 
 the servants would appear with a gourdfull of worms, and w, 
 would proceed to his favorite pool, and "«,t our poj" 
 .fokmg the but. whieh were sharpened, into th7 mudl 
 bank, and resfng them on forked sticks. Ponto, an old bob 
 ta. Pomter, would be one of the party, .„d appeared to e^i 
 he sport as much as his master; at the slightest tremor of 
 the cork, he would be^™ restless; when if disappeared h 
 
 »ould se.ze u or keep it away from the water with as much 
 — y as he would look for awounded partridge. ..Aun 
 Bett, the cook, one day docked Ponfs tail with a deavef fo 
 ome depredatton, as he was retreating from the kitchen ; a^d 
 had r ■ '^r'f °" °"""' "™^^ ">" "ken "Uncle To^' 
 Pont s ta,l left m the mud, as he sat on his hurdles. 
 
 As an expedient, on one occasion, when we forgot the 
 gourd of wor,.„ and were waiting while the boy h^ gone 
 back for It, we shot a squirrel, and a small bait of its entrZ 
 « perfectly a«=eptable to our friends of Z muTdy 
 
 When the negroes went "a catting" at night, they no. 
 unfrequently supplied themselves with chicken' ntraUs , 
 ;t " "°"'"' "^^-^ """ «>« f— took .he larg Jcal 
 
 In regard .o .he ques.i„n whether any fish manifest a care 
 
 or thetr young afte. the latter are haU>hed from the spar 
 
 I am .nformed by a brother angler-the same who X"' 
 
182 
 
 AMERICAN ANQLEK'S MOOK, 
 
 defence of the Chub, and on whose statement I can rely 
 with entire confidence — that in his younger days when going 
 to a large mill-pond to bathe, he was struck with the move- 
 ments of a Catfish some ten to twelve inches long, which was 
 swimming near the bank, in water about twelve or fifteen 
 inches deep, making circuits round and round a mass of dark 
 specks, which were lying huddled together in a space about a 
 foot in diamete:^. Upon lying down on the bank and parting 
 the sedge and long grass which overhung the water, he dis- 
 covered that the dark specks were youug Catfish, about 
 one-half to three-fourths of an inch in length, while the 
 maternal anxiety manifested by the parent fish was ex- 
 plained by his observing at a short distance a number of 
 hungry Sunfish, who were hovering round, and with greedy 
 eyes watching their chance to make a dash at the young 
 innocents. Whenever any of the heedless brood would show 
 an inclination to swim away from the flock, the old one would 
 head them ofi" and drive them back to the fold, and protecting 
 them from the maw of the spoilers so long as my friend 
 watched this curious exhibition of an instinct which till then 
 he had supposed all kinds of fish to be wholly devoid of. 
 
 It is hardly necessary to describe the tackle and manner of 
 taking the Catfish: either or both must be suited to the 
 water and size of the fish. 
 
 The smaller species are favorite pan-fish in the Atlantic 
 States, from Delaware to Georgia. The larger, particularly the 
 White forked-tail Catfish of tide-water, makes an excellent 
 stew. They should not be skinned, nor the heads taken oflf- 
 but well scraped and washed, then seasoned with onions and 
 other pot-herbs, and smoked bacon-flitch : a little rich miJk 
 *hould be poured in the stow before it is taken oflf the fire. 
 
CATFISH AKB BtLS. 
 
 US 
 
 EELa 
 
 OWvations from the "loonograpUe Encyclopedia." 
 
 "P«BOKY«>»T,„^. This family, the lit of the i,.. 
 
 «o^<»., >s a^,„ „thout lateral Sn,: a continuous median fin 
 
 formed by the coalescence of the dorsal, caudal, and anal 
 
 Besp:rat.on .s generally performed by means fixed gill, 
 
 the lateral openmgs to which are seven in number on each 
 
 side. A smgle nostril is placed on the top of the head. The 
 
 prmcpal forms belong to the genera Pe,ron,,^on or true 
 
 Lamprey Eel, and4m„«,„fe,, or Sand Lamprey. The former 
 
 frmged w.th c.h» to assist the animal in attaching itself to 
 
 being efifected by atmospheric pressure. Fishes of various 
 kmds are not unirequently caught bearing the bloody ci,.ular 
 scar produced by the bite of the Lamprey, and quite often 
 the .amprey . self The Catfish, or Pi^/W^, .p^.^, ,„ ^ 
 especally hable to such att«,ks. The Lampreys attain to 
 great stze, and are highly prized by some motions. The love 
 borne then, by the ancient Eomane is a matter of classical 
 history, and at the present day they are the favorite food of 
 epicures. 
 
 "The rnr^id^ or Eels, with the normal structure of 
 je gUl aperture, ye. have them very small and capable 
 
 aid Ih' Z" If"^ '"'* ""^^ '^ sarpentiform, 
 and although provded with scales, these are scarcely ap! 
 parent, bemg embedded in a thick mucous skin. The air- 
 bWder.s polymorphous, and the intestines without coeca. 
 The Eel, m their dififerent species, are inhabitants of both 
 
184 
 
 AHBRIOAN ANGLBR'S BOOK. 
 
 fresli and salt waters; those living in the former belong- 
 ing generally to the restricted genus Anguilla. Species of 
 Anguilla occur in greater or less number throughout the 
 United States, being, however, very rare in many if not most 
 of the waters of the Mississippi basin. Popular opinion 
 assigns to these species a viviparous reproduction, owing to 
 the apparent absence of individuals containing eggs. The 
 ova are yet, probably, present in a due proportion of the 
 supposed males, escaping observation by their diminutive 
 size. The Eel hardly yields to any other fish in the power 
 of sustaining a deprivation of its proper element for a con- 
 siderable length of time. To transport these animals over a 
 considerable space, all that is necessary is to pack them in 
 damp grass or some similar substance. They even leave the 
 water spontaneously at night in search of food, or of a body 
 of water better suited to their convenience than the one in 
 which they may happen to be placed. Eels are said to be 
 very susceptible to magnetic or galvanic influence : the sim- 
 ple contact of a knife being sufficient to paralyze them. 
 When a magnet is presented to the dish in which the living 
 animal may happen to be, violent contortions, a painful 
 gasping after breath, and other signs of inconvenience, are 
 reported to be exhibited. 
 
 "The Gymnotidm, highly interesting on account of their 
 electrical properties, are characterized by the anterior position 
 of the anus, the entire absence of dorsal fin, the extent of tlie 
 anal, and the position of the gill-opening. The best known 
 species, Oymnotu^ electricru or Electric Eel, is a native of the 
 tropical portions of South America. It attains to a great 
 size, being sometimes over six feet in length, and almost a 
 full load for a strong man to c^rry. The electric or galvanic 
 apparatus consists of four longitudinal bundles, disposed in 
 two pairs, one larger above, and a smaller below, against the 
 
CATII9B AND lElj. 
 
 18S 
 
 h^ Of the anal Bn. The fa«=io»li are divided by Wi,„di 
 nal pa„.t.„ns .„to he.ag„aal prism, and transvei d vt t 
 separate these into small cells. The cells are filled with 
 
 rr u nerves Irom the spinal marrow. In the Tor. 
 
 pedo these nerves come directly from the brain 
 
 " The amount of electricity fnrnished by the Gymnotns is 
 enormous^ Faraday made a calcnUtion in'regard'to a"" 
 men of ordinary sue examined by him, that a single merm 
 discharge was equal to that from a battery of 8600 so Z 
 .oches charged to its maximum. It need not hen be " 
 matter of surprise that the Gymnotns is capable of kmi!. „ 
 horse by repeated discharges; which it does by apply n!°it 
 whole length along the belly of the animal wT^'^'^u! 
 
 bTtle slT"^- ""'^"'"^^ '-» «7-otus n^e Zl 
 by the South American Indians, consists in driving a number 
 
 Electric Eels abound. Boused from their retreats in the mud 
 he Gymnot. emerge into the water, and gliding in aZg 
 he ammal, give to them violent shocks. A s!ccessrn of 
 ^charges results in weakening the Eels to such a dt^ a^ 
 t^ make It a matter of little danger or difficulty to ^C 
 hem^ The voltaic pile, formed by the electric apparZ o7 
 the Gymnotus, is much like that of the Tornedo ■ Z T 
 being longitudinal, however, in the nalTrT p.i T;:^:: 
 ammal, instead of vertical. The anterior or cephal ie«rem 
 
 capable of discharging any portion of its column. The sub 
 
 rzn^ur ::r ^nr ;r '-^' ^ 
 
 -e.»aent, answering to .h:'LirC:i:Ct:: 
 
18A 
 
 AMBRICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 THE COMMON EEL. 
 
 Anguilla communii. 
 
 I canrot say that Mr. Billy Allen, who kept a tavern at 
 Culpepper Court House, Virginia, many years ago, had a 
 very extensive knowledge of the natural sciences; but he 
 sagely remarked on one occasion, that a Mink was " a great 
 incendiary to a hen-house I" Quoting the aforesaid authority, 
 I might pronounce the Eel a great incendiary to a fishing-line. 
 Knots and slime! how often he ha; brought the youthful 
 angler to grief I 
 
 It is astonishing how many knots a nimble little Eel, of a 
 half yard long, can tie in a boy's line, from the time he is 
 landed, until he is taken oflF the hook, or until his head is cut 
 off. There are hard knots and bow knots, single knots and 
 double knots, all cemented with the pervading slime. The 
 last resort of the little angler is, to do as Alexander the 
 Great did with the Gordian Knot ; and take out his jack- 
 knife and cut his line ; thus reducing the many knots to one. 
 
 Albeit the Eel is a " slippery fellow, ^^ there are several facts 
 in its natural history which are interesting. One is, that it 
 spawns in salt or brackish water, and migrates to fresh water ; 
 the very reverse of Shad, Herring, and Salmon. 
 
 Young Eela are found all along shore in fresh tidewater 
 streams, in this latitude, in April or May, by turning over a 
 stone, when they shoot out and seek another hiding-place for 
 the time ; at that season ot the year they are not larger than 
 a darning-needle and quite transparent, showing their vital 
 
CATriSH <SB EB18. 
 
 187 
 
 organ, plainly. Thej collect at th, head of tidewater, b 
 great numbers, endeavoring to surmount falls or rapids, and 
 many perish ,n the attempt or are devoured by flsh Thev 
 .nay be taken i„ such places, with a small sco„p.uet made 
 of sea-grass skm.ng, or other open fabric, and used with 
 great effect as ban for Perch and small Bockash 
 
 I have seen no less than a barrel of these silverv trans 
 
 parent l.ttle animals congregated in a pool at low tid^ below 
 
 he western angle of the dam at Fairmount, waiting to renew 
 
 h«r efforts to get over the fell at high water; and any little 
 
 In the fall they descend our rivers and are taken in weirs 
 raf«, and eel-pots in immense numbers; in the Susquehann^ 
 
 a single we.r sometimes produces two barrels of Eels in . 
 
 night They „e speared at night in the upper ^Ll 
 he reflection from the to,.h giving them a white, glaring 
 
 appearance. ' o^**^*"S 
 
 I used to bob for them from a boat, when a boy. Imagine 
 three or four urchin, barefooted, with trousers rolled up o 
 heir knees, and occasionally a cold slimy Eel of larger size 
 than common, gliding over their feet or around their ankles 
 There was some screaming and laughing on such occasions' 
 which did not accord with the general idea of a flshing-party 
 and here was also some scraping of dry slime from jackets' 
 and trousers next morning. jai-^eis 
 
 Eels are speared in winter, on the salt flats along our coast 
 
 "Jh rhr:: r 'T"-' '^''- ^^ -rtam IdicaZ 
 what hole to drive his implement into, without seeing 
 
 them, and draws it ou^ with the impaled Eels writhi-, and 
 
 squirming. ° ^ 
 
 These fish are not viviparous or hermaphrodites, as some 
 -uppose. but the spawn is impregnated by the male Z 
 
188 
 
 AMBRIOAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 ejection, as is the case with other oviparous fishes. They 
 spawn in salt or brackish water, and the vernal migration 
 to fresh-water streams commences at an early period of their 
 existence. The autumnal journey towards the sea begins 
 in September in this latitude. 
 
 It would appear without reflection that it is strange that 
 there are no Eels in the Mississippi and its thousands of 
 miles of tributaries, at least I have never seen one there ; 
 but if we look at the immense distance upward and down- 
 ward, and the time it would occupy, it would seem that 
 instinct or some wise law of Providence annuls the rule 
 which obtains in the tidal streams of the Atlantic States. 
 
 Although a prejudice exists against Eels, on account of 
 their reptilian form, they are excellent eating. Sometimes, 
 when taken in a muddy creek or mill-pond, they are purified 
 by putting them in a box with holes bored in it, in a spring 
 branch, when they rid themselves of any strong taste they 
 may have acquired in their former home. 
 
They 
 ^ration 
 f their 
 begins 
 
 :e that 
 ads of 
 there ; 
 down- 
 n that 
 e rule 
 es. 
 
 ant of 
 etimes, 
 urified 
 spring 
 9 they 
 
 ViiAFTEIl IX. 
 
 THE ISALMO>f FAMIL 
 
"Abdskd mortals, did you know 
 Where Joy, heart's ease, and comforts grow, 
 
 You'd scorn proud towers, 
 
 And seek them in these bowers ; 
 Where winds sometimen our woods per'aps nuiy ahake^ 
 But blustering care could never tempest make, 
 
 Noi murmurs e'er come nigh us. 
 
 Saving of fountains that glide bv ui 
 
 " Blest silent groves, oh may yon be 
 For ever mirth's best nurswyt 
 May pure contents 
 For ever pitch their tenta 
 Upon these downs, these meads, these rocks, these mountkini, 
 And peace still slumber by thoae purling fountains, 
 Which we may every year 
 Meet when we come a-flshing here." 
 
 Waiiom. 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 THE SALMON FAMILY.— SALMONIDJB. 
 Kemarks on im Salmonid^k. 
 
 ' b?"Zwt7 Vf ""''' de,cription.-Habit- and manner of breed- 
 
 Z7o^7 t";"°" " ^'^ '^^^^^^'^ '^~"» «^ -ti" waters Td 
 those of br«k s^«aa.s.-Effect of light and shade, and bright or d«k 
 water, on the color of Trout —Fr^.^ „ j * 
 
 the Tronf f* *'''™»*— Errors as regards new speciea.-FwKl of 
 the Trout-Its greed.ness.-It, geographical range.-Former abund 
 ance and causes of deorease.-SiEe of Trout in L * V 
 
 Superior and State of Maine -Size in! . regions of Lake 
 
 RnH »i,n *k . . '^'"'°®~«'" "> the preserved waters of Endand 
 
 and size the angler is restricted to in rented waters 
 
 Thk SALHON.-Former abundance in the rivers of' New York .rH .. 
 Eastern States.-Great numbers in California. Or!;„ al' Brit s,' 
 sZrr " '' ''' Salmon-fisheries in BriL' ^vinc - 
 
 -^vTslTT^T'^T' ^'"^'^ '' P-Pagation.-Their growth. 
 -Parr. Smolt and Gnlse.-Mature Salmon.-Size of Salmon. -Instinct 
 --B.sJock.ng depleted rivers, and introducing Salmon into new wl:; 
 -Their m,grat.on from sea to fresh rivers, and gradual preparation f" 
 the.r change «f habitat.-Salmon-loaps.-Food of Salmon at sea. 
 Thk CA.An.AN Tkout. or S.a Trout. Salmo Canadensis. -Error in 
 
 1 tZ r r {"'■"'" ^^""^ Trout).-Sea-T«>ut fishing in 
 
 fi8h.ng._The.r abundance in the rivers falling into the Gulf of St 
 Lawrence, and annoyance to Salmon-fishers 
 
 -Account of three summers fishing in the Schoodic Lakes. 
 Thk Grkat Lake Trout. Salmo ««mayc«.A.-Manner of taking them 
 Thk Lksskr Lakk Trout. Sal.o ^..W«;h..-Trolling for Lake T^t 
 
 (lyi) 
 
192 
 
 AMBRICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 The Smelt. Oimenu viriducens.—Their great numberii along the north- 
 ern part of our coast.— Smelt in the Sohuylkill.— Quantity sent aoufh 
 fh)m Boston.— Smelt used aa a fertiliaer. 
 
 Tbi Capklin. MaUotut villotut. 
 
 Toe WaiTErisH. Coregonut albut. 
 
 Trout Bait-fishino. 
 
 The family of Salmonidu embraces many genera, of which 
 the genus Sulmo furnishes nearly all the species that contri- 
 bute to the sport of the angler, or that may property be called 
 game fish. 
 
 Of the genus Salmo, the following species are herein 
 described : — 
 
 The Brook Trout, or Speckled Trout. Salmo fontinalit. 
 
 The Salmon. Salmo aalar. 
 
 The Canadian Trout. Salm/) Canaderuis. Known as the 
 Sea Trout. 
 
 The Schoodic Trout. Salmo Gloveri. Of the St. Croix River. 
 
 The Great Lake Trout. Salmo namaycuth. 
 
 The Lesser Lake Trout. Salmo Adirondacua. 
 
 There are other species than these, described by ichthyolo- 
 gists as being found in the rivers and lakes of that vast extent 
 of country on our north, known as the British Possessions, 
 and in the rivers on the Pacific coast; but as the object of 
 this work is to interest the angler rather than the naturalist, 
 1 mention only those that are accessible and furnish sport to 
 the brethren of the rod. 
 
 Of the genus Thymallua, to which the Grayling of England 
 belongs, we have oily two species, as far as has been ascer- 
 tained. I only give an account of one, Thymallua signifer, 
 the Standard Bearer, Back's Grayling. 
 
 Of the genus Osm^rus, we have only one acknowledged 
 species in this country, 0. viridtacent, the Smelt. 
 
 Of the genus Ooregonua, we have ten species described by 
 
^'HK SALMON FAMILY. 
 
 198 
 
 ichthyologists, and perhaps several more of whJ h a • 
 tion has yet been given A« ., T t • "° '^^""'''P- 
 
 ^.h, I have onlyXea ttc 7 I 1 ''"'" "" '''''''''' 
 , umy reiorrea to C. alhn,, the large Whitofiah 
 
 One of the eharooleristio mark., by which the most oarelo™ 
 observer can distinguish an, spedes of SalmonilTtr 
 -oad dorsal fin, which is always adipose, a me™ Vnl 
 n.ga, wanfng ,n the usual «„.™,, An/flsh that Z Zl 
 -th hav,ng .t, except a Catfish, may safely be set doll 
 one of the Salmon Family. ^ j « uown m 
 
 The Salmonid* delight in cold waters, and their «„ 
 graphical range, whether inland or on .h. . * 
 
 extends below the thiny-eigUh pLTel Th T ""'" 
 article of f«^ and impo^rtaL inT:iXi:-r 
 c hanilye appreciated, unless one enters into an 1™!' 
 gallon of all the statistical information on reeort. 
 
 It 
 
IM 
 
 AliHicilM KdLK&'B aft«g. 
 
 BROOK TROUT. SPECKLED TROUT. 
 
 Salmo fontinatit : MiToaii.. 
 
 Form elliptical, elongated. Color, olive on the back, ahad-' 
 ing gradually lighter to the lateral line ; sides still lighter, 
 with roseate pearly reflections ; belly white and rose-tinted, 
 sometimes shaded with yellow, and oocaaionaUy a deep orange, 
 "^be nattJrkings of this fish are beautiful ; the sides are covered 
 vvith y. lowish spots of raetallio lustre interi^rsed above and 
 below *he lateral line with smaller spots of bright vermilion ; 
 the back is vermiculated, that is, marked with dark tracings 
 of irregular form, many of which run into each other. The 
 dorsal fin has five or six lines of dark spots ; the pectorals 
 are olive, with the exception of the two anterior rays, which 
 are black and much stouter than the others ; the anterior ray 
 of the ventrals and anal is white, the next black, and the re- 
 maining rays a deep orange ; the caudal is slightly concave, 
 with dusky markings on the upper border of the rays. The 
 head is rather more thai one-fifth the length of the body, 
 exclusive of caudal; breaith one-fourth. 
 
 There are ten branchial rays : the first dorsal fin has eleven 
 rays; the second dorsal being adipose is without rays; the 
 pectorals have twelva rays; the ventrals eight; anal nine; 
 caudal nineteen. 
 
 No fish affords as luiiioi p rt *-^ the angler as the Brook 
 Trout; whether he is ikiv^; ky jy the co-ntry urchin, who 
 ties his knotted horsehuii-iim) to his alde^-pole, and "snakes 
 
H 
 t) 
 O 
 M 
 H 
 
 O 
 
 o 
 
 M 
 
 cc 
 
 » 
 
THE SALMON FAMILY. 
 
 196 
 
 w„„^,,, . ° overhanging branches of the 
 
 wooded stream; or by the .cieatific angler, who delivers hi, 
 
 ott n . : '""*"' "— ««bt out and lighu" 
 -from h.s well-balanced rod. and kills his iish artisticaUy 
 He .s as game as a bantam cock, and with a pliant rod and 
 
 o herth tf VT't" «''" ■" ™<=- ^^" - •»- 
 
 Ind natnral V" T *"' " ^"*'" «'"""» "' "' habits 
 and natnral history; his nnnatnral death we will .peak of 
 
 ttiionti' ur""' ™^ '"»'= " -- -™ 
 
 that the Trent should die by his hands, than in any other 
 
 stream, and look ,„,„ a pool with smooth glidin.. current 
 where a spring branch enters , or wander alo^ the°b r f 
 ome clear, cool tributary of the main brook, yon maytd I 
 do.en Trontcongregated-scnetimes a half doz Tr L 1 
 pair-and ,f not disturbed by a freshet, caught by the all 
 or snared by the villanous poacher, with hi wi^loop f I' 
 will remain there until October or November, when e 
 female will cast her spawn-some say in a f„ row ml 
 longitudinally or diagonally in the b«l of the sZm t 
 rooting with her nose ; others say, more after the mre'r of 
 broadcast Whichever it be, the male fish follows "!„ 
 *ately, ejecting his milt over it. The parents of the fZre 
 progeny then, as a usual thing, take their course down st iL 
 to some deep pool, and there remain in winter quarte'r 
 -ovenng strength and fle.h until the ensuing spring whn 
 bey move up str^im with every rise of water,'alLys''o:t 
 
 rise at a fly and reproducing in autumn as before. 
 
 After fecundation the ova assumes a somewhat brownish 
 
196 
 
 AMEBiCAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 transparent hue, each egg showing in its centre a small dark 
 spot, which is the embryo of the future fish. The young fish 
 are hatched out in two or three months, and appear somewhat 
 larger than the little wriggle-tails in a barrel of stale rain- 
 water. They have large prominent eyes and little pot-bellies, 
 ichthyologically termed " umbilical bladders," in which is 
 stored the sustenance left from the egg, and which lasts three 
 or four weeks, or until they commence seeking their own 
 food. By this time they have grown to an inch and a half 
 long ; they then seek the shallows and gentle margins of the 
 brook, or smaller rills, and commence feeding on minute 
 aquatic insects and the larva of flies. 
 
 It is surprising how small a quantity of running water will 
 sustain a school of young Trout. I have seen a half dozen 
 in a track left by a horse's foot, in a mossy spring branch. 
 Trout have the same dusky patches or finger-marks, that all 
 their congeners have, when young. As far as I have observed, 
 they rarely attain a size beyond four or five inches during the 
 first summer in our mountain streams. They seldom venture 
 into the larger waters until the second summer, when they 
 are the little fingerlings that jump at one's droppers, as he is 
 killing their progenitor on the stretcher-fly. 
 
 At our noonings, when we have emptied our creels to 
 select the larger fish for a roast, or a bake under the ashes, I 
 have placed the whole catch in a row, the smallest at one end, 
 increasing in size to the largest at the other end, and en- 
 deavored to theorize as to their ages, or separate the year- 
 lings from the two year old, and those of three from those of 
 four years; but have never been able to draw a line separatint^, 
 with any degree of certainty, the fish of a year from those of 
 two, or those of two from those of three years, and so on to 
 the largest. No general rule as to their growth could be 
 laid down, unless all the fish of one year had been hatched 
 
THE SALMON FAMILY. 
 
 197 
 
 out at the same time, and enjoyed the same advantages of feed 
 and range of water, up to the time of being caught. Still 
 m a brisk stream, I have generally considered a Trout of 
 seven inches as being in its second summer; one of nine or 
 en zn its third summer; a fish of twelve or thirteen in ita 
 lourtn ; and so on. 
 
 The Trout found in the deep still waters of the state of 
 New York, though a variety, of this species, are a third, or 
 one.half larger at the same age, than the fish of our clear 
 rapid streams ; and as the rivers and lakelets there are less 
 MM than the tributaries of the Delaware, Hudson, and 
 Susciaehanna, the Trout have a chance of growing older, and- 
 consequently larger. From my own observation, the average 
 s^e of the adult fish in northern New York is at least double 
 that of the fish taken in the streams flowing into the rivers 
 named above. 
 
 Some years ago, I had an afternoon-s fishing in Hamilton 
 County when the catch was forty.flve pounds. The fish 
 averaged fourteen inches in length, and not le,,s than a pound 
 
 r Tf ■ . !,""' "" "'°" ""'^ ' "- "''y- '«"^ ™ he 
 has token three Trout of two pounds each, at a single cast, in 
 
 theKaquetteK>ver,and repeated it several times in sue es- 
 
 s.on ; and that he took off his drop.flies, to prevent a surfeit 
 
 01 sport, or too much strain on his light rod 
 I have achieved something in the way' of taking large 
 
 Trout .n Hamtlton County, but after a man has satisfied the 
 senum^t of camping out, and been bitten to his heart', 
 content by mosquitoes and punkies, he prefers sleeping on a 
 good straw bed, and enjoying the comforts of civililtion 
 where although the fish are smaller, the streams are livelic 
 and clearer, and it requires finer tackle and greater skill to 
 take them. 
 
 There is a specific difference between our Brook Trout and 
 
198 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLE K'S BOOK. 
 
 the Common Trout {Salmo fario) of Great Britain. The 
 Brook Trout when taken in its natural habitat (the clear 
 rapid mountain stream), is a more symmetrical fish ; its spots 
 more brilliant ; its sides of a brighter silvery hue ; its flesh 
 of finer flavor, though of lighter color; and its average 
 size much smaller. The Trout of Hamilton and Franklin 
 Counties, New York, are, as a general rule, not inferior in size 
 to the Trout of England ; their average is larger than those 
 of the ponds of Long Island, and about equal to those taken 
 helow the ponds, where the fish have access to salt water. 
 
 I cannot agree with Frank Forester, that the Trout of Long 
 Island are superior to those of our inland brooks and rivers; 
 on the contrary, I think the pond Trout of Long Island much 
 inferior in delicacy and flavor, though I admit, that those 
 which have the run of both fresh and salt water are at least 
 equal to those taken in mountain streams. 
 
 Fish inhabiting still, sluggish waters, dams, and lakelets, 
 are of stouter proportions than those of rapid, tumbling 
 streams. The difference is remarked by anglers who have 
 fished the waters of Hamilton County ; those of the lakes 
 being deep of body and proportionately short, while those 
 taken in the outlets are longer, and afford more sport when 
 hooked. In some of the ponds of Long Island they are 
 extremely stout ; a Trout of twelve inches weighing a pound, 
 which is four ounces more than one of the same length taken 
 in a mountain stream would weigh. 
 
 I would here say, from personal knowledge of the fish, that 
 the " Silver Trout" mentioned by Frank Forester as being 
 taken in Green's Creek, on Long Island, is in every respect 
 the same as those of the neighboring ponds. The lighter 
 and more pearly hue is to be attributed entirely to .the bright 
 open creek flowing through a meadow, unshaded by trees, 
 and communicating directly with the salt water of the bay. 
 
THE SilMON FAVIir. 
 
 199 
 
 All observing anglers hare noticed the effect of water and 
 .gbt on the color of Trout ; those taken in streams di^lr d 
 rom having their fountains in swamps, or flowing through 
 boggy grounds where hemlock and juniper trees grow are 
 nvanabty dark .heir spots less brilliant, and their LeTand 
 belhes frequently blurred; while those of bright streams 
 flowing through open meadows or cultivated fields, IZ 
 remarkable for the deep vermilion of their spots, the r g 
 -lor and delicate shading. Anglers who hav fished th 
 lobyhanna and Broadhead's Creek, in Pennsylvania wiU 
 ^member the color of the fish of these two Lam '; ^ 
 former is boggy much shaded, and the water almost the cob 
 
 Ihe Irou of the former are almost black, while th'osc of the 
 laterarc ight of color, and brilliant. I have seen angll 
 who could Identify .he Trout belonging .0 the difffren^ 
 
 rcrTer " ™""'^' '-''" ""' '"™^ ™' ""^ -'«'■ f- 
 
 Mr. Brown, in his "American Angler's Guide," says- 
 The Silver Trou. or Common Trout istound in almost ' ,' 
 of our clear, swift-running northern streams, and wllh 
 from one to fifteen pounds. A splendid spedmen o7 tU 
 
 New York Mr. Brown was imposed on by the person cm 
 w ose authority he makes this statement, for they are 
 seldom If ever taken in Sullivan County above the weight of 
 four pounds. Nor does an average eatch in that or .h 
 adjonung co.unt.es exceed four or five ounces; nor is th e 
 any species called the "Silver Trout." The Black Troul 
 
 with clay bottoms, ,n the roughest and wildest par. of our 
 
 T7C " r ""'"°« """^ ""^ '-^ *- -^ ordinary 
 Brook Trout (&W /„„<,„.&), „Mch, as already stated be 
 

 200 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 comes dark from inhabiting water discolored by vegetable 
 infusion. 
 
 Frank Forester's strictures on this disposition to claim a 
 difference of species, on account of local or accidental causes 
 producing a difference in size, condition, or color, are entirely 
 appropriate, and he had good reasons for saying that the 
 "Sea Trout" claimed by Mr. Smith of Massachusetts as a 
 new species, was none other than a well-fed Brook Trout 
 that had access to salt water, where its greater variety and 
 abundance of food produced a brighter hue and deeper- 
 colored flesh. 
 
 Mr. Brown, after quoting Mr. Smith's observations on the 
 
 fish just referred to, says : " The last-mentioned species, Le- 
 
 pomis salmonea, is common in our Southern rivers, and with 
 
 many Southerners goes under the name of Trout Bass, or 
 
 Brown Bass." Mr. Brown here takes an error of Mr. Smith 
 
 as a basis, and piles an error of his own, or that of his 
 
 informer, on top of it, making " confusion worse confounded." 
 
 Let me assure the reader that the so-called " Southern Trout" 
 • .... 
 
 is not a Trout, nor has it the least generic affinity to it ; it is 
 
 a fresh-water Bass, Orystes salmoides, and belongs to the 
 Perch family ; and let me further say that there are no Trout, 
 or any species of the Salmon family, found south of Virginia. 
 Food of Trout. — Flies, beetles, bugs, caterpillars, grass- 
 hoppers, in fact all manner of insects that are so unlucky as 
 to touch the surftice of the water, are arrested by the vigilant 
 Trout ; and little stonefish, minnows, and shiners are chased 
 and devoured by *hem at night, in shoal water. I once 
 opened a Trout of eleven inches, which appeared rather stout, 
 and took from its pouch eight small shiners, which equalled 
 nearly a fourth of its own weight. At another time, in a 
 dark, still water, I took a Trout of twelve inches, which had 
 nearly swallowed a water-lizard of six inches, the head of the 
 
THE SILHON FiMILT. 
 
 201 
 
 victim protruding from the mouth of the Ssh ■ .^„t , v. 
 
 ™ with the li^rd, he seized „y fly Tte litt^ ' 
 
 hatched from the e..- of the fl. l \ I' J ''°™ 
 
 - she dapped on Zsu^' Vl " ''" ^''' '^'"''■ 
 
 the risk of her life) is dev„ / ."■"'"' ^""^ <'^P°^''^'» "' 
 
 io which, by th !i, of • s ; /"' "' "'"" """^ °f -H 
 .J 'He aid ot Its gluten, it encases itself n»„„ 
 the quantity of sand found in a Trouf. ., ,, , ' 
 
 months of fly.flshin<r Th/ I ^- '" ""^ ^'^^ 
 
 ful ; and some.tl^s . '7f°'''' " " «""' "'« ™™*- 
 «a«e the hoo, he 12^^^:^^ '" ''^^■'■ 
 wings and legs were cracking beneathtiX ""'" "^ ' 
 
 ci^cHistherise': 's :tLu::ri -'"■ "'^^^^'-^ 
 
 too small to be seen in the di t n „ b I f " '"" '"'' 
 every still water, or eddy, or hu ry'n ' ift " T '" 
 shelving ed.>es of .. I "^""8 "ft, or under the 
 
 "o eages of stones, he searches for larva diu„.„. • 
 
 p;e;asitrts;r-:r.:;i:t;i:"^- 
 
 like rapiditj. ^ ^"^ iightniiig- 
 
 Concerning the disposition of Trout to rise at . fl a 
 
 =:»— SHE- »■-.' 
 
 and found the supposed C e L be a r'"'° "' "■""'• 
 worm gut four or five in^s Ion. T """ "' ^■"^■ 
 tackle on the end of it i dtsln ^^ " ^^''^ «'"«" 
 
 .0 ™y «shing companit, bets ;: :hi:r''7°f 
 ^».et a ash had broken from\is',Xrt;rr? 
 
202 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 described to him, three or four daya before. He supposed 
 the fish to have been at least twelve inches in length, when 
 he lost his dropper. Only last summer a young fly- fisher of 
 my acquaintance caught a Trout with a hook in his mouth, 
 to which was fastened a gut-leader two feet long, and three 
 good-sized shot on it, and yet the fish rose greedily at his 
 red hackle. On returning to the house and showing the 
 leader, it was claimed by a bait-fisherman, who had lost it the 
 day before. 
 
 Brook Trout were once abundant in all the clear, rapid 
 streams on the eastern side of the Alleghanies, from the 
 Arctic regions to the thirty-eighth parallel, and even below 
 it in the mountains of Virginia ; in the upper tributaries of 
 the Ohio, as well as in many of the northern streams flowing 
 into the Mississippi ; also in the smaller rivers which flow 
 into the great chain of lakes from the north, and in many 
 of those coming in from the south. They are taken fre- 
 quently along the shores of Lake Superior, and in the more 
 southern lakes, where creeks and brooks of a lower tem- 
 perature than the lake itself fall in, and in the rapids at the 
 great outlet of Lake Superior, known as Sault Ste. Marie. 
 Most of the beautiful lakelets of New York, Maine, New 
 Hampshire, and the Canadas, abound in Brook Trout of 
 large size. 
 
 ■ They are found also in many of the streams that flow east- 
 ward and southward from the Rocky Mountains ; in the great 
 basin between the latter range of mountains and the Sierra 
 Nevada ; and are numerous in the waters of the whole Pacific 
 coast, as far down as the Bay of San Francisco, though per- 
 haps with some distinction in variety, and, it may be, in 
 species also. 
 
 In the rivers and brooks of the more settled part of the 
 country. Trout have decreased both in numbers and size. 
 
THE SALMON FAMILY. 
 
 208 
 
 This is to be attributed to many causes • to t ),« i • 
 of forests, exposing the surface of I' ^ o ' d toT' "' 
 which has dried up the sources of svlvan h'T '""' 
 
 their temperature «nH . «* «y^van brooks, or increased 
 
 tcuiptjraiure, and consequently that nf f>,o i 
 
 which they fp.>u rendprin .u ^'*'"S®'* ^^^^''s 
 
 «/ TPtu, Tendering them less suitable for Tr,.nf i 
 
 promoting the introduction and increase of! T' 
 
 of fish. Streams which once hadlwTsh "Tn"''" 
 them, now abound with Oh u ^ , ''"^^^ ^ '^'^* "» 
 
 .„ ""<^"na with Chub and other inferior fiJi r^u 
 
 '"■ ^f "» "gh dam obstructing the pig rf J; 
 
 -- .attreiti;:tr tt'",:: r "'^ "-"-^ 
 
 poisouing the Trout l,n™ 7 ' ^"'""8 " ""'' 
 
 wa.ersi„afaw;er.hr\7° """•' '" '"P''P"""^ °" 
 
 is a„ old storyeC™ .1 i "'""'"'°" "' '"'8'-- I' 
 -^ cverywnere along our mountain streams of 
 
 ^..e„at.e3a„dpo:j:r:;t:::ts™"^ 
 
 regions by the whites, than they were during tl,« ,■ 
 occupation by the Indian,- f ■'."*'^' ™™« ">« "me of 
 
 toolc no more than h u "■""■ '"*°"S'' >■« 
 
 destructivHL M U^" Tr^ "' *» «-■ ™ > 
 
 autu,nna, desee I'.h sZon the™'' "' -"^ ""^ "^ '"- 
 
 -eor,oop,wer;murous iZ:":':^ '"^^'"" "^ 
 
 r:i::;r~ - -- -Srii^^^^^^^^^^ 
 
 "f large size A frC to' "*" ''™'' '^^°°' 
 during the summer TLrtl °" " "'"'*-""^' '»■•' 
 
 W,cutoutofbr ;np;rwrf ": '"^ '"""' "' ^ 
 
 " paper, with the following memoranda 
 
804 
 
 AMERICAN AVQLBR'S BOOK. 
 
 on it :— "Taken by J. E. Oady, of Sault Ste. Marie, July 80th 
 1858. Weight six and a quarter pounds, length twenty-four 
 inches, circumference thirteen inches ; at the same time took 
 seven Trout from the same pool weighing thirty-one and a 
 quarter pounds; taken in Batchewaunaung River, Canada 
 West." This may appear improbable, but the gentleman 
 who presented it, and the captor, are both truthful men. 
 
 I have lately been shown a letter which stated that a party 
 of three anglers went last summer from Chicago by rail and 
 boat, to the town of Green Bay, and there- packed their lug- 
 gage on mules and travelled a distance of forty miles to a 
 stream not over twenty feet wide, within twelve miles of 
 Lake Superior. They fished two pools where there was 
 neither tree nor bush to interfere with their fly-cast, and 
 during their stay of ten days, each of them killed from fifty 
 to a hundred pounds of Trout per day ; the fish weighing 
 from two to four pounds each. In the state of Maine, Lake 
 Umbagog and Moosehead Lake have great reputation. The 
 tributaries of the St. John and Mirimichi have many and 
 large Trout ; and from all accounts they fairly swarm in Lake 
 Nipissiguit, at the head of the river of that name, in the 
 British Province of New Brunswick. 
 
 Mr. B., an angier of this city, a few years ago, brought home 
 from Maine, where he had been on a fishing excursion, the 
 skin of a Trout, which he has since had stuffed ; the weight 
 of the fish exceeded eigh* pounds. 
 
 The following was clipped from the "Saturday Evening 
 Post" last summer, and handed to me by a friend : — 
 
 " Enormous Trout. — Mr. George S. Page, of the firm of 
 GecTge S. Page & Brother, of this city, has shown us a basket 
 of Trout, caiight — he says it does not matter where, and he 
 would rather not disclose the precise locality — but which are 
 by far the largest of their kind we have ever seen. In the 
 basket before us the heaviest fish weighs eight pounds and 
 
TIIK SALMOM FAMUV. 
 
 206 
 
 ■l-receigMh.,,. another weighs eight pounds and a quarter- 
 and another, seven and a quarter pounds. Two oth J 
 
 P^sent n>onth In e i't av^T '" ," """ >"" "" "•<" 
 r m eigtit (lays thoy caught two hundred and 
 
 seventy, hree pounds, steelyard weight, and the flsh oau'ht 
 averaged three and a half pounds eaeh. * 
 
 "Mr. Page desires us to «,y that all these fish were eaueht 
 
 JL!^ T:z 'T: '": ^'- r^ «^- " '- 
 
 n mamo, they may have been the Schoodi,. 
 
 Trou, &,„. ff,„^. One who ;, „„. „eeustomed to „ ark 
 
 r ^'*'--»' "V easily have been de«,ived Z!h 
 
 there are some .nstanees of Brook Trout exceeding 1 "he 
 
 size of the Sohoodio Trout. 
 
 Sir Humphrey Davy, in his "Salmonia," gives the read., 
 .he .mpression that in strictly preserved streLT „ En^^' 
 
 the water. Th,s ,s by no means a general rule. Last sum 
 me, n, looking over an English angler's fly.book w A Z 
 he produced h,s written authority, signed by the stewardTf' 
 -me nobleman, I think the Duke of Northumberland "fll 
 a certain water. The p,per specified that the ca"h If 1! 
 angler should at any time be subject to the ins^e L : tL 
 ^mekeeper and that he should basket no m nnde /I 
 
2U« 
 
 AMBRIOAM ANQLKR'B BOOK. 
 
 THE SALMON. 
 
 Salmotalar: LiitHMva. 
 
 This magnificent fish has been the exalted theme of all 
 writers on angling, from the time of Walton to the present. 
 It is said that two or three varieties of the true Salmon are 
 found on the eastern coast of America, while there are several 
 described as distinct species by Dr. Richardson, in his 
 " Fauna Boreali- Americana," existing in the Arctic regions, 
 and as many more mentioned by Dr. George Suckley, U. S. A., 
 in his report upon the fishes of the Pacific coast. 
 
 The economic value of the Salmon has been the cause of 
 much legislation in Great Britain and her American colo- 
 nies ; and its habits and manner of breeding, together with 
 the growth of its young, and its wonderful increase in size, 
 caused by periodical visits to tlie sea, have been the subject 
 of much discussion and voluminous essays amongst natu- 
 ralists and observers. 
 
 As abundant as Salmon once were in the waters of the 
 United States, they are now only found in two or three of the 
 rivers of Maine, and these furnish but a small number to net- 
 fishers in tide- water: a few years more and they will bo 
 known amongst us only by tradition and in books. Salmon 
 once abounded in all of our rivers from Maine to New York, 
 but, if we except a few stray Salmon which have been taken 
 in the Delaware, were never found south of the Hudson, not- 
 withstanding Mr. Thackeray, in his book " The Virginians," 
 makes General Braddock, Washington, and Franklin dine on 
 Shad and Salmon at Lady Warrington's table in lower Vir- 
 ginia. 
 
.^p-. 
 
 of all 
 
 •resent, 
 on are 
 several 
 in his 
 egions, 
 . S. A., 
 
 luse of 
 1 colo- 
 3r with 
 n size, 
 subject 
 ; natU' 
 
 of the 
 J of the 
 to net- 
 vill be 
 Salmon 
 York, 
 taken 
 )n, not- 
 nians," 
 line on 
 Br Vir- 
 

THE SALMON FAMILY. 
 
 207 
 
 Hendnck Hudson, when he first ascended the river that 
 bears his name, recorded in his journal, "many Salmon, 
 Mullets, and Rays very great ;" and when he passed the High- 
 lands remarks : " Great stores of Salmon in the river " Thev 
 were formerly abundant in all the lakes in the interior o^ 
 JNew York, that communicate with Lake Ontario, and were 
 also found in Lake Champlain and the rivers flowing into the 
 St. Lawrence, from the south. Stories have been handed 
 down of the great numbers once taken in the Connecticut and 
 It IS said of old dwellers on its banks, that in their articles of 
 indenture, it was stipulated that the master should not feed 
 his apprentice on Salmon more than three days in the week 
 
 The only fresh Salmon we get now, come from Montreal, 
 and from St. John, New Brunswick: from the latter by 
 steamer to Boston, packed in ice, where they are repacked 
 and sent to cities further south. At Chatham Bathurst and 
 several other ports of the British Provinces, there are e'stab- 
 hshments where they are parboiled after being cut into pieces 
 of suitable size, and packed in hermetically sealed cans, and 
 shipped to Europe and the United States. The smoked and 
 salted Salmon generally come from points further north 
 
 The rivers which flow into the St. Lawrence from the north 
 below Quebec, and those that empty into the Gulf of St 
 Lawrence, and into the Atlantic along the coast of Labrador,' " 
 still furnish rare sport to the angler who will undertake the 
 journey. In the more southern portions of those regions 
 every means, fair or foul, of taking them is practised, withoui / 
 a thought for the continu. nee of tue species ; as if extermina- 
 tion was the present and ultimate object 
 
 The streams of California connecting with the ocean, from 
 the thirty-seventh degree of latitude northward, and the 
 nvers of Oregon and Washington Territory, aa well as those 
 
208 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 of the British and Eussian possessions, contain them in vast 
 numbers. 
 
 Dr. Suckley, in his report on the fishes collected on the 
 Pacific Railroad Survey, says, in that part of it devoted to 
 the Salmonidae of the North- West Coast: "The species of 
 Salmon which is principally used for salting in Puget Sound, 
 is the Skowitz, an autumnal visitor. Of these Messrs. Riley 
 & Swan, proprietors of the Salmon-packing establishment at 
 the mouth of the Puyallup River, have taken three thousand 
 at one haul of the seine." Fisheries, I am told, have been 
 established on the Eel and Russian Rivers of California, but 
 owing to the lack of practical knowledge in preserving the 
 fish, they have not proved remunerative. It is said, that 
 notwithstanding the great numbers of Salmon in the rivers 
 of our North-West Coast, where they collect in great shoals 
 at the falls, and rub their noses raw in their efforts to 
 get up the rapids, and where a spear thrown at random strikes 
 a fish, that they are never known to take the fly. This may 
 be for the want of the proper kinds of pools that make a fly- 
 cast ; there is no doubt, however, that it will yet be found, 
 that there are casts on some of those rivers where a proper 
 combination of fur and feathers will entice them 
 
 If we believe the tales of explorers — and they soem probable 
 — there are whole tribes of Indians on the Pacific, as well as 
 on the rivers that flow into the Arctic Ocean, from Macken- 
 zie's River eastward, and into Hudson's Bay, who would 
 become extinct but for the periodical appearance of almost 
 incredible numbers of these fish. There is no doubt that 
 rhey arc the chief food, for a great part of the year, of the 
 tribes that dwell on the rivers that debouch into Baffin's 
 Bay, Davis's Strait, and the streams on the coast of Labrador, 
 and that such is also the case to a great extent with the 
 barbaric tribes of northern Asia above the sixtieth parallel, 
 
»BE SALMON- FAMILY. 
 
 2W 
 
 and .he rude population of the extreme north of Europe ■ i„r 
 
 the geographical range of this omlifi^ fi i, ^^""I* , H.r 
 
 human race, extends from the No h P ' T " '" ''" 
 
 mies of the globe (excen „ downwards on all 
 
 isothermal lite be r^ndl n" Z '"^ "'""" ^'''"' *« 
 parallel, and in some ca"f ^ ZclT^' '" "° '"'''■''''' 
 below it. ' " *^^''''"'»"' "■"! J"!'"", even 
 
 Mr. Kiohard Nettle, of Montreal in l- 
 little work "The S,ln, .*"";<"»'■ "> his comprehensive 
 
 its Tributaries say 7„:t'"" "' ""* "'^ ^""^^ -" 
 .he mother cou„.r71 ""'"°" '" "-^ Salmon-iisheries of 
 
 tio:,t;.:^tr:::h'"rrl^r - ™'" — 
 with hoo, with ieis.er;p:iin,tn:n„:* ^''"'' 
 
 --g dams and thlltTar^S:-"-^^ 
 
 — r^rrrnrr-Tr'^'-^'- 
 theiroid haun.s-.heir s™: ni d t ■" '""' '"«""« 
 
 'ha. i. -i.hdiffl„uit,i,a; : ; ;tr"Go7r 
 
 -.and a Hght of wa, ma, induce themwturn ' '""' 
 
 Before the year 1812, and even in 1816 aim™. 
 
 nver in the kingdom swarmed wi.h fish ■ wit„: f "'^' 
 .he Tweed ^-.h its 150.000 Salmon tt'a nil ^ 'ri"' 
 per annum, the Tay, a similar river, the D vel ,f p d 
 horn the Don, the Spey, and numerous otherl "'• 
 
 »- season, ^'umero'^t^h ; a":;:' o te ^'^^ ^' '" 
 Kmerald Isle." ^® ^°""d in the 
 
 j^ Adamsoa, m his appendix to his "Salmon. 
 
210 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 Fishing in Canada," and other writers, speak also of the 
 former abundance of Salmon in the Canadas. Mr. Nettle 
 says, " The late Robert Christie, so many years the member 
 for Gasp4 and by whom I have been urged to do battle in 
 behalf of the Salmon-fisheries, has often told me, that while 
 he resided there he never took less than 2000 tierces in the 
 
 Ristigouche alone Bouchet, in speaking of the same 
 
 river, says 2000 to 3000 are taken What would that 
 
 gentleman say, could he know that the 2000 or 8000 of his 
 day has dwindled down to 200 or 300 at the present time?" 
 
 Our own countrymen, in their everlasting search after 
 " that other dollar," after having destroyed their own Salmon- 
 lisherios, are now prompting and assisting the illegal fishers 
 of Canada in doing the same, by establishing packing-houses 
 for the exportation of smoked, pickled, and "canned" Salmon. 
 Setting a price on the head of every fish of this species that 
 fiiids its way up the rivers, after escaping the gill-nets that 
 drift out even beyond the entrance of the bays and estuaries, 
 and iho stake-nets that extend beyond the prescribed distance 
 from the shore, by paying the mongrel Indians four or five 
 cents a pound for all the Salmon they spear at night. 
 
 It is claimed with some show of justice that the Indians 
 have an hereditary right to the use of the flambeau and 
 spear — it is the only way in which they take Salmon ; but 
 this is no reason why they should be permitted to practise it 
 at improper seasons of the year, for the injury they do to the 
 rivers is visited upon themselves as well as the whites, by 
 the gradMl extirpation of the fish. 
 
 A few >ears back, and there Avas scarcely a stream of any 
 size on the coast of New Brunswick, that was not visited 
 annually by large numbers of Salmon, and still are to a 
 limited extent; but the drift-net, the stake-net, the spear, 
 and the high dams — witliont a sluiceway to help them over, 
 
THE SALMON FAMILY. 
 
 A 1.1 
 
 are steadily d„»g .heir work of destruction, and unless mor, 
 stringent laws are enacted for the protection „f -i 1 
 
 nvers of the British provinces will, in the conrse of a few 
 years, become as barren as our own 
 
 ofatTrrrarsT-r/"''"^^"=" '^ » '■-"^P"- 
 
 Nipissiguit las?".-™' ^""^^■" ^"""'^ """"^ » «=" 
 
 .nrShtrbrrthit rr r "-^7 --' 
 
 -er.gra,;be.,;':c^-:r::r^^^^^^^^ 
 :r zr eihTiai:::, r r t^' ^^^-"-" - 
 
 The brilliancy of a Ch rurfl h "" '""' """" '?='"• 
 
 ^-„g iuL 3un,i;r,::etrn:h:;xra;t r 
 :X^r:e.o:^rpe::,;rr.■^-^^^^^^ 
 
 length, exclusive of the caudV t J of"? T''""'" °' "^ 
 -re than a «fth, while I'le^" ;:X V ■,""""""^ 
 more than a sixth. The lateral li " ""' 
 
 Sal^onoids. There are twel V, ," °'°''' °^ '" "" *« 
 «n, which has t, "e n :; 7 """""f' "•^'- '^'^ P-'"»' 
 ",V black; ventrlgr Xh wtir^^f "^' "''^ *^ <■- 
 roseate white, with nine ravs- d„ , J , "'"' '"y^' '"'■■'' 
 •«'ve rays; the caudaT irSk' 7 'l T!" """• """ 
 exclusive of the rudimentary fays ' ' ''" "="■"""■ 
 
 There is a cartilaginous projection on the tip oi the lower 
 
212 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 jaw in the male fish, which closes into a cavity in the snoat . 
 it becomes harder and longer, and has more of an im ard 
 curve, as the time of spawning approaches : it is suppo^ ,d by 
 some persons, that it is used by the fish in removir ^ the 
 gravel when preparing the spawning-bed in autumn. The 
 eye is one-third distant between the snout and posterior 
 margin of the opercle. There are sharp but short incurved 
 teeth on the palate, maxillaries, pharynx, and tongue, but 
 none that I could discover on the vomer. 
 
 The artificial propagation of Salmon has been resorted to 
 in Scotland and Ireland, and nurseries for this purpose have 
 been successfully established on rivers which had been depleted 
 of the vast numbers they once produced. As the reader will 
 find a chapter on Pisciculture in a subsequent part of this 
 work, I will make no further mention here of that mode of 
 producing them — or rather of assisting, or stimulating their 
 production; but would remark, that if the waters of Great 
 Britain are ever restored to their former fecundity, or our 
 own restocked, it must be one of the means employed. 
 
 The Natural Process of Propagation. — To give a 
 lucid description of the manner of generation with the 
 Salmon, it is necessary to advert to one of its specific 
 peculiarities, which is, that it is anadromom. This term is 
 commonly applied to fish which inhabit the sea the greater 
 part of the year, but enter fresh rivers to spawn ; a residence 
 of a certain length of time in fresh water being necessary to 
 mature the spawn and milt, Salmon, as a general thing, 
 begin to ascend the rivers on the north-eastern coast of 
 America the latter part of June, and there will be an occa- 
 sional run of fish from the sea until the middle of September, 
 each school being influenced to some extent in their migra- 
 tion by easterly gales or a rise in the rivers they enter. The 
 first run of Grilse does not occur until a month later, and the 
 
THE SALMON FAMILY. 
 
 213 
 
 rapid, and oC.ect fo.' tl '/u^: H; ^^ ''7, """'^ -U 
 •he tributaries of the rivers bvTh' ",., T""" ™'^ '" 
 •He spawning season, in^: of' el™:. "' """""''■* "' 
 months, as it does in S.„,l 1 u '""''"'8 "er a period of six 
 
 forb,t;e.ast:;;ot:^:^t:tr™"^^-'"-^-^'. 
 
 bv iee, and the spawnin. b* sea 7 " "r™"^ "'°'"' 
 influence of the L, and"™'* I ri? *?"""""« 
 .0 the bottom by the .niddie of D e^ 7" Tr" 
 therefore is, that incubation is a-Te "d 1 T "^ 
 
 spa™ being encased in ice- so it fT t "'""'" ''^ ""* 
 period (perhaps even doX; thj t/m 7' '' ' "'""'' '™«"^ 
 to hatch, than is necessarv in ,., ' ""^""'^ '"' ""^ °'^ 
 land and Ireland tT "''"P'^«"e waters of Scot- 
 
 u Ireland. I have never read or heard of . 
 person havmg tested it in America hv ^ 
 
 been done in Scotland, but it sTrobabr:hT°'' " T 
 posited in American Salmon rivers tc„ o T™ '" 
 
 November, does not produce the younithun«: "' '" " 
 month of June or July. But it i/Z, ,, ' ™'""8 
 
 that the general rule L fhe t me of "''b '"' ""' '° ^''"" 
 
 by Scotch naturalists and oW, It nTV^bf"""'' 
 
 rx:r?n--- ^S o? 1:!: 
 
 -tin. . .o».ve,...X::7„ :-- - ;--.. an. 
 B.i.,.h Amerio. being ice-b„„„d four „- ive month !I' '" °' 
 
 .f -ming .„, ^i., i, „„,^, ^ .^^^ «•; 2:2. ■' *" '•"• '- '™ 
 
214 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 laws of nature that goven^ Salmon, in generating as well as 
 the process of incubation and growth of its young. 
 
 Those who take an interest in the subject, will refer with 
 pleasure and profit to the " Book of the Salmon," by a Mr. 
 Graham, who wrote articles on angling for "Bell's Life in 
 London," for many years, and who also, with the sou'uriqiiet 
 of " Ephemera," was the author of " A Handbook of Angling." 
 He was assisted in his " Book of the Salmon," by Mr. Andrew. 
 Young, of Invershin, Scotland, the manager of the Duke of 
 Sutherland's northern fisheries, who had been an experi- 
 menter on Salmon for more than thirty years. Part of the 
 information imparted by Mr. Young was in writinc^, and 
 much was communicated orally, whenever Mr. Graham visited 
 him for the purpose of angling, and observing the habits of 
 the Salmon. In the following pages, I will endeavor to give 
 the gist of Mr. Graham's remarks, or quote them verbatim as 
 may best suit the purpose. 
 
 "Salmon preparin(/ to s-paum. — The male and female Salmon 
 appear together on that part of a shallow in which their bed 
 is to be dug, and they remain moving about upon it for a few 
 days before they begin the process of nidification. No pre- 
 cise period can be fixed for their appearance. Salmon spawn- 
 ing-beds are made by the fish in sandy or gravelly parts of 
 the river, generally high up towards its source, and not unfre- 
 oii.entlyiu rivers and almost rivulets,* tributaries to some 
 large river, of course connected with the sea. Before two 
 Salmon, male and female, commence the formation ui their 
 nests, they make eflbrts to drive away every fish that may 
 
 * This was the case last fall in Pabineau and Gordon's Brooks, botli 
 email trihutaries of the Nipissiguit: the outlet of the latter is over a 
 gravelly shoal, and so small that Salmon cannot ascend through the outlet 
 to the deeper water above, unless with the assistance of a freshet. Yet 
 they were found there in largo numbers depositing their spawn. 
 
THK SALMOX FAMILY. 
 
 215 
 
 come within their vioim'fv rpi 
 
 be called a .ontLaZtf „! ; ""'"'■"«•''«''. -l-ich „,ay 
 
 ver.„ o. a„™. .:: 11 c 'b'urr t"'"""^' '^"^ 
 
 chosen their ground for bed „„i, , , ^"""^ '^"'^' 
 
 », .hey drop'dow " r^t:: X"' "71 -"^^ '"^ 
 
 burrowing action, assisted by the power of tblf 
 
 formed with great force and ,>, !? ''°'' "' P*'" 
 
 upper part or roof of ttl ' "'""" '"'''''8' *« 
 
 ™ig^rooe:r:iiT:r: irr- :'''"'■ 
 
 p% capacious for a «.t d: LL r/r T^f 
 female enters this first hollowed link of ,1 v, I , 
 .herein a portion of her ovl TW A . ' "'' "^'P™"^ 
 
 *cam, and the male instant^' Jet. I"" J" '^^'. '"-" 
 
 emission, a certain quantity of m It ol'T "I ''°"'"*' '^ 
 impregnates them. After^hTs ThtM '"'""''' °™' 
 
 excavation, immediately bJtefl^IaT"'"" " '"""" 
 with it. I,, making ,J ' ^ '° " '"'"«'" "■>« 
 
 waen one rh^r;:::r r ^k T z? r^'t' 
 
 stream until it is refreshed and ,u . ^ °" ""o 
 
 resumes its labor, rlti^ he"' " ""™'^'' ''"''"■ 
 The partner acts i„ t '""" '""" ''» P"«»er. 
 
 projsses;;r:,tr: ";::i:"V;r' "^^ 
 
 .he female enters it as she dTd the fi T °°'"P'''^'*' 
 
 ponion of ova, and drops":, ::;ed':wtirt""V 
 
 «M^% V .he acti:,: :;i u reT Tbtr::;:'' '-'- "■ 
 
 just described is continued until the , ','^f"™"°8 P"^^ 
 
 -eposit. The last depirofrrrvriXz 
 
216 
 
 AHBRIOAN ANOLER'8 BOOK 
 
 action of tho fish and water breaking down aorne of the gravel 
 bank above and over the nest. 'J'hus is formed a complete 
 spawning bed— not at once, not by a single effort, but piece- 
 meal, and at several intervals of greater or less duration, 
 according to the age and size of the fish, and quantity of ova 
 and milt to be deposited and emitted. A female Salmon in 
 its third year has a larger quantity of ova to deposit than a 
 female Grilse, or young Salmon in its second year ; and it 
 may bo taken for granted, that the older and larger either 
 figh_male or female— is, the greater quantity of ova to be 
 deposited, and of milt to be emitted. In consequence, the 
 time occupied in deposition chiefiy depends upon the size and 
 fecundity of the female fish. The average time is from five 
 to ten days. It would be more correct to say the mean time 
 lies betwixt. 
 
 "When the spawning operations — I am describing those 
 of a single pair of Salmon — are terminated, the female fish, 
 with instinctive view to repose and convalescence, falls back 
 into some pool below the spawning-bed just completed, and 
 sown with Salmon-seed. The male frequently follows her 
 example, sometimes from two motives : 1st, to consort with 
 another female, if he have any milt remaining ; 2d, if he have 
 not, for the purpose of recovering from the debilitating effects 
 of s})awning. A male Salmon may impregnate the ova of one 
 or more Salmon. A mature male Salmon has milt enough 
 to impregnate the ova of several Grilse, or young Salmon; 
 and he will continue the operation of impregnation as long as 
 the seminal fluid lasts. If, in the first instance, a female 
 choose a mate unable to fecundate all her ova, sho will, when 
 his milt is exhausted, go in search of another, and will be a 
 bigamist or polygamist, as long as nature, or (as phrenologists 
 would say) philo-progenitiveness, compels her to be so. The 
 length of a spawning-bed depends upon the quantity of spawn 
 
THE SALMON FilMItT. 
 
 217 
 
 .0 be deported therem, and aUo upon .he hardness or softness 
 of .ho gravel which has .o be exeava.ed. The harder .he 
 gravehbed, the shorter .he spawning.bed, for .hen .he sneees- 
 sion of „es.s w,l be more co,„p„„., and .ake up ,esa spaee 
 whe.her in length or width. '^ ' 
 
 "A 'ingle pair of Salmon may be forced to form distinct 
 beds, .„ different spots. For instance, the, have e: e c"d 
 spawning m a stream two feet in depth more or loss, and 
 whilst so engaged, the river falls so low, that the, „ nn". 
 continue to work m the flrst selected spot, for want of water 
 wherein freely to move. When this happens they will drop 
 lower down, or at any rate retire elsewhere, in search of 
 deeper running water. Other causes may induce them, .. „. 
 floods, to have recourse to the formation of a second be,l, in a 
 spot suited for it. 
 
 " Thinking as I do the layinLr and imDre^rnnHnc, . 
 .P and hatching of SalmoLLs-I r^XTXp^ 
 posely-most interesting points in the history of our Hiver- 
 k.ng, I will not, if I ean, leave anything connected with 
 hem untouched. When I do not state facts, I will brin. 
 forward deductions, and, as it were, circumstantial evidence" 
 as convincing to the reasoning mind as fact itself We 
 have seen that the bed, or trench, in which Salmon dcposi 
 .heir spawn, is made bit by bit, and no doubt the inouirl 
 eader will ask why? I have, I hope, a ready and t L 
 fac ory answer^ The ova of the female Salmon are o." 
 mature all at the same time. That portion of them ne" he 
 vent becomes flrst ripe for deposition, whilst the pa, t 
 po. oral regions is immature. In consequence, the ova 1 
 be deposited by piecemeal only, and that is one of the chfef 
 reasons why the Salmon-bcd consists of a succession o xl 
 various, the first for the reception of the ova next the "em 
 which are already matuie ; the second for the ova that ^ 
 
ai8 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 jW 
 
 I 
 
 become next the vent and matured in four-and-tventy hours, 
 perhaps, and so on for several days until all the ej^gs tbrming 
 what is called the 'hard roe' are ripe and fit to be laid. On 
 this point the common hen, and other birds, afford an analogy 
 They deposit their eggs at intervals, as their outward cover 
 ing or shells harden, that is, as they become mature. The 
 analogy extends no further. Birds' eggs are impregnated 
 before they are deposited ; Salmons' eggs are not ; birds' eggs 
 naturally require animal heat to vivify them, Salmons' eggs 
 never do. The analogy, therefore, applies only to deposition 
 or laying at intervals. 
 
 "Let any one examine the roe of a female Salmon about 
 spawning-time, and the peas, grains, or eggs of that part of it 
 nearest the vent will always be found of larger size, and 
 softer than those situated higher up in the stomach of the 
 fish. They are softer also, and their outward ti laments are 
 thinner and more porous, and thus they are fitter for impreg- 
 nation — for absorbing the milt of the male as it is poured 
 over them. There is another reason why all the ova cannot 
 be deposited at once. It is forced from the fish, or rather the 
 fish forces it from itself by pressure — by forcing itself into 
 the gravel of the nest. No natural pressure would be suffi- 
 cient to expel the ova at once. When artificial pressure is 
 employed — I mean manual pressure — the mature ova alone 
 come freely away through the vent ; the immature ova remain 
 firmly enclosed within thuir reticulated tissues or membranes, 
 within, as it were, their net-work fastenings. Although the 
 nuripe ova should be expressed, they would be useless for 
 production, for their absorbing pores are still closed ;igainst 
 the interpenetration of the milt, and conseijuently in this state 
 impregnation is impos.sible. The milt of the male, like the 
 ova of the female fish, becomes mature by degrees. When 
 mature they are very easily exuded, for even holding i the 
 
THE SAt.Mi X- FAMILI. 
 
 219 
 
 fi»h by ho head, will oau,« M,nitea exudation of milt an.l 
 "vn. n,„ ,,rea,ure, or weight of lh„ roe above „„ the roe 
 be,.c.Uh >» „uffl„i„„. to pro,luoe this partial exudation. 
 
 •The f.„.,„a,ed in „,„ ,,,„eedi„g paragraph are suffleiont 
 no only to account for i.nprcgnution taking place at inter. 
 V. ,, for t ,„ „„p„,,,iW|i,, „f ;., ^i„g j^^^ ^^ 
 
 but al.,o for the .n.probability of impregnation by intermit: 
 
 ova. Mr. Voung ,h,„pa,c,, „„ ,,o„bt. upon this point by 
 
 the ollow.ng experiments .-lie took a female Salnl exu 
 d«l by n^n,p,.l„tio„ a p„r.i„„ „f ,,„ ,„„, „„j ■ 
 
 done so he buned it beneath the gravel of one part of a' 
 a«.fi. .»l .spawntng.pond. From the .u„„ Saln.on he exuded 
 •nother port.on of ova, bnt before he eovere,, it over w h 
 
 aidTb """"'" r '™ "' '"■^ ''^"™"«-'>«'- •>= i-P-^ 
 
 natad ,t by press.ng m,lt fro.n the male Salmon, and causing 
 .t lo come m contact with the last ova deposited. He then 
 covered them in beneath the gravel, and ■ , .,, ,„ * " 
 Fodneedflsh. The ova he had covered in without i.nprj 
 na.,o„ prodncd nothing. He ^p«.„,, ,he experiment fr! 
 quen ly, and always with similar .-esults. He Z JnJZ 
 wo female Salmon in the act „f spawning. The ova o^o 
 
 he d d not .mpregnate. He covered in each under ecual 
 
 condtfons .part in the .s e spawning-bed. The ova hit h ■ 
 
 had caused to be impregnated were productive- the 1' 
 proved perfectly barren. This experinL. was repel U 
 the result was ever the san.e. ' 
 
 "It may be asked, how i, it that ova and milt are not 
 .wept away by the action of the rapid water in which thev 
 T '•^'"^■'"J-""" theyare not swept away in the et of 
 
 g-vel? It would appear that at the critical moment of 
 
220 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 deposition, the specific gravity of the water is less than tbat 
 of the mature spawn, for the gi'ains of ova fall to the bottom 
 like grains of shot, and the milt sinks as if it were molten 
 lead. However, we must take into account the effect of the 
 force by ^vhich ova and milt are expelled downwards by the 
 spawning fish. 
 
 ' As some of the ova are deposited and impregnated ten or 
 more days sooner than otlier portions, we must expect to see 
 the incubating process complete! by degrees. Such, in fact, 
 is the case. The evolving of the fish foetus is not simultane- 
 ous, but gradual, and the infant fry come out from their sand- 
 bed by degrees ; at intervals of time corresponding with the 
 intervals that took place during the deposition of the ova. 
 We may, therefore, have young fish, from one and the same 
 nest, differing in age from one to ten or foiirteen days. 
 
 " The length of time necessary for the completion of the 
 incubating process varies according to the localities of rivers, 
 because locality produces different temperatures. The tem- 
 perature of river-water is also very sensibly affected — 
 heightened or diminished by the mildn- as or rigor of the 
 season. In the rivers of the north of Scotland Salmon ova 
 are hatched in a period varying in duration from one hundred 
 to one hundred and forty days. In conformity with the 
 habits of oviparous, or egg, or spawn-bearing fish, the parent 
 Salmon having deposited their spawn, impregnated it, and 
 covered it in beneath sand and gravel, take no further heod 
 of it, or tue fry it produtjes, except, perchance, hereafter to 
 fedd upon thoiu. Water iiifl.i he ,'il !)y atmospheric action is 
 the sole immhatia^ ai^eut. I iimy \\ 'W ohsovv^- th.a alt ■!• : 
 ova are covered in they are safe from all casualties, on which 
 point more hereafter. 
 
 " It is during the deposition of ova that they are destroyed, 
 and the great destroyers of them are river Trout of every 
 
THE SALMON FAMIIY. 
 
 221 
 
 fleece,. Theae S»taon.p.sts are ever „„ the watch whU„ 
 &lmon are depositing their ova, and are only kept atj 
 n^om tte .pawning-bedB or trenches b, iie JattaL Z 
 np.d harges made on them by male and female Salmon 
 both „,,„3t they are preparing to spawn, and are, at least one' 
 of them, actually engaged in doing so. However, as long a 
 a spawnmg Salmon is in its bed, or nest, laying ova or 
 ™pregnat:„g n, no Trent will venture to come1,rthI 
 excavat,on. It is only when spawning flsh drop down the 
 
 hak of the bed above that already excavated, afld in wh ch 
 uncovered ova are deposited, that Trout dart towards thll^ 
 and devour the spawn. The falling down stream for a h^ 
 time and short distance on the mrf of <5,l™ • , 
 necessitv ■ fi.., . ■ '^ ^'"'™ " "^ '»ofoW 
 
 necessity . first, to gam renewed strength by temporary cessa- 
 
 .on from labor; and secondly, to get spacLno^gh t^ ^e 
 
 , llu \ ^ """ " J""'*'''^ P''™^^' i" o^"^ to be able to 
 dart their heads with greater force and eifect into the Id 
 
 V,. It watches their emisdon by the spawning Salmon 
 
 along It to the spawning-bed, out of which it extracts a large 
 quantity of spawn, and would steal more did not the ~ 
 -ng fish see it and drive it away. The spawn once ft 2 
 oovered m, neither Trout, nor water.ousel, nor any otherflsh 
 or bird ^n ,„jnre it. The supposition that Eels burr I int 
 
 It IS alleged that alluvial deposits frequently settle upon 
 
 l.em in fine by preventing the chemical action necessary 
 foi tbeir incubation from reaching them. Such occurrence! 
 »aa very rarely, if ever, take place in the spots Salmon select 
 
222 
 
 AMBRICAN ANGLER S BOOK. 
 
 for spawning. Those spots are in running waters, where 
 alluvial or other matter brought down by floods cannot well 
 abide. And here let me remark, that Salmon never deposit 
 their ova in the sand or gravel of still, smooth, or deep 
 V aters. They never breed in lochs or lakes. Nor, a very 
 curious fact, will they spawn in new gravel, nor in gravel 
 that lias been recently disturbed by natural or artificial 
 causes. For instance, a spate or flood shall sweep away a 
 portion of the gravel of a ford, and, for many years, a favorite 
 spawning locality, and by so doing expose a new stratum of 
 gravel. Not only will Salmon spawn no longer there, but 
 they will not even rest in theii* journeys in water having a 
 bottom recently disturbed. A period of about two years 
 must elapse before they will frequent a pool or stream from 
 which grav 1 has been removed, or to which gravel has been 
 added. So that an excellent spawning-bed, or a famous pool, 
 may be annihilated by a furious rush of water. 
 
 "Growth of Salmon-Fry. — The ova having been hatched, 
 the embryo Salmon pierces the sandy and gravelly crust of 
 its nest, and almost instanter assumes a shape somewhat like 
 a hairless caterpillar, or fringed larva of about three-quarters 
 of an inch in length, and tapering from head to tail, having a 
 small sac attached to it, near the throat, about the size of, or 
 rather less than, the original ovum, or single pea or spawn. 
 This sac is the remains cf the incubated ovum or egg, and 
 still, no doubt, contains vitelline, or matter equivalent, foi 
 the sustentation of the infant Salmon. In connection with the 
 sac and incipient fish, several conduits, or veins, are visible. 
 The sac remains attached to the imperfectly formed fish for 
 about a month, and is detached or consumed by degrees. 
 The gradual detachment may be observed in a specimen of 
 twelve days old, for at that age it will be seen that the sac 
 
THB SALMON FAMILY 
 
 2^8 
 
 has visibly decreased in volume, though i, h«, no. a« ye, 
 become undetached, or entirely consumed ^ 
 
 "At a month old the flsh.fa,tus has grown in length, and 
 exh.b, ts to the naked eye plain traces of head, eyes, and tail. 
 
 tudinal, half-animated substance 
 
 "At two months old the .fry- measures about one inch and 
 a half s of nearly perfect piscine formation, having all its 
 flns well defined, and on its coat a slight appearance of tran ! 
 verse bars, commonly and erroneously termed 'parr marks' 
 In speafang of the young of Salmon I shall invariabTu e 
 the word .fry., until they have attained the age of tt " 
 months, when I shall ;■ them 'Smolts.' 
 
 "At from three „ ,. months a Salmon.fry measure, in 
 length from two to two and a half inchea-hardly so much, 
 ts head ,s round ; there are pink spot, on the body, and the 
 transverse bars are plainly apparent. 
 
 "At six months the young fish measures from three and a 
 quarter to three and a half inches in length, and the ^fnk 
 
 Sir "■"""" """" "°""""' '° ''"""""^ ""^-^ "<• ■»»-■« 
 
 "At eight months the fry is very little longer than i, is at 
 s:x months of age, but it is evidently thicker or more but: 
 A nme months, even, the increase of growth does no. tally 
 wtth the mcrease of age. No doubt its growth is impeded by 
 (I beg the reader to bear in mind that I am speaking gene 
 -lly, and not of exceptions) its attaining the above afe in 
 he wmter months when its favorite food, flies, other inLts, 
 and larv» cannot be procured in anything like abundance." 
 
 and l!"'"'™*^ f '*" »™"'^ ""«^™'»3 about four inches, 
 and the transverse bars begin to disappear, silvery smolt scaled 
 by degrees taking their place. 
 
224 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 I 
 
 " At eleven months its length is four and a half inches, and 
 the bright silvery scales are now seen descending towards the 
 region of the belly. 
 
 " A Salmon-fry at twelve months old is called a 'Smolt.' " 
 
 'It now assumes the migratory coat, that is, the silvery one. 
 The transverse bars have disappeared, and so have the pink 
 spots on the sides. The young fish, a part of the back, belly, 
 and head, is covered with bright silvery scales. At the 
 shoulder a few Trout-like spots are visible. It is now ready 
 at the first fitting opportunity to commence journeying down 
 river to the sea. In order to induce and enable smolts to do 
 so, it is not necessary that rivers should be flooded, but there 
 must be a sufficient volume of water to carry the migrating 
 fish safely over weirs, shallows, and other impediments. 
 They will not migrate at low water." 
 
 Although repeating in part what has just been said, to 
 elucidate the subject still further, I give on the next page my 
 own explanation of the subjoined illustration. 
 
 Q 
 
THE SALMON FAMILY. 
 
 225 
 
 ^^In .ho foregoing figure. No. 1, represents tbe impregnated 
 
 tr?.?^! "'*' '"' '"''■•8"8 ft"" 'he egg-with the 
 umbtUcal bMer, from whieh it draws its suLna <» f! 
 he first month, att^hed-this little saoic of nntriment ^ing 
 absorbed m about that time • " ^ 
 
 «'°™* ''' '^'"''"' '"»^"-' "''^'•- has dis. 
 i. Bepresents its size when three months old 
 6. Bepresents the size at five or six months old 
 Figure 6, on page 227, shows the size at ten or eleven 
 months. It .s seldom found larger with the bars or " finger 
 marks- on n; and has much the appearance of a Jig 
 Trou . Figure 7, on same page, represents the fish when ! 
 month or two older, after it has assumed th, silvery olt 1 
 ushers .t mto the "Smolt" state, soon afier which ft^; t 
 course scaward,t„ return in a few months a beautil t , 
 «.gh.ng as many pounds, as it did ounces when it se !nt t' 
 Its first journey to the great deep. 
 
 The first four figures, on page 224, I have had copied bv 
 Mr. Fry's permission, from his work on Fish-BreeZg the 
 remammg figure (No. 6), and those on page 227 (Nos 6 and 7^ 
 .re fac stmiles of those in the "Book If fte Salmon ' ^' 
 
 the /"tL^cT '"' ''"' °° '"'^'"'"- '■> distinguishing 
 
 he fryof the Salmon from small Trout. The Jmon.fry 
 
 h^ve sea es which are much mo. perceptible, and easily d^' 
 
 nent. °"^'^'^' *" "y^ »™ larger and more promi- 
 
 There is a fact connected with its change of apparel not 
 mentioned in the "Book of the Salmon/' but wM h T 
 Sorope turns to account in proving that the little fish kno! ' 
 for a long .me as the "Parr," and thought to be of anotTe 
 
226 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 II 
 
 species, is no other than a young Salmon. This he demon- 
 strated conciusively by scraping away the silvery scales of 
 the Smolt for half the length of its body and exhibiting the 
 red spots and bars of the so-called "Parr," still distinctly 
 painted beneath, on the skin. In his "Days and Nights of 
 Salmon Fishing," can be found a beautifully colored engraving 
 of a Sinolt, with half of its body denuded of the scales, show- 
 ing that it had not entirely parted with its beautiful vesture 
 of red spots and bars, but had only concealed it with the 
 silvery coat of its progenitors. The spots and bars which 
 remain beneath the scales, are only obliterated b}'^ its first 
 visit to sea — during its transition from the Smolt to the Grilse 
 state. 
 
 The usual manner of designating the different stages of 
 growth and changes in the condition of the Salmon is thus : — 
 
 As long as it bears the red spots and finger-marks, it is 
 known as "Pink," "Salmon-fry," "Samlet," and is sometimes 
 yet called " Parr." When it puts on the bright coat prepara- 
 tory to going to sea for the first time, it is called a " Smolt." 
 After its return, it is a " Grilse." After its second migration, 
 it is a " Salmon," and is ever after so called. 
 
 A Salmon just from the sea is called a fresh-run fish, when 
 it generally has parasites, called sea-lice, adhering to different 
 parts of its body and in its gills. After it has been long 
 enough in fresh water to lose its silvery appearance, it is 
 called a "Blackfish." After spawning it is a "Kelt," or 
 " Foul" fish. 
 
 Let us turn back, now, to the young fish at the time it be- 
 came a Smolt. The "Book of the Salmon" s;\ys that the 
 gi-eater portion of Smolts descend the rivers of Scotland in 
 April and May, and implies that they continue though in 
 smaller numbers — to go to sea all summer, ana even until 
 autumn. This naturally occurs where the spawning season is 
 
THE SALMON FAMILY, 
 
 227 
 
THE SALMON FAMILY 
 
 dbtributed over a ,p«» of «,, „,. ^.^ 
 mformauon received from the be,t .ouroe. and f om ll 
 able o.clu«o„, drawn from premise, al«ady ,aiu down ." 
 doubtful whether the migration of Smolt Jthat isTn i„' e 
 uumbers-from the river, of New Brunawiolc and Call 
 commencea uutil lafo in fV... v>anaaa. 
 
 ^ '^^^ summer or early in autumn t 
 d.d not take a Sn^U during my ,a,t .ummer' Lh ™ '.h 
 
 and red ,pol. Nor, in my inquiries, did 1 meet with anv 
 
 .T a r- Ir 1 7' 7" "" ^"""^ «"" '" "^ «"'"" -"^ 
 on the vol I fT'" °°"*'^"'^' ""« '"" O"- and spots 
 the young iish disappeared later in the season after , ha 
 ang,,^ w ,eh lasts until the middle of September, wtover 
 and hat ,t was no. until af,er that time that theV assumed 
 the silvery coat of the, «;rr.,jf i ■ "^ »oBuxiiea 
 
 y oom or the bmolt and migrated to sea. 
 
 a unlse unt.l the following summer. The long time 
 
 necessartyoecupied in ineubation in those cold watllnd 
 
 he lengt,h and low temperature of the winter whilh oUow' 
 
 debasing .t from feeding and retarding its growth t anleT 
 
 :t rr;r :::: r: r - ~ = 
 
 .he river was cCd " il "'"" " " ^"""^ "^f"- 
 
 e-;r;tr:itrtr"'-"^^--~ 
 
 From all accounts there is a disparity in the si.e of 
 American and European GrilsA T* . 
 
 iopeanunise. It appears from the " Book 
 
280 
 
 AMERICAN ANOIiER'd BOOK. 
 
 of the Siilinon," and other British authority, that in all proba- 
 bility tho Smolt that goes to sea not larger than figure 7 on 
 page 227, returns in eight or nine weeks a Grilse of five 
 pounds or more. Some writers mention them of eight or 
 nine pounds, and say that the average is over four pounds. 
 The generality of American Grilse, ad far as my experience 
 goes, do not weigh over three poiinds. During the whole of 
 last summer's fishing on the Nipissiguit, I killed but two that 
 weighed as much as five. 
 
 A Grilse can easily be distinguished from a Salmon, even 
 if both should bo of the same size (wliiijh is not usual), by 
 its short smali head, and the shape of the markings above and 
 a!'ng tho lateral line, which are more numerous, and are 
 round or oval instead of being angular and shaped like an X, 
 as they frequently are on a Salmon. 
 
 From personal observation, and the information obtained 
 fVom the canoe-men (and certainly they have the means of 
 judging, for they open enough of them), the female Grilse is 
 never found with roe, though the milt occurs in the males, 
 who, no doubt, perform the office of procreation with the 
 female Salmon. Grilse lose flesh and condition in fresh 
 water, as Salmon do, though it may not be to the same extent. 
 There is nothing in the water that surpasse.<i a Grilse in its 
 symmetrical beauty, its brilliancy, and its agility and pluck. 
 I have had one of ibur pounds to leap from the water ten 
 times, and higher and fur her than a Salmon. Woe to the 
 angler who attempts, without giving line, to hold one even 
 of three pounds; he does it at the risk of his casting-line, or 
 his agile opponent tears a piece from its jaw or snout in its 
 desperate efforts to escape, and frequently it is not until after 
 repeated attempts that the canoe-man is able to gaff it. The 
 only safe plan to secure one is with a wide landing-net. 
 The usual manner of noting the growth of Grilse or Salmon 
 
TUB SAI.MOK FiMIlT. 
 
 281 
 
 n h=otl„„,l, ,. « .^id, i. ,„ „„^ ,^^_^ ^^^^_ 
 •-r «.».o,u„g . »„„.„ pi„„„ „, ^„pp„^ „^ ^. ^ ^ " -^ 
 
 >v.r., ,„ t.,„ root of .,,„ „.,i„o»e fl„, „ri„ the ru,li„,„„tary ' 
 
 " .nterfere, ,„a,t with the health „„d ,rowth of the fi'h tZ 
 p. ce of eop,,er or .■„„ h,.s „ number ,t,u„pe<i „„ i, ,,,; , 
 
 ctered wuh appropriate ,„o,„ora,„Ia in a book Ke;t f r ha 
 purpose. The M, i,„p„n,„ ,, ,„ „.„„,, .^^^ 
 
 year aaer, ear, ,f „ot preve„te,l b, aeeicWut, to eon. „„e i" 
 
 »poc>es .„ u, native river, and n.any of tho,e thu» „, k J 
 
 re retaken and the growth aseertained. Someti.nes thi ! 
 
 T ; i"" '"■;;""-'»-'" «-"•' fr-'-n time to time ,. nd 
 o . T ,, and o her ,nea„» of eolleeting iaet. coneern the 
 
 Z'1 '""'" •" ""^ '"""-• "™ «' *e command of IZ 
 lande proprietor, in Great Britain, whosedomain, frequ nUv 
 mclnde several fine Salmon rivers requently 
 
 The Matuke Salmon.-Wo now come to the mature fl,h ■ 
 no onger the rollieking hobbiedehoy or froliesome maWen 
 Or, ., but the bright giorions Salmon in ail its strengt^a d 
 beauty. J here ,s nothing fairer; „„ fish th.at so flutters the 
 >.-n, an blanches the eheek, when for the first time gr^ 
 swdl, and perhaps a gleam of molten silver is seen abovtZ 
 surfaee on the very piteh of the pool, and the tyro findlt a 
 e ., fi.s., by a small hook and a h,urUke piece'of siltol 
 g I, to somethtug strong and heavy; which goes at flr«t 
 where .t p ea.es, with head against the current, and presentiv 
 wtth a mad rush takes its course down stream and by dp! 
 
 Z: 7^" -™- '" ;■" "-'f oe the frai. taek.ef thattt 
 i^t. by the «„c„,s,„g bearing of the pliant rod, brings it 
 within reach of the deadly gaff. 
 
 A Salmon that eomes fr.™ the sea in July a bright fish 
 f ten pounds, loses its pearly hue and .stout proportion, I 
 .he summer wears away. Its fins, which were white Z 
 
982 
 
 AMERICAN ANULBR'S BOOK. 
 
 comparatively soft, become blue and of a whalebone con- 
 aistency, from stomiaing the rapida, and from its stay in frosli 
 water. By the time the spawning season is over, it has lost 
 nearly half of it« weigiit, and all of its fine flavor. Then witli 
 lank body and big \wm\, bedinmuid of its lustre and miserable 
 in a{)pearanco, it seeks once more its old homo in the ocean, 
 whore from the abundance and nutritive t^uality of its food, 
 it regains its lost flesh and adds some four or five additional 
 pounds to its weight, and when it ascends its native stream 
 again, it is likely a fish of fifteen pounds. 
 
 "Ephemera" says in his "Book of the Salmon:" "A Salmon 
 weighing, when caught in its descent to the sea, ten pounds, 
 has been taken on its return, after a sojourn of thirty-eight 
 days, on its salt-water feeding-grounds, and when captured it 
 weighed twenty-one and a quarter pounds." This is an 
 instance of wonderfully rapid growth, still it is diiricult to 
 estimate from it, the general increase in size. The same author 
 remarks truly, that some Salmon, from being generated by 
 large parents, have an inherent dispiwition to grow rapidly. 
 Certain rivers also have a larger breed of Salmon, while in 
 others they are small. Much also depends on the quantity 
 and quality of the food they may find on their feeding- 
 grounds, and the length of time they remain there. 
 
 We have no account of Salmon having been taken in 
 American waters, as large as the recorded sizes of those 
 which have been captured in Scotland. It is probable, 
 that the North Sea and Atlantic surrounding Great Britain, 
 being warmer, and of more equable temperature than the 
 Atlantic on our north-east coast, are also more favorable 
 to that order of marine animals (as Crustacea, &c.) on which 
 Salmon feed, and as a consequence, fish that spend the 
 winter at sea there grow larger. Salmon have been taken 
 in Scotland weighing over eighty pounds. Mr. Perley, 
 
THE SAIMON PAMUV. 
 
 288 
 
 ... ..» report „p,.„ „,., „.,,eri«, of New Bru„„,vick, «.y, 
 ..e lu« been tol.l of ,everul t,.ke,. i„ .he KUtigoue, e .iL 
 we,ghed over fifty. T,,e i„r,« I ever heard of il 
 N.p,-„g„U was ,. fish of forty..w„ ,,„u„.l,: the ,.„„o„.ma„ 
 who ,,«.r.,l ,t »,.l it ,,„,, b„,„ i„ „,„ ,i,^, ^,„ 
 
 would probably have weighed Bi j pounds when it J 
 from sea It was not a verv rare tlung to t,.ke fish of twenty. 
 Ave a„,l th,rty pounds with the ro.1 in th. T„,,d, the Shi^ 
 .n „tl..r nvers of Seotland s„„,e years .k, .... ,„„„y „ro' 
 .1 taken of twenty and twenty.flvep„.„,., o this side 
 of the Atlantic tt ,s as rare to take .hen, vl.h th-, rod, over 
 fifteen p,n.nds The largest fish I have ev.. hoard of bei„, 
 
 «l..r.y-three pounds: ten or twelve pounds, thongh, is „ fair 
 average we,ght for the angle, on any of .he streLns ..f n!w 
 Brunswick or Canada. 
 
 I»™»CT.-The ins.ine. whieh in.Iuees .his fish .o seek its 
 
 eely turned .o aeeoun, i„ st„oUng rivers having the 
 ....tural propert,es of Sah„on.s.rean,s, but which beforf had 
 none in them. The following instottces of .his kind are 
 men.ioued m the •■ Book of .he Salmon " 
 
 "Loch Shin, a piece of water about twentyone miles bv 
 fourteen, situate m the hear, of the Sutherland mountains is 
 
 ^:r "; "f : "'' ";: "'™ ««■'■ »-'' '- ^- sail 
 
 lecundtty. The l,K>h ttsclf has four feeders, middlin.-si.ed 
 rtvers, v.z.: the Terry, Fiaek, Garvie, and Cuvrv, in whirh 1 
 vously to th.. year 1836, not a Salmon was eve seen, tt h 
 many wore ,„ the habit of entering the loeh or lake. n fte 
 
 Mr. Lo.h M.P., Salmon were caught in the Eiver Shin 
 .hor.lv before the spawning season, and conveyed to the foT; 
 
284 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER ., BOOK. 
 
 
 rivers above named, amongst which they were distributed in 
 due proportions. Mr. Young was the managing director on 
 the occasion. In the wonted season all the fish spawned, each 
 iu Its respective river. Now, mark one of the consequences : 
 Salmon at present, and ever since, come regularly to spawn, 
 traversing the lake to do so. in all these heretofore Salmon- 
 less rivers. Nay, more, the fish hatched in the Terry, at least 
 those that survive long enough, return to the Terry ; and the 
 young of the other three rivers return from the sea to them, 
 each Grilse or Salmon entering never-failingly the stream 
 that gave it birth. What wonderful and unerring instinct ! 
 One might think that they would remain in the River Shin, 
 spawn where their ancestors had spawned ; but no, they leave 
 their own natal shallows, pass down the lake, through the 
 River Shin, along the kyle of Sunderland, to the sea; and there 
 having become adolescent, they retrace their route, and, aftei 
 necessary rests on their long voyage, very frequently on the 
 spots of their parents' nativity, they revisit for the first time, 
 the scenes of their birth and infancy. Revisit them — for 
 what ? Being nubile, to perform the nur.tial rights, which 
 they do where their forefathers begat them, and so they go on 
 increasing and multiplying in colonies heretofore tenantless 
 of Salmon, ever since volcanic action called from the 'vasty 
 deep,' the mountains and rivers (»f northern Caledonia !" 
 
 On our coast Salmon begin to leave the deeps and 
 come into the bays and estuaries in May, and prepare for 
 their residence in fresh rivers by spending a few weeks in 
 the brackish wat'^r, where they stil) find food, though of less 
 nutritive quality, such as Shrimp, Gapelins, and Smelts. My 
 L'iend, John Ohamberlain, says, he once speared a Salmon at 
 ihe entrance of Bathurst narbor, in which he found eleven 
 (Gapelins. 
 
 After these fish have thus gradually prepared themselves 
 
THE SALMON FAMILY. 
 
 235 
 
 for a residence in fr«<?}i ivn^o^ *i. 
 
 fl..f .• ^^^' ^^^J' ascend the rivers or, ih. 
 
 In the earlv Dart „f ,),„ , ^ *" P""'" "^ove. 
 
 ^ P"' "• me season thev matn «k„M . 
 times occupTins a nn„l f / "°8es, somo- 
 
 f J"ng a pool for a day or two A<, tl. 
 
 advances those that enter the river Lvrif, *'^°'' 
 
 making twenty or thirty miles IV/' " "' """'«'" 
 th^yhave an instinctive "^ngfo!^. ^" ^ f^™' *"» 
 which they were ushered mo blV 7"" "' "" "™' ^ 
 law of nature however irnlT,,, ^' '^ ""^ ""P™^ °'- 
 
 in.passab,eraU P^^ j ^J" Z^ T" "' "" 
 to leap it, they return to the nex 1^ T '"'"P'^ 
 below, and renew their effort to "r the" w"" ^"" *"'^' 
 rise in the water. When the til f "■ "' ''""y 
 
 they drop down the river tth'T^ ^' ' '""" °"'' 
 
 ^nudier tributaHes fori, p*;:";"""'^' " ^^^ ^^ "^ «>e 
 
 eirriird:^--::!::----. 
 
 people, that the Salmon in surmoun .Va JT • '*"°""' 
 ita ".outh, and so bending itjf u " I ^ "' "" '" 
 spring and letti„„ ,1, , , ° " '"'"'• *'* " «»dden 
 
 tL, 'it • cSo r^i;' ™" ""''^'°"' '"^ "^*- 
 
 leap, the Salmon I tZe 2 "r": ""' '" ■"°''°« "' 
 in throwing itself above the IV' ^C;;?"'" ™''""' 
 says, he has seen a Grilse l»a„ „. , ^^""'"^ "■ l^es'lon 
 "bliqnely, the length rf hi T ""^ '"""<'' «'""«'"'-' 
 
 feetlng^nd hTn V untrr*' "'"' '''^ '^™-"-' 
 fall of sixteen feet Mr «' . ""^ ^^'""^ '» «'«- « 
 
 --ore thanr,ua::!;:x -:-::,""-• 
 
 on an average no higher than six feet ^'^'"""P 
 
 Sal™:: ':;„q'«if:r^: '^^ ^""''^^^ -^—^ 
 
236 
 
 AMBRICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 one of fifteen, hooked in the same pool. There is conse- 
 (juently much difference in the time required to kill a fish, 
 but this arises in some instances from the nature of the 
 water, still or rapid, or' the weather and the time of day. 
 The first Salmon I ever hooked— one of sixteen pounds— I 
 killed in about ten minutes, without its jumping once, while 
 a nine-pound fish, which contended with me for two hundred 
 yards down a succession of rapids, required three-quarters of 
 an hour. Then, again, I have killed one of ten pounds in 
 three minutes, from its having exhausted itself by continued 
 desperate leaping. 
 
 ■ Food of the Salmon.— The natural food of the young 
 
 fish, in its native stream, consists no doubt of small insects, 
 
 the larva of flies, and the flies themselves that deposit their 
 
 eggs in pools and running water to pass through the process 
 
 of incubation. I frequently took the fry last summer when 
 
 fishing for Salmon with an ordinary-sized Salmon-fly. These 
 
 young fish appeared not to feed in still pools or in the eddies on 
 
 the margin of the rapid, as the Trout do, but in the smoothly 
 
 gliding, swift water, where the Salmon are found ; they would 
 
 frequently jump at the knots on my casting-line. Before the 
 
 British Salmon-streams were protected from improper fishing, 
 
 and before it was known that the little fish then called the 
 
 "Parr," was really the young of the Salmon, they were 
 
 indiscriminately slaughtered by boys and foolish anglers. 
 
 This was also the case, to a great extent, after they had 
 
 arrived at the Smolt state, and were descending the rivers 
 
 on their first migration to sea. 
 
 It is supposed, that the feeding-ground of the Salmon 
 at sea, is not very remote from the mouth of the river 
 from which it migrates. 
 
 Regarding its food while at sea, Dr. Knox says : " The tint 
 of its flesh, its superior flavor, and its wonderful growth, is 
 
»ai! SALMON PAMllr 
 
 _______ 287 
 
 owiiig to its feedinR on thp «„„= e ■ 
 
 baoneofit^o Lf::L7l">;-PP0- '^e Sand Eel to 
 
 -"r::i-:::----ono.asa,™on. 
 
 and vital organ, are conLnel a ^ ~; ■"'^'""'^ 
 frequently having the flesh on h b llv at 7 7 """'' 
 *-k. This with the proportionat s^a L ofT.^ T T^ 
 the cause of its giving „„„ „^;^, , ' °*^ "^ ''«ad, is 
 
 fish of its size. "' ''"'^'"'='' «■"■' "V other 
 
 water, Sir H XLI C , ^' '" "PP-ance in fresh 
 
 '•.at pertains :":i^Z:X7..l tZ ""^T " ^" 
 twelve, and never fonn^ o .^ ^'P^''^^ ^^^ or 
 
 "e laicmg a bait on the rivpr *\.^ i 
 
 -- ly offer to take another till the w^of df'' , ""' 
 
 nearly performed; '.nt when they are takefa, ^?-™ "' 
 
 "vers in winter, food I am toM , "* ■""* '" *« 
 
 stomachs. The Sea Tri, ?""""""'' '"""O '" *«>■ 
 
 'ike the Land TroulTn? ? """^ ™'"'°"^ fi^"' and 
 stomach." ' ' ""' """'°8'y fo»d with an empty 
 
 ^plXr^ "' ""■* ™ "Saimon.«ng» for a 
 
288 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 THE CANADIAN TROUT. SEA TROUT. 
 
 Salmo Canadensis: Hamilton Smith. 
 
 With a view of correcting an error which prevails in regard 
 tu this fish, I have adopted the specific name above. It 
 is improperly referred by Mr. Perley to Salmo tr^Uta, an 
 European species found in the rivers of Scotland and Ireland, 
 and known there as the Salmon Trout, Sea Trout, or White 
 Trout. As no scientitic description of the Canadian Trout 
 has yet been published, I have deemed it a matter of sufficient 
 importance to give an account of its specific characteristics, 
 comparing it with the European fish and the Brook Trout 
 
 of America. 
 
 Griffith, in his "Animal Kingdom" (Vol. X., p. 474), in 
 alluding to a beautifully colored, though no', correct drawing, 
 found on a preceding page of the same volume, says : " Our 
 figure of Salmo Canadensis was drawn by Colonel Hamilton 
 Smith from a living specimen taken in Canada; it is beauti- 
 fully dotted with blood-red in white circular spots." This is 
 all that this naturalist says of it. Mr. Perley, in his letter to 
 Frank Forester (sec 'Fish and Fishing," page 122), gives 
 none of the specific cbaracteri sties of this fish; even his 
 account of its habits and general appearance would not 
 warrant his referring it to the same species as the Sea Trout 
 of Scotland, for he implies when comparing it with the Brook 
 Trout {S fontinah's), that the Canadian Trout has red spots, 
 which *S'. trutta never has, but on the contrary dark irregular 
 markings, as Yarrell says, " somewhat resembling the letter 
 
THE SALMO^ FAMILY. 
 
 28» 
 
 X wkch are the shape of tho.e found al.o on the Salmon 
 S.r Humphrey Davy and Y„„.1I make no mention of r^' 
 »po^ on .he Sea IVou. of Scotland, and Irish and Seot^ 
 angler, ,n whose con^pany I have taken the Canadian fish 
 «ay posmvel, ,hat the Sea Trout the, caught t«: .^d 
 country' ,s ent.rely a different fish, and has L reUs^l 
 
 Mr. Periey says of the habits of the Canadian, or Sea Trout 
 as he calls them : -They proceed up the rivers as far as 
 head ol ttde .n each, but never ascend into purely 'r 1, 
 
 with the European fish, for it is an established fact tin, al 
 the Salmon Fa.nily seek water which is highlv acra ed 1 1 
 purpose of spawning, and of necessity ..ase;nd into p r ly 
 fresh water," and that fish of M, .species will go to thel v 
 sources of a river for that purpose, if not preve Id bv 
 ...payable falls or the smallness of the uppe'I^ f,^ 
 
 C" ahi ! "' " "' "'""'^''^^ """ "--."River 
 Trout. Ihis ,nt,mate association is one reason why they 
 
 are so often confounded with the latter by careless observers 
 for a residence in fresh water gives them n,„.h ,1,. ' 
 
 of light-eolored Brook Trou^ 7„d "PP^arance 
 
 Jistin.r„i I, ,1, , , ""•>' P™""-' '^"n only 
 
 :!;;: Ce. ' '"^-^ "- '"''-'''^ -^ -^ »p-'- 
 
 It was thus by imperfect observation, and too readily credit 
 
 :::!:::::^«--howe^^ „,,.,^:;;^;'- 
 
 ".. . permanent re.idc„. i„ 1 1!:! r "Z " " "'"'^ '" ^"<'«"". " . 
 ciW .0 i„ pri.„„ and ZZ° f °"°™ °' ""■ '«'"■"«% •■■"»- 
 
240 
 
 A M E R I c; N ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 fish, that Mr. Perley not oi<1y referred it to an entirely 
 different species and misled persons as to its habits, but has 
 communicated the same errors to Frank Fcrester, who entails 
 them upon his readers. 
 
 Taking Mr. Perley's account with Frank Forester's endorse- 
 ment as true, I arranged my tackle acconlingly, and last 
 summer visited the Province of New Brunswick, expecting 
 to take the true Salmo trntta, but after diligent search imd 
 inquiry, seeking every source of reliable information, I could 
 not find or hear of its IwjaV'ty. All who had observed fish or 
 had to do with them, averrii j t,hj,i there wc re no Trout in the 
 Provinces but those with red yoU, or any fish of the Salmon 
 family in the rivers wiihout red .jpois, except Salmon, Smelts, 
 and Capelins. I also found that the general average size of 
 this fish when taken in the rivers, was not as large as Mr. 
 Pc -ley's remarks would lead one to suppose, and that his 
 "avovige from three to five pounds," and his killing "in one 
 morning- sixteen Trout weighing eighty pounds," were won- 
 ders " few and far between." Such rare sport may occasion- 
 ally be fouiid in May or early in June, when many of the 
 schools that enter the bays and harbors are composed entirely 
 of fish of large size, but in fresh water I do not think, as a 
 general thing, that the average will reach a pound. I have 
 taken them as small o-s four ounces. 
 
 A Canadian Trout, fresh from the sea, compared with a 
 Brook or Eiver Trout, ha?, larger and more distinct scales ; 
 the form is not so much compressed; the markings on the 
 back are lighter, and not so vermiculated in form, but resem- 
 ble more the broken segments of a circle ; it has fewer red 
 spots, which are also less distinct. It is more slender until it 
 reaches two pounds, a fish of seventeen inches (including the 
 caudal), after it has been some tii.ij "'n fresh water, weighing 
 only a pound and three-quarters, while a Brook Trout of the 
 
THE SALMON FAMILY. 
 
 Ml 
 
 «me length, ,„ go„d eondition, would weigh .l,ree.quarte„ 
 of a pound more. They become more robust, however a 
 
 r;t:::.rr°''''»^--^-'--ii.!or 
 
 In color, when fresh run from sea, this fish is of a li^ht 
 
 W sb green on the back, light silvery gray on the sides, and 
 
 b 1 .an. whue on the belly ; the ventrals and anal fin enltiv 
 
 wh>te. the pectorals brownish blue iu front, and the ^Z 
 
 n.ys roseate white. The tail is quite forked .„ the yoTng 
 
 flsb^ as ,„ all the Salmoni^, b« „hen fully gr„w ' ""! 
 
 shght.y lunate. There are recurved teeth on the paJemar 
 
 .llanes, and tongue, but none on the vomer 
 
 If the number of rays i„ the fins indicate specific differ 
 enee, or aftnuy, the following table will show that hi fi *" 
 m„,y^alliea to the Brook Trout than to the Sel rl: 
 
 Sea Trout {8. trutta) 
 
 Canadian Trout {S. Canadensis) 
 
 Brook or River Trout {S.fontinalis) 
 
 A. 
 
 10 
 9 
 9 
 
 C. 
 19 
 19 
 19 
 
 There being only a difference of one rav in th. . , 
 »hich may be accidental - ^ *' P'°'°™'=' 
 
 -3 »ot e... rt::r:tn:;;:;,:r "': 
 
 lave no doubt that it is found in the Ar,t,- « "™°'' ^ 
 
 of the Atlantic, as I have e amL^^rthrV", '"'''^ 
 
 INTn+nTni c • "'""leu, at the Academv nf 
 
 iNatural Sciences, sDecimnns! r^f ♦!, -^ "^ 
 
 ^r. Hayes, in hi; ITZ^ ^^ T IP'' "^ 
 
 which agree exactly with the dcseXtm f ^ ,"" '""""''• 
 
 Yarrell. There were no ma k " 7 '" ''"™ "" 
 
 whichrai.htbe,cc .ntMf T * "'■ "" ""^ '"'»'-•. 
 
 =ht a«„unted for from the fact that the specimens 
 
AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 were quite young, not being over eight or nine inches in 
 length ; or the markings might have been obliterated by the 
 alcohol in which they were preserved. 
 
 In a recent publication (" Game Fish of the North"), the 
 author, who writes over the name of "Barnwell," says, when 
 speaking of fishing for Canadian Trout on the way from 
 Chatham to Bathurst : " In case you should be too late to 
 reach Bathurst the same day, or have leisure on your hands, 
 stop at the Half Way House, on the Tabasintac, which has the 
 last syllable accentuated, and fish that night and next morn- 
 ing for Sea Trout. They are taken from a horse-boat in 
 abundance and of great size." 
 
 After reading the above, I concluded, last summer in visit- 
 ing the Nipissiguit, to take " Barnwell's" advice, but was puz- 
 zled as to what he meant by a " horse-boat ;" after thinking 
 the matter over, though, I came to the conclusion that the 
 Tabasintac was a river of some size, crossed by means of un 
 old-fashioned hprse ferry-ho^t, from which an angler had 
 nothing to do but cast his flies, and take wheelbarrow-loads 
 of three and four pound Trout. Judge of my surprise, when 
 I found the Tabasintac, at the Half- Way House, a shallow 
 brook crossed by a wooden bridge of a single span ; that 
 there was no fishing worth stopping for, unless one would 
 make up his mind to go five or six miles down the brook, 
 w here it joined another stream of the same size, which would 
 occupy a whole day, or necessitate one's staying all night at 
 the junction, if he started in the afternoon; and then with a 
 certainty of being stung terribly by mosquitoes, and bled 
 .;opiously by black flies. I also found that Barnwell's " horse- 
 boat" was a large, leaky old " dug-out," made of two hugo 
 logs, joined together with wooden pins, and drawn up and 
 down tlie bed of the brook by a pair of 'stout horses, the bot- 
 tom grating over the pebbles, and bumping along over the 
 
THK SALMON FAMILY. 
 
 248 
 
 larger stones, doubtless tn th^ ^ • , 
 
 .ha .routlets ;„ the b'k" «'""■■"•"»»' «"<! '-or of „„ 
 
 Notwithstanding m v beino- =,« . i , 
 wellV brief but Iwill "'.'=°"'P'«'«'y "^'d" by "Baru. 
 
 reach the celebrated pool jr/n' *"" "^ ' '"'' ™* 
 »n<i only found „„e „ "1 „' "f"™"" "^ "«' '« *»"«, 
 
 Without moofn. ihe „ . """''■ ™ ™"'»"- »»""'• 
 
 pro«cie„c. in itCo;;::"::!'-: "t""- ^^^^'^ 
 
 warm-hearted ..entlcLn ^^ , ' """"S » S""*"'. 
 
 .he latter ...uCZ^J:^;' '^"T '" ^-^ "' 
 this flsh :- ^ ' ■"' 'P'"""' '"^"""nt of taking 
 
 "It is to be understood that the whole Onlf f =. r 
 rence abounds with White Trout f, "'• ^"• 
 
 in weight. They proc^ d uJT °"' '° "^^" P"™"^ 
 
 of ..de in each,\'„:t; L ZZ It'" "^ T '"^ 
 water. I„ the salt water th.„ P""'^ fr^^'' 
 
 ■Prince Edward's fly7 c iTd IT Tf ""'^ """ *« 
 -net With gold ti'. fl \.':t "' *"'«•' -^ "f 
 wings from feathers of L sZSi T °""^' "'"' ''"" 
 South America. ""'~""' '"""■y """-y' of 
 
 tC:" tret: iir ::r *^ r '^ -"^ ^^*»-' 
 
 -- the most attractive^:: 1:^:':^ "^T"'" 
 water the Trout are quit diCnM '"' *■'"'' 
 
 very brilliantly colored with tiZLllT, Tl '""'''■ 
 and scarlet, and numerous bright Zt \ "*' *"'<'' 
 
 the flsh are in good cond tion 1 "" * '""'^- *''™ 
 
 .3 a Silver Pely. Thtrr^rrd^r"^ ^'"- 
 weight, but are very sporting fil, .u P™"''" *" 
 
 Wsh mes. but tbe'red tell in'' ^' '"'^ ™^' °' '"^ 
 
 "ackle, m all ,ts varieties, is the 
 
244 
 
 AMERICAN ANOLBR'8 BOOK. 
 
 
 favorite. A brilliant hackle, over n vcllow or flery-brown 
 l)0(ly, kills everywhere, all the sense >.^ thioa,«^;h. 
 
 " The Sea Trout fishing i-.i the bit.>8 uiul harbors of ' Prince 
 Edward's Island,' esi^ecially in .' .no, when the fish first rush 
 in from the gulf, is really ma-nificent; they average from 
 three to five pounds eacl. I found the best fishin<r at St. 
 Peter's Bay, on the north side of the island, al..ut twenty- 
 eight miles from Charlottestown. I there killed in one 
 morning sixteen Trout, which weighed eighty pounds. 
 
 <'In the bays and along the coasts of the island, they are 
 taken with the scarlet fly from a boat under easy sail, with a 
 'mackerel breeze,' and oftentimes a heavy 'ground swell.' 
 The fly skips from wave to wave, at the end of thirty yards 
 of line, and there should be at least seventy yards more on 
 the reel. It is splendid sport! as a strong fish xnW make 
 sometimes a long run and give a good chase down the wind." 
 
 There is also a glowing description of what the author calls 
 "Sea Trout" fishing, in a book by Dr. Adamson of Quebec, 
 "Salmon-Fishing in Canada," which will no doubt interest 
 
 the reader : — 
 
 "In writing of flies for the Canadian rivers, I ought not 
 to omit to state, that in every si^vam where I i ve found 
 Salmon, except the Jacques Cartier, the Sea Trout are to be 
 met with in extraordinary abundance, and that they rise 
 freely at any of the usual Salmon tiies, provided they are 
 made of a small size, but that the most attractive I know of 
 is a small-sized fly. with a scariet body, gold twist, rtC l.ackle. 
 and stair's wing. 
 
 "The avidity with which these fish take, t r t sizb, 
 
 beautiful shape, and exquisite flavor, must all be experienced 
 before any account of them can be implicitly believed. 
 Sometimes they become a source of annoyance to -the nervous 
 and excited fisherman, who, having prepared a seductive fly 
 
THB SALMON fAMILY. 
 
 24S 
 
 « about to flsh , f„ori., p^,^ ,„j _^^ 
 
 IT '"'™""!\''"' '" "''»"«<' 'l.e % aod kill then, all „ff_ 
 h.n you may «,h h. peace for your Salmon, but „„t .ill thl 
 
 I am fond of all sort, of fl.,hing, and never oouM consider it 
 to be any ,.reat mirfortune to hook and play ei^ht or ten 
 beaufful fish vying .ith „<,Hen silver in'thL b i^bC 
 and varying from „„„ p„„„d .„ ,,„„„ ^ -• 
 
 ^. n„tb,„. of their ft.vor when broiled I breakfast l, 
 t, ne havug the convietion on ,„y ,„i„d, tl... as soon ^ I h d 
 done ao I .hould in all probability kill two or three nob e 
 Salmon in the same pool. • <= ""oie 
 
 "The best time for fishing for these beautiful fish is when 
 the t.de ,s flowmg, „„d the best plaee i, that part o^he 
 stream wh..e the salt water unites with the fresh ; they eome 
 up wtth t e ,„de ini . 3tr«>m, and continue t^ roa^^, a" 
 
 Z tZ'\ " 'TT '■■""' "■"" '"» »»"• -- 0-. whe 
 
 .:;::::. T''i::^r ""-■ '"^''-' '^^^ 
 
 fi K ^f • , ,. ^^"'^ ""OS* excellent sport if 
 
 fished for with litrht taci . t r "" »puri zr 
 
 n iignt tacK ,. hey are frequently accompanied 
 
 in their ascent of the r'^ei^ Iw tK« rv, • , '^'^""'^'^"^^^ 
 
 , f • . "-^ *^^ "^ore weighty and more 
 
 rr'thtr- ''^" '^ -'^^ ^"-^^ ^" -^Vcumsta:::: 
 
 '■I remember one morning in July, IR ,he yacht Iro 
 4U0.S w^ v,„g in the river Moisie, whe, Oont six oWc^t 
 my fr,end the m^„r came down from the ,eok .hero he h"d 
 b^n performtng his .blutions. and alUn, „.„ ^ .^.y J ^ 
 
 -^ I was still lyin, ,„ bed enga, ,1 ...n a booklkld 
 me to ..companv him on sh,„„, as the tide was making 1 
 
 the captaii ell.„g „8 we had no time tr ose « |,r,akf, , 
 wa. nearly ..^y. i„ ,,, .,,„ ^„ , ,„_ J'^^;^-^^ 
 
 1 
 
SM 
 
 AMBRICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 thon WO turned out our spoil upon the deck; tht? baron and 
 captain admired liiein so much, that thoy insisted on weigli- 
 iug them before one was committed to tlie gridiron, and their 
 united weight was found to exceed ei' ' y pounds. Of their 
 exquisite flavor, fresh us they were, and immediutely after 
 the wholesome exercise in tlie invigorating air of the sea and 
 of the mountains, it is only prudent to bo silent." 
 
 In the month of May th< '^) is fine sport to hn had in taking 
 these fish in the Nipissiguit at the head of tide, three miles 
 above Bathurst. In my visit to that river I was too late for 
 them, and only took an occasional fresh-run Trout, but not 
 of large size, in the pools above the " Eough Waters." In 
 the "Basin," a mile and a half below th(' (iraud Fulls, these 
 fish collect in great numbers, at the mouth of a small brook 
 which trickles in over a beach of gravel ; but they are not 
 large here, and, having been some time in fresh water, have 
 lost their brilliancy and resemble Brook Trout, a few of 
 which are also taken at the same place. I have taken thirty 
 pounds here in an hour with a Salmon-fly of ordinary size, 
 and only stopped because they were so easily caught that 
 there was no sport in it. At the " Falls Pool," a hundred 
 yards below the Grand Falls, they are often a nuisance, 
 seizing the fly which in a moment more might have induced 
 a rise from a Salmon. As they are not large there — seldom 
 exceeding a pound and a quarter, and not valued much after 
 they are caught, their frequent intrusion is vexatious. A 
 red-bodied, red-winged fly, wrapped with gold tinsel, is the 
 most captivating, and even when torn by their sharp teeth, 
 as it soon will be, it is still preferable to a new one of plainer 
 colors. I have no doubt that a piece of red flannel tied at 
 the head of the hook would answer the purpose, and better 
 than a well-dressed fly of less glaring hue. 
 
 It is a source of regret that I was not early enough in ray 
 
THE SALMON FAMILY. 
 
 247 
 
 visit to Bathurst to find tli«a« a u • . . 
 
 from ^, and of Cl^ .T' TT l*!"^ S''" "'""J-" 
 
 expression, does not "draw it mihi " „,i . 
 
 , la one (tue eighth) devoted to a review of Mr 
 
 Lunmau's book, disousainir Inu ,„ •. review ot Mr. 
 
 ' ''''°"««^"« '"« merits us an angler and author. 
 
248 
 
 AMERICAN AXQLER'S BOOK. 
 
 THE SCHOODIC TROUT, OR DWARF SALMON OP 
 
 THE ST. CROIX. 
 
 Salmo Gloveri: Girard. 
 
 The only scientific account I can find of this, fish is given 
 by Girard ; it was brought to his notice by Mr. Townsend 
 Glover, of Fishkill Landing, New York, in compliment to 
 whom the specific name of Gloveri was bestowed on it. The 
 characteristics of interest to the angler I have taken from 
 Mr. Girard's description, and give them below. 
 
 " The body of the male is subfusiform and rather slender, 
 particularly the caudal region. The female is stouter, with 
 the peduncle of the tail shorter. The eye is very large. 
 The caudal is deeply emarginate posteriorly. The scales 
 well developed. The upper surface of the head and dorsal 
 region are blackish-brown, the sides are silvery white, and 
 the belly yellowish. The region above the lateral is densely 
 spread all over with black, irregular spots, some of Avhich are 
 confluent ; a few scattered ones may be seen beneath that line 
 on the middle of the abdomen. Four to six of these spots 
 well defined are always observed on the operculum. A few 
 reddish orange dots individually situated in the middle of a 
 black spot, are occasionally observed along the middle and 
 upper part of the flanks. Whether these dots are peculiar to 
 the female or proper to both sexes, I am not prepared to say, 
 from want of sufficient information upon that point." 
 
 There is much obscurity as to this fish. Some suppose it 
 to be a species produced originally from Salmon which v/ere 
 prevented by some obstacle from making their annual visits 
 
THE SALMON FAMILY > 
 
 249 
 
 think it a iTmtr^ ?'"™"-' " "" ^P^™^- 0"=- 
 
 Trout, whiehltirtrr- "' "" '"'""" "" ''^"'"^ 
 and io the Schoodfe " Ind laPT"! '" "'= ^'^ °™^ 
 of that river. A friend wh! ^ ""''' ""^ ^""'^•'^ 
 
 has ™nch the appearanee of a gX i! f i ""■ "^' " 
 in spirits some time and the .n ^^^ ' °"""''"' ^""^ 
 
 not visible. The numb fT "" "^ ^^"'"'^ '^«'''' 
 with those of the Salmon " ''''^' "'''' '''"'°'" ''^""'<=''' 
 
 times a brace of them are. ken at"'"' ™'' """"«• ^°-"'- 
 -kin, desperate ,eaps above frjatT;'' l""^^ ''"^-"" 
 from his Jonrna, the following ^el::: a-f ^ "" «'™" '^ 
 "June 1856. Three mrU • i 
 
 "June 1857 Th ' ' I"''' ''' ^^^^^* ' ^^2 lbs. 
 
 o / . 1 liree rods, six days, 432 fish • H49 )K 
 "June 1858. Two rod« «; i . / ' ^ ^^^• 
 
 ^wo rods, eight days, 510 fish ; 725 ]bs 
 
 " A v.. . • ''''^' '''' ^^"^«' 65 fish ; 94 lbs 
 
 Average time of fishin- four nn<i u u , 
 
 He also says that these ^sh tr ^ ''^' '^"" ^^^ ^^^ '' 
 
 Calais. "^^ "^* ^^^nd as low down as 
 
 week, and stop at Ea port'' t^i: ^r "," '""'' '*'"^ '^ 
 
 ■laily boat for Calais and a r! T , """"'" """■« '» » 
 
 "•e lower flshing-pll;;;;'™"",'""""" '- '""-of 
 I,- Hi^it^ts. At Calais the ano-lpr mi,c+ 
 
 h.» canoe and stores, and make other preparati; , """"'"' 
 ing out. preparations for camp- 
 
260 
 
 A^iSBICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 THE GEEAT LAKE TEOUT. 
 
 Salmo naymacvsh : Ricuardson. 
 
 The Naymacush can scarcely be enumerated amongst -wrhat 
 are strictly celled "sporting fish;" but as it possesses several 
 points of Wtcrest to the angler, besides its enormous size, a 
 work of so general a character as this would be incomplete 
 without a notice of this monster Trout. It is purely a fresh- 
 water fish, and exceeds in size any species of Salmon known. 
 Its average weight is nearly double that of the true Salmon. 
 In the waters of the United States, it is found in Lakes 
 Superior, Michigan, Huron, and Erie ; the Falls of Niagara 
 preventing its passage into Lake Ontario. 
 
 Dr. Richardson describes this fish under the above sci- 
 entific name, giving it the Indian appellation, and says it is 
 found in Winter Lake. I have no doubt it also inhabits 
 Winnipeg, Athabasca, Great Slave, Great Bear, and other 
 lakes which discharge their waters into Hudson's Bay and 
 the Arctic Ocean. With us they are most abundant in Lake 
 Superior, though they a':e taken in quantities in Lakes 
 Huron, Erie, and Micliigan. They are generally caught in 
 gill-nets sunk at the botto.n, on set lines, and by fishing with 
 hand-lines in deep water, a.? well as by trolling at certain 
 seasons of the year. In winter they are taken by spearing 
 ..hrough a hole in the ice. 
 
 In stopping for a few days at Mackinaw some years ago, I 
 saw a Trout of this species weighing forty pounds. It was 
 
i -wliat 
 everal 
 size, a 
 nplete 
 fresli- 
 ;nown. 
 ilmon. 
 Lakes 
 iagara 
 
 TQ SCi- 
 
 fs, it is 
 ihabits 
 
 other 
 ay and 
 1 Lake 
 
 Lakes 
 ght in 
 g with 
 certain 
 )earing 
 
 ago, I 
 It was 
 
H 
 
 1 
 
 n 
 
 c 
 
THE SALMON FAMILY. 
 
 253 
 
 the precedmg engraving. It ha, been taken in Lake S"^ 
 
 r H" ^"^ ." '"""•' "' " """""^ P°"'J»- The flav!"^f 
 
 .» fl,h ,s n^h,ng to b^st of. They a-e seldom eatenThe 
 .he debate Wh.te«.b, which inhabit, the sa.e wate., tZ 
 
 It is said that the Sayma^., ,p,^^ „ ,^^ 
 1 kes .„ the month of November I have never lee' 
 able to a„eertu,n whether they seek those plaees where C 
 aerated wate. of br«,k, or rivers flow into the .ake/'t a 
 they enter the n>ouths of ™„h streams for that pnrp 
 T ey are donbtless flsh of ™pid growth, althongh ther Ts To 
 rehable means of judging what si.e they attai! in aX 
 
 In returning from Sault Ste. Marie in July, 1344 in a 
 Mactaaw boat," s„eh as was then in genera'; use lo„g 
 1. voyageurs, threw a line over, with two stout 00 Kirby 
 hooks a, the end of .t, baited with a white rag and a piejrf 
 .~y .ed flannel shirt, and hooked several Tr!ut of thT Wnd 
 uoarthe "Detour," but the hooks in every instaneeb,, 
 wore straightened or broken, and .he ^ICX-Z 
 exception be„,g a small one of about eight po nds S 
 
 ni;;: M "■" r--^ ? '■' *""• "-^ ^- -^ "' -- -t g 
 
 nearly white, when ,^q bruiled it. ^ 
 
 The degree of skill attained by the Indiana, halfbreeds 
 nd traders .„ spearing .he Nay....,., is wond rful ■ ta h 
 B only by early education, or Ion;, pr „.ti«, th„ ,J I 
 •adepts in the art. The usua. »»;;■. alT.w: !!^ "^"" 
 
 ^:Z:Z°:^Tr' 1\*^ --ary weapon 
 
 — fasmrfl:::-:L-x:;::r: 
 
264 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 keeps bright by scraping with a knife, and ties it, evenly 
 balanced, with a string, which passes through a small hole in 
 the back. After making a hole of proper size in the ice for 
 spearing and taking out his captives, he cuts another, through 
 which he lowers the leaden imitation; then covering the 
 larger hole and himself by means of one or more blankets 
 suspended on upright sticks, he is ready for operation, and 
 proceeds to lower and raise the counterfeit fisli to lure the 
 great Trout within reach of his spear. As the large hole is 
 darkened by the blankets, the spearer is not seen by the Trout 
 below ; as he rises in pursuit of the leaden fish and comes 
 within striking distance, he is impaled by the deadly spear 
 and landed on the ice, where, after a few flaps of his tail, he 
 dies a martyr to his voracity or curiosity. 
 
 The wood- cut of this fish I have taken from Mr. E. Cabot's 
 representation, filling in the proportions somewhat between 
 the anal and caudal fins to suit ray own notions of its form. 
 
TUE SALMON FAMILY. 
 
 265 
 
 THE LESSER LAKE TROUT. 
 
 Salmo Adirondacus : Nobis. 
 This, the Lake Tro«t of Hamilton and Franklin counties 
 
 tmch.„g along at .ntervals v,; W the Adirondack Moun. 
 ta.„s. It differs much in its propo.t.on8 from the engraving 
 ot Salmo .onMs. found in De Kay's book, and reproduced 
 by Frank Forester; the latter looks mor. like the hu-e 
 m«hapen Brook Trout, sometimes taken whc-, tv -liing in 
 hose waters, than any iish found in Lakes Pleasa.,., Pifeco 
 n .an or Long Lake, or in Tuppe,. or the Saranac Lakes,' 
 further north : still I have no doubt, from what I have heard 
 that there are other species, or at least varieties of Lake Trout 
 found m those regions, and that De Kay's representation may 
 resemble an overgrown specimen of one of them 
 
 This fish, in form, is oblong; head one-fourth its length • 
 upper jaw slightly longer; no scales on opercles; eye one' 
 third distant from snout. Color: back, bluish green; sides 
 silvery gray; belly, white; lateral line straight; the body is 
 mottled rather than spotted ; branchial rays 12 ; dorsal 1 10 • 
 pectorals IS; ventral 9; anal 210; caudal (forked) 8-22 s' 
 Ihere are two rows of teeth on each side of the roof of the 
 
260 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 mouth, a row on the upper and lower maxillaries, and on the 
 tongue, but none on the vomer. The teeth are curved inwards 
 
 This Trout is sometimes taken as high as twenty-five 
 pounds, though such instances are extremely rare, they 
 seldom exceed six, and the general average is not over four 
 pounds. They have one of the habits of large Salmon when 
 hooked, which is sulking at the bottom ; but as far as sport 
 goes, they bear about the same relation to the Salmon or the 
 Brook Trout, as a wagon horse does to a full-blooded racer, 
 or a vicious mustang. 
 
 They are said to spawn in November, along the shores of 
 the lakes, or the rocky margins of islands. They are found 
 in May and June, or as soon as the ice has disappeared,, near 
 the outlets, where they are on the lookout for minnows and 
 shiners, which do not venture into deep water. So in trolling, 
 greater numbers, but smaller Lake Trout, are taken near the 
 outlets ; and larger ones, and fewer, in the depths of the lakes. 
 
 Deep places in the lakes are marked with buoys, and, after 
 being baited a few days, are fished with hand-lines. In win- 
 ter, a place thus baited is fished through holes cut in the ice; 
 but this kind of fishing alYords poor sport, and, as a general 
 thing, but few fish. 
 
 I have never heard of Lake Trout rising as Brook Trout 
 do, though they are sometimes taken when trolling, on a large 
 gaudy fly, attached by a gut length to the line or leader, eight 
 or ten feet above the minnow. 
 
 The usual mode of angling for them is by trolling with a 
 " shiner," a small fish resembling a roach r>r dace. At the end 
 of this article is a wood-cut representing a gang of hooks 
 baited with a minnow. Stout Limerick hooks are generally 
 used; the pair at the tail, as well as those in the middle, 
 should not be smaller than Nc^. 1 ; the lip hook. No. 3 or 4 ; the 
 length of the gang is regulated by the size of the bait. The 
 
THE SALMON FAMILY. 
 
 267 
 
 bait is generally put on alive- ^^ Hn >,^i, u • 
 
 • • • , ^'igneiie. iwo swivels are used- nno 
 
 o.„mg .he f«,t length, on which .he gang fa .ied .; 2 
 
 leader; and another a..aehing .he leader to he nt The 
 
 -.-.aeonta.no.,e..Ln:h:Xt^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 
 ».n^ Ime. The oader should be of the stoutes. single g„. 
 
 to sink the bau ,n water of modera.e dop.h, and .wo o .hr^e 
 
 "eid^^r^"^^""'"^-"-^"---™-^ 
 
 In .rolling, i. i, the cus.om of .he augler .o sit on , .. l 
 0. ow ehair, „i.h his haek .„ .he oarsnfan X i^' 
 on the stem se.., facing .he bow of .be bo ., as i. s 2r! 
 
 of hue are allowed .o run off the reel. The m'os. likefy'. me 
 or .he ..Laker" to seize the bait, is when the boat makr 
 turn, as the m.nnow is then apt to res. on .he bo.to, „d 
 W.1I recover ,.s animation, and swim about; and if .her s a 
 fish near he js likely to seize it, when it s ar.s againTs he 
 boat gathers headway. * ' ° 
 
 There is a constant strain on the line and rod, though .he 
 oa. may no. move fast. But when a 6sh lay hold it i 
 , nown by a backward surge of the rod; when the an^l 
 
 strikes sn,ar.ly, .he- headway of .he boa. is s.opped, andTh" 
 sh reeled g„fl,,_ ,^, ^.^^ .__ ^^ ^^^ PP he 
 
 boa. .s backed .owaris him, or follows; and as he lik^ ha 
 
268 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 more than one hook in his mouth, there is small chance of 
 his escape. 
 
 When a large fish sulks or takes the bottom, his capture is 
 a question of time only. I have known an angler, on such 
 occasions, light his segar from that of his friend in another 
 boat, and wait on his victim patii ntly for a half hour, humor- 
 ing him in all his runs and sulks, and at last bring him 
 within reach of the gaff' To increase tlia sport, I have some- 
 times landed, and killed my fish from the shore. 
 
 There is much difference in the condition of " Lakers." I 
 have had fish in the boat not weighing more than three- 
 fourths as much as others of the same length, that were fuller 
 fed. 
 
 The flesh is of a much paler color than that of the Salmon ; 
 the meat of a fish of five pounds being a delicate pink, while 
 that of a three-pound fish is almost white. A fish of four or 
 five pounds is excellent when li( liod; it is more remarkable 
 for its delicacy than its richnesii. 1 have eaten them planked, 
 but they are not to be comp.iix-; t-.- Brook Trout, cooked on 
 a stick or under the ashes. I luivo also had them smoked to 
 bring home, and think, on the whole, they are us good in this 
 way as any other, though inferior, of course, to smoked 
 Salmon. 
 
 These fish are found in our markets, as far south as Phila- 
 delphia, in the months of October and November. 
 
THB 8Ai ON F MTLT." 
 
 361, 
 
 a 
 
 BACK'S GEAmNG. THE STANDAEDBEAREB. 
 
 Tii- illua aiffni/er : Richardson. 
 Dr Bich„,J«,B, i„ Ms "Fauna Boreali-America,... " 
 fi^b but t, ,,,, ^„ ^^^ ^^^^^ ^^_^ J^ ^ 
 
 qu,.l..,„s. He d,.,.ribe, it thus: "Back dark- " d, . 
 hue „..,»ema. bet.e.n ,aveude.pu,p,e and u:u w' 
 
 several qua, .u^r spots of bluish-gray on the 
 anterior part of the bod , The heurl io > • u 
 
 . u I. 1 , J ■ lae neacl is hair- brown abovp • 
 
 T, "^t'r' '='"'™^'"^ ""= -"-' --Wned with pu plh 
 Mn.^ and there is a blue mark on each side of the lovl'aw 
 The dorsal (in has a blackish.,,rav color with . if 
 bloichpq n,„i : , , ' ■' ' "" """"^ lighter 
 
 bio ches, and is crossed by rows of beautiful Bcrlin°bl„. 
 «pots; >t .s edged with light lake-red. The ve.nrl 1' 
 -^ak^ with whitish and reddish lines in the ^it o7 
 - rays. The body is ecnpressed, with an elliptical pro 
 
 MK ■ ■; ; ' ■ ■ *''°'*" '■"P"^ "*' "'0 body is scarcely one 
 
 flah of the total length, caudal included. L head is s^n 
 
 bang one.sixth of the total length " ' 
 
 Dr^Richardson further says: "TheEsquin,„ .title (Hew- 
 
 ook.P, .vak) deuotmg ■ winglike lin,- alludes to its magnifl. 
 
 dorsal; tt was ,n reference to the san^e feature that I 
 
 bestowed upon ,t the specific appellation of Sisn,/er, ■The 
 
 Standard-bearer- intending also to advert to the Li f „! 
 
 on,pan.on, Captan, Back, then a midshipman, who took the 
 
 first specimen we saw with an artificial fly '• 
 
 It appears from the same account that it is found only in 
 cold, clear waters, and delights in the most rapid part of 
 mountain streams. In this it differs from the European 
 
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8<0 
 
 AMERICAN AXGLEH'S BOOK. 
 
 Grayling, which loves the gentle current, and is generally 
 found at the tail of a rift or " stream," as English anglers 
 call it. This naturalist, and keen angler — he must have 
 been — also says : " In the autumn of 1820 we obtained many 
 by angling in a rapid of the Winter River, opposite Fort 
 Enterprise. The sport was excellent ; for the Grayling gene- 
 rally springs entirely out of water, when first struck by the 
 hook, and tugs strongly at the line, requiring as much dex- 
 terity to land it safely, as it would to secure a Trout of six 
 times the size." 
 
 My experience in Trout-fishing is that large fish of any 
 species are sluggish in comparison Avith those of an ordinary 
 size ; but I am not inclined to concede the superiority claimed 
 by this author for the Grayling over the Brook Trout. 
 Making all allowance, however, for the ardor of the angler, 
 the " Hewlook-Powak" must have given such sport as the 
 fly-fisher seldom has the happiness to enjoy. 
 
 It is often a source of regret to the angler, that the natu- 
 ralist, in describing new species of game-fish, is indifferent or 
 silent as to the sport they may furnish ; and the fisher reads 
 a scientific description as a story that is half told ; and is apt 
 to set the ichthyologist down as a humdrum bookman, more 
 interested in specific distinctions than in the pleasure of 
 catching fish. It is a great relief to find such an exception 
 to the general rule in Dr. Richardson. 
 
 There is a smaller species of Grayling (ThymaUus thyrml- 
 hides) described by the same writer, which does not grow 
 above eight inches in length; he says they are taken in 
 company with the larger. 
 
 The Grayling being a fish in the capture of which the 
 American angler cannot participate, we give no account of 
 the manner of angling for them ; but refer the reader who 
 may have interest or curiosity on that score to English 
 authors. 
 
erally 
 nglers 
 
 have 
 many 
 
 Fort 
 gene- 
 )y the 
 1 dex- 
 Df six 
 
 •f any 
 linary 
 aimed 
 rrout. 
 ngler, 
 IS the 
 
 natu- 
 ent or 
 
 reads 
 is apt 
 
 more 
 ire of 
 3ption 
 
 lymal- 
 
 grow 
 
 :en in 
 
 ih the 
 intof 
 r who 
 nglish 
 
262 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 a 
 
 00 
 
 m 
 
THB SALMON FAMILY. 
 
 263 
 
 THE SMELT. 
 
 Oamenia viridescena : Dk Kay. 
 This is the beautiful symmetrically formed, bright little fish 
 
 Ichthyologists say there is only one species of Osmerus 
 
 2:tllT'"T "^-^*^--^^- ^hesmanZe 
 taken an the Passaic, the Raritan, and of late years in the 
 Delaware, are claimed by anglers and epicures to be di^er n 
 from those brought from Boston 
 
 oval; breadth comnared wi.h I, , .', ''"'P'""'' 'lo-g'^ ; .ection 
 
 and head fro. IpT ll jit S' '"°'f" °' "'*" " ^ '» "• 
 P oi lower jaw to posterior angle of opercle as 5 to 99 
 
 largest on the extreme point - two nf fhi o i • , "^"gue, tne 
 
264 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 Afterwards I ascertained from good authoiity that it is some- 
 times taken in the Brandywine, at Wilmington, Del., and at 
 Trenton, N. J. 
 
 the lateral line ; sides silvery ; belly brilliantly white. Branchial rays 
 8 ; D. 11, C, 20 ; P. 11 ; V. 8, A. 16.— The second dorsal has about twenty 
 minute but distinct cartilaginous rays ; tail forked, upper lobe slightly 
 longest. 
 
 " The points of difference between this and the 0. viridescens are the 
 more southern habitat of the new species, its smaller and more uniform 
 size, and the distinct roseate purple of the streak above the lateral line. 
 O. viridescens (the northern Smelt) attains the length of 12 inches. I 
 have seen the new species here dosc^ibed in quantities at New Brunswick, 
 New Jersey, but never exceeding 6J inches exclusive of caudal. 
 
 " Storer enumerates 14 rays in the pectorals of O. viridescens, but on a 
 recent examination of that species I found only 11, as in the new species, 
 and that the fin rays of both are identical. 
 
 " There are several circumstances of interest connected with this little 
 fish. It is the smallest of all the Salmonidse, except the two genera of 
 Scopelus and Mallotus. It is the only fish of the Salmon family, besides 
 the Brook Trout, found in our waters, and the only species of anadromous 
 salmonidce that visits the Delaware and its tributaries. Whether this fish 
 enters any fresh rivers south of Cape Henlopen, is a matter of conjecture, 
 but I have no doubt, if properly sought for, it may be found very early in 
 the spring, in many streams falling ^nto the Delaware, particularly in 
 rapids or near the falls of a dam which obstructs the upward flow of the 
 tide. 
 
 " It appears to visit our waters only for the purpose of spawning, and is 
 found at the. falls below Fairmount Dam for a few days in February or 
 early in March. In those I examined a few days since, I found the milt 
 partly discharged from the male and exuding in a semi-fluid state from 
 the vent. Many of the females had cast their spawn, in others it was 
 partially discharged, and the ova were found sticking to the sides of the 
 fish as they lay in a heap. 
 
 " I have been told that these fish can be taken occasionally in February 
 along the wharves and in the docks of ^ the Delaware with a castrnet. 
 They are taken with cast and scoop nets at Fairmount Dam. They are 
 common and abundant at New Brunswick, New Jersey, on the Raritan, 
 
THE SllMON »AMII,T. 
 
 265 
 
 A. a„ urlido of trade the Smelt is of .ome importance I. 
 IS said that a firm in Boston »r),„ ;, . 
 
 trade in this delicate IMafi^' , '^"T ""'""P''"^«« ""e 
 ,1, J , ,, """^ ""'<' fist, sells no less than a hundred 
 thousand dollars' worth of them during the season, whkh 
 commences .„ October or November and lasts till M„ h 
 They are taken m large numbers along our coaa. no^of 
 Boston, and are still more abundant along the Gulf of sf 
 Law^nce, where they come up the riversl far lll^ 
 
 iJiofVr: '" "■" »""" of ""y. just above :^ 
 
 h«d of tidewater, immense schools of them are directed 
 n their course so a. to pass through a narrow oltg 
 formed b, p.l.ng .tones in two oblique rows nearl , together S 
 t e upper ends. As the Smelts rush through in a „omt„ 1 
 stream, they are diooed nn w;.i, ""uous 
 
 barrels of th ^ scoop-nets. A hundred 
 
 barrels of them are sometimes taken in a week on the 
 N.p:ssigu,t by a man, assisted by a half.grown boy. Thl 
 .hey are used for manure, selling for fifty or six^y centsa 
 
 '" trom ten to fifteen cents a pound. 
 
 «.e tru, Salmon tuZ^^Z'.T """°' °'°" °'»'"^ »''"" «» 
 
 / "' *»»at the second dorsal or adipose fin (which in th;« 
 
 fiHh .s ransparent), has about twenty n^inute cartilaginov. avs thl 
 quite dist net, and the nuMtio^ n • . "^"'agmous rays; they are 
 
 «nd no. J. ™Z Lit. ■"!■ '" *''"° "" "•» "^ "« Creator, 
 ^peoi»% neT. le rdTltr' rTL"".' " 7 T' °' "» ""■ 
 
266 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 
 In England Smelts have been transferred to fresh -water 
 ponds having no communication with the sea, and have con- 
 tinued to thrive and breed abundantly. A like instance ia 
 said to have occurred on Long Island. 
 
 There is not the least doubt that much sport may be had 
 in angling for Smelts with fine tackle and a light pliant 
 Trout-rod, and that they would take the fly on a favorable 
 day, for they are caught at the north with hook and line in 
 all the harbors ; generally from the wharves by boys, who 
 catch large strings of them during the autumn, and even in 
 winter, when other fish refuse a bait. This is the case with 
 an inferior fish, the Roach, which is taken in the docks along 
 the Delaware in winter. A Smelt of ten and twelve inches, 
 to which length the northern variety sometimes grows, would 
 be no mean prize, if caught in winter, by those who feel that 
 angling is almost "one of the necessities of life." Small 
 minnows or pieces of fish would, no doubt, be good bait. On 
 examination I have found small shrimp in the stomachs of 
 those brought from Boston. When taken from the water. 
 Smelts have a fragrant smell, resembling that of a fresh cu- 
 cumber. They are certainly the most delicate fish that is 
 eaten ; the roe, which is very large for their size, is pecu- 
 liarly so. 
 
 The best way of cooking them, after having drawn the 
 entrails out by clipping them at the gills and vent with a pair 
 of scissors, is to roll them in coarse corn- meal or grated 
 cracker, and fry them in salad oil, or fresh sweet lard. There 
 should be sufficient lard or oil to keep the fish from the 
 bottom of the pan. When served up, open a Smelt while 
 hot, and spread a little butter on the inside to melt ; pepper 
 and salt it, and lay a piece of the fish on a slice of buttered 
 bread, and take a mouthful of each at the same time. 
 
 I 
 
THB SALMON FAMILF. 
 
 267 
 
 CAPELIN. 
 
 ^ailotuavilloatu: Cvrisn. 
 
 It is of small .i^, ^w„„ eledi^ '° T^ ^^""">- 
 
 fte Smelt itself and la »''''' '°°'*"'=''"^'>y 
 peculiar smell L:trL?7 IT^ """ "'■■ " "■« 
 «ter. " " ""'^ ''''» taken from the 
 
 -Sa:;ir;:i;~r"-»- coast Of 
 
 used a, bait fo, .He Cod h ot tZ"^' f ^ *^«^ - 
 as thejr come in Aore ,3 said ,.T '^ ° ""' ^' "Sht 
 
 a fishi„g.smaclc for the ne^M ; "" " """^ " ""' ^«- 
 here for their value a« Zl ^' '^ ""'' °°'^ "'^■'"™«' 
 -hern coast/teTolC::!: '^^.^ ^ V ^^ 
 little flsh is from the A „ril u " '^'"°« "^ ""*«« 
 
 -e;theartioi:i :n^rd™S««t)°fH"P-'3Maga. 
 
 ^ "At earl, evening a.!:: I^Zfr^Z^^f-" :- 
 boats go in ane^t nf r i- ,, ^^^' *^® seme- 
 
 little e!™ and : aj ^ ''"* 7*"^ ^"""^ '^^ 
 ">» pulling in th 'uslT'""'" "'°"'« "-^ ^"--i *-e 
 standing up and pthin ,^''^'/° °"™''" '" "-c stern 
 
 water for theXrof!!;" I' '"" *^ ^""^^^ <>' *« 
 Ws, motionllr^ f T I: "''°°'^' "'"' " '^^"ut in the 
 
 a"d peering too The. T\'"'' '"''"« "P"" -^« '"-"^ 
 P nng ,nto the depths before him. Now one gives 
 
168 
 
 AHRRIOAN ANGLBR'S BOOK. 
 
 warning, and over goes the seine smoothly and noiselessly, 
 and with a rapid circuit the bait is impounded and quickly 
 hauled on board. One cast is generally sufficient, for the 
 Capelin swarm in millions, swimming so densely that often a 
 dip-net can be filled from a passing school. They keep near 
 the shore to avoid their finny pursuers, and are left flounder- 
 ing upon the rocks by every reflux wave. The Cod often 
 leap clear of the water in their pursuit, and at such times 
 may be taken by the hook almost the instant it touches the 
 water. The Capelin is a delicate fish, about six inches in 
 length, and not unlike a Smelt ; his back a dark olive green, 
 sides of changing rainbow hues, and belly silvery white." 
 
 Great numbers of these little fish are, no doubt, devoured 
 by Salmon, as they come in from sea and enter the bays and 
 mouths of rivers they ascend. 
 
»HB. SALMON FAMILY. 
 
 369 
 
 THE WHITEFISH. 
 
 Coregonus albus. 
 
 There are not leas than thirteen distinct speeies of Por 
 n.. J described by ichthyolorists Dr Ri„l T «°" 
 
 Boreali.American, memioCven ^ itl ,7;" I!' *'"""' 
 R<»a.Ohe Tulibee Core,ZZ' clr^T T""^""'"' 
 
 Hn« Salmon, .. ,.a.„-. J,;:; Rooi': .'^z':;''^ 
 u:■ ^iio^rr^n!:^;^ """r' '""*' '^ ^^ 
 
 White«sh brought to onr ^^r,ZZ2^:^X: '' 
 the autumn months, and identical ^-ith theT.tit "? 
 
 Dr. Richardson) ; 0. 0..,, the Otsego ill w t™ ^ 
 almost extinct); and C c/„;«,/^,/.,, Je H ! ^"°" 
 
 On the continent of Europe there i, ,1,. .*"'"«■ 
 lake, of Westmoreland, En-dandrthe r T"" <" "■" 
 
 of Dumfrieshire, Scotl nd) and'tla V ",""" ^'" ""' '''^- 
 species, in Ireland. °"'''^'' ""'' """'''^ 
 
 The Round Pish mentioned hv Ti i!:„i, j . 
 as our Whitetish ; the remain e^fboh b!^? t" " '"«' 
 in Europe, do not exceed in size a L u *"" "'"' 
 
 mostly known as Lake Herring '' "'" "" 
 
 'a^es up to the head of L^lt^T'^^t '^T' 
 
 poun.ls; while thtbro, t f "'""'' "-"g four or five 
 
 Lhcr; Take do not ! ' °" """'^'^ ''-''"' '^' »°- 
 
 iakes do not average two pounds. The largest ] 
 
370 
 
 AMERICAN ANOLBR'8 BOOR. 
 
 I 
 
 ever hoard of being taken in Lake Superior was one of fifteen 
 pounds ; but such instances are rare. 
 
 At one time they were exported largely from the qreat 
 lakes, being suited and barrelled, as Shad are with us. The 
 usual mode of taking them is with gill-nets sunk in deep 
 places in the lakes ; but in autumn they come in large schools 
 into shallow water along the lake shores, to spawn, when 
 great numbers of them are taken with the ordinary seine. 
 
 Whole tribes of Indians subsist entirely on them in the 
 Arctic regions. I found a considerable portion of the tribe 
 of Chippewas permanently encamped at Sault Ste. Marie 
 about twenty years ago, whose only means of living were the 
 Whitefidh found there. To take them, the Indians go, two in 
 a canoe, to the lower part of the rapids ; one in the stern, 
 with pole or paddle, keeps the prow steadily heading up the 
 current, while another, with a dip-net, the long handle bent 
 backwards near the bow of the net, stands in the bow of the 
 canoo. The latter, by a sudden dip, apparently pressing the 
 fish towards the bottom, turns the net dexterously, lifts it, 
 and throws the fish into the bottom of the boat, sometimes 
 taking two at once, and never failing to secure his prey. 
 
 The flesh of this fish is snowy white, and, though delicate, 
 it has a gelatinous richness which entitles it to all the lauda- 
 tion bestowed on it by epicures. Dr. Richardson says it never 
 cloys, but rather grows in favor with those who eat it, and that 
 one never feels the necessity of bread as an accompaniment. 
 It is said that it is seldom found with food in its stomach, and 
 then only a few small Crustacea. Still its conformation shows 
 it to be a fish of rapid growth, and of course a gross feeder. 
 What the food is, that gives it such fatness, or where it is 
 found, has never been ascertained. In the fall of the year, 
 before spawning, it loses all reasonable proportions, looking 
 as if it was deformed. The head, not much larger than a 
 
THB SALMON FAMHr. 
 
 271 
 
 romngs (,t^M to . bcly a, deep, and .I.ieker th„„ . 
 
 .t at that «,«„, that a very large porti,,,, „f i„ ,„h3ta„ce i, 
 io»« m frying; „r if broiled, it i, diffleult to keep it from 
 .ak,„g fire .,„ the gridiron ; though, i„ the ear,, au 1 r TJ 
 
 ave.ee„jt at Sault S.e. Marie, it i» Hy,„,„„.rL,l, on„ d 
 but even then ,t i» remarkable for it, »,„„|1 h„a,l 
 
 From ,ta outward appearance, the Whiteflsh would hardiv 
 
 ItT h n^ ?'' '" ^° "■" ""'^ '=>»'™cteri.,tie in eommo„ 
 
 It« thm head an.l small toothle« mouth, ., diftbrent fro.n the 
 powerful ,,aw„ and formidable dentition of .speeie, belo J 
 o the genu, &W, shows it to be an inhabiLt of the i°uie^ 
 deep, earn,ng ,ts living peaeeably, and „o. as the gr „ 
 
 i^orester, Mr. Brown, and "Barnwell" to make it ont 1 
 
 y- JNor do I believe that either of the above 
 The following description of its snem'fin ,.i . • . 
 
272 
 
 AMERICAN ANOLBR'S BOOK, 
 
 BAIT-FISHING FOR TROUT. 
 
 The manner of angling for Trout with bait, depends much 
 on v,he kind of water one fishes, or the bait used. In a rapid 
 stream, a light, pliant cane rod, with a tip somewhat stiff, and 
 without a reel, is to be preferred ; a tine line of silk and hair, 
 with a gut bottom of three feet ; a weak-trout hook of No. 25 
 or 26 is better than the short-shanked Kirby; split shot 
 should be used for sinkers, one or more, as the current may 
 
 require. 
 
 With such tackle and in water as above mentioned, let 
 me describe the manner of baiting the hook. Take a 
 whole worm — not mutilated— of medium size, and enter 
 the point of the hook about midway or rather nearer the 
 tail, and passing it along bring it out a half inch or so 
 from the head ; the tail will then move as well as the head, 
 showing signs of life; and when it loses its vitality, it is 
 still attractive when drawn against the current. Whether 
 wading or from the bank, cast in at the head of the rift, 
 and let the bait drift along near the bottom, drawing it 
 back occasionally to make it show plainly. When a minnow 
 is used for bait in still water, the hook should be passed 
 through its back ; if in rapid water, through the upper and 
 lower lips; or it should be bridled as described in Rock- 
 
 iishing. 
 
 After fishing the main current, try the sides of the rift. 
 On feeling a bite, draw away a little, coaxing the fish to lay 
 hold more vigorously; by his resistance and pulling hard 
 you can ascertain when he is securely hooked ; then draw 
 
THE SALMON FAMILY. 
 
 278 
 
 him towards the shorp nnri Hft u- 
 
 kand down .he tZj '"" .■""" °"'' ""-^ ^W'^g your 
 
 sawing It backwards and forwards i, .n .«• . ' 
 
 fishing. forwards, is an effective way of bait- 
 
 When fishing with a grasshopper, the sinker may be dis 
 pensed with; and with this bait the stqi parts of^S 7 
 -y be fished, where a Trout would . C kd^to t T" 
 worm than in brisk water ' ^ "" *^^^ ^ 
 
 themselves for «ve or d^ 10!^™ ™ '" '""■«^ 
 
 two in moderately c„ iTea^ha ,1 ' T '^ '^P' " "^^ "' 
 be c>o.d at nig^e ^7':; ^^Zlf VV^' 
 '-a bag may be pinned or buttons! .oXwa Janl/ f 
 pantaloons, with the mouth of th. K. ™'"""'"' »' "m's 
 i^hes of the toe of a„ u , * "P""- ^°'"' <>' ^^^ 
 place of . flann: U, ''"""^ ^'"''"^ ^"' ^^^ » 
 
 In Ashing the ponds of Long Island T 1,. 
 used by some anglers. There t M JT ""^ " ^°'" 
 
 in bait-flshing, for by riv.W "'"* '^ * landing-net 
 
 o' *"^ "y giving time enough anrl q iw+i 
 
 a Trout will hook himself very secnrd. ' " °°""'«' 
 
 Having said thus much on Uh ficT,; " t , 
 r^ %-«»hing for another oh^ ^l-^^^ H! *^ -"f 
 
 " ■» no abstruse scienc, notwiths::dfng ,,1:7:;'''! 
 
 essays on the snbiPPt „ j . ^ ® iearued 
 
 We', endeavor t:l:f.hrT^« ""' '""" '"'^^ "" 
 
 confidence in 2,^^ f' '"<'""™"' *"' •■« -i» lose 
 
 ^^ ground.ba,., and resort to it, not for sport, 
 
274 
 
 AMBBICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 but only in time of a freshet to get Trout for his dinner or a 
 roast ; and that the only tise he will find for his bait-hooks, 
 will be to give away to the little barefoot boys and girls he 
 may meet on the stream, trying to catch a string of Trout for 
 their supper. 
 
 Pj#, 
 
 
nner or a 
 lit-hooks, 
 i girls be 
 Troat for 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 SALT-WATEE FISH AND Vi^ium. 
 
"tJKOBklloiABH, gave to thy wild waves' play, 
 
 Time writes no wrinkle on thine azure brow- 
 Bach as creation's dawn beheld, thou rollest now. 
 
 "Thou glorious mirror, where the Almighty's form 
 Glasses .taelt in tempesU ; in all time,— 
 Calm or convulsed— in bree«e, or gale, or storm, 
 Icing the pole, or in the torrid clime 
 Dark heaving- boundless, endless, and sublime. 
 The image of eternity, the throne 
 
 Of the Invtsible." 
 
 Btbor. 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 8ALT-WAT3B PISH AND FlSHINO. 
 
 Introductory Remarks. 
 
 The Sheepsbead. 
 
 The Weakpish, or Saw- Water Trout. 
 
 The Barb, or Kinofish. 
 
 The Spot. Piofish, or Goody. 
 
 The Croaker. 
 
 The Redpish of the Gulf of Mexico 
 
 The BwEnm, or Snapping M ackereu 
 
 The Spanish Mackerel. 
 
 The Pompano (Sopthern). 
 
 The Druufish, 
 
 The Flounder. 
 
 The Sea-Bass. 
 
 The Blackfisr. 
 
 The Mullet. 
 
 The Tom Cod, or Frostfish. 
 
 The Poroy. 
 
 The topography of our coast shows lon^ strpt.l, 4^ , 
 Barb, Coaker, Pi,«.h, p^^^,,, S^^ZT^'Zet 
 
 s:; tTeC ":"' '"™' '^-""^ ««'"-' * " 
 
 majr even feel the »lt spray which flies over the narrow 
 
 (277) 
 
278 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 rtrip of sand, sprinkling his face, as he sits in his boat and 
 makes havoc amongst the fins. 
 
 Along our seaboard there are places of summer resort, 
 where hotels and boarding-houses are kept for the accommo- 
 dation of those who come to shoot and to fish ; the visitors 
 frequently bringing their families to enjoy the bathing and 
 invigorating sea air. To almost any of these let one who is 
 fond of fishing repair between the middle of July and first of 
 September. Let him provide himself with a stout rod, good 
 flax line, large hooks, a felt hat, a red flannel shirt, and a few 
 " store clothes" for Sunday and dress occasions, and he will 
 have fishing to his heart's content— big ones, and plenty of 
 them. If he takes the advice of old fogies, or the man who 
 furnishes his boat and bait, he will fish with a hand-line. 
 If he follows the instinct of the true angler, he will fish with 
 rod and reel, and as a consequence his enjoyment of the sport 
 will be enhanced. 
 
 Of all places within easy distance of our city, commend me 
 to Long Beach, where the accommodations are good (barring 
 the butter), mosquitoes few (if the wind is not off land), and 
 the landlord one of the most obliging and appreciative men 
 in the world, as to the requirements of the angler or shooter. 
 And moreover where Sammy Shourds is always on hand. 
 Sammy can find soft crabs when no other man can ; besides 
 he knows all the fishing-grounds, and when the tides suit at 
 each ; when to go on the flats for Weakfish, when in the Cove 
 for Barb, when in the channel for Sheepshead, when to the 
 flat, sedgy islands for Eockfish, and when to squid for Blue- 
 fish. Here, according to the adjudication of the aforesaid 
 Sammy, a friend and myself caught with our rods in three 
 mornings (fishing four hours at each time), over five hundred 
 pounds of Weakfish and Barb, and touched up the Eockfish 
 in the afternoons at the islands. 
 
'ALT WATER PISH AND PISHING. 
 
 279 
 
 THE SHEEPSHEAD. 
 
 Sargisovis: Mitchil 
 
 jaw to the first spine of the anal thpn.. "^ ™ *^" ^^^«' 
 
 dark gray on the ba.k; ride, silvery- belZt^l "^ 
 seven dusky bars, reaching from the to, !f ^. v, / """ "' 
 to the bottom of the beli;. T^ett Z "'""^ 
 
 front of i..h „p^r and' o^ aw : t:::;i'""T. '" 
 
 -:.aXran:t:erj:;:rifrh t '-■- 
 
 will of the fish in o ^ ' "^^'"^ ^^««e, at the 
 
 '» =« S^oove; the pecto^ IrttXldt "' ^''"'^^ 
 'ays; ventrals have one spine an,I fi '"'"="' 
 
 wWoh i. forked, has seZeen "^■'' "' *» '='"'^'^' 
 
 Tbese fish arrive in the bays and inlets on the coast of New 
 
280 
 
 AMERICAN ANOLER'S BOOK. 
 
 Jersey as early as the middle of May, and are frequently found 
 in large schools. As a general rule, they bite more freely at 
 a bait as the season advances. They are emigrants from 
 southern waters, and all adults, the average weight being six 
 or seven pounds, though sometimes they are taken even as 
 high as fifteen pounds. According to my theory, which is 
 founded on personal observation, those found in this latitude 
 are the surpl\is production of more southern waters ; for most 
 of the Sheepshead in the Mobile and New Orleans fish-mar- 
 kets are small, from a half to two pounds in weight, and sub- 
 jects for the gridiron rather than the pot. The restaurants 
 of New Orleans are famous for Sheepshead, where they are 
 broiled whole or split, and served up to a charm ; and with a 
 modicum of claret after his gumbo, a moderate eater is apt to 
 get no farther into the bill of fare than "fish." 
 
 The food of this fish consists almost entirely of molluscs ; 
 the soft-shell clam is therefore the usual bait. It is said, by 
 the " 'longshore" men of New Jersey, that it can even crush 
 a hard clam ; this can hardly be doubted, when the immense 
 muscular power of its jaws, and the peculiar arrangement of 
 its incisors and crushing teeth, are considered. The teeth in 
 the throat are similar to those of the Drumfish. The sheep- 
 like teeth in front, from which it has received its name, are 
 well adapted to nipping off the barnacles and shell-fish that 
 adhere to sunken rocks and timbers. 
 
 In fishing for Sheepshead, it is a common practice in lower 
 Virginia and other southern waters where they are found, to 
 drive down stout stakes, forming an enclosure; to these 
 different species of molluscs will attach themselves in a few 
 months, and attract the Sheepshead. When they have made 
 it a place of resort, the fisher ties his boat to a single stake 
 on either side, at a convenient distance, and throws his bait 
 towards the pen. 
 
SAIT.WATBB ri8H AND FISHINO. 
 
 281 
 
 In a^hmg w,.h a hand-line, which i, the u,„.l „«le of 
 
 tak.ng 1,™, the Sheepshead gives one or two dight pr,mo„i. 
 
 ory jerks, and then a steady p„„, when the iisheLn gath I 
 
 " h,s Ime as fast as possible, the flsh eoming along with a 
 
 heavy drag. When he approaches the boat, ther! is a dt^^l 
 
 ntest; there ,s ™„eh probability of his breaking the ho. k 
 
 the fisher takes m slaek, or lets the line run through hil 
 Angers, aa the action of the flsh dictates, and, when a prope 
 oppo«un.ty offers, throws hi™ into the boat, where he Zl 
 unW the transfer to a new element deprives bin, of life 
 
 taken with lod and hue, as they are by New York angler, i„ 
 the ™.n,ty of that city. About rocks and precipitous banks 
 when there are no obstructions to a fair contest a stou ro^' 
 o eleven or twelve feet, a strong hemp li„e on a good Iw 
 
 Hrp'uin 'af rr^' ^-v'™' ^'-«-'' >■»-"''. - - : 
 
 s« rZ h ! 1 '■ r' "^'^^' •"" '' '"' -"- 'o *e 
 
 sumce, his lunges are quick and desnprnf*> • .au u ^ 
 
 wuh the spring of a rod than with a hand-lina), he at las 
 gives in; and when he is liftpH „i, j ,"*'"' " "»' 
 
 he weighs something '""■^' ""^ " ^"" ''-^^'. 
 
 An accomplished angler of New Orleans, whose hospitalitv 
 
 TthJllTwii^Hi ri^ ''-'-'-' ^-'-"'^ 
 
 with n fl„ , ,. , ' """Pany with Black Bass 
 
 branches ?/," It ""' "'^' ""^^ ''" »'"'"' *«= '"ok 
 branches of trees that have fallen in. From this it would 
 
 appear hat they habitually come into brackish w ter L 
 -Ives to any sfck or branch in the water along the southern 
 
i/#' 
 
 282 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLBR'9 BOOK. 
 
 coast ; and that Bass, whose natural habitat is fresh water, 
 meei them here on common feeding-ground. 
 
 Mr. Bull, a noted angler of New Orleans, assures me he has 
 taken fourteen Sheepshead, whose average weight was .seven 
 pounds, in the course of an afternoon's fishing at the break- 
 water, not over a mile from the steamboat landing, at the ter- 
 minus of the Ponchartraih Railroad. The bait he uses are 
 large shrimp, fiddlers, young crabs, and muscles. After the 
 prevalence of strong south-easterly winds, large schools have 
 been known to come in shore along the piers of the above- 
 mentioned landing, and numbers of them have been taken for 
 some days, when they suddenly disappear in search of other 
 feeding-grounds. 
 
 The excellence of this fish is so universally conceded, that 
 I do not deem it necessary to say a word in praise of it, 
 whether boiled or baked. It is considered by some equal to 
 Salmon, but, like "Midshipman Easy," I am disposed to 
 " argue that point." 
 
8ALT-WATBB FI8 H A ND P is H I N O. 
 
 288 
 
 WEAKFISH. SQUETEAQUE. SALT-WATEE 
 
 Otolithua reijalis ; C u v i e r. 
 
 TEOUT. 
 
 of this Da J Th r '''''^'''^' ''^^'^ ^^^"^«^ ^t tbe top 
 s found onlvi-n +1. , ""°"« ' tQat a <Aafomm/s 
 
 o» .ha upper half of ^ body, as 3> 1 1 .rrV't 
 
 rt;;rro::i:-— ---^^^^^^^ 
 
 The specie, of our coast differs from .hose of the same genu. 
 
284 
 
 AyfmiCAN AIf<*LER'8 BOOK. 
 
 found it! Europe ; the former having canine teeth only in the 
 M^jer jaw, whilst the lattc. have them in both upper and 
 
 lowM 
 
 The Bubjeci of these TGrnaTka—Otoliiu ua regalia— is a fish 
 of groat beauty as regards its colors and proportiv^ns. The 
 tints are difficult to describe ; there is something of ti green 
 tint with (jarnato gleamings above and along the lutoral line, 
 pearly or bright metallic reflections about the throat and 
 head, and irregular dusky markings, inclining to the forma- 
 tion of oblique lines, on the back and sides; the belly is 
 white ; head sharp and long ; mouth largo, upper jaw armed 
 with long, sharp, recurved teeth. Form elliptical, slightly 
 compressed ; back somewhat arched. Fins ; first dorsal, nine 
 spines ; second, one short spine and thirty rays ; pectorals, 
 sixteen ; ventrals, one spine and five rays ; anal, one spine 
 and thirteen rays ; the caudal has seventeen rays, and is very 
 
 slightly convex. 
 
 Wkakfishino. — No salt-water fish of this latitude affords 
 more sport than this big-mouthed denizen of our bays ; and 
 it is only the freedom with which he lakes the bait, and the 
 gieat numbers that are caught, that causes Woakfishing to be 
 undervalued. Though he has not the strength and endurance 
 of the Uockfish, his first rush is not less vigorous; and as his 
 mouth is somewhat tender, it is necessary to give a fi^h of 
 two pounds some line. His first dash is from the boat u d 
 ten yards of line will be run out in d "jiffy;" he fights h^II 
 and at long range if you allow him line, but bear wcii on 
 him, as the least slacking of the line gives him a chance to 
 disengage *he hook, which he sometimes attempts to do by 
 jumpinjr a;. <'*> the v^-^ater and shaking his head. 
 
 If anglir ,; ^ h % B >^X it should not be at more than three- 
 fourths tho ^c! h ji thewft .-. With a large float, and a 
 quarter or lialf ov.iqe bullet tor a sinker, you may allow your 
 
IsW 
 
 «ALT.WATEF FISH AMP FISHING. 
 
 285 
 
 t u, fl.sh,„g over „„r„ groun.l tl,„„ wl,e„ „,.,|i„, „. .h., „,„ 
 
 o y„u,. r.xi w.th ,.„ly a ,i„k„,. „„„ „ .„„, „, ^ ^.^_^ 
 
 « .11 n,„™ „,.,„,,ed M you, ii„e i, ,^|,,i i„ ^„ 
 
 P^^m -vh..,, the fl„h .r. ,c«.t„«,, i, to ^. „ f,, „, ■^" 
 
 »w . le vnd then g,vmg two or three turns of your reel- 
 ovank, „ra„,„g .ha bait home by degr«,s. Thi, p J,, though, 
 « dyucfouabla .f there are weed, or much g^a. floating 
 
 TACKLE.-A .tout, pliant rod of twelve feet, with a stifflsh 
 ip; an e.u,y. running reel, with fifty to a hundred yards of 
 
 ii:; roo." """" '•'"' "^^^ "■» •««'" ^'■™''' ^^ - 
 
 BA,T8.--Soft erabs beyond all eompariaon are the most 
 oe ta,n; .hough a white piece of (Ish-bai.,. with the skin 
 adhermg to make it stay „„ .he hook, or even the eye of the 
 f'-h will answer. If they are well on the feed 
 
 Great numbers of these fish are taken with the hand-line 
 by what .s called "drifting:', that is, to sail into a school of 
 them ,„ a t.deway aud letting the sheet go, allow the boa. to 
 dr ft wh, le you fish over the sides at half depth. If ,he boat 
 dnft faster than the school, she is put about and the fish 
 found again. 
 
 The flesh of the Wenkflsh is not held in „,ueh esteen, when 
 Uherflshare to be had, aud soon spoils after being uken 
 though ,t ,s r,ch and gelatinous if it is eaten soon. They 2 
 generally fried or broiled. ' 
 
 angling f;. different kinds Tf fi h a d wo /?" ' " "' """^'^ "" 
 
 rally appreciated. Most „ o! l" Ih " "' '"'^^ '* '^ °"* «^°" 
 
 on/.k « . . . ^'^"^ ^"'^ '''■« predatory in their habit« 
 
286 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLBR'R BOOK. 
 
 THE BAEB OE KINGFISH. 
 
 Umbrina nebvlosa : Storer. 
 
 There are two species of Barb or Whiting described by 
 Dr. Holbrook, with various synonyms to each ; the specific 
 name of the northern species, however, signifying cloudy, 
 adopted by Storer, in his report on the fishes of Massachu- 
 setts, will strike the angler as the most appropriate for the 
 animal figured above. 
 
 Umbrina Uttoralis, dedcribed by Dr. Holbrook, is peculiar 
 to the waters of the South Carolina coast, and said to be 
 seldom taken with the hook. It is entirely white and silvery, 
 without the clouded markings of the northern species. The 
 fish he describes as Umbrina albumus, is identical with the 
 animal pictured above; both species are called Whiting at 
 Charleston. 
 
 This fish ( Umbrina nebrdosa) has a body elongated and taper- 
 ing, the section nearly sub-triangular ; back gracefully arched; 
 belly nearly staight; color gray, with purplish reflections. 
 There are six or more oblique bars over the back and sides ; 
 belly clouded white ; head small ; mouth small, and beneath: 
 
SALT-WATER Pish and pishing. 
 
 287 
 
 rZ of 7 """ ""'" '"^ «""' *"" - - d-bt an 
 
 ZXtisl ' 7 T' ""' """"""« "^ f-^- I'» average 
 weight 1, a pound, though sometimes taken as hifih as tw! 
 pou,^s F.„s: fl„. dorsal, ten spines, of whieh the thLd i! 
 much attenuated, terminating i„ a filament; second d r J 
 ne weak spme and twenty.flve rays; ventra s, one spine and 
 five rays,- pectorals, .„„.^ ' ?■"« -^ 
 
 rays ; caudal, eighteen rays. ^ 
 
 Professor Baird says the young „f this flsh have been 
 .^eu at Baesley's Point, near Great Egg Harbor TheTr 
 almost to., disappearance from our bayst sucoJle! 
 ner. and then their sudden reappearance, has led me t: the 
 bel> f that most of them are emigrants from the south L ke 
 mos of .he Scienoids, they are evidently mollusc-eating fl h 
 
 the mouth, however, and the absence of crushing teeth and 
 mcors. suggest the belief that they feed entirely on seedling 
 m»sc.es and clams, and small Crustacea, They are found 
 --.. .n the coves, and on the sand-bars aud'fl:. whTr 
 there ,s Imie current, and not oilen in the channels or deep 
 tideways. ^ 
 
 Babb F,sh™g_Iu angling for this fish, a good bass rod 
 of twelve feet .s best; a light sinker is sufficient, sav a bullet 
 of a quarter or half ounce, which should be placrf at the 
 bottom of the reel.line, where two snoods, one of twelve and 
 one o twenty.fonr inches, with No. 1 „r Kirby hooks 
 ■^l|"uW be attached. The sinker should touch the bottom 
 "here the fish generally s^-eks its food. When on the «' 
 .. «.es the ban without nibbling, but frequently there is .' 
 ,.a.„,o„,tory shake, then a vigorous p„,l, and under goes th; 
 
 o the rf,„,^^d„,„„,,^y^ ^,^^ ^^^^^_l^^_^ ^^^ le,„t slackFn. 
 "f the Una, and he is off again, and in the second round il 
 
288 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 
 almost as game as at first. As he has leathery lips, and the 
 hold is generally strong, he is lifted in with small risk of 
 losing him. 
 
 When fishing for Barb, it is well to use a No. 1 hook at 
 the bottom, and loop on one of 00 size to a gut length, eighteen 
 inches or two feet above the sinker, for Weakfish, as the 
 angler sometimes takes both at the same time. Soft crabs or 
 soft-shelled clams are the best bait. 
 
 This fish is much lauded by the epicures of New York, 
 where it has sometimes been sold at as high a price per pound 
 as Sheepshead. It is seldom boiled, and is better cooked in 
 the pan or on the gridiron. It has a peculiar sweetness of 
 flesh and a richness of flavor ; as all fish that feed on m.olluscs 
 and Crustacea have. 
 
 When on a visit to Long Beach in August 1855, a brother 
 angler and myself had great sport with Barb in the cove 
 just below the Hotel. They had not been taken in numbers 
 for some years, and had become comparatively a rare fish, 
 until we met with them. In a few hours on the ebb we took 
 upwards of three hundred weight with two rods, and left off 
 from mere satiety, for the certainty of hooking them as fast 
 as our bait found the bottom ceased to be sport. 
 
SALT-WATER FISH 
 
 AND PISHING. 
 
 28U 
 
 SPOT, PIGFISH, OR GOODY. 
 
 Uioatomus obliquus : Cuvier 
 
 ".ore oblique bars exidfng Clhe ^Z 7 T " " 
 
 -nd dor.,, one .bo„ .pi„e JIX^ZT^ 
 «y«; pectorals, eighteen; ven.rals, onaapin^rdfo rb "^ T, 
 
 ^™'^w:::ttter""™r^"^»^^--^ 
 
 Vork, at the tile oZ^t^' t',^ ""'"' '"'™' ^- 
 
 Ho.-oM„ bis ichthSo^trr ;:i:unrr 
 
 tiie common name of Chub whiVh .f ^^ 
 
 fresb-water angier as a ..wf l^Zr:" """ ^"^ 
 19 • Ane moat common name 
 
290 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 along the New Jersey Coast is " Goody." It is known at 
 Lewes, Delaware, where it sometimes appears in great num- 
 bers, as the " Spot," from the mark near the gill-cover. It 
 frequently happens that its annual visits are almost, or 
 totally suspended for a season or two. Like all emigrants 
 from the southern part of our coast, it is more abundant 
 during some summers than others. 
 
 From the -description received from Southern friends, of the 
 " Pigfish" or " Hogfish," so renowned in the lower waters of 
 the Chesapeake for its flavor, and its grunting or croaking 
 noise when caught, it is doubtless the same. 
 
 Few salt-water anglers fish for them as a matter of choice, 
 preferring the larger and less edible fish, for their size, as 
 they give more sport ; while the little Goodies frequently 
 linger around and nibble off one's bait, when the Weakfish 
 or Barb cease biting. At such time it is well to be provided 
 with small perch-hooks, which can be substituted for the 
 larger, and tied on, one a foot and the other two feet above 
 the sinker (a half-ounce bullet); and baited with small mites 
 of fish or soft crab, and the float dispensed with. If they are 
 frightened away by the reappearance of larger fish, they will 
 return as soon as the school passes on, and bite as freely as 
 before. In angling for Weakfish, I have often made a profit- 
 able operation by thus changing my hooks, catching dozens 
 of these delicious little fellows expressly for the pan. For 
 richness and flavor, no pan-fish surpass them. The hooks 
 should not be larger than No. 2 or 3 Kirby ; the long-shankerl 
 or what is called " weak-trout hooks" are best. They strike 
 hard, pull vigorously, am' bend the rod well, for fish of sucli 
 small dimensions. They are often taken in company witli 
 small Porgies and with the same tackle. They are frequently 
 found in July and August, on the flats between the hotel at 
 Long Beach and Tuckerton, New Jersey. 
 
SALT-WATER piSH 
 
 AND PISHING. 
 
 291 
 
 THECROAKEK. GRONIER. 
 
 ^icropor/on undulatus : Cuvier, 
 
 My acquaintance with thi'« fl«i. ^ 
 mrsa-o i-nToU 13 7 commenced twentv-five 
 
 years ago, in Lake Ponchartrai'n J u . "vc 
 
 :'::^ '\ -- "^ '^e u„u„„ S.J; .1'; :: : 
 
 Lake Ponohartrain, near New Orloans " 
 
 the 'r Colo ' T ""■°" -"'"" '™- ■»'"»'« -™ unde 
 
 u„s reaotang below the lateral line; bellv whitp p- 
 
 . e flrs. dor., ba, ten 3pi„e3, the .eeo'nd t>L;5ht Z' 
 
 Fctoral., fourteen; ventral, one ,pi„e and Ave ray I' 
 
 wo ,p,nes and eight r.y. ; eau.lal, eighteen raya ThJre " ' 
 
 « or three longitudinal row. oi' spots, or .Lte bl , I 
 
 oil the dorsal and caudal flns "'oioncs, 
 
 Croakers are taken in great quantities in the bays and 
 
 pa.c,.ris.ia„,the,a;irL';r;:zr't 
 
AMERICAN ANQLBR'8 BOOK. 
 
 
 fishing for them, a slight, pliant rod, with a stiffish tip, 
 should be used, with or without a reel (though the reel is 
 preferable, as his giant congener, the Redfish, may take a 
 fancy to your bait), a float or not, as the depth of water, the 
 wind, or current may dictate ; hook. No. 2 or 3 Kirby ; bait, 
 shrimp, crawfish, or soft crab ; the first is preferable, peeling 
 the shell oft) and baiting with the white body. 
 
 At New Orleans anglers expect them generally from the 
 middle of April to the first of May, and catch them in 
 Lake Ponchartrain until autumn, I have anchored off the 
 lighthouse at the end of the Shell Road a mile from shore, 
 and with a pleasant breeze to soften the heat of the sun, a 
 light fifteen foot cane rod, a pitcher of ice- water, a good segar, 
 and a quiet companion, I have passed a pleasant morning 
 and had fine sport. 
 
 The most approved way of cooking Croakers, as adopted 
 by the New Orleans restaurateurs, is to fry them in sweet oil ; 
 the vessel being so large as to float the fish, not allowing 
 them to touch the bottom or sides ; cooked thus they are 
 highly and deservedly prized. 
 
SALT-WATER FISH AND PISHino. 
 
 203 
 
 REDFISH OF THE GULF OF MEXICO. 
 
 Corvina ocellata. 
 
 Holbrook in hi, Uhthy.logy of South Carolina, says of 
 As flsh ..,t „ of a beautiful silvery eolor and iridSe^ 
 when taken from the water." In the\rulf i, i<, . .'?f 
 
 ^^ ana retains that color until it i/eS:::—^ 
 above appears to assume an entirely different tint T he 
 neighborhood of Charleston. 
 
 gulf, at Charlotte harbor, they eome into shallow water in 
 
 such numbers that they are easily speared. 
 Although many persons esteem it a good flsh for h„il- 
 
 or baking, or in a ..cubrion» or chowder,! b.t!a ™Xl 
 
 s es s rmgy and lacking flavor, and in no way com^b 
 to ,ts httle kinsman of frying-pan celebrity, the Croaker 
 Ihey are angled for with the same tackle, and much n t e 
 same way, as for Barb or Weakflsh ; they generally t,l! T 
 bait near the bottom. As those takeL J^ZCllZ 
 
 re usually large-sometimes as long as twenty.four and even 
 tlnrty mcbes-they afford fine sport. They strike boIdT 
 and run off thirty or forty feet of li'e at the first dsh.;!'' 
 ..out .s fleshy, they are seldom lost when fairly hold ' 
 
 ■me, No. 00 &rby hook, and a large float, are generally used 
 
294 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 BLUEFISH. 
 
 SKIP-JACK. 
 
 
 SNAPPING MACKEREL. 
 TAILOR. 
 
 Temnodon sallator. 
 
 Body obloag, compressed, thicker above, and almost as 
 sharp below as the Shad, though the belly is not as completely 
 carinated. Head large, profile slightly convex ; mouth large, 
 lower jaw slightly longer than the upper; both jaws are 
 armed with straight, compressed, lancet-shaped teeth, the 
 upper jaw having also an internal, but less extensive, row ; 
 the vomer, palate, and pharyngeal bones have minute brush- 
 like teeth. Branchial rays, seven. Fins : the first dorsal has 
 eight weak spines, which Ilolbrook says are enclosed in a 
 sheath or groove ; this I have failed to observe ; the second 
 has twenty-seven rays; ] (H^tovals sixteen rays; ventral, one 
 spine and five soft rays; anal, twenty-eight soft rays; the 
 caudal is deeply forked, has twenty rays, and is covered three- 
 fourths of its length with minute scales. Color, green on the 
 hack, shading gradually to a silvery white on sides and belly. 
 
 This fish sometimes reaches the extreme length of three 
 feet, though the average of those taken in our inlets and 
 bays is not over two or three pounds. 
 
 Bluefish are found all along the Atlantic coast from Maine 
 to Florida ; the smaller fish frequenting the bays and inlets ; 
 the larger are found outside, but within soundings. 
 
Sill.WAIJJB PISH ANB FI8HIN, 
 
 296 
 
 Th.s « one of the most active and unyielding «A that 
 ™. To use the words of Nimrod Wildfire, •■ he can jump 
 higher and come down ,,uiel.,r, dive deeper and stay under 
 onger, than any other salt-water fish of its size. Look at 
 h,s clean budd and it is accounts for; his narrow waist and 
 dep^o, hull falling ofT sharply as it approaches the keel 
 onablmg h.m to keep well to windward, as if he had Z's 
 eentred,oard always down. See his immense propeller behind 1 
 No fish of ,ts size IS more wicked or wild when hooked I 
 have sometmes struck a threcpound Bluefish, and thought I 
 had a s,x.pou„d Wcakflsh on, until he commenced jumting 
 and after g.vmg him considerable play, have at last (with fuli 
 confidence m my tackle) drawn him in by sheer force, with 
 his pluck not the least abated. 
 
 Though the Blneflsh is seldom angled for "per se" fa» 
 President Tyler used to .y), with rod L line, hc'fr qlw 
 
 for Weakflsh or Barb. Then look out for your snoodfon! 
 n.p with his sharp incisors, and it is cut off "clean as a 
 whistle On such occasions, brass wire or gimp snoods are 
 your only security. 
 
 fish ?T""'.T ''^™"^«-The usual mode of taking this 
 fish 1 by squiddmg. The sp.i^ is generally a white bone with 
 a hook at the end, or a piece of pewter, which is kept bright 
 by scraping it occasionally; the line is of strong hemp or 
 cotton^ With a good breeze when crossing a school of these 
 fish, the sport IS highly exciting, and great numbers of them 
 are sometimes taken. 
 
 The Blueflsh is not esteemed as food. It is extremely 
 predatory ,n its habite, swimming in schools, and causing 
 great havoc amongst Mossbunkers. Barb and Weakflsh 
 even, are not secure against the attacks of the larger ones ' 
 
296 
 
 AMERICAN ANQLBR'S BQOK. 
 
 SPANISH MACKEREL. BAY MACKEREL. 
 
 Cyhium waculalnm : Cuvier. 
 
 No adequate idea of this graceful and brilliant fish can be 
 conveyed by description or engraving, to one who has not 
 seen it. 
 
 Its body is an elongated ellipse, somewhat comprosfc^i ; its 
 section oval ; head small and long ; mouth large ; each jaw 
 armed with long pointed, but compressed, teeth, inclining 
 forwards. There are very small teeth on the vomer, palatine, 
 and pharyngeal bones, as well as on the tongue. Color: 
 greenish-blue on the back, shading away into a grayish 
 pearly hue, but slightly roseate along and below the medial 
 line ; belly white, like molten silver or mother-of-pearl. It 
 has a series of rows of dark but shining spots extending 
 along the back and sides, from the pectorals almost to the 
 caudal. The first dorsal fin has eighteen short weak spines; 
 the second has one spine and fifteen rays ; pectorals, nineteen 
 rays ; ventrals, one spine and five rays ; anal, two spines — not 
 sharp— and fifteen rays ; caudal, twenty or twenty -two rays. 
 The tail has a carinated projection on each side, extending 
 along the peduncle to the anterior curve of its caudal, which 
 is deeply lunate, or crescent-shaped. 
 
8ALT.WATBR FISH AND FISHING. 
 
 297 
 
 .ixttrt^t?' "'"•■ ""' "" "■' ""^-'« price of 
 jnches ,o„, e.elu.ve of the ealta 12:^;^: 
 
 stages of d«,ompo8,t.o-; the tails of those last swallowM 
 had scarcely disappeared do«r„ its throat 
 
 delicaces of "h„ It k • J "^ "' "'" ^^^ 
 
 Shad or Po„,; ao Ya : , :T "■;"""]!'"« '"" ""> 
 *u . 1 ' ""^ ^^*^^^ on British Fi8hp^ 
 
 »ys that the Spanish Mackerel taken „fi- .t„ .^^^.t ' 
 
 England and France does not exceed flfteen inches, a^d s an 
 
 indifferent fish on the table. 
 
 The Spanish Mackerel is truly a pelagian fish, and seldom 
 enters even o,,r salt-water bays for any dist nee T^ 
 -mparatively scarce in this latitude, and is found here only 
 in August and September, but it is more commo, owl2 
 
 he south. In the Gulf of Mexico it is sometimes takenC tt 
 tta: *■ T' "" "'''" '™« "'- -■>- stet 
 
 ^2 ith n^aX:; .r:: '° ?- °^'- ^ "- 
 
 if A,. • I, ^^ ^* °° ^ P^i^"' native reed Dole 
 
 t furnishes nire sport. If they could be found in any gre 
 
 numbers, and were fished for with fine tackle and all Tht 
 
 yng. A Salmon.rod and a good casting.line, with a flv 
 l:Zr '""" ''"'^™ " '"^ -0' would'-take'thel Cith' 
 
 pisorwriT^T"''''" ^"^'' "" '' "-'^ "° »- 
 
 mode the Iv Ju '""" ""''" ^"'"•"^' ''^ "■« """er 
 «7ned if tilv."* ""'""' ^° ^'"='™' " fl""^ are 
 
 whe t'is^u';' ^"-""^^ "'* ""^ "f f-" 'emon 
 
2tf» 
 
 AMERICAN ANQLBR'S BOOE. 
 
 THE POMPANO. CREVALLIL 
 
 BothrolomoeuM pampanua : Cuviir. 
 
 This fish has not been described in any previous American 
 work on Angling, and is unknown to the piscine epicure of 
 the north, unless he has had the good luck, in some southern 
 tour, to test its exquisite delicacy and flavor. For these 
 reasons T take pleasure in giving it a place. 
 
 The Pompano is a .species of the Mackerel family, and no 
 doubt a free-biting fish ; though the fact of its feeding at the 
 bottom must make it a fish of less interest to the angler than 
 its congener, the splendid Spanish Mackerel, which lives on 
 the small fry that swim near the surface. 
 
 I have often desired, but never had the good fortune, to 
 examine a specimen just taken from the water, as those 
 brought to New Orleans, where I have .seen them, had been 
 caught some hours. I have iherefore given a reduced copy 
 of Dr. Holbrook's representation of this fish, without his 
 scientific description, believing that the wood-cut will convey 
 a more correct idea of the Pompano to the angler than ii 
 scientific account of it. The naturalist just mentioned says ; 
 
M 
 
 SALT-WATER Fis„ ANUFI8IIING. 
 
 299 
 
 dunng the summer or late in October, and even longer if the 
 -mnjer . warm. It feeds On various kinds of mollu e 
 as well ascrustaceous animals, and takes the ho.,k g.d ! 
 when baited with clams, shrimp, &c., &c !' ^ 
 
 This fish sometimes grows to the length of twenty inches 
 though fifteen is as long as the average. ' 
 
 THE DRUMFISH. 
 
 P^joniaa chromit : CoTim. 
 
 The prominent clmracterinies of this '.big fish" are th, 
 number oe,rri „„,„ .,, „„„,„„, „ blaclcV. neT 
 
 u .1, „ leng.,, of f„„ f^, „„, ^ ^^^ of seventy po™ 
 , .rawinc, It in. When a Drum is hooked there 
 
 THE FLOUNDER. 
 
 The Flounder can hardly be called a sporting fish • still 
 Nvhen other sport cannot be had it .ff a ' ' 
 
 one who angles with a stiff tip I Tl T '"'"^ *" 
 
 of excellent flavor Th I '' '''''' ^^"' ^°^ 
 
 ™ ^^^ ^^^ge ones are best when broiled. 
 
800 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 THE SEA-BASS AND THE BLACKFISH. 
 
 These are taken mostly with the hand-line, and are only 
 sought for by the angler when fish of gamer qualities are not 
 to be found. The Sea-Bass and Blackfish are both plucky 
 fish. They are good in the pan, being firm of flesh. A rod 
 with a stitf tip is required ; they are angled for without a 
 float. A sinker or dipsy suitable to the force of the current 
 is required ; the hooks, No. 1 or Kirby, made of stout wire ; 
 clams, either soft or hard shell, are used for bait. 
 
 THE MULLET. 
 
 De Kay mentions four species of Mullets : the Striped, the 
 White, the Spotted, and the Rock Mullet. The Striped 
 Mullet found in Lake Ponchartrain is the only species I have 
 ever taken with hook and line. It is a shapely fish, elong- 
 ated, with the line of the belly more curved than the back. 
 Bluish on the back, silvery sides, with rows of dusky spots 
 extending from the opercles to the tail. It has two dorsal 
 fins, the first with four weak spines. It is found only in salt 
 or brackish water. The fresh-water fish known as the 
 Barred Mullet, which never takes a bait, is a species of the 
 Sucker family. 
 
 In the Gulf of Mexico and contiguous waters. Mullets swim 
 in large schools, and are generally taken with a cast-net. 
 Sometimes they appear near the surface of the water, when 
 they v/ill frequeiitly jump at a white rag or cotton wrapped 
 
SALT-WATER FJSH a'nd FISHING. 
 
 301 
 
 person. ' "' " ^"^ ^^^^^' ^« P^-^ by some 
 
 THE TOM COD, OR FROSTFISH. 
 
 This fish is very abundant along the New Fn.lo a 
 in autumn. After thp fir., r . \ England coast 
 
 ^iier the farst frost thev beeomp nlrr, 
 m shallow water nnri « • ^ "ecome almo.. torpid 
 
 They are sometimes taken in d eHtiU L TT "'" 
 papist in using a .„d in „„ J^^ ! i' X", ^7^ 
 rod should be ratbe,- .rtiff. j ? *' ^ "P °^ """ 
 
 quickly a, ,Z T ' ""^ *°"''' ^'"'^'' ^^arp and 
 
 TheW "^ """ "''' "'^ '"'" ^"' "™«i avidity 
 
 «ed,bnttHis.;orb.'^L::r::vrr%«'-"^^^'^ 
 
 are dryaad unpalatable. ^ ^ °^'^'"" ^'y 
 
 THE POKGY. 
 
 Pagrtuagt/n.pa; Cuvier. 
 
 white. "ZC ::: «^^ "eny.snver; 
 
 ■■..olars inside, ^h Tonsal I T '"°"°" '"* '"""'^''^ 
 
 thirteen stout spines and, , "^ "' ™'""™''^' has 
 
 Pletely in a live Z ^ ?• '* ''''' ^^'^ "'"- "<""• 
 
 ravs- p^torfr "' " *"'"'' »-"• >■»» --»teen 
 
 .», pectorals, seventeen,- ventrals, one spine and five 
 
802 
 
 AMBRICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 branched rays; anal, three spines and twelve rays, closing in 
 a groove, though not so entirely as the dorsal. 
 
 This sedate-looking little fish is taken with bottom tackle. 
 The hooks should be small to suit the mouth, as they are 
 great nibblers, and often annoy che angler when fishing for 
 Barb or Weakfish. 
 
 The Porgy is an excellent pan-fish, and would be more in 
 favor if it was not so common. 
 
osing m 
 
 a tackle, 
 they are 
 bing for 
 
 more in 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 FLY-l'ACKL 
 
 E, 
 
 *^P^^3^ 
 
"S»a, Rweet tbniBhM, forth and alngt 
 Have you met the honey-bee 
 Circling upon rapid wing 
 Round the angler's trysting-tree ? 
 
 Up, sweet thrushes, up and see I 
 Are tliere bees at our wil'.ow tree! 
 Birds and bees at the trysting-tree? 
 
 "Slug, Bweet thrushes, forth and sing! 
 Are the fountains gushing free? 
 Is the soutli wind wandering 
 Through the angler's trysting-tree f 
 Up, sweet thruBiies, tell to me I 
 Is there wind up our trystlng-treot 
 Wind or calm at our trysting-tree f" 
 Stoddart. 
 
 "And the pleasant watercourses 
 Vou could trace them through the valley, 
 By the rushing In the Spring-time, 
 By the alders in the Summer, 
 By the white fog in the Autumn, 
 By the bUck line in the Winter." 
 
 LoNonuow. 
 
CHAPTER XI. 
 
 TBOUT FLY-FISHma.-OUTFIT AND TACKLE 
 
 eye to convenieDce and comfort nrlH 7,' ^'*^ ^" 
 
 should have pocket, on the inside and outside of the skirt 
 
 large to hold a fly.book. In the choi,.e of his dr^,, ,/ 
 angler should avoid any glaring eolor, en-ulatin! ^^ 2 
 gray m,sts of the n>orui„g, or the ■• gloamin' " itsT,; "' 
 
 VV ading-Trousers should V.P r.e u 
 
 — ,tostandtheusua,:e::a:d^z.::-^^ 
 
 ™.berso™ea„ds,ippe.,,a„diijti:;L':'::;':r: 
 
 They are certainly water-nroof if tl,. wading. 
 
 ^. *arp stones; L in th^r^f J;;,: -,;^:7^ 
 
 get .n. I have seen an angler, who insisted on using 
 
 (305) 
 
806 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 tbern, after getting a fall, lie on his back and elevate his 
 heels into the air, forming a humanized letter ^ , and the water 
 which ran out of his boots, ran down, or rather up, his back. 
 Do not be persuaded to try a pair of them ; if you do, to 
 use the expression of an Irish friend, "you will come to 
 grief;" but go to your bootmaker, and get him to make you 
 a stout pair of double-soled lace-boots, to come above and fit 
 snugly around the ankle ; have only one heel-tap, and stud 
 the soles (not too thickly) from toe to heel with soft iron hob- 
 nails, such as are used by foundrymen and forgemen to pro- 
 tect the soles of their shoes when treading on hot iron. The 
 soft iron of which these nails are made gives a firm hold on 
 slippery rocks. Stout woollen socks or stockings should 
 invariably be used to wade in ; they are softer and feel warmer 
 than cotton when wet. 
 
 The Creel or Basket should be of the usual shape, to 
 fit one's side, and of capacity for fourteen pounds of trout ; 
 this size is convenient for stowing wading-shoes and trousers 
 in, and a bottle of claret or anything else may be securely 
 rolled in the trousers, when packing up for an excursion. 
 
 The "top-tile" should be a drab or light-gray mixed felt 
 hat, with a twisted string, as well as a band (or in place of a 
 band), which is convenient to tuck flies under, when one is 
 changing them, and does not wish to return them wet to his 
 
 b >ok. 
 
 Landtng-Net.— I have tried many nets that were recom- 
 mended as handy and easily carried, and, after many experi- 
 meats, at length hit on the following simple expedient, which 
 I will try to describe: When preparing for an excursion, put 
 into your rod-bag, or lash on the outside of it, a piece of rat- 
 tan the size of your little finger, and about four feet long. On 
 arriving at your quarters, bend it in the middle, and, after 
 slipping the net on, bring the two ends together so as to form 
 
TKOUT FLY.TlSHl^o 
 
 807 
 
 the bow, and again at .),» ] T T '"'"'^ '*■"<' '><='»■■ 
 
 -he. .ab .u,^ :r„ ir i; : ;*■ ^--^-^ ^^ = 
 
 button aewed „„ ,he bant 7' suspended by a 
 
 doe, not annoy orTl^de / '"" ""'" '"^'" ""•" '=»"- I' 
 -hen reqni J. a ^f ^"" P-^'^-' »'! i>< ™dy for use 
 
 . handle Jo; IhTilrh "'7 " '""^ '" '"■™^'-' »d 
 or eight inches in length, is sufficiont. Where 
 
 .>......,K.i„;,;t;:X":'ir''-- 
 
 . :«.■•^;:v-^--c:Sr 
 nut in the end of a ferule fa^fpn ^ ,'^'^ '' '^"^^ ^"to a 
 
 die. The h-mdl. k '" '^^ '"^ ^^^ '^^ «^»<^^t han- 
 
 iue nanaie can be unsr-rf^w.^ri j i 
 
 turns out the ih«..lnt^ • ' ' ^^ ^^ frequently 
 
 "ui, me aosolute necessity of hivi'n.r a i 
 
 -^-'-e.nhispoe.ets,as;:nJr;^i!;:-;r; 
 
808 
 
 AMBRICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 of shoemaker's wax pressed between the folds of a stout 
 piece of leather, for it may be that he will have to splice his 
 line or rod, or repair other damage. 
 
 Fly-Rods. — There is as great a diversity in the size and 
 flow of the waters where Trout are found, as there is in the 
 size of the fish found in them ; it is therefore expedient for an 
 angler who fishes all waters, to have two rods for casting the 
 fly. For the rivers and lakes of Maine, the streams of Canada, 
 and wherever Trout are found in large waters, a good stout 
 rod of not less than twelve and a half or thirteen feet is best ; 
 it should weigh at least twelve ounces. Though withy, it 
 should have a stiffish tip; the line, leader, and flies required 
 in such waters being larger than the fly-tackle in general use. 
 For the lively tributaries of the Susquehanna, Delaware, and 
 Hudson, the streams of New England, and for brook-fishing 
 generally, where wading is necessary, a rod from seven to 
 nine ounces in weight, and from twelve to twelve feet four 
 inches long, is most suitable. A rod of this size is so light, 
 that incessant casting does not weary one, and the size of the 
 fish does not make a rod of greater power necessary. 
 
 Having a preference for such streams as last mentioned, 
 I give my notion of what a rod for such fishing should 
 be, from one made for my own use. Using a scale with 
 minute fractions of an inch aad a pair of callipers, I find 
 the diameters at various distances from the lower end 
 of the butt, as follows:. — The grasp of the rod, say at 
 eight inches from the lower end, is one inch ; at eighteen 
 inches, 3*; at twenty-four inches, ^^; at four feet (the first 
 ferule), U ; at six feet, ^Hj ; at eight feet (the splice, or upper 
 ferule), 3'^ ; at ten feet (the middle of the tip), ^V I at the 
 extreme tip, 3*3. 
 
 The butt of a fly-rod should be of well-seasoned white ash, 
 the middle joint of ironwood, and the tip of quartered and 
 
TROUT PLY.PISHINtf. 
 
 809 
 
 spliced bamboo. The mnnnor ^e i ■ 
 
 is explained in '\ T '^^^'''^ ''^' ^^ '^'^ kind 
 
 explained m an article on "Bod Making" found in . 
 
 subsequent ehaDt(-r Th^ .• ,, ^' ^ ^ 
 
 not so sfff if ? , . ^P "'""^^^ ^'^ ""^ ^«^'^^«"*' though 
 
 Tere of tf " " '^ "«^'^^^° '"^'^^ ^' ^^^ stouter part 
 >^ere of the same wood as the middle joint. 
 
 beneath the ferui: at the . I ' ^'''^ '^^ ^"^"°^^^^ 
 rod is thuVr ™'^""' *h«" balance" of the 
 
 board" to """' ^'^ '^"'' ^"^ i^« --ght "out- 
 
 "t^::-ri:ti::n:ti;^^^ 
 
 scarcely felt. ^ '' *^"' ^^^''^^^^d' or 
 
 To avoid the difficulty of takin., ^ff *i, , , 
 ^A^ « "^ taiiing off the reel, which <5n 
 
 to which the reel i! f'led k!?"" °" """ °' *^ »'"" 
 feral,. „n,l K- J- V by slipping it under the butt 
 
 ferule and bmdmg down the other end with a «at braid or 
 bucks., string, three or four turns being snfflcielt ho^ 
 
 To provide also against a similar inconvenience I make 
 ach joint of my fly-rods without the usual wooderiL!, 
 he lower end of the outside ferule, and consequentl/^ L 
 
 :rrr„:: i;.';re"'°" *r ""■' ">''» "^' 
 w.i. da™p;:;d^'Xnf%tyr ;r;X J 
 
 ■ng inside the wooden socket, will stickLt; and the antr 
 " -d- the necessity of taking his rod home unjoi,: d 
 or doing some violence to the ferules ""Jomted, 
 
 In fly-rods, the ferules which join the different pieces 
 
 oget er are generally unnecessarily long, and interfere X 
 
 the play and spring of the rod. There is no necessitv for 
 
 having the ferule which Joins the middle piece to th"ta 
 
 more than two inches long, and that whioh'joins the mi!^ 
 
810 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 piece to the tip more than one and a half inches. It is 
 better, if the angler ha.s the knack and patience, to join 
 these two pieces by a neat splice about three inches long, 
 which should be closely wrapped with coarse waxed silk. 
 This splice will be all the more secure by rubbing each 
 surface where they are brought in contact, with shoemaker's 
 wa.\. In the days of stage-coaches a rod of four pieces was 
 most convenient in travelling, but of late years, when most 
 fishing-grounds can be reached by rail, one of three pieces is 
 easily and safely carried, and is preferred by most anglers, on 
 account of its having fewer ferules. The rings through 
 which the line passes should be as light as pos.sible, gradually 
 lessening in size towards the end of the tip, where they need 
 not be larger than to allow the free passage of the line. 
 
 Under the head of "Rod Making," I shall endeavor to 
 impart to the reader whatever .knowledge of suitable wood 
 and materials I may have acquired as an amateur rod-maker; 
 being well satisfied that the angler who has leisure, and 
 aptness for mechanism, will derive additional pleasure from 
 fishing with a rod of his own make. 
 
 English writers recommend that the last six or eight inches 
 of a fly-tip should be of whalebone. The objection to this is, 
 that when this material is reduced to the requisite size, it 
 becomes soft and inelastic from moisture, and brittle from 
 cold or dryness ; in its former condition it is too limp to lift 
 the line from the wj^ter with a proper spring. Some autliors 
 also recommend hollow butts, on account of their convenience 
 for carrying extra tips ; they are now as obsolete as hazel 
 tips and wooden reels. 
 
 Such a rod as I have recommended might not stand a long 
 day's fishing without warping, where the average size of Trout 
 are such as Sir Humphrey Davy speaks of taking from his 
 noble friend's preserves in the Coin or Wandle, or such as 
 
TROUT FLY-PISHINO. 
 
 811 
 
 are to be found occasionally in the lakes of the Adirondack 
 Mountains or Maine • hut f,.,. i; i,* ^"ironuack 
 
 oa,.i„g, a rod of tU k.nd i ^ T' '"""'• """' P'"""""' 
 or , Jter rod id w U T '' """""^ '° " ''»"- 
 
 -.. V .; - lr;z\::d-:v:t:",:: 
 
 requires wading. Few ani?Ipr« „ft i. ■ 
 ii, 1 8 'ow anglers, after hav ng accustomprl 
 
 themselves though „„,, fo, , , ,„ ca..i„glith a th. 
 phant, o„e.ha„dod rod „, here deacribed, are ever Itflrf 
 |o^^re..e a ..o-handed rod. or o„e o, greater ,e„:rtd 
 
 There are many highly.finished one-handed English flv 
 
 rods ,,„ported and sold by .ackle stores, but they re 1 
 
 m bes,des be.„g heavier by one-third than is neeelT 
 
 nd so dogged with unnecessary mountings, reel-fa te„ tls' 
 
 ferules, wrappings, and varnish, that the pur baser is a "'» 
 
 abandon them after a few seasons' experienee, for Tr^lTf h 
 
 own designing, or his own malce " ro<l ol h„ 
 
 =mall, and transverse at the abutments " ""^ 
 
 The color of a rod, if not too li»ht is of li.,l • 
 it maybe stained black or yellow he 1<^ 7^' ' 
 never be produced V strong 'acids: l^ a ::::: . "" 
 the strength of the wood. Dark wood, f "^ '""'" 
 
 raining. A neutral tint is m,,aT«V™"' "''"'" ■'° 
 ofcom„,onwriting.fluid of blXh tfnt ' "" " '™ °°"^ 
 
 Shellac, which is soluble in alcohol nr ..i. ■ 
 preferred to copal varnish • it ,t M k ' "' «'"'™"^ 
 
 Slareof the JcoathTud e mldr""^" '""' "■' 
 
 ^. a iittie segar ashes ouT::: r; iCb^:;:: t^ 
 
 and then wiping it off with clean water. ^' 
 
812 
 
 AMBRIOAN ANGLBR'8 BOOK 
 
 A good plan for protecting a rod fVom moisture, i« to give 
 it a thin coat or two of boiled linseed oil, after staining it, 
 The oil should be applied warm, and rubbed well into the 
 grain of the woal. It should dry thoroughly before var- 
 nishing. 
 
 In a rod for my own use I prefer a tip reasonably stiff, and 
 the middle piece somewhat slight below tho ferule that joins 
 it to the tip. This is what some anglers call a " top-heavy" 
 rod, which makes casting easier ; the tip being stiffish, lifts 
 the line mor- readily from the water. 
 
 Rbbls.— A small light reel, which will hold twcnty-flve 
 yards of line, is best for Trout-fishing. One with a short 
 axle, which brings the plates of the rcol close together, is to 
 be preferred; as it winds the line more compactly on the 
 spool. I have a simple click reel of this kind, whicli is two 
 inches in diameter and only three-quarters of an inch between 
 the plates. John Krider, at the north-east corner of Second 
 and Walnut streets, Philadelphia, generally keeps them on 
 hand, or will have them made to order. 
 
 Lines. — A plaited or twisted line of hair and silk, tapering 
 for the last five or six yard.s, is by all odds the b«"st for 
 Trout-fishing. 
 
 Leadbrs.— A leader should taper gradually from the end 
 where it joins the line, to tl end to which the stretchei 
 is attached, and should be two-thirds or three-fourths the 
 length of the rod. I prefer making my own leaders to 
 buying them at the tackle stores. It is very easily done by 
 soaking the gut well, and using the angler's double knot. An 
 illustration of this knot will be found in another chapter. 
 
 Flies.— In giving a list of flies best adapted to American 
 waters, I have done so without reference to the opinions of 
 English writers, considering many of their rules and theories 
 regarding flies inapplicable to our country. The ob.servation.^ 
 
 \ ivt 
 
^ 
 
 TROUT KMKs. 
 
 I- Oiugci- llmki,.. ,. „ , 
 
 •-i- «n...«c, „«..K,... '• '7' '"• 
 
 ;t. i.o,t..„.i. '• '"•'^■'' *'»• 
 
 4. A I.al,„or. '^ '^'"'""' ^'""•>- 
 
TROUT FLT-PISHINQ. 
 
 318 
 
 here jotted down, are rather the result of my own e.-:nerienoe 
 a. I have earned them on the stream and from membeZ' 
 o..r httle club the " Houseless Anglers." 
 Mueh perhaps most, of the theoretical knowledge of flies 
 
 from the wrutugso our brethren of the " Fast-anohored 
 
 . FH 7 ?■*""=■■ "="" '•''^ C"«y. Bonalds, Bene 
 EphemerVUnd others, with interest and profit. Though 
 I do not pretend to condemn or think lightly of their pre 
 cepts drawn from long experience of bright waters d^^ 
 mmates, yet .f followed without modification and p ope^ 
 allowance for chmate, season, water, and insect life here a 
 contrasted wuK England, the beginner is apt to be led no 
 many errors, corrected only by long sumn.crs of oxperie t 
 So h W.11 come at last to the conclusion, .hat of the maX' 
 fl.s descr.be and illustrated in English books, or exhibit d 
 on the fly.makers' pattern-cards, a very limited assortn.cnt is 
 really necessary, and many totally useless, in makiug up h 
 book. He wzU also find, after the lapse of some years that „f 
 
 e great variety with, which he at 'first stored "^V^ 
 has gradually got rid of at least three-fonrths of themt he 
 has of the theory of strict imitation, and the routine .'yl: 
 ^.at .s, an exact citation of the naturu! fly, and particuC 
 fl.es for each month), and settles down to the use of ah " 
 
 a^ortment, considers h.s book stocked beyond any contin. 
 
 An extensive knowledge of flies and their names can hardly 
 bo of much pracfcal advantage. Many a rustic adept is 
 .g-ant of a book ever having been written on fly fi C 
 a»d knows the few flies he uses only by his own lim ted ■ 
 vocabulary. One of the mos„ accomplished fly.flshers W 
 -t w.th has told me that his first essay was'with t he sc ^ 
 
314 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 of a red-headed woodpecker tied to the top of his hook. 
 Notwithstanding all this, there is still a harmonious blending 
 of colors or attractive hues, as well as the neat and graceful 
 tying of a fly, that makes it killing. 
 
 With these few preliminary remarks, I shall describe only 
 the flics which I have used successfully, and refer the reader 
 to the English works on angling just mentioned, for a descrip- 
 tion of the great variety known by so many different names. 
 
 Hackles and Palmers. The Red EachU. — This is what 
 the renowned Mr. Convoy, of Fulton St., New York, calls a 
 " Journal-Fly," which avc suppose to mean a fly for general 
 use. It is one of the indispensable hackles. All fly-fishers, 
 from the country bobkin to the most experienced angler, have 
 constant use for it ; few make their whip for the first cast of 
 the season without it. It is particularly killing when the 
 water is discolored by a freshet, at which time it is best as a 
 stretcher on a No. 4 hook, and dressed Palmer* fashion. 
 When used as a drop-fly, it should not be dressed on hooks 
 larger than No. 6 or 7. It is a good fly from April to the 
 1st of September, after which, as Dr. Bethune righteously says, 
 no "true-hearted angler" will wet a line in a Trout-stream. 
 The body of this fly is made of red mohair or the ra veilings 
 of red moreen or floss silk; sometimes with yellow floss; or 
 the hurl of the peacock, the tail tipped with gold tinsel. If 
 dressed as a Palmer, the body is wound with gold or silver 
 thread ; gold is best. The hackle should be of the darkest 
 natural red, not dyed. 
 
 The Soldier Hackh, from its high colors, is attractive on 
 dark waters and deep pools, though not generally as killing 
 as the Red Hackle ; hooks, from No. 2 to 6 for stretchers,! and 
 from 6 to 9 for drop-flies.f It is better dressed as a Palmer, 
 
 * For an illustration of a Palmer, see figure 4 on plate of Trout-Flies. 
 t For explanation of " stretcher" and " drop-fly" or " dropper," see 
 article " The Whip," a few pages further on. 
 
TROOT FIY-FISHIHO. 
 
 815 
 
 the body of red or crimson mokair, wrapped with gold or 
 
 uaed ,t wuh great ^tisfaotion on the subsiding of a freshet 
 when the water had become «ther bright for th: Ked Hack e 
 o„ the same s.zed hook^ and especially aa a stretcher, from 9 
 
 flv is not" "■■, : '"*'' °' ■"""' "PP'°^'-'« »=- for this 
 fly .s not eas,Iy obtained. I have sometimes found it on 
 
 th necks of capons, which are brought to our market piled 
 
 wtth the exceptton of the neck and head! What is termed a 
 
 fu nacchackle .s frequently used in tying this fly. f„r a cock 
 
 wUh brow. : :.,,es on his tail..overts is seldom found I 
 
 nvar,ablj ,, ,, .be bcxly of the Brown Hackle with the 
 
 darkcst^copper-color^ ^,,, Hurl, the uil ipped with 
 
 The ai„ger Mackk.-The hackle used for i s ny is . 
 
 neck of a cock whose taibcoverts are of a tint deep enough 
 or the Red Hackle. The Ginger Hackle is better Led as a 
 dr.|.-liy than as a stretcher; the b«ly should be of dubbing 
 of the same color as the hackle, and wrapped with silver 
 bread .f ,t ,s used for a stretcher. When it is used for a 
 droppe, the body may be of orange or lemon colored flos 
 s.lk the latter tmt IS preferable towards sundown. The hook 
 used should not be larger than No. 7; Ko. 9 or 10 is not too 
 smal on st.Il, smooth water. Where the hackle is very I 
 tl- % will kill as long as you can see it on the w2r l' 
 .» som^,mes dt^sscd Palmer fashion, though I do not like 
 .t so well as when it is tied simply as a Hackle. I ge„en.lly 
 ..e .t-as I do most Hackles-o„ a Kirby hook, on account 
 ot Its superior hooking qualities. 
 Black Eackles are better for drop-flies. As they are used 
 
816 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S B>OK. 
 
 chiefly on fine water, or on bright days, or at midday, they 
 should be drer-^ed on small hooks, say from 8 to 10 or 
 even 12 (Kirby). I prefer the bodies of copper-colored 
 peacock hurl, though black mohair is generally used. The 
 bodies of this fly are also made of orange and red floss silk ; 
 they are sometimes dressed as Palmers, and ribbed with 
 silver or gold thread or tinsel, or with coarse red or orange 
 silk. 
 
 A Grizzly Hackle is a good drop-fly on a bright day towards 
 noon ; it is best on a body of black floss or mohair. The 
 hackle for this fly is a mixture of black and white— the 
 darker the better. It is obtained mostly from the neck of the 
 conk. It is good on bright water, and more appropriate 
 for a dropper. 
 
 A pale yellow mottled, or barred .Eackle, with light yellow 
 silk body, is a good evening fly. I sometimes tie it on a 
 No. 10 or 12 Kirby hook. It comes into play with great 
 effect, with the Yellow Sally at sundown, and as late in the 
 evening as Trout will rise. 
 
 A White Eackle, with white or ve^-y pale yellow body, it is 
 thought by many, will kill later in the evening than any 
 other fly, though I think it not superior to the pale yellow 
 mottled hackle just described. 
 
 The Dotterel is one of the flies described by Hofland— 'body 
 of yellow silk, legs and wings from the feather of a dotterel." 
 This feather is not known to American anglers ; my imitations 
 are made from the light barred feather of the partridge or 
 snipe, and the body of light yellow floss silk. It is easily 
 made, and on small Kirly hooks it is killing on well-shaded 
 waters, especially towards sunset. 
 
 Tlie Grouse Eackle has a body of orange floss, or peacock 
 hurl ; I prefer the latter. A suitable feather for this fly cuii 
 be had from the wing-coverts and rump of our common 
 
TROUT PLT-PI8HIN0 
 
 817 
 
 praine fow ; a oook partridge's feather i. still bettor; a snipe', 
 or woodcock s will do. This is a good Sy on clear water a 
 well as on a full strean, ; if for the latter, it is better to h " 
 he body .pped with gold tinsel. It is better used as a dro^ 
 fl> , the hook should never be larger than No. 6 on full 
 water, and 8 or 10 when it is fine. 
 
 fealefl' rt*'' '""'•"^^'' ^-*^ "^y^ made from the 
 feather that hangs on either side of the rump of an English 
 n.pe; n ts sUghtly barred. The body m^y be mad! of 
 ead.oolored floss, or a pale but distinct yellow, it is a goo 
 
 :rr;otr '""'""" '° ^- ^"^ "■■—-- 
 
 The last seven of the aforementioned Hackles are better 
 without havmg the bodies tipped with tinsel, and are g^J 
 ones to mduet the beginner in th. art of tying his own fli 
 Most of them should be us^ exclusively L lo^:: 'Z 
 Bed Brown. SoWier, and Ginger Hackles are ,uL as sue 
 oessful a, stretchers. The Bed Hackle, I am in the hab t 
 of dressing on hooks from No. 3 to 6, made of stout hel 
 wire, so that it will sink somewhat below the surface J 
 *e water; which mode of fishing I have frequenUyTu:! 
 neces^ry, especially after a freshet; the Trout in the rifts 
 appearing to take it as bait, carried along by the current 
 beneath the surface, rather than as a fly 
 
 W,NC.D Fi,,.s.-Of the great variety described in English 
 books on fly-flshing, I place foremost of all, the Grelm 
 f'7'';'r" Hofland say, is made, " bod; of h<s wool 
 ^.™ red brown, ribbed with gold twist; tail, two loTg 
 whisks of red hackle; wings from the feather of a tor 
 ...?s w,ng; legs, bright amber, stained hackle." This is 
 e Red Spinner found in the tackle store. As we have no 
 
 n.ottlcd feather fVom the wing-covert of the mallard; body 
 
318 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 of red mohair. If there are Chub in the stream, and they arc 
 troublesome, I substitute a dubbing of bright orange, gene- 
 rally of hog's down, to avoid them, for red is very attractive 
 to those pests. 
 
 "A Brown Spinner is made by using a brown mallard's 
 feather for wings, brown mohair or hog's wool for body, and 
 a brown hackle for legs. This is considered by many a 
 better fly than the Red Spinner, and is used mostly as a 
 stretcher. The same fly is sometimes made by picking out 
 the hog's wool dubbing under the wings, lo represent legs, 
 instead of using a hackle for that purpose. 
 
 The March Brown, and Cowdiing, I have never taken a 
 fancy to, nor the Stone Fly ; the)- are useless when one has a 
 supply of Spinners in his book. 
 
 There are several small flies with light yellow or slate 
 bodies and lead-colored wings, described by Ronalds, which 
 resemble each other closely ; they are good for the evening, 
 or on well-shaded waters at middaj'. These are the Cochwing 
 Golden Dun Midge, Yellow Dun, Skyblue, Whirling Blue Dim, 
 and Little Pale Blue Dun. None of them should be on hooks 
 larger than No. 7. 
 
 The Iron Blue Dun is used with effect at almost any time 
 of day. It is preferable as a drop-fly. 
 
 The Orannom has a body of hare's fur; wings of a partridge 
 feather, made full ; legs of a pale ginger hackle, and a short 
 tuft of green floss silk at the tail, to represent the bag of eggs 
 which this insect carries at the extremity of its body. In 
 this country, the Grannom is found on the water towards th(; 
 latter part of June, mostly towards sundown ; this imitation 
 of it is a killing fly as a stretcher on a No. 8 hook. 
 
 The Jenny Spinner (this is a Hackle). — I have seen this 
 diminutive fly used with great success as a dropper, on the 
 same whip with the Grannom ; body, white floss silk, wound 
 
TROUT FLY-FISHING. 
 
 319 
 
 With a light dun hackle, or a dirty white hackle will answer 
 in the absence of the former ; the head and tail of brown silk • 
 hooks No. 9 or 10. ' 
 
 The Black Gnat is a small %, and a pretty good imitation 
 ot a gnat ; it is best on l^right waters after ton o'clock ; hooks 
 8 to 10. 
 
 The Yellow Sally has yellow wings, body, and legs ; some- 
 times It IS tied a, a hackle. It is a good fly at sundown, and 
 as long as the angler can see where it falls on the water 
 
 The Fern^Fly is attractive, with its bright orange body and 
 Icacl-colored wings. 
 
 ^ The AlJer.Fly.-^e., to the Eed and Brown Spinners, this 
 IS the best stretcher-fly on Hofland's list. I have used two 
 of them on fine low water at the same time, with great effect, 
 one for dropper and the other for stretcher. The bodv of 
 this fly shc-^id be made of copper-colored peacock's hurl and 
 the wings of a feather from a brown mallard, or brown hen. 
 This fly can be varied by having a black mohair body 
 picked out near the head to represent the legs, as in the 
 Brown Spinner. 
 
 May Flies (the Green and the Gray Drake are the chief 
 representatives), as killing as they may be on English waters, 
 are seldom used successfully in this country. 
 Th,. Mackerel. Fly is supplanted bv the Brown Spinner 
 A Fancy Fly, with red or brown hog's wool for body 
 picked out beneath near the head, for legs; a dark brown 
 ma lard or hen's feather, with a few fibres from the feather 
 of the scarlet ibis and green parrot thrown in for wings • a 
 tai o/two fibres of a red macaw or ibis feather, and the end 
 of the body tipped with tinsel, is sometimes a good stretcher. 
 I have used it successfully on the rifts of the Beaverkill in 
 Sullivan County, N. Y.; it also does well on the still wat'ers 
 of the Adirondacks. The hook should be No. 2 or 3. 
 
820 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S QOOK. 
 
 The Scarlet Ibis, as much as it is lauded by some, I have 
 never had inuoh success with, except for those splendid 
 Cauadiau fish known as Sea Trout. With a red or bright 
 yellow body ribbed with gold twist, it is very killing in 
 angling for them. 
 
 The Oovernor, though a beautiful fly, I have not tried 
 successfully. It closely resembles the Fern-Fly. 
 
 The fly-fisher who keeps a varied assortment should not be 
 without a few small dark Camlet-Flies. The Irish fly-makers 
 excel in these. I have found, however, that small dark 
 Hackles, and the Alder-Fly, when tied on a No. 10 hook, with 
 wings from a dark mottled brown hen, to raise Trout when 
 anything artificial could induce them to come to the surface. 
 
 At the Sault Ste. Marie, and on the lakes of Maine, and on 
 some of the rivers about Lake Superior, small Salmon-flies 
 are more killing than Trout-flies ; hooks smaller than No. 2 
 (Trout) are seldom used there. 
 
 After having gone into a somewhat lengthy description of 
 the flies I have found to take well, I will refer to a few which 
 I tie for my own fishing, and with slight variation of color 
 and size, I find them ample for all seasons, weather, and 
 water. I do not pretend to say that other flies may not be as 
 killing on the whip of other anglers, but the constant use of 
 these for the last five or six summers, has given me (it may 
 be) a kind of blind faith in them, which has led me to adopt 
 them to the exclusion of nearly all others. 
 
 Of winged flies I use only the Brown .Ken and the Coach- 
 man ; of Hackles, only a brown, a black, and a ginger. 
 
 There is no variation in the bodies of my Coachmen; they 
 are always of copper- colored peacock's hurl, tipped with tin- 
 sel, the legs invariably of red hackle. The wings are of four 
 tints : first, white ; second, a light lead color, generally from 
 a tame pigeon ; third, a shade of lead color rather darker — a 
 
TROUT JLI-risHINO. 
 
 «U 
 
 g» I . feather .s very appropriate ; fourth, a decided lead eolor 
 -»V from a blue heron. I tie tho.e intended for dropn rs 
 on hook, from No. 6 to 10; for ^treteher., I use ^0^2 T 
 .nd a and n fl.hin« with them, vary the ejlor of ^ZVJ 
 size of hook, according to the weather (bright or cloudy), the 
 water (ul, or fine), and the time of day. The white wng. 
 
 :: atrnt: '"^ ™'°' '' '"" -' *^ '^^ ~- - '- '" 
 
 The A-o™ Sen I tie without varying the colors: body 
 of copper-colorcd peacock's hurl, tipped with gold tinsel ; 
 egs of dark brown hackle; wings from a dark brown hen' 
 eator mottled or speckled with yellow at the outer ends 
 of the fibres. This feather, which I have mentioned so often 
 .s taken mostly from hens known as t,:e "golden pheasan 
 breed, and ts not generally appreciated by professional fly. 
 makers On a No. 8 hook for a stretcher, this fly kills 
 splendidly on fine still water, and on a bright day I 
 generally use with it, a brown or black Hackle on a No 10 
 nook, as dropper. 
 
 AOinger Sa.kh. with a light yellow body, is my favorite 
 evening fly. •' 
 
 Any of these flics are tied to order, and by the angler', 
 own pattern ,f he wishes it, by Mr. George, at Philip Wilson's 
 gun and tackle store in Chestnut above Fourth street, or by 
 Mr. Jackson, :n Gold below Dock street, or John Worden, a' 
 Kr,ders corner of Second and Walnut streets, Philadelphia 
 
 The Wa,P._Thc leader, with its flies attached, is generally 
 
 htd IS of much tmportance. The fly at the end is called 
 «.e Stretcher, Drag-Fly, or TaiLFly. Those above are the 
 l-rop Files, Sometimes they are termed "Bobbers" or 
 "Droppers." 
 
 The stretcher, as a general rule, should be larger than the 
 
S22 
 
 AMBRIOAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 drop-fly ; the greater size and weight being at the end of the 
 leader, enables the angler to cast further, and with more pre- 
 cision. And the consequent greater resistance in drawing it 
 over the surface, keeps the leader taut and the Iropper more 
 at right angles with it, than if the reverse was the rule. 
 
 The distance between the stretcher and drop-fly should be 
 proportioned to the general length of the cast. In fishing 
 where it is more convenient to cast a short line — say of 
 eighteen or twenty feet — the flies should not be more than 
 thirty inches apart. This distance betwien the flies is more 
 suitable to the beginner ; but as practice enables him to throw 
 a longer line, the dropper may be moved further up the 
 leader, until four, or even four and a half, feet may intervene. 
 
 The stretcher should be tied to the end of the leader by 
 the common water-knot, which is illustrated on page 409, 
 and the dropper fastened, as shown by figure 3, on the same 
 diagram. The pieces of gut on which droppers are dressed, 
 should be stiflf, and not more than five or six incnos in length. 
 If the angler fishes with two drop-flies (thougn more than 
 one is seldom used), the upper should be twelve inches or so 
 above the first dropper. The leader should not be more than 
 three-fourths of the length of the rod, i. e., nine feet for a 
 twelve-foot rod. "With the beginner it should not exceed six 
 feet, for a short line, if light at the end, is not as easily cast 
 by the novice as a heavy one. A good large-sized hook also 
 will make casting easier, in his first attempt. He should not 
 commence with more than one dropper. 
 
 Frank Forester recommends a leader of fifteen feet. This 
 length would make it impossible for the angler to reel up his 
 fish within reach of his landing-net, as the knot which fastens 
 the line to the leader, and those by which the different gut- 
 lengths are joined, would catch in the wire loop at the end of 
 the tip, or in the rings, and, as a consequence, the fish could 
 not be brought near enough to put the landing-net under it. 
 
nd of the 
 more pre- 
 rawing it 
 >per more 
 ule. 
 
 jhould be 
 [n fishing 
 — say of 
 nore than 
 18 is more 
 I to throw 
 r up the 
 ntervene, 
 leader by 
 page 409, 
 
 thesame ^ CHAPTER XII. 
 
 e dressed, ^_ wTTr-rrrr,,,, , 
 
 inlength. | FLY-FISIIINO FOR THOUT. 
 
 lore than 
 ihes or so 
 nore than 
 feet for a 
 xceed six 
 lasily cast 
 hook also 
 bould not 
 
 set. This 
 3el up his 
 eh fastens 
 srent gut- 
 he end of 
 fish could 
 under it. 
 
I 
 
 " I NiviR wander whore the bordoriiig reodi 
 O'erluuk the iiiuddy atroum, wliintu tuiigling weed! 
 Perplex thu flalier; I, nor cbootiu to liuar 
 The thIevUli niglitly net, nor barbiul itiicur; 
 Nor drain I ponda, the golden Carp tu tiike, 
 Nor trowle for Plkea, diapeopleni of tlii' lukp. 
 Around the atcol no tortured worm ahull twine, 
 No blood of living itiawt aluina my Hue; 
 I,«t nie, leas cruel, coat the foathureU hook, 
 \f ith pliant rod, athwart the pebbled briwk. 
 Silent along the mazy margin atray. 
 And with tlio fur-wrought Hy delude the prey." 
 
 Oat. 
 
■' CHAPTER XII. 
 TROUT FLT-FISHING.—THE STREAM. 
 
 Carting die Fly.-Theory of strict imitation-Striking and killing a 
 Fish.— Likely places, how to fish them. 
 
 Casting the Fly.-So much has been written on this 
 subject, that the learner who consults the authorities, not only 
 finds that "doctors disagree," but that he is bewildered with 
 what may appear to him unnecessary detail ; and he is thus 
 impressed with an idea that Fly-Fishing is a science to be 
 attained only with much study and practice. It would 
 therefore be much better to learn the rudiments from some 
 skilful friend on the stream, and afterwards read such autho- 
 rities as Chitty, "Ephemera," and Ronalds. 
 
 As it is likely, however, that some of my readers who may 
 wish to try their hands, may not be able to avail themselves 
 of the practical instruction of friends of experience, or may 
 not have access to English authors on fly-fishing, I will, with 
 some misgivings as to my ability to profit them, describe the 
 usual manner of casting the fly, as practised by our best 
 anglers. Advising the beginner not to be ambitious at first 
 of accomplishing what he may deem a difficult feat, that is, 
 to cast a long line, but rather by patience and diligence to 
 acquire the knack of delivering one of moderate length 
 scraight out and lightly; by perseverance he will in due 
 time find "how use doth breed a habit in a man." 
 On a favorable day the learner, with faith and industry, 
 
 (327) 
 
828 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 and no preconceived notions of the difficulty of fly-fishing, 
 may find at his nooning that he has made a catch which does 
 not compare unfavorably with that of his more skilful 
 brother. If the contrary be the case, let him not lose heart, 
 as there may have been many circumstances against him ; as 
 inexperience of the waters, the arrangement of his whip, 
 landing his fish, &c., which he has yet to learn, and that it is 
 not his casting which is altogether at fault. 
 
 Some writers have objected to the accepted term " whip- 
 ping," contending that casting the fly is different from whip- 
 ping with a long staff and lash. I acknowledge that in the 
 main it is. Still the first motions of the arm and rod are not 
 unlike the motions of the arm and whip-staff' of a stage-driver. 
 The latter intends that the end of his lash shall reach a certain 
 part of the horse's body, while the angler intends that his 
 flies shall fall on a certain part of the stream ; but here the 
 similitude ends. The driver, by a sudden backward motion 
 of the arm, causes the lash to strike the horse with force, and 
 rebound ; while the angler avoids the quick backward motion, 
 and allows his flies to fall lightly ; and then, not hastily, but 
 by a gentle movement of his rod, draws his flies towards him 
 or across the water. 
 
 But to commence. — Let the beginner draw out as much 
 line as he can conveniently cast. If he uses a twelve foot 
 rod, eighteen feet (that is, from the tip to the stretcher-fly) is 
 enough. Then rvith a backward motion of his rod, let his 
 line go well out behind him, and before it has time to fall to 
 the ground, by a forward motion of the forearm and wrist, 
 cast his flies to the desired place on the water. 
 
 The backward motion of the line is chiefly imparted by 
 the spring of the rod, as the flies are lifted from the water, 
 and if it does not go to its full length behind, it will come 
 down clumsily on the water before the angler, when he casts 
 
TROUT FLY-FISHING. 
 
 329 
 
 it forward, and short f^f th i 
 
 effect i, p;„d„„ a t sit t "r' ''■ ^''^ -'- w 
 
 stould bear in mind th7it T """ '"""'■ '''' ""«'""- 
 a'eiglit, and the sprit of\ 1 /t ""^"«*' ''" " ^"^^ 
 light oast. The a™ lit ' '' ^** ""^ '»"« -^ 
 
 -tion imparted to rhe':itLr^'' ''«'"'^' ""^ ""' 
 pivot at the elbo«. and .1,;^ " "'"*"« "= o" » 
 
 at the Wrist. Th'el:;":; :™^7;»*rpi.„. 
 
 required in a short, straight cast ' ""' °"'^ '^ 
 
 eiro;^!:,: nrr- ?r^^ -- -' 
 
 He shonid always aim a, T ^^ ' ' ""^ "™-''^' "■■>"• 
 
 ^ ""'■ *"™e particular nlaop ■ 1,„ n 
 learn to measure the distance with h, "^^ «"" «<">» 
 
 exact amount of force to propelTis fl^ 7V"^ '"" "'^ 
 In drawing them over the water h! '""" ■"'• 
 
 have the drop-fly ,„ ,tim or T """"'"^ "''J°«' '' '■» 
 
 stretcher whchfoUo^'Tnl',"" °° "^ ^"*«^ "■« 
 -e of itself, for a a 11 7 ""-^ '^ ^"°«<» '" '"^e 
 
 " i^ on or be'neat'h thefuXl."""""' " '"""^^^ ""'^ "•"-"- 
 When the flies fir^^f fnH .^ 
 
 'owed to rest a mom nt Id th ^"T"' ""^ ^''™''' ■=« »'• 
 
 ■ tightening the line 7Tr! ' "°""" ™P"«'<' l'/ 
 
 , ° ^^"*^' or in recovenn'r thp f„ii ^ 
 
 '•o<l on the instant, shonid be avoided" Tfl " ^'■''''' "' "'" 
 sLould be left for some moments to ts wil "T"'' "'^^ 
 
 a..d sometimes with a tremulousmo il" ' """ S'"'^^^ «""% 
 "P against it. °'""' ""o^' or diagonally 
 
 After the learner (and he will always be . • ^ 
 acquired the first principles of the art 1 ! "°^ '"^ 
 and observation will tea,.b hi / "^' ""genuity, 
 
 «- -eams and ia^a e'^Xl^'??" '' ^'-- 
 wading, the latter iVom a bo,/ ,/ ' """ ^'"^ V 
 
 I' '» *erefore less neces ^1 ettr 'T " '■'^"' """^ 
 ^"PPose, or E„g,i.h write^ C::7>^T-:'2 
 
830 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 rugged forest streams, overhung by bushes and branches of 
 trees, and other obstructions occurring, make it requisite that 
 the angler should acquire tact and skill, to meet these 
 
 difficulties. 
 
 In casting under branches which hang within a few feet of 
 the water, the motion of the rod and course pursued by the 
 Hue is necessarily horizontal. For instance, in wading down 
 a stream, if you intend whipping under the branches on the 
 right, a back-handed cast is necessary ; the backward pre- 
 paratory motion of the rod being across the stream to your 
 left, and the past horizontally from the left to your right. 
 When the branches you wish to cast under are on your left, 
 the course of the line is vice versa, that.is, from the right to 
 
 the left. 
 
 The largest Trout love the shade of trees and bushes which 
 overhang the bank, and it is only by the means just described 
 that you can present your flies. It is customary to fish down 
 stream, and there is much difference of opinion as to whether 
 the general rule should be to cast directly down or acr.ss the 
 wat^r In this the angler mu'.t be governed much by cir- 
 cumstances, and his own judgment. I prefer the diagonal 
 cast, as presenting the flies in a more natural way, although 
 the drop-fly may appear to play better, and set more at right 
 angles with the leader, when drawing up against the stream. 
 When the wind is blowing up the stream, it becomes in u 
 good degree necessary to fish across, if possible casting below 
 the desired spot, and allowing the wind to carry the flies to 
 the right place as they fall on the water. If, however, it 
 blows "strongly in the direction of the cast, care should be 
 taken when putting on a fresh fly to moisten the gut to which 
 it is attached, if it be a stretcher. Many flies are cracked off 
 by neglecting this })recaution. 
 
 The advice of English writers to fish up stream, or with the 
 
TROUT PLY. PISHING 
 
 331 
 
 wind at one's bact in ^ j. 
 
 -coded bank, i„ the other, which llleTn """^• 
 
 ignore both rules. The force of 1. ' '° ™''^- 
 
 good rift would bring the sThl . rT "" """"^ " 
 beginner, entangle tl„ ''^^/K h" T" "''" 
 « only in a stiJI pool, or where I " '"°°'''- ^' 
 
 one is able to .sh !, s^rean, t ^ aj r::"; '"''^' """ 
 A word or two here about the flies'oo:^ IT""" 
 
 "%ht as falls the flaky snow " 
 
 ru:re:t;itr?e:::f:r-..;--. 
 
 poetical o„e,.and may be carted out ,! . I i " " ™'^ 
 line is light, the leader fine, Id h 1 l^, 'T"' " '"^ 
 »^coad is impracticable with a Ion. li,? . "^^ "^^^ 
 
 -ewhat elevated above the ^Lf iHu rd^X ^ ^ 
 on our streams, the miraculous casting or fall 'of h « "^ 
 -b.cl> -me writers speak of, and their skm" I ^°^ 
 
 are things we '■ read about." ' "^^^■ 
 
 My experience is, that the falline of tb^ I„,,^ 
 almost transparent when properly dvld^ I*"* '^ 
 
 *e ^^ but it is the inL^ '^'^ZT ^''"" 
 position of the angler. In cas«n. T °™sp,c„ous 
 
 flies always preeed'e the WefanVl "anTar' '""'' *' 
 course, fall where the flsh lie befo^ h 1;; '" °' 
 fisher advances or extends his ca A^tb , ' " ""^ 
 
 :2.----oug.t,itrustt:c:a::r;.:::2 
 .^—si^tttzru^dt^S^^^^^^^ 
 
 fine It IS important that they shoulrl T , ^ 
 
 -»vea,re.ysaid,nosudJe:rsh?u,7rSr";h: 
 
 II 
 
fi' ' 
 
 882 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 fliers, but they should be eased off (if I may so express it) as 
 they fall, by the slightest dowirvard bending of the wrist. 
 
 There is a great deal of poetry also, as well as fiction, in 
 the stories told about casting a very long line. Exi)erieuce 
 wir. teach yoa to cast no longer line than is necessary, what 
 ever proficiency yoa may acquire. Still it sliould be borne 
 in niind, that the higher your position above the water, the 
 mure, visible you are to the fish, hence tho greater the 
 necessity for ftHhiug far off when occupying such a stand. 
 But with sucl: .aevation, it is easier to cast a long line. 
 When a person is wilding the str-am, he is less visible to the 
 fish than if he wr.. ra Lhe bank, as the medium through 
 which the line of .-l^^hl passes is more dense than the atmo- 
 sphere above, and the rougher the water the more the line of 
 sight between the angler and the fish is disturbed. 
 
 °Nice7- -■iisting is, of course, required on a still pool than on 
 a rift; a careful angler, when he wades such water, will 
 always go in softly, without floundering or splashing, fishing 
 it by inches, scarcely making a ripple, and creating so slight 
 a disturbance, that he will find the fish rising within a few 
 yards of him; then he should cast with not too long a line, 
 and lightly. If he sees a large Trout rising lower down the 
 pool, he. does not fish carelessly, or hurry on to get to him, 
 hvt tries to tak3 ihose that may lie in the intervening water, 
 and approaches him slowly and imperceptibly, knowing that 
 he will be found there when his time comes. I. may add 
 here that in such water a landing-net is indispensable, as it 
 would disturb the pool to wade ashore with every good fish, 
 and that here also you have a better opportunity of using 
 your net and securing your fish, than in a rift. 
 
 In casting a long iin. , or even a short one, pirt.icv i irly on 
 a windy day, it is bcttf ;• to wet it occasionally by lioijliug the 
 leader and flies in your hand, and let it swag in tl.c water; 
 
TROUT PLY.pisHi^^ 
 
 i'ucceed so well i„ their effort, ,„ ^ , ° '"'" ^"S^"^^ 
 
 mentioned, and by whippt ' . "'" ''^ ""^ »«-. ju.t 
 
 *at 4a s.retehe/a„d drZ "'°"'"'' ''™'» "■-' "'-■ 
 
 de^be^el, .ate .he fl, befo: ; t; " "°"" "^" »^ 
 One instance of this f <j • 
 
 ■ <^';™'' "' » pool beneath .he M oft ,'" ""^ """"'"•>' ^ '' 
 
 -nook, a. a low sta^o of „ter „ " ™ ""^ ^^""«. 
 
 «re shy and refused eZTZ7 7"'"' "'''■ ™= «»'' 
 
 friendp„.onaGrannomI7/! ' f"'"^ "«'™. -hen „,, 
 
 , Spinner for a dropper h^^^ f ?'"'"' """^ " "'■■""■' J™ny 
 
 ''»«es fresh, and b,^LS\r°''''^''"»^'«"'»^ 
 between each .hrow, h^e wotidfa; ^ """"'"" '~'" '"^ 
 « »^sy surface, that a brace of T '" "«''">' "" 'he 
 
 almost every cast, and befor^ .h/'°"; """''' '^''^ ">em at 
 He had tied these flies anHnadf hT ." '"" <>"- "''^• 
 evening cast on .his poo, Zll "'* '^P"'^"^ ^r his 
 '"•ne, I was obliged to con. nt T l' '^ """''' '°' "o.ice 
 -^■e" in a half hour Co 's:^:f T' '"""'"S his fish, 
 exemplification of the advantalrf ? ""^ '''"' "- -» 
 and the faiiacy of the theorvof n ^r"'"* °"^'^ «'- ^'v, 
 ;» *e water, for :. .his inl, e j 1" '"'?« *^ «- .o faU 
 ft-d of it touched .he surface a. / "'' '' ''°""' » » 
 
 I'-en,sto„ethat.heJeTs; "^°* 
 
 'W» to say a few words abo .LT "P^^P^'^ P'aee than 
 
 '«■"» system," which sole E vT""' ""'' "^'*' "«• 
 
 «'-..«ously The former at : * """^ "^^-'e - 
 
 -"">-^. or for each mon h, s „ w! ^ "'" '"' -"- 
 
 ' eory by practical angers who ., ^^ ™ ''^P'oded 
 
 »« Pe.>auuc hun.bugrr.1 X'lri*'^","^*""'-^ 
 
 «7 tiiat IS good in April is 
 
884 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 killing in August, and the Bed and Brown Hackle, the 
 Coachman, Alder-Fly, and Brown Hen, will kill all summer. 
 For the theory of "strict imitation," there is some show of 
 reason, but I cannot concede that Trout will rise more readily 
 at the artificial fly which most closely resembles the natural 
 one for the fish's attention is first attracted because oi s, me- 
 thing lifelike falling on the water, or passing over the surface, 
 and he rises at it because he supposes it to be something he 
 is in the habit of feeding upon, or because it resembles an 
 insect or looks like a fly, not that it is any particular insect 
 or fly for we sometimes see the most glaring cheat, which 
 resembles nothing above the waters or beneath the waters, 
 a piece of red flannel, for instance, or the fin of one of their 
 own species, taken greedily. 
 
 The last time I had positive proof of this was some years 
 ago, when I happened to spend a quiet Sabbath in the 
 "Beech Woods" of Pennsylvania, with a cheery Irishman 
 who had made a clearing on the Big Equinunk Towards 
 noon I missed my creel, and on inquiring what had become 
 of it, was told that the boys had gone a-fishing and taken i 
 with them. In the aflernoon they returned with the cr<.l 
 full of Trout, which far exceeded my catch of the day pre- 
 vious. I asked them if they had taken them with worms- 
 ao • with the fly-no, they had none ; and then I remembered 
 the "dodge" I had practised myself in -^y^^^'^ "')2 
 days They said they had "skittered" with the belly Jin of the 
 Trout A worm to catch the first fish was the only bait they 
 wanted, all the rest of the Trout were taken by drawing this 
 rude counterfeit over the surface of the water. They dul not 
 k^ow-happy little fellows-that their practice was in oppo- 
 sition to the theory of learned professors,-Hofland, Blame. 
 Shipley, Ronalds, and others. 
 
TROUT PLr-PiSHINO. 
 
 886 
 
 Striking and Kiliino a Viaa o. •; . 
 
 tion. have been given I . r^i^ trrl"'™" '"'^°- 
 tbo fly. Some maintnin .v. . • "'"^ '^ ^«^ '^hen it rises at 
 
 should strike as soon as vo« Tel the °/'"'" ^ "''" ^"" 
 raakes as he turns to go balk Bill °' '""' '" 
 as a rule without e.^W '''"'" " """«' '^ """l^ed 
 
 In most cases when Tmnf ^,' r ^ 
 
 .%wi., hook ..J:.v!rr;:eSrt;rr"r' 
 
 - a fish takes the By, allows hin, to b " "Vm ' •""" f 
 when he attempts to east it from his ,„ol . ^"''' ^"" 
 rod fixes the hook in I,;. ., ' ° ''''""e "f '^e 
 
 " '»<"' '1 l»s mouth, as he relaxes his hold S„ 
 " fr'^quently happens that the rise is seen and ,1 . ■ 
 the rod is felt at the same momen Tfls' °° 
 
 the fl.v, and make another effort ^LXtZZ """ ™" 
 too hastily. When a fish, therefor k' 1 1 ^ "™^ 
 
 itisoolyneeessaryto keep the I netu ! ^ "'"'™"''^' 
 the wrist may be given to fix .h.T T ™ '"" "^ 
 
 mouth. *' ^""^ "'"'•' flf'Iy in his 
 
 a^uhe'ircrb:":" ,"■;. ™"' " ^""*«"« »''- - f-'.-, 
 
 have been wXr , X"lm T" "^ '"^""'^ '^■""•^ 
 --her, taking U for'sll j' ThT H^ '"'^ "' ^•°" 
 Strike sharply T hav. « .• "^ ^^" ^*^ ^^ "^cessarj to 
 
 "^FV- -•• nave sometimes, iishprl oil .1 • ,. 
 
 allowing the stretcher (..enerallv a r! ) h f ^ ^ ^ '" "'" ""^' 
 ami trollin.. as with /= °™"f "«' ''''«'"") to sink a little, 
 
 '- :^hieh stretch t'h:ir blehr : ^^ T] "' 
 >"11 rise almost without rufflin,, ,C r ^''' '''"^ 
 
 the stretcher beneath a, ifT '""""• '"^ ^"'"■»' •■'■"«' 
 
 uoiieatn, as It to usccrfTin if if • ^^ 
 
 thing to eat; then a sli^^ht h.t ' ''""^ •^""^^- 
 
 -the fish before ;^!:s:trhiruJ:~>'o 
 
 """"^ " '''-"^"^ ^™' - lost by the beginner. 
 
886 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 from excitement or a 1 "^ ju.lqjment in managing them. 
 It is always the safe, i-ian to . .nile a ^sh as if he was slightly 
 hooked, and in fishing a rift, to get him out of the rough 
 water and towards the margin where it is comparatively still, 
 as soon as possible. For in his efforts to escape, you have 
 the force of the current, as well as his Btrougtl. and ability, to 
 
 contend with. 
 
 If the wnter is still, apd the fish indisposed to show fight, 
 tow him *rrttly to one side and then to the other, as you reel 
 in the line. If there is a sloping shore without obstructions, 
 and yon think he is securely hooked, you may sometimes got 
 a little headway on him, and, by a steady pull, lead him 
 ashore before he overcomes his astonishment at being hooked, 
 or has realized his danger. If in landing a fish in this way, 
 though, you allow him to come in contact with a stone or 
 other impediment, it will arouse all his fears, and in his 
 desperation he may tear loose. 
 
 Wlien a fish of uimsual size is hooked, and you can .lu so 
 without disturbing the lower end of the rift or poo^ it is safer 
 to lead him down stream, for this increases the diiUculty of 
 his breathing, while you are assisted hv the current, and the 
 strain on your tackh i > diminished. 
 
 English writers direct us, after hooking a fish, to keep the 
 rod in a perpendicular position, or the point well back over 
 the shoulder; this is very well if he :. securely tiooked and 
 swims deep. If he struggles and flounders on ihe surface, 
 though, the point should be immediately lowered, and the rod 
 held nearly horizontally across . st tm, giving hi' tV 
 wholespriugof it, thus keeping . r. It is bett not 
 
 to rai.se his head above the water until i>e is somewhi, ex- 
 hausted, or until you are ready to slip the landing-net undei 
 
 him. 
 
 If your reel has a moderately stiff click, and the fish is large 
 
TROUT FI,r.HSHINO. 
 
 887 
 
 enough to run tho line 08; he should be allowed to do ^ 
 
 zfeJth'"; '"* *: ""' ^-'-'^ V '1 :.ie: 
 
 ■uthe „ 'T ^' '" ''"''' '" >■" --'""»«. -el 
 
 n b 1";'"':''™^™ '""^' ""-^ """rt-ng when you 
 can, buttmg him," «a some pei^ons call it, or bearing hard 
 
 ^- -: water, ..eTanri^Terhr J;^^^^ 
 
 i':!"-: * Ltei^r :rth ^t ^"^ "»- -- 
 
 S mm near, reel m until the end of the leader 
 
 wha:. .t jo.„, the line, has reached the end of the t,V he ^ 
 
 hen, .f t e leader is three-fourths the length of the rol, and 
 
 the rod pi, t, clo,,e enough to slip your net under himThi! 
 
 1-ft^hand, st.ck,ng your thumb under his gill, .„d taking 
 hi o7y, ....,:,'" """"^ ""' "- -"-f— i-o th! 
 1 'is much less strain on one's tackle in playing a flsh 
 ''' g Uy i.pnosed. In killing a Salmon, if he is 
 
 Foperly ha. ,.,,, , does not exceed a pound, and w th a 
 irout, It IS not over an ounce or two. 
 
 I have known anglers handle fish so well as to make a 
 common practice of slipping , : ,,and gently down the leau. 
 7' ""'"« ""=" ''^'""^ '"e g,„ .metimes wearing a threa.i 
 
 .un and coolness for such d.n,ero„s practice. A landing, 
 net « almo... indispensable when the, . is no conveMent place 
 
 ,ur leading y.„r prize to th.= b. or when wading ashore 
 
 would disturb the ., act of a pool. 
 
 ^ LiKHLY Places, ato how t, -sh tpek. ^T success of 
 ' .0 flv.fisher depends aln., ., as „ch on ..hat mi.nt be called 
 
888 
 
 AMERICAN ANOLEB'8 BOOK. 
 
 an intnitivo knowledge of likely places, as his skill in casting, 
 or in killing n flah. 
 
 The beginner genornlly prefers a lively rift, where there is 
 an open cast, for the cir ont takes a good hold on his 
 stretcher, and bears it down stream, while it keeps his leader 
 taut, and his dropper dapping prettily on the surface. But 
 he should remember that in most cases, at such a cast, he is 
 likely to bo ex osed to the view of the fish, which always lie 
 with their heads up stream. lie should therefore approach 
 cautiously, fishing the slack water on each side at the head 
 of the rift, with as long a lino as he can well manage. Coming 
 nearer step by step and casting as ho advances, he will fish 
 the near, and then the opposite side lower down, drawing his 
 flies lightly across the r^Migh water, and submitting them in 
 some degree to its will. Still approaching he will cast ob- 
 liquely across, then straight down and over the water where 
 the current abates. 
 
 As a general rule the larger fish take precedence, and lie 
 nearer the head of a rift and rise first. If found at the lower 
 end, it will be where the water is deeper and where there are 
 rocks or an overhanging bank. Trout are not often found in 
 a rift or pool with a smooth even floor of rock, or small 
 pebbles, as it affords them no harbor or hiding-places. 
 
 Where a large rock projects above the surface in water of 
 sufficient depth, the angler should cast near its edges on botli 
 sides, then above where it repels the force of the stream ; or 
 he may have a rise in the eddy just below, where the divided 
 current unites again. 
 
 A deep bend in the stream where a caving bank over- 
 hangs, affords a likely cast, especially where stumps, logs, or 
 drift-wood lie about. 
 
 If the stream has a long still reach, one generally fishes 
 from the shallower side, finding his cast opposite where it is 
 
iHoiri ny.pigniNo. 
 
 839 
 
 < oepor, o^tmg cIo.c to, or under .ho p„„J„„i bougl,,, „ i„ 
 .1.0 .hH,k. of .h„ bu»ho, or .roe-.,r„wi„g hi, fli„, .|I„,,.,„„„„ 
 or d„.„c.l^ „„.«. U U ao. „ had p,a„ who„ f,,h h„o ri,i 
 an refu»,,d one. flio, in ,uoh a pool, .o ,i. p„.i„„u, d„w 
 .nd c an,, .hen, f„, .,„.„„, „„„^ ^^ ,,.^^^_^_^^ _^^, > 
 
 a h..l„ .V „1„ nry hack," .ha. i,, fl»h fro,„ .to lower .„ .ha 
 upper o„d. Moren. ffle, c,«. fron. ano.her direo.io wil 
 «o,n„.„„o, .nduoo fi»i, .o "roco„.sid„r .he mo.ion," and adop 
 your an>end,non. if properly pre>«,u.ed. '^ 
 
 When the season is well adva„ee,l-say July or Aurus. 
 Trout W.1 aa,e,„hle in pairs or lit.le eom,„u„Ls i„ so't 
 su,tahle plaee for spawning, and remain .here if .hero isTo 
 excea.ve nse m the stream, until it is time .o spawn. tZ 
 .. froc.ue„tly beneath the overhanging alders; .here mJ 
 your fl,es under, if y„u eanoo. presen. them more civi ,y 
 ud .f you .ake „ good fish, .ry again, for .he res. are likej 
 to be as hungry. If .he sun be brigh., use .he Alder-fly o^ 
 sueh oceastons, for either dropper or streteher, or both. The 
 same k.nd of a shallow side-rift is a likely plaee early in June 
 when .he Suekers eongregate .here to spawn, and the Trou 
 are on .he ookou. a few yards below, .o ea.eh .heir roe a" 
 IS e.amed down s.ream by the enrrent 
 
 Immediately below a mill-dam, if there be any depth of 
 wa.er, ,s tnvar.ably a good plaee; but you should never 
 ^and consp,euously above on what is ea.led "the broas." of 
 he dam, or on a high roek; such a posi.ion is .o be eon- 
 Jemnedeven ,n a bait-flsher; but get below, and if tlerlis 
 no way of Ashing from .he sides, go to the Ml of th 7„„ 
 nd e St upwards. This, if there • o but little water eoiin. 
 over he dam, .s the best plaee to fish from. Trou. willTo"; 
 ;-.. ay immediately under the fall or in the foanr'Lr: 
 In a deep still pool mueh exposed to the sun, if there is » 
 
H40 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 I 
 
 tree or two on the bank with drooping boughs, Trout are apl 
 to collect there, for they love the shade. Here, if the weather 
 is warm, they are not apt to rise with a splash, as I have just 
 remarked, but will suck in your fly with a mere dimp- 
 ling of the water, or you may have a vague sense of its 
 being arrested beneath the surface. Then strike sharply, but 
 do not be violent, and you have him ; try again, there are 
 more there and good ones. 
 
 Never pass a piece of still water of reasonable depth where 
 a fresh spring brook, however diminutive, comes in, particu- 
 larly in warm weather. I have in my memory such a pool 
 bordered on one side with hair-grass and duck-weed, which I 
 had frequently passed heedlessly by, supposing it to be back- 
 water from the main stream, or left in the old bed of the 
 creek, from the overflow of the spring freshets. But one day, 
 seeing a quiet dimpling of the surface, I waded lazily in, and 
 threw my flies carelessly on the water, when a thirteen-incher 
 laid hold, and was away in the duck-weed before I recovered 
 from my astonishment. After many turns, however, and 
 much contention, the pliant little rod exhausted him. Thus 
 encouraged, I fished the shaded pool its whole length as noise- 
 lessly as an otter, and the result was a dozen very handsome 
 Trout. I never passed that pool again without giving it the 
 attention it merited. 
 
 Sometimes on the subsiding of a freshet. Trout will sur- 
 mount a long rapid, and rest in a pool, or the smooth flow of 
 water above, v/here it is not a half yard in depth. Fish such 
 water with as long a cast as possible, and so as not to throw 
 your shadow over the swim. 
 
 A brisk clattering little brook, as it rushes along over 
 rocks and logs, through the woods, washes out many a pretty 
 hole in its sharp turns, and amongst the big stones, where the 
 laurel and alders render casting impossible. The only way 
 
TROUT FLY-FISHING. 
 
 — — — __ ^^^ 
 
 inree to one they will hook themselves • if thev rlnr^'t . m 
 genttya. each ,„, o, ju™p, . if ,ou we. IZ, : ' rl^ 
 but not dra,v,„g yo„ flies entirely from the vvnter t\ 
 .a on good «.h in the .naU tHbnta'ies ofTZZ^l^Z 
 
 sors m order, aceordmg to size. The head of „ n,ill ^ 
 Jre a rapid .eets the haeWater, , invlurrt, 
 
 ^ I lave already &id or intimated, that on a bright dav 
 Tron ,v.l, always rise better in the shade. Ther fo IheT 
 a pool .s of e,na, depth across, one side of it may Te bl tr n 
 the mornmg, and the other side in the afternoon There" 
 many good pools also which are not shaded on either sde or 
 
 tah, heie they scarcely rise until after snudown Sn.h 
 places are often fished without sueees., by an ang eTandt 
 
 But of all places commend me in the still of tl,. 
 ■ng, 'o the long pl„cia po„,, ,„„„„ „^ one e li d 
 
 «.ing ,e;«oomj.r;t:c le::^^^^^^^ 
 pT/rrparoirthirf:"""' ^ r "'- -^ 
 
 little white-win..H r I . ^^^"'^ *'^^-^^' ^^^ ^ 
 
 
S42 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLBR'S BOOK. 
 
 i 
 
 Cast, slowly, long, light; let your stretcher sink a little. 
 There he has taken the Ginger — ^lead him around gently to 
 the shallow side as you reel him in, but don't move from 
 your position— let him tug awhile, put your net under him, 
 break his neck, and slip him into your creel. Draw your line 
 through the rings — cast again ; another, and another. Keep 
 on until you can see only the ripple made by your fly ; or 
 know when it falls, by the slight tremor it imparts through 
 the whole line down to your hand— until the whip-poor-will 
 beginp his evening song, and the little water-frog tweets in 
 the }.,rass close by. — Not till then is it time to go home. 
 
 If you have dined on the stream, it may be that the Trout 
 you roasted were too highly seasoned and you are thirsty ; if 
 so, stop at the old spring by the roadside. 
 
 mi 
 
 ^^ « 
 
CHAPTER XIII. 
 SALMON-PISIIING. 
 
" I tovE to Boe a man forget 
 His blood is growing cold, 
 
 And leap, or Bwim, or gather flowem. 
 Oblivious of his gold, 
 
 And mix with children in their sport, 
 Nor think that he is old. 
 
 " I lovo to see a man of care 
 
 Take pleasure in a toy ; 
 I lovo to set, him row or ride, 
 
 And tread the grass with Joy, 
 Or throw the circling Salmon-fly 
 
 As lusty as a boy. 
 
 " The road of life is hard enough, 
 Bestrewn with slag and thorn; 
 I would not mock the simplest joy 
 
 That made it less forlorn, 
 But fill its evening path with flowen, 
 As fresh as t)iose of morn." 
 
CHAPIER XIII. 
 
 SALMON-FISHING. 
 Tackle used in Salmon-Fishing Rods R..^!. b , ,- 
 
 m ici.. „ S-—*almon-fi8hine compared with 
 
 *.!«. .houlder. c«i„g i„ difflcuU pl„e., explained ky il^JJl 
 
 a Salmon Will do or may do.— Gaffing • "-nac 
 
 Campino on the River. Camp equipage. -Protection against mo. 
 quitoes. black-flies, and midges. -Clothing, .ic-CookingTensiir 
 Stores. Cooking Salmon on the river.-To boil a Salmon -rb'u 
 Sa mon^Cold Salmon.-Soused Salmon.-To bake or steam a G i, 
 under the coals and ashe.-Kippe..ea Salmon.-Smoked sZl^: 
 and Custom on the river. 
 
 TACKLE FOR SALMON-FISHINO. 
 EODS.-A Satoon.rod Aould be of the toughest and most 
 rnng. .-.ood that can be pr,K,ured. It should taper so truly 
 tut ,t., elasticity, or rather its tendency to bend, will be dis^ 
 tnbuted ove. ,ts whole v. ,h, ,^,,^^ ;„ ^ ^.^ 
 -from the po,„t of the tip to the place where it is g asped 
 hove the ree. In a .,,1 „f tvue proportionMhe greater the 
 
 the apex of the curve caused by lifting the weight approach 
 
 (345) 
 
846 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 the butt, and, as a consequence, the more the upper part will 
 be relieved of the strain. 
 
 To demonstrate this theorem, let any person who is curious 
 on the subject, place a two or four ounce weight in his tobacco- 
 pouch, an(i suspend it to the end of his line, after passing the 
 line through the rings of a well-proportioned Salmou-rod; and 
 he will find that the tip will bend, while the lower part of the 
 rod will remain comparatively straight. Let him increase 
 the weight to eight ounces, and the curve will be transferred 
 to the next joint below, the tip assuming more the direction 
 of a straight line. Then, by increasing the weight succes- 
 sively to twelve and sixteen ounces, he will find that there is 
 little or no curve in the tip, the additional weight having 
 drawn it nearly or quite straight, and transferred the trans- 
 verse strain proportionately towards the lower part of the 
 rod, where it is strong. 
 
 A rod of sixteen feet, which I deem sufficiently long, need 
 not weigh over two pounds two ounces ; and one of seventeen 
 feet should not exceed two pounds six ounces. Of the two, 
 I prefer the smaller, on account of the ease in casting with it, 
 for it is no boy's play to wield a heavy Salmon-rod for hours. 
 The smaller has power enough to kill any Salmon. The 
 dimensions of such a rod, if in four pieces of equal length — 
 measuring the diameter of the inside or " male" ferules as 
 they come in order from the butt outward — should be eleven, 
 eight, and five-sixteenths of an inch, and the diameter of the 
 butt half way between the ferule and lower end, seven-eighths 
 of an inch ; the thickest part, where the reel-band is placed, 
 say nine inches above the end, should be an inch and five- 
 sixteenths. 
 
 A seventeen-foot rod — supposing the butt and second joint 
 each to be four feet six inches long, and the third joint and 
 tip four feet — should have the two upper ferules the same 
 
SALMOK-Prsir ING. 
 
 347 
 
 .«e ^, the smaller rod, and the lower ferule the sixteenth of 
 an mch larger The butt should be of the best coarse-grained 
 wh,^ a,h; the seeond joint of hickory or ironwood; the 
 th.rd of lanee or .ronwood; and the tip of the best Malacca 
 cane, rent and glued. The strain on a tip caused by the oft. 
 .•epeated hftmg of a long line from the water, makes it neces- 
 sary that ., should be of material of the closest and hardest 
 fibre; for the weight of the line is not suiBeient to throw the 
 stram on the lower portion of the rod, as in killing a fish • 
 but the constant hfting of the line from the water preparatory' 
 ocastmg It, gives the top a downward swag in a week or 
 wo, wh.eh makes it necessary that the angler Luld Zide 
 hmiself with one or two extra tips 
 
 The advice of English authors, to have the rod-rings very 
 large, that the hue may pass through freely, shows a wanT f 
 proper consideration- ror if there should be a knot or kink 
 in the line, it would be ....in to catch in passing through 
 the wire loop at the end of the tip. The large L of the 
 rings, therefore, would not provide '^ the conti„.„ney, while 
 they are awkward and rattle in the -.n.^d, aug,nen,^g the 
 resistance to the air in easting, and incv ..,,;:,g the levL^e 
 on the rod when killing a Salmon. In n.kin; a coup rf 
 Sdmon rods for my own use, I went in direct opp;itio„ to h 
 anW notion and put on metallic guideriike those on 
 A_ bass rods but lighter, and find them far preferable 
 to rings. In fastening on the reel I use but one reel-band 
 
 ^^1\"T:T'' ^''^^ "™ ' ^"f- °- »^ "f "'«^- 
 t-^ to which the reel is fastened, and secure the other end 
 
 with a string, so as to avoid the contingency of the slidin.. 
 
 baud becoming tight by the expansion of the butt of the r,^ 
 
 rem moisture, as already explained in my remarks on Trout- 
 
848 
 
 AMIPICAN ANOLKR'8 BOOK. 
 
 Keels.— A Salmon-reel should be large enough to contain a 
 hundred yards of line without filling the spool so full that it 
 will clog. A simple reel is to be preferred to a multiplier, 
 for several reasons ; an important one is that it is less apt to 
 get out of order from the rough usage to which it is some- 
 times subjected. One with the outer plates about three and 
 three-quarters inches in diameter, and an inch and a half 
 between the plates, is large enough. The click or bearing, 
 which is arranged between one of the inner plates and the 
 small outer plate next to it, should offer resistance enough to 
 re(iuire about six ounces to draw the line from the reel. Of 
 course there is an additional friction when the line passes 
 thiough the rings of the rod and out through the tip; and 
 tills is all the bearing that is required or .-.ale to ofitev in con- 
 trolling a Salmon, even when you are butting him to press 
 him from a dangerous place, or towards the gaff as he becomes 
 exhausted. The best Salmon-reels have a smooth conical 
 3rauk fastened in an outer plaie, which revolves against the 
 
 ; j: ;, ^ -^ i ' 
 
SALMON. FISHING 
 
 849 
 
 one next to the snnnl +i,^ - • , 
 
 oneof the ...Unary kind. The bo . ™ ..^h !, T'^T '" 
 over met with, a^o those ,„a,,o bvF rW „f ^ ''"" 
 
 figure on the opposite page .ive„ nl V "'"""■ ""^ 
 
 lin,ee.l-oil, notwithstanding the ori^^ , ', ' '"■"''"'■°'' '" 
 ferred to all other,. Tho,: 07,11! ' '"'" '° ^^ ^"'■ 
 
 when exposed to the Z, , ' ^^ I'^ "^ """''!' '" - 
 when the, a. wound „p w. andl.oTed ^lil?';^,: 
 care, an oded silk line will last three or CI; If! 
 fi,h.ng, as raueh of it „, has been wet should T , 
 the reel, .and eoiled or wound in t, ''''™ "^ 
 
 When one end of an .11,, in' I "' " '""""^' »» '° ''■•/• 
 passing through the Ir?: ""'' '^°™ -'""S -<' 
 
 it ".a, be take; o. JCn;.::!;:;—:""!' 
 
 wound next to the axle, the stiff- fre,h end h " """^ 
 
 next to the e,asli„, li„e .„ „„ , f , '^ ^'"S ""'"'ards, 
 
 ^o^.ht for half the p^e otlrilt t,! ^ '^1™ "" 
 prepare it himself by the reeine f , ° " """ 
 
 whieh I copy from C^dUy. Tf "' "" " "°*'' '"'°-' 
 
 iiLJlr^jll^^^l^;^'^;'^^ ti>o last 
 
 «™. c„or,„ .„ ,.„e .1 h -.irC' 717 "'■" """' """■ '"'"« 
 
 i. ....Toin „„.. it i. r„„, .zjz^j^^z:tt :"■'"• ""' 
 
 l"»rs. 11,™ p„, i, ,h„„„|, „ . ™^ """"' ^ "'J f»r twc.,y.f„„r 
 
 ..^0 «r ... .„p.,.,„., c,..:w:r: u : : :,::::f . ";"««^«'^ "• 
 
 <ii7 «ll. and, in timo, to „t ,m Ti,„ r ' ""''"™ '» 
 
 p-.«v „„ „,,. ui h „r I::;;"'"' '- """"' - '■""»'«"'• -^'^ 
 
 t.0 «, three hour, which win u ™ '"' " """'"' «» 
 
 our., which w,ll cause the ,„i„„„ „„ ;, ,„ ,j^,^, ^^^ 
 
PV 
 
 S50 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 
 drying requires three or four times as long as iho time l.e 
 mentions. The gold-size mentioned in the not-J can be liad 
 of those who sell' painters' materials; I have bought it of 
 Mr. C. Shrack, in Fourth street above Cherry, Philadelphia. 
 Casting-Lines should be of treble twisted gut, for the 
 three gut-lengths next to the reel-line; the next two or three 
 lengths should be of double twisted gut, and the remainder 
 of Itout single gut, each length finer than the preceding one 
 as it nears the end. Single gut is strong enough to hold any 
 Salmon if properly handled, but the treble and double lengths 
 and then the single length, graduate the line to a proper taper, 
 thus increasing the ease and lightness in throwing the fly. 
 When the water is discolored after a rise in the river, a 
 casting-line of ten feet is long enough. As the water becomes 
 clearer, the length should be gradually increased by adding 
 lengths of single -'it at the lower end, until it is nearly or 
 quite as long as Ou^ .'>d. By doing so, one can cast a lighter 
 line, and, of couvr,..- U-e probability of raising a Salmon will 
 be greater than it '.v.mld be by allowing the heavy reel line to 
 fall or swing near the fish. 
 
 Salmon-Flies.— There is an endless variety in the combi- 
 nations and colors of the feathers, dubbing, and tinsel, that 
 go to make up the Salmon-flies described in books and sold 
 hx tackle stores. Of the latter, many are made by persons 
 who never saw a live Salmon, and are tied more to please the 
 eye of the purchaser, than with any idea that they will entice 
 
 japanners term it), and give an even gloss over the whole. It must then 
 be loft to dry as before : the length of time, as it depends on the weatl.er 
 and place, observation must determine upon. By this means it becomes 
 impervious to wet and sufficiently stiff, never to clog or entungk—the oil 
 producing the former quality, and the gold-size (which is insoluble ic 
 water) the latter; while the commixture prevents the size becoming too 
 hard and stiff." 
 
3ALM V-pigHINo. 
 
 351 
 
 R tiine e 
 m be }iad 
 
 ght it nf 
 idelplii 
 t, for the 
 D or three 
 'emainder 
 eding one 
 • hold any 
 le lengths 
 )per taper, 
 g the fly. 
 e river, a 
 sr becomes 
 by adding 
 5 nearly or 
 it a lighter 
 almon will 
 reel line to 
 
 the combi- 
 tinsel, that 
 s and sold 
 by persons 
 > please the 
 will entice 
 
 It must then 
 a the weather 
 .ns it becomes 
 iinglc! — the oil 
 i insoluble in 
 
 becoming too 
 
 the m. Hotm,. .andioK Ibe minute directions .iv f 
 •yn, ,.„y ,,ani„,„„ ay. it „n,t not be infe'ed tllt a • 
 .ion that lack, .,„,e , .ho tint, wi„ notti 1 T e'"" "' 
 nng .s .. We ,„e p,.evai.ins co,„™ a, tw I I":: 
 
 Wb«, as po^iMe ; if „„e i, a ,ig„t „ ,„.„ 1' „ rf 
 
 to the fe,„he« that eompo»o the wi„„,, „, .ail ° he 
 
 exa.. feather eannol be had, it may ,,ill 1. , , 
 
 .he same kind of water, and on the .,a,neki„ .J^a! 
 
 . he or,g,nal «. Presh-mn Salmon are not . ,„« l^^ 
 the color ,re at a» ,„i,ab,e to the water, they . ., Zma- 
 as to a certi.m fly bein<r fh^ /f.. p ^ ' 
 
 ^ion orail oth.... iu!2„rt.l : T^rs" "^ r'^"- 
 killed was on I ti„d h„f '=• "' ®-''"'°" ^ «™ 
 
 idea I had o, .„ .Li waH, rr^'r '™^ '°™ 
 ^-n.>w,ed,e of the „ro Tr IZ V^^""'^ --™' 
 ....ended as an imitation of any I had Lt !:"re„d Z^ 
 tion of; and I continued to tie mv own fl- ,'""?■ 
 
 uni„.por.ant ,l„.ail „f a tj tr f "":' "'""""« "•» 
 
 p"-..on„,,cadwhe„iXt';:,:::r''^-' 
 
 too lar,e and showy ZlCZ!^:'''^^' T^^'l 
 fl- ticl for the Shannon wonld fnV, the Sal, ' 7"" 
 *oft^..,a,,,.,,„,„,;„„--S^>-ont. 
 
 " , " '^'°^""' -"""'y »'■ beautiful but useless flie, 
 ..nposed on some of our verdant countrymen w h f 
 
 one the " Blue-and-brown " the other thir ^'^''''S'''' > 
 ^ ' ^'^^ o^'^er the '• Silver-graj ;"— the 
 
 \ 
 
IMAGE EVALUATION 
 TEST TARGET (MT-3) 
 
 1.0 
 
 1.25 
 
 1^128 
 
 g50 ^^^ 
 
 Hi, Uk 
 
 1.1 i.-^l 
 
 |25 
 2.2 
 
 12.0 
 
 m 
 
 U 11.6 
 
 Hiotographic 
 
 Sciences 
 Corporation 
 
 ^y^r^^ 
 
 'r\* 
 
 
 23 WEST MAIN STREET 
 
 WEBSTER, N.Y. MS80 
 
 (716) 872-4503 
 

 l/.A 
 
 t 
 
852 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 latter for kigh water. The Blue-and-bro wn, by tying witlj 
 darkei -tinted hackles and bodies, as the water clears, he uses 
 almost entirely. He told me he fished the La kes of Killamey , 
 and the clear rivers of Ireland , with the same flies in his boy- 
 hood, and he still adheres to them : his favorite, the Blue-and- 
 brown, has become so famous amongst the anglers of the 
 province, that it has taken his name, the " Nicholson fly ." 
 
 Flies for American rivers — except when th>3 water is dis- 
 colored by a freshet — as a general rule, should be of darker 
 and more sober tints than those used in Scotland and Ireland. 
 The feathers to be preferred for wings, are taken from the 
 wing-coverts of the male mallard, the tail of the wild turkey, 
 and the second joint of the wing, and tail of a dark -brown 
 mottled hen, or spruce grouse; the two last are for small 
 flies, and will raise a Salmon oh fine water when nothing else 
 will. For full water, or when it is discolored, wood-duck 
 and gray mallard are used, mixed occasionally with a few 
 fibres of red ibis, or a single topping of golden pheasant. 
 
 The bodies of those that have dark wings should be of red, 
 brown, and purple dubbing, of different shades, varied occa- 
 sionally with orange, yellow, and black, and wrapped with 
 hackles of the same colors. Sometimes two hackles of differ- 
 ent color, as red and blue, are used. The bodies and hackles 
 of flies for high water should be of light colors to correspond 
 with the wings : of these, pale yellow, pearl color, and light 
 gray are moat suitable. 
 
 This limited assortment of feathers for wings, and hackles 
 and dubbing for bodies, is all that one requires on the rivers 
 of New Brunswick. Add to these, black ostri h and copper- 
 colored peacock hurl, for the heads ; a dozen or 30 of golden 
 pheasant ruff-feathers for tails; gold and silver tinsel— flat 
 and twisted ; tying silk, wax, and a little varnish to put on 
 
SALMON-FISHING. 
 
 86S 
 
 l^tXr""' '''''"• -^'■'^"^-^'•^--Ha. for a 
 
 Tying Sa)mon.flies is an art which i, easily acquired h, 
 U^ who are a. al> proficient in bating Trout-fll lev 
 hardly require a, delicate manipnlation, I «.„ IZ'e ^rl 
 rud^entary looking flie, tied by the natives about ZhZ 
 that were killing at the "Eough Waters" on ,h. w 
 last summer. "^ Nipissiguit, 
 
 The annexed plate was drawn and engraved on wood 
 «n er m, direction, by Mr. Wilhelm of this' Z I l^ 
 rslir ' '^»™»^^-"'^-^.^e «rst^twoIt:2 
 
 No. 1 represents the Brown Flv Tt ;. „ i- ,• , 
 a No. 9. hook, and intended frW w^ ^Z l'^ Z 
 mottled feather of a brown he. or ^Htu^ I i bot 
 
 aa .he Wings! ^:r:i' ^i' :zT;:/ *' -- ^-'^- 
 oftLrctod^irbr:;'' r^'^-^- ^"«» 
 
 with gold tinsel, nd t'bi:! ntltl T"/? ^^^ 
 
 tipped With gold tinsel; tai Uf malld a^f f '"""' ""' 
 ffolflpn «i. -:. ^"diiara, and a few spntrs of 
 
 goiaen pheasant ruff-feathero • h^^A i.i , f^^^o*" oi 
 
 The dubbing and hacklet?thi;flyt;uM: f^"' ■■"'• 
 a. the water becomes clearer. The a"! ° """""' 
 hears, in tying it gives the tail ll vTngs I tV^ " 
 ".^^-ai. tothela^^ ^-^^^ - 
 
 28 
 
S64 
 
 AMBRICAN ANQLBR'8 BOOK. 
 
 ance, as the reader will observe. The figure is an exact 
 drawing of one tied by Mr. N. himself. 
 
 The Silver Gray, which Mr. N. ties on hooks No. 7 and 8, 
 is intended for high water, or when it is discc >red after a 
 freshet. It has wings of gray mallard and a few sprigs of 
 wood-duck; body of lead or pearl-colored seal's wool mixed 
 with a little yellow, and wound with silver tinsel and a gray 
 or barred hackle; tag and head of ostrich hurl. It is not 
 represented by either of the four figures, but in form resem- 
 bles No. 2. 
 
 Nos. 3 and 4 are exact copies of Nos. 11 and 12, found m 
 the " Book of the Salmon." I have introduced them here to 
 show what is meant by "feelers," and to explain what a 
 " topping" is. The former are intended to represent the pair 
 of long antenna found in a natural fly ; they are folded back- 
 ward in the artificial fly, extending above and beyond the 
 wings. The tail and upper portion of the wings of the third 
 figure are "toppings," that is, feathers from the crest of the 
 golden pheasant. 
 
 In addition to the flies I have described, theie are several 
 
 tied by John Chamberlain that are in great repute on the 
 
 Nipissiguit. Amongst them is one which I will describe as 
 
 the •' Chamberlain." In tying it (commencing at the bend of 
 
 the hook) the body is first tipped with gold tinsel, the tail is 
 
 then tied on, and the lower part of the body, say one-fourth 
 
 of the way up. is wrapped with bright yellow floss, when a 
 
 blood-red hackle, and purple or maroon-colored floss are 
 
 fastened in, and the dark floss wrapped on for the remainder 
 
 of the body, followed by the gold tinsel and the hackle (four 
 
 turns are enough). Brown mallard or wild-turkey wings are 
 
 then put on, and it is finished with a head of black ostrich 
 
 hurl. The first fly T tied of this kind, was according to 
 
fact 
 
 d8, 
 er a 
 } of 
 ixed 
 ;ray 
 not 
 aem- 
 
 id in 
 re to 
 at a 
 pair 
 )ack- 
 1 the 
 third 
 f the 
 
 vera! 
 1 the 
 be as 
 nd of 
 ;ail is 
 ourth 
 ben a 
 IS' are 
 lindeT 
 I (four 
 gs are 
 >strich 
 ng to 
 
SALMON-PISHING. 
 
 856 
 
 John's directions as he sat V.v t i, i. 
 
 with the "Chamberlain.' '' "' '"^ ^"^*^ ^^^^^^^^^ 
 
 Dr. Adamson, in " Salmon-fishin^ in r.n«^ » • 
 following list of flies used on 7 ' ^'"^"^ '^' 
 
 St. Lawrence :- '^' "^^'^ ^"P^T^ng into the 
 
 "The Zo«/«e is an extremely beautiful fl,r u • 
 
 mohair A7ith gold tw^-st- th. i i ^ "^ ^'''''^'' 
 
 u gom tw.st , the head of orange mohair • th,^ t.n 
 
 golden Pheasan °s ;!. ; t:r°T :r "•'"'^^ °^ *^ 
 
 ::":^;:%-"- ^^----- --^";^^^^ 
 
 ■■ ^A^ ^""J'rt.-Wiags of ydlo>v macaw rth a slight dash 
 of ma Hard wmg a. each side ; yellow mohair body wifh bhck 
 
 witn light blue silk tip. ' 
 
 wiZf f r'"''''"*'' "' «°"^" pi"--"' breast-feather 
 colore T ";r"" "' """"""•• ^«"^°f -"dish brict: 
 colored s.Ik gold tw,st, head black ostrich ; tail .olden 
 
 Pjeasaottopk^ot.. hackle .d to match the body, tip t: 
 " ^*« ^"..-Wiogs of mallard and peacock's hurl • bodv 
 
 rdrT':f «°"'^"^'^ -'-^^^ .ail,gree„;a . 
 red .md black hackles, and black tip. 
 
 ■■rte Pa™„„._This is a beautiful and elHcicnt fly The 
 a shght mmure of wood-duck in them; the body is 
 
856 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 of very dark claret silk with gold twist ; head black ostrich ; 
 tail golden pheasant topknot, hackle dark claret; legs blue, 
 with a tip of yellow and gold. 
 
 " The Strachan.—mxQd wing chiefly of golden pheasant 
 lail, yellow macaw, and jay's wing; body of crimson silk 
 with gold twist; head black ostrich ; tail golden pheasant; 
 black hackle with jay's wing; legs tip yellow and gold. 
 
 " The Langevin.— Wings, body, tail, hackle, legs, tip all 
 yellow; made of the dyed feathers of the white goose; the 
 head of black ostrich, and the twist of black silk." 
 
 Casting the Fly.— As bait-fishing or trolling can scarcely 
 be called a sportsmanlike way of killing Salmon, I shall 
 confine my observations to angling for them only with the 
 
 artificial fly. . 
 
 In my remarks on Trout-fishing I have alluded to the irn- 
 possibility of learning how to cast the fly well from written 
 directions alone. One may get the theory ever so well m his 
 head— and good theory too-when he comes to try his hand, 
 however, there are so many things he must remember to do 
 just at the nick of time, and so many contingencies which he 
 did not look for, constantly arising, that he will likely 
 recollect no more of the lessons he has learned from books 
 than some general directions, and will depend rather on his 
 own judgment and native aptness. This is more the case in 
 Salmon-fishing even than in casting the fly for Trout. . 
 
 I do not mean to convey the idea that the written directions 
 are useless; on the contrary, they are of much service when 
 combined with sorm practical knowledge of the art. It would, 
 therefore, be well for the beginner to learn all he can from 
 books, and not discard his theory entirely, if not approved 
 of by anglers, whose instruction he may have the benefit of 
 on the river. A little experience will show him that he mav 
 combine the teachings of the two and profit by both. 
 
SALMON. PISHING. 
 
 367 
 
 Although I had been a IVout flv «■!,.. f 
 lentury and had ™i„»j VT ''^""''''«' '"'■ » q"«"er of a 
 Chi«,/« ^^ • "' ^ """'8'"' >""«•> knowledKO from 
 
 suggeation, of JorX "l '/"'"'"y' fr"- the hints and 
 than I Z{"Ll„\ '^'''- "» »■"'="«■•«' oanoe.„„.„, 
 
 to .he tl :;":;'!: ",r°^r-= -8" ^tm adhe^ng 
 
 remark, for a person who can cast well for Tron. -n 
 .o,ni.the.nack of th.^ng .H„ a^.^^^ C; "1:;" 
 
 their ta attempts as I did ' ""° " ^""^ ""''' '" 
 
 • t f V""^' '° ""' "'^' P'""' <« to holding the rod A 
 nght.handad man will naturally grasp it wi.rft, , . 
 above the reel, and with his JhC'bw „' t I :^"„ n^' 
 utt ; and will throw from over the „>.. should^ T^ «' 
 handed man will do the reverse ,hJ ;, , 
 
 ^and above the reel and .stT^ T^ZS'.'l^ 
 handed man will advance his rm},t c / • ° 
 
 j,ar,^ A , . ""^® '^^^ "gnt foot m cast ng, and a left 
 
 handed man his left foot Qnr>^ • , 
 
 majority of n.eu a. hLS'iVi iXt Z Tf 
 accordingly. P® "^^ ^^^^a 
 
 The fat thing is to get out as much line as one intends 
 
868 
 
 AMERICAN ANQLBR'8 BOOK. 
 
 making his first oast with ; this is done as in Trout-fishing. 
 To describe it, we will suppose that the angler approaches the 
 stream, the hook claspin,' one of the bars of the reel (the 
 usual way of carrying it), his line consequently (or as much 
 as has passed through the rings) the same length as his rt)d, 
 or nearly so. He disengages his fly, throws it on the water, 
 and draws a few feet of line off the reel ; the line falling in a 
 loop between the reel and the ring next above it. Now by 
 switching his rod to the right or left— his fly dragging the 
 mean time in the water— the slack line which hangs in a loop 
 is pulled through the rings, and out at the end of the tip , 
 lengthening the line, by so much. This is repeated until he 
 has drawn the point of the rod around so far to one side that 
 he is obliged to lift the line from the water and throw it 
 further out, in order to. continue the operation. Thus by 
 pulling the line from the reel, and consecutively switching 
 the rod, the required length is obtained. Of course this pre- 
 liminary operation is not done in the. direction in which the 
 fish are supposed to lie. 
 
 Now, with a smart spring of the rod, the angler lifts his 
 fly from the water to make the first cast, and directs its course 
 backwards over his right shoulder until he thinks it lias 
 nearly reached the distance the line will allow it to go behiiid 
 him; then with a steady forward motion, succeeded by a switch 
 of the rod, he sends it on its errand across the smoothly- 
 gliding water, that it may float or swing over the current and 
 entice the silver-sided Salmon with its sheen and life-like 
 
 look. 
 
 In this plain, straij-l it forward throw, the top of the rod 
 describes nearly an arc in its backward course, and the 
 chord of the same arc in its forward course ; in other words, 
 the backward course is a curve, and the forward a straight 
 line. The left figure of the cut on page 362, gives a bird's-eye 
 
BALMON-PISHINO. 
 
 869 
 
 ,•* : ^ -^ "^ Straight, la imparted to the rod • 
 
 " " '"r*'""™ "•'-« 'he time it is veniea' or perh p ^s^ 
 before that t™„, in i., forward movement, i per» uir 
 as he acquires the knack of casting, will flndTo ' t >,' 
 he may not be able to describe it ' ^''"«'' 
 
 As in Trout-flshing, the learner is apt to labor hard in 
 
 the habit of making the rod perform neatly what he b!™ 
 physical effort would do clumsily. Anothl t L.fhaTh: 
 has learned m Trout-Bshing will also be of service to hm 
 " " "■,■" '°"™« of 'l-e point of the rod Ae least M by the' 
 mere downward bending of the wrist of his right ha'Va 
 the fly reaches Us destination, causing it to fall lithtlv on th. 
 water, instead of striking it with a snlash ™ 
 of sending the flv straight ,! T " " "™* 
 
 above the ,nrf, *" ' "' '^ """'"» «' something 
 
 et n! L ?• "^ ™ " ''™' "'* »"•« shoulder, an! 
 
 - reel before rising hi! X'Z^^ZS:^^Z 
 . drawn backward, the slack goes out through the wire lo^ 
 at the end of the tip. Me wire loop 
 
 J™ 1" ^T"^"^" '^'-'=%- obliquely across the 
 tieam, the current, or a proper inclination of the rod, or the 
 
 Aft ",r ; : '""^'^ " "'"' '"^ P'"™ "here the fish fa 
 After the fly has fallen on the water, it is acted upon by two 
 opposing forces-the tendency of the current to take it down 
 stream, and the raising of the point of the rod to restrain „ 
 
860 
 
 AMBHIOAM ANULBR'S BOOK. 
 
 direct it ; the result is, that the fly swings across the stream 
 towards the side on which the angler stands, describing in itt? 
 course the segment of a circle, and sweeping along in front 
 of the fish. By increasing the length of the cast directly or 
 obliciuely across, as just described, the rudius is lengthened, 
 and the segment enlarged and of course extended down stream, 
 as well as across. In this manner, that portion of the pool 
 within reach of the angler is gradually covered ; then, by 
 advancing a step at a time, or by short succ^essive pushes of 
 the canoe, he fishes the whole of it, or as much as can be 
 covered from the side he is on. 
 
 The fibres of the feathers of which the fly is composed, are 
 made to contract and expand as it passes through the water, 
 by the least possible raising and dropping of the point of the 
 rod, in order to show the "fly attractively. This, however, 
 cannot be done effectually, if the current is so strong as to 
 press the fibres continually against the body of the fly, not 
 allowing them to open when the top of the rod is lowered. 
 
 The general rule laid down by " Ephemera," in his Book 
 of the Salmon, for fishing a pool "upwards in the direction 
 of its source," appears to me entirely wrong. It is impracti- 
 cable on many American rivers, from the rapidity of the cur- 
 rent. He ignores his own rule, however, in a remark on a 
 preceding page of his book, when speaking of the motion to 
 be given to the fly in drawing it through the water. He 
 says, "the Salmon-fly is always to be worked or humored 
 against the current, never with it." How the angler is to 
 humor the fly against the current, when drawing it with tht 
 current, I leave him to find out. As to fishing np stream, it 
 may do where the current is slight, but in swift water it 
 should only be when there is no cast but from the lower end 
 of the pool. 
 
 II 
 
■ALMON. FISHING. 
 
 861 
 
 The Left-Shouldered Cast it a. 
 a-hing „..w„ either »id„ „f .rZ~L:7T' rT '° 
 
 river, such au obstruo In. l ■ ^ ""' "«'" "''''' "^ "■« 
 
 .he m ^o^i^TX:: "'T'' " "^" '""" ''^- 
 <-»'. the hi«h bank wouW [ "^ nght.,h.,„ldered 
 
 .h» roa a.a° hetC::,^"^,^ 7''' -"»■ <^ 
 
 ri«.,t hand, anire^llTl^^: ::;^; 'T ""- ""^ 
 become a left-hauded man A T ^ " '"""■ '° 
 
 .*ift the hand, at aTbr k f '"'" P'"" '' "-' '" 
 
 tl.e liue b,«kwa"d 1; htTrh : " '""^ "^' "" "-« 
 left side. Thi8 wav ^fT„ f ''"'' ""'^ '='"' <■■•"■■' <l>e 
 
 "' ««. -. tre;r:f;rt,;:t:rr ''"-^^ 
 
 to one who is used fn w>,- ^ ^''^'''''' «^^Pe<^ially 
 
 Trout. Thelud e ^.ZrZ'lT ''" '"\^''"""^- <•- 
 shows the line de^ribed l; th .o T;!' "" ?■ °"' ""«= 
 .Mouldered caet; the dotted 1 „ ^ "^ '" ""' '?"• 
 
 fl„ . n • .1 . , " represents the course of I he • 
 
 «y , O « the stand of the angler. »« oi t ne 
 
 A greater difficulty than th«t i,..t j„ -i _, . 
 eo™. when one .isL .o clV;! ,7:1' V:": ^ 
 and a precipitous bank or olift- • • ^*''^'^'^' 
 
 back, and, it „a, h1:T,-"C^T V """ ''' 
 has first to get his fly out. dltl:'' . " ' ^'' "" 
 
 assist him somewhat. Then liftlVi T.' "'"■""" ''"' 
 tl,« ..„j 1, t ■ . "'"8 It with a smart twitch of 
 
 -on ahrupt spring of^tl: r^ t tt ^m fd. ' 
 eye ™w of the con,, described b, the top " le rod in ts 
 throw .s represented by the right-hand figure of the t Tb 
 
 hlT "™?f'^ '"^ ^*"""- ^ '^ "-^ P-' from wblh 
 the fly .s picked „p, and A the direction in which it is I^ 
 
862 
 
 AMERICAN ANOLBR'S BOOK. 
 
 iki^%0£2^ 
 
 After practising these two casts for some years whenever 
 tho emergency required it in Trout-fishing, I was agreeably 
 surprised in reading Chitty's ("Theophilus South's") "Fly- 
 Fisher's Text-Book," to find them illustrated, and have intro- 
 duced the above diagram, which is somewhat similar, to show 
 that the same casts can be used in Salmon-fishing. 
 
 There are other obstacles and impediments the Salmon- 
 fisjier meets with, which he 'will have to bear patiently or 
 overcome as well as he can. Amongst these, there is nothing 
 so annoying as an unfavorable wind. At one time it may blow 
 obstinately in your very teeth, requiring a deal of " elbow- 
 grease" to get the fly out. At another time there is a spank- 
 ing breeze astern, and if you can get your line out behind 
 you, there are many chances of cracking your fly off. Then 
 there is a side-wind blowing up stream or down stream, 
 requiring a nice calculation as to how much you must allow 
 lor leeway, when aiming above or below the spot, as the case 
 may be. At such times, unless the fish are very much dis- 
 posed to rise, " the game does not pay for the candle," and the 
 fisher had better get into some sheltered nook and light his 
 pipe, instead of thrashing the wind and getting up a feeling 
 of animosity against old Boreas or ^olus. 
 
SAlMOK.FIsniNa. 
 
 863 
 
 Salmon frequently leap above the water as if i„ „]„„ or to 
 ■nnale an additional quantity of atmospherie airf t It 
 t.me, they are not disposed to take your fly. But when one • 
 3 observed to rise at a natu^l fly_^„d thei are very few "f 
 
 The length of line that can be east depends mnoh on the 
 
 enghand sprmg of the rod; three times its length i the 
 
 m,.t that most writers on the subject give as the disU ce 
 
 tha can be oast with p, ,;„„ ,„a „ ,. "^ 
 
 A Salmon-pool is generally different iVom the water in 
 
 :-^t ?:^nrr b^er:^ rrrrntr r ^ f 
 
 eddies that whirl in cities at its sides; l' i^ir; 
 But m the deep smooth rapid, generally ocoupyin. bu a 
 tTat rrr *° ''"^''"' "''"■' "-'^ - «'-'o *e rol: 
 tbe brink of the pitch, as it leaps over a ledge of rock Th„ 
 aga« w ere a mede^te deep current termlna L a gls" 
 rapid, called a "tongue" or a "d^rJ .. .. • ^ ^ 
 
 -ks on either side ;hioh I:e thct re'ntl^l^'r "l 
 
 Although an experienced Salmon.flsher may so to , „ 
 river and point out most of the .ood pool, tw 
 casts he would overlook until on: whorsltrth?st:2 
 before, or an attendant, who is acquainted with the r ve^ 
 points them out to him ^''' 
 
 S™.:«o._There is a gi^t difference of opinion amongst 
 
864 
 
 AMERICAN angler's BOOK. 
 
 Salmon-fishera as to striking a fish, most of them contending 
 that you should strike as soon as you see the fish, or the 
 swell it makes in its attempt to seize the fly ; others that it 
 should not be done until the fish has turned to go back. 
 Some maintain (see Scrope's "Days and Nights of Salmon- 
 fishing,") that you should feel a tug, or in Scotch parlance 
 "a rug," before you strike. This deliberate way of dealing 
 with a Salmon is advocated by "Ephemera." 
 
 The novice in his agitation will be apt to forget any 
 written directions, and strike violently, or too quickly, or 
 not at all. The negative action is the least objectionable of 
 the three ; for if the fish is at all eager he will generally hook 
 himself, and the strain on the rod is frequently felt before the 
 angler has time to raise the point of it. So in most cases one 
 can take little credit to himself for hooking the Salmon, for it 
 is rather the act of the fish than his own. The hook may be 
 struck deeper in its hold by a dexterous movement of the 
 wrist, and this is advisable if the fish does not strain the rod 
 sufficiently to do so. 
 
 Playing a Salmon. — A person who is accustomed to the 
 use of the reel in playing other large fish, will soon acquire a 
 reasonable degree of self-possession and skill in killing a 
 Salmon. In doing this, three important things are to be 
 observed : one is to keep up the point of the rod so as to 
 bring its whole spring to bear on the fish, and by no means 
 allow him to " straighten" on you (i. «., to get the line and 
 rod in a direct line between you and him). For if you do, and 
 there should be the slightest catch, or undue pressure on the 
 line to prevent its running freely, he will have a dead pull on 
 you, and will be almost certain to break the hold that the 
 hook has in his mouth, or carry away your casting-line. The 
 reel-line itself would hardly be strong enough to hold a large 
 Salmon under such circumstances, particularly if by coming 
 
SALMON. PI8EIN0. 
 
 336 
 
 towards ,.ou, he should get some slack in the line and then 
 suddenly turn and rush doyn stream. • 
 
 By undue pressure, I mean other resistanop fn *i. r 
 racing ou. t,an . oa„^ ,, , ^^Z^Z e /^ ^ 
 reel, or by that slight unif„r„ „f .^ "« , 
 
 line, or of the thumb on the rLT T f ^ *'"''"' ""^ 
 uurao on the reel, which only an aneler cS 
 
 expenence with perfect self.pos.e,sion can give 
 . Some Salmon.fi.hez. use reels without a bearing of anv 
 kmd, depend.ng on this acquired delicacy of touch but2 
 only safe plan is to have one with a click for theC.' V K 
 <»— yandwithoutvariatiou;andt:L:':iU^^^^^^ 
 tha .fs prudent for the angler to offer in playing a S C 
 And .t .wonderful how slight this rcsisUnL VXZZ 
 
 mg bearmg of a springy rod, it wearies out and comoletelv 
 exhausts a powerful fish, even when assisted by a s In^ 
 current. I We stated on a preceding page .hrthe rf 
 ance of the click, with the friction on 2 W 
 
 .^aaastrre^trterTrera^m""" 
 properly managed, and to convince the I / " " 
 
 lessens the chances bf securing™s p^^I ™^ ""^ ™'''""' 
 When a Salmon takes thn fl,, i,^ 
 
 -o^,and.ontheinsLrere:!ro':pr:a;:t: 
 
 movmg off slowly and generally a little way up str^i,^ 
 
 -^entlyh ma,,„^J:-:;-~^^^^^^ 
 
 long speed, but gradually whf,n if ,• 
 
 S auuaiiy, when it is necessary to ^ind up, 
 
366 
 
 AMERICAN ANOLBR'S FOOK. 
 
 keeping a taut line on hi: i as he passes down. When he 
 gets below and becomes thoroughly aroused to a sense of his 
 danger, he commences a series of desperate leaps or long 
 runs, or both alternately. If he takes the current, he may 
 run off a third of the line at a dash ; then the point of the 
 rod should be turned to one side, butting him stoutly to get 
 him into the still water on the side of the rapid. If this can- 
 not be done he must be followed down stream, recovering 
 line when you can, and giving it grudgingly when you must, 
 keeping the rod in the mean time as nearly perpendicular as 
 possible, and giving him its whole spring. When he leaps, 
 if he is near you, the point of the rod is raised ; if far off the 
 point should be lowered. In either case though, after a leap, 
 if there is any slack line it should be immediately recovered, 
 and the usual tension given. 
 
 Whether fishing from the shore or from a canoe, there is 
 not as much danger of losing a Salmon as one might suppose 
 when it goes over a pitch. For, as I have just said, it does not 
 rush headlong over, but drops down tail foremost, or sideways. 
 At such time the rod should be kept well up, to ease the fish 
 over with its spring. After guiding the fish carefully througli 
 the safest channel, another tussle should be had at the first 
 favorable place to get it in shore, or out (if the current. 
 
 In bringing a fish within reach of the gaff, it is not safe to 
 press him harder then, than at any other time of the contest. 
 For by this time the hold of the hook may have nearly worn 
 out. Many a fish is lost by rough usage, or even a little 
 additional force, at such time. I have had the mortification 
 on more than one occasion, of seeing a good fish, after he was 
 fairly conquered, rid himself of the hook by a lazy wollop, or 
 a wave of its broad tail, and sink to the bottom or move 
 
 slowly away. 
 
 Some writers give directions as to what part of the body 
 
8ALM0N-PISHINO. 
 
 867 
 
 a Salmon should be gaffed in Ti,^ ft . i.. 
 
 aome.,me. happens that a flsh is brou^h "IIT ' "^^ " 
 
 prolonged con J:i^rL: 7"' " ""^ "^ ""'"^'^' '^» " 
 In the foregoing, I have supposed a case « . 
 
 wind up Or he tavTul I " "T '"^'^ *- ^- -n 
 
 M» po^rr. proprr;::^ir r;;::: ;ir 
 
 screw are as nothinrr f.,r^ ^ ^ i^ncsson 
 
 M..he™o:tx:h:r;i™t:::„:r'^^ 
 
 'band is required, or he " V ''»<' -hen the gentlest 
 
 --e to Jrds .o;: i7d r p:rr« r ^ »" 
 
 l™ in a drift-Iog, and snap it like eobw , °"'""*- 
 again.,, the sharp edge of a nnke rU- T^ "' T " 
 pitch, while you have to r„n ,1 T * ""'' " '"8'' 
 
 the rapid in a M !„ ? ' '""''^ •"'"'^' °' ^hoo. 
 
 w..en;ouha:t!: roT ;.:„ :o::r* °" '^^ ^°"- 
 
 l.im with ,is setli„..pole R ,, t '^"'''■°°'"' P*" « 
 
 a &..mon .„, or Xo? ^ ^ ^''""' '° "^-'"^ -">« 
 
86& 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 CAMPING ON THE RIVER. 
 
 The naxt thing in importance to the angler, after sport, is 
 his comfort on the river; he would therefore do well to 
 bestow some thought on the subject before leaving home. 
 His tent, his stores, his clothing, protection against mosquitoes, 
 midges, and black flies, &c., are all matters that require care 
 and foresight. 
 
 Camp Equipage. The Tent. — The most convenient size for 
 the accommodation of one person, though it might answer 
 for two, is an eight-foot tent ; that is, eight feet long, eight 
 feet wide, and eight feet high, to the ridge-pole. There 
 should be an opening at each end, to create a draught of aii 
 through it ; it should also be provided with a " fly," which, 
 in addition to being a double roof to the tent, can be stretched 
 over inclined poles, and used as a shelter for the canoe-men, 
 when one's stay is of short duration at a station where there 
 is no bark-shed. To shed the rain well, the roof of the tent 
 should have an inclination of not less than forty degrees; 
 and to have room inside and allow a suitable elevation to the 
 mosquito-bar, which is arranged on one side of it, the walls 
 should be three and a half feet high. The best material for 
 a tent of this kind is American cotton drill, weighing eight 
 ounces to a yard, the goods being thirty-three inches wide. 
 
 At most of the fishing-stations on Salmon rivers frequented 
 by anglers, bark sheds have been erected at diflFereno times, 
 and, as a matter of mutual interest, they are kept in repair 
 by the canoemen. They are more suitable to sit or eat in, 
 more convenient, with an impromptu table before you, to tie 
 flies in, and even more comfortable to sleep in, with the usual 
 log fire in front. 
 
 Many persons prefer a bed of spruce boughs, and, to protect 
 themselves thoroughly from the moisture of the ground, 
 
SALMON.PisHii^O. 
 
 869 
 
 can be u,ed Tht « 7 ™ "'"' «™"''' » *"'"'>er 
 
 of .u inob°e/o„ :':;;''2 ir ? "-'■ "''" " "^ 
 
 lengtb is thrust throurell hf ^ . t ™'*''^ ^'^^ "■"» 
 are supported by forkrd ,1, / ""^ ^'^ "' "» P°'- 
 or by stou. loga^ „I ', 1'"' V°°'7 »" *"- ^e g™„d, 
 ^i.h no.bes ;„; :M*' ^; ;",^J'; -^- a. .be bead, 
 poles are drawn out of fb. l , ^ " "™<'' *o 
 
 with the tent. To ' po^l h!™' '""'. *" »'-'="- Paclced 
 four feet long are dnvT ' "°'''""°-*'"' ^'*»^ *'«« or 
 corners of tb'e stret Z Z b^^""' "' """ "' '"^ '"" 
 of rings which slide al ;., 3 ^ „ V' "'""'"' "' "^""^ 
 to stake on each side. The" 1°^ ^"'f" '"« '™"' ^^^^ 
 foot of the bed by thi, L T '"'''""' '" ""^ '"^"'i or 
 
 - - night^c!;:::; ^re^tr ^^^"^'''- 
 
 regions of Salmon, two thick hul'T """' '" *« 
 
 another to coyer o;eTse If wW n t^"' *° ='^^P ™' -<» 
 answer if yon have a btl: "r '^ "'"'^°'- '^^ "" 
 
 »-..%ti.e L to'2:^~;yi:rr;r°™^- 
 
 his sport. At niffht tJi^^xr „. • . , "^ ^ pleasure of 
 
 30 long as he s^ aTd 7 'ZT ^'T ' "™'"'=-" 
 gone to bed. U danime ,1 K ""^'l""'"-'""- "fer he has 
 
 *e face, and gauntlt:r;h:Lnr''^"""™" ^™" ^- 
 
 open than silk Us^le Jnd V T . ='"" *"" ''"■■^=-' "-o 
 ^' freely. It . 1 ^ ^ re t^a rV""" "^ " "'™"^ '"^ 
 'be article in general ^,7 T '"""""^l^'o-bar tbau 
 
 of this fabric a^TJa, " '"""'^ ''="'^^" "^ ">™ds 
 are small enough .0 exclude even Uack-flie, 
 
370 
 
 AMERICAN ANQLER'8 BOOK. 
 
 The veil should be made in the shape of a bag, but open at 
 each end, about fifteen or eighteen inches long, and two or 
 two and a half feet in circumference. A piece of fine gum- 
 elastic cord is run in the hem at the top to clasp the body .)f 
 the hat, while a similar cord in the hem at the bottom secures 
 it around the neck ; the rim of the hat keeps it out from the 
 face. The bottom of the veil can be lifted somewhat, and the 
 stem of a pipe stuck in the mouth when one wants to smoke. 
 Gauntlets can be made by sewing linen cuffs to a pair of 
 easy old kid gloves ; a piece of gum-elastic cord run in a hem 
 at the top of the cuff, clasping the arm under the coat-sleeve. 
 Last summer, T found a veil and gauntlets of this description 
 effectually to keep out these unwelcome visitors. 
 
 Different lubricating compounds have been recommended as 
 preventives: among these are tar and sweet-oil, coal-oil, 
 creosote and oil, and oil of pennyroyal. The latter is the 
 cleanest, is not offensive, and is most convenient to carry ; it 
 should be diluted with sweet-oil, as it is extremely volatile. 
 The Canadians make a "smudge" to drive off the mosquitoes 
 and flies, which is not only movable, but has a pleasant 
 odor, not unlike that of the incense burnt in Catholic churches. 
 It is made by beating strips of dry bark of the white cedar, 
 and binding them into bundles four or five inches in diameter 
 and two or three feet long. One of these bundles will burn 
 for five or six hours, gradually smouldering away, and emit- 
 ting a pretty stream of blue smoke. It is convenient to place 
 by one's side at mealtime, or when reading or tying flies. 
 
 I will not endeavor to anticipate by description, the interest 
 with which the novice will mark the skill and readiness of 
 the man of the woods, in the use of his paddle and pole, his 
 axe and his knife, and the various materials and appliances 
 he so aptly finds in the forest, for making rude tables, benches, 
 stools, beds, baskets, buckets, &c. 
 
8ALM0N-FI8HINO. 
 
 871 
 
 -id glaring eolo. i7 J d 1 " ''"""■ • "r"""" 
 
 suitable. ' ^'g^t-gray is the most 
 
 e„a:\r::r:a"ittr r '"^"^^' -'- -^■ 
 
 a pair of small pUe^'a Z '"'-""'^T" """^ ""^ "''-• 
 
 vials as large a. .he end of „„r;lt' "' """^ '" 
 
 three or four tia nkte, ' ?""" P™' " ^"''^"'S "'« fch-broiler, 
 
 other, pew Js;ot" ;; ""V^ ""- '° "' ■"'" '-- 
 If .w a„gier\::'r^:''::;\:;-"Of-'^.*e. 
 
 -wage, and would di.ij Z'^ZTZ^tr:' 
 canoe-men are subieftpH ;. t ^°^^^^ ^^s 
 
 a-a in making ditt ."J; '^^ :tr;:rf """^'"' 
 cumbersome trunks into . K u "''"' '""«'« or 
 
 3ions,as man, of'^r . 'CITZT T ''"'""'■ 
 -pet or India-rubber wall /™'d hi '' °"'" '" 
 
 bundles. ' ■"' "^""P -"laipage ir 
 
 Stores — Campin» out m k. • , . 
 be attended with a°s few . ,■"''' "'* ^''' '''""W 
 well do with- stm ' '\r """' ^ " P^^™ «au 
 
 .».wheneon.inualfe.4„,t:X"tXp: 
 
872 
 
 AMERICAN ANOLER'S BOOK. 
 
 tite. A moderate assortment of such things might include 
 vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, salad-oil, essence of coffee or 
 " caffeine," solidified milk, a small quantity of desiccated meats 
 and vegetables fur soup and pottage, and a box of claret, if 
 it can be carried, for, as I have before remarked, there is no 
 beverage like it with fresh fish. 
 
 The stores that go to make the real staff of life are pork, 
 ship-bread, potatoes, onions, beans, salt, pepper, butter, tea, 
 sugar, &c. It may be asked, Why such a profusion ? or it 
 might be said that fresh Salmon is good enough ; and so it 
 is ; but one becomes satiated with it afler a while, and longs 
 for some of the common things he ate at home. The canoe- 
 men will not forget their tobacco, and should be sure to have 
 a pound or two of rosin to patch and stop up the cracks in 
 their canoe. 
 
 Cooking Salmon.— On the river there is a variety of ways 
 of cooking or preparing Salmon for the table. The following 
 are a few simple receipts : — 
 
 To boil Salmon.— Have a sufiacient quantity, but not too 
 much water, boiling briskly with a good handful of salt in 
 it. Cut off" a piece of fish of suitable size, notch it to the 
 bone, put it into the pot, cover it up close, and give it from 
 ten to twenty minutes, according to its size. Serve it up hot, 
 with some of the liquor left after boiling. 
 
 To broil Salmon. — Cut steaks across the fish, or, if length- 
 wise, let the pieces include some of the fs\t glutinous portions 
 of the belly ; lay them between the folds of the wire fish- 
 broiler; turn it often, and be careful not to overdo them. 
 When served up, the dish should be placed on a flat hot 
 stone, and your plate also, if you prefer ; butter the fish well 
 while hot, and season it to your liking. 
 
 Cold Salmon.— Vnt aside part of the fish boiled for dinner, 
 and eat it cold for supper ; it is extremely delicate. 
 
8ALM0N-PI8IIlN(j. 
 
 878 
 
 and sal, wrap u >„ . si„g,„ envelope of butLd paperTd 
 
 borough y .„ water, pres, it slightly between the hand, 
 
 up. A Gnlse of three pounds should be left i„ about twenty 
 mmuees, and one of four pounds five or ten minute 1„72 
 In servng it up, take off the paper covering L ironTfl ^' 
 hot stone, and butter it while ho Oril ^ "'" 
 
 and broiled or planked lik^ Shad "" '""""^ '•"" 
 
 "^>;«r«; &w»» is excellent, especially for breakfast 
 when one becomes somewhat satiated with fresh fish T e 
 Zy * '.™'^'*"'» «»« P'-ess of kippering fish The 
 Salmon, sspht along the back, and the bone taken ou ; U 
 then thoroughly peppered and salted inside and ou „„d 
 -pread out and pressed between two pie^s of birch bfc 
 a,d on the ground ; if it is iu^^ded for immediate use from 
 twelve to twenty.four hours is sufHcient I, i, 1 " 
 
 op™ by means Of flat Slats of cedar, hu:„\::::ar: 
 dried m the sua and air for a davT or two wul ■ , 
 
 ^'^^ Hppcred Salmon home JZ::^^^::^ 
 
 for at least a week or ten days, A do^en Salmon prepared for 
 me m th. way by Peter Chamberlain, whilst at tfeG and 
 Mso„ the N-pissiguit last summer, were packed at Bafhl' 
 
 brought home wuh my luggage i„ excellent condition 
 
874 
 
 AMBHICAN .4NQLBR'8 BOOK. 
 
 When you got home, it is necessary to soak a piece in watir 
 from four to twcivrt hours /'according to the length of time it 
 art* been kept) before broit "g, in order to soften it and get 
 soiue of tl»o salt out. 
 
 When Salmon are smoked, they are first put in a strong 
 pickle of brine for twenty-four hours, or salted and pressed 
 between pieces of bark, as already described, and then stretched 
 with slats, and smoked with chips of " hard wood" (maple, 
 birch, &c.) in a bark hut built for the purpose. It requires a 
 longer time to smoke fish than to kipper them, and unless a 
 person has time to give them at least two weeks in the smoke- 
 house, he had better not attempt to carry them home, if the 
 distance is more than three or four days' journey. 
 
 Law and Custom on the River. — Although there is no 
 law, properly speaking,- on a river which is fre^ to all, still 
 there are rules of right and courtesy that obtain, or at least 
 which should be observed, amongst anglers. 
 
 A discreet angler will not consent that his party shall 
 consist of more than two, including himself. Two are 
 company for each other ; if there are more, a smaller propor- 
 tion of the fishing falls to each rod, while sociality is not 
 increased. It is the custom to apportion the pools of a station 
 as fairly as possible between the rods; ard to make the 
 division more equitable, and to prevent the inonotony of 
 one angler fishing the same set of pools every dn v. thoy are 
 shifted ; that is, the rod that occupied one set on oi\.d da/ will 
 take the other set the next day, and vice versa. The plan of 
 ^l.anging the pools at noon on each day is sometimes adopted, 
 ibU the new occupant, if he thinks the pools have been 
 f:s.i ' 1. 10 I'.rsistently by his predecessor, can rest them that 
 after' )0'., and hav^ them all the fresher the next morning, 
 bach a course is frequently adopted with great advantage to 
 one who follows an over-industrious and indiscreet angler. 
 
im' 
 
 • llHON-HsaiKo. 
 
 870 
 
 A proper regard for tW righto of bi. .u„„o»s„„, .t„„^,, ^j,, 
 .lw«y,re,tra.„.„„„.iaer.to,f„ir M„r in ,ueh o J„„ hlw 
 ever arde„t a sport-„,.„ he ,„a, bo. I have «ee„ a Tallol" 
 asher contmue to whip a pool under a hrigl. glaring"""' 
 long after tlje fl.,h had .hown ,,h„ ,ea,t di,p,„m„:.o L' and 
 van hand the rod to one of hi, canoe-men to give it a^ore 
 t Uorough thrash „g, because his right to the pool ..,u d pal 
 
 of Salmon.flshor I met at the Grand Falls of the Ninissil^ 
 to summer. A fat, short-winded little English 1 ^ 
 Manehester who talked largely of the moor,twl(?) ^.h^ 
 bagged on the Derbyshire hills, ana .he number f .. ,,mon 
 he had kdled .n a single afternoon in Sootland. He .a. Z 
 
 111 L? , Tl •■ rf '""""' '■^ "» '"'"'" °f «'-' - - 
 w .mied flask wuh h>m on the river-side, and took it ea.vly, 
 
 whde one of h.s cauoe.n.en (an expert) would thrash the wu.."' 
 
 he rod to kUl .t; reversing the eustom of the Highland 
 latrd who hooks his own fish, and hands the rod to hi.lr 
 
 he could not eome the left-shouldered cast" (which was 
 necessary m fishing some fine pools from the right bank of that 
 r.ver), or that he "wanted Francis to limber hi new roll' 
 am no. aware of the exact proportion of his catch, the canoe- 
 man booked for him nerh.n, l.„if i, , 
 ..Ki, ., J ,P "P^ """• Perhaps three-fourths- he 
 set hem a.l down however in his memorandnm.book as'.he 
 product of bis own skill. His canoe-man afterward" ;„"*: 
 remarko „ me, with a broad grin, that the iittle man « d 
 have ^« more Salmon, if he had handled them properly 
 after he (the sa.d Fi-aneis) had hooked them for him The 
 compa,uon of this gentleman was jus. his opposite.- a young 
 Sootehman, who, though he had never fished for Salmo! 
 
376 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 before, cast a fly admirably, and hooked his own fish, and 
 killed them in a masterly manner. 
 
 Ver_y few fishing-stations will " carry" more than two rods, 
 and new comers, finding such water occupied, generally 
 refrain from intruding, and seek other grounds. It frequently 
 happens, though, at some famous place— I would instance the 
 Grand Falls of the Nipissiguit— that the new comers have 
 travelled a long distance, and there is no station beyond. If 
 the stream is free to all, there is no gainsaying their right to 
 stop and fish ; but the privilege of dividing the pools is 
 generally concerted to the first occupants, and it would be a 
 breach of courtesy and fair dealing in those who come last, to 
 wet a line without consulting them. 
 
 When pools have been over-fished, a mutual agreement to 
 rest them for a day or two, or every alternate day, results 
 beneficially to all. Such course is frequently resorted to. 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 SALMON KIVEBS OF THE BEITISH PEOVINCES. 
 
" Thou pausest not in thine allotted tasli, 
 
 darklint; River 1 through the night I hear 
 Thy wavelets rippling on the pebbly beach, 
 
 1 hear thy current stir the rustling sedge 
 That skirts thy bed. Thou intermittcst not 
 Thine everlasting journey, drawing on 
 
 A silvery train from many a woodland spring 
 And mountain brook." 
 
 Bbtant. 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 SALMON-BITURS OP THE BE„.,SH PEOVmcES. 
 
 Mirimichi.--Ri8tiVo„nh« m . \- Canada adjacent.— 
 
 SALMON-RIVERS IN LOWER CANADA 
 
 Bess,on of all the Salmon and Sea-Trout fl.,heries in Lowe. 
 Canada and having p.ocnred the enactment of a protecZ 
 
 the following adverfsement, which waa i.,.„ed from the fl,h! 
 
 I808 I have added a few rivers not found in the original 
 
 horuy of the report, issued annnall, b, the Dep rtment 
 an of ,„,ormat,on received from correspondents. The law 
 anci by-laws quoted are still in force, hut the Canad an 
 Government as „t the present time (March. I860) new and 
 more ellect.vely protective legislation in prepress •-- 
 
 "The following list includes the principal Salmon-rivers 
 nd Sea.Trout streams which discharge into the Saint La" 
 .ence and Saguenay Bivers, along the north-east or Labrador 
 coast, between the nrovime l>n„„l J^aoiaaor 
 
 Sablo,A .n^ ,1, ■ '^ ° ''"""dary eastwards (Blanc 
 
 Sablon), and the nver Jacques Cartier, above Quebec ; also 
 
 (379) 
 
380 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLKR'S BOOK. 
 
 those emptying upon the south or eastern shore of the Saint 
 Lawrence, and others flowing easterly into the fiay of 
 
 Chaleurs. 
 
 "In addition there are many other bay, cove, and inlet 
 stations along these extensive coasts, but which are disposable 
 chiefly as sedentary net-fishings for Salmon and Trout, 
 
 " The immediate expiry of the lease of that vast territory 
 commonly known as 'The King's Posts,' opens up to the 
 public competition numerous valuable coast-fisheries (such as 
 Tadousac, Seven Islands, &c.), besides many famous Salmon- 
 rivers and Sea-Trout streams, and renders disposable certain 
 commodious building establishments long occupied as fur- 
 trading posts, by tbe Honorable Hudson's Bay Company, at 
 the mouths of the most important of these fine rivers. 
 
 The rivers marked * in the annexed list, are untried with fly, or 
 unknown to my correspondents. 
 
 Those marked f are more or less valuable for fly-fishing. 
 Those with no mark have notes as correct as may be. 
 
 North Shore. 
 Discharge into River St. Lawrence. 
 
 '^Esquimaux . 
 
 *Corkewetpoeohe 
 
 *Ste. Augustine . 
 *Sheop Bay 
 ■*Liltlo Moccatina 
 *Netngamu 
 
 *Napotetcope 
 *Etamamu 
 *Coucoacbo 
 *01omano8hQeboo 
 
 *Mu»quarro < 
 
 ■*Washeecootai . 
 ^Kegashka . . 
 
 ■f Great Natashquan 
 
 Fine Salmon-river. Formerly yielding large num- 
 bers of Salmon each season's net fishing. 
 
 Neighboring stream. Contains steady run of Sal- 
 mon. 
 
 Well supplied with Salmon. 
 
 Considerable size. Good Salmon-fishery station. 
 
 Discharges large body of water by several channels. 
 
 Large, deep stream. High falls inside Swarms with 
 Trout, Salmon ascend it only to the falls. 
 
 Empties into spacious bay. Holds Salmon. 
 
 Celebrated for its Salmon -fishery. 
 
 Discharges into a fine basin. Good Salmon-river. 
 
 Large, but shoal stream. Holds Salmon. Is re- 
 markatile for its white or silver Trout. 
 
 Bold, rapid river. Good net-fishery station, i^iiid 
 to affiird fly-fishing. 
 
 An untried but promising river. 
 
 Salmon abundant— steep rapids impeding their 
 ascent. Fly-fishing at the lalls. 
 
 Famous stream. Salmon of finest kind and nume- 
 rous. Excellent fly-fishing. 
 
SALMON. RIVERS OP BRT 
 
 TISH PROVINCES. 381 
 
 AgwanuH . , 
 
 Nabetippi 
 
 Paabasheeboo . 
 
 Little Wiitscheoshoo 
 fUreat Watscheeshoo 
 
 Corneille . 
 fRumuine . 
 fMingan . 
 
 fManitou . . 
 
 ■("Saint John 
 Magpie . 
 
 Supitagan 
 Trout River 
 fMoisio 
 
 fSto. Marguerite {en bas) 
 Pentecost . 
 tTrinity (Bay) . 
 
 fGoodbout, 
 
 Betscie , 
 fMistassini 
 
 English . , 
 
 ■fiiersimis . , 
 
 fNipimewecaw'nan 
 
 Jeremie . 
 
 Colombier 
 
 Plover 
 
 Blnncbo . 
 fLaval 
 
 Sault do Cochon 
 
 Portneuf . 
 
 Grand Escoumain 
 
 Q. Bergoronne . 
 L. Bergoronne . 
 
 • S-^-'^ver. Nearly cleaned out '^• 
 
 ■ ^Zn "'""■■ ^° down, but recovering 
 
 • Small river. Nearly cleaned out. "^ 
 
 ■ ExST'"'*"'"''"" «?»"<■«•• one rod 
 
 • i!<.xcellent not and fl« fl„i,- /. '""■ 
 
 knotn. *'"'^""' •'•^"'"•y go"-! and well 
 
 • ^"'■y '■"•«« st'oam, affording excellent flv fi u- 
 
 . Oood nct.fi.hery for Salmon, irpd ml ■^• 
 One angling pool ^ '"'® "''«'■• 
 
 ■ ^rn^nr- C'»«fly n«t.flahery. 
 
 • Small. Cleaned out bv nettino- n 
 
 • Noted for numbers of woi j "^>i , ^"' "■'"'• 
 
 ^ and lucrative net-fisherf 'iine ri^^^*"^'''^ 
 
 • f:nSaXod"'"^^'^"'"'--^^--«B''in.. 
 
 • omall; affords fly-fishing. 
 
 . J^^'l/iver, but small and run down. 
 
 ' pZIZVS-'-' «'''-'-««•'-. for net.. 
 
 • 'rtZt:nr"'Ar'''r"'''"^ *"''"'-'- Scene,y 
 
 branched ''"'"' "° '^« '^'"«" of iU 
 
 SmalT"'^:/ f '"■f""- ^^"'^^ «y-fi«l'-e- 
 
 sarn.fiX"'L!r:sr^^"^'"^^^- 
 
 Do. Do. 
 
 p. . Do. Do. 
 
 i.;'c,i„;""-'-'^ ■'•"" '»' SI... 
 
 Good Trout-stream. 
 
 ^7rt ^.';°"'-f «*'«• (Both the Bergeronne rivers 
 are w.th.n few miles of Saguenay a'nd Tado"sacO 
 
 fSt. Margaret («« Aaw/) 
 
 l>wc;/ar5re into Jiiver Saguenay. 
 
 '''^■■^T^Z:'.t:;2ss..]::::!z: 
 
382 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 Little Sagiienay 
 St. John's (en hant) 
 
 Considerable stream, now affording no Ashing. Mill. 
 dam inside, not in use. 
 
 Do. do. 
 
 Black, or Salmon 
 Murray 
 Du Gouffre 
 8te. Anne 
 Montmorenoi 
 
 '('Jacques Cartier. 
 
 Discharge into River -St. Lawrence. 
 
 Formerly good fishery. Affords no fly-flahing. 
 Flows down beautiful valley. Yields Salmon. 
 Much deteriorated. Needs recruiting. 
 
 Do. Do. 
 
 Cataract at mouth. The upper water swarms with 
 
 (river) Trout. 
 Excellent Salmon-stream. Not a Crown river. 
 
 *Du Snd . . 
 *Ouelle 
 
 ■•Grand Metis . 
 *Matanne . 
 ■•♦St. Ann . 
 *Mount Louis 
 
 *Magdolaine 
 ♦Dartmouth 
 
 *york 
 
 *St. John's (rfii Slid) 
 
 *Grand River 
 
 South Shore. 
 
 Much deteriorated. Mill-dam and flshway. 
 
 Do. Has three mill-dams. 
 
 Do. Large stream. Has dams. 
 
 Do. Has dam, and Salmon-pass. 
 
 Formerly good. Mill-dam across. 
 Important stream. More noted of recent seasons 
 
 for Sea-Trout than Salmon. Untried. 
 Salmon-river. Untried with fly. 
 Fir8t-cla89 stream, flowing into GaspS basin. 
 Untried with fly. 
 
 Do. do. do. 
 
 Do. do. do. 
 
 Mill-dam above. Untried with fly. 
 
 *G. Pabos . 
 •*G. Bonaventure 
 
 ''''Cascapediacs 
 
 *Nouvelle . 
 
 Skeminac . 
 
 'j'Matapediac 
 
 •^Ristigouche 
 
 *Patapcdiac 
 *Mistoucho 
 
 Discharge into Bay of Chaleurs. 
 
 . Salmon-fishery. Superior station. Untried with fly. 
 
 . Large and valuable stream. Many tributaries. 
 Formerly abounding with Salmon. 
 
 . Both the little and great Cascapediacs yield num- 
 bers of Salmon. 
 
 . Good Salmon-fishery in bay. Untried with fly. 
 
 . Good Trout-river. 
 
 . Formerly abounded with Salmon, but needs re- 
 cruiting. 
 
 . Noblo river. Has fine tributary streams. Salmon 
 fre(iuent it in large numbers, and of heavy weight. 
 Head of Bay Chuleurs. 
 
 . Branch of Ristigouche. Salmon ascend it about 
 forty miles. 
 
 . Feeder of Ristigouche. Salmon-river. 
 
 '■' Nearly all the rivers described in the foregoing schedule 
 are tidal streams, and most of them have stationary Salmon 
 and Trout fisheries within the embouchure, and at bays. 
 
SALMON. RIVERS OF BRITISH 
 
 PROVINCES. 888 
 
 er 8warm8 with 
 
 :own river. 
 
 ascend it about 
 
 coves, and inlets on either side Tl,„. 
 
 shore of the S, T , " "P"" *= ""^^ 
 
 suort ot the St. Lawrence descend ont of wild rockv «nd 
 
 mountainous country. ' ^' "'"' 
 
 "Most of these streams, with their numerous tributaries 
 and he large lakes at the bead of each branch, present evv 
 
 ..:LX"n:mrbr"c[u:eri— »-- 
 
 l.ly between Quebec and the Sena,. ""'°' ^'^"""""'^ 
 " Si/nopsis of the laws and by-laws now in for., v r 
 fsheriea. rtyuiation o/ ^aZwon anrf 2Vo«< . 
 
 (Act 22d Viot. cap. 86 ) 
 S.c.0.4. The Governor in Council to grant special fishing leases and 
 l-nses; and ™„ke al, needful or expedient regu I J 3 f 
 management and disposal of fisheries 
 5. A general superintendent and local overseers to be appointed 
 ^^ -^ P-d by the Government, for each province. ''' 
 
 Iffi"?""* "*^' "* "P"* "^"^ -^- f» natural or 
 ^_ artificial propagation of Salmon and Trout. 
 
 aldTrr" '" '"'°>'^"-««^-y '-ited betwixt 1st March 
 and 1st August. Fly-surface fishing extended to 1st Sep 
 
 -her. ^-ption in procuring spawn for seientifi! pi 
 
 26. Nets and fishing apparatus shall not obstruct the main channel 
 
 : rr ""' 7 ''-'' ' ^"^ ^-'^ ^^'^-^ or course stl b 
 ^^ at leas one-third of the whole breadth of a river. 
 
 ^^ 27. Owners of dams must attach fishways thereto. 
 
 ^». All parties concerned in breach of 24ti, « r ,. 
 
 liable ^ fine or imprisonment ' '"'" '"'^^^ 
 
 " 29. The meshes of Salmon-nets must measure five inches in 
 extension from knot to knot. 
 
881 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 <J 
 
 "^^^^ 
 
 Section 31. Trout-fishing illegal bet-ween 20th October and Ist February. 
 " 33. Netting for Trout in any lake or stream prohibited, except 
 
 upon the River St. Lawrence. 
 " 36. Purchase, sale, or possession, during prohibited seasons, of 
 any Salmon or Trout, made a punishable offence. 
 
 Regulations under Order in Council. 
 Bt-Law a.— Parties forbidden to occupy Salmon or Sea-Trout fishery 
 
 stations without lease or license from the Crown. 
 M B. The use of nets confined to the brackish waters within the 
 
 estuary tideway ; and forbidden upon the fresh-water 
 
 streams above confluence of tide. 
 " C— All nets, &c., to be set no less than two hundred yards 
 
 apart. 
 " E.— No other fishing whatever allowed over limits covered by 
 
 exclusive leases or licenses from the Crown, except by 
 
 express consent of lessees or licentiates. 
 « F.— Prohibits capture of Salmon or Sea-Trout by torchlight, and 
 
 with leister or spear. 
 " H. The receipt, gift, purchase, sale, and possession of speared 
 
 Salmon or Trout declared illegal. 
 u J.— No mill rubbish to be drifted awaste in any Salmon or Seiv 
 
 Trout river. 
 
 "Appropriate penalties of fine or imprisonment, with 
 forfeiture of materials and fish, are provided by law for the 
 contravention of the several preceding sections and by-laws. 
 
 " Also, effective and summary modes of proceeding are laid 
 down for recovery of the same." 
 
 The following is an account of ten days' fishing in the 
 Moisie, in the summer of 1858, by J. M. S., Esq ., a noted 
 Salmon-fisher of Toronto, Upper Canada. It was originally 
 printed by request for private circulation. The average 
 weight of fish is probably greater than the best river in Scot- 
 land would produce at the present day. I still adhere, how- 
 ever, to the opinion I have already expressed, that Salmon in 
 the rivers of Scotland are generally larger than they are on 
 this side of the Atlantic. 
 
SALMON. RIVERS OF BRITISH 
 
 I'KOVINCES. 886 
 
 ^ ^aK ^»»:^*.„, ™ .^,^^^^^^ ,.^ ^^^^ ^^ ^^^^ ^^^^ 
 
 No. of Dayg. 
 
 Ist day, 
 
 2d " 
 
 3d " 
 
 4th " 
 
 5th 
 
 6th 
 
 7th 
 
 8th 
 
 9th 
 
 10th 
 
 Salmon. Orllie. 
 
 <i 
 
 1 
 1 
 
 4 
 4 
 4 
 3 
 4 
 
 3 
 
 2 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 2 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 li 
 
 Weight. 
 
 131b. 
 lOi 
 
 5. 6, 10, 12, 38, 40J,* 
 7. 8, 10, 12, 23, 24, 
 
 4J.5,6, llj, iij, 1938^ 
 
 5, 6, 19J, 30, 34, 
 
 6. 12, 24, 26, 36i 
 12, 14, 36J, 
 
 6, 9, 25}, 
 5, 22}, 29 , 
 
 673 IblT 
 
 Langth of 
 Ingest Fiih. 
 
 3.9 and 3.11 
 
 3.9 
 3.6 and 3.7 
 3.8| 
 3.9 
 3.3 
 3.5 
 
 Average weight of Salmon . o,. ,. 
 
 Grilse 
 
 5| " 
 
 itse.nn.0 the St wTlCC"" tT™ ""'"' ^"""''' 
 fifteen leagues west of a!!; , T' '"='°* S«^«» ^ands, 
 leagues be orQ^LJ It ' T, ™' '"""'"' ""^ ^""^ 
 
 a schooner from Quebec orT ^^ ^ ^^^"^^ 1^^ "'-"-ng 
 
 -'sBayOompanXw. :i,r, "° """^^ '" *^ ^^^^ 
 J Pcinj s Doat, which leaves early in Mav 
 
 Magaoime and^thet "of w St:;,'";': r*'"""' 
 of w,.ioh have never „ee„ «shed :..:;'' «/ '""■°"' '"""^ 
 _^l:i^I-ie_ha_s^„,s been considered the best Salmon- 
 
886 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 rivor on the coast, but it has been so poacbea and bedevilled 
 with nets, torches, seines, and all sorts of things, that it ia 
 comparatively nothing to what it was,— still I intend to fish 
 it this year, and if any American gentlemen should happen 1o 
 visit the ground, I shall be very happy to show them where a 
 good cast may be obtained. 
 
 " I may as well remark, that althou^'h the Moisie is a large 
 river, there is really not room for more than three rods, upon 
 such posts as I have hitherto discovered, without interfering 
 with each other." 
 
 Either the Moisie or Mingan is now leased by two or three 
 gentlemen of Boston, who fish it every summer. Thj last 
 Teason is said to have been one of rare spo.t; a great many 
 fish were killed, many of them of unusual size,— two or 
 three over thirty pounds. 
 
 Two Salmon-fishers of St. John, N. B,. last summer made 
 an excursion to the coast of Labrador. rUey called in their 
 schooner at Bathurst for boats and to get canoe-men; one 
 of the latter on his return gave a glowing account of the sport 
 which these gentlemen had. A brother of the rod at St. John 
 promised to send me an account of the trip. I regret I am 
 obliged to send this to press before hearing from him. 
 
 SALMON-RIVERS OF NEW BRUNSWICK, AND THOSE OF 
 CANADA ADJACENT. 
 
 In giving a list of Salmon-rivers under this head, I will 
 only advert to those in which the angler has a hope of sport. 
 Those in which the rod -fishing has been destroyed, by net, 
 spear, and high dams, I pass over, and refer the reader, who 
 wishes information about Salmon-fisheries as a matter of com- 
 mercial or statistical importance, to Mr. Perley's report of the 
 British fisheries of New Brunswick. I shall first mention 
 the rivers which have been described to me by others, and 
 
«AL««K.«,vE„soF„RrTr,,>P„ov,»cEs. 387 
 
 o ""-"■8"™">«fo"owinsacoount<,fit._ 
 "DenrN.-The Mirimiclii has been „ fi, c , 
 l»" <1- not and , pear have .lonthei" L ^"''"""••■■™'-. 
 nearly every oth r river iN ^ "''"" ''' "''' "'»■' 
 
 s-e,y w„:.h visUi„7 „ ' , Ih r"'f : """'' ' '' 
 — ,_ryea„;everj;;ir:^^^^^^^^^^ 
 
 angler to pas, it by for if T 7 7 / "''" •'"'""° ""^ 
 never forget the we,:le ve 1 by L";"'*";' ' ' *»" 
 toe, of that wretched place The™ f " ""'' "'"'''"'■ 
 
 and a half pound,, „„,| I „,„„ thou ,ht Tthe / "" 
 
 tWng I had ever ,een. The „ev. "hv T • , ^'"""■'■"' 
 
 of three and a half pound, C^hf. "'^''"' *""'* 
 
 thi, river. ' "'""' "^'^S^' ™glit ir. 
 
 "My next move wa, „p ,„ -clear Water/ which i, reallv 
 
 ™.nsa,itt,e:;t:;:;r:;Lr::e::rr^^^^^^^^ 
 
 n, up or down stream, one can see tliree or 
 
388 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 
 ■flill 
 
 <a: 
 
 four hills, one boyond the other. I killed a few Grilse here 
 and saw a few Salmon. 
 
 "The next catnp, and the last, is at 'Burnt Hill,' five and a 
 half miles higher up, and it is certainly the best place upon 
 the river. It is on the left bank just below Burnt Hill 
 brook, upon the hard rock ; for the hills here come down to 
 the edge of the stream, and the only objection to it is, that 
 the spring is on the other side, and the frequent passage o\ 
 the canoe disturbs the fi.sh. There is a good cast not ten feet 
 from the tents, and fine water both above and below. If an 
 angler were fortunate enough to have a rise of water while 
 here, which I had not, he would still have fine sport ; but in 
 low water it is time lost, except indeed he be, as I was, a 
 beginner, and then I could give him no better advice than to 
 go to McKay's at Boiestown, and send for William McKiel, 
 and put himself under instructions, to as good a man as ever 
 threw a fly or killed a Salmon. 
 
 Wishing that we may yet meet upon the banks of a fine 
 Salmon-river, where the spear and the net are unknown: 
 
 " I remain, yours truly, 
 
 "S." 
 
 The Mirimichi is reached by way of St. John, New Bruns- 
 wick, from whence there is a boat every evening for Fred- 
 ericton, on the river St. John. Hero the angler buys his 
 stores, and takes the stage for Boiestown, where he engages 
 his canoe-men. As will be seen by the foregoing letter, the 
 glory of the Mirimichi as a Salmon-river has departed. 
 
 The Ristigouche.— Although this river is still frequented 
 every summer by great numbers of Salmon, it is said to 
 afford no fly-casts on account of its want of rapids and proper 
 pools. My informant, a canoe-man who accompanied a party 
 of anglers one summer, could not tell me how high they 
 
8ALM0N. RIVERS OP BRITISH n u 
 
 BHITI8H PROVINCES. 889 
 
 nscondod l!,o rivor hut u^ .. 
 
 .10 are not goiiomlly reliublo ns res^ards sohri.f. 
 honesty, nor are they ahvavs Lmo.l . sobriety or 
 
 •1 • « ■ ««»>vajs good canoe-men TJiio ;* • 
 
 •aid. i» I, flne river for r«l.fi,hi„^, ' '"'■ " « 
 
 a sailing-craft. ^^ '^*^® '^^y ^Q 
 
 I" going from Shediac to Bathur«t one crosses a . 
 
 'H'^ny nvers, some of them quite small iL T ^'''''' 
 
 a.o abounded in Salmon. On so e f th T/""' '"" 
 cloubt, formerly fine rod-fishin. "' *'"^ ^^"^' ^ 
 
 "" '"' °-- "'■•«" miles from Bathurst. Th„ Mid ' Rr 
 
 " — ^ — o* 
 
 b«a.r,. ' • ""' """""■■'"«•. .,0 wi.l,i„ the Oanad ,„ 
 
890 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 The next river, which outers on the south side of the town 
 I had the pleasure of fishing last sumnner, spending six 
 pleasant weeks in doing so; it is the most famous river in 
 the proviuoe. I will describe it at length. 
 
 The Nipissiguit.* — The usual mute in going direct from 
 "the States" to this river, is from Boston to St. John, New 
 Brunswick, by one of the boats of the International line, 
 which leaves every Monday and Thursday, at 8 A. m. ; the 
 time occupied in the passage is from twenty-eight to thirty- 
 four hours. The cars leave St. John every morning, and 
 arrive at Shediac, on the Northumberland Strait, a distance 
 of a hundred and ten miles, to dinner. From thence to 
 Chatham, eighty miles, and from Chatham to Bathurst, forty- 
 five miles, the only reliable means of conveyance is in an 
 open stage, and even then one may have to take an extra or 
 lie over a day at Chatham. A boat leaves Shediac for 
 Chatham every two weeks, on the arrival of the cars from 
 St. John ; and if the day can be ascertained from the St. John 
 papers before leaving home, one may avoid a night on the 
 road. The roads of New Brunswick, however, being kept in 
 repair by the government, are hard and level, and the horses, 
 generally two in a team, much " better to go" than one would 
 suppose from their appearance. 
 
 Bathurst is situated at the mouth of the Nipissiguit, at the 
 head of a beautiful little harbor on the Bay of Chaleurs, 
 where Thomas Baldwin, a clever, obliging Irishman, keeps a 
 good hotel, and will give an angler all the assistance and 
 information he rei^aires. Bela Packard, an intelligent An«9ri- 
 
 * It appeals strange that the Author of " Salmon-Fiahing in Canada." in 
 giving the foregoing list of rivers, including those flowing into the Bay of 
 OliuleurH, should omit the Nipissiguit, which, although in New Brunswick, 
 is iishcd every summer, by anglers from Quebec. Nor does he mention 
 Ihe Tittigouche, in the same Province. 
 
can who settled there forty vear. a„„ .1 
 
 anglers; and those »h„ / ^ ' ™ "Commodates 
 
 seventy, has ^0.10:^ t ^,1^^ ^r;'!;" ■ ■""" "^ 
 New Brunswick ^nrl k • ^"^ *^^ "^^^^ of 
 
 Yankees, a Tt l inTl t::':^''':™"''^' """' '"^ -« 
 post. hin. on the «ZZy ^^^ZToT'''"- ""'" "^ 
 is also thoroughly acquainted ^kllT''""""^- ^^ 
 requirements of the angler when In 2 ' "' *' 
 
 him into good hands. ' """•' """^ "" P« 
 
 Although most of the pools on the N:„- ■ • 
 ..fVorn the shore, a canoe is indispenj e fn'^rn!'::: '^"^^ 
 well a, in travelling the river TI,n„ • * ™' "" 
 
 Indians of birch bark ThT '°. "* "" "* ''^ ""^ 
 
 .,.,., . " ""'"'• ^ney are preferred on aocnnnt „f 
 their bght weight, a great desideratum in makinZr T 
 »hich occur frequently on this river. * ''°"''«'^' 
 
 There are many requisites that go to make » „„„ 1 
 
 HcshouldhaveacharacterforsobrietyIdh„ , T"""™- 
 beathletie,quick,cool,ofunfli„chL;I;:":;n^^ 
 he should be acquainted with ever^ rlpid ooor . ^ "' ' 
 *e river, where the fish are accu'trd o L, d^ff ^ '? 
 stages of water; and should be a thor„„ 1, 7 • "" 
 as a good „W.„„„. The ca „e meZlhr^^r"' " "^" 
 sess these amphibious qualities to a gr at l^rXr ''™" 
 who e families-the Chamberlains, the Ventfte J T 
 
 Buchcts,the Youngs, and other^who.;a2 „ r ""' '' 
 paddling a canoe as young ducks tak t^lttr't' ",' 
 these have spent every aum.n.r f / ^°-^ °^ 
 
 empioyofan^ersfrrrrZdt; ic'7'rt'"''^ 
 
 vinces, and the States, drawn^hither t stlrt ' ;1 .' r"' 
 on the Nipissiguit. Some of these men ""* 
 
 anglers, and can mve th. , * ^''° "^P^" 
 
 a can give the tyro mauy useful hints. I shall 
 
892 
 
 AMERICAN ANOLBR'8 BOOK. 
 
 never forget the interest John Chamberlain* evinced in my 
 success, when I told him I. had never killed a Salmon : sug- 
 gesting, by some well-timed hint, or modestly showing, how 
 my casting could be improved, and apologizing (however 
 serviceable his advice) for the intrusion. 
 
 All the stores that are really necessary on the river, and 
 many of those that may be called luxuries, including good 
 brandy and fine Scotch ale and whiskey, may be had of 
 Messrs. Ferguson, Rankin & Co., at Bathurst. Desiccated 
 vegetables and meat, solidified milk, essence of coffee (if the 
 angler wants them), smoking tobacco, and claret, he had better 
 take from home. As to the quantity of provisions required for 
 
 * The author of the " Game Fish of the North" makes this uncalled for, 
 and certainly unmerited, mention of the Chamberlain brothers: "The 
 following are good men: John, Peter, and Bruno Chamberlain; John 
 makes a good fly, but is sulky and wilful ; Bruno is lazy ; Ned Veno and 
 David Buchet, both of whom are excellent and willing." 
 
 From a long summer's acquaintance with John, I found him exactly 
 the reverse ; he, with his brother Peter, were my canoe-men. They were 
 always willing, respectful, and untiring in their efforts to show me the 
 best fishing, and to promote my comfort by a hundred little acts of kind- 
 ness and coyrtesy that appear to be inherent in French Canadians ; and I 
 know that my appreciation of these honest fellows is fully endorsed by 
 such men as Messrs. Lilly, Emmet, Nicholson, Cooper, and other accom- 
 plished anglers. John attributes the remarks of the author I have quoted 
 to the ill-humor of his friend " Dalton," who, one summer, had Peter and 
 Joh.i for his canoe-men, and whom John describes as an irascible little old 
 gentleman, who broke a great many tips, and smashed countless flies 
 against the rocks ; who would not be advised, but insisted on having his 
 canoe in the middle of a pool, while fishing it, much to the terror of the 
 Salmon ; and " carried on generally" in the most unamiable way. 
 
 As for Bruno, there is no better canoe-man ; he is one of the toughest, 
 most untiring, and cheerful fellows on the Nipissiguit. I say this with no 
 wish to underrate other canoe-men, but as an act of justice to my friend 
 John and his brother Bruno. 
 
HIRERS OP BRITISH PROVINCES. 89& 
 
 a trip, it would be wpH f,^ i^, .1 
 
 i- v^ UB weij to leave that to Me^^va v^r. 
 
 of protecios the river frLtle J 'j ■ ""'"^"" ^-i"' 
 
 ™« let on the fl.. of last Ju X the T""^ "''""«■ " 
 gusc, of Bathurs, and the pri JZe ofTr"'" ""'■ ^''■ 
 «,o„s was suh.,et to different pa^ 1 : h!" P' "' '"' 
 M time. This was the first time thefi 1 ^ ' " "P""" 
 NewBrunswiek had been e ed to ^t "d ' ""/T """ '" 
 anglers, .ho had hefore resorted to t fls "j" ' f ""^ 
 parts of the province, were loud n IZ '"'' °"""- 
 
 introduction of an, ;u,e tL h r™: 1T "' '"^ 
 
 laws of the "Old Country" and .7 °f *« game 
 
 few of them visited the riv;r Th ! """'""" ™ *"' 
 f- Montreal and Q.^Zj^lSTT'^'T 
 eame around by stcamer-who rented L "'''° 
 
 -eralofthestationsofMr.;e;t„;X;:r"''^""« ' 
 Grand Falls were in request iC i P"""" ™'' 
 
 Willis's Piteh Buct^^^r;;:: ; ;"?■ t^ ''^'' 
 
 We no particular name, s.^ZZ^:^:^^' T 
 bracmg ,„ all ,nore than a do.u good casL The: , .flX 
 of the season is found here, for the first run of s l """"« 
 
 -"nger about these pools awhile, :C:XTer;; 
 
894 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 to tlie upper part of the river. The land on each aide of the 
 "Bough Waters" being owned by different individuals, the 
 leasing of the fishing privilege of the river does not debar 
 any angler from these pools, and every summer they aro 
 assiduously fished by people from the town and neighbor- 
 hood, and the angler who camps here frequently finds his 
 morning's cast anticipated by an earlier riser than himself, — 
 generally some Canadian stripling fishing for his breakfast or 
 dinner, many of whom cast a fly with astonishing lightness 
 and accuracy, and if their tackle was as good as the city 
 angler's, the latter would stand a poor chance in fishing after 
 them. A few flies though, a few shillings, and a little good 
 humor, properly expended, will buy them off. Mr. N., of St. 
 John, and the writer, last summer bought off a persistent 
 young fellow of this kind, by employing him as camp keeper, 
 at the extravagant price of fifty cents a day ; he proved to be 
 an excellent canoeman, and did us good service. But these 
 competitors seldom have a canoe, and cannot get to many of 
 the best pools in high water without, and, as a consequence, 
 they arc preserved to the angler who has one. The first 
 Grilse also are taken at the " Rough Waters," and about the 
 middle or 20th of July, they come in such numbers as to 
 give fine sport. 
 
 Botind Rock, the next station, is about two miles above 
 Rough Waters. It has a half-dozen or so of excellent pools ; 
 the best is that in-shore near the camp, called the " Rock- 
 pool." Here within a fly-cast of my tent door I killed 
 my first Salmon, — an epoch in the life of an angler which he 
 marks "with a white stone." I had hoped to be initiated 
 gradually, killing first a Grilse and then a small Salmon, but 
 fortune would have it otherwise, and with a rod and a fly of 
 my own make, I brought to gaff in less than fifteen minutes 
 a splendid fresh-run fish. " Bon poisson !" exclaimed Peter, as 
 
S ALMON-Ri vwp D «™ ^ 
 
 RIVEK8 OF BRITISH PROVINCES. 396 
 
 Of the spring baW t ,^^^^^^^^^^^^ "^ ^^^^ ^1. hoo. 
 
 to sixteen pounds. ' ^ '^""^^ ^^^* ^^« ^^^ex 
 
 Six weeks later I hooked mvlast fi.li nf .1, 
 same pool, and killed it in th ^t '^^ «"^nmer in the 
 
 , , f " ^° the same eddv belnw tv. 
 
 ful Nipisaiguit ""=""«'""'' »f a summer on the beau. 
 
 the river. Man, fll LTlt T""*" "" ''"S'''™ ^^^^ ^i-' 
 
 rocky bank. About ei».i ^ "« ""^ P'ecipitous 
 
 estaUishment tJZ^ZZT:'' ''''' ^«°' " P^"-* 
 i-arrel. of salted m Zell '"'"' "^ ^'^ '""'^'«' 
 
 were taken b, ^^ir^IlZ':^,^:::- ^""^ 
 and above. ° "^^^ ^* this place 
 
 Bittafmk, two or three miles above has tw. i . 
 there was formerlv e-ood fi K- T P°^''' ^^«^« 
 
 rooks whi^i^ , isiLgujar appearance of thp 
 
 rocks, which seem to have been broken and lifted fr 
 horizontal strata, and piled with remarkable 
 parallel layers like mason's work. '"'"'^^^ '^ 
 
 The next station is Mid Landina Hpr. .1. • 
 tirougb a deep narrow gorge, ttat 1 ^^T^, 
 across. The rann^ rr,^., xi ^ ^ ^ biscuit 
 
 *e Wer eLTLTorl ^ ^^'^ "' ^^ "'^^ ^' 
 
 J' rmiyieet. There is one quiet pool 
 
396 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 below the gorge said to be good at low water, but I did not 
 raise a fish in it. There are also three or four casts above ; 
 two of them are in- shore along the margin of the gorge, 
 where I had good sport in stopping over-night, killing two 
 fine Salmon in the afternoon, and two more next morning 
 before breakfast. I afterwards took three Grilse in one of the 
 same pools, when passing it at broad noon. 
 
 Chain of Bocks, three miles above, is said to afford good 
 fishing occasionally, though in camping here a night, and 
 fishing the three pools late in the afternoon and early in the 
 morning, I did not hook a fish, having only two faint rises. 
 This is a poor camping ground, much infested with flies, and 
 has no spring near it. 
 
 Grand Falls, two and a half miles further on, and twenty 
 miles from Bathurst, is the last fishing-station for Salmon oa 
 the river, the height of the falls preventing them from 
 ascending further. In former years this was a favorite 
 resort, when four or five anglers would find good sport for 
 weeks. But, alas ! two rods now are as many as the station 
 will well carry, and even then careful fishing and frequent 
 resting of the pools, for a day or two at a time, are required if 
 the water is low. The fishing here commences '^t least two 
 weeks later than it does at Bough Waters, and it is not until 
 after the 8th or 10th of July that one can be sure of sport. 
 
 No description can couvey an adequate idea of the rugged 
 sublimity of the scenery here. The wide shallow river, sud- 
 denly contracted into a narrow channel, chafes and foams over 
 boulders and huge fragments of rock in its mad course, 
 and leaping two smaller precipices, comes thundering down 
 the main pitch, thirty feet, into a dark ravine, which in the 
 course of timp it has worn through the hard rock. After 
 pursuing its wa^, and widening its channel through the 
 gorge, to some sixty or seventy yards, it flows with abated 
 current into a wide deep basin a mile and a half below. 
 
SALMON. RIVERS OP BRlTraiT »« 
 
 BRITISH PROVINCES. 897 
 
 paddle in s.,nJX1^^r.,Z tV '"' ^'^ ""^ 
 
 ihe camp, with its two capacious h-,.1- i. j ■ 
 west side of the riv^r „.i. '''"^*' "^ »» *« 
 
 fl% feet abo: z i'^'^::^ '"'"z '° " -™<'-^ ^-j 
 
 -P an ic, COM C,, whitlfr:' ''"" ''' 
 hundred yards above, flows ..hrouchTwetr ^ '"""« " 
 with alders, briars, and rank wnd T " °''™''''<' 
 
 down the rook, d.Hvitrto r r^T' H rfll""^ 
 men have scooped out tho tnW j j ^^^°®' 
 
 a few iarge Jnes, B^L rC; ^^^^ l' ""' ^'' 
 camp. I have seen -iv • u , '^ ' ""^ ""=^ "^ *« 
 keep'fresh and Z. '"'' ^""'^'^ '^'-■' '"^ '" '' '» 
 
 This is a favorite oampin..jtTonnd Th^ i. 
 river to or from the lumber rLionsabo^e T '"' *" 
 to stop here all night whenT , ' ""'^' " "" "''J"* 
 falla The toiling can J '^.""'''' *" P''"''^^ "f «>« 
 
 with the ang r Id ;rn«;" ^'' ""' *^'' ""■*■ "'^- 
 •ook to it as I Wen of LTl If tr' ''^ "T''"''' ='--. 
 many a pleasant day has L na JT' ' ''"^"^^' "■"' 
 .>f the rod who have raXT K ?' '''"" '""-" 
 broad Atlantic, to fi h rl / f ^ ""'' " "''"^'' *= 
 have pleasant memorfe, of tW u ""''"'' '^^""■" ^ 
 
 fail me. The briX ™I ■""""' ""'^^ ' P"-"'^ »^^ -<=-«' 
 
 bright rushing nver below, and the hill rising 
 
398 
 
 AMERICAN ANQLBR'S BOOK. 
 
 behind, covered with luxurious raspberries and whortleber- 
 ries; the songs and stories of the unsophisticated canoe-men; 
 the oozy meadow, with its alders and wild shrubbery, where 
 the robin, the "peabody," the "chitchie-ke-witchie," and whole 
 choirs of other warblers rouse the angler from his early 
 morning slumbers, that he may souse his face in the cold 
 brook, and prepare for his day's sport. 
 
 The " Falls Pool" is about a hundred yards below the last 
 pitch of the falls. It is difficult to fish, there being but two 
 casts. One is from the lower end of the pool, where you are 
 compelled to throw up stream, the swift current bringing your 
 fly back, and making it very hard to keep the line taut enough 
 to strike successfully. The othoi a few yards higher up, by 
 the side of the ledge, is a better stand, but you must keep 
 well back, for tl.e fish will see you unless the water is dis- 
 colored. This is a perfect mausoleum for flies ; how many 
 have been broken against the granite cliff that rises abruptly 
 at the angler's back, it would be hard to say : unless he is 
 proficient in the left-shouldered cast, he can scarcely come 
 away without the loss of three or four. lii this pool Mr. L., 
 of New York, has killed his dozen Salmon (not counting 
 Grilse) before breakfast; but those days have passed long 
 since. The left-hand portion of the frontispiece of the book 
 represents this pool. 
 
 The "Camp Pool," opposite the landing, is easily fished. 
 There is a good open cast h«re, and one who fishes it, fre- 
 quently has participants in his sport, for there is a fine view 
 of the pool from the camp, and when the water is clear, those 
 above can see all the runs and leaps of the fish, and the 
 stratagem of the angler. 
 
 " Rock Pool," two hundred yards or so below the landing, 
 is the glory of the station. The head of the pool on the 
 right-hand side is the best cast at high water. When the 
 
England to fi;h a. . e "Sr^r/rr^ '"™" '^°'" 
 and a continuation of -Bo ^ P„ ' ^ : trr' ''^'°"' 
 r-the.ho.e on the ri^ht-hand bank ;«: • jr"": 
 
 ^""""''^'"'"-'''^''^""^'■-v'andjit:::'*::!: 
 
 The "Unlucky," so named from the number of fi b ,K . 
 have been lost here after hooking them isstTlU. . 
 of the same pool-the lower end of T ul : ."T'''"'' 
 same side as Cooper's Point T, • . "'""^ *"■" "«' 
 
 loft side when there is a freshet on "eri L p l""'" "" ' 
 Gilmore's brook, and another by the bluff .f "'''"'"'^ 
 on the left side below the basfnell".r " ^"" 
 water being rather shallow for Sat .^"'^-P""''- *« 
 
 river is full. '°"'" '" >'"''>. ""'es" the 
 
 When the water is clear, Salmon can be seen i„ ,^ • 
 qu,.e plainly. I ^yo counted twenty frolle b. ff 7" 
 Bock Pool, and half that numb-r from 2 ■"""" 
 
 below; and have seen the ang r ^ ^is Z' 'b"^ ^ 
 very noses at such times, without tdrlowin;:: 1 T 
 d.;sposition to take it. showing the least 
 
 There is one thin" atfpnrlin^. 
 which at times impre^^t fg, ^r: f" ;"\r - 
 not a sad one) of awe It is T 7 ""'""« <"""'8'' 
 
400 
 
 AMERICAN ANQLER'S BOOK. 
 
 I 
 
 shrubbery and stunted timber, they are not heard by the 
 fisher down in the deep ravine through which the river 
 flows ; but a voice of ordinary pitch, a thump (m the canoe, ur 
 the splash of a Salmon when it falls, after leaping above the 
 water, is heard a long distance off, and the sound is pro- 
 longed and reflected from the almost perpendicular rock that 
 walls in the stream on either side. Thus you frequently 
 know when another angler, though he is not visible, has a 
 fish on, and you may frequently receive or give a hint to 
 make less noise, when the culprit is not aware of any lack of 
 caution at the time of offending. It is a realization of the 
 idea of audible silence. 
 
 This, as is the case with most Salmon rivers, is infested by 
 poachers. The Indians spear, and the whites net the stream 
 far beyond the limits prescribed by law. A straggling rem • 
 nant of a tribe occupying a little island in Bathurst Bay, 
 some of whom have skins as white as my own, spear at 
 night and sell their fish at early daylight, or ne^t evening, to 
 the packing establishment at the mouth of the harbor, foi 
 four or five cents a pound. As the summer advances they 
 extend their operations high up the river. I found them one 
 night invading our pools at the Grand Falls. A shot from a 
 carbine, though, dropped between the two canoes of the 
 poachers, caused them to leave in a hurry. One fellow was 
 in such trepidation, that he did not even think of dousing his 
 torch, but went paddling down stream, illumining the bare 
 clift's with the glare of his flambeau. 
 
 It is not well for one who visits the Nipissiguit (and it is 
 so with all Salmon-rivers) to be limited as to time. The 
 angler may arrive when there is a continuation of rainy 
 weather, and have to wait some days, perhaps for a week or 
 more, until it falls ; or he may get there when a long spell of 
 dry v,'eather has retarded the run of fish from the bay, and 
 
8ALM0N.RIVERS op BRITrSH oo 
 
 "RITISH PROVINCES. 401 
 
 have to wait for a riso in tu^ • 
 
 'h» water to fall, „„d „,„j ^^ """^ M«. waning for 
 
 fi^h. One should therefore h ve tha . ""*""' '""'"« « 
 J;lr, and the greater par. f AuLlbl \°' "^ '"™"' "^ 
 of »port. A recommendation to .heN, "" "* '^ ^""'» 
 
 river is, that there are no ,1 ^'P'""*-!' "^ a Salmon- 
 
 obstruct one's cast. As o^JZZ^^T '" '"^ """'^ '° 
 or five Salmon a day now mav T """ >™' f"" 
 
 -metimes the catcfwm Z I T.'^'' ^^-''-' ^P- ^ 
 several blank days in succession ""■ ^^ '""^ """^ 
 
 o/!i'::;~teto'frth'''^^''-^''--'-»'-^ - 
 
 Mirimiehi are in close prrxL:*^^^^ "'■"■" «'■ •'"'"' and 
 for such mode of trJZ72 "k """ ''■'^'' '■"- " fancy 
 bircl,.ca„„es, a^end one ilT' ^c" "^"^ "' '■"'-- and 
 into another. For ins cr.I^ ^i:.'":^"''.'' °^ "• a"cl portage 
 
 from the Mirimichi by wa '„ !LrN*'','"^'"'"°PP'"'>^''«'' 
 i^^ tributaries. Or from e S J ^T'^' """"■ "^ "^ 
 enough for steamb<„.s ^ e .he ^ I ti;"" ^ ' '^ "«" 
 bv ascending .he Tobique, one oft ,1 '' "' "'"' "^-)' 
 "portage of fo„,. miles'to Ni^sl .'^''^r"' """™« 
 account,,, Trou. are shoclcingl/. b '^ f !' "'"''^' f™" all 
 Zionists who made .his .ri„ ll ^ ^""^ "^ "«»■■• 
 
 «- ««bi„g on the ;i;:Li ;rr '""' " »""'™ ^ 
 
 manned by an Indian The Ri ,• , """"P^-'"?? '^ oanoe 
 '"» St. John by way of .he l^Z^l^lCTf"" ''°"' 
 «h, an,i also from the Nipissi„uir "'"""'' "'' 
 
 Salmon.fishing in .his eounrry fes in Tr » „ • 
 •n ...expensive amusement unles^ * ?"" ^"""''') '» °o' 
 
 en., unless one ,s fortunate enough to 
 
408 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 reside near the rivc!ra in which tliese flsh are found. The 
 privilege of fishing some of the rivers of Scotland is let by 
 the proprietors at round sums ; two miles of a stream that 
 will carry four rods commanding, I am told, from fifty to a 
 hundred pounds sterling. In this country, the preparations 
 for a trip, travelling expenses, hire of canoe-men, stores, and 
 difference between " greenbacks" and gold, or Canadian cur 
 rency, amount to " something considerable," and a trip is apt 
 to cost the angler more than double the amount set down by 
 ' Barnwell." 
 
 Anglers from "the States" uniformly meet with kindness 
 amoKgst the " Blue-noses ;" there is an inbred urbanity 
 amongst those of French descent, however humble their 
 sphere in life, which is always pleasantly remembered. One 
 of the moat agreeable days I ever spent, was a quiet Sabbath 
 amongst these primitive people— the families of my canoe- 
 men. I have inserted this little vignette, fancying that it 
 bears some resemblance to John Chamberlain; it at least 
 expresses his fashion of wearing his hat. 
 
I 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 HEPAIIiS, KNOTS, LOOPS, AND HKCK 
 
 IPTS. 
 
II 
 
 " Let indcpeadonce be our boat t." 
 
CHAPTER XV. 
 REPAIRS, KNOTS, LOOPS, AND RECEIPIB. 
 Repa,rs.-To wax silk, thread, or twine-Tvin 
 
 on^hir J^:™ f::-^^^^^ -"»'"- -p '- '.i-. 
 wax .e s„. „. .;,. :r:::t::;: ™:;^ '° 
 
 end of the dllc between Pour tee"h ,'. U .. °"""=" °°' 
 .engt. pa. .He wa. H^L, :?'; 1 J^*;;!;™': 
 With short rub«i tfipn no +u "^ ' ^' ^^st 
 
 rubs, then as the wax warms hy the friction wifl, 
 
 =r:Lr:i'r""'"-- '"'S"-" 
 ■--c:1r.::-'*'■t*---"-. 
 (-105) 
 
406 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK 
 
 silk is drawn through, and the superfluous wax wiped off by 
 drawing it between the thumb and finger. 
 
 To Tie on a Hook. — Hold the hook in your left hantl 
 between the thumb and forefinger, with the shank uppermost 
 and the head outward or towards your right, then take two 
 or three turns around the bare shank of the hook near the 
 head, and laying the gut-length on the back of the hook or 
 underneath, wrap down closely until the wrapping covers the 
 end of the gut, which in a short- shanked hook will be oppo- 
 site the point. Figure 1, on the annexed wood-cut, shows 
 
 the position of the hook thus far. Then seizing the shank of 
 the hook and reversing it — that is, with the bend outwards- 
 lay the silk along the shank with the end towards the wrist 
 of your left hand, as in figure 2, and forming a loop at the 
 bend of the hook, take the lower part of the slack, and con- 
 tinue the wrapping for three or four turns more, and holding 
 it securely, though not too tightly in its place, draw the sluck 
 through and cut it off" close, thus making what i? by some 
 anglers termed the invisible knot. 
 
Hi."*- 
 
 «* 
 
 •UPAIBS, KNOTS, LOOPS A«„ 
 
 -.UOPS, AHB RECEIPTS. 40r 
 
 L00P3.-I„ tying on to„^^ ^ 
 plan is to whip the hoolc to a m '^""''''""a "■> «eellent 
 Igi'd portion of figure 3 ^f ? ,"' *""'" ""^ ""^ '"''• 
 --.,0 figure represents a loop on the !, ?'' "''"'"'' "^ "'= 
 shows how a hook may be atl , " ^""-''^''"■■' »"d 
 
 off; it is eonvenientt d^. "* *° '^'«'- - '*- 
 
 together oiosei;: e' t^«:f "^'^ -^-^^ = '-e >oops Craw 
 
 and present a neat appeal! "" "'' '" '"« -'-■ 
 
 .i-h::Ltot::::fir^ rr -^ ---e, a 
 
 pose of fastening on or' utToff 'a ?'f °' ''' ^°' '"^ P^ 
 
 witl. knots. The loop ean beXL: tTl.ru '" '''''"'' 
 
 "•'" '"'"ly in the following manner T , '''"^'^ 
 
 - 'or three quarters of an iueh 17.171 '"/ ™' °' '"^ 
 
 ';*«ns a pieee of shoo.nak l Jaf,- fZ'"''"- ""^ *- 
 raw so much of the line througT the oft "r"="' 
 
 .1.0 onds of the gut-loop i„ t,,el, W 1^' "'" '■■"" 
 
 -■ ""'e knobs on them, and inlutl^'; 'rttr'""' 
 your fore teeth, lav it on t).. ■, ^^ between 
 
 l.«.in..ing at the e^d o^t h loZt ^"^f ""^ ""^' "" 
 "•axel .silk as far as B and ftV ' « ° ' *^' ""!> ^'"' "■«= 
 
 -..•«i. described in :;;i::;::-r'^«'"™i^<--not, 
 
 i"i"-l by a knot, it will not 1 „' ,"'™'''™ "« » " '^ 
 ro-l, and sF;ici„. become, r ™°'' *" ""g« "f the 
 
 ln« the two end: fo "« :Z^'', ''"^ ''' "^ ^y '"Per. 
 «". -" laying them ^X "d "" ■"""' ™-^'"« '"^ 
 »--' 3ilk. Fastening T^ „ 'r' ""'r;« ^"'" "- -"• 
 in*».oe is differen, fro'm tj "'^"""■'''« ^"ot in this 
 
 "■">« "- after i^^cr:^'-'-'^''- ^' '^ 
 
 »."^ '-'> ^ loop D, areo;mrci,t : c T'T' """ *^ 
 --„d the line towards towa;'.'\C.r;t 
 
 ■<. f,j.«|.i4|^ 
 
408 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 alack D, continue to wind (over the end) from B towards C. 
 foi;r turns, and draw the slack through and cut it off. 
 
 To Splice a Kod.— Trim off the fractured ends obliquely, 
 making a long bevel on each, and after rubbing the surfaces 
 where the}? are to come in contact with hard shoemaker's 
 wax, wind the splice from E to F with fine waxed twine or 
 sadlijr's silk, and fasten off with the ipvisible knot, as 
 described in splicing a line. 
 
 Knots.— In the next cut. No. 1 is the angler's single 
 
 knot ; it is used in tying a line. No 2 is the anglers double 
 
 knot, the neatest f.nd most secure in joining gut-lengths. The 
 
 ends are laid together pointing in opposite directions, and 
 
 are passed through twice; this knot is indispensable in 
 
 making leaders for Trout, and casting-lines for Salmon 
 
 fishing. When drawn together the knot is oblong and 
 
 the ends may be cut off as close as can be done with a sharp 
 
 knife, without a possibility of their drawing. No. 3 is a 
 
 water-knot; it is used mostly in attaching the drop-fly to 
 
 a leader in Trout-fishing; the ends are tightened, and the 
 
 knot drawn together after the knotted end of the gut to 
 
 which the dropper is tied is passed through. The ends of 
 
 this knot should not be cut off too close, for fear of tlioir 
 
 drawing when the gut becomc's thoroughly soaked. 
 
KiiPAIRS, KNOTS, Loo 
 
 PS, AND RECEIPTS. 409 
 
 York, aud, « the reader wiH see iZ n "°"''"" ^''''' 
 
 oa .be bait .be .i„„e boo a. Tbe Co; r'^' '" """'"^ 
 .brough tbe lips of the n,i„„o. or rf', 1 '" ^'7,'' P--> 
 .be middle, throu..b C ^ 1, . l , ' """ "'^ ""= P"'' "> 
 
 , mou^n te body JUS. below the back fin. j 
 
 - book3 larger or Li,er,rb:r::':^':sr 
 
 aize represemed. ' "' ' ""^ ^"'""'^ ''= ""»e tbe 
 
 r;in:x;:::;"^ 
 
I 
 
 I 
 
 a 
 
 410 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 Directions for Dyeing Gut. — The following is taken 
 from the " Fly-Fisher's Text-Book," by Chitty. I have found 
 his receipt for dyeing a neutral tint to produce a color so 
 much to my liking, that I have used it for twelve years with- 
 out trying the compounds for producing other shades. 
 
 "General Directions for Dyeing Out. — In an earthen pipkin 
 boil about one pint and a half of cold water with the dyeing 
 ingredients I shall mention presently. When these have 
 boiled about ten minutes, take the pipkin off the fire, and after 
 a minute or so, immerse the gut, tied, if at all, very loosely, 
 and leave it in the still bubbling liquid, so long only by the 
 loatch, as I direct, and it is dyed enough ; for observe, that 
 these are all tried means. On taking the gut from the pipkin, 
 cast it into a basin of clean cold water, and rinse it well ; wipe 
 it, and let it dry awhile : then take each length separately 
 and holding it by the end between the fore teeth, rub it with 
 India-rubber, which not only cleans and straightens it, but 
 also tests its strength, avoiding the necessity of doing so 
 again when about to be called into use. After this, clip off 
 the bad ends and tie all up neatly together, and keep it, at full 
 length, in a paper or parchment case, with an inner one of thin 
 paper rubbed with olive-oil, which, in moderation, preserves 
 gut. 
 
 " Particular Recij)es. — 'The ingredients are as follows ; and 
 first in my esteem is, 
 
 " No. 1. — An azure or neutral tint (similar to ink-dye): — 
 
 " I drachm Logwood, 
 G grains Copperas, 
 
 Immersed 2} or 3 minutes 
 
 " No. 2. — An azure tint, more pink than the last : — 
 
 " 1 drachm Logwood, 
 1 scruple Alum, 
 
 Immersed 3 minutes. 
 
HKPAIRS, KNOTS, LOOPS a v t. x> 
 
 ' ^"OPS, AND RECEIPTS. 411 
 
 " ^°- ^-^ ■^"'"y "' <''«y olive (a very good color) :_ 
 " To ingredients of No. 2, add, 
 3 scruples Quercitron Bark, 
 
 Wersed2minutel,orperhaps3nainutea. 
 "No.4.— AH jht brown:- 
 
 " 1 drachm Madder, 
 1 scruple Alum, 
 
 Immersed 5, or perhaps 6 minutes. 
 "iS-o. 6.-A light yellow, or amber :- 
 
 " H scruple Quercitron Bark, 
 1 scruple Alum, 
 6 grains Madder, 
 4 drops Muriate of Tin, 
 1 scruple Cream of Tartar, 
 
 Immersed 2i minutes." 
 
 Dyeing Feathers and Dubbing -It i« ^. -vi , 
 .M^ wor. .., f., .„.„ ,He .anas of^o^: LC^:^: 
 whom the opportunity of importing dyed haolde, and dul 
 b.ng .a not often presented, but who can procure t^. Ht 
 n.a.„r.als. Wtth a view of enabling hin. to b.come h Z 
 
 e^ - Art of F Iv °°: "T °' ''""'™-° 8"- » I^'-t 
 ers Art ot Fly-making and Dyeing." 
 
 "The best vessel for dveino- io o xr^j i 
 
 1 1 ^J«i"g IS a V\ edgwood-ware ninVin • 
 
 and one that will hold a quart of fluid w^i,, be la^ Zulh 
 for all ordinary purposes. Before, dyeing „i.-s JrT , 
 '" ™'^"i-. each .ust be .coured o/its'g^ts^ d Thv 
 .version and boiling for half an hour i! strong 4 lei 
 
412 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 Feathers, the chief ones used being hackles, must be also 
 cleansed by washing them with soap in warm water. The 
 principal colors to be obtrtined are black, brown, blue, red, 
 and yellow, and by combining, in the process of dyeing, those 
 colors, all other hues and shades can be procured. The reader 
 is requested to bear in mind that the art of dyeing is a very 
 delicate one, requiring minute attention and no small expe- 
 rience. The experimental student must exercise considerable 
 patience, and not be at all di couraged by incij)ient failures. 
 They will dissolve by degrees into successful results. 
 
 " Recipe for Blue. — With soft river- water let your pipkin be 
 about three parts full ; put it on a slow, clear fire, adding a 
 teaspoonful of 'paste-blue,' which can be purchased at the 
 color-shops. I^eep stirring it, and when it is more than luke- 
 warm, add a tablespoonful of cold water, into which you have 
 put twelve drops of sulphuric acid. In this dyeing fluid 
 place a quarter of an ounce of material to be dyed, whether 
 pig's hair, hackles, or mohair, taking care that they have 
 been previously thoroughly cleansed as already directed, and 
 rinsed in hot water, and then wrung out just before you put 
 them into the pipkin. Let the whole boil slowly for fifteen 
 or twenty minutes. Then take out your fur or feathers, or 
 whatever material you are dyeing, and rinse in pure cold 
 water. Dry, if possible, in a sunny atmosphere. For stirring 
 your materials in the pipkin always use a clean piece of 
 woi)d. 
 
 " For Bed. — Water as before in your pipkin, and with it two 
 handfuls of Brazil wooc., and a quarter of an ounce of pig's 
 hair or feathers, or any other material you want to dye. Boil 
 the whole for half an hour. Take out your material, ard 
 cool the dyeing fluid by the addition of a little cold water. 
 When cool, put in sulphuric acid in manner and quantity aa 
 before; next, add your material to be dyed, and gently 
 
J^BTAiRg^ KNOTS, LOOPfl 4vn 
 
 '^"OPS. AND RECEIPTS. 418 
 
 simmer the whnlp fr.^ „ i 
 
 out fur or fel.tet ZZ T " ''"" "'«■ ™™ '"><« 
 
 "s before. If "^ Cf! h" ^ "'"' """ "»« ""'^ d-'y 
 
 -od; and, in the .eeond boi.^l ^ll """"'"^ "^ '"«■ 
 of a pea, and the size of „. 1,, ?' "°PP°™ ""= »i^° 
 
 lour, i„„„erse materill t, ,7 ' "' P''"'""''- ^-' ™ 
 before. Take eTreft rer-'T' '"' ""^ ""^ "'^ - 
 add to it tbe .uiphu*: J: ''"" """" "« "-' "^f"- you 
 
 .ab.e,,oo„f„,, of t;;:;-: p^i'v^y "'"^'^ 
 
 ™uner and quantity OS before, o rfrt.r ^ ^°- " 
 out and ri„.e in cold water, nd dr, t\ " , ' "° 
 table.,poonful of Bra.il.w„„d will ehl^' 1 '" "' " 
 
 low to rieh orange. ^^ ^°" ''""'™« Xol- 
 
 wa;«,Ti;;:::ir::tr '" -"'cb boi, a bandfu, of 
 
 loKwood tbj 3i.e\f\^::, ::' ;r;;'i: f -'-d. a„d of 
 
 a quarter of an ounce of ti "' ^'^^'^^'^^ ^^t^ 
 
 o'".-tbe,i,:~dd^r;i:^H'-'- j"'-^' 
 
 - mr, .c., and boi, tben. for .anotl'r^^f.,.!::^^: "; 
 
 •-:.'-ya,edXr=;rc:.r;:ir"^^ 
 
 ."o;^^...nt3..,,eflnidtbantbei„.C.: 
 
 ono.wo„:i7ir;:Lr:dr: ;;;;:'■"";-•'••-- 
 
 Wr^, and boi, for „a,f an bonr , „ f ^7': T' ^■■"- 
 featber. &., and boi, anotber h„,f ho^ T^" , ""' '" ^°" 
 your liquor, and add aeid ; di.,so,ve bit o^ ""' "°°' 
 
 of a nut, and .iddin» a l„l ^^ of copper.,, the size ' 
 
 Half an hour. TaTe o„t v T[ ""' "'''' •'°" "='™ '■^ 
 
 ""'• xuKe out vour fpnflipru AiY. 1 • 
 
 itatuers, fur, or hair occasion- 
 
414 
 
 ameri::an anqler'S book. 
 
 ally, as oxposuro to air during the process of dyeing tends to 
 promote and fix the black color. 
 
 "A mixture of blue and red dyeing liquor boiled together, 
 and afterwards cooled, and acid added to it, will produce o 
 purple color. 
 
 " A mixture of blue and yellow dyeing liquor will produce, 
 in accordance with your varying and modifying u, greens of 
 all shades. 
 
 "A mixture of blue, red, and yellow liquor produces bright 
 olives, the hues of which may be sobered by the introduction 
 of logwood. 
 
 "For Bright Scarlet. — "Water as usual, in which put a tea- 
 spoonful of crystallized tartar. In this liquid boil the mate- 
 rials you are about to dyo; take them out, and put in a table- 
 spoonful of powdered cochineal and a teaspoonful of ' grain- 
 spirit,' which can be bought at the drysalter's When in a 
 simmering state, reintroduce your materials — feathers or fur, 
 &c., — and boil the whole gently for half an hour. Wash, 
 rinse, and dry your materials as usual. 
 
 " Yellow, and its Varieties for Featliers. — The recipe already 
 given for dyeing yellow, suits pig's-wool, mohair, and furs 
 best. The present recipe is better for feathers, hackles, ice- 
 Boil two or three handfuls of yellow- wood one hour in n 
 quart of soft water ; wash the feathers, be they mottled mal- 
 lard or any sort of hackle (light-colored ones are the best to 
 be dyed yellow), in soap and hot water. They must be tied 
 in bunches at the quill end. Boil these bunches a short 
 time in a pint of water, to which you have added a lar<j,e 
 spoonful of alum and tartar, in a pipkin. Take them out 
 and immerse them in your yellow dyeing liquor, and let it 
 simmer for an hour or two, more or less, according to your 
 desire for a paler or deeper yellow. Finally, take out the 
 feathers, and rinse them in hard spring water. Red hackles, 
 
"KPAIRS; KNOTS. ,00P«..,,HKCKIPTS. 
 
 41c 
 
 boiled in a similar licmor will h«. 
 
 When you want v.ll "' ^''"^^" °^ "'"^er. 
 
 ;^,o ';.c °' ""^"' '"^ '-"' <">'- --»' "'.aa. of 
 
 wax „ delicate thread withT.i" " '""''^'""° 
 
 ..'ILcros to the .silk whel t „ V fl "7™/-"- - '"-'' 
 
 when fluishi,,,. off ,, , ' 7°, " ^ "'"' " '» "'>J-tio„ahle 
 "" "'^ '" I'le liead, where if olir>i,iri i, 
 
 wen „» .ecure. Fly.,„ake,., the. j; Lve ! „. Air "^ 
 methods of re„deH„« ,h„e„,aker. ,„;. .e, 1' :i 
 
 finger,, and more easily applied to the «ilk. 0„e Mo "dd a 
 small portion of lard or (C]uu.r .. \ ^ ^ 
 
 fessionil flvrlr. , ' ^^''^"^ '•^^'^) P'>"^»tum. Many pro- 
 
 ressional fly-dressers have a receipt for m.lincr fi, • 
 - : the .a,e of a„, or that .hieh^i;; IT f, ^l":; 
 
 -neti,„e.even ,ut.a.per2^ l^T^rf""' """ 
 «tituent k naptha or ether, " '"""■■ """• 
 
 Shipley', book (an Euglish work) „ives the foil • 
 receipt for making transparent wax- °"'"« 
 
 o..:L?:o7:::ittoT"t"*'''^"™"°'^^-^^^^ 
 wen cissoived, si.rtC orT::™:^ ''7 "■"™ 
 
 :::::tr": tr:fn'"^■■'■■ ■' - 
 
 oypuMing It vrry much tlirongh tlio finder, till 
 '-Id; the last operation giving it toughness and .h-,, ^ 
 opa.^... Which it ..,nmc., when properly 2:;^^^'"'' 
 
416 
 
 AMERICAN ANOLEK'8 BOOK. 
 
 Chitty najM he hns made this wax nflor Mr. Sliiploy's 
 rocoipt, and findinjjr it too brittle) added a lialf-draclmi inoro 
 •»f pomatum. Ho further miyn, "another receipt for tlio «utno, 
 is eight ouneea of white rosiu and one tublospooiiful of lin- 
 *eed-oil. This I have not tried." 
 
 Chitty also advises the fly-maker to dissolve a lump of 
 shoemaker's (anglicCi cohler^a) wax in a sufficient quantity of 
 spirits of wine. I have found alcohol (but not weaker than 
 95°) a solvent, and also other. This is a liquid wax, and 
 enables one to wax his silk by immersing it in the solution; 
 but I found on trial that the alcohol evaporates after a while, 
 leaving the silk imperfectly waxed 
 
 The best wax I have over used in making flies was given 
 me by Mr. George, who ties flies for Philip Wilson, Chestnut 
 Street above Fourth, Philadelphia. 
 
Slii ploy's 
 ;lim inoro 
 tlio siuno, 
 ful of lin- 
 
 lump of 
 uiiitity of 
 akcr than 
 wax, ami 
 
 solution ; 
 ir u wliiio, 
 
 raa givon 
 Chestnut 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 i"' L \ - M A K I J^ 
 
 27 
 
" To frame the Httle animal, provld* 
 All the gay hues that wait on female pride; 
 Let Nature guide thee; sometimes goldeu wire 
 The shining bellies of the fly require; 
 The peacock's plumes thy tackle must not fail. 
 Nor the dear purchase of the sable's tail. 
 Each gaudy bird son'e tender tribute brings, 
 And lends the growing imcct proper winga: 
 Silks of all colors must their aid imparl 
 And every fur promoto the fisher's art." 
 
 QiT. 
 
CHAPTER XVI, 
 
 FLY-MAKING. 
 
 bave not le,.„e, o. fl.h bu. .eld„.,Td„es no rvT 
 the trouble and patience besto»red on eaJnTit 7 
 
 T ^"^ "^"^^ ^"y *-^ «-' than! e tZ Ct '" 
 who has t™e, end i, anxio,. to become con?e™tr:,: 
 hat perta,n,t.onr gentle craft, there i. no in-d ^np 
 o so absorbm. and time-WHing, .nd one forg , ^ ; 
 
 -=rrp^t:;rtrr'r.^" 
 
 of takin.^ fish 1-, nl=» • , stream. I he satisfaction 
 
 'ii^iiio nsn IS also increased, if it be with ih^ i 
 one's own skill • «n,l ,1, , * ^^ product of 
 
 own Skill , and the angler can adopt any little fanov nf 
 
 But who can lucidly explain thi, 'n -, v 
 I plain, fron. Cotton' down to Ho a„d Ir'^'' T'"' 
 Ronalds, with their elaborate illu.rat! : SoTr^;' "' 
 doubt a, to enlightening the learner that I ::;;:";.:;:: 
 
 (419) 
 
420 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 would rather commend him to some frieud who is an adept, 
 or to a professional fly-maker. A fe\v hours spent with a 
 skilful fly-dresser is worth a volume of w."itten directions and 
 illustrations. 
 
 Implements. — The amateur fly-tyer of the present day has 
 many little implements which assist him greatly : there is the 
 pin- vice, which are fingers to him, holding the hook securely ; 
 spring-pliers, or, as some call them, forceps, to assist in hack- 
 ling ; a stout darning-needle to pick out the dubbing ; a pair 
 of sharp scissors, &c., &c. These can be kept in a wallet or 
 large pocket-book, with the materials for making flies. The 
 
FLT-MAKINU. 
 
 ^I 
 
 proper shape and size of the vice an,) .nri„ i- 
 
 sented by the foregoing out. ^P™«-P'-s are repre. 
 
 M«EBUl,3._In collecting material, for flies the a„.l 
 
 becomes "seised and possessed" of many ch^Ws whiTf 
 
 ™y husband for years before he finds L them Id il 
 
 nay be necessary, occasionally, to overhaul his Ja^^ Id 
 
 discard those that are useless, if he does not wishlul 'l 
 
 cannot be had here, unless imported to one's order- but he 
 who ha., a proper appreciation of his wants, and keeps h 
 eyes open, can collect all that is necessary, with ve v litju 
 outlay of t,me or money. He does not se'e a bir^S 
 duck a cock an old hen, a turkey, or a peacock, without 
 .uuabie feathers being presented to ,,. 3. He wiUsee 
 dubbing everywhore: his wife's mufl; the cat, or Jll^ 
 
 ufts of cow's hair lyng about it, or the place wher„ t^c e 
 ba, been a hog.killing, with the refuse, down, or f" Jca^ 
 beedlessly by, a buflal„.robe, a bear-skin, a foot-ru., aP suT 
 gestjlM,n,. Old pattern-cards of moreen in the s or of 
 "; ''^'■'^'^^ «»d - "egged for. Silk floss o^ s 1 1 
 
 r;:di„i't ibHngT:torht r^^"^ "•™' -^ 
 
 ^'"""mg.pocket of his book or wallet of ft^ 
 niatena Is. He need be in no hurry to collect then ft Z 
 las the bump of acquisitiveness, he will in good t me stock 
 b.s,val,et to repletion, ,vithout sending to Delraraf";:' 
 monkey's fur, or .0 India for the feathers of a golden phealt 
 or .0 England for a starling's wing or the fur of a /a er Ta ' 
 A wallet, w.th suitable pockets and compartments to h d 
 e necessary .mplemeuts and materials, need not bo ov^ 
 eight tnches long, five deep, and four or five wide. ThZ 
 
422 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 i 
 
 should be one pocket for dubbing ; one for feathers, which 
 are kept most conveniently in envelopes, each kind separate ; 
 and another for floss, wrapping-silk, &c. Hooks should be 
 kept in different parchment parcels, each appropriately num 
 bered, and slipped under a leather band stitched at intervals 
 to the inside of the wrapper of the wallet. Under the same 
 band there should also be loops for each tool. The leather 
 wrapper should be part of the wallet and wrap around it, and 
 should be tied with a leather string. This kind of wallet or 
 book of materials can be opened and spread out on a table, or 
 on the grass, or on a rock ; it is easily kept in order, and 
 when folded up is compact and occupies but little space in 
 stowing. A larger one than the size just described is required 
 for materials for Salmon-flies. 
 
 It may be asked by the learner, What fowls of the air, or 
 water, or of the barn -yard, furnish these feathers? "What is 
 a hackle ? What part of the fowl is it plucked from ? What 
 feathers of its plumage furnish the wings of the fly ? Where 
 do you buv tinsel and floss, and so on, and what kind of 
 hooks are most suitable, and what sizes of them do you use 
 for particular flies ? Patience, my dear boy, if you are really 
 anxious to know all about it, or all I can think of just now 
 on so momentous a subject, I will not put you off with the 
 hurried rigmarole I have just given you, but will commence 
 de novo, and tell you in a more orderly way what you will 
 want and how to get it. If we were in London or Dublin or 
 Limerick, we would step into a tackle store, and lay down 
 our money, and, presto, all we wanted, and more too, would 
 appear on the counter. But here we are thrown on our own 
 resources, and must do the best we can ; and the best we can is 
 quite as well as we could do in any of the old cities or towns I 
 have just named, as far as tying Trout-flies is concerned, 
 when we tie our Salmon-flies, we are to some extent dependent 
 
PI-T-MAKING. 
 
 428 
 
 on them. I saj this to disabuse you of th. 
 
 sion that Mr. John Gay Worses ^^.'1^'""?" '"P"" 
 
 may create in your mind 70?,! V '^^"^'^ ^'^^^ "«^- 
 
 P-. it is nLenselJ:: -^^^ 
 
 that wait on female pride ■" La „^ f . ^"^ ''"'» 
 
 o.d %.fi3W .a,, when LI .T ^a rj^T ^^""^ 
 fly must be made of "three whi,l 7 T, " "''■'"''' 
 
 For,„„ ueed not go to th t^^A""' Tf^ ''^"^■" 
 go hunting ^onr own or your "1711 ' " ""''' '""' " 
 oat to get his beard. Onl^Z t f m " Tm '" " ""' 
 you can procure, without spending sr^eTLt "'"'"'^ 
 passing on your neighbor, and you will " \ ^^' " "■''" 
 Trout before they iind out that yZ Iv Z\ " ''"' T' 
 to Mr. Ga/s or Co.ton's direetions. orTour ^r 5 
 
 euher. let us take up the artio^; in fheorte wMcT 
 
 U00K3._The improved Limerick hook of the O'SK, I 
 .essy pattern, is by all odds the best for wLl d flif f 
 not so apt to draw from a «sh-s mouth without lo'S;;': 
 the old-fashioned Limerick. I prefer it fn fi. , , 
 
 A^eenhook. .or Hackles ^f nimltMrbr nT 
 to „r ' 7"' '"•"'"' ^"^^' "«-"- *« point r" 
 
 man the U fehaughnessy. The rpa«nn T a . , 
 
 /. . , „. ''J. iuc reason 1 do not use the K',rnx^ 
 
 tor wngcd fl,es is, that this turning of the point to on s d^ has 
 a tendency to throw the fly on its side, and prevent t fr„ 
 —n, true ; for the wings of a fl'y shouM se ^^ 
 
 oatcrpdlar, or the hairy body of other larva,, stie:;;g oul 
 
4iM 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 
 on all sides, regularly unequal, if I may use tbe tervn ; it 
 matters little whether it floats on its "beam eufis," or swims 
 on an"evers keel." The reader will note tb- di:Terence in 
 the shape of the hooks mentioned above, by rtfiinvtg to the 
 plate of hooks on page 61. 
 
 Gut. — Stretcher flies should ba tied on fu?l lengths of fine 
 gut. Droppers should bo made -m short, stout piec".s, so that 
 the fly will set well out, and at right-au^des fiom the leader, 
 and not lap o\ t r it, or twist around it. ['or droppers a single 
 lenit'i of gut may be divided into at least ibree p.'srts, for as 
 I hr.r\i already saic^, the piece to which a dropper is tied 
 should not be more than five inches long. 
 
 WKA»*Jii;G Silk. — If the silk is fine ami strong it matters 
 little about the color, for the only place where it is visible 
 after th*.^ fiy is finished, is at the fastening off of the head. 
 The best silk I have ever seen is kept by the English. and 
 Irish tackle-stores, and is made expressly for the purpose. 
 The fine three-cord silk used for sewing machines, No. 000, is 
 the best we can get here. 
 
 Tinsel. — Silver and gold tinsel, both flat and twisted, are 
 required to rib the body, or tip the end of it. For Trout-flies 
 the flat is chiefly used ; in Salmon-flies all four of them will 
 most likely be required. This article is kept sometimes by 
 trirnming-stores, or where the trimmings for military clothing 
 arc manufactured. The Irish tackle-stores have it made on 
 purpose for tying their own flies, and to sell it to amateur fly- 
 makers. When I have not been able to get it in any other 
 wiy, I have taken the broad woven strips of tinsel, from 
 around pieces of Irish linen, and drawn or ravelled out the 
 particular kind I wanted; it is not as sii)t;ude, though, as 
 that sold bv the tackle-stores. 
 
 Dubbing -This is the material of wl-J-'h the body of the 
 fly is composed. It may be mohair, tt sl.'s wool, pig's wool, 
 
S'lT-MAKlNO. 
 
 425 
 
 or floss silk, or thpi fm. ^f 
 
 p«ws, or for curtains Ti.„ i i cnaira or 
 
 « harls " of ,h . , '"' ■" "' ™'« ™» a™ the 
 
 Ms, of the peacock's tail-feather,, or of ostrich plumel 
 
 are a so extensively used for the bodies of Trout fl ™ TT > 
 are the long delicate pl„„ele.s that grow on ae^Me o^ tl 
 n>a.n sten. of the feather. Mohair. sL's woo ."oo t 
 pigs down as it is frequently called) ii.d fl„ u T * 
 chiefly u«,d for Salmon.fliI shouM b "7 ' '"' "" 
 Those mostly used are lighl^d "1 ,1 I:;^: 
 maroon; snuffbrown and dark-brown • pile l.lo , 
 color, bright decided yellow, orange, l!t^XlZ 
 blue and stee or mazarine bine; decided ^ecn Id lea 
 
 SoS rf. r "''■"'■ P«'^ "'o'' - »-l's wool for 
 
 Irout-flies (they are better for Salnion.flies, seal's wool b in" 
 prcferab e), and as far as I can, discard fur, as a dub g j 
 use chiefly the ravellings ,- moreens, flosses, and hurl" o^ 
 .he peacock's hurl, the copper-colored tint is grca^to b 
 
 referred ; threcfourths of the bod' .s of the Tron tflS lak 
 for my own use are wrapped with it 
 
 Mohair, pig's wool, an<l seal's wool, when the fl„ ,, 
 wants them already dved ,„„., i, ■ A.V-niaker 
 
 nACKLES.— The word "hackle" is used in uL 
 
 insect, or caterpillar, or other larva, and with 
 
426 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 fly-fishers, a " Hackle," or a " Palmer," though neither has 
 wings, is known as " a fly." 
 
 I mention the " hacklo" here as a material ; there are two 
 kinds. First, the hackles of the domestic fowl. Those of the 
 cock are the long brilliant feathers that droop gracefully on 
 each side of the tail ; they are known amongst ornithologists 
 as the " tail'-coverts ;" the boys call them " shiners." There 
 are hackles also on the neck of the cock, which are shorter 
 and also stifler towards the head. The neck -hackles in most 
 cases are of lighter color than the tail -coverts ; the latter may 
 be dark enough to make a good Soldier or Red Hackle, while 
 those on the neck of the same cock may be light, and have 
 sufficient yellow tinge in them for Ginger Hackles. The 
 same cock may also furnish short, stiff hackles from between 
 the tail-coverts, just on the lower part of its back, which are 
 of a brownish red tint, and will make an excellent Brown 
 Hackle on a small hook. Hens furnish hackles only from 
 the neck, which are short and soft. A Furnace Hackle is a 
 commixture of fiery red and black ; a "Coch a bondu" has its 
 fibres black at the roots and red at the extremities. 
 
 When other feathers than those of the domevtic fowl are 
 used as hackles, they are taken indiscriminately from any 
 part of the bird's body, where the best feathers for the purpose 
 can be found ; such as the wing-coverts, or rump-feathers of 
 the pinnated grouse (prairie fowl) ; spruce grouse (Canadian)- 
 partridge, snipe, woodcock, or wren's tail. Such feathers, 
 though, are not as suitable as those taken from a cock, for 
 the fibres do not set out so stiffly, and when used for drop- 
 pers and dapping along on the surface of the water, the 
 fibres close against the body and give it an unattractive 
 appearance. 
 
 Cock's hackles, in all their variety, white, yellow, ginger, 
 red, brown, furnace, coch a bondu, and black, can be had of 
 
"■r-MAKlNO. 
 
 427 
 
 your friends who keep fowls or in ,. 
 
 the hackles from the birds ah ^^ "^"^^ ""'' '""> 
 
 required for Trout-flies ™"'"™^* ■"••= »" "■»' "re 
 
 Hackles for Salmon.flies are nearly all of .he . , 
 -e generally i„p„„,d ^ one's ord.r ft, " ^'''' """ 
 to try his hand at dvein<, ,h. <• , " "''""''"' '''"^'"^ 
 
 "f''uhhing,heeanfi:rr!e^tf " "r'''" ^ ''"™ -<» 
 preceding ehap.er. ^ '"' "■" **"" <=°iors in the 
 
 WrNoa-The most suitable feathers of th. w , 
 to our eountry, for Trout flie T °'""'"°'' 
 
 wing feathers (those next thp t""^ ! *"'' """^ secondary 
 I^-eons, the «ull, blue hTrlnprarr'r' "" ^''' """ '-' 
 woodcock, partridge, and dLLs^ hlrr"""?"""'^' 
 coverts of the mallard and wood-duck T, ""' ""«• 
 
 feathers of the red ibis and fl • "'"' '"* " few 
 
 for Trout-flies, Tl C T^'^' T "" *"" "'^ -1-«<i 
 ••»-.ers are »eldo„ „ e' Xr;/-'^; «"'»• and the 
 British provinces, or lake-fl.er it I '"•^™« °' *e 
 
 flic, the best feathers of native bi^dTae'tir""" "' '"'"""• 
 tlieteal, mallard, wood du,.k , a wing-coverts of 
 
 of .l>e wild and ta: tut^ h/r""-^' "=« "'"'-'■ers 
 fowl- It may be as well tl , ""' ■""■ "'"' ^e pea. 
 
 o»lv furnishes tharbr L milylXt" ''^''^'''' '""""'' 
 flr-akers admire so much ; IC^^T^ '^"^^ '"»' »" 
 3rfc of the duck ; they are found ust a t "T ^ ""' 
 W".gs; immediately beneath ,1 '"'°"''' "^ "'^ 
 
 gray feathers, which a e Z''' '^^"^ '™ »' 'I'ree 
 
 required for U^^lZ ^^ "'" " "■«^' -»« '■' 
 Sa..on.flies are'from le er! rTt ''"f^' "''"^ ^°' 
 SoKlen phoasant, and tail and win„ j" ^""^ ^""2 "^ ">« 
 f'-, yellow, and re., maca ,v are L 1, l?"?'^"""'- 
 
 « from my experience, I am contL^a ^Jt ^T""""^^' 
 
 Sslmon-fly are aho„f „. i """ucea that feelers on a 
 
 7 about as useless as the long tails made of silk. 
 
428 
 
 AMERICAN ANOLBR'8 BOOK. 
 
 worm gut, iioli Eu Hsh fly-makers append to Tront-flies, 
 witb a vague id^. oi imitating tlie tails of the ephcinendae. 
 'I'he collar, or rather the upper part of the body, of a Salraou- 
 fly occAsiomvlly has a few turns of a blue-jay's feather (taken 
 from tl.'5 butt of the wing), or of some high-colored breast- 
 feather of a water-fowl or laUvI I'rd. The heads and tags 
 of Salmon-flies are made generally of peacock or ostrioh hurl, 
 collars of the breast-feathers of birds of brilliant plumage. 
 
 And now, my incipient fly-maker (I do not write this for 
 the ' old ones') I have told you in a few minutes what it has 
 taken me nearly a quarter of a century to learu ; I have 
 picked it up by mites, " here a little, and there a little," and I 
 do not know half as much as I would like to know and hope 
 to know, for fly-makers and fly-fishers are learning something 
 of the art as long as thtjy can twirl their fingers or cast a 
 whip of flies. Both branches of the science, the rudiments 
 of which are so easy to learn, run into the absinise—l was 
 going to say even into the occuU ; the subjc* l, like the i 
 a fine fly-rod, is almost infinitesimal 'i its tenuiiy. I juld 
 have given a great deal to know as niucU as I ha told you, 
 when I was a beginner— a 'jjreat dc al mce than you will have 
 to pay fv.r what many per is will d;em a very Lolish book - 
 Let them alone, "for to tliem it is not given" 'o know < " the 
 things that pertain to the gentle art, or to appreciatu the 
 scenes through which the ^ ursuit of il leads us; for "-seeing, 
 they see not" God's love and handiwork in the littL wild 
 flowers that grow along -.ru puth ; and "hearing, the ^ lien 
 not" His voice in th -n*^ the bird an^l the aiusic < the 
 brook, "neither do -y lerstand." I ope such >ple 
 will not bother us while I eadeavor to su v you how to tie 
 a fly with the help of these four simple figures, which I have 
 drawn expressly for the purpose. 
 
 i 
 
"■IMAKINO, 
 
 428 
 
 To m lUonLEs AND Palmers t , , 
 » Jrop.fi^. I. „i„ bo Lie to II . "" '''"""^ *■<" 
 
 v.=!, wrappi„g.silk, hook, floss-silk ' .'"•^ "'''"' •'"f"™ "s: 
 »i,ort 8t„« piece of ;,ut „ ^.""'' " P'm^" Wkle, and a 
 let u, begin :_ * '' "" ""= ""'"' '' f" » dropper. Now 
 
 on near the bend of tl I T . ^'""' '"'*' ""^ «'* 
 
 the last one about Jr'Tl";" '"T "^ '™ '""^' 
 
 '-i^'ure 2 shows ,ha. 1° hL "d a H ■ '"'• 
 i»d> 'ing it four ^ " '"""■' P'^^'' "^ t'ut (after 
 
 «'thesH:..,„n,erne.h:m::l7:r7?.°"*^'"P 
 -cureIya,,fardown„. . whe I , 'V"^ "^W^" it on 
 
 ■awny yellow silk.flo. wbieh should , k"'^ " ' ""' "' 
 long. ''■°"'<' '"' "•>« six inches 
 
 IB.- 
 
480 
 
 AMERICAN ANOLER'P BOOK. 
 
 1 
 I 
 i 
 ii 
 
 Wo now come to figure 3. I have taken a few turns of my 
 wrapping-silk up the shank to C, and followed it with the 
 floss, increasing the bulk of the bo<ly somewhat towards the 
 upper end. ^ have also fastened the end of the floss, and tied 
 in the tip end of a ginger hackle with three turns of my 
 wrapping-silk, the under part of the hackle being uppermost, 
 so that, in winding it on, the back of it will lie next to the 
 li )ok. I ought to have stroked the fibres of the hackle back 
 towards the root of the feather ; it is my usual custom. If 
 you u.se the spring-pliers, grasp the butt end of the hucklo 
 between its jaws ; its chief u.se is in holding the hackle in 
 place, by its pendent weight, when you have occasion to let 
 it go, or in fastening oflF. 
 
 Now for figure 4. You see I have wound the hackle on 
 carefully to nearly the head of the hook. I have fastened it 
 with three turns of my silk, and nipped off the surplus end 
 of the hackle. Now. I lay the wrapping-silk DT) on the 
 shank of the hook, and form the loop DF, and then take 
 three turns with the slack F, wrapping over the end 1)1) 
 towards the head of the hook, and, holding it down securely 
 with the finger and thumb of my left hand, I take hold of 
 the end D which you see sticking out to the left, and draw 
 in the slack FD, and cut it off. If the fibres of the hackle 
 stick out irregularly, pointing in different directions and 
 looking wild, like a little boy's head when he gets up in the 
 morning, I take my large darning-needle and " order them 
 
 aright." 
 
 I have a phial of varnish not larger than the end of my 
 finger sitting on the table ; there is a sharp little stick thrust 
 through the cork ; I now pull out the cork, and touch the 
 head of the fly with a drop of shellac on the end of the 
 stick, and lay it by to dry. 
 
 You will no doubt notice that in drawing the fourth figure 
 
".T-MAKINO 
 
 431 
 
 wH.h .he ay i., tie,,. I h„p„ ,„„ ^^/^f = ^- '" 
 
 <"r- '" '^"'« " "y ™ » "•">!« length of „u, f, °.h„ L 
 of convenience the gut is coil,vl nn i, • '"'"' 
 
 larger than the loop ™ al t 1 " ° T"""""""^ ""' 
 
 .hrc. .imc to hold i,l ;„;;' "^ ™" P»"«' "'™"«'' '« °r 
 
 >vl.ioh the'uninitiat'e,, thi!: T i'ffle Uo^lf v"""":"^'"' 
 o»»7,«nd tie a f.d„.en or oT\TV^"'''''' " 
 
 :;7-«;wri.at:;riiri'rii:: 
 
 the tree and attain to all the },i,rK,.. i i 
 
 * 1 t, , Higher branches— even to fhr^ 
 
 m,«t elaborate and gaud, Sa,„on.fl,, that adorns the to;:!: 
 
 Now let «8 beautify our Hackle with a littlp hi, p .■ , 
 
 und three turns of it taken towards bend ^Tt T ^' 
 tl.cn two or three turns back to A. where t s . f' '"f 
 t.,^e turns of the wrapping.sii^ Z .l^T^Jt 
 
 If you wish to rib the body with tinsel or gold thread 
 you must t,e .t in at A before you tie in the end o^ fl„ „; 
 l".ri that you intend to make the body of Aft.r ,1 k 
 '■--;■. «.«^ ti-sel, or gold, or silverthread tul^o: 
 .;-y^^J.r.C,and the «y from that point eon,,r,: 
 
 To make a Palmer with a floss silk or hurl body, you iirst 
 tie in the eud of the hackle at A (fl.mre 2) th.„ 1 ■ f 
 a.d then the floss or hurl. The mi;:;?;:! ^^ nnTs 
 be wound on Jirs, For instance, first wind on the hurl or 
 
432 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 floss to C (figure 3), then tlie tinsel, and then the hackle 
 in the spaces left between the spiral coils of the tinsel; 
 they are fastened each with two turns of the silk, and the 
 ends cut off in the order in which they are mentioned, and 
 then the head of the fly is finished as before directed. 
 
 The term " dubbing," is applied more especially to mate- 
 rial of short fibre used in making the body of the fly, as fur, 
 or pig's or seal's wool ; it is spun sparsely around the waxetl 
 wrapping-silk, and wound on with it. In making a body of 
 peacock hurl, three or four of the little plumelets are fastened 
 in at the tail, then twisted with the wrapping-silk and wound 
 on. The hurl does not fray off if wound on thus, as it does 
 when it is wrapped around by itself. 
 
 I have now described the manner of making four different 
 kinds of hackles. First, a plain Hackle without tinsel. 
 Second, a Hackle, its end tipped with tinsel. Third, a 
 Hackle, its body ribbed with tinsel or gold thread. Fourth, 
 a Palmer, its body ribbed with tinsel or gold thread, and a 
 hackle wound betvreen the spaces or coils of the tinsel or 
 gold thread, from tail to head. A Palmer may also be made 
 without any tinsel, that is, it may be wound with the hackle 
 alone. When a Palmer of this description is intended to be 
 " buz," that is, very bushy, two hackles, are tied in at tlie 
 tail and wound together to the head, where they are fastened 
 as before directed. 
 
 Before we go any further, let me say a word or two about 
 selecting your hackles — I mean the feather of which you 
 make your Hackle-fly — and warn you against a fault, wliicb 
 professional fly-makers, who are not practical fly-iishers, are 
 apt to fall into. In choosing your feathers, the length of the 
 fibres should be in proportion to the size of the hook or 
 rather the length of its shank. We frequently see a Hackle 
 or a Palmer wound with a feather, the fibres of which arc so 
 
FLY-MAKING. 
 
 483 
 
 !e>a attractive. Then a»,i. „ ""'"' ''M "f course ,t ,., the 
 a aaokle, the .Zli Z2 Z7 ^™^" "^"^ ^""^ -'- 
 the bend-like a ahoriL '/w 'r''/"'."* '"' ""'»" 
 long-tail coat. Now if sf! » K ? "" ■■■' "<'''%'>'■• 
 
 stealing your peXs LT. ^ '^™" ''^ '^'''^'''d " 
 o J'our peaches, and should make hia n-u r,„ 
 
 .epre,t.entin^rh.::?-^^^^^ 
 
 :ririrtr:tx:-f-»-^^^^ 
 
 and yourself too. He exDec.:, *T°""" "^ ""^ "f"-™' 
 pillar, but if he doesnoT ° ' g°°-l-looki„g cater. 
 
 ' . „ . ,. ^'^ """ °P™ his mouth very wide or if i, 
 .s at all ,nd,frerent, he goes oif with a few 1,^1! ,1 
 between his teeth. You exnect f.„ ., 7 "'"^'''"' '''"'es 
 '^e tug you feel, that ;: tv T wt tt' tf ""'' 
 -mentyour line comes bootless home ";;„"'*; ^ 
 
 ::ur:h:tu:i\;:c:ii^-'-- 
 
 exceed the hook in th.- ' ''' '^'^=« ^^ ^^^ 
 
 »u..traetivetth:Vh' IdTeH^^^^ 'l ^ '"^ ^^ 
 tries to seize it. The fibres of thT h t^ . ' ^^"^ "" 
 they may reach the bottom of hook t^' U '"""'' "'"^ 
 "".oh, if at all, below it. ' "'" ""'™' '^■*«' 
 
 To HAKE A Fly with Winos— "Tl,,,. p 
 before the wind " ,„d .1,1 , ™' ^''"» f" "« have run 
 
484 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER"? BOOK 
 
 observations carefully, and kept a proper reckoning, by 
 referring to our little chart, you will find that your voyage 
 of exploration is nearly ended. By the foregoing you have 
 found out what materials the ship is built of, and how to put 
 them together, and you ought by this time certainly to 
 " know the ropes ;" the mere tying on of the wings is nothing 
 more than bending the sails. I have made the drawing 
 below to show how easily it is done. 
 
 ;*i: ; 
 
 B. I 
 
 Figure 1 is a feather with a section large enough for the 
 wings of a fly for a No. 4 hook clipped from it. Figure 2 is 
 the section removed. 3 is the section after once folding it. 
 It is then folded again, compressed between the thumb and 
 forefinger of the right hand, and laid on the back of tlie li(?ok 
 with the tips of the fibres pointing towards the bend. 
 
 ^^'he manipulation which precedes the tying on of tho 
 wint's, is the same as already described in making a Hackle, 
 with thc^e few exceptions -.—First, in forming the body, it 
 should be eiongnted somewhat towards the head. Scmulhj, 
 the hackle should be shorter, or the fibres stripped from oiio 
 side of the stem. For the legs of a winged fly, which the 
 fibres of the hackle are intended to represent, arc not as 
 
FLY-MAKING, 
 
 436 
 
 numerous as the lecfs or bristlu„r Kn- ^ i 
 
 cook's hackle should „oV ""nd " '™- ^''""<'- *^ 
 
 of the shank of .he hook a,! d T f" ""''"» ■"-" 
 
 «Wos should .e passed .W„;a:!' XX^ IJ: 
 
 loft at the head for smJZt ^°" '"""^^ *'«"'' ^ 
 
 observe, as I have already eCni """' " '"'"' '"" 
 clipped fro™ a feather. %' ' u" li'nl t '"" ' """"""" 
 -tio„ tos.her, , will roproli! ^Z T 1 '■' 
 
 .liffcrent direction,,. (See fi„„,.„ =' P°"«'"g "W-q'-oly ,„ 
 »»J "till ng,ai„, if necLarv „^ "' """" " "»™"' 
 
 botweenyo;r;h„,„:r;:, ;;x:;:,^^«'--^^^^^^ 
 
 or the hook, so th,a. .he „,. , Ihe 'I^^ '^-:^ 
 ,is yon will observe in flgnrcs •■> 6 7 or 8 „f n 
 Tront.mes. Now take thr^e .„,., ' III ^J, , ':: .tf 
 -plus .at the butt end „f .he wi„,s, and faste ;;,!,?: 
 invisible knot as already shown. 
 
 _ Tails -In flies where tinsel is not used, the tail is fastened 
 in immediately after tlie gut .s whipped on Tf tl K 7 
 
 tilled with tinsel, thi^^aterialis^w^^^^ 
 
 tail fastened in above it. ^ i > me 
 
 Much unneecsary tronhle is sp..red I,y „„. attempting ,o 
 '" ™ "■'' ^™=» ?■«>- of Trout or Sahnon flies) sep,arat;i' 
 " -- -; «" *rec... Nor is a. all „oce.,sarv to IJt 
 «--app,,„-s,lk diagonally between .he flbrcs .0 separnt lei 
 ■ » ;™gs. For in doubling the section of a featW " 
 niready shown .he nbro., will p„i„. ,„„„.,,„, „,„;';' ^^ 
 
 nd oven ,f they do not, i. rnakes no difference, for mos. of 
 .1« ..a.ural n,es that light o„ .he water belong to tlZl^, 
 
486 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 whose wings are held in an upright position when at rest, 
 and are folded so closely together as to look like one wing 
 rising from the middle of the back. When a fly of this order 
 is to be represented, two turns of your wrapping-silk should 
 be taken close up under the butt of the wings, to give them 
 an upright set. The most accomplished fly-maker I ever met 
 with (an amateur), has a way of terminating the body abruptly 
 near the head, making a shoulder against which he presses 
 the root of the wings, and secures them firmly. 
 
 Flies without tails are of that order known as beetle-flies, 
 as the Phryganidae and similar families, which fold their 
 wings flat on their backs when at rest. Those with tails 
 belong to the Ephemeridae. 
 
 A winged fly is sometimes made without a hackle, if pig's- 
 wool is used for dubbing, the rough coarse fibre of the dub- 
 bing being picked out under the wings, to represent the legs 
 of the fly, 
 
 There are several different ways of tying flies; nearly 
 every fly-maker has something peculiar in his method. Some 
 tie on the wings immediately before whipping on the gut, the 
 tips of the wings pointing forward ; they are turned back 
 into their proper position, and secured with three turns of the 
 wrapping-silk after the body is completed and the hackle 
 wound on. Other fly- makers begin at the head, after the gut is 
 whipped on, and Avork towards the tail, where they finish oft'. 
 The method which 1 have described, and which I conceive to 
 be the easiest, is the one most generally adopted. 
 
 I shall not prolong this chapter, which I have already 
 extended beyond the limit I first intended, by attempting to 
 describe the manner of tying Salmon-flies, but assure tbe 
 reader that any person who can tie Trout-flies, will find no 
 difficulty in it. It is requisite that Salmon-flies should be tied 
 with a greater regard to strength and durability. Although 
 
fir-MAKINQ. 
 
 437 
 
 there is more detail and elaboration, they do not t.„,„-,. .1, 
 same delicate manipulation .hat Tr<;„t.„L do ' ' 
 
 onTtheTrii e:r:i:''' "r^"''™""^- ""o- -^° "- 
 
 used ■ h„f fl,„ „v- . ' , "Py- *'='« accessories should be 
 
 a!de;i!,I, /thT u ^'™"™"' ™ »'=^-^^ '" ■> '"We, 
 "field „t ' °' "™^ "f ™^ »■>*-- - thi 
 
 thuis" ::::?:::. t;" t '°; ™'^^^ ^» "- - 
 
 vice which I ha" pi u;ed on I" ^^ ''™''" "" "'- 
 more convenient. ' ^''"''"8 P^S'' ^'-^ ^ 
 
 A few pages back I deprecated the use of hackles with 
 long iibres on small hooks- th,.m ). . , 
 
 whinl, ,.. «l , ' '* "'''' ""Other vanity 
 
 vbch s done under the sun" by tackle-makers. I am 
 ashamed to own that it is purely an Americanism. Irishmr 
 and even the London tackle-makers with all their cockn^^ 
 foolery, have never perpetrated such a thing. It w.as ori.n 
 nated by some New York angler, without regard to tru.ht 
 ature, and the .»ckIe-stores there have perpetuated the hum 
 
 I ^v:: toT r '^'°™'"^^ °" ^^^^-"""^ -- -- 
 
 se^r of th ™' *°"-"'»8^' P*Wlied flies; there are 
 several of then.; one .s known as the "Deer.fly." N„ ,,,t 
 
 % daps on the water or hovers over its surface^o deposit^ 
 eggs any more than a bumble-bee does. The Dee r-fly f 
 ound » nature at all, is the very opposite of flies that Tr^ut 
 
 .....tat on of th.. .,th^r. with its big body and short win.s is 
 
 r B^ttf'™: " ?"""■ ''"^"' ™ =" p-« °f p^-^- 
 
438 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 There is one thing more I want to tell you before I close 
 this chapter, which almost unconsciously to me has assumed 
 the style of an epistle (I hope I am not too familiar on so 
 short an acquaintance); it is this: do not throw away all your 
 first attempts that appear big-headed or wild in their habili- 
 ments, for a much rougher-looking fly than you suppose will 
 kill ; bat if you are ashamed to let them be seen by the "old 
 ones," lay them in the back folds of your fly-book to give 
 away to the boys on your fishing excursions, for you Avill be 
 very apt to meet some dumpy, pigeon-toed little fellow on the 
 stream or in the road, who will salute you with, 
 
 'Pleask Sir, give mk a Fly-hook!" 
 
re I close 
 i assumed 
 iar on so 
 y all your 
 eir liabili- 
 apose will 
 f the "old 
 k to give 
 ou will be 
 low on tlie 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 fi D - M A K I N G. 
 
mm\ 
 
 " All things arc full of labor, man cannot utter it : the eye is not 
 KiitisHed witli secinj?, nor the ear tilled with hearing. The tiling that 
 hath been, is that which shall l)e; and that which is done, is that 
 which shall be done; and there is no new thing under the sun." 
 
 ECCLE8IA8TE8. 
 
 d --m 
 
CHAPTER XVir. 
 
 BOD -MA KINO. 
 
 Woods used in making rods.-WTood and Malacca cane for fly-rods - 
 Matenals used by an,ateur rod-n.akers.-To n.ake a fly-rod ott;^ 
 
 Wrapping sph es and putting on rings._To make a " rent and glued " 
 
 a^d Zri^'r^"'^^^^^^ ^"'^ ^ '-' iHustrated .'n 1 
 plamed-Manner of splitting cone and joining the pieces of a n„nrf 
 sectioned tip described by diagram -Makin/mirtm ^ 
 
 and are frequently considered b. person, of less experienc:' 
 "n>ore „,oe than wise." If tl,e former have leisure and a 
 mechamcal turn, they ean make rods for different kinds of 
 anghns and whether for botton. or flyfishing, can adopt any 
 fancy they may have as to proportions or materials. Thus 
 ro makmg, like tying flies, becomes not only an amusement 
 but may be ranked among the useful as well as the orna' 
 mental requisites in tne education of a complete angler 
 
 The early attempts of the writer were in reducing the joints 
 of h,, fly.rods, which he thought over stiff; then in makin! 
 an occasional new joint, or tip, wrapping on rings, fc, and so 
 on to making ferules, which at first was done without the 
 help of a lathe. Having learned the art of braring and 
 round-ng them over a mandrel from a neighboring jeC-eller, 
 
 (441) 
 
442 
 
 AMERICAN /NOLER'8 HOOK. 
 
 UM 
 
 he inado them smooth and to fit neatly by the imp1o use of 
 flat files, emery powder, and a burnisher. A love oi inker- 
 ing," however, and the kind approval of friends as t > sonio 
 fancied or real excellence in the rods he mauo for them 
 induced an investment in a lathe, work-bench, tools, &c., and 
 many pleasant hours have since been given to making rod.-, 
 from the withy little switch of a fly-rod, for Trout- 'shing, to 
 the "heavy artillery" used in trolling, Bass-fishing, end (-vou 
 in taking the lordly Salmon. 
 
 Woods used in Rod-making. — It should be borne in mind 
 that there is much difterence in the strength and ela^icit of 
 woods of the same kind. A tree of slow growth is i 
 harder and closer grained than one whoso growth has beou 
 rapid. The white part, which is called the "sap," in contra- 
 distinction to the heart, as a general thing is preferable if ii. 
 too near the bark. There are several kinds of hickory and 
 ash, th- ?,,'/; /<e, coarse-grained of the latter, possessing a third 
 or a 1=.>H tviore strength and spring than the red ash. 
 
 Amevicau hickory is used almost exclusively by English 
 rod-makers for second and third joints; it has the recom- 
 mendation of strength, and if well seasoned is elastic, though 
 inferior in either respect to ironwood,* which appears to be 
 scarcely known, or certainly not appreciated by rod-makers 
 in this country or in England. This wood is f6und in tlic 
 mountainous districts of North America, from Canada to 
 Virginia and perhaps even further south. It gr( ws gcnor- 
 rally in damp places, and is known under other local names, 
 as "hornbeam," "leverwood," and "barwood." It is almost 
 
 * There are two different trees known as ironwood ; that referred to liere 
 is Ostnja Virgiiiica (Willd.). It has a smooth cylindrical trunk with a 
 tiiin grayish bark, and is of slow growth ; a tree of five or six inches wliou 
 8ii-,vcd in two, showing forty or fifty concentric circles, indicating that it 
 is just so many years old. 
 
ROD. MAKING. 
 
 443 
 
 strong, but .hort and cri,p i„ il ^Z """ »"""'^ '« ""' - 
 
 For trolling or bait rods, tlie 'utt mnv K= r , 
 i^ara wood. If WMow, «„o.i ma,„ or^Xm" d""'' ""^ 
 t.mos holly i, „«, in Kngland Tl, "'» ^o; some, 
 
 of ijood white art or hickory' the ■ ,'T *°"''' ''^ 
 
 -ood ; and the tip of l„„cewo'«l o, ,„. ' "'" "' """■ 
 
 wood, or spliced bamboo, or Eas, ,. '"'■7™°'' ■'»- 
 " M ilaoca cane." " '°°''' """""n »3 
 
 Tr'^rrXrerr '"«''^'' «-°^»' '"-ded for 
 
 - -"::"t:,:„r,:ietxr""'r^ 
 
 tliinl iouits. The tinfnr p "'^'^'^i-ylor the second and 
 
 -.-^.ori::ira:t: :rr„t:r""^^^^ 
 
 of spliced bamboo. "^ *^ ^^"^ 1^*^^"*' 
 
 I would recommend for a Trn„f fl i , . 
 1'-, inmwood for the mT Idle ^/^^^^^^^^ ''' '^ ^^« 
 
 and glued, for the tip: The latrr m ' f "'"'' '^"' 
 
 f^fi 1, .•• ^"*®^ "^'^^'-■J'lal IS much sunerior 
 
 to the short-jointed bamboo used bv nrofp.dn i / P'"°' 
 both in strength and ehsticit. 1 ^""^'''''''''^ rod-makers, 
 o i ana elasticity, having a steel-like si)rin<> 
 wh.cl, the bamboo doe, not p„..ess, beside, being ZZ 
 h^veen he jomts, and eonseqn, My requiring fewer s SI 
 llK.ba„d,oo . seldom more aan ten .Ihes, while lie 
 ..s f-q-ntly s.xtee„ or eighteen inches between the ' .s f 
 talon near the butt. J"'ma, « 
 
 The anateur rod-maker should be provided with a wor,c 
 hench s,.x or e,ght feet long, and a vice on one side or aTIe 
 endof.., a drawing-knife, a jack and a fore plane at" 
 
 :r ""' "" f °^^ "^o" f- «'™i-™=" "ill-saws ri s 
 
 sa Ipaper, and several strips of wood about two feet lonl 
 ;"■ ^T"-'' f "»-"' -- in them. One of the .pi S 
 of wood ,s to be screwed flrnd, in the vice, and the stS 
 

 IMAGE EVALUATION 
 TEST TARGET (MT-3) 
 
 I I I.I 
 11.25 
 
 lis 
 
 ■ 50 
 
 
 1^ 
 
 m 
 
 US. 112.0 
 
 1.4 
 
 1.6 
 
 lie 
 Scmces 
 Corporation 
 
 k 
 
 /. 
 
 ^/ 
 
 ^ ^t% 
 
 
 
 w^^ 
 
 ^^'^^N 
 ■^ '^N 
 
 % 
 
 ^f^^ 
 
 <^'\ 
 
 
 33 WEST MAIN STREET 
 
 WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 
 
 (716) 872-4503 
 
 ^ 
 
 ^^ 
 
444 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 to be held in the groove, and turned with the left hand, while 
 you are spokeshaving or filing it ^nth your right. 
 
 To MAKE A Fly-Rod of three pieces. — After deciding 
 on the proportions of the rod, and having made or bought 
 ferules of appropriate size, select a well-seasoned piece of ash 
 for the butt, and, with the drawing-knife and plane, work it 
 down to something like the desired size ; that is, sufficiently 
 large at one end for the grasp of the hand, and tapering to 
 S(»mething larger than the size of the ferule at the other end ; 
 the sides of the stick all the while being kept as nearly square 
 as possible. Then plane the corners off, so that a section will 
 present as near the shape of an octagon as you can get it. 
 Now screw the strip of wood with the largest groove fast in 
 your vice, and, laying the stick in it, work it as nearly round 
 as you can with your spokeshave and file, bringing it all the 
 while nearer the intended shape and size. Then polish it off 
 with fine sand-paper, and fit on the first ferule. 
 
 To make the second or middle joint, as it may be called, 
 use only the plane, laying the stick between two thin strips, 
 tacked on the work-bench while planing it (on account of its 
 length and small size), keeping it square and taking off the 
 corners, to bring it to an octagon. Then screw into your vice 
 a strip of wood with a smaller groove than the one you used 
 for the butt, and round the stick with spokeshave and file, and 
 rub it down with sand-paper as you did the butt, and fit the 
 larger end into the first ferule, and the smaller into the second 
 ferule. 
 
 Let me here say that there is some sleight required in filing 
 a long thin piece of wood. The file should be heL obliquely, 
 and passed over the stick as it is held and turned in the 
 groove with the left hand ; occasionally rubbing the file with 
 a straight fore-and-aft motion over the stick, as if planing it, 
 which will take off any irregularities left from the other 
 mode of filing. 
 
KOD-MAKINO. 
 
 446 
 
 To KAKE A Tip (^ „,;«-., Top"),_Take a piece of good 
 M c. c„e. as long between the joints as yl ean g!, i, 
 Sp t oft as many p.eees of the size as you require, and rtduce 
 each p,eee wth spokeshave and file, eutting awly the soft 
 .n- part, each pieea being smaller than tl' pre'edt n! 
 as you approaeh the small end of the tip. In Lm, do w, 
 the peces for the tip, the groove in the strip of wood >v,Ih 
 you sere. „to your vice should be very small. Bevd 1 ! 
 eu s o a,.h piece of cane sufficiently to let them m 
 good sphce,say two mches and a half, two inches, and an 
 mch an a half. Apply the glue hot to the surfae s whi h 
 come mto contact, lay them together, and wrap the „plice 
 rmly wtth strong Hue twine or good packthrrad, and C 
 .hem by for twelve hours for the glue to set and dry. ' 
 
 I the sphces are well gl ued, you may remove the wrappings 
 
 apart while jou work it down Th^ flr,ni • 
 
 ^ees,whihZ will presently de:^;;:';^^^^^^^^^^ 
 u.d after the t.p and stouter joints of the rod are oiled and 
 
 After the tip is finished, join all three pieces of the rod 
 together, and, by bending and handling l, fi„d ,Z'^t 
 
 4 in doLgTo" ""^-"""^ " "-^ "•'"« -" pi- -pa' 
 
 anJletT ^ ^°''7^'"'°™ *-"& wet the different pieces 
 n=i le them dry when the fibres of the wood will rise and 
 pre ent a rough surface; then rub each stick smoo"h ,rth 
 -d-paper, ana repeat the operation until the grain of 
 wood wdl remain smooth after wetting. If ^ intend to 
 v.™sh„ without staining, this proee.s°U unnCes "" l'," 
 Staining, avoid powerful acids, particuhrlv in fi i r 
 pa- of the rod. and try ra.he/to^./.f'g^a;: In^t^ 
 
446 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 than merely to color the surface. By experimenting witt 
 red and black ink, the extract of logwood, and water in differ- 
 ent proportions, many shades of maroon and brown can be 
 had. Common writing-ink diluted with water produces a 
 neutral tin*;, and smoking-tobacco steeped in hot water a light 
 tawny yellow. The rod should not be too deeply stained, 
 if you wish the grain of the wood to show handsomely. 
 Repeated coats of ink produce a black. 
 
 Oiling and Varnishing. — After trying seveml varnishes 
 that were warranted to stand weather and using, I have found 
 them all to rub or chip off so much in the course of a summer, 
 as to expose the wood to moisture, which seriously impairs 
 its elasticity. I have had fly -rods which were covered with 
 three or four coats of shellac, and even those varnished with 
 copal, become so limp with moisture on a drizzly day, as to 
 be almost useless. To obviate such faults, I at last adopted 
 the following method as the best to make a rod impervious, 
 and to prevent the varnish from chipping off. 
 
 When the rod has become perfectly dry after staining it, 
 warm each piece before a stove or fire or over a spirit-lamp, 
 and pouring some hoUed linseed-oil on a rag, rub it well into 
 the grain of the wood ; repeat the operation two or three days 
 after, and lay the rod by in some warm dry place for the oil 
 to penetrate the wood and become hard on the surface ; then 
 if any excess of oil appears, assuming a glossy appearance 
 and a sticky f3eling, warm the stick again, and dissipate it by 
 rubbing with a woollen rag with a very small portion of oil 
 on it, and lay the rod by for a few days more. 
 
 "When you apply the varnish (let it be shellac), the first 
 coat should be thin, pouring it on a rag and rubbing it on 
 quickly and lightly, so that it may become incorporated some- 
 what with the coat of oil, and in a few hours apply another 
 thin coat in the same way. The next day give it a thicker 
 
ROD-MAKINO. 
 
 447 
 
 coat with a flat camel's-hair brush, and repeat it every day or 
 two for a week, and lay the rod by until the varnish has 
 become hard enough to be rubbed down with powdered 
 pumice or emery. This is done by spreading about a table- 
 spoonful of the powder on a dripping-wet rag, and rubbing 
 lightly, tliereby giving a perfectly smooth surface The 
 pu.mce or emery powder should be washed off, and the rod 
 receive another rubbing if not perfectly polished. When 
 thoroughly dry, a final coat of very thin copal should be 
 applied Shellac can be diluted by adding alcohol, and 
 removed from the fingers with the same solvent. The ferules 
 should be permanently stuck on with hot shellac, after the 
 oiling and varnishing is completed. Fl . Uac is the best 
 cement one can use in joining metal to wood, and is applied 
 by heating the end of a joint over a spirit-lamp, and sHckin. 
 oil bits of the gum, turning the joint the meanwhile o.er the 
 blaze, to keep the shellac flowing around the wood Now 
 stick on the ferule, hold it over the flame to heat it sli-.htlv 
 and press the joint in as far as necessary. The shellac .ill' 
 become hard in a few minutes. The custom of fastening on 
 ferules with pins impairs the strength of the wood just ,^ere 
 a rod IS most likely to break. 
 
 Little remains to be done nov. but wrapping the splices of 
 the fp and putting on the rings. The former is performed 
 thus: St,ek a stout awl into the edge of your work-bench or 
 mto the top of a table, and holding the tip i„ the right hand, 
 lay on the end of the silk with the left; then, turning the tip 
 J.tli the nght and guiding the silk with the left (the tip in 
 e mean while bearing and revolving against the opposite 
 Hie of he awl), wrap elosely over the end of the silk and 
 the whole length of the spliee, and fasten off with the invisible 
 
448 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 The ring-keepers* are wrapped in the same way ; biit the 
 manner of doing this can be better explained by examiniu" 
 the way in which tlie rings are put on any rod from a tackle- 
 store. The same may be said of the wire loop through which 
 the line passes at the end of the tip. Before putting on the 
 rings, the rod should be joined together, getting it as nearly 
 straight as possible, and marking the places for the rings. It 
 may then be taken apart, and the rings put on each piece sepa- 
 rately. On a tip four feet long, there should be about seven 
 rings, beginning five or six inches from the small end, and in- 
 creasing the distance between them as you near the larger end. 
 Four rings are enough for the middle piece, and one or two for 
 the butt. Small rings made of very light wire should be 
 used for tips, and instead of the ordinary clumsy ring-keepers 
 sold at the tackle-stores, it is better to cut from very thin 
 sheet-brass, strips not more than the thirty-second part of an 
 inch wide, and of convenient length — say six or eight inches 
 long : these are more easily handled, the surplus length of 
 the strip being nipped off after wrapping, and used for the 
 next ring. To protect the wrappings of the splices and ring- 
 keepers, apply several coats of thick shellac varnish with a 
 small camel's-hair brush. 
 
 The reel-bands, for reasons stated on a preceding page, 
 shouM be at the extreme end of the butt, and below the place 
 where it is grasped by the hand when casting. 
 
 To MAKE A Rent and Glued, or Quarter-Section Tip.— 
 With the object of uniting the greatest degree of strenu^th 
 and spring in the delicate portions of a fly-rod, and more 
 particularly in the tip,, an artist friend, who is not only a fine 
 amateur mechanic, but an accomplished fly-fisher, some years 
 
 * The little pieces of thin brass or copper that hold the rings against 
 the rod. 
 
ROD-MAKING. 
 
 449 
 
 ued'' 1 1'' Z :' "^f "' ^•^'•"^^^^- ^-- - "rent and 
 
 b whil " ™''' *'^" ^^'"P^^ *-^ -P--nted below 
 
 m whxch are united what may be called a ''V tool" and I' 
 
 draw-plate." It is uiade of thin steel and t. / 
 
 hard. ' ^"*^ tempered very 
 
 \/^ 
 
 o o o O O' 
 
 The notch ir. the end and top of the plate are true right 
 -gle. w.th a eutting or rather a »=raping edge; the hot 
 
 vith th? f J"^ ■* P'""'' °' =P''' '»■"' ""^'gk the V 
 -ft the outer surfaee of the eane uppermost, the 'oft inni' 
 
 presents the appearance of flgnre G on the next wood-cut 
 
 corners of G are then rounded off with « fil„ j . 
 make each glued piece more truly round than 
 generally «le the™, they are still; her XHriT 
 .ngte™ through a hole of appropriate si. in :^,uL 21 
 end of a p.ece will present the appearance of L H n 
 the next wood-cut ^ ° 
 
 ^^ «.uonea tip. Take a piece of Malacca 
 
460 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 cane, the outer and inner circles above presenting a section 
 of it, split it in half at AA, and from one of these halves 
 split the four strips BBBB, and draw each strip throug)i the 
 V tool, scraping them down to the required size, the ends 
 presenting the shape of the right angle under D or the little 
 figure E. Then join two of these pieces lengthwise with hot 
 glue, wrapping them tightly, and then the other two pieces 
 in the same way, the end of each twin piece being represented 
 by the figure F. Straighten them while pliant with the glue, 
 and lay them by over night for the glue to set firmly. Next 
 day unwrap the twine from around the twin pieces, and lay- 
 ing one of them in a small grove in the strip of wood screwed 
 in your vice, the broad surface being uppermost, with your 
 coarse file make it perfectly level. Then treat the other twin 
 piece in the same way, and, applying the glue to the surface 
 of each twin piece, bind them tightly together, straighten the 
 quadruple piece thus formed (a section of which is repre- 
 sented by G), and lay it aside for the glue to dry. Althougli 
 I have shown where the seams are in the butt ends or sections 
 in the figures F, G, and H, there are no seams visible when 
 the strips are glued together. 
 
 I have already explained how the quadruple pieces are 
 
ROD-MAIMNO. 
 
 451 
 
 reduced and rounded ; any number of them ean be prepared 
 - he same time. For several reasons, it is better that the 
 ast ten or twelve inehes of a tip for a Trout fly-rod should 
 be a single piece ; that is, the piece itself should be a unit, n<.t 
 ren and glued after the manner just described; for in reducing 
 so delicate a part, if quadrupled, the four pieces are apt to b; 
 of unequal thickness. Besides, the point of the tip is more 
 apt to get wet than the lower part, and of course would be 
 more apt to divide or split apart when so small a portion of 
 glue IS used. A tip made in this way should be wrapped at 
 intervals of an inch along its whole length; six or eight turns 
 of fine silk at each wrapping are sufficient; each separate 
 wrapping should be fastened off with the invisible knot 
 
 The middle piece of a Trout fly-rod may be made ^oitkont 
 sphces, by splitting a piece of Malacca cane throu<.h the 
 joints, the whole length required, avoiding the root^of the 
 shoot, or bud, represented in the drawing of a piece of cane 
 below. There is only one bud or shoot at each joint, and a. 
 
 they occur alternately on opposite sides, they can be easily 
 avoided m splitting. Tips may be made in the same manner 
 the quarters being drawn through the V tool, and glued and 
 finished as already described. Tips for Salmon-rods made in 
 this way are unequalled. 
 
 The only alleged objection to rent and glued tips is, that 
 hey require care in keeping them from getting wet. J 
 have fished with them for more than ten years, and only on 
 one occasion, when I persisted in fishing all day in a rain 
 have I found them defective in this particular, and then onl^ 
 because the varnish had worn off. This vv2« before I resorted 
 to oihng my rods, and when I did not have the wrappings so 
 
452 
 
 AMERICAN ANQLER'S BOOK. 
 
 close together. If joined with the best glue, and well oiled 
 before applying the varnish, siich an accident would seldom 
 or never occur. Besides, there is no necessity for an angler 
 getting his rod wet at all. A good tip may be made by 
 gluing two pieces of cane together after cutting away the soft 
 inner part, though they are not as apt to bend equally as a 
 quarter-section tip does. 
 
 Glue. — Irish glue has a reputation with some persons. T 
 have generally used the white American article known aa 
 " bone glue ;" but from some experiments lately made with 
 " Hilton's glue and cement," which is said to be waterproof, I 
 am convinced of its superiority over anything else for a rod- 
 maker's purposes. 
 
 In making fly-rods for some of my friends, I have lately 
 adopted a plan by which the same rod may be used for either 
 light or heavy fishing. This improvement consists in having 
 the butt in two pieces; the upper piece being about three foet 
 long, has a ferule on the lower end, into which the handle — 
 if I may so call the lower part of the butt — is fitted. There 
 are two handles, one of a foot or fifteen inches, and the other 
 two feet long. In wading the stream it is intended that a tip 
 of the ordinary length, that is, as long as the middle joint, 
 and the short handle shall be used. In fishing from a boat 
 where the run of Trout is large, the rod is rigged with a 
 stouter tip, but nine inches shorter, and the long handle. 
 Thus taking from the rod at the small end or tip, and adding 
 as much at the butt. If the rod is to be lengthened, the 
 longer tip and long butt are both used. 
 
 To MAKE Ferules. — The materials and implements used 
 in making ferules for fishing-rods are, sheet-brass or German 
 silver, a pair of shears to cut it, mandrels to round the ferules 
 on, a knife file, annealed (or, as it is sometimes called solder- 
 ing) wire, a small smooth-faced hammer, a light wooden 
 
ROD. MAKING. 
 
 46b 
 
 ma et, a pa,r of pliers, a blowpipe, a lu..p of borax, u strip 
 of tlun silver solder, and a lump of charcoal-rnost of these 
 articles can be had at hardware-stores. The silver solder 
 may be found at the stores where watchmakers' and jewellers' 
 matenais are sold. The mandrel is a cylindrical piece of cast 
 steel and should be the size that you want the inside of the 
 ferule. 
 
 To take the width of a piece of brass required for a ferule 
 wrap a piece of stiff paper around the mandrel so as to lap' 
 and pass a knife along it lengthwise as straight as you .an' 
 which cuts the paper the exact si^e. This is moistened and 
 laid on the sheet-brass for a pattern, and the brass cut to the 
 size of the paper with a pair of shears. The brass is then 
 bent over the mandrel by the proper use of a wooden mallet 
 and the vice and the edges brought nearly together (not to 
 overlap), and the knife-file passed between to take off any 
 inequality in the edges, and to insure their coming in contact 
 the whole length of the ferule, when bound by the annealed 
 wire. The vice should be used in bringing the edges in 
 contact, and the ferule bound in the middle and at both ends 
 with wire, while it is held in the jaws of the vice ; to do this 
 effectually the ends of the wire after lapping the ferule are 
 twisted with the pliers. 
 
 To make the flux for your solder, wet a piece of borax and 
 rub It on a piece of rough slate, grinding off the surface of 
 the borax until the mixed water and borax assumes the 
 appearance and consistency of cream. Apply it to the seam 
 mside of the ferule with a small camel's-hair brush, and then 
 cut a thin strip of silver solder (the thirty-second part of an 
 inch IS wide enough), and of the required length, straighten it 
 smear it with the diluted borax, lay it on the seam inside of' 
 the ferule, and place the ferule with the seam downwards in 
 a groove, made just large enough in a piece of charcoal to 
 
464 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 nontaiii it. Now with a good fljimo of gas, or a spirit-lamp 
 used for such purposes, direct a jet of flame on the ferule witli 
 the blowpipe until the solder flows over the seam. 
 
 There is some knack in using the blowpipe. Hard puflk 
 which exhaust the breath are not as efficacious in produciu</ 
 the requisite heat as a more gentle but continuous blowing. 
 Persons accustomed to the use of this implement ucquiro a 
 way of inhaling through the nostrils and blowing with the 
 mouth at the same time, making thereby a very long exhala- 
 tion ; it is done by distending the cheeks and working the 
 jaws somewhat in imitation of the blowing of a blacksmith's 
 bellows. 
 
 Those who make ferules in quantities, of course braze 
 them in a charcoal furnace ; but as the limited space of an 
 amateur's workshop docs not often allow of such an appliance, 
 it is well to learn the use of the blowpipe, which, in fact, is 
 indispensable in delicate soldering. In using gas it is better 
 to remove the ordinary burner and direct the full stream on 
 the ferule, or procure what is termed an Argand or a jewel- 
 ler's burner. The common gutta-percha tube is convenient 
 in bringing the gas to any convenient place on a work-bench 
 or table. The ferule should have no grease on it to interfere 
 with the soldering. It is well also before binding it with wire 
 to dip the brush in the borax while it is thin, and pass it 
 between the edges. 
 
 Tlie ferule should be allowed to cool of itself, as dipping it 
 in water impairs the toughness of the brass. When the wire 
 bindings are taken off, the inner surface should be scaled 
 with a rat-tail file, and any surplus solder along the seam 
 removed. Brass is always annealed by heating it to a red 
 and allowing it to cool gradually, and of course the ferule is 
 soft and not fit, for use unless it is hardened. This is done 
 by hammering lightly, as it is rounded and stretched over the 
 
 , .gft^Jipft.^- <^ ■ 
 
ROD. MAKING. 
 
 406 
 
 he end, .„ „„able you t„ o„ier i, i„ .ho end „f .h,. r..me t„ 
 .tra.n,„, ,h, f„„,^ „„, .^ ^_^ go .uhom 
 
 roqu.red thickness, with an ordinary ,.Z l-^ '^ 
 finished with a fine flnt flu j ' '"">''"' 
 
 degrees of fineness f yon rnV""? '""'" "' ''*^'^'" 
 
 -ugh , , „ iawiouCir TLr- ir s 
 
 t-n in it, and Lfterll ° '"* ""^' '="»«'' '» 
 
 , ana anerwards gave a smoother finish to it K, 
 
 ™pp.ng a piece of emery paper on the same ll Ue 
 
 .o~?He.rassL::argas;rs:!rorr^^^^ 
 
 A male ferule is madfl in ti,^ 
 
 maae m the same manner as just 
 
466 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLBR'S BOOK. 
 
 described, and of course on a smaller mandrel^ or on the 
 same mandrel turned smaller for two inches or so at one encl. 
 As there is no strain on a male ferule it is not necessary to 
 harden it. 
 
 A professional rod-maker would no doubt be somewhat 
 amused at these directions, and consider this a roundabout 
 way of making a rod ; but as I before said, I only wish to 
 throw out a few hints for the benefit of anglers who wish to 
 amuse themselves in-doors, or instruct those who seldom have 
 the opportunity of purchasing rods of tackle-stores. 
 
 For fear I may leave the reader in some doubt as to the 
 material I have recommended for quarter-sectioned tips, on a 
 preceding page, I would here say, that by " Malacca cane," I 
 refer to those long East India tishing-rods, which are marked 
 with irregular tracings; charred with a hot iron or some 
 strong acid. They are easily distinguished from our native 
 cane-rods, or the ba nboo used by professional rod-makers. 
 
 „*. •• 
 
CHAPTER XVIir. 
 FISH-BREEDING. 
 
 . ..^. li^*"*""—™*"*-*-*--*^ .*-*•, ,,., 
 
" AKoOod said, let the wnters bring forth abji Imitly, the niovini 
 creature that hath life." 
 
 ■ -V ^» • — ■ 
 
CHAPTER XVIU. 
 nSH-BREEDlNG. 
 
 Have ..i.„C h?: ll"t""^'"'''^™'^>■-''<' 
 the means now hannil. . l .if P'""' P™?"""^ "nd 
 
 -hooked a. :::^i; :/;;:^;rr^.''^*™* -'='"' 
 
 and Trout. The form! br '"""' "^ S-^-""" 
 
 H^ da.3 without Zd^/oTr T"'' "' '''"""^ 
 .lo«-the latter b/sniriu/t . " . '"""«^ "^ ""^ 
 catching them in Jin^ J , "" "'"'" "P^^i-S-beds, 
 pond. On Trlutir "f *""' '"' '^^'"^ "^ -"l" 
 -k. ThecoX" n r ^"" °"'^' "«»-- »' 
 
 '»„ with slabs aaa .«w.dnst; the factory with 
 
 (■139) 
 
 * ' » » i " li|i i i — ilWWilipimii 
 
460 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 ita dyeatuflf ; and the tannery fouling the clear stream, covering 
 the bottom of ihe pools and the spawn-beds with its leached 
 bark, and killing the fish by hundreds with the noxious dis- 
 charge of its lime-vat. Any law against such vandalism in 
 the United States is seldom or but feebly enforced. 
 
 We arc also disgusted occasionally by hearing persons, 
 who pretend to be sportsmen, boast of the number of Trout 
 they have taken by unfair means. 1 was once present when 
 a person of this kind, who had just returned from an excur- 
 sion to the head waters of the Croton for woodcock, told 
 how he had snared a hundred Trout, each a foot long, on their 
 spawning-bed. To use his own vernacular, he would have 
 " punched a fellow's head," who would trap a partridge or 
 kill her on her nest. Which of the two is the more dastardly 
 act ? When fishing Jessup Eiver in Hamilton County, New 
 York, some years ago, the guide pointed out a place at the 
 mouth of a little brook, where a snob deer-hunter from Troy, 
 the September previous, with a bass-rod and a red hackle, 
 lifted out sixty pounds of Trout, which had collected there to 
 spawn. If time-serving legislators have not the independence 
 to pass laws for a more thorough protection of Trout, or officials 
 do not enforce those that are passed, the fly-fisher at no 
 distant day will have to go hundreds of miles farther than 
 he does now, to ind them. But unless I should appear to be 
 travelling out of my way in condemnation of such means and 
 such persons as I have alluded to, I will proceed with my 
 observations on fish-breeding ; giving first a few suggestive 
 remarks on fish-ponds, the manner of stocking them, and of 
 producing the young fish in the natural way; and then 
 describe at length the mode which has been adopted, within 
 a few years past, of hatching the eggs and rearing the young 
 fish to a certain age by artificial means. 
 
 In many parts of Europe, and in China, where fresh sea- 
 
PISH-BREBDiNtf. 
 
 461 
 
 fish are not to be had, fish-ponds are common, and fish culture 
 IS almost a matter of as much concern as agriculture. Great 
 care IS even bestowed on breeding and rearing the coarser 
 ■ands, including those that belong to the Carp family. Such 
 tish are considered almost worthless here, where there are so 
 many firm-fleshed, well-flavored species of the Perch family 
 and our sluggish waters, where Trout would not thrive, could' 
 be as easily stocked with these, and with the ugly though 
 excellent Catfish, as with the soft insipid Cyprinoids 
 
 Whatever be the condition of the water one may con. 
 trol, sluggish or rapid, shaded or exposed; whether a brook 
 or a pond of an acre or two,.fed even by a diminutive stream' 
 he may breed fish whose natural habitat is such water or 
 make them in a great degree capable of living and thriving 
 in their circumscribed home. 
 
 From my boyhood I have known ponds stocked with large 
 fish which were not native to such waters. One instance was 
 the transfer of what was called the "James River Chub'- 
 the magnificent fresh-water Bass, Grystes mlmoides. Th^'y 
 were taken from the James River and placed in mill-ponds 
 fed by small brooks a hundred miles north of Richmond and 
 m a lew years by natural propagation and increase became 
 aumerous, many of them attaining a weight of five pounds 
 The White Perch, Lahrax palUdus, is prolific in ponds and 
 canals. It is even said the Rockfish will live entirely in 
 fresh water, though I doubt whether it will grow to a large 
 size If debarred from returning to salt water in winter The 
 Shad, which Mr. Pell produced by artificial propagation, must 
 certainly have degenerated if confined to his ponds, and, I 
 think, would most likely .ease to reproduce after several 
 generations ; for they are anadromous fish, and their annual 
 visit to the sea is requisite to their perfection. 
 I have seen Trout breed and grow rapidly in a pond cover- 
 
462 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 ing not more than an eighth of au acre, near Philadelphia. Tt 
 was in a little dell shaded by oaks, maples, and wild poplars. 
 Several springs bubbled out at the head of the ravine, and a 
 small breastwork of stone and sod, thirty yards below, dammed 
 the water, which flowed over the sluice, iu a stream which could 
 have been discharged through a two-inch auger-hole. The 
 Trout, thirty in number, and varying in size from six to ten 
 inches, were brought from Chester County and placed in the 
 pond in the month of February. The following autumn they 
 spawned, and in the month of April they were caught in a 
 fine net, in the little pool beneath the overflow of the dam, 
 and in the rill in the meadow below, two inches long. The 
 next season they were also found in the brook into which the 
 rill flowed, and in a mill-pond below, where they had grown 
 to seven inches. At the time of stocking his pond the owner 
 did not ascertain how many of each sex he put in. It is a 
 matter of conjecture how many of them spawned, or how 
 much of the spawn was consumed by the fish ; how much of 
 it came to maturity, or how many of the young fish were 
 devoured after being hatched out. It is highly probable that 
 but few of those which remained in the pond escaped the 
 voracity of the adults; and those that went over the dam 
 through the sluice (which was not more than nine inches 
 wide, and three-fourths of an inch in depth), must have made 
 their escape from instinctive fear of the larger fish. Some of 
 the fish which were very small when placed in the pond, in two 
 or three summers grew to the length of fourteen inches, and 
 were very stout, weighing perhaps a pound and a quarter; 
 they were fed occasionally with chopped raw meat, worms, 
 and grasshoppers. In a few years the place fell into other 
 hands, and the fish were caught out of the pond by poachers, 
 or persons of less appreciation than the proprietor who 
 stocked ii. 
 
PI8H-BRBBDINQ. 
 
 468 
 
 I have given these few facta to show that a pond is easily 
 stocked with Trout, and the streams below as a matter of 
 course With a little care, and providing ponds below (as 
 would have been the case had the original owner just alluded 
 to remained in possession), the number and size might have 
 been increased to the utmost capacity of the water. 
 
 If fish are thus easily bred and reared with so little atten- 
 tion, by natural propagation, the ova being unprotected on 
 the spawning-beds, and the young subjected to the ravages 
 ot the large fish, how must it be when all causes which would 
 prevent the hatching of impregnated spawn are removed 
 aud the young, by a proper arrangement, kept fron. being 
 devoured ? ° 
 
 In stocking ponds, an observing person will remember to 
 put in such fish as the water is suitable or natural to 
 
 A pond for Trout should have as great a proportion of spring 
 or cool brook water as is possible, though it is not essential in 
 all cases that the supply should be large. If the stream which 
 supplies It enters in a rough little cascade, it is better, as the 
 water is thereby mixed with air. If there be several ponds 
 on the same brook, they should bo supplied in the same man- 
 ner If the fall in the stream is sufilcient. Each should have 
 a shallow shelving margin, as well as a deep side ; plenty of 
 shade, trees, and shrubbery, to encourage the presence of 
 flies and insects; also aquatic plants, rock, stones, and peb- 
 bles through the pond and on the margin. Shallow water 
 strewed with pebbles is considered as necessary as aerated 
 water in the natural propagation of Trout, though few of 
 these conditions were found in the pond just described, for it 
 was almost of uniform depth, and the back-water covered the 
 springs that supplied it. 
 
 In breeding the different species of the Perch family 
 aerated water, or even that of a low temperature, is not so 
 
464 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK, 
 
 necessary, if there is a reasonable quantity of aquatic vege- 
 tation in it. The mere damming of a stream, and increasing 
 the body of water, promotes a larger growth of those fish 
 which are native to the brook. In the instance first men. 
 tioned, of stocking ponds with the large fresh-water Bass, a 
 freshet swept the dam away, when the fish escaped and sought 
 the larger water of the rivers below, none, even of the 
 small ones remaining to reproduce when the dam was 
 renewed. 
 
 Trout taken from a small brook where they never grow to 
 a length exceeding eight inches, have been known to attain 
 a weight of three or four pounds when transferred to a large 
 pond or lake. 
 
 "Ephemera," in his "Book of the Salmon," objects with 
 much reason to the term " artificial propagation ;" for after all, 
 the expression of the spawn by manipulation, and protection of 
 the young fry, are only accessories, and nature is only directed, 
 followed, or assisted, as the judgment of the fish-breeder may 
 dictate. 
 
 Artificial Fish-Brebding. — With the object of showing 
 how easily fish can be produced by artificial culture, I have 
 obtained from Mr. W. H. Fry, the editor, and Messrs. Apple- 
 ton & Co., publishers, of New York, their consent to make 
 extracts and copy some of the explanatory cuts from a 
 work to which I have already alluded, called " A Complete 
 Treatise on Artificial Fish-breeding." In treating this subject, 
 therefore, it will be necessary to repeat, in substance or verba- 
 tim, much of the matter of a preceding chapter. Before read- 
 ing Mr. Fry's book, I had met with several brief articles on 
 the subject, one of which I clipped from a daily paper; it 
 reads as follows : — 
 
 " Pisciculture in New York. — At a meeting of the Farmers' 
 
»J8H.BBEBI)IN0. 
 
 466 
 
 Club of New York, held recently, the f„no>vi,.g pr„eeeclin«, 
 took place, „, ,„ ,„„„ f,„„ .,^ ,ri„e, „f t,.« '^ . ""■""" 
 
 (Dreeding fish), which was the suhiVnt f.. v ■ , 
 club for the day. Mr Adarl! "'"'''"" ^^ *^^ 
 
 of breedin.fi if P'"'"' ^' ^^^^^^ the mode 
 
 brought in boxes ™ .^™'" ""'' Salmon. They are 
 
 a ^derate teTp era.! e ^JIT "" "^^ "■""' '' '^^P' »' 
 tance A. ,),. ,i I ^ transported an immense dis- 
 tance A. the college the eggs are placed in oblon:. earthen 
 roughs, ,„ ,,„g„ ,,y,,_ „p„„ ^^ o o .a„h 
 
 the water may circulate freely around them ■ forT 
 men. of running water, these . roughs ar™ ,' "™"^" ' 
 mids, and a small stream „f . ■ «"anged m pyra. 
 
 .l,.J mu *"'""■ '» ™ntina,-illy flowin.r i„t„ 
 
 kem. The eggs, after forty days, are hatched, and .1 ^ 1 
 fish are seen runnino- ahnnt i„ „ joung 
 
 in another part of7t°the ' """^ °^ ""^ "•""»''' "'»'= 
 
 bation Th , "''' ""■' "" " ''"*"-™' ^'"80 »f inou. 
 
 HreaJtrzr-'^^---"^--^ 
 
 " The operation, it is believed wiJl h« i,; ui 
 "Mr E L Pp]] f T5 ,/ ^'^^^^ successful. 
 
 ^r. K. L. Pell, of Polham, discussed the sub.Vot rf P- • 
 
 : r ratT h7:i ''"™« -*- ™~o' — 
 ^-^r^iitirririrar^^^^^^^^^ 
 
 -ive fish, «„»„„* / :«tl;r " "r="" "-' 
 
466 
 
 AMERICAN ANULBR'S BOOK. 
 
 wise the spawn of the famous Turbot and Solo ; and is about 
 to apply to the legislature for a law to make it incumbent 
 upon all persons in the state who gain a livelihood by the 
 capture of fish, to plant impregnated spawn upon their fish- 
 ing-grounds. 
 
 " Remarks on the same subject were made by other mem- 
 bers of the club, all of whom were sanguine of its success, 
 and confident that it would be of service to the community." 
 
 I have since read other articles showing the feasibility of 
 producing and breeding fish artificially, and have heard of 
 experimenters being entirely successful in it. Amongst the 
 latter are some enterprising fish-breeders of Hartford, Con- 
 necticut, one of whom has visited France for the pur[)ose of 
 witnessing the modus operandi and obtaining information on 
 the subject. There are also several instances of complete 
 success said to have occurred on Long Island and in Ohio. 
 
 Although, in the following pages, I quote chiefly from 
 M. Coste's directions, found in Mr. Fry's book, Mes.srs. Gohin 
 and Remy, fishermen of the Commune of Bresse, of the 
 department of Vosges, were the discoverers, and the first who 
 turned their attention, in a practical way, to the production 
 of fish by artificial propagation. These two humble French- 
 men afterwards brought the subject to the notice of scientific 
 men, who procured for it the patronage of the French govern- 
 ment; and notwithstanding M. Coste claims for Jacobi, a 
 German, the discovery of fecundating the ova by artificial 
 means, as early as 1758, it appears that Gehin and Remy were 
 not aware of any previ 5us experiments having been made. 
 Acc(n*ding to M. Coste's account, Jacobi, like these two fish- 
 ermen, founded his theory on a simple fact which he disco 
 vered by careful observation ; it is that the spawn of the 
 female is not impregnated by the seminal fluid of the male 
 until after it is ejected. M. Coste further says ihat this 
 
PISH-B RBBDI NO. 
 
 467 
 
 Cuun ae Gold»lem, Grand Chancellor of IIU Palatinate m.h. 
 n« for the Dnchie, of Burge, and Jnlier, in an e„,,a/,n 
 
 aslated ,„t„ Lafn for M. d„ Fouroray. It appear, .trango 
 that .o .mportant a discovery should not have been made 
 pubhc, and followed up at the time by establishing J. 
 breeding as a trade or science. 
 
 It « natural to suppose that Gehin and Remy's discovery 
 would soon become generally known to thase who were into 
 rested m restocking impoverished ami exhausted waters. So 
 we find Messrs. Young, Shaw, and other British naturalists 
 not only ,n possession of this knowledge, but successfully 
 experimenting on it. ^ 
 
 The following extracts and wo«l.cut8 from Mr. Fry's work 
 I ™ satisfled will convince any intelligent reader that thou 
 «.nds of flsh may be produced and raised with as little or 
 p..-r aps less difficulty than a tenth of the same number of 
 poultry. I would, however, advise those who wish to engage 
 m the experiment, to procure Mr. Fry's work, in which he 
 has t^nslated from the French, '• Facts furnished the Academy 
 of Sciences at Paris, by M. Gehin;- «M. Ooste's Practical 
 Instructions in Fish-raising ,■" and « M. Milne Edwards' Eepon 
 on Artiflcial Fish-culture, and stocking barren or impove . 
 .shed rivers with flsh artificially hatched." His book al,o 
 embraces "Lessons on the Natural History and Habits of the 
 Salmon, by ■■Ephemera," the gist of which will be found in 
 the previous part of this book, beginning at page 214 
 
 The Trout being on. of the most interesting and ea.,ily 
 procured flsh, I will first refer to the method of breeding i' 
 : his fish generally spawns from the latter part of September 
 to the fir.,t or middle of November. The preparatory step is 
 to procure hatching-troughs. 
 
468 
 
 AMBRICAN ^^iiLBR'B BOOK. 
 
 These, aa the reader will observe from the cut, are simply 
 A succession of troughs placed one above the other. The 
 water flowing from the stop-cock B, in any desired quantity, 
 into the topmost trough, falls in little cascades into th(xse 
 below, which aerates it sufficiently during the term of hatcli- 
 ing. By means of these troughs the fecundated eggs may be 
 watched with care, and examined without the danger of dis- 
 turbing the process of incubation, as would be the case if 
 the spawn was placed in hatching-boxes, according to M. 
 Gehin's plan, and deposited in the stream, and removed from 
 it occasionally to examine them. 
 
 The troughs may be placed in any spare room where it is 
 convenient to lead a small supply-pipe, and place another for 
 the discharge of the water. They should be supplied to the 
 depth of four inches with clean gravel and a little coarse 
 sand. Each trough should be raised somewhat at the end 
 where it receives the overflow from the trough above, so as 
 to cause a slight current. M. Coste recommendf-- i', a the • ;;g8 
 be spread on closely-woven hurdles of willow, and sunk an 
 inch or two below the surface ; bis reasons for doing so are 
 ^'^'^en in a subsequent extract. If the bottoms of the troughs 
 are ."c-d wi*h gravel, the water — which may be supplied 
 thr<>i.;; a rx-arter-inch pipe — should flow through them for 
 a fev- ;.».. V;-, 80 as tc ciuove any impurity amongst the peb- 
 bles. 
 
 Trouj 
 
 when pi 
 
 removec 
 
 than fen 
 
 date the 
 
 tukori in 
 
 pressure 
 
 Hufficienl 
 
 tank cor 
 
 examinee 
 
 The v€ 
 
 en ware, v 
 
 bottom as 
 
 should he 
 
 next proc 
 
 To ExpR 
 
 head and tL 
 
FISH-BRFlDrNO. 
 
 469 
 
 rrout may be procured by c,b«„rving them in the brook 
 when preparing to spawn; they shou J be taken in „e^ and 
 removed as carefully an ponnible. A leas number of male, 
 ban females are required, as the milt of one male will .ecun. 
 date the eggs from three or four females. Care should be 
 tukon ,u selecting fish that are well advanced. The mere 
 pressure in handling will cause the roe or milt to start if 
 sufficiently mature; if it is not, the fish may be placed in a 
 tank conveniently near, supplied with running water, and 
 exammed daily until the proper time arrives. 
 
 The vessel for the reception of the spawn may be of earth 
 enware, wood, glass, or tinned iron, and should have a flat 
 bottom as wide as its top. After having washed it clean, it 
 should have one or two pints of clear water poured in. The 
 next process is 
 
 To Express the SPAWN.-The female fish is taken by the 
 head and throat with the left Dand, while the right hand, its 
 
470 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK 
 
 thumb upon the belly -^ind its fingers on the back and sides, ia 
 passed liked e ring lightly backwards and forwards, to brincr 
 the eggs near the opening through which they are passed. 
 The male fish is then to be operated on in the same way, 
 and the milt expressed ; the manipulation causing the expul- 
 sion of only so much of the ova and milt as may be perfectly 
 mature. For, as will be seen by the observations quoted 
 from " The Book of the Salmon," in a previous chapter, all 
 the roe and milt does not ripen at once, but that the time of 
 laying the eggs and fecundating them in a natural way, 
 extends over a period of ten days or more. Hence the 
 necessity of a tank supplied with running water, as a tempo- 
 rary residence for the breeding fish, that the ova and milt 
 may be expressed as it matures. 
 
 The appearance of all the eggs, whether fecundated or not, 
 is much changed in the course of a few minutes. They are 
 at first more opaque than they were when discharged from 
 the fish, and then assume their transparency. M. (Joste says 
 it is only after some days that the barren eggs can be distin- 
 guished from the fecundated, and that they deteriorate rapidly 
 become more and more opaque, turn white or dse preserve 
 their transparency, but show no interior change. Takino' 
 the spawn and milt from the fish is a matter of so much 
 interest, that I quote his remarks at length. 
 
 "If the eggs are hard, and already free from the membrane 
 of the ovaries, the slightest pressure suftices to expel them, 
 and under this pressure the abdomen is emptied without 
 injury to the female operated upon ; for the followmg year 
 she will become as fruitful as if she had spawned naturally, 
 as we have often had occasion to observe at the establishment 
 at Huningen. 
 
 " If, on the contrary, it appears that a greater degree of 
 pressure is necessary to bring out the eggs, we may be sure 
 
flSH-BBEEBINO. 
 
 471 
 
 'W are still enclosed in the tissue of the organ wind 
 produces the™, and that the operation is pren,atur . Is 
 
 uTl: " r "^ ""'''^^ i". but the female should h 
 pu back mto the pond, and allowed to remain there till her 
 
 occur, fortf a female flsh ir this condition is kept captive 
 for any length of tin,e in a oirenmscribcd place. herVwill 
 
 '•If the females are too large to be held and emptied of 
 their eggs by a smgle operator, another can aid him in hold- 
 .ng them over the receptacle, either bypassing his fingers 
 m the,r g,lls, or by securing them with a cord, and if the 
 convuls^e struggles are very violent, it may be necessary for 
 a th^rd person to hold the tail. The opemtor, then, with his 
 thumbs upon the thorn. a„d his fingers upon the animal's 
 sides presses from top to bottom the enormous mass of eggs 
 wh.ch distend the coats of the bcily. The vertical positS, 
 » whtch the flsh is held usually suffices to press out the eggs 
 nearest the opening, and the pressure of the hands repeal 
 several time, will succc^ively bring all the rest. ' 
 
 The easy expulsion of the eggs proves their maturity for 
 " shows they are detached from the ovaries: but it doelno 
 prove absolutely their capability of being fecundated ^r 
 here are some cases, the causes of which we have not ascer- 
 «.ncd where -he female being in a stream and a. liberty d 
 having gone her full time, and her eggs bein» readv f 
 Oe .very, yet she does no, or cannot fre:\er: fClem 
 -d bemg thus rcuincd past their time they lo^ heT; 
 reproductive faculty. ^ "" 
 
 twolT'rr' """" ""'^ ''°°«™^ »«8' »f ""^ ™« by 
 2 vdcnt characteristics : one is the flowing out with them 
 
 of a foreign matter, of which there is no trace in their normal 
 
 state, which gives a muddy hue to the water when the eggs 
 
472 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 begin to fall into it ; another is, the white color of these eggs 
 when they come in contact with the water. "When iioithor 
 of these appearances is observed, we may be almost sure the 
 operation will be successful ; for the eggs will then be in a 
 good condition. But in all cases we must guard against 
 allowing too great % quantity of eggs to fall into one vessel, 
 for if those on the bottom are covered over by too many 
 others, they will not perhaps come in contact with the milt, 
 which should reach every part of them. It will be well, if 
 the females are found to be very productive, to empty the 
 spawn into a number of vessels. The results will then be 
 more satisfactory. 
 
 " As soon as the process of delivering the female of the 
 spawn is complete, if it appears that the operation of express- 
 ing it has brought along with it any part of the mucus which 
 is secreted by her intestines, the water should be immediately 
 changed, so as to free it from every impurity, care being 
 always taken that the eggs are not allowed to become dry. 
 This done, a male fish should be taken, and his milt expressed 
 in the same manner as the female's eggs. If the milt has 
 arrived at a state of maturity it will flow abundantly, white 
 and thick like cream, and as soon as enough has been taken 
 from him to give the water in the vessel the appearance of 
 whey, it is saturated sufficiently. But in order that the 
 fecundating particles may be spread everywhere and uni- 
 formly, the precaution should be taken of agitating the 
 mixture, and of softly turning over the eggs with the hand, 
 or what is better, with the fine long hairs of a brush, so that 
 no part of their surface shall escape contact with the fecun- 
 dating element. 
 
 " After two or three minutes' rest the fecundation is accom- 
 plished, and then the eggs, with the water surrounding them, 
 should be emptied into the hatching basins; or if tliesf 
 
FISH-BREEDING. 
 
 473 
 
 basm, are some distanee removed from where the oper,t,or 
 has been performed, .he water m„st be renewed before I 
 amve at the.r destination, provided the distanee bono ^ 
 great, for then other means must be taken 
 
 the semen ,f the eggs are of that species whieh are Lmd to 
 be naturally cemented together 6, a gelatinous matter f: 
 xample are those of the Perch, great care must be taken no 
 pu them apart. This agglutination is a natural eon<^tL: 
 
 dlpr^:.her ''"^"' "' '"'"^ ' '-'^ "« '"-^^°- - 
 
 ■■There is still another mode of treating the mixture of 
 fecnndat,ng particles with the water, which serves as 
 veh,de ana of aiding their absorption by the eggs to h 
 fecundated; .t is to place in the vessel a euUendcr we, 
 rAlled or better still, a fine basket. Into this, while in *e • 
 water the eggs are expressed, and then the milt The 
 cullender should then be moved about, up and down, Id 
 from s,de o side, care being taken to keep it always in the 
 "ter. Th.s movement has a double result: it thoroughly 
 "..xes the fecundating liquor and brings it in contact tith 
 every part of the eggs, and the experiment will be successful 
 . after the agitation of the cullender, it is allowed to remain 
 at the bottom of the vessel quietly for two or three minutes. 
 A third process is to express into the vessel the milt, and 
 act cause the eggs to fall into the water till it has been thus 
 first charged with fecundating particles. The medium being 
 thus prepared beforehand, the eggs reach it in a condition of 
 ,>ecuhar aptitude for absorption, which they posses in the 
 highest degi^e the first moment of their immersio,,. Th 
 mode then seems to olTer the greater chance of success I do 
 no mean to assert that eggs laid in the water some time 
 before the milt ,s brought in contact with them, lose the 
 
474 
 
 AMKRICAK ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 power of receiving its influence. For, many times, on the 
 Rhine, I have had occasion to observe that those of the Sal- 
 mon and Trout that had been expressed into the water 
 nearly two hours before a male could be caught, still pre- 
 served their aptitude for fecundation. But still it is an 
 unfavorable condition, in which, if possible, they should not' 
 be placed; above all, when the eggs of other species are 
 treated, which have not, like the Salmon and Trout, a pro- 
 tecting and resisting envelope, but which are more sensitive 
 to the influence of the exterior world. 
 
 " Another mode of treating artificial fecundation, and one 
 more nearly resembling nature's processes, is to spread the 
 eggs on a sieve fitted in a channel or trough of wood or stone 
 through which runs a current from a water-pipe, under thj 
 spout of which the end of the trough is placed, and then to 
 poui at this point the spermatized water, and leave to the 
 running current the care of carrying the vivifying jiiirticles 
 to the eggs; but to operate in this way requires an apparutue 
 .not always at hand, and perhaps only to be found in an 
 establishment designed for the business. For general use and 
 ready application I recommend, therefore, the process de- 
 scribed at the commencement of this chapter. 
 
 " The milt of a single male will suffice to fecundate the 
 eggs of a large number of females, provided he is fed while 
 in the pond or tank, and that care is taken not to take him 
 from the brook and shut him up there until his milt is fully 
 matured. Of this fact the author of the memoir published by 
 the Count de Goldstein was aware, and I have often had 
 occasion to verify it while on board the boat of the fisherman 
 Glasser, at BSle, where the male Salmon and Trout emptied 
 one day to fecundate the eggs destined for the government 
 establishment at Huningen, are found gorged the next, and 
 «o on every day, for the five or six during which their organs 
 
 * ^f^f*- 4-H.I4<l 
 
JTSII-BREKDINO. 
 
 475 
 
 socrete semen. It is not necessary t\. f 
 
 i"g on a lame so.Ip . V"''^"^' therefore, m e::periment. 
 
 be the case with fish nf H W 7 / • '"^ "">' "^n 
 
 Pike, o. either of! e^wi f t T '" "^' " ^^ ^""^ ""<» 
 depart from the lalof , """' ''"' ""^ ^«'>- -« 
 
 ™o'e ^perfe!; t rl:;:::: T'*:'"' '"""^'"'' '"" 
 
 Piu^eny must be, and in either nf +1,^ 
 Ccoses above mentinnori u • im , enner ot the 
 
 .ulesineapabCr::^^^^^^^^^^^ ''' ''''-' ^^^^ '^ 
 
 -n in which the t^^^s are pZeTT ^' .^ ^"^^ ^'^^ 
 that the latter be sixtv fiv. ''''^^^ recommend 
 
 M Coste in h, ^ """ ""^'"''^ ^^°^^^« ^^ove zero 
 
 • ^''^*® '" ^^s experiments, found thit th. 
 
 hatched in from thirty to sixty dal V . -'^^^ ''''" 
 
 water enters Thp „nf . i . "^ ^^^'^ '^'^^^<^ the 
 
 iicis. 1 He untecundated eo-ff« qhoi,i,q i. ^ i 
 
 and any sediment formino- on ilfr^ '^""^^^^^ *^^^«" «"t' 
 brush. ^ ^'^ ^^'"^ '^"^^^ed with a soft 
 
 M. Coste give the following interesting account of tl. 
 appearance and growth of the youn^ in th' . 
 
 escape from the shell ^ " ^^^' ^"^ ^^^ 
 
 t «' , "^ 
 
 
 ^"^ J- 
 
476 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 which covers about a quarter of its circumference. Tliis line 
 which seems whitish when the eggs are on a dark ground or 
 opaque when they are held up to the light (in the manner in 
 which our farmers examine hens' eggs), is the origin of the 
 foetus, and represents the spinal column. As this line in- 
 creases in size, one end of it grows out to a point to form a 
 tail, and the other extends in the form of a spatula. Thia 
 last corresponds to the embryo's head, and of this there is 
 soon no doubt, for the eyes now appear, two points of a 
 blackish brown, easily distinguished, and forming nearly 
 two-thirds of the whole mass of the head. As each day 
 develops its form, the young ^fish may be seen under the 
 shell or membrane, stretching itself, and drawing itself up 
 and wagging its tail. When hatching-time comes, those 
 movements, the probable object of which is to weaken or tear 
 the shell, become more active. With Salmon and Trout 
 there is another sign of the approach of hatching besides the 
 quick movements of the young. The outpr envelope of the 
 egg becomes a little opaque, and as it were furfuraceous. 
 With other species with which I have made observations, 
 this sign does not appear so plainly. At last a little opening 
 is made in the shell, and that part of the embryo next the 
 opening comes through it. Ordinarily the tail or the head 
 first appears, but sometimes it is the umbilical bladder. 
 
 "' Whatever part may be first disengaged, more than half 
 the body still remains imprisoned, and the efforts of the 
 young fish are unceasing, till after several hours it frees 
 itself from the shell. This membrane, which has protected 
 its development, hut has not served to form any part of its 
 organs, being now cast oft) either is decomposed where it lies, 
 or is carried off by the current. 
 
 "Certain kinds, like the Pike and the Forrat, begin imme- 
 diately to range about in the waters where they have jusi 
 
FISH-BRBEDINO. 
 
 47; 
 
 ,™,in . ^ '"°'"' '"'"' e"'"' difficulty, and 
 
 remam .^.ng „„ one side, or even on .he bladder Lu 
 borne few attempt .0 move from one place ,0 anol bl. 
 soon give up the effort. "uoiner, out 
 
 "The time for hatching is „„, .h^ same with all species 
 Some, hke the Pike, hatch at the end of eight ten or M 
 
 "Besides development is more or less hastened, according 
 as the temperature of the water in which th.v .r. ,'. 7?°""'8 
 or Ies» elevated. Pike's e^., „l! a ^ " """" 
 
 .l.icl. without beinlr „S w '" V^'V''^ ™'- "^ 
 
 W.cl.cd in nine da^ TJfe J 3; '^ ^ ^ ™"' "^^ 
 nhnvl in .>,„ 1, J ■ ""' *'"'= spawn ng 
 
 P . cd .n the shade m water constantly renewed took eighteen 
 » twenty days to hatch. It required also twenty dlvo 
 
 « eggs o the ombre, which, more favorabirSe 
 *l,ed ,n twelve to fifteen days. Still greater varfations of 
 « appear .n the incubation of other splies of the sl, 
 
 fc .nme e.gs in a 7n^j . '" ■"" ""'"^ '^^ *«'« 
 •eelc, Thrf , .""''^ ="■<'»•>' ''"1 take seven or eight 
 
 ^.ed and ten days, as was proved by the experiments made in 
 
478 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 
 Scotland, by Mr. Shaw, to which I have referred in the inrnj 
 duction. 
 
 " During their change the eggs should not be left to them, 
 ■selves ; they require, on the contrary, a certain watchfulness 
 and frequent visits, in fact, such care as can be easilv 
 bestowed by the aid of the hatching apparatus which I use. 
 
 "Whether the artificial .streamlets, which I propose, be 
 used, or in preference to them any other mode, one precaution 
 should always be taken ; the eggs should never be heaped 
 upon one another. Their accumulation prevents a proper 
 surveillance of all of them, and besides may retard or even 
 prevent their development. Another and more serious incon- 
 venience often results : if one of the eggs becomes spoiled and 
 covered with byssus, this byssus spreads to the adjoininjr 
 eggs, and in a few days reaches all that are contig\ious and 
 destroys them. The only mode to diminish the extent or 
 arrest the progress of this evil, when the eggs have not been 
 heaped up, is to remove, at once, from the hatching-place all 
 that show the least trace of alteration. If in place of sacrific- 
 ing, an attempt is made to save them by freeing them, with 
 the aid of a brush, from the vegetable parasites covering 
 them, not only will it be a useless trouble, since the tainted 
 eggs are already struck with death, but the evil will be 
 aggravated by spreading over the healthy eggs the particles 
 of destructive byssus, by the very operation of cleansing." 
 
 Fig. 2, in the preceding cut, shows the appearance of a young 
 Salmon on emerging fr< m the egg ; 3 its size at two, and i 
 when three months old. The umbilical bladder sustains it for 
 about four weeks, during which time it refuses other nourish- 
 ment ; at the end of this time, the nutritive matter of the 
 bladder is consumed or rather absorbed, when the young fish 
 instinctively begins to seek its food. Previous to this, any 
 attempt to feed them is not only unnecessary but hurtful, as 
 
PISH- BREEDING. 
 
 470 
 
 any an.mai matter thrown in only serves to make the water 
 impure, and of course affects the health of the fish. 
 
 FKEDiNG.TR0U0H8.-.The depth of water in the feeding,- 
 troughs need not be more than four inches, and the area pro- 
 portioned to the number of fish. M. Coste says he was ena- 
 bled to feed and bring up in a space of twenty-one inches 
 long, SIX .vide, and three deep, as many as two thousand 
 young Salmon at once. This seems improbable; the space 
 IS certainly more circumscribed than necessary. A trou..h 
 of eiglit feet long and four feet wide would no doubt be suffi- 
 cient for that number of young Trout during the first three 
 months, at which time they will likely be from two to two 
 and a half inches in length. They could then be transferred 
 to ponds, the size of which may be about eight yards wide 
 and twenty-four long, which would cover nearly the twenty- 
 fourth part of an acre. According to such calculation, it 
 will be seen that a single acre divided into twenty-four ponds 
 would sustain forty-eight thou.sand Trout during the first 
 year. 
 
 Food FOR Young TRouT.-After trying several kinds 
 of food for young fish, I have found none so readily received 
 or divisible into small particles as fish-roe. On crumbling it 
 after being fried or boiled, into an aquarium, the smaller fish 
 especially those of a predatory species, seize a single egg 
 greedily before it falls to the bottom, and the Goldfish hun! 
 for It industriously amongst the gravel, and leave none to 
 affect the purity of the water. I would therefore recommend 
 It as preferable to any other, where it can be had ; if not 
 boiled meat of any kind (as I have also ascertained from 
 expenment), when cold and crumbled in small particles, i« 
 the best substitute. It is better to give a less quantity than 
 the young brood can consume, for reasons alnady stated 
 
480 
 
 AMERICAN ANOLEU'S DOOK. 
 
 After the fish are removed to larger ponds, there is no doubt 
 . that rye, after being thoroughly soaked or steamed, and then 
 rolled in blood— which should be allowed to dry on the 
 grains before they have time to become hard— would be a desir- 
 able article of food to be given with the crumbled fibre of 
 meat. 
 
 Any substance of which albumen forms a principal con- 
 stituent promotes the growth of fish; the white of eg.rg 
 would, therefore, be appropriate food. Trout kept in q>rina. 
 houses grow to an immense size when fed on nothin'r else 
 than curds. 
 
 The liver or heart of a sheep or ox, ' ng over a pond, 
 will produce the larva of the common fly, which will fall into 
 the pond, and furnish a more natural food than meat. 
 
 With these hints on feeding, the render who is not already 
 better informed, cannot fail, by observatif \, and ingenuity, to 
 raise young fish, after placing them in ponds larger than 
 those already suggested. 
 
 Ponds covering a half-acre and upwards, will afford a lar^e 
 amount of natural food after the first or second year, if 
 judiciously supplied with aquatic plants, brush, logs, &o.- 
 nevertheless, feeding as we have suggested will greatly pro- 
 mote the growth of the fish. It is desirable, for many reasons, 
 to have the ponds well shaded. Smaller species of fish, as 
 Shiners, Eoach, Minnows, &c., may be advantageously intro- 
 duced, but not in ponds where Trout are intended to breed, 
 as they devour a large proportion of their ova. These small 
 worthless species furnish a considerable proportion of food 
 for large Trout in their natural haunts. 
 
 In connection with this subject I should not omit to men- 
 tion that there have been numerous instances of stocking 
 streams in England, Scotland, and Ireland, which had become 
 barnm or depopulated by improvident fishing and poaching 
 
'ISII-HREEDINO. 
 
 481 
 
 allow them to spawn in fl.n . "" "P^"""' ""^^ 
 
 tl.e usual mode of arifi T""' '^ P""^' ^^^^^^^"^ *« 
 
 iccundated^oe and rr> 'T'^'^°'' " ^^ '^^^ ^^« 
 
 stocked It h K ^ "" '^' ^"'^^^ ^'^t^'^ded to be 
 
 siocKea. It has become a matter n^f ^f 
 
 but certain success- «, m, V "'"'■*' experiment, 
 
 success, as much so as a farmpr <yo«+,-„ u- , 
 
 or potatoes from another part of thl ^ ^ ' ''^''' ' 
 
 increasing the product and ,! ! ''''"''^' '" ^^^^ ^^ 
 
 of seed. "^ "' ^"'^^*^ ^^ *^« -«P by a change 
 
 I should not wonder if fishing clubs in Fn.l a i, 
 
 I have before adverted to the fi^t fV.o+ • 
 '^ - article of «,„„erce in C Jfa 1 T'""''' '''^" 
 Sermany, Carp.p„„ds drawn off Lth '" "'"° """^ "' 
 '». .he soi, a,/no. reJcC:':, ^re^ef ™'"™- 
 
 thinks the gravel used in M r v , ,/'*->^^^^ "* each; and 
 
 ■p-no .eeJt;lr:x:l:::^-- 
 miles south of Bethlehem P.„„ T "''"«'-'°"". « few 
 N« a hote, there, h: a^o": ^ hT^dTh ''""' ^"^ 
 foar feet long by two feet wMe wi 'a d Th Z""""^- 
 o™- eighteen inehes T„ ,hi " P"" "^ ""'">■ ""t 
 from six to eigh h nd ed T 'r ' *'" '^ «^"°^""^ "- 
 
 K. He has'even ^11: ^^"rtre""^^ '"'''' 
 81 "uuarerj m the same trough, 
 
482 
 
 AMBRIOAN ANOLBR'S BOOK. 
 
 and all in a healthy condition, where they grow rapidly mA 
 get fat on a small quantity of curds fed to them once a day : 
 these Trout are even preferred to those caught fresh from the 
 Suuoon, which flows close by. The trough in question con 
 tains seventy-two cubic feet of water, and when it has seven 
 hundred and twenty Trout in it, there are just ten fish to ii 
 cubic foot. This useful aquarium was established man)' 
 years ago by Mr. Desh's father ; Trout seldom die in it. The 
 spring which supplies it rises in the garden, a few yards 
 above, and would flow through a hole an inch and a half 
 square. The fish are bred naturally by a farmer in the neigh- 
 borhood, and brought in large tubs. There have been in- 
 stances of their breeding in the trough. 
 
FIBH-BRBKDlNtf. 
 
 488 
 
 THE AQUARIUM. 
 
 «ia»s side,, and „ „,„,„„ ^"^^ " " ""'P'j' » '""^ with 
 
 - ^uppliod .„ the deph f\ra „;; ""-"r '""""• '' 
 
 or M«n,? „ 1 . °^ ^'*"'' ^"ches with trravel 
 
 J d and aquat. plants tastefully introduced in g o p 
 The latter are not intended as an ornament only but tokee n 
 the water pure and the fish hculthv hv f>, ^^* *° ^««P 
 
 they give off' whil« fh i ■ ^ ^ "''^°*'" ^^i^'' 
 
 J' « ve on, While the carbonic acid exhaled hv fhp fi u 
 
 promotes the growth of the plants. ^ '^ 
 
 The most convenient size I have found to be one of th,Vt 
 mches in length, sixteen wide and .ixt^Pn 7 ) ^ 
 
 -I ho. .arly thirty gallons o;:;t::rLi^ 
 
 long. 7 here is no ornament more beautiful than a well k 1 
 Aquarium. It fumisliP^ n fin . • weJJ-kept 
 
 1 lurnisnes a fine opportuu ty for a disnhv nf 
 
 «le for st„ 11 1 , '7'*" "" °''P°""""^ °° « -'" 
 or stutlymg the habits and dispositions of fish Rn. 
 
 '■""i» feh.tanks, at his Museum in New yI i 
 
 "■"■■th the observation an.l stud. „p , ' "" "'" 
 
 Ti".se who would estlsho'^"^''™ """ "'"™'i^''- 
 
 beneath t^Wal; '"""'' '""" "o"^'' -"«" "Life 
 
 .antTffhrVr'"' ""*"'■" eapaeity will answer for a 
 tank, rf the bottom ,s wide enough to set out plants in it 
 
484 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 The best shape is one of four sides. In a round vessel the 
 proportions of the fish are distorted, when seen through the 
 convex sides, as any person has observed in looking at Gold- 
 fish in a glass globe. 
 
 Wood is an objectionable material for the bottom of an 
 Aquarium, on account of its liability to warp. Soapstone can 
 be used, but cast-iron is the most suitable. No fear need be 
 entertained on account of its liability to contract with cold 
 or expand with heat, as the water in the tank will serve to 
 maintain an uniformity of temperature between the glass 
 sides and iron bottom. For the same reason the frame (the 
 four posts at the corners and the rim around the top of the 
 glass), should also be of iron. The plate glass forming the 
 sides and ends should fit neatly into grooves in the bottom 
 and frame, and should be cemented with some composition 
 which does not contain any ingredient that will affect the health 
 of the fish. The tank should be filled with water and let 
 stand for a few days, to see that it is perfectly water tight 
 before putting the fish into it. 
 
 If placed at a window with a southern exposure, the 
 growth of the plants is accelerated ; though in such situa- 
 tion care, should be used to lower the shade of the window, 
 if the sun shines for any great length of time on the tank. 
 
 Clean white gravel has been found to be the best bottom, 
 as it can be removed whenever it becomes necessary, and 
 returned after washing. The ornamental rockwork, such as 
 ar(ihes, grottos, &c., can be arranged according to one's own 
 taste. 
 
 Plants for the Aquarium. — Suitable aquatic plants can 
 be procured in almost any running water or mill-pond in the 
 vicinity of the city. The ditches into which the water from 
 the Delaware and Schuylkill flow through sluices, and where 
 
FISH-BREEDING. 
 
 48S 
 
 it WI, and rises with the tide, are filled wUh them, and pro- 
 iluoe a great variety, ^ 
 
 I have tried with satisfactory results many of the plants 
 recommended by Mr. Edwards, some of them meri as 
 ornaments, others to supply oxygen to the water, and 
 those that require no root, and float on the wat r, to 
 g.ve shade to the fish. I have used the little plant known 
 by the common name of " duok-weed" or " duck-raeaf for this 
 latter purpose. The only objection to it, tho...h, is that fish 
 hat hve on vegetable food, as Carp and Roach, eat it. This 
 they w,ll also do with many of the plants beneath the water 
 
 iwortwo. Jhiaplant IS reniarkablvorisD and 
 muc.llag,no„s, with a pleasant flavor. It i, said brnersons 
 who profess to know, that it is the "water celery,"":;: 
 
 tl^Z r^'T.''^'''''' '^— of'the Chel 
 
 Ihle ft ; . ' ""^'■^' '" »"'<' P'™'^ *at fish 
 
 mbblea ; for the gravel is frequently strewed with it and 
 
 rte:cr''''""^''^™'^^--»^-^--^e:: 
 
 In .Mr. Edwards's lis, of plants, he specifies those intended 
 for ornament and those for aerators,- of the former the cot 
 mon arrowhead (Sagaiaria ^.iulfoli.) and two or three kinds 
 of water.hhes. Of those used for the rockwork where i 
 comes above the surface of the water, the forget-me-not the 
 -ndew, 4c. Those used for aerating, and wholly or p^ 
 -bmerged; Fa.W^ .^ralis, hornwor, water sta^" 
 ^2*- »-^~.-. Ua.: „„*„.•, marestail, wat"; 
 
 fl..gs, a d forget-me-nots, it is not necessary for them to have 
 roots, these they soon throw out, whether floating or planted 
 
486 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK 
 
 in the gravel. Those that belong to the family of lilies 
 should have the roots encased in lumps of stiff" clay, and the 
 gravel strewn over them after setting them out. 
 
 After trying water-lizards, tadpoles, snails, young ter- 
 rapins, Ac, I discarded them, and found that Roach, Goldfish, 
 and other Cyprinoids were as good scavengers as the ugly 
 reptiles, and that they cleaned the bottom very effectually of 
 any food left by the Sunfish, and others of the Perch family, 
 which, as a general rule, seize their food before it falls to the 
 bottom. 
 
 To prevent the fish from biting the plants it is necessary 
 to feed them : care should be taken, however, that little of the 
 food remains. A thimble will contain as much chopped 
 meat as will sustain a dozen fish for a week ; half of that 
 quantity given twice a week would be better. Flies or live 
 insects thrown on the water are greedily seized by the Sun- 
 fish. 
 
 One reason for preferring a four-sided vessel with parallel 
 sides is, that by standing in front of it you can see entirely 
 through it, as the fish are moving about. "When you look at 
 them at a little distance from one of the corners, and above 
 the level of the aquarium, the refraction creates a pleasing 
 illusion, each fish near the angle appearing like four. 
 
of lilies 
 , and the 
 
 jng ter- 
 &oldfisb, 
 she Ugly 
 ;ually of 
 1 family, 
 Is to the 
 
 ecessary 
 le of the 
 chopped 
 ' of that 
 3 or live 
 .he Sun- 
 parallel 
 entirely 
 look at 
 i above 
 pleasing 
 
 DIES PISCATOm^. 
 
" Yk who love the haunts of Nature, 
 Love the sunshine of the meadow, 
 Love'tbo shadow of the forest, 
 Love the wind among the branches, 
 And the rain-shower, and the snow-storm, 
 And the rushing of great rivers, 
 Through tjieir palisades and pine trees, 
 And the thunder iu the mountains, 
 Whose innumerable echoes 
 Flap like eagles in their eyries ;— 
 Listen I" 
 
 LONOFEUOW. 
 
Dii!S PISCATOEIjE. 
 
 Many readers, when they come to "Appendix," will shnt 
 up a b«,k and throw it aside, for the word sounds to them 
 very mnoh hke " appendage," and is associated in their mind, 
 wtthcandal appendage, or, according to the nomenclature 
 adopted by that eminent naturalist Mr. Sparrowgrass, in h 
 observa..o„s on the dog, -organ of rec„gniti!n." Such 
 people th.nk w..h Mr. Sparrowgrass's butcher, that a do's 
 
 I diffr'.rr t""" ^ " "-'---perAuousthirg. 
 
 I «,r w«h them, for it is not so with the appendix to a 
 
 good book or to a good saddle of mutton. An author 
 
 ftough, or « pohtician, must not combat popular prejudice,' 
 
 f he would gam the ear of the people; but when an old 
 
 Idea or an old pr.nc.ple becomes hackneyed or unpopular it 
 
 may st.ll be presented to advantage under a new name "bv 
 
 e.ther of the .foresaid, as the case may be." I ther f 1 dif 
 
 card that stale old word ..appendix," a'nd use the ZZhu 
 
 the head of th.s page, to lure the reader on to the end of the 
 
 In the following pages, I have taken up the old angling 
 u hors' d.alogue^method of telling what I have to say abou' 
 fl8h.ng.places. The information given is fact th/ 
 
 the dialogue are real and of the "Houseless." The place 
 
 or both, or like the romance " founded on fact." 
 
 (489) 
 
490 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 As mention of the "Houseless" has most likely been made 
 in the preceding, and certainly will be in the following, pages, 
 it may not be out of place here to explain what is meant by 
 the word, or rather to what it refers. 
 
 About twelve years since, a few brethren of the rod and 
 angle, some of whom had met for the first time on the stream 
 and had become acquainted without any conventional intro- 
 duction, feeling that they were drawn towards each other by 
 a love of the gentle art, met by agreement at the house of one 
 of the brethren, and. formed themselves into an association 
 under the unassuming name of the " Houseless Anglers." This 
 title was adopted in contradistinction to the old Fish- House 
 clubs — associations rather of a convivial tendency than that 
 of pure angling. 
 
 All the members (their number never exceeded ten) were 
 fly-fishers. They were of various pursuits: amongst them 
 were a few artists, professionally so, and two more who were 
 merely amateurs. To one of the latter I am indebted for the 
 vignettes and some of the drawings of fish found in this 
 book. 
 
 Stated meetings of the association have fallen into disuse 
 of late years, some of the " Houseless" having removed to 
 neighboring cities, and some to the country ; but as many as 
 can do so, meet occasionally in a social and informal way, and 
 whatever their tenets — religious, political, or otherwise — they 
 are one as regards angling, and still the subject that most 
 interests them is fly-fishing, v/ith its blessed associations and 
 scenes. 
 
 The prevalent feeling, or if the reader is so disposed to 
 call it, the sentiment amongst the members has been to avoid 
 display or notoriety, or setting forth their piscatorial achieve- 
 ments in public print; believing with Izaak Walton, that 
 fishing, like virtue " is its own reward." Also, as far as they 
 
1>IES PISCATORI^, 
 
 481 
 
 world These lessous they endeavor to teaeh by preceot and 
 
 ZT'' *"— "=<7 «nd those who desire to be TtCed 
 in the mysteries of their craft 'nstructed 
 
 When the "Houseless" wen. organized as a elub our good 
 president wa., appointed to d™ft . set of rules for our Jdaut 
 and a preamble and address setting forth the obieft of o^; 
 -.«ia..on. It has Iain undisturbed on a shelf rfC! talkie 
 closet, bound in its cover of »r,^^ . v "^ 
 
 wuh an old «.hin,i~:t;?::;^rir LI 
 
 enca T\hy should I not insert it here? I think it will 
 touch a chord of sympathy in every devout angle^C hi ' 
 
 PREAMBLE. 
 
 all true anglers, having i„ 'ie^ tl T^J^ ^ T *'' '''""^^ "^^ 
 
 pWe the happ, hours .e have pa " CC :r'^ "T'' 
 peaceful friendship which has ripened there doTa ^'T " ' 
 
 sentiments esp essed in th« r.'T • . . "'^''^ '"'"""^ '" *'^3 
 
 D.».. ,_ '^ '^ '° "'' ^'"^"^'"S «^<J'««« by our brother, W. M***»» 
 
 ADDRESS. 
 Con<.mpl«.i„ M™., ReoreatioB... Therein He l-J ! * ' " """ 
 
492 
 
 AMERICAN ANOLBR'S BOOK. 
 
 thought3 that now possess me of angling, not only of the high antiquity 
 o{ it, but that it deserves c'bmmendation, and that it is an art, and an art 
 worthy the knowledge and practice of a wise man." 
 
 That we have conversed with this humble, zealous, loving heart, not for 
 hours, but through long years, and that we are " possessed with those higli 
 and happy thoughts" concerning the " gentle art," let our present meet- 
 ing, our Brotherly Association, and our future study and practice, bear 
 witness. 
 
 Two centuries have well tested the beautiful spirit manifested in his 
 work, and it seems to me most happily appropriate that at this time we, a 
 few humble followers in his footsteps, recognising the power of association 
 do unite to lend each other a helping hand in the attainment of that, which 
 he was assured "was worthy die knowledge and practice of a wise man." 
 That we are wise men, I shall not stop to maintain, but that we do love 
 angling we are assured of, and therein we know we are in unison with 
 very many greatly wise and wisely good men. 
 
 So, filled with this love, the desire to ennoble our art in this western 
 world, and a sense of the kind confidence you have reposed in me, I have 
 thought it was right to lay before you " some of the thoughts which have 
 possessed my soul since we few have met together." 
 
 A handful of sand, thrown with what force soever into a placid pool 
 could scarcely do more than, for an instant, ruffle the glassy surface ; yet 
 these same particles associated and compacted into a stone, and but dropped 
 in, will produce not only a wave but a succession of wavelets which will 
 reach the utmost confinet of the pool ; indeed, learned men tell us 
 that, be the ocean ever so large, these little waves will continue until the 
 whole vast surface feels the influence of the associative force of these same 
 particles. Even so with us. Either in the little pool of local mind by 
 which we are surrounded, or in the illimitable ocean of the earth's mind, 
 we, as individuals, fall as the grain of sand unfelt ; yet bound together by 
 a common sentiment, we may by association possess new powers and pro- 
 perties, even as the stone possesses other powers and properties than the 
 shifting sand, and by these powers we may produce efiFects reaching far 
 beyond the circumscribed limits of our home or city. Whether that effect 
 be for good or evil, is for us in a considerable degree to determine. That 
 the effect be for good is my most earnest desire, and that it ma;/ be, our 
 aim should bo elevated, even as I before said, to the ennobling of the art 
 of angling, thereby commending it to those "who, being born to it," need 
 only " the discourse and practice" to win them to that which, " having 
 
DIBS PISCATORI^. 
 
 498 
 
 once got and practised," " thev will fin,] i-i. • . 
 
 «.d U,, n,o,. „„„™ Ji„ '7 "" "°''' '"' """•■ •» ^« "• »- '«™«'." 
 
 . «,.d.,.,„r of ,h. p...i„„, . pr«„„„f »„,e„M„., Tr. ',7 ' 
 hab„.ofpe„.a.d p.«.„„. ,„ ^„, .,„. . T;;." l.^T; 
 
 ". .0 ..u ,, .each, and p™„.U, a. ^ .„. ,„ wh.«oe Jp" c . , .„! 
 mj bo thrown, be there but water and «.),„ i . ^^ ' 
 
 i» .be .akin, of these a.he., in" ^ ''n*;"'" »;■' "P« 
 to be this. ^ ^ P "' ^^^^^ seemeth to mo 
 
 The angler is best pleased in capturing the kind of fi«h f u- u . 
 -t was made; the fisherman is pLed Lo d^^to 1 :^^^^^^^ ''' 
 
 ture. The taking of a good trout to « fi«h , *"' "''P" 
 
 - an... .he p,:a.„r.^. :r :d^"t:T:er;i",ra7: "''■■ 
 
 made e.peoi.ny for the oaptnre of . ohub or In 1 'H T . """ 
 ...^br„.erorthean,,e,..Whon,onr.:.tin r 'ol:,.'""'* 
 
 ..nt...h no.., aboondthj ::*„:!'::; :.r Tr^' '™"- 
 
 even thus little Sn «, ^ • ^ ^ '' ^"^^ ^^'"'^ ™ay beget 
 
 and .tore 't nl o „:."!" .t" '" T ''"' ""^ '" -•- '^- 
 
 in the power and wiado™ ."""'""S" •=»°""' «°'l i»crea.e confidenoe 
 power and wrsdom and pr„v,dene. of Al„.igh„ Q„d, 1 will „.l|, 
 
494 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLKR'S BOOK. 
 
 the meadows by some gliding stream, and there contemplate the lilie« 
 that take no care, and those very many other various little living creatures" 
 that were not only made but fed, man knows not how, by the goodness of 
 the God of nature, and therefore trust in Him. 
 
 " And let the blessing of St. Peter's Master be with mine, upon all tint 
 are lovers of virtue and daro trust ia His Providence, and be quiet, and 
 go iv-angling." 
 
THE NOONDAY ROAST. 
 
" Son* boyn belonging to ftn old field nchool, 
 3l«.-niaae<l nt twelve, a long eotabliahed rji), 
 At tliey discnaaed their bread and lionea of bacon, 
 Strange tales were told, andjokea were gl"n and taken." 
 
 BiRn (tint iV. P) Wiiiig, 
 
 I 1 
 
THE NOONDAY ROAST. 
 I HAT. „ften thought that the fly.flsher who„ expenc.* 
 
 hort of some of the pleasure, that can be crowded into a dav 
 m the stream, and that the angler who has never enjoyed if 
 .a,.^rt.n,<o,,w>.. The roast has long been an ns ' 
 .on amongst the ;• Houseless :" some of the me.nbers of , 
 
 lutle club were mitiated into its mysteries iu days "Ian. 
 
 joe, by Chester Darby or Uncle Peter, on the BLerW ? 
 .nee wh.eh ,ts c«,„W has improved, and manv pleal t' 
 
 hours have been passed .,„d„ ,he dark .ugar-mapfe or b" 
 
 c k.ng, eafng. ,.„k.„g, chatting, sleeping; mLy a o 
 
 ZL ""'' "'"' "^"■"•^ "^--"^ " '^^ >^ 
 
 A provident ^sher who leaves his lodging after breakfast, 
 mth the prop, r necessaries for a roast, need no, .rudge hon.c 
 « the ho, sun to get his dinner, or munch his cold snack o 
 pass h,s t,me irksomely or unprofltablv during th. , u^'^f 
 m.dday, when Trout merely nip at one's flies i! the r^s and 
 utterly d,sregard them in stiil pools. But to begin ■- 
 
 When the angler leaves his quarters for a day's fllhing Jet 
 nm ake as large a portion of a loaf of bread as will sufflt' 
 for the party fro,u which he will remove so much ofTh 
 cru„,b or , ns.de, as will leave a cavity large enough to h h 
 ^s much but,,.,, as he deem, neeessarv ; after the hoi is fllM 
 «h butter, ,. is covered with a slice of bread. T „ 
 -.h salt and pepper, a few matches in one of his pi;:,' 
 
 (497) 
 
498 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 above high-water mark, and his " provender" wrapped in a 
 large napkin or handkerchief, and slung over his shoulder 
 he is ready for a start. If it is the iAtention of the party to 
 go up the stream, a bottle of claret or ale may be added. 
 After selecting a place of rendezvous, the pack may be hid 
 close by in the bushes, or in an old stump, or a hollow loi^, 
 and the party can then go up and fish down stream to the 
 "cache," making the distance and time suitable. On arriving 
 at the place for dinner, select a suitable location for building 
 the fire, and place rods and creels to the windward. While 
 some are gathering wood and building the fire, let others col- 
 lect a few clean flat stones for plates, and put them in a posi- 
 tion before the fire to warm properly. Tf you wish a roast, 
 select the smallest fish, those under nine- inches are best- 
 scour them well in sand, wash them clean, and open them, 
 but allow no water to touch the inside, as the blood and 
 natural juices of the fish should be retained as far as possible ; 
 cut off the heads, score them (not too deeply), and pepper 
 and salt them well inside and out. Cut one or more branches 
 (sweet birch is best), with as many twigs or shoots on them 
 as is required for the number of fish to be roasted, and stick 
 a fish on each twig, either end foremost, running the twig 
 along the upper side of the backbone, and hold them to the 
 fire. By keeping an eye on the inside of your fish, it is 
 easy to ascertain when they are done. Always take them off 
 with a twist or wrench, to disengage the twig from the flesh, 
 and lay them on a hot stone, buttering them while warm. 
 
 In baking or steaming them under the coals and ashes do 
 not cut off the head?, but season them, and then take a piece 
 of strong thin paper and smearing it thinly with butter, roll 
 a fish in it, and then envelope it in five or six plies of coarse 
 stravj paper; after saturating each fish so encased in the 
 stream, lay them side by side in a bed of hot ashes and coals ; 
 cover them up, and give a minute to an inch : that is, if a fish 
 
DIES PISCATORI^. 
 
 499 
 
 is ten inches lone- o-iVa it ♦ 
 
 o loug, give It ten ninutec and so nn wi 
 
 7«u uncover the™, .hey o« be removecl frl .h. ™ 
 l^y mserting ,he forked e„d of a Ion/, i IT ." "" 
 ■Irawing them out. When 17, 1 T ''™'°"'' -""^ 
 
 unrol, the™ crefuH^ /flat h!: '>'" °' '"^ ?"?« 
 
 Aem to your likin/r, u "'' "P*" ""'* Gutter 
 
 I .he Jr. e 7; rr ''""«'"''"°"^»"»»y; 
 a^r but ho;::::;,,!^?'' '""'•" "'"^^ - •^ ^""^ f- 
 
 Of course it will .^cur to the diaer-out tl,», . l 
 necessary in bakin. ,!,„„ ; ' ' ''"'«<"■ A™ w 
 
 down well in ordeTtl ^ ™f °^' ""' *"' " ^''""M burn 
 a"d ashes Wo I! t" t "'"'^''^ ^"'"""^ °' "-'^ 
 i" this n.anner ^^o::: C" 'T' ''" •'"^' "^^'^'^ 
 them on the stream, Jfryi;':: Z f ^ -^'s of cooking 
 heated in ,),« « ^ "°°''' "'''ioh have been 
 
 « tis':'i;T;t'"^':'"- ^»^ -- - '0: 
 
 one is never ::^:^J^Z:'::;T:T '' ' """^ 
 cooked indoors Old .n l T * ' *''*^ ^^ ^rout 
 
 -e. -t the; Ji:fi:„ n;r«- ^ - -^ 
 
 ™.ple way of providing a sumptuLs d nt" anthV';: 
 indoor methods with tV,a,V • "^'^""er, and that all 
 
 l.e compared w l^^rlti TT" °'''"'''"""' "'''^ ■>"' '» 
 .-Hs'thesur:. m:rorr:. *"f r'"'"^ "^^^ ''^ 
 ««et juices of the fish. * """"■'" «"»■■ ""d 
 
 There is also a good-humored dash of vagabond!,™ 
 Pawmg a dinner of this kind ■ and , "" ,°f '™ "«»» 
 from a eoai, and kick the sn J ^^ l^: "f ^"" P'P" 
 ■ooking utensils aside, there is To!; 1 7 . "''"™'"" 
 ftovidence and your own s ilT LT '" " ''°™'"'"' 
 
 i- plates of the'same M^::' 'thr::?'" °"-^ " "'"' """ 
 
 »":"r:.i2:k:rxr^^^^^^^^^^^^ 
 
 --est pocket, and rub the fra^dVbLitrh!:::; 
 
500 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 your leader and dropper, and light a fresh pipe ; and as you 
 wade into the limpid water, you will find your rod to deliver 
 the line straighter, and your flies to fall lighter than they did 
 a few hours ago, and yourself cooler in the contest that awaits 
 you with the speckled beauty that refused your fly bafore 
 dinner, and is now ready to give you a tussle ; and the expe- 
 rience of the "Houseless" has been that the rift or the pool 
 nearest our fire furnishes a few moments of the most active 
 and exciting sport we experience in the day's fishing. 
 
FIRST NOONING. 
 
 TROUT.FISHING IN HAMILTON COITNTY, N. Y. 
 
'' But he heard the Wawonaisa, 
 Heard the Whippoorwill complainiitg, 
 Perched upon his lonely wigwam ; 
 Heard the rushing Sebowiaha, 
 Board the rivulet rippling near him, 
 Talking to the darksome forest ; 
 Heard the sighing of the branches, 
 As they lifted and subsided 
 At the passing of the night-wind; 
 Heard them, as one hoars in slumber 
 Far o? murmurs, gentle whispers." 
 
 LoNorcuow. 
 
TROUT-FISHING IN HAMILTON COUNTY, N. Y. 
 
 FIRST NOONING. 
 
 IScene, the «hady bank of a Trout-Stream.-Time. after the Roa^t- 
 Present: Norman, Walter, and Nesmb.] 
 
 Walter. Well, about fishing at Lake Pleasant and Louie 
 Lake ; how do you get there ? 
 
 Kestob. The usual rou., is, or was, by way of Albany 
 and Amsterdam, a station some thirty miles beyond, on the 
 New York Central Railroad, where you take a stage or private 
 conveyanee to NorthviUe, and there another for Lake Pleas. 
 ant, 
 
 Brundage, a spry old fellow of seventy, u^ed to drive us up 
 from NorthviUe, and as we trotted merrily along the Sagan 
 doga, and crept up the ascent of the table-land, whose forests 
 embosom the beautiful lake, and heard the waters of the 
 outle dashing through the ravine below, i„ the dim twilight 
 or pale moonshine, the garrulous old man would entertain us 
 with stones about his son-in-law Partridge, or as he called 
 hin. I atridge," who kept the tavern where we had dined on 
 wild-pigeon squabs, or tell us of tlie " Piseco Club," who went 
 up the week before, and that it took one wagon to carry the 
 anglers, and another to carry their meat and drink. Their 
 h«hmg, though, must have exceeded their feeding, for we have 
 It on record, that they caught in one week over eight hundred 
 pounds of Lake and Brook Trout. Our little club, the 
 Houseless, were only occasional not annual visitors, and 
 fished the lakes and rivers north of Piseco Lake. 
 
 (503) 
 
604 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 Holmes formerly kept a house for the entertainment of 
 sportsmen at the upper end of the lake, near the stream of 
 water which connects Lake Pleasant with Bound Lake. I 
 always preferred stopping at Satterlee's, a house of less ureten- 
 sion, at the lower end of Lake Pleasant, near the outlet, which 
 was four miles nearer Jessup Kiver and Louie Lake. 
 
 The first week in June is considered the most favorable 
 time for visiting Hamilton County ; then there is good troll- 
 ing in the lakes ; fly-fishing is at its height a week or so 
 later. There were good boats for trolling the lakes, and 
 expert oarsmen who also acted as guides for the guests of 
 both houses — toiigh, sinewy fellows who could carry a pack 
 of forty or fifty pounds, and the inseparable and indispensable 
 axe on their backs all day long, and a gun also, if you had a 
 fancy for the steak of a yearling buck. 
 
 A few days on Lake Pleasant and Eound Lake generally 
 gave us trolling enough ; hitching on to a big " laker" and 
 smoking a whole segar, while you waited on him in his runs 
 and sulks, ceased to be sport after performing several feats of 
 the kind, and we would long for more active service amongst 
 the speckled, notwithstanding the certainty of encountering 
 the mosquitoes and black flies in camping out. Our return, 
 though, to a good straw bed at Satterlee's, and a day's trolling 
 on the lake, was what my friend, the little Doctor, called a 
 "letup." 
 Norman. But rbout the fly-fishing and camping out ? 
 Nes. Every man ought to enjoy the sentiment of campirxg 
 out, if only for once or twice in his lifetime. You have your 
 provisions packed and the guide straps it on his back; 
 perhaps the landlord gives a lift with his wagon as far as the 
 road is practicable, if there is one in the direction of your 
 place of destination. When you get to your camping-pla(!e 
 the guide makes a shanty of spruce-bark, which, with a fire in 
 
BUS PISCATORIJi. 
 
 606 
 
 front Of ,t is hot, if the nights are warm ; or one of hemlock 
 roughs wh.ch is like a patent ventilator or a refrigerate f 
 
 not extend beyond a few days or a week. A couple of us 
 once set up our shanty, or rather our guide did it f^ „s 1 , 
 
 t::^:: " "^ ".'"'"'" clearing,., eight or nin 'J^^e 
 from Satterlees, on lue Jessup Eiver. I. was a beautiful 
 eminence of four or five hnr,A^^ oeaumul 
 
 . Hundred acres, covered with fern. 
 
 In olden times the tribe of St B. • t j- 
 .l,i„f „t, J J ''« /noe ot bt. Begis Indians made it their 
 chief abode and their Wges covered the top of the hill We 
 made our shanty on the wooded slope, within hearing of the 
 rapids to avoid the cool night winds. My recollection tf S 
 
 Hia», .ara.— shall I repeat them to you? 
 
 Nob. Idon^like Longfellow.s hexameters, they jingle like 
 
 he song of -The Nigger Gin'raV .hat Old Dick C opt e^ 
 
 rrjli.''"''^" --Pa-i-.-go on and^eli:! 
 
 Nls. You are no poet.-Well, when you fish the ripples 
 you wade of course; but there is not a great deal of rough 
 water in that part of the country, though there are »„ "S 
 on J«np Eiver and the outlets of some of the lakes. All he 
 month of June you have great sport in the rapids but "iter 
 hat time there is apt to be but little water on them, a dt 
 fch are found mostly in deep, still water, where =00 spr 1 
 brooks enter. In the early part of June J have filled aC 
 oree during the last hour of an afternoon by fishing he 
 np*, but in that space of time the flies have take! 1 
 »..8ler as oflen as th, fish have taken his flies, and w h 
 slapping and scratching, you are glad when at sundown you 
 »« the guide away down the river under the lee of a good 
 
506 
 
 AMERICAN ANtfLBR'S BOOK, 
 
 smudge and you hurry along to seek the protection of its 
 friendly though almost blinding smoke. 
 
 Nor. You say you cannot fish the still waters without a 
 boat; where do you get one if you are far away from your 
 quarters ? 
 
 Nes. Part of a guide's business is to have some sort of a 
 boat on all the waters where he may be required to pilot the 
 angler during the summer ; if on a stream of alternate rapids 
 and still water, any kind of a light boat or scow is concealed 
 in the undergrowth along the bank ; if a distant lake is to be 
 fished, or an outlet leading from one to another, a shapely easy 
 rowing boat is hidden where it can be found when required. 
 The boats are used also for deer-hunting in the fall of the 
 year, and are generally hauled to such places on sleds during 
 the previous winter. 
 
 Your guide rows you over miles of dark water wooded 
 to its very brink ; he will tell you there is no fishing there, 
 though if you are content to troll, you may take n straggler 
 now and then. After a while he will stop at some bend of 
 the river or by a high rock, to you as unlikely a looking 
 place as any you have passed over, and tell you to get ready 
 and go to work. Then if you get your flies over the fish in 
 almost any way, so you do not make too much of a stir or go 
 too close, you have a fellow of a pound and a half at the first 
 cast, and as he goes sailing around, another of a pound may 
 take a fancy to your other fly. Take it coolly, and perhaps 
 you may have two or three dozen from twelve to sixteen 
 inches long before you move. If you ask your guide why 
 the fish should be there, and not in the water you have passoci 
 over, he will likely point out a little spring branch which 
 s eals its way into the river through the rank grass or water- 
 lilies; the fish collect there because the water is cooler, and 
 you may catch the whole school on a favorable day, and in a 
 
DJE8 PISCATORI^. 
 
 607 
 
 I 
 
 week or .en days the p„„i will be ,.«,ked with a. ,,reat a 
 i- «.m remain until spawning time. 
 
 fnnrl ,.f u;ii- ^j"t»i eaien. Anglers who are 
 
 »Mfe,t of ftsh-catching, whicl, in »lf ' ""' 
 
 an.'lin.. Tt i '^''^ " "■>' strictly 
 
 re „„d of,,-" ^"'" ''"'■""■^ <■"■■ ™"k-^ fi^''™™, who 
 re fond of telhng a good «t„ry when they get home thou.I 
 ...etr .ueeesa generally depc.,.,1., ,„ore on tLir .u.'ie? t 
 anvskil of their own T . oUKiCh than 
 
 fishermen who n OlTsi '."T '"'="' " """P'" "' ««l™t 
 men Whom 01,1 Sturgi.s had taken to Louie Lake fil,-. 
 forty weight out of a pool not l„r„er than th. fl r 
 parlor. For mv mrf T w 1 1 , ""■■ "'^ ^'"'■"' 
 
 HI-. .I,- ""-^P"'' I '"""IJ rather fish clear liveW water 
 
 ■te th,,, w.th strong rift,, and occasionally a still „„„[.,, 
 - banks sometimes oycrhnng with lau'e la| t T 
 
 en a ,tret,h of clean gravelly heach, for here the an! e- .^s 
 
 rapid water. , """'"= S'^'^'"^'- 'P"" °f billing a fish in 
 Jon. Brook Trout are a-„ .aken hy trolling, are they 
 
608 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 Nbs. Certainly, I have had great aport on Whittaker Lake, 
 a little sheet of water between SattiM-lee's and the Indian Clear- 
 ing. Some of the lakes apjwar Uj have a variety peculiar to 
 their own water. Tliose of Ijouie Lake are very long and 
 round in the body and exceedingly active. Tw.. of us once 
 got our f]-ioud Satterlee to haul a boat from Lake Pleasant 
 and launch it in Echo Lake, u fairy little water a mile 
 or so from his house, to troll for some Brook Tro-it of fabu- 
 lous size which we were told inhabited it. We returned at 
 nightfall with one Trout, which Old Sturgis declared was "as 
 broad as a spruce shingle." We did not weigh it, but it took 
 four hungry men to eat it for supper. 
 
 Walt. How wide was the spruce shingle to which the old 
 guide compared the Trout ? 
 
 Nes. You must not cross-question me. I have said that we 
 did not use the scales, nor an inch-measure ; the measure was 
 our appetites, and Sturgis's comparison was what Father Tom 
 Maguire calls "a figure of speech." If you want facts, with 
 dates, and figures of arithmetic, I refer you to the appendix 
 to Dr. Bethune's edition of Walton, where he gives extracts 
 from the journal of the Lake Piseco Club. 
 
 Nor. How about deer-shooting ? you spoke just now of a 
 steak from a spike buck ? 
 
 Nes. Spike bucks and young does, are the only good veni- 
 son you get in June, the old does have fawns at that time, and 
 old bucks are out of season. You must go after the middle 
 of August for deer-hunting. Our guide once sent his dog out 
 and drove a deer into the water within a hundred yards of 
 us, but there was more murder than sport in killing it. After 
 it swam some distance from the shore we put after it ; a short 
 race brought the boat alongside, when the guide garroted it 
 with a leather thong tied to the two prongs of a forked stick ; 
 he passed his knife across its windpipe, and the "antlered 
 
«IBS PISCATORi;b. 
 
 609 
 
 Trndh :,"7."«"'" "^'^ " ™n on a drive .„ke, 
 b.a stand h„ blood „ up „itl, the excitement of the el.ase 
 and as the buek bounds by at full tilt, the bee, „f i^ Z' 
 
 barrel and l„s fluger „,«t,nctivoly finds the trigger: but this 
 cold-blooded murder should be made „ eupital oLce G re 
 numbers of deer are sometimes destroyed' where they e!l 
 <lur,„g the t,me of a deep snow, in what are ealled Crf. " 
 when „ eontmued tran.ping make, a depressed eneC; 
 from „h,eh they are unwilling or unable to eseape. ,17; 
 ! '"" ">osewho follow hunting as a business oomeu on 
 them on the.r snow-shoes, shc«t them down, .;d send 'b 
 vemson to market. A eon.inued restriction to a yard hout 
 makes them very lean. ^ tnough, 
 
 Walt. You intimated that there wore four of you, on .our 
 
 •ast visit to Lake Pleasant- ri;,i ,\. u , onyour 
 
 ane rieasant , did the whole party l'o together 
 
 when you camped out ? ^ ^ together 
 
 Nes. a pair of us only, when we wanted good fishing and 
 he who^ party, when we were not so eager and wanted a god 
 t^-e; then the little Doctor was an important personal 
 you ought to have k^own him twelve or fo'^teen yZlTjj. 
 
 be IS a sedate man now. then he never c..^ ^uiet when 
 on an excursion, ^ ^° 
 
 " But spent his days in riot moat uncouth 
 And vexed with mirth the drowsy ear of night ■ 
 Ah me ! in sooth ho was a shameless wight, ' 
 Sore given to revel," 
 
 Walt, Never mind Ilr. Caleb, and the bard with the 
 
 ur„ed.dow„ shirt collar; there is a very different k^nd of 
 
 person .cross .be creek looking at us,-who the de„:l 
 
 Nob, Why that's the man who den'ed me the right of way 
 
610 
 
 AMERICAN ANOLBR'8 BOOK. 
 
 through his field, along tho atill water above the aaw-mill. 1 
 pulled out my segar case and then my flAsk and oft'erod liim 
 a drink, but he obstinately refused, and sticking his hands in 
 his breeches pockets, all he said was: " TVtee inna7iU go through 
 that ryer 
 
SECOND NOONIKG 
 
' IJ on de groun' you chance to He, 
 You aoon find out de blue-tail fly. 
 
 Ji&uy crack corn, I don't care." 
 
TROUT.FISHm IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 SECOND NOONING. 
 
 [Present: Joe, Walter, and Nest j 
 
 road to the sawmill "^ t. ? """'' ™ """" *^ 
 
 .ome salt and pe;;!;. "'' " ^'""'' "^^^ »"«'- and 
 
 Xd o:::~:;:r!::r"--! - ^*^ » '^e 
 
 .n acute sense of srad ,° '""^/"""f""'^'' -'-al that has 
 
 •be bushes or in a hd ll^ "" """ P™™^" ^«'> »P - 
 hollow log, and stop up the end seourelyj 
 
 .<." Expen'se,?,.;:."::-- '"'"'"""'^'"'' "^'""""»' 
 
 fisl. in as carefull/a t ev do TT l" "' """"' ""' '^^ ^^"^ 
 »■- in the hottest ^ n J .t ^ '^''^ '" " """ ' -"^^ ^ hole 
 - will keep for a dessl, " ""' P*'°'^ ^ "=" ^SS' 
 
 JoK If jou have dined now. Nestor fpll ,, i 
 in New Hampshire. ' ""^ '^'"' ^^^^'^g 
 
 Nestor. I know nothing abonf a f 
 
 ence; all the information ^ 7 ^"'""'^ ^^P^"" 
 
 ^^ lormation I can give is second-band. I can 
 
 (513) 
 
614 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 only tell you what Brown told me of the fishing at the White 
 Mountains. But here are some leaves from an old number 
 of the Knickerbocker, with a description of the adventures 
 of three very scientific anglers in Northern New Hampshire. 
 I brought it along, intending to read it in the house or in 
 Uncle Ickey's saw-mill, some day when we were weather- 
 bound ; but it will do as well now. So take your dudeen 
 out of your mouth, and read it yourself." 
 
 [Joe takes his seat on a stump, and "ab alto ioro sic incipit."] 
 
 TROUTING IN NORTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 I HAD often heard of people catching Trout " as fast as they could haul 
 'em out :" I had often been assured of the plausibility of such a fact, but 
 I had my doubts. I knew I had fished for Trout, and never " hauled 'em 
 out" at all, and so I was a sceptic as to any such proceedings as enthusi- 
 astic anglers from the north of the Granite State had repeatedly aflSrmed 
 to have been within their daily experience. Taking all things into con- 
 sideration, therefore, I determined to try for myself. 
 
 There were three of us : our baggage as follows : Item, one bottle of 
 gin, two shirts : Item, one bottle schnapps, two pair stockings ; Item, one 
 bottle Schiedam, one pair fishing-pants : Item, one bottle genuine aromatic, 
 by Udolpho Wolfe, name on the wrapper, without which the article is fic- 
 titious, one pair extra boots: I^em, one bottle extract of juniper-berry ; 
 one bottle brandy, long and wide, prescribed by scientific skill for medi- 
 cinal purposes. Also, rods, flies, tackle in abundance, and a supply of 
 gin ; in addition, each of us had a quart-flask in our pockets, containing 
 gin. We also had some gin inside when we started. 
 
 Thus prepared, we started by rail from where the gin was purchased, 
 for Littleton, which we reached in the afternoon. 
 
 Littleton is a large and flourishing community, composed chiefly of 
 ephemeral stage drivers, black-legs, and acute landlords, who play poker 
 'irlth unsuspecting travellers over night, to whom they lend money in the 
 morning to pay their tavern-bills. We did not abide in Littleton. ^\ e 
 procured a wagon and two horses, or rather, about one and a half, and set 
 forth about three p. h. As soon as we reached the highway, and were 
 clear of the surrounding houses, I obtained my first view of New Hamp- 
 shire scenety. 
 
»IKS PISCATOUI.E. 
 
 615 
 
 Back of „s lay the lofty s«»™its of the White Mountains-Washington 
 
 among mankind. At th, distance of twenty or thirty miles their well 
 defined outlines rose against the sky in solemn, gloomy grandeur and lir 
 .mmen^e presence seemed to annihilate the space that fntervened 
 J have been in the habit of thinking that my own native West is the 
 
 m r.«, .„„„er, wh-n the g„lde„ h»ne,. i. rip„ f„ 1 Su'Ta 
 
 .wayed ,, ., ,„.„ „,„,, .,, ,„, „^ ^„^ ukoi „ :; ;t; :.'; 
 
 w..h ,h, „„ t.™i»d g„d.„, ,h. fa™ with u. b.,„, o-r .,„,, . r,.: 
 .* w,.h .U „„„H.n. vi„, N„„„ p^„^ .„ ,„,.^,,,^ .ight .tail'* 
 
 S.,11, „oh «e„.,j, „„„,e„ „„ i„p„„i„„ „, ,^^ 
 Sp h. ...d«.p, .,„.ehe, aw., before ,„„ fo, „Ue, „p„„ JjZl 
 
 But however beautiful the eight, the eur, began to set hot. and id™ f 
 .e„t,»e„. rapid,, „„i.hed, and soon arH.ingl one!?, e e«, X 
 
 JnrTndlt V: '""'"" "■ *" ''*''™'' "-" "-« "'^ »f P"'^ 
 ••L,di.t°o..r '" "" '" " ""-^ °' "■" -P" »-«-". of .he 
 
 After , on got up i„,„ thi, country, you ,ee nothing b„, porl^ Not fro.h 
 
 Id, and put away in a barrel. They ehieU, f,^ i, ,b,n i, l^H'. 
 Mf .to a c„n.p,.und of ,i,uid grea,., and a tongb .nb.t«n.e, reJhtg 
 ndorjione .ol.l..ther, nutritive but not attractive. Ti,ey ry p," f^" 
 
 — ''s'°f";'""'/" ■"°"- "°^ "" -" -^*'~' >'^l^ 
 
 "upper. They fry ,t with their potatoes; ,„„etin,e, they fry it in a 
 .1^1 et, beiiev, they u.o it in their ,e. For two nrorta, wee ' 1 h J 
 "..h,n, bnt pork, until we got an.o.g the Trout, and then we had uZ anl 
 
516 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 pork, and pork and trout, and trout with or without pork, and pork with 
 or without trout, according to the taste and fancy of the person porking or 
 trouting, either or both respectively. 
 
 At Colebrook, as I said, we began on pork. It was the first I had expe- 
 rienced, and I thought it considerably great. Subsequent events, how- 
 ever, succeeded in eradicating that notion from my bosom. 
 
 Leaving Colebrook, we started for the Dixville Notch. We inquired the 
 state of the route before starting, and were informed that, " in some places, 
 it wasn't so good as others," which was about the extent of the informa- 
 tion to be obtained. The people of New Hampshire are remarkably cautious 
 in their statements, and not at all prone to exaggeration, and when we 
 learned that our route was " in some places a little rough," we thought to 
 have a comparatively easy time of it. But, shades and ministers of grace 
 defend us 1 people surrounded by the comforts of civilized life can have no 
 ' ^.ea of what roads are, or rather what a road can be, if it only has a mind 
 to. In the first place; it is like going up and down the side of a house. 
 In going down a steep pitch, a bottle was jolted out of the rear of Ihn 
 wagon, and fell over the horses' heads. That's a fact ! I have the affida 
 vits. In addition, the way is impeded by immense granite boulders, a 
 number of feet one way,, and as many the other, which seem to have been 
 shaken out of a bag, with the profusion of a pepper-box. Then, again, 
 there is no road to speak of at all, it having been abandoned, as we after- 
 ward learned, some ten years past ; the rain also has washed out deep 
 gulleys, where your wheels are on each side, and your horses down below, 
 underneath the wagon. But the crowning feature is the bridges. Bridges 
 here are made to let people through into the water ; for that purpose they 
 have large holes in them, loosely covered with brush-wood, and when the 
 unwary traveller steps upon it, he is seen no more ; and when they can't 
 get holes big enough, they have immense logs rotted to the proper point, 
 and when you step upon them the log caves, as it were, and you then per- 
 ceive the exact purpose for which the structure was intended, as above 
 stated. We came to one of these bi-'dges, and two of us, having some idea 
 relative to personal safety, declined crossing in the wagon, and got out td 
 see it go down, and sure enough, when the near horse got in the middle, 
 away went the whole concern, and the animal went through into the bot- 
 tom of the creek. 
 
 It was not, however, so deep but that, by a judicious use of his fore-legs, 
 he could crawl out of the hole through which he had gone down, and he 
 came up on terra firma a wet, and, to some extent, an agitated quadruped. 
 
CIES PISCATORI^. 
 
 617 
 
 not' wl7 T '"'"'^ '' '"*""'"« *" ^'^« -'"•*--^> ^-^ -0 ...... ,.aH 
 
 not witnesse,! cannot conceive how funny it Icx^ks t. h« H • ■ 
 
 w,, .„, .., „„ .,, „„. ,,.„^„„ f„ :::i:„ri:"r„:;7:; 
 
 power of descpinfi'nn . .*. • . crooKed -Cjonu uny 
 
 ^vn c. rr:L:;;:rr;:7;r:: "rr-''^- 
 
 right and lef* cross th. .«• n. 7 ^ ' ^ "*'''*' '^'^^''^'l ' then 
 
 rod. off. w, reached the ,,.J t,„Zul[ ' '"" ' """ ""'■' "'™'J' 
 and it wa. .bout a„ eighth of . J"T^' . . "'""''' " '"'W""' 
 
 ".e me. to the <.oJ wl^TZlT T "" ■""" "" " """''■ 
 Northern New Ifampahire "^^ ^ "'°°°" °' '°"°""i"° '" 
 
 - -«er.rr;Tz::iTra:;ro;rrr^ 
 
 «tep, and in you go : this is invariable ' ^''^' ^^^ 
 
 ^.fnr;,r::-rj,rcc:::n-^^^^^^ 
 -:rrrz::dn:;^"-^--■--^^^^^^^^^^ 
 
 ro-r dearen. ,„„f and yT^^ ^^T^'Z T"" "" '""^ '" 
 w.. a^enera, .. e ofda.np, to hear, our rL:, l^, , :!:;r" ^« 
 
 --.^oarteJtrT^r:;::;;:;::!;" •" r-"- 
 
 I«a.ed that the, had pork i„ thi. conn trT W. t^ """■■ ' ■"""" 
 mther to „„«,„;,„„. • conntrj. W. thea „eM to bed, or 
 
 fonned th.! feat .ithaki,* *= ' ""' '" ''' "• «»"""''' "«™ per. 
 
518 
 
 AMERICAN AN'GLER'S IJOOK 
 
 Having prepared ntirselvp-. for repose, out went the tunrlii', and in cauie 
 
 the musquitdos. N had brought with him a con* rctiot. prepared by 
 
 some medical friend, which was to keep off these ir vkuous 'usecif. It 
 smelt strcagly of spearmint and andean oil. It worke!. however, like n 
 miracle, for the musquiM.ics would light on our iaces, and their feet would 
 stick fasit in the stuff— it i.aiJ an extract .i?" tar in it for that purpose— nud 
 by the time a small troop wore thus entrapped, then you had music Anuu 
 
 you would hear II give a rousing ciip, a. d wifh ai' expletive stnto; 
 
 "There! 1 misMd him!" So we rolled and tossed, till fiuali,) ^' . 
 
 burst. !Hst laughing, wanting to know if I was awake. 
 
 fc'ioep bei'ig impossible, we lit our pipes, and sat up in bed t(( take a 
 smoke. Jok ;;> were ciackod, stories were told, and we nmde niglit, up in 
 that r(i^<\<' 'imparatively hideous. Next mornin"; we learned that tiiore 
 was a »i.k li:by down stairs, and the supposition iit the family was, that 
 our noise hadn't helped its colic any. 
 
 That bouse will not soon fade from our memory. iVe slept in an attic, 
 where tiie roof slanted dowa over the heads of the bec.s, av that it was not 
 ten inches above the pillow ; the roof was innocent of lath, plaster, or any 
 of those little amenities that tend to make existence endurable. Rustic 
 ingenuity, upon the rafters over-head, had pinned, in the charaiiter of 
 wall-paper, certain emanations of the press, among which were the 
 Christian Herald, Boston Post, and New Hampshire Patriot. 
 
 The strong point of this contrivance was, that ail manner of bugs 
 spiders, and other creeping things, seemed to assemble in convention iu 
 the silent watches of the night, and essayed the climbing of these papers, 
 which being rather much inclined, rendered the task of the insects diffi- 
 cult ; but perseverance seemed to be a predominant trait, for all night long 
 we heard these reptiles scratching, scraping, and rustling up and down the 
 pnpe;, at the agreeable distance of about a foot from our heads. Occa- 
 bionally a spider, more adventurous than the rest, would drop down by 
 his web, and alight on our faces, but he generally beat a precipitate 
 retreat. Then, too, there was a death-watch near the head-lioard, and lie 
 kept up his dismal ticking as long as we were conscioi'K, This death-watch 
 is an abominable nuisar je. Its regular, monotone ., unceasing lioat. 
 heard in fearH'! proximity about eleven o'ch < k at ni;;ht, when everybodv 
 else is a«ieep, i.s .Plough to drive a nervous ?:i !.; iiuzy. I would ratiier 
 have six-pounders fired off at mo all night. 
 
 However, morning at last came, and we oonsulti'J os to what course 
 should be taken, whether to turn .homeward and fisi; o.' lur wav back, or 
 
DIES PISv^ATOKIJ:. 
 
 519 
 
 we More to walk over a " carry " stat.,! f . , "'J'"'''''""- ^r^m th.s place 
 but which wan nearer six S "' ' "''' '^"^ '^ ^""' ''-«• 
 
 ."i^e Carrie, all Tclp 0^:;"-^ Jj 7 r ""^- '^ 
 '»'« Ki» in it; the carnet l.n! T" *" hslung-basket with 
 
 -- wet matches, and an over-eon th 7 ' . " ^''^ """^'•^- 
 
 articles as ren^ained piled „n '^ "' ^""'^^^ ""''^ ^"^'^ 
 
 Th.-. r ^ "" "^ promiscuous manner. 
 
 Th.8 was my first experience in " carrying " H.« 
 sort of business, and I must be allowed'l ^ '""" ""' '" '''' 
 tion, I do not admire this species of To ' " ' ^'"'"""^ P^'^P^^'' 
 
 eon^fort. The day was ho "7 ,"°"''"" ''''''' ^ P"-^ «f «Peed or 
 uuy was not, and such a road ' pvo hn*k « ,. 
 
 ;« l..»d, „.,..„ h„.t ,t .„,e,ed i„t„ JLTo l; ' T' •" """■ 
 It w«« up bill and down • th,„„ i. i ' ™ " conceive. 
 
 »c.„„.:in«in.p.n : ,; s,':''x:"''' '™f ^ <-f»"- .-., 
 
 Itaunh the wood, a, iholr »"8»"-I>»"' h«l fomerl, been cut 
 
 « "«.e .«.«>.. ...CX b^^::;::;;;;-- *« :"" ""' "«'■ 
 
 kind of vehicle; if such a L; ' "°°"''«t'"» ^it^ some 
 
 "--at the .mpli^J^r ,;iir — '-. -.can only be 
 immense rocks that were smooth IV ^'''^ ''"' '""^"'^'^ ^^''^ 
 
 put .our foot on them din ; Ve^n I 77 ^'' ''''''' "' '^'^ ^- 
 quitoes had you ; for though when n 'n.dln !"• '" "'" '"""' '''' "^^ 
 
 ■cuei f b,„ J :;r : z:" 'r\r '"" - °°' -^ ■™"' - 
 
 it»ir. I .topped on tl,« point „f , , "^ "''"'°" *» ««'« life 
 
 p»* .- ..r..po»d :;;;,: tit:„:™,;rT""'''^™''' 
 
 -l™.»led „„,„„ b.,1 .pent .,, be. .n.Z I ! M ""' '"'"'"''l'^ 
 '-<^- .l.on,„,,„it«, „.,.„.j „„ in e^Z tb° b"'" ""^ ""'"' "" 
 
 " "■« «- P«"'cd down hi, .eientf ,"; TbV'""""'-' '" "" 
 
 ' • »""• n,e,„„r3-n„e.„,eio„.„ re LI t '. d""' ^ "°" """ 
 
 "- about beginnin,, „ n„„ , ..^ J^''^ ° *' "*' »' "hildbood. I 
 
 •I'-l .«l«imi„«, at the top „f bf,"! lajb " "" "— "" 
 -n,e and impregnable ..rc„g,b_ "" ™"—"«" -f ta- 
 
520 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 " Tboro is a pluaNure in the pathlesa wood." 
 
 It would have afforded me satisfaction, there and then, to have ItnoekeJ 
 his head off. 
 
 Wo accomplished the end, nevertheless, and reached the liank of tiie 
 Megalloway just above the falls, to avoid which we had passed tlie " carry." 
 We found here a little flat-bottomed boat, about fourteen feet long, and 
 amply sufficient to carry a pound of butter and a dozen oggs, and wheu 
 the guide told us that we were all to go in that cockle-shell, I |)roceedod 
 to narrate to him a legend relating to three individuals of ago and experi- 
 ence, who are reported to have dwelt in the State of Now York, and who 
 set forth upon a certain journey by v.'ater, in a class of sailing-crnft not 
 popularly in vogue among mariners, and with regard to whom it is confi- 
 dently asserted that if their means of conveyance had been of n more 
 permanent character, their traditionary reminiscences would huv(' been 
 prolonged. 
 
 Our guide, however, assured us that the week before the same frail I ark 
 had brought down four men witii a moose they had killed ; and somewhat 
 reassured, but still with fear and trembling, we loaded our luggage. The 
 vessel sank in the water to within three inches of her gunwale, and we 
 had to keep the trim so nicely adjusted that if you winked one eye with- 
 out the other, you were in imminent danger of upsetting. 
 
 Once fairly started, thoughts of danger vanished, and our little boat 
 glanced over the water at a refreshing rate. 
 
 The river was perfectly still, with no current, and its smooth surface 
 only broken by the leap of the Trout, and the splashing start of the fright- 
 ened wild-duok. High mountains arose on either side, and the river-banks 
 were lined with scrubby pine and birch, whoso interlaced boughs ren- 
 dered passage impervious except to the denizens of the forest. , 
 
 Our point of destination was a place called Beaver Brook, some two 
 miles up the stream, where it was supposed that Trout would bo found. 
 We reached there about five o'clock in the afternoon, and tlie sport then 
 began in earnest. In my time I have fished, as it may be, (ionsidonible. 
 1 have fished for varicms specimens of the finny tribe ; I ha/c essayed Cud 
 in Boston Harbor, and Herring and Mackerel on the sea-coast; I iiave 
 whipped almost every stream for Trout in Massachusetts and Connecticut; 
 I have taken Salmon in the Ohio, Trout in Mackinaw and Minnesota, Perch 
 in the Mississippi, and bobbed for Whale on the coasts of Florida, but I 
 bad not reached the acme of fishing. As before stated, I had heard all 
 
»IES PISCATORI^. 
 
 521 
 
 delicate fi.„ U ti,„,T;„u L'r.' '"' " i'""' '" """ ' '"^' "« 
 
 ,.„, ,. ""^""^^ " P"'''' "* 'i"" a bait as big as your fist aii.l 
 
 . II tu™ „p „,. „„.. i„ ,i,^„.. , „„..„,. ^„^^^ ^,^_^ pole, of ,/„ ";1 
 
 i..v.n... ,w„ ,„,.. .,„/,„„. i:. ,;: - r,;,;L::;::r. :: 
 
 ■f you c„t down-rt,-,„„,, i„ u,„ fi„, I .^ ;"■" . ""<i 
 
 l.r«w „p^..™.m ,l,,v bit, fa,.er, and you h„e a better chanc „ft LL 
 
 or barb through their gill.. There - y„„r Hy t„„eh„ the water .tte 
 
 felW, ju„p at ,t; but tl,„,e are little fellow., .„d don't ™gh C hi 
 
 a quarter of a pound. Follow i\ •. . .• "-'Su more than 
 
 on the bank- ■• Small T^ '"BS^fon. and put up „ „„tice 
 
 ■- oanit . ainaii r„ut are requested not to bite "■ 
 
 Now heave again. See there l-that wa. a pretty Jump h. made ; b„. 
 
622 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'" BOOK. 
 
 hu missod. Tiy Li;,* oik,,; um-o and you'll »trike. Now he's on ; let your 
 reel run : i.jre h,- ^ua up-Rtroiini. How nicely he springs out of tUc 
 water I lio'i got frightened, and don't know what's tlio rumpu.s. Reel liiui 
 in a littlo , don't pull too hard, or you'll break your pole ; y<,\i 4ee, it's 
 bent douUo already. Just hold him tight enough to guide him, and ho'll 
 tiro himj«ell' out in a few ininutCH; ho n-yv'i -^tand li long, daNhing aijout at 
 thii^ rate. Don't get too mud, excited, or he'll fool you yet. When yon 
 Strike a fish you must be cool and collected. You see they are of an ex- 
 citable temperament, and when they get the barb into their mouths tiiey 
 become agitated ; they are also gamy, and make a good fight, and conse- 
 quently, if you are anywise rash, and attempt to get them in t(«) 8(K)h, ten 
 to one you'll break your line. Now you see the rascal has started down- 
 stream for the river, and thinks if he gets into deep water h.-'ll be out of 
 the way. Let him slide ; let your reel go out its full bngth. Now he's 
 still ; he don't feel you pull, and thinks he's safe. Begin and reel him up. 
 Now he's waked up again worse than ever. Don't be g:) pretty? Just 
 hold him steady up the stream, and as his mouth is wide open. !m 'H drown 
 soon ; because, if you drown a Trout ho thereby becomes dead, and when 
 dead, is in a perfectly passive state. See, his struggles are becominL' 
 feebler and feebler; you'll have him soon. Be patient: now he's sta 
 put him up to the side of the boat, and take hoM of him just behind the 
 gills. There, isn't he a beauty? Don't tho> I^ht spots nd silver 
 stripes go to your heart' D.ai't you wish you were as good-looking as a 
 Trout? Wouldn't you captivate ; ur friends? 
 
 The shade; ' f eve begin to fal' ( sit in the foot; N a little below; 
 
 H above. If, is still as niglit, except the repeated sjilash of fish na 
 
 they rise at the fly, or as they struggle in vain attempts to escape. 
 
 I have at varif./s Mnes, in varioii places, mad various statements with 
 regard to our succtss upon that particular afternoon, none of which luive 
 as yet been believed. Friends, of whom I had a right to expect bit- or 
 things, have upon occasiims winked knowingly when I have r irraled i 
 experience ; some have laug! • ou' nt; some have uiuked unreserv- 
 edly that that was a "fish !•■ .." 'lert- have detee- 1 seeming i .m- 
 sistencies, and irreverently asked for e planations; aie Tain it has been 
 inquired which was the trout, and which was the gin. I therefore will 
 content myself with the follow ing statement, made upon honor, that in a 
 very short time we caught a very large number of fish. 
 
 While we were fishing, our guide was pitching our tent. Our guide 
 was a great institution ; he was a complete backwoodsman. W^ith an axe 
 
1>IES PJSCATOIU^. 
 
 528 
 
 --" -'h that axo. „e Ja o,.^ Z^„ /''^'""" '" ^""'"' '""^'^ « 
 "•- l.oM fi„.| , ,„„, „, ,^ 'V'"7 " *■•«« '" no tune, u,,,] i„ t|.o 
 
 -ey ; whereupon ho'„ h ""'7'\-^ « -"<"« hive fu„ ., ..nd 
 
 Htron«th M-aB enormouH and hi« n" "^'' "'^ ""''''" '''•''"••^' ^in 
 
 "» 'Jay without stopp •; , : ",' "T"' "'"-""'• "« -•<! -w a ...t 
 
 « week with a paok o hU h . 7. 1 ""' "'" "^"''' '^"'' "-"'"'- '■'•- 
 He'd he in the'.a r rt;;, tT ' '""T' "" "'" ^ "^'^ ^'^ "-- 
 n.ode«t, good-natured. 1^^:,^T T \ !"—--• "« wa« 
 tickled to hear «« talk and M L I I l?"'"' """ ^"^ "-'-^'-^ 
 In the few dap he wa. with , '"'"'"" '"'"'^''r'""^ »" g-- 
 
 a'>iy against a head-wind for .eve,fn.ilZ ' '" """' "•"'^'*- 
 
 Ho waH fond of woods snorf \vi i , 
 
 •-.' .-.. -ix inch.. ,„4. . t wi,r. hI : r™" "^ "'-' ■" "■• 
 
 ™.d .. „.,„l. prep,.,,,.,,,. ,„ 'SZZ . " '"'«" ''« "■•'• 
 
 -. b. . boa, ::, : J ,7;°:'''' » ^ -"^ ■"«" -" p",..™, ,„„ 
 ..-.. . .o ... ...„. .1, „^ ^ :■ r,v:^z72' r -" r^'^ 
 
 Hoaked, but that nmde no diflbr, o) and fh , . ' ' ^'^^ 
 
 the Trout with a wooden spo. , pu JuT:' '"'''' ^ ^' ' 
 
 h'-d: once in a while one woui. dr!, nT « "' "" '''^ ''""* 
 
 watHung. and vou were .uiok ou "' '"' '' '" '^'^ ^'-"'* 
 
 «.ht over one ,eat ^:2 C.: J^'lr'"" f "^ ' -^ ^ "'^ 
 
 h-ad an. tho do, ,ot hi.,. ' U„ -l^u ''' ^'^ ^ ^ «"' '""' ''^ ^he 
 
 P"ll Jevil : fh.. ., „ lit,. , , ;• ^ '* ""^^ "'P ""<' tn'^k. pull Di.k 
 ^' a litthi aliead, for the f, i,„ ^ 
 
 -or'n half; h, ,.« «m,sequo :, ohoked o^th • , ^ '" "' ""' '' «"* 
 
 -ioieed. We rang the belt f, S^^ 7 " "' """' ^ "'^^ 
 
 ' Toh-bark, and stuck them u, " i '. """" *"'"*'he8 of 
 
 quet-hall. ^ ""^' ''"^ ^« ''^^ «« illuminated ban- 
 
 illlii 
 
 toSt^RblP i* 
 
 Wm 
 
524 
 
 AMERICAN ANULER'H UOOK, 
 
 lw\ 
 
 a forkod stick, niul then and there wo fed. Wo then cleared away the 
 tablo and wiwhed the dixhes, by throwing tiio birch-burk into tiie tiro iind 
 leaving the Hkill'-' > the dof(. 
 
 Wo then held u oouncil of war, and eoneliKled to crosii-examlne a >)ottle 
 of gin. Gin hoH itM unoh in tho Wdodt*. But wo were without waici-, ami 
 had nothing but those leathern drinkin>?-cuitM, holding about a gill. Hen, 
 Wfts a difficulty at once, for to be under the neeenMity of going down to the 
 strcttm every time you wanted a drink, was not to be thought of; benide 
 we might be thirHty in tho night. But our guide solved the problem. He 
 took that immortal axo and went off into tho woodn, and came buck in a 
 minuic with hohjo large sheets of birch-bark — birch-lmrk is also n wonder- 
 ful invention ; so he sat down to inuke a birch-bark bucket. I don't know 
 
 how it's done ; N docs, and he showed mo two or three times ; but for 
 
 the life of mo, I coulihi't see through it. About these things I'm thick 
 about the head It is somehow thus: You take a large sijuare sheet of 
 birch-bark mil some wmxlen pins, you turn up one end of tho bark and 
 stick in a pin, you then turn up the side and fasten it to the end ; you 
 double the ends together and fasten them with these pins ; turn it up nil 
 around, so the water won't run out, fasten it, and there's your bucket ; it 
 is a very simple contrivance, and eminently practical. He got -no com- 
 pleted, and found a knot-hole in the bottom, but finally made one timt 
 held alx)ut three quarts ; so we filled it, placed it beside the tent, and 
 begon those experiments with tho gin, to which brief allusion has been 
 made. 
 
 After eating and drinking wo lit our pipes. You take pipes and tobacco 
 in this country altogether; segars are perfectly useless. I cnrri(;d the 
 tobacco loose in one of my pockets, which was a reservoir for the whole 
 party. One has no idea of the luxury of a pipe in the woods until it has 
 been tried ; it is vastly superior to any other known method of combusting 
 the weed. You might smoke forty segars and not obtain the same amount 
 of satisfaction that a solitary pipe affords. Therefore we sat in the door 
 if the tent, and as the smoke curled gracefully away we had sumliy ope- 
 ratic performances, in which I acted the part of Prima, and N of base, 
 
 Donna; and the woods rang with the entrancing melody of our voices; 
 while afar off we heard the hoot of the owl, and once in awhile the scream 
 of a wild-cat; but we were not at all alarmed. 
 
 I should not omit to relate one of my troubles, and that was in the waj 
 of lKX)tH. A kind friend at Hanover lent ni i fine pair of fishing-iioots, 
 that came almost up to my ears, and had great big legs to them. I thst 
 
PIKS PISCATORI*. 
 
 626 
 
 fl«hcd with thorn in the Dia,n.„„l Riv«r r i 
 
 k rail :::;;:",:;''"« ": t"™'- ■ '"■" '"■ 
 
 ..f .^. d», w,„ .ho r,«i„; „, :,r„r r° •;"• '"• «"•• --•'»- 
 -«™-.-.. . -:i;t.: irr::,,i::f r '- - "r- '-•^' 
 
 on the fl.H.r, N „-„uI.. f..t , , , ' "' ">" r'""""'t ''"^ I lay .lown 
 
 -^ - '"3- ..t. a:r : I 'i^r 2 t-rr " ^-'^ -"" "- 
 
 or rather feet. i„ about an halfh" l' "' "'"'•""''■^'' ^''^ '•^"^'• 
 
 .hoen. ''""'• ^^*""' ^''«» fi''''i"g for Tn.ut, wear 
 
 BootH off. and otherwise honi^v we lav i„ ,u * 
 F''".V<"1 <'ur.eIveH in the ..harm« J'o ^ "'" """''"'' '""' •""- 
 
 into the wood., ...e It „r Id "T'"" ^" '''"' '"' «"- "'^ 
 
 a.^ -"«.. t..e world w:":. t Za^ 7 W ^^^^^^^ ^^^^ 
 
 and Haw. off in the forest, a large tre a,I on fi T " "' "' *'" '°"*' 
 «tone. It flashed and hL.T 7 *^™'" *""^* *° f'.undation- 
 
 to the water for .afet,. hnt wa« restr^X ;— wh ^";"" ''''"^' 
 "^ the «„ide. work, which it proved to be B^;: ' "" " """ ^"""^ 
 
 «"-.o„to„eh:;:;rr:;^rrrrb;::7r"^-^= 
 
 -od. ever,k.; :; II ,,Tt T ^^'^^ ''-'' ""^ *^- *»>« tree 
 lik« -lay. The wild birZ a;to , ' . "'' ''"' '■^'*'"^ "P ^'^^ ^«-t 
 'leer and other JJ^^l ^T ^ '"^*^' '^'"^ ^^'^--•^elter ; 
 
 "■to.otheritwa.pl .r;:::::;"^^: '^^"'^"--^ ^""^"^'""' -^^ 
 
 ""«' - half a dLn. in all t, ^^^^ ^^ *»>- another, 
 
 spectacle was beautiful. Our .ui ' , ' "'^^ '^''"^ '^°^'«^«' ^^e 
 
 ■'"« round in his stocking fe ' ""''""" '^"^'^-•^*' '^'^^ ^-" P-wI- 
 
 The ne.t doming w ' l^we"; ^ 2 ^'T '''■ 
 
 tent; in fact we became neT. 1 '" "' ''^'"' '*^ ''"^ ^--*«' «- 
 
 f-t. and we caughtrranr ' ! "' "'''''''''• '''^^y »>'» - 
 
 boat ahnost m ^^^^ 7 ' "" "'^' ^''^ **• ^« «"«^ «- 
 
 Anytlung less than a half pound in weight we threw 
 
526 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 back into the water ; and after we all got sick of it, we agreed to take 
 down our poles and not put thorn up again in that part of the country. 
 About eighty pounds of the largest we concluded to take home with us ; 
 so our guide made a species of box out of elm-bark, in which we salted 
 down our fish, to pack on our backs. 
 
 I have thus given an outline of one day's occurrences, and the others 
 were like unto it. We had just as much Trout-fishing as we wanted. We 
 eat so many that we almost killed ourselves ; and finally came to the con- 
 clusion that Trout were not what they were cracked up to be, after all. 
 
 Job. Well, what do you think of it? 
 N'es. Why, I think of the author, that from his frequent 
 was 
 
 allusions to pork. 
 
 from Cincinnati. His description of 
 
 bridges reminds me of a ride from Hankins's Station to Ches- 
 ter Darby's with Baron G., twelve years ago, when we were 
 caught in a thunderstorm, and did not get to Chester's until 
 midnight ; we crossed a few horse-traps of the kind he 
 describes in the dark. The spiders, bugs, and death-watch 
 refresh my recollections of old friend Snell, on the Loyal- 
 sock. 
 
 Job. He is right about the pipes and the skillet, but may 
 possibly be wrong as to the guide's ability to produce a 
 chronometer with h'is axe. As to drawing off wading-boots, 
 T have had some experience in the matter myself, and can 
 testify as to the course the water takes when a man lies on 
 his back and elevates his heels. His instructions, though, in 
 casting and killing a Trout, are inimitable ; all who would 
 be scientific anglers ought to read them. Here are more 
 stray leaves from the Knickerbocker — poetry, too: "The 
 Skeleton Monk," six pages ; and " The Girl with the Calico 
 Dress." 
 
 Walt. Keep them to read in the saw-mill some rainy day. 
 
 [wEriV Wamer, with ahti-.h-honk.] 
 
 Joe. But hold on; here is "Hans Breitmann's Barty:" 
 
 Hans Bieitn; 
 
 mit a Merican ; 
 
 proun as a preti 
 
 into mine, dey t 
 
 Ilans Breitm 
 
 mit der Madilda 
 
 freilein in the hi 
 
 Hans Breitma 
 
 in more as seven 
 
 de shpicket in, d 
 
 nefei coom to a 1 
 
 Hans Breituiai 
 
 sooper come in, c 
 
 Brot and Gensj 
 
 Abendessen dowi 
 
 Hans Breitmai 
 
 niout to a parrel i 
 
 I kissed Madilda 
 
 fought mit taple 1 
 
 Hans Breitmar 
 
 lofely golton elouc 
 
 melstralilendo .ster 
 
 Lager Biei— afay 
 
 Joe. Theed 
 here is very str 
 
 Nes. There 
 verse that reniii 
 
DIES PISCATORI^. 
 
 627 
 
 it is poetry done up prose fashion. Clark suspe.ts Mace 
 bloper ot having perpetrated it. 
 
 Nes. Let us have it, by all means. Vive le lager! Vive 
 ie pretzel I Vive le Engel & Wolf I 
 
 Joe. Well, then, be quiet, while I read you the adventure 
 and impressions made on the mind of the gentleman who 
 attended 
 
 HANS BRBITMANN'S BARTY. 
 
 Hans Breltmann gife a barty-de, had biano blayln-I felled in lofe 
 .n,taMen.an frau. Her na.ne was Madilda Yane She hat h ar a 
 proun as a pret.el bun ; do eyes .ere hin,.el blue ; and ven she look 
 into mine, dey shplit mine heart in two. 
 
 Hans Breitmann gife a barty: I vent dar you'll pe pound. I valzet 
 nut der Ma ilda Yane-und vent shpinnen round und'round. De oo^I 
 freilein in the house-she vayed pout doo hoondert pound 
 
 Hans Breitmann gife a barty-I dells you, it cost him dear. Dey rollt 
 ■n more as seven kecks of foost rate Lager Bicr-und venefer dey knock 
 de shpicket in. de Deutschers gifes a cheer. I dinka dat so vine a bar y 
 nefei coom to a het dis year. ^ 
 
 Hans Breitmann gife a barty. Dar all vas souse and brouse. Ven de 
 -per come in, de gompany did make demselves de house. Dey at da 
 Brot und Gensybroost. die Bratwoors. and Braten fine, and ^h da! 
 Aoendessen down mit four parrels of Neckarwein 
 
 Hans Breitmann gife a barty: ve all got troonk as pigs: I poot m'ine 
 
 kissed Mad. Ida Yane, und she schlap me on de kop, und de goompany 
 fought mit taple locks dill de coonstaple made o„s sclitop ^ 
 
 Hans Breitmann gife a barty: vhere is dat barty now? Vhere is de 
 lofely o. ton cloudt dat float on der m.undain'. prow ? Vhere is de him- 
 melstn^ endo .tern-de schtar of de spirit. ,ig,.t-all goned afay mit de 
 LuRor B.oi-afay in der Evigkeit. ^ 
 
 Joe. The editor's comment is, that the " internal evidence" 
 here IS very strong. 
 
 Nes There is a touch of sublime mela.JchoiHn the last 
 verse that reminds me of Jack Reeves, in the character of a 
 
528 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 sentimental old cook reading the " Sorrows of Werter," and 
 skinning eels, I have some impression of the meanino- of 
 " Evigkeit," from the connection in which it is used. What 
 is the true translation ? 
 
 Job. I admired the effusion so much at the time it ap- 
 peared, that I read it once to a German friend, who fu]Iy 
 appreciated it, and laughing, explained the word you refer 
 to, by saying, " de schtar of de spirit's light," and de lager 
 all went away together into de everlasting, de futurity.— But 
 what is Walter doing ! 
 
 Nes. Just what Benjamin West did when he caught the 
 man stealing his father's pears — taking the rogue's picture. 
 
 The Thief that stoijE our Djnnsr. 
 
THIRD NOOMNft. 
 
 TBOUT.FISHING IN THE JtEGIONS OP 
 LAKE SUPEBIOK. 
 
 34 
 
" Can it bo the sun descending 
 O'er the level plain of wHter? 
 Or the Ted Swan floating, flying, 
 Woniide<l by :li« magic arrow, 
 Staining all the waveH with crimson, 
 With the crimson of its life-blood, 
 filling all the air with Bplcndor 
 Mich the sp'endor of its i>lui)inge' 
 
 " Yoe: it is th(^ sun descending, 
 ! inking down into tlio wa'er ■ 
 All the Kky in stained with pnri)lB, 
 All the water flnslicd with criMison! 
 No; it is the l>d i-wan floating. 
 Diving down beneath the Water; 
 To the sky its wings nre lifte<i. 
 Witli its blood tlie waves are reddened 1 
 Over It the Star of Kveniiig 
 Melts and trenilileg in the i)nrple, 
 Hangs suspende-t in the twilight. 
 No' it 13 a lieiid of wanipHni, 
 On the rolies of the fireat Spirit, 
 As he pusses throngh the twilight, 
 WalliH in eilence throui^h tlie heavens I" 
 
 LONCFlltOW. 
 
TEOUT.FISHING IN THE EEGIONS OF LAKB 
 ^ SUPERIOB. 
 
 THIRD NOONIXO. 
 (After .h,R„..._p„„„., ^.„,^^ ^^^^^^ ^__^ ^^^^^ 
 
 NOBMA.,. You say, Nestor, that you have been to T«v 
 Supenor, and that there is fine Ashing there 
 
 ^t. Mary which IS at the -Sault," the outlet of the lake 
 
 ^-eral of my friends have visited Lake Superior dneeX 
 
 ™rt. Boats leave BuiJalo and Detroit every week during T 
 ™n,er for the towns that have sprung „pL lak S H 
 amce the eopper region has been opened, and from wht? T 
 
 :::^;r:nr::rr^^"'"""-'--^^^^^^ 
 
 - of .une for th:l J^^^^^^^^^ '^« 
 
 friend Eoberts after his return 1 1 ' """' '"^ 
 
 ■.;.;^.»r;.the™„thru:ii:r:;tatru-r:: 
 
 . nc, an wherev. h= stayed for a few days on Lalce Supe- 
 
 gave 1 ; '■"" ""'" ""'"'""f " ^™* -f^"'. w"'cl. 
 
 te on it Tf ,*"" "'' ""' "' ^-"^ «"> "'i' 
 «^o^t^rake^^^^^C,^^, of St. Mary, Miehigan, 
 
 . .. .c»„„. of ,,,. Tr,„ufi,hi„g „f that p„r .,f 1 T i ' """' 
 ilbere. ^ '"" P"" »■ ">« count,, J ,^0,5^ 
 
 
 if 
 
 (581 
 
582 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 July 30, 1858. Weight, 6J pounds; lengtli, 24 inches; cir- 
 cumference, 13J ; taken in the Batchewaunaung, Canada West. 
 At the same time took six more. Weight of the seven fish 
 31 J pounds." Eoberts says that Mr. Cady's word is not to be 
 doubted. The bead of the Lake Trout which you may see in 
 the window, at Philip Wilson's gun and tackle store, in 
 Chestnut above Fourth Street, was brought from Lake 
 Superior, by the President of our little club, and though it is 
 twenty-one inches in circumference, it is from a small fisL 
 compared with some that have been taken there. I have no 
 doubt, that a person who was properly prepared, could troll 
 successfully for these monster Trout--if he could hit the 
 right time, say in June, and find boatmen who knew where to 
 fish for them. 
 
 I have been told also, that the Canadian steamers, which 
 ply between Toronto and Chicago, stop at several points on 
 Manitouline Islands, where there are fine Trout-streams within 
 easy distance ; but there it would be unnecessary to camp 
 out. It is said, that there is also fine Black Bass fishing in 
 the little bays along the same islands. 
 
 Nor. But, what do you know personally of the fly-fish. 
 ing on Lake Superior ? 
 
 Nbs. I have already told you that it is now more than 
 twenty years since I was at Sault Ste. Marie, and that I was 
 never beyond there ; I have a letter, though, in the breast- 
 pocket of my old fishing-jacket, which was written by your 
 humble servant to u brother of the angle, while waitinu- at 
 Mackinaw for a boat, after his return from the Sault; if you 
 have energy enough left, and can keep awake after the half- 
 dozen Trout you have eaten, you may read it. 
 
 Nob. Let me knock the ashes out of my pipe, and 
 moisten my mouth with the little bit of claret you have left 
 in that bottle, and I'll try it. 
 
DIB8 PISOATORI^. 
 
 588 
 
 " Dear T\riLL :_ " ^^^^^^^^'^^ June 24, 1848. 
 
 before leaving Z olan "' *T' "'"' ' "^^^^^^ ^^^ 
 
 Trout-fishing at Saul ^Tm -^ ""^ anticipations of 
 
 °'"^ ^* ^ault Ste. Mane were realized. As I shall 
 have to wait here until thp 97ti. r .i t. 
 have seen .11 fi. • T , ^"'' *^^^' ^'^t^^'i* boat, and 
 
 Thiiof ,t;; ™ ^;^;-j°'"=- two f.t ,„„, 
 
 11. "^^i/ieetot Bass at a singe fishino-f a - 
 
 had in viewmvtrintoTnl . ci • 's'e nsmng! As i 
 
 then ,o see our cou,in, near bJ- ," ' ^'^ ^"""- "'"' 
 
 "The Brents have settled some fifteen miles ba.l- nf ,y. 
 town on the edge of a prairie, and are doing :^, t Te 
 
 IS, that hey have scareelj tasted a smoked herrin,, ,;„" 
 
 arnval, Bob proposed Ashing in some of the 'sleu h,' Z 
 ponds supplied by the back water of the T*,e S 1 
 of the spring freshets, when the BaraX!:^^":;: "^ 
 spawn, and many of them are Ipff i .x. , ^ "" 
 
 «ter recedes. /an, tw:j:, :::.:: c;:X" 
 
 b Bigni out the blue skv ahnvp -.r,^ +1, n- 
 
 gveen beneath, and no sound hn. .. ' """"'"S 
 
 ana no sound but the occasional whirring of a 
 
6S4 
 
 AMBRIOAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 prairie-fowl— What a lonesome, beautifully monotonous scene ! 
 After twenty minutes' gallop we saw trees in a hollow at a 
 distance, which are sure indications of water on the prairie. 
 We soor. had our lines tied to the ends of our rods, and cauglit 
 minnows for bait, and then caught Bass and Perch— fishk..' 
 from horseback when trying the different sleughs, and dis° 
 mounting whenever the fish bit freely. We came back at 
 sunset, each with a string of fish at his saddle-bow. 
 
 "On returning to St. Louis, I took a boat for Peoria, Illinois, 
 and then a smaller one for Peru. We had but few passengers 
 on the smaller boat, and I found the engineer a clever lellow, 
 with a rifle in his room and a bucket of live minnows in the 
 wheelhouse. When we stopped to wood, or tinker up the old 
 engine, as we did once for half a day, I tried a live minnow, 
 and sometimes one 'bridled/ and caught some fine Black 
 Bass, one of them eighteen inches long. At Peru we took the 
 stage, and after thirty hours' ride over the green desolate 
 prairie, interspersed occasionally with little settlements, 
 arrived at Chicago and embarked on the steamer, and found 
 myself at this strange-looking old town on the afternoon of 
 the second day. 
 
 . " The first odd thing I noticed here was a rough little four- 
 wheeled wagon, which the owner drove on board the steamer; 
 it was drawn by tWo stout dogs, and loaded with immense 
 Lake Trout and Whitefish. It is all don (not horse) power 
 here. The inhabitants use them to draw wood from the island 
 on the opposite side of the Strait in winter, and say that a 
 pair of them will draw a sled on the ice loaded with u halt- 
 cord of wood \nthout difficulty ; dogs are also used in travel- 
 ling over land when there is a hard crust on the snow. 
 
 " The water in the Straits here, as in all of these lakes, is 
 exceedingly clear. You can easily distinguish the lieads of 
 the nails and the seams in the hull of a steamboat as it lies 
 
^TBS PISCATORI^. 
 
 680 
 
 Wo «t ll,e bottom. ' *"'' """■" P'''''''>' "»i- 
 
 -^reX :rr r ^ " --^ """' ^- '^« ^-^ 
 
 Montr.aUndwarol„fr "' ^^'^^^'^ ■" Q™b.c auj 
 a» ealled,a«;erV '""■"" ""^ native French 
 
 '-e .0. .. lioir: xtr air -^'^ °*^ ''-^' 
 
 house to look hoarv with J, tVV """"^ "'^ " "™ 
 shaped, with a wide pebb ! h ' 7' " '"'"'■' '^ "^^*-'- 
 '"e Chippewa Indiarwh^ ^;'T "'" ""^ '™'^ "^ 
 '■■-. and bu, most of thei ^oo ^ ZT'''^ """"'• 
 with a fair gale it i, n > .,7 ■ ''™ ">«y ""me 
 
 "■eir light bi:; ai: :•: ■ " t;; " ^"^^ '-^ -"'-« °^ 
 
 like the wind, ' ^"'''' ''^'^•=^« '«""•". 'he/ sail 
 
 " At the fort on thp hill T u 
 table Captain ManTn i „ ™ "'™""'^ *'"' "- '-'• 
 
 -'.-^.iseo!rio!:rb:i:rri:r^'" 
 
 -yrod here; befo. X: j . '"V"',' "° "^""^ "'* 
 «ut one day near Bois nil t ''"'"■ """"S'' ^ «■« 
 
 .oiiftbisi.net,a:d":o:^":;lt xt^'-'''-^^^^ 
 
 fi^l) out of them T am t 1 ,"!* f^ ^^''^ ^^^^^ ^nd White- 
 
 i.. Oarp Biver, Int tl m l^^m l^ ' ","" ^™"'-«^""« 
 I"---- of pork, or an artiflc a fl !""'^'. '^'■''■•<' "'«/ 'ake , , .. 
 ~™. a I.,„-e Trout her^l^I^X::;;™--"'^ ^ "ave 
 
 was ean^bt with a hand-line in d!ep w f ne'"""'^^" 
 captured it told me hp hn. fni , ''^ ^"^" ^^o 
 
 'hey have been e" .ht t It" . " '^'" " '"*='»' »^ *"' 
 « a hu..dre,i poundlll" ^"f""" ™8«°« «. much 
 

 586 
 
 AMERTCAM ANOLBR'S B00^ 
 
 Nor. (laying down the letter.) Whe-e-euh ! that's a whopper, 
 
 Nbh Which, the fish or the story ? 
 
 Nor. Both — tlie story, in particular. You ought to have 
 asked t!.;it man to fall a pound or two, 
 
 Ne8. I thought it was rather a "fish story," h< T believe 
 that there are ajake Trout of that size. 
 
 Nob. You ure a good believer, Nestor, and I must confess 
 that I have tried your faith a little myself, on one or two 
 occasions. But when I hear it "piled up" in that way, , ,ay, 
 with fat old Jack, " Lord, how this world is given to lying . ' 
 see, though, your journal is bringing us towards the Sault at 
 last. 
 
 [Reads again. | 
 "On a bright June morning, at sunrise, I started on a 
 8teaml»';.H. the first that ever made the passage to the Sault- 
 it W8-,< wnr second trip. The only way of reaching il; before 
 thij; tlna^, was in Mackinaw boats in summer, and on snow- 
 shoes auu dog-sleds in winter. T arrived in nine hours, and 
 stopped with Mr. Barbier, an old voyageur and guide, whose 
 life has been spent in this wilderness of woods and waters. 
 He keeps a store with a general assortment of Indian goods, 
 which he sells for money, or barters for furs, sun-dried corn, 
 and maple sugar. 
 
 "There is no cascade, or what might properly 'oe called a 
 fall, in the outlet of Lake Superior, but the 'Sault,' as the 
 word implies, is a rapid, or a succession of them. There is a 
 descent of about twenty-five feet in three-quarters of a niilu. 
 A canal to pass the rapids has been projected, and alreiuly 
 commenced by the government, which will open all the rich 
 copper region on the lake, to the navigation of steamboats and 
 sailing-craft of moderate draft of water. A brig and a 
 schooner, built on the lake above, were taken safely down 
 the rapids last summer. It is about fifteen miles to Grog 
 
 Oap, at the 
 and my aru 
 ing it. 
 
 ' The toi 
 dogg for it 
 
 Ksqiumaux 
 Indian has 
 anil horses; 
 their ()aunc] 
 dead d" ( 
 candle 
 them ; i. 
 of his houndi 
 no dog law i\ 
 "I found a 
 the lower end 
 says they iiv 
 with the spea 
 dip-net we ha 
 kill ; the han( 
 of the net — I 
 They go in th( 
 a boat ; the or 
 blanket tied i 
 holds the net ; 
 paddle or pol 
 proper directio 
 fish, and by de: 
 a turn sideway 
 be pressed dow 
 bottom, and t\ 
 and I suppose t 
 near the bow. 
 
« 
 
 BI»« PISCAIOBia. 
 
 S37 
 
 «»?. at ,„a 1„ , „„d of Lake Superior. My li.nited .i„,e 
 W »y a,.„ety to flsh the rapid, did not alW of „y "i:: 
 
 ao«. for ,t, p„|,„,„t.„„, ,,„„ .„y ,„ 
 fc8q„„„„ux country. Every white ,f breed a!l 
 
 Iu,„ha.,„oreo,the.thanaVi, „rl Zjco: 
 
 an" hordes; .t .a a wonder where they ,.„ ,et enough to -p" 
 
 tZ T '"• ^'''''" '''' *"' " '"-"■ " cow 
 andle , ,a,r ol grea»ed „,oocaaina, does not come amisa to 
 tbern ,..,!, ^ our old fnend, Jaelc Tanoil, of Warrenton, aays 
 of laa hound,, ■ they are everlastingly sarching.' As th rel 
 =0 dog law in St. Mary, the tribe does not diminish. 
 
 the lower end of the rapids, just above the village. Barbier 
 says they l,ve here entirely on Whiteils„, which they t'ke 
 w.th the spear and dip-net. The latter resembles the conJon 
 d.p-net we have seen used at Fairmount da,n on the Sohuyl- 
 
 of the net-I have seen the Indians take Whiteflsh with it 
 1 ey go ,n the.r birch canoes to th foot of the rapid, two in 
 a boat; he one .n the bow, wh. .enerall, has an old coat or 
 lanke fed m front like an apron, to keep off the spray 
 1." d» .he net ; the other in the stern, by the ready use of hfs 
 paddle or pole, keeps the head of the cockie-sbell in 
 proper d,rec..on, while his companion in the bow finds the 
 fl.h, and by dexterously casting his net over the prey, gives it 
 a turn s.deways and secures it. The net appeaL'lways to 
 b pressed downwards, as if the iish was forced towards the 
 bottom, and then turned apparently to prevent its escape- 
 and I suppose this is why the handle has that peculiar bend' 
 near the bow. These Whiteflsh are as large as Shad, and are 
 

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 IMAGE EVALUATION 
 TEST TARGET (MT-3) 
 
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 Photographic 
 
 Sciences 
 
 Corporation 
 
 23 WEST MAIN STREET 
 
 WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 
 
 (716) 872-4503 
 
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A88 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 delicious, resembling the Sbad somewhat in flavor, but not so 
 bony. I have seen the Indians take twenty or thirty in an 
 hour ; sometimes two at a single dip of the net. 
 
 'Soon after my arrival at St. Mary, I made the acquaint- 
 ance of Louie Leponts, a half-breed Indian, in a long swallow- 
 tailed blue coat, who I found was addicted to whipping his 
 wife, getting drunk, and going a fishing. I profited by Louie's 
 acquaintance, and engaged him and his brother as my ' voy- 
 ageurs,' in going up and down the rapids on my fishing 
 excursions. The ascent and descent of the Sault is no child's 
 play ; nothing but long practice, a quick eye, great skill in 
 the use of the paddle and pole, and steadiness of nerve can 
 accomplish it. 
 
 " On my first day's fishing, Louie held a pole of fifteen feet, 
 with which he did great execution, catching two to my one. 
 He is as good a specimen of a natural angler as I ever met 
 with ; and, considering his rough tackle, costs a large fly (and 
 none other should be used here) with considerable skill. The 
 fly, which he made himself, was on a rough Kirby hook, size 
 00, a piece of red flannel tied around the shank, and a tuft of 
 feathers bunglingly fastened at the head. On our second trip 
 I was lucky enough to break the small end of his rod in 
 getting into the canoe, thus monoplizing the sport ; and in 
 our excursions afterwards prevailed on him to leavef it behind. 
 I also fished the Little Falls, two or three miles down the 
 river, near the Methodist Mission, and had great sport, my 
 largest fish weighing about three pounds, and most of them 
 were from fourteen to sixteen inches in length. My firs, trip 
 up and down the Sault produced thirty-rive fish. On the 
 second day I had more sport, catching them mostly with the 
 fly but when they would not rise, used an artificial minnow, 
 or the ' Kill-devil,' or a strip of the belly of the fish. After- 
 
DIES PISCATORI^. 
 
 689 
 
 wards, I got the kna^k of steadying myself in the canoe, when 
 casting, and used the fly altogether. 
 
 " There is a long narrow island on the Canadian side of the 
 river, and between it and the shore a narrow channel, which 
 1 am told, can be waded in most places, and that it affords 
 fine fishmg. If the water had not been so cold 1 would have 
 tried it. 
 
 "Ingoing up and down the rapids I found that Louie's 
 brother had good reason for taking his net and spear along 
 m our first ascent he caught three Whitefish in his net, at a 
 single dip; he also speared several, besides a large gogde- 
 eyed Pickerel. He did not throw his spear when in the ^pid 
 water, but moved the iron cautiously towards the fish, and 
 then with a thrust pinned it to the bottom, when the ashen 
 handle would quiver and shake with the death-struggle of 
 the victim and the force of the current. He frequently tried 
 to point out a fish to me before he speared it, but it was no 
 use ; I could not see it through the rushing water. 
 
 "In the rapids the canoe was at all times under perfect 
 contn-ol. In ascending, advantage was always taken of anv 
 eddy formed below a ledge, or a large rock that jutted above 
 or came near the surface, the light bark was pushed along 
 the still water, and then turned quickly into the sharp cur 
 rent at the side of the rock, when there would be a fierce 
 struggle, the water foaming and boiling almost over the bow 
 as It was forced up the declivity. Sometimes the delicate 
 ribs of the eanoe would bend as the thin sides were com- 
 pressed in passing between rocks where it would have been 
 impossible for an ordinary boat to get through, or where its 
 st^ planks would have been broken. What was most aston- 
 ishing, though, was the way that Auguste alone would hold 
 the canoe steady with his setting-pole, when we stopped to 
 fish, the bow always dividing the current equally, and neve 
 vesring in the least to one side or the other. 
 
540 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 "I spent one Sabbath at the Sault, and attended worship at 
 the old stockade fort in the morning, and in the afternoon 
 visited the Methodist Mission at the Little Falls, two or three 
 miles below, and met the man ' Tanner,' who was captured by 
 the Indians when a boy, and who spent thirty years of his 
 life amongst them. He acts as interpreter for the Mission. 
 
 " I returned from the Sault in one of those ancient crafts 
 called a 'Mackinaw boat,' paying five dollars passage, with 
 the privilege of rowing as much as I pleased. Our journey 
 occupied two days ; the first night we camped in a swampy 
 place, when we were almost devoured by mosquitoes; the 
 second night we slept on a rocky point, extending far out into 
 the lake, where we had a good breeze, and were not troubled 
 with them. There was a beautiful little island right in front 
 of us, with a few trees on it, and as the sun went down I 
 thought of the picture of the Prison of Chillon, which you 
 gave me, and of Byron's lines, alluding to its inmate, who, 
 when at last allowed to climb to the grated window, describes 
 what he saw : — 
 
 are some 
 
 "And thin there was a little isle, 
 Which in my very face did smile, 
 
 The only one in view ; 
 A small green isle, it seem'd no more, 
 Scarce broader than my dungeon floor, 
 But in it there were three tall trees, 
 And o'er it blew the mountain breeze, 
 And by it, there were waters flowing, 
 And on it, there were young flowers growing 
 
 Of gentle breath and hue." 
 
 Nor. (folding up the letter.) I'll stop now, Nestor. You 
 would never die happy if you did not cram a few rhymes 
 into your narratives ; besides, we have got past the fishing, 
 and I have no further interest in your lengthy " billy-doo." 
 
DIES PISCATORI^. 
 
 Ml 
 
 Nes. If you profess to love angling for its associations, and 
 cannot appreciate such rhymes as those, I give you up ; there 
 are some lines on the back of that old letter that don't rhyme. 
 I copied them from Hiawatha when I first read the book. 
 Lake Superior, you know, was the " Gitchie-Gumee" of the 
 Ojibwas, or, as they are called now, Chippewas, and according 
 to their wild tradition, the Red Swan, after it was wounded 
 by the magic arrow of Ojibwa, went slowly flapping it. 
 wings across its broad surface towards the setting sun • you 
 had better not read the extr..t though, after saying, as you 
 did the other day, that "Hiawatha" had the same jingle as the 
 "Nigger Gin'ral." 
 
 Nor. I did not mean to disparage Longfello., by com- 
 paring his "Hiawatha" with the "Nigger Giural," I only 
 implied that they were both of the same metre, and very 
 "particular metre" it is. I'll give you a few lines of the 
 Nigger Gin'ral," as Old Dick Cooper used to sing it, and 
 you can judge for yourself. I leave out the chorus, and as I 
 have no banjo, the accompaniment also. 
 
 " Now, my boys, I'm bound to tell you, 
 listen a while and I will tell you ; 
 I'll tell you 'bout de Nigger Gin'ral, 
 I'll tell you 'bout de Gin'ral Gable. 
 A leetle boy betrayed his gin'ral, 
 A leetle boy, by de name o' Dan'el ; 
 Betrayed him down to Norfo'k landin', 
 Becaae he called him Uncle Gable. 
 
 " '0 how dy do, my Uncle Gable?' 
 ' no I ain't your Uncle Gable I' 
 ' yes you is my Uncle Gable.' 
 • no I aint your Uncle Gable, 
 For I do know your Uncle Gable. 
 A man belong to Major Prosser.' " 
 
542 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 Now I call that hexameter in the rough, and taking it all 
 through, it is pretty good legendary poetry, to boot. 
 
 Nks. Your taate in such matters, my dear boy, betrays your 
 "bringing up;" but it seems to me, that a man who spends 
 much of his time on lake or river, and allows the " particular 
 metre," as you call it, and the repetitions in " Hiawatha" to 
 prejudice him against the book, comes short of a full 
 appreciation of camping out, or cooking his dinner on the 
 stream. 
 
 Nor. Now you are a beautiful specimen of a star-struck 
 fisherman, with your hair poking through the crowo of 
 that old hat, and that terrible rent in your trousers ; how 
 you would captivate your wife, and the ladies in general. 
 But let me give you the concluding lines of the drama, as 
 well as I can recollect them, and then if you can see 
 no similarity between the "Song of Hiawatha," and the 
 "Song of the Nigger Gin'ral," I'll consent to a truce between 
 Longfellow and Dick Cooper. See now, how harmoniously 
 the descriptive blends with the dramatic. 
 
 " Thursday week come on his trial. 
 
 Ho my boys you most done. 
 
 {But I forgot, I did not mean to put in the chorus.) 
 
 " Dey sont an called all de county, 
 To come and see de Nigger Gin'ral ; 
 Some dey called him Archy MuUin, — 
 Right name was John de Cullin. 
 I'm here to-day and gone to-morrow, 
 I didn't come to stay forever. 
 
 " Dey drove him down to de gallus, 
 Drove him down wid fo' gray hose^is ; 
 Diggs's Ben he druv de wagon. 
 Dar dey hung him and dey swung him, 
 An dat's de end of de Nigger Gin'ral. 
 
DIES PISCATORI^ 
 
 548 
 
 " Hard times in Old Virginny, 
 Ole Virginny almost ruined, 
 Ruined by de Nigger Gin'ral. 
 
 " Polly what you got for supper ; 
 Mutton shank and apple dumplins, 
 Good enuf for hi'erd niggas." 
 
 MORRY. Very dramatic indeed-the last three lines par- 
 icularly so-but tell me, were Gin'ral Gable and Nat Turner 
 the same or different persons ? 
 
 Nor Different-Gabriel was the ehief of an early and 
 much better.planned insurrection: Nat Turner headed the 
 
 that both of them were fellows of great aptitude as leaders, 
 and had they made their escape by au underground railroad 
 and lived to the present time, you and your friends would no 
 doubt have made them captains in the Corps d'Afrique 
 
 MOR. Perhaps if your friend Dick Cooper was alive.' since 
 you have such an opinion of his talents, you would use your 
 influence to have hi.n appointed leader of a regimental band 
 m the Corps d Afrique, and introduce the banjo as an instru- 
 ment ot martial music. 
 
 NOK. lJi„k was not a scientific musician, tune and harmony 
 wuhhnn were intuitive; to lave taught him music from a 
 boolc would have cramped his genius, and to write his sours 
 on paper would have spoiled them ; as any true and natural 
 negro mus.c will be spoiled by tryin, ,„ adapt it to the taste 
 of those who generally attend the concerts of what are called 
 negro mmstrels." If you had asked him if he played by 
 note he would likely have replied, as a black fiddler of 
 celebrity once did at a dance in Kentucky, "No Sir I plavs 
 by de night.»-Bu. what have we here? It fell Ln ^e 
 of the pocketa of your flybook, as I was about to replace 
 
644 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOR. 
 
 jrour letter; it is a sketch of some old fisherman-who 
 
 18 It? ^ 
 
 Nes. Why that's "Uncle Lot," a mysterious old fellow 
 who haunted the Williwemock and Beaverkill, about Chester 
 Darby's, for many years. Nobody knew where he came from 
 and, I am told, he at last disappeared, and nobody knew where 
 he went to; the people of the neighborhood called him 
 
 Th« Fish-Hahtk. 
 
F&URTH NOONINft 
 
 TBOUT.KISHINO IN THE ADIHOXbacKS. 
 
 85 
 
"Tns luiinOinK riitaract 
 lUiinted him like u pasaiun : tliu tiill rock, 
 Vli« niuiiiitnin, auii the Uuvp and KliNiiny wuoU, 
 TUuir cclcrt hiuI tlielr furina, wure then to hini 
 An appotito; a feeling and a lovu 
 That had no need of a remoter charm 
 By thought supplied." 
 
 WOBDtWORTn. 
 
TKOUT.PISHING IN THE ADIEONDACKa 
 
 FOURTH NOONING. 
 
 and Nbstor.] 
 
 Job. How it pours I 
 
 N«8. A good, steady, honest r«i„, and there will be no 
 flshmg until a day or two after it clears up; it will take thj 
 t^e for the creek to fall .mciently; then the wterwlU 
 J"s. nght, as Broadhead «.ys, ..of „ tea color," and we wH 
 ...ok them. Those we eooke,l in the old flre-plaJwrrl 
 caugM by tinele Ickey with wor„.bait, under the 'faTof T 
 
 sionTo T'Ti' ""^f" """' '"' '^"'"S "= of y°" «»r- 
 .on to the Ad,ro„dacke last summer. But how did you 
 
 happen to go there in August? You ..d not have eho^en 
 a worse time for fishing. 
 
 in ^Z ™, "" ^™; J"'" ^"""^ """ ^^'"'«'' '""■^ his knee 
 .n the early part of last season, when wading the ereek at 
 
 J.n. Henrys, and as Ashing and sketching fre two i; the 
 
 necessanes of life to him, he was obliged, for the remainder 
 
 of the summer, to adopt the alternative of drawing and fish. 
 
 .ng from a boat. I„ no part of the country is this more easily 
 
 done than on the lakes and still water, amongst the Adiron 
 
 . acks, so he fed h,s rods in a bundle, and packing his fly. 
 
 book, .eteh-book, and a few colors, .n his wallet, started f^ 
 
 b.. two canes all summer, like ...he Devil on two Sticks" 
 
 (547) 
 
648 
 
 AMERICAN ANOLER'8 HOOK. 
 
 (though not as lively a cripple as his Satanic Majesty is .said 
 to be), and made frequent excursions, by boat, to the diffbrent 
 fishing-places in the neighborhood, and went several times to 
 the Raquette River and the lakes beyond. When his camp 
 or his lodgings were more than twenty yards from the place 
 of landing from his boat, Sam Duiming, an old fellow who 
 stands about six feet two in his stcxjkings, with breadth of 
 beam in proportion, carried him " picka-back." Ho made a 
 sketch illustrating this mode of locomotion, but as the picture 
 flatters Sam and disparages the Artist, he would not lot mo 
 have it, though he gave me several sketches of illustrious 
 personages, which I will show you as I tell my story. I 
 promised him I would let no one but the " Houseless" see 
 them. He wrote me a glowing description of the scenery, 
 fishing, and his manner of life, and as I had long wished to 
 see that country, and hoped to be alone with him, I joined 
 him after he had been there a month or six weeks. 
 
 Job. Does the country resemble that about Lake Pleasant ? 
 
 Nes. Not in the least. The Saranac Lakes, particularly 
 the lower, appear to have been thrown down amongst the hi^h 
 peaks of the Adirondacks, the upper lake being rather north 
 and west of the mountains; while Piseco, Lake Pleasant, 
 Round Lake, and Louie Lake, are rather south-east of the 
 main range, and occupy the high table-land in the southern 
 part of Hamilton County, where the face of the country, 
 although it is rolling, can hardly be called mountainous, as it 
 is further north. 
 
 Joe. What route do you take to get there ? 
 
 Nes. It is a mere pleasure trip, by way of Albany and 
 Whitehall, at the southern or upper end of Lake Champlain. 
 I'here you take the boat which runs to Rouse's Point, stopping 
 at all the landings on its passage down the lake, and passing 
 several places of historical interest. When you arrive at 
 
UBS PISCATORIa, 
 
 M» 
 
 bed l„ Kee»ev,ll„, at a little hotel kept by T«ri,«r,I an 1 
 
 r;- '"-^ :,'" f«"-. -'." -.» a -r„ :i:t a :: '; 
 
 an^d o„„aa.„„all, .11, a„ etnb.yo .p„„,™.„ „hat „e ealj M, 
 
 ex^rlJ: " ""'"'^ '" '"^ '■" »'"- »' P'-.io„s f„. the 
 
 Nes. By no means. Martin, „, the lake, can snppU all 
 the necessaries a reasonable man may require If „„, 
 particular he had better take the few '11 b "" 
 
 from town. ""^^ ^° """y "« 
 
 in AuU'? '" '"' """" '"""" '""""^ '"' ^'"™«'"«'" 
 
 t.me than at any other, I found Taggard's hotel crammed 
 mth cockney sportsmen, going „nd returning fron, the Cker^ 
 -mc of t em the most pretentions, verdanUookin.. , nt « 
 
 >^ou meet with a man now and then, don't you, who looks if 
 .you were to slap him on the back with a shin-i; a, if ,, , 
 would fly out-. Wen, the Nimrod of the pirty w ' tlr; 
 
 ™ b h ™f/"'' """ "'"■"'"« Oeer," was'^f tlat ; 
 111 bet he could no, tell a buck from an old stump at thirtt' 
 yarfs,much less hit one. They all affected the rough 
 walked about with bowie-knives stuck in the belts oTlheir 
 unt,ng.shirts, as if they expected next minute ^ mee" ate 
 l»d.an-perfeet Daniel Boones and Kit Carsons It „1 ! 
 '-e me afraid to look at them, though nrZbt they"'::: 
 
550 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 inoflFensive people at home. What a deuce of a propeusity 
 city folks have, when they do anything out of the way, to 
 " dress the character !" 
 
 Joe. What in the name of common sense has all this to do 
 with fishing in the AdirOndacks ? Go on with your story ; do 
 you go up the Saranac River ? 
 
 Nes. My dear Joe, you should never be in a hurry when 
 you go a fishing, or tulk about fishing; but pass me that 
 bottle of ale, and I'll " grease the wheels" and go on. You 
 don't go up the Saranac ; besides, the Saranac can hardly be 
 called a river ; you go up the Au Sable. You must know 
 that Keeseville is on the Au Sable. There is a splendid cata- 
 ract just before you enter the town, and cascades in the town, 
 for the river comes tearing right through it, and is bridged in 
 two or three places. There are no falls above the town, ex- 
 cept where the river is dammed at the iron-works, and they 
 are not as high as the falls of Niagara ; but you see beautiful 
 rapids and pools as you drive up the river, where there must 
 have been fine Salmon-casts in other days. 
 
 Nob. What, did you say, was the height of the fall just 
 before you enter Keeseville ? 
 
 Nes. Thirty feet, I suppose ; it falls as perpendicularly as 
 water can come down, and as a certain London book-maker 
 says, in his " Tourist's Guide" of Glenn's Falls on the Hudson, 
 "Here the water thunders and spirts," just as if the cataract 
 that Cooper immortalizes in "The Last of the Mohicans" 
 could behave itself like a barrel of new cider, or spruce beer. 
 
 Nor. What a poor theorist you are ! you said that there 
 were no doubt fine Salmon-casts on the Au Sable, above 
 Keeseville, in olden times, and that the falls below the town 
 are thirty feet high, and perpendicular. How could a Salmon 
 get over a cataract of thirty feet ? 
 Nes. I give it up; it is all a matter of fancy, and my 
 
I>IBS PISCATORI^. 
 
 551 
 
 rZl the's"' °''t"°" '° '""' ■"■* '^'°°- Salmon did 
 ruu up the Saranao, though; I have the word of one of the 
 
 Jot But how did they get into Lake Champlain? 
 
 Nk3. Through the Sorel Kiver, of course, from the St 
 Lawrence. The rid* n., fl,„ a o t. '• 
 
 in., but Ur ,r '^ ®''"° """ ""' '"' intei-eat. 
 
 2 h Us Id T™ ■""" ""'""'"■' ^""^ "' '"« distance. 
 Mount «arc,; the Indians ea,.; tiLlJ^^Zl 
 
 Indian name, and is complimented with that of Mr Marc v 
 
 just as another peak has been robbed of its fine old t'iH ^' 
 
 w now called ■• Mount Seward." "'' ""' 
 
 Nob a like liberty has been taken with the name of a 
 
 -eshamo„yAntrsr:irrn:t;:L::, r ^'^^^ 
 
 amrted a town there, and called it after imsj^f mI „ T* 
 the euphonic name of &W,„7fe. wZ tl^ ., f 
 .aw passed to make pcrpet^tions of this^r'a: Jt^r:;,': ; 
 ^rt-r " .on have a pretty rough ride from K'eese:rto 
 
 NE8. By no means; there is a plank-road for two-thirds 
 
 l:^h::;rJ:::;r'--^V'""'•''-^"^^ 
 «e» it is wTi::;^^^^^^^^ 
 
 - Saranac W .s orlrb^rr l^rttat: 
 
552 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 a store, a post-office, and a blacksmith-shop, are the usual 
 germs of a future village. Here is a little sketch, which is 
 positive evidence that Walter was detained there when pass- 
 ing. Of course he could not be idle, and for want of a better 
 subject procured the blacksmith's boy, as he afterwards told 
 me for the sum of one dime ; the lad's face is a receipt for the 
 amount of happiness so large a sum of money can create. 
 
 Mr. Baker told me there was fine fly-fishing in the rapids 
 in front of his house in June, though Martin's is more con- 
 venient to the angler, and all those who take boats and guides 
 for the lakes and Raquette River, embark at his house. 
 
BIBB PISCATOm*. 
 
 663 
 
 l„ J!!k- ' "T ''''"^' '""' "'°''*' "•» "»P«=rfon that a good 
 
 Nbs^ No,v, bles. yoar innocent heart! Bill Martin ha. a 
 
 tenp,n.alley, a ball-room, a piano, a ladie,' parlor, op«nin. 
 out on . ,„^ ,,„. „^^^,^^^^ ^,_^ __^^^_ ^ gentleman W 
 
 ^ng-room where you lounge and tie flies, a fleet of fairy 
 
 pounds-and a seore or two of atalwart retainers, who act as 
 gmda. and can take you almost anywhere. BeLide. he hi 
 deerhouuds, nfles, shot-guns, troUing-rods, fly-rods. and all 
 that, for he .s a great deer-hunter and a good fly.flsher, and 
 always has venison and Trout on his table-Why he is a 
 
 tlrel"'^''"' ,"??"' ""•"'"' ' think there are some fifty 
 urreted pme-clad httle islands in the lake, near his house 
 
 111 show you a sketch of a pair of Bill's .^tainers-Walter 
 took them as they were discussing the subject of the draft 
 
 Joe. The man with the hip.roofed hat, looks as if he h.ad 
 the worst of the argnment-of course there must be a good 
 "■ Z'T""""' '° ''"™' '" -'"W'^mant of that kfnd ? 
 
 trip ^th „'" T'rH^ *"' " '" °"'"' '° ""oP'-^-e of the 
 r,p wuh one who hkes, when he leaves town, to leave town 
 
 peope behind; for the Saranac Lakes are so easy of access 
 
 that they have even become fashionable. Martini is a kd 
 
 boyond. I have seen men embark at his landing with their 
 wives Children and other baggage; their eooki:g nte sU 
 
 which tt"" '^' ''""'" "* '"^""-' ".-Aass-rS 
 l^^hly flnished guns that were innocent of the death of deer 
 
 or some of the lakelets and ponds beyond the Raquette, to 
 
564 
 
 AMERICAN ANOLBR'S BOOR. 
 
 camp out for weeks. Many of these are people who live in 
 luxury at home, who have become weary of Newport, Sara- 
 toga, and Nahant, and come out " to rough it." Some " satisfy 
 the sentiment" in a single trip, others repeat the excursion 
 year after year, until the men become passable woodsmen, and 
 the women right good squaws. 
 
 Nor. Fishing and philandering, I think, are very opposite 
 amusements. I don't like to mix them; and meeting any num- 
 ber of town folks amongst such places and scenes as I have 
 heard Walter describe, would seem to me like an untimed 
 intrusion. 
 
 Nes. I think it rather adds to the charm when one can 
 take his wife and children on such an excursion ; that is, if be 
 
DIBS PISCATORIiB. 
 
 556 
 
 18 not so ardent a sportsman that it interferes with his huntina 
 and fishing. Still, I confess. I was somewhat shocked al 
 times to find the Adirondacks so hackneyed; the "carries" 
 from one lake to another, as you go from Martin's to the Ea- 
 quette are well-worn roads, and at two of them there are 
 wagons to convey canoes and baggage across. The little out- 
 let of Stony Creek Pond which flows into the Raqnette, and 
 the Eaquette itself, are so much travelled in the month of 
 August as to suggest the idea of "the raging canawl." I 
 recollect on one occasion, after Walter and I had been fore- 
 stalled at several good fly-casts by some rough bait-fishers 
 bound for the Eaquette, that we came to the mouth of Am- 
 phusand Brook, and thought we would have a good, quiet 
 lonely time. Our guides put our boats within easy cast of the 
 best places, the Trout were dimpling the water all around 
 and we had made a few successful casts, " when faint from 
 further distance borne, was heard the clang"_of something 
 like a canal tin horn, and looking up towards the head of 
 Stony Creek Pond, a boat rounded the point, a flag flying at 
 the bow, and two red-shirted "Bowery-boy" looking fellows 
 in the middle of it, approached us flourishing an empty 
 bottle, and singing Old Dan Tucker.-" Oh solitude, where v.ve 
 thy charms?" exclaimed Walter mournfully, winding up his 
 line, while I sat down as Major Jack Dade of Virginia^says 
 " in the most pi-ignant grief." We gave up fishing and went 
 back to Stephen Martin's, where we had engaged lodgings for 
 the night. 
 
 Joe. I have heard that hunting is as great an inducement 
 to go to the Adirondacks as fishing. 
 
 Nes. It is with most persons; a friend who encamped for 
 nearly a month on Wolf Pond, beyond the Eaquette, last 
 September, had a fresh deer hanging before his tent-door 
 every day. If a person has a guide who is a good hunter 
 
 lit 
 
566 
 
 AMERICAN ANOLER'S UOUK. 
 
 and dogs to drive tbem into lake or river, it requires very 
 little skill on his part to get venison ; and a man who is a 
 very poor shot will sometimes start from Martin's and return 
 in a few days with two or three deer, for when they are 
 driven into into the water, there is very little chance of their 
 escape, if the hunter is watching near the place where they 
 go in ; or in " shining" them either, for the guide silently 
 paddles you up almost close enough to catch the victim by 
 the tail ; and then there is some chance of shooting the guide 
 or the dog, or yourself in the excitement of the moment, or 
 the guide has to knock the deer on the head with a club, if 
 you don't kill him. When Martin wants venison, he sends 
 any of the guides who may be lounging about the house off 
 on a drive. Here is a rough copy of one of my artist's 
 sketches. 
 
 Job. Of course there are anglers who are not less verdant 
 than the hunters ? 
 
 Nes. Anglers! — hand me that ale, I'm dry, talking so 
 much — Why it does not require angling to catch Lake 
 Trout, for in trolling the guide rows you over the fish, and 
 when one lays hold you must reel him in and take him off as 
 a matter of course. If you fish the rapids when the Brook 
 
I>I«8 PISCATOKIa. 
 
 667 
 
 Trout are there, or stop at the mouth, of aorae of the cool 
 br^k, where they co.leet ae the ™m™r advances, y u h.v 
 
 heir hilhT """ "Tr ''""■ ""•' '^- ^ ™ P™- »« 
 their hitching on, and then a ,„«„ who catches a basket fnlT 
 
 may be an angler, or a raere fisherman 
 
 on^-tkefrtthi" ';:t '^^ '"^^''™ -"^""^^ 
 
 ;- a. ConroyrZ oL^f^. rit" 
 What, are you a fishermflT. ?" a„jj *i, , ^"ppea in. 
 
 nsherman ? said the good man, in surprise 
 No, I am an angler," replied the Doctor " WpH w 
 the difference *>" »aVo^ ^u • °^^°^- ^«'^ what is 
 
 to Mr r \ ' 'l^'"''- '^^^ ^«°t«r referred him 
 
 to M. Conroy (so goes the story) for an explanation. " Wh " 
 
 d tr' T''""': '-''-'-'y ^i^^i"g between his tr^b 
 and forefinger the two dollar note that the Doctor had laid 
 on the counter, and dropping it into the till as if i t w n 
 contam nate him—" An an„i c- ' * ^^^"^^ 
 
 anific, fi , an, he j^. mosjiy a ;:L:::e;irvr:„:! 
 
 man. A fisherman, S.r, uses any kind of 'ooks and l"^ 
 and ^.ches them any way, so he gets them it's all one to ^ 
 
 gunner The man smiled, and looked at the Doctor inonir 
 ."gly, to see if he endorsed the distinction drawn by m" 
 
 JOE^ Speaking of distinguished gentlemen, who is Mr 
 Jack Dade that talks about "pi.i^nantirrief?" T u\l 
 whoi„,„i,ed "Who is thel;M:Da;: L .;^^^^™^ 
 alluded to so often in his sermon?" " "'""'^' 
 
668 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 Nes. The same, though a very diflferent kind of person 
 from the one you may have in your mind's eye ; besides, he is 
 not " Mister," he is Major Jack Dade. He is or was, for I don't 
 know that he is alive now, one of "the first gentlemen of Vir- 
 ginia, sir" ; a relic of that ancient order who were the last to 
 leave off blue coat, buff waistcoat, and drab trousers ; who 
 were "aufaif in politics and card-playing, bacon, mutton, 
 Madeira, and old whiskey; and could tell you the pedigree of 
 every race-horse between tide-water and Blue Ridge ; besides 
 being pretty well satisfied with their own pedigree. Jack was 
 one of them ; but with all his early advantages, as his father 
 used to say of him, " he couldn't take larningy Major Dade 
 was a captain at the battle of Bladensburg, " sir." General 
 Winder sent him with his company through an extensive 
 cornfield to reconnoitre the British brig Vulture, then lying 
 in the Potomac, and he would have made a successful recon- 
 noissance if it had not been for the panic which seized his 
 militia. In telling the story. Major Jack say.-* they thought 
 they heard the British troops stealing upon them, when it 
 was only the north-west wind rustling the dry tops of the 
 " kaun,^^ and, as a matter of course, when they ran, he had to 
 follow them, "sir." The major is opposed to all kinds of inno- 
 vations, especially improved farming and imported cattle. He 
 condemns short horns and Berkshire hogs, affirming posi- 
 tively that there is no bacon so good as that made from an 
 old-fashioned " fiddle-faced hog " 
 
 Nor. I think I saw him onuj at the town of Warrenton, 
 and that he came with Charley Randolph, another old relic, 
 in a coach and four; though, by the b,-. the ;;.)io which was 
 a little the wor.se for wear, had but three horses to it, and 
 there was a calf-skin stretched across the back of the coach 
 (the tail hanging down) to keep out the weather. The old gen- 
 tleman struck me as being fond of a noise, for I never saw a 
 
DIES PISOATORI^. 
 
 669 
 
 man crack a whip like him, or respond as loudly in church. 
 What story was that Sam Chilton told us of Jack Dade, inter- 
 rupting Charley at his morning devotions? 
 
 Nks. Sam was always telling stories about somebody. I 
 suppose you refer to what occurred once when Jack stayed at 
 Charley's all night. The host next morning, like a good 
 churchman, was reading prayers to the collected household 
 and Jack, who got up a little too late, entered the dining' 
 room without noticing the devotional attitude of the family 
 but seeing the bunch of min^ the sugar-bowl, and decanter 
 set out as usual, made a straight line for the sideboard. When 
 Charley, seeing his mistake, raised his eyes from the book 
 and said, "Hold on, Jack. I'll join you preser.tly." The ser- 
 vice over, the julep followed as a matter of course. 
 
 Nor. Speaking of Sam Chilton, your continual digressions 
 remind me of a reply he made to a speech of Henry A. Wise, 
 at a Virginia State Convention, some years ago. In debating 
 some question, Wise sat down after a fiery speech, in which 
 there was a great deal of declamation, and very little logic Sam 
 rose, and takin. ^ an old quid from his mouth, and dropping, it 
 softly on the floor, said he had asked Mr. Wise for argumlnt, 
 and he gave him only words; for facts, and he had given him' 
 declamation. The gentleman's speech reminded him of 
 Falstaff's tavern-bill, "Sack, five shillings and sixpence; 
 bread, a half-penny." I have asked you to tell us about fish- 
 ing in the Adirondacks, but you have told us very little 
 about it, and talked of almost anything else. What was 
 the greatest number and weight offish you killed in a day ? 
 
 Nes. You led me into this digression yourself, by your ' 
 confounded questions. I have already said that I was there 
 ut an unflivorable time for fishing. Trolling in the lakes is 
 over by the middle of June, and the Brook Trout have gene- 
 rally left the rapids by that time. I have been told, though, 
 
560 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 that thirty pounds have been taken by a single rod in the 
 rapids on the Raquotte in a forenoon in the latter part of 
 May, and as much as fifty pounds in the outlet of the Lower 
 Saranac, where Bodgers and Cold Brook come in. 
 Job. What was the size of the largest you killed? 
 Nbs. I did not take any that exceeded a pound and a half. 
 The largest I caught were at the mouths of Bodgers and Cold 
 Urook, where they come into the outlet. Our friend H K B 
 killed fish a few days after at the mouths of some sprin. 
 brooks that come into the Baquette. below Fish Hawk and 
 Setting.Pole Rapids, that weighed over two pounds. He was 
 not as successful at the mouth of Bog River, which tumbles 
 m at the upper end of Tupper's Lake, where he had such fine 
 sport five or six years ago; but that was in September, when 
 the Trout collect again in the rapids, after having, deserted 
 them during the heat of summer. There were several parties 
 encamped at Tupper's Lake in the early part of last June and 
 those who fished with the fly had fine sport at Bog River 
 Falls, while those who trolled, took Lake Trout as large as 
 ten and twelve pounds. 
 
 Job. How do you get into the Baquette River from Mar- 
 tins? 
 
 Nbs. Hand me that pocket-map, and I'll show you You 
 see there are three lakes, they are all connected by a stream 
 of moderate size ; the eastern is the Lower Saranac, the south- 
 ern, Round Lake, and the western, the Upper Saranac. You 
 observe, also, that there are three ponds still further west • 
 these are the Stony Creek Ponds, and from one of them a' 
 small stream of the same name flows, with gentle current into 
 the Raquette. The first portage or "carry" is at the upper 
 end of the Lower Saranac, about six miles from Martin's- the 
 next at the outlet of the Upper Saranac, three or four miles 
 further on; and the last is between the western side of the 
 
DIK8 PISCATORIJB. 
 
 set 
 
 getting Tli7 ^ "'■'"""■ ''"P'"8 "'"''=■■ " 'oof, ami 
 geuing a good supper, you will aim, „t q. i, w 
 
 H. K. B. killed a Trn„. f ^ ""^ ^^^"^ ^"^l^ 
 
 by. When you ememe ilto ,r p "^'^ ^"^ P"^' 
 
 ™.e, fro™ winiarsr """"" '"" °" '"""'^ ■ 
 
 The Raquette is a quiet, dark river wifl, „ 
 
 - - .. , ,. ,\,,, , ^z:::;:^;^ 
 
 and flows north mto the St. Lawrenee, above Lake St T 
 It « about fifteen ™iles fr„„ the e„t an^ of stn ',f T"' 
 Tuppe.3 Lake, which eonneetswith tZZtZi^'^ '" 
 outlet. If you are no. p.pared to ca.np ou^u an'Z 
 aocon,™«,at,ons at Stetson', „„ the Baquett, about two 
 miles this side of the lake. 
 
 Tupper's Lake is a beautiful sheet of water with pretty 
 islands, but vou havp n^t *i.^ i j-, . preuy 
 
 peaks of fhP T^- T T 'P^'"^'^ ^^"^ ^^ *^« «harp 
 
 P rt of tV T ^'"l^'^^^'^' -^-h ^- get from almost any 
 part of the I^^ver Saranac, for you have passed to the west 
 and beyond that range of mountains ' 
 
 36 
 
I 
 
 I 
 
 562 
 
 AMBRICAM AlfOLBR'8 BOOK. 
 
 Thia region of country is much frequented by artists, and 
 some fine pictures f real and supposed scenes in the Adiron- 
 d/M ka hav'^ been painted. () niy return home, I had the 
 agree.able company, for the gixater part of the way, of our 
 young sculptor friend Q. W. and his wife. They had gone 
 in from Crown Point, and came down Long Lake and the 
 Raqtictte to Stony Brook, and then by way of the Saranacs to 
 Martin's, loitering on the way, the trip occupying about ten 
 
 days. 
 
 Joe. Are there any other fish of the Salmon family in the 
 Adirondacks besides Lake and Brook Trout? 
 
 Nks. There is a species of Goregonus, or Whiteflsh, in the 
 Saranacs, similar to those known as Lake Herring in the larger 
 lakes. I did not see any of them, but was told that their 
 average size is not over eight inches, which is even smaller 
 than the Laverett and Gwynaid taken in the lakes of Scot- 
 land. They do not rise at a fly, however, or take a bait. 
 When we made the short portage on the stream connecting 
 ' the Lower Saranac with Round Lake, my guide pointed out 
 an eddy below the rapid, where, he said, he has taken five or 
 six barrels of them in a few days, with a "lift-net," when 
 they collect there to spawn, which is in November. They 
 are sent to market frozen, and are highly esteemed for their 
 delicate flavor. I have never heard of these fish being taken 
 in the lakes of Hamilton County, or in those that connect 
 with the Raquette. 
 
 Nor. I thought all the fish of the Salmon Umiy \i..ald 
 
 take a bait or rise at a fly. 
 
 Nk9. By no means ; you confound the family Salmonidse 
 V !; xhe genus Salvxo. The Salmon is the type of t!.e family 
 HB <r\ J t^' - genus. All that belong to the genus Salmo 
 fcrt vr vC. /-s fish; b"t the genus known as Goregonus which 
 

 DIES PISCATORIli, 
 
 668 
 
 embrnces all the Whitefish-lar 'e and 8n,J)--and of which 
 this littlo fish ia a spocies, are not predatory; they are peace- 
 able dwellers in the deeps of th6 lakes, except in the month 
 of November, wlum they come into the rapids to spawn. 
 Great numbers of them are no doubt devoured in the lakes 
 by the large Lake Trout. 
 
 Job. Why did you not take u tent and camp out, instead 
 of sl.-eping under-roof, after leaving Martins? 
 
 Nes. As Walter was lame it was more convenient to sleep 
 on bods, and unless these are buggy, as they frequently are 
 m the houses of the settlers, I prefer sleeping in-doors. It is 
 always necessary to camp out, when you wish to enjoy all 
 the advantages of a favorite hunting-station, and then it is 
 well to be provided with a mosquito-net if you go before 
 August; after that time you are not annoyed with black flies, 
 and there are then but few mosquitos. 
 
 Joe. So you think camping out is not so much a matter 
 of comfort as of sentiment, as you call it I 
 
 Nks. It is like angling—with some persons a mere matter 
 of fancy. Washington Irving, in one of his sketches, describes 
 a fishing party, which included himself; these gentlemen 
 thought they were in love with angling, from reading Isaac 
 Walton, forgetting that like "reading and writing," as Dog- 
 berry says, it "comes by nature." They provided themselves 
 with Trout-rods, reels, artificial flies, &c., and started. After 
 poking through the bushes and floundering along a rough 
 little mountain stream all day. and damaging their fine tackle 
 without catching any fish, and having "satisfied the senti- 
 ment," they met with a country lad, his trousers rolled up. 
 an alder-pole with its rough horsehair line in one hand, and 
 in the other a liandsomo string of Trout. 
 
 JOK. "Some men are born great"- there are natural 
 
564 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 anglers and natural hunters ; but " what boots it." who have 
 we here, sitting on a stump ? 
 
 Nks. That is a natural hunter, my young guide, Reubeu 
 Reynolds, watching for deer. 
 
re 
 
 }ij 
 
 FLY-FISHJNG ALONE. 
 
"To him who in the love of iiuture holds 
 Communion with her visible foruia, slie speaks 
 A various language ; for his gayer liuiiis, 
 •?lio has a voice of gladness, and u smile, 
 And eloiiuence of beauty, and she glides 
 Into his darlier musings, with a mild 
 And healing symiiafliy, that steals away 
 Their sharpness ere he is aware." 
 
 Brtant. 
 
FLY-FISHING iiLONE. 
 sensation it p„Le™ fa '; ""^ "^ ™8ler, however, the 
 
 This is wliv h^ 1 "^^'^^ ^^ *^ie mountain torrent. 
 
 -/pi-; '::rr:tr :;--.» 
 
 usual haunts of „e„, ,„a wander alone bv he t ""' 
 
 Ms flies over its bright waters ■ orVnt , ' '^''"^ 
 
 '1- unruffled surfa^ oHh in a 't """ '° ''"" 
 
 e-s to his ear but the wiid :'"; *;: 7 ^~1 
 where no human form is seen but hi, ' ""*' 
 
 glassj water. '"' """■ '"'""'^^ i" the 
 
 dara-U^hl^e^f : t , ■ ^ ""'^f '^ '"^^ "' '^^^ - -"^^ ^ 
 
 anoe of resources within hin.elf t "e t al d /7' """■ 
 may arise. difficulties that 
 
 roator:a::.:;:hZ;:::rh;::rb"'^ -- ''-^ 
 
 summer before. When he «on= t . , ' "'" 
 
 ing." he recalls tl.; 1.1 . '^ ■■'" "' ""^ " >"U'i ele.,r. 
 
 h-e„, ofte iirtriZu^r; "" ? "-^ -^ '™- 
 — -^"vedonttoti:?^^::-^:,:::;: 
 
 (507) 
 
 ,' ,|j 
 
 lir'i'F 
 
 ■iil 
 if 
 
668 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 ruminates on the extinction, or silent removal of these child- 
 ren of the forest, he may think of the simple eloquent words 
 of the chief to his companions, the last he uttered : "I will 
 die, and you will go home to your people, and, as you go 
 along, you will see the flowers, and hear the birds sing ; but 
 Pushmuttaha will see them and hear them no more; and 
 when you come to your people they will say, 'Where is Push- 
 muttaha?' and you will say, 'He is dead:' then will your 
 words come upon them, like the falling of the great oak in the 
 stillness of the woods.'''' 
 
 As he resumes his walk and crosses the little brook that 
 " goes singing by," he remembers what he has read of the 
 Turks, who built their bowers by the falling water, that they 
 might be lulled by its music, as they smoked and dreamed of 
 Paradise. But when the hoarse roar of the creek, where it 
 surges against the base of the crag it has washed for ages, 
 strikes his ear, or he hears it brawling over the big stones, his 
 step quickens, and his pulse beats louder— he is ro true 
 angler if it does not— and he is not content until he gets a 
 glimpse of its bright rushing waters at the foot of the hill. 
 
 Come forth, my little rod—" a better never did itself support 
 upon" an anglers urw,— and let us rig up here on this pebbly 
 shore! The rings are in a line, and now with this bit of 
 waxed silk we take a few hitches backward and forward over 
 the little wire loops which point in opposite directions at the 
 ends of the ferules, to keep the joints from coming apart ; for 
 it would be no joke to throw the upper part of the rod out of 
 the butt ferule, and have it sailing down some strong rift. 
 The reel is on underneath, and not on top, as those Bass- 
 fishers have it, who are always talking of Fire Island, New- 
 port, and Narragansett Bay. 
 
 What shall my whip be ? The water is full, I'll try a red 
 hackle, its tail tipped with gold tinsel ; for my dropper, I'll 
 
DIBS PISCAT0R1\«! 
 
 669 
 
 put on a good sized coachman with lead-colored wings, and 
 as soon as I get a few handsful of grass, to throw in the 
 bottom of my creel, I'll button on my landing-net and cross 
 over, with the help of this stick of drift-wood, for it is pretty 
 strong wading just here. Do you sea that rift, and the flat 
 rock at the lower end of it which just comes above the sur- 
 face of the water, and divides the stream as it rushes into the 
 pool below? There's fishing in rift and pool both; so I'll 
 begin at the top of the rift, if I can get through these alders. 
 Go in, my little rod, point foremost; T would not break thnt 
 tip at this time to save the hair on my head ;— hold ! that 
 twig has caught my dropper— easy, now,— all clear— through 
 the bushes at last. 
 
 When I was here last July, and fished the pool below, there 
 was no rift above, the water hardly came above my ankles; 
 now it is knee-deep ; if there was less it would be better for the 
 pool ; but it makes two casts now, where there was only one 
 last summer, and I have no doubt there is a pretty fellow by 
 the margin of the strong water, on this side of the rock,— an 
 easy cast, too,— just about eight yards from the end of my 
 tip. Not there— a little nearer the rock. What a swirl ! He 
 did not show more than his back ; but he has my hackle. I 
 had to strike him, too, for he took it under water like a bait— 
 they will do so when the stream is full. Get out of that cur- 
 rent, my hearty, and don't be flouncing on top, bui keep un- 
 derneath, and deport yourself like an honest, fail fighter ! 
 There you are, now, in slack water ; you can't last long, tug- 
 ging at this rate ; so come along, to my landing-net ; it's no 
 use shaking your head at me ! What a shame to thrust my 
 thumb under that rosy gill ! but there is no help for it, for 
 you might give me the slip as I take the hook out of your 
 mouth, and thrust you, tail-foremost, into the hole of my creel. 
 You are my first fish, and you know you are my luck; so I 
 
 n 
 
 i»i 
 
570 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 would not lose you even if you were a little fellow of seven 
 inches, instead of a good half-pound. I imbibed that super- 
 stition, not to throw away my first fish, when I was a boy, 
 iind have never got rid of it. Now, tumble about as much as 
 you please ; you have the whole basket to yourself. 
 
 Another cast — there aught to be more fish there. lie rose 
 short, — a little longer line — three feet more will do it— ex- 
 actly so. Gently, my nine-incher 1 Take the spring of the rod 
 for a minute or so — here you are ! Once more, now. How 
 the "young 'un" jum^w ! I'll throw it to him until he learns 
 to catch ; there, he has it. No use reeling in a chap of your 
 size, but come along, band-over-hand ; I'll release you. Go, 
 now, and don't rise at a fly again until you are over nine 
 
 inches. 
 
 Not a fly on the water ! So I have nothing to imitate, even 
 if imitation were necessary. Take care! that loose stone 
 almost threw me. I'll work my way across the current, and 
 get under the lee of that boulder, and try each side of the 
 rift where it runs into the pool below the flat rock. Not a 
 fish in the slack water on this side • they are looking for grub 
 and larv,^ in the rift. Now, how would you like my coach- 
 man, by way of a change of diet ? There's a chance for you 
 
 try it. Bosh I he missed it ; but he is not pricked. Once 
 
 more. Oh, ho I is it there you are, my l>eauty ? Don't tear 
 that dropper oft'. Hold him tight, O'Shaughnessy ; you are 
 the greatest hook ever invented. How he runs the line out, 
 and plays off into the swift water ! It would be rash to check 
 l-.im now ; but I'll give him a few feet, and edge him over 
 to the side of the rift where there is slack water. That's bet- 
 ter ; now tug away, while I recover some of my line. You 
 are off into the current again, arj you? but not so wicked. 
 The click on this reel is too weak, by half— he gives in 
 now, and is coning along, like an amiable, docile fish, as he 
 
DIE8 PISCATOttI 
 
 M. 
 
 671 
 
 .». Wh.zl «rhy, what', the matter, now? Has "the devil 
 kicked htm on end?" as my friend with the " tarry breeks" 
 has It He has taken but two or three yards of line, though 
 How he hugs the bottom, and keeps the main channel I Well' 
 to can t last much longer. Here he comes now, with a heavJ 
 drag, and a d,stressi„g strain on my middle joint; and now 
 I .ee h.m d.mly, as I get him into the eddy; but there's 
 somethmgtuggmg a. the tail.fly. Yes, I have a brace of 
 
 Irirt T r""'' '" *" '''^' ^^''^ "»'' *^ «'"bbor„ 
 groping for the botton,. What a clever way of trolling 1 to 
 
 get an obhg,„g Trout to take your dropper, and go sa lin! 
 around w«h four feet of gut, and a handsome stretcher at th: 
 
 lucky fellow hooks htmself in the side of his mouth. How 
 
 shall I get the pair into my basket? There is no way but 
 
 reeUng close up, and getting the lower one into my net firs, 
 
 nd Aen wth another dip to secure the fish on the droppe,^: 
 
 but u must be done gently. So-well done; threcqnart ^ 
 
 of a pound to be credited to the dropper, and a half.pl,nd to 
 
 he stretcher-toul, one pound and a quarter. That will d„ 
 
 or the present. So I'll sit down on that flat rock and light my 
 
 dudeen, and try the remainder of the water presently FU 
 
 CtZ;:: '"' '-'- *-- '-- "^"■"-"^ «^" "'f- ^ 
 
 These are som. of the incidents that the lone fly.fisher 
 
 ZsTeT °7f"r"« ''»^' -^ ""= *eams and anticipa- 
 ,.ons he has .ndulged ,n through the long gloomy winter are 
 ..par reahzed. -Beal joy," some one has said, L « a seriou 
 'h.ng,» and the solitary angler proves it conclusively to h m 
 self. He .s not tmubled that some ardent youn. brotherTf 
 ■>.e rod may fish ahead of him, and disturb L ^ate ito 
 ™,hng h,mself of all the chances; or that a more dis re 
 compamon may pass by some of the pools and rifts withou 
 
572 
 
 AMERICAN ANOLKR'8 BOOK. 
 
 bestowing the attention on them they deserve; but in perfect 
 quietude, and confidence in his ability to meet every conUn- 
 gency that may occur, he patiently and leisurely tries all the 
 places that offer fair. What if he does get hung up m a 
 projecting branch of some old elm. that leans over the water? 
 he does not swear and jerk his line away, and leave his flies 
 dan.^ling there-it is a difficulty that will bring into play his 
 inge°nuity. and perhaps his dexterity in climbing, and he sets 
 about recovering his flies with the same patient steadiness of 
 purpose that Caesar did in building his bridge, or that 
 possessed Bonaparte in crossing the Alps, and feels as much 
 satisfaction as either of those great generals, in accomplish- 
 
 ing his ends. 
 
 If he takes "an extraordinary risk." as underwriters call it, 
 in casting under boughs that hang within a few feet of the 
 water, on the opposite side of some unwadeable rift or pool, 
 and his stretcher should fasten itself in a tough twig, or his 
 dropper grasp the stem of an obstinate leaf, he does not give 
 it up in despair, or, consoling himself with the idea that he 
 has plenty of flies and leaders in his book, pull away and 
 leave his pet spinner and some favorite hackle to hang there 
 as a memento of his temerity in Casting so near the bushes. 
 Far from it; he draws sufficient line off his reel and through 
 the rincrs to give slack enough to lay his rod down, marking 
 well where his flies have caught, and finds some place above 
 or below where he can cross; then by twisting with a forked 
 stick or drawing in the limb with a hooked one, he releases 
 his leader, and throws it clear off into the water, that he may 
 re-ain it when he returns to his rod, and reels in his line ; or 
 he°outs it off and lay i it carefully in his fly-book, and then 
 recrosses the river. A fig for the clearing-ring and rod-scythe 
 and all such cockney contrivances, he never cumbers his 
 pockets with them. Suppose he does break his rod-he sits 
 
DIRg PISCATORI/B. 
 
 678 
 
 patiently down and splices it. If the fracture is a compound 
 one. and it would shorten the piece too much to splice it, he 
 resorts to a sailor's device, and fahea the stick, by binding a 
 couple of flat pieces of hard wood on each side. 
 
 Captain Marryatt, in one of his books, says, a man's whole 
 litotime is spent in getting into scrapes and getting out of 
 tnem. This is very much the case with the fly-fisher, and he 
 nnould always curb any feeling of haste or undue excitement, 
 remembering at such times, that if he loses his temper he is 
 apt to lose his fish, and sometimes his tackle also. 
 
 My neighbor asked me once if Trout-fishing was not a very 
 unhealthy amusement— he thought a man must frequently 
 have damp feet. Well, it is, I answered ; but if he gets wet 
 up to his middle at the outset, and has reasonable luck, there is 
 
 uo healthier recreation. But I have sat here long enough. 
 
 Ill fill my pipe again and try the head of that swift water— 
 If this confounded war lasts a year longer "Lynchburg" will 
 go up to three dollars a pound, but it will be cheap then 
 compared with those soaked and drugged segars that are 
 imposed upon us for the "Simon- Pure," under so many cap- 
 tivating names. At all events this is what it professes to be, 
 
 good homely tobac Whe-e-euh! What a dash I and how 
 
 strong and steady he pulls; some old fellow "with moss on 
 his back," from under that log, no doubt of it. Is it line you 
 want?— take it, eight— ten-fifteen feet— but no more if you 
 please. How he keeps the middle of the rift ! Don't tell me 
 about the "grace of the curve," and all that sort of thing; if 
 the bend of this rod isn't the line of beauty I never saw it 
 before, except of course in the outline of a woman's drapery. 
 Speaking of lines, I'll get a little of this in as I lead the fellow 
 down stream, even at the risk of disturbing the swim below. 
 It is the best plan with a large fish ; I have Sir Humphrey 
 Davy's authority for it, although I believe with Fisher, of the 
 
674 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 " Angler'* Souvenir," that he was more of a philosopher than 
 an angler. Talk of "dressing for dinner," when the fish are 
 rising ! Steady and slow, my boy, you are giving in at last- 
 two pounds and a half or not an ounce 1 now I see you "as 
 through a glass, darkly"-a little nearer, my beauty-Bah ! 
 what a fool I am! here a fish of a half-pound ha.s hooked 
 himself amidship, and of course offeri,, .• five times the resist- 
 ance he would if fairly hooked in the mouth, and no damage 
 to his breathing apparatus while fighting, either; for he 
 keeps his wind all the while. If he had been regularly 
 harnessed, he could not have pulled with more advantage to 
 himself and greater danger to my tackle in this rough Wf.ter. 
 I thought I had been deceived in this way -ften enough to 
 know when a fish was hooked foul. 
 
 Now I call it strong wading coming down through that 
 dark ravine; I must take a rest and put on a fresh dropper. 
 And so my friend asked me if it was not vc-v lonesome, fish- 
 ing by myself. Why these little people of the woods are 
 much better company than folks who continually bore you 
 with the weather, and the state of their stomachs or livers, 
 and what they ate for breakfast, or the price of gold, or the 
 stock-market, when you have forgotten whether you have 
 a liver or not, and don't care the toss of a penny what the 
 price of gold is; or whether "Reading" is up or down. 
 Lonesome !-It was only just now the red squirrel came 
 down the limb of that birch, whisking his bushy tail, and 
 chattering almost in my face. The mink, as he snufted the 
 fish-tainted air fiom my old creel, came out from his hole 
 amongst the rocks and ran along within a few feet of me. 
 Did he take my old coat to be a part of this rock, covered 
 with lichens and gray mosses? I recollect once in the diu 
 twilight of evening, a doe with her fawns came down to the 
 stream to drink; I had the wind of her, and could see into 
 
DIBS PISCAT0RIJ5. 
 
 675 
 
 her great motherly eyes as she raised her head. A moment 
 Hince the noisy king-fisher poised himself on the dead branch 
 of the hemlock, over my left shoulder, as if he would peep 
 into the hole of my fish-basket. The little warbler san.. in 
 the alders close by my old felt hat, as if he would burst" his 
 swelling throat with his loud glad song. Did either of them 
 iaiow that I am of a race whose first impulse is to throw a 
 stone or shoot a gun at them? And the sparrow-hawk 
 on that leaflets spray extending over the water, sitting 
 there as grave and dignified as a bank president when you 
 ask him for a discount; is he aware that I can tap him on 
 the head with the tip of my rod ?_These are some of the 
 simple incidents on the stream, which afterwards awaken 
 memories, 
 
 " That like voices from afar off 
 Call to us to pause and listen, 
 Speak in tones so plain and childlike, 
 Scarcely can the ear distinguish 
 Whether they are sung or spoken." 
 
 But I must start for the open water below— What a glo 
 rious haze there is just now. and how demurely the world's 
 great eye peeps through it ! Trout are not very shy though 
 before the middle of May, even when the sun is bright ° I 
 have sometimes taken my best fish at high noon, at this 
 season of the year.-I am as hungry as a horsefly, thou-di it 
 IS only "a wee short hour ayont the twal." So I'll unslinc 
 my creel by that big sycamore, and build my fire in the 
 hollow of it. If I burn it down there will be no action for 
 trespass in a wooden country like this. 
 
 What boys are those crossing the foot-log? I'll press 
 them into my service for awhile, and make them brin- wood 
 for my fire. I know them now ; the larger one has cause to 
 remember me " with tears of gratitude." for I bestowed 
 
576 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 on him last summer a score of old flies, a used-up lender, 
 and a limp old nxl. TIo (jfTorod mo tlio liberal sum of two 
 sliillings for the very implement I have in my hand now; 
 and to buy throe flies from me at four cents apiece. — Halloo, 
 Paul ! what have you done with the rod I gave you — caught 
 many Trout with it this season ? Come over the creek, yuu 
 and your brother, and get me some dry wood, and gather a 
 handful or two of the furze from that old birch to light it with. 
 I'll give you a pair of flies — real gay ones. 
 
 Dining alone may be counted almost the only drawback to 
 one's taking a day to himself, and you are glad of any stray 
 native who is attracted by the smoke of your fire. Your 
 whiskey is beyond a perad venture, better than he has in liis 
 cupboard at home: he is invariably out of tobacco — a chew or 
 a pipeful, and a swig at your flask, will make him communi- 
 cative. If he has not already dined, he will readily accept a 
 roasted Trout and a piece of bread and butter, and while eat- 
 ing will post you as to all the Trout-streams within ten miles. 
 
 It is, therefore, a matter of policy to cultivate the good 
 feeling of the natives, the boys especially, as stones are 
 of very convenient size along the creek to throw at a surly 
 fisherman. A few of "Conroy's journal -flies," which have 
 
0IB8 PinCAtORI, 
 
 «T 
 
 occap,„d the Lack l„„ve, uf y„„r fl^.b„„k (or lo„g y„„™ .„ 
 
 o.,r you ,„„„t w..h, will a,k you .„ .,..|1 .,,o,n "a pa^r of fly. 
 l-k», wh,oh of .our* „,„„, ,„ ^„„ i,. ,,,^^ ; «> 
 
 - «o ...t a. a li..,e the wor,o fo, wear or to! gav for y™ 
 own use. ® " /""^ 
 
 If the fly.fi»her, though, would have ..»«,ie.y where none 
 ...ruue," or ««=iety that ^U intrude, let hi,„ Le a lad "f 
 e„ or twelve along to ea.y hia dinner, and to relieve hh 
 
 cZ to thT' '^'.™""''"""« "-' "f ">e content, „f hi, 
 creel to the empty dmner-basket. The garrulity and oueer 
 que, .on, o a country boy of thi, age are am«,ing, when you 
 
 -crr,,.hi,,4;:;ii:ii^^^^^^^^^ 
 
 It there z, an objection to a Trout-roast it i. th . 
 ^U too ™uch, and feel, ,„.y ..er dinner™!"! : Xr; 
 
 What pretty bright Tront there are in 'thi, bold rookv 
 
 wri'iirbatr:^,;™;:^"'''--- 
 -™ared ya., wide, a ^L'';::':;:i7z:zc 
 
 Mf of .t, depth, and three-fourth, of it, width, at low tide 
 and „ bank full on .he flood. But ,peckled fello vl fke 
 •lice on't l.ve there. De Kay n,„,t have received , me 
 
 name of ionUnah,," and they are truly the Salmon of the 
 .oantarn; for a st^an. like thi, and i't, little tribuUrie,: 
 
578 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 whose fountains are everywhere amongst these rugged hiila, 
 are their proper home. What an ignorant fellow Poietes 
 was to ask Halieus if the red spots on a Trout were not 
 "marks of disease — a hectic kind of beauty?" Any boy 
 along the creek knows better. And what a pedantic old 
 theorist Sir Humphrey was, to tell him that the absence of 
 these spots was a sign of high condition. Well, it may be in 
 England, for the river Trout there, are a different species 
 from ours. But I'll bet my old rod against a bob-fly that 
 there is twice as much pluck and dash in our little fellows 
 with the "hectic" spots. I don't wonder that Trout like these 
 so inspired Mr. Barnwell, who wrote the "Game Fish of 
 the North," when, with his fancy in high feather, he mounted 
 his Pegasus and went oft^— "How splendid is the sport to 
 deftly throw the long line and small fiy, with the pliant 
 single-handed rod, and with eye and nerve on the strain, to 
 watch the loveliest darling of the wave, the spotted naiad, 
 dart from her mossy bed, leap high into the air, carrying the 
 strange deception in her mouth, and, turning m her flight, 
 plunge back to her crystal home." 
 
 Julius Cwsarl what "high-flying" Trout this gentleman 
 must have met with in his time. Now, I never saw a Trout 
 " dart from her mossy bed," because I never found Trout to 
 lie on a bed of that sort ; nor " leap high into the air, and 
 turning in her flight plunge back," as a fish-hawk does. In 
 fact, I may safely say I never saw a Trout soar more than 
 eight or ten inches above i!s "crystal home." I honor 
 " Barnwell" for the Anglomania which has seized him— he 
 has been inoculated with a good scab, and the virus has pene- 
 trated his system : but I can't help being reminded by his 
 description, of the eloquence of a member of a country 
 debating society in Kentucky, who commenced — "Happiness, 
 Mr. President, is like a crow situated on some far-distant 
 
DIBS PISCATORI^ 
 
 579 
 
 mountain, which the eager sportsman endeavors in vain to 
 no purpose to reproach." And concluded-" The poor man, 
 Mr. President, reclines beneath the shade of some wide- 
 .spreading and umbrageous tree, and calling his wife and the 
 rest of his httle children around him, bids their thoughts 
 mspire to scenes beyond the skies. He views Neptune, Plato, 
 Venus, and Jupiter, the Lost Pleides, the Auroly Bolyallis 
 and other fixed stars, which it was the lot of the immorral' 
 iNewton first to depreciate and then to deplore." 
 
 But a graj-headed man who cannot tie a decen' knot in his 
 casting.line without the aid of his spectacles, should forget 
 such nonsense. There is one consolation, however, that this 
 cJecay of natur." which brings with it the necessity for 
 g asses m seeing small objects within arm's length, gives in 
 like ratio, the power of seeing one's flies at a distance on the 
 water; there was old Uncle Peter Stewart who could knock 
 a pheasant's nead off at fifty yards with his rifle, and see a 
 gnat across the Beaverkill, when he was past sixty: 
 
 Here is the sun shining as bright now as if he had not 
 blinked at noon, and such weather, not too hot and not too 
 cold ; I n)ust acknowledge, though, my teeth did chatter this 
 morning when I waded across at the ford, 
 
 " Sweet day, so cool, so calm, so bright, 
 The bridal of the earth and sky ; 
 The dew shall weep thy fall to night, 
 For thoru must die." 
 
 I'll Start in here, for it appears there is always luck in the 
 pool or rift under the lee of the smoke whore one cooks his 
 Irout. It :s strange, too, for it seems natural that the smoke 
 ™ld drive the flies away, and as a consequence the fish get 
 out ofthe notion of rising. But no matter, here goes. Just 
 as I supposed, and a brace of them at the first cast Come 
 
580 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 ashore on the sloping gravel, my lively little fellows, — eight 
 and nine inches — the very size for the pan ; but who wants to 
 eat. fried Trout after cooking them under the ashes or on a 
 forked stick ? 
 
 There are no good fish here ; the water is not much more 
 than knee-deep, and they have no harbor amongst those sinail 
 pebble-stones. I have thrown in a dozen little fellows within 
 the last ten minutes. I'll go to the tail of that strong rift 
 below the saw-mill. The last time I fished it was when that 
 lean hungry-looking Scotchman came over here from Jim 
 Henry's; he had been sneaking through the bushes and 
 poaching all the little brooks around, where the fish had run 
 up to spawn, with his confounded worm-bait. This stream 
 was low then and the fish shy ; I had approached the end of 
 the rift carefully and wa& trying to raise them at long cast in 
 the deep water, when he— without even saying "by your 
 leave" — waded in within a few yards of where they were 
 rising, and splashed his buck-shot sinker and wad of worms 
 right amongst them. I said nothing, and he did not appear to 
 think that interfering with my sport so rudely was any breach 
 of good manners, or of the rules of fair fishing. A Scotch- 
 man, to catch Trout with a worm! Poor fel low ! his piscatory 
 education must have been neglected, or he belonged to that 
 school who brag only on numbers. I know a party of that 
 sort who come up here every summer from Easton and 
 bring a sauer-kraut stanner to pack their Trout in, and salt 
 down all they take without eating one, until they get home 
 They catch all they can and keep all they catch, great and 
 small. Bah 1 a poor little salted Trout — it tastes more like a 
 piece of "yaller soap" than a fish. Such fishermen are but 
 one remove from the bark peelers I found snaring and netting 
 Trout in the still water below here, last August. I can just see 
 their shanty from here. "Instruments of cruelty are in their 
 
DIBS PISCATORI^ 
 
 681 
 
 habitations. O my soul, come not thou into their secret ; unto 
 their assembly, mine honor, be not thou united I" 
 
 There is the sawyer's dog; if he comes much nearer I'll 
 psychologize him with one of these " dunnicks" ! But he turns 
 tail as soon as I stoop to pick one up. Now for it-just at 
 the end of the swift water-ah! my beauty-fifteen inches, 
 by all that is lovely I He threw his whole length out of water 
 —try it again- 1 can't raise him. This won't do. Am I 
 cold, or am I nervous, that I should shake like a palsied old 
 man because I missed that fish ? Fie on you, Mr. Nestor, you 
 who have run the rapids at the "Eough Waters" on the 
 Nipissiguit, in a birch canoe, with a Salmon at the end of 
 sixty yards of line, and your pipe in your mouth ; I thought 
 you had gotten past a weakness of this kind. But it will 
 only make bad worse, and convince that Trout of the cheat 
 to throw over him again; so I must leave him now, and get 
 back to the log on that sunny bank and compose myself with 
 a few whiffs, while I change my flies. It will be just fifteen ' 
 minutes until I knock the ashes out of my pipe ; by that time 
 my vaulting friend will likely forget the counterfeit I tried to 
 impose on him, if I offer him something else. 
 
 Now Dick gave me this for a meershaum, and I have no 
 doubt Mr. Doll sold it for one in good faith ; but it is a very 
 _ pale complected" pipe for one of that family. I have smoked 
 It steadily for a year, and there is only the slightest possible 
 tinge of orange about the root of the stem. It is hardly as 
 dark as this ginger hackle in my hat-band. However, it is 
 light, and carries a big charge for a pipe of its size, and the 
 shortness of the stem brings the smoke so comfortably under 
 the nose_a great desideratum in the open air. The pipe 
 must nave been instituted expressly for the fisherman ; it is 
 company when he is lonesome, and never talks when he wants 
 to oe quiet; it concentrates his ideas and assists his judgment 
 
''i 
 
 i'l 
 
 1 ! 
 
 582 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 when he discusses any important matter with himself, such 
 as the selection of a killing stretcher. No wonder the Indians 
 smoked at their council-fires; and, as for the nerves, I'll put 
 it against Mrs. Winslow's soothing syrup. What a pity it 
 is that infants are not taught to smoke 1 What shall my 
 stretcher be; that fish refused Hofland's Fancy ; now let me 
 try one of my own fancy. Here is something a great deal 
 prettier; a purple body in place of a snuff-brown, and light 
 wings from a lead-colored pigeon instead of a sober woodcock 
 feather. What a pretty fty— half sad, half gay in its attire, 
 like an interesting young widow, when she decides on shed- 
 ding her weeds, and " begins to talce notice." I'll change my 
 dropper also-here it is; body of copper-colored peacock 
 hurl, wings of the feather of an old brown hen, mottled with 
 yellow specks. What a plain homely look it has ; it reminds 
 me of "the Girl with the Calico Bress." You are not as showy, 
 my dear miss, as the charming little widow, but certain indi- 
 viduals of my acquaintance are quite conscious of your worth. 
 Let me see which of you will prove most attrax5tive to my 
 speckled friend. So here goes— two to one on the widow- 
 lost, by jingo! He looked at her and sailed slowly away. Has 
 he ever heard of the warning that the sage Mr. Weller gave 
 his son "Samivel ?" Perhaps, then, he will take a notion to 
 "the girl with the calico dress." Once more— now do take 
 care ! Ah ha ! my old boy, you would be indiscreet, after all, 
 and the widow has victimized you. Now she'll lead you a 
 dance! Don't be travelling off with her as if you were on 
 your wedding tour, for I know you would like to get rid of 
 her already; but there is no divorce beneath the water,— you 
 are mine, says she, " until death us do part I" 
 
 There you are, now! the three-minutes' fight has completely 
 taken the wind out of you. That's the last f ap of your tail ; 
 the widow has killed you " as dead as a mackerel." Acting 
 
DIBS PIStATORI^. 
 
 588 
 
 the gay Lothario, were you ? I know some scaly old fellows 
 who play the same game ashore, stealthily patronizing Mrs. 
 Allen, subsidizing the tailor, bootmaker, dentist, and barber, 
 and slyly endeavoring t.o take off a discount of twenty-five 
 per cent, from old Father Time's bill. But that won't do, for 
 folks of any discernment know at a glance those spavined, 
 short-winded, shaky old ^ellows, who trot themselves out, as 
 If they were done-up for the horse-market. Lie there my 
 Turveydrop, until I move down a little, and try under the 
 bushes, on the opposite side. 
 
 With this length of line I can just come close enough to 
 the alders to miss them. Dance lightly. my brown girl 
 and follow in her w^ke, dear widow, as I draw you hither- 
 ward. Ah, ha ! and so it is : there is one dashing fellow who 
 sees charms in your homely dress. How he vaults !-nine 
 rails, and a top rail! Did you ever know Turner Ashby? 
 Not Beau Turner-I mean Black Turner. Did he ever strad- 
 dle a bit of horse-flesh with more mettle? None of your 
 Conestogas. There he goes again ! How long have you be- 
 longed to the circus ? But he can't run all day at that gait ; 
 he begins to flag, at last, and here he is now, coming in on 
 the "quarter stretch." There you are. at last-died as game 
 as a Dominica chicken. Once more, now. I knew it.— And 
 again. 
 
 Three times i y brace of beauties have come tripping home 
 across the deep whirling rapid, and three bright Trout lie on 
 the gravel behind me. I begin at last to long for the sound 
 of some friendly voice, and the sight of a good-humored face. 
 I must keep my appointment with Walter at the foot-bridge; 
 so I am off. Some of the " Houseless" don't like this solitary 
 sport I know one of them who would as soon be guilty of 
 drinking alone ; but he is not a contemplative angler, and has 
 never realized how hungry some folks get through the winter 
 
584 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 for a little fishing. May-be he has never read what William 
 Howitt says, in his " Rural Life in England," about fishing 
 alone. It will come home to every quiet fly-fisher. See what 
 an unveiling of the heart it is, when the angler is alone with 
 Grod and Nature. 
 
 '• IV)])le that have not been innoculated with the true spirit 
 may wonder at the infatuation of anglers — but true anglers 
 leave them very contentedly to their wondering, and follow 
 their diversions with a keen delight. Many old men there 
 are of this class that have in them a world of science — not 
 science of the book, or of regular tuition, but the science of 
 actual experience. Science that lives, and will die with them ; 
 except it be dropped out piecemeal, and with the gravity be- 
 coming its importance, to some young neophyte who has won 
 their good graces by his devotion to their beloved craft. All 
 the mysteries of times and seasons, of baits, flies of every 
 shape and hue ; worms, gentles, beetles, compositions, or sub- 
 stances found by proof to possess singular charms. These 
 are a possession which they hold with pride, and do not hold 
 in vain. After a close day in the shop or factory, what a 
 luxury is a fine summer evening to one of these men, follow- 
 ing some rapid stream, or seated on a green bank, deep in 
 grass and flowers, pulling out the spotted Trout, or resolutely 
 but subtilely bringing some huge Pike or fair Grayling from 
 its lurking place beneath the broad stump and spreading 
 boughs of the alder. Or a day, a summer's day, to such a 
 man, by the Dove or the Wye, amid the pleasant Derbyshire 
 hills; by Yorkshire or Northumbrian stream; by Trent or 
 Tweed ; or the banks of Yarrow ; by Teith or Leven, with 
 the glorious hills and heaths of Scotland around him. Why. 
 such a day to such a man, has in it a life and spirit of enjoy ■ 
 meut to which the feelings of cities and palaces are dim. The 
 heart of such a man — the power and passion of deep felicity 
 
DIBS PISCATORI^. 
 
 585 
 
 cloud, that saU above, and storm, blustering and growling i„ 
 
 il^lfZ"" "" ""^"'^ """""'«--• '"» -"'-'«-'> 
 
 fold T. ?" "P"" l.im-Ebene.er Elliott only can un- 
 
 M. Te weight of the poor man. ,ife_the cre'of p„v. 
 
 iten r 2'"""~''""""" ■" ^ -^-^ "f «'-""y. »a trans. 
 
 lucent as the everlast.ng canopy of heaven above him -thev 
 
 om, hut he easts them off for the time, with the powe :, 
 
 around, strong in the knowledge that he is a man ■ an im 
 
 For that day he ,s more than a king-he has the heart of hu 
 ".an,ty, and faith and spirit of a saint. It is not th Id „nd 
 hne that floats before him-it is not the flowing water or 
 ZHrr)T »--'--«>- niomfnts of 'alt 
 
 monv of 1 """"■"' " ""'°' "' "•' '" of "^^ si- 
 
 mony of We and goodness written on everythin.- around 
 
 h.m wuh the pencil of Divine beauty. He is'no lo",, th! 
 
 weaned and oppressed-the trodden and despiscd-w: kl 
 
 in threadbare garments amid men, who scarcely dei.n JLk 
 
 oTed rhrei^v """"-""' '' ■■' ~"»v:ei' 
 
 msed to h.mself ,„ h,s own soul, as one of those puzdin! 
 a^pmng, and my.,terious existence. ,,. whom all this sp ef 
 
 n- gates. These arc magnificent sp, ,....s f„, „ ' 
 nghng carpenter or weaver; b„» ::oene.er Elliott JZl 
 
 us that they are his legitimate thoughts, when he can brel 
 or a st.„. the bonds of bis toiling age, and escape toTh 
 
 open aelds. Let us leave him dipping his line in the waters 
 
 of refreshing thought." 
 
 Thus writes William Hewitt But there is the foot-bridge 
 and here a.e my little friend, tbe Sand-pipers. How oiCn 
 
586 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 the fly-fisher sees them running along the pebbly margin of 
 the Trout stream (as Wilson truly says), " continually nod- 
 ding their heads;" sometimes starting with their peculiar 
 short shrill note, from their nests in the wave-washed tufts 
 of long grass, flapping along the creek sideways, as if 
 wounded in leg or wing, to decoy the fancied destroyer from 
 the nest of downy little snipelings. And there, where the 
 waters of the noisy rapid finds rest in the broad shallow 
 below, is one perched on a big gray boulder, as gray as her- 
 self. How lonely she seems there, like the last of her race, 
 were it not that her constant mate is on the strand below, 
 busily engaged picking up larva and seedling muscles for its 
 little ones in the nest up the creek. 
 
of 
 d- 
 ar 
 fts 
 if 
 >m 
 he 
 
 )W 
 
 ce, 
 its 
 
 THE ANGLER'S SABBATH. 
 
" The first men that our Bavlour dear 
 Did choose to wait upon lliiii here . 
 Pleet flHhere were, and AbIi tlie last 
 Food was that Ue on earth did taste; 
 
 1 therefore strive to follow those, 
 Whom He to follow Him hath choM." 
 Waitow. 
 
 .lAif!^*' 
 
THE ANGLER'S SABBATH. 
 
 rtow peacefully the Sabbath dawns on the weary angler f 
 Whether he is sojourning within sound of the hoarse break- 
 ers, or amongst the mountains of a rugged Trout country. 
 
 If at some ocean watering-place, after his refreshing bath 
 m the surf, and his breakfast, if there be no place of public 
 worship near, he whiles away the day as he best can. Strolling 
 along the sea-shore, picking up smooth-worn shells and bright 
 pebbles, and scaring the little snipe that follow the retreating 
 rollers to catch the marine insects thsy leave, or ply their 
 spindle-shanks shoreward, as they are chase.i up the beach 
 by the incoming surf. Or he walks along the bay-shore, 
 flushing the curlew and wiUet, and startling the colonies of 
 busy little fiddler crabs on the muddy flats, each one appa- 
 rently shouldering its big hind-leg, aa it scrambles away to 
 Its smoothly. burrowed hole. 
 
 If in a Trout country, the day is ushered in with the sing- 
 ing of birds, and God's blessed sunshine lighting up the sides 
 of the hills, and pervading his heart If he rises late, it is 
 because he is stiff from wading the rough stream the day 
 before ; perhaps he has a few bruises on his shins, but a good 
 breakfast and a little exercise after it, supple his joints and 
 reiuvenate him. The creels have been washed, and hang 
 against the sunny side of the house, and the rods rest in the 
 outer angle of the chimney, or on wooden pegs along the 
 sides of the porch. The sight of the biggest Trout at break- 
 
 (589) 
 
590 
 
 AMERICAN ANOKER'8 BOOK. 
 
 
 fast acts as a reminder of some of the ludicrous mishaps of 
 yesterday, and good-natured repartee and jest give a zest to 
 the meal. Some remember the commandment — " In it thou 
 shalt not do any work," and get ready to go to meeting witli 
 the hostess or the girls; while others take a quiet stroll 
 through the woods, or along the stream, and see sighti and 
 hear sounds that come back to them at times, amid the busy 
 hum of the dense city, like "far-off murmurs, gentle whispers." 
 
 But the girls are waiting, dressed in their Sunday gear. 
 Yon would scarcely know Kate for the naked-ankled lass 
 you saw milking as you came in last evening ; and there is 
 Hans and his dog "Watch," all ready to start. There is no 
 chancelled or steepled church here, so we walk a mile or two 
 down the creek to the tov/nship school -house, where sturdy 
 farmers, gaunt raftsmen, staid matrons, and "unco lads and 
 clever hizzies" sit waiting in silence the coming of the circuit 
 preacher. 
 
 All is peace within ; the only thing that betokens discord 
 v^ithout, is a disposition of "Watch," and Captain Ellis's dog 
 "Top," to renew an ancient feud, wliich might involve 
 "Cwsar," who stands by with tail erect, bristling in armed 
 neutrality, but ready to take sides with the party that proves 
 strongest : this of c )urse would wake up the puprnacity of a 
 pompous little fell >w with his tail curled ovi is back so 
 stitiiy that his hind feet scarcely touch the ground ; even the 
 "bench-legged hce," and the sheep-stealing-looking "yaller 
 dog," with his bushy associate, who has been curtailed of his 
 "fair proportions" so close to his hurdles, that it is difficult 
 to say whether it has been "cut oflf or druv in;" the lap 
 eared hound would also pitch in, and there would be no 
 preventing a free fight. But Hans calls Watch off, and as 
 he slinks under the bench by his side, the casus belli is 
 removed. 
 
BUS PISCATOItil. 
 
 Ml 
 
 Lot u, follow Watcl,, ,„d „„t„r the log ,choo|.hou.e. Ho,, 
 the pr,muiv„ i™„V«„ bring. ba„k recolloc.iun, of the time 
 when « w» ked tm, or three n.iles to an old fleld-aehool, an,l 
 
 the long »lab benehe,, ju.,t «uch as we used to polish with 
 our eonlnroy trousers, and earve the initials of our sweet- 
 hearts and our own name on; the wooden pegs like those we 
 hung our hats and bonnets on; the teacher's desk, and the 
 long low windows, of the ™me pattern they were forty years 
 ago; and there is the old ten.plate wo,xl.stove standing in the 
 middle of the floor, with its sidcdoors off the hinges, so like 
 the one we used to toast our bread or fry our baeon on, at 
 pay .me, and when the master was not looking, spit against 
 dunng sehooLhours, to see it danee and sizzle. Let us rea,l 
 Che maker s nan.e on the side-plate-" Beuben Trexler-Mary 
 Ann Burnaee." What an affeetionate way those old iron 
 masters had, of naming their furnaees after their wives or 
 ome favonte daughter! I r... .. read any other than 
 femtnme name on a ten-r „e stove. I don't believe there 
 ever was a «,fc furna,,., at least there were none when I was 
 a boy; but there wr.s "Rebeeoa Furnaee," or "Marv Ann 
 B^rnaee,^ or .-Mari. Furnace," or .-Isabella Furml,' o 
 
 name that appeared on the hard blaek side-plates 
 What deh,vs the preaeher? he is fifteen minutes behind' 
 me I Perhaps h,s horse is grass.fed, a,:d he remembers on 
 h,s warm June morning, that "the merciful man ,s merciful 
 .s beast ' and rides slowly; or the fair sisters at old 
 brother tzras where he st,>yed all night, twelve miles away 
 bave been a httle sweet on the yonng preaeher, and h 
 «. longer over his coffee than usual. The company are 
 gemng restless; ther^ is a frequent " ahem I" from the women 
 and the httle boys are munching maple-sugar, or indulgirg 
 
692 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 in a sly game of heads and points with crooked pins, to while 
 away the time. But Captain Ellis, appreciating this state of 
 "public feeling," like a considerate brother, strikes up— with 
 only a slight nasal twang in his big manly voice— that grand 
 old hymn, 
 
 " When all thy mercies, my God, 
 My rising soul surveys. 
 Transported with the view I'm lost 
 In wonder, love, and praise." 
 
 All join in, and, as the hymn closes, the minister enters. 
 The gospel of peace and salvation is preached, and we say 
 amen to the closing prayer, that it may accomplish that 
 " whereunto it is sent." 
 
 The service over, there is kindly greeting of neighbors; 
 perhaps some talk about "craps" and lumber, and then the 
 homeward walk. 
 
 After dinner and a nap, we take a walk to the falls, or the 
 pigeon-roost; and on our return, as we come down the creek, 
 we see the diverging circles dimpling the still pools as the 
 Trout quietly rise and take in the little yellow ephemera that 
 fly over us, and settle on the water. 
 
 In the evening one of the brethren reads from his pocket 
 edition of Walton, the discourse on thankfulness, delivered 
 "by Father "Izaak," to his friend Y3nator, as hb was journey- 
 ing towards Tottenham High-Cross; which we here insert 
 for the perusal of all anglers, who "Bemember to keep the 
 Sabbath day holy." 
 
 " Well, Scholar, having now taught you to paint your rod, 
 and we having still a mile to Tottenham High-Cross, I will. 
 as we walk towards it, in the cool shade of this sweet honey- 
 suckle hedge, mention to you some of the thoughts and joys 
 
»IES PISCATORIiB. 
 
 698 
 
 hat have po.so.^ „y ,o„, ,;„„, „^ .^„ ^^^ 
 these thoughts shall be told you, that you also ly joi„ „i h 
 
 appear to be the greater, and we the more thankful for it I 
 
 very time, he under the torment of the stone, the gout 
 and toothache; and this we are free from. Ind evlry 
 
 thankful. There have been, sinee we met, others that have 
 met disasters of broken limbs; some have been blasted 
 oU.rs t.™der.strueken; and we have been freed fromC 
 and all those „any m,se„es that threaten human nature; le 
 us therefore rejo.ce and be thankful. Nav, which is a t 
 greater mercy, we are free from the nnsupportahle burthen 
 
 bear, and therefore let us praise Him for his preventing 
 
 Nay, let me tell you, there be many that have forty times 
 
 h hhfu, and cheerful like us; who, with the expense of a 
 attle money, have ate and drank, and laughed, and angled 
 and sung, and slept securely; and ro.a next day, and c s^ 
 away care, and sung, and laughed, and angled aga^n; wWch 
 are bless.ngs r,ch men cannot purchase with all their money 
 Let me tell you. Scholar, I have a rich neighbor that is 
 always so busy that he has no leisure to laugth ; the who 
 business of his life is to get money, and more :o;ey, t,:!! h 
 m.y still get more and tnore money; he is still drudgin. on 
 a..d says that Solomon says, .The diligent hand mrketh 
 r.ch; and it ts true indeed ; but he considers not that it i. 
 not m the power of riches ^o make a man happy; for it was 
 wisely said, by a man of great observation, -That there be 
 38 
 
594 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 a3 many miseries beyond riches, as on this side them :' aud 
 yet God deliver us from pinching poverty ; and grant, that 
 having a competency, we may be content and thankful. Let 
 not us repine, or so much as think the gifts of God unequally 
 dealt, if we see another abound with riches ; when, as God 
 knows, the cares, that are the keys that keep those riches, 
 liang often so heavily at the rich man's girdle, that they clog 
 him with weary days and restless nights, even when others 
 sleep quietly. We see but the outside of the rich man's 
 happiness ; few consider him to be like the silkworm, that, 
 when she seems to play, is, at the very same time, spinning 
 her own bowels, and consuming herself. And this many 
 rich men do; loading themselves with corroding cares, to 
 keep what they have, probably, unconscionably got. Let us, 
 therefore, be thankful for health and a competence, and above 
 all, for a quiet conscience. 
 
 "Let me tell you. Scholar, that Diogenes walked on a day, 
 with a friend, to see a country fair ; where he saw ribbons, 
 and looking-glasses, and nut-crackers, and fiddles, and hobby- 
 horses, and many other gimcracks; and having observed 
 them, and all the other finnimbruns that make a complete 
 country fair; he said to his friend, 'Lord, how many things 
 are there in this world of which Diogenes hath no reed!' 
 And truly it is so, or might be so, with very many who vex 
 and toil themselves to get what they have no need of. Can 
 any man charge God, that he hath not given him enough to 
 make his life happy? No, doubtless; for nature is content 
 with a little: and yet you shall hardly meet with a man that 
 complains not of some want; though he, indeed, wants 
 nothing but his will, it may be nothing but his will of his 
 poor neighbor, for not worshipping, or not flattering him: 
 and thus, when we might be happy and quiet, we create 
 trouble to ourselves. I have heard of a man that was angry 
 
DIBS PISCATORI^. 
 
 695 
 
 With himself because he was no taller, and of a woman that 
 broke her looking-glass because it would not show her face 
 to be as young and handsome as her next neighbor's was 
 And I knew another, to whom God had given health and 
 plenty, but a wife that nature had made peevish, and her 
 husbands riches had made purse-proud, and must, because 
 she was nch, and for no other virtue, sit in the highest pew 
 in the church; which being denied her, she engaged her 
 husband mto a contention for it, and at last into a lawsuit 
 with a dogged neighbor, who was as rich as l.e, and had a 
 wife as peevish and purse-proud as the other: and this law- 
 suit begot higher oppositions, and actionable words and 
 more vex: "ons and lawsuits; for you must remember' that 
 Doth w r:.ch, and must therefore have their wills Well 
 this wilful purse-proud lawsuit lasted during the life of thj 
 first husband ; after which his wife vexed ana chid, and chid 
 and vexed, till she also chid and vexed herself into her grave • 
 and so the wealth of these poor rich people was curst into a 
 punishment, because they wanted meek and thankful hearts- 
 for those 6n\y can make us happy. I knew a man that had 
 health and riches, and several houses, all beautiful and 
 ready furnished, and would often trouble himself and family 
 to be removing from one houso to another; and being asked 
 by a friend, why he removed so often from one house to 
 another, replied, 'It was to find content in some of them ' 
 But his friend, knowing his temper, told him, if he would 
 find content in any of his houses, he must leave himself 
 behind him: for content will never dwell but in a meek and 
 qmet soul. And this may appear, if we read and consider 
 what our Saviour says in St. Matthew's Gospel ; for he there 
 says.-' Blessed be the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy 
 Blessed be the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed 
 be the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven 
 
596 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 And, Blessed be the meek, for they shall possess the earth.' 
 Not that the meek shall not also obtain mercy, and see God, 
 and b« comforted, and at last come to the kingdom of heaven ; 
 but in the mean time he, and he only, possesses the earth as 
 he goes toward that kingdom of heaven, by being humble 
 and cheerful, and content with what his good God has 
 allotted him: he has no turbulent, repining, vexatious 
 thoughts that he deserves better ; nor is vexed when he sees 
 others possessed of more honor or more riches than his wise 
 God has allotted for his share ; but he possesses what he has 
 with a meek and contented quietness, such a quietness as 
 makes his very dreams pleasing both to God and himself. 
 
 "My honest Scholar, all this is told to incline you to 
 thankfulness: and to incline you the more, let me tell you, 
 that though the prophet David was guilty of murder and 
 adultery, and many other of the more deadly sins; yet he 
 was said to be a man after God's own heart, because he 
 abounded more with thankfulness than any other that is 
 mentioned in holy Scripture, as may appear in his book of 
 Psalms ; where there is such a commixture of his confessing 
 of his sins and unworthiness, and such thankfulness for God's 
 pardon and mercies, as did make him to be accounted, even 
 by God himself, to be a man after his own heart. And let 
 us. in that, labor to be as like him as we can: let not the 
 blessings we receive daily from God, make us not to value. 
 or not praise him, because they be common; let not us 
 forget to praise him for the innocent mirth and pleasure we 
 have met with since we have met together. What would a 
 blind man give to see the pleasant rivers, and meadows, and 
 flowers, and fountains, that we have met with since we 
 met together? I have been told, that if a man, that was born 
 blind, could obtain to have his sight, for but only one hour 
 during his whole life, and should, at the first opening of his 
 
Kins PISCATORIa. 
 
 S»7 
 
 efthlt; ,k" "' "P™ "' '"" "•"=" " -- '" tis full glory, 
 euher at .he ™.„g or setting of it, he would be .o transported 
 
 wtmngly turn h„ eyes from that ii« ravishing obieot to 
 
 dai ai; "' '1 "'""^ °''^^ ''^^ "--«». we enjoy 
 daily, and for most of then,, because they be so common 
 
 most men f^get to pay their praises : but let not us ; bZse 
 
 •- .» a sacr.fice so pleasing to him that made that su a dT 
 
 and St, 1 protects us, and gives us flowers, and showers and 
 
 Well, Scholar, I have almost tired ,„yself, and I fl 
 more than almost tired you: but I now see'Tott'cnham H ^ 
 Cross; and our short walk thither shall put a period to my 
 
 plant that ,n your m,nd, with which I labor to possess mv 
 
 :atany"m\x;^rrt:f:,"^^^^^ '^- "^ - 
 
 fi,.^ •^' ™^ *^^^ yo"' *^at riches with 
 
 poo Lfb T '" '° '■""^^"^ ""•■' - "-'en.edly 
 
 all. For ,t ,s well sa,d by Caussin, 'he that loses his con- 
 scence, has nothing ieft that is worth keeping.' Therefore 
 be s.e you look to that. And, in the next place look t! 
 
 next to a good conscence ; for health is the second bles,,in. 
 that we mortals are capable of, a blessing that moneV eanno°t 
 buy; and therefore value it, and be thankful for it As fo 
 money, which may be said to be the third blessing, neglect it 
 »ot: but note, that there is no necessity of being iol, fo I 
 d you, there be as many miseries beyond riohl, as onti 
 s,de them: and, ,f yon have a competence, enjoy it with a 
 
598 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLBR'8 BOOK. 
 
 meek, cheerful, thankful heart. I will tell you, Scholar, 1 
 have heard a grave divine say, that God has two dwellings, 
 one in heaven, and the other in a meek and thankful heart. 
 Which Almighty God grant to me and to my honest Scholar ; 
 and so you are welcome to Tottenham High -Cross." * * * 
 
 " 'Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord:' and 
 let the blessing of St. Peter's Master be with mine. 
 
 " And upon all that are lovers of virtue ; and dare trust 
 in his Providence, and be quiet, and go a-angling." 
 
 May no true angler forget to praise God for his blessings 
 " because they are so common ;" for " it is a sacrifice so 
 j)leasing to him, who made the sun and us, and still protects 
 us, and gives us flowers, and showers, and stomachs, and meat, 
 and content, and leisure to go a-fishing." 
 
CONCmsiOK. 
 
 S99 
 
 CONCLUSION. 
 0»K who has had the patience to read the foregoing page, 
 on^utively through, has no doubt observed, that inlvll 
 mstaucea I have repeated in a special way, much in word or 
 substance that I had said in a preceding chapter, or in" 
 general way. As an ex.n,ple, I have had occasion to refer 
 to he manner of propagation with fishes in no less than four 
 d« met arttcles , either of which would have been incomplete, 
 or lacking the interest it was entitled to, had I omitted to d J 
 80 Again, there are certain sporting or mher angling terms 
 which I have unavoidably reiterated.-I hope the reader will 
 not regard such repetitions as blunders, for I am deeply 
 consco... that i. this my first and likely my last attempt a^ 
 ™ting for publication, there are enough real sins of lis. 
 sion and commission in my compositions to answer for; even 
 after adopting the hints and suggestions of the friend with 
 whom I have read the proof-sheets. 
 
 Eeaders are not generally aware of the obligations ». 
 authors are under to honest, careful proofreadei;, and how 
 much bad grammar, bad spelling, and imperfect compositiol 
 w^ld be inflicted on them, were our productions sent forth 
 without being eauteri.cd and plastered by them. I am 
 
 indebted to the firm who stprpf,tv,.o,l ti 
 
 , . . . , . , ""'' stereotyped those pages, not only 
 
 tor their aid .n this respect, but for the tasteful and judicious 
 arrangement of the book. The junior men^ber of the firm 
 (being one of our craft) has taken an especial interest in the 
 respectability of its appearance. In fact his solicitude on 
 this score has even been exhibited at times in an unamiable 
 manner For instance, in reading some of the earlier proof, 
 sheets, he would abruptly ask me, how many times in a single 
 
 
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 ■ 
 
600 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 chapter I intended to accuse the City Gas-Works of having 
 spoiled the fishing in the Schuylkill ? or, how many friends 
 I had on whose statements I could rely ? or how many times 
 in my article on Fly-Fishing, I intended to use the term 
 " spring of the rod," on a single page ? He has even been so 
 regardless of my feelings, as to ridicule my drawing of the 
 Black Bass, on page 103, saying, that he always felt an 
 inclination to stick a " quid" in its mouth ; and laughed 
 outright, when I tried to explain :hat the expression of that 
 feature was intended to make the fish look gay. — I hope the 
 reader will regard my deficiencies as artist or author with 
 more leniency. 
 
 If I have at times laid down rules at variance with the 
 practice of experienced anglers, I would suggest, that there 
 may be more than one process of accomplishing the same 
 thing. With a certain class of tishers it may be, that 
 
 The very head and front of my offending 
 Hath this extent, no more — 
 
 that I have in as strong language as I could decorously use, 
 condemned unfair and unsportsmanlike angling, and held up 
 to scorn the mere Pot-fisher and Snob. If such be the case 
 I am content. " It is a very pretty quarrel as it stands," but 
 to every Honest Angler — whether a fly-fisher or a bait- 
 fisher, adept, or struggling with adverse circumstances in 
 his efforts to reach the higher branches of the art, I tender 
 my sincerest sympathies. 
 
 And now, dear Reader, may you by keeping a conscience 
 void of oflfenee, keep at peace with yourself and 
 
 The Author. 
 
h 
 
 es 
 rn 
 so 
 be 
 in 
 ed 
 at 
 he 
 th 
 
 he 
 
 ire 
 ne 
 
 36, 
 
 up 
 
 ise 
 
 lUt 
 
 it- 
 in 
 
 ler 
 
 SUPPLEMENT. 
 
 ice 
 
It is bi 
 
 had my sa 
 
 deeming tl 
 
 appearanct 
 
 structive e 
 
 branches oj 
 
 with whom 
 
 eaoh other i 
 
 own city, wi 
 
 gossip of th 
 
 tions of see 
 
 could with j 
 
 dear old fr 
 
 ardent lover 
 
 soothing as 
 
 and innocen< 
 
 of a mere anj 
 
 descending t 
 
 nlogiei and ] 
 
 since passed : 
 
 thought. I : 
 
 should be thi 
 
 The old docto 
 
 future inspira 
 
 It has been 
 
ADDRESS 
 
 TO THE RKAPBR8 OF THE FOREGOING PAGES. 
 
 deeming that I Bh„„Id . v. !/! ^ ^'"'^ vobucum;" little 
 
 with .ho. I J„Ce t c !. °~' ""' ""•'-''' "^■» ""- 
 
 e.ch «h.r i„ .ho «7h ' d r '° '"'"'■ "'°°"'" "' '"»" -' 
 
 could with proDrietv nunt^ i,„ ^ ^ ^'^" I 
 
 dear old f Z {^'''''' ^^'^ « P«Se or two from the letter of a 
 dear old fnend-physiciun by profession and angler at heart . 
 ardent lover of nature-word, f^ . u- ' ^°^ 
 
 soothing as the Caste of -ll """ ''"^■"^«' "^^^ «"d 
 
 o "« tne oastle of Indolence, picture- written as th^ <!„ 
 and innocent as Galatea " Or f.n it ^^easons, 
 
 - ^ere angling aCw^ir^^Zrrr^^^^^^ 
 descending the shady side of the hill of 1 fe Vh "' "'^^ 
 
 «%.«« and pronrietL « Z ""^ ^'^'~^''^''' ^''^ teach all the 
 
 future iuspj;: j "" '" ""' " " '"""^ ""f "J. «"'' «"-« for 
 I. b., been .„g,e..ed .. „e b, a ve.o.„ angler, .hat . treatise on 
 
 (603) 
 
604 
 
 AMIRICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 the '• mode peculiar" of Bshing for Striped Bass, or rather Rockfish, as 
 practised by adepts at Newport, Nurruganeett IJay, and other places 
 along our coost to the north would prove interesting. I have ncted 
 on this hint, and availed myself of the kindness of an experienced 
 BaM-fisher to lay before the reader an article on that subject. 
 
 That I have furnished so much additional matter on Salmon lliverH 
 is due chiefly to a somewhat caustic review of this book, which 
 appeared in the Montreal " Witness." The reviewer pointed out a 
 geographical error, which for want of proper overHight in publishing 
 some matter furnished by a friend, crept into the first edition. Also, 
 a seeming error of the same kind, which is due to my own carelessness. 
 It is quite natural that a member of the great Yankee family, who 
 are so often taunted by her Britannic Majesty's subjects with being 
 thin-skinned, should feel his " fur rubbed the wrong way," on being 
 reminded so pointedly of his errors, and told that his book contained 
 •'less information and more gossip than the sportsman looks for;" 
 and 80 conclude that the critic, though he might know a gcwd deal 
 about Salmon-fishing, was some "severe, sour-complexioned man," 
 with no bunhommie, and about as much sentiment or poetry in his 
 nature as there is in a peck of dried apples. But the ways of anglers 
 should be " ways of pleasantness," and their paths " paths of peuce " 
 
 "For what avaUs to brooke or lake to goe 
 
 With handsome rods and bookes of ever]* sort, 
 Well-twisted lines and many trinkets moe, 
 To find the fish within their watery fort, 
 If that the minde be not contented loe, 
 But wants those gifts that should the rest support." 
 
 I accordingly kept down my pugnacity, corrected my geography, 
 and, acting on the sensible hint of my critic, sought the latest infor- 
 mation concerning the Salmon rivers of Canada. To this end I 
 applied directly to him ; and the sequence has been, that he and a 
 friend, who is officially connected with the Canadian Fisheries, have 
 not only sent me a great deal of interesting printed matter, bui he has 
 also given me instruction under his own hand, and written me friendly 
 
ADDRESS TO BRADBR3. 
 
 SOS 
 
 -"k. Jly o. h,„, no, i f.„ .ft„, .„, t„ ^ „ 
 
 or «»,„.,„,,.,.„,, s n...H,„,i.,H,„.„,„.s.j';:'":::; 
 
 : u- n- ^ " '" m . ror tor a Malmon as he a sninw 
 
 >n hiH fl.ng at a Yankee author. ^^ 
 
 ul'or7'r '»•"'"'"' ^'"' ' ' ''"'''' '^- ' ''^ -placed the 
 L..t of Sahnon Kivers ,H it appca...i ,a ,h.. fir«t edition with a new 
 one wh,ch is compiled fro. the .test infomatioa ;hl k 
 
 obtained fron. official and other sources. ' '"" ^' 
 
 Without formal mention of addenda furnished by other fri«„^ 
 
 will nna descriptions of waters uoted for Salmon S«„ 
 
 zr ri ''™'' "" ""' " '■'^°™«"°" »" Bock.^ : .1: 
 
 «reed.„«, „„d o.he. «..e, which ea„„o. f.i, .„ ;„.„«. hi„. 
 
I 
 
 If the 1 
 the Salmo] 
 William 
 enclosina: 
 procure a ( 
 
 * This gen 
 partment; at 
 in the Pigher 
 of gratitude f 
 which yet ren 
 ledge as an 
 bdolts, withou 
 discovery tha 
 neously, by h< 
 Salmon in get 
 menters or ob 
 
SHI W. tAWRENCE, QUEBEC, AND CITADEL. 
 
 SALMON RIVERS. 
 
 I 
 
 If the reader is curious as to the geography of the country where 
 the Salmon makes its home in Canadian waters, let him write to Mr 
 William F. WruTCHER,* at Quebec, paying postage, of course, and 
 enclosing a sn.all sum of Canadian currency for the purchase, and 
 procur^cjmrt of the Salmon and Sea Trout Rivers, published by the 
 • This gentleman is at the head of the Fisheries Branch of the Crown Land De- 
 
 in tl! P r" I'' """""' "'' " ""' """'■' *'""'^ f'-""' •"'« -'-v, as published 
 •n the Fisheries Reports, an underpaid officer. All Salmon-fishers owe him a debt 
 
 whirr; ; "r^'"' ^""-^ *- "'"'^""-^ ^^•-" ' »»" ^^ -'^'^-. •"- ' i 
 
 which yet remain to Canada would soon become as barren as our own. ilis know- 
 
 1 ok' win" :";."''•"■ '^"''-"'" '- *-n extensively used by periodicals and in 
 books, without his receiving the credit due to him. One instance of the kind is his 
 discovery that Salmon in Canada frequently express their spawn and milt sim 1 
 
 Salmon m generating ever resort to this mode, has never been mentioned by experi- 
 menters or observers in Scotland or Ireland. 
 
 (607) 
 
608 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 Crown Lands Department, or one of Bayfield's charts. He will 
 see from either of these that the north shore of the St. Lawrence, 
 from the Saguenay, trends nearly north-east to the Bay of Seven 
 Islands. From thence that it stretches (river and gulf), in an almost 
 straight easterly course, to the sixtieth degree of longitude, and then 
 north-east to Labrador. The line of coast in all its sinuosities and 
 indentations extending over nine hundred miles, or from west to east 
 thirteen degrees. 
 
 The regions of the Salmon are now almost entirely east of the 
 Saguenay. Between this river and the Bay of Seven Islands are 
 the larger Salmon rivers ; their sources far back in the cold barren 
 wilderness. From thence to the Mingan, though as frequent, they 
 are smaller; and from the Mingan they are fewer, but increase in 
 size as the coast extends towards Blanc Sablon. 
 
 The privilege of fishing any of these rivers for Salmon, with the rod, 
 as stated elsewhere, is leased by the Canadian Government, to the 
 highest bidder, for terms of from one to five years; the price 
 varying from one to five hundred dollars, according to the accessibility 
 of the river, or the abundance of its Salmon. The best rivers west 
 of the Great Natashquan are generally taken by British officers, or 
 by Canadian anglers. Salmon-fishers from the States, however, 
 who are not fortunate enough to lease, may frequently have opportu- 
 nities of buying the right of one or two rods for a river for a single 
 season. If the applicant has no friend at Quebec to attend to it, be 
 could, no doubt, effect a satisfactory arrangement through Mr. 
 Whitcheb of that city. 
 
 East of the Great Natashquan the fish are not so persistently netted 
 at the mouths of the rivers, or speared in the upper waters ; and the 
 streams, with few or no exceptions, have never been fished with the 
 rod. The angler, therefore, who explores them would likely cast his 
 flies over virgin waters. To reach these, it would doubtless be better 
 to go to St. John, New Brunswick, and take the steamer for Gaapfe, 
 and there charter a schooner and get canoes and boatmen. 
 
SALMON RIVKRS. 
 
 609 
 
 SALMON.FISHING IN CANADA. 
 
 o-e -^». r.nu. ..™.,„ ::x ::: ^r- "°"" •» 
 
 D^AR Sir :_t y,^ ^^^. ^ Montreal, January 20th, 1865. 
 
 g'ving you what information I L. ''''' """"'^ P^^^«"'« '« 
 
 which, however, wiU ^L riZTT'"'''''''"^^^ ^^'^^ 
 intelligently you would need to naak a visitT k" "'^'"'- ^" ""'« 
 "cramming-, can equal seeing "^ '""^ "^^^•- "" -'"""'^t of 
 
 expCte.?^ '"^^'^'"^" ''^-^*^«--*' ^^ith my amendments,, which 
 
 Also, » slip cm r„„ , 
 
 of our 1863 fl,l,i„g.. 1502 SllT """'^'P""' ei""E He r.,„,to 
 
 o"e«. o„i„, ,„i e«;r : r:r ^■-"■- '«««-"-. 
 
 "P- "'^'^ ^"" 0^ Salmon had passed 
 
 I note those of our Salmon rivers whi.h 
 
 order of their value, as follows:- ""' """"'^ ""^'^"'^S' ^^ the 
 
 GooDBouT.-This I consider our best river T. • 
 iar enough off to prevent interruption The " "'* *" ''^'*^"*' ^"* ^« 
 -r it, nor can there H the couVis2: 1::T "T"'^"*^ °^ «' 
 the sea, and are easily fished • and f h„ I u ' P'°^' "'"•^ '^^'^ ^ 
 
 well ; and in favorable seas;n a ' , , "" "'"'' "^'' ^'^'^^ *'- % 
 of your city, fi«bed this r v LTle t^ ""''' ''^- '' "" ^' 
 full information. * ^'"''-"« ^'" ^^^ able to give you 
 
 MiNGAN AND ,TS BRANCH MaNITOU -The «I 
 
 river also. ' *^°"" ^"'"arks apply to this 
 
 Mo,s,K.-A very large river, and full of fish It h K . 
 or hve years, by Messrs. Williams anH « ^''" ^'^'"'^ f^^ four 
 
 fou i.„™.i„„ ,„,,^ ^, ;- - B. o^ 3_, „,„ ^^^ ^^^.^ 
 
 oT. John Also a I • ^""cta. 
 
 39 "^"'S some 27 miles up the river. I 
 
 jji, 
 
610 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 send the journal kept by the party who fished it in 1863, which is at 
 
 your service, if you think it worth your while to copy or even read. I 
 
 am lessee of this river. 
 Natashqcan.— Is a capital river, but it is very distant. I do not know 
 
 any one who has fished it. 
 St. Margaret (in the Saguenay), is a fair Salmon river, affording 
 
 moderate sport for two or three rods. It is over-fished. 
 La Val is fully described in " Barnwell's" book. I visited it last year, 
 
 It is an excellent Trout river, and affords Salmon which are, however, 
 
 shy as flyers. 
 Jaques C artier is a good Salmon river, but it is not a Crown river—it is 
 
 owned by the landowners on its banks. 
 Trinity, St. Margaret {en bas), Bersimis, Romaine.— I believe that 
 
 aV ,{ these rivers are leased by the Crown, for terms varying from one 
 
 to nine years. 
 
 Write me the kind of information you want, and the rivers you wish 
 it of, and I will see what I can do when I am less occupied than I am 
 
 to-day. 
 
 I sent you a report yesterday. I also wrote to my friend, Mr. W. F. 
 Whitcher, to send you such as he had duplicates of. Mr. W. is at the 
 head of our fisheries, and knows more of the Salmon rivers of Canada 
 than any man I know of in the Province. 
 
 In 1862, Messrs. Williams and Bacon killed 318 Salmon, with fly, in the 
 Moisie ; during the same season the lessee of the netrfishing killed 
 18,000 (! 1) fish in the estuary of the river. 
 
 From the newspaper slip enclosed you will note that during the 
 season 1863, there was killed in the 
 
 St. John, 4 fish per rod per day. 
 Moisie, 3 " 
 Mingan, IJ " 
 Goodbout, li '• 
 
 Enough for the present. 
 
 Most truly yours, 
 
 D. A. P. Watt. 
 
SALMON RIVERS. 
 
 611 
 
 SALMON-FISiriNG IN OANADA_1863 
 
 KiVER St. JoHN.-Salnion taken in the Rivpr St t.j, -.u . 
 
 uuriiig oaiy, 1863, by two rods:— July Ist plova„ « u 
 
 Trent Rapid and Camp Pool • oa 71 ' 7^ """'" "''"Sht at 
 
 f auu v^iiinp 1-001 ; Zd, Sixteen at Trent and Onmn . q,i + 
 three at Seal and Trpnt . dfi, • . ^ P ' ^"' t^^enty- 
 
 ana irent; 4th, sixteen at Seal, Trent and Pnll . «;.u o 
 
 at Trent ,„d Se,l ■ Ifitl. 1 ' "^ " '^"■°' • '^th. four 
 
 Sundflv OT.u fl . o ' -^*'»' «"'<5n at Falls and Seal ; 26th 
 
 ounaay , 27th, five at Seal and Camn T«t„i i . 'I'.-ocn, 
 
 "e,.h, 1000 p„„„,., ....^..TZoZr"""'"- ''" '"'" 
 
 River GooDBouT.-Salmon taken with the flv hv .i. 
 River Goodbout, during June and Julv 1«^/ r "^ "' '"''' " *'^ 
 caught at Cayley. Stote; 0th ol at L :^^^^^^^ 7.'^'^ ^^ 
 Camp ; 11th, one at Camn • t^.k .u ^^"'^ ' 1"'^' ^^^ at Bear and 
 
 Sunday ; 22d, ,ix al Kal» i.l n ' ^ "' '"""P' ''"^''^ • "-'"• 
 
 Kate. '.U «; , :r :; afL T i, ""I; "" "' "»""• "'""^^ 
 
 Upper, Srih, .eventeen al Kate Belle f ,, ' '"■■ '^"'''y- 
 
 Sunday, 29tl,, twel,, at Unit' T l7 '" """"• ^"P"' ' -«'!■. 
 
 Upperf Indian', iZl^'lTlT^t T """ "' """• 
 
 "•y i8t, nine at Shea, Upper; 2d, eight at 
 
612 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 Indian, Upper; 3d, seven a^ Fall, Upper, Haworth ; 4th, twelve at Cpner, 
 Bolle, Shea ; 5th, Sundaj , 6th, five at Upper ; 7th, two it ILiwonL, 
 Upper; 8th, thundt-r and niiu, fish down ; 9th, five at Upper,, Shea ; 10th, 
 three at Indian, Upper ; lltii, nine at Upper ; 12th. Sunday ; J3ih, «'jvea 
 at Upper, Haworth ; 14th, four at Upper, Huworth, Indian, Rhea ; 15th, 
 •four at Haworth, Indian, Upper ; 16th, thrtu at Upper, Belle ; ITth, one 
 at Upper; ISth, two at India.-, Upper; U'di Sunday; 20th, three at 
 Upper ; 21st, two at Upper; 22d, two at Upper; 23d, one at Shea; 24th, 
 five at Fall, Eddy, Haworth, Upper : 25th, non.- ; 26th, Sunday ; 27th, one 
 at Shea ; 2Sth, one al Upper. Total number of fie li, IS I ; total weight, 
 2190 pciM) i>: average weight, 11^ pounds. 
 
 River I'-isiz - -Mess^rs. C. and G. 3aoon, and Mr. B. Williams, of Boston, 
 lessees of the Hy-,'- 'l.ing diviwim of the River Moisie, returned from their 
 expedition k'.., J'i.turdi»y, und left the same night for their homes. They 
 started froia Qj'>neo en the 6th of June, in the steam*!- Napoleon III., 
 with the otiier parties for Godbout, Mingan, &c. Their fiahing began on 
 the 21st of June, and the last fish was killed on the 5tb u'^ July, when a 
 sudden fall of the river, occasioned by the continued dry wo»,tb«^r, brought 
 their sport to a close. Taking into consideration the shortness of time — a 
 fortnight— the fishing was good. They caught 139 salmon, of which 
 thirty weighed 30 pounds, and ten over 30 pounds. The largest fish caught 
 weighs 36 pounds. They caught in the same river last year 318 fish, the 
 largest weighing 42 pounds. 
 
 River Nipissiquit.— The following record of eleven days' salmon-fish- 
 ing on the River Nipissiguit, Bay of Chaleurs, New Brunswick, by Messrs. 
 Adshead and Rintoul, show what excellent sport these gentlemen obtained 
 during their trip :— Killed by Mr. J. E. Adshead, July 6th, one Salmon ; 
 8th, seven ; Oth, six ; 10th, seven and one Grilse ; Uth, two ; 13th, four ; 14th, 
 two; i6th, two; 17th, one; 18th, two ; 20th, four and two Grilse— total, 
 thitty-eight Salmon and three Grilse ; weight, 384} pounds. Killed by 
 Mr, Rintoul, July 6th, one salmon ; 7th, two ; 8th, four ; 9th, eight ; 10th, 
 five; 11th, one; 13th, one; 14th, one; 15th, three; 16th, two; 17th, 
 three ; 18th, five ; 20th, two— total 38 fish ; weight 341 pounds.* 
 
 Rivers Mingan and Manitou.— Salmon killed in the Rivers Mingan 
 and Manitou, by three rods, during the season of 1863 -/"jae 15th, four 
 
 * I was on the ^ f .- .iguit the snme Reason and have good eftsous for saying, that 
 the whole number o ■.■ ti killed with the rod— including ; :, - uve— could not have 
 been less than five hundred. 
 
 fish; I( 
 
 four; 2' 
 
 nine; J 
 
 fourteen 
 
 four; 15 
 
 eleven ; 
 
 total wei 
 
 To thi 
 
 from Ne 
 
 fine fish, 
 
 his own : 
 
 Great Br 
 
 We ha 
 
 a fine sea 
 
 June and 
 
 affording 
 
 visit the r 
 
 their spoi 
 
 these rive 
 
 ciated. 
 
 The fol 
 of tourist' 
 Halifax, V 
 
 Unlike E 
 of no fly-fii 
 season last 
 seldom thai 
 after the si 
 closes by li 
 height from 
 twenty days 
 The near 
 River Bersi 
 
SALMON RIVERS, 
 
 613 
 
 fish; 16th 17th. and 18th. flood; 19th. two; 20th. six; 22d. ei.hf 23d 
 
 """>-•=-<'. '"»! aJ, ten, 24th, three. Total numle, of «.h 2r« 
 total wetght, 2226 pound, : ..erago „ight, M M pound. ' ' ' 
 
 We 1,„„ much pl.„„e in .uting that there i, every probahilil, lh»,. 
 
 a fine .eaworthy .teaser „i„ n,.te , fortnight,, tr,p during .h'tloT 
 Jnn. and Jul, next, ,„ the principal stream, belonging .„ L goZl' 
 
 -...anaenah4the..j..rfi::rt.tr^^^^^^^ 
 
 The Mowing i, .„ e„r>ct from .„ i„,„„ti„g „„,, i^^ „ 
 of ^«.-.af« gntde, entitled "The Lower St. ^wLcc, or Q ;w To 
 Halifax, via Oaspii and Piotou. 
 
 ALL ABOUT FISIIINO. 
 Unlike European „„d Southern climate,,, the climate of Canada admit, 
 of no «,.«,ng in the early epring or in winter month,. The J M g 
 
 .eUom that the water, are warm enough and sufficic.tl, low and ,eltled 
 
 after the ,„ow-coId frchet., to afford aport i-. Mav Th. « > 
 
 c.o.e. hy law with the month of Aug„:.. u IZJl^Z;:: 
 
 twenty days in August. 
 
 The nearcBt Salmon-fisheries now open to the pubKo. comnience at the 
 R>ver Bersimis, eighty miles below Tadousac; with the single exception 
 
 n 
 
 IP 
 
614 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 of the Moisie, this stream breeds the largest Salmon found along the coast. 
 The scenery along the banks for something like forty miles is varied and 
 inviting. The principal of its tributaries in which Salmon-fishing may be 
 had, is about thirty miles from the mouth, on the left bank. Ascend this 
 branch to the falls, and there occur pools in near succession within half a 
 league of the fall. 
 
 Fwm thirty-five to forty miles further down the St. Lawrence is the 
 Mistassinni River. It is not a large stream, and does not hold very heavy 
 Salmon; but they are tolerably fine fish,. and the cadts are clean and 
 numerous. Then just below it is the Becscio, of much the same descrip- 
 tion as the preceding. This stream is sometimes called the Sheldrake. 
 
 Either is correct. 
 
 Next in order, and distant about fifteen miles, is the famous Goodbout. 
 It is let, and the privilege of fishing its sparkling waters belongs to the 
 lessees. The Trinity is sixteen miles further down ; uncertain as a Salmon 
 river, it always gives excellent Troutrfishing. The same may be said of its 
 namesake ten miles to the eastward. And also of the Calumet, a league 
 still further down. The Pentecost and Little Marguerite bear about the 
 same character. The larger Marguerite, about two-thirds of the way 
 between Calumet and .Seven Islands Bay, is better; Moisie River is next, 
 twelve miles, but being leased 'tis useless to describe it. Trout River is 
 eeven miles below. The fishing in it is not very early ; but throughout 
 the months of July and August, the visitor will find middling sport. 
 
 Until you reach the Mingan, none of the intervening rivers on this sec- 
 tion of the coast can be relied upon. The St. John is large &m\ crowded 
 with fish, but is a sulky stream. From Trout River to Mingan is about 
 ninety-four miles. Both in the Mingan and its branch, the Manitou, 
 Salmon are always plenty, and rise well to the fly. The Romaine River 
 is nine milos further down. 'Tis a dangerous place to fish ; but the 
 strength, size, and playfulness of its Salmon, almost tempt to defiance of 
 
 its dangers. 
 
 There is a promising stream named Great Watscheeshoo, fifty-three 
 miles below. In order to fish it to best advantage you should camp about 
 two miles up, and fish the pools between camp and the bead of an island 
 that divides the channel just above the first rapid. Until you get to the 
 Natashquan, forty-four miles further, none of the other rivers are of 
 sufficient consequence to repay a visit. They are small, and liable to he 
 easily ruined by netting. The Natashquan is a splendid stream, full of 
 fish ranging from six to forty pounds. You must camp at the second falls, 
 
SALMON RIVERS. 
 
 615 
 
 h ok f.n Jr ''* "'"* "^ bettor your chances, for there you naay 
 hook and km Salmon us,ue aU nauseam. Although few persons would be 
 deposed to go any further in .arch of sport, there reJn the Kegas Ika 
 Mu jarro. Washoecootai. Olomanoshcebo. Etamamu. Mecattin'a. nd 
 Esqnnnaux R.vers. within distances varying from twenty to one hu dred 
 
 r:?; :,'^/^^-'>^"-- ^'»>- «» - ^treams^of considerabl! 
 
 Bizo. and would doubtless prove worthy of trial. The chances of finding 
 
 Sahnon ,n the rivers of the Island of Anticosti are favorable. Trout 
 
 erta.n,y are abundant. Salmon River is the nearest to the north coast 
 
 island, can be reached either from Mingan or from Oasp6. The Gaspfi 
 Rivers afford excellent sport for Salmon and Trout. Those emptying into 
 
 he Bay of Chaleurs. such as the Matapcdiac, the two Cascapediacs and 
 the Bonaventure. are noble streams and enjoy a repute for first-rate fishing 
 The only ones we know of on the southern coast below the Metis, are the 
 Matanne Ste. Anne. Mont Louis and Magdalen. Their qualities as 
 regards fly-fishing are, however, practically unknown. We would recom- 
 mend you to place more reliance on the tried rivers by the Labrador 
 coast. 
 
 About nearly all the localities named above. Sea Trout can also be 
 caught from June to September. In July and August they are in high 
 condition, of extreme beauty, model symmetry, exquisite flavor, and 
 extraordinarily strong and active. 
 
 SALMON-FISHING ON THE ST. JOHN, 0. E. 
 The following extracts are taken from the journal of a party who 
 visited the River St. John, Canada East, in the year 1863. 
 
 TRIP TO THE RIVER ST. JOHN, IN THE YEAR 1863.* 
 June 3d._Left Montreal at 7 o'clock, p. h., on board the river steamer 
 " Montreal," arriving at Quebec at 6 a. u., next day. Remained in Que- 
 bec till Saturday the 6th. 
 
 J«/»e 6th.-Embarked on board the steamer "Napoleon III." for con- 
 
 * The reader must not c5nfound this with tne River St. John, in New Brunswick 
 This opens with the Guff of St. Lawrence, opposite Anticostij distance below 
 Quebec, about 470 miles. 
 
616 
 
 AMERICAN ANOLBR'S BOOK. 
 
 veyanco to tlu. St. Joha river at 4 p. h., the- hour an -mtod for ship'H Rail- 
 ing, but in conflequei.oi o1' ^viw, 'fTiculty in getting powder on b-mrd, for 
 the U8e of the li J.Uwuscs along the coast, wo did n... get away from Que- 
 bec until 7 P. ». '.Veuthcr hazy, with a drizzling rain. Our party con- 
 sisted of Cupt..;a Savary, 47th Regiment, Captain Collingwood, lloyal 
 Artillery, and myself, with two French voyageurs, and my servant, Lyn<'li, 
 taking aloj.g wiu. us two flat-bottomed boats, two tents (viz., one circular 
 one for ourselves, and one lean-to for the men), with materials sufficient to 
 form a third ridge-pole tent. We also had provisions calculated for seven 
 weeks' consumption. 
 
 [Having the narratives of other Salmon-fishers to crowd into the 
 space allotted for subject-matter of this kind, I regret my inability to 
 take the reader with our adventurers through all their toilsome jour- 
 ney to their fishing-ground. Suffice it to say, that after much delay 
 on account of a terrible freshet in the river, and some serious mis- 
 haps, one of which was the accidental burning of their tents while 
 absent on a Trout-fishing excursion, by which they lost all their 
 clothing, except their hats, shirts, trousers, and boots they stooa in, as 
 well as'theU- powder, shot, flies, and extra Salmon rods (only one of 
 the latter which were on a stand outside of the camp . .naining to 
 each fisher), and most of their tea and sugar; thes<' indomitable sports- 
 men, who could not be thwarted in the purpose io> 'hich the> nn- 
 menced their explorations, sent to the mouth of the river and pro- 
 cured some flann.1 shirts and rough s res from the Cod-fishermen, and 
 prosecuted their jurney. On the . , of Jul^ v'e find them at their 
 hut, on the site of an old Indian camp, eighteen miles up the St. John, 
 where we again taV' n^, their narrative.] 
 
 July Ist.— Up by 4 in the morning ; packed our boats, ar^d started for 
 the great rapids, nine miles distant. Tvna my poor faithful dog • Trent" 
 scarcely able to walk, from the ^Mskfl flies ; his eyes swollen ip and 
 nearly blind. Performed the jo ley 11, passing thro, i. «ome moBt 
 dangerous rapids, amongst others . he mo., dangerous on i river, known 
 as the " Black Rapid." We arrived at our journey's end at p. m., thank 
 God ! No more towing after this, being now at our fishing-ground, twenty- 
 seven miles inland. We had a beautiful day, passed through some of the 
 boiaest and finest scenery I ever saw, and had no flies, thanks to the high 
 
SALMON RjVBRg. 
 
 617 
 
 wmd wh.ch kept the™ away. During .i„d they cannot loave the shelter 
 
 ett . W ' . """"« "' "^ --P'"«-«-nd. 'W, a„.I the men 
 et t^ work putfng up bark-huts. Collingwood and m.vself fixed our rod^ 
 and tackled the Salmon-with what renult four hers' fishing show'^ 
 
 S'ore, 
 
 C. 8, 8. 10, 10. 14, 16 « 66 lbs. 
 
 D. 7, 7, 9, 10, 11 .= 44 „ 
 
 Total 110 lbs. 
 We coaHed fishing about 6 p. m., and on re^iii^ing to ean,p found a hut 
 ereeted of spruce bark, sufficient to accommodate three of'us ; the men 
 «lcep.ng under the boats, which a- ,,rawn up on the sand. Wo a^l feel 
 very t .red. so turn in early-abou, p. m. 
 
 /«/y 2d.-All slept very comfortably indeed. Rose at 5 a. h. Colling- 
 wood and went out fishing; Savary remained to put the camp in ord^ 
 a .rect he men The day turned out hot and sultry, with ligl!; ea,ste ^ 
 wmds. On our go.ng to the river this morning, the sight presented was 
 ^t extraordinary. The pools seemed literally alive with Salmon. JZ 
 h y were ,n thousands, rolling about in the water, showing their back 
 w>.se8 ; others springing high in air and playing about. As 
 d see. ,t was the same. Collingwood and myself fished from 
 breakfast; 10 to 1 ; dinner; 3 to 6; home. 
 Score. 
 C. y, ». 10, 10, 10, 9. 17 = 74 lbs. 
 
 9.10,11,9,10.11,8.9.10 = 87 " 
 Total 161 lbs. 
 In the evening we reviewed on. .„„p;ng ,,^ fiJi"^ ^ 
 
 as suuated on the left bank of u. stream, within a hundred yards 71 
 ™all stream that runs into the S< ,„ ; extending from this smaH .,.er 
 th e r , ,,.,,„,, „^ ^^,,^^ ^^^^ ^^^^^^ ^^ 
 
 brea th, upwards towards tl,. gr. : rar^d. which is situated about three- 
 quarters of a mile from the attle river. Between these two latter points 
 lies the w, le . r our fishing-rroun,! * * ♦ tu , 
 
 „«-> 1 . . Ine banks 
 
 a covered ,tb ,,ders. ... sufficiently hig'^ to .revont one throwing 
 
 hi fly wuh easo All the fishi, -.round is on tK. > bank of the river 
 wUh the exception of an island cl rothe .piu., n sixtv yards long.' 
 I .g on the r.glu a.de of the str. This, in the c mencement of tit 
 
 --son .s the best stand on the river. We find our b.^k hut to-night very 
 
 far as 
 
 '' ' M. to » 
 
618 
 
 AMBRICAN ANOLBR'8 BOOK. 
 
 I 
 
 comfortable indeed, thanks to Savary, who has beeu Buperii.tending 
 
 II I » » * * * * 
 
 arrangoments all day. 
 
 July 3d.— All up by 6 a. m. Fine sunny morninK, westerly wind ; the 
 only drawback being the rursed black fly. Went fishing before breakfuHt, 
 of course. During the u .y fished for eight hours altogether. Score in the 
 evening as follows : — 
 
 C. 10, 18, 18, 8, 10, 10, 9, 12, 9 - 101 lbs. 
 S. 10, 11, 8 -= 29 « 
 
 D. 12, 12, 10, 17, 8, 8, 11, 8, U, 6, 8 - 111 " 
 
 Total 244 lbs. 
 
 Men employed in putting up a second bark hut for themselves, about 
 twenty yards from ours, nearly finished, and very comfortable. Usual hot 
 punch in the evening, and in bed by U. 
 
 July 4th.— Up at 5 a. m. I'assed the day fishing. Before breakfast I 
 hooked an immense • ih close to the great rapid, and got him safely over 
 Bome rapids below ; after playing him for fully an hour, by which time he 
 had taken me down close to our camp, the hook lost its hold just as the 
 voyageur was in the very act of gaffing-very provoking. Weather not 
 favorable ; hot, cloudless, and sultry. Score in the evening as follows :— 
 
 C. 10, 10, 10, 9, 7, 7, 8, 8, 10, 12 = 91 lbs. 
 
 D. 11, 11. 10, 10, 9, 8 --_59 " 
 
 Total 150 lbs. 
 
 Not having calculated on getting so many fish, we find ourselves already 
 run out of salt ; so the voyageurs were sent off this afternoon in one of the 
 boats to the mouth of the river, twenty-seven miles distant, to procure 
 more salt and barrels. 
 
 Sunday, bth JtiZy.-Slept till a late hour. Strolled in the woods during 
 day. In the evening went up to the great rapids and watched the Salmon 
 moving about in hundreds below the rock we were sitting on— all Salmon 
 congregating and resting here for several days before their attempting to 
 breast this tremendous rush of water. * * On our way home, " Trent" 
 suddenly rushed from the woods and plunged into the river. We saw his 
 head and mouth studded with white objects, which, on getting nearer, we 
 found to be the quills of a porcupine, which he came across in the forest 
 and must have attacked. In this instance the poor dog caught a regular 
 Tartar, hundreds of quills sticking in his head at inside his jaws, taking 
 
SALMON RIVBRS. 
 
 610 
 
 a quarter of an hour to pull out. Aftorward« we mode him lead the war 
 .0 ho w.«d, again, when he brought uh to a fine large porcupine hiding 
 .n the cleft of a rock. After «on.e difficulty. Lynch and myself got hi» 
 into a bng and took him down to camp. 
 
 Monday, m July.-nM all day. Some evil geniu, certainly attended 
 me-havng h,K.ked and run no Iohb than 18 Salmon, killing only 8 ; the 
 hook, .n all instancea of those getting away, losing its hold. Some Indian, 
 passed down the river in their canoes ..day. and told us that the small 
 .-land on the right hand of the stream (which I have before alluded to) 
 was the best stand at this season. CoUingwood crossed over there, and his 
 success showed "the childrop of the forest" to be well acquainted with 
 th.s nvcr. A heavy thunderstorm came on at midday, clearing off in the 
 afternoon with fine westerly wind. The men returned at 8 p. u. with salt 
 and barreld. 
 
 Snore. 
 10, 9. 9. 8, 8. 11. 9. 8. 8. 9, 10. 22. 23 - 144 lbs 
 7., 7. 9, 9, 13. 9. 9. 9 =, 73 .. ' 
 
 10 = 10 
 
 0. 
 D. 
 
 S. 
 
 <i 
 
 Total 226 lbs. 
 
 My 7.th.-Begm to find that early rising fatigues us too much during 
 the day ; «o d.d not fish before breakfast. Day very bright and sunny! 
 fi«h .nchned to play w.th the fly instead of taking freely. Killed two 
 
 th Tff 7;r';, ' "'' "' " ''' '"''-" "'' "^«°*« - -"'=h so that 
 the gaffer could hardly see the gaff. 
 
 Score, 
 C. 8.10.9.9 =.36,b3. 
 
 D- 8, 8. 8, 6. 7, 9. 8. 11. 10 = 75 " 
 
 Total 111 lbs. 
 
 Score. 
 
 C. 9.10.12,8,8,9,9.9, ^0,11. 30 = 125 lbs 
 D- 9, 10, 7. 10. 18 _ 54 .. ' 
 
 Total 179 lbs. 
 
 /»^^ 9th.-Collingwood and I went up the little riv^xploring for about 
 four mdes. The water is very low indeed now. so much so tha! wo could 
 
620 
 
 AM 
 
 ERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 I 
 
 ,ardly get our boat along. Saw a few Salmon in the pools. I du^ not 
 fil CoUingwood took a east and killed one. Weather hot. br.ght and 
 ^ar. Last night we had so,ne sharp frost, and to-day we remark he 
 Hack flies to be much less numerous, and not so v>cu,us as before. 1 s n 
 cerely hope this may be the beginning of their disappearance. Th ee 
 ITes up the little river we found rather pretty falls, and no doubt the 
 ;l below contain Salmon ; but at present the water is too low and clear 
 for them to take a fly. Savary remained at home fishmg. 
 
 Score. 
 
 S. 7. 9 = 16 lbs. 
 
 C. 9 = 9 " 
 
 Total 25 lbs. 
 My 10th.-Very hot. sultry day. I fished very little, having an attack 
 
 "'SrtwJc!ffi!7came up in their bark canoe to-day. to pay us a visit 
 Remained at our camp during night. CoUingwood fished from tae .land 
 all day. Savary putting up nicknacks abo-t camp. 
 
 (Score. 
 
 C. 10, 10. 10. 9. 9. 9, 9. 8. 9. 10. 10. 14 = 117 lbs. 
 
 D. 9,13.8,8 -_JZ 
 
 Total 155 lbs. 
 
 July llth.-A bright sunny day. and little wind. River very low. and 
 water clear as amber. Quite unfit for fishing. The finest throwing 
 requu-ed. and very small fly indeed-uot much bigger than small salmon- 
 trout flics. If we do not soon get rain. I fear our sport must cease. The 
 Salmon may be counted by scores lying in every pool so clear is the water 
 The Coffins left us this morning early for the mouth of th« nver. to look 
 after their nets. ^^^^^_ 
 
 C. 9, 10. 10. 12 = 41 lbs. 
 S. 19 - 10 " 
 
 D. 7, 9, 10 =26 " 
 
 Total 86 lbs. 
 
 S,mlay, \2th My.-Vrayors read by CoUingwood at 11. Loitered about 
 durin. the day. In the evening wo walked across the portage through tho 
 woods^bove tho groat rapids. Saw lots of Salmon-seals along the track 
 
 no sun. 
 
SALMON RIVERS. 
 
 621 
 
 no doubt; fish killed by thelndians incur pools during the night by 
 torchhgh, although I can't say we are at all annoyed by such depreda- 
 
 rrz; rir" '-'' -' "- --- -« -^ - -- '^ 
 
 clout thanT'^'T T- "'^ ""' '^"""^ *"'^^^' ^'^•^ ^- «- -i*h .ore 
 
 tor Tar . "' ''"""• ^"^ ^^"- "^°"-"'" *•>« fi^J^ery 
 
 u hu d "' ? "' "' ^"'"^^ '"" ^''^ """^'^ ^^ *^« ™- Slept in 
 
 ote Lf ; f ''' "'*' °" ^'^^ ^y ' *'^^ - S^*-^«^y- Body 
 
 . Ifth fish earned U away, along with casting-line and part of ™y reel- 
 line down a rapid so late at night and so dark that I could hardly see. 
 
 Score. 
 
 ^" ■"" = 10 " 
 
 D. 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 9, 9, 9, 9, 7 = 103 " 
 
 Total 139 lbs. 
 
 /«?y 14th.-Bright weather again and low water c^nue fatal to fish- 
 
 had 1 r/' 1°« ''""' " "'^''''^ "^ "P ^ casting-line;-the only one 
 I had Ut from the fire, carried away last night. I fished little. C. killed 
 the first Gnlse seen to-day-a beautiful little fish, two pounds in weight. 
 Boileau left us after dinner. ^ 
 
 Score. 
 C. 2, 9, 9, 22, 12, 10 = 04 lbs. 
 
 notun ''t~''Tl '"" '"'" '"^' "'*' ^ '"^^''"^' -- occasionally, 
 no sun. No use fishing now, unless in the forenoon and late evening. ' 
 
 /Score. 
 
 C. 8, 11 = 19 lbs. ■ 
 S. 9 = 9 " 
 
 D. 10 = 10 » ; 
 
 Total 38 lbs. 
 
 /«Zy lOth.-Close, sultry day. Fished little, and got nothing. * * * 
 Savary found an old Indian birch canoe in the woods to-day ; he has it 
 
 My lah.-My dysentery so bad as to confine me entirely to camp to- 
 
622 
 
 AMERICAN ANQLEK'S BOOK, 
 
 ii 
 
 day. Too much fresh rich salmon doubtless the cause. Savary busy 
 ;Lg the materials for the repair of the canoe Colhngw<.d iished m 
 the morning and evening, but though trying carefully only kUled 
 
 10, 8 = 18 lbs. 
 My 18th.-Hot, sultry, dry weather; no fishing. Savary up to his eyes 
 .ith the men. making arrangements for repairing the c-e. Purpo-g an 
 ascent of the river for twenty-seven miles more, at -^h>ch pomt it 
 a vidl into two branches (so say the Indians), on each of wh.ch there is 
 a fall Below those fulls the Salmon congregate in great numbers, trying 
 to ascend them. No doubt extraordinary sport would be got up there if 
 I Iter suited. Collingwood and myself tried for seals in the evening, 
 but got none, although we saw several. 
 
 Sunday, My 19th._Close, dull, sultry morning. Heavy sho.ers o 
 J:oon.'which unfortunately cleared o^ ^y afternc^n. We were mdulg- 
 ing a vain hope that rain might continue and flood the river. 
 
 U20th.-Dull, heavy morning; drizzling rain, ^--y ^^ing at 
 hifcan! which is being patched up well. I tried to fish ; but as I did 
 ': w dton account of my attack of dysentery, had little sport ^ook^ 
 one fish and lost him. Collingwood killed three fish and 1 «t tw- Au 
 Indian with his squaw and two children came up river to-day, and has 
 ied his camp close to the great rapids. -Sam Miskind" by name a 
 fin?specimen of a man. and a laughing, jolly fellov. ; speaks English and 
 Frnch Passed the evening in our hut. We gave him a Salmon and 
 l:Zn trap ; the l.tto. he prizes much, being on an expedition into the 
 
 interior to trap for furs, &c. 
 
 Score. 
 
 8, 10. U = 29 lbs. 
 
 My 21st -Heavy rain in the morning. My ailment very much worse 
 X from getting wet yesterday in all probability, after taking opium 
 ^d me cury he day before. Had to remain in all day till evening, when 
 
 iTa line over lit' e river, killing a fine 3 lb. Trout. Savary parsed the 
 aay It the Indian's camp, where he has the canoe ; the Indian gumming 
 up the cracks in it for him. Collingwood fished all day. 
 
 /Score. 
 
 C. 7, 7, 9 = 23 lbs. 
 
 D. Trout 3 lbs. *" 
 
 M„ 2-.d.-Ueavv nin d«ri„s l»-t «'%^>, "h-" «'"'■«' """^ 1'-' "'»"'• 
 ,.g S»v„y. Com;...>od, and F,ur„i,r loft a,, .„ ea,., h„u, ..ft ca.o. 
 
SALMON RIVERS. 
 
 628 
 
 to go „p the river to the falls, said to be twenty-seven miles further 
 mland. ********^^^^ 
 
 tho^"t f tr"^ i'T'"' ''^- ^"'^ ^"^''""S from my uneasy ailment, 
 though better. Could not fish of course; unfortunate, as the river is in 
 very good order after the rain. 
 
 J"'' ''*tT,^r '''^- ^''' ""'' ^^"^^ ■' «°"'^ °°* '««'«* fishing in the 
 evening. K.lled one Salmon, and lost another from something going 
 
 wrong w.th my reel, which suddenly stopped short in the middle of I 
 rush, the casting-line giving way. I fear most of the fish have gone up 
 river, as I did not see many to-day. 
 
 Score, 
 D. 10 lbs. 
 /«J,25th.-yery bright day. Water clear as over again. Fished in 
 the forenoon, but did not get a single rise. Killed two fish and lost 
 another after sundown. * * * * Great fun with ■• Trent" 
 to^ay. He has formed the most extraordinary liking for Salmon ; it is 
 w.th difficulty sometimes he is restrained from supplying the place of the 
 gaffer I don't like to risk letting him retrieve a large Salmon, but 
 severa times we have been much amused with him retrieving large Trout 
 from the water. He has become expert at it now. but the rushes of th. 
 Irou. occasionally entangled him sadly in the line. It is remarkable how 
 well the old dog knows when a Salmon is hooked, getting into a high state 
 of excitement and watching the line most intensely. My servant, before 
 pulling me across rather a rapid current of the riv.r to-day, sat on a stone 
 took a pipe from his mouth, and said, " You oc thay rapid, sur ?" " Ye. " 
 "Well, sixteen out of seventeen people wur drowned in that wather"" 
 '; In there ? how do you know V " No, no, sur. not in there, but in a place 
 just loike It near Cork in Oireland. You see there were seventeen men in 
 he boat, and three of them wur women, When she gits into the jabber 
 thim women shouted and jumps to one soide. and the boat turned inside 
 out; every mother's son was drowned but one man, Pat Cregan. ho could 
 swim. Ihem women is the ferfullest things iver got into a boat " 
 
 .S'«n<%, Jul, 2(;th.-LoveIy day. Strolled about in the woods. Savary 
 and Coli.ngwood returned from their trip up the river at 5 v. „ They 
 give wonderful accounts of the Salmon at the upper fork. On the right 
 branch about two miles from the fork there is a fall, about ten feet high 
 the Salmon jumping there incessantly, sometimes half a dozen in the air 
 at once. The fish get much bruiaed in their attempts to get over the fall • 
 
 1 I 
 
 ib-^J'^' 
 
624 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 they found one enormous 30 lb. fish lying at the edge of the fall in 
 Bhallow water, so bruised and cut from being dashed against the rocks, 
 that though in high fleshy condition, he allowed himself to be lifted out 
 of the water. He was however left there, poor thing, and died the second 
 day. Saw an immense black bear at the falls; came within thirty yards; 
 numbers of them collect thtre after the Salmon. The Indian Miskind says 
 a similar fall exists three miles up the left fork, and that the great mass 
 of fish go up this fork in preference to the right. The fish however, he 
 says, overcome both falls, and advance to the very sources of the river, 280 
 miles inland. Collingwood killed thirteen fish, nearly all in one day; 
 their weight 7, 7. 7, 7, 8, 9, 9, 9, 7, 7, 9, 9, 9 : and Fournier gaffed one of 
 15 lbs. out of the foaming water. Any number might have been gaffed 
 in this way. Not a good fishing-ground— only one pool close to the fall, 
 and fearful rapids below ; so unless tackle is A 1, the fish gets into those 
 rapids and must get away— no following him. Collingwood lost a great 
 number in this way. Some fine pools exist a mile below the falls, but at 
 this late season all fish had gone further up. The ground at the bottom 
 of the fall pool, they say, is regularly littered with thousands of Salmon. 
 Took two aiiys going up, but might have done it in one, it being about 
 twenty miles up from the great rapid, not twenty-seven. Report number- 
 less bear-tracks about the place, as also cariboo. The Indian says num- 
 bers of the former frequent the place to watch the " Pot." This, I rather 
 think, does not now exist— in all probability filled up with stones, &c. ; 
 but in former days, the Indians say, a large hole filled with water lay 
 close to the fall, and above it. Salmon used to jump into it in leaping up 
 the falls ; and, there being no means of exit from it, they say the fish 
 might be seen lying dead in it by hundreus. 
 
 My servant was fishing for Trout to-day, behind the camp, with bait. I 
 remarked him pull on. out of the water about the length of his finger, 
 with a swing of the rod enough to raise a hundred weight. He picked up 
 the little fis.'v. pulled out its gills for bait, then returned it to the water. 
 I asked him, " Why throw it away ?" " Sure it's no use so small as that, 
 and it will grow." " But don't you see it's dead ?" " Oh Lord, sir 1 never 
 you heed it. Thim young Trouts is the most desatefullest things as be ; 
 sure he purtinds to all that, but whin he gets into the deep water, he'll 
 soon away nate and cliver." 
 
 July 27th.-IIeavy rain last night. I did not fish till evening; then for 
 about an hour. Collingwood at it all day, killing three Salmon and losing 
 
SALMON RIVERS. 
 
 625 
 
 Score, 
 
 C. 8, 8, 10, 11 = 37 lbs. 
 
 D. 20 " 
 
 Total 47 lbs. 
 Jshef inTr""" : '""■" *"°«-'»'»~^«ri„g night Lovely day. 
 l.;etherC„lI,„g„«,d„rmj,elf. They are ,erj .hj i„de,J. • » . . 
 J^.;? ffltt-Up early. Breakfaated and prepared for our journey Got 
 almon barrel, .^„ed in .he bo..., and .be few ,e„n.nU loft u Zhe £ 
 . u,o„ h ago. Propped o„r bark b„.. fron, «,e ineide .„ ..ppor.'h r^T 
 wben laden w,.h .now in ,be winter, el„.»i .b, door, and eft he™ .^ 
 -ecure a. we eould. looting forward .o .heir being of „.e .„ „. ZZZ 
 body else at a .aturo day. **#**:. 
 
 We here bid farewell to the explorers of the St. John : I infer 
 at least that they were pioneers, so far as rod-fishing is concerned I 
 regret that I am unable to give the reader the whole of their enter- 
 ta.mng journal. On arriving at the mouth of the St. John, and 
 wa.t.ng ,n va,n for a steamer for Quebec to pass, they chartered a 
 httle craft of th.rty tons, with an ignorant, boorish fellow for its mas- 
 er. After rather a perilous voyage groping about for four days in 
 he fog so common .n the Gulf of St. Lawrence, they reached Perce, 
 a httle hsh.ng town thirty miles south of Gasp^; here they applied 
 to the pnncpal merchant of the place, told their tale of disaster by 
 fire and adventures by water, and prevailed on him, though a 
 ^^trang.r,to advance them the money they needed; and when" the 
 .teamer Lady Head" touched there on a return trip, embarked for 
 yaebec, and went on their way rejoicing." 
 
 40 
 
 m 
 
 fliiffli 
 
 M jjp 
 
AME 
 
 RICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 THE MOISIE. 
 THK following letter and account of the Salmon-fishing in this 
 river, in the years 1863, is from a gentleman of Boston. 
 
 Boston, February 7, 1865. 
 
 Thaddeus Norris, Esq., 
 
 Philadelphia. . „ , , „j ♦„ 
 
 D.ar Sir ■ I h»ve y.«r letter of the 411, inefnt, ..d .hall be rle..ed tt 
 
 .1: ':„; iniulrlel In «> legl^e , »..=er » .. .tt„k o, the angle- . 
 
 ,„1 oreOikethe«.ie>t«odWl.io„.-.he..t.«.hing,exte„d.ng.. 
 
 Z\> the tide «ow» up .... river, to one part-,, and the '—;'*; 
 
 *" ^, .„ Tlipsft rivers are leasea oy oias, 
 
 rivpr for flv-fishinR. to another party, ihese n\erj u 
 :«; ear. »d one .e»e ha. empire..- O^ing to the .ant „f any .,. 
 
 lit exchange with Canada, one i. oMiged to .end the .meant of h . 
 
 u! a nnally on th. 15th of Mareh, in gold, by expre.. <«;'- ""P""; 
 
 , It Onehee I .appo.e th. Moi.l. to be already l.a.ed, and at all 
 
 ,?r„rheliL.»y Amer,ean.»m be allowed to hire it. not on 
 
 rl f al M n?;'ain.. then, at th. Department, but Wan., the 
 
 I":;: :LeT. - .;. C..adi.n ..hermen ,ill malt, an .fort to retam 
 
 *iL«:e:::";™"".-----""rror^^^ 
 
 ine luoiMt. t. e ghteen miles from the 
 
 '" r ' ° TilrlT-th h I*:. re It ..oU bemw the fall.. 
 
 "t;;: tf^ hl^rmil.. from Qnebeo. and onr «r.t two trip. 
 
 Z,. Mn„' -ehooner,. which w. oh.rt.red for the tnp at Quebec, 
 
 Ttl 1 up' t-i ccn day., on the voy.g. down, the wind on th. 
 
 . r 71 fi,hcrm.n Th» l..t three year., the Government have 
 
 1 the different lighthoa.e, ; the trip down, co.tmg for a party of 
 17 U " ^men .n.rhaggage, about two hundred dollar. Ml t e.e 
 * ; „,„,t h. «.hed fr..m .„... ; and a. .be current « v.ry .trong, ach 
 ; ir n«d. a boat and two men ; «.d the-e boat., w,.h every art,cle of 
 rrotion. clothing, .n^camp^a«iP»S-^^ 
 
 -TZ:;^^::^^^.^- .^.t ... bo..» m»a„ «,„,.. ». ..a w, .... ...» 
 
 up the MoUie. 
 
 Uiitca. 
 
 June 21 
 " 23 
 " 24 
 " 26 
 " 27 
 " 28 
 " 29 
 " 30 
 July 1 
 " 2 
 " 3 
 4 
 5 
 6 
 7 
 8 
 9 
 
 
 " 11 20 
 " 12 6 
 " 13 
 " 14 
 " 1.5 
 
 " 16 
 « ij 
 
 tt 
 
 4 
 
 1 
 
 5 
 
 *t 
 
 6 
 
 a 
 
 7 
 
 ii 
 
 8 
 
 (f 
 
 9 
 
 a 
 
 10 
 
SALMON RIVERS. 
 
 627 
 
 I think that, by writing to Mr. Whiteher. you oould get a river very 
 
 be than the Mo.h.o. You should allow for an absence of eight wee ^ 
 ^n the above arrangement. I have left you to some chance arfangre: 
 with a fishing vessel, for your passage up. 
 
 You ought on your first trip to have at least a week in Quebec before 
 starting for your river, to give you time to engage your .en-aJl 
 annoy^g process, wherever French Canadians II concern d-nH 
 W your provisions packed. You ought to start fron. Quebec about th^ 
 
 Very truly your friend, 
 
 Moses B. Williams. 
 Weights of Salmon killed by three Bods in the Moisie in 1862 an^ isfi. , 
 the Messrs. Bacon and Mr. Will iZl, Hilton '''' '' 
 
 ''''' 18G3. * 
 
 The 10 largest Salmon average 32 1-10 
 pounds each. 
 
 The 20 largest average 29 2-5 lbs. each. 
 The whole number average 16i lbs. each. 
 
 Total .318 Salmon 4815 lbs. 
 
 I' ■« 
 
 Average weight 16 1-7 pounds each. 
 
628 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 THE GOODBOUT. 
 This stream, although it has been mentioned in a genera! way, 
 Btill deserves a more special notice, on account of its celebnty as a 
 Salmon river. Dr. Adamson, who has fished it for nearly twenty 
 years, gives a minute description of it, in his entertaming book, 
 I Salmon Fishing in Canada," illustrated by a chart of the pools. 
 The famous upper pool appears as a frontispiece to his book Like 
 „.ost Salmon rivers, the fishing on it varies. According to the Doc- 
 tor's book. Captain J. M. Strachan, of Toronto, whose remarkable score 
 of large fish for the year 18(^8 in the Moisie, is recorded on p. 385 
 of this volume, killed in the Goodbout forty-two Salmon in parts of 
 two days, while in 1849, the Doctor's catch was only twenty-one fish 
 
 in two weeks. 
 
 The following description of a trip to the Goodbout, as nearly a« 
 can be recalled, is given from a verbal account by R. h- P., m.^^ 
 Philadelphia, who fished it last summer, in company with two anglers 
 of Quebec. 
 
 .. Left Quebec June 17th. at 4 p. m.. on board steamer Napoleon III., for 
 the Goodbout, two hundred miles down the St. Lawrence. Armed on the 
 morning of the 19th. wind blowing heavy from north-west; some appre- 
 hensions as t. landing; Indians came out in a sail-boat, and after some 
 difficulty landed our party of three anglers, with men. cots, stores, camp 
 equipage. &c. Went up the Goodbout two miles to camping-ground. 
 Water low, hard to get over the shoals. 
 
 «The river opposite the camp is divided by an island several hundred 
 yards long, the channel on each side being a succession of rapids, or rather a 
 Lgle rupid with now and then, for a short distance, water le- turbu^'^ ; 
 Th! pool below the camp is called the Lower or Camp Pool. /^^ g-^^^ 
 the first of the season or in time of a freshet. 'Bell Pool (looking up 
 learn is on the left of the island, and 'Glassy' in the channel on th 
 g t ' Shea Pool' is at the head of the island, about two miles a v 
 camp A mile further on is ' Indian Pool,' and immediat ,ly au.e t the 
 Haywood.' Upper Pool is three miles beyond the Haywood, and can 
 l7be approached on fc.t. over an exceedingly steep hil Beyond this 
 po^l all the'river for a long distance is wild, dashing, rapid, an rom al 
 account, the river, has never been fished with the rod above it. The 
 
SALMON RIVERS. 
 
 629 
 
 a general way, 
 ts celebrity as a 
 )r nearly twenty 
 itertaining book, 
 art of the pools. 
 I his book. Like 
 rding to the Doc- 
 3 remarkable score 
 corded on p. 385 
 dmon in parts of 
 ly cwenty-one fish 
 
 Ibout, as nearly afl 
 a. H. P., Esq., of 
 y with two anglers 
 
 r Napoleon III., for 
 ice. Arrived on the 
 i-west; some appre- 
 )Oftt, and after some 
 n, cots, stores, camp 
 to camping-ground. 
 
 md several hundred 
 of rapids, or rather a 
 water less turbulent. 
 ) Pool. It is good at 
 ell Pool' (looking up 
 1 the channel on the 
 bout two miles above 
 ledial )ly ati«we it the 
 e Haywood, and can 
 ip hill. Beyond this 
 5, rapid, and from all 
 e rod above it. The 
 
 Salmon are fra.uently fonn^ ' ,re in large numbers, where they rest some 
 days before attempting the .ruble chute above." 
 
 The following is the score of the three rods :— 
 
 June 23. 
 
 " 24. 
 
 " 26. 
 
 " 27. 
 
 " 28. 
 
 " 29. 
 
 " 30. 
 
 July 1. 
 
 3 Fish. 
 
 4 " 
 6 
 
 12 
 7 
 7 
 3 
 6 
 
 4. 17 
 
 6. 14 
 «. 7 
 
 7. 12 
 
 8. 2 
 
 « 
 « 
 
 « 
 
 10 
 11 
 
 8 
 13 
 
 7 
 
 7 
 
 3 
 
 3 
 
 « 
 
 «< 
 
 « 
 « 
 
 « 
 « 
 
 (< 
 
 « 
 
 << 
 
 « 
 
 « 
 
 « 
 
 It 
 
 II 
 
 II 
 
 9. 
 11. 
 12. 
 13. 
 14. 
 15. 
 16. 
 18. 
 
 19- 1 Grilse. Weight 3J " 
 22 day«, 162 fl.h. ToUl weight, 1508 lbs. ; ,0 largest weighed 166i lbs: o, 
 on an average 16§ lbs. 
 
 Largest 8 
 
 lbs 
 
 « 
 
 9 
 
 II 
 
 (( 
 
 91 
 
 II 
 
 II 
 
 10 
 
 II 
 
 II 
 
 19 
 
 II 
 
 It 
 
 20 
 
 II 
 
 « 
 
 9i 
 
 
 « 
 
 10 
 
 
 II 
 
 11 
 
 
 II 
 
 11 
 
 
 II 
 
 11 
 
 
 II 
 
 14i 
 
 
 II 
 
 18 
 
 
 II 
 
 13 
 
 
 II 
 
 11 
 
 
 II 
 
 10 
 
 
 II 
 
 10 
 
 
 II 
 
 111 
 
 
 « 
 
 18 
 
 
 II 
 
 8 
 
 
 II 
 
 11 
 
 
 THE GREAT NATASHQUAN. 
 
 JZ ^''\^T""^"" ^"^^ *^' ^"'^ '^ ^*- ^^^^«"««' i° ^I'out 
 50 10' N and 61o 45' E. I am indebted to Dr. C. K. Fiske, of 
 
 St. John, New Brunswick, one of a party who viaited it last summer, 
 for an interesting description of the stream, as well as a chart, drawn 
 from memory, with a lead pencil, which shows that he is no ordinary 
 topographer. J. De W. Spurr, Esq., one of the Doctor's companions 
 with two other Salmon-fishers, had explored the Great Natashquan 
 he previous summer (1863), and had immense sport, killing between 
 four and five hundred fish. 
 
 The chart alluded to shows that there are four different stations • 
 namely, at the first falls, twelve miles from the mouth of the river' 
 at the second falls, about fifteen ; at the third, two miles further on ; ani 
 
 liui-i 
 
 m 
 
eso 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLEH'B BOOK. 
 
 at the fourth, twenty miles above the mouth; beyond h.o the 
 Salmon do not ascend. At these lu«t falls, th. chart 3hows a m 
 of rocks, or snmll islands, each separated from the other and exteud. 
 ing at a shar, angle diagonally across the river. These ...de the 
 stream into four distinct falls, or pitches as they are termed, of forty 
 feet. The pools at the upper, which are on the west s.dc aflford he 
 best sport. Two-thirds of the way up between the mouth a.i the 
 first falls, the river .preads out to more than twice its or nary 
 ^idth, and is divided by three islands into as many ^^^-^^ ^^ 
 if rnpids and pools arc found there, the idea is suggested tha ther 
 „.ay be fishing there also at certain stages of water. The channel 
 between the larger island and the western bank there is calle, 
 u Dead River" ; and in ascending, it is the course taken when the 
 
 water is not too high. , ,»„ 
 
 After this brief prelude, I refer the reader to my correspondents 
 
 ^^^^- ST.JonN,N.B.,Jlfarc;i7,1865. 
 
 My Dca. '■■ ' • Tour letter dated 25th February was duly received, but 
 havin, be... ..ch engaged, I have not found time to ^^V^y ^^[^^^^-^^ 
 
 I fear H .^ '.« information I can give will add but httle to The Ame- 
 rican Angler . Book." as I am no draughtsman and can scarcely give you 
 a plan of the Natashquan ; but am happy to give a short account of our 
 adventures to that excellent Sabnon river. 
 
 Our party was made up of four angler. J. De Wolf purr. Esq.. Colonel 
 Tryon. John Kinnear. Esq.. and myself, who left St. John on the 21st of 
 • June. 1864, proceeding by rail to Shediac. and from thence to Gasp by the 
 steamer Lady Head, where we chartered a schooner ^^ ^bo^t for^^^^^^^ 
 for the mouth of the Natashqu.n, where we arrived on the 30th oi June, 
 and proceeded directly up the river to the first fall. 
 We took our supplies from St. John, and picked up our men at Bathurst 
 
 and Gaapfe, six of them in all. 
 
 At the first fall our prospects for sport were not very flattering, on account 
 ot lack of water to bring the fish up the river, past the nets near the mouth ; 
 accordingly two of our party proceeded up the stream to the fourth fall. 
 Mr. Spurr and I remaining behind. , . ,. • ; 
 
 I remained on the river seventeen days, and fished mostly m the vicx- 
 Bity of the first fall, and killed in that time only 33 Salmon, averaging 
 
S r.MON RIVERS. 
 
 631 
 
 about 8 11. .... vhile the y... previous, the «ame amouat ..1 hard work 
 
 w luld have secured a hundn-d or more. 
 The gontle^on who vo„. up the stream killed a greater number offish, 
 
 but hey are uot so IV. .1. and strong as those at the lower pools. 
 Ih.re are sevoral excellent pools near the lower fall.., whore most exciting 
 
 sport can be had, in consequence of the diffioul os of snvi„g the fish after 
 
 huoKi,,, uom, requiring the best and most perl.ot tack 
 
 At Hn. second fall there are several good pools w ,, of the ex 
 
 perienced angler will discover at once, yet it wou^ , ,,esirable to' 
 
 have for a companion a friend who had previously , stream Be- 
 
 tween the first and second fails there are also .hich afford good 
 
 «por .ovtain stages of the water. The third fai, , o miles further on 
 does not ^.ve much sport, so far as I could learn, but Salmon have been 
 caught there «t times at the top of the pitch and in the remarkable step, 
 uear the to, ,.bably the greatest number of fi.h can be taken with fly 
 
 and rod at » .th f.Ul (a mile or two above), which is divided into four 
 
 several pitckc, , islands, a most remarkable feature in the beauties of 
 this fine Salmon river. 
 
 I did not fish at all at this locality, but on several visits to my compa- 
 mons learned that the best pools are at the upper end of the first island 
 It my memory serves me right, 
 
 _ To go back to the second fall, I may here add tha* is is also divided 
 into three pitches by islands. The steps in the small pitch are most 
 remarkable; dry at low water, and good pools when the water is at 
 medium height ; as the water falls, rhe fish remaining in the steps can be 
 taken in large quantities with the spear or gaff; but no sportsman will do 
 this on any account. While my back was turned, one of my men gaffed 
 a fish, but I put an end to such poaching at ,nce. I fear that from this 
 one act, discredit was brought upon our ,,arty, n Mr. Whitcher ha« 
 reprimanded us severely for something , more criminal. 
 
 The temptation to use the gaff was very great on these occasions, but I 
 would a.l vise all persons who purchase the right to angle on this river, not to 
 allow their men to take a fish with gaff or spear. I could have taken a 
 hundred in two days out of these little steps or pools, but I did not go to 
 the coast of Labrador for such poaxjhing. The fishermen who pay for not- 
 ting privileges at the mouth of the river have been dealt very strictly with 
 and last year had their nets taken from them ; and in consequence of this 
 the anglers at the pools above are closely watched, and any act of poach- 
 ing IS promptly reported to Mr. Whitcher; and many hard stories have 
 
IMAGE EVALUATION 
 TEST TARGET (MT-3) 
 
 1.0 
 
 I.I 
 
 teaiM |2.5 
 
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 2.0 
 
 12.2 
 
 ^ U£ 
 
 11.25 i 1.4 
 
 1.6 
 
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 V2 
 
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 js!K€\/ 
 
 ->> 
 
 
 *V>* v*. 
 
 'W 
 
 ^m 
 
 
 /A 
 
 Photographic 
 
 Sdences 
 
 Corporation 
 
 23 WEST MAIN STREET 
 
 WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 
 
 (716) 872-4503 
 

 ^^ 4^^^'y^ 
 
 4 
 
682 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 been told of the gentlemen who paid for angling there last year wiiich are 
 •X r * „*= * * * I do not blame Mr. Whitcher 
 
 the opposite of tacts. wi. i. 
 
 for his desire to protect the Salmon-fisheries of Canada, but I feel that we 
 
 have been unjustly censured. , .„ j n 
 
 I might here add that gentlemen visiting the Natashquan will do well 
 to take with them a Spencer repeating rifle, ic keep off the seals from the 
 lower pools ; this will not only afford good sport, but be effectual m keep- 
 ing the seals from deslroying all possible angling in the vicinity of tht 
 first fall. Yours faithfully. ^^^^^^^ 
 
 Thaddeus Nobris. Esq.. 
 
 Philadelphia. 
 
 This river has been leased for this and several succeeding summers 
 by R. H. Powell, Esq., of Philadelphia. 
 
 THE NIPISSIGUIT. 
 
 After having made special mention of the Salmon-fifuing in some 
 of the fine rivers of Canada, it would be inconsistent not to give 
 some account of the sport which this stream has afforded, and may still 
 continue to give, if properly protected from net and spear. I have 
 already described the river itself, and manner of reaching it, m this 
 
 volume. 
 
 To all who have fished it, this is the beau ideal of a Salmon river; 
 and it is probable that more fish have been killed on it with the rod, 
 than on any other stream in the British Provinces. From all ac 
 counts the first fishing on it was by Messrs. De Blois, Gilmore, and 
 other anglers of the province, when, about seventeen years back, Mr. 
 Haggerty,of New York, visited it, and introduced Captain Cooper, a 
 retired British officer, who for many years, and as long as he lived, 
 came every year from England to spend his summer at the Grand 
 Falls keeping his knowledge of the capacities of the river as much 
 as possible a secret from other British anglers. This party was soon 
 joined by Messrs. Emmet and Lilly of New York, the latter having 
 the reputation amongst the canoemen of being the most expert and 
 
SALMON RIVERS 
 
 683 
 
 successful fisher that ever cast a fly on its waters. One of his feats 
 was the iciling of twenty-two Salmon, at the Grand Falls station, in 
 one morning, before 10 a. m.; and then only put up his rod to keep 
 from outscoring his friend Cooper, who continued to fish until noon, 
 and killed the same number. 
 
 I have been told that Major Bock, of the British army, one day 
 killed th,rty-five Salmon and Grilse before dinner, in fishing from 
 Cham of Rocks to Rock Pool at the Grand Falls, a distance of two 
 and a half miles, wading most of the water. Messrs. Nicholson 
 Spurr, Garbut, Fiske, and other angle,^ of St. John, have had splen- 
 d.d fishing on the Nipissiguit, not to mention Sir Francis Head, Lord 
 Howard, Messrs. Penant. Law, Clerk, Hagert, and others whose 
 names I cannot recall, as well as the native anglers about Bathurst. 
 Amongst the anglers fiom the States, Mr. Cadwalader, of Philadel- 
 ph.a, once made a splendid score of large fish, in the latter part of 
 August. ^ 
 
 Tins river ca-ries six rods; it is now leased by Messrs. Nicholson 
 and Spurr of St. John, and Mr. Sergeant of Philadelphia, each of 
 whom share the fishing with a companion of their own choosin.. 
 
 During the month of July 1863, the pools at Papineau FalCeven 
 miles above Bathurst, were fished by Capt. Brown and Lieut. Davis 
 of the Royal Artillery, who killed ninety-nine fish, including Grilse! 
 The Grand Falls station was leased the same season, from the 8th to 
 ^Oth of July, by a young Scotchman, who on his way around in the 
 steamer from Quebec to Dalhousie, had picked up an Englishman for 
 a fishmg companion. They killed, during their stay, seventy-six 
 Salmon and two Grilse. 
 
 Having read, talked, and speculated much on the subject of Sal- 
 mon-fishing, J determined, though disappointed in the pleasure I had 
 anticipated in having the company of a friend with whom I had 
 projected the trip, to make a pilgrimage to the Nipissiguit. By 
 request I kept a diary, for the entortainment of some old Tronl 
 fishm. fnends. As it may interest the reader, I quote from it as 
 follows : 
 
684 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 [ 
 
 My 3d.— Arrived at Bathurgt, and found that the river had been leased 
 for the first time, Mr. Ferguson being the lessee; that Captain Brown and 
 Lieutenant Davis, British officers from Quebec, had taken the Papineau 
 
 Falls. 
 
 My 4th.— Rose early, to see a ship-launch. Went before breakfast and 
 engaged the Grand Falls station, of Mr. Ferguson. At the recommenda- 
 tion of Mr. Baldwin, at whose hotel I put up, employed Peter and John 
 Chamberlain for canoemen. Went at 11 a. u. to Ferguson, Rankin & Co.'s 
 to lay in stores, and was told by Mr. F. that the son of an old friend from 
 Scotland had arrived late the night before, on a fishing excursion, and as 
 he desired to give him the best fishing the river afforded at that low stage 
 of water, I must relinquish the "Grand Falls" to him and a companion 
 he had brought with him, for the present, but could have it in two or 
 three weeks. Necessity having no law, I yielded with as good grace as I 
 could, and being encouraged by Baldwin in the hope that there was yet 
 some fishing at the lower stations, took the " Round Rocks." 
 
 My 5th. — Sunday. Went to church, walked about town, and on 
 " Packard's Hill," where I had a fine view of the harbor, bay, and surround- 
 ing country. 
 
 My 6th.— Started after breakfast, with my stores, and a tent which I 
 borrowed of Mr. Packard, " in a one-horse shay," to embark at the head 
 of " Rough Waters," three and a half miles distant. While my men 
 were loading the canoe, I put together my 17-foot rod, put on my reel, 
 looped on my casting-lino, and tied on a salmon-fly for the first time. Took 
 a few casts going up. At one of the pools, saw a swirl near my fly, which 
 I was told was a rise from a Salmon. Of course I did not hook it. Ar- 
 rived at Round Rock at 11 a. m. Too hot to fish; lounged, explored, dined, 
 tied a few flies, and went to sleep. 
 
 I was awakened at 6 o'clock, and went with John to the pool immediately 
 in front of the camp, which he directed me how to fish casting from the 
 shore. Gradually extending my cast, I got my fly beyond the first boulder, 
 and as it swung around with the current and floated near the brink of 
 the pitch, there was a bulge on the surface, and I was fast to something 
 strong and heavy. The fish did not appear at all uneasy at first, but 
 presently grew restive, and, sticking her nose against the current, ran out 
 fifteen yards or so of my line ; then came a bolder rush, as I turned the 
 point of my rod down stream and felt her stoutly. Told Peter to have 
 the gafi" ready. " It will be some time before you want it," said Peter. 
 I kept her in shore and away from the main current as much as possible, 
 
SALMON RIVERS. 
 
 635 
 
 and in the mean time questioned Jolin as to what the fish would probably 
 do as she dropped towards the lower end of the pool-" Will she go over 
 the puch ?" .. Most likely," said John. " Head foremost, with a rush ?" 
 • No, sir. sideways or .tail foremost." A gleam of molten silver, a sweep 
 of her broad tail, and over she went with a lazy wollop. I guided her 
 through the swift water between the rocks. One more swirl and a roll 
 as with a taut line I pressed her in shore and held her quiet in a little 
 eddy, when Peter waded in hip deep and gaffed her. Weight 16 lbs. My 
 first Salmon, killed with rod and fly of my own make. 
 
 I thought I had been humbugged about the pluck and endurance of 
 Salmon ; a Bass of the same size would have given more sport, I said- 
 "Wait awhile, sir," replied John ; "the water is warm to-day, and they 
 are loggish." I then fished the other pools, some half dozen, without get. 
 ting a rise. Supped on the fat belly portion of my Salmon broiled-ate 
 rather too much to sleep well ; walked on the rocks, smoked, an I , ent to 
 bed, musqu.to net working to a charm. Black flies have been bad to-day 
 Indians spearing on the river opposite their reserve, four or five hundred 
 yards above. 
 
 Julif 7th.-Rose at 4J. Fished the pool w' ere I hooked my fish yester- 
 day, and then the others, without a rise, until I got to middle pool, where 
 I hooked and killed a 12-pound fish. Neither of the fish I have kilU ' 
 have run off thirty yards of line. My rod is very stiff and unwieldy to 
 one accustomed to casting for Trout with an 8-ounce rod of twelve feet 
 If I make another of seventeen feet, it shall be much more pliant Not a 
 rise this afternoon. Praying for rain ; some hopes as I am going to bed- 
 deep muttering thunder. 
 
 Jubj 8th.~There was a splendid thunderstorm and vivid lightning last 
 night, but very little rain. Opened my tent-door and looked out on the 
 r.ver-gorgeous-this morning there is not a cloud as large as the hand of 
 the prophet's servant. Day hot, bright-no fishing. Walked two hundr-^d 
 yards above the camp, and killed a good string of Brook Trout at the 
 mouth of a little spring branch. 
 
 July 9th.-Tried the pools bPfore breakfast, all to no purpose. Returned 
 took a swim, and, with John as my counsellor, while eating breakfast 
 deeded to move up to " Chain of Rocks." Found the road on the opposite 
 side of the river and walked to Papineau Falls, while the men poled up 
 and made the portage. I hero visited Captain Brown and Lieutenant 
 Davis. Embarked, pushed up the river, and fished a pool a mile above 
 Papineau, where I hooked a good fish, and after playing it ten minutes 
 
68^ 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 the hook loBt its hold and I lost my fish. I hooked another n a few 
 minutes ; he ran around a sunken rock, got a dead pull on my hne and 
 broke it. carrying away five or six yards of it. with my casting-hne. I 
 had tried this reel line, which was of hair and silk, before leavmg home, 
 and found it to bear twelve pounds. Suppose it had rotted from bemg 
 exposed to the dew by allowing my rod to stand out at n.ght. or from 
 beL wound up wet. From the wild antics of the fish I have just lost. I 
 concLe that Salmon do jump. Repaired damages pushed on dn.ed at 
 Bittabock. and camped at 6 p. -. on the point of a h.gh rocky bluff th.rty 
 feet above the river, which rushes through a narrow gorge below. This 
 station is called " Mid Landing." , 4. i,^^ 
 
 While Peter was unlading the canoe, went above with John and fished 
 down the gulch. Hooked a wicked little fish, and after a race of a hur- 
 dred yards down the rapid, killed it in the small cove under the cliff by 
 the camp. Leaving John to assist Peter in pitching the tent. I walked 
 up the gorge again, rose a fish, rested him. and then hooked h,m; shouted 
 for John, who came running with the gaff. Killed this in the sa^e cove 
 as I did the other, but with less resistance. Weight 12 lbs. Fished with 
 B.y light 16-foot rod to-day ; I believe it stout enough to kill any Salmon 
 in th3 river-and then the comfort and ease in casting with it. 1 have 
 used no lubricating oil yet. but have occasionally taken the veil and some- 
 times donned my gauntlets-a pair of old kid gloves, with linen cuff^^ to 
 fasten under the v,ristbands of my shirt. I am tired and hungry, writing 
 by the light and in the smoke of my camp-fire. I'll eat a piece of my 
 live'v little Salmon, take a smoke and go to bed. 
 
 My 10th.-Went up the gulch at 6 .. M., rose two Salmon, hooked one 
 of 10 lbs., and killed it in the usual place. Ate breakfast. While the 
 men were striking tent and loading the canoe, went above agam and 
 hooked another fish. He gave splendid play, running the -Hs as if he 
 .ould not stop short of Bathurst, and making a half-dozen splendid leaps 
 I could see every move he made when I got dowa to the camp being a 
 least thirty feet above him. Killed this fish lower down the cove than wher 
 the other Lee were gaffed. Weight 13 lbs. Arrived a Cham of Roek^ 
 at 12 M. A bad camping-ground ; no spring near-only river water to 
 drink. Fished the pools in the afternoon ; had two rises ; pricked one^ 
 
 JuU, llth.-This morning tried the pools again-no signs of fish. While 
 at breakfast the card of the occupants of Grand Falls station, inviting 
 Ito pay them a visit, was handed to me. Made all as secure as I could 
 Tn my tent, and went up, two miles distant, passing a beautiful sheet of 
 
SALMON RIVERS. 
 
 687 
 
 B.„„^ Stopped to go, . drtol ,,,ar ik. h.»l of n, B.,i„, „„,„ ' 
 
 • <lo<en , but M thi, wm not .ngli,, ,, ,„„„j „ ,. 
 
 P«. , fou-d o.. of th. .„g,.„ ,„, ^ . ,„.,^.„„ j,^ ^^ »«^ 
 
 w.tk my now fHonds. Th. E,.gli.hm.n, .coordiog ,„ hi, „™ ,Io„nl „ 
 ^d S.to„n„.h„, h„ li„od «™n Salmon in -.IjMnZ » " 
 
 Derty h,„ H,ll.. Ho ...d noH,;„g .bo„, ..f„ .„„«ng"-ta hi. b»M 
 I .hon d nouhink ho ,o„ld " ho in .. tho donth," or L ho i^Z, „n" 
 
 ,..» .o„ih,.„pid :::c. r.r:,i::::d*:r::r: 
 
 Took th,. opportunity of deploring „, ..„, of aport b.W, .nd i2..« 
 
 fk. . fcrt rod for . few d.y.. Ho oon.ult.d with hi, companion when 
 
 .1 t.""""' '"'' ^'^ '"''■'•' "^ 8"- -P «.e Grand P^,; 
 .tat, on on h„ aooonnt Saw him kill a «.h , ho ,.y,, i,^ , . ^ 
 
 man ho never S.hed for Salmon before , ho o.,te a £y, thongh and ta 
 dl» h.. fi.h a, if ..nau™ and to the mannor bom." Self men d:; 
 
 my tent at the lower eamp, twenty r„d, bote, R. .nd A., and n«.r th. 
 
 up to U,. fi^ll, Fmm above we .onid «e Salmon leaping again., tt. 
 fa 1 ; «.w a dead bear Jo.,ing in ,he eddy below. Tho eLLen .uppl 
 that m e,M„,„g too near one of «,. f.11, .b„,e ,h. main pitch it 11^ 
 not .tern ,he rapid, and wa, o„Hed down. We found i, in Ztl X 
 . ^p, the .am. afternoon. R. c„t off i,. .,.^ ^ ..j, ^ ^^''^ 
 
 tOKlay. Th. httlo man pitche, into ,ho Tankee, terribly. He ha. !.,„. 
 «,,«n.,pinni„g mill, a. Mancho..er. Our w„ ha. out off hU .„! Lff 
 ootton, hi, „i,„ n„ .,^4 „, .,. .^^ ^ iir" in 1'.: 
 
 r::!::^^^::^^;^^^--^^ say,ixrr:rd 
 
 • A taoripti,. »r ,11. ...ticn c„ t. f„..d .. p.^ 3... I .„„ H h.,. 
 
688 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 France should open our Southern ports. He would also have us punished 
 in other ways for our national sins. In short, he -"^ " -^« ^^^ 
 howl.>' Ho has travelled on cotton-purchasing tours through the Southern 
 States; been out on the Plains; was once British Consul at St PauU 
 Minnesota; and knows General McClellan-" Flagellat mund.. as Tom 
 Maeuire said to the Pope. 
 
 Monday, July 13th.-The Manchester n>an has ----^ ^^^^f^^J^; 
 „.ent of the pools amongst the three rods, and has retained the best, at th. 
 low stage of water, for himself, i. e., Rock Pool and Cooper's Po.nt-th 
 same that he fished on Saturday. Rintoul has the Falls and Camp Pools . 
 I. the Unlucky. Started, after breaUast. and killed one fish at the Unlucky, 
 and then went down to Chain of Rocks-the station below ; fished all the 
 pools there, not a rise. Stopped at the basin on my return and with my 
 Zht trout rod slaughtered about four dozen Sea Trout, and gave it up m 
 disgust. My conscience was troubled, although Peter said he would salt 
 them down to take home. In the afternoon killed another fish at the 
 Unlucky. These are all I hooked to-day-weight 9J and lUbs. 
 
 July 14th.-I have Rock Pool and Cooper's Point to-day ; wind blowing 
 hard up stream. After breakfast, hooked a good fish, casting from the 
 cunoe opposite Cooper's Point-a desperate fellow. I got on shore, and after 
 fighting him for three-quarters of an hour down the left bank, gaffed him 
 two hundred yards below. Killed two more at Rock Pool and k,st one. 
 from my line getting jammed on the reel. Rested the pools until la e ,n 
 the afternoon, and then hooked a stubborn jumping fish, who carried me 
 down to the head of the Basin, when Peter gaffed him and found him 
 hooked on the outside of the mouth-weight of the four fish. 17. 9J. 10. 
 m Just as John predicted, my sport to-day is not relished by the Man- 
 chester man. He has rather abruptly requested me to move my camp back 
 to Chain of Rocks, which I declined to do. He said the time of R. and 
 himself was limited, and that he wanted the fishing, as long as they 
 stayed, for themselves. I told him the camping-ground was free to all who 
 travelled up and down the river ; and as I intended going up to see the Falls 
 again, and this was a delightful spot, and Chain of Rocks hot and 
 uncomfortable. I would remain a few days longer ; but the least intimation 
 that I should not fish any more would induce me to lay up my rod. 
 
 July 15th.-Visited the Falls and the Basin, gathered strawberries, tied 
 half a dozen flies for Rintoul, who was poorly provided. As the Man- 
 chester man had put a veto on my fishing. I had some sport in observing 
 him My conclusion is. that Francis, his canoeman. does most of th* 
 
SALMON IlIVERS. 
 
 689 
 
 hooking and he the killing (ho is no< good even at that). Rintoul t;.it« 
 him ttbout it. I may. after this, in a spirit of accommodation, retain my 
 belief in his shooting "moorfowl on the Derbyshire HilU," but he must 
 let me off with the fish story, i. e., " seven Salmon in one afternoon in the 
 Findhorn." » 
 
 July 16th.-The pools have been terribly thrashed, particularly by the 
 Manchester man and his canoeman. The fish warden oame up the river 
 to-day from somewhere below. The Indians have been spearing, and 
 some white rascals netting about Mid Landing and Chain of Rocks; as 
 he gave them two days' notice of his coming he didn't catch them. He 
 and his coadjutor dined with me. He is what Shpeigel calls " a wordy 
 gentleman." and has no objection to something to drink. We had a good 
 laugh after dinner, looking through the bushes on the bluff at the Man- 
 chester man and Francis fishing in partnership at Rock Pool. He will 
 make a good report of his fishing when he gets home, for he scores them 
 all as his own. I have entirely lost my belief now in his story about 
 killing " moorfowl on the Derbyshire Hills." as well as that of the " seven 
 Salmon in the Findhorn." As his claret is out, or he don't show it, I 
 begin to doubt also whether his acquaintance was so much courted at 
 Savannah, or the Mayor of Augusta did ride him about in his carriage, and 
 the oflScials and magnates of other inland towns in Georgia give him 
 public receptions and balls. I have some misgivings too as to another 
 story: that is. whether he did, when he was once out on the plains, blow 
 up his India-rubber overcoat, and draw in the edges of its periphery, 
 shaping it like a punch-bowl, and so ferry across a swollen river General 
 Marcy and the hard money he was taking along to payoff an Indian 
 annuity. 
 
 July 17th.-I bid farewell to this delightful camp-will I ever come 
 back again? I have given Rintoul what few flies I have left, reserving 
 two or three that I may have use for while going down : he prefers yellow 
 bodies. Gave him " Barnwell's" book, " Game Fish of the North." 
 Sorry to part with him. he don't abuse the Yankees; too much good 
 manners to do it to their faces, at any rate. Under his rough exterior and 
 curtness of manner there is much intelligence and quiet humor, as well as 
 refinement of feeling. He has visited our Army of the Potomac, and 
 don't think much of Hooker. It is enjoyable to see him skip over the 
 rocks when fishing— sure of foot as an antelope. He and A killed 45 
 ffih in four days when they first got here : now, from not resting the pool- 
 
640 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 and the low water, their sport is rather elim-they have had some blank 
 
 days. . . , , 
 
 I have only killed twelve Salmon all told. John says .t .s not very bad 
 considering the low water and my limited opportunities. However. I 
 have had considerable practice at casting, found the lay of the Salmon m 
 the pools, and seen a most beautiful river. So I am recompensed for the 
 trip.Tven if I should not come up here again. Had no sport coming 
 down, until I arrived at Round Rock, where I killed two Or.lse ; such 
 jumping I never saw-down the pitch, and then back again into the 
 pool. I had no conception of their pluck and activity: playing one « 
 like breaking a three-year old colt. 
 
 J«?V 18th.-Two more Grilse before breakfast, but not a rise from a 
 Salmon. Arrived at Bathurst at 12 u., and found that Mr. Nicholson. » 
 Salmon-fisher, and his wife, were at Mr. Packard's. Of course 1 moved my 
 quarters there. N. is a warm-hearted Irishman, has good sherry, and ties 
 a beautiful fly. Sat down to tea with Mrs. N. at the head of the table^ 
 What a contrast to my rough life on the river-went to bed-" blessed be 
 be who invented sleep." 
 
 After remaining at Bathurst three or four days, spending my time 
 pleasantly with my new-made friends, and my host, who though he 
 has been residing here forty years, is an intensely loyal Yankee, I 
 resume my Journal. 
 
 July 22d -We have had heavy rains during the last three days and the 
 river is rising rapidly. We have engaged the Grand Falls (Nicholson and 
 I) of Mr. Ferguson ; to occupy it as soon, and keep it as long as we wish ; 
 but have concluded to try the Rough Waters for four or five days, and 
 then when Mr. Garbut, a friend of N.'s, arrives, to push on up the nver 
 Rintoul and Adshead have returned from Grand Falls, and have taken 
 about eighty fish and a few Grilse. Brown and Davis still at Papmeau. 
 We starled at 12 -. for Rough Waters, just above the head of tide, 
 three miles distant. I have John and Peter Chamberlain for canoemen. 
 N has Bruno Chamberlain and David Buchet. Roma Veno. a stout lad. 
 is'camp-keeper ; he is also a good canoeman. A mile above Bathurst saw 
 a Salmon strike a stake-net and entangle himself; relieved the fish, and 
 then hooked him through the snout and dropped him overboard to try his 
 oluck- he wa« too much exhausted to give any play. Arrived at our 
 
SALMON KlVfifta 
 
 MJ 
 
 mug, w.nt ,.«.l„„|t, ,„a e.d. of „, li|l,j „„ o,i|,„ 
 /.', 23d.-B..„.if„, d»,. Mr.. N., ,i,h he, .w„ children .„„ ..„.„,. 
 
 buf lftr!;r""-f- "' '""" """"'"^ '^^ "'» ""'«" « Salmon. 
 do„ t know h„„. m.„j, o,il„. I h.., .„.„ orii.., ,„g„. , ,^ „"„' 
 
 «« .h. „pM., .h,„ f„.gh. bin. r„„ ,h. „.„o. „d fr„„ ^i ^^k 
 do™ .0 ,h. p..eh of .ho G^nd Chain, ,h,r. I ki,,.,, hi„,, .„ ~lnd Z' 
 . -.a « «.h of on,, 9} ,b.. I had h,K,ked bin. in th, iip „„,.ido g^ 
 
 and telling stones ; turned in. ^ ^ 
 
 S„nd.j,. «» 26,h.-CI„„dj, ,bro...ning ,.in. Won. with „v canoe- 
 
 men ,0 .p,„d ,ho da, ,i.h .heir f.„i,i., .. ,hoi, „.„. aetUeJ' 7Z 
 
 or «, fmn, .1,, mer. Wa. oangb. in . rto,er. H.,^ ,|e„.n. ,i,i. "1 
 
 re gion, &c. Ihey are good Roman Catholics, moral, inuocont And J 
 
 m.t.. It rained nearl, the whole da,. On m, retur:rs id .Vo r" 
 
 amp-keeper that a great man. Grilse, but no Salmon, had been taken bv 
 
 the native anglers in the pools near by. ^ 
 
 brf l!f ?!'-\;''' '"''' "' ""'' "^ *-^'' "'^ ' ^ '^«- -•^ *- Grilse. After 
 breakfast fed some light flies for high water At noon IV" ^, 
 
 « with his friend Garbut. Moved^ur camp to leTad ^ft 1" 
 
 Waters, a m.le or so above, where we were visited by a party of ladi!. H 
 
 gentlemen from Bathurst : they had been on a picni^ : iTfrem^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 
 
 to Round Rook, and killed two more Grilse. During our stay t Rough 
 
 Wat.„ we .e killed but few Salmon, but had great fun with th . 
 
642 
 
 AMERICAN ANQLBR'8 BOOK. 
 
 Grilse. Two year. ag.> NicholBon was here in August during a rise iu the 
 rivBr and killed fifty-six Salmon in eight days. 
 
 ;:;Xh-S..r.L ^. .ft.- .»-.». ^'»«* •' Mia I.»d,ng .n 
 J,^ .. 0,«.d F.U, .. 7 P. ... ..ndlng «ur *r.. » f» » 0.,.,n .1 
 
 Book, in crM. Found the w.l.r too W.fh for good «.h,ng. 
 J«i, 29th.-Killed two «.h, ooigbt Wl ""J 12 »"■ 
 W«30th.-W.torr..ing.i«v.ly. I havo one B.l., 12 If- 
 /„,^31...-R.i»ed .gain ia.. nigl,t. N. ..o.d-n ,n o.no. for M,.. 
 N ,ho oam. .. far a- P.pi»e.« in . carriag.. The, «-..«! at 9 P..., 
 in a noiiring rain. I have taken one «.!. tcniay. 9J te- , ^ „ ^, 
 ICu. -Ri..r too high ..►d., for Salmon.8.hing. In the .ftcr„«,n 
 J„r::l 1. N. to th. B..in, «hcre .... killed .5 ^U. of Trout .n .. 
 
 ■■"sLto Au^.'l 2a.-Tl.. river i. more than t«o f™t higher than it 
 ,.?:,'. Zhere t.o«eek. ago. B.,n and Da.i., * ar, ..n.p.g 
 It Pap eau. dined with ». UmI.,. 1 g«e the. Trent « «. enok th.» 
 L'stat.;, .-. ,. roiled in paper and roa-ted -^" ">' -^"^ ^2 
 and .orved up on hot «.t .tone.. They comphment«l the cook. Th». 
 l:. youn'g fello.. had take. . .hort walk of *■;;- ;'^;;;' 
 hreakfa.. to .oe th. Grand Fall., without a gutde or a tendant . at 6 , J^ 
 ..nt then, down to th. lower end of th. Ba.in in one of "'««■-- J""'? 
 „„.t have h»i . .we.t walk, a. they were no douht helated, and the 
 Id-if i. n,ay he ealM a ,oad-n,uddy and full of root. . tun,,., and 
 ^, N andO. have co»clud«i to .tar. for th. B»»8''/»"'", 7r; 
 Twlr. ing, hoping to «nd that th. heavy rain, which have .poU«i th. 
 Zingher. hav, high, in a fr»h run of «.h. and that, a. u.ual, the, 
 
 r„ L I .ta, here untii the water fall., and have ..nt Mr. Pack.rd m 
 "derfo"ten da,.' provi.ion. t. be «.nt up on p«,khor». I have kept no 
 tZlZ of N •. and G.-. eateh while h.r.. Brown and Bav. have 
 killed 99, including Otil.e, at Papinoau. 
 
 U.-»~ 3d.-L.ft N. and G. p«=king up to .frt, and wen down to th. 
 head of the Ba.in, .uppo.ing it the only po..ihle chanc. «h» "" "' 
 ■Z high. Hooked a r.ceh„r« of a fellow and killed h,m . hu.drrf yard. 
 Wow. I then thought the. might b. »m. fi.bing at the Dnlucky, and 
 ^Id our canoe up .trean,. when . met N. and wife and Garut^ M™^ 
 N. h»i killed a Gril.e in R« ■•. Pool and O. a Salmon. I k,ll. two . h , 
 Duluck, and on. at Rock P.K,1. Weighs, of a.h to^ay, »• «»■ W' "■ 
 1 «,„.wh.t lonely thi, evening. A. I writ. «>i. b, a b,rch-bark hght. 
 
SALMON RIVKR8. 
 
 648 
 
 I m.s- the cheery voice an.l kind manner of the lady who hn, graced our 
 rough shanty, and min. Nich.'n jokes and his snatches of Irish song If I 
 
 gen till- hearted Irish. * 
 
 ^u^«,/ 4th -Killed 1 Salm..„ „„d 5 Grilse in an hour, before breakfast. 
 at Fal s PcK,l and afte-wanls one fish at Rock and one at Unlucky. 
 Weights, 8, 15 J, 11. ^ 
 
 August 5th.-Two Salmon at Rock P(k,1 befo.^ breakfast, and two at 
 .n ^n o 'T' '" '"" "'■*''""'^" ' ^"'^« "' ^""^ ^-'- ^Veights of flsh. 
 
 ^«</«*^ 6th.-Wind north-east-showery. Tried the Falls before breal- 
 fast only 1 Grilse; after breakfast killed one fish at. Camp and two 
 at Rock Pool. Lost two handsome fish «t the Unlucky, one of them 
 from my not being able to get around the rockn. (he canoe having been 
 eft above. In the afternoon. 3 Grilse at Cnmp Pool. Weight of fish 8 
 13J. 15. The river is falling rapidly-no use to fish after 10 a. m.. or before 
 6 in the afternoon. Mr. Brand, who camo to Bathur'st to l,K,k after an 
 interest in a copper-mine, and his son. arrived here this afternoon. Mr 
 B. says he wishes to take homo a half-barrel of salted Salmon. Nicholson 
 sent him up-I suppose thinking this station too go<Kl to be occupied by 
 one rod. *' 
 
 Augmt 7th.-Fi8hed early-one in Unlucky and throe in Rock P ,ol . 
 8, 12}, 10, 16, and one Grilse. Brand has had fine sport at Falls' he has 
 been there all day-says he likes to see them jump-gets Jim Levin, his 
 canoeman. to hook them for him; he holds them hard, and loses his 
 casting-lines. 
 
 August 8th.-0ne Salmon at Falls and three at Camp ; weights 9 11} 
 14, 10. and three Grilse. Brand, his son, and Jim. between them 'have 
 taken two Salmon and a Grilse at Rock Pool. Last night we saw two 
 canoes, with Indians from Bathurst. at Camp Pool, preparing to spear. We 
 drove them off; they were impudent and stopped at the Rock. Brand had 
 a breech-loading rifle, and dropped a shot near them ; they shouted back 
 when he gave them another, and then one between the canoes ; they wen! 
 off in a hurry, one fellow did not think to douce his flambeau 
 
 Sunday, August 9th.-Brand is a practical man. gunsmith, from Nor- 
 w.ch. Connecticut; has followed mackerel and cod-fishing for the New 
 York market ; he saw no harm in fishing Sunday, and did so. at Falls 
 Pool ; thrashed it all d«y. I told him as he would not rest the pools to-day 
 he must take the "Falls" again to-morrow. The files have bitten him 
 
 im 
 
644 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 terribly ; he has no muequitcnet ; he i« a man of full habit, and drinka 
 the be«t brandy, ..hich doe« not help the matter ; Bay« he can t Btand it. 
 as he is a good deal "out of sojti." 
 
 There is agreat profusion of whortleberries here. One can str^. them 
 off by the handful ; Uttle sprigs shooting out of the crevices of the rocks 
 „re full of them. They are so plenty in this part of the country, so says 
 John, that they are sometimes sold at Bathurst at ten cents a gallon 
 Of raspberries there is a superabundance. I never saw them finer, or of 
 such delicious flavor. These wild fruits are good to counteract the stnn- 
 gent effects of fresh Salmon. Bill of fare- before breakfast, raspberries; 
 breakfast, kippered Salmon, tea (brown sugar), hard crackers, raspber- 
 ries- lunch, whortleberries, raspberries, dinner, boiled Salmon, Gnlse 
 baked under the ashes, pork and beans, raspberries; supper. Salmon 
 steaks tea, bread and butter, raspberries. 
 
 Auaust 10th. -Held Brand to his promise to fish Falls Pool agam today. 
 He. his son. and Jjm. may thrash it to their hearts' c-^-*-/^/^^*; 
 The river has fallen a great deal since Saturday, and the fish all 
 disappear by noon, and seek the cool w.ter in the depths of the 
 "BasL" We can see the bottom of rearly all of the pools now and 
 count the fish in them. Killed to-day four fish. 8. 11}, 16, 12. 
 
 ^„„„,nith.-Brand could not stand the musquitoes any longer: he 
 has mtoff to Bathurst. I wish him a speedy voyage and a pleasant one. 
 I hope the sun may not melt him, for it is almost as hot here at noonday 
 as I have felt it in New Orleans, though at night it takes two good 
 blankets to keep a man warm. Killed four Salmon and a Grilse before 
 9 A. M., weights 13. 10, 9}, 11. Tied flies nearly all day, dark Nichol- 
 
 sons", hooks No. 9. n a\ :ii~i 
 
 A.aust 12th.-Up at daybreak ; lit my pipe at the camp-fire, and killed 
 a bra^o of good fish at the Rock before I knocked the ashes out ; then one 
 at Cooper's Point. 12. 10*. 15. As usual. I found the fish J-P-g ^'^^ 
 above the wator this morning-perhaps to inhale the cool air ; there are 
 none to be seen after 10 a. m. ; all gone down to spend the remainder of 
 the day and the night in the Basin. There is no use fishing after 8 o clock. 
 I have six Salmon lying in the spring, or rather in the little pool in the 
 branch close to our camp-a pretty sighi-their broad silvery sides 
 gleaming through the water. I am keeping them to treat the Governor 
 'who is expected to-day ; he comes up the Tobique making the portage 
 of four miles into the lake at the head of this river. He intends to 
 Ht.p here to fish for Salmon, which, of course, are not found above the 
 
SALMON RIVERS. 
 
 645 
 
 Fans. Tied a half dozen s«„all darV flies to-day. mostly of brown hen's 
 J«,«,n3th.-Up before the sun ; went down, killed one fish of 12 lbs.. 
 
 could "or •"■ . ''' ''"^ ""'^"° '^^""-^^ ^'-^ •>-'— d then 
 -aid not st.r another fin. though I could see n.an, fish in the pools. I 
 
 ^ afra.d rny sport is done. Fishing the same pools every day 1 gr<.wn 
 
 Zl r '^"''''"' "'"''• ^" ^'^•^°*y P~*^ '^ P-t»-q!e 
 appearance. w.th Us rude table, benches, and kitchen utensils. Fifteen 
 
 San.onsp,,and strotched open with cedar slats, and K„„„i„g .^ound 
 
 n.a„s.on ; and then the cool spring and delicious wild fruit. As for son,- 
 
 or American Cuckoo, my old friend the Robin, and a little fellow who fre- 
 quently serenades me, as he sits on a dead limb of the blighted old ash. by the 
 spnng. wUhh.s..ChitchieI chitchiel chitchie-kewitchie!" in a sort of n ter! 
 
 up some of the crumbs that Peter shakes f^m my ragged tablecloth ; and 
 3eUn«thersweets.nger. who says '.Pea-pea-peabody! peabody! peab^dy!" 
 The early mornang air is vocal with their songs. In the paths I frequently 
 -et young Rabbits, who cock their long ears backward and stare whh 
 he.r b.g vacant eyes. Amongst the stones piled on the uphill side of our 
 «hed a half-dozen str.ped Ground Squirrels have their homes and little 
 famihes and have grown quite sociable, no doubt attracted by rarities 
 more substantial than berries and green hazlenuts 
 
 About that little bird the " Peabody" there is a pretty story told by the 
 haLHans, as to how it got its name. They say it was thus: There was 
 once a great drouth, and from this and other causes, a great dearth of 
 food m the Province, and those who had to sell demanded such prices 
 that the poorer part of the population were almost reduced to starvation 
 An old trader and merchant of Chatham, on the Mirimichi, however by 
 some good luck or forecast, had laid up a cargo or two of flour, and. 
 instead of taking advantage of the necessities of the people, sold it at 
 ordmary prices, and sent it through the country to the most destitute 
 Then this little bird, the words of whose song no one understood before 
 H.ng the old man's praises around his house, and through the clearings 
 and forests, and along the bauks of the rivers, ever repeating his name^ 
 " Peabody !" " Peabody !" " Peabody I" 
 
646 
 
 AMEPICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 Avgi>»( 14th.-Struck tent, loaded canoe, and started at 8 A. ». Dined 
 ,U Mid Landing, killing two Grilse on my way down, then three more 
 while Peter was getting dinner ready, and another below Bittabock. In- 
 tended to stop at Papineau Falls all night for the evening and morning 
 fishing ; but, finding the camp occupied by Messrs. Rankin and McManus. 
 determined to push on to Round Rock, where I arrived just in time u> 
 pitch tent and escape a magnificent thunderstorm, the rain beating out out 
 fire and the men occupying part of my tent. 
 
 Augvst 15th.-Killed a Grilse before breakfast, and after, while the boys 
 were lading the canoe, gave the Camp Pool here one more going over. I 
 had fished over the nearer portion of the cast and got out at least twenty- 
 five yards of line, covering the outer rip, when there was a gleam of silver, 
 and a heavy roll, but my fly came back untouched. I rasted the fish five 
 minutes apd again covered it, when she took the fly with a downward 
 plunge, and I felt as if I was fast to a drayhorse. Then commenced a 
 series of vaults and rushes. There were several cedar logs which some 
 Bathurst folks were running down ; these had been stopped by the rocks, 
 and I was very fearful the fish would foul my casting-line in one of them. 
 So I told the boys to have the canoe up; before they got back to me, 
 though, I had coaxed my lady in shore, steering her clear of the timber 
 and in a short time Peter gaflfed her in the same little eddy where he had 
 secured my first fish, six weeks before. A singular coincidence is, that 
 both were fresh-run females ; both of the same weight-16 lbs. ; and both 
 hooked in the same pool and killed in the same eddy. 
 
 Although my sport has been only moderate, I close my journal, pleased 
 with my trip and my honest unsophisticated voyageurs, who have done all 
 in their power to give me sport and promote my comfort. John is an 
 intelligent, communicative fellow, and tells many anecdotes of most of the 
 fishers who have visited the river. Being a good observer, he has learned 
 much by seeing them fish, and now perhaps excels any of them. Peter, 
 who stands six feet in his stockings when he straightens himself up, is the 
 personification of amiability, is a good cook and a splendid canoeman. 
 They both say the average size of my fish has been much larger than 
 
 usual for this river. 
 
 On summing up I find my aggregate to be as follows :-54 Salmon and 
 45 Grilse. Total weight of Salmon, 6411 lbs. ; average, llj lbs. Taking 
 the Grilse at an average of 3 lbs., the whole weight of Salmon and Grilse 
 776J lbs. Largest fish 17 ; 6 of 16. and 3 of 15. 
 
SALMON FIVERS. 
 
 647 
 
 I again visited the Nipissiguit last summer (1864), with J D 
 Sergeant, Esq, of Philadelphia. On arriving at Bathurst, we found 
 the nver very low; the snow having melted gradually, and no heavy 
 rams, wh.ch are usual in May, having fallen, there had been no 
 Bpnng freshet to induce the Salmon to go up, or to bring the timber 
 down; while the river was full of logs which had lodged against the 
 rocks at many of the pools, or grounded on the shallows. Under 
 these discouraging circumstances, we spent over three weeks at Bath- 
 urst and m our camp at Rough Waters, waiting for a rise. To while 
 away the t.me, we went lobstering, at the mouth of the harbor, and 
 • v.8,ted the fisheries and grindstone quarries along the bay shore, and 
 photographed many of the beautiful views along the river The 
 stations at Papineau and Grand Falls were occupied for a few weeks 
 in the meantime by parties who met with little or no success 
 
 On the 13th of July, hearing that the occupants of the Grand 
 Falls were about leaving, we started for that station, hoping that some 
 fish had found their way up, notwithstanding the low water and the 
 ^mber in the river. We found no sport going up, or at the Grand 
 Falls until the 16th, when the first run of Grisle appeared, and 
 greatly outnumbered the Salmon. 
 
 Our catch of Salmon, as will be seen from the score on the next 
 page was small ; the Grilse being in the same pools frequently get- 
 
 "eVv t^Tf / ?™"'^" ''''''-'''' ^ disposition to tL 
 he fly this fact was observed by our canoemen, occupying a more 
 ^evated position than the angler. We had some exelnt sport! 
 taking these active young fish, notwithstanding; for in some of the 
 pools where the bank sloped so as to enable us to run them down 
 ^eam, we took them on our eight-ounce trout-rods. Our first el 
 amongst them with our light tackle was one day when returning from 
 to mouth of Gilmore's Brook, whore we had been Trout-fishing 
 Stopping at the « Grilse Pool," on the side opposite to that littfe 
 
 stream we placed both canoes alongside, and I being in the lower 
 ...a e t e , ,,,^ ^^ ^^^,^^^ ^^^ ^^^^^^^^ ^ . ^^ ^^^ J. 
 
 ought him down the pebbly bank, as he made desperate runs and 
 leaps, (xetting him well in hand, and somewhat subdued, my meu 
 
 1 i 
 
 II 
 
 I it 
 
648 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 who had filled our Grilse landing-net with the Trout we had caught, 
 and left it in the boat, made frequent attempts to gaff uiy silvery 
 opponent, which only made it wilder and prolonged the contest 
 Hefore I killed my fish I looked behind, and found S. also running 
 one down ; his fish and his men performing the same amusing antics. 
 As soon as I secured mine, I went back, hooked another and in turn 
 followed S , who, after killing his, returned to the pool, hooked still 
 another, and again followed me. The killing of the four occupied 
 about half an hour. 
 
 Notwithstanding our meager fishing, we spent our time pleasantly. 
 My companion, an amateur photographer, took some splendid views 
 at Rough Waters, Papineau, and Grand Falls, bringing home about 
 twenty-five negatives. His view of Camp Pool, which appeared in 
 the Photographic Magazine of November, is one of surpassing beauty. 
 
 Score. 
 
 July 16. 3 Salmon, 9, 9J, 9. 
 
 " 17. Sunday. 
 
 " 18. 3 Salmon, 11, 10, 10. 
 
 " 19. 
 
 " 20. 
 
 " 21. 4 " 
 
 «' 22. 6 " 
 
 " 23. 4 " 
 
 " 24. Sunday. 
 
 " 25. 4 Salmon, 9, 9J, 10, 7. 
 
 " 26. 3 " 9, 8, 10. 
 
 " 27. 5 '• 10, 11, 9, 8}, m 
 
 " 28. 
 
 " 29. 2 " 
 
 10, 11, 9}, 12. 
 
 8, 10, 10, 9, 8J, 11. 
 
 12, 12, 4i, 12. 
 
 4 Grilse. 
 
 1 
 3 
 1 
 
 11 
 
 II 
 
 2 
 
 << 
 (< . 
 
 6 
 9 
 4 
 1 
 9, 8. (At Mid Landing) 6 
 
 
SEA-TROUT FISHING. 
 
 Before offering any additional remarks on Sea-Trout fishin- it 
 would be well to say something of the fish itself, and caution 'the 
 reading angler who takes an interest in the natural history of hie 
 prey against the old error of Mr. Perley and "Frank Forester" 
 which the latter reiterates in his supplement to the last edition of 
 his "Fish and Fishing." The original error in the volume of his 
 book I have already commented on in my observations on the specific 
 character and habits of the fish. The author in question says, on 
 page 377 of his last edition :— 
 
 "When speaking of this beautiful fish-which. by the aid of mv friend 
 Mr Perley. of the city of St. John. I have been enabled fullv to e'stnblish 
 for the first time as an unquestionable inhabitant of our waters-! men- 
 tioned, on page 277. the singular fact that this fish, althcugh it enters 
 every nver and estuary on the eastern side of Nova Scotia, and runs un so 
 tur a. the meeting of the tidal and fresh waters, does not run up into' the 
 shoals, or spawn in the gravel beds of any of those rivers. 
 
 (649) 
 
650 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 •• While commenting on that fact, I stated that it would appear to indi 
 cato a variation iu this species from one of the normal habits of the raco- 
 that of running up into aerated waters, in order to spawn. 
 
 " This, it now seems, was founded on an erroneous interpretation of the 
 fact, which is, that the Salmon Trout, which does run up into fresh shal- 
 low streams, in order to spawn, on the Eastern Continent, does not breed 
 with us at all on the Atlantic coasts of America, though it will probi^bly 
 be found to do so in the waters which fall into the Pacific, as the Columbia, 
 Sacramento, and other rivers in which, as I learn from returned Califop. 
 
 nians, it literally swarms. 
 
 " The Salmon Trout in our north-eastern waters is merely a transient and 
 very rapacious visitor, pursuing the vast shoals of smelts which run into 
 ali those rivers, and hunting them with unwearied activity and ferocity, 
 until they escape above his reach into the swift and shallow fresh waters, 
 into which he does not seem to pursue them. After their escape, he 
 returns at once into the outer bays and larger estuaries, where he is taken, 
 as I have before described, with the scariet ibis fly." 
 
 From the above it will be observed that he has still insisted on its 
 being identical with Sidmo truttn of Europe ; that it never enters the 
 rivers of Canada or New Brunswick above tide, and never spawns 
 in those waters at all. What reasonable basis either Mr. Perley 
 or "Frank Forester" could have formed for so strange an 
 hypothesis it is hard to imagine. Any person accustomed to note 
 specific differences, or at all acquainted with the habits of this fish, 
 should ha'^e known better. In opposition to this hypothesis, for it is 
 nothing more, I would say, that since putting the first edition of this 
 book in type, I have again visited the Nipissiguit, and found these 
 fish in large schools at the mouths of little brooks far above tide. 
 At the entrance of Gilmore's Brook into the beautiful sheet of water 
 known as the " Basin," a mile and a half below the Grand Falls, 
 they fairly swarmed; so closely were they packed that a thousand or 
 more hy in a space that I could have covered with my blanket, and 
 without a doubt remained there until the spawning season. In mere 
 wantonness of sport, my friend who was with me, cast his flies over 
 them for half an hour, and then gave it up from pure satiety, and 
 lay down and went to sleep. I then took his stand, and in another 
 
SEA-TROUT PISHINO. 
 
 661 
 
 half hour we had bagged as many Sea-Trout, from nine to fifteen 
 inches long, as a man could carry. On counting them when we 
 returned to camp, we found we had killed one hundred and sixty-nine. 
 We might as easily have taken a thousand, if we had kept on fishing. 
 I would recommend the.excursionist visiting the Province of New 
 Brunswick, to embark some fine May morning on one of the staunch 
 and commodious steamers which leave Boston every Tuesday and 
 Thursday for St. John ; the approach to which city is pictured in the ' 
 little wood engraving at the head of this chapter. Ho will most 
 likely arrive early in the afternoon of the next day. If the tide is 
 out he will see the wharf towering above the tops of the steamer's 
 smoke-stacks, for the tide here rises and falls about thirty-five feet. 
 When he walks up the long wooden staging that leads to the top of 
 the wharf, he may have to answer a few civil questions propounded 
 by a custom-house officer, and then he will go to an excellent, though 
 not showy hotel, the Waverley. If he should then call on my friend, 
 J. W. Nicholson, a merchant,-I need not say a thorough angler- 
 of St. John, I bespeak for him a kind reception and complete posting 
 as to Sea-Trout fishing in Nova Scotia and on Prince Edward's 
 Island, whither steamers ply once or twice a week. The day of 
 Bailing can be ascertained beforehand from the St John papers. If 
 the angler should prefer going to the Bay of Chaleurs, he should 
 take the railroad to Shediac, and then the stage by way of Chatham 
 to Bathurst, and make the latter his base of operations. From this 
 he can make excursions to Bass River, the Nigadou.* Little Nipissiguit, 
 Tittigouche, and Big Nipissiguit. The last two enter the harbour at 
 Bathurst; the others are from seven to ten miles distant. These 
 streams are in season at the head of tide, from the middle to the last 
 of May. Later in the season the trip might be extended to Dalhousie, 
 where canoes can be had and the Little Cascapediac reached in a day! 
 Here the Sea-Trout are said to be taken in the month of August of 
 immense size. There is good Sea-Trout fishing in the Tabasintac, 
 
 • I give the name of this stream as it u pronounced ; I have done so in one or 
 two other instances, where the name cannot be found on any map within my reach. 
 
662 
 
 AMBRIOAN ANOLBR'S BOOK. 
 
 ^^X^Htt 
 
 '•^•♦VotR 
 
 THE SAOUENAT. 
 
 twenty miles this side of Bathurst, from the first of July to the 
 middle of August, if one will go some six or eight miles below the 
 half-way house, where he dines in going from Chatham to Bathurst, 
 and is willing to submit to be bled by black flies and mosquitoes. 
 
 If one's time is limited, he should go in June or July to Quebec, 
 and there take a steamer, which leaves every few days, for the Saguenay, 
 the western terminus of the range of Sea-Trout on the St. I,awrence. 
 He will land at Tadousac, a few miles above the entrance of the 
 Saguenay. This would occupy but a few days from Boston. After 
 fishing in the vicinity of Tadousac, he might follow the directions 
 vhich I here quote ii-om one of the letters of a friend at Montreal. 
 
 "The Tadousac Hotel was opened last year, and proved to be a good, 
 comfortable house. This year it has been leased by Mr. Browning, of the 
 
8BA-TR0UT PISHINO. 
 
 $5B 
 
 Ottawa Hotel .„ th.« c.ty. a New Englander. and well known a. a p,.pul„ 
 hotel-keeper. It may probably be at timee uncomfortably crowded 
 
 The way really to enjoy a Sea-trouting holiday on the Saguenay i, to 
 h.re a p.lot-boat at Tadousac. with a canoo and two men. carrying with 
 
 h«t of the bluffs (or »ay to Cape Trinity), and the party will then coast 
 down from point to point, or f«,m one fishing-station to the next; climbing 
 mountains exploring -n..U riT«r.. gathering specimens, and fishing, jus! 
 as fancy dictates^ Six or eight days would thus pass very pleasantly, 
 .ng orrerT:- ^'^ ««'>-«-««>-«i». Some of them are (in descend 
 
 "1. Eternity Cove. 2. St. Jean Bay. 3. Little Saguenay River. 4. River 
 
 sTEtie R o't ««*-^-«-^*e«-. 7. Grosse Roche. 
 8. St. Etienne Bay. 9. Passe Pierre Islets. 
 
 J According to my experience, those numbered 1. 2. 4. 5. 9. are ordi- 
 
 "The next Sea-Trout fishing station is at the River Bergeronne • the 
 next at Sault au Canchon (an excellent station). Various others of' less 
 value along the coast. Then there are any number of capital stations 
 between Tnn.ty R.ver and Bay of Islands, and then again at Mingan 
 Towards the end of August and in September these fish'ascend mosf^f 
 the smaller nvers in these neighborhoods, and are caught of much larger 
 size m the fresh water than in the sea, while in June and July they are 
 in the salt water only (or at least chiefly)." 
 
 In addition to these streams is the Leval, about sixty miles below 
 Tadousac. '^ Barnwell," in his book " The Game Fish of the North " 
 gives an interesting description of this river; from which it appears 
 that a great drawback to the pleasure of the trip was th. abundance 
 of the fish and the ease with which they were taken. 
 
INLAND TROUT FISHING. 
 
 The reader, of course, will not confound the fish which forms the sub- 
 ject of the following paper, with the not less beautiful Sea-Trout n.en. 
 tioned in the previous article. This, whatever its size, or whether found 
 in stream or lake, is our familiar old friend Salmo fontlnalU. My 
 purpose here is to give the account furnished in the subjoined paper, 
 of one of the localities where its size surpasses that of the Trout of 
 any region yet explored by the fly-fisher. It is from the pen of 
 Elisha J. Lewis, 'M. D., author of " The American Sportsman," 
 editor of " Youatt on the Dos." and writer of many humorous stories 
 and incidents of sporting life. 
 
 A PISCATORIAL EXCURSION IN THE AUTUMN OF 1864. TO. LAKES 
 UMBAOOG AND MOLLYCHUNKEMUNK, WITH A DESCRIPTION OF 
 RAPID RIVER, STATE OF MAINE. 
 
 Being advised, brother angler, that you were about putting through 
 the press a second edition of your very attractive volume on American 
 angling, I thought it would not be amiss to give you a short sketch " currenl^ 
 ralamo" of a piscatorial trip to Oxford county, Maine, during the autumn 
 
 of 1864. 
 
 Having been unavoidably detained in the city during the whole 
 of the summer solstice, I found myself, at the close of the hot season, 
 considerably enervated by the long confinement within the narrow radius 
 of hot brick and mortar. Being now at leisure. I naturally, as is my 
 wont at this season of the year, began to cast about for some retired nook 
 
 (654) 
 
INL.«ND TROUT FISHING. 
 
 666 
 
 In the country, far away from the busy haunts of plodding man. whore I 
 might enjoy to my heart's content that modicum of otium which an enthu- 
 slastic lover of nature is so glad to bestow upon himself during the fr». 
 grunt spring or the frosty autumn. 
 
 About this time my attention was directed to the woods and streams of 
 Maine ; for they, most ai.«uredly. promised novelty, seclusion, and freedom 
 from worldly cares, as well as the additional attractions of wild scenery 
 and .>ut-d.«,r life. After a brief consultation with a friend, who hud lately 
 returned from a summer's excursion to a lovely chain of lakes in Oxford 
 county, of this border state, I concluded to pack up and be off; and of 
 course, as a sensible sportsman and true angler, I took my gun and rod 
 along for company. 
 
 On Wednesday, September 2l8t, 1864. at 11 a. u., I found myself seated 
 in the cars, on the point of leaving for New York, from thence to Boston by 
 • the Norwich boat, at 5 p. m. Arrived at Boston the next day, Thursday, 
 the 22d, at 6 a. k., engaged a cab, and went immediately to the station of 
 the Maine Central Railroad, Uwk breakfast in the caf6 attached to the 
 building, and loft at 7.30 a. u. for Portland ; from thence per Grand Trunk 
 Railroad, to Bethel. Arrived at Bethel about 5 p. m.. remained all night 
 at Lovejoy's Hotel, an excellent country house, with an obliging and atten- 
 tive landlord. The next day, Friday, the 23d, we left Bethel in the ordi- 
 nary stage coach for Upton, twenty-six miles distant. The road over the 
 mountains and through the gaps is not devoid of interest, some of the dis- 
 tant views are very bold and attractive, some of the valleys fertile and 
 picturesque, with meadow lands watered by meandering brooks, filled with 
 nimble Trout. The road is rough in some places, but not positively bad* 
 it being far superior to many of the rude mountain paths in our own state.' 
 over which wo have jostled and jolted right merrily, in quest of new 
 Trout streams. 
 
 We alighted at our place of destination about sunset, having loitered 
 considerably on the road. The town of Upton is composed of a few scat- 
 tered houses, situated on high ground, at the foot of Lake Umbagog, which 
 lovely sheet of water commences th^ chain of wild lakes and mountain 
 rapids, stretching many, many miles, far to the northward. 
 
 Mr. Frost, the proprietor of an excellent house at the lake at the bottom 
 of the hill, extended to us a genial, simple, and unaffected welcome, and 
 we soon found comfortable quarters under his hospitable roof. A few 
 paces in front of the inn is a mountain rivulet which flows into the lake a 
 short distance beyond. 
 
466 
 
 AMERICAN ANOLBE « B00» 
 
 I iTMUntmvdto t! '^ bridge whicli ..vcrUjokcu thb babbliiiK. noisy brook, 
 and WM mm^ intere»t.;d in some hu 'srrown urchins fishing in th« 
 ripplod ftna e<<ld(<i| ffm off the bouldern, and was wit * little surprised to 
 see thoin quite uncouoerr Mly whip out Trout from a hai >ound to a pound 
 in weight. I was informe<l that this small stream, previous to the con- 
 struction of the mill-dam just above th« bridgo, was alive with Brook Trout 
 of good sizo, l)ut the structure being too high for the fish to jump over, 
 »nd no openings being loft in the solid work through which they could 
 insinuate themselves during the spring freshets, few or nono remain. This, 
 nJas 1 is the swl history of many a fine Trout rillet in our own state,— the 
 •aw-mill and the tannery are the two most destructive agents in depopu- 
 lating our mountain l)rooks. 
 
 The following day, the 24th, found us at on early hour on board of 
 the steamer Union, bound up Lake Umbagog to Rapid River, about 
 thirteen miles distant. 
 
 I cannot write much in commendation of this water shallop, yclept a 
 rife mer, either as to its conveniences or security as a passenger wherry. 
 I had heard tell of before now, and perhaps had seen more than once, what, 
 lu common parlance was called an hermaphrodite brig (a nautical term 
 applied to a sailing vessel built and rigged in a style something between 
 a full brig and a schwmer), but it was reserved for me to meet with a 
 water crnft in the wilderness of Maine, still more curious and ingenious 
 in its conception than anything which had yet been constructed on our 
 seorboard. For. in truth, our craft the steamer Union was a nondescript 
 abortion, or cross between a mud-scow and a locomotive ; it might very pro 
 perly, in accordance with naval nomenclature, have been christened an 
 hermaphrodite icomotive. An old worn-out, rusty looking locomotive 
 boiler had been assiduously patched up, after many years of hard service, 
 and with ir.uch toil and tribulation, had safely passed over the mountains, 
 not of itself, however, but by the aid of two yokes >f oxen. Having 
 arrived tit the Lake, the rusty old veteran was placed about midships on 
 board of a roughly-built scow, thirty feet long and some ten or a dozen 
 feet wide. This v<inerftblc but not overly sound relic of mechanicol archi- 
 tecture, being fired .with the inflammable hemlock of the country, soon 
 furnished steam enou^. f- i;r,* in motion the cylinder which by the aid of 
 cogs controlled the re 0), ,«,: of : 3 stern-Y<heel, and thus propelled our 
 hybrid craft over th. pVu-. «vu . .« of the Lrke at the astounding rate of 
 five milesan hour, or, "Ua a . i) head of stc uu, even faster. Such portions 
 of the rickety old scow as were not previously occupied by the lumbersome 
 
INLAND TROUT PI8HIN0. 
 
 6A7 
 
 X, 
 
 0. .hi. „„ J,h „,.ft '•" »»."r.i«.,n. cough ^ .,u., ,- „„„,,« 
 
 "i" .hi. .„,...„,„,«,„,„•: '"71 "7" """»'' '• ""-'"POP 
 
 "taiidin,. „,, ap , . . ' •'» <>•• <» own, ih.t, „„„i,|,. 
 
 •h. Uk„. "^ • '""' " "•"• ■■»"»■ perilou. «rui„ „„, 
 
 ^.. . .o„M « „„.: z:: r:;- 7!::r; t -■"" "^"'"■' 
 
 preserver ar„u„d my body and a v 7^ •. '"*''°"* " ^""^ ^'f' 
 
 the larger portion of it wa T 'T " "' "^ ^"° ""^ '" -^'''. -<» 
 
 mgged, picturesque, and very attractive Sn ^Z ' "''""'■•^ '" 
 
 vary the landscape and give ^dl: ulrtlZlr t ^" ^'^ '^^' 
 views. I h.. a few distant shots at wild fow J we T '^ ' "' ''" 
 
 which diversion assisted somewhat Tn di-T V ^""""^ "'^ **"'' ^'^''«' 
 
 "ibilant hoi,er..-an occasionri ' .;lt^L:^^?^^ ^'"'" ^''^ 
 which reverberated in deafenin. . . ^ '"'"""'' *^~"» *'"' ^tenm whistle, 
 -ntain passes, also intj it^ Z 2 ^ T ^"'""^'^ ''' 
 fulness of immediate danger. *"P ""'^ ''""''^ ^^^g^^ 
 
 As soon as the hermaphrodite came f„ her moorinirs «n . 
 
 transferred to a good-sized flat-bottomod sk /and k 1 "" '' ""' 
 the captain of the steamer ll.i. 1 ^ **"" ""'*'"^ ^ff^"-'' «f 
 
 -ere L.. , d al a" L unR ", ':^''''^''' "''' "'« ''«'—. - 
 
 ->.ag..omm::e:VLrri::::;-r^^^^^^ 
 
 , ^iiuer mese circumstances a circuitous t.„*i. .u . 
 
 :::;ri:irht:i:r"-----^-t:: 
 
 -or~.,..,i....,,j:!:-j-:;:::^^^^ 
 
 
668 
 
 AMERICAN A'^OLER'S BOOX. 
 
 over this wild and rough-hewn patron a rude buck-board arrangement, is 
 quite another affair. 
 
 However, the faithful and highly intelligent old mare to whom is almost 
 entirely intrusted this mission, accomplished her arduous task with great 
 credit to herself, and I have no just grounds for complaint against her, 
 although I had sundry bottles of pickles, fish-sauce, and stomach-bitters 
 stowed away in the depths of a capacious travelling-bag. 
 
 I wish I could say as much for the owner of this sagacious animal ; but 
 I cannot, in justice to my brother anglers, do it. Mr. Rich, the proprie- 
 tor of the " Angler's Retreat," and the self-appointed exclusive purveyor 
 for all the goods and chattels in transitu over the carry, had, in a 
 moment of mental obliteration, neglected to take any precautions against 
 the poBsiblo contingency of a storm in this mountain path. The conse- 
 quences following in the wake of this shameful want of ordinary forethought 
 on his part, were of serious import to our party, as the whole of our luggage 
 was exposed for several hours to a pitiless storm of rain and sleet, without 
 a particle of covering of any description to protect it. 
 
 The buck-wagon broke down on the journey over the carry, and was 
 thereby detained on the route till after 10 o'clock at night. Our traps, 
 being thus given up to the fury of the elements for so long a time, were 
 necessarily delivered to us in a most shocking condition of humectation 
 and congelation. All of which, as well as these strictures upon our host, 
 might have been avoided by the purchase of a few yards of tarpauling or 
 oiled duck, and which I respectfully recommend him to do before the 
 opening of another season. 
 
 About halfway over the carry we stopped at a camp occupied by several 
 gentlemen from Boston, who treated us very courteously. This party had 
 been fishing in the Rapid River principally, for two weeks, but did not 
 boast of much success in their catch, though some of them were skilful 
 
 anglers. 
 
 We killed some ruffed grouse while crossing the carry, and saw some 
 spruce grouse, the Canada Canadensis. We did not leave the path to hunt 
 these birds, but shot at those alone, that were feeding on the road. In the 
 summer season the spruce grouse are very plentiful in this region, and are 
 astonishingly tamo. Mr. Clement S. Phillips, a gentleman weU known in 
 our city for his devotion to the " gun and rod," informed me that while at 
 Rich's last August, he killed fifteen of these birds within stone's-throw 
 of the Camp. The plumage of the spruce grouse is very beautifully varie- 
 gated, and the flesh excellent for the table. 
 
INLAND TRO'UT FISHINO. 
 
 659 
 
 After a rather fatiguing walk of two hou'rs. much of it uphill work, we 
 amved at Rich's Camp, alias <.The Angler's Retreat," quite in time 
 lor the afternoon's fishing. 
 
 The Camp consists of two primitive-looking, squatty log-feabins. one of 
 Which IS used as a culinary department, the other, somewhat larger, is 
 divided off into four sleeping-rooms and a salle d manger, or general 
 reception-room or hall. In one corner of this apartment there are three . 
 dirty, gloomy, badly-ventilated bunks, intended for the accommodation of 
 the guests or the guides, as the case might be. There is another cabin in 
 course of construction, immediately contiguous to the larger one, which is 
 a little more pretentious than those already erected, and will afford much 
 additional room next season, and at the same time insure some little privacy 
 and comfort to the visitors. 
 
 The grounds around the camp are rough and unsightly, and rendered 
 positively filthy by the accumulated droppings of the cow, the numerous 
 slaughtered sheep, and the mass of fish garbage which is continuously 
 thrown from the kitchen by the dirtiest and worot-mannered galley scul- 
 lion whom one may ever wish to encounter. 
 
 Rich's Camp or "The Angler's Retreat" is situated at Middle Dam 
 or rather on a slight elevation of ground at the foot of Lake Mollychunke^ 
 munk. At this point the lake empties itself through a narrow gut or channel 
 into Rapid River. This channel is not over fifty feet wide and a couple 
 of hundred feet long-the current is swift and strong. This is the spot 
 par excellence to kill the gamy Trout. 
 
 The view across and up the Lake from the Retreat, which is built on a 
 clearing at the very edge of the forest, is very attractive. When the wea- 
 ther is favorable, the tourist as well as the sportsman could no doubt derive 
 much enjoyment from boating and sailing on the Lake. 
 
 Soon after our arrival we were informed that the Camp wos poorly sup- 
 plied with food-nothing to be had in the way of edibles save slices of 
 Btrong-tasted fat pork fried, with tough bread. I must confess that I 
 was quite startled at this announcement, in consideration of the beautiful 
 visions of wild-game, corn-cakes, hot buckwheats, ham and eggs, and other 
 like delicacies which Mr. Rich's flaming circular had conjured up in my 
 mind's eye. 
 
 Not wishing to go to bed supperless, to say nothing of the natural 
 impulse, we soon put our rods together, and sallied down to the Narrows 
 the favored haunt of the -speckled beauties. The afternoon was cool and a 
 little humid, but the air felt fresh and bracing as it swept gently over the 
 
 ! 
 
 ll'l 
 
660 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 Lake. The fish, fortunately for us, were on the feed, and they did not 
 require much coaxing or toying with. In the course of an hour we killed 
 several fine Brook Trout, ranging from one to three pounds, and soon had 
 the exquisite satisfaction of seeing a brace of the largest beauties placed 
 before us, cooked in cream— to me a novel 1 ut most delicious mode of serv- 
 ing these fish. 
 
 " Night's swift dragons oat the clouds full fast, 
 And yonder shines Aurora's harbinger." 
 
 The next morning, the 25th, we were at the Narrows quite early: the 
 day had scarcely broken when we took our station. The morning was 
 cool and frosty, the clouds were breaking away, and the wind coming out 
 from the west was fast driving from the heavens all remnants of the storm 
 which had so fiercely raged during the night. Before there was sufficient 
 light to enable us to distinguish our flies as they gently fell on the water, 
 the fish were on the alert and began to jump quite lively. 
 
 In the course of two hours' fishing from the same spot, we killed several 
 fine Trout, ranging, as before, from one pound to three pounds. These 
 fish we may observe are not as active and gamy in proportion to their size 
 as the Brook Trout of Pennsylvania. It may be different with them, 
 however, in the spring of the year, when they are presumed to be in ful 
 strength and vigor. During the middle of the day it was quite useless to 
 cast the fly at the Narrows, as we could not get a rise. The fish were evi- 
 dently in the deep waters of the Lake during this time, or our movements 
 being so easily distinguished, alarmed them. 
 
 The Rapid River is a bold and precipitous stream of water, rushing 
 through the mountain gorges ; it is filled with huge boulders, from which 
 the angler can whip the eddies and deep pools on either side. A more 
 beautiful and attractive stream for the daring and sturdy Trout could not 
 bp found in the wide world. In the spring this river course is filled to 
 repletion with these crimson-spotted beauties, and many positively of huge 
 dimensions are killed. I saw some very large fish at Frost's, which were 
 captured in the Megalloway river, a stream which comes from the far north 
 and empties into the Androscoggin a short distance below the mouth of 
 Lake Umbagog— one of these monsters, a veritable Salmo fontimlia, 
 weighed 7J lbs., another 6 lbs., another 5 lbs. 
 
 Excursions are made to the Megalloway from Frost's, where skiffs and 
 provisions can be obtained, as well as guides for the journey. 1 was tcld 
 by persons entitled to confidence, that Brook Trout weighing ten pounds 
 
INIAKD TROni PISHISa. 
 
 661 
 
 '•™ ""«■' '«'™ in the waters of thew lakes Ol^.tt.- 
 
 «"t», that (her. i. „„ ~ ■ , "■"MiMee. Of one thing we feel quite 
 
 .pot for the eprighU, gan.b„l, „f ,te Br«,k T„„t ZtTl ^^ ^ 
 
 I was told bj those who had iehedat Ihr^lr , encountered. 
 
 -». sp.n„ that on. „i,h. ai, x^ r:r,Lrjzr - 
 
 greas^salt po.k and Zle^;^ rtrn'r'^r T'"^"'""'''^ ^ 
 nothing of in,p.rtinenee ,J^T, Z^, Z I" I " -^ ^ "' 
 par. of the half-tip., „„,„ ^ ..(.^'tr I ,s^'' o'r "J °° "" 
 was eoncerned, were even more p,es.i„„ thloTh " ** "''''' 
 
 now short of „ilk and crean,, ^ZltZTl:T'1: " "' '"^ 
 to return f„„ her feeding- J,„nd7r.KT^ ° "" ""'"^ "■"■'=•» 
 One „t ,«,„ Ik- grounds in the woods at het aecustonied hour 
 
 One of two th ings was certain , she had either lost her way in the win 
 ue„, or had been set upon by the bear, of wl,i„h T " 
 
 almost impassable foresL skiLig th lis ^e ni^e T' " "' 
 
 ar„x:r:ottr'*°^ "--^ -.prett,weiigr::: 
 
 .ave an old cotton umbrella if sull, lit "■"" "' "^ """""P''"" 
 offence, was .udde„l7c: f: 1 ' X? ''k"" "■" °' ■"""" " 
 dispute the right of way Our „ ^^ ' "''° "'"""' '"''"«"' '» 
 
 ranee Of .11 .L «Xndt "r^w'^rr ^t' hilT 
 and idios^ncrasiesof wild animal,, acted with wonderful I:X:1:^ 
 
662 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 E!!l 
 
 most trying contre-temps. Instead of taking to his heels and making off 
 as fast as possible, as most inexperienced persons would have done, and 
 thereby courting pursuit and attack on the part of the beast, he stood his 
 ground manfully, and looking the sulky animal straight in the eyes for a 
 few moments, suddenly thrust open the old cotton umbrella, and waving 
 it furiously around his head in a very defiant manner, so alarmed the bear 
 by the monstrously-magnified appearance of his antagonist, that he turned 
 tail and was soon heard crashing at a terrible pace through the fastnesses 
 of the forest. 
 
 The sun was just dipping behind the mountain in our rear as we reached 
 the Narrows. The atmosphere was bracing, and the surface of the Lake 
 was raised into little ripples by the gentle breeze which stole softly from 
 the north. We took our old station on the rook at the edge of the water, 
 and seeing a rise, made a cast and landed a beautiful Trout of two pounds. 
 Then another cast or two, and another victim was consigned to the floating 
 trap ; and thus we continued killing fish after fish till the shades of night 
 closed around us. 
 
 One fact we particularly noted, that the very moment the sun sunk from 
 view behind the mountain tops directly in our rear, the fish rose to the fly 
 with increased avidity and boldness. This undoubtedly was the conse- 
 quence of our moving shadow on the water being no longer visible when 
 the sun had disappeared from view. On this point Hofland, in his Manual, 
 very properly remarks : — " Avoid, if possible, fishing with the sun behind 
 you, as the moving shadow of yourself and rod will alarm the fish." 
 The Trout at times were wonderfully bold and persistent in their efforts 
 to seize the fly. I have seen the same fish brought to the surface a half, 
 dozen times in vain attempts to take the deception, but by some mischance 
 or other missing the lure on each occasion, and even following the attract- 
 ive morsel as it was drawn over the surface, two or three yards towards 
 the angler. 
 
 " But look ! the morn, in russet mantle clad, 
 Walks o'er the dew of yon high eastern hill." 
 
 The following day, the 26th, we fished in the morning at the Narrows. 
 We landed several good fish about the same weights as previously, none 
 under one pound, none over three. In the afternoon two sportsmen, who 
 came into the lakes by the way of Andover, arrived at the camp. From 
 what they told me, I am quite sure that it is the most pleasant as well as 
 economical way of reaching either the Upper Dam or Rich's Retreat, to 
 
INLAND TROUT FISHING. 
 
 663 
 
 say no h.„g of he dangers of a cruise on the hermaphrodite locomotive, 
 and the ong walk over the carry. We treated the new-comers to the bes^ 
 
 usual andT ^"Tl^ ''' ''"'^" ^"""•^"' '^'^' ^^ ^ ^«"- ^"^ thin 
 u ual. and beahrred h.mseif in cooking to a point a mess of our fish for Ms 
 
 Z^l t "T ' ""' ^^^ ^" ^^"^^°« *«-«• -^ -'-ed sut 
 
 larded h T. "^ ^'''"' "'^ ''^^'"^* *^« ""^^S- — - "^ the 
 arde . and the desolate appearance of the Camp. They both got a fit of 
 
 thblue, and wentoff early thenextmorning. without so much as wetting 
 aline; and thus presenting an admirable commentary on the promised 
 comforts of the " Angler's home in the wilderness." 
 
 " He lifts his silver gills above the flood, 
 And greedily sucks in the unfaithful food, 
 Then downward plunges with the fraudful prey. 
 And bears, with joy, the little spoil away." 
 
 a 11'"/- ']"' ".*'' """^ *"'"^'* ' """^ ^ ^«'y *»«-y "-. «-dently 
 sn 1 » T? *'' " "■■'*" -<l-a«o-"-I mean the " noise and 
 
 splashing The voracious monster missed the gaudy-winged deception, 
 and sunk disappointedly into the depths of the channel, to bo lured again 
 therefrom at the next cast of my " Montreal." Sure enough, up the rover 
 came, as savage as before, the moment the stretcher fly touched the sur- 
 face, and fairly leaping from the water, made a dart at the treacherous 
 insect I once more saw my victim overshoot the juggle I strove so hard 
 to foist upon him, and down he went a second time as he rolled over on 
 his side and disappeared from view. 
 
 About this time I was considerably nervous, at all events very anxious • 
 my heart began to thump, my breathing became shorter, my pulse beai 
 quu,ker, and my knees, sympathizing with the general excitation, were a 
 htt e tremulous. " Now, or never." said I to myself. " for a ten pounder," 
 as I made a third cast a little further down the channel. My arm was 
 steady, my wrist was true to its work, the " tinselled cheat" fell gently 
 and noiselessly on the bosom of the rippling waters. Up, the bold tenant 
 of the Narrows darted with the dash and fury of a greedy half-starved 
 pickerel. This time he seized the lure-I struck at the opportune moment 
 and secured the daring poacher-away went the clicking reel, as he swept 
 across the gut. and then taking a sudden turn went down stream into deep 
 water. Having every confidence in line and rod, I now gave a few turn, 
 to the reel, as it were to feel my " quarry." Up stream the captive dashed. 
 
664 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 leaving a considerable length of Black-line to be managed. I reeled up 
 as fast as possible, and got the control of my line. The prisoner had 
 evidently reached deep water behind a sunken rock, and thus hid away, 
 deemed himself secure from further assault. Now, pulling on the line a 
 little, the fish struggled and pricked himself afresh-up he cume to the 
 surface with a single swoop, and springing vigorously two or three times 
 clean out of the water, took down the stream with the velocity of ^ 
 arrow to the deep pool, as before. I now began to hold him a little 
 taut,— he was less restive— I reeled up a few feet, he struggled man- 
 fully for liberty, but I had him too securely hooked, and was quite 
 willing to trust to the tenacity of my rod and line. He made another 
 effort at a run ; I gave him line, then checked him ; his strength was evi- 
 dently on the wane, and I felt confident of his capture. The prisoner was 
 fast losing his spirit and boldness, and began to sulk, pulling heavily oa 
 the rod, and there were no further formidable efforts made at gyrating and 
 floundering about. I still continued to slowly reel in my line, and gradu- 
 ally forced the fish towards me from out of the deep water. In about 
 twenty minutes from the time I struck him, I had brought my captive to 
 the surface, when I well knew from the projecting languid eye-balls and 
 the half-extended jaws that he was nearly done for. My companion at 
 the Narrows, who was very skilful in the use of the landing-net as well as 
 the rod, and from whom I received much information and many courtesies 
 during my sojourn at the lakes, now placed himself on a large rock at the 
 edge of the water, and by a dexterous movement secured my prisoner. 
 Before landing the fish I was much disappointed in the discovery that he 
 was not near so large as I had concluded from his sprightly actions in the 
 first place, and the dead pull made on the line towards the close of the 
 struggle. This dead weight, however, was soon accounted for, when my 
 companion called out to me to " keep cool" and throw him my landing-net, as 
 there was another fish securely hooked on the stretcher fly. In a moment 
 both fishes were safe within the meshes of the capacious net. 
 
 I will not attempt to describe the feelings of pleasure with which I 
 handled these two beautiful fish, that had afforded me so much diversion. 
 The larger one weighed three and a half pounds, the other two pounds- 
 making in all five pounds and a half. 
 
 The following morning, the 27th, was cold and bleak when we 
 turned out of the Camp— wrapped up warmly in a heavy coat, we took 
 our station at the Narrows some time before the dawn. It was too dark to 
 cast, and we patiently awaited the first streaks of light as they crept over 
 
INLAND TROUT PISHINO. 
 
 665 
 
 the distant hills, smoking a light havana in the interim, to keep our nose 
 from frosting. 
 
 At the first break of day the fish began to show signs of life, and so con- 
 tinued to jump notwithstanding a spit of fine snow which covered the 
 waters and obscured from our vision the mountain-tops. In a couple of 
 hours we had killed all the fish we wanted, and reeled up for breakfast 
 yhen we returned to the camp Mr. Rich, who had been fishing at the 
 dam below the Narrows, exhibited his catch. Among the victims were 
 two fish of four and a half and four pounds respectively. The largest one 
 he very generously gave to me. and I carried it in triumph to Boston to 
 grace the table of one of my epicurean friends. We had thought of 
 vis.t.ng the fishing-grounds of the upper lakes further to the north and 
 east whore, we had been told, the sport was even better than that which 
 we had enjoyed at the Retreat. The weather being rather unpromising 
 for an open boat excursion, and the guide to whom we applied being in a 
 surly humor, we concluded to break camp and retrace our steps over the 
 carry and Lake Umbagog to Upton. Soon after breakfast we bid adieu to 
 h' H lt'\ " *'' wilderness." taking with us, safely lashed to 
 
 the buck-lK,ard arrangement, a large box of fish, which we had preserved 
 ahve m a floating trap till the moment of our departure, when we laid 
 them m dry moss and stowed them safely in the box. The trip across the 
 carry with the exception of bagging a couple of rufl"ed grouse, was 
 attended with no incident. We landed safely at Upton long before sun- 
 down, and hiring a small wagon we started over the mountains to Bethel 
 Where we arrived at a late hour of the night. 
 
 I might tell you some things about Rich's Camp which would not be 
 very agreeable to the proprietor of the " Angler's Retreat." I might say 
 some unamiable but truthful things about sulky guides; in fact, I mighl 
 write much that would be of service to future tourists or explorers of these 
 regions ; but I forbear further mention of these details, in consequence of 
 the good sport I enjoyed. 
 
 I trust, however, that the '• Retreat" next season may be in better trim, 
 and that the host will at least strive to live up more faithfully to the letter 
 of the law as proclaimed to the world in his flaming and attractive circu- 
 lar-otherwise he should recant and recall this delusion from circulation. 
 
 Mr. Rich. If he really wishes to make his camp a resort for sportsmen 
 and tourists, should engage the services of a couple of middle-aged steady 
 women, one as cook, the other as housemaid and waiter ; and not be de- 
 pendent on low. foul-mouthed ship scullions, and saucy, dirty boys for 
 
 i! 
 
 Hi 
 
 'I 
 I 
 
666 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 gucli duties. He should teach his gentlemanly guides to be civil, patient, 
 good-humored, and obliging ; and above all, should have them under pro- 
 per control, and under no circumstances permit them or his kitchen soul- 
 lions to bully and control him. He should also bear in mind that many 
 •will visit his camp who are not possessed of a redundancy of greenbacks, 
 but are willing, nevertheless, to pay a fair price for what thoy receive ; 
 but are quite averse to being unmercifully mulcted in large figures for 
 that which they did not but should have received. 
 
 ■ When such arrangements are made, I will be glnd to visit the "Angler's 
 Retreat" onco more ; but till then I shall be content to pursue the gentle 
 c-aft in other localities where the Trout may not be so large, but the ao 
 companiments of the diversion far more attractive. 
 
 Mr. Rich is a man in the prime of life, of good stature, a fine face and 
 eagle eyes ; he has passed many years of his life in the deep solitudes of 
 Maine, shooting and trapping game of all kinds, and, being a keen 
 observer, has necessarily made himself familiar with the habits of the 
 various animals which frequent these northern latitudes. I spent a most 
 instructive as well as agreeable evening in his company at the Camp, 
 listening to his recitals of wild adventure with deer, wolves, bears, cari- 
 bous, panthers, moose, and elk. 
 
 The flies most popular in these northern waters are large, gaudy-bodied, 
 brightrwinged deceptions, dressed on No, 3 or 4 hooks. The Montreal, a 
 fly well known in Boston and Canada, is a great favorite here. We, how- 
 ever, were more successful with black and brown palmers, tied under our 
 own directions, by Mr. George, at Wilson's Sporting Emporium in this 
 
 city. 
 
 The true and only legitimate time for Trout-fishing is undoubtedly the 
 spring and early summer, when the fish are known to be in the finest 
 condition of vigor and flesh ; and this trip is the only occasion on which I 
 ever cast a fly out of season. I scarcely think it necessary to ofier an 
 apology for this transgression of the code. It seems almost like afi"ectation 
 to attempt it, when so many hundreds of anglers, of good sporting repute, 
 commit the same infringement year after year, and make no secret of 
 
 their sins. 
 
 I have no doubt in my own mind as to the proper season for killing 
 Brook Trout, so far as their future preservation is concerned ; and I would 
 be glad to have these waters of our border state, as well as all the streams 
 throughout the land, rigorously protected by legislative enactments. As 
 the case now stands before the country, the Trout in these lakes are 
 
INLAKD TKOBT flSHINS. 
 
 667 
 
 prohfi waters, as is already the case in numerous other streams ani 
 
 lakes, ,n more thickly-settled localities. *'**^ 
 
 The largest Trout, however, are uot usually taken in oK a . . 
 
 the latter part of December, 1864. ""ring 
 
 it ''Thr?,"T: r^'' "''''"' "•*' '"'*• "-^^ ^* *'•"- -t-ely out of 
 fishing -! "'^^ "^^ '"'"' '^ ^^'^ ^ ^« *^« -"'»« «f five days' 
 
 1 
 1 
 5 
 I 
 4 
 G 
 16 
 
 Trout weighed 
 
 4i Ibfl. 
 
 4J " 
 
 3 " 
 
 2| " 
 
 2i " 
 
 2i " 
 
 2 " 
 
 12 
 22 
 18 
 42 
 46 
 64 
 
 9 
 
 Trout 
 
 weighed 
 
 « 
 
 1| Iba. 
 li 
 H 
 1 
 
 i 
 
 i 
 i 
 
 « 
 
 « 
 « 
 
 Total catch 237 Trout, weighing 264J lbs. 
 
 The cold at times during this excursion was intense, the thermometer 
 ra g.ng from 50 above to 30° below zero. This party of hardy sportsm 
 noth g daunte by the chilling temperature of .n Arctic wiLr. con- 
 tinued the.r daUy routine of visits to the numerous holes cut in the ic on 
 various portions of the Lake. 
 
 "The fertile earth, at Nature's voice, 
 Unlocka her precious store. 
 And mount and vale and plain rejoice 
 To greet the genial hour. 
 
 "The purling stream, no longer bound 
 In Winter's icy chain. 
 Sparkles beneath the sunny ray, 
 And freely flows again." 
 
 David Paul Brown. 
 
m 
 
 AMERICAN ANOLBR'B BOOK. 
 
 The spring fishing (tpens immediately with the breaking up of the ice 
 in the lakes, which usually takes place from the middle of April to the 
 10th of May, according to the season. About the 10th of June that 
 phlebotomizing pest the " black fly" makes its appearance, driving all 
 sensible anglers from the streams, and devouring, by slow and painful 
 tortures, all the fools who persistently remain. These minute vm ipires 
 continue in full possession of the woods and waters till about the ist of 
 August, when they disappear as suddenly as they came. 
 
 During the hot weather of July and August the fish betake themselves 
 to the deep and cool bottoms of the lakes, and are not easily lured to the 
 surface from these refreshing asylums. About the 1st of September, the 
 water being lowered in temperature, the Trout begin to abandon their 
 deep abodes, and are once more found in the pools and eddies of the 
 various tributaries of the lakes. 
 
 Trolling over the lakes from a skiff with the ordinary spoon or squid 
 tackle, is much practised in these waters ; and at times, when the wind 
 and temperature are favorable, many fine fish are taken. 
 
 Sportsmen who visited the Adirondacks, in the neighborhood of 
 Long Lake, last summer, speak with enthusiasm of the deer and 
 • trout in that vicinity. A little settlement has sprung up at the lower 
 end of that beaullful sheet of water, and is called " Long Lake." 
 It contains a store, a saw-mill, and a post-office ; and is a good point 
 from which to take a departure further into that wilderness of lake- 
 lets and forests. It is easily accessible from Fort Edward, on the 
 Saratoga and Whitehall Railroad. The distance is about seventy 
 miles, more than half of which is by stage, and the remainder in a 
 good spring-wagon. 
 
 Parties going to the Adirondacks by this route, could return by 
 way of Raquette River and Saranak Lake to Martin's, and thence 
 by way of Keeseville to Port Kent, on Lake Champlain. The 
 excursion could be easily performed with ladies in company. 
 
 One of the most substantial men at the little village of Long Lake 
 is Mitchell Sebattis, one of the few Indians remaining of the tribe 
 of St. Francis. He is a son of an Indian of some note, " Captain 
 
INLAND TROUT FISHING. 
 
 669 
 
 Mke Ch.„pl.,„ du„Dg th. Wt w.r .ith Great Britain H„,h , .i 
 and «,a were guide, t„ Mr He.dle, i„ I.- , ^^ 
 
 roPdach ; .„d Mitchell „d W J,7 jl " "'■'"•"°°' '" "■« *<"- 
 * J . "' John, 8till act as BuidflH t^ li»« 
 
 ter« aud anglers. During the mouth of March ^865/ 1 
 
 Christians at Long Lake selected S<,K .* ^ ^ "' ^"^ 
 
 o„^ P • ... ^ ^ '"""®' accoropan ed by his «nn 
 
 and from the fact of beine an TnHi«n * j ^ ' 
 
 e...rpH. tha„ . ... r:^ircz:rzT'': "- 
 
 cessful. He t.,IH «,«.•!.• • ga'ned, and was quite sue- 
 
 Christi niz?som Tf t^e 1^7^' '''' '' ^'^ ''«'^ ^^^ *«> 
 cities and L " ^'"^'""'' ^^^ ««*"« fr««> the large 
 
 cities, and who were given to cureing and swearing. *n^ fl i,- ! 
 
 port ef Ih e„™,„g ,„„„er, .„d some even endeavoring to "ftl 
 
 ::f':::r:i::;r:iS^^^^^^^^^^^ 
 
 length. ' " ''•^^* *'"'««^°"' I quote it at 
 
 TROUT-FISHING. 
 The month of March wakps .,,. *i,» • -^ „ 
 
 -".aind.. and ^. Jl7 Zl IZ h""'""' " " ^""' 
 Trout-fishing. i<,„. ,,, . " ""^^ preparing for the 
 
670 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 beauties of nature above water, and not in the abundance or voriicity of 
 fish under water. A great many people imagine that " to go a-fishing" 
 meaiiH to go and catch fish ; or to try it. No Huch thing. # * « 
 Wliat sport, indeed, is there in angling in a tub, or shooting in a barn- 
 yard ? We do not undervalue the excitement of taking fish when the size 
 and spirit of the captive bring coolness and skill into full action. But we 
 are speaking now of American Trout-fishing as it is generally found, when 
 the day's sport produces seldom a fish weighing over two or three pounds, 
 and, except in a few localities, seldom a fish of a pound. March fishing 
 is really but poor sport, and, except for g(K)d inns, fine cooking, and the 
 pleasant evenings by the fireside, we doubt whether a tenth part of those 
 who go a-fishing in March could be induced to undertake it. But these 
 accompaniments are not the special accessories of the Troutrfishing. On 
 the contrary, they belong rather to the city, and may be had without wet 
 feet, or a day in a chilly March wind. 
 
 May is the pleasantcst and most profitable month for Trout-fishing in 
 this country. The mysteries of the American forest begin to unfold and 
 develop then, while nature commences to hide with leaves the skeleton 
 which winter has exhibited. Wild-flowers abound. Winds hold new and 
 not unmusical conversations with young leaves. The sharp whistle of the 
 earlier months around the branches, changes to the softer rustle and 
 whisper of summer. The flow of the streams is more settled. The water 
 is clearer. The pools look black and deep, not milky and shallow. The 
 margins are green, with bright spots of blue and white where liverwort 
 and anemone blossoms shine out. It is not strange to see a man who has 
 heavy responsibility on his shoulders, throw it off in May to go Trout^ 
 fishing. A long walk by a forest stream is then a long dream — rather a 
 reality of beauty. Health and happiness are in the air. The sky is as 
 full of glory as the sea of water. It overflows, and he who gives his heart 
 to the surrounding influences will receive of that overflow. There is no 
 sentiment about it. It is reality. It tells in bone and muscle and sinew, 
 but it tolls more plainly in the mind, and proves its beneficent effects in 
 the new life, new thought, new spring which it gives to the intellectual 
 organs. We respectfully recommend him who is desirous of trying the 
 experiment, to postpone his effort until May, and then go into the Ameri- 
 can forest, and study its magnificence. 
 
STRIPED BASS FISHING. 
 
 Jm H!::;:tn;,r "■" " "- ""'""' °' •" '-" ^«"^"' •« 
 
 _^^^ -^ .long the CO... e««.„d „f .k« p,„„^,^ ,^^, ^ ^.^^ .^ 
 My dear Old Piacator, * 
 
 '«« di.«pp.»r., ,h„„ B,h .„ f„„„,j 27""' *• -P-'-B open, .nd th. 
 "."..lime. .tand. ,-„ ,^„ „„ J^" "P'*"" "' '»'«• "'"te n,.gg„, „hieh 
 
 Sb»k» of „„ „ Jet fa, . T" °" """°' ■"""«">• ""' »'«. for 
 Oenccwith .he ..hZlfr h. ".'""''•"■"-«'■ "»' "-eorone. p,., .„. 
 •ngler of hi. hook, ' " """' ""^ ^°"' •"" "Moving ,h, 
 
 * I once saw a Shark taknn «if v^ ' " 
 
 wei«h over a thousand pou: o„ oZ'T'. "' ''" ""'^*'' «'"'' -""-<> '^ 
 
 a half feet long, were attached io the Zerbv "■"f^'"^^"''"' «'>-•"'. -^h two and 
 of their jaw, were well ab.e to take eJre of 7 ?"' ^"''^'"« '"™ '^^^ ''-"«'•> 
 throwing out a large hook baited wihM, 7" " ''"'' ''''' '^ ""'«'' ^-^ 
 
 ^"'^ ^-' -- -- - -w r r.:;;x ^f :it:: "r ' -^ '^' 
 
 (671) 
 
 "I 
 
672 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLRR'S BOOK. 
 
 U* 
 
 In the month of May, fish of six or eight pounds show themselves, and 
 reappear towards the Ist of October, and are taken in nets and by rod 
 and line. The months of July and August are considered the best 
 time for the angler, as the run of fish is then much larger, the weather 
 pleasant, and the water so warm, that a ducking from a heavy sea, when 
 fishing from the rocks, not chilling enough to force one to abandon the 
 sport. The largest fish nre generally taken in the latter part of August 
 and early in September. I saw two taken last August with the rod, which 
 weighed over sixty pounds each. A lively fish of eighteen or twenty 
 pounds, though, will try the tackle and the skill of the angler more than 
 one of fifty pounds— both, however, require nerve and readiness in playing 
 and landing them. 
 
 Tackle.— As far as my own experience goes, I would advise the tyro at 
 first to use a hand-line. He will find, however, after he gains confidence 
 in handling his fish, and before the summer is over, that the use of the 
 rod and reel is a much better and certainly a more artistic way of fishing. 
 The hand-line should be about two hundred feet in length, and not too 
 thick, or the wind will interfere with casting it. Have a thick woollen 
 finger and thumb stall, which should be fastened at the wrist, for the 
 friction of the line, when passing through the fingers, will soon disable 
 
 the fisher. 
 
 Rod.— Let me give you a few hints how to select it. Most rods are 
 made in three pieces ; but in ordering or making one have it of two. 
 The length from butt to tip nine feet, not an inch more. The ferules of 
 German silver, as salt water corrodes brass, and the latter is difficult to 
 keep clean. Have one guide on each piece ; let them be large enough for 
 six times the size of the line to pass through, so as to prevent friction ; the 
 lower one should be placed eight inches below the ferule and another midway 
 of the tip. The end of the tip is frequently mouthed with agate, though 
 the free use of emery paper will keep the mouth perfectly smooth. The 
 distance from the butt end to the reel-keeper should be sixteen inches, and 
 the intervening space wrapped with fine twine, so as to give a good grasp 
 for the hand. Before casting, I would aclvise tying the shank of the 
 reel to the rod with thick ribbon, to prevent itn becoming loose and flying 
 off when casting. 
 
 The Reel, of course, should be an easy running multiplier, with a 
 balance handle, and large enough to hold four hundred feet of line. 
 
 X,-„e«,_Baii8-fisher8 differ in the selection of their lines. Some have a 
 preference for silk, while others are satisfied with linen or India sea-grass, 
 
STRIPED BASS FISHING. 
 
 673 
 
 . post or tree in .„ „„„ fi,,. '^ j° "" f'°"'°K -""er : tie „„, e„d to 
 
 "•Ik to ,h. „(,,„ „^, „. J " °' *"■ »' "°». P"" tightlj, .ad 
 »1 tied, and tr.i, it ^17. °"° °"''""' •-' "■"'>"»"■<' 
 
 «■» with . ™g »i„Id ;^^;'t'. '"' " ""' -'"■ ^«»'"«. "■i 
 "» "Ifjiog part of tlii. L„. " ""' ""'"'" » "-fworable 
 
 - -et,;:. Jj-:ir,:7 tt" '"•'"- ''™° «- - 
 
 oil. .. .ilk trolling „, s7"! ; ""^ """"' '"™' •« •»«l'«d io lin.eed 
 limerick, .re glerZ !,.; 7 f'" "" "'"" "^ "■' '«»'' '» l" ""e^ 
 
 -ke, know, .t N.rr.;^^iT;„ ;;;": ' "7,""' °' ^--k 
 
 «"d of tlie ,l,.„k, or ,L . " , °- '7' " ««"">"! P'eferrcd. The 
 
 ««...»«., ror it e^Jthe l: wt ^ f^ "' "" '■°°'' *»"'- "»' "» 
 
 ' would ,ee„„„end g.1™ 1 h i "^ V"' ''° """'"■ "«" ""«> °f- 
 -ilj -ee„ i. the water TV ,"' T "'"' "" ""' ""■ '"^ »« "»' 
 
 -tore, i. New yTIZ'' "° "' ''°' "' ''°°"''''- -^ «'-»' 'aekl. 
 
 »««>on', 8,hi„, Th. u^i "•" ''°°'" >'«' "ot too nan, for . 
 
 "ood. .re .LJll^tZZ T-"" °° ''"-•-" 0- 
 S^»on,..twietedwi„ho,::CBar "'"""'"' '™ ^""-""^ 
 
 on the hook ; the re™, ndet ' ' a„r r' """ ""' ''"" " 
 
 Manhaden or Bonv fi,h .. ,,.7 ' '™° " ^ ""■«"' ">= A"!-- 
 
 no.r the .„rf.ee, a'd .'. eli ' 7d7°"°'r ""'^' "™ '" -•»'» 
 .«d their whereaLt. beLTh 'ik '"""«""'■'«' ^J >'"■" "ddi-b tint; 
 Thee. « are of Vh" , e fn' f 7"' f' ""°""" "« '•'«'° '" °«" 
 Horrin. .„d e.nt.i„ ItZ'T^TVZ^jT 7 ""'-" 
 cut from each side of th« >.„ ^,u / ^^ ^'"" ^''''' » «"ce is 
 
 - -P ..d thrown into .he ,e. and the o1, e^ditLrit X'tiXd" 
 
674 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 out several hundred yards by the current, Bass and other large fish are 
 thus attracted and follow the strong scent towards the shore, and if on the 
 feed, do not leave until their numbers are considerably lessened by the 
 
 angler. 
 
 Casting.-Bdore I advert to the " mode peculiar," as you call it, let me 
 describe casting with the hand-line. The preparatory evolution in this 
 vay of fishing is to coil your line at your side ; then taking your position 
 not quite facing the water but rather obliquely, seize the line between 
 your forefinger and thumb, about five feet above the hook, whirl it above 
 your head not quite horizontally, until you give it suf&cient impetus, and 
 let it go as it comes nearly in front. The weight of the bait will carry 
 the line out; no lead or dipsey is required, in fact, either of them is 
 objectionable, as it would sink the hook too much, and entangle it m the 
 sea-weed. Now let me give you a lesson on 
 
 Casting with the i?od.-You must bear in mind that in most cases your 
 stand is on a rock, and as the sea runs high it is frequently necessary to 
 protect yourself with an oil-cloth suit, and always to have a secure foot- 
 hold, to insure that you are not knocked off your "pins" by some incom- 
 ing wave. i. ,. V A 
 A Trout-fisher has his enemies in his rear in the shape of limbs and 
 bushes, but a Bass-fisher has his opponents to contend with in his front, 
 as the wind and weather, the sea-weed, or his line overrunning itself, or 
 becoming entangled from being kinky, or from being wodnd unevenly on 
 the barrel of the reel, when it stops short with a jerk and sometimes 
 comes back in his face. To avoid these contingencies and acquire the 
 knack of doing the thing properly, I would advise the tyro to make his 
 first -^ssay on an open flat piece of ground; winding his line even and 
 level on his reel. He should not have more than a half yard remaining 
 beyond the tip of his rod, and to the end of his line he should tie a 
 weight or stone of four ounces. Then putting the left foot foremost and 
 standing sideways to the direction in which you intend to cast, seize your 
 rod with your left hand by the extreme butt end, the thumb of your right 
 pressing on the barrel of the reel. Now swing your rod horizontally 
 behind, and bring it around to your front with a bold cast, raising your 
 thumb from the barrel as it comes nearly in front.-There goes your 
 counterfeit bait! but not ns far, nor exactly in the direction you intended 
 it -Try it again-winding the line evenly on your reel, and guiding it 
 with the thumb and forefinger of your left hand, which is held about 
 four inches in front of the reel, and not allowing the line to overlap. 
 
. '"^'^^^ «^«S PISHI^a. sc- 
 
 once more, now-that is better • hnf .». • 
 
 tJ-^b on the barrel of ,ou eel t n '"*"* ^'^ ^'^'^ ^^"« ^^'^P ^our 
 Ji^e be,i„„er .a, J. ., ^i: ^ 1 rirj "T ^""'^^"^ -' 
 take a course too much to the nVht n . '"^'' *^''* ^'^ ""« «ay 
 
 -" -ing too much to thetft ' ^iTr ' '™" '^^ "«^* «'^«' "-* it 
 on the barrel of the reel an instan^ , "rTh? ^ 'l' '""°^ ^'« '^-»' 
 J^ou have mastered the rudiments and tl ''"''• ''^^P «» -^" 
 
 «nd put on a hook and a bait ^Tn ^' ^^ *'^ ^''^ «^ *'- -^ter 
 
 oa^t, let your bait sink about a Tot T "" ''"'" '"'''^ ""^ "^^^^ ^^ur 
 ^- even and level on the Z::\ ZiVl '''' '^^ ^^^^"^ ^he 
 get a rise, the line will immedia telv r kT ! '^'■'"*'''' ^'^^^^ ^ou 
 the hook in the fish's .outh teV 't T n ''" ^^"'^ ^''^'P^^' ^ ^"^^a 
 ''"t I win say that while you mus not hi d '" '"" '^ '^""^ ^°"^ ^«'^' 
 keep a taut line, and if you Te L, u"" *^ ''^^'' ^«» ^^^'^ -er 
 
 fook, bait, j„„, |,<„j, ^j seta yc.r bail, ,e»„e, ;^o„r „a„d „, 
 
 "«».. oompanioa who mav be within ."-^ °°' '"""''"• J-" Wto o, 
 
 -k b, the b»,k of a Ba^ir: r'i . ::^ ? ••-'' -« ^- -' 
 
 «waj mj wm<lpip_.„d ,,, « " »"f f"« enough „ carry 
 
 «« to be in. So ,o„ ,hon,d alw^a havlr, ' .7 """ "° """'—" 
 
 «.». .I.e .po„ i. 1 0.0!.'™ 72° \ ™ " " ^ '"- " '"'S 
 
 -e «.h., .„, h. haul ,:::':, rirrr °"r- ^'■" "• 
 
 panion lake, hi, p|,ce, while the «„. „7 1, '"• "'' "■" I"!' "■»■ 
 «- . change the p..i.i„: "^ ^^.'^ ";^ "*";»• '. « weU «e- 
 'he right or the ,»,,, „ ^^ '"" k' """"^ *>" J-""' "'ber .id,, 
 
 *«ug the hand, wearie. .he Z e^Id^;; -""' """"S wi-hou. 
 
 Jnese baiters" t^ h t u "sv- 
 
 and .on,e of .h,n,',„«, "f ™ 21"""*";°" ''"''°"°"' Pe™nage,, 
 
 -He. .. «„o,o b1,„,. „i°::: r::?;:? ::-™« --^ ^-n -^ ^ig l: 
 
 -.-,de,..d,heLp:::-',tr;c:r- 
 
 H-" 
 
676 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 by the seaside all night to secure it for you next day, and sees that no one 
 fishes near enough to draw your fish away. He wakes you up at three in 
 the morning, tells you that is the best time for fishing, takes you to his 
 favorite rook, tells you there is a whirl, Bass rising, that there are plenty 
 offish. You cast— your imagination paints a fifty-pounder at the end of 
 your line— you jerk, and find you are fast to the seaweed. You reel in 
 carefully, disengage your book, and cast again, seventy-five feet if 
 you can, and let your bait sink a foot or so, and commence reeling in 
 slowly again, when all at once your line straightens and you have him 
 sure enough.-Now Uncle Billy's time has come. " Give him line," sings 
 out the old man ; " now hold him a little ; not too tight ; now ease him off: 
 I tell you he's a sixty-pounder I Look out, or you'll lose liim, if you hold 
 him BO tight ! Give him line 1 Keep him away from that rock 1 That's 
 right- now give him line-more line 1" " How can I," says the excited 
 angl«r, " don't you see my line is foul on my reel ?" " The devil it is I" 
 says Uncle Billy, adding a few more exclamations in language not polite. 
 "Then there goes your line, and there goes the fish ; I knew you would 
 lose him. That fish weighed sixty-five pounds, every ounce of it." Sadly 
 you wind up your broken line, ruminating on the perfect knowledge these 
 baiteri have of the exact weight of every large fish the angler loses-they 
 have a method of weighing them under water pecuUarly their own. 
 As I have spun my yarn and wound in my line, I'll "knock off," and 
 
 ■ubscribe myself, ■«■ * i- 
 
 ' Yours truly, 
 
 CliEH. 
 
PISH BREEDING. 
 
 """«« AND ABTlncUL BREEDING OF TKOUT 
 
 Amono the friends tr, r^u 
 
 pleasant, s„„„er h„„,e inZ™ ' " " ^'°*°'"' "''» '«'» • 
 
 i-S •» know .ha. .„■, „ e f 7. ™°"'' "^ ^"'- " » *'»'">■ 
 
 and after u...^l^,CC '"■■.'"""«■■" °°»*'«^'e o^pease. 
 
 -ipi.«c,, .He f„,Wi ";«;■' r.;;-' « .e. i„ i, 
 
 a oriet ot the case" will show. 
 
 ^'"''""'nd Sirficiure of the Ponds -Th. . • 
 sandstone formations, from the side of /h n ? '' *"'''"' ^™'" ""'^^^ 
 feet, at two points, near th^ onhl' '^^ 
 
 stream of about 2J inches diameter. anllZt 'T t'"' '''^'"^ ^ 
 of only a few feet. The watPr J« . T , ^ ^ P""''' ''^ " "^'^tance 
 ponds throughout the ^ J:^:!::^^^^^^^^ t? ^''« ^-P-ature in the 
 
 -affected in volume i an^ p 2 ^^ e". V" ''^ '"'^•' ^"' ^^^"« 
 rain. ^ Perceptible extent by seasons of drouth or 
 
 One of the springs, affording a stream of about oi ,. o ■ , . 
 ter, IS introduced into a filter. ,.y which ttash / " '' " '"""" 
 water any possible impurities: frll, gl JTh ' "" ''''' '"™ ^'^^ 
 separate streams of equal size tZ l\ "^'"^ '' ^-^^^^ '° ^^''-ee 
 
 — ^-long. c:Vh^^^^n^^^^^^^ "^^-^'^^ 
 
 « co,r„ rough b„ildi„, ,„ „,„, .' /"'• "'"'''■ "" ™ve«d »ilh 
 «p.™.or .n ..o™,„ea.he^ ^.2°: T'"'"" "" ""'"' "" 
 
 -^- A. .hu p.. .,, „.::■:.:;,'::::: ^ """"' °^"'" 
 
 ihe first pond is about 18 feet widp qn <• /i 
 
 w,de, 30 feet long, and varying in depth 
 
 (677) 
 
678 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 from 18 inches at the upper to 3 feet at the lower end. It is plastered on 
 the bottom and sides with water-lime, is water-tight, and is intended as 
 the abode of the small fry for the first year of their aqueous life. Here, all 
 being of the same age and size, or very nearly so, of course they cannot prey 
 upon each other: and here they are fed and maintained and domesticated, 
 grow and thrive, until, at the end of the year, they are fitted to move in a 
 larger sphere, into which they are introduced through a hole in the wall 
 at the lower end of the first pond, by removing the wire gauze that covers 
 it, and which, except when removed for this purpose, is kept there for a 
 reason already stated. Through this hole the water runs throughout the 
 year in a steady stream of from 2} to 3 inches in diameter, and, falling 
 about 12 inches, enters the second pond. 
 
 The second pond, which is made like the first, is about 20 feet wide and 
 60 feet long, and the water in it varies in depth from about 3 feet at the 
 upper to 6 or 7 feet at the lower end, and is intended as the abiding-place 
 of the fish during their second year; and also as one of the points at which 
 the process of spawning is conducted. From this (the second) pond the 
 water is conducted through a hole in the wall at the lower end, guarded 
 witli wire gauze as in the other instances, and, falling about two feet, 
 enters the third pond. 
 
 The third pond is nearly circular in shape, and near 200 feet in diame- 
 ter, and is situated on the side of a hill. On the upper, or hill side, the 
 water runs against the natural bank, and on the lower side is supported 
 by walls of heavy masonry. These walls are about 10 feet thick at the 
 bottom and 4 at the top, forming on the top a stone walk or pavement 
 throughout the circuit of the walls. The walls are made in two parallel 
 sections, separated by a cavity of two inches, which was filled with liquid 
 cement to render them water-tight. They are at the highest point about 
 40 feet high and surrounded by a heavy earth embankment, rising nearly 
 to the top of the walls, the slopes of which are intended to be decorated 
 with shrubbery. The walls, on the inside, are further supported by a 
 gravel embankment, reaching nearly to the surface of the water and 
 sloping to the centre of the pond, where the water is about 35 feet deep. 
 The other spring, before referred to, issues directly into this pond, at the 
 surface of the water. The outlet of this pond is through a shaft built in 
 the wall, where the column of water is about 5 inches in diameter, falling 
 about 35 feet, and afiFording power to propel a stream of water of about 
 1 or 2 inches, for domestic and ornamental purposes, to the top of the hill 
 
FISH BREBDINO. 
 
 «" l».ted lb, sp.wning.b„d, ,l.„ ■~"'' ""'' "-W pond. 
 
 ™i«« .rough., fte boLTo Th r„"" *"". ^"■'' -P«""y. 
 pond. «,.„,„]„., Both the «»? T "'^' " """'"»"«' '"to Ih, 
 
 in«-buildi„g already ^,4^^^^ "» •"' «""• " - the c. of the hatoh- 
 
 oo-nbor. She i. ,tu,nm hv th, ll ,^ T ' " '""" '"' »f »- 
 "^ .he eg^dep«,.„^ , h«e^ Tl^" Z T''' " """'"'«-• 
 ■»'«..».. AtSr.ttheJ.h.,e,ee„emf,T " ''""°"=*' "^aiMt 
 
 •"«»Oed b, the male.) from thH" 7 f * '° *""■"' '"■» '««'«« W"g 
 
 «o« .«, .haUow -tor t f,:;:::^' 7,'-"-^°- ^-"ecoodi. 
 
 '8™™l) which thejr ca. readily Zve^d 'CT"' '"'' » ""•"■'I 
 "-J coacoal the impregnated a "37 " "" "'^ "^ '»™' "P 
 «di.,o„, are to be fof.d in Ipi" "^ "^ *" °"^«"'"'' "■«. .he,e 
 'ho joint labor of U,. male aL f , "'' ""* '" "'™"'™». "j 
 
 ;e .... .« depo.ited I' iriri;:;;!:::?" '° '" -«■• 
 
 1op«..t. The. the water i, agit.,ej ^^ ' ° "" '"^' " 'J'*" over the 
 ".b, » „ to etec. a perfect L ^"^ti! ' r""""" °' "■"°'' °' "" 
 «">™l i, ih^n gathered „..r tho^T '««' ' ""> """"-'iing 
 
 female, a»»„^.i„, ^ ^ ' >» V" " *" "°"" "■' <"^>»*. -^ "bf 
 »"J, r..»r„. iatc the deep waC tl rl' .t'"""*' """ •""■ "' """- 
 
 . ...0 at the lower e.d i. le tZ^^Z Zt'^ *Vf-"'°«-'-.b, 
 relieved of all further d«tv nlT . i ' °'°'° '■"™"'". "« 
 
 b. wn. and contain, a fair pLrJ^ o" e:b°.:r ,;' """' "-"^ 
 provided a smaller vessel with i.L . u *""« previously 
 
 P«y, he the. ta-e, ZZCZZtT: '"""" '""°'" ~"- 
 
 ".."be gill, .„,,e„,^ „„^ ,^^ .::, 'I •*':■' ^;--^'-™ 
 
 vessel, tail downwards, with the 
 
 If 
 
080 
 
 AMiiRICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 Other hand, by a gentle pressure downwards, exudes the eggs, which fall 
 into the shallow water in the vessel, and the fish is then returned to the 
 pond, that its remaining ova or milt may also become sufficiently mature 
 to have the operation repeated in the course of a few days. Pausing here, 
 the observer will perceive that the egg is nearly but not quite filled with 
 a yolk, the residue consisting of an air-chamber which, on the sinking of 
 the egg in the water, by reason of the greater gravity of the yolk, is 
 uppermost, and in the shell of the egg covering this cavity there is barely 
 perceptible, with the aid of a glass, a small orifice or hole. Resuming the 
 process, the operator takes from the vsssel containing the fish, the males 
 already caught for that purpose, and, by manipulation like that applied 
 to the female, exudes the milt. The milt, which has about the color and 
 consistence of cow's milk, flows into the water containing the ecrgs. The 
 water is then greatly agitated, and, by the aid of a glass, innumerable 
 threads or filaments, projecting themselves from the mass of the milt, are 
 seen trembling and oscillating in the water, which, as the water settles 
 down, are observed to find their way to and into the air-chambers of the 
 eggs, through the little orifices already described.* 
 
 Incubation.— 'The vessel containing the eggs, having been allowed to 
 remain for a few minutes, to make sure of perfect impregnation, is taken 
 to the hatching-troughs above, into which the eggs are transferred, where 
 they remain during the period of incubation. They are gently spread 
 over the gravel in the bottom of the hatching-troughs, and are kept in 
 contact with the water which flows in a gentle current over them. In the 
 course of a week or ten days, perhaps a few of the eggs will be observed 
 to have turned from a blackish salmon to a whitish color. This indicates 
 that perfect impregnation has not taken place, and that the egg is decay- 
 ing ; and with forceps provided for that purpose, it is simply removed from 
 the trough. Perhaps, too, some of the eggs will be found to have turned 
 to a rusty brown color. This is to be attributed to the presence of a species 
 of fungus, called byssus, taken up, doubtless, from the water. It is destruc- 
 tive of the life of the egg, and as it grows and propagates itself (as sup- 
 posed), entire safety can only be attained by sacrificing every egg in 
 contact with it. These are the principal accidents to be looked for and 
 guarded against during the process of incubation : otherwise the piscicul- 
 turer, with even less care and skill than are required to operate the 
 
 ♦ This phenomenon, if it has ever been observed by European experimenters, I 
 have never seen recorded. Some remarks by a brother angler, bearing on the 
 discovery, will be found at the end of this article. 
 
PISH BREEDING. 
 
 681 
 
 In a little whilo n email black (.not will i,» ■ . 
 
 impregnation • thi, ™d„.ll P«»..vod, at the point of 
 
 1. rteetea, 0^ 1 r;;:: ; I'tr .^r • :'■" '"- "-• -^^ 
 
 fii^ell is brnlcfin „«^ ^u ^"^^^^^ '* completed the 
 
 i. i. t^ IWe . """ "" °" "-""' '""•• fo"" -•» 'h. ...n,.nt in which 
 
 ».rr:i;f :;:::/:;:--:;:7 --^ p»-«» or .h. ,o. i. 
 
 .n.il it i. eomplete,^ ...olTar't rne'X ". * ^ft "■'"''•'' 
 
 resides for a year when it i. .A :.7 ^ *"* P^"''' '"^'^ere it 
 
 for a yea. .lin'/tt Vr ^ t T^ '''''I ^^ -^''^ *^- 
 livers of animals, finely hashed and thr "'".^ ''"*' ^""^«' "'^^ 
 
 learn to be fed. and to expect the r T" ^''^ -'^*-- They soon 
 
 _________1__12!!!!!^^^^^ ' ""^ ^^"«* *»>« food is 
 
 eel ^:^::z::::i'fz::::T *'t ^-"^ -^ - -„,■:;::;:;:: 
 
 can also propaga.e „a!„ ally'^n tj L ""l .' ""'""" ""'•'"'"^' ''»'"« "-ey 
 
 by thorn. "■* '"«" ''«''' ""^y "e liable to bo dovourod 
 
 1 1 have heard it stated, thoutrli r no., ^ 
 that the shoU or covering e Jol air t "I "t" ''^ '"^'"' '^''^^^' "' "^ -»'-> 
 the yonn, fish, does not fall s lonl?; '' 'T '' '"' '"'""'^' ^''"««'- ^^ 
 part of it is ,o.t. On the contra t is ;:VZ ^ 7'"'''' ^" ^-' ' '"«' - 
 fins , the upper fringe growing in^ 1 dorsa and t ^ " '''" '" '" '''"• *"« 
 
 Shell fonning the caudal fin. or tail of the sh Par/Jftrhlr '' ''' ''"'''' 
 envelope the umbilical bladder or .ao „f „r Vl " """'* "^ """"^ 
 
 trout draws its sustenance for t e firr. Lh tf" " ''''"' ''''' ^°""« «^ '"^ 
 the sac as well as the nutriment clT ^"'^nce, and it may be that 
 
 young fish. ""' '* """"'■"^ " ■"^^o'bed in the growth of the 
 
 1 
 
 ! 
 
 i 
 
 ; 
 
682 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 being chopped upon a block by the side of the pond, they gather in dense 
 groups, apparently eager and, if they wore not mutes, even clamorous for 
 the expecttd treat. And so tame and familiar do they become, that they 
 will feed from the hand thrust into the water and oflFering them food. At 
 the end of the second year, being too small to prey upon their fellows, and 
 too big to be preyed upon, they are transferred to the deeper water of the 
 third pond, to disport and enjoy themselves as becomes mature and expe- 
 rienced fishes, until, at some unhappy moment, they may happen to be 
 Billy enough to be seduced by the allurements of some attractive fly, 
 attached to a cruel hook of steel cast by some cunning angler standing on 
 the wall ; thus affording sport and delicious food for man. 
 
 Stocking the Ponds, and Results. — The first and second ponds were com- 
 pleted early in the fall of 1863, and about 2500 young fish, some of them 
 yearlings, and the rest small fry, were obtained from a neighboring 
 establishment to breed from. The small fry have grown to be from 4 to 
 8 inches long and the others from 9 to 13. They have been invariably 
 healthy, and probably not twenty-five of them all have been lost by dis- 
 ease and accident. Their spawning season commenced late in October 
 and continued until the last days of December. The period of incubation, 
 which has been nearly uniform with each batch of eggs, has been, as 
 nearly as can be ascertained, from sixty-five to seventy days. The number 
 of eggs obtainable from a single female depends upon her size : it has 
 been impracticable, in the experience had with these ponds, to test the 
 question, because it has been ascertained that during the spawning season 
 the females, as well as the males, present themselves to the operator seve- 
 ral times. The subjects of these experiments were all young and only 
 partly grown, and not more than one-fourth of them were fcmako, and yet 
 the small fry which they have yielded, that have survived all the accidents 
 of manipulation and incubation, will number more than 10,000. With 
 these facts in view, and considering the exceeding fecundity of the full- 
 grown fish, and bearing in mind that the Trout, when fit for the pan, will 
 bring 50 cents per pound in market, it is easy to conclude that piscicul- 
 ture may be made not merely a practicable and pleasant business, at 
 places and with erections affording the right conditions, but, above all 
 other rural pursuits, an exceedingly profitable one. At any rate, the 
 experiment here tried has been a complete success. 
 
l^ISH BREEDING. 
 
 688 
 
 On reading the foregoing contribution in manusorinf T , . 
 tho peculiar manner of the fecundation of th« T """'^ 
 
 it« author a .natter of «o .uch inte Z ^ rZ """°' '^ 
 -«'er. who is a .icroscopis, with a v^ /eH " • ' '' ' '''''''' 
 on the phenomenon in refer „ce to UK '""" ""'"''' 
 
 ^iolog. Hi« ohservation. andldir:;:! r^lr^ «^ 
 •o rea.onah.e, that I append them, with his 1:1;:;:;^^ "' 
 My dear Nestor, 
 
 «' f— n. ««. ..,«z iir::;r "" """ "■• "--' 
 
 Ih. end of Lew. B„. LU.^: ' ^ °" °'°""'™' P»' '"'"' "bout 
 
 i«. ... ...»..„ .:::;r f;;; :.:: ::;:" 77^^ — 
 
 small orifice or hole." into which ^f 'P'"' "' ""''^ '^' "^'^ "f a glans. a 
 in the nominal fluid of Un^lX^^ ""'"^'^•"'" ^^'^^ «^-^« 
 ^^ ''°""'*'''''*"'^ wearing under the microscope 08 
 animated commas '''«»:„•• ... 
 
 »as,^ ^ ^ or mc.p.ent tadpoles with tales attenuated- 
 called sperniaiozoa, and described in your article as " thr. . «. 
 projecting themselves from the mass of th.-u? "' ^'"•"''"*« 
 
 in the water;" finally to fild th ' '"''"^ '^"'^ •^«^'"^*»''g 
 
 - egg. tbroJgh theardetrj ^^ r^itr b'^T ^ ^^ 
 
 spheric air cent n d rthLJ V'"" ^^^™^"* ^"^ ''' ^'^^ «f ^^m'^ 
 are not observed to chase T '' " *""*^' *« ^'^^-fy hunger. 
 
 of the male, of its own seLtr 1 7"^ '''^ '^"'^^'^ ^^'^ ^ '^^ ™"t 
 
 I w no doubt that n^ii: ;rugMhr t"'"''- '-' '-' 
 
 your friend. The following query was s a tf. " " "'"''^' '^ 
 observations • Is th« «.„ " ""^ "'"'^ "«» ^^ading his 
 
 -«. «.i=. a^d^ii'^rXerr. °: "- •-■»*- "^" ^ 
 
 tn powers and instruments to attract, urrest, 
 
 t 1 
 
 I 
 
 If 
 
e84 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 and appropriate the lifo-bearing atom from the impregnated watertt 
 Some silly soul assortH that a fool can ank questionH in an hour, which a 
 wise man could not answer in a lifetime. Leaving the reader to clansify 
 the asker of the above question as is most conducive to his individual 
 comfort, I meon to play the wise man in attempting an answer to the 
 query. 
 
 When the season and leisure suit— following the example of Simon Peter 
 of blessed memory—" I go a-flshing ;" but with the ripening of the grape, 
 and the fall of the loaf, the old rod is hung in the closet, and the fly-lx)ok 
 placed beyond the reach of " thieves to steal" or " moths to corrupt." 
 Then Trouts and brookf- vnd the solemn woods, become pleasant memories 
 whereon to hang hopes of a " right serious fish" in the coming springtime. 
 The groat waters being closed, 1 then fish on the stage of the microscope, 
 and in a single drop of water contemplate the unbounded resources of 
 creative power. 
 
 In a lake formed by a fraction of a drop of water placed on a slip of 
 polished glass, and covered by a film of mica (to prevent Immediate evar 
 poration), we luay observe phenomena to aid in answering our query. 
 
 In the water contained between these two surfaces, is verge and 
 Bcope for a myriad brood to act out their brief play of love and hate. If 
 your glass be good you may observe them to toy and play, to pursue and 
 prey on each other, as humonly as their brother worms in tailed coats and 
 epaulets. 
 
 Now, it is no longer the simplicity of these atoms of animated jelly that 
 surprises us, but the complication of their organization, which is wholly 
 microscopic. And we need not long for the \ ariety of the u juntain lake 
 or river side, as we gaze into this new worM of being. For here wc per- 
 ceive moving bodies of varied and beautiful form, many presenting i-xam- 
 ples of perfect harmony and proportion, and all richly endowed with the 
 organs and faculties of animal life, and provided witli all that can be 
 needed for their happy existence. In size those vary from a thousandth to 
 the twenty-thousandth part of an inch. They move acrosH the stage, some 
 gliding and slow, some with a velocity proportionately transcending 
 man'ij powers of locomotion even on the rail car. Mark this Uvella, at 
 least the three-thousandth part of an inch in bulk ; with twelve stomachs, 
 each rendered visible by some score of green monads c atained therein; 
 with double proboscides, thrashing th.^ water to scare up of r prey to fill 
 some stomach it may possess, other than the twelve alreadx tiscovered. 
 Imagine one of these animnl«, nf which a cubic inch would contain 
 iwenty-seven thousand miflit as, and listen to that waggish old micro- 
 
»ISn BREBDINO. 
 
 W. will .wTh '^'" " "" '■■"'"" °' "■» !"•""".«.... 
 
 ".ci .0 produce c„„en,. i„ .hoT. L . ' ''"""' '"' "" "'" "»" 
 their m„h p.„i„|e, „f ^i„„ '"'J'; •»' ""' P"P<«>- "f w«ftin« wi.hin 
 
 «Hu.«r»,i„,„,„..„c :f :jrr. " rr °" ""■"' •'"' -^■'■'^ 
 
 '."..rl.. : ■• The di,f„.Ui„„ „fT.3 ', ""' "' '""■ ^'"'<-"''> 
 
 "I .h.ir .ppc^ie „,,„ L i ::: t"'"' °f °'''"'° '"""'°"'" 
 -»bi„c, .„ .„„.,,a ,h..t, :„nx 1h, , r™ ;r:- "'"'' 
 
 B0.« form. ,„bi«cte fo, Ih, e„roi„ of .h, ■ ' ' '°"' '"•™ '»«'' 
 
 fewwliioh c»„ ,,„lfc, „„„ „^ . . «'»«"•<»,■ indeed there are 
 
 " « »ld .0 .he re.pi,2'!":j r"'"";"f"»"».t"'-' '""""J 
 oWved in the gill, „f .beojf , 7 '°''"""''"' "^ ■»»'«. ™ 
 
 powerful eurren", whlh bT "" ?■""■ """" ""^ "- ^ P-o^ue, 
 i».»ov.ble .„i J. „t ?. ™". ""'"' '" '""'■■^ *• -d. of .b. 
 »b. life of the .ni„,.| „ „ „ ,"'"' ""''""' •»«■ '» <'=P«nd in.m«ii.,e|j „„ 
 
 ^ .be, h„. been' Z:!2!'Z:TZ " ""' *°"''' '■"' '■°» 
 become more sluggish. The flni>h.r T ' ^'*®" their movements 
 
 fringed with .ibratile „!„„ J^^l^ 7°"' °"'" "'""•. "e .,„ 
 -». .in.e .fter .be de..h oV .h 1 1^ t" ' "T'' '" '""■' ■"*■' 
 
 Preeedin, „.ie,e »„ ,.h breed.u.Tb ™'" " """''"^ '" ">« 
 
 «on.d, i„ .be f„„ , . fri.:T;z , ,rr r-t - 
 
 <-'"», wuji power to create 
 
686 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 It' 
 
 i^^' 
 
 currents in the water, for a period of time after separation from the living 
 organism of the mother, even as the cilia of the epithelium cells from a 
 living animal does continue to vibrate after being detached ; and by this 
 power briqg within their range the spermatozoa necessary to the focundar 
 tion of the egg, and that it may embrace and absorb the vitalizing ani- 
 malcula. Remembering that Nature in her operations trusts nothing to 
 chance, but proceeds by harmonious means until the end is accomplished, 
 may we not infer that the egg of the beautiful Trout (as well as other fish) 
 is as well provided to insure its vitality and fecundation, as is the sluggish 
 oyster to maintain its existence 7 Both being alike immovable, may it not 
 be by some like arrangement of parts, to acit on a like element, that the 
 egg can attract the filament wiihin its reach, and is not abandoned to the 
 chances of accidental impregnation by the milt of the male, discharged 
 at random, and liable to be swept by the currents of the stream beyond 
 the reach of a large proportion of the eggs, were they simply passive 
 recipients of the fecundating element ? 
 
 Your vriend has observed an air-vessel in the egg, to float the orifice or 
 mouth upwards towards the current, and I, reasoning from the foregoing 
 observations, suppose that mouth provided with appendagas observed in the 
 very lowest order of animal life, and present likewise in the very highest, 
 and a vitality in the egg, or its epithelium, cells, to cause currents in the 
 surrounding waters, that it may be enabled to perfect its existence by^ 
 seizing upon, and appropriating, " the threads or filaments projected from 
 the milt of the male, and brought within its reach by the currents described. 
 And as the acorn is provided with all necessary elements to become a great 
 oak, even so may this little germ contain all powers necessary to become a 
 great Trout, to glad the heart of some honest angler, who dare trust in the 
 Providence that careth for the egg of the Trout or for the least of the 
 infusoria, as for the greatest of earth's worthies. W. M. D. 
 
 In connection with this subject, it is appropriate to remark that I 
 have lately witnessed one of the beneficial effects of fish-breeding 
 in its bearing on the stocking of Trout ponds on Long Island, and 
 offer some suggestions as to the profit that might be made to accrue 
 to the pisciculturer, although he may not be profound in his know- 
 ledge of the science. 
 
 It is well known that many merchants and professional men of 
 
FISH BREEDINO. 
 
 687 
 
 who kave visited the i,k„d . T "■""" '•""■ I'""'™' 
 ob.e,v.d .he fa,„e„„v th.' T " "" '•"™^' "- «•«> 
 i=.o South B.,. 'mITo U r ^^ '"' """"^ ''™'"- '--»« 
 
 a« been e.,ed .„d Te .l:;t„~''- f « ""t" ^^ 
 •uoh ewy distance of the ™«, i- '"'' '"""S'" »"«■■ 
 
 - .bei ,„„de :::;itr rh^tr: n ^:r ^ 
 
 naj- be made to afford in T„„, b . """J" "« «P«« "Hob they 
 
 natural faeiiitie. w.r^n it r. K "'' " °"" ^"^'' '"'™ 
 C8 warrant it, have been established TU^. • 
 
 •tanee. have created a demand for young T„u for . T"""""" 
 wate. or replenishing those wher. i^-fid:; e „^„;:t? "" 
 P«a»h,„s ha, diminished the n„„,ber ofVh •"■"^''-g, or 
 
 A gentleman, whose hospitality I enjoyed at his «.k- , . 
 Loog Island in the early part of Anrilfu. * '°''«° ™ 
 
 facts relating ,„ ponds HTf"™"* "" '■'""■°'«™»«»« 
 
 .- ago jh mriu ;t::r i'" ""- **'" "° 
 p-rn.e;n\i:::z:;;-r:;-^^^^ 
 
 - - 0' t/ree n.is 1 ^ITIT Hr r:"'"" "^^ 
 one-sixth for accidents th^\r . ^ Allowing a loss of 
 
 «* ,. these, when a ytlr „H ^f T" '' "° "■""'""" ^"""^ 
 
 Hundred, are worth IZ^L ITZ''' '[ *"' '°"" ^' 
 
 for a farmer, who ha. the faeilil "„ IZ '^ "' ^^ '' '' 
 
 cheap 8sh hiding e-Wishmen I d hu 'aLT'",' '" T"'"""' ' 
 
 The angler above alluded ,o „„',"'''""e»l^"> hi. incomer 
 
 that his guests may not be stinted in Ibl" ' 1" ilf "'"" '""'• 
 
 certain pond, are known for the uniform 1, ' "°° """ 
 
 reared in them while other, . ' '«' "^ "' *» Trout 
 
 ""cui, wnue others are remarkablp fn- *u /. 
 
 and snys that the small fry placed Tnt; 'T'' ^"^" «^-' 
 
 y placed in his own pond attained to the 
 
688 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 average size of a balf-pound in a year. At present (twelve months 
 later) their usual size is not much less than a pound ; many even 
 exceed that weight by two or three ounces. He very naturally sup- 
 poses that the small fish keep in the shallow water at the head of the 
 pond or the rivulet supplying it. I noticed in angling that this was 
 the case; and when the size was not satisfactory we would move 
 our cast nearer the breast of the dam, where the water was of 
 greater depth. I think I may safely say, that our catch of seventy- 
 eight fish in the two ponds alluded to would have weighed seventy 
 pounds — also that the growth of these fish was a third more rapid 
 than they would have been in a brisk mountain stream. 
 
 STOCKING PONDS AND LAKELETS WITH BLACK BASS. 
 
 In my remarks on stocking ponds, in the article on fish breeding, 
 on page 461, I have mentioned the fact that the Southern Basa 
 {.Grystes salmoiJes) was transferred from the James River in the 
 vicinity of Richmond, and placed in mill-ponds near Warrcnton, a 
 hundred miles distant. It is gratifying to know that the gentle- 
 man who contributes the subjoined observations has had the enter- 
 prise to introduce its congener, the Black Bass of the Lakes ( Gryttet 
 nigricans), into the lakelets around West Point. It is also strange 
 that the State of New York, when the European Carp was intro- 
 duced into its waters, should have endeavored to protect it by legal 
 enactment, when this '• native," which furnishes an infinite deal 
 of sport, while the Carp gives none, and whose flesh is so much 
 superior to any fish of the Carp family, should have been left to take 
 care of itself The following article will show that our native should 
 be encouraged to emigrate, and that, having established a pre-emp- 
 tionary right to its new home, all it requires is " to be let alone;" 
 and that in a few years it will furnish sport which is not inferior to 
 Trout fly-fishing on the lakes of Hamilton and Franklin counties in 
 the same state ; besides giving people adjacent to its adopted waters 
 a food, the excellence of which is not surpassed by any of the Perch 
 family. 
 
FISH BREEDING. 
 
 689 
 
 Thadbecs NoRHis. Esq. WESTPomT,J^r,nO,.1865. 
 
 Sir : The writer of these lines having perused » Tho A ■ . 
 
 Book" with much satisfaction and it haviri "'"° ^''^^'''' 
 
 son were about to issue a new edl he ' '"°.""™^*^'^ ^ ^^ *««* 
 of the successful introduction ofleBia^k T ""'"'' *'''* "™^ ^''"«"'^* 
 the Highlands, while not ZToJ^^LTL^ '''''T'' ''''' '° 
 might induce others havin., .u generality of readers, 
 
 .tail. „„„e, C.Xr air^t " 7 "'^°"°"°'' °^ " 
 mult obtained. '"""'* "^ "■« ""iw <.)«^™nrf.- and tie 
 
 <le«e™i.„d to „ako .he e pZe« h. ""'°'"°"'' ""'= ""'"^ 
 
 aTo^ the „o.t ZX:^ZT C 7" '''"' '» '"-^^ •■>- 
 
 .-e .o.,„„ or ,.. heteC sr::tl:2 rni ^"' " 
 
 -:rr4t.:::o?r;vrr°"''''-^^^^^^^^ 
 
 -peHoooea Ihe^a^r.'; Ba. it ^r^T' """ "" °'^ '"' 
 West Poio. durio, the .o^io^aair T eZ T '"^ T""'" " 
 tBh. transportation and in.idl. , ™' P™' "^"^ ™'" »f 
 
 rate oon.pLatio„ C t 1 1 "'T' "" '°"' """"' » °'°^- 
 the lake to the near^ ™t« rj'uT'T ""' '™'^°"""°" '"» 
 ^"Hngthe .r.n.it, and likew™ tie l u ^TT' "" °' '^" " 
 of tte great amount of «.hi„g on the ZI . "' '" ""«1""« 
 ply re,„lr„, f„ Moon. fa.hrab,„ re", '"""'°"' «"« "" •">- 
 
 ba^Jrl'^l-eZalrr;-' «" -i.«n, over . ponnd and a , 
 b.d the. in charge, and beilg Ir' „ l^:^":";:''"*^ '-^-e. 
 
 . "... and, in ,L ^ r^Zt 7 f' tr r Th"" '-""■' ^» 
 
 .tranger, were on their „j I w„„. . 1 ° ■ ""'™'' "" 
 
 -ef*ofea.,..ereL„g,;r'::rr;reh::!rp:z: 
 
 -1 
 
WUPP'J 
 
 ■^ 
 
 »l» ' HV? 
 
 ??W!fl 
 
 r*^^ 
 
 
 
 690 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 
 
 splashing over the rough .nountain-roads ; the water was renewed thee 
 thnes during the journey; r .d. the start having been n,ade at 2 p^h the 
 lake was reached at dusk. The wagon being backed towards th lake, h 
 fish were handed over in a bucket, and gently deposited by he wr.te 
 : the clear limpid water, on a rocky shore. The "-trabands 
 did not. at first, seem to appreciate the recovery of the. freedom, bu 
 remained huddled together in a narrow space, and ^n a state of apparent 
 stupefaction, their fins slightly quivering. The last Bass having b.ea 
 safely deposited, Peter now jumped from the wagon, and. as a man 
 accustomed to every phase of similar-expeditions, said quiet y. <' Now. sir. 
 touch them one after another with a stick." No sooner said than done- 
 when it was really delightful to see each individual, upon a shght touch 
 of the wand, dart off into deep water with that rush peculiar to the noble 
 Bass The last fish was touched, and all having now gladly sought the 
 depths of the lake, the writer wended his way home with a teeling 
 of immense satisfaction. 
 
 During the ensuing summer, in the month of August 1860, the writer 
 pitched his tent on the banks of Wood Lake, and began a minute search 
 for signs of young Bass. None, however, gladdened his eye; and after 
 more than a week or so. a sense of disappointment was fast stealing over 
 his mind, when one day a neighboring farmer paid him a visit with his 
 two urchins, begging they might be indulged with a couple of small bait- 
 hooks for the purpose of taking a few Sunfish with worms. They were 
 speedily accommodated, but had not been gone long before they returned 
 shouting " Daddy, we've cotched two of the queerest fish you ever see I- 
 they ain't Sunfish, they ain't Catfish, and they ain't Yaller Perch and we 
 dunno what they be!" Hereupon a highly interested individual sprang 
 from out his tent, when lo! he identified two young Bass, each three and 
 a half inches long and an inch wide. This was the result of the farst 
 spawning, probably in February or March; and the age consequently 
 between five and six months. All doubt was now at an end, the problem 
 was solved, and the success a triumphant one. By the way, the young 
 Bass from one to two inches in length is easily distinguishable 1 y a spot 
 of dingy white upon each side near the tail. When of larger growth, this 
 
 snot disappears. 
 
 Wood Lake is now well stocked, and having, within the last two years, 
 become private property, is entirely protected from all manner of intrusion 
 and poaching. The circumstance of the new species not taking a bait 
 through the ice is an additional protection. The Bass now take the spoon 
 
^^S^P^Vyn'^''?* ***'"*?**P'' 
 
 
 PISH BREEDINQ. 
 
 691 
 
 stock. ^ ^ ^" ' *^" ^'^ ^"^ undoubtedly one of the original 
 
 -X'o^::::::Tor; 7 ^^r ^^ -^----^ - •--« in 
 
 smallest fry The fish ""'TI "" *'' '"«^^* '^^ ^'^^ *^«- tothe 
 
 to the eye of an angler a highly satisfactor/^er' ^ '""°""^ 
 
 Cl^orrjnlatr "''W- '-'-' *^^ -^*- ^- adopted 
 -ef these he^te t^ ri" '^^«^^"- ^^^^ the .iddLg 
 vicinity. The Leq ^ ^^ t t':::" "'f "' ^^ ''''' ''^'^ ^" ^^^ 
 Btocked: from these others" HI he 7 '" ,' "' '"'" '^'^^ '^^^ °«- 
 why the numerous ake ts 1 T f 7'"''' ''^^ ^''^^^ ^« "« — 
 eourseof afe.years;t::d!rrkB^^^^^^^^ ^^ '^ *^^ 
 
 to -e .elusion of the .,, Piekerel an^ th! l^^rtr ''' 
 
 Hoping that the above sketch of a successful e,n !,'''''• 
 of some interest to the readers of the f.T '"P""'"^"* ^^y P'ove 
 rican Angler's Book." I remat '""^ '''*''" '' "'''' ''"^'■ 
 
 Your most obedient servant, 
 
 H. R. Aqnel. 
 
 
 If 
 
 M 
 
 
 " H. 
 
 
 I I 
 
692 
 
 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK, 
 
 
 L 
 
 CONCLUSION. 
 
 Again I bring my task to a close, not without fear that some 
 faults have crept into this Supplement, as into the body of my first 
 edition. If so, and you ahould point them out to me, dear reader, 
 in a spirit of candor and kindness, I shall consider myself your 
 debtor. In recording pleasing recollections of scenes and persons 1 
 have met with in my wanderings, or in reciting or compiling what 
 has been imparted to me by others, it may be that I have been for- 
 tunate enough to renev. a sunny glow of boyhood in some careworn 
 heart, or fostered some germ of 'ove for the innocent, the simple, the 
 beautiful, or the grand in nature, in a mind possessed with absorbing 
 projects of wealth or ambition ; or implanted such love in some 
 youthful breast If so, I Have my reward, and once more say 
 
 — " Farewell I 
 Ye ! who have traced the Pilgrim to the scene 
 Which is his last, if in your memories dwell 
 A thought which once was his, if on ye swell 
 A single recollection, not in vain 
 He wore his hobnailed shoon, and scallop shell { 
 Farewell " 
 
»py'" -"\ty 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Ablodon grnnniens, 122. 
 Adamson, Dr., 244. 
 Address to Reader, 7, 601, 
 Adirondacks, 547, 668. ' 
 Adshead, J. B., 612, 640. 
 Agassiz, Prof., 39. 
 Agnel, Prof. H. R., 688. 
 Alexandria Bay, on the St. Lawrence, 106. 
 Allen, Billy, of Culpepper 0. K., Va., 186, 
 Alosa preestabilis, 171. 
 Anchovy, 166. 
 Angler's Sabbath, 689. 
 Angler, What and who is an angler ? 29. 
 The Pussy Angler, 30. 
 The Snob Angler, 30. 
 The Greedy Pushing Angler, 30. 
 The Spick and Span Angler, 30. 
 The Rough and Ready Angler, 30. 
 I The Literary Angler, 30. 
 
 The Pretentious Angler, 31. 
 The Shad-roe Fisherman, 31. 
 The English Admiral an Angler, 33. 
 The True Angler, 33. 
 
 His happy memories of the past 
 
 sumiaer, 34. 
 His pleasures on the stream, 34. 
 The Nervous Angler, 581. 
 The Angler's Retreat, 659. 
 Angling, its harmonizing influences, 27. 
 Recollections of, in boyhood, 28. 
 Its after influences on manhood, 29. 
 Its social tendencies, 29. 
 An incentive to the love and study 
 of nature, 35. 
 Anguilla communis, 186. 
 Anticosti Island, Salmon Rivers on, 615. 
 Aquarium, 483. 
 
 Most convenient size and shape of. 
 
 483. 
 Arthur N. Edwards's book on, 483. 
 Best materials for, 484. 
 
 Situation, exposure, and plants for, 
 
 •484. 
 Suitable fish for, 485. 
 Artificial Fish-breeding, 459, 464. 
 
 Its discovery by Qehin and Remy, 
 
 460. 
 
 Previous discovery of, by Jaoobi. 
 
 466. 
 W. H. Fry'j book on, 464. 
 Used as a means of replenishing 
 
 barren waters, 481, 686. 
 Successful experiment in Niagara 
 
 county. New York, 677. 
 Hatching Troughs, 461, 468, 679. 
 Expressing the spawn, 469, 679. 
 Securing the breeding fish, 679. 
 Treatment of fecundated eggs, 476 
 
 680. ' 
 
 Phenomenon of fecundation, 680. 
 
 Incubation, 680. 
 
 Sustenance, food, and growth, 479 
 
 681. 
 Ponds for rearing Trout, 479. 
 Stocking ponds in Niagara county, 
 New York, and results, 682. 
 On Long Island, 686, 687. 
 Notes on impregnation of the ova, 
 
 by a microscopist, 683. 
 Owen Desh's Trout troughs at Hel- 
 lertown, Pennsylvania, 481. 
 Artificial Plies for Trout, 312. 
 
 for Salmon, 350. 
 Ashby, Turner, 683. 
 Au Sable River, 660. 
 
 Bacon, C. and W., of Boston, 612. 
 Baird, 60, 165. 
 Baker's Chronicles, 129. 
 Barb, or Kingfl.sh, 286. 
 " Barnwell," 242, 271, 678. 
 Basin on the Nipissiguit, 246, 637, 660. 
 (693) 
 
 ,' '^ 
 
 . i 
 
 ), 
 
 ■J 
 
 :■/■■ i 
 
 ;; 
 
 -j ^ 
 
 1 
 
 . -r^ 
 
 ^^^^^H 
 
 ^ 
 
 ^^H 
 
 
 ^^^1 
 
 J.tJ 
 
 ^1 
 
 ri 
 
 QHH 
 
 % 
 
"n^mf 
 
 wm.'fm 
 
 6U 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 
 
 Bm8. Blauk, of the Lakei, 103. 
 
 Stocking ponds with, by Prof. H. R. 
 
 Agnel, 688. 
 Trolling for, 106. 
 Frosh Wiiter, of the South and 
 
 West, 99. 
 Oswego, 110. 
 Striped, or Rockflsh, 81. 
 Striped, of the Ohio, 108. 
 Short Striped, 109. 
 White, of the Lakes, 107. 
 Sea, 300. 
 
 Striped-Bass fishing at Narragan- 
 sett Bay, 672. 
 On the Lower Rappahannock, 87. 
 Bathurst, 390, 651. 
 Bayou Lubrauuh, 119. 
 Beaver Bro<>k. 520. 
 Beaverkill, 158, 570. 
 Bethune, 8, 9, 27, 31, 128, 129, 157, 3U, 
 
 459. 
 Book of the Salmon, 214. 
 Bosc, 59. 
 
 Bothrolomoeus pampanus, 298. 
 Blackfish, 300. 
 Blooh, 59. 
 
 Blueflsh, or Snapping Mackerel, 294. 
 Brandy wine, 159. 
 Bream, 118. 
 
 Brook Trout, scientific description, 194. 
 Habits and manner of breading, 195. 
 Growth of, 196, 
 Difference in the size of, 196. 
 Effect of light and water on, 199. 
 Errors in regard to new species, 199. 
 Food of, 200. 
 Geographic range of, 202. 
 Large sizes of, in some waters, 204. 
 Former abundance, and cause of 
 decrease of, 202. 
 Brown, J. J., 86, 124, 199, 200, 271. 
 Bruin, Lake, 80. 
 Brundago, 503. 
 Buffalo Fish, 156. 
 
 Its large size, 166. 
 
 Ruflnesque's error in regard to its 
 
 food, 155. 
 Recollections of a man who ww 
 fond of eating of it, 156. 
 Buffalo Perch — not a Perch, 122. 
 
 Rafinesque's description of, 122. 
 Finding its way into Lake Ponohar- 
 
 train, by crevasse, 124. 
 J. J. Brown's error oonoeming it, 
 124. 
 
 Bugs, 518. 
 
 Bull, Mr., of New Orleans, 282. 
 
 Cadwalader, W., 633. 
 
 Caleb, Dr , 509. 
 
 Camping on the River, 363. 
 
 Law and custom when, 374, 
 
 Camp equipage, 368. 
 
 Protection against mosquitoes, Ao., 
 
 369. 
 Clothing, Ac, 371. 
 Cooking utensils, 371. 
 Stores, 371. 
 Cooking Salmon, 372. 
 Canadian or Soa Trout, 238. 
 
 Not the same as the Sea or Salmon 
 
 Trout of Europe, 238. 
 Mr. Parley's and Frank Forester's 
 error in regard to species and 
 habits of, 239, 649. 
 Compared with Brook Trout, 240-1. 
 Account of fishing for, by Perley, 243. 
 Dr. Adamson, 244. 
 The Author, 246, 649. 
 Annoyance to Salmon-fishers, 246. 
 Capelin, 267. 
 
 Their great abundance, and how 
 taken, 267, 268. 
 Cape Vincent, on th" St. Lawrence, 106. 
 Carp Family, 153. 
 
 Characteristics of, 164. 
 Casting the fly — 
 For Trout, 327. 
 For Salmon, 356. 
 Catfish and Eels, 177. 
 Catfish. Extract from loonographio 
 Maga7.ine, 177. 
 Ejected from craters of volcanoes, 
 
 179. 
 Electric Catfish, 179. 
 Catfish of Atlantic and Western 
 
 States, 180. 
 Care for their young, 182. 
 Anecdote about Catfishing, 181. 
 Catostomus bubalus, 155. 
 
 << communis, 154. 
 
 Chamberlain, John, 392, 646. 
 Chatham, N. B., 391, 651. 
 Chilton, Sam., reply to Henry A. Wise, 
 
 559. 
 Chippewa Indians, 637. 
 C bitty, 349, 416. 
 Chub or Fall Fish, 157. 
 
 Errors in regard to size of, 167. 
 An annoyance to fly-fishers, 168. 
 
Uliiijtum 111 linn 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 695 
 
 Cbub-6ghing on the Brandywine, 169. 
 Umbrella invented by a veteran 
 Chubflsher, 160. 
 Clark, Billy, 158. 
 Clinton Do Witt, 60. 
 Clupeidte, 165. 
 Codflsh, reforonoe to, 41, 44. 
 CoK»well, Squire, 113. 
 Cold Brook, 660. 
 Collingwood, Capt., his fishing in the St. 
 
 John in 1863, 617-625. 
 Conclusion, 599, 692. 
 Conroy, his distinction between an angler 
 
 and fisherman, 557. 
 Cooking fish. See conclusion of article 
 
 on each fish described. 
 Cooking Salmon on the river, 372. 
 To boil and broil, 372. 
 Cold, 372. 
 Soused, 373. 
 Kippered, 373. 
 Smoked, 374. 
 To bake Grilse, 373. 
 Cooking Trout on the stream, 497. 
 Cooper, Captain, 399. 
 Cooper, Dick, banjo player, 505, 542-3. 
 Coregonus albus, 269. 
 Coregonus. The species of this genus 
 referred to, 269. 
 A small species in Saranao Lake, 
 662. 
 Corvina ocellafa, 293. 
 Country school-house, 691. 
 Croaker, 291. 
 
 Cut-off in the Mississippi, 80. 
 Cuvier, 66, 127. 
 Cybium maoulatum, 296. 
 CyprinidBD, remarks on, 153. 
 
 Dade, Major Jack, of "Virginia, 565, 657, 
 
 668, .559. 
 Darby, Chester, 497. 
 Davy, Sir Humphrey, 237, 573, 578. 
 Deer. — Noosing deer, 508. 
 
 Yarding of deer, 509. 
 
 Shining deer, 566. 
 Do Kay, 60, 91, 97. 
 Detroit River, 98. 
 Diamond River, 517. 
 Dies Piscatori^, 487. 
 
 Introduction to, 489. 
 
 Houseless Anglers, 490. 
 
 Introductory remarks, 491. 
 
 Noonday Roast, 497. 
 
 Fint Nooning—au account of Trout- 
 
 fishing in Hamilton county, New 
 York, 503. 
 Second Nooning— a.\t account of 
 Trout-fishing in New Hampshire. 
 513. 
 Third Nooning — an account of 
 Trout-fishing in (he region* of 
 Lake Superior, 531. 
 Fourth Nooning— an account of 
 Trout-fishing in the Adirondaoki. 
 647. 
 
 Fly-fishing alone, 567. 
 The Angler's Sabbath, 589. 
 Conclusion, 599. 
 Dining on the stream— treatment of 
 
 guests, 576. 
 Dipsey, 73. 
 
 Dog « Trent," anecdote concerning, 618. 
 Droppers, or Drop Flies, 321. 
 
 Knot for fastening on, 409. 
 Drum-Fish, 299. 
 Duff, Dr., journalist of party to River St 
 
 John, 616-25. 
 Dwarf Salmon of the St. Croix, 248. 
 Dyeing Feathers and Dubbing, 411. 
 Dyeing Gut, 410. 
 
 r 
 
 V ^ 
 
 Edisto River, Bass-Fishing on, 100. 
 Edwards, Arthur N.'s book on the Aqua- 
 
 rium, 48.3. 
 Eels, observations on, 183. 
 The Lamprey Eel, 183. 
 The Electric Eel, 184. 
 
 The power of its battery, 186. 
 Manner of capturing, 186. 
 The Common Eel, 186. 
 
 Upward migration of its younir. 
 
 187. 
 
 Used as bait, 187. 
 Bobbing for Eels, 187. 
 Eggs of Fish— see Ova. 
 Ephemera, 437. 
 
 " Ephemera" (soubriquet), 212, 235. 
 Ephumeridaa, 436. 
 Esocida), observations on, 127. 
 Esox estor, 135. 
 Esox lucioides, 131. 
 " Esox ossous," 128. 
 Esox vittatus, 148. 
 
 Fairmount, on Schuylkill River, 94. 
 
 Fall Fish, 157. 
 
 Fauna Boreali Americana, 59, 306, 259, 
 
 269. 
 Feathers for Artificial Flies, 426, 427. 
 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 I ^1 
 
 J 
 
 M^^^l 
 
6d6 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Ferguion, John, 393. 
 
 Fiih — Oeneral Kumarki on, 80. 
 
 Doflnitiun of, a». 
 
 Origin untl order in Creation, 40. 
 
 Naturol iiKnle of propagation, 41. 
 
 Ilabit.^ M regards maternity, 43. 
 
 Tlieir fecundity, 44. 
 
 Migratiuu8, 45, 47. 
 
 Migiatiou of gurplui production, 
 46, 79, 112. 
 
 Vitality of, 47. 
 
 External organs of, 51. 
 
 Internal organization, 62. 
 
 Their fins, and their use for them, 
 51, 57. 
 
 Their teeth, and use of them, 64. 
 
 Digestion, 50. 
 
 Organs and senses, 63, 54. 
 
 Mucous secretion on, and its use, 64. 
 Fish-Breeding, by natural propagation, 
 459. 
 
 In pondd, 461-4, 679-88. 
 
 Artificially — see « Artificial Fish- 
 Breeding." 
 Fishing on the Prairies, 533. 
 Fish Pondi^. Manner of stocking them, 
 461, 688. 
 
 By ova left in the soil, 48. 
 Fish-roe, 41. 
 
 Fish Stories, 128, 129, 130, 149. 
 Fiske, Dr. C. K., 629. 
 Flies for Salmon. 
 
 For the Ntpiuaiguit, Brown Fly, 353.' 
 
 Nicholson, Silver Gray, Chamber- 
 lain, 354. 
 
 For G'tnadian Rivers, Louise, Ed- 
 win, Forsythe, Stevens, Ross, 
 Parson, 355. 
 
 Straohan, Langevin, 356. 
 Flies for Trout, 314. 
 
 Buckles and Palmers — Soldier, Red, 
 314. 
 
 Brown, Ginger, 315. 
 
 Griz'-ly, Mottled, White, Dotterel, 
 Lead Color, Grouse, 316. 
 
 Winged Flies— Greiit Red Spinner, 
 317. 
 
 Brown Spinner, March Brown, Cow- 
 dung, Stone Fly, 318. 
 
 Flies described by Ronalds, 318. 
 
 Iron-Bluo Dun, Grannom, Jenny 
 Spiuner, 318. 
 
 Black Gnat, Yellow Sally, Fern Fly, 
 Alder Fly, Mackerel Fly, May 
 Flies, and a Fancy Fly, 319. 
 
 Scarlet Ibii, Governor, Brown HeOf 
 
 Coachman, 320. 
 Deer Fly (humbug), 437. 
 Conroy's "Journal" Fliiv'., 8«4, 676. 
 Widow, and Girl wit.i a Calico 
 Dress, 5H2. 
 Flounder, 299. 
 Fly-Fishing for Trout. See " Troat Flv- 
 
 Fishing." 
 Fly-Making, 419. 
 
 Implemen( f r — Hand-vice, spring' 
 
 pliers, scissors, Ao., 420. 
 Materials — Hooks, gut, tinsel, dub' 
 
 bing, hackles, wings, 423-8. 
 To make Hack Us, 42'.i. 
 " " Palmers, 431. 
 " '< A Fly with wings, 4,S8. 
 " " Tails, 435. 
 Forester, Frank, 86, 128, 167, 173, 198, 
 
 239, 200, 322, 
 Frost Fish, 301. 
 Fry, W. H., 225, 464. 
 
 Gang of hooks for troUir., 400, 
 Gar-Fish— Frank Forester's error con- 
 cerning, 128. 
 
 How taken, 128. 
 Gay, 417, 423. 
 
 George— Fly-maker, 416, 656. 
 Gesner's Pike, 129. 
 Gill, 60, 120. 
 Gin, 514. 
 Girard, 60. 
 Glenn's Falls, 560. 
 Ooodbout River, 628. 
 Goody, Spot, or Pig Fish, 283. 
 Graham (of Bell's Life in London), 214. 
 Grand Falls on the Nipissiguit. 
 
 Description of, and its pools, 396-9. 
 
 Diary of sojourn there, 637-642. 
 Grayling, Back's, 259. 
 
 Dr. Richardson's account of itt 
 game qualities, 260. 
 Great Lake Pickerel, 131. 
 Great Lake Trout, 250. 
 
 Manner of taking it, 251. 
 Great Natashqnan, description of, 626. 
 Grilse (Young Salmon), 229. 
 
 The sport they give, 647. 
 Grouse Canadian, 658. 
 Grystes Nigricans, 103. 
 Grystes Salmoides, 99. 
 GymnotidsD, 184, 
 
 Hackles, 425. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 697 
 
 Haldvman, 00. 
 
 Ilaui Mreitmun't fiarty, M7. 
 Heudrick iludaon, 207. 
 Henry, Jim, 677. 680. 
 Hermaphrodite V\»h, 4S. 
 
 " Luoomotire, 656. 
 
 Herrings— Komurki on Family of, 165. 
 Migrationg of, 167. 
 Great numlora, and commercial im- 
 portance of, 168. 
 Great huul of on the Potomac, 170. 
 Taken with artificial fly, 171. 
 Hofland .316, 582. 
 Holbrook, 60, 99, 115, 118. 
 Hooked foul, 673. 
 Hooki, 63. 
 
 Kirby, Limerick, Weak Trout, 63. 
 O'SbauKhnesny, Sneck bend, Vir- 
 ginia, 64. 
 Salmon booki, 67. 
 First tomporud by Prince Rupert, 67. 
 To tie on a hook, 406. 
 Horse traps, 616. 
 
 Houseless Anglers, account of, 490. 
 Dedication to, 5. 
 
 Preamble and Address setting forth 
 objects of association, 491. 
 Howitt, William, extract from big Rural 
 
 Life in England, 684. 
 Humboldt, 178. 
 
 Ichthyology, 56. 
 Ichthyologists, 59, 60. 
 Irish Anecdotes, 62.3, 624. 
 Iron -wood for rods, 442. 
 
 Jackflsh, 130. 
 
 Jackflshing on the Rappahannock, 144 
 
 James River Chub, 99. 
 
 James River, 100. 
 
 Jones, Billy, 92. 
 
 Kingfish, 286. 
 Kippered Saliii >n, .373. 
 Knots. The Angler's Single Knot, 408. 
 " " Double Knot, 408. 
 
 The Water Knot, for fastening on 
 drop flics, 408. 
 Krider, John, 67, 312. 
 
 Labrax albidus, 97. 
 Labrax chrysops, 108. 
 Labrax Lineatus, 81. 
 Labrax pallidus, 90. 
 Laoepede, 59. 
 
 I Lake Bruin, Mississippi, 80. 
 I Lake George, 106. 
 
 Lake Pleasant, 504. 
 
 Lake Punoharlrain, 108, 10». 
 
 Lake St. Clair, 107. 
 
 Lake Umbagog, 654. 
 
 Lttlio Mollythunkamunk, 664. 
 
 Leaders, 69. 
 
 Leiostomus obliquui, 289. 
 
 Len, baiter at Narragonsett, 676. 
 
 Lepidosteus, 40, 128, 
 
 Lepouts, Louie, 638, 
 Lesser Lake Trout, 266. 
 
 Trolling for, 256. 
 Leurosomus rhotheus, 167. 
 Le Val River, 663. 
 Lewi,^ Dr. Elisha J., article Ly, 664. 
 Lilly, Mr, Salmon-flsher, 632. 
 Lines, 70, 812, 349. 
 Long Beach, 278. 
 Long Lake, Illinois, 113. 
 Long Lake, New York, 668. 
 Loops, 406. 
 Louie Lake, 608. 
 Lucioperoa Americana, 120. 
 
 Msckerel, breeding places unknown, 48 
 
 Mickinaw, 424. 
 
 Maguire, Father Tom, 608, 638. 
 
 M^or, The, 145. 
 
 Mallotus villosng, 267. 
 
 Manitouline Islands, 6.32. 
 
 Marryatt, CapUin, 573. 
 
 Martin, Bill, Saranao Lake, 553. 
 
 Mascalonge, 136. 
 
 Incorrectly pictured by Cuvier, 128. 
 Matlaek, George's boys, 113. 
 Megalloway River, 517, 660- 
 Micropogon undulatus, 291. 
 Miller, Hugh, 40, 41. 
 Mingan River, 386, 609, 612. 
 Mirimichi River, 388. 
 Miskind, Sam, Indian, 622. 
 Mississippi, lakes and ponds fed by, 79. 
 112. 
 Cut off" in, 80, 101. 
 Sauve crevasse in, 124. 
 Mitohil, 59. 
 
 Moisie River, 384, 385, 609, 610, 612. 
 Bacon, and Williams's score on. In 
 1862-.f, 627. 
 Mollychunkumunk, Lake, 654. 
 Mosquitoes, protection against, 369. 
 Mullet, 300. 
 Murdook Lake, Illinois, 113. 
 
 I 
 
 
 si 
 
 it 
 
 f 
 
na 
 
 lit; 
 
 698 
 
 I N D B X. 
 
 Murinidn, 18S. 
 
 Nttrraganiett Bay, 871. 
 
 NatBHhuiion. Diary of trip to, 629. 
 
 NaymaouNb, 260. 
 
 NuMhamouy Kiver, allu«i d to, 661. 
 
 Nettle, 20U. 
 
 New Brunswick, Uiver» of, 389. 
 
 NloboUon, J. W., 640, 842, 651. 
 
 Nlggir Glneral, The, 505, 541. 
 
 NiplsHigult Hlver, 390. 
 
 Diary of trip to, 632, 647. 
 Noonday Koa«t, Tiie, 497. 
 Nooning? :— 
 
 Pirst — Tront-fl»hing in Hamilton 
 County, New Yorl:, 603. 
 
 Pooond — Trout-fldhing in Now 
 Ilampihire, 511. 
 
 Third— Trout-flBhing in the regiun* 
 of Lake Superior, 529. 
 
 Fourth— Trout-fishing in the Adi- 
 rondack*, 645. 
 
 Ohio River and tributaries, 100. 
 Ohio Salmon, 120. 
 Old Sturgis, 607. 
 Osmerus viridesoens, 263, 
 
 Species found in the Schuylkill, 26.3. 
 Oowego Bass, 110. 
 Otolithus regalis, 283. 
 Ova of fish :— 
 
 Improvidence concerning, 43. 
 Care for it, by the Red Fin, 43. 
 Number found in the Carp, Pike, 
 
 Perch, Codfish, and Salmon, 44. 
 Of viviparous fishes, 45. 
 Incubation of, after remaining be- 
 neath the soil, 41, 481. 
 Of Pelagian fish, floating, 44. 
 • Impregnated ova an article of com- 
 
 merce in Chii.a, 48, 481. 
 
 Packard, Bela, 390, 640. 
 Pagrus agyrops, 301. 
 Perca flavescons, 114. 
 Perch Family, 77. 
 
 Yellow barred, 114. 
 
 Bufl'alo, 122. 
 
 Fishing for, 92. 
 
 Chinkapin, 111. 
 Pereidse, remarks on, 77. 
 
 Great numbers of American species, 
 
 77. 
 Paucity of European species, 78. 
 Distinguishing marks of, 78. 
 
 PercldsK, migratory habits, 19. 
 PerclniB, sub family, 120. 
 Periey, 239, 243. 
 Petromyzontidw, 183. 
 Philip*. Clement 8 , article by, 671. 
 Pickerel, Great Northern, 131. 
 
 Trolling for, 133. 
 Pickering's Piscatorial ReminiioenoM, 
 
 129. 
 Piconeau, 148, 156. 
 Plgfisb, 289. 
 
 Pike Family, remarks on, 127. 
 Pond Pike, 138. 
 Trolling for, 139. 
 Fishing for, in Virginia, 148. 
 Great Blue, 147. 
 Streaked, of the Ohio, 148. 
 Story concerning, 149. 
 Pliny's Pike, 129. 
 Qesner's Pike, 129. 
 Pike Perch, 120. 
 Pipe, The, its soothing influences, 681. 
 Piseoo Club, 603. 
 
 Pliny, Pike taken in the Rhine, 129. 
 Pooomoka River, 176. 
 Pogonias chromls, 299. 
 Pomotis vulgaris, 116. 
 PomoxiB bexacanthus. 111. 
 Pork, uses of, 615. 
 Potipbar's wife, 433. 
 Prince Edward's Island, 661. 
 Push-mut-ta-ha, his last words, 668. 
 
 F 
 
 S 
 S 
 S 
 
 Rnflnesque, 59, 122. 
 Rapid River, in Maine, 668. 
 Rappahannock River, 87. 
 Raquette River, 561. 
 Receipts— Dyeing gut, 410. 
 
 Feathers and dubbing, 411. 
 Preparing Salmon lines in oil, 849, 
 Redfleld, 60. 
 
 Red Fish of the Gulf of Mexico, 293. 
 Reels generally, 71. 
 
 For Trout-fishing, 312. 
 For Salmon-fishing, 348. 
 Repairs— to tie on hooks, 406. 
 Loops, 407. 
 To splice a line, 407. 
 To splice a rod, 408. 
 Knots, 409. 
 Gang of hooks, 409. 
 Reynolds, Reuben, 564. 
 Reynolds, Sir Joshua, 28. 
 Richardson, Dr., 69, 206, 259, 269. 
 Rintoul, 612, 640. 
 
 Ba] 
 
*mm 
 
 I N D K X. 
 
 Roach and Roach dshing, 101 
 Rockliih, «1. 
 
 Rock-flihiiig on th« Lower Rappahan 
 nook, 87. 
 
 At Narragannatt Bay, 071, 
 Rook, Mi^or, 633. 
 Rock River, 102. 
 Rod-inaking. 
 
 Wood and cane ufed for, 443. 
 
 Tools uied in, 443. 
 
 To make a fly-rod, 444. 
 
 To make a tip, 445, 
 
 To atain, oil, and varnish, 44C 
 
 To wrap, splice, 4o., 447. 
 
 To make a rent and glued tip, 448. 
 
 To make a fly. rod adjusted for light 
 
 or heavy fishing, 462. 
 To malie feruloa, 462. 
 Rods, generally, 72. 
 
 Fly-rods for Trout, 308. 
 " for Salmon, 346. 
 Ronalds, 53, 318. 
 Rouse's Point, on Lake Champlain, lOi. 
 
 Sao & lai, HI. 
 Saguenay Hiver, 662. 
 Salmon-Fishing. 
 
 Tackle for, 345. 
 
 Rods, 346. 
 
 Reels, 348. 
 
 Reel lines, 349. 
 
 To prepare reel lines in oil, 349. 
 
 Casting lines, 350. 
 
 Flies for rivers of New Brunswick, 
 
 353. 
 Flies for rivers of Canada, 355. 
 Casting the fly. Theory and prac- 
 tice, 356.- 
 Compared with Trout-fishing, 367. 
 The straightforward oast described. 
 
 338. 
 Casting in difficult places, 361. 
 Casting in an unfavorable wind, 362. 
 Striking a Salmon, 363. 
 Playing a Salmon, 364. 
 What a Salmon may or will do, 367. 
 Camping on the River, 368. 
 Balmon-Fishing in Canada. 
 
 Letter concerning, from D. A. P 
 
 Waft, Esq., 609. 
 Avcage of fish per day in the St. 
 John, Moisie, Goodbout, and 
 Mingan, 610. 
 Score of rods on the same for year 
 1863, 611. 
 
 Extract from " All about Fishins " 
 
 613. •' 
 
 Aooount of the fishing in Si. John 
 
 for year 18(1 ,, 615-625. 
 Aooount of the Ashing in the Moisie 
 by Bacon oiil Williams for years 
 1863, 1863, 026, 628. 
 Account of fishing in the Goodbout 
 for year 1864, by K. H. Powel, 
 628. ' 
 
 Acouunt of fishing In the Great Na- 
 t«.<ihquan for year 1884, by Dr C 
 K ^■•'k<i. 629-632. 
 At iUt 01 flKhing in the Nlpissl- 
 3uit, N. 1' for the years 1863 
 aul 1865, lie author, 632-650. 
 Salmi n. Porwer ihundance in the 
 I'Miurl Sif.'-„, 206. 
 Grer Liuuers in California, Ore- 
 gou, and British PossoBf^ions, 208. 
 Decline of Salmon Fisheries, 209. 
 Soicutiflc description of, 211. 
 Natural process of propagation, 212. 
 Growth of the young, 222. 
 Grilse, 229. 
 Mature Salmon, 2*1. 
 SIse of. 232, 233. 
 Instiuv ( of, 233. 
 Migration of, 234. 
 Leaps of, 236. 
 Food of, 234, 236. 
 
 Dwarf Salmon of the Si. Croix, 248. 
 Cooking Salmon on the river, 372. 
 Home of, in Canadian waters, 607. 
 Thackero's error concerning, 206. 
 Hondriok Hudson's account of, 207. 
 Salmon Rivers of Canada, 280, 608-6;(2! 
 Salmon Rivers of New Brunswick, 386. 
 632. ' 
 
 Law and custom on, 374. 
 SalmonidsB, Remarks on, 191. 
 Salmo salur, 206. 
 
 Canadensis, 238. 
 Gloveri, 248. 
 Naymucush, 250. 
 Adirondacus, 266. 
 Fontinalis, 194. 
 Salt Watef Fish and Fishing, 277, 302. 
 Introductory remarks, 277. 
 The Sheepshead, 279. 
 The Weakflsh, or Salt-Water Trout. 
 
 283. 
 The Barb, or Kingflsh, 286. 
 The Spot, Pigfish, or Goody, 280. 
 The Croaker, 291. 
 
 ■1 
 
 I 
 
 
 t-l 
 
roo 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 The Redflsh, 293. 
 
 The Blueflsh, 294. 
 
 The Spanish Mackerel, 296. 
 
 Thq Pompano, or Crevalle, 298. 
 
 The Drumfish, 299. 
 
 The Flounder, 299 
 
 The Sea-BasH, 300. 
 
 The Blnokfish, 300. 
 
 The Mullet, 300. 
 
 The Tom Cod, or Frostfish, 301. 
 
 The Porgy, 301. 
 Sand Pipers, 586. 
 Sandre, 121. 
 Sargus ovis, 279. 
 Sarinac Lakes, 548. 
 Sault, St. Mary, 536. 
 Sauve Crevasse, in the Mississippi, 124. 
 Savary, Captain, 616. 
 Schoef, 59. 
 Schoodic Trout, 248. 
 
 Fishing for, 249. 
 Scienoids, 124. 
 Bcientifio Angling, 522. 
 Scientific terms — 
 
 Acanthopterygii, 56. 
 
 Ctenoids, 40. 
 
 Cycloids, 40. 
 
 Malacopterygii, 56. 
 
 Thoracic, 57. 
 
 Abdominal, 57. 
 
 Placoids, 40. 
 
 Qanoids, 40. 
 Scott, Captain Martin, 535. 
 Scouring earth worms, 273. 
 Sea-Bass, 300. 
 
 Sebattis, Mitchell (Indian), 668. 
 Sea Trout— See Canadian Trout, 238. 
 Bies -Trout Ashing, account of — 
 
 By Mr. Perley, 243. 
 
 By Dr. Adarason, 244. 
 
 By the Author, 649. 
 
 Extract from a letter from D. A. P. 
 Watt, Esq., of Montreal, describ- 
 ing, 652. 
 Shad — delicacy as food, 171. 
 
 Migratory habits, 172. 
 
 Taken with a minnow, 173. 
 Sheepshead, 279. 
 
 An emigrant from the South, 380. 
 Shipley, 415. 
 
 Shourds, Sammy, of Long Beach, 278. 
 Sinkers, 68. 
 
 Skillet — uses for in the woods, 523. 
 Bmelt — great numbers of on northern 
 con: t, 265. 
 
 In Schuylkill and Raritan, 263. 
 
 Great quantities sent South from 
 Boston, 265. 
 
 Used as a fertilizer, 265. 
 
 Observation on species found in tb« 
 Schuylkill, by the author, 263. 
 
 Cooking Smelt, 266. 
 Snapping Mackerel, 294. 
 Snoods, 68. 
 
 Southern Trout — not a trout, 284. 
 Spanish Mackerel, 296. 
 Sparrowgrass, Mr., 489. 
 Splicing line and rod, 408. 
 Spot, Pigfish, or Goody, 289. 
 Spurr, J. D. W., 630. 
 St. John, N. B., 390, 651. 
 St. Margaret, 653. 
 Storer, 60. 
 
 Stores for camping out, 371. 
 Stretcher-fly, 321. 
 Striped Bass — See Rockfish. 
 Striped-Bass Fishing — 
 
 In the Rappahannock, 87. 
 
 At Naragarisett Bay — the "mode 
 peculiar," 671. 
 Sucker, 154. 
 Sunfish, or Sunny, 115. 
 Swivels, 68. 
 
 Tabasintao River, N. B., 242, 651. 
 Tackle in general, 63. 
 Tadousac, 6.'^ ' 
 
 Taggard's Hotel, Keysville, 649. 
 Ta-ha-wus, 551. 
 Temnodon Saltator, 294. 
 Tent, 368. 
 Thackero, 206. 
 
 The Stream— Casting the Fly, 327. 
 Theory r*' strict imitation, 334. 
 Striking and killing a fish, 335. 
 Likc'y places, and how to fish them, 
 337. 
 Thousand Islands, 106, 107. 
 Thymallus signifer, 259. 
 Tom Cod, 301. 
 Trexler, Reuben, 591. 
 Trolling for Pickerel, 131. 
 " Pike, 139. 
 " Muscalonge, 137. 
 " Lake Trout, 256. 
 " Black Bass, 105. 
 '^Tout, the Brook, 194. 
 
 " Great Lake, 250. 
 " Lesser Lake, 255 
 " Canadian, or Sea Trout, 23* 
 
INDEX. 
 
 lOl 
 
 Trout— the Sohoodic Trout, 248. 
 Trout Fishing in Hamilton County, New 
 Yorlt, 603. 
 
 In New Hampshire, 513. 
 
 In the regions of Lalie Superior, 531. 
 
 In the Adirondacks, 547. 
 
 In Oxford County, Maine, 654. 
 
 In Rapid River, MMne, 656. 
 
 With bait, 272. 
 Trout Fly-Fshing— Outfit and Tackle. 
 
 Wudiog Jacket, 305. 
 
 Trowsers, 305. 
 
 Boots, 305. 
 
 Creel, or Basket, 306. 
 
 Landing Net, 306. 
 
 Rods, 308. 
 
 Reels, 311. 
 
 Lines, 312. 
 
 Leaders, 312. 
 
 Flies, 312. 
 
 The Whip, 321. 
 Tupper's Lake, 561. 
 Tyeing on hooks, 406. 
 
 Umbagog Lake, 654. 
 Umbriua nebulosa, 286. 
 Uncle Gable, 505, 642. 
 
 Uncle lokey Price, 514, 547. 
 Uncle Lot, 544. 
 
 Uncle Peter Stewart, 158, 497, 579. 
 Uncle Roily, 89. 
 
 Walton, Isaac, 11, 26, 27, 62, 76. 
 
 His discourse on thankfulness, 592. 
 Wax, 415. 
 
 Waxing silk and thread, 405. 
 Weakfish, 283. 
 West, Sir Benjamin, 528, 
 Whip, The, 321. 
 Whitcher, W. F., 607. 
 Whitefish, variety of species, 269. 
 
 Their value as food, 270. 
 
 How taken, 270. 
 
 Habits — not a game fit <, 271. 
 Whittaker Lake, 508. 
 Williams, of Boston, 612. 
 Wilson, Philip, 147, 416, 632. 
 Wolf River, 281. 
 Wood, 69. 
 
 Yarrell, 54. 
 
 Yates, D. Gordon, 9. 
 
 Young, of Invershin, Scotland, 214, 219. 
 
 THE END. 
 
 ii