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 1 2 3 
 
 1 
 
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 „ 
 
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 1 
 
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 I ! I J\ G 
 
 
 a 
 
 ., 
 
 I 
 
 WATERS. 
 
 » *1.<i*v 
 
 11'; ! 
 
 !, ', 
 
I 
 
FISHING 
 
 IN 
 
 AMERICAN WATERS. 
 
 By GENIO C. SCOTT. 
 
 mrH ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 "Give me, Great Father, give me strength and health, 
 A liberal heart, affections kind and free ; 
 My rod— my line— be these my pride, my wealth ! 
 They yield me present joys— they draw my soul to Thee. 
 
 NEW YORK: 
 
 HARPER & BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS, 
 
 FRANK I. IN 8QCAKE. 
 1869. 
 
Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1869, by 
 Genio C. Scott, 
 
 '" "' """■' "^'Zt '?i^'"« Co„„ Of .,. „„i„a S.«es for ,he 
 Southern District of New York. ' 
 
■e^ : 
 
 
 /§4(^ 
 
 TO 
 
 he 
 
 THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATIONS 
 
 FOR THE PROTECTION OP 
 
 'fish, game, and birds of song, 
 
 THIS BOOK IS RESPECTFULLY 
 
 DEDICATED 
 
 BY 
 
 THE AUTHOR. 
 
(I 
 
 f '■ 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 As it miglit not be deemed kind in me to inflict upon the 
 reader my tliousand reasons for writing and illustrating this 
 book with pencil sketches copied from life, 1 will therefore 
 merely state that my experience of many years in the prac- 
 tice of the gentle art, which has led nie through so many 
 scenes of beauty and loveliness, has made me wish that 
 all the world might learn the enjoyment conferred by the 
 practice of angling. 
 
 I have endeavored to portray the recreations of the an- 
 gler in America, with his implements and his game ; add- 
 ing a small tribute to the temperate and industrious class 
 of men who follow for a livelihood the hazardous business 
 of hshing on the broad seas. 
 
 An outline of the progress of fish-culture in Europe and 
 America is also given, with pencil sketches illustrative of 
 the art of liatchhig and rearing fishes, including stairs and 
 fish-passes for enabling fishes to surmount mill-dams and 
 falls. 
 
 The fishes of our coast and estuaries, and the peculiar 
 methods adopted for their capture, form not only a sealed 
 book to Europeans, but to those anglers in America also 
 who confine their recreations to fresh-water attractions. 
 Each game fish affords a distinct interest, with peculiarities 
 worth studying. 
 
 My sketches may lack artistic finish, but possess the 
 merit of correct outline; and in the words of Raphael, 
 The outhne is the picture." The reader may be assured 
 that fishmg, whether for recreation or gain, entices its vo- 
 taries to unexplored sources uf revenue and pleasure 
 
viii 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 J. B. Steai'iis, Brookhii E D P^^«^- • 
 
 S.Sr; Kt;f ™^™"'"'^-' B,o„™fie.d,N. Y. Katura. 
 ^ MMieton, Ca^an, & Co.,F..U„„ Ma,.et. S,aMes of 
 
 Pntcbard Brotliers, Fulton Street. Artificial FV , 
 
 hne Bass-reel. ^"'^^n<^i{il i^ lies and 
 
 Mr. M'Bride, Mumford K Y V n. 
 Stained Gut Lines. ^' ^^ ^- ^"^^^ Trout-flies and 
 
 John Shields, Brookline Mis^ '^,.. • 
 Trout-flies. ^^^^^-^lass. Specnnens of excellent 
 
Ct) N T E N T S. 
 
 PART I. 
 
 COAST a™ ESTUARV PISHIKG Wm. «0D AKD L^E. 
 
 Section CHAPTER I 
 
 I. General Characterization of Fishes * ^w 
 
 11. i i-erequisites for Fishing 17 
 
 III. Ge,^al Habits and Senses of Fi;i^:::: ^2 
 
 IV. On Vision in Fishes 24 
 
 V. On Taste in Fishes ,' 26 
 
 VI. On Smell in Fishes ..'.[ ' ' 33 
 
 VII. On Hearing in Fishes. . ..........'.'.*.".* 36 
 
 3^ 
 
 T -r ,. CHAPTER II. 
 I. Fecundity of Fishes 
 
 II. Voracity of Fishes.... • 41 
 
 III. Times of Feeding and ^i^ts'^ Fbhei^Z''.'ZZ *^ 
 
 T ^ ■ CHAPTER III. 
 
 1. Coast and Estuary Fishes... 
 
 II. Angling for Striped Bass... 46 
 
 in. Trolling in Hell Gate 48 
 
 IV. Still-baiting for Bass .'>2 
 
 V. Casting-bait for Striped Bass ^8 
 
 VI. Angling at the Bassing Clubs... 64 
 
 ""• 69 
 
 T IV ,«u CHAPTER IV. 
 
 1. VVeakfish or Squeteague.. , 
 
 II. Southern Sea Trout ..*.".',' 79 
 
 III. Sheepshead 82 
 
 IV. Angling for Sheepshead."..'." 84 
 
 V. The Kingfish 92 
 
 VI. The Hogfish, 98 ; the Gnmteroo*'' tV,P rTr"*',;;"';, ^•''^ 
 
 White Perch, 'lOl ; the Sm'ek 'lO^ tt"^ ^^""'^' ''' ' ^'^« 
 Caplin ' ^"^ ' *h« Spearing, 1 03 ; the 
 
 vm S'' S"" ^^''' 106; the Poi'gee.'.Z ^^^ 
 
 VIII. The Family of the Wrasses or Rockfi;h"7;r":r"r;' ^"^ 
 
 BIackfish,113; theFlounder ' '^ '' '^^ ^^"""g ^^ 
 lA. TheBluefish 116 
 
 117 
 
^ Contents. 
 
 Swtion 
 
 X. Tlie Spanish Mackerel ' ^"^^ 
 
 XI. The Bonetta or Boiiita. ^^^ 
 
 XII. Thecero,cerus,or8ien;;'i347"ti;eHo;;;"Ma;;k^;i::::::::::::::; J3J 
 
 — ■ — - ♦ ^^^ 
 
 PART II. 
 
 FRESH-WATER FISHING WITH FLY AND BAIT 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 I. The Poetry of Angling. 
 
 IL The Brook Trout .'." ^*' 
 
 HI. Fly-fishiug for Trout, l^^rModern'^;!!;; fo^Fli^^j-;;;;;;;^^ ]^ 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 I Fly-fishing on Mas^apiqua Lake 
 
 II. How to Pish a Stream .f 
 
 105 
 
 ; -Lianding- nets, 173; Troui ' 
 ightening Casting-lines, 1 7.-) 
 
 rout-flies i^^ 
 
 I/O 
 
 CHAPTER III 
 I. Middle Dam Camp... 
 
 III. Bait-fishing for Trout ^^^ 
 
 189 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 I. Lesson hy Josh Billings, 191 ; the Ardent Angler.. ,no 
 
 H. Anghng for Children '^^ 
 
 198 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 I. The Salmon • 
 
 IL Outfit for Salmon-fishing "^^ 
 
 yn. Jolly Sport on Rattling Run ''^^^ 
 
 MIL Ply-fishing helow the Palls '""""* ;^*' 
 
 IX. Thoughts of returnii.g Homeward zt^ 
 
 >... The Silver or Sea Trout, 2r„K , the whi;;T;;;;;;"^;;H:';j;;-vfi;;: 
 
 nmish, 2.!0; Red Tro... of Long Lake, 2(12; Trout of Sene a 
 and Cayuga Lakes, 263 ; the Mackinmv Trout.. " .r, 
 
 XL American Pickerel or Pike, 2GG ; Skittering f<„. Pi.'.L^^d 'among 
 
 a.e Lily-pads, 270; Still-baiting for Pickerel ... . o;, 
 
Vane 
 
 . 126 
 . 132 
 , 135 
 
 CoJ^^TENTS. 
 
 XI 
 
 Section CHAPTER VI. 
 
 I. Trolling among the Thousand Islands ^'^'^ 
 
 II. The Maskhionge -74 
 
 III. The Black Bass, 280; the Oswego Bas^; 2827 iheBh^^Ba^ ^'^ 
 
 r n'eTaLf ''-''-' "-^ - ^^^^' Hen;'2i.f r/ 
 
 IV. The Sunfish, 28G ; the i'^rch,287 ;"ihe'^a:^;^'orW^n:;;^a '^' 
 
 Pike, 288; theWhitefish,290; the Lake Herring, 291 deS 
 coor Ciscoquette,2()2; the Shiner ^' ' ^'" ^^, 
 
 mw^fn^^f" Trolling-bait, 297; the Propelling Min- 
 now, 2Jh ; Buel's Patent Feather Troll 900 . c, ■ • ?r, , , 
 for Live B„i„, ,,,, , Sp„„„ VicttirLS Jn^"™?. ^S' 
 ...e We,,„er and Bai.s, 303; Ki.h - hooks *3oT"^,„t .fc 
 
 310 
 
 PART III. 
 
 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES. 
 
 T , ^. , CHAPTER I. 
 
 Lake Fisheries 
 
 315 
 
 CHAPTER IL 
 
 I. The »«;:;!":: '™ """"-'" °' ™" ™— "«- 
 
 IL The Shad 319 
 
 IV. Ti,o codfeh-audiiii;;^ c;;,y,;gV-;3^^^^ ",-» 
 
 o28 
 
 xvu ^ ^■.. CHAPTER IIL 
 
 ^^ hale Fishing, 332 ; the Striped Red Mullet 
 
 008 
 
 ^ , CHAPTEr. IV. 
 
 &alt-wator Fisheries, 339; the Chesapeake Bav Fishery 340. p;„ , 
 
 Haddocks, 342 ; Preserving Food-fishes^ Fresh '^' ' "^'"^^"^ .,, 
 
 o4iJ 
 
 The Art among the Ancients 
 
 PART IV. 
 
 ANCIENT AND MODERN FISH-CULTURE. 
 CHAPTER L 
 
 347 
 
Xll 
 
 CoNTEJJTS. 
 
 Section CHAPTER II 
 
 iMsh-cuftnre in Europe in Early Times ' 
 
 ^ish-culture of this Centu^!;^!!!!./'^- ^^^^ 
 
 ***** •••«.., Qr,*" 
 
 x.f ITT- CHAPTER IV 
 
 Natural History of the S-iImnn 'jr- t^ . 
 
 y ^^"^^'^'™«»>^<''; Development of the Sahnon 371 
 
 I Fi.h P . CHAPTER V. 
 
 X. i^ish Propagation assisted by Art '^7S i . «r 
 Salmon. ;?«•? . ....,.;„, t.".^.^'^'.*^^^ 5 Ijest Wa 
 
 bed, 3..i; fb;ding';;:7Tro;;r^'^^'' ^'"'"""'"^ ^ ^l™"'g- 
 Ponds with Trout.. °' ''^'''"""' ^•'- 5 «t«^'ki"g old 
 
 II. Aiiisworth's Race and ycreens'"'}<i7.'''^ ', 393 
 
 «ace, 401 ; ^^ General Dh- 'ti' ■>' w r,? V'^^""/ ^^''^^•'"■"^' 
 Farmer should have a Trout iZJi !r r^''"' f' ' '''"'y 
 tions ^lesene, 40,, ; General Observa- 
 
 _* 40G 
 
 c I „ CHAPTER VI 
 
 Salmon Passes, Ladders, etc 
 
 -107 
 
 PART V. 
 
 A GLIMPSE OP ICHTHYOLOGY. 
 
 Cartilaginous Fishes .„_ . . . ' ' "^ '"''' ^''''•^•"^ «f" Wishes- 
 
 rr. The common Eol -f^ri. fi,„ t ,' 4<l'> 
 
 ■". «... fo,. aoe,i,::;,t";, ll'VCSS •""" '""" " «' 
 
 440 
 
 APPEN^DIX 
 
 Fancy Drinks, 4(;o • Genon,! i'„J ,','>' -^''^ ! <-'<Jni])()undiiig 
 
Page 
 
 .. 350 
 
 . Soii 
 
 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 393 
 
 40G 
 
 •iVt 
 
 " .-I 
 
 32 
 3!) 
 
 ■to 
 
 1. Frontispiece.— The Striped Bass. 
 '2. Title-page.— An Angler's Outflt. 
 3. First Families 
 
 PAQE 
 
 134 
 136 
 130 
 137 
 
 44. Cero or Sierra 
 
 45. Ilarpooiiiug 
 
 aNanicsofPlos f, ?, „," °;'""'" ... 
 
 .JS:S,US,r""- ::•■• :S».-e:::::::;;::::: 
 
 147 
 152 
 155 
 1.19 
 ICO 
 101 
 102 
 1(54 
 105 
 
 15.PlayiugaBassintheSurf:::::::" cK" wf r" ' ^'^™™ - 
 
 10. Baits, Thumb-stall, Bait-spoon .... cr .' T^Sllt"^''' ""' "^'"^'^ ^^ 
 
 17. Shrimp and Prawn 7^ ,.„ ! " "'°! 177 
 
 18.Weak<ishorSquol.,,„e.. ^o cJ" trm.''T™ ^'' 
 
 19. Southern Sea Tnnu .... '" ' " Sf "''"'"" ^"""P 
 
 20. The Shecpshead L :. If'^'H ^'""'"■"'^ 
 
 180 
 ISl 
 
 -■ ^SS^'.'^' '''^'''^^ ^^ Sl-^'-t Bends 
 
 22, 
 
 85 0.^ Fly Hooks ^^ 
 
 ]=;,'> 
 
 185 
 
 191 
 193 
 
 •!iy Drake, FJy jg^ 
 
 23. Tackle for Kingflsh. 0^) t ^'"^'^ Trout-flies ' ' '^ 
 
 24. The irogfi.*. ..... "!.':t'- n,?'" ^'""'^'^ 
 
 25. The Oxrunttr 98 07. 1 lie Ardent Angler 
 
 20. The Golden MuVk.;." .■:::::.■ ,!";:'• ^"■?'^» «••«'■ 
 
 27. The White Perch J ' '^' ^^"'"? '^ ^'^'^-^ 
 
 -'8.TheSmelt n! '?' ^''''"'"S 
 
 29. Oast for small Fishes:::;:; Tmi^lT'"'T] 
 
 ■•iO. .-. .aring or Silverside ol n" "''^"^^^'^''"""■'•od . 
 
 31. The Caplin ' ^^''^-'looks 
 
 - ^"'"^ "•*• Fishing Equipment . . 
 
 ion 1.5. Getting a Bite 
 
 109 70. Encampment ; ; 
 
 111 77. Camp Bed ;;:;; 
 
 117 78. Pool ))elow the Chute 
 
 120 70. Silver or Sea Trout 
 
 121 8((. The White Trout 
 
 ••i2. Sea Bass 
 
 33. Porgee 
 
 U. Wrasses or Rockflsh 
 35. The Blueflsh 
 
 86, Bluetlsh Squids . . . . ; 
 
 87. The FlyiuL' Fish 
 
 .38. Troll! ' ' " " " 
 
 .^9. The Troller made Bait of 
 
 40. The Spanish Mackerel . . . . 
 
 41. Spanish Mackerel Feeding 
 
 ling for Blueflsh ,00 «i' ti,„ iv . • , 
 
 'r,.„ii„ .1 IT 1-.SM. lho\\ inniuish. 
 
 122 S2.1?od Trout of Long Lake 
 127 8.^. Trout of Seneca Lake 
 
 , ' " j""iKuuM reeding I.^n sjj Ti.„ iir i- ™ 
 
 42. SpainVl, Mnckere) H^xM^ ' - 'l ,;• ;!'^ ^ackninw Trout, -. . 
 
 13. Bonettu or Bonito. . ! 00 . ^ l^'^'^'S} "'' ^^'ke 
 
 . 198 
 . 201 
 . 202 
 . 208 
 . 214 
 215 
 . 216 
 . 22.3 
 . 229 
 . 245 
 . 256 
 269 
 200 
 202 
 204 
 2G5 
 
 132,80. Open counteuauces ;::::;::::;;;;; oj? 
 
XIV 
 
 IisT OP Illusteations. 
 
 f!' ^'^'"ering for Pickerel . 
 
 88. Still-baitiug for Pxkerel . 
 
 89. Dragon Flies. 
 
 PAOKl 
 
 . 2T01131. 
 
 Parr Fifteen Mouths 01(1. 
 
 paqe 
 3T4 
 
 — 27^1132. Smolt Fifteen MnmhJ'AVj 
 
 91. The M;.kinong6 "'""'' '''""''' ' Hth ^^"^' «'^"«o"' • • •.■ lit 
 
 92. The Black Bast... f^f N The Swordfish Ill 
 
 93.ThecswegoBas8..:;:: Jltt-^^^''^'''^-^^''''^ •••".' S 
 
 94. Black Bass of the South..:::::;.- mS "'^if^'^^'T*'' '''•"y- »"rt Grili;'" S 
 
 95. Spottea Bass or Speckled Hen eS Loo' ^'P^°" '^^'^ ^'"cers ' f! 
 
 90. Rock Bass of the Lakes " ' " ?ff !f ' ^^"^^"ng Salmon Eggs. f*! 
 
 97. Sunflsh ' 286 140. Stripping a Tront ... f' 
 
 98. The Perch : :::; 28!| 41. Feeding Yo,;ng Tront:::: foj 
 
 99. Glass-eyed Pike .... f']f- ^msworth's Hatching-race f - 
 
 100. Whitefish . 289 143. A Hard Leap... ^ ^^' 
 
 101. Lake Herring 290 144. Salmon Leaps.... 
 
 102. Cisco or CiscoquetVe : : : : Sf/ ^;?"y««dare Salmon-pa.^^s 
 
 10.S. Shiner-natural Size lf,\]f- ^''S« Salmon-stairs . . . . 
 
 104. Bait-can ^94 147. Canadian Salmon-stairs 
 
 105. Spinning Tackle . . : H^\]f- Horizontal Screen 7,1 
 
 106. Spinning Baits ^97 149. Current WTieel. ... ^J! 
 
 107. Spinning Tackle fci; LiVe Baits ' " " Z '" ' ^^''^^"'"gy : : : : ' ' ""- 
 
 108. Feathered Spoons... •••^^^ 
 
 407 
 411 
 413 
 415 
 
 151. Pike-perch.::: ^23 
 
 152. Spine-rayed Fishes.::::::::;;' ■ ■■ tf. 
 
 3071m. 
 
 424 
 425 
 
 109. Fish-hooks.. ^^^ 
 
 110. Salmon Flies....; 11^ 
 
 111. Mounting Fliei 
 
 112. ponderaungSLkj;^ ::;:;;; SS r r°'-«^'^ •■:":::::::::: S 
 
 113. Indian Summer f "l S,^" !^™^h and Dace " ' J^J 
 
 114. Hammer-headed Shark Jo'^rl' ^^ S!"'^ ^"""'^ 4^ 
 
 115. The Mackerel ^ 5 .I S' JY ^'''' """'""^ "m 
 
 lie. Shad, Menhaden, Herrin..' SlS" S ""n V"^ '^'''""^ ^'^^i'v ' 420 
 
 117. The Codfish " '-T • ^^^ ^""^ F'lmily .... Tor, 
 
 118. The John Do; 329 161. Flatfish Family jf 
 
 119. Whale Fishing fl|lC2. Sharks J..://: 431 
 
 120. Harpooned . . ff 2jl63. Sturgeon and Chimtera 
 
 121. Striped Red Mullet' ; ; ; ^.^fi ?f- ^^ay Family 
 
 122. A surprised Codfish. . . . ;; ^l^' ^"'^^^ Family 
 
 123. Morning '^^1 ^^^- Gi'euouille :„ 
 
 124. Ancient Pish-'culVure': ^3]%' 2:??^ ^""i^on Eel...:;;;;; 
 
 125. Modern Fish-culture . . . ; ttl^lTo' ?," ^^'"'P^'y 
 
 126. Cuttle-fish ^.f/^^l- Estuary Catfish and Sih.rc 
 
 127 History of the Salmon : : of I?" ^^o short Sunfish ^^ 
 
 128. Salmon Om and .Ito'n..: S -J' p°°^r^ ..'.m 
 
 129. Salmon Pry . . . IH]'^- ^eol to Dry Lines .... !^ 
 
 130. Parr EightMoutiis bid:: o"!;!'!" f^^e.^^^^^s Iw Field-sports 
 
 3»d|174. InvitnUnn f„ H,„Qi— .' 
 
 432 
 432 
 433 
 
 434 
 436 
 437 
 440 
 
 |1T4. Invitation to the Streams. 
 
 463 
 466 
 477 
 
 i 
 
paqe 
 
 374 
 
 375 
 
 376 
 
 377 
 
 377 
 
 383 
 
 He . . 834 
 
 385 
 
 387 
 
 391 
 
 393 
 
 .... 397 
 .... 407 
 .... 411 
 .... 413 
 .... 415 
 • ..416 
 .... 419 
 
 . .. 419 
 ... 423 
 ... 423 
 ... 424 
 . .. 425 
 ... 420 
 ... 420 
 ... 427 
 .. 428 
 .. 429 
 .. 42!) 
 .. 430 
 .. 431 
 .. 432 
 .. 432 
 .. 433 
 
 . 433 
 . 434 
 . 43(i 
 . 437 
 . 440 
 . 442 
 . 445 
 
 403 
 
 406 
 
 477 
 
 fJart I'lxst 
 
 ON COAST AJS-D ESTUARY FISHI 
 
 
 WITH 
 
 ROD ANT> LINE. 
 
iL 
 
 ill 
 ill 
 
 i! 
 
FISHING IN AMERICAN WATERS. 
 
 CPIAPTER I. 
 
 GENERAL CHARACTERIZATION OF FISHES. 
 
 SECTION FIRST. 
 
 ON seriously contem- 
 plating the immensity 
 of the waters and their 
 innumerable inhabit- 
 ants, it is not difficult to 
 realize the importance 
 of these branches of ma- 
 terial and animal na- 
 ture, and I shall con- 
 sider myself fortunate 
 if able to present rea- 
 sons sufficient to induce 
 the employment of an 
 amount of time at 'ill 
 commensurate witl, the prope,- dividon of labor between ai^" 
 .u,d water for the pm^ose, of health, wealth, and rlert: .W 
 
 equeathed to flsh-kmd than to mankind, bat "its first fam- 
 
 MuZuofn T^- ^'"^ ""^ " P'™'' ^hen all the in- 
 habitants of th.s planet were fishes, previously to the sublime 
 ...oment when "God said 'Let the dry. land appear "'tI 
 ancents thought that the illimitable beautie T he wal 
 were reflected iu the heavens; hence thev .ave to thl^r 
 s.ellat,ons the nan.es of fishes. Thus, prior^to the time "f 
 
18 
 
 Fishing m American Waters. 
 
 -nd south.,,, ccstellation, to mo " '"'^ '"' """""•" 
 were „a,ned after .heir favorit fiah o'r X 1 "'"'" 
 connecting these fishes with heatli™ ,V ''S™'''' 
 
 been evolved and handed down ?, "'*'"' """•" *•"'• 
 
 the signs of the .odiaeMe^d in''. ,"""'' T" ''"P™-'^' 
 of a man, whieh signs are m ,"""'"^' "^^ ""^ Agun. 
 
 sailor and angler /^d the lar™"'™"^ ""'"""'^ "^^ b<«'' 
 f"' of great suedes nn 3 •^"C """'" <">"«"»' or hope- 
 Whether or no this be a Ine,^! *", '"' '"'°''« "■' l-"»- 
 cieuts I have not bestovX; ";;„?•'*''''' "^ *^ - 
 plead guilty to the woakne,, Z v ? esam,ning, but 
 
 fluent of good sport o,;;r/;t:if"' """,'' ''"'''' "™- 
 
 aoh, or bowels, but never T" i, *'" "' ,'" ""^ ''^''"' «'»■»- ' 
 
 Man, from h s inferior <,h! . f '" "" '«S^ "'• <■«'• 
 "ittle space he app";' "f, '"? r"'"'" ""■'■»"^' '« -"-h 
 wing to soar, conLllate, w,h " '" " *" '" "'™ "^ " 
 Wens; whiL the Zt " ^T'" "" f^'"'"'«'"S 
 beating the shoi-es into f,.,„ • "'"'''"' "« breakers 
 
 » elos'e lines, and ifs^ormfr ""',''' ""'owy battalions 
 Us soul with'awe and Z eteTfh """"'-' P-««™e 
 wMeh, in comparison, his own is nothinr"'' """'"■"'«'• ^" 
 
 "at It ,s not n,y intention to estima'^;. ,1 
 waters, or their value for bi'hir. '"""'"'''"' Power of the 
 «y object is to show the rea^rthn ""•"""» P"'^-* 
 and to convince him that whe e™ f ""' °' """""«• 
 have been made, the water, hi , f """'"'»'»«e efforts 
 
 . his toil or skill than thitd T . "" f " ''''''' P™«'^ '« 
 «^nance of a large ma, tile powr'lf "'™"'^"= '"« ""*"'- 
 the experience of thp R.i, ■ t , " ™<""'^ of wealth, 
 
 tively ilignifiea:' » thr:"tZ°""f; -<• -"»-- 
 proves that nothing is too exaLd.^ ?''''* "" '^'"^ "">- 
 eral maritime powe,- Bn, T ,^ ' ''"P'''^ '■™- ^i' " "b" 
 the riches of their^habft \ ' ,' '"'""' "''*'>'' """ters in 
 
 mention, ^s ^^L^ re^f ttrr''' ""'""^ '"^''" 
 
 c^'itc or Uhlies, comparatively lit- 
 
Fl6HING INCLUDES AnGLING. IJ) 
 
 tie is b^own ; but I feel assured that they would rank higher 
 in the scale of entities" than the fourth class of vertebrate 
 animals, accorded them by Cuvier, did all men of thought hnd 
 science appreciate and pursue fishing. 
 
 Fishing as a term, is general; while angling is a special 
 kind of fishing The word angling is supposed to have been 
 derived from the bend of the hook, forming an angle; but 
 the ongin or antiquity of the term is comparatively unim- 
 portant now. It is sufficient to know that the art of angling 
 requ„.es as much enthusiasm as poetry, as much patience as 
 mathematics, and as much caution as housebreaking." 
 
 That field-sports were among the earliest and most respect- 
 able pastimes of the ancients, we have abundant evidence 
 from their poets and philosophers, such as Aristotle, Plato 
 Cicero, and Horace; and that angling was practiced "with 
 much succ^ess and love of the sport is evident from the Plali- 
 eutics of Oppian, the only Greek poem iLow extant on this 
 subject; but we learn from Athena^us that several other 
 writers had written treatises or poems upon fishino- some 
 centuries before the Christian era. 
 
 "Fishing was a favorite pastime of the Egyptian gentle^ 
 man both in the Nile and in the .acious ' sluices, oi ponds 
 for fish,* constructed within his grounds, where they were 
 fed for the table, and where he amused himself by anglino-f 
 and the dexterous use of the bident, a two-pronged spear for 
 striking two fish at a time. These favorite occupations were 
 not confined to young persons, nor thought unworthy of men 
 of serious habits ; and an Egyptian of rank, and of a certain 
 age, IS frequently represented in the sculptui^s catching, fish 
 ma canal or lake, with the line, or spearing them as^they 
 glided past the bank. Sometimes the angler posted himself 
 m a shady spot by the water's edge, and, having ordered his 
 servants to spread a mat upon the ground, sat upon it as he 
 threw his hne; and some, with higher notions of comfort' 
 used a chair, as ' stout gentlemen' now do in punts. Thp rnd 
 
 * Isaiah xix., ]0. * t • i. . 
 
 t Isaiah XIX. . 8. 
 
20 
 
 Fi8HiNG IN American Wateks. 
 
 In; 
 
 Au Egyptian geiUlemau liaiiiug. 
 
 was short, and apjjarently of one mpoo • *hr. v 
 
 <r\e thono-h i,.ofo * piece, the hne usually sin- 
 
 ,ie, though instances occur of a. double line each with I. 
 
 t'.o paintings ^o^.r^^lTl^Z:^',:': "'''''''""' '"' 
 that they ever put them tr. .1, .! , ' ' " ""' "PPcar 
 had devfse<l any aethod li ," "^' '""^ '''" '"^^ '"•■" ">"y 
 
 sented for the benefit of those who retaS s aloT ^ '' ^"''' 
 along the streets : ^''^ ^''' ^''^"' ^^''^"'^« 
 
 "Poets are nonsense ; for they never say 
 A single thing that's ne^v. But all they do 
 
 Is to clothe oldideas in language new r 
 Turmng the same things o'er and o'er again 
 . ^"d ;>pside down. But as to fishmongers ' 
 The. re an mventive race, and yield to none 
 
 ffi 
 
Beauty IN Form and Coloeino. 21 
 
 In sliameless conduct. For as modern laws 
 
 Forbid them now to water their stale fish, 
 
 Some fellow, hated by the gods, beholding 
 
 His fish quite dry, picks with his mates a quarrel. 
 
 And blows are interchanged. Then when one thinks 
 
 He's had enough, he falls and seems to faint. 
 
 And lies like any corpse among his baskets. 
 
 Some one calls out for water ; and Lis partner 
 
 Catches a pail, and throws it o'er his friend 
 
 So as to sprinkle all his fish, and make 
 
 The world believe tliem newly caught and fresh." 
 
 In regard to propagating fishes, the experiments of the an- 
 cients amounted to little more than robbing the nests of her- 
 bivorous fishes, and planting the eggs in other waters ; but the 
 moderns have, within the past thirty years, invented success- 
 ul theories for studying the habits of fishes at their aqueous 
 homes, m rapid streams, or placid lakes, and deep down into 
 the depths of old ocean. As these will be explained in this 
 work under their appropriate titles of ancient and modern 
 fish culture, I merely allude to them in passing as havino-- 
 through their developments of the habits of fishes-opened 
 up a subject so attractive as to have induced anglers and 
 men of science to study more assiduously and minutely these 
 creatures of elegant forms, whose colors vie with the rainbow 
 and reflect the hues of every precious stone. Se . their scin- 
 tillant scales, their metallic rays, and colors more beautiful 
 than are given to birds of most favored plumage ! What 
 satin sheen, aurora borealis, or heavenly sunset «^n vie witli 
 the prismatic colors of the living trout or the dying«olphin '^ 
 What gold so finely burnished as the spots on the Spaiiish 
 mackerel ? or what shade of carmine so brilliant as the spots 
 on a samlet? What so transcendently lustrous and beau- 
 titul as a fresh-run salmon ? 
 
 The Spanish mackerel, salmon, and bonetta combine to 
 form the models for the speed and beauty of our ships 
 il-ven as far back as the Revolutionary War, one of our ship, 
 was named " Bonetta." In symmetry of form and beautiflil 
 coloring, fishes stand at the head of animal creation 
 
'J2 
 
 Fishing in American Wateks. 
 
 f ' 
 
 SECTION SECOND. 
 prerequisites for fishing. 
 In o-der to pursue with success any branch of fi«i • 
 
 u^Hn„ 18 one of the most anc ent m"thod« nf fi.i,: 
 
 and an of the lllTJ^Znl' V':. ™""' '" """"> 
 which i^ f}.p ^n] • nothing to desire but a barb 
 
 ^eSr^ir^r r;" --h' V"^ -^^^^^^^^^ 
 
 their food. •^^eiuiiy studied. So also should 
 
 "Fish have their various characters defined, 
 Not roore by coJor than by mind " 
 
 They have their times to eat and their choice of food Th 
 tTuL I '""" *" """" *'«' approach of a shovfer 
 
Appetite and Locomotion. 
 
 23 
 
 (luring a fall of snow or rain. Indeed, ■ .tnow-storm seems to 
 improve the appetite of some fishes; and rains which do not 
 render the stream too turbid, but give to the water a slight- 
 ly-darkened tint, do not injure it for even fishing with the fly. 
 It is a commonly received opinion that angling is not as 
 good as usual during easterly winds; but this is only true 
 when the winds cause the tides to rise so high on our coast 
 that fishes change their feeding-grounds. Fly-fishing for 
 both salmon and trout are, in some waters, best during an 
 cast wind. A really windy day is not good for fly-f shing. 
 rhe gentle, balmy breeze, which merely produces a catspaw 
 ripple on the surface, and carries the cast of flies out, so as to 
 leave part of the merit for their graceful and snow-flake fall 
 to the angler and the rod, under " a sun of mild but not too 
 bright a beam," form a few of the conditions which give fly- 
 fishing its peculiar zest. The prejudice against an east wind 
 with the American angler on the Atlantic slope near the 
 coast 18 probably caused by the fact that an east wind so 
 raises the tides along the shores, and sets it back in the estu- 
 aries and creeks, as to cover shoals and islets of eel-grass 
 This gives fishes a wider range to forage and prospect over 
 shallow and weedy places for shrimp, shedder and soft-shell 
 crabs, instead of remaining in the tideway to watch for bait 
 carried along by the current. 
 
 To converse intelligibly about fishes, it is necessary to 
 know the names of their fins, for these give the means of lo- 
 comotion ; and though this work is not intended as a school- 
 book, or to be especially scientific, yet, as all retfflilers of fish- 
 stones should know enough of a fish to name fte^ns I pre- 
 sent on the following page the form of a fish, with the names 
 of them. 
 
 The propulsive power of a fish is its tail or caudal fin 
 The pectorals and ventrals assist a little in speed, but more 
 especially in turning and diving, while the anal and dorsals 
 serve as centre-boards to a ship, to prevent leeway and beino- 
 easily capsized. Of rapid swimmers in the American water^ 
 
Ill 
 
 i\ ; 
 
 I ' 
 
 I 
 
 24: 
 
 Fishing in American Wateks. 
 
 ii 'DorsaJ 
 
 ^■ed the swiftest of the forkelt 'n» h , "'?' '■"■" '"""''^- 
 
 so.he™e.„r;r;Lii!-tr:i;zr--^"^ 
 
 SECTION TIIIBD. 
 
 ia.-ge pans:?e::: e,^f:.o':r;:a t:[.k"" r """ '""' 
 
 though the Chinese had uiKlerstood fish ouU 
 
 '«»«,'■ a,„, M. OdK.,,, of thtvLl ^ ]^r"T"*"' "•'■ «"■ 
 vato fish hv ...tififi. I ,„.; .-^ ' ' ^"""^"'^og^n to clti- 
 
 differenee i' " , ' o^ flT'""- '''^' """ ■"'""■ '"=" ""• 
 vcrsity of thd hi, S " " "," ="™''^'- "'"" « ^'"^ <'!• 
 
The Value of a Teak. 25 
 
 others bottom fish, like the flounders and the flat-fish fiimily ; 
 some prefer a sandy bottom, as the kingfish, others a rocky^ 
 as the striped bass; and yet others rejoice in mud, as the eels 
 and catfish, with the rest of the silurus family. Some fish 
 prefer salt water, others fresh, and yet others brackish ;. while 
 eels prefer to spawn in salt water and fatten in fresh, as pal- 
 pably as do salmon pursue the opposite by feeding in gait 
 water and spawning in fresh. Thus salmon, shad, and striped 
 bass prefer to feed in salt water, spawn in fresh, and dally in 
 brackish waters. Some fishes keep near shore, others in deep 
 water and for from land. Bottom fishes are usually sluggish, 
 while surface swimmers are generally active. Som^losJ 
 then- vitality as soon as they are landed, others live a long 
 time out of water, and dart revengeful glances at their cap- 
 tors. Some can creep like the eel, others climb trees like the 
 anabas scandens. 
 
 I may also state my conviction that a whale is a fish, and 
 
 that the porpoise is also a fish, though members of this genm 
 
 travel in pairs, suckle their young, of which they usually liave 
 
 but one at a birth, wliicli the parent mammals guard with 
 
 jealous care, making it swim between them; and if the calf 
 
 is harpooned, the mother always yields her life an easy prey 
 
 to tlw same weapon. The dudong, one of the must intelli- 
 
 gent of mammal fishes, is the Malays' emblem of constancy 
 
 m affection ; and as it is said to cry when wounded by the 
 
 harpoon and brought on deck, they catch the tears and bottle 
 
 them as a charm, supposing that the application of a single 
 
 drop will render a wife constant for life. 
 
 The black porpoise and the puffing i>orpus are great con- 
 sumers of estuary fishes. Tlu-y should not only be hunted 
 and harpooned, but small cannon loaded with grape or canis- 
 ter should be so planted as to project their contents into the 
 shoals which attempt to forage near bassing grounds. Por- 
 poises watch mouths of rivers for salmon, and they are sup- 
 posed to be the lu-incipal cause of depoi.nlating manv of tJie 
 Irish rivers of that royal fish. 
 
m 
 
 Fishing in American Watees. 
 
 ! ! 
 
 pofpot: IZt t:t^' "'■"■^^ "y -■"■ «-^ '•»' every 
 
 estnarics should adonf » ■!?„ I °^ "'"' """s' and 
 
 away. The plotcis olt ';:,^^P'""".S ^^ •Jiving them 
 capture a, itrofl k th « "" "o*' VoAtaWe Ashe, for 
 
 SECTION FOURTH. 
 
 ON VISION IN FISHES. 
 
 scicuoe and the ».^ler loZ "'"^^"■'*'" *» 'he man of 
 both,m„re than dTt „ IXTd "if '"'"'' ^"™»'» "^ed 
 devoured, and to aid thenTin . T "" '"""'' *" ""^^ being 
 fl^hes; for their fortifieatLs arT 7"^- ™' """"""S "the! 
 obliged to leave ^.TZ,Z7 7^'"' ''^'^ '^<>y -^-^ 
 
 farther than^ tolo, t If""" """" "™<='P'- "^ -ence 
 ".otives by ^^JZy'.T::ZZVf'''' °'"*^' ""> 
 
 »--.her„.ith„;n"j.— Cl'tr^^^^^^^^ 
 
EouND Eyes detect Motion, not Foem. 27 
 
 erally taken by the angler while they are foraging for food. 
 When salmon or trout rise to feed, they may always be taken 
 with a well-made artificial fly, presented to them gently and 
 artistically. 
 
 The form of the eyes of almost all fishes proves them to be 
 near-sighted. All animals with very c mvex eyes quickly de- 
 tect the slightest motion, but lack the power to discriminate 
 form. Hence a deer, with its full lustrous eye, will approach 
 any still form to within a few feet of it, but at the first move- 
 ment it bounds away like the wind. In addition to the eyes 
 of fishes being convex, the density of the water— as a medium 
 through which they see— rathor shortens than extends vision. 
 "The vision must also be farther limited from the eye beino- 
 covered with the common skin of the head to protect the eye^ 
 ball; and as they have no eyelids, of course the eyes never 
 close ; and, whether sleeping or waking, their vision must be 
 mdistinct." White, of Selborne, states that eyes of fishes are 
 immovable ; but it is known that those of the silver and gold 
 fishes m glass cases turn in their sockets as occasion requires 
 and that, while they take little notice of a lighted candle, they 
 will dart and appear much terrified if their glass house is 
 touched. As fishes have no eyelids, it is difficult to discern 
 the difference between their sleeping and waking hours 
 That they do not always sleep in the night is proven by the 
 many instances when trout have been taken by risino- to the 
 artificial white miller in total darkness. M. de Blainville at- 
 tributes the greatest distinctness of vision to migratory fishes 
 because he states their eyes are the largest; but, instead of 
 tliat being so, the cod is about the only migratory fish which 
 lias larger eyes than the general run of river fishes while 
 those with eyes of moderate size, such as the genmPerca and 
 those of the ^almo genus, give indications of better Sight than 
 most sea fishes. Anglers of great experience and acknowl- 
 edged judgment select baits, whether live minnows, or such 
 artificial lures as flies, squids, etc., whicli contrast stronfflv 
 with the water and the color of the clouds. Wliat angler 
 

 If 
 
 I 
 
 II II 
 
 28 
 
 Fishing in Amebican Watoib. 
 
 *t::^t:-rrr:ir^^^ 7 ?"""= «>- - -^^'■ 
 
 water ,,vhether by a ship sel? 1. '" '"'' "P°" *''" 
 
 ory by ,bc anecdote tbat ,L,. T ."^ ™"' "*'"''» ""^■ 
 
 ■ Street from „„e of ,1, , I, ' '"'"'" ™"''"« »P Bon,l 
 
 ago, .ai., a «« t^e'l^"^ "'"' ™ '"^riou^erso,,. 
 
 "■ '» wall, a,^, that t,; , :^:~,rv.''r '"^™'=^' 
 
 street he lilted. When thev I. ^ ''''""'' "''''■ <'*'"'o 
 
 had not seen one, wh "theTtife T^ "' "" """ "" ''""^^ 
 explanation was that h! °"«"; ^ad eonnted thirteen. The 
 
 knowing that eats ^efer "r™ f^V'" "'""'> *' 
 "Salmonia," gives tirlllo ^^ • ^'^ H'™P'"-y, in his 
 
 «"ng.. " Wl eb en :l::X "\'r'''''="'^ ^* "■ 
 baeks to the s„n, whieh 2 w ? ' *"'° *'"> y™'' 
 
 shadows of yonr elv s and' o ^''« 7^ '''«'>' '»^ "'rown the 
 have ala^ed thefisirXne™ , °" "'" ''''"' »"'' y°" 
 
 -e I have fished wt m^ ^ ^VXtl """ ' '^^ ^"" 
 ■neonvenieneed by the lii, 1 ' *""' ™d, though 
 
 James Rennie if A f ^' f' .®'™" "" "'"■■»■•" 
 of fishes prZtffeilav of """'"'''"'""' '" '"^ "-»" 
 the flshes\ro so weU v3 " T"" ""«'"■' ^>''"' *"-- 
 ha.- flies as to reft, e "tie "o " " ■'""' '''"■"'' "^ ?»••''<="- 
 tienhu- days, and even t V^ '" '"""^ """""' ''"<' "" P"'- 
 " Nothing'. „T no" 1 ?"' P"™''^ "'"'» '"""^ <3ay- 
 vors.a. thongh it be .ronT''"""' "'"" ""''' » '""i^-""!- 
 
 'h.V theory 1s ^ut, d „/ ,,"? .T 1"^ ''"^'''" = ^"^ 
 is to be acconnted for on\r /• f'"'»'°Phy. hnt the result 
 
 Daniell state "th'e "^ '^"^'-™"* P™eiple." 
 
 a eonsiderab ,i3an a^rth^'T "' ""^ «*- seein. 
 that are .leeeived b^d ffc™ t h 't™ "' """"^ °' "'™- 
 
 their food, give., room fo ! ^TF""'^'"''^ '" ™'«^«<>n »f 
 distinctly ;?reeived';; .t^.r: ^.tr " "^ ""' -'>■ 
 
Gay Colors the most ArrKACTivE. 
 
 29 
 
 Light seems peculiarly attractive to fishes, as proven by 
 their surrounding a diving-bell with a light in it. Walter 
 Scott, in his Guy Mannering, describes the plan adopted in 
 Scotland for attracting fishes by grates of living coal, or 
 torches carried by the fishermen as they wade shallow 
 streams for 'lo purpose of spearing. When a fish is thus 
 discovered, it remains fascinated by the glare of light, sel- 
 dom makes an effort to escape, and is easily speared. This 
 is one Of the many devices by which the Indians and vagrant 
 whites kill the salmon and trout while on their spawning- 
 beds, both in Maine and in the dominion of Canada. 
 
 The Chinese catch fish by employing two narrow boats, 
 with a board painted white and varnished nailed to them, so 
 as to slope outward and almost touch the water, and so as 
 to reflect the light of the moon. Toward these boats the fish 
 <lart, and, falling on them, are caught with ease. 
 
 From the pretended imitations of baits and flies for cap- 
 turing fishes may be logically deduced the fact that fish are 
 near-sighted, and do not perceive with great distinctness any 
 minute object, however near to them. The most successful 
 artificial baits to troll with for the fishes of our lakes and 
 rivers are thus arranged : a pair of hooks disguised by a few 
 gaudy feathers— bright red and white being the most suc- 
 cessful colors— and at the shank of the hook is placed a piece 
 of silver, brass, or copper, of oval or diamond shape, so ar- 
 ranged as to revolve rapidly, and appear as little like any 
 thing living in or out of the Avater as possible. What is 
 known as the common " spoon," made with swivels, and a 
 shoulder on the shank of he hook, so as to revolve rapidly 
 by drawing it through the water, is frequently a more capti- 
 vating lure than a live fish. In trolling for bluefish, a piece 
 of lead or bone five inches long forms a more successful lure 
 than the sea-shhior which is its principal sustenance ; and a 
 piece of pearl, five inches long by half an inch in diameter, 
 either round or oval, is the most attractive troll for Spanish 
 mackerel ; while a plain piece of red flannel, attached to a 
 
f ) 
 j i 
 
 ' 11 
 
 i! P 
 
 Mi 
 
 
 iff!' 
 
 1!. 
 
 SO 
 
 Fishing in American Watkrs. 
 
 fcli for a livelihood ^ "'"' '""''"» *" Wuefish, who 
 
 Of eo„r.e tlfe rod b rtr^t T""-'' ''•'"" "'^ ^''■■'■''''••>^'' 
 -n on t..e w,.te™tf TZ^^Z^^ T1 '"'-* 
 resulted fi-om the frequent rice, .J, ''" •■wloption 
 
 fi»l.i"g with buit. I !. ce : "■" '" ""•' '■"<' «°"' ^>">ife 
 
 willing to ri,k hi reputat:^,™"""'^' ^ "*'" '"« ''» ''""■■•I 
 *« a red float is t fe ' ^'1 r"' ""'"'"'• "''O" "'--^ting 
 gcoran, regarded trXTtrr"'""^- ^"""'^^ 
 -1 cafirice of theirs while on a ;t Z T " " "■'''"'^'- 
 Judge Philo T. Ku2<-Ies a„d M.t- ' '"'»>=™i-, with 
 
 fly-fi.l>ersi„ the stale Cy^onAd"',?" """"^ "'» "« 
 trout by oftering them a L T 1 '" '""' "'<= ''»'"=y »f 
 bought a ml ibfs of a ta.id fj'; t'"'"""?'^' ^''- J''™ 
 to make it into flies. T e ^I ir' ""'""^'^" " %-*y«- 
 tyor, who w-as presented wira,ro:,;""r' '"" '"" «>- 
 .io.e„, actually n.ade n.oney „o"„h bvTh , " ^-P'" "'" 
 
 The Aktificial Dkagon- 
 
 FLY. 
 
Dessert for Salmon and Trout. 
 
 ^i 
 
 of a claret body, brown mallard wing, and tail of the top-knot 
 from the golden plieasant ; or the blue professor, with blue 
 silk body and dark gray wings. 
 
 With the following remarks from a clever writer on an- 
 gling in the Encycloptedia Britannica, and a few comments on 
 them, I shall dismiss the subject of the vision in fishes: 
 
 " It may be asked upon what principle of imitative art the 
 different varieties of salmon-fly can bo supposed to bear the 
 most distant resemblance to any species of dragon-fly, to im- 
 itate which we are frequently told .that they are intended ?" 
 
 The reader will please compare the artificial dragon-fly 
 with a true copy of a natural one on the following plate of 
 natural salmon and trout flies : 
 
 Amehioan Neeve-winoki) Insects, tiatural size. 1. Common Dr-trni. flv o ti,„ a 
 
 Of the dissimilarity of the artificial lures to the natural 
 ones, the same may be generally said and prove true, whether 
 
I 
 
 li 
 
 M 
 
 ! 
 
 •32 
 
 Fishing m American Waters. 
 
 tor salmon, trout, maskinongo, pickerel, black bass, blucfish 
 Spanish mackerel, and all other surface feeders. Besides t J 
 pretended imitations are used several months earlier in' the 
 year than nature produces their originals; thus, while the 
 hues almon-fishmg m Europe is during the spring months, 
 the diagon-fly is a summer insect, and rarely makes its ap 
 pearance until Juno. ^ ^ 
 
 If artificial flies have no resemblance to natural ones « how 
 much more unlike must they be when, instead of being swept 
 down by the current, as a real one would be, the artificial fly 
 •s seen crossmg and recrossing every stream and torrent with 
 ^e agihty of an otter and the strength of an alligator^ 
 ^^ow as It ,s demonstrable that the artificial fly ge,rerallv 
 used for salmon bears no resemblance, except in Le, to any 
 Iivmg one; that the only tribe which it may be supposed to 
 represent does not exist in the winged state durin/I pe 
 nod when the imitation is most generally and most success- 
 u ly used; and if they did, their habits and natural powers 
 totally prevent them from being at any time seen under such 
 circumstances- as would give a color to the supposition of 
 the one being even mistaken for the other, may we not fairlv 
 conclude that, in this instance at least, the fish proceed upon 
 other grounds, and are deceived by an appearance of life Ld 
 motion rather than by a specific resemblance to any thino- 
 which they had previously been in the habit of capturino- v 
 ^^ hat natural insect do the large flies and spoons It which 
 sea trout, lake trout, black bass, etc., bite, resemble ? These 
 us well as salmon, frequently take the lure far within thJ 
 bounds of salt-water mark, and yet materialists know that no 
 
 inhabits the sea What species are represented by the palm- . 
 cr, or by three fourths of the dressed flies in use ? An arti- 
 ftcial fly can, at the best, be considered only as the represent- 
 ative of a natural one which has been drowned, as it is im- 
 possible to imitate the dancing or hovering flight of the in 
 sect over the surflice of the stream, and, even with that re- 
 
Most Fishes ake Short-sighted. 
 
 38 
 
 atricted idea of its resemblance to nature, the likeness must 
 be scarcely perceptible, owing to the difference of motion and 
 the great variety of directions in which the angler draws his 
 flies, according to the nature and locality of the current and 
 the prevailing direction of the wind." 
 
 The sight of fishes is like laat of all animals with round 
 and convex eyes. . If the angler will stand quite still in the 
 water, fish will not fear to congregate about him, or to flap 
 his legs with their fins ; but with his slightest motion they 
 dart to their hiding-places. The convexity of the eye pro- 
 duces short-sightedness in man as well as in quadrupeds, 
 birds, and fishes. The round eye is inferior to the almond- 
 shaped for distinguishing form : thus round-eyed animals and 
 fishes mistake a man for an inanimate object, and, from their 
 shortness of vision, approach him without fear. These gen- 
 eral and specific reasons convince me that fishes are short- 
 sighted, and that, while quick to detect action, they are slow 
 to distinguish form. 
 
 SECTION FIFTH. 
 
 ON TASTE IN FISHES. 
 
 The sense of taste in both birds and fishes, which subsist 
 on similar food, is less acute than in other animals, a circum- 
 stance strongly indicated by the hard, gristly texture of the 
 tongue when it exists, which it may scarcely be said to do 
 m all fishes, though it is very distinct in the CypHnidce, and 
 rather less so in the genus Salmo. 
 
 Dr. Rennie states that numerous experiments made by him 
 on birds T 'lose food consists of small fruit and insects, which 
 they swallow without breaking, leads him to conclude that 
 they choose some and reject others, not by taste, but by 
 touch, probably aided by smell; and he adds, "I have no 
 doubt It is the same with fishes; at least it is obvious, from 
 their so generally swallowing their food without chewing or 
 bruising it, that, even if they possessed acute taste, it could 
 not aid them in the discrimination." 
 
 C . 
 
34 
 
 FiSinNG IN Amekicjuj Wateks. 
 
 furnished to g.ve U a more acute taste for preventing it from 
 being p„,soned by eating water hemlock, or other deleterious 
 plants as it .s known to.feed on water-plants. That all fish 
 are not thus provided with taste sufliciently acute to !nab e 
 
 fToal"'"* "'"* " P™""""^' ""P"^™ ^™- '"« 1-ct e 
 
 Irof r^ '" r'°"'"« *"" '^ p^^^^^^g a„d miki„g » 
 
 fnt\ 1, f f ' '"' ^'""^"" '■*«. - 'i-^b tl'ey form 
 mto balls about the size of peas and east into the water 
 
 , Z I T"""' ''"''' »""• ^<"""^"'S iutoxicated o 
 palsied thereby, float to the surface of the w^ter and are ea" 
 ly canght, or soon die. Chub and dace are ready victims 
 to this device, as are also the black bass, Osweso yellow 
 white, rock and all the varieties of lake aM river te I^ 
 IS always dangerous to purchase fish out of season any 
 where; but residents of cities should be especially careful 
 who hey purchase from, and the safest houses ai-e those which 
 deal 'argely with fishing firms of established reputation. 
 
 Teeth of fishes appear destined more especially for layin.. 
 hold and detaining their prey than for chewing. With tM, 
 view they ai-e bent inward, like tenter-hooks, lo that fish 
 howsoever small and slippeiy, are forced backinto the gu -' 
 le , and their escape or return prevented. It is no doubt 
 with the same design that the throats of many fish Istd 
 
 tteth'" Sul rn''- ^7 ''•^'™^"' '^™^ a'pavemLt :■ 
 teeth. Such fishes as have teeth thus placed far back on the 
 
 palate and upper part of the throat, while in their jaws they 
 
 have none, are termed by anglers " leather-moutLd," b.I 
 
 technically malaeoslomata. 
 Anglers of the British Isles reckon among tt. princinal of 
 
 eather-mouthed fishes the minnow, gudgL, rL". To c , 
 bleak, chub, daces, barbel, bream, rud, tench, cL-p, ani other 
 minor fishes. The salmon and the pike have tU in tl 
 jaws and in all parts of the mouth, and the perch in all parts 
 of the mouth except the tongue. The sturgeon and sucker 
 agam, have no teeth whatever. ' 
 
Bony and Leather Mouths. 
 
 35 
 
 The division of anglers' fishes into such as are and such as 
 are not leather-mouthed may be important to the young an- 
 gler, as diflferent management is required in playing each. 
 Old anglers considered such fishes leather-mouthed as have 
 their teeth in the throat. Hooks seldom part their hold from 
 the mouths of such fishes, which are not generally regarded 
 as gamy, though good sport for ladies and youth. But the 
 contrary is the case with the striped bass, squeteague, pick- 
 erel, maskinonge, perch, and most game fishes which are 
 white-meated. These have a bony mouth, and not much 
 flesh or skin to hold a hook; therefore you are never sure 
 of landing these fish unless you play them so lightly as not 
 to permit them a foot of slack line, except, perchance, they 
 have gorged the hook. 
 
 That water-grasses and some other plants are partly the 
 food of leather-mouthed fishes, especially of the carp c/enus, 
 is unquestionable ; and in the Orient herbivorous fishes are' 
 considered the most delicate and highly prized. But when 
 they feed on liver, brewers' grains, boiled barley, split peas, 
 and the like, they probably mistake these for the eggs or co- 
 coons of water animals, inasmuch as they could not procure a 
 supply of these except by rare accident. That some fish may 
 feed on the seeds of such plants as are scattered about the 
 water is not improbable, and it may have been from observ- 
 ing this that it is recommended by Lebault and Debraw, aft- 
 er removing the fish to let fish-ponds dry, to sow them with 
 oats or other grain, and, when it is ripe, to let the water 
 again into the pond, and bring back the fish to feed. Bowlker 
 remarks that carp will eat barley, wheat, or oaten bread, 
 while tench and perch will not touch it. Of course perch 
 prefer meats to vegetable diet; but as the tench differs with 
 the carp upon vegetable diet, both being vegetarians, it 
 proves that fishes have discriminative tastes. 
 
 Most leather-mouthed fishes like both vegetable and ani- 
 mal diet, and the carp is said to devour young eels, frog- 
 spawn, fish-roe, and young fishes, including its own specie's, 
 
36 
 
 Fishing in American Waters. 
 
 kind of fish from tl^e mnmo w to the Halmon ; every thin., that 
 hves and moves bein, swallowed without-;o far'as ha:been 
 lectionT ^^ discrimination of species or much nicety of se- 
 
 8ECTI0N SIXTH. 
 
 ON SMELL IN FISHES. 
 
 bi'L"^ ':, '"' ""'"""'' '" ™'"^<l-'<"y connected wi.h 
 b eatl„ng,and wo ean not easily conceive how »moIl is pro- 
 Jueed except by a current of air, in wlaich odoriferous parU 
 cks are diff„sed,pas.ing through a moistened chan ,as'w 
 so admirably described by Schneider two hundred years ago 
 but m fishes wh.ch do not breathe, smell ean not be thus pro^ 
 
 fus 1 d """• •'^"'"' ""'""'' '' '^ S-d '^ -'J'""' ford f 
 fusng odors as air, and there is the less necessity for a cur- 
 rent of th.s being produced through the nostrils, al fish move 
 about so constantly through the water. Their nostrils, tter^ 
 fore, are generally large, but imperforate backward • that ! 
 they do not communicate with the throat; but in so^e fishes 
 
 space mto the mouth, and through this a current of water 
 may probably run. M. Dumeril and the Rev. W. B DitTi 
 hmk that, from the structure of the nostril and the want of 
 an aenal medmm for odors, fishes can not smell atTand 
 that the,r nostnls perform a function similar to taste- b^t "o 
 a late professor of .oology i„ King's College, London lis 
 upposmon appear, improbable. From all'that I ha"; 
 covered, I fee confident that a majority of anglers and m „ 
 of scenee beheve that smell in fishes is quite paLble Smell 
 .ng substances for enticing fish to the hook are eeommLd d 
 by too many honorable names to leave a shadow o"do„U 
 upon the subject. Walton, for example, reeommeLs numer 
 0U8 strong-smelling pastes for .attraetLg fish to the bait sit 
 .ng that "old Oliver Henley, now with! God, a noted fit; 
 
Composition Baits. 
 
 37 
 
 botli for trout and salmon," contended in favor of acuteness 
 in the smell of fishes. In an old volume on " The Secrets of 
 Angling," by J. Davors, publxshed in 1813, I find the fol- 
 lowing : 
 
 "To bless thy bait and make the fish to bite, 
 Lo! here's n means, if thou canst hit it right: 
 Take gum of life, well beat and laid to soak 
 In oil well drawn of ivy which kills the oak. 
 Fish where thou wilt, thou shalt have sport tlij- fill ; 
 When others fail, thou shalt be sure to kill. " 
 
 M. Chars, who was apothecary to Louis XIV., composed a 
 perfume which attracted all kinds of fresh-water fishes by the 
 use of cat's fat, heron's grease, the best asafoetida, Egyptian 
 mummy finely powdered, aniseed, camphor, galbanum, Ven- 
 ice turpentine, and civet. These he made into the consist- 
 ence of thin ointment by means of oil of lavender, of aniseed, 
 and camomile, which may be preserved for a year or two if 
 kept where the air is excluded. The bait and about eight 
 inches of line are directed to be anointed with this to attract 
 fish. 
 
 Of the numerous scented baits recommended, Walton Avrote 
 in favor of petroleum, and Daniell suggested that tar is most 
 attractive in the composition of a scented ointment for bait. 
 But the most fascinating of such pastes for fresh-water fishes is 
 that composed of the roe of salmon ; and I should be opposed 
 to its use if millions of salmon-eggs were not annually wasted 
 along most of the salmon rivers ; and it is to be hoped that, 
 by the means of science, some successful theory may soon be 
 adopted for turning this seed into the waters to restock them, 
 for it is morally revolting to an angler to contemplate the 
 great loss by the depletion of the waters from the waste of 
 ova. While the wholesale waste continues, those w^ho desire 
 to make bait from the roe of fishes should sprinkle it with 
 salt, and then put it down in a pot in alternate layers with 
 wool. Rev. W. B. Daniell advised the taking of a pound of 
 roe in September, and, after boiling it fifteen minutes, beat it 
 in a mortar until sufticiently mixed with an ounce of salt and 
 

 38 
 
 V 1 
 I! I 
 
 I. 18' " 
 
 i 
 
 r 
 
 I 
 
 1 
 
 FisniNG IN American Watkks. 
 
 an ounce of saltpetre, the membrane in whieh the spawn i, 
 ontamed being eareful.y pieked out; it i. then pSed i 
 
 that tjr""^ """^ ™<^ of »"«=■• fl*es would do as well a. 
 
 1 he tiefir r" '^.^"™°-'''— «- -ell, which 
 .ecms the chief attraction, is quite similar. A paste made i„ 
 
 Z TT ™'^f°"' ^"^"^^ ^""'"1- '^ ="- att™ ve Mu" 
 Tf thetoC" ■""' "'™' "'"^' *™-y - --^« 
 
 speettr™:u'i'flV''"r"' "" °"""' ''^'=^''™«' ^-^^ - 
 
 the I erfesTf n ', """'""'^ "^ *' ''"'"I P''-- "-' 
 
 le fact It fiT "" Z"°' "'"' *'"" <'^*'"'"^"' inclusively 
 the lact that fishes are gifted with tlie sense of smell. 
 
 SECTION SEVENTH. 
 OM IIEAEING IN PISHES. 
 
 ^^n^.::is-----:-^ 
 
 « ""wal:.""-"' '-^'"^^ '" verse-"harped a flsh out":' 
 ^Han tells us that the chad is allured by the sound of 
 cas^nets and in Germany they take these /sh s wU net 
 to which bows of wood hung with little bells are attaeWl 
 
 i:d ' Tr";: '° ""™" -■ '-™™y ->-' »"» ™ 
 
 moved. These fish, it is stated, will not ittnm^t ♦ 
 ■•vhile the bells continue to rin-^ OnTi r 7 *'"'"'"' 
 -PC people are in the hab': ellli,,? " ^:;' 1;:?.:' ""l 
 as o^er iishes i„ pouds, to bo fed at the si d otuu ^"" 
 Professor Bradley states that in Rotterdam at t oreserv^ 
 of carps owned by Mr. Eden, he saw then, fed. " -fi "c , 
 
 .^..e.tt ^::^r;, - 
 
 ™e.iat:^ttiS^i-i-tr:i--- 
 
Fishes have sensitive Eaes. 
 
 39 
 
 pond in duch numbers that there was scarcely room for them 
 to lie by one another, and then he threw some spinach-seed 
 among them, which they devoured very greedily. This sat- 
 isfied me that fishes have the sense of hearing." Sir Walter 
 Rogers, an English gentleman, had a pond of pikes which 
 members of his household called together at pleasure; and as 
 carnivorous fishes are more wild and untamable than are 
 those which feed on herbs, it offers the most palpable proof 
 that fishes hear. 
 
 M. Lebault advises fish culturists not to permit shooting 
 about the ponds for wild-fowl, etc., as it frightens, injures, 
 and destroys the fish. This opinion is also entertained by 
 celebrated physiologists ; and John Hunter, who describes the 
 ear of fishes— always, he says, important— as consisting of a 
 gristly substance, very hard and firm in parts, and in some 
 species crusted over Avith a thin plate of bone, so as not to 
 permit it to collapse. The ear of fishes he also remarked to 
 possess the singular peculiarity of increasing with the size 
 of the individual, whereas in quadrupeds it is nearly as large 
 m the young as in the full-grown animal. 
 
 " When in Portugal," said Dr. Hunter, " in 1762,1 observed 
 in a nobleman's garden near Lisbon a small fish-pond full 
 of difterent kinds of fishes. Its bottom was level with the 
 ground, and was made by forming a bank all round, with a 
 shrul>bery close to it. Wliile lying on the bank seeing the 
 fish, I desired a gentleman vt^ho was my comparion to go be- 
 hind the shrubs (that there be no reflection from the flash) 
 and fire his gun. The moment the report was made the fish 
 seemed universally affected, for they vanished immediately, 
 raising, as it wore, a cloud of mud from the bottom. In 
 about five minutes afterward they began to appear and 
 swim about as before." 
 
 The discussions of Dr. Munro, Geoffroi, Comparctti, Scarpa, 
 Weber, aiul De Blainville, may be referred to, as their works 
 
 fullv settle tl 
 
 le (jiicstion in favor of hearing in fishes. Web 
 
 discovered a communication between the 
 
 cr 
 
 ear in 11 dies and 
 
40 
 
 Fishing in American Watises. 
 
 ment at the magnitude of their nerve, of hearing 
 
 It IS snperfluous to multiply examoles of ti5L. „ • 
 when cane., by a .histle or a'b'ell. So t^ZZ^^ 
 
 pol tTrau'ee"":"'""" f """^ '' "™- 'o™'-" 
 Tn M cfr ' Tf? **' d,ief of the Fisheries Commis- 
 
 heai, but that some of them talk ! From all the evidence 
 
Large and anxious Families. 
 
 41 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 FECUNDITY OF FISHES. 
 
 First. Mammalia, including whales, porpoises, and all fish- 
 es which bring forth alive and suckle their young, whethei^v 
 herbivorous or carnivorous, seldom have mors than one or 
 two young at a birth, which sailors term calves. 
 
 Second. The families of which the salmon and trout are 
 the heads are called by naturalists the genus Salmo. These 
 fishes have the palpable mark of an adipose second dorsal 
 fin ; their meat is of a tint between mallow and pink, and 
 they are regarded by anglers and epicures as the highest 
 game and most luxurious fishes of the oviparous class, or 
 those fishes which replenish their species by laying ego-s 
 which are vivified by the milt of the male, and then, after a 
 time, the eggs hatch hi the water. This process is common 
 to all egg-laying fishes; but, while eggs of the salmo genus 
 require from three to four months to hatch, those of the du- 
 pea genus hatch in as many days. Seth Green hatched shad 
 artificially on the Connecticut River within forty hours from 
 the time the ova and milt fell into the hatdiing-boxes in the 
 stream-being the main current of the river-and not in 
 boxes so placed as that a stream should run through or over 
 them, but anchored so as to float in the current of the river 
 submerging a sufficient portion of them for keeping the eo-.s 
 covered with water to a sufficient depth. A salmon is sm,- 
 posed to ay a thousand eggs for every pound the mother 
 fish weighs, consequently they average from ten to thirtv 
 thousand for eacli ])air. ^ 
 
 Third. Included in this class are all the oviparous tribes 
 but those of the genus ^almo. The number of eggs in the 
 
42 
 
 Fishing in American Waters. 
 
 lit m 
 
 ha?f -11 . *^^f^^^P.-nd the sturgeon produce from 
 ha fa million to a million and a half, the celebrated Dutch 
 naturahst Leuwenhoeck reckoned that the codfish contains 
 over mne millions of eggs. This estimate was ba^ed upon 
 weighing accurately a small part of the roe and counting th. 
 eggs, then weighing the remainder, and estimating the whole 
 from the part counted. Without doubt the fecundity of all 
 ^le food-fishes of the sea is beyond human estimate; so that, 
 
 a^t bo'l' Vr^ "'^ ""' '™^*^'^^ ^^ '''' ^^'^ fi«h^«> the 
 
 Ire t f "^.1. '' '''"''^' ''''^^ ^ ^^^ y^^^-«' become too 
 
 great for the waters to contain. 
 
 SECTION SECOND. 
 voracity of fishes. 
 
 pa,t of the food for larger ones, md even those full grown 
 oft n meet m fierce combat, when the one whieh hfstLe 
 widest ti„..t come, off victorious by swallowing his oppo 
 to an ^^^f •I'-S ->"looded animals, are not "susceptible 
 to an acute sense of pam ; thus it does not hurt an eel ueh 
 to be skmned and a shark has been observed to seek pr y for 
 
 ^JLT "f T' P'"^"" °^''^'"''' "■""'»« domesticated 
 m p nvate ponds, do not fail occasionally to devour such 
 members of their own family as venture near enough, st 
 Wilham Jardu.e states that "the lake trout are vet rapa- 
 cious, and, after attaining the weight of three or four pound, 
 
 fwn yZtr'"''"''' °" ^™^" '^^''•"O' «P-'"'g -en thei.: 
 
 This bei°„g t.™ of the finny tribes generally, how malapro- 
 pos IS the sympathy extended for them by good souls who 
 do not understand the savage character of the^ cronLir 
 sohctnde. Such was the poet Dr. Walcott, author of 1 fo. 
 lowing verses: 
 
Ceuelty of Fishes. 
 
 43 
 
 " Why flyest thou away with fear? * 
 
 Trust me, there's naught of danger near : 
 
 I have no wicked hook, 
 All covered with a smarting bait, 
 Alas ! to tempt thee to thy fate, 
 
 And drag thee from the brook. 
 Oh harmless tenant of the flood, 
 I do not wish to spill thy blood ; 
 
 For nature unto thee 
 Perchance ha? given a tender wife. 
 And children dear, to charm thy life, 
 
 As she hath done to me. 
 Enjoy thy stream, oh harmless fish, 
 And when an angler, for his dish. 
 
 Through gluttony's vile sin 
 Attemi)ts — a wretch — to pull thee out, 
 God give thee strength, oh gentle trout. 
 
 To pull the rascal in !" 
 
 Instances are common of fishes following a hooked one, and, 
 while it is being played by the angler, biting pieces out of 
 it, and sometimes swallowing it, so that both are landed. It 
 may be readily inferred from this that small fish form at- 
 tractive bait. Fish evince no mercy for any living thini>- 
 which inhabits the waters, and most of the angler's fishes 
 feed readily on their own broods. As fish are generally at- 
 tracted by the sight or smell of blood, ro>l feathers, burnt 
 wool, and scarlet braid, etc., are found to fascinate them when 
 attached to trolls; especially is this proven to be the case 
 in trolling for bluefish, black bass, and maskinonge. 
 
 I therefore conclude that, as the principal food of all fishes 
 consists of animals and animalculse, with water-insects, and 
 the spawn deposited in the waters, these last seeming to form 
 the dainties most eagerly sought by them, so the unlimited 
 voracity of fishes, which has no counterpart in any other 
 branch of animal creation, may be one of the means wiseiy 
 ordered to check an excessive multiplication ; and that their 
 extraordinary fecundity is probably a provision of nature for 
 supplying an adequate amount of food, upon the same prin- 
 ciple that land insects are so crreatlv multinlipd nrnhahlxr fny 
 supplying food to birds. 
 
44 
 
 Fishing in Aaiekica^j Waters. 
 
 i 
 
 SECTION THIRD. 
 
 TIMES OP FEEDING AND HAUNTS OP PISHES 
 
 Most fish are said to be night-feeders, yet all of them feed 
 
 the night, and are tempted to come abroad when the weathp! 
 
 IS so cloudy as to resemble twili^^ht so auTZ^l 
 +},;„ f„„-i ,. . *^^"o"^j »o aiso tne nshe?. With 
 
 this farther peonharUy, that a turbid sta ,„ ,™te,' from 
 
 recent ra.Bs may so dim the light that t. ,. wUl bUe wZ 
 the sun shines brightly. 
 
 When the weather is bright and the water dear most 
 fishes Iceep their places of retirement, some amongtedsTnd 
 other w^ter-plants, some nnder banks or ledges of rock Inrt 
 ■ng m deeper and deeper water as the weather becomt 
 warmer, so that the feeding-level for lake tront. whTeh is oftet 
 
 I "^ ; :f1 '"\ '" ""'' ^P™S. i^ found from flf; 
 a hundred feet below the surface in July and Auo-ust rL,. 
 fishes «ek the shade of overhanging t.es; C u^* 
 stones; some squattnig close to the ground over SBrins-t 
 sand, or „. the sludge at the bottom off he wateT I™! 
 ent waters, however, there are peculiarities of cu,-re„ts od 
 d.es, and pools that fish are fond of haunting eonee™i„t 
 «*.ch no practical rule of general utility can II ^ZZ^ 
 
 ^^uVh^^Lg^r™ ^^^'""^ «'^"'' -- "^ «-^' "*■ 
 
 STRENGTH AND PEOPCLSIVE POWEE. 
 
 The true indication of a fish's strength is found in fh. 
 shape of its head and shoulders back to'the fl^t d rsal fin 
 while .ts speed or propulsive power is shown by its shanj 
 from the front of the second dorsal and anal fins tott et 
 of the ta. 1, and the shape of this caudal continuation. Of the 
 o,fed.ta,|,.t has already been remarked that the swordflsl 
 
 while of the square-tails the brook trout and squetea<.ue an 
 supposed to propel with th,. greatest velocity. \n,::g I": 
 
Peofessok Bokelli's Experiments. 
 
 46 
 
 which unite the greatest velocity with the greatest degree of 
 strength must be reckoned the whale ; for, struck with a har- 
 poon or spear with a line attached, the leviathan of the watery 
 darts down into the deep with such velocity that if the line 
 were to entangle it would either bo broken or the boat would 
 be capsized. Upon the act of striking a whale, therefore, one 
 man is stationed to give his whole attention to the line run- 
 ning off clear, while another is employed to pour water con- 
 tinually on the wood over which the line runs, to prevent ig- 
 nition by friction. The angler knows that the sheepshead 
 has this power of diving with the velocity of lightning ; so 
 have all fishes which are swift and wide compared to their 
 length. In diving or darting upward, the swim-bladder is a 
 great assistance, as it is found to be compressed while the 
 fish is at the bottom, and expanded when the fish is on the 
 surface of the water. Probably the salmon and the bluefish 
 unite the greatest amount of muscular strength to the great- 
 est power of propulsion. Other fishes of our coast, such as 
 the Spanish mackerel, bonetta, cerus, and the horse mackerel, 
 add to the muscularity of the salmon and bluefish the propul- 
 sive power of the swordfish and the dolphin. The pectorals, 
 ventrals, and anal fins assist the fish in maintaining its bal- 
 ance or level position of body. In experimenting upon the 
 use of fins. Professor Borelli, of Naples, ascertained that after 
 clipping off the pectoral, ventral, and anal fins of fishes, all 
 their motions became unsteady, and they reeled from right to 
 left, and up and down, in such irregular manner as to prove 
 that they were left at the mercy of their voracious neighbors 
 of the deep. 
 
46 
 
 Fishing in Ameeican Watebs. 
 
 CHAPTER in. 
 
 COAST AND ESTUARY FISHES. 
 As the fishes of the Atlantic coast of North America in- 
 cud,„g those ofthe estuaries and tidal waters which debouch 
 along our coast, are more numerous, and include a greater va- 
 
 do the fi^ '' -l' n^^" ^"' ^^^ ^—-1 iisheLa tVan 
 neaily every American angler of a tidal river regards the 
 ^nped bass as the fish of fishes, .a. excellence to be angled 
 
 hist on the list, and showing some ofthe artistic ways for 
 taking him. j ^^^ 
 
 The Stkiped Bass. 
 
 This fish, so beautiful and gamesome, is peculiar to the 
 tidal waters and estuaries ofthe rivers which empty on the 
 coast of the Atlantic from Portland to Norfolk. The striped 
 bass IS known farther north and south, but it exists in the 
 most perfect state in the rivers and along the coast between 
 the points named. It affords good sport with light tackle 
 when Its weight is but half a pound; and it trie^ both the 
 metal and skill of an angler after it rises to the ponderou 
 importance often pounds, though it is said to attain to the 
 
Api ^abance aot) Habits of Stkiped Bass. 47 
 
 weight of nearly a hundred. I have captured but one which 
 weighed over forty pounds, although I have angled for them 
 every season for the past thirty years. It. is great game 
 when weighing any where from ten to thirty pounds. In 
 muscular power the striped bass equals the salmon, but it 
 lacks the caudal power for leaping, which is so palpable in 
 the form of a salmon, back of its adipose fin, including its 
 crescent-shaped tail. 
 
 This fish is known south of New Jersey as the rockfish ; 
 but as no two ichthyologists agree upon a classical name for 
 the fish, it had probably best be called the name by which it 
 is known where the greatest numbers are taken, and there it 
 is known only as the striped bass ; and as there is no other 
 fish which at all resembles it, there is no chance of mistake. 
 It approximates the Perca genus, the front dorsal fin being 
 composed of seven spinous or spiked rays, and having two 
 nearly concealed spines. Its scales are rather large, and of. 
 metallic lustre; gill-covers serrated and edges sharp. The 
 color of the back is a blending of black, blue, and green, light- 
 mg to bluish-gray at the sides, and to a satin white belly. 
 The longitudinal stripes are usually seven or eight in number, 
 and are like narrow black braids, sparkling with silver or 
 diamonds and emerald. Its symmetry, marks, and satin sheen 
 render it one of the most picturesque and interesting fishes in 
 the world, independent of its great game, generous play, and 
 luxury as a dinner fish. 
 
 The striped bass is eminently domestic in his habits He 
 IS not given to wandering or vagrancy. He is generally to 
 be found at home and in good condition. The female de- 
 posits her eggs in fresh and brackish waters, but never in the 
 sea. In November the bass shoal and congregate in brackish 
 water-ponds, or back waters of tidal rivers, or in the bays and 
 bayous of rivers which have an outlet to the sea, after which 
 time It will not take bait until the following spring, after 
 having spawned and returned to active waters. The pond<^ 
 formed by the back water of the Seconnet River were a few 
 
M 
 
 FiSHINO IH Ameeicin VVatees. 
 
 ^.nters smce so full „f rtriped bass that tl.o flsl, were di, 
 covered by the r dorsal fins in the ice, whore they had be „ 
 frozen by too .Jose packin.. The ice was cut, aul hundred" 
 of cart-loads were pi, .ed out with forks 'and taken t 
 
 Striped bass will live and increase when confined to fresh 
 water, but .ts shape then becomes changed, and instead oft 
 symmetry and lustre when having access to both fresh and 
 
 tUlant. Th,s I discorvered in those I took in the upper part 
 of Lake Ontano, audit corroborates the opinion whichlhave 
 hea.-d expressed by other angle,, and fish' ulturists 
 
 These fish dehght in rocky shoals, among which they flan 
 then- tads and rub their scales as they pros;ect for S'a 
 
 .cac.es Their great power and swiftness enable them to for- 
 ■age with impunity for disabled menhaden, spearing shrimD 
 c^bs she der lobsters etc., among the bre'akls, rfiihey Zh 
 
 .mes, when the sea ,s agitated, that casting for them from 
 
 hatangln" r ""7/'''^''"»"'^ ■'^"'^'"S -^ -"active 
 man angling tor any other game fish 
 
 tvlfir^'r ■""■'""' "^"y ^^"''^ «»• <"'Pt«rins this beau- 
 ^ of the estuary, the chief of which are still-baitto. from a" 
 ^mchored boat along the edge of the tide, trolling w^Zive 
 
 .^..o.-es and islands «rYol I M^^n:^;!' ^« 
 
 SECTION SECOND. 
 
 AXGLING FOR STRIPED BASS, 
 
 In order that the reader may proximately realize the ',ar- 
 
 w tr 1 ''"''' ^" " ' ^^"^ fish, I propose taking Z 
 with me on several excursions after the lustrous beauty 
 ..nd, first, we will try him in the vicinity of Is^cw York Tjfe 
 
Effects of an easterly Wind. 49 
 
 weather and tide are favorable, and the moon is right for giv- 
 ing hsh an excellent appetite and great activity. Fishes in 
 waters near the ocean bite best in the first quarter of the 
 .noon, while those which are up rivers and creeks, near fresh 
 water, bite best at full tides, and immediately after a « nor'- 
 easter," when the wind, having backed round by the south 
 has settled m the northwest. You may prove these facts' 
 without going a dozen miles from the metropolis ; and I have 
 always noticed that it is better fishing in « the Kills" and at 
 the hedges of Newark Bay, as well as at those in the lower 
 pm-t of the Bay of New York, when the tide is low, whileihe 
 hslnng at King's Bridge and Spuyten Duyvel is best at verv' 
 high t.des The only exception to this rule is applicable to 
 
 h5 Ms. "^ ^ ' ^""''^ ^'^^ ''''^' ^''' ^""»8- 
 
 .utl7'%'''\^''uV^^ ^''' to-morrow, suppose we make a 
 lay of It ? \\ ell, that being agreed to, we will first try Har- 
 lem River, or the creek at King's Bridge. Being an angler 
 you of course know that the baits here are confined to shrimp 
 c^1rly m spring and late in autumn; to soft-shell and shedder 
 crab m the summer and until the middle of October; after 
 which soft-shell clam for the English Neighborhood Bridge 
 and shnmp, with an occasional shedder lobster, serve as baits 
 in the vicinity of New York, except for trolling in Hell Gate 
 where we use squid; and for fishing in the surf at Newport' 
 and along the coast generally, the menhaden is preferred' 
 ^had roe is frequently recommended for bass bait. I once 
 tried It at Saybrook, near the mouth of the Connecticut Riv- 
 er, where the bass were said to bite it unconditionally but 
 though I stood on the platform and fished from it, I did not 
 capture a single fish. It was not because the bass did not 
 like the bait, but rather that the great depth of wa.er and 
 strength of tide obliged me to fish with a heavy tracing 
 smker, and the fish stole my bait before it settled c^ the bot- 
 tom because I was not prepared with the means of nomas 
 niusim wherein to tie the bait over the hook. I have' never 
 
 D 
 
 I 
 
50 
 
 Fishing in American Waters. 
 
 I 
 
 
 tried the bait since, and though it is very attractive, it is un- 
 pleasant to use. The thousands of barrels of shad cured 
 there every shad season, when the roe is thrown into the 
 river, attracts myriads of strijied bass every May and June, 
 causing a regret that Seth Green could not use the roe of 
 this delicious esculent for restocking the river as he does at 
 Holyoke. 
 
 Of course tackle is of the utmost importance. As we are 
 to angle for small bass, with crab and shrimp bait, we will 
 rig light, and as represented by the following engraving : 
 
 Tackle for taking Small Bass 
 
 A. Solid Cork-float. B. Swivel Siuker. C. Piece of the top of Rod, showing the 
 double guides ; on one side bell-metal, and the other agate. D. Agate or Caraeli- 
 an tip to screw into the top of the rod. E. Upper Hook, rigged a foot above the oth- 
 er hook for shrimp. P. Lower Hook, for baiting with shedder crab. G, H. Single- 
 gut Leader. 1. Line ; of either linen twisted or silk braided ; very small, uo larirer 
 than for trout, but from 300 to 400 feet in length. 
 
 The reel should be a multiplier, Avithout any stop, check, 
 or drag ; it should be of brass, German silver, or bell-metal, 
 run on steel or agate pivots, and Avith a balance crank. 
 
 The rod for this style of fishing should be from 9 to 1 1 
 
Angling at King's Bridge. 51 
 
 feet long, bearing in mind that a short, stiff rod is the best 
 to cast with, but not so good to pUiy a fish with light run- 
 ning-tackle. Of course the size of float and weight of sinker 
 will be changed to suit the waters and the tides. 
 
 ".See that all things be right, 
 For 'twould be a spite 
 To want tools when a man goes a-fishing." — Cotton, 
 
 You perceive that I have selected one hook with an 
 O'Shaughnessy bend (E), and the other (F) an Aberdeen. 
 
 Well, brother angler, a night of sound sleep, and our in- 
 comparable breakfast at the Astor, with our drive over the 
 Bloomingdale Road this beautiful morning, has so enlivened 
 me to a sense of the beautiful that I feel assured we shall 
 have good sport to-day, and enjoy it. This is King's Bridge, 
 the name of the most spicy and succulent oyster that ever 
 graced the cuisine of a Dorlon. Our horse will be well cared 
 for at this hotel, for the host— an admirable caterer— appre- 
 ciates anglers. 
 
 We will first see what sport there is to be had at the east 
 bridge, where we will joint our rods, and rig sinkers and floats 
 according to the movement of the tide. I perceive that the 
 tide is just on the turn to flood. Rig light for half an hour, 
 and then change to heavier sinker and larger float. I. like 
 bridge fishing, for, after making a cast, you may humor your 
 line so as to lead the bait in the most angling manner from 
 current to current ; and then, in striking at a bite forty yards 
 off, there is so much sport in playing your fish until you get 
 him into the slack water formed by the piers of the bridge ; 
 and, being from 8 to 10 feet above the water, you generally 
 fasten the fish at the first bite. Strike ! You've hooked him ! 
 There ! give hijn play, but feel his weight, and make him con- 
 tend for every foot of line you give him, or he will tak- the 
 whole without exhausting himself, and you will lose him. 
 Do not permit him to run back on you, for that is a favorite 
 <lodge of these striped sides to get slack line, and enable them 
 to dislodge the hook. Keep your rod up nearly perpendicu- 
 
52 
 
 I'iSHiNG IN American Waters. 
 
 lar, giving him the benefit of its spring, for he is bony-mouth- 
 ed, though the teeth in his upper jaw are too small and short 
 to bite or even chafe off a siik-worm gut snell. Keep your 
 fish out of the swiftest of the tide, and, after playing him un- 
 til he succumbs from exhaustion, land him on the shore, for 
 he is too heavy to lift upon the bridge. Well done ! Now 
 bait quickly and cast for another. You perceive that at the 
 foot of the rapid tide the bass lie in wait for bait, for our 
 floats dip at that place. But the fish move away from there 
 after the tide gets running its full strength, and an hour is all 
 of first-rate fishing we may expect in one tide, therefore it is 
 necessary to be active in baiting and expert at casting and 
 playing a fish, always using shrimp on the upper hook and 
 shedder on the lower one, when you use two baits at a time 
 m this style of fishing. Now, as the tide has become too 
 swift for float-fishing, just step into this boat, and we will row 
 down to the first island in the creek, seventy-five rods beyond 
 the west bridge, and try Spuyten Duyvel Creek. The fish 
 are smaller here, but they bite more generously. I took 1 74 
 here m one day, and yet Judge Brevoort, my companion, 
 beat me by one fish. - See ! one on each hook at every cast ! 
 Say you not that angling for small bass with light tackle 
 forms a pleasing excitement? Well, having fished out the 
 tide, suppose we return to the hotel and take our vehicle for 
 iiome ? This place is accessible by public conveyances over 
 several routes, but as it is only eleven miles from the City 
 Hall, I prefer to drive out. We have taken between thirty 
 and forty bass which scale from half a pound to a pound 
 each— only three two-pound fish and one three-pounder; and 
 this may be regarded as an average morning's sport. 
 
 SECTION THIRD. 
 
 TROLLING IN HELL GATE. 
 
 You doubtless perceived, brother singler, that the sport 
 which we yesterday enjoyed at King's Bridge might be 
 i>racticed and greatly relished by ladies. Many ladies of 
 
Angling suited to Ladies. 
 
 63 
 
 New York and its suburbs are experts at casting a fly for 
 trout or a bait for bass ; and, in my opinion, they lend one 
 of the principal charms to ruralizing. I do not like the pent- 
 up, hide-bound, cynical geniuses of the Diogenes quality, nor 
 yet of those bachelors whose rectangular apartments each 
 side of a hall in our hotels are not inappropriately consider- 
 ed by some as stalls for the stray oxen of society. I agree 
 with Brother Lathv that 
 
 "No scenes more suited are to themes of love, 
 Than whilst on rivers' banks you fish and rove ; 
 T' instruct the fair tlie happy lover tries, 
 And, grateful, she rewards him with her eyes. 
 No longer, then, our angling sports disdain, 
 Since Venus sprung from Ocean poets feign, 
 Rising all beauteous from the briny main : 
 As, of our grief, do thou partake our pleasure— 
 Our life, our heart, our soul, our earthly treasure!" 
 
 When you decide to tvdll for a day over the tumultuously- 
 seethmg and hissing waters of Hell Gate, where an oarsman 
 must know the tides and shoals to keep his boat right side 
 up, you will require heavier tackle, and will therefore select 
 them from the plate of " implements for angling in lakes 
 bays, rivers," etc., on the following page. 
 
 Select a rod from 8 to 9 feet long, like A,B,C,in the *en- 
 
 <ii' 
 
 aving Let it taper regularly and be rather heavy. The 
 butt and second joint should be made of ash, and the top of 
 lancewood. Bell-metal top and guides are best for mount- 
 ing a trolling-rod, while agate or carnelian are best for the 
 purpose of casting a long distance, as the friction is less on 
 jewels than on metals. The guides for all kinds of bass 
 angling should be large enough to pass a knot in the line 
 through theni. In ringing rods for salmon and trout, the 
 rings should be diminished in size from butt to tip, as the 
 rods taper; but such is not the case with bass guides, all of 
 which should be equal in size and shape, and polished for th0 
 Ime to run smoothly. Large guides are a modern inventioti!^ 
 About ten years ago I was fishing at West Island-that par- 
 
A' B.C. Butt, middle joiut, and top of a Brass Rod. D. Baiting Needle. E. Sinker 
 TrarhiJ'sfnknt''»?.'i'^- ^^\^''^k' ^^'^ohvin,, four inches acrJs the bend. Vl^ Ova 
 Bp«?^^f^ »^f ' ^"^ ^'^}^ through centre. H. Swivel Sinker. I. Pivot multiplying 
 I^nk^r K^Wo^'l';""""^ ^\^\T ^Y'r«'' <■"'• fl«l''"g "» the bottom with trac nf 
 ?««,?;>, ^" ^«"?ee, to fasten trolling sinker E for the different lengths of squid. L. 
 u^.lf'^r ,11"''^'* ^' tl.'. ^^•'*'=*> the line is attached; length optional. M. Heavy 
 O Srnfl'nprfi'r'iT.M^- ^^^^^'^ ^*°"'? I ?'"''-"' strong/well tempered, SmmtV bend*. 
 ?;.,,i ? V",^*^ f"*^ c Itch ng shrimp, or, with larger meshes, a landing-net l^ro.l. Shank- 
 bended Hook, with line fastened bv three Imlf hiK-h^s fo nuL'l" f(<- -r r'i=^ int'-Mu. 
 "?•» l"r,l'"ge striped bass, a and y. Smaller jsizes, for casting menhaden bait or 
 still-bnitlng witli heavy tracing sinker. 4. Kinsey bend, or I'ennsylvan rilook ' 6 
 OShaughuessybend. 6. Sproafs bead. 7 and 8. 'Kendal Hooks. ""'"""""• "' 
 
How TO Squid a Hook. 
 
 55 
 
 adise of the bass angler— when one morning I was awakened 
 from my early slumbers by the loud calls of Hosier, my gaff- 
 er, who had tried a cast with one of my rods from the Table 
 Rock, and, in casting, had thrown a knot in the line about 
 thirty feet from the reel ; and, as the guides were too small 
 to pass the knot. Hosier, to prevent the fish from getting 
 • slack line, ran back as the fish came toward shore, and ran 
 forward when the fish carried off too much line, calling lusti- 
 ly for me as he ran backward and forward in great excite- 
 ment. . I finally relieved him of the rod in due time, and he 
 gaffed the bass, which Aveighed twenty-two pounds. Smce 
 then I have all guides made large enough to pass a small 
 pea. Double guides are best, unless you have Pritchard's 
 patent guides, which turn on a fixed metallic band. It is al- 
 ways best to disjoint a rod when done fishing for the day, 
 and then change the sides of the two upper joints every day| 
 as it prevents the rod from warping or setting. 
 
 The reel, like I, should carry 600 feet of hawser-laid Imen 
 line, of from twelve to fifteen threads, thus rendering it about 
 the size of a fine salmon line; but the line should be free from 
 any oily composition, and a dip in dye to give it a greenish 
 shade is beneficial. Never, by any chance, use a check reel 
 for coast or estuary fishing. Depend on the pressure of your 
 thumb for checking the fish, and wear knitted thumb-stalls. 
 Hooks like H, with taper shank and loop of linen line, the 
 same size as that on the reel, extending six inches beyond 
 the end of the shank. Place your squid along the hook so 
 that the extreme bend of the hook will be opposite its eyes, 
 when slide up sinker on loop E toward L until the sinker is' 
 even with the other end of the squid. By this process your 
 tackle will fit your squid. Then fasten E to its place by K ; 
 hook the squid back of its mouth, running tlio point forward,' 
 and turning it down so as to bring the point out between the 
 eyes ; attach loop L to the baiting-needle ; draw the sinker up 
 thi-ough the ink-snok. or body, and attach the loop to the end 
 of the reel-line, and you will be ready to commence trolling. 
 
 I 
 
In' 
 
 Ini ;;'! 
 
 56 
 
 Fishing in American Wa' 
 
 TEKS. 
 
 Those who employ a man to row and gaff the fish would 
 do well to direct him to squid half a dozen hooks before start- 
 ing, and lay them aside in the boat under some wet rock-weed 
 before leaving shore. If you have ever been trolling-as I 
 have-when large bass were biting generously, you will real- 
 ize the force of this advice. It is unpleasant to be trolling 
 in rough waters, and, when a bass strikes the back of your 
 hook and takes your bait without fastening, to be obliged to ' 
 stop and squid a hook before proceeding. 
 
 Now for the fray ! Our boats are made by Hughes, fellow- 
 apprentice of George Steers; and with Sile Wright and Sandv 
 Gibson as guides and gaffers, we shall be sculled over all the 
 favorite trolhng grounus from the ferry below to the Drowned 
 Marsh above Ward's Island. Our first move will be toward 
 lide Rock, swinging Big and Little Mill Rocks on the way • 
 then we shall glide over the Hen and Chickens, swinr. Holt's' 
 Rock on the Hog's Back, round Nigger Point, and, stopping at 
 .John Hilhker's to rest, enjoy a piece of incomparable apple- 
 pie and a glass of milk served by two charming ladies. While 
 indulging these ruminations one day, as my friend was swina. 
 mg* Holt's Rock, he hooked a large bass and played it all th^e 
 way roui 1 the east end of Ward's Island to Chowder Eddy, 
 where, on landing, it weighed twenty pounds. 
 
 The sketch on the opposite page represents my friend as 
 the bass first rose and laid its course. 
 
 I was not so fortunate as my friend ; for, as my squid was 
 struck by a large bass, Sile said he heard the rod crack; but 
 the fish made such a long, vigorous run, that I scarcely 'real- 
 ized what he said, and, alier turning the fish and reelin- hiu) 
 in gradually, he broke water with a leap, clearing the sinface 
 and revealing a forty-pounder. While turning and bringin..' 
 hira toward the boat for the third time, he darted down an.^i 
 
 * Swinging a ro,ck is done by the oarsman holding the boat sixty feet from 
 the rock and swinging it so that the troll will move about the rock on all 
 sides and play as if alive. This art is possessed in great perfection by Hell 
 (iat« oarsmen. j "tm 
 
A "Word on Gaffing. 
 
 57 
 
 Fish and Tide Ikresistible 
 
 snapped the middle joint of my rod in two, when I threw the 
 broken rod down at my feet and took hold of the line; the 
 iish made but feeble resistance, and I towed him alongside 
 the boat and shouted to Sile for the gaff, but he had thought- 
 lessly placed it in tlie other boat. I then endeavored to put 
 my hand m his mouth, and, while in the act, the fish turned 
 over, breaking the hook and bleeding profusely as he settled 
 ott mto the tide, leaving us astonished and almost desperate 
 On exammation, I learned that a flaw in the hook had been 
 the cause of our loss of the Iish; but had we rowed ashore 
 and towed the fish after the rod broke, we should probably 
 have landed him. I have never since been caught trollino- or 
 anglmg for large bass without a gaff and tried hooks ; and as 
 the gaff IS an implement of such high importance, I have given 
 the shape and description in another part of this book • but 
 the one shaped like F among the "implements," and from 3 
 to 4i mches across the bend from point to shank, made with 
 a screw to fit into the gaff handle, leaves little to be desired 
 In usmg it, drop it below the fish, point upward, and as it is 
 raised to the fi.h, the fish settles against it, and a simple jerk 
 impales it. Do not strike a fish with the gaff; insert the 
 
58 
 
 Fishing in Amekican Watees. 
 
 gaff gently beneath, and it will be hooked with the utmost 
 ease. 
 
 Well, with broken rod and tangled line, I ordered Sile to row 
 away froih the scene of our misfortune. I found my friend 
 at Hammock Rocks, his fish laid out in state on rock-grass, 
 and he mutely bending over it with a face radiant with pleas- 
 urable satisfaction at his achievement. . Trolling, to him, was 
 a new-born pleasure, and his first capture a trophy of which 
 a slayer of lionP might be justly proud. It would be super- 
 fluous to add, we drank to the study for a Stearns or a 
 Bracket as it lay shining on the pallet of sea-grass. Sandy 
 commiserated Sile's misfortune at losing the large bass. In 
 the centre of a radius containing the most picturesque land- 
 scape near the metropolis, we rested, wondered, and admired. 
 " The skies tlieir fairest canvas spread 
 When the angler goes a-troHing ; 
 Eelenting clouds float overhead, 
 And tears and smiles alternate shed, 
 When the angler goes a-trolling. "— Stoddart, 
 Having toasted the health and appetite of bass in that 
 neighborhood in a glass of sherry, and replaced the broken 
 joint of my rod with a sound one, we again seated ourselves 
 in our boats, and commenced trolling the Little Gate, the 
 Kills, and all about Randall's and Ward's Islands, and, after 
 the usual alternatives of hopes, fears, and moments of ecstasy 
 we finished up a mess of seven bass between us, the largest 
 nearly thirty, and the smallest four pounds in weight. 
 
 Well, having given you a taste of the sport on the waters 
 bounding Manhattan Island on tlie north and east, let us an- 
 chor our boat near the lower hedges of New York Bay and 
 learn how different bottom fishing with a tracing sinker is 
 from both trolling and angling with a float. 
 
 SECTION FOURTH. ~ 
 
 STILL-BAITING FOR BASS. 
 
 Use a stifiish rod, like A,B,C on the page of implements. 
 It should be from eight to nine feet in length. The Japan 
 
Rig fok Bottom Fishing. 
 
 59 
 
 bamboo pole, being a rod without joints, of the same lengtli, 
 and mounted the same, with top and guides of agate or car- 
 nelian ; multiplying reel like I, which shall carry from four to 
 six hundred feet of fine linen or silk dine. Linen is the best 
 for bottom fishing, but it should be made of the finest and 
 strongest flax or hemp. You may use a double-gut leader, 
 three fourths of a yard long, or make a leader frc >ur line, 
 which I prefer when bottom fishing for bass ranging from 
 three pounds upward ; then one hook only is used. Use a 
 tracing sinker in the form of a long roll or cylinder of lead, 
 three fourths of an inch in diameter, with a hole for the line 
 longitudinal, cutting oif the weight required for a sinker ; or 
 let it be an oval form, as represented by G, with a swivel to 
 stop it at the top end of the leader, like J. The swivel should 
 be brass; all swivels for use in salt water should be brass, 
 for steel is soon corroded. Thrust your line through the 
 sinker, and attach the end of your line to a swivel, and your 
 leader to. the other end of tlie swivel. This leader may be 
 either linen or double gut of the silk-worm. If the latter, 
 the hook wil] require tying or Avinding on with waxed thread ; 
 if the former, the hook should be headed like a pin, and the 
 line fastened to it by three half hitches, as if for fishing with 
 menhaden bait. Shedder or soft-shell crab is preferred for 
 bait ; but, if it can not be pi ared, use shedder lobster. 
 
60 
 
 Fishing rs American Waters. 
 
 I I 
 
 ab!!.::' I:::!,".:' £J1::: t ^^"" ^^^^ ""■■ »=- "-e. 
 
 til tho ,i,l„ 7 t '"' '""'so. and fish toward it un 
 
 into eia„::,::f^, ^:^:z:zzt " "-' ^^^^ 
 
 by the space, left in the mer^nTZZM^rHr' 
 
 eti:.Zo^rtLitrr;i-"-^^^^^^^^^^^ 
 
 and, if thev feel ,l,„ I , ? " *""' '>"<' 'lash away, 
 
 "b.a.i„,'wa::;t z rett;::r,:':;;::?e: '-'-' 
 
 thumbstalirorCts on the^h f """"''''" "'""J'' *-'■ 
 
 will reel up, or he tvill ores lyHn; and bvtec ''^'' ' 
 tangled, you may lose your fish After .n'^-"^^ '"■ 
 - to require a /aff. if is best io ifave bo L ,' ^T 7 ""^' 
 •scap-net in the boat for such fishint ^''''"' ^'^'^^^ 
 
 Our sport bids fair to-dav Wo hn^rn i ^ 
 clozen bass.besido« a fev^ l^o ^'7,^^^'^^^^ t^^en a 
 - a Ie^. .^uetcague and biackfish, and the 
 
The Luxury of a Lunch. ' Qi 
 
 tide is not yet full ; but perhaps we had better use the last 
 of the flood tide to help us up to the light-house on Ber- 
 gen Point Reef, for the best time there is just after the tide 
 has turned ebb, when I never failed of an hour's brisk sport. 
 Let's, therefore, up with our killick and man the sculls, which, 
 with the tide, will carry us there in twenty minutes. 
 
 Well, brother angler, our good arms, assisted by the tide, 
 have enabled us to arrive in time for me to cast anchor on' 
 this, my favorite ground. The tide is just high-water slack. 
 Our landmarks are right. Let go the anchor. Be seated 
 and ready, but do not cast until the boat toles by a decided 
 ebb of the tide. In the mean time suppose we lunch ? Now, 
 as we enjoy these broiled squab, buttered biscuit, and a mod- 
 icum of claret to moisten them, we will feast our eyes upon 
 the captivating scenery. Comparatively few understand the 
 pleasures of boat fishing. It is removed from the dust and 
 hurry-scurry of terra Jirma. Our position enables us to sur- 
 vey several shores and the employments of busy life. What 
 can be more lovely on a mild autumn day than scenes like 
 these from a boat ? We are near enough to the metropolis 
 to hear its noises subdued into a musical monotone. That 
 raountam which you perceive at the head of Newark Bay— 
 of which we are at the foot-is Snake Hill, at the confluence 
 of the waters of the Passaic and the Hackensack, which emp- 
 ty at each prong of the fork formed by the head of this 
 bay. To the south a few miles you perceive a large city 
 whic 1 IS Newark. The spires of a town still farther south' 
 are over Elizabethtown, while two miles south from us is 
 Ehzabethport. On the Staten Island shore, at the east of us 
 are New Brighton, Factoryville, Port Richmond, and a serieJ 
 of buildmgs and gardens, as a part of the periphery of Staten 
 Island Dn-ectly in front of us is Bergen Point, being a gar- 
 den charniingly dotted with dwellings of picturesque archi- 
 ecture^ Do not these scenes present subjects for contempla- 
 tion sufiiciently enchanting to pay the artist for a vi«:,. Jth- 
 out any sportmg accessory ? Many innocent persons wonder 
 
62 
 
 Fishing m AaiEKicAN Waters. 
 
 how a man can "waste" an occasional dav "of .1, ... 
 sport of anfrlinfr" Ti, '*»i"nai aay at the stun d 
 
 or portrayed by g„„a om'izJw^™ t: Z'T"''"'- 
 caps a«, ocomotives fro™ <,,„,,„„,, ^» ;:;. ^ r"""" 
 
 liic tide here appears to t^h^ 1 =» i^odcnes. 
 
 turn than at any 'CVoVX^T^l '""f," f^'^^" 
 crabs, as the boat tolos nearlyrilt \ J T ,""" * '^=''' 
 the aock at Bergen Point k^ 1? f f *''° '""'l""*" : 
 
 Brighton ; the sl^ifZe of the Su ^^ ''""'"' "' ^<"^ 
 high chimney on Staten Island ho f 1-7"' ™*'' ^""^ ""•" 
 angle where onr boat rits a h .', "'°^'";»Scs form the 
 Light-honse. and within r^in^ 'k^t f/ ^7' "^ '»e 
 
 ;::t'or " ''- '^^ -" ^™ - th::ig:[;.:r^r-:;' 
 
 .o^:;t::^nx?h::r:^ 
 » rtXof:-";"' ^'™' ~ - -rir 
 
 you have a bite We , tS""'" "1 ''"'' ^""^ "* '"''"'"•^ 
 playing a bass Indlg , m ^ rtl^ IT", "' 7 '^ ^""^ 
 tions, it will depend o^ the 'c ivTv bf i ^ ''r" ™"'^'- 
 in playing and landing o 'fish ' f™ ! °' ?"'' '''^"^"'^ 
 
 thegreatestnumber.^IU:ttt':;u ;t«^^ 
 a pound to two pounds generally wi,I. L7 '"'f-fro™ 
 
 times, and a semi.ooasi™a;vSo™der W r™'" """ 
 for all that The tid» I,„ pounaer, but it is rare sport, 
 
 harder top ay D ftlvt!?"'' T' '^"''' ""'' ""■- "*»■■<•' 
 
 You know George Wilkes, of the SpikitV Well ho o IT 
 were one;- still-baiting here and n« ., ! ' "^"^ ^ 
 
 after taki'nn. i..f , ' ' ^ ^^^ ^^''^ ^bout to leave 
 
 aiiex takmg between thrty and fort vhncci . i- "-'^^^j 
 
 the fish were strung, ami i.J::^z;:;i:z:i:x 
 
ihe stupid 
 vv that the 
 Jnt dream- 
 percussion 
 3hes. 
 
 a decided 
 led a few 
 ndmarks : 
 e at New 
 with the 
 form the 
 it of the 
 bmerged 
 stern of 
 
 , and let 
 ^ill cast 
 3 rocks, 
 t before 
 s either 
 e condi- 
 3xterity 
 ^ill take 
 ! — from 
 r some- 
 ? sport, 
 ish are 
 iile not 
 ^n bass 
 tweu- 
 ist the 
 
 and I 
 
 leave, 
 «hich 
 e])ing 
 
 A MORTIFYING LoSS. 
 
 6fe 
 
 the hsh alive in the water, parted as we were in the act of 
 hftmg the fish into the boat, and we lost nearly all of them 
 The same circumstance happened here while anglino- with 
 George Austin, Esq. Such luck is aggravating to a common 
 man, but an angler soon learns that effects follow causes. If 
 you prefer to keep your mess alive, either tow a fish-car at 
 the stern of your row-boat for placing them in, or deposit 
 them m a net fastened lo a thole-pin, or purchase the new in- 
 vention of a string made of raw-hide by Andrew Clerk & Co. 
 It 18 time for us to reel up and count our mess, for we have 
 tide enough loft, to float us to New Brighton, where we hired 
 the boat in the morning. Your count says twenty-seven 
 ftsh. VV ell, that is an average take. We will unjoint our 
 rods, place them in their cases, take up anchor, and you may 
 light a regalia, while we enjoy the enlivening scenes along 
 Kill Van Kull on our row to the landing. This is the be 
 witching time for driving along the cornice road of Staten 
 Island ; and that couple which you now see in a buggy oppo- 
 site us think that driving a fast horse on a dusty road is fa- 
 mous sport. See the cavalcade of roadsters stirrino- up the 
 aust ! Coaches with liverie.l drivers and footmen^re not 
 rare, and the outriders will come next. But we are at New 
 Brighton, our fish are basketed, and our boat returned We 
 will now step on board the steam ferry-boat for New York 
 which stops here every fifteen minutes. 
 
 Our sail across the Bay of New York to the Battery you 
 perc^ive,s a continuation of the enlivening local and aq latie 
 views which have blessed our eyes throughout the day 
 
 We must part now with a shake of the hand. Your steam- 
 ship is to leave at noon to-morrow, and the engagements of 
 which I spoke to you may prevent me from bidlling you L 
 oo,age on the deck of the vessel which is to convey you to 
 home and happiness in one of the British Isles. mL the 
 blessmgs which usually accompany true sportsmen be with 
 you ; and when thinking of this land of long rivers and b oa 
 lands, I trust that you will not forget the sHght tas'of^^ 
 
04 
 
 Fisiimo IN American Watees. 
 
 which yoa have experienced in the immediate vicinity of 
 
 Tmrfishes r^" '"^'^^' '"^ ^"^^^"^ -^ trolling for the 
 game fishes of our coast and estuaries. 
 
 SECTION FIFTH. 
 CASTING BAIT FOB STRIPED BASS. 
 
 Casting menhaden bait for striped bass fmm *i. 
 shores of the bays, estuaries, and iSands^io'^^^^ 
 
 " iHslrf "*^^^''^ highest branch of ZZl^ f^C 
 M 18 mdeed questionable— when considorm^ oii .1 ' "^""g- 
 Which contribute toward the sum totlfof ^ '^'' '^'"^"^ 
 whether this method of strined h! i v'^''' '" ""^""^- 
 
 actensno of the modem angler by its energy of style and 
 the exercise and activity necessary to success ^ ' 
 
 the r? TJ ^'"'' '"'*"""S h-ve taxed the ingenuity of 
 
 not,like the salmon, stop to sfndv ft ' f ^'' ^"'^^ 
 
 >w,h„t straightwa'y i.! Trt t t^oT hr^L^ 'T 
 
 be so covered wUh aJi ' ''""''"* ™" °» Jewels, and 
 
 saltwater Th!', V ?f """ "' *« P"°*<''" ">«"• from 
 
 Z!l:rC° '""' '""" '-" '" ""- '■™^ed yX? 
 Ws should either be of linen or hemp, hawser-laid, or of 
 
Keady for the Gaff. 
 
 1 1 
 
 65 
 
 braided silk. The latter is the easiest to cast, but not so 
 good to fasten a fish by a strike, because of its elasticity, 
 while a hnen one will respond at a hundred yards to the 
 shghtest strike. A linen line, formed of from twelve to 
 eighteen strands, and strong enonah tn «„ofoi„ „ ^.„ ^ 
 
 a vtCilU \W 
 
 l-.X. 
 
 E 
 
 igut 
 
06 
 
 Fishing in AMiiRicAN Waters. 
 
 ^it' 
 
 llfli 
 
 "f thirty ponnds, should be stained to the color of the water 
 when It forms the best line possible for this Icind of fishing' 
 und .t shouW not be larger than a salmon line. The buoyaney 
 of the water, strength of tide, and dash of the surf, render a 
 very strong line indispensable for large bass. Still, as the 
 tish IS as gamy us a salmon, and full as cunning, the line 
 must be hne and the rig very clean, or he will sd^et every 
 ,. ece of ehum thrown to him, and refuse the one with a hook 
 >i It; or if by chance-wheu feeding on chum-hc taltes •, 
 l-eee wnh a hook in it, he rejects it h.stantly, and befo t h 
 ^ngle has tm,o to strike, probably disth.guishing tlie differ- 
 «eo by the weight of the hook. The m'ost successful wlv 
 angle fpr them is to rig so clean that they will grab the 
 ba.t hke hungry dogs, and dash away for more, or to keep i, 
 awixy from other fishes. ^ 
 
 le„'!r~Tl'°",''' ^", '"'■°" "=™" '" "•'■S'^* *■«' «!-^ i'"=l'«« i" 
 ength. The two lower joints of .n.h, and the upper one of 
 
 tancewood, mounted as indicated by A, B, C, with silver, bell- 
 
 metal, or brass. Some prefer a Japan bamboo pole, because 
 
 of .ts strength and lightness ; several gentlemen o'fth Pas,,^ 
 
 Island, Cuttyhunk, and West Island elubs are among tho^ 
 
 and a, these cubs include many of our amateur expe s T,' 
 
 «ns elegant k.„d of fishing, their opinions claim atCt on 
 
 Myownopm,on,sthatahighly-fl„ishcd, well-balanced, the: 
 jomted rod ,s the best for use, and of course most convenion, 
 tor carrying o„ fishing excursions. Some angle,, havl job 
 ed bassn,g-rods made exclusively from split bamboo weirf 
 .«g less than a pound, including their silvL and jewd mo^t- 
 ugs; the objects attained being lightness, strcgth, bll 
 and just elasfcty enough for casting and playing a fi h S 
 sockets and shoulders of the joints of all rods for co t am 
 estuary fishing should be lined and covered wit, t^sam 
 metal used for the bands and guide-frames. Double gudes 
 one s,de lined w,th jewels and the other made of bell-nict 
 *l, anu a jeweled top, io,-m a good mounting, the shoulde,-, 
 be,ng covered wth tlie —mp T-,! i . - """""e"- 
 
 tni „„mfc mcial as the bauds. It is nei- 
 
Peeparino to Captivate. 
 
 67 
 
 ther artistic nor in good taste to cover the rod several inches 
 with bright metal for attaching the reel. Whether double 
 guides or patent ones are preferred, carnelian or agate make 
 good lining and tip. The tip should be formed with a screw 
 to fit several top joints. German silver, brass, bell-metal, oi- 
 any other metal, hard and still malleable enough, and which 
 will not oxydize in a saline atmosphere, form good mount- 
 ings, A solid butt, without elaborate and heavy mountings 
 to hold a reel, is preferable. If the line does not run on jew- 
 els, bell-metal is the next best material, except it be the alu- 
 minum—a light metal of new invention in combination and 
 manner of manufacture— which is lighter than any other 
 metal, and is said never to oxydize. Our fisli ig-tackle maii- 
 ufiacturers are making trout-reels of it, and; to judge from ap- 
 pearance and recommendation, I should decide that it is the 
 best metal ever employed for reels and mountings of fishing- 
 rods. 
 
 As no sinker is used for assistance in casting menhaden 
 bait, and as the striped bass are extremely knowing, the ne- 
 cessity for a clean rig, and nothing to check the impetus of 
 the bait, make up desiderata never to be lightly regarded by 
 the bass anjjler. 
 
 Baixs, Chum-spoon, and Thumb-stall. 
 
 No. 1. The menhaden— ^?os«5 metihadenr-a species of her- 
 ring used for bait, and showing the mark, back of which a 
 bait is taken on each side. 
 
 No. 2. Bait cut from No. l,the knife being drawn through 
 the flesh p4do at dotted line, but not so deep as to part tlie 
 skin, but to facilitate folding like 3. 
 
 I 
 
68 
 
 Fishing in Amekican Waters. 
 
 No. 3. Bait folded at dotted line and baited on shank-headed 
 , hook, with a half hitch of the line cast round the end of 
 bait to prevent it from slipping down and filling the bend 
 of the hook. Some anglers cast one half hitch around the 
 bait just below the head of the hook, and another round 
 the top of the bait; it forms a more compact bait, and bet- 
 ter shape to cast; but bluefishes are more likely to cut the 
 line off than when the bait is secured by one half hitch 
 above the hook, as represented. 
 No. 4. A thumb-stall, knitted from heavy double and twisted 
 woolen yarn, to be worn on each thumb, to prevent the 
 friction of the line in checking the too swift revolviuo- of 
 the reel. "= 
 
 No. 5. Chum-spoon for throwing minced fish with. After 
 taking a bait from each side of the menhaden between the 
 first dorsal and the tail, which is done by first scalino- the 
 part from which the bait is taken, then chop fine th'e re- 
 mainder of the fish, head and all, with a hatchet or bait- 
 knife, and use the spoon to cast it out on the pool to be 
 ftshed. The spoon is about a foot long. This chopped-up 
 fish IS called "churn," and casting it out is called "chum- 
 ming, which is continued until the debris of half a dozen 
 menhaden so scattered on the water produces an oily sur- 
 face, or « slick," as thg gaffers call it, extending sometimes 
 halt a mile from shore. When bass smell it they approach 
 It and follow the oily surface toward the point where the 
 chum was thrown in, occasionally findhig small bits of men- 
 haden, which the angler on the rocks may see them break 
 water to obtain. Nearer and nearer the bass approach in 
 the path of chum until they arrive within casting distance. 
 Ihe chum should be chopped very fine; some persons cast 
 m the head of a menhaden whole; this is bad practice for 
 It not only invites sharks and bluefish, but bass'fecd on it 
 when they might otherwise take the baited hook. 
 
Recupeeating Health. 
 
 69 
 
 SECTION SIXTH. 
 
 A DAY WITH THE DOCTOR. — ANGLING AT THE BASSING 
 
 CLUBS. 
 
 Well, doctor, having arrived at West Island, which is 
 owned by an association of gentlemen who have formed 
 themselves into a club for the incomparable enjoyment of 
 angling for striped bass, they will of course assign us stands 
 to fish from to-morrow. It is the practice here for all mem- 
 bers to draw at night for the choice of stands to fish from 
 the next day. 
 
 Doctor. A gentleman just handed me a card containing u 
 " number," and " outside the Hopper," marked on it. 
 
 ^. I perceive by the card that the outside of the Hop- 
 per is assigned to us. Well, of course that is owing to the 
 composition of the club ; the members have given us their 
 best stands. That is a feature of all the bassing clubs ; and 
 besides, William C. Barrett, Esq., is president of this institu- 
 tion, and he is a sportsman possessed of the most discrimin- 
 ative sense of true hospitality. On the morrow we will try 
 to do honor to their estimate of us. 
 
 D. Gentlemen, as Mr. S. and myself are somewhat fa- 
 tigued, and would prefer to retire early, will you have the 
 goodness to join us in a parting glass for the night ? 
 
 All join ; and we retire with a sense of good-will toward 
 all mankind, and indulge school-boy hopes of the morrow. 
 
 " While others are brawlyig, let anglers agree, 
 
 And in concord the goblet replenish ; 
 
 'Twill cost not a care so long as we share 
 
 The cups of content and of concord." 
 
 Our dreams were rose-tinted ; but the pleasurable antici- 
 pations of the morrow's exploits caused us to awake early, 
 and I sounded the doctor before daylight. 
 
 8. Hallo, doctor ! Hosier, who is to be our gaffer, rapi)C(l 
 at my door .and ^aid it was four o'clock. 
 
 ■ 
 
 />. Well, sir, I have been 
 
 up an hour, and down on the ]> 
 
70 
 
 FisHiNo IN Amekfcan Wate 
 
 TER8. 
 
 II 
 
 azza trying to joint my rod, but I can not get a light, and 
 ' daylight don't appear," 
 A*?. Bravo ! I'll be with you in a minute. 
 
 2>. The sea fog sets in chilly; what say you to a cocktail 
 and a cracker ? 
 
 aS. Oh! Do you know where we are? 
 B. Certainly; we are near Plymouth Rock, the blarney- 
 stone of America. ^ 
 
 S. Tush! I will accompany you, and we will take a sto^ 
 machic and a cracker; but do not-for appearance sake- 
 call drinks by their ordinary names in this " land of steady 
 habits where it is unlawful to taste diffusible stimulants. 
 
 ^. l" or medicine ? 
 
 S. Of course not, if prescribed by a physician ! 
 
 D. It was upon that hypothesis I ventured the invitation 
 1 brought my diploma with me, and, aso doctor, I prescribe 
 the potion. r 
 
 S. Ahem I you are right ; I feel that your prescription is 
 a good antarthritic. And now we will hie to the Hopper 
 Kocks. take our stands, joint our rods, and be ready by the 
 time Hosier gets the fish chummed ia Hosier calls up the 
 bass here just as a farmer brings his chickens to feed. Let 
 us prepare ; but there is no use to make a cast before sunrise 
 
 Moei^. I've throwed in the chum of six fish, an them 
 scups an cachockset comes up an takes it just for all the 
 vvorld as if they was game ! an I hain't seen nothin of no 
 bass yet. 
 
 . ^ S. That is right, doctor ! you have jointed your rod per- 
 fectly ; every ioint should be driven home. Now, in fasten- 
 •ng the hook to your line, cast two half hitches with the end 
 of your line over the shank, just below the head ; then turn ' 
 up the end of the line, and cast a half hitch over it and the 
 shank, and turn the hook round in the tie thus formed to see 
 that it revolves easily-cut off any superfluous end of line 
 .^ee how Hosier chops up the chum, and where he throws it; 
 HMd j!ist where he throws the chum, cast your baited hook.' 
 
Caitain Mosier in Command. 
 
 71 
 
 Mosier, bait the doctor's hook. I see luminous rays from 
 the God of Day, and he will make a splendid appearance in 
 ten minutes. Now, doctor, reel up your line, so that the bait 
 will be within a yard of the top of your rod, and make a cast 
 to the whirl which you see was made by a bass. Your reel 
 <>verruns? That is unfortunate. You should keep your 
 thumb on the reel, and check it as the bait drops on the 
 water. Mosier, bait my hook ; I have put on a medium- 
 sized hook with a headed shank, and I am going in for the 
 Hsh refused by the doctor. 
 
 Mosier. Mr.S.,jist cast along there in Snecker's Gap, for 
 they are roether sassy there on the young flood. 
 
 S. Well, Mosier, here goes for a forty-pounder ! 
 
 Mosier. There ! I told you so ; I knew that feller wanted 
 breakfast, an I guess he's got enough to last him. 
 
 D. Mr. Mosier, as I have succeeded in getting my line out 
 of snarl, shall I cast now ? 
 
 Mosier. Not quite yet, I guess, for there's no knowin where 
 that critter will yet lead Mr. S. 
 
 D. Well, I will take a seat on the rock here, and look at 
 the play. Ugh ! that wave wet me all over. Is it not dan- 
 gerous to remain here? 
 
 Mosier. No, sir ; ony keep a look-out for them ninth waves ; 
 don't git down toward a gulch, but watch where the waves 
 'throw the most water when they break, for it allers depends 
 on the course of wind. 
 
 D. I see your philosophy is correct, Mr. Mosier, and I have 
 now got a dry seat. Mr. Mosier, do you think that fish will 
 ever be landed? He has run nearly all the line off the reel 
 already. 
 
 Mosier. I can't say; there's no counting on them chaps 
 till they are landed, if so be you fish with a pole; but if I 
 had him on my hand-line, I'd make him come humming, and 
 sho^i^ no quarters. 
 
 aS'. Mosier, keep my line away from the rocks with your 
 gaff, for he seems bent on rounding the Hopper Rock, and 
 
72 
 
 Fishing in Ameeican Waters. 
 
 its corn!.™ may cut or chafe and part my lino. " There! he 
 has tacked again; be ready to gaff him, if I get hhn near 
 enough, beiore he maltes another run 
 
 ,i jf^'r. ^r '"' T' " ''"'P'"*' '"™S^'<''^ "f"™ a» tbe 
 .me ; she s 'bout as b,g as the hooked one. I mean to gaff 
 
 that one first How like tarnation the feller fights, an tries 
 
 I t'^Z'u ! ^'"'^ '^'^ '"^ '•■'"= ">"* ^'"'^^ he-; sitting 
 tired. When they curl themselves up on the top of the w^- 
 
 not to hold so hard as to let 'em break the line with their tail 
 nor out It off with their back fin; nor so loose as to lei Wm 
 git slack hue to unhook, or knock the hook out of his .jaw 
 
 hTsts^VT ^"' ^-'"-^t-ightenout! Hehasmik 
 his last fight, and got whipped - His mate has gone. 'Twas 
 no use for her to stay an try to help him any longer, for she 
 knows he's dead. Now, with the heave and liaul of the tide 
 there is more danger of breaking the line an losing him than 
 .f he was ahve; but here he comes, an here goes the gaff-a 
 forty-pounder at least ! b"" J 
 
 has^r**" ^'""'' ^'°™'' ' ^'™"'' J"" '" ''""'' '■'"■ th" ''«<>"' 
 Mosier. Ji«t so; I hain't no confidence m them hooks with 
 the barb curling out so that you can not git it into the flesh 
 The Kmsey point an Sproat bend, or the O'Shaughncssy with 
 the Kmsey pomt, are the best. J "i 
 
 Z>. Well, my preconceived notions of bass-fishing have all 
 been cast wide. When you first hooked the'bass, I thoughr 
 could take a seat and be a quiet looker-on at the play but 
 I have been so excited by alternate hopes, fears, doubls and 
 surprises, that I want you to pardon me for getting into your 
 way several times. The truth is, it astonishes me to see the 
 flsh on terra Jirnu,. I thought him lost a dozen times • and I 
 can not now fully realize how it is possible to play success- 
 fully so large a fish, and one so game, in such bo sterous 
 water, with such slender tackle. I am really afraid to "L 
 make a cast, for r expect if I get a strike that I shall ei her 
 break my rod, or the fish will part my lino. 
 
TllE DOCTOK DOING BeTTEK. 
 
 73 
 
 S. Hoot ! doctor, don't be too modest ; a man who has shot 
 wolves in the Black Forest, and killed salmon in the Dee and 
 Moisie, is not easily demoralized by a striped bass. 
 
 Mosier. Yes, doctor, you jist make a cast out into the Rifle 
 Pit, and do it right away, for I see by their whirls that they 
 are hungry. 
 
 S. See that your thumb-stalls are well on, and that your 
 line is clear. Now reel up so that your bait is within two 
 feet of the tip of your rod, and when you cast, hold your 
 thumb gently on the reel-line, and as the bait touches the 
 water, press your thumb on the line to check the reel at once, 
 and prevent the reel from overrunning. 
 B. Well, here goes for a second trial. ' 
 S. Very fair cast ; far enough for bass at this stage of tide. 
 D. Ye— ye— es, I see it is, but then I shall not be able to 
 save him— I know I can not, for he runs and pulls so like a 
 reindeer that I can not check him. There ! my thumb-stall 
 is loose, and I feel that my reel is not tight. He's gone ! 1 
 knew 1 couldn't save him. 
 
 S. Don't be so excited, doctor; keep cool, and reel in your 
 slack line; he is only studying a new dodge or making a new 
 tack. 
 
 Mosier. He breaks water; I seen him; he's a scrouger! 
 
 S. There, doctor, you perceive he has hove to for a lunar, 
 and to discover how to tack; there! he is now laying his 
 course^for Newport ; reel as fast as you can, and, if necessary, 
 i-un back to prevent him from getting slack line. 
 
 I). This last turn and the dash of spray nearly capsized 
 me. Why, he plays as strong as he did when he was first 
 hooked. 
 
 S. How long do you suppose you have played him ? 
 2>.' Nearly an hour, and he seems to grow stronger and 
 stronger. 
 
 8. It is not yet fifteen minutes since you hooked him ; bear 
 up, keep cool, and keep your line clear on the reel, and be 
 prepared for his fight. They do not appear to be in a mood 
 
T4 
 
 Fishing in American Waters, 
 
 I 
 
 for sulking this morning ; sometimes they settle behind rocks 
 and butt the hook against them to spring it out. 
 
 Mosier. Don't you hold him a leetle too taut ? 
 
 B. I don't know; but I can not play him easier, for when 
 1 give him an inch, he takes a rod ! 
 
 S. He will soon stop for his final fight. See ! he is prepar- 
 ing Now ease the line a trifle, and trust to the chance of 
 his being well hooked. 
 
 , . ^' ,?"'; ^T' ^ ^"^"^ ^' ^' • -^"^^ ^^^ the fellow throw 
 himself like Pat McAroon in a street-fight. There, he's off' 
 iNo, he IS not ; what's to be done ? 
 
 S Reel up gently ; he is dead ; that is, he has fought until 
 he has fainted. Gingerly, doctor; reel with the incoming 
 surt, and slacken with the ebb— there I 
 
 JfW. He is a game one, and will weigh over twenty 
 pounds. They're allays hifalorum in them liifle Pits » Gen- 
 tlemen, the, breakfast horns has been bio win a good while 
 
 ^. I am Jilted. These rocks are rough to run about' on 
 and play a fish, when every now and then Neptune drenches 
 one with spray. I had long heard that striped bass were 
 game, but all that I evei- heard or read did not prepare me 
 for such encounters as I have seen and realized this morning 
 1 am not now surprised that Americans consider this the head 
 of game fishes. The u.cessories of fishing for it, the scenes 
 where it is taken, together with the modus operandi of its 
 capture by artistic means, render the sport the most exciting 
 that I know of under the head of angling. I shall certaini; 
 prescribe something to steady my nerves. Eh Hen! To 
 breakfast is the order; and as we have taken tv.o grand bass 
 ne quid nimis, we will even leave off fishing while they are 
 feeding, which, for the vulgar object of ourselves feeding is 
 with a real angler, an unpardonable offense against the *s- 
 hetics of sport. But, though belonging to the refined con- 
 fraternity of anglers, our excuse is that we are rigged with 
 human necessities. 
 
 As the breakfagt-table is \ho mr»vni«~'- ■^- , i- t 
 
 •♦PI lauit. IS u\c moiniiig a LiyHting-piace for 
 
Breakfast and Departuke. 
 
 75 
 
 the members of the chxb, where they recount their exploits 
 over their tea and coffee, with broiled bluefish, striped bass, 
 and scopogue, or with broiled chicken and beefsteak, the ten- 
 der of congratulations to my friend for his success, and the 
 stories of successful takes by some, and of parting tackle with 
 others, acted as charming opiates to witch away the time ; 
 and when we rose from table we saw our yacht hove-to, and 
 the sails flapping an invitation for us to step on board. With 
 great reluctance and regret we parted from the members of 
 the West Island Club, and the most attractive five-acre island 
 in America. 
 
 The sail to Cuttyhunk was remarkably interesting, present- 
 ing views of the picturesque landscape, alternating with vil- 
 las and foliage on Massachusetts shore, and the group of Eliz- 
 abeth Islands and Martha's Vineyard, with No Man's Land 
 peering above the waves far out in the ocean. We arrived be- 
 fore lunch-time, and, having examined the trout preserve, the 
 black bass and white perch ponds, and taken each a couple of 
 striped bass from that incomparable stand, " Bass Rock," we 
 adjourned to dinner, where we were regaled with choice vi- 
 ands, wines, and the recital of angling exploits by the mem-, 
 bers of the club, who are justly celebrated as amateur experts 
 with rod and reel. 
 
 After dinner we shook hands as an au revoir, mais pas 
 adieu, and ran over to Pugne Island, to drop in upon John 
 Anderson, Esq., and learn from him what charms he could 
 see in his little island home of a hundred acres to induce a 
 millionaire of his industrious proclivities and habits— with- 
 out a knowledge or taste for field-sports or yachting— to 
 shut himself out thus from the enjoyments of the greatest 
 and most social city in the Union— his birth-place, where he 
 has, by enterprise, accumulated a fortune, and possesses one 
 of the finest residences in the metropolis. He infonned us 
 that the charming climate, with the constant feast to his eyes 
 in scenery, made up of the main land and the islands, witli 
 the ever-changing aspect of the sea, filled his soul with rap- 
 
76 
 
 Fishing in Americvn WArEEs. 
 
 tui-e and made his cup of happiness full to overflowing. 
 With a promise to visit him before taking final leave of 
 Vineyard Sound, we steered for :•..,,,.■. Island, only six miles 
 distant. 
 
 Here we found a club-house with appointments calculated 
 to render not only the members of the club and their families' 
 comfortable, but all such guests as members of the associa- 
 ■ tion thmk proper to extend invitations to. The island in- 
 cludes more than a thousand acres, whicl. uie club has divid- 
 ed into two farms, erected commodious buildings, including 
 club-house, ice-house, stabling, etc: The club has also vege- 
 table and flower gardens, sail-boats and row-boats, and the 
 river, which sets back, a mile into the island, is stocked with 
 a hundred thousand menhaden as bait for the use of the club 
 Ih.s IS the neplus ultra of a place for angling, beinc sep- 
 arate by a strait half a mile wide from Norshon, which is 
 nine miles m length by two miles wide, fifteen miles from the 
 main land, and stocked with all the English and Scotch <rame 
 birds and most of their game animals, including also several 
 hundred American deer, prairie-fowl, etc. It also contains a 
 large pond well stocked with black bass, besides several perch 
 ponds; the latter is not regarded as a very valuable acces- 
 sory to any piece of real estate, for perch fishing is not eon- 
 sidered sport in America. I mean the common yellow perch 
 with barred sides; but the white perch, like those of Cutty- 
 hunk, offer good sport to ladies and children, and are a vei-v 
 good pan-fish, ranging in size from three ounces to three 
 pounds. 
 
 We remained at Pasque Island several days, most of the 
 time angling for striped bass, but occasionallv, on a dark 
 day spending it in a cruise after swordfish, which we took 
 with the harpoon. Other days we rowed a little boat out a 
 hundred rods from shore, when we put down killick and still- 
 baited for squeteague, weighing from five to fifteen pound, 
 each. Then, again, if the bluefish came in such shoals as to 
 turn our strait into a state of ...ommotion resembling soai,- 
 
ATTEAOnONS OF THE El.IZABETH IsLANDS. 
 
 77 
 
 Huds, we rigged to the end of our bass-line about two feet of 
 piano wire, on which we wound a hook with copper wire. 
 Then Ave anchored on the edge of the tide, and cast out a 
 hook baited without much care, and the moment afterward 
 we were aluted by a jerk and a summersault a yard clear 
 of the surtiice, and a short, vigorous fight to bring the blue- 
 fish to gaff. An hour of energetic sport, and twenty bluefish 
 of from eight to twelve pounds each, generally satisfied us; 
 and though the fish challenged us by menacing leaps to con- 
 tinue the contest, we preferred to retire — however ignomini- 
 ous it might ap[»ear to them— ancl recuperate for another 
 time. 
 
 It was hard to part from those charming scenes and the 
 healthful recreation. The doctor decided to return home to 
 England, arrange his business, come back, and spend his life 
 at Pasque Island. But how to leave those captivating aquatic 
 scenes, ranging from simple loveliness to grand-ur, and some- 
 times rising to sublimity ? What scene can be more refresh- 
 ing and exalting than an expansive view of the mighty waves, 
 dotted here and there with such beautiful islands as those in 
 * the Vineyard Sound ? The Elizabeth Islands oifer the condi- 
 ments of existence to season the dry hurry-scurry and com- 
 monplaceism of the business world on the main lands of 
 America ; and they will, before many years, be numbered 
 with the Avatering-places of the world par excellt ace. ' While 
 aquatic birds skim the waves, and the gulls sa- screaming, 
 dipping, and darting over a shoal of bluefish or menhaden, 
 vessels outward and homeward bound are always passing, for 
 it includes in its 'ange of view the packets and steamers for 
 England, and th* steam and sailmg crafts between New York 
 and Boston. We have lere the foreground and perspective 
 worthy the pencil of Claude de Lorraine, while the back- 
 ground is formed of the granite shores ofMassar lusetts, with 
 its improvements so varied and important as to give surety 
 of an intelligent and industrious population. Who would not 
 delight to angle here ? 
 
78 
 
 Fishing in American Wai-ers. 
 
 " Eternal ocean ! old majestic sen ! 
 Ever I love from shore to shore to look on thee, 
 And sometimes on thy billowy back to ride, 
 And sometimes o'er thy summer breast to glide ; 
 But let me /he on land, where rivers run ; 
 Where shady trees may screen me from the sun ; 
 Where I may feel, serene, the fragrant air ; 
 Where, whatever toil or wearying pains I bear, 
 Those eyes which look away all human ill 
 May shed on me their still, sweet, constant light, 
 And the hearts I love may, day and night, 
 Be found beside me, safe and clustering still,'" 
 
Tackle for "Weakfisii. 
 
 79 
 
 Weakfish, ok JSqueteague. —Zairj(» Squeteague. — Storer. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 WEAKFISH, OR SQUKTEAGUE. 
 Xiiis fish is considered the second in interest by the angler 
 of the coast and esiuaries of our Eastern and Middle States. 
 It never visits fresh water, and either spawns along the sea- 
 shores, or on deep middle-grounds of estuaries or bayous, the 
 latter being small bays and back-sets of tide waters. It is 
 probably a family of the Clupea genus, one of the marked 
 characteristics of which is that it contains roe in different 
 stages of approximate maturity, though this fish differs by 
 continuing to spawn at different times from the last of March 
 until the first of November. It is, therefore, quite probable 
 that the squeteague visits our shores to spawn, and that it re- 
 mains during the spawning season ; and if it be true that the 
 time of their stay is regulated by the duration of their spawn- 
 ing season, then we may reasonably suppose that they spawn 
 along the t^-m of time between March and November, 
 though th^ b^st time to angle for the squeteague is from the 
 first of June until October. From the middle of June until 
 September the tidal parts of rivers from Chesapeake Bay to 
 Vineyard Sound actually teem with them. I have taken 
 with light bassing-tackle, comprised of a nine-foot jointed 
 rod, a reel carrying jj hundred yards of fine linen line, a s1*lv<sl 
 sinker, single-gut leader, hooks snelled on single gut, like 
 those represented on the plate for taking small striped bass, 
 medium-sized cork float, and shrimp bait, on many occasions 
 
 41 
 
 i\ 
 
so 
 
 Fishing in Ameuican Watekh. 
 
 <!• 
 
 .1 p.'iir a niinuto for Homo timo ; but tho fish would not scale 
 over halt" a ]»ou;id each. Shoals of them rise to the surface^ 
 like mackerel, at full tide, and take bait as fast as it can be 
 cast to them ; but after they sink it is useless to angle longer 
 for them. Then you will generally hear a croaking sound in 
 the water all round your boat, which indicates their presence; 
 but while croaking they will seldom bite. They generally 
 croak for half a minute after being landed. 
 
 At full tide slack I once n»wed out from the Bath Hotel, 
 where I was passing the summ< r, nearly to the mouth of Co- 
 ney Island Creek, where I took eighiy-four squeteague withui 
 forty minutes. They averaged about three quarters of a 
 l)ound. This was in July. At' every cast I hooked a pair, 
 and lished as expertly as i)ossible until a shoal of porpoises 
 ai)proached, when tho squeteague settled, or sank, and quit 
 
 bitmg. 
 
 This is a white-mented fish, the meat rather mealy when 
 small; l)ut after it scales ten pounds it becomes as Haky as 
 a salmon, and resembles one very much, except in its being 
 a S(piare-tail. It is an excellent ))an-tish if cooked when first 
 caught, being free from tlie flavor of any foreign substance; 
 but it soon deteriorates, and its juices become absorbed. In 
 ])oint of delicacy of fl.-ivor, many eincures prefer it to cither 
 the strl|)ed })ass or bluefish. Its eyes being oval, it is sup- 
 posed to possess the strongest sight of any estuary fish. Al- 
 though it has no teeth on the tong;ie or in the throat, its jaws 
 are armed with pn^tty strong and sharp ones, which are set 
 so far apart as to i)revent it from biting off a gut snell. Its 
 mouth is very bony, and the nieat being tender, it is thertv 
 fore liable to unhook easily by the hook tearing a large ori- 
 fice, or not taking sutticient deinii of hold. I therefore rec- 
 ommend a hook of fine wire, well tempered, and of large bend. 
 The rushing bite of a s(pu>teague is i)recisely like that of a 
 brook trout, but its play is of shorter duration, and it sooner 
 yiehis to fatigue. 
 
 The shape of the S(pu'teague is represented bv the engrav- 
 
SpoKTIVE EsTUAKY F18IIING. 
 
 I! 
 
 81 
 
 ing, and its colors arc gray, masculated on the bacK and 
 down to the middle of tlie sides with clouded spots of dark- 
 er shade, and all terminating in a gold-colored belly, pecto- 
 ral, ventral, and anal fins. The dorsals and tail are clouded 
 like tlie l)ack. The first dorsal is composed of spiked rays, 
 and the second soft. 
 
 In angling for lai-ge squetcague about the ^Jizabetli Isl- 
 ands and in the Vineyard Sound, heavy combination tracing 
 sinkers are used, and the shank-headed bass-hook, baited with 
 menhaden, is preferred. There they are taken by still-bait:. ig 
 from a boat anchored from thirty to fifty rods from shore, in 
 from fifteen to twenty feet water. The squeteague is one 
 of the swiftest fishes of the square-tails, and its ready and 
 dashing bite, and short fight, render angling for it with light 
 bass-tackle as exciting as for almost any other fish of our es- 
 tuaries. For the very small fish shrimp is the best bait ; for 
 the yellow-fins shedder crab is the best ; but for those of the 
 largo and rounded form of the salmon, the menhaden bait is 
 generally preferred. 
 
 It is almost supei-fluous to state that angling in the tide- 
 ways witli success requires that attention be paid to the 
 stages of the tide. In general, squeteague bite best on the 
 second half of the flood tide, but there are places where they 
 bite best on the ebb. If outside the mouth of a river, the 
 first of the flood is best, while well up the estuary they begin 
 biting when the tide is half up, and continue until half ebb. 
 Though feeding-ground for squeteague is in deeper water 
 than is cliosen by striped bass, yet they generally forage 
 along the bank of the channel. I have frequently anchored 
 my boat so that, angling with the tide, I was sure to take 
 nothing but strijHHl bass, but by casting to the right or left, 
 outside the bank, within tlu'oe rods of the boat, I would t^ke 
 nothing but squeteague, and an occasional blackfisli or tautog. 
 In a commercial ])oint of view the squetcague is important. 
 The runs of shad up our rivers cease about the first week in 
 Tune, Avhen the squeteague become numerous in our bays and 
 
 F 
 
 
82 
 
 FiSilING IN AmEKICAN WaTEKS. 
 
 I 
 
 i 
 
 I 
 
 the estuaries of the larger rivers. Great quantities are tlien 
 taken in seines, pounds, and set-nets, which supply the marble 
 stands of the markets lately vacated b^ the shad. The sque- 
 teague at this time divides interest with the earlv run of blue- 
 fish, and about the middle of June the sheepshead visit us, 
 when the variety includes also tauiog and black bass, with 
 the bonetta, cero, and the incomparable Spanish mackerel. 
 These do not include any of the fresh-water fishes, of which 
 the black bass is very numerous in June. 
 
 SECTION SECOND. 
 SOUTHERN SEA TKOUT. 
 
 From Delaware Bay all along the Southern coast, and in 
 the estuaries of rivers which debouch into a bay or arm of 
 the Atlantic, this fish is taken in great numbers with nets 
 and angling tackle, and is known as the " sea trout." Both 
 its habits ar>d play are so much like those of the squcteague, 
 or weakfish, that anglers along the coast of New Jersey 
 term it the spotted weakfish, to distinguish it from the oth- 
 er, Avhich they call the mottled weakfish ; but the inhabit- 
 ants of the coast from Delaware to Florida know it only as 
 the " sea trout," or " spotted silversides." 
 
 Southern Sea Trout. — " Otolithus rcyalis." 
 
 The body of the sea trout is more round, and it is smaller 
 from the tail to the second dorsal and anal fins than the weak- 
 fish or squeteague. Its meat is also firmer, and the flakes 
 closer and more compact, while its silver-gray back and sides 
 are of a bluish tint, which shines like burnished steel, and its 
 belly and the lower fins are white, without a yellow tinge. 
 
Eesorts of Sea Teout. 83 
 
 It is also sprinkled all over, including its dorsal fins and tail, 
 with jet black dots about the size of a pea. 
 ^^ Professor Mitchill, in writing of the squeteague, states : 
 "A beautiful variety of this fish is sometimes seen with the 
 following characters, to wit : Spotted squeteague— [Lab. Sq. 
 mamlatus]. There are black, well-defined spots among the 
 specks over the back and sides, and checkering the caudal 
 and second dorsal fins. The pectoral fins are rather small ; 
 ventral and anal fins not yellow, birt brownish. The parts' 
 thus variegated with spots have a pretty appearance." With- 
 out doubt, the professor alluded to the Southern sea trout; 
 and as it shoals with the squeteague, and only visits the 
 shores of New Jersey occasionally and in small numbers, he 
 <lid not see proper to distinguish it by other than a peculiarly 
 marked variety of the squeteague ; whereas it differs more 
 palpably from the squeteague than do some families of the 
 mackerel tribes, eminently the Spanish mackerel and the cero, 
 which differ only in the color of their spots, the first being 
 gold color, and the latter black. 
 
 The sea trbut is superior to the squeteague as a table-fish ; 
 its scales are about the same size, but firmer, brighter, and 
 not so viscid. As a game fish, it is fully equal to the sque- 
 teague, as free a biter, and as readily netted. Both fishes are 
 summer spawners, laying from 175,000 to 700,000 eggs. 
 
 The sea trout appears along the coast and estuaries of the 
 Southern States nearly all the year round, but takes the hook 
 most freely from Juno until December. It is taken of all 
 sizes between a pound and fifteen pounds' weight, and if there 
 is a difference in game between this fish and the squeteague, 
 it is in favor of the sea trout, which is a heavier fish of its 
 size, and rather more elaborately rigged with fins. It should 
 be angled for in the same manner and with the same tackle 
 used ibr taking squeteague ; and shedder crab is its weak- 
 ness. But as all the shores and estuaries of the South are 
 alive with crabs, as well as other erustacea, baits are easily 
 obtained for striped bass, trout, golden mullet, hogfish, grunt- 
 
84 
 
 Fishing in American Waters. 
 
 ers, sheepsliead, and several other species of anglers' fishes, 
 all of which are much more numerous than they are in the 
 latitude of New York. Fishes for the troll are also very nu- 
 merous along the coost of the Southern States ; such, for ex- 
 ample, as the Spanish mackerel, bonetta, or bonito, pompineau, 
 redfish, cero, and bluefisli ; and while gunners extend their 
 sporting tours as far south as the Floridas, and west to the 
 Itocky Mountains, anglers seem contented with trouting in 
 spring, visiting Canada* for salmon in summer, and casting 
 the hook baited with menhaden for bass in the surf alono- tL 
 rocky shores of the Atlantic in the autumn. But it would be 
 well worth while to make an angling tour southward in au- 
 tumn; and such as may desire to extend the sporting season 
 would do well to take a trip to Washington, and angle for 
 striped bass below the falls of the Potomac; thence to Nor- 
 folk, for meeting the Spanish mackerel, striped bass, sea trout, 
 and hogfish— a great delicacy— and other fishes of the coast. 
 If the sportsman be a relative of Nimrod, he may close the 
 season's sport along the coast of North Carolina by shooting 
 wild geese, and .the numerous varieties of duck whica congre- 
 gate there in myriads. 
 
 SECTION THIRD. 
 
 SIIEEPSIIEAD. 
 
 At mouth of river, or where deep 
 O'er mussel-beds the bay tides sweep, 
 Tlie bulky sheepshead loves to hie 
 When Slimmer suns ride hot and diy ; 
 And there, for hours, in anchor'd boat, 
 Hopeful, the patient anglers float, 
 Only too happy if a score 
 Of dainty fish enrich their store. 
 
 The sheepshead is one of the most interesting on the list 
 of anglers' fishes. It is a dinner-fish, and by many termed 
 the American turbot, because it frequently figures at alder- 
 manic dinners. It is really a delicious fish when either boiled 
 o- stuffed and baked. It usually makes its apj)earance in our 
 bays and estuaries about the first of June, and remains unT,il 
 
Ous Aldekmanic Fish. 
 
 85 
 
 the middle of September; but it does not visit s^^reams above 
 the estuary, and is found in greatest numJiors along the mus- 
 sel shoals or beds, and around old wrecks in the bays. When 
 it first makes its appearance in our waters it is thin and 
 lean, but it soon increases in plumpness and succulence, so 
 that from an average weight of four pounds early in June, 
 it increases to nine pounds by the middle of August. Its 
 maximum w^eight is twenty pounds, but the runs along tlie 
 coasts of Long Island and New Jersey, where they are confess- 
 edly in best condition and flavor, seldom range higher than 
 from ten to fifteen pounds. Its mouth is paved throughout 
 the roof and lower jaw with square teeth of flat surface, li'ie 
 eight-inch square mosaic, but rather larger at the outer edge 
 of the jaw, where its even teeth resemble those of a sheep, 
 from which it is supposed its name is derived. But the teeth 
 are not sharp, and there is space between them for a fish-line 
 to play, so that it seldom parts a line, or even a single gut 
 snell, while mussels and clams are instantly crushed to pow- 
 <ler by its powerful jaws. 
 
 JShk; iiH';A;>. — Sftonis ovis. — DeKay. 
 
 Its scales are lav; •, and surpass in brilliancy the highest 
 metallic polish ; they are about half an inch in diameter, haid. 
 and radiate from concentric; lines, lapping so as to form a de- 
 fense on the back and sides agahisl ii blunt-pointed gaff. 
 
86 
 
 Fishing in American Waters. 
 
 Hi 
 
 rif 
 
 The crescent-shaped bands on each side are sometimes quite 
 black on the back, and lighten gradually to a dark gray tint 
 near the belly. The color of the fish is neutral-tinted on the 
 back, which lightens gradually to the lateral line, below which 
 it is like white chetie silk. The spiked dorsal fin is followed 
 by a second of soft rays. The upper ray of the pectoral fin 
 IS spiked. Its eyes are large, and almost beam with intelli- 
 gence. The cheeks are often tinged with a pinky glow ; and 
 when first raised from the water, and lying exhausted and mo- 
 tionless in the landing-net, it is one of the most beautiful and. 
 happy-looking objects ever raised above the sparkling wave. 
 
 Hooks and Sinkers for Sheepshead 
 
Examine youe Tackle. 
 
 87 
 
 As the play of the sheepshead yields a new sensation to 
 the amateur who for the first time indulges the penchant of 
 angling for this dinner luxury, and as the modus operandi of 
 its capture is somewhat peculiar, the opposite sketch is giv- 
 en to indicate the forms and sizes of the hooks and sinkers 
 used by anglers with rod and reel, and by members of the 
 hand-line committee. 
 
 No, 1. Hook of the Sproat bend, small but strong, of finest 
 ^ tempered steel, and the short point and barb sharpened like 
 a fine knife-blade, not round and needle-pointed like those 
 for striped bass and squeteague. There is a fine ginip-wire • 
 loop wound to the shank with fine waxed sewing silk or 
 fine linen thread. I recommend waxed linen thread when 
 snells are wound to hooks for any of the respectable sized 
 game fishes of our estuaries ; for fresh water, silk is pref- 
 erable. 
 No. 2. Shank-headed hook, with the line fastened below the 
 head by two or three half hitches, the same as for use in 
 fishing for large striped bass. In fastening the line to the 
 hook, cast the two half hitches around below the head, then 
 turn up the end of the line and cast another half hitch over 
 the shank and the end of line, filling the space to the head. 
 Then ctra\rthe hitch tight, cut off the end of line even with 
 the head of hook, and turn the hook in the tie until it turns 
 easily, and you have the best possible hook-rigging. The 
 hook should be made of finest tempered steel, and the point 
 very sharp, or it will be either turned or broken in the mo- 
 saic pavement of the mouth before it slides to the rim of 
 the jaw, and by the turn of the fish fastens the hook in the 
 lip or corner of the mouth. 
 No. 3. This is the size of hook for hand-line fishing, at which 
 a large business is done during July and August, and some- 
 times throughout September. There is a greater number 
 caught by the hand-line than by sweep-nets or seines, the 
 only other methods of taking them for market. The Vir- 
 ginia bend, like 3, with knife-blade edges of barb and point, 
 
88 
 
 Fishing in Amekican Wa 
 
 TEK8. 
 
 IS preferred; and the fine but strong linen leader, or twist- 
 ed or braided hair leader a yard long, is armed with a h >ok 
 at each end, one to be baited with a whole soft-shell clam 
 by inserting the hook between the shells, and the other 
 with the clam taken out of the shell. 
 Xo. 4. Tracing sinker of lead, with a hole through the centre 
 longitudinally. All sinkers should be of lead, as one of the 
 most ponderous metals. At the upper end of the leader- 
 which IS the same material as the line-three fourths of a 
 ^ yard above hook No. ] , the leader should be tied to a brass 
 swivel, and, after running the end of the line through the 
 sinker, the end of the line should be tied to the upper end of 
 the swivel, to prevent the sinker from falling too near the 
 hook, and still to permit the line to play freely through it 
 when It rests on a mussel-bed at the bottom, so that the 
 angler may feel the slightest nibble. This is also a mark- 
 ed point in still-baiting on the bottom for striped bass and 
 squeteague. 
 
 No. 5 Sinker for hand-line fishing. Tie the end of line to the 
 sinker though the hole in the end. About ten or twelve 
 inches above the sinker, tie to the main line a leader with 
 a hook like No. 3 at each end. The leader should be near- 
 ly a yard long, and if made of hair it will be lighter and " 
 play easier than if of linen; and when the sinker lies on 
 the bed of mussels where sheepshead feed, it is well to have 
 the eader so liglit that the hooks will be moved about by 
 the tide One hook should be abput a foot from the main 
 line, and Che other two feet. When thus rigged, and you 
 have cast as far as you can astern of your anchored boat, 
 take up all your slack line and your heavy sinker, which 
 will pemit you to draw the line straight without moving 
 It, and this will enable even a member of the hand-line- 
 committee to feel the slightest bite. 
 
 I am thus particular in describing the rig for hand-line fish- 
 ing because many good anglers consider the electric dips and 
 dives of a "head" too quick for a line to render before bi^k 
 
I ' 
 
 Starting for a Day's Fishing. 
 
 89 
 
 insf a rod. 
 
 I do not appreciate a repugnance to a rod because 
 a fish plays rapidly and with powerful demonstratioii. The 
 angler should use a heavy rod, about nine feet in length, and, 
 like the ordinary bass rod, the two low-^r joints should be of 
 ash, and the top of lancewood, or the whole rod should be of 
 Japan bamboo. I rather favor a bamboo rod for sheepshead 
 fishing.- The angler should use the heaviest make of a steel 
 pivot bass reel, large enough to carry six hundred feet of 
 line, though there will probably never be more than half that 
 length carried off the reel; but the fish doubles and turns so 
 rapidly that a large drum, or much line on a reel, is necessary 
 to wind the line in quickly and prevent the fish from gettino- 
 slack line, and to give him time to disgorge or break the 
 hook. 
 
 To the angler who has never fished for sheepshead I would 
 say," You have a rare treat in store, so enjoy it the first op- 
 portunity." If a resident of New York, you will find Canar- 
 sie, or the " Old Mill," near East New York, the most conve- 
 nient places to take sail-boat from, and bait is generally plen- 
 ty at either place. Sail down the channel above the inlet 
 toward Near Rockaway ; about a mile below Remsen's Hotel, 
 feel by sounding for a mussel-bed: they are numerous for a 
 mile along shore, about 200 yards from it. When found, cast 
 anchor far enough away, so that when the boat toles round 
 by the tide toward the feeding-ground, the cast required for 
 dropping your sinker on it will be about fifty feet. The wa- 
 ter should be about seven feet deep at low tide, and it rises 
 there from four to six feet. The best tide to fish is during 
 high and low tides, when the water is slack, Jlnd until it runs 
 at the rate of five miles the hour, or one hour after it begins 
 to run; for when the tide runs at its full strength, sheeps- 
 head seek some still-water ground, and wait for a moderate 
 motbn of the waters. During the intermission I am in the 
 habit of taking up anchor and trolling for bluefish, or of 
 seeking some feeding-ground up a bayou, or some sunken 
 
 vessel, where I angle for sea bas 
 
 s, s<i«eteague, striped bass, 
 
!)() 
 
 FiHiiiNo IN Amkrican Waters. 
 
 hlackfisli, and an occasional si ('c])shoa(l, until the tide ui^ain 
 servos on the nni8sel-l)eds, which generally border the laain 
 channel. 
 
 At the rii?ht times of tide, the locatioiiH of the mnssel-beds 
 are plainly indicated by a fle(>t of from twenty to fifty small 
 sail-boats of hand-line fishermen. Many of them are fanners 
 who reside near the whore of Jamaica Hay, and employ th(! 
 interregnum between Jiay and grass to unite j)leasure and 
 profit by eaining from three to ten dollars a day at fishing 
 for sheepsluad. There is always ready sale for the fish at a 
 price nearly etpial to that obtained for salmon. 
 
 Having grouped tlu^ implements— except the necessary one 
 of a largo landing-net, of heavy brass rim and large meshes 
 of strong twine— suppose we drive down seven miles to C^i- 
 narsie, and go out from there to try the " head" for one turn 
 of tide ? 
 
 Crossing the ferry from New York, our drive from Brook- 
 lyn lies through a labyrinth of flower and vegetable gardens, 
 forming a landscape dotted here and there with eh((te(m;i' 
 whoso surroundings prove the menage to have been designed 
 with a view to uniting comfort Avith elegance. Those old 
 oaks, cherry-trees, and black walnuts, together Avith the ser- 
 pentine windings of a cou])le of trout brooks, are the only 
 marks left of that antiquity which antedates our Revolution- 
 ary War for Independence ; but the gardens, lawns, fruit- 
 trees, and margins of flowers, forming the landscajjc into a 
 picture of beauty, and loading the air with perfume, demand 
 
 that the senses of smell and sight shall do their duty. 
 * * • * * * ^ ^ 
 
 Yes, judge, we are already at Canarsie, and I do not won- 
 der at your surprise that in less than one hour we should 
 have left urban blocks of brick and marble, and been wafted, 
 as it were, through seven miles of flower'^, to be set down on 
 the margin of the sea, with all its aquatic views breaking 
 upon us like a startling pun or paradox. Be pleased to step 
 upon the piazza of the hotel and take a look seaward, while 
 
Quaint Salts at Canarsie. 
 
 91 
 
 <mr host orders Captain Abraius to bring Iuh yaclit aloni? the 
 dock. It was amusing, wli n I first inaugurated rod-fishiug 
 for shot'pshead, to perceive i iie members of the hand-line-com- 
 mittee cast furtive ghin- ! at me as tliey winked knowinj^ly 
 to one another, as much .. to nay, All's fish as comes to our 
 net , and a greenlioni is as good as any, if he pays." The clan; 
 rakers and crnb atchers, whose small sail aiiJ row boats dot 
 the shores an(, hoals of Jamaica ]>ay as they saunter about 
 baretboted and clad in a red shirt and rolled-up trowsers, also 
 believed that anglers for 8hee})shead w ith rod and reel were 
 monomaniai s ; and though they freely took my money for 
 bait, they frankly advised ne to use a hand-line for "head." 
 This Avant of faith, however, lasted no longer than did the 
 gibes and siu-ers of the shad-fishermen at IL ' ke when Seth 
 (Treen stated that he could hatch a milh 'U ot Miad a day,nnd 
 within a week he hatched si.v times that inmiber daily. So 
 the members of the hand-line-con Jttee and bait-catchers 
 soon became not only civil, but vied with eacli other in sec- 
 onding my wishes by taking pains to procure me peculiar 
 baits, et . ., concluding finally that angling with a rod and reel 
 may be as respectable iis fishhig with a hand-line. 
 
 SECTION FOURTH. 
 
 ANGLING F( . SIIEEPSIIEAD. 
 
 The saline nir is invigorating, and a slight haze protects us 
 from an unwelcome glare of the sun. The gulls scream as 
 they dip and sweep over shoals of young herring and men- 
 haden. Members of *he hand-line-committee are out in full 
 force, and sixty clinker-built and copper-fastened tiny sail- 
 boats. With poles lowered and sails wrapped round them, are 
 anchored along the banks of mussel-beds, intent on baiting 
 with clams, and casting their heavy sinkers — catchung ! ca- 
 lung ! Our captain rounds our craft to as if he intended to 
 swamp half a dozen tiny craft ; but all is serene and the an- 
 chor cast, when the captain falls to opening shedder crab and 
 soft-shell clams, and throwing the shells overboard at the bow 
 
IMAGE EVALUATION 
 TEST TARGET (MT-3) 
 
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 10 
 
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 2.2 
 
 
 2.0 
 
 11:25 1 1.4 
 
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 1.6 
 
 PnotogBphic 
 
 Sciences 
 Corporation 
 
 23 WEST MAIN STREET 
 
 WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 
 
 (716) 87^-4503 
 
 
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92 
 
 Fishing in Ameeican Waters. 
 
 of the boat, so that the tide will carry them astern and at- 
 tract the fish. 
 
 With the sail lowered over the centre of the stern and 
 lashed, the judge takes his stand on one side of it and my- 
 self on the other, when each with a single-rigged hook, as be- 
 fore stated, and well baited with shedder crab, make our first 
 cast. 
 
 " Judge, permit me to advise that when your sinker toucli- 
 es the water you do n(jt slack your line or permit any to run 
 from the reel, but let it sink naturally, and the tide will keep 
 your line straight, so that you will be able to distinguish the 
 faintest nibble after it settles on the bottom. If you do not 
 get a bite in a minute, jerk— as if you intend to hook a fish— 
 and reel in a yard or two of the slack caused by tiie jerk, and 
 then let the sinker settle as at first. Keep striking and reel- 
 ing a few feet every minute until you have effectually fished 
 over all the ground from where you cast to the boat. Then 
 reel all the way up and repair damage to bait, and cast again. 
 I have cast and reeled in for hours, sometimes without get- 
 ting a single bite from a ' head,' and in such cases my friends 
 resorted to segars and other expedients to prevent them from 
 becoming discouraged; and if they saw the hand-line men 
 catch a few and string them to a cord fastened to the thole- 
 pins, leaving the fish in the water to keep them alive, they 
 would forthwith order our captain to bargain for a few at a 
 dollar each. But, before we or they discontinued fishing, we 
 would take the greatest number of any craft in the bayfand 
 frequently more than we knew how to' dispose of. But the 
 tide slackens, and ' head' will begin to bite Very soon.* Keep 
 your line clear on the reel, and straight from the tip of your 
 rod to the sinker." "There! I've hooked one !" "His shoot- 
 ing up to the top of the water is no sign of weakness, for you 
 perceive that I can not prevent him from diving to the bot- 
 tom quicker than he came up. Captain, man \he landing- 
 net, and be ready and careful, for he is a fifteen-pounder ! 
 There, he is offag.iin; you perceive that I can turn him and 
 
Contest with a SheepsiiexVd. 
 
 93 
 
 bring him to the surface, but as soon as he smells the upper 
 air he turns quicker than thought, and, unless I yield him line, 
 he will either part it or break my rod. The sheepshead is 
 what Lord Dundreary said of a certain bird, ' werry wobust.' 
 You are right, judge, he is beautiful ; but do not count him 
 until he is in the landing-net. There ! stand out of the way 
 of his dorsal and pectoral spikes ; I always wear boots when 
 angling for sheepshead or trolling for bluefish." 
 
 " Ho ! judge, you have hooked a good one. Good ! Play 
 him gently ,.nd gingerly." 
 
 " He'll not let me ! I expect to lose him. There, that's the 
 third time I have brought him to the suvface, only to see him 
 take more line and get farther from the boat at every turn. 
 By the powers, there ! Captain, how much will he weigh ?" 
 "I guess summut near on to ten pound." 
 " What ! You don't mean to say he'll not scale more than 
 ten pounds ?" 
 " Yes, 811* ; maybe et's summut bigger." 
 I check the interesting )lloquy b^ stating that I think our 
 fishes are about the same size, but that the one I have just 
 iiooked is larger than either. The judge then sees that it is 
 best to employ all his time at fishing while the biting con- 
 tinues. As I land the second one, I remark : 
 
 "Judge, you perceive there is no mistaking the bite of a 
 sheepshead ; his bite informs you that he is in earnest." 
 
 " Piecisely so. His bite is like that of no other fisb. It . 
 is as spasmodic as a bluefish and as powerful as an alligator, 
 and he gives, also, an indescribable premonition, info- ming 
 you that a poAverful fish is examining your bait. There ! 
 he's gone !" 
 
 " Well, judge, please examine your hook. The point is bro- 
 ken off. The only safe place to hook a ' head' is in the lip, 
 or at the angle covering the mandibles. I took thirteen here 
 one day, and played a greater number which I lost. Our 
 fishing-tackle kings should inspire greater confidence and 
 better temper by giving us finer tempered hooks." 
 
 
94 
 
 Fi8iim'> IN American Waters. 
 
 The captain counts eleven as our take. Moderate, but 
 enough. Suppose Ave reel up ? Captain, head the craft home- 
 ward. Let's unjoint our rods, put them in their cases, and 
 enjoy the sail. To our left is. the lower bay of New York, 
 the fortifications and shore of New Jersey. To our right is 
 Rockaway, and the great South Bay. Those birds in the 
 weeds are yellow-leg snipe, and those on the sand-bars are 
 summer snipe, of numerous varieties. The gulls seem to be 
 at war, for they sally from the islets and descend on spearing 
 and shoals of small fry as if they were storming a fortification. 
 Our horse is ready, and our fish are stowed under the car- 
 riage seat. We will try to drive home before sundown. 
 
 There are many places along our shores better than Jamai- 
 ca Bay, where we fished to-day, for sheepshead. The hand- 
 line-coramittee make it pay at Fire Island, and there are 
 many superior feeding-places in the South Bay. About the 
 wreck of ihe Black Warrior, near the Narrows, is celebrated 
 for great numbers of them. In truth, our whole coast south 
 of Long Island is rendered inviting by this delicious fish. 
 
 Late in autumn the sheepshead are numerous along the 
 shores of Virginia and the Carolinas, but they are not so 
 good any where else as within the latitude of the State of 
 New York. The sheepshead of our northern chain of lakes 
 IS an inferior fish, and should not be confounded with oui- 
 coast and estuary delicacy. 
 
 Along the shores of New Jersey sheepshead arc numerous 
 from May until October : 
 
 Where inle'; of the Barnegat 
 
 Opes to the boiling surf its gate, 
 When the young flood-tide washes iu 
 
 Limpet and ':rab, a luring bait, 
 Then, where the affluent current pours 
 The deepest o'er its mussel floors, 
 Tlie greedy sheepshead hidden lie 
 To seize whatever may float by. 
 And there, in dancing boat tliat swings 
 
 At anchor hi the floating tides, 
 The angler line and plummet flings, 
 
 And takes tlie robber where lie hides. 
 
A GAMY AND DELICIOUS FlSII. 
 
 95 
 
 SECTION FIFTH. 
 
 THE KINGFISH. 
 
 By many anglers this fish js regarded as the best water- 
 game of the estuaries. It is justly entitled to be considered 
 one of tlif best food and anglers' fishes of the waves which 
 wash the shores from Sandy Hook to New York City. Its 
 small and hard mouth is bordered with a gristly rim, j^eculi- 
 arly adapted to holding a small hook. In the waters about 
 the city this fish is not numerous, nor are the members of the 
 limited shoals of large size, running only from a half to two 
 pounds each off Communipaw, Kill Von Kull, and Newark 
 Bay; but at the south end of Staten Island, in Amboy Bay, 
 and where it merges into the lower Bay of New York, near 
 Freeport, and in Jamaica Bay, near Barren Island, they some- 
 times run as heavy as five pouvds. All along the South Bay 
 and the New Jersey shore aiid inlets this delectable fish is 
 tak€n in greater or less numbers in fykes, seines, pounds, and 
 W+.h the hand-line, while they yield tithe to sportsmen witli 
 rod and reel. 
 
 The Kingfi«h. —^cetcnre iVe/>«fosa.— Mitcliill. 
 
 The meat of the kingfish laminates in flakes of very close 
 texture. It is a very heavy fish for its size. Though emi- 
 nently a breakfast fish, yet f-v a chowder the epicure prefers 
 it to sea bass or cod, the acknowledged chowder fishes. The 
 
96 
 
 color 
 
 Fishing in American Waters. 
 
 of the fish is gray, with irregular marks nearly black. 
 It is covered with fine, rigid scales, which extend over the 
 . head. The first dorsal is spinous, and all the other fins are 
 soft-rayed. The fish possessesj great propulsive power, as in- 
 dicated by its fins, so that a three-pounder at the remote end 
 of a line, with delicate bass rod, generally induces the novice 
 to believe the strength, speed, and endurance of the fish un- 
 der-estimated. « Gently, but firmly," are the words in play- 
 ing a kingfish, which some denominate "barb," because a 
 .short adipose barb shoots out beneath its lower jaw; but it 
 bears no resemblance to the barbel family. It spawns in 
 .spring-time, as most white-meated fishes do; and, though 
 rather solitary iu its habits, it remains in our estuaries and 
 small bays along the coast from May until November. Au- 
 gust and September are the best months to angle for it; and 
 as the tackle required should be adapted to its size of mouth 
 and great propulsive power, the following cut may assist the 
 angler who would enjoy the spore of taking the fish, which— 
 for his inches— is eminently the king of game fishes. 
 
 The rod is the common three-jointed bass-rod, from eight 
 to ten feet in length. Pivot, multiplying reel of German sil- 
 ver or brass, large enough to carry from four to six hundred 
 feet of fine linen line. 
 
 The play of a kingfish is peculiar, though like the striped 
 bass he takes the bait without hesitation and starts away, 
 and when he feels the prick of the hook, accelerates In peed,' 
 swimming low, and making a very long and strong run. If 
 you have never taken one you will be puzzled with his invet- 
 erate persistence in keeping down and running deep, and 
 your surprise will not be diminished when he finally breaks 
 water a hundred yards from the boat ; and you will wonder, 
 after landing a fish which has taken you nearly half an hour 
 to kill, that it weighs scarcely three pounds. The vital spark 
 of the kingfish is very brilliant, and he is very tenacious of it ; 
 but, once landed, he exhibits a vanquished look, and his or- 
 ange-colored eyes and scaly head turn downward, as if both 
 
IIang-dog Look when Vanquished. 
 
 97 
 
 — ^^I^C»^'©-==-^ 
 
 KiNGFISH TaCKI*. 
 
 to .crew Ipt'o a^KW"' KiZ'^SiS?"" ? VVS^S »' '""i 
 worm gut. leaaer . both leader and enell (or snood) are double silk- 
 
 fatigued and ashamed; not like the striped bass and sheeps- 
 head, who look happy, and seem to say, "Mr. Angler, I guess 
 you had your metal tried in playing me;" or like a traveler 
 just arrived from Europe, assuming an air of importance, as 
 If condescending to visit America just to see for himself what 
 the lankees are like. But, though the kingfish looks like a 
 deck-passenger after a long voyage, the angler is sure of one 
 point m his favor, and the cook, as well as the epicure, will 
 be fully assured of another. 
 
 The kingfish shoals on a clean sandy bottom, feeds on Crus- 
 tacea, and prefers shrimp, shedder, and sofl-shell crabs and 
 lobsters. Anchor off Barren Island to the north of the edge of 
 the channel, and expect sport. Anchor east of Obesnequack 
 i^reek, on the border of the channel between there and Free- 
 port, and in August and September you can not fail of ob- 
 
 G 
 
98 
 
 Fishing in American AVateks. 
 
 taming rapturous sport. Take your bait with you from a 
 New York market, for fear of delay. Caving Channel a 
 sandy bottom tideway from Communipaw to Jersey City' is 
 said to be a favorite run for small kingfish, where good sport 
 18 often realized on the lirst of the flood. Kingfish feed also 
 at numerous places in the South Bay, and all along the coast 
 of New Jersey. 
 
 To anglers who dwell near the coast, 
 
 The kingfish is a peculiar joy ; 
 And among all the scaly host, 
 
 This they choose as theif favorite toy. . 
 
 SECTION SIXTH. 
 
 « 
 
 , THE HOGFISH. 
 
 This fish is very numerous on the Bahama banks and alon«- 
 the coast of the Southern States, visiting in the spring, which 
 is its spawning season, as far north as the mouth of the Ches- 
 apeake Bay. It is white-meated and very juicy, requiring no 
 butter or lard in cooking, and its peculiar flavor is very rich 
 and creamy, being the best table-fish among anglers' fishes of 
 the South. It ranges in weight from five to fifteen pounds. 
 Its scales are rather large, except on the head, where they arc 
 
 The Hcgfish. 
 
 very small. The first dorsal is spinous-rayed, and all the 
 rays of the other fins are soft. It is marked similar to the 
 perch, with rays or bars of a darker shade than the rest of the 
 fish, which is a reddish-brown. This fish is angled for by 
 still-baiting with shedder or soft-shell crab, and with shank- 
 
\1 
 
 Delicacies without Olive Oil. 
 
 99 
 
 headed hooks, like those for taking large bass. As its scales 
 are very tenacious, some cooks recommend skinning it as the 
 New Englanders do tautog and yellow perch. It is an excel- 
 lent fish when stuffed and baked, but it is rather adipose for 
 boilhior. 
 
 Apropos of scaling fish : First, lave them in vinegar, and 
 the most tenacious scales will be easily removed. 
 
 THE GRUNTEB. 
 
 This is a silver-sided fisb with gray back and white belly. 
 The fish is very plump, round, and fat, without any foreign 
 taste. It usually weighs from two to five pounds, and is 
 juicy enough to fry without butter. It is one of the best 
 breakfast fishes of the shores and estuaries, and usually shoals 
 with the squeteague, and utters several grunts after being 
 landed. It is angled for the same as the squeteague. Its 
 fins are all soft-rayed, and it is leather-mouthed; medium 
 sized scales cover the body. In speaking of a frying fish, I 
 believe in the epicurean theory of never frying a fish which 
 weighs over half a pound ; and that boiling, broiling, baking, 
 and chowdering are the only true ways to cook fish, except 
 the primitive ones of rolling them in buttered paper and roast- 
 ing them in hot embers, or threading them on a birch toast- 
 ing-fork, with a slice of pork, and roasting them before a 
 camp-fire. The grunter is a great delicacy, and very good 
 game for the sportsman with rod and reel. 
 
 > 
 
 The Guunt£<{. 
 
mm 
 
 100 
 
 Fishing in Ameeican Waters. 
 
 hi ( 
 
 THE GOLDEN MULLET. 
 
 This is eminently a fish of the coast and inlets of the Caro- 
 linas, though in summer it is taken in considerable numbers 
 as far north as the coast and estuaries of New Jersey. Its 
 mouth is very small and toothless, so that a person might be 
 led to suppose that it lived on animalcula did it not bite so 
 ravenously. In size, the golden mullet range from half a 
 pound to a pound, and they are so fat tho . cooks say " they 
 fry themselves." I know of no fish possessing in an equal de- 
 gree the rich, sweet juiciness of the golden mullet. It is al- 
 ways distinguishable by from two to four jet spots above 
 the tail. The color of the back is brown, sides golden, belly 
 white, meat a cream color. Its scales are small and soft, fins 
 soft-rayed. The body is masculated in dark sliades like the 
 squeteague, and the tail is straight across the end. 
 
 Trk Golden Mullet. 
 
 The golden mullet affords exciting sport to the young an- 
 gler with very light bass and perch tackle. The rod should » 
 either be four-jointed and ten feet long, or a plain bamboo 
 pole, mounted with guides and reel-rilgs. The reel may be 
 small, but large enough to carry a hundred yards of fine linen 
 Ime, because the angler sometimes hooks squeteague, grunt- 
 ers, striped bass, and kingfish while angling for the smaller 
 delicacy. The golden mullet affects shrimp bait, but will 
 sometimes take mussels and soft clams. The hook must be 
 small-single leaders are preferred-and a swivel and float 
 afford the prettiest sport, with two hooks, as rigged for small 
 striped bass. The golden mullet seldom ventures far above 
 the estuaries of rivers, and it should not be disgraced by con- 
 
 I 
 
Sport kok Ladies and Ciuldeen. 
 
 101 
 
 founding it with the numerous family of mullets of the Muyil 
 genua. 
 
 THE WHITE PEKCH. 
 
 This fish is found at the meeting of salt and fresh waters all 
 along the coast from Cape Cod to the Carolinas, and, though 
 siinilar in essential marks, it differs in shade and symmetry 
 either according to its food or the waters it inhabits. It is a 
 little fish at best, ranging all the way from three ounces to 
 three pounds. Of course you throw the small ones back if 
 you do not hook them in the gills. The back is neutral-tint- 
 ed, sides a silvery, lustre, and belly Avhite. The first dorsal is 
 spinous, and the others soft-rayed, except the first anal. The 
 head is small, and, with its silver-plated gill-covers, small 
 mouth, and little teeth, looks pretty, bites freely, and resists 
 the angler merrily. This fish is peculiarly adapted for the 
 sport of juveniles. It is a pan-fish, white-meated, flat, easily 
 scaled, and quite a delicacy in November, for it is one of our 
 latest biting fishes. Angle for it with light bass-tackle, and 
 it is generally to be found near where a creek of fresh water 
 empties into salt water, or in brackish waters over springs 
 which bubble up from the bottom of a pond or river. A 
 white perch which weighs but a pound affords sport with 
 light tackle, and, when weighing three pounds, it plays very 
 vigorously. 
 
 The White Perch. 
 
 I 
 
tl 
 
 I'.' 1 
 
 ! t 
 
 102 
 
 FisiiiNo IN Amekican Waters. 
 
 THE SMELT. 
 
 This i,s a small delicate fish, supposed by some to belon.. 
 to the sa mon tr,be, though it is not nearly so mueh like"^ 
 as .a sinner like a shad. It is almost tranLcent, and from 
 five to eight inches in length; its meat is soft, ;hite and 
 sweet, with no bones but the spine and ribs, which a^so 
 smal and tender that they are eaten with the' preciourmoi 
 
 ^od i buuir " 1 Y " ^'^^ '^^ ''• ^-^"^^ - «-r - 
 ble, but the skin, traced in small diamond lines, is like the 
 canvas skin of tlie trout of Long Lake. It is ash-col red o. 
 
 ^r tr::t':;?r '^ ''t "^' '^'"^- ^'-^ ^^ ^ ^-"" 
 
 bait. As affording sport, the smelt is no mean game Late 
 
 The Smelt.— Osmerus Eptrlanus.—YimMW 
 
 m the autumn when ice begins -to border the streams the 
 angler rigs a long perch-rod with a small multiplying re«l 
 and a fine line rigged with half a dozen small trout or min-' 
 now hooks on short snells fastened to the main line, six inch- 
 es apart, and baited with pieces of shrimp or bits of clam 
 and resorts in boat up small tidal streams, anchors and anc^les 
 or them during the flood tide, when it is not uncommon to 
 take from a fourth to half a dozen of these pearly beauties at 
 a time, as fast as he can bait his hooks and cast them near 
 he boat. There is nothing prettier than these gems danglin.. 
 and shining at the end of the line, when they emit the odor 
 of fresh cucumbers. On the approach of winter, anglers of 
 all ages are seen on the bridges and along the saline streams 
 of the coast, from Delaware Bay to the eastern boundary of 
 Maine; and as an article of commerce, thousands are sold in 
 
A Bait fob Striped Bass. 
 
 103 
 
 the New York markets, the average retail price being twenty 
 cents a pound. The smelt is eminently the winter sport for 
 the angler, succeeding the white perch in small tidal creeks. 
 This fish will alsd take the fly when sunk to their feeding 
 level near the bottom. 
 
 When twinkling icicles depend 
 
 From woods that with the bright freight bend, 
 
 When siilty stream anu open sound 
 
 With adamantine ice are bound, 
 
 Then o'er the solid frozen stream 
 
 The tents of the smelt-fishers gleam ; 
 
 Each opes with axe the crystal floor, 
 
 Then patient watches at the door. 
 
 TUB SPEARING, OR SILVERSIDES. 
 
 •This is the same order of abdominales ,as the smeiu and 
 caplin, shoals with them, and is eminently a bait for the sal- 
 mon and striped bass. I,ate in October, in a tideway, bait 
 with this fish for striped bass. On Pelham Bridge, anglers 
 are seen letting the line carry out with the strong tide this 
 shiny bait, or casting with float, light swivel sinker, and this 
 bait, which— where the most rapid current slackens toward 
 :in eddy— attracts the leap of a striped, satin-sided beauty, 
 forcing the blood to the ends of the digits of the angler. The 
 upper part of the head i§ rather flat, and the tiny gill rays 
 ar& six in number, and the side-belt shines like silver. 
 
 " ^olor.— Pale olive-green above the lateral line ; opercles 
 and sides silvery ; obscure traces just below the lateral line 
 
! 
 
 104 
 
 Fishing in Amekican Wa.^eks 
 
 II 
 
 The Spearing, or Sihy eusidks.— Genus Atherim. 
 
 of a broad satin-like band, extending the whole length of the 
 body; the place of the ribs indicates lustrous stripes, which 
 disappear shortly after death; upper part of the opercles 
 near the nape, dark green ; caudal dark at the base, and with 
 an obscure marginal band; dorsal caudal fius light green- 
 p-ctorals, ventrals, and anal light colored, tinged faintly with 
 bluish; iridos silvery; bones of the head sub-diaphanous." 
 
 The foregoing quotation is from De Kay's description of 
 the smelc ; but he inadvertently described a spearing. I am 
 not surprised at that, for they shoal together, and even Dr 
 Clerk^an angler and a scholar, did not know the difference 
 until ^ casually pointed it out to him. 
 
 When in the autumn's latest time. 
 
 And first the streams run icy cold 
 In Indian surnmer'a crimjon prime, 
 
 When forest trees are touched with gold, 
 Then take t: 3 silvery fish that gleam 
 
 Along the eddies of the stream. 
 
 THE CAPLIlf. 
 
 This is the tiny, translucent fish, of from three to six inches 
 m length, ^7hich shoals in great abundance on the shores of 
 Ne«rfoundland and Labrador, and is chiefly used as bait for 
 cod It will be seen that this fish belongs to the same order 
 as the smelt and spearing, the chief diflference consisting in 
 Its double anal fin. All codfish fleets employ a sloop, two 
 i-ow-boats, and a set of hands with caplin nets, to keep them 
 supplied with bait. It is an interesting sight to witness a 
 city of boats dj-.ributed over many miles of water in the 
 Gulf of St. Lawrence, or about Newfoundland, and the bait- 
 tenders hauling seines over shoals and about islands where 
 the tiny caplm resort for protection from the ood So it -ip 
 
be 
 
 3h 
 
 !S, 
 th 
 
 n 
 
 r. 
 e 
 
 Cod Bait in the Gulf of S-t. Lawrence. 105 
 
 pears, Great Nature has wisely ordained that big fishes shall 
 eat the little ones, and, to compensate for this consumption 
 hshes naturally increase many hundred fold faster than land 
 animals, as before observed. 
 
 I have presented these three great baits-the smelt, spear- 
 mg, and caplin-for thn angler's information, for I have been 
 acquainted with many anglers who could not name the dif- 
 ferent fishes when taken together in great masses. Shoals 
 o. these fishes are followed by salmon, codfish, and by the 
 larger fishes of prey, such as the horse mackerel, cero, and 
 bonetta, over which hover flocks of gulls, and ever and anon 
 the latter swoop and shriek as they pick up the debris float- 
 ing on the surface left by the monsters as thev follow and 
 teed on the shoals of these tender delicacies. 
 
 The CAPLin.—AIallotus villosus. 
 All the estuaries of rivers and shores of the St. Lawrence 
 teem with the caplin, and sometimes with the smelt also, and 
 occasionally with all these three shoaling together. They 
 form the staple food of the silver trout of the estuaries. All 
 these fishes spawn in the spring, and, therefore, I am sur- 
 prised that they should be suppoijed to belong to any branch 
 of the Salmo genus. 
 
 SECTION SEVENTH. 
 
 THE SEA BASS. 
 Where low the level Jersey shore 
 Spreads out its ribb'd and sandy floor, 
 At break of day the fishers launch 
 The little skiff, so swift and stanch, 
 Spread the white sail, forsake the strand, 
 To dure the ocean miles from land. 
 Full well by shorem^vks they may know 
 Where reefs of weeds lue hidden low ; 
 G2 
 
TER8. 
 
 il 
 
 106 Fishing in Ameeican Wa 
 
 There, anchor'd at the dawn of dnv, 
 They rob the marine banks of prey,' 
 
 The sea bass is not strictly a vegetarian, though it visits 
 vegetable banks to spawn and feast upon the numerous small 
 Crustacea which hide amongst sea-weed. It occupies a re- 
 spectable place in the culinary calendar, and is preferred to 
 cod for a chowder. It is eminently a coast fish, and seldom 
 ventures far above the estuaries, bays, and back-waters, or 
 bayous The sea bass, porgee, and tautog banks along the 
 coast of New Jersey form one of the attractions of Lono- 
 Branch, and they are a real blessing to the members of the 
 hand-lme-committee, who realize in them a cheap relaxation 
 trom business and the lassitude caused by too constant work 
 m a city during the heat of summer. 
 
 The Sea Bass, 
 
 Several excursion steamers run every alternate day to the 
 ^ Fishing Banks, where they make a day's excursion for half a 
 dollar, and whence often on the evening of the same day each 
 passenger returns with three dollars worth of sea bass. A 
 large business is done throughout the summer and autumn 
 in the capture and sale of sea bass. 
 
 The meat of the sea bass laminates in compact ilakes, not 
 so soft and watery as .the cod, but more succulent and deli- 
 cate in taste. This fish usually runs from three to iwelve 
 pounds, and is what angler's term a bottom-feeding fish con- 
 sequently not an especial favorite with the discinlen of rod 
 
 *?-: 
 
Its 
 
 lli 
 
 'e- 
 to 
 m 
 )r 
 ic 
 
 g 
 e 
 
 k 
 
 To JVJ A SIMPLE Chowder. 107 
 
 and reel. Its feedin^^ grounds extend along the coast from 
 Delaware to Alaine, wherever the sea-weed grows from beds 
 of mussels. This fish, like many herbivorous fishes of the 
 Urient, lays its eggs, and they are vivified on the weeds and 
 among the shells of the bottom. This process continues from 
 May until August, and the shoals remain on the banks until 
 most of their annual progeny leave the shell, when they all 
 resort to deeper waters to winter. 
 
 Jll'r 'Z"T\^-'^ '"^ ^'"'^ ^"^^ seldombreaks water until 
 eady for the landmg-net. Unlike the tautog, its mouth is 
 large and leathery, easy to hook, and tenaciourto hold. It 
 color is a bluish, and sometimes a greenish black, lightened a 
 rifle at the lower parts of the sides and belly. Is ^1^" a- 
 about a quarter of an inch in diameter, and its dorsal fins- 
 while spmous-are not very hardj the other fins are soft- 
 rayed, except the front ray of the anal. 
 
 The sea bass is a boiler, but epicures regard it as superior 
 ma chowder. Chowder clubs use no fish !ut sea bass Tt. 
 tie Neck clams improve the chowder, and, as I was for some 
 ime secretary of the Latourette Chowder Club, andsup^i^! 
 tended a combmation of the gustatory elemenL, I will here 
 describe a simple chowder for anglers. A comm;n iron pot 
 of globular shape, is best to make a chowder in. Slice as 
 
 sides of the pot, to prevent the chowder from burning. Then 
 cover the pork with a layer of quartered onions, wlfch have 
 been previously parboiled fifteen minutes; the^ cover the 
 omons with a layer offish cut in two-ink-square pi ces 
 then cover the fish with a layer of tomatoes ; then a layei ot' 
 «ea-biscuu ; then a layer of clams ; then a la/er of onions and 
 con mue the layers in the rotation described until the pot" s 
 ed. Season each layer with salt, and a mixture of reS and 
 bl^k peppers together with such other condiments as de 
 
 r'uponTf ''''•"' '^' '' ''''' ^^' ^«^^ - ^-"-^ then 
 poui upon It from a pmt to a quart of Chateau TVTov.;,. ^r 
 
 good L<.rdeaux claret, and let it simmer half an ho^iti^;;: 
 
 I 
 
108 
 
 Fishing in Ameeican Waters. 
 
 Chowder should remain over the fire nearly two hours. This 
 chowder has the merit of being simple, and-to a hungry 
 sportsman-it is palatable, though not so epicurean as the 
 chowder made by the late Daniel Webster, the receipt for 
 which is given on another page. 
 
 Chowder -parties and clam -bakes are American institu- 
 tions, and they are indulged in annually in July and August 
 throughout the whole length of the coasts of New York and 
 New England. 
 
 In a commercial point of view, the sea bass ranks with the 
 tautog, and next to the cod, being consumed annually to the 
 number of millions. 
 
 For capture with rod and reel the common striped bass- 
 tackle is used. I have taken hundreds of small ones in a day 
 while angling for sheepshead. They take with equal voraci- 
 ty shrunp, clam, and shedder crab. A shoal of a single pair 
 offish number probably five thousand which attain to the 
 weight of half a pound and over; not more, because ground- 
 sharks and other marine carnivora thin their ranks when fin- 
 gerlings. Their feeding-time is during the lull of the waters 
 between the turn of the tides, when they yield themselves 
 wilhng victims to the angler's captivating art. They weigh 
 from half a pound to five pounds, and some shoals run from 
 eight to fifteen pounds. As one of our common food fishes, 
 it is a shade more respectable than most of those which have 
 by quality and status been consigned to tlie hand-line multi- 
 tude. 
 
 THE PORGEE. 
 
 This fish runs from a quarter to three pounds in weight, 
 and unites with the blackfish (tautog) and bergall (cachogset) 
 to form the guerrilla army of thieves for robbing bait when 
 the angler, with hooks too large for its mouth, is fishing for 
 larger game. Its mouth is armed with pin-point teeth like 
 those of the perch, and while it can not bite in two a single 
 gut snell or thin linen line, is most dexterous in robbing bass 
 
A SLY Bait Thief. io9 
 
 hooks, or mauling and mutilating the bait. It is a greedy 
 little sniny sinner, which is both herbivorous and carnivor- 
 ous, foraging on both fish and vegetable diets, and shoaling 
 with the omnium gatherum of bottom fish, which make their 
 summer habitations among the weedy banks called by their 
 name all along the coast from Maine to Georgia, from three 
 to SIX miles from shore, purveying every where from their 
 homes, mto all the estuaries and tidal back-sets, for proven- 
 der. The porgee is one of the most numerous of coast fishes 
 and as greedy as it is plenty. Dr. Brown, in his Anglers' 
 t^uide, states that the steam-boat which runs daily to the 
 porgee banks in summer returns with many thousand por- 
 
 Thb VoiidE.^.—Pogrus Argyrops. 
 
 gees, besides the sea bass and tautog, averaging from six to 
 ten thousand as their daily catch with the hand-line. To the 
 mechanics and clerks of the metropolis these daily excursions 
 m midsummer to the fishing-banks are great blessings; for, 
 besides the inflation of the lungs with bracing sea-aii the 
 change of scene, and the exercise out of doors, they bring 
 back more than an adequate compensation for the pittance 
 expended for the <lay's recreation. There can not be too 
 many boats engaged in making fishing-bank excursions, pro- 
 vided the boats are sound and well managed. In general, 
 the captains of excursion steamers are well acquainted with 
 the topography of the banks, and know where to order the 
 
110 
 
 Fishing in Ameeican Watebs. 
 
 heaving of the anchor for good fishing. The charge for pas- 
 sage includes hand-line tackle and bait, so that a man may 
 start in the morning empty-handed, and be landed at home 
 the same evening with a large mess offish. 
 
 The porger is a pan-fish of sweet and de'licate flavor when 
 first caught, but its juices soon become absorbed, and, witli 
 the loss of its juiciness, becomes nearly tasteless. While 
 casting along tlie' coast for striped bass, anglers frequently 
 hook these nimble shiners, and the guides always draw them 
 at once and place them in moss between a cleft of rocks for 
 thm own eating, preferring them to the striped bass. 
 
 The porgee is supposed to spawn on the weedy banks with 
 the sea bass and tautog early in spring, when the last year's 
 hatch leave for estuaries, purveying to the head of tide- 
 waters. In angling for this fish perch tackle is used. The 
 rod 18 from ten to eleven feet in length, multiplying reel car- 
 rying a hundred yards of fine linen or silk line, cork float, and 
 swivel sinker, single -gut leader and snells, with minnow 
 books Takmg them is pretty sport for ladies and children 
 Use shrimp or clam bait, and let the bait nearly cover the 
 point of the hook; and where they are numerous-as they are 
 throughout summer in nearly all tidal waters in and above ' 
 the estuaries-the angler will pair them nearly every time 
 he baits his hooks. The fashion is becoming more and more 
 prevalent along the tidal waters of the Atlantic coast, where 
 they are shut in from the heaving and throbbing of the sea 
 for whole families to take a seat in a row-boat toward even- 
 ing, and row out to some favorite ground not far from shore 
 but at a suflicient distance to enjoy different landscape views' 
 of both shores, and there to anchor the boat and ano-le for ' 
 porgees, with an occasional sea bass, squeteague, and'black- 
 hsh. Eockmg in a boat over the running tide is great food 
 to vitality, and the evening scenes from the water, with the 
 pleasing exercise of angling, are blessings to be thankful 
 lor. 
 
Lies Low and Looks Cunning. 
 
 Ill 
 
 SECTION EIGHTH. 
 
 ■fr 
 
 ] Tji . . Scale of Inches. ' ' 
 
 The family of ,.,,e trasses, or rocMsh, includes our com- 
 mon bergalls, the New York tautog or common blacM h aTd 
 U.o«e fancy-colored species known as "old wives of the sea" 
 Of the latter there are several varieties, such as tl e .Xd 
 wUe, the Une old wife, and the yetto,. old wife, whth Ire o 
 named m accordance with their prevailin.. colors TheTLv 
 
 c'Cfe -r t '* "^'"' ^""'"^ are'thriJ^trfkt 
 charactenstic. The wrasses were known to the poet Opnia,r 
 
 Who^desenhe. the beds of sea-weed as their -favorite '^C 
 
 "And there thick beds of mossy verdure grew- 
 bea-grass, and spreading wrack are seen : below 
 Oay rainbow-fish, and sable wrasse resort. " 
 
 The foregoing is an extract from Willson's Fifth Reader 
 and forms a part of the " Glimpse of Ichthyology- Jelii is 
 work mchides. ^^ ^^^ 
 
112 
 
 Fishing in American Waters. 
 
 TUB TaUTOG. 
 
 This fish (Fig. 3) is termed tautog along the coast of New 
 England, and is equally well known as hlackjish along the 
 shores of Long Island and New Jersey, south of which it is 
 not numerous, nor is it north of the Vineyard Sound, though 
 it has greatly increased along Cape Cod within the past fif- 
 teen years. 
 
 Wherever kelp and sea-weed cling 
 To ramparts form'd of rugged rocks, 
 The tautog finds a dwelling-place, 
 Deep down in waters at their base ; 
 Or where a passing boat hath met 
 Its fate along the rocky shore, 
 And, with its broken ribs and keel, 
 Lies rotting on the ocean floor — 
 There, where the clinging shell and weed 
 Gather, and barnacles abound, 
 The blackfish, seeking out their feed, 
 In numbers by the hook are found. 
 
 The tautog is one of the largest family of fishes which in- 
 habit the waters along the coast from Vineyard Sound to Del- 
 aware Bay. Urchins along shores begin fishing by taking 
 cachogset, kunners, and bergalls — all of the diminutive car- 
 nivora or bait-robbers — and if, in their efforts, they succeed in 
 capturing a tautog, the lucky urchin who thus succeeds to 
 the first step of fishing thereafter scrapes money together to 
 purchase a regular hand-line and t wo tautog hooks, with a 
 heavy sinker. He then rigs a hand-line en regie, and consid- 
 ers himself a juvenile member of the " hand-line-committee," 
 not to be entifled to full membership until he can earn by 
 fishing a miniature scow large enough to float two young- 
 sters of from seven to ten years of age. Then, with a stone 
 for anchor, they scull from clump to reef of rocks near the 
 shores of our tidal estuari.s and small bays, and once in a 
 while add to their catches of blackfish a weakfish, or even a 
 striped bass ! This achievement affords the barefooted regi- 
 ment a week's discussion, and forthwith the lucky urchin be- 
 
 • 
 

 f.T-J 
 
 I 
 
 r 
 
 Members of the IlAND-LmE-coMMiiTEE. 113 
 
 comes the arbiter in all piscatorial (llsi)utos, as well as the 
 oounselor in all arrangements of fishing-tackle, until some 
 other boy takes a larger fish. 
 
 Bnt the blackfish, or tantog, is not to he disdained by the 
 <Iisciple of rod and reel. Though he is eminently a commer- 
 cial fish, yet a tide-runner of his family which weighs from 
 eight to twelve pounds makes such dips and runs as try both 
 the angler and his tackle. A somewhat celebrated senator 
 of Rhode Island (now the Chinese embassador) used annual- 
 ly to spend several summer w(!eks in fishing for tantog with 
 an artistically-rigged hand-line. lie sculled his boat lo the 
 edge of the tide, on the bank between a rapid current and 
 nearly slack water, and hear an islet or reef of rocks in the 
 Seconnet River, where the water is about fifteen feet deep • 
 anchored his punt firmly, standing up in the stern, and cast 
 some seventy-five feet of line, armed with two hooks about 
 two feet above the sinker, and baited with clam. In this 
 way I have known him to take one hundred pounds of tau- 
 tog in one hour. 
 
 At the mouth of the Seconnet River there are numerous 
 pounds, built of stone, or staked out with netting, for the 
 purpose of catching tau og, porgee — or scapogue, as the 
 large ones are called— and numerous minor bottom fry. Re- 
 cently a salmon was caught in one of these infamous traps, 
 and, if it is seriously contemplated to restore salmon to our 
 deserted rivers, the first step should be to take up all nets 
 fastened to stakes in the rivers and along the coast. 
 
 Tautog are eaten while fresh. Neither the tantog or any 
 other fish of the estuaries whicri is angled for are cured by 
 salt or refrigeration. They are, as it Avere, hand-to-mouth 
 fishes. Both the tautog and sea bass are kept alive many 
 days, and sometimes weeks, in fish-cars anchored in water 
 suited to their growth. The blackfish is next to the shad in 
 affording the greatest amount of estuary fish to our markets 
 Its meat is watery, and the scales are so firmly set, that somp 
 persons invariably lave them in vinegar before scaling In 
 
 H 
 
 ■ 
 
114 
 
 Fishing in American Waters. 
 
 New England they generally skin the tautog, as an easier 
 proces^than scaling, and consider it a culinary delicacy when 
 properly cooked, of which there are three methods, i. e., broil- 
 ing, frying, and stewing. Before frying the fish, score him 
 across each side an inch apart, as you would any breakfast 
 pan-fish. Fry some salt pork to a crisp; take out the pork, 
 and, while the fat is so hot as to be next to blazing, roll your 
 fish in a mixture of rye and corn meal, and place it in the 
 sparkling hot fat, and let it brown. Turn it twice, and dred^re 
 it each time with flour, so that its crust will become an eio-lith 
 of an inch thick. After broiling, and while piping hot, baist 
 It with butter, salt it, and give it a simple dash of red pep- 
 per, which stimulates without inflanting the stomach, and the 
 slightest dash of black as a bouquet, though it does inflame 
 the stomach without stimulating or assisting digestion. 
 
 The following receipt by an editor oiquelque 'chose de goin 
 is worth rememberinjr : 
 
 "Now, fair ruler of the destinies of dinner (for if thou beest 
 a man I have no sympathies toward thee), smoke-compelling 
 Betty, or Mary, or whatever else may be the happy appella- 
 tive in which not only thon, but all jf us rejoice, thou hast 
 before thee one of the most delicately absorbent substances 
 in nature, imbibing flavor from every thing whicli surrounds 
 it, whether of adverse or of propitious tendency ; subject, as 
 Warren Hastings said of the tenure of the British possessions 
 in India, alike 'to the touch of chance or the breath of ophi- 
 ion.' 
 
 "Thou hast it, my choice Mary! The small, deep stew- 
 pan— with its thin cullender or strainer, on which the fish is 
 to be lowered to the bottom, that it may, when stewed into 
 soft delight, be gently raised again without injuring its integ- 
 rity of form— glows with brightness in front of thee! Thy 
 vigorous arm of mottled red, thy round wrist, and small, com- 
 pact fingers, grasp the sharp-pointed knife with which to sat- 
 isfy thyself that not one scale remains around the head, the 
 fins, the tail. 
 
 • f 
 
 *.'>a 
 
To CATCH AND COOK TaUTOG. 115 
 
 " Now tail and fins are nicely shortened in their termina- 
 tion, not hacked off. A little salt is thrown over the fish, 
 merely to hcmleyi and not salt it, and it lies two hours for this' 
 purpose. It is then scored, that it may not break when it 
 swells, and browned well upon the gridiron, from which it 
 is carefully taken up, and laid to repose upon a bed of nicely- 
 peeled and very fresh mushrooms, daintily spread over the 
 strainer. 
 
 "While the fish was hardening, Mary has had a communi- 
 cation from up stairs. Ah extra bottle of the Chateau of 
 twenty-five had been unavailingly opened the day before to 
 tempt a total abstinence friend who had arrived from the 
 country. Good part oi^it remains, and at this moment it is* 
 decanted into the stew-pan; the freighted strainer descends 
 mto the wine, and the fish, entirely immersed in the amethys- 
 tme element, regrets no more its loss of life, of liberty, and 
 youth. A white onion or two is sliced into rings, that foil as 
 decorations over him ; a few berries of pepper thrown in ; six 
 cloves; two blades of mace ; an eschalot, if you think proper • 
 and Cayenne or not, according to your taste. The stew-pan 
 IS then covered, and a careful, slow, epicurean simmer com- 
 pletes the work." 
 
 During winter the blackfish hibernates under rocks in the 
 bays and estuaries, as proven by the vent entirely closino- 
 and a thm film growing over the mouth. In the spring they 
 appear with the dogwood blossom and the chestnut leaves. 
 
 " When chestnut leaves are as big as thumb-nail 
 Then bite blackfi h without fail ; 
 But when oliestnut leaves are as long as a span 
 Then catch blackfish if you can." 
 
 In angling for the tautog, use a heavy bass rod, heavy trac- 
 ing smker like that for sheepshead, but hooks of the Virginia 
 bend and short ni^. Swivel sinkers are preferred by some 
 Let the point of hook be very sharp. Sometimes striped 
 bass, sea bass, squeteague, grunters, and sheepshead feed with 
 the tautog. It IS necessary, therefore, to rig with as laro-e a 
 
116 
 
 Fishing in American "Waters. 
 
 i 
 
 'J 
 
 hook as will answer for small striped bass and squeteague 
 and one strong enough for tautog, or one rather larger than' 
 the common blackfish hook. Let your leader be part of your 
 Ime, say three fourths of a yard long, and attached to a brass 
 swivel ; run the line through the tracing sinker, and attach 
 It to the upper end of the sw; vel. Bait with shrimp, shedder 
 crab or shedder lobster, fiddler, soft or hard shell clam, or the 
 sand-worm dug along the sandy shore at low tide. 
 
 The tautog bites like the sheepshead, but with less power 
 You feel the premonition, but when he dashes aside the pull 
 IS weaker than that of a sheepshead. I mean now a tide-run- 
 ,ning tautog of from three to eight pounds, which feeds on the 
 edge of swift water, has a white nose, and is fair game The 
 tautog which feeds close to the base of the rocks is an adept 
 at getting hooks or sinkers fastened in the clefts, for so soon 
 as he bites he darts under or between the rocks, leaving the 
 angler thankful if the fish will liberate the hook or sinker as 
 the price of his freedom. The bite of a small blackfish of 
 from one fourth of a pound to a pound is like that of a roach 
 or sunfish, but large ones bite with energy, and play so as to 
 afford sport All the fishe. angled for along the coast, except 
 the striped bass and bluefish, are usually landed with a net 
 The color of the tautog is bluish-black, with a lighter shade 
 under che belly and lower mandible. The mouth is furnish- 
 ed with very small teeth. The engraving is a perfect coun- 
 terpart of the fish in appearance. 
 
 The FLov^j)ER.~Pleuronectes Flesus. 
 The flounder is an important estuary fish for boys a^H h. d 
 line fishers, though it is not appreciated very h;. biy by ^od 
 fishermen. It is one of the latest fishes angled for in autumn 
 when the icicles begin to form, and it, is the first fish that 
 bites m the spring. It is to be found in the estuaries and up 
 the tjvsrs as far as salt water runs; also in our bays. It is 
 a fisn ,*' ^^ tetr'perate zone, and, from its great nrmbers in 
 spnn^t HI ^^W tLe inlets from the Atlantic, is a profitable fi«h 
 
I 
 
 A Biter and Broiler. h^ 
 
 and a great blessing to the poor. Though generally caught 
 with a hand-hne, many are taken m set-nets and fykes. With 
 light perch tackle, small hooks, and clam bait, it furnishes 
 sport to the disciple of rod and reel Avho does not fish for 
 trout, and has no fishing in the vicinity of Ncv York until 
 the striped bass awaken to a feeding sense, which is usually 
 from the first to the twentieth of May, toward the head of 
 tide water. 
 
 SECTION NINTH. 
 
 THE BLUEFISH. 
 
 Professor Mitchill has given to this fish, which affords 
 more sport witii the troll than any other, the classical name' 
 of Temnodon Saltator, the first from temno, to cut in pieces 
 probably nidicating its sharp teeth; and the last signifying 
 a pantomnne dancer, doubtless with reference to its leaping 
 or skippmg; but, as if these names were not sufficiently de- 
 scriptive, he adds those of Scomber Plumbeus, or leaden mack- 
 erel. 
 
 The Bluefish.— 7e/««o(/oH *Sa/to^on— Mitchill. 
 
 The bluefish is known along the coast of New England as 
 the horse mackerel, but that is a different fish, and grows to 
 the weight of a thousand pounds, and Gometimes more, while 
 the bluefish seldom attains to twenty, though I have' heard 
 of thirty-pounders. The color from the back to the almost 
 imperceptible lateral line is a leaden blue, whence it o-radu- 
 ally lightens to a white belly. The first dorsal fin is spinous 
 —very sharp and strong, while the second and anal are ap- 
 
118 
 
 Fishing in Ameeicajst Watpj 
 
 ES. 
 
 proximately rigid, being fixed and translucent; the rays 
 though noc spinous, remain standing even after life is extinct' 
 These fins are like sails always set, or like a centre-board 
 above as well as in the keel. The body, head, and fins for 
 half an inch are covered with infinitesimal scales. The jaws 
 are very strong, and the gill-covers like three plates of steel. 
 The jaws are armed with a row of strong, closely-set, sharp 
 teeth, which will cut a cord of one fourth of an Inch in diam- 
 eter m two as smoothly as it could bo done witli a knife for 
 they are sharp-edged, and those of each jaw are like saw- 
 teeth which match perfectly; therefore beware of fin-ers in 
 disIodg'Mg a hook from its powerful jaws. 
 
 The young bluefish, which are hatched in quiet nooks of 
 bays along the beaches, wag their way like other estuary 
 younglings, without being provided with a bag of provision 
 suspended by the umbilical cord, like the young of the Salmo 
 genus, but by ii stinct they propel their tiny selves to the sa- 
 ine creeks and inlets from the sea, to prevent being devoured 
 by the parents which visit the spawning beds early in June 
 to subsist on such of their young as have not yet emio-rated' 
 The young fish are vulgarly called « snapper" or " snappino- 
 mackerel," and are the bright little 'predacious thieves which 
 steal by small particles the angler's bait before striped bass 
 or squeteague can get a taste of it. In October, havino- 
 grown to the weight of half a pound each, the shoal reunites 
 preparatory to going into winter quarters, where the Gulf 
 bti-eam keeps the Avater at an even temperature; and if per- 
 chance they meet gut snells on their way, they bite them in 
 two without effort. During the last fortnight of their sojourn 
 near the shore they purvey for young menhaden and spear- 
 ing, but keep at a respectful distance from shoals of older 
 fish. This is supposed to be the case with nearly all shoals 
 of coast and estuary fishes, and a shoal is merely the proo-cnv 
 of one pair of fishes, and tJie hatch of one laying o/'ova 
 Tiiough in summer they may wander apart for food, yet 
 warned by an unerring instinct, tliey reunite in autumn t(! 
 form an army. 
 
Best fob Table in October, 
 
 119 
 
 The blucfish returns to our shores after its first voyage a 
 two-i)ounder, being then one year old ; and by autumn these 
 eighteen-months' old fisli weigh from three to five pounds 
 each ; but only those which weigh from five to fifteen pounds, 
 with a semi-occasional twenty-pounder, are regarded as good 
 sport for the troll. These large ones are seldom taken in 
 pounds or nets, for they can liberate themselves with their 
 teeth from almost any net or pen not made of steel ; but the 
 younger shoals evince more prying curiosity, which leads 
 many of them into nets fastened to ground fixtures in suffi- 
 cient numbers to keep our markets supplied with them from 
 June until November. 
 
 But the midsummer bluefish, having recently spawned in 
 our bays, are lean and dry food unless cooked within the same 
 hour they are caught, when they are juicy and tender, but . 
 lack the rich succulency of the October shoals. The bluefish 
 taken in autumn is equally good as a broiler, or to bake or 
 souse, so long as it can be kept sweet by the use of ice. This 
 is the case with every branch of the mackerel family ; and 
 the bluefish of October, when canned in salt, is preferred by 
 many to the common mackerel. Both the bluefish and mack- 
 erel are in best condition from tlie middle of October until 
 the tenth of November, ulien they begin to deteriorate and 
 fall away to thinness, probably because the butter-fisli and 
 bay-shiners liave settled away to hibernate, and the smelt and 
 spearing have moved into brackish waters, leaving the blue- 
 fish no alternative but to starve or move farther south, and 
 within the influence of the Gulf Stream. 
 
 It is well understood by anuiteurs and fishermen that the 
 bluefish, like the ])rawn, visit our bays and estuaries period- 
 ically, remahiing sometimes only a season, and at other times 
 several years. The present visit of the bluefisli has been the 
 longest one known to the oldest inluibitant of Long Island, 
 having lasted twenty jears. Every year since its present 
 advent it has hocomo more numerous and lar-gor. In 1850, 
 a ten-pound bluefish was a greater curiosity than is a twenty- 
 
120 
 
 Fishing in American Waters. 
 
 pound one now. Then, shoals of bluefish were rare; now 
 they are to be met with every where that the angler pi es hi. 
 gentle art along the Atlantic coast 
 
 best though bone, ivory, and pearl are frequently used in -i 
 
 hght b..eze ^. small fish. Large, heavy baits a're best fo 
 
 arge bluefish. The following engraving illustrates Z 
 
 hapes, and they should be made from five to six inches t 
 
 length, or they can be purchased of the right weights Ld 
 
 patterns at our best fishing-tackle stores 
 
 Bluefish Squids. 
 
 No. 1 Matenal German silver, with a pearl plate inlaid on 
 each side. The shank of the hook extends through the 
 squids, and the trolling-lino attaches to the rin" bv 'i 
 double hitch, or to a strip of raw hide-whicli is better- 
 that plays freely in the ring. The points of the hooks are 
 at right angles with tlie width of the squid 
 Xo. 2 Block tin or Britannia metal, flat on the under side 
 and forming three edges, as represented. The loop at the' 
 end of the trolling-line closes at the hole in the end of the 
 squid by tJirusting the loop through and over the end of 
 the squid. On eacli side of the middle tliere is a hole 
 drilled, m which red webbing or burnt wool l,raid is in- 
 serted, and a knot formed witl, it n. represented, ibr eitlier 
 red cloth or blood attract nearly all species of game fisli 
 
SiiAKP Hooks and Strong Lines. 121 
 
 The hooks should be very strong, and the points should be 
 hied very sharp : this last piece of advice applies to all hooks 
 tor all kinds of fishing, and its importance is not generally 
 appreciated by amateur fishermen. 
 
 Trolling-lines of cotton are better than linen lines. They 
 should be hawser-laid, so as not to kink, and be from three 
 eighths to a quarter of an inch in diameter. Although it is 
 well to have then, fifty yards in length, yet when the fish are 
 feeding in earnest fifty feet is line enough to let oflf. Always 
 fasten the end of your line to the boat, and in case you put 
 outriggers, a check line should be attached to each to draw 
 them to the boat or yacht, so as to take hold of them without 
 disturbmg the rigger. Lines to outriggers should be so short 
 as to skitter on the surface of the water. 
 
 Gloves of heavy woolen yarn should be worn; the line 
 will wear through leather much quicker than throucrh wool 
 and woolen gloves do not slip, and they are more comforta- 
 ble to the hands. It is common to double the gloves over 
 the forefinger and on the under side of the little fingers 
 Buckskin or dogskin, the two best kinds of leather to use 
 when wet, are only a momentary protection, good for noth- 
 ing as trolling-gloves or thumb-stalls. 
 
 'V- 
 
 V- 
 
 Thk Flying Fish. 
 
122 
 
 Fishing in American Waters. 
 
 Trim the white sail ; the rising breeze 
 
 Blows fleshly from the open seas ; 
 
 It ripjjles over ocean's breast, 
 
 Tips with the foam each billow's crest. 
 
 Now cast astern the drijiping line, 
 
 That cuts and whistles through the brine. 
 
 TROLLING FOR BLUEFISIL 
 
 EOLLiNG for bliiefish by 
 New York sportsmen is 
 generally done in sail- 
 boats, and the flood tide is 
 best. Therefore, whether 
 we start Avith sail-boat or 
 yacht from the city, or go 
 to Islip or South Oyster 
 Bay, or to Rockaway or 
 Canarsie to sail from, it is 
 best to sail out to the feed- 
 ing-grounds during the ebb 
 tide, so as to be sure of no 
 delay after the fish begin 
 to bite ; and as the fish ap- 
 
How TO Sail and Tkoll. 
 
 123 
 
 
 proacli nearer shore with the rising tide, tlie sail-boats may 
 be working nearer home, so as not to be obliged to stem a 
 strong ebb tide in returning to port. The best grounds fgr 
 large blueiish are outside and near the inlets of Fire Island. 
 These inlets are formed by the tides of the Atlantic passing 
 through Fire Island into the South Bay ; the principal ones 
 are opposite Islip and South Oyster Bay. But late in the 
 fall the best trolling is off Rockaway and Jamaica Bay, the 
 grounds extending from the Highlands, off the Jersey shore, 
 to some ten miles below the light-ship. 
 
 As a sample of the sport, I will recount my last day's ex- 
 perience. My respected friend Gilsten having retired nearly 
 twenty years ago to the charming village of Fort Hamilton, 
 of which he owns the greater part, residing on the border 
 of the trolling-grounds, and in close proximity to the favor- 
 ite resorts of sheepshead, squeteague, and kingfish, has given 
 his exclusive attention to field-sports for many years, anglino- 
 and trolling in the waters between New York City and the 
 Narrows until November, when he repairs to his island near 
 the coast of Virginia, and shoots duck and wild geese until 
 the first of January. Being a gentleman of good taste and 
 large experience, as he could not angle in the winter, he hab 
 kindly employed his time in designing trolls and stools for 
 fishing and shooting. Well, my friend Gilsten called at my 
 office one evening late last October, and left me two squids, 
 with notice that the bluefish were biting generously in the 
 Lower Bay, and that he would be obliged if I would try his 
 newly-designed models, of which the foregoing samples were 
 copies. I th refore acted promptly upon his generous adv4ce, 
 and called on my angling friend Charles Gaylor and several 
 others, all of whom agreed to meet me promptly next morn- 
 ing at seven o'clock at the yacht moored in Jamaica Bay. 
 Of course none of them came to time ; and as Captain Morri- 
 son brought the yacht alongside the dock, a haze, perceptible 
 on the waters, was just lifting at the rise of the sun. A "'en- 
 erous breeze flapped the sails of the trolling crafts lyinf-to 
 
 I 
 
124 
 
 Fishing in Ami-kicas Watees. 
 
 awaiting company, but nearly all the trolling fleet had «ail,vl 
 ho„..s betbi^unc. the lowne»s of the ebb tid! I™^r tt 
 
 Island and Rockaway Beach, amid shrieks of gulls and fli.,hts 
 of duek, the sun lighting up the beach and the breake." a.,d 
 
 th clouds of fog which at fitful turns enveloped us. Pre" 
 outly a gentle, fog-subduing warmth, with wind freshening 
 
 "gtso^""^ '"''' '"""^ '"°"'"' -'' ="' «- «"i°- 
 
 "On the surface ranging, boys, 
 We'll beat from bay to bay', 
 Sea and water changing, boys,' 
 It's the angler's way : 
 So we troll, 
 One and all, 
 And cheerily, cheerily pass the day. "-Stoddaht 
 We passed on near the Black Warrior, whose battered 
 ™ck was lifted silently above the waves as' a warl " 
 
 • ^ITV^Z'T'"' ''''"'^^- '^""''^''^ '''' ^^-™-« and the 
 n! eat' ..' "' f '"""'^ "^^^ ^'^'^ ^-^"^^^ -^^ eross- 
 
 " Why snre, thought they, 
 The devil's to pay, 
 'Mongst folks above the water." 
 Soon we joined the merry fleet. Our trolls had been put 
 out. as we entered the bay, and our outriggers from each Id 
 of the craft, a httle aft of midships, consisting of stiff poles 
 with a hne attached to the end of each, and a troll at the oth- 
 er end, but the line so short that the troll skittered on the top 
 of he waves. A check line was fastened to the main one 
 with Its end in the boat, so as to draw the main line in with^ 
 out moving the hoop-pole rod to which it was attached. I„ 
 addition to the two outriggers we had four trolling-lines out, 
 th ends of which were fastened to the taffrail of the boat. 
 Captain Morrison took the first fish, a ten-pounder. « Small " 
 said the. captain. Presently a whirl was made at one of m'y 
 
Gay Parties all Engaged. ' 125 
 
 squids ; another dash, and he hooked himself. I took hold to 
 pull him in hand over hand, but the pull was quite enough 
 for me. Before I landed him another was on my other squid, 
 which my helper landed. Now a whopper fastened to my 
 first hook, and I found him difficult to draw in; he weighed 
 nearly twenty pounds, and was as much as I could manage. 
 The prospect was most gay and enlivening, as the fleet con- 
 sisted of small sail-boats, cat-boats, sloops, schooners, and 
 yachts, over sixty in all, crossing and jibing. Mobile the troll- 
 ers were tugging and hauling at fish, and all seemed to vie 
 witli the jollity of the gulls and the fun of the loons, which 
 kept jabbering, with now and then a scream and hurrah, as 
 if they joined in our sport. 
 
 We continued trolling until noon, when the wind died away, 
 and we turned our craft homeward. We counted our take, 
 whicU numbered thirty-six fish, and weighed four hundred and 
 eighty pounds, avei-aging over thirteen pounds each. Thus 
 ended one of the most interesting, health-giving, and delight- 
 ful days of the season. 
 
 Trolling with sail and row boats in September and October 
 is extensively indulged in by amateurs and professional fish- 
 ermen who fish for a livelihood along the shores from the 
 east end of Massachusetts to Chesapeake Bay; and as the 
 shoals begin to turn southward in September, the best troll- 
 ing is in October along Long Island and the Jersey shores, 
 after which the angling is good along the coasts of Maryland 
 and Virginia up to December. 
 
 Although the bluefish is sufficiently plucky to take a coarse 
 troll, and few venture to angle for him with ordinary tackle 
 even with gimp snells, yet, with good bass-tackle and strong 
 hooks, cither wound with copper wire on a heavy gimp lead"- 
 er or snell, or with a hook fastened with wire to a piano 
 strmg, capital sport is found at still-baiting for them from a 
 boat anchored along the edge of tideways in the estuaries 
 and near the shores of bays. The coast of Rhode Island, and 
 
126 
 
 Fishing in American Waters. 
 
 the islands which form the Elizabeth group, are filled with 
 shoals of them all summer and fall, whqre they forage foi- 
 menhaden and young mackerel ; and, anchoring in either of 
 the straits which separate those islands, we find that the cast 
 of a menhaden bait is usually met by the generous offers of 
 half a dozen fish, whose whirls make the tide boil. Were it 
 not that the electrical jerk of the bite of a large itluefish has 
 such great power in it as to make the angler sometimes feel 
 that he too is being fished for, and that its teeth are so sharp 
 as to make strong and heavy tackle necessary, it would be 
 considered incomparably the highest game-fish of the Ameri- 
 can coast. 
 
 When estimating the value of anglers' fishes by the play 
 they give, and the sceney into Avhich the angler is led in 
 search of each kind, the bluefish must occupy a foremost 
 rank ; and the man who has neither trolled nor still-baited for 
 this peculiar fish— the best breakfast fish on our coast e'xcept 
 the Spanish mackerel — has two treats in store, which, the 
 sooner he improves, the earlier he will regi-et that he had not 
 tasted before. 
 
 SECTION TENTH, 
 
 THE SPANISH MACKEREL. 
 
 LoA-ely with all their spangled dyes, 
 Fairer than flush 'd autumnal skies, 
 With gold-drops all their sides a-glow, 
 Tinct like the rainbow's prismy bow, 
 The Spanish mackerel gorgeous roam 
 The rolling, yeasty world of foam ; 
 Now glittering o'er the waves they skim, 
 Now lost in deep abysses swim. 
 
 Tills incomparable breakfast luxury is a comparative stran- 
 ger to us, and, though never known to venture as far north 
 as the fortieth degree of latitude until about ten years since, 
 yet his families are now as numerous on our coast as are those 
 of most other estuary fishes. He is coy and careful, slow to 
 make acquaintance, and donbtfiil of a squid or baited hook. 
 
Beauty Unadorned. 
 
 12: 
 
 A select family of the mackerel tribes, he is not yet fully un- 
 •lerstoocl by either amateurs or fishermen, and commands a 
 higher price than salmon in the markets. Apart from being 
 the greatest beauty that swims, he is undoubtedly the best 
 fish for the gridiron to be found in the waters of either hem- 
 isphere. 
 
 The Spanish Mackeiiel. 
 
 My experience in trolling for the Spanish mackerel off the 
 inlets of Fire Island has convinced me that the fish is as nu- 
 merous as the bluefish, more so than the sti-iped bass at cer- 
 tain seasons, and a little farther seaward than either of those 
 fishes. The striped bass is the fish which ventures nearest 
 shore ; the bluefish feeds in a range farther from shore, and 
 the Spanish mackerel feeds farther from shore than either, 
 except the large bluefish at the last of the season. Every 
 year the shoals of Spanish mackerel become more numerous, 
 and more are taken, but never in sufficient numbers to reduce 
 the average price below sixty cents per pound. 
 
 The shor.ls which I saw, when last trolling for them, would 
 have formed an area of nearly five miles square, and still tlie 
 most successful boat did not take more than a dozen in three 
 days. He Avill not bite freely at any artificial lure, and 
 though numbers came near leaping on the deck of our yacht, 
 they treated our lures with an indiflference which savored of 
 perverseness. " Oh !" thought I, " how I would like to be an- 
 chored in a small boat, and still-bait for you with a pearl 
 squid, a shiner, or a gar-eel !" But the difficulty was that 
 their favorite feedihg-grounds seemed to be just beyond the 
 verge of anchorage for a row-boat. This fish is eminently 
 shy of all kinds of nets, and, when a shoal is surrounded by a 
 
128 
 
 FisuiNG IN Amekican Wateks. 
 
 I 
 
 »( 
 
 IP 
 
 shir-net or seine, will point their heads down in the bottom of 
 sand or weeds, and the nets glide over their backs without 
 capturing one. Two intelligent fishermen of the south side 
 of Long Island, men well learned in their trade, and who 
 have for many years followed fishing successfully, concluded 
 that they would turn their exclusive attention to the Spanish 
 macke)-el, and, by studying their habits and watcliing their 
 movements, invent some plan for their capture, and thus en- 
 rich themselves. They persevered for three years, try:>3g all 
 sorts of artificial lures, difierently constructed nets and fykes, 
 set in different ways, besides employing the Spanish casting- 
 net ; but their patience became so exhausted that they re- 
 linquished the enterprise, and had learned to look at a shoal 
 leaping so that thousands were above the wave at a time 
 without causing the slightest emotion or sensation of either 
 hope or fear. A few silly fish occasionally stray away from 
 their shoal, and are found in a fyke or pound, and an occasion- 
 al one hooks himself by indulging a dangerous curiosity; but 
 the genius who will invent a successful method for taking 
 the Spanish mackerel may be as sure of a fortune as the person 
 who owns a goose which lays a large egg of gold every day. 
 The Spanish mackerel is much more beautiful than the 
 dolphin, even when the latter is dying. Its back and sides, 
 down to the corrugated lateral line, are dark blue, shot with 
 purple and gold ; below the line it is pink and gold for a 
 short way, terminating in a white belly. The shaded parts 
 of the body are orn.miented with spots of gold, like new gold 
 dollars, to the number of between twenty and thirty. Its 
 scales are imperceptible to the nakxl eye, but they extend a 
 short way up the fins also. The first dorsal is spinous-rayed, -^ 
 and the first rays of the second dorsal and pectoral are spin- 
 ous; all the rest are soft, though the tail and anal fins are 
 nearly rigid or set, and do not fall together or close like those 
 of the common mackerel. There is a suiall adipose fin on 
 each side extending from the tail three inches upward. Its 
 head is a perfect cut-water, carved most artistically, and small 
 
TiiE Breakfast Luxury of the Age. 12U 
 
 i.i proportion. Its jaw8 are armed with small, fine teeth, that 
 laugh at S.Ik or linen reel-lines; gills of two rigidly resisting 
 plies; meat white, but neither mealy nor flaky, thouc^h of 
 close texture, creamy and peculiarly delicate, of most" deli- 
 eious flavor. 
 
 The Spanish mackerel is seldom taken with rod and reel 
 though small ones of from three to six pounds sometimes 
 venture to taste a baited hook. I i,ave taken two while 
 angling for striped bass with shedder crab bait ; but it is em- 
 inentb^ a fish for the troll, if captivating trolls can be invent- 
 ed. These fish surround a shoal of gar-eels, butter-fish, shin- 
 ers, spearmg, or young menhaden, when the tiny baits-anx- 
 .0U8 to eseape-rise to the surface, followed by the Spanish 
 mackere , which may be seen two miles distant, leaping a 
 housand at a time, their forked tails conspicuous, and their 
 bodies gleaming like miniature rainbows. The bite of a Span- 
 ish mackerel is very different from that of a bluefish It is 
 not so dashing or strong ; and when hooked, it swims deeper 
 and does not resist so pertinaciously. In size it ranges from' 
 hree to fifteen pounds. It is often reported as having been 
 taken of thirty pounds* weight, but this, I think, is an error 
 1 he bonetta is very like it in outline, and it is also a compar- 
 ative stranger along our coast ; one of these fish was recently 
 taken m Jamaica Bay which weighed about thirty pounds 
 and tlie daily papers noticed it as a large Spanish mackerel- 
 but the bonetta-as a food fish-is vastly inferior 
 
 Both Che Spanish mackerel and cero are spring-spawning 
 fishes and no doubt spawn in our bays, for there are occa 
 sionally small ones taken by the angler in June, before the 
 large ones visit our shores, and I argue, therefore, that the 
 small half-pounders are of last year's hatch 
 
 Spanish mackerel and large bluefish shoal together while 
 ceding, and woe be it to any soft-rayed herbivorous beauty 
 that crosses their path. Bluefish and striped bass feed to- 
 gether also, but the bass swims deeper than the bluefi-h and 
 generally nearer shore. This is frequently proven while 'cast^ 
 
130 
 
 Fishing in Amkkican Waters. 
 
 iiig for striped bass; lor if tlie cast be made beyond a certain 
 range, the angler is sure of a bhietisli, if any thing. 
 
 1 have here rouglily skctdied a part ot a shoal of Spanish 
 mackerel feeding. To troll \\ ith hope of success for these 
 
 r 
 
 
 S 
 
 /" 
 
 ^^^^■t^yS-^J' '' 
 
 
 
 Spanish Mackeuel Fkluing. 
 
 delicacies, employ a light, swift-sailing craft, and ri^: it with 
 a long outrigger on each side ; for a heavy vessel cleaving a 
 shoal disperses the live bait on Avhich they arc feeding, and 
 the fright causes the shoal to settle ^^ iLiiout biting. Fre- 
 quently have I trolled through a shoal of thousands, with 
 hundreds in sight all the time, and as the craft passed through 
 and got far enough from the shoal to tell, I have felt the bite, 
 and, Avhile drawing the fish in, have commented upon the ease 
 of detecting the diftei-ence between the Spanish mackerel on 
 my troll from the hard-mouthed bluefish, only to be laughed 
 at a moment afterward as I landed a bluefish in the boat. 
 Said I, "This is, of course, a Spanish mackerel; any novice 
 might distinguish him by his bite ; and then he comes in so 
 gently, but swims low." I can detect by the bite, when still- 
 baiting, almost any kind of estuary fish; but in trolling any 
 angler is liable to be deceived. 
 
 From the limited exiierience thus far ixaiued bv usinsr 
 
CUEIOUS FANCk OF F18IIE8. 
 
 131 
 
 brigljt inctiil trolls, not one Spanish mackcrol in ton thousand 
 will j)ay the least regard to them. Having ascertained that 
 they feed on several kinds of fishes, the squid-makers have 
 recently obtained some data to work from, and the following 
 are the latest and most captivating sam|)les. 
 
 yi'ANisu Mackeuel Syuios. 
 
 A. Artificial squid or bait, made of Britannia metal, block tin, 
 or German silver. The hooks of all trolls should be tinned 
 or silver-plated. The shank of the hook extends through 
 the squid, and forms an eye to attach a trolling-Iine. Feadi- 
 ers extend beyond the bend of the hook to form the tail 
 of the gar-eel. The form of the H(iuid is tapering, cylin- 
 drical, and about five inches long exclusive of the hook. It 
 should be kept polished as bright as possible, and is a very 
 taking lure. A tail of red ibis feathers would probably be 
 the most attractive. 
 B. Squid as bright as polished silver, inlaid with pieces of 
 peari, and intended to represent a sea -shiner, about five 
 niches long besides the hook. The line is attached by a 
 hole in the end, and at the other there are several small 
 feathers from the red ibis. The shape of the body is lialf 
 as thick as it is wide, and in order to render it as i^ondei-- 
 ous as possible for its size, it is best to cast it of lead over 
 the hook, then plate it with copper, and plate or wash it 
 with silver. Spanish mackerel do not generally feed on 
 fish as large as the bluefish bait, and it is therefore impor- 
 
 t. Hi 
 
I!' i 
 
 i 
 
 M 
 
 ! 
 
 ■ t 
 
 iiJi 
 
 i;{-i 
 
 Fishing in Americaj^ Waters. 
 
 taut to liavo u small but pon.lorous bait attaclicd to a fifty- 
 yard hnv of the smallest si/o for trollin- The jaw of tl.c 
 Spanisl. inack(>rol is toiwlor, tliercforo lio plays more -iu- 
 ^or\y, and does not resist so hard in landing as does Ihc 
 Nueiisli; but he should be handled earefully, and prevent- 
 ed from taking slack lim^ as he unhooks easily 
 My opinion is that this fish will yet be taken in great num- 
 l.ors with ro,l and reel. As they annually beeome n.ore nu- 
 ••U'rous, they eome farther into the estuaries an<l baek-sets 
 fro,u the bays along the coast, and after tlu^y get a taste of 
 shed.ler and sofl-shell erab, with smelt in abundance, and a 
 ...odicum of spearing and shrimp, they will soon make them- 
 selves more fi.miliar, and accept tJie dainties offered on the 
 angler's hook ; and when once fairly converted, he will afford 
 the angler better sport than the salmon or the striped bass. 
 
 SECTION ELEVENTH. 
 
 THE UONETTA, OIJ HOMTO. 
 
 The bonetta is the heautiful and swift fish after which on.- 
 of our war vessels of the Kevolution was named. The Span- 
 ish name is bomfo. T prc-fer the other na.ue because of its 
 associations. This fish is fouml in great numbers about tlu- 
 U est India Islands, where it preys on the flyin--fish Uh 
 hrst arrival along our beaches and in our bays'was about 
 <Mght years ago, and his shoals have increased remarkablv 
 fast over since his advent. As a table luxury it ranks witi, 
 ypM'ures below the striped bass and bluefish, i)ut because of 
 • ts comparative rarity it commands a price rather above 
 
 Thi; IJonktta, o.: Boyiro. — mp>„i,s j,el,,w>/s.-.Cxixiev. 
 
LovKs Flying-fisii, laughs at Tuollk. 13;^ 
 
 •'ithcr. The miml.crs (>f tliis fish animully taken about tlu- 
 approaches to our liarbors witli the troll and in nets increase, 
 so that it bids fair to bcconu; nearly as numerous as the l)lne- 
 tish. Of the shoals which venture along the shores of beaches 
 or breakwaters, the iisli i-ange in weight Ironi five to fifteen 
 pounds, whik^ farther south they are said to attain to the 
 weight of nearly a hundred. 
 
 The menhaden of our shores form the leading attraction to 
 the food-fishes of the troll, and they are so pr..lific that, if they 
 can be protected against oily speculators, there will be no 
 danger of our losing entirely any of the large food-fishes of 
 the coast. 
 
 The bonetta is veiy beautiful, having a dark greenish-blue 
 back, which lightens to midsidcs, and terminates in a satiny 
 white belly. The diagonal rays are nearly black, and extend 
 a little below the sinuous lateral line. The first dorsal is 
 s])inous, as are the first rays of the second dorsal and pecto- 
 ral. Tlie tail is framed by two spinous rays, and never closes. 
 The anal fin is also rigid. There is an adipose fin about three 
 inches long from the tail up the lateral line, as on the Spanish 
 mackerel and cero. The mouth is armed with teeth both 
 strong and sharp. The tufts of fins from the second dorsal 
 and anal to the tail add to its superior means of propulsion, 
 and its shape, being i)erfectly adapted to cleaving the waters,' 
 prove it to be one of the swiftest fishes of the soundings and 
 harbor approaches. Its scales are so small as not to be seen 
 without the aid of glasses. It is usually taken on a large 
 metal scpiid in trolling for bluefish, and very few have been 
 cauglit in fykes and pounds. It is a very voracious fish, and 
 generally in good condition and very ganfj-. It spawns about 
 June in our bays, but probably earlier in the season farther 
 south. While angling in company with Alderman Dodge, 
 last year, in Jamaica Bay, he took one which weighed less 
 than a pound, on shedder-crab bait; it was one of a shoal 
 hatched the year previous. Some fif^hing naturalists state 
 that it spawns about the islaiuls of tlu Western Archipelago, 
 
134 
 
 FisnmG IN AaiEKicAN Waters, 
 
 Iff 
 
 where it is known as the "albicore," and comes to Northern 
 waters for recnperation. Others suppose it to be the " tunny," 
 which follows ships for the crumbs from the table, and at- 
 tains, off the coast of Spain and in the Mediterranean, the 
 weight of a thousand pounds. I do not believe the bonctta 
 to be similar to the tunny, but I know that it is called albi- 
 core by sonie Southern fishermen. The fishes of our coast 
 and estuaries which I name as belonging to the troll are sup- 
 posed to be of this hemispliere, and are spine-rayed families 
 of the mackerel tribes. I am often surprised at the innocence 
 of intelligent anglers*, who do not know a cero from a Spanish 
 mackerel, nor the latter from a bonetta, or a spearing from a 
 smelt, and can not distinguish the great Northern pike from 
 
 the maskinonge 
 
 SECTION TWELFTH. 
 
 THE CERO, CERUS, OR SIERRA. 
 
 It is rather a cereus matter to ascertain the names of such 
 fishes as ichthyologists have left out of their catalogues; and 
 as I make no pretensions of claiming this to be a school-book, 
 the angler will please scan the illustrations which I made per- 
 sonally from the fishes of which these are intended to be true 
 copies. 
 
 The Ceko, Cerus, Oh Sierra. 
 The cero is evidently a member of one of the mackerel 
 tribes, and in esculent quality ranks between the Spanish 
 mackerel and bonetta. It is a now visitant along the shores 
 from Virginia to Rhode Island, but it is quite numerous in 
 the West Indies. It evidently spawns in spring-time; is 
 white-meated; ranges in weight from four to twelve pounds ; 
 is longer in proportion to its vvcight than any other of his 
 
Tup: Estuary Sentinel. 
 
 13^ 
 
 mackerol kindred ; an individual specimen a yard in lengtli 
 weighs from six to eight pounds only. The cero is of a lead- 
 en color on the back and sides ; belly and belly-fins white ; 
 back and sides sprinkled thickly with black dots nearly the 
 size of peas. The first dorsal is spinous, as are also the first 
 rays of the pectorals and second dorsal ; all the others are 
 rigid, but not spinous. The frame of the tail is spinous, blit 
 tfie tail is translucent ; it has an adipose fin each side on the 
 lateral line at the tail. Its jaws are armed with serrulated 
 teeth which laugh at any cords softer than coi)per wire. I 
 believe that none have yet been taken with rod and reel, 
 though they are said to be very ravenous biters and ambi- 
 tious vaulters, which can leap much higher than a salmon. 
 They are taken in increased numbers annually by persons'' 
 while trolling with common Britannia metal squids for blue- 
 fish. This fish has no apparent scales. 
 
 THE HORSE MACKEREL. 
 
 ( HIS monster mackerel is sup- 
 posed to be a " thynnus^'' as 
 some members of its family 
 weigh nearly a ton ; but I 
 may be in error, and the fish 
 may be the head of the 
 mackerel tribes, whose fam- 
 ily commands the coast from 
 Nantucket to the Straits of 
 Belle Isle. At Quebec and 
 Gaspe it is called "Bluefish." 
 The name may have been de- 
 rived from its leaden color, 
 and having a head like the New York bluefish, though its 
 body discloses a few mackerel marks, and'its tail is like that 
 of the honito. While in Gaspe I sketched the head and tail 
 of a horse mackerel which had just been harpooned in the 
 Bay of Gaspe by Thomas Morland, Esq. The fish weighed 
 
1^6 
 
 Fishing in American Wat: 
 
 EKS. 
 
 
 seven hundred and fifty pounds, was nine feet in length, and 
 SIX feet in circumference. The ilhistration here given is a 
 
 The Horse Mackerel.— Genus T/ii/nnus. 
 copy of my sketch of the fish made from still life. As Gaspe 
 .s a great fishing port, the " old salts" would have det cted 
 this fish as a tunny, had it been one. That it is a great deli- 
 cacy for the table is proven by its marketable value, which 
 nearly equals, per pound, that of the salmon hi the vicinity 
 where both fishes are i.iken. It is stated that this fish attains 
 to the weight of two thousand pounds, but it is very rare to 
 take one of more than a thousand. This eight-hundred- 
 pounder towed the boat to which the line of the harpoon- 
 was fastened nearly five miles. They an taken, like the 
 swordfish, by sailing for them ; and when coming on a shoal 
 or even a single one, a well-aimed harpoon is sent into the 
 hsh where its head unites to the body, and then the towing- 
 line IS manned carefully, and the fish tows the boat until he 
 gets fatigued, and, when in a fainting condition, the lance 
 bleeds him in the gills, and he is towed alongside until his 
 powerful rigid tail has made its last flap; then he is raised 
 into the boat, a subject of wonder to the amateur. I think 
 the horse mackerel one of the links in the chain of fishe. 
 whose head is the tunny, and which rank as follows : Tunny 
 horse mackerel, bonetta, bluefish, Spanish mackerel, cero 
 wmding up with the common mackerel, which— as the bar- 
 ber said of the baker when asked to shave a coal-heaver- 
 "is as low as we go." 
 
 It will be seen by the conformation, of the horse mackerel 
 
Habits of Fishes Illustbated. 137 
 
 that his propulsive power is equal in proportion to that of 
 the bluefish, and so are his teeth. The foot or hand of a man 
 would stand no chance in the jaws of this monster delicacy, 
 lalk of the bad reputation of the Sllurus glanis of the Pan- 
 ube because portions of human bodies have been found in 
 their stomachs! the horse mack .-el would make nothino- of 
 choppmg up both man and fish. This is not a fish for the 
 troll, or the rod and reel; for it is as strong in proportion to 
 Its weight as the bluefish, and it would trouble an angler to 
 kill a thirty-pound bluefish, or even take him in by trollinc. 
 But sailing for horse mackerel is rare sport ; and I would ad-' 
 vise those about New Bedford and Martha's Vineyard, who 
 dehght so inuch in sailing for and harpooning swordfish, t<. 
 sail down about Nantucket for horse mackerel, where thev 
 are comparatively numerous. 
 
 To conclude : Having presented the best samples of the 
 coast and estuaries for affording sport by the recreative art 
 of anghng,! will postpone for the present the description of 
 those commercial fishes which belong of right to the liarpoon 
 the net, and the hand-line. ' 
 
 Pale student, who consumes the night 
 Witli learned vigils till ihe light ; 
 Merchant, who toils in city street 
 Through all the summer's fervid heat ; 
 Ail ye tired sons of gold and gain, 
 Turn from your weary tasks of j)ain, 
 And haste to wood, and bay, and stream, 
 Where health, and joy, and sunshine beam 
 
IPart Scconb. 
 
 FRESH-WATER FISHING 
 
 WITH 
 
 FLY AND BAIT. 
 

 
 I 
 
 ! 
 
% 
 
 CHAPTEII I. 
 
 THE POETRY OF ANGLING. 
 SECTION FIRST. 
 
 "The patient angler threads the wind- 
 ing brooiv, 
 Tempting the dainty trout with gilded 
 
 bait ; 
 And ever and anon, as fleecy clouds 
 Pass o'er the sun, the fish voracious 
 
 darts 
 From the cool shadows of some mossy 
 
 bank. 
 Swallows the bait with one convulsive 
 
 acti 
 And learns too late that death was at 
 
 the feast ; 
 AVhile the glad sportsman feels the 
 
 sudden jerk. 
 And plays his victim with extended 
 
 line, 
 Swiftly he darts, and tlirougii the glit- 
 tering rings 
 The silken line is drawn with ringing 
 
 sound, 
 Till, wearied out with struggling that 
 
 but serves 
 To drive the barbed weapon deeper 
 
 still, 
 lie seeks his quiet shelter 'neath the 
 
 bank. 
 And thence in triumph to tlie shore is 
 
 borne, 
 A prize that well rewards a day of 
 toil." 
 
 The question lias been discussed by hundreds of enlight- 
 ened minds, from King Leopold to Bill Kromer— from men 
 highest in the sciences and most exalted in the state, to the 
 lowest in worldly means and position, as to who can ade 
 
I 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 142 
 
 Fishing in American Watkrs. 
 
 quately describe the pleasures that surround the ano-lerV 
 The most compendious, truthful, and summary is contained 
 in the poetical exclamation of O. W. Holmes in the followim; 
 couplet : ■ *^ 
 
 "Oh ! what are the treasures we perisli to win, 
 To the first little niimiow we caught with a pin!" 
 
 But who can catalogue the pleasures Avhich cluster around 
 the angler's pursuit ? lie pursues his avocations amid scenc^s 
 «>f beauty. "It is he who follows the windings of the silver 
 river, and becomes acquahited with its course. He Knows 
 the joyous leaps it takes down the bold cascade, and how it 
 bubbles rejoicingly in its career over the rapids. He knows 
 the solitude of its silent depths, and the brilliancy of its shal- 
 lows. He IS confined to no season. He can salute Nature 
 when she laughs with the budding flowers, and when her 
 bi-eatluis the glorious breath of spring. The rustling sedges 
 make music in his ear when the mist has rolled off the sJu- 
 tace of the water, or the dew been kissed from the grass bv 
 the sun's rays." The lark sings for him, and robin red-breast; 
 with the brown thrush and jolly bobolink, pipe and chirp 
 their mellifluous notes along his path. The gorgeou.' king- 
 iisher heeds him not, and the meadow-hen seldom moves from 
 her nest as he passes. The storm and the tempest scarcely 
 Innder his sport. He throws the line when ruddy Autumn 
 gilds the western heavens, and the fruit of the year hangs 
 heavy on the bough, or waves in golden abundance on the 
 uplands Even stern Winter does not forbid him his enjov- 
 inent. If he cares to pursue his favorite pastime, he may do 
 so equally when the tall bulrushes, wavy reeds, and chestnuts 
 ••attle with December's winds, as when the marsh mario-old 
 opens its big yellow eyes on an April day, or the birds of all 
 song size, and feather congregate along the streams, and teter 
 on the sprays that kiss the ripples, while they chirp and ca- 
 vort with their mates on yonder side the stream. The au- 
 tumn trolling season over, the angler begins to think of the 
 sprmgmg into life of all nature, when again the fro-s hotxm 
 
An'jk^lity of I'liE Gentle Akt. 
 
 14a 
 
 to croak, the trout to louj), the Avild geese to honk, the kine 
 to low, {Uicl muLorial nature gusJiingly bursts forth into new 
 hfe luid loveliness. If he is an ardent sportsman, the whole 
 year is before him. When the trout in spring, the salmon in 
 summer, the .,trij)ed 1)ass in early autumn, and the trolling 
 for blucfish, Spanish mackerel, cero, and bonetta wind up the 
 falling season, he may hie to the Carolinas and Florida, where 
 the oranges, amid labyrinths of flcnvers, greet his senses, and 
 there troll for black bass and angle for bream to his heart's 
 content. 
 
 "It was always so in the infancy of mankind; the finny 
 tribes were pursued by a primitive i)eople with as much ar- 
 dor as they are by civilized men at the present time. Sav- 
 age and cultivated nations equally followed, either as a busi- 
 ness or as a pastime, the occupation of capturing fish with 
 a line and hook, with or without a rod. We find its praises 
 celebrated in ancient poetry, and its memory embalmed in 
 holy writ." The rudest appliances of a savage life have been 
 used to aid the angler at his delightful task, and science has 
 not disdained to aid the modern fisherman in his sport. 
 There are tribes who yet fashion fish-hooks out of human jaw- 
 bones, and the Saxons managed to snare fish Avith hooks 
 ibrmed of flint. Indeed, the Anglo-Saxon race have followed 
 angling with an energy and a zest far beyond any other na- 
 tion, not excepting the Chinese, whose great perseverance is 
 ilevoted rather to cultivate fishes than insnare them. ' We 
 know the iidiabitants of tlie British Isles pursued it as a prof- 
 itable occupation in remote times, and we have it on the au- 
 thority of the venerable Bede that the people of Sussex wen^ 
 at one time preserved fi-om fiimine by being taught by Wil- 
 fred to catch fish. Among the earliest printed books is on<' 
 on fishing, by Dame Juliana Berners or Barnes, prioress of 
 the nunnery of Sojiwoll, near St. Alban's. This book wa- 
 printed in 1496. The old lady shows that if ^port fails the 
 ambitious angler, his time is not spent in vain, for has he not, 
 "atte the leest, his holsom walke, and merry at his ease a' 
 
144 
 
 Fishing in Amekican Watp:r8. 
 
 sweto ayre of the swoto sauvouic of the meede flowres, that 
 makyth liim hungry; he hereth the melodyous armony of 
 fowlos ; lie sceth tlic young swannes, hcerons, ducks, cotes, 
 and many other fowles with theyr brodes ; whychc me sem- 
 yth better than all the noyse of houndys, the blastes of 
 hornys, and the scrye of fowlis, that hunters, frunkeners, and 
 fowlers do make. And," says the good old lady, "if the an- 
 gler take fysshe, surely their is no man merier than he is in 
 his spyryte." 
 
 Angling, in modern times, is the most I'efined of all field- 
 sports. If the angler take a fish, he knows that it is only one 
 of a spawn of from a thousand to many hundred thousands, 
 and that all shoals which can, prey on one another. Not only 
 so, but the old prey on their own offspring ; and from the 
 time when the mother fish appears in the spawning-pools, 
 there are several milt fish waiting to gorge themselves with 
 the ova/ and so, during all stages of fishhood, the larger eat 
 the lesser ones, and — as cold-blooded animals — they can not 
 be susceptible to an acute sense of pain. These truths can 
 not be said in favor of killing a land animal, whose annual 
 j)rocreative increase never amounts to a tithe of any individ- 
 ual of the oviimrous fishes. 
 
 The innocence of angling is therefore a feature which has 
 
 commended it to the good of all ages. " When bank and 
 
 meadow lie starred and enameled with flowers; when the 
 
 trill of the song-bird issues from every thorn ; when all sounds 
 
 and all prospects are joyous and exhilarating, and the cloud 
 
 itself, sleeping high in the arch of heaven, is as the honored 
 
 presence of some benevolent watcher ;" with the soul toned 
 
 by the sights, sounds, and exercise into a state of harmony 
 
 with all nature, then the angler realizes that the precious gift 
 
 he enjoys is 
 
 " One of the spirits unwithdrawn, 
 That, erst the fall, were charged to minister 
 To the earth's gladness, and continually, 
 Out of their ample and unfailing liorns, 
 To pre-endow the advancing tracks of men. " 
 
TiiK C11ABM8 OF Angling. * 145 
 
 Modem improvements in anglers' irpplements, and recent 
 inventions m lures to captivate by trolling, have rendered 
 the angler of to-day very different from the ancient dreamy 
 hshing philosopher. Especially is the difference from the 
 ancient angler-as portrayed by good Izaak Walton-ob- 
 servable in the United States of America, where an angler i« 
 expected to scull a boat with alacrity and pull an oar grace- 
 fully, to sail a boat and man a pair of trolling-lines, to brave 
 the ocean's dashing surf and spray, and, clad in sailor's garb 
 of water-proof material, stand on the rocks of the shore and 
 cast menhaden bait for striped bass, and play large fish from 
 a stand where the dashing waves threaten continually to 
 wash him off. ^ 
 
 The art of angling has become so rich in variety of imple- 
 ments, so varied in scenes, so replete with all the elements 
 for exercise-as well for the student as for the man of action 
 —as to render it a recreation entirely satisfactory to its dis- 
 ciples, who believe that 
 
 "All pleasures but the angler's bring 
 I' th' tail repentance like a sting." 
 
 Men of cultivation and natural gentleness of disposition 
 have frequently l,een known to indulge in the chase, and fol- 
 ow a well-trained dog with pleasure, though they are often 
 known to forego these for angling; but there was never a 
 true angler known to exchange his gentle wand, his quiet, 
 rambles among the most charming haunts of nature, for any 
 other means of recreation. 
 
 " Bear lightly on th«ir foreheads, Time! 
 
 Strew roses on their way ; 
 The young in heart, however old, 
 
 That prize the present day. 
 " I love to see a man forget 
 
 His blood is growing cold. 
 And leap, or swim, or gather flowers, 
 
 Oblivious of his gold, 
 And mix with children in their sport. 
 
 Nor think that he is old. 
 
 K 
 
 
146 
 
 Fishing in American Waters. 
 
 " I love to see the man .of care 
 Taka pleasure in a toy ; 
 
 I love to see 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 flowers 
 As fresh as those of morn." 
 
 h 
 
 SECTION SECOND. 
 
 THE BROOK TROUT. 
 
 Where the tangled willowy thickets lave 
 Their drooping tassels within the wave. 
 There lies a deep and darkened pool. 
 Whose waters are crystal clear and cool. 
 It is fed by many a gurgling fount. 
 That trickles from upland pasture and mount, 
 And when the deep shadows fall dense and dim, 
 The speckled trout delight to swim. 
 
 The illustration on the opjiositc page is a copy of a trout 
 drawn by Walter M. Brackett, Esq., of Boston, as a contribu- 
 tion to this work. Of his gifts and inspirations, it is difficult 
 to decide whether he draws trout best with a fly-rod or a pen- 
 cil. He is authority for either, and in painting fishes has no 
 superior. 
 
 This book — not being especially devoted to ichthyology — 
 could scarcely be improved by giving the genus and family 
 of each separate fish of which it treats ; but as the heading 
 indicates that the brook trout belongs to the gemis Salmo, I 
 will add that it is still questionable with some ichthyologists 
 whether the trout is not the head of the genus, and the sal- 
 mon belongs to the genus Trutta, or the trout is distinct from 
 the genus Salmo. Pliny confounded them, and the different 
 members of the genus Salmo were never assigned their posi- 
 tion by the aid of science until within the present century. 
 
 The scales of the trout are imperceptible to tiie naked eye; 
 
 i 
 
A Thing of jJii^vuTv 
 
 wiTiioi-T Alloy. 
 
 147 
 
 The JJi,„„„ 'Ji,uuT.-i„/,„„}i„„„„;,.^. 
 
 allits fin, are soft-rayea except the second dorsal which is 
 
 adjose; ats caudal fin, or tail, is nearly strai.i:t I'crosslhe 
 
 nd, contradistinguished from the otherLihe's oHl 7„t 
 
 olo.ed, and of all the shades between pinic and white the 
 
 al low-colored trout is preferred for perfection of ^«„ The 
 
 ".oat laminates u> flakes, and, when i,i best condition hei^is 
 
 Tiou taken in streams which empty into tidewaters ai^ 
 usually in best condition, because their food consists of mcT 
 spearing shrimp, herring roe, rocs of other fishes and S' 
 alev,ns,,„ addition to their <lcs.erls of flies to rend r them 
 more delicate, to say nothing of ground bait driven dow th" 
 ream by Ireshets, and from which our Bean Brumm™ of 
 l.e estuary turn aside their beautiful noses. Streams backed 
 Lmlinc tides .are not often impregnated by the .liMs^l^ 
 
 ned<Wn with the flood, or by any foreign sLtanctrienel 
 New Yorkers regard Long Island trout as the best, whi e Bos 
 
 fom.ans consider the Marshfield trout as the ,^e pluluflZ 
 
 Though I .accord a preference to trout which havnceessTo 
 
 ..de-waters, those of mountain streams arc better than W 
 
 ,>o..d trout. Writers upon angling mention many fli^fe^ 
 
 . the brook trout ; there are doubtless very many Lt ZZ 
 
 I ...ted States I know of but few. A marked pLdiarkvi! 
 
 obspival.le m tho tmnt nf ti, t- ^ Peculiarity is 
 
 - a.-e the tiout of the Lmbagog range of lakes and 
 
:; 
 
 1.1 
 
 148 
 
 Fisiimo IN American Waters. 
 
 i 
 
 rivers, in the State of Maine, whose fins are bordered on one 
 side with a ray of pure white; but I know of none which 
 are not definable as Salmo fontinalis, differing only in quali- 
 ty and unimportant superficial marks, generally caused by 
 the distinctive properties of the waters which each family in- 
 habits. Thus the black-mouthed trout of the swampy forest 
 would soon become assimilated to the trout of the saline es- 
 tuaries were they transported thither. Upon this subject 
 permit me to quote from Thomas Tod Stoddart, a very high 
 authority : 
 
 " Of the food and habits of trout I have said comparative- 
 ly little ; nor have I called direct attention to what may be 
 termed the cross-breeds, in coi-tradistinction to the true or 
 original breed peculiar to each stream or lake. * * * * 
 I may notice that the cross-breeds to which I refer are simply 
 those which have their origin in the difierent varieties of the 
 common trout brought into contact with each other at the 
 breeding season, and do not implicate the questionable prod- 
 uce, or mule breed, arising from any haphazard connection be- 
 tween the /areo and bull trout, or whitling, a connection al- 
 together discountenanced by nature, and not likely to take 
 place. I may also remark that, although cross varieties may 
 for a season, or term of seasons,, rival in number the true 
 breed belonging to this or that stream, and threaten to ex- 
 tinguish it altogether, yet there is no fear or likelihood of 
 such a result, the peculiar nature and qualities of the water, 
 aided by the remaining original stock, always tending to re- 
 instate the breed." This is merely reasserting that the qual- 
 ities of the loater and/eec? will govern and regulate the color 
 and quality of all trout of the same breed, whether /on^ma^/s 
 ox'fario. 
 
 The speckled beauty known as the brook trout has been 
 an exhaustless theme for pastoral poets of all ages. It has 
 afforded recreation for thousands of years to most of the lov- 
 ers of nature throughout the temperate zone of the northern 
 hemispheres. The old and young, the learned and ignorant. 
 
Tbout-fishino a Fine Akt. 149 
 
 the poor and nch-all classes, ages, and conditions, have en- 
 
 Zc .a': '^T/^'f"' '"' "■■""• '' P°-""y -"^ '"■■'" 
 Mlvinv ""^'^■''"l*™ of both mind and body to success- 
 fully .nvent and present the lures most captivating to it than 
 
 ISi: f ™t™'" ^'''- ^""""S" ">e bro'k troutt 
 p.obably the most numerous of all the game fishes, and sought 
 to. by the greatest number of conten.plative philosophers 
 yet may be angled for with the commonest tackle, and wit 
 
 fisW 7 '™"'' '=■" ^y ">« ^'''» "'""y "feam, or it may be 
 fished for w,th a very elaborate apparatus, and in either case 
 afford genuine sport. 
 
 Tl^ common trout is the standard sport of the enthusiastic 
 ..ngler. In many countries the trout and salmon are the only 
 varieties of game fishes which interest the angler; and while 
 salmon-flshmg may be justly regarded as the highest branch 
 of fresh-water sport, yet it has been justly said by Francis 
 Francis that "a good trout-flsher will easily become an ex- 
 pert at salmon-fishing; but a very respectable practitioner 
 with the salmon-rod w.ll often have all his schooling to do 
 afresh, should he descend to trout-flshing, before he can take 
 rank as a master of the art." 
 
 But it is left to the American angler to enjoy those numer- 
 ous and various resources of sport unknown to the European. 
 Our black bass are nearly as high game as the salmon, while 
 some thmk the striped bass higher, not to name the other va- 
 neties ot game for the rod and the troll, which shoal in myr- 
 iads a ong our coasts, and in the estuaries o£ innumerable riv- 
 ers debouching in salt waters. 
 
 After enumerating the fascinations of all other fishes the 
 mind settles in pleasurable contemplation of the brook trout 
 Ills capture is so delicate, and yet so artistic. Even the rus^ 
 tic IS taught refinement of address by following a trout stream 
 with his ash wand. Trouting is an abiding and universal 
 source of pleasure to all classes and conditions of men and 
 boys-ay, and of ladies also. It must therefore be invested 
 with a great variety of elements intended to create refined 
 
150 
 
 Fishing m American Waters. 
 
 I 
 
 emotions of pleasure to the best minds ; and while much of 
 it is due to the incomparable beauty and superior qualities of 
 the fish, yet his habits and attributes command unmixed ad- 
 miration. " He is an intellectual kind of creature, and has 
 evidently a will of his own. He looks sagacious and intelli- 
 gent — sedulously avoids thick, troubled, and muddy waters 
 — prefers the clear spring stream — displays an ardent ambi- 
 tion to explore streams to their source — is quick, vigorous, 
 and elegant in his movements — likes to have the exclusive 
 command of the stream — keeps up a rigid system of order 
 and discipline in the little community of which he is a mem- 
 ber — exhibits a remarkable degree of nicety and fastidious- 
 ness about his food — is comparatively free from vulgar, low, 
 and groveling habits — entices his pursuer into the loveliest 
 scenes of Nature's domains — calls forth from man his utmost 
 ingenuity and skill — and, in a word, in every stage of his ex- 
 istence preserves a dignified demeanor, unattainable by any 
 other living occupant of the streams. 
 
 "While these may be styled his social and intellectual 
 qualities, his physical constitution is equally entitled to our 
 respectful consideration. He discloses a prepossessing and 
 fascinating figure, moulded in strict conformity with most 
 refined principles of symmetrical proportion, sparkles in all 
 the gorgeous colors of the rainbow, and occupies a distin- 
 guished position in the important science of gastronomy." 
 
 Reasons which combine to establish so high an estimate in 
 the regard of anglers are connected with the idea that the 
 amber beauty is gifted with tnind^ for in every thmg which 
 claims human attention, mind, real or imaginary, in the object 
 is necessary to attract our serious notice and to secure our 
 lasting esteem. 
 
 Once nearly every stream in the Middle, Northern, and 
 Eastern States teemed with both trout and salmon. The 
 salmon have been driven away, and, had not anglers inter- 
 fered to save the trout, the luxury would now only be known 
 from bookp and the stories of th.i^ oldest inhabitants. A« it 
 
Make effective Game-laws. 151 
 
 is, the trout streams have been so depleted and thinned of 
 their most attractive beauty that restocking by artificial 
 means has been found necessary as a last resort. 
 
 Before addressing myself to the task of describing the ar- 
 tistic means for capturing this beauty of the brook, it should 
 be known that it is not lawful to take trout in the State of 
 New York by any other means than with the angle in fly and 
 bait fishings. Considering the diminished numbers in our 
 best streams, and the swift-growing density of the population 
 throughout the North, it is a question of importance whether 
 this h^ should not be adopted by all the states north and 
 east. Ihe inhabitants of the United States are a peculiar 
 people in some things, and in no one element is this more 
 patent than in their running on the last idea, to the disregard 
 of all others. This is eminontly so in artificial fish-culture 
 There are many waters which require protection only to ren- 
 der the increase of trout abundant ; but instead of protecting 
 the waters by proper legal enactments, and faithfully carry- 
 ing them out, some states leave the waters to the mercy of 
 nets and spears. They appropriate sums of money for prop- 
 agating trout, and while the fish-culturist is hatching trout 
 on the middle of a stream, the mouth is being netted, and the 
 spawning-grounds thinned with the spear. This is "feeding 
 at the spigot and leaking at the bung." 
 . Game-laws should be enacted in each state establishino- the 
 fence or close seasons for game fish and game animals,'thus 
 protecting them while with young, while hatching, and until 
 they have recovered and fattened sufiiciently for the table 
 The legal season for taking trout in the State of New York 
 ^8 from March until October, leaving six months of the year 
 wherein it is unlawful to take trout by any means. It would 
 be well if the Northern and Eastern States could unite upon 
 a close season, as it would assist to prevent poaching. Al- 
 though I have no key to fit the humor of the selfish proprie- 
 tor who would begrudge the laboring man his snatch of pleas- 
 ure at this universal and fiivorite pastime, or limit him to 
 

 .r .a 
 
 152 
 
 Fishing in American Waters. 
 
 xl I'OACUEK, 
 
 hours in a day's fishing, where- 
 by lie might add a real zest in 
 the way of luxurious variety to 
 his eveiy-day fare, yet I would 
 second all efforts to thwart the 
 poacher, who robs the streams 
 of their life and beauty to sell, 
 when these waters are be- 
 queathed to the poor as well 
 as to the rich as a health-giv- 
 ing blessing. 
 
 " Bill Blossom was a nice young man, 
 And drove the Bury eoacli ; 
 But bad companions were his bane, 
 And egged him on to poach. 
 
 " Once, going to his usual haunts, 
 
 Old Cheshire laid his plots ; » 
 
 He got entrapped by legal Berks, 
 
 And lost his life in Notts." — Hood, 
 
 The poacher is an unmitigated scamp wherever found. On 
 Long Island, he robs the streams by night with fine silken 
 nets, which he conceals in a pocket or in the crown of his hat 
 (if he have one), and, knowing all the by paths of the island 
 as they meander among the net-work formed of dwarf pine 
 and scrub oak, he approaches a trout stream after midnight. 
 There are usually two poachers in company. They set the 
 net across a narrow place in the stream, and while one at- 
 tends to it, the other drives in the trout. The meshes of the 
 net are so small that a two-ounce trout can not escape. Before 
 daylight the poachers are back at their wretched homes, and 
 those who wink at the crime purchase the fish, and send them 
 to the New York markets. The fish being in season, no ques- 
 tions are asked. It is difficult to detect poachers on the isl- 
 and, because proprietors of real estate and hotel-keepers are 
 afraid to inform against these desperadoes, lest they should, 
 in revenge, add arson to poaching. 
 
 There is not withhi any settled portion of the United States 
 
PoAcriERs Rob all Classes. 153 
 
 ,>a atively so numerous and productive as they are through- 
 
 ^ny d„-eet,oa without crossing a trout stream, whether from 
 
 nXTo, :'TV" '™*-P'^»- "-e south' side, Jr fZ 
 «cwto»n to Greenport on the north side; and when taliin.. 
 mto account the necessity for a kind of rec eatior^which si ",1 
 
 who are pent up m squares of brick and mortar, and engaged 
 
 arslr 2 "7"^"°"^' " '^ ""P°-^'« "> -«-te if lol 
 
 fee airv^n, :»" T'''""" ^'''^''' "^il" it is sufficiently 
 tree, airy, and attractive to inflate the lungs, jog the biliarv 
 
 organs, and unbend the mind, is not so dilc'u tl plsu Z 
 to prevent the most delicate in p^j^eyue from cnLin„ iT 
 The va ue of the Long Island trout streams to New iork Ci t 
 'ZtT'f "1 ™^ "''"'"^ '' approaehabilt ?2 
 
 above price How deep must therefore be the turpitude of 
 the c ime of that vagrant class of va<rabonds who reckless^ 
 "ob the streams of their life, beau . .„d means of recreate" 
 to the overworked citizen who depends on angling instead 
 of physic for restoring his waning health of body and decreas 
 mg vigor of mind ! 
 
 Streams in New Jersey and Connecticut, and those west 
 of the Hudson to the Delaware Rivers, and far beyond in both 
 this state and Pennsylvania, contain trout, and many of them 
 are well stocked. Indeed, it would bo difficult to fln/a st earn 
 within a radius of a hundred miles from the city of New 
 York which has not more or less trout in it. The papei-milk 
 .-ailroads, bleaehing-iields, chemicals of acids and gases, lim; 
 manures, and numerous kinds of manufactories which cast' 
 their choking and poisonous debris and flltr.ations into the 
 streams, have not proved suflicient to depopulate them of 
 their speckled beauties ; and were it not for tie poacher, who 
 » ops not at nets spears, snares of singular device, killiii; the 
 ■ lout by Inning the streams and poisoning them with ooculm 
 
■I 
 
 154 
 
 Fishing in American Wateks. 
 
 indicus, they would still be so numerous as to require noth- 
 ing toward propagation but protection. Want of moral rec- 
 titude, indolence, and greed make up the modest sum total 
 of a poacher's character; and the sooner the class is forced to 
 work' for the state the better, therefore our legislators will 
 please take note of the true penalty for poaching. 
 
 SECTION THIRD. 
 
 FLY-FISHING FOB TROUT, 
 
 "Thin, o'er the wave, the quivering insects skim, 
 And faintly dip their pinions on its brim. 
 Winter its power has not yet resigned. 
 And yet, I fear, the weather is unkind. 
 But there, an answer to that doubt receive— 
 A gallant trout !— behold it, and believe." 
 
 Here we see the fly-fisher wading a brook while it rains, 
 with shoulders protected by a water-proof cape, and extremi- 
 ties clad in India-rubber boots, with silk rubber attached and 
 extenaing up to the thighs, thus rendering the toggery light, 
 and so impervious as to keep the shoulders and feet of^the' 
 angler dry. The boy with rolled-up trousers represents the 
 ancient angler. He quietly contemplates and fishes in a 
 drenching rain, taking eels, catfish, and chubs in the pool be- 
 low the beaver-dam, never dreaming of a trout, when an ap- 
 parition wading the stream surprises him as the fly-fisher 
 casts his line, armed wiih artificial flies, quite over his pole, 
 and hooks a trout to his great astonishment. 
 
 Fly-fishing is more indolent and elegant than bait-fishing. 
 From the streams on the Styrian Alps, eastward over Hun- 
 gary, and westward over all the vast empire of intellectual 
 man, wherever the lands are divided by the ornamental tra- 
 cery of trout streams, even to the mildly sublime Pacific 
 Ocean, fly-fishing is regarded as an elegant accomplishment. 
 To cast a fly gracefully, so that it will fall in the right place 
 like a snow-flake, or light like a winged insect, requires prac- 
 tice. The beginner should not attempt to cast too long a 
 line. Let him first try to throw a line as long as his rod, say 
 
Ctuaed against a Slack-line Cast. 
 
 155 
 
 Fly-fishing fob Thout 
 
 twelve feet of line; then increase the length as he learns to 
 oast It, so that it will lie straight on the ^ater and a ront 
 m attempting to taste, will be sure to hook hin se"f beea, se 
 there ,s no slack line. This is important; for i f the rou 
 s nkes at a fly on a slack line, he at once b comes disgn te< 
 at so lame an effort to deceive, and the slack-line flshT W 
 never rece,ve a second visit from him, Bnt if yon af 
 u straight hne, and the trout misses th. fly, he wUl com 
 
156 
 
 Fishing in American Waters. 
 
 again, sometimes as many as four times, before he fastens. 
 It is necessary that the line be so straight that a slight touch 
 will be felt by the angler, and that a responsive jerk at the 
 top of the rod will be sure to fasten the fish. But if the line 
 is slack, and the trout happens to get hooked, he will be like- 
 ly to disgorge before the angler has time to strike. Do not 
 be in a hurry to lay out more line than you can cast straight 
 from the tip of your rod to your stretcher-fly. Some good' 
 fly-fishers prefer to cast a short line, because it is so much 
 easier for them to hook their fish and play him. Especially 
 is this the case when tro ^ are plenty. On Long Island they 
 are educated ; but even tnere do not strain vour nerves and 
 muscles to make a wide cast. Exjjerience is the only teach- 
 er who will confer the perfection of casting. 
 
 So soon as the angler learns to lay out thirty feet of line 
 straight, without a bend from the tip of his rod, he may count 
 himself a fly-fisher ; and as he continues to practice for im- 
 proving in the elegance of his casting, he will naturally ac- 
 quire the habit, so that fifty or sixty feet casts will be done 
 with perfect ease, grace, and precision. Over-hand and under 
 casts will be his next practice, in order to succeed in wading 
 a stream overhang with willows or alders, or margined with 
 large trees whose wide projecting branches warn the angler 
 to beware lest he cast too high. 
 
 Many simple swils suppose angling an indolent pastime ; 
 and Johnson's plagiarism from a Greek author of " a stick 
 and a string, with a fool at one end and a wonn at the oth- 
 er," helped to fix in the minds of the ignorant the impression 
 which .the stolen aphorism was intended to convey. Such 
 vulgar witticisms may please the splenetic; they only dis- 
 gust liberal-minded men. 
 
 A word more about the costume of our model angler. The 
 color of the dress should either be green, to blend with the 
 foliage, or gra^/f. to harmonize with the shade of the rocks. 
 Wading boots, with rubbered silk extensions, are the lightest 
 and best, except, perhaps, the Scotch wading stockings, of 
 
Tecutino on Long Island. 157 
 
 quite recent invention, and imported by our principal fishing- 
 tackle houses. A cape of water-proof silk may be carried hi 
 the pocket, and put on as a protection to tha shoulders in 
 case of a shower, as it is not too warm and does not impede 
 casting. ^ 
 
 Trouting on Long Island is the most artistic angling that 
 1 have ever seen practiced, either in Europe or America The 
 trout there appear to have learned to detect many of the an- 
 gler 8 artifices. Fly-fishing is there practiced near the estu- 
 aries of streams, where they are influenced by the tides, so 
 that m flood tide the fisher begins below and casts along as 
 the tide makes, as far up the stream as the trout feed • and 
 when the tide turns, the angler fishes along down with the 
 tide and the feeding fish. There being little protection to 
 veil the angler from the tenants of the stream, it is necessary 
 that he keep far back from the bank, which necessitates lon^ 
 ■ casts, and frequently the first intimation which the angler 
 receives of a bite is the gushing and slapping rise of the fish 
 and the tremulously nervous resistance at the end of his line • 
 then approaches the play and the contest, when li<.ht-but 
 finely-constructed-tackle tells. Deftly and gingerfy are the 
 words, for Long Island trout are not to be trifled with The 
 rod should be permitted to do its duty, and the angler be 
 neither impatient nor excited. Anglers who have never vis- 
 ited Long Island are comparatively innocent of the real zest 
 of troutmg; for, without being annoyed with stinging and 
 biting flies, the trout are as large and as free from rust or the 
 effects of discolored waters as are those of the estuaries on 
 the coast of Maine or along the "Gulf of St. Lawrence. Qn 
 the island they run from a quarter to three pounds in weio-ht 
 sometimes more, and are in the highest state of succulent'ad- 
 iposity. The climate is charming, surroundings most invit- 
 ing, hotels where good cheer greets the sportsman through- 
 out the year. I love Long Island, and venerate its trout 
 streams. 
 
158 
 
 Fishing in Amekican Wateks. 
 
 r 
 
 " Nature hiith endless nsjiectH : to the nngler 
 She doth her beiiuties mid her glories all unfold ; 
 A mugic light rests upon liuid and sea, ' 
 And all her brooks are silver, all her sunshine gold." 
 
 What angler's heart does not beat more quickly at the 
 joyous announeement of the opening day of the trouting 
 season ? He will find, upon asking himself seriously, be he 
 rich or poor, learned or ignorant, that no announcement of 
 any other recreation so thrills his heart. The emotion caused 
 by the school-master when he used to say "boys may go 
 out," or " there will be a vacation until next Monday," is 
 quadrupled and sublimated by the permission given from a 
 higher sphere, as if Heaven said " boys may go out." Go 
 forth from your counting-houses, your mephitic offices, your 
 workshops, for it is the opening day of the trouting season ! 
 
 " With Winter's frown let sadness cease, 
 
 And cankering care, 
 And o'er the brow sweet smiles of peace 
 
 Wreathe garlands fair ; 
 From joyous Nature catch the smile, 
 And every weary hour beguile 
 
 From care and pain — 
 Join, join with bird and flowing stream 
 In shouting forth the rapturous theme, 
 
 'Tis Sprhig again, 
 ' 'Tis Spring again!" 
 
 Who can forget the angling of old at Oba. Sncdicor's ? The 
 late Daniel Webster used to be there on the opening day of 
 the trouting season, and so did many of our truly great men. 
 It was there that John Stephens was advised to sail his yacht 
 in the regatta in England, which resulted in his winning the 
 race. But the Snedicor Preserve is now in different hands. 
 A close club of wealthy and intellectual sportsmen own it, 
 and they have rendered it worthy of its name, the " South- 
 side Club." 
 
 The light, artistic character of the fly-fisher's tackle proves 
 him a disciple of the line arts, though translating their spirit 
 into graceful action. 
 
Always Uhe the best Tackle. 
 
 15U 
 
 TuouTiNo Tacklk 
 MODERN SPLICE FOB PLY RODS 
 
 ul for splicing the top joint of a trout-rod Th.T!^ 
 is the description : « tL' .,.•.. :fl\T ..' ^^" Allowing 
 
 description : « The splice is of the ordina 
 
 small, thin 
 
 rinu or fl.^t rin- of brass at the thick 
 
 y length, with 
 
 end of each 
 
160 
 
 Fishing in American Waters. 
 
 splice ; the thin end of each splice fits so tightly into (under) 
 the brass rim -or ring at the thick end of the other one that 
 it will not shift in the least degree ; a length of waxed glov- 
 er's or tailor's thread, tied on at your leisure (for all is hard 
 held to your hand by the brass rings), completes' the splice." 
 
 mmmMiiMmmmmmtiniiimm 
 
 Numbers 1, 2, 3 present a side view of the splice, and 4, 5 
 a surface view. Of course the ferrules or rings are fastened 
 firmly on the thick ends of each splice, and splice ends are 
 requisite after unjointing the rod for protecting the thin ends 
 of the splice when thrusting the joints into a case to carry 
 the rod after a day's fishing, or when the angler desires to 
 pack his rod. That is, " corresponding pieces of spliced wood, 
 with brass rings (or ferrules) attached, are made, joined to- 
 gether, carried in the pocket, and when the rod is untied and 
 unjointed they are detached from each other, and attached 
 to the spliced parts of the rod, to save the splices from any 
 accident." This is a precaution necessary for protecting all 
 kinds of splices of rods. 
 
 In returning to the general subject, the spring opens earlier 
 on the south side of Long Island than in any other part of the 
 state. This is owing to the island extending so far into the 
 Atlantic that the Gulf Stream mellows tlie air by its warmth. 
 Radishes, celery, lettuce, and sometimes eschalots, are not un- 
 common on the 1st of March, while the martin and meadow- 
 lark enliven the air, aiid the robin is not far behind in putting 
 in an appearance to open the full court of Spring ; and as the 
 angler casts from the bank or from a boat, all nature is alive. 
 The island being in the direct routC for the passage of wild- 
 fowl, the honking of them high in air, and the gunners' in- 
 tonations on the bay, give a touch of sublimity and grand- 
 eur which, when mingling with the sounds of lowing herds 
 and the music of bh'ds, brings heaven and earth together, and 
 
Op.™g Dav or THE TBouTzNa Season. m 
 
 and the dovLo" Lcclt , ""'"'■''""' '■*'*^ "f^nt, 
 
 aecoptunce. i 11 i ,, "T™' '""' S"-f"% '«■ thei,: 
 
 '— . a ..:^c;:t:r "r etri;: ""^"' 
 
 click one. imon whinh ; "u. xiis leel is a narrow 
 
 yards in Icno-th A nin. ft . i '^"'^' ''"^^ ^« thirty 
 
 »a, and .ui,i t;r ::':?rsr;'°°'-' -^ 
 
 er, a sray professor o, tl,„ « •' "'mamon fly as a stretch- 
 
 fo- jo/a't „, at;::: , "ifr::';L"::.e:« '^^ "°°! '^"' -" 
 
 "- birds, hears al. nature w ki^ « ^IT"'""^' ^''^^ 
 npon the mead when the -rass is W ' ' ^''^ "'"P 
 
 a se„.e of velvety elastioitv , , ^"f""""" '° ''""" '^""fe'-'' 
 the cat-tails of tife v C ^/i;!' 'J' " """'^ '"^ ^'■■-».-- 
 ■■iPi>lc. and the tron r hT , -'''"^ ^ "'° ""''S'" "^ *^ 
 oast miniature rainhor^: r'l^f^m'rif ^ " •"" '"^^ 
 e appr„aohc.„,thi„ easti,,, dis^^ 7/, Ir" 17 ?" 
 •*i cast, and a aro-e tronf mnm. i • ^ \ ^ ^^^ "^^^^'^s 
 
 -turns with the now spri 1' and asl^. '"" 7 •''"^'^""^ 
 '>lood quickens ho .nnnf "" , "^ circulation of his 
 
 luiLKcns, no ^spontaneous y ciacul'ito^ « w n i- . 
 u'orth living for !" J' U^icuuies, \VeI], this is 
 
162 
 
 Fishing m Ateeican Waters. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 FLY-FISHING ON MASSAPIQUA LAKE. 
 Fly-fishing from boats or punts on ponds and lakes forms 
 a most interesting branch of the art of angling. The tackle 
 is fine, and the boat comfortable. When tlie pond covers not 
 more than fifty acres, the oarsman rows across from side to 
 side without turning the boat, but merely changing his seat 
 and sculls ; thus the angler, at the bow when crossing first, is 
 at the stern while returning, and the oarsman continues to 
 cross and recross the water back and forth, with sufficient lee- 
 way to prevent the water being twice fished over. The an- 
 gler must needs be ambidexterous, for he must change hands 
 every time the water is crossed. On the trout lakes border- 
 ing the Adirondacks the boats are very light, and finely con- 
 sti'ucted of narrow and thin cedar boards, very closely braced 
 
Fly-fishing FKOM A Boat. ^j^ 
 
 cet long and four feet wide, and are intended for one anMe, 
 and h,s gu,de. The gnide has a seat toward the boC!., 
 e angkr takes a seat near the stern, either tf.oZl 
 
 vviiicn laiib Horn the mountain into the lako tn,.„rfi * 
 
 rni:!::^e';.tra ?:: .r t -S"e:rd 
 
 "a"-i iiuoKh a tiout the ffuide rows nut m.ro,r r 
 
 2- -.no the';r::i-t or;nf;^it r: r:^ 
 
 cuHoSy. ' """ ^■"" """• ""- - 1-y «"■ 'heir cruel ' 
 
 Lalcc Massapitjua, at South Oyster Bav on T n„„ T.i , • 
 probably the best trout preserve in the U^Ud Z rt' " 
 
 tk.„a„ maintains the preserve for his exe us v„ use »d Z. 
 .- « -nvued guests, who are the ardent discipLs Ihe W 
 
 :i"S:;;: -::c:,=r;; : :r:: I 
 
 I 
 
lt)4 
 
 Fishing in American Waters. 
 
 so dispose of the bounties with which Providence lias favored 
 them as that they shall confer blessings on all classes. 
 
 There are several reasons in favor of fly-fishing from a boat 
 over that of wading a stream, or catching casts from streams 
 bordered with foliage. It is out on the water, away from 
 shore, and free from the danger of getting flies fast on the 
 limbs of trees while casting or playing a fish. There is room 
 to play your fish. Your shore views are fess restricted. Two 
 anglers, in such case, form the best company possible. The 
 business of the world may be canvassed while excellent sport 
 is enjoyed amid the gushing music and harmony of nature. 
 
 SECTION SECOND. 
 
 now TO FISH A STREAM. 
 * ' Wliere the robin carols loudly — 
 Gayly and untroubled sings, 
 And the lark is poised most proudly 
 
 On his strong, untiring wings. 
 There may I be found each morning, 
 
 With my rod and reel complete, 
 Not a speckled beauty scorning 
 In the pearly streams I meet. 
 
 " Oft I pause to hear the thrushes 
 Trilling out their morning song 
 In those wild and rapturous gushes 
 
 Which to melody belong." 
 Then mingled is with song of bird. 
 The monotone of barn-yard herd ; 
 Anon, a flock of geese appears, 
 Honking to calm each other's fears ; 
 And as I angle the streams along, 
 All the world seems made of song. 
 
I 
 
 Don't see it in that Light. " 1^5 
 
 Hus we deftly cast the artifi- 
 cial lure on the margin of the 
 streams, or on the bosom of 
 lake or pond, whipping, whip- 
 ping, whijDping all the day, gjid 
 playing trout till twilight. 
 Questions in relation to fish- 
 - ing up or doxon a stream 
 should be decided by the con- 
 dition of the stream and its 
 borders. While casting from 
 -■ the shore, it makes very lit- 
 " tie difference which way the 
 
 ill- it is best to fi 1. . '*'^^''' '' ^'^^^5 ^"t i" ^-^d- 
 
 w wo, cast to the farther shore, drawhig your flie« across the 
 ream, but not too fast, lest the trout beeome suspic » L 
 
 Cast first near shore; then a yard or two far^he off n!^^' 
 across the stream. If vou wt not , ,.i . , ' ' 
 
 up the stream and repeat "cll t T' " ''"" °'' '^™ 
 
 arises as to whether tCont aWyZl:." h e' " ^T 
 oue fly by another of diffe..nt colo^fC ny'o ' ,:':^" 
 
 Hy that the trout adm.re, change your other fliea (if you fi,h 
 on :r-* •" T" '"'"""'■' '" ^"S"' -l-f to he'tX 
 
 tto-l t of, . ti , "■' "? "'"^ ^^ ''■•?''■» ■■™°ve above 
 .est ot manknul as not to be susceptible to a slight influ- 
 
166 
 
 Fishing in American Waters. 
 
 ence from the baser sentiments of humanity ; but I have actu- 
 ally seen a man so self-willed as to fish all day without a rise, 
 " because," as he said, " he was determined to bring the trout 
 to his terms." 
 
 All kinds of angling call for the exercise of patience ; but 
 fly-fishing requires the gift of genius. Do not fish with too 
 long a cast. In fishing a creek up stream, thirty to forty-five 
 feet are quite sufllicient. In striking, let it be with suflicient 
 force to fasten the hook in his jaw; but play your fish most 
 gingerly and even tenderly, but not so as to give him slack 
 line, or he will disgorge the hook. One of the principal 
 causes of losing large fish is the being in too great a hurry 
 to land thMm. If the hook is well fastened, the more deli- 
 cately your fish is played the better; for snubbing a fish 
 ^lard at all points wears an orifice in its jaw from which the 
 hook falls by the mere turning of the fish. It is true that the 
 trout has a good mouth to hold a hook, but the hook must 
 first be Avell fastened to hold, and then the orifice made in 
 hooking should not be worn larger in playing, if possible to 
 , avoid it. 
 
 SECTION THIRD. 
 
 KNOTS, LOOPS, AND DROPS. 
 
 While anglers should let every trade live, and buy their 
 tackle in preference to making it, yet with the make of cer- 
 tain parts of tackle every amateur should be familiar. Of 
 course he should know how to tie on a hook, and how to make 
 a loop whose equal bearings would prevent it from chafing 
 or breaking at the loop-knot. 
 
 No. 1. Bending on, or tying on a hgok. The hook should be 
 tied on stained silk-worm gut, round, clear, and strong ; for 
 in playing a fish the tackle generally parts near the hook. 
 Use scarlet silk, well waxed with a drab wax made from 
 tar, like shoemaker's wax, only light-colored. From about 
 half an inch below the end of the shank, make lialf a dozen 
 turns with the silk to t1ie end of the shank, and place an 
 
Soak Gut befoke Tying. 
 
 167 
 
 ™ h/ . . ' ™"^'"S "'''^''' *'sht, and neat, until 
 
 you have wound down to near the end of the gut, Or Nearly 
 half the length of the shank, when hold the end of your silk 
 here and form a loop of the remainder, and cast it three or 
 our fmes over the shank as represented ; then draw up the 
 loop by the end of the silk thread, which will leave the end 
 fas ened under those three or four loops cast over the bend 
 of the hook, thus forming a good finish, so that you may 
 cut the end of the silk thread close to the tic without dan 
 ger of its drawino-. 
 
168 
 
 Fishing in Ameeican Waters. 
 
 I 'I! 
 
 No. 2. Snell loop. Soak the gut, and tie the loop as repre- 
 sented. It is the very best tie for a loop, and I have en- 
 deavored so to represent it as to enable an amateur to im- 
 itate it. 
 
 No. 3. A helm-knot, or tiller hitch, useful in sailing a boat or 
 yacht, because the hitch-though secure-is loosened' in- 
 stantly by a jerk at the end. 
 No. 4. The cor^mon knot for forming a loop at the end of a 
 
 silk-worm gut or line. 
 No. 5, 5. Two half hitches, forming a slide-knot in a casting- 
 line, to slide for holding a drop, and for changin' drops at 
 will. Some anglers cast the end twice round Tnstead of 
 once, as shown. The drop hangs well from it, being at a 
 right angle from the casting-line ; but with only one hitch 
 of each end, as represented, the gut is apt to slip and part 
 the casting -line, especially if the drops are frequently 
 changed, because, when the knots become drawn very tight 
 they are hard to slide, and sliding them to change drops' 
 weakens them; but I have taken many hundreds of trout 
 on drops so arranged. 
 No. 6. The first drop, of the correct length. It is the red ibis 
 fly, all formed of the ibis feather but the red silk body 
 wound with very small gold or silver cord. This is one 
 of the most attractive lures for trout, but it is not so good 
 as the coachman, or several of the protessors, for larg3 fish. 
 The tail and hackle at the neck are brown. 
 No. 7. A knot recommended by many accomplished anglers 
 for connecting lengths of gut to form a casting-line. Some 
 bend the end twice round inst-^d of once, as shown. If 
 only once, the ends should be lashed with waxed silk. 
 No. 8. Drop, fastened by a half hitch round the castino--line 
 and the end of the gut near the knot. After tying the\not 
 of the casting-line, draw it tight, and cut off one and close 
 leavmg the upper end half an inch long. Lash this end to' 
 the hne, and cover it with varnish, and loop the end of the 
 drop over it. By this plan the drop will not chafe or 
 
ToBN OFP Knbs wrr„ Var«is„ ok S„.ll«." 169 
 
 • tto lasheS " "■«'" '°™ * Sood covering f„,. 
 
 ""fow^r: "•"'"'^"''^- ^^^^"''"'^ ™'S "o-Jy »d Guinea. 
 
 silk, and vatS.uIr ""' '""«' ""' '"^'^ ""^ -'" «» 
 
 No. 12. Alcler-fly-^,y%^y^,,^g^_^^^, peacock's horl . i • 
 
 ped w.th red silk ; ™,s of g.yLkl ^K ' ^'''' 
 ^o. 13. Attaching the casting-line to the reel-line Th;« i 
 
 ml*s T!;,V":,*;'"S-""^' "gg^d with rtretcher and two drop 
 fl'es. The object .s to show the stndent how thev shouM 
 be ..gged, so that all may fall at the same til ™ tit wa 
 
 Vo '/:r f S^ ""^ "^'"™' ^"S'-^ "^"^ -ting-C 
 
 drop; 17, the second drop, or hand-flv h,.i„„fi "'""''">'• 
 est to the angler's hand. V t^X^X::^^ 
 
 two"::, It,; ":£:^i\^-^^^^ ^ %t™'^ ^ '^" 
 
 luiee mclieb ni icngth. The knots in the 
 
170 
 
 Fishing in American "Waters. 
 
 casting-line show where the lengths of gut are tied— thus, 
 fron. the stretcher-fly to the first drop are four lengths of 
 gut, and three or four longths from the first drop to the 
 hand-fly. Thesi- diilances will be changed to suit taste 
 and tho distance of cast. For long casts, the drops should 
 ^e a yard apnrt. 
 No. 18. A tie for uniting lengths of gut, so that they will 
 break at any other part as easily as at the tie. Tie a knot 
 in the end of each length of c y , Jap them an inch, and 
 wmd them closely between the knots with white waxed 
 silk. This is the best tie for a salmon leader or a trout 
 casting-line. Casting-lines sho.uld be made of stained gut 
 the gut selected so as to taper regularly from the reel-tine' 
 to the stretcher-fly; and the drops should be cf fine, clear 
 round gut, stained to the shade of the casting-line It is' 
 an mdication of very bad taste in a fishing-tackle maker to 
 otter finely-tapered and stained casting-lines and flies tied 
 to coarse gut, and not dyed or shaded to the tint of the 
 castmg-line. All should be in harmonious keeping, l\om 
 the reel-line to the casting-line and drops. For casting 
 from a boat or from the clear margin of a stream, the cast- 
 ing-hne should be nine feet in length, or even a foot or two 
 more, only have a care not to make it so long that, with the 
 bend of a twelve-foot rod, you can not reel np sufiiciently 
 close to bring your fish within reach of your landing-net. 
 For rough fishing on a stream of bramble marsjins a cast- 
 ing-line of from six to seven feet in length, and one drop 
 besides the stretcher, may be sufiicient. Many anglers dis- 
 pense with drops, and fish with one fly only ou some streams 
 m the interior of Pennsylvania, Maine, New Hampshire, and 
 throughout the region in New Y<,rk known as the Adiron- 
 (lacks, which is about forty miles square, and one of the 
 greatest fish and game regions in America. 
 
 HOW TO stain SILK-WORSI GUT. > 
 
 Gut may be stained by leaving it in a strong decoction of 
 
 
To STAIN Silk-worm Gut. ' i^^ 
 
 i^TL '""""'•"o'"'' without iDJuring the gut 
 Hals as stair fh^ \ ^ "^^''''^ ^"^ such mate- 
 
 dye .s obtained by boiling a handful of the Z^o,- slv 
 
 -:ro?arur::r;;:::Lt^^^^^^^ 
 -..r::,r-irt,rif"^^ 
 
 Gut .hould bo emirelv did « ""^"""^ " "''*^'"«'- 
 
 .bouldbe thoroug"; Lw .rf"'/'""'"^ ''' """ '"- " 
 in« it perfect,,, it' hL^t ™ ^ Col ^I^'"' *^ <'^>- 
 ed on a boa.-d with the ends fasten ^ t0^2ZTt 
 e.vcellout p an for kepnino- ti,o * . /^t^<^P it straight. An 
 
 are tied is Hutchinson W,! ^ "«'" "P™ -"eh Ai-s 
 
 ^o ^xuLcuiiison s, before mentionpH tk^ t ^ 
 
 between the loops or rings and th hook" luM be ' 
 
 uated as to aecomnjodat.. different „g, ,,s of " f % ^''"" 
 tedonthe pao-e of trontin„ t„„i,i ., ^ ' "' """stra- 
 
 to change L:ffl:ir:;^rot''.^r„r''^ 
 
 ee".,t for drop,but stre'tchers wo^ret J 5 ^ ^ ^ 
 00. l(,r convenience. On ffoii.o- n f..«„4- t "^ ^" 
 
 a couple , casts, -such as fmay Think "n "'""'""' "P 
 -hich I contomplate fishing. For most wl i "l" """^ 
 
 the stre ; fW I ""J ^"P'o^ '»» -— as 
 
 or, and a mallar. 1" ..It ' "'': "' '' ="•"'"''- f" anoth- 
 mg, wit<; claret body, for the tliird. The 
 
 'ill 
 
 II 
 
 m 
 
172 
 
 Fisiirao IN Amebican 'Watebs. 
 
 above the ib.s .s a cm„amo„, a,„l tl,e *i™t ,lr„,, above the 
 ma ur.l w.„g » a cmnamon. The hand-Hk. are ihe blue dun 
 or he cow.d„„g. The blue professo,- fa aUo an excellent flv 
 
 •7 
 
 My advice to the angler i, to purchase his flics of the best 
 fly-tyers m New Yorlc and Boston, where competition has pro- 
 duced the necessity for employing first-rate materials in all 
 the departments of flsliing-taclile, whether of g,it, flies hoolcs 
 hues, reels rods, and the coarser paraphernalia of the Cle ' 
 Tboux R..ts._The click reel is incomparably the Ls*; 
 hongh ,t ,s not so good to dry a line on as is the Billinghas 
 reel, wh.ch is formed of brass or German silver wire, and the 
 me open on all sides to the air. The click reel checks the 
 Hue to a certam weight of resistance, to which the an^er 
 soon becomes accustomed, and in giving the flsh the bntt'he 
 does .t wHh confldenee, because he has ascertained frou, ev 
 penenee bow great a check he puts upon the flsh, and the pre- 
 cise s ram caused to his casting-line, which he has rcrulated 
 accordingly This is not the case with a reel whose tens o 
 of drag may be changed several times during one day's sport 
 But the best reel for my use is a click reel, with a targe'pe' 
 forated barrel or cylinder to reel the line on, and it fh.Mild 
 also be perforated at the ends over the cylinder, for dryino- 
 the line. The advantage of a large cylinder to .«! the lim- 
 on when the reel does not multiply is important, because i, 
 shortens the time of reeling. Besides, with a Large cylinder 
 thirty yards is a sufficient length of line. I once killed a flve- 
 and-.a-half-pouiid trout in a very rapid stream with a nine- 
 onnee rod and only thirty y.ards of line. It took me two 
 houi-s and twelve minutes to kill the flsh, timed by Dr Be- 
 thiiiie, of Boston. .X '-"e 
 
 A click multiplier is better for anglmg with the worm or 
 minnow, but many bait anglers of the country prefer a small 
 multiplier without a click or drag. BelLmeUl is su;;™" 
 
M 
 
 AGIO IN A OOOI) FlY-KOD. 
 
 173 
 
 millet r y f "™'" '''''' ^^ ^^'^«^' ^"^ -1---^ or al«. 
 milium, IS better than either. 
 
 Fly RoDs._Rods made from split bamboo are unquestioii 
 ab y the best in use ; but a Robert Weleh rod, of ash for tl 
 
 l>oo for the foiirtl, or top joint, is the best rod that I liave 
 mulT W *■""■ Tr' ''■''''''"-■ '""' «I"" bamboo rod 
 
 "lu twelve feet m length, and I had rather have it six 
 
 mehes over, or so made with duplicate top and third id, ts 
 
 « to make it either twelve or twelve feet siv thnnJ " 
 
 longest fly rod is only twelve feet and two Z^^' 1' 
 
 peter a singje action rod to the one of doubl a t ion t a 
 
 kiek m the handle," though the latter may send a fly ft " 
 
 tier, and deliver it more gleefully, but it lacks the si of 
 
 shonid weigh from seven to ten ounces when mounted- and 
 . .Hrom ash, lancewood, and split bamboo, if strictly fo sh, 
 gle hand, their weights should range from nine f„ flft 
 
 a d a lia^tt ^ '""'^'^'IS'"' '^'J ^ouW^ about twelve 
 and a half feet long, ^'either rod should be too withy but 
 la e snap or elasticity enough in the top to hook a fish with 
 out ytelding enough to permit the sinner to dis-^orge One 
 of the pleasures of fly-fishing is to nse a rod wh.eh will ," 
 .pensively hook a tront without an eff-„rt of the .angler T,e 
 » port consists ,n delivering a fly ne.atly on a strai^h linll 
 eeing the trout rise gushingly to the surface and Lent the ' 
 
 the manie. of takmg the trout, and the suiTonndings of a 
 pleasing landscape-the music of birds, the sprin.-tfmc o^ 
 general rejuvenation, and the running h.;r,non/of fnt llcctu 
 al conversation. Tnere is society in trouting, but it Z o" 
 p.-event the soul from basking in all the lift and bettl of 
 sound and gayety around. ^ 
 
 WD,NoNETs.-Iffor landing in a boat or on shore a two 
 jomted handle is the best. If for wading, a short hancLlt 
 
 
I 
 
 174 
 
 Fisiima IN AsiERicAN Watkks. 
 
 11 
 
 tached to an elastic cord and suspended from the slioulder, 
 ,tOr a double-jointer, in which the second one slides into the 
 first, and is attached by a loop to a button on the breast, is 
 the least cumbersome. I have found the hollow wire rims 
 the best, and brass is the best metal for them. ' The hollow 
 rim is light, and it does not rust. As to the round and oval 
 shapes, they are matters of caprice, and as to the wicker 
 frames of wood, they are no lighter than hollow brass wire, 
 while they offer fourfold resistance to the water. The rim 
 should be large, the meshes large, the twine not too fine, and 
 the net itself large. A landin§--net, large, strong, and light, 
 is one of the angler's sources of delight. 
 
 Trout Basket. — Let it be plaited or woven from the thin 
 outer grain of the willow or osier, very light and large; to 
 contain ten, fifteen, and twenty pounds of fish are the sizes. 
 They should be stained inside and painted outside, or by 
 painting the inside also they are more easily cleaned. Green 
 is the color preferred. The shape not very deep, with a hole 
 in the lid, brass hinges, a staple extending up through the lid, 
 fastened with a padlock. Tlie strap should be of worsted 
 webbing instead of russet leather, or if of russet leather there 
 should be a pad attached, with straps to slide on the shoul- 
 der-strap to the r:ght place. The New York fishing-tackle 
 dealers have introduced a new gear, by which the weight 
 rests on both shoulders, and the basket is held more securely, 
 and is less cumbersome in forest-fishing. The angler's coat 
 should be made with a stvap and button on the shoulder, un- 
 der which to hold the stra]i of the trout-basket ; and there 
 should be another strap on the coat at the left side, to pre- 
 vent tlie basket -strap from moving, and the basket from 
 swinging about Avhile climbing over logs and fences. But 
 the great desideratum consists in getting a light and snuill 
 basket, whicli will contain a great many large trout of your 
 own taking. 
 
 Bait Box. — Of course bait-boxes and fly-books are articles 
 to purchase at the fishing-tackle stores ; and while there are 
 
 
Finishing vr the Trouting Rig. 
 
 175 
 
 numerous theories about fly-books, there can be but few ab«ut 
 bait-boxes I will therefore state, beware of those thre ! 
 story complications. Procure a box as simple as possible in 
 
 belt which holds up the wading water-proofs, or the common 
 leather waist-belt. It should consist of two compartmeat 
 
 ^ Carkyi^g Casts of FLiEs.-Instead of winding a castin<.- 
 hne ound the hat, a double band is made to fit the hat an^'d 
 buckle round over the hat-band, and the casting-line or snell- 
 ed fl.es are attached to it and folded in, so aslot to ex^ 
 hem or render them liable to get loose and dangle about to 
 the danger of the face and eyes. The Calcutta ^r Gib UUr 
 spornig-hat, Illustrated on the plate with the salmon-rc:^^ i 
 
 'Wlf f/ " ""'f' '"' ""'^'^"^^ '^"^'"^'^^ «-^ -• -«ts. A 
 snelled fly" is a length of silk-worm gut, ^Vith a fly at one 
 end and a loop at the other. ^ 
 
 STRAiGHTExixa CASTiNG-LiNEs.-IIitch the line at one end 
 either by the hook or a loop, and rub the line with brown 
 paper between your thumb and finger, and it will take the 
 turns out of it; or, rub it between India-rubber; but both 
 these methods tend to chafe the gut more or l,ss, and neither 
 should be resorted to if you can have time to soak the <.ut in 
 tepid water half an hour. I am in the habit of soakhr. my 
 casting-lme over night in cold ^vater if I intend to fish early 
 the next morning; and lam accustomed also to selecting the 
 flies which I thmk may be necessary, and on the rim of a kass 
 nearly filled with water I hang the hooks, letting tin -nU fid! 
 Ml the glass and soak all night. I do not approve of stmight- 
 ening gut by iriction when soaking it is possible 
 
 Thus, with a finely-balanced and finished fly-rod a click 
 reel attached to the rod below the hand, a silk Ld hair 
 braided line, protected from the eftect of water by bei„. 
 o.led varmshed, or saturated with some oleaginous substance" 
 braided hke a whip-lash to taper each xv.ay from the middies 
 
176 
 
 Fishing in American Waters. 
 
 a stained gut casting-line tapering from tlie reel-lino to the 
 stretcher, a well-selected cast of flies, with drops artistically 
 fastened to the casting-line, and of proper length, a good 
 landing-net and light basket, and I am ready for tlie fray and 
 to angle all day ; for I never yet experienced a day long 
 enough Avhile Ashing. 
 
 Oh ! the varied and mixed emotions of the fly-fisher. How 
 often he is tantalized by false rises, which suddenly inflate 
 him with hope, to collai^se as soon by disappointment. Some- 
 times he misses a well-intended rise of so bold an eflbrt as to 
 render the fish too much alarmed by the sights and sense of 
 the upper air to trust a repetition. Anon he liooks a fine 
 trout, and in playing it the hook parts from the j:^\v of the 
 fish, leaving to conjecture whether it was really a disgorge 
 or a too tender hold. Thus he continues whipi)ing the water, 
 exercised by various emotions when a large feeding trout 
 springs above the water, rev* aling all his beauties of color 
 and proportions, and, takhig the fly, he dar^s away Avith the 
 power and celerity which prove that he is going to try the 
 strenorth of the tackle. What intercstiuGr moments to the 
 angler ! The numerous runs of the fish, his wiles and strat- 
 egy to escape, are all tried in vain, and he is finally helped 
 out of the wet .by means of the landing-net. 
 
 The man or boy who lias never taken a trout has not 
 really seen one — with angler's eyes. To the angler, a large, 
 healthy trout in fnll season, just taken, when fish are scarce 
 and bite shy, is the prettiest object in the whole world of 
 beauty. 
 
 NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL TROrT FLIES. 
 
 Letter A, the artificial, and B, the natural dun-cut fly {phry- 
 (/anca), is a good lure for the month of IVlay. IJody of 
 brown bear's hair, mixed with blue and yellow worsted, 
 whip[)ed with green and yellow ; brown feather wings, and 
 squirrel's-tail hair for antennie. 
 
 Letter C, the artificial, and 1), the natural of the green-tail fly 
 
Deceptions of Akt. 
 
 177 
 
 Lotto,- E,tl,c natumi, a„,l F, the artificial of tl,o prime d„„ ■^ 
 fly for March (ep/.e,nc,-a), auA for which mon ,, X til 
 
 Lottcr I, the artificial, a„<l J, the natural ,)„n drake, or March 
 
 sk If, ;."'""'" ' "'• '""'^ ™' "•'■il'l'«l with red 
 «lk , mottled wings, and hackle from the gray coek Pro 
 
 fc-»«or lienn.c, M. Carroll, and hosts of other authoriticr 
 oonsKlcr thi, the iK-st March fly. """' 
 
 M 
 
 U 
 
178 
 
 Fishing in Asiekican Waters. 
 
 ■I 
 
 til 
 
 Letter G, the natural, and H, the artificial cow-dung fly. The 
 body of iemon-yellow mohair and a yellow feather, whip- 
 ped with yellow silk, and the wings of grayish-blue feather 
 of a hen, land-rail, or mallard. This is one of the taking 
 flies for March and April, and the best that I ever saw were 
 tied by Pritchard Bro3. 
 Letter K, the artificial, and L, the natural blue dun or vioxct 
 fly. Body of light worsted violet, mixed with gray down ; 
 the wings from the pale feathers t>f a starling's wing, whip- 
 ped with pale yellow silk. The black gnat, early and late 
 bright browns or cinnamons, palm fly, an! whirling dun, 
 with the blue dun, dun drake, with palmers, hackles, and 
 the stone fly, are intended for both March and April. 
 Letter M, the natural, and N, tlie artificial hawthorn fly. 
 Body of black ostrich herl or black seal's fuv, mixed with 
 buft* mohair ; wings of horn shavings, or of the palest 
 snipe's feather or mallard's wins'. 
 Letter O, the natural, and P, the artificial oak fly. This is a 
 May insect, famous under the names of oi\k fly, camlet fly, 
 down-hill fly, and canon fly. The body is dubbed with 
 dark brown shining camlet, Avhippcd witl^ very fine green 
 silk, or is made with a bittern's feather, and the wings from 
 the double gray feather of a mallard ot of a woodcock. 
 Letter Q, the natural, and R, the artificial green drake or 
 green May-fly the common fresh--water fly for May. The 
 body is dubbed with hog's down or liglit bear's hair, mix- 
 ed with yellow mohair, whipped with pale floss silk, and a 
 small strip of peacock's herl for the head; the wings from 
 the rayed feathers of the mallard, dyed yellow ; the hockle 
 from the bittern's neck, and the tail from the long hairs of 
 the sable or ferret. 
 
 The gray drake is similar in form, but difl'erent in colors, 
 having the body dubbed with Avhitish hog's down, mixed 
 with black spaniel's fur or white ostrich hei-1, whipped wi(U 
 black silk; the wings dark gray mallard; black hackle, with 
 silver twist; whisks of tail from a black cat's whiskers. 
 
Fine Tackle always Alluking. 
 
 179 
 
 -adilv attfl d bv th " '"'"'' ''" S™''--''"^ ""»« 
 
 by its'fo™ A , .'"'' ™'°'' ""'^ '«='»'' "fa '--e than 
 one thfr » "' " ■'""""S '"■■'= '« '*«"•• ">an a sinking 
 
 ■.Imost perfect .tate" to w^ cT ft Irorr™""^ T" '"^ 
 attained. I prefer a hnrl^ !<• ,, o*^ "y^y"? "i^s '»l™cly 
 
 «-«-»o.,t^ bt,,: S^': nlT\"' T'"* ''"■ *"" 
 Joes common w„„l „',"."'"«''■»'■•<' when wet than 
 
 which shonid be wonnd with iZ^H^T"'-^' "' 
 c'St copies of natin-P thnt T . " ^^^^ "^'ii'" 
 
 t:r;„:7,;;rrtr r; "h- ^^^:: ^ 
 
 America, if not in tl," tvlrif "^ "'""' '""' "^ ""^ "»- » 
 
 -vf? mol^ifd::;::':;;: r^ .'• "''^'"•™» «y - -<i""- ^r 
 
 J luutn anung the trouting season- hut thnl i 
 - n>y experience with tront, „;.. of .bj b'Tt T, e tVu ,! 
 
 and chanc . i,T;,l .'' ''l '" "' ""l'™''""^ """"'t A^™, 
 
 J^-'t»ker, an aiitlioritvon onrrj;.,^ .„.„, 
 
 
 1^ 
 
 i 
 
-,i 
 
 180 Fishing in American Waters. 
 
 "A brother of the angle must always he sped 
 With three black palmers, and also tliree red ; 
 And all made with hackles. In a cloudy day 
 Or in windy weather, angle you may." 
 
 lie then recommends the May-fly, and states that the haw- 
 thorn fly should be small, while the oak fly with brown wings 
 and the grasshopper should be carefully imitated, concluding 
 .»dth the following advice : 
 
 •' Once more, my good brother, I'll speak in thy ear • 
 Ilog's, red cow's, and bear's wool to float best ai)pear ; 
 And so doth your fur, if it rightly iall ; 
 I3ut always remember, make two, and make all.' 
 
 
Wise Trout below the Daai. 
 
 CHAPTER in. 
 MIDDLE DAM CAMP. 
 
 of the Linbao-oo. ,„ ^ chain of a do.on lakes, in the State of 
 
 ^t^rol 'l t" "w^V'" "^'^""^^^"^'^ «^'P---'^ting that state 
 om Canada. Kapul River f.ls i„to Umbagog Lake, and as 
 this IS a famous troutmg region, I give a view of the camp 
 vhei-e the angler hixnriates on brook tront and spruce par^ 
 tridges, and rests from his day's labor on a spring-bed. Trout 
 of nine pounds' weight each have been taken there, thouc^h I 
 never ux,k one which scaled much over six pounds. It was 
 hei-e that I met a new experience in the character of trout 
 and think it worth relating for the benefit of anglers. 
 
 Wlnle I believe tliat trout are not generallv ^o discrimin- 
 ating m the se ection of artificial flies as to evhice acuteness 
 of vision, yet I have experienced that at certain waters, when 
 the streams are low and clear, a copy of the living fly ^ more 
 
 ^\'M 
 
 J'! I 
 

 iM 
 
 182 
 
 Fishing in American "Waters. 
 
 or less necessary to success. This is the case at the pool and 
 rapids below the micldle dam at the head of Rapid River, and 
 half a mile below Middle Dam Camp, wher. a large shoal of 
 —apparently educated— trout keep leaping and tumbling so 
 that from fifty to a hundred speckled beauties of from two to 
 five pounds' weight are always in sight. But it used to be 
 said that they would not take an artificial fly ; so, school-boy 
 like, the guests at the camp sent every angler, on his arrival, 
 to " try below the dam," as a sell. It pleased them to see a 
 fresh man's face glow at the first sight of. those sportive beau- 
 ties, which acted as if half in coquetry and half in defiance 
 of anglers. I felt thankful when Avitncssing the self-denyine 
 hospitality which prompted several anglers, who were entii-e 
 strangers to me, to cease angling opposite the camp for the 
 sole purpose of shoAving me a pool full of very anxious trout. 
 They left after I had tried in vain to coax a favorable notice 
 at one cast of flies. I changed my cast several times, and 
 then rested the pool to allow them to change their minds or 
 whet their appetites, until I devoted in that way about two 
 days, to the amusement of the anglers at the camp, and final- 
 • ly began to think that the stories I had heard about the sa- 
 gacity of those trout were true. On my return to camp aft- 
 er each trial below the dam, I saw that my brethrex^ of the 
 angle were interested in my eff"orts by their furtive glances 
 and sly winks at each other as they anxiously inquired what 
 «port I had enjoyed. But all their jokes fell short, for my 
 mind was with the sparkling beauties below the dam. Aftei- 
 having exhausted my fly-books of their attractive lures, I 
 concluded to repair to the dam and study the trout. There 
 they were, apparently as jolly as ever, rolling, tumbling, and 
 leapmg about the surface of the clear, curling pool. 1 had 
 not sat long on the dam, and peered into the sparkling eddies 
 below, before I saw a trout rise gracefully and swallow an 
 ash-colored midge which had floated down from the dam. 
 On looking around me, I saw a cloitd of drab ephemera, rath- 
 er larger than musquitoes, swarming over the dry timber 
 
Fish PiiiLosoniY evolved. * ig'S 
 
 dam, and ever and anon, as one fell on the water, a trout 
 rose very gracefully and swallowed it, turning quickly down 
 and causing a whirl made by his caudal train, which had so 
 excited me when I first looked upon the pool. With assidu- 
 ity 1 commenced examining my flies in search of an ash 
 midge. I soon found a pair, and, placing one on as my stretch- 
 er, the first cast I made with it fastened a three-pound trout 
 played and landed it. The next cast I fastened another, but 
 «o slightly that the hook parted from his mouth. Two or 
 three more casts assured me that the shoal » smelt a rat •» 
 and as minks, muskrats, and fiics with hooked tails are their 
 terror,! adjourned to another pool, and did not return to the 
 dam until nearly night, when I took the conceit out of four 
 more beauties ; but, after playing the fifth nearly half an hour 
 he made a rush for the rapids, and went over the c/«^^. cai' 
 lymg away my casting -line. Having captured five, and 
 played two more trout that day, I felt satisfied. T had for 
 years contended that trout might be taken with artificial fly 
 when in feeding humor, but I had never before found them so 
 fastidious 01 discriminative. Since then, Mr. James Stephens, 
 of Hoboken, and myself, hired a trout-pond in Connecticut, 
 and though I fished it three days, and Mr. Stephens three 
 weeks yet neither of us succeeded in capturing one with the 
 fly. Neither w'ould tlicy take a minnow, while they rose 
 .ireely to angle and grub worms, cast, without sinker, as a fly 
 On tJie last day of my visit to the pond I saw the trout rush- 
 mg furiously after tadpoles; but, as I had not time to re- 
 main and try that bait, I probably lost a treat, for I have 
 since heard that it is the favorite lure for trout in some parts 
 of the state. Indeed, the fish-culturists of Fn.uce p. .palate 
 irogs, that the trout may feed on tadpoles. 
 
 The angler, on making a lengthy tour for sport, can not 
 have too great a number or variety of artificial flies He can 
 procure them at the principal fishing-tackle establishments 
 m Now lork, where competition has so sharpened invention 
 and enterprise that the best flies and fly-tiers are imported 
 
 I! 
 
184 
 
 FisiiiNo IN American Wateks. 
 
 li 
 
 together with the best materials, from wlicrever on oartli 
 they are to bo obtained. Or he may be supplied in Bo>ton, 
 Montreal, Quebec, or at Rome, Rochester, or Mumlurd, New 
 York. 
 
 In addition to an extensive assortment of flies, the angler 
 should carry silks, wools, mohair, duiliiigs, and featiiers of va- 
 rious colors, gold and silver tlireads and thiscls, tine houks, 
 and selected gut, so that he may occasionally extemporize a 
 cast of flies, which, though not so finely tied, mn v combine 
 size and colors attractive for the finny epicures which show 
 themselves fastidious about putting in an appearance. This 
 course is pursued by many experienced anglers, whom, I may 
 justly add, arc groat bunglers at tying a fly or [>ropcrly 
 mounting a hook. Half a dozen lessons from Pritchai<l 
 Brothers, or from one of the fly-tyers for Andrew Clerk & 
 Co., could scarcely fail of being useful to the student of con- 
 templative philosophy. 
 
 SECTION SECOND. 
 
 SELECT ARTIFICIAL TROUT-FLIES, 
 
 No. 1. Black Guat.— Black ostrich-l'eatlier body, wings of pale 8tnrlinj,''s feather, drab 
 tail and antennie. 2. Red Ibis.— Red body, wound with gold or silver cord; brown 
 hackle and tail, red ibis-feather wings. 3. Wilson's Professor.— Yellow gut body, 
 mounted by M'Brldc, of Mumford. N. Y. ; red ibis tail headed with gold tinsel, brown 
 hackle, gray mallard wing. 4. Stwiie Ply.— Green drake wing and hackle, drab body 
 and tall. 5. Pritchard's Stone Fly — Composition body, drab wings, tail, and anten- 
 nae. 0. Cinnamon Fly.— Orange body, ash-colored wings, brown hackle ami tail. 
 7. Green Drake.— Silver body, tipped with gold ; short black hackle, black head, 
 brown tail ; wings and shoulders of green drake feather. 
 
A C'KOOKEl) BUT POIMtU SlUJECT. 
 
 165 
 
 ROUND BEND FLY-IIOOKH, 
 
 These are Adl igton and Hutchinson's superfine warranted 
 east-steel hooks. They are imported in great nun i hers by- 
 Andrew CleH V < and, whether straight or ^ urbed, arc i lie 
 host fly-hou use, and infinitely superior ti. the c )nimon 
 
 Limerick hook. 
 
 o 
 
 (^f]f^^A^ 
 
 
 00 
 
 n 
 
 FISH-HOOK I'HILOSOPHY. 
 
 Upon the subject of fisli-hook heir important qualities 
 and bearings are applicable hooks for all fishing purposes. 
 The draft, or ])ull on a hook, is equally applicable to a hook 
 for fly-fishing or for caj-t ing tlie largest sharks. It is con- 
 ceded by hook-makers that the forged hook is the best, 
 , whether it be hammered flat, square, or round. The needle- 
 pointed, cast-steel hooks, of round bend, are probably best for 
 mounting with flies for salmon, black bass, or trout, or bait- 
 ing for striped bass, squeteague, and maskinonge ; while for 
 sheepshead, kingfish, and for all fishes Avhich have a small 
 and hard mouth, ic Sprout bend is preferable. Of the Kin- 
 sey or Pennsylvania hook, the shape is good for small fish, 
 but it gape^ so much that a large fish is apt— in sulking and 
 beating its nose against a rock, or rubbing it on the travel 
 bottom— to spring the hook out. If made of large wire and 
 well tempered, it is good for slK'epshead and kingfish, because 
 it is not so long from the bend to the barb as is the Limerick 
 
 , C f/»,^ 
 
 c 
 
 
 ! Ill 
 
.o.% 
 
 
 IMAGE EVALUATiON 
 TEST TARGET (MT-3) 
 
 m. 
 
 
 .^^ .<^ 4 
 
 
 1.0 
 
 I.I 
 
 *4£ 12.8 
 
 |50 *^™ 
 
 25 
 2.2 
 
 2.0 
 
 1.8 
 
 
 1.25 14 
 
 J4 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 6" — 
 
 
 ► 
 
 p> 
 
 ^* 
 
 °a 
 
 *;. 
 
 
 /^^ 
 
 -^# .v 
 
 W^''W 
 
 Photographic 
 
 Sciences 
 Corporation 
 
 ^ ^^ 
 
 ,\ 
 
 # 
 
 :\ 
 
 \ 
 
 
 C-t^ 
 
 23 WEST MA4N STREET 
 
 WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 
 
 (716) 87!2-4503 
 
 

 10 
 
 
186 
 
 Fishing in American Watees. 
 
 of the O'Shaiighnessy pattern, or the regulation hook for ex- 
 portation. The Virginia hook, and the Sproat and round 
 bends of Redditch, are the best that I have seen. 
 
 The foregoing cut, representing the samples of two hooks, 
 was clipped from a recent number of the Field, and as it 
 embodies philosophy founded on experience, I give it, refer- 
 ring to the cut, as follows : 
 
 " Now I have this autumn devoted particular attention to 
 this subject, i. e., hcoks. I have been fishing with Hutchin- 
 son's Limerick and Sproat bends (I may remark that I can 
 not speak too highly of the latter for its prehensile capabili- 
 ties), and the following is the result. In seven consecutive 
 days' fishing I hooked thirty-six fish, and of them landed 
 twenty-seven. I was broken four times. Once my single 
 gut, with which I always fish, was frayed by a heavy fish 
 against sharp boulders, and tliree times the hooks were the 
 traitors— two were Limericks, and one was a Sproat. Three 
 out of thirty-six is too large a proportion, and it is very de- 
 sirable to reduce it. Even in fishing with single gut, the 
 heaviest fish, if properly handled, barring the circumstances 
 of snags or boulders, seldom succeed in breaking the line. 
 But what handling will save a hook ? One toill go some- 
 times, and most unaccountably, probably from being fixed so 
 as to allow the fish to wrench, jerk, or squeeze it. The first 
 step to a cure is to find the weak point. 
 
 "The only Sproat hook which has broken with me went at 
 the point a. I think it is an admirable form of hook, al- 
 though I tried it first as an experiment this year, with much 
 prejudice against the looks of it. It is less apt to break than 
 the Limerick, both from its form, and because the pull, b, c,is 
 nearly in the direction of the point, whereas in the other thv 
 line of puU, d, e, forms an obtuse angle at the point e. Of 
 the thousand and one Limerick hooks which I have seen bro- 
 ken, either against stones or in fish, by far the greater propor- , 
 tion have failed at the point /, where— in good hooks to a 
 less, and in bad to a greater measure — the wire is reduced in 
 
IivrpoRTANT Elucidations. 
 
 187 
 
 forming the barb. Having determined the weak point, I 
 think it can be merely a mechanical difficulty which prevents 
 that part of the hook being made as strong as the rest, and 
 anglers should insist on manufacturers overcoming it. I ob- 
 tained some hooks from Messrs. Bernard, of St. James's Pas- 
 sage, which were flat-sided— that is, they were filed to angles, 
 and the section of the wire would be nearly an oblong. They 
 appeared exceptionally strong, but were otherwise objection- 
 able, being over-ironed and over-barbed. I think something 
 might be done b> xlattening the wire from the beginning of 
 the bend, the shank being left circular for fly-dressing facili- 
 ties. A section of the wire at the bend would then be ellip- 
 , tical. However, ignorance as to the manufacture, unfortu- 
 nately, is in the way of my suggesting any thing practical ; 
 but if I succeed in drawmg attention from anglers and man 
 ufacturers to this subject, my object in occupying so much 
 of your space will be fulfilled. Salmoniceps. 
 
 " [The hooks which ' Salmoniceps' describes as flat and filed 
 at the sides are, we fancy, not Mod, but hammered, as they 
 are usually described in the trade .is ' forged Limerick tapers.' 
 We have previously expressed a very high opinion of the 
 Sproat bend, which is undoubtedly one of the best, if not the 
 best, salmon hook mf*de. — Ed.]" 
 
 Having a greater variety of fishes to angle for in America 
 than there ai 3 of angler's fishes in Europe, it will be necessary 
 to recur to this subject, for the fish-hook is the foundation of 
 all fishing-tackle; and if it gives way, all the expense of 
 mounting or baiting it, with expense of other tackle and loss 
 of time, besides the chagrin, amounting to mortification and 
 sometimes almost desperation at losing a very large fish, o-o 
 for worse than nothing. The centre-draft hoolc* of the an- 
 cients is quite similar to the hook a, ft, c, minus the barb, and 
 it is probably the best form for all large fish. 
 
 i : it 
 
 i I i 
 
 I if 
 
 I 
 
mm 
 
 i 
 
 Plate of Trout-flies. 
 
^ ■ 
 
 A Clergyman's Conteibution. 
 
 189 
 
 wl.u^*^i ^^^^' ^""""^ ^'*^ g°"* cord ; streamers red, blue legs, 2, Coachman _ 
 White w ngs, green peacock herl body, brown legs. 3. Drab upper win^s and b?mj;; 
 under ditto ; cmnamon body and legs. 4. Red body and leg^brown mailed wines 
 5 Peacoclc herl body, Guinea-hen wfngs, brown hackle. 6. Sold body o?anee w nf s' 
 sandy legs, and gray tail. T. Silver-drub wings, yellow body; and black le^s 8 nfrt' 
 dish-brown wings and legs, with peacock herfbody. 9. SrXwinKs bromi bodv' 
 legs^nd tail. 10. Brown lody, reef legs, gray mottle wings and anSa, 1? Jun^l 
 fly.-Orange wings, brown body and hacBe. 12. Red body, brown wines Prav Zt 
 • ard wings. 13. Brown hackle and two hooks. 14. Purple bXwiuf|'fe/!°rav 
 tail and gr. a herl at root of tail. 15. Gold body, yellow an/bkck I'els^ wfn- 
 ^Ti'nL.?^''"^ ?'"f^ ^'"■''• !«• S'^'*"' ''"•Jy. speckled wings, brown legs !?' B ac k 
 hackle over body of oiange wound with gold;gray wings, and yellow tall 18 Brown 
 ^^»V'7l^ with gold cord, grav wingsT red an Alack" hackle! 19 Green bo?^^^^^^ 
 tail, gray legs, and hackle round the neck. 20. Yellow Professor -Yellowish-^rn v 
 wings, red tail golden body, gray antenna. 21. Gray PrSor -Brown maO 
 m«^'u'f ^^^''^i^ sray body^ wound with gold, yellow legs 22. Black Gnat - 
 W« hh,»^^' ^a^a' l"''^'^ ' ^^ "''SS"- 23. Blue^'Pro'fessor.-Bo^dy dark Wue and golT 
 S^l?'d"»ro1^fwrgf;nK'^^''" 
 
 SECTION THIRD. 
 
 BAIT-riSHING FOR TROUT. 
 
 " Hail to the spring-time and the hills ! 
 Hail to the meadows and the fog ! 
 Hail to the gorges and the rills ! 
 All hail the trout 'neath yonder log ! 
 Have good care, 
 That's his lair : 
 Heigh-ho, hop, 
 Flip, flap, flop. 
 
 Hail to the shocking old straw hat. 
 
 Second-hand trowsersj coat, and boots, 
 Box of worms, lively and fat, 
 All hail your hook in those old roots ! 
 Careless man, 
 Mad as bran. 
 Neither snap, 
 Nor flip, flap. 
 
 Blessed and calm the smiling mom ; 
 
 Birds sing wheresoe'er we roam. 
 Flowers the fields and woods adorn ; 
 All hail my line 'midst dancing foam ! 
 Now look out — 
 Silent stand — 
 And a trout 
 
 Will kiss my hand. 
 Hail the graceful silver gleam ! 
 
 Lo ! a trout, with sudden spring, 
 Forms a spray-bow o'er the stream, 
 And is added to my string. 
 Verhum sap, 
 Flip, flop, flap." 
 
190 
 
 Fishing, in American Waters. 
 
 l! 
 
 The above pastoral was contributed by a clergyman who 
 is as eloquent in the pulpit as he is persuasive along the 
 streams. The disciples v/ere fishermen, 
 
 The bait-rod should be a little heavier and longer than the 
 fly-rod. I prefer one not less than fifteen feet in length, 
 formed of four joints, the top one lancewood; and in place 
 of rings, I prefer guides of aluminum. A click multiplier is 
 the best reel. In angling a stream of tangled brush margin, 
 it may be fished without the bottom joint by tying on the 
 reel ; and in carrying the rod through brambles, it is best to 
 unjoint, leaving the line and reel on when the distance is only 
 from one trout pool to another, or not more than a mile. The 
 bait-fisher is much more eager in pursuit of his game than is 
 the fly-fisher. He threads his way through thorns and bram- 
 bles that appear impenetrable to any one but a bait-fisher. 
 He prefers to wade the stream if it be not too deep, but he 
 permits nothing to prevent him fi-om fishing all the pools. 
 He generally prefers to fish down stream, and if he discovers 
 fresh tracks of an angler gone before, he will either endeavor 
 most adroitly to get before him, or he will fish so slow as to 
 let the trout recover from the fright caused from the disturb- 
 ance of the waters by the angler ahead of him. In the mean 
 time the foremost angler is continually on the alert to see 
 that no one gets before him on the stream ; but if he suspects 
 an attempt to outflank him, he pretends to reel up and p)-e- 
 pare for home, when in reality he is only putting up his tao^ 
 to make a long detour and arrive at the stream at a greater 
 distance below his adversary. The bait-fisher does not — like 
 the fly-fisher — fish all the stream, but knows how to judge 
 where the trout lie in wait for bait. The fly-fisher often 
 takes them from the shallow reefs before they seek their hid- 
 ing-places, where the bait-fisher finds them. Bait-fishing is, 
 of all field-sports, the parent of more patience and eager per- 
 severance than any other. 
 
 U 
 
mmi 
 
 Glokious intellectual Musings. 
 
 191 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 LESSON BY "JOSH BILLINGS." 
 
 Anglers with bait 
 are a more queer, 
 quaint, peculiar class 
 of sportsmen than are 
 the devotees of the 
 fly, and they include 
 in their class students 
 deeply read in nature 
 and books. If you de- 
 sire to find an original 
 genius, you will most 
 readily succeed among 
 anglers with bait, who 
 use primitive rods and 
 tackle, and follow the 
 streams solitary and 
 silent, in a meditative 
 mood, enjoying the 
 sights and sounds of 
 nature unmolested by the presence of the less contemplative 
 fly-fisher, or the worshiper of dog and gun. Such a one Josh 
 Billings appears to be, with his coat buttoned on the wrong 
 side, if his writings are any index to the man. His lesson is 
 included in the following original verse : 
 
 " Whare the dul stream 
 Ilaz fatted tew .a pulp 
 The sooty arth, 
 
 Oo seek the dark-skinned alder 
 (A tiny forest), 
 
 And from the crowded growth 
 Selekt a slender wand, 
 
 I ' 
 
 ii 
 
m 
 
 192 Fishing in American Waters. 
 
 Trii tapering from base to pinnakel, 
 
 F'our yards in length. 
 
 Bee it thy care 
 
 Smoothly the bark tew cleave from awl the pole 
 
 Save near the springy top. 
 
 Thare leave the nat-tf kivver two feet or more ; 
 
 Haply thus the game no fear will Lav 
 
 When thwart the brook yu stretch the reed." 
 
 Anglers will agree that "Josh" has studied both the rod 
 and the habits of trout, for he describes what a fishing-rod 
 should be for general use in angling along a stream where 
 reels and jointed rods are scarcely ever seen. The favorite 
 baits for such anglers are, 1st, angle-worms, or common earth- 
 worms, kept in moss a day to scour, and then sometimes 
 sprinkled with milk to feed them, and still not to darken their 
 color ; 2d, the white grub-worm, found in great numbers by 
 splitting decayed logs of soft maple or cherry; 3d, the shiner 
 of the brook ; 4th, the grasshopper. The two latter baits are 
 preferred by members of highest rank in the profession; and 
 in lieu of the shiner, when near the coast, they use smelt and 
 spearing with nearly equal success. 
 
 THE AKDENT angler. 
 
 Our wide acres and free streams are favorable to the cul- 
 tivation of liberal, poetical, and artistic ideas, and I select the 
 following verse from a poem by a gifted student at painting 
 and the fine art of angling : 
 
 "We break from the tree-groups, a glade deep with grass ; 
 The white clover's breath loads the sense as we pass. 
 A sparkle— a streak— a broad glitter is seen, 
 The bright Callikoon through its thickets of green ! 
 We rush to the banks— its sweet music we hear : 
 Its gush, dash, and gurgle all blent to the ear. 
 No shadows are drawn by the cloud^covered sun. 
 We plunge in the crystal, our sport is begun. 
 Our line, where that ripple shoots onward, Ave throw ; 
 It sweeps to the foam-spangled eddy below ; 
 A tremor— a pull— the trout upward is thrown, 
 He swings to our basket— tJie prize is our own !" 
 
 Alfred li. Strket. 
 
 ^-A„ 
 
The Harmony of Nature. 
 
 193 
 
 The akdent Anolkk. 
 
 I have also seen excellent fly-fishers with such an extem- 
 porized rod as Josh Billings recommends. On Pine Creek, 
 in Pennsylvania, anglers who fish for a livelihood use such a 
 rod, and fish with only one clumsily-tied fly. They wade the 
 stream— which is a good plan to avoid meeting rattlesnakes 
 —and to a string tied over the left shoulder and under the 
 left arm they attach their fish, and tow them along as they 
 angle down the stream. On some days they take from thirty 
 to fifty pounds of trout. On Trout Run, a tributary to Ly- 
 coming Creek, the best native anglers use a rod formed of 
 two hickory joints lashed together, and a top joint of whale- 
 bone lashed on— whole length about nine feet. They fish 
 down stream, wading the middle of the creek where not too 
 deep, and casting right and left some forty feet, under boughs 
 which barely clear the water, bringing out large prismatic 
 beauties at nearly every cast with a single fly of domestic 
 make. They do this where gentlemen amateurs, from all 
 parts of the country, find it extremely difl^icult to get a rise 
 to their superior flics, though presented with the best make 
 
 N 
 
 .i r 
 
 I II 
 
194 
 
 Fishing in American Waters. 
 
 of split bamboo rod, handled by expert anglers. The natives 
 tie on their click reel ; and for guides and top, use loops of 
 leather or raw-hide. 
 
 Reprenons notre Discours. — Of bait-fishing nothing seems 
 more simple to the uninitiated than to be able successfully 
 to angle with a worm. Mere urchins have succeeded with a 
 rough stick, linen line, and clumsy hook, more clumsily tied 
 on, and covered with a worm, in landing a goodly-sized fish. 
 But this is a mere matter of luck, and it would V j absurd to 
 classify the performance among the efforts of scientific bait- 
 anglers. 
 
 Entertaining, as I really do, great respect for many bait- 
 fishers of trout, I the more cheerfully present the following 
 opinion from the genial angler and man of genius, Thomas 
 Tod Stoddart, whose " Companion" and '" Anglers' Rambles 
 and Songs" have afforded me so much pleasure and instruc- 
 tion : 
 
 " It may perhaps startle some, and those no novices in the 
 art, when I declare, and offer moreover to prove, that worm- 
 fishing for trout requires essentially more address and expe- 
 rience, as well as better knowledge of the habits and instincts 
 of the fish, than fly-fishing." He does not refer to the prac- 
 tice followed in brooks and petty streams, nor as pursued 
 after heavy rains in discolored waters, and goes on to say : 
 "My aflirmation bears solely on its practice as carried on 
 during the summer months in Scotland, when the waters are 
 clear and low, the skies bright and warm. Then it is, and 
 then only, that it ought to be dignified as sport ; and sport 
 it assuredly is, fully as exciting, perhaps more so than angling 
 with the fly or minnow." 
 
 As I agree in the method recommended by this teacher, I 
 will give its principal features, and leave with the angler to 
 decide in his course of practice between us. " The rod should 
 approach seventeen feet in length, but light, top pieces some- 
 what stiff, of lance or hickory." 
 
 The common trouting-line of stained silk and hair, tapering 
 
 
RiQ FOB Bait-fishing. 195 
 
 from the middle to each end, as sold by our fishing-tackle 
 men, ,s the best. The same may be said of the ordinary click 
 reel, though it were better did it multiply. "The casting- 
 me of silk- worm gut should be well tapered, and seven 
 lengths of long single gut, tinged rather than dyed with the 
 ordmary decoction of logwood and alum. The knots should 
 be tied with care, but not whipped with thread-an operation 
 which should be confined solely to the upper joints of the 
 line. They ought to be of picked material, sound, clear, and 
 fine, without flaw or fretting." 
 • Hooks should be of finest steel, needle-pointed, and either 
 the common Aberdeen round bend, Hutchinson's round bend 
 Sproat's bend, or the Kinsey bend, known as the Pennsylva- 
 nia trout-hook. " Before attaching the snell or gut, file and 
 break oflTfrom a quarter to half an inch of the shank which 
 18 usually too long." This I have found best with hooks for 
 small striped bass, which weigh each from half a pound to 
 three pounds. Tie on the hooks with red silk, well waxed 
 "Some worm-fishers of celebrity adopt a small projection of 
 gut or bristle, as in the tackle used for the stone fly," etc. 
 
 Sinkers should be made of split shot, from all sizes' between 
 pigeon and buck shot, according to the tide or current or 
 by winding sheet-lead round the line a foot or more above 
 the hook. The bait should play under water, be kept mov- 
 ing, and never allowed to sink to the bottom or float on the 
 surface; and when the current is swift, shot should be dis- 
 tributed above the regular sinker on the casting-line. 
 
 The best bait-anglers seldom use a float ; when they do it 
 is very small, only large enough to float the lightest sinker 
 that will answer for the water. Casts should be regularly 
 made, and the bait kept moving as if it were a fly under wa- 
 ter ; or if in the current of a stream, should be made to move 
 with the current, as if there were no hook in it. The head 
 of the worm should be broken off", and the hook so baited 
 with the remainder as to leave an inch of the tail free to plav 
 naturally. ^ ^ 
 
196 
 
 Fishing in American Waters. 
 
 Of the varieties of angle-worm, that with rings, from five 
 to six inches long, and about the size of a wheat-straw, is jJic 
 best. Place the lot dug for fishing in cold water a little salt- 
 ed, and leave them in five minutes ; then take them out, and 
 place them on a dry board for ten minutes. To farther scour 
 them, place them in swamp-moss which is damp, but not 
 wringing wet ; let them remain over night, and next morning 
 go a-fishing. 
 
 The grub-worm is best in streams after a shower, because, 
 beincr white, it shows best in discolored water. But the best 
 bait of all for trout, to my notion, is a live shiner. Large 
 trout will take it in preference to any other bait. As trout 
 do not usually bite freely previous to a shower, it is best to 
 bait-fish in the rain, or just after it has ceased. Fish know 
 by instinct when it is going to rain, and they fast until it be- 
 gins, because they expect the rain to swell the stream and 
 bring down to them all sorts of delicacies; therefore, as soon 
 as it commences to rain, they take any thing offered which 
 they can swallow. 
 
 It is the angler's duty and pleasure to study all the pecu- 
 liarities of weather, with the habits and haunts of trout, and 
 to practice upon them; for as the bait-fisher does not usu- 
 ally whip all the surface of the water, but selects his places 
 to drop his bait, it is necessary to know on which side of a 
 rock or los it is natural for the trout to lie in wait for bait. 
 The successful bait-angler studies also the condition of the 
 water, and selects his favorite pools, while the fly-fisher looks 
 for a gentle wind that will carry his flies off", and trusts to his 
 skill and good fortune for attracting sport. 
 
 Fly-fishing possesses its peculiar advantages. As a means 
 of exercise, it reaches just the degree to brace the muscles, ex- 
 ercise the temper, enliven the spirits, and produce the alter- 
 nations between hope and despair characterized as sport. It 
 encourages fine address and graceful attitudes, produces ear- 
 nestness and even enthusiasm, and while the practice in minu- 
 tiae is not so close as to pin the mind to earth, every sound of 
 
 
Alone with Nature. 
 
 197 
 
 so- 
 
 bird or sight ot rioM-er is enjoyed by the devotee, and as he 
 casts his eyes aloft and around, the eartli appears a paradise, 
 and anglers the only appreciative recipients of its blessings! 
 Hence, from tlie variety of emotions which entrance the mind 
 of the angler, men of genius and learnmg, especially those of 
 ideal temperament, such as poets, painters, sculptors, philoso 
 phers, and worshipers of nature, become so penetrated witi 
 the beauties which surround its pursuit, that the cold, calcu 
 lating outer world deems them mad upon a trivial subject. 
 But it was owing solely to the pleasures which angling con- 
 fers that Thomson, Burns, Scott, Hogg, and a host of other 
 acknowledged worthies, succeded by Prof. Wilson, Words- 
 worth, King Leopold, Dr. Bethune, and Daniel Webster, ea- 
 gerly exchanged the gray goose-quill and the fellowship o*" 
 books for the gently-tapering trout-rod and the music of the 
 rills and cascades, older than the rhythm of Homer, and as at- 
 tractive as the propositions of Socrates. "Therefore it was 
 that Paley left his meditative home, and Davy his tests and 
 crucibles, Chantrey his moulds, models, and chisel-work-eacli 
 and all to rejoice and renovate themselves," and to fish up 
 new ideas as with the gentle wand they cast their lines in 
 pleasant places, playing trout in sparkling waters, and enjoy- 
 ing a sportive recreation which ever fills the mind with pure 
 and joyous emotions, tempered by serene philosophy. 
 
198 
 
 Fishing in American Watkrs. 
 
 I 
 
 I 
 
 SECTION SECOND. 
 
 angling for children. 
 
 " Come when the leaf comes, angle with me, 
 Come when the bee comes crossing the lea ; 
 Come with the wild flowers, 
 Come with the mild showers. 
 Come when the singing bird calletli for thee !" 
 
 Stoddart. 
 
 TRANGE ! I sometimes involun- 
 tarily ejaculate when I see 
 people economize the necessa- 
 ries of life in order to be able 
 to support a carriage and dress 
 the family fancifully, to take 
 them on a drive hi the country 
 over dusty roads as an airing 
 and exercise for the promotion 
 of health. 
 
 Of course, exercise in the 
 open air is necessary for the 
 ^reservation of good health; 
 and a residence in a city where 
 the only breathing-places are 
 its parks, or in the few country 
 places which are remote from 
 waters that ofter the recreation 
 of angling, there is an excuse 
 for the next means in the sim- 
 ple catalogue for promoting 
 and preserving health, which is 
 driving or ridhig on horseback. 
 But in our country of broad 
 acres and free fishings, every 
 parent should teach his children to angle. The sport, which 
 is not laborious, soon renders the young student so ardent in 
 its pursuit that he will get sufficient exercise, while his mind 
 
I 
 
 Tempering youthful Ambition. 199 
 
 will be rendered logical by the realization of cause and effect 
 and his whole being will soon become attuned to the harmo- 
 nies of nature. The pleasurable exercise and anxieties in the 
 practice of angling rest and recuperate the mind, so that 
 children are thereby enabled to commit their school lessons 
 to memory with greater ease, and to understand them more 
 fully. 
 
 A small stream to angle in from the shore, or a pond to 
 row out on and anchor the boat to fish from, is a- great lux- 
 ury which a family should not omit the enjoyment of. I have 
 noticed with pleasure that the taste for angling has been in- 
 creasing annually for the past ten years with our ladies. They 
 begin to delight in fishing excursions and in the harmony of 
 angling. There is, therefore, hope of a large crop of anglers 
 from the rising generation. Twenty years ago there were 
 scarcely a dozen ladies in the metropolis who could scull a 
 boat, but now many ladies ply a pair of sculls very grace- 
 fully. With those families settled near the shores of the 
 numerous water approaches to New York, and along Har- 
 lem River, the taste is setting in favor of light, buoyant, com- 
 fortable, and elegant row-boats; and morning and evening 
 these boats, laden with joyous families of children, lend an 
 enlivening charm to the scene. 
 
 Sometimes papa and mamma take the children a-fishing 
 Whenever they do, they should supply them with a light 
 bamboo rod, and attach at a joint one tliird from the top end 
 a very fine silk or linen line; wind it a few times round the 
 rod, and cast two half hitches over the top end ; then affix a 
 float according to the depth of the water, so that the bait will 
 sink within six inches of the bottom, and a foot above the 
 hook fasten to the line from one to three split shot. Let the 
 hook be the minnow size, and the bait— a piece of angle-worm' 
 dug the day previous, and laid in moss or green grass over 
 night to scour, if for small fresh-water fishes— should merely 
 cover the point of the hook. Never bait with the head of 
 the worm; always break that off and throw it in the water. 
 
 iwwirft* 
 
^pp 
 
 200 
 
 Fishing in American Waters. 
 
 Sometimes it is best to take an extra supply of m orms, and 
 cut some of them into small pieces and throw them into the 
 fishing-pool to attract the fishes to the place where you in- 
 tend angling. The liver of any animal is good bait for sun- 
 fish, shiners, chubs, dace, etc. If angling in salt-water for 
 white perch, smelt, spearing, porgees, and tomcods, use shrimp 
 for bait; or, if they can not be procured, use either soft or 
 hard shell clam. Rig the line with only one hook, and let 
 papa regulate the whole tackle according to the size of the 
 fishes to be angled for. 
 
 Oh ! well do I remember the time when I first essayed to 
 capture the finny beauties of the brook. I was about seven 
 years old, and as my father, who was devoted to educational 
 pursuits, had found both recreation and consolation in an- 
 gling, he used sometimes to permit me to accompany him 
 and carry his strings of trout, and finally rigged me out with 
 a wand, line, and hook. The first fish that I caught was a 
 shiner. The sensation caused by the bite of the fish, and the 
 sight of the trembling and shining beauty as I cast it over 
 my head, and when realizing, by running to my hook and 
 learning that I had actually caught it, were moments as in- 
 describable as they were ecstatic. I was anxious to return 
 home at once and show the trophy to the family, and was 
 not dissuaded until my larger comrades pointed out the pos- 
 sibility of my taking a long string of such jewels. 
 
 After practicing a season with this light tackle, it will be 
 best to procure regular perch-tackle, and the next season a 
 reel and trout-rod may be added to the outfit. Then grass- 
 hoppers will be found the favorite bait for trout and young 
 black bass, and small shiners and white grub- worms will be 
 found most attractive after a shower for large trout, black 
 bass, perch, and now and then a sand pickerel, which some of 
 the fishermen call dork. The lad will soon learn that the 
 most rapturous sport is realized along a stream and amony 
 the birds as they chirp and sing while flitting from spray to 
 spray, for they rightly regard the young angler as a friend. 
 
vna 
 
 First Sense of < se and Effect. 201 
 
 meldvr'i' ' T'""" '' ^'^^ ^^^ ^^^^ -«'^ o^he. i„ 
 melody to charm hini on. , 
 
 <1 en m the punt, when papa rows out on the pond and an- 
 ors the punt, and then baits the hooks and takes off t" 
 'sh. This IS the contemplative philosopher's recreation. It 
 iJ' f^imple, mnocent, and charmino-. 
 
 "Delicious musings fill the heart, and images of bliss; 
 Ah I that all pictures of the past were innocent as this!" 
 "Like distant music— heard at even, 
 When the gold light has left the dj^ing day- 
 
 Which, like some spirit song from heaven, 
 Swells softly, then as softly dies away; 
 Yet dieth not away within the soul, 
 But leaves a soothing influence behind 
 That oft will in our thoughtful hours control 
 The grosser, worldly cares that crowd the mind- 
 Just so the thoughts of dearest friends will steal 
 Over the pensive soul with fond reflections 
 And, waking slumbering chords of love, reveal 
 Those hidden ties that bind our best affections ; 
 And-goodness gracious, bless me I-what a deal 
 Ut good It does to have such recollections ! "—C Bede 
 
202 
 
 Fishing in American Waters. 
 
 The Salmon. — Salmo salar. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE SALMON. 
 
 This is the head of a numerous species, or rather of many 
 families. The body is covered with fine scales ; the fins are 
 all soft-rayed except the second dorsal, which is composed of 
 a soft adipose film. It has an air-bladder which extends the 
 whole length of the abdomen. 
 
 The genus Salmo contains those species, sixch as the salmon 
 and trout, in which the upper jaw is formed by the superior 
 maxillary bones — the intermaxillaries being small — situated 
 between the maxillaries. Usually these bones descend into 
 the front of the superior maxillaries, and form the upp'er 
 boundary of the mouth. The maxillaries, palatines, vomer, 
 and even the tongue, are furnished with teeth. The bran- 
 chiostegous, or gill rays, are about ten in number. 
 
 Numerous species of this genus are found in the seas of the 
 northern hemisphere, one of the largest of which is the com- 
 mon salmon {Salmo salar. — Lin.), a fish too well known, both 
 as to flavor and appearance, to require particular desci'iption. 
 Cuvier states that it is found in all the arctic seas, whence it 
 enters the rivers in the spring. 
 
 The Salmo salar, which the inhabitants of the British Isles 
 appropriately distinguish as both " noble" and " royal," be- 
 '^ause it is the fish which affords them their highest degree 
 of sport in angling, according to their estimate of the value 
 of field-sports, has been differently esteemed for its esculent 
 qualities at several periods in modern history, though at no 
 
Anglers THE TRUE FRIENDS o the Salmon. 203 
 
 time have its gamy qualities been questioned. In the eight- 
 eenth century its shoals became so numerous as to make it 
 necessary to guard, by a clause in indentures, against feed- 
 mg apprentices with it more than two days in each week 
 This was the case in England and in some of its colonies 
 But from many of our rivers, which teemed with salmon at 
 the beginning of the present century, this delicious and grace- 
 tul fish has been driven away ; and were it not that-through 
 the efforts of a few angling philosophers-the public has be- 
 come sufficiently enlightened to see the necessity for the em- 
 ployment of means to restock our salmon rivers, it would be 
 scarcely worth the time and ink necessary to describe the 
 salmon m its varied aspects for the table, for commerce, and 
 as an mterestmg feature in the -ecreative sports of the coun- 
 try. 
 
 But, thanks to a few public-spirited gentlemen, whose sci- 
 entific discoveries were derived from experiments instituted 
 at their own expense, the recent reports of the Fisheries Com- 
 missioners of New England show that the waters are being 
 restocked with such zeal and alacrity that it will not be more 
 than five years before most of the rivers north of Pennsylva- 
 nia will be literally repeopled with salmon. The favorable 
 prospects thus extended, when coupled with the generosity 
 of our Northern neighbors, whereby the Dominion permits us 
 to compete equally with its own people in the leasing of Ca- 
 nadian salmon-waters, gives hopeful promise that salmon-fish- 
 ing with the fly will soon engage the atteniion of our anglers 
 for striped bass during June and July, and thus add an inter- 
 esting feature to the sports of the year, without trenching 
 upon the best season for striped-bass angling. 
 
 The Highlander who stated that " no man has any right to 
 a hunter's badge who has not killed a red deer, an eagle, a 
 salmon, and a seal," had nevor been in America, or he would 
 have made some additions t , his prerequisites. If it exhilar- 
 ates and even astonishes to ti.Ke a salmon in the modest riv- 
 ers of the British Isles, with gaffers as helpers, who know 
 
204 
 
 Fishing in American Waters. 
 
 every cast in a pogl, what must the sport be on the large, 
 wild, and rapid rivers of Canada, with no adequate help ? 
 
 Since we have no other choice, if we would go a salmon- 
 fishing, but to repair either to Scotland, Ireland, or to the Do- 
 minion of Canadji, and as several rivers in Canada are leased 
 by American anglers, and all sportsmen from the States are 
 liberally and even courteously treated there, I should 'give a 
 preference to Canadian salmon-waters over those across the 
 Atlantic, even were the fishings offered at the same price ; 
 but in the matter of expense, Canada is much the most eco- 
 nomical for our anglers. The fish are also much larger on this 
 side on an average, the scenery is more majestic, and the riv- 
 ers more graTid. To spend a summer month on one of the riv- 
 ers which empty on the north shore of tKe Gulf of the St. Law- 
 rence is to rest the mind by the most absolute exclusion from 
 the world. When I essayed the ascent of one of the great 
 rivers which empty into the Gulf of St. Lawrence north of the 
 island of Anticosti, the world was tranquil. I rested there 
 free from the news of civilization. For a month I admired 
 the grandeur of the mountains, the majesty of the broad and 
 rapid river, the elegant play of salmon, and the dexterity of 
 the seals ; and at night the brilliancy of the northern horizon 
 and gcu-geousness of the lunar bow enraptured me. On my 
 return down the river, I was astonished to hear that a great 
 war was in progress between Prussia and Austria, and that 
 the cholera was raging in many places; but I was delight- 
 fully surprised to learn that the Atlantic telegraph was in 
 successful operation, though shocked at hearing of the dead- 
 lock in Washington and the intention to impeach the Presi- 
 dent. Neither of these important topics were spoken of when 
 I left New York to visit the wilderness on the north side of 
 the Gulf of St. Lawrence. I therefore advise those who de- 
 sire to unbend the mind and become perfectly Rip Van Win- 
 klefied, to try the rejuvenating effect of salmon-fishing in 
 Canada. 
 Anglers of the United States who desire to fish a salmon- 
 
Pbepaking to Staut for Salmon. 
 
 205 
 
 river in the dominion of Canada should club together and 
 apply for the fluvial parts of rivers. The estuary is usually 
 devoted to net-tishing, but it would be a better plan to apply 
 for a whole river, and then have the estuary netted if prefer- 
 red, or devote the whole river to fly-fishing. As salmon do 
 not rise to the fly in the tidal parts of rivers, if the river is 
 well stocked, the company might have the tidal part netted 
 with sweep-nets to a certain extent, but gill-nets and other 
 nets fastened to ground fixtures should be avoided. A party 
 of four gentlemen own the lease of the Godbout, and permit 
 no netting. It is contrary to law to fish on Sunday in any 
 part of Canada. The government leases the rivers for a term 
 of nine years, and the rivers unlet on the first day of each 
 year are advertised by the government to be let to the high- 
 est bidders. The places of residence of those tendering for 
 fishings are not considered in letting a river, and if a gentle- 
 man of the States overbids a Canadian, the river will be de- 
 clared as his. Rivers are therefore hired by Europeans as 
 well as by Canadians and citizens of the States. Prior to the 
 formation of the Dominion of Canada out of the provinces, 
 the salmon-rivers were under the control of the Minister of 
 Crown Lands ; but now they are managed by the Minister 
 of Marine and Fisheries, at present the Hon. Peter Mitchell, 
 to whom all applications should be made for leases of rivers. 
 Rivers are either let in whole or in parts, each part permit- 
 ting the use of a given number of rods, generally four. The 
 fluvial part of the Moisie, for example, is divided into three 
 fishings, the estuary being hired for fishing with nets. The 
 other two parts accommodate eight rods. Parties, on making 
 application to the Hon. P. Mitchell, at Ottawa, should state 
 what number of rods they desire to accommodate, and on 
 v'hich side of the St. Lawrence they prefer a river. He will 
 then forward the applicants a list of the rivers to be let, wath 
 such other information as he may deem necessary for their 
 guidance. After receiving the list of rivers and a note of in- 
 formation, they should apply to some gentleman of the Do- 
 
206 
 
 Fishing in American Waters. 
 
 minion to make the tender for them. If necessary, on appli- 
 cation, I will name a suitable person at the seat of govern- 
 ment to whom they may apply with confidence. 
 
 The course which I recommend to gentlemen of the States 
 is pursued by sportsmen of Canada. The prices for the flu- 
 vial parts of rivers are very modest. I belonged to a party 
 of four anglers who hired the whole of the fluvial part of a 
 first-class river for three hundred dollars for a single season. 
 The leases of fluvial parts of rivers vary from two to six hun- 
 dred dollars a year for from three to eight rods; and the 
 price for guides or gaffers is a dollar a day. Canoes and pro- 
 visions are cheap there ; a first-rate canoe may be purchased 
 for from twelve to fifteen dollars ; and as for desiccated meats 
 and canned vegetables, with potatoes and eggs, also wines 
 and diffusible stimulants, they do not cost more than half the 
 sum demanded for them in the States. Then, as an econom- 
 ical summer trip of a month or six weeks, the cost is less than 
 the expense of staying at a watering-place hotel, which is 
 similar to a city hotel minus its comforts. If the lovers of 
 field-sports in the United States can but be induced to try 
 salmon-fishing, it will not be long before the rivers in the 
 States will teem with the silver beauties. I have before me 
 a score of five weeks' fishing in the Godbout for four rods. 
 The total count was 279 salni* a, weighing 3116 pounds, or the 
 average weight of each fish 1 U pounds. They did not aver- 
 age the use of more than three rods daily, or more than five 
 days each week. I have seen larger takes, but this is a high 
 score for salmon-fishing in any part of the world. 
 
 As I have stated, an application to hire the fluvial or an- 
 gling part of a salmon-river from the government of the Do- 
 minion is to be for the term of nine years, and the prices of 
 the rivers must necessarily advance as anglers multiply in 
 numbers and America increases 'n wealth ; for salmon-fish- 
 ing, on the list of recreations which most deeply interest cul- 
 tivated men, is esteemed a high art. 
 
To Kenew our Youth. 
 
 LOT 
 
 SECTION SECOND. 
 
 OUTFIT FOR SALMON-FISHING. 
 
 1 tent, either a marquee, wall-tent, or a common circular 
 tent. 
 
 2 rubber blankets. 
 2 head-nets. 
 
 1 musquito-bar. 
 
 1 pair wading trowsers, water-jiroof and large. 
 
 1 water-proof overcoat, large and light. 
 
 1 oil-cloth coat and pants, to wear when fishing in the rain. 
 
 2 pairs of pegged army shoes for wading. 
 6 " heavy woolen half hose. 
 
 1 pair of heavy woolen blankets. 
 
 1 rubber bag, large size. 
 
 1 rubber pillow. 
 
 1 pint aqua ammonia, for applying to bites of black flies, 
 for preventing the secondary effect of swelling. 
 
 1 small case of medicines. 
 • To guard against being bitten by black flies and musqui- 
 toes, carry a bottle of castor-oil mixed with a strong tincture 
 of camphor. Some salmon-angle'-s employ a composition of 
 tar and camphor, which gives them the tawny tint of the In- 
 dian, though it is one of the best protections against flies. 
 The black fly is the worst during daytime, while the musqui- 
 toes and gnats begin their depredations at sundown and con- 
 tinue until sunrise. Your gaffer should fumigate your tent 
 every night before you retire with a smudge smoke. Both 
 the head-net and musquito-bar should be used every night. 
 
 For constant wear, day and night, supply yourself with a 
 pair of woolen gloves extending near to the elbows, worn 
 over the coat sleeve and held up by an elastic strap ; or sew 
 a pair of cotton stocking-legs to the wrists of a pair of gloves, 
 either dogskin, buckskin, or close and thick woolen gloves. 
 
 A trip to Canada for salmon-fishing would be the gem of 
 the year for all anglers, and even summer excursionists, Avere 
 
208 
 
 Fishing in American Waters. 
 
 It not for the flies ; yet they are no worse there thun they are 
 in the Adirondacks, nor so bad as they are in the wilds of 
 Maine and New Hampshire. 
 
 A fishing-hat like No. 1 is formed of two parts, like 2 and 
 3, the latter setting on the band of 2 so that the vents will 
 not meet, but the outer ones alternate with the under ones 
 just above the brim. The edge of 3 is tacked down on the 
 brim, which leaves a space between that and the upright part 
 of 2 of half an inch or more, and cover the sewing to the 
 brim with a band. The ventilation of thishat is excellent. 
 The hat is known by name as the Gibraltar hat, while others 
 call it the Calcutta hat. It is usually made of drab felt, and 
 worn as an undress hat by European military officers when 
 doing duty in warm climates. It is unquestionably the best 
 ventilated hat made, except those from India, woven from 
 grass or platted from bamboo ; but the felt ones are the best 
 in shape, and lighter than the real Indian hat. 
 
 ■0- 
 
 Fishing-hat ani> Salmon-uod. 
 
 2 Salmon Rods, — The salmon-rod of four joints is indica- 
 ted by Nos. 4, 5, 6, 7. The two upper joints are spliced with 
 a small ring covering the end of each, as directed for the 
 modern splice illustrated on another page. The following 
 explanation I think worthy the attention of fly-fishers : 
 
An excellent Rod. ' 209 
 
 " «i«»-^^ot the least pleasure of the angler consists in 
 looking back upon the summer-time when he 'wandered 
 dreamily away up among the hills by the side of a tiny beck 
 new to the angler, with no sound but the plover or the cur- 
 lew, or the distant tinkle of the bell-wether; no incumbrance 
 but a light rod; no bother about what flies will or will not 
 HUit ; no tackle beyond a yard of gut and two or three hooks 
 m a piece of brown paper; a small bag of moss with well- 
 scoured worms within ; a sandwich or cold mutton Chop- 
 in ^^""•/^^•.Pr^f'f^'^^^^e-in one pocket, and a flask of the 
 dew tha shines m the starlight when kings dinna ken in 
 the other " etc., etc. ; and when autumn, with its bracing air 
 succeeded summer, to the wild, excited, yet concentrated 
 thril that shot through his frame when he hooked the « lord- 
 ly salmon," and which lasted till he could say to h mself "Tt 
 IS my turn now; you shall not have all your own way ^ith 
 
 "^'^"<^h have been my feelings this cold, Stormy winter even- 
 mg, as I sat over a cosy fire in my easy-chair. I felt inclined 
 to good fellowship with all anglers, especially such of them 
 as have arrived at my time of life, when they naturally look 
 back to what they have been in preference to what they are 
 now, but are still fond of the sport when stength and oppor- 
 tumty allow of following it. For the especial benefit of the 
 latter, if you and they think it worth accepting, I have turned 
 to my writing-case to give you the particulars of a light sal- 
 raon-rod, equally good for worm or salmon fishing, which I 
 got made at home last year. 
 
 "Its weight is n lb. ; length, 15* feet; first fish killed 
 with It, 18 lbs. weight. 
 
 "The first week in September this season I hooked and 
 killed a male fish, 17 lbs., and hooked and killed on successive 
 days seven fish, aggregate weight nearly 90 lbs., without los- 
 ing any thing once hooked. Two or three had the sea-lice 
 on them-one especially, a ISj-pounder, which for running 
 jumping, wheeling round and round in circles, shaking iu 
 
aio 
 
 Fishing in American Waters. 
 
 head, and lashing the water with its tail, exceeded any thing 
 I ever had on. An old angler who was on the opposite side 
 of the river, and has himself killed above fifty salmon this 
 season, said it was the wildest fish he ever saw. 
 
 " Well, not to be prolix, I give you the result of many 
 hours' study in few words, prefacing thi.'n with the observa- 
 tion that the rod is as straight and serviceable now as when 
 first made, and has never failed or needed repair. 
 
 "For the butt, 5f feet of well-seasoned, selected memel, 
 with the fibre of the wood running straight in the direction 
 of the rod ; if these conditions are not observed the wood is 
 useless. For the middle piece, 4} feet of selected ash. For 
 top, 4i feet of lancewood. The memel butt is brass-hooped, 
 has good strong brass hoops for the wheel, and is joined to 
 the ash middle-piece with the usual brass ferrule. The lance- 
 wood top and ash middle-piece are joined with a new splice, 
 which is superior to the ferrule joining for its lightness, im- 
 possibility of any shifting, and the quickness with which it 
 is put together. This is the 'modern splice for fly-rods,' 
 which is illustrated and described on page 160, under the 
 head of'Trouting Tackle.' 
 
 " There are twenty rings, giyiduatmg in size from the butt 
 to the top, including the top ring, which is just large enough 
 to allow the line to run freely. Proper ringing of a rod dis- 
 tributes the weight of a fish equally over it until it comes to 
 the ring on the butt end. The rod graduates from the butt 
 end to the top, is neither stiff" nor supple, and throws a long 
 line. The weight of the whole rod will give an idea of the 
 thickness of each piece. 
 
 " I wish to draw especial attention to the material of lie 
 butt, the ringing, and the new splice. This new form oi 
 splice obviates the only objections (loss of time in tying, 
 loosening of splice during use, and the wearing of the ends 
 of the splice) against a spliced rod, and renders it incompar- 
 ably superior to a 'i. I'uled rod." 
 
 Francis Fi^avh ;ut- '■ that "the best wood is unquestion- 
 
IVluTUAL Congratulations. 
 
 223 
 
 I just touch the bite with ammonia, and it gives me no pain, 
 and never swells. The black flies do not trouble you after 
 dark, and that's a great comfort." 
 
 I saw a few signs of defaced beauty, but kept mum. In 
 fact, on looking upon those two ladies, I felt proud of such 
 specimens. One of them had visited most of the courts of 
 Europe, and the other had accompanied her triumphant hus- 
 band throughout our recent great war. We therefore num- 
 bered six in the party, two ladies and four gentlemen; and I 
 am bound to acknowledge that, throughout our month of 
 camp life, hundreds of miles from a post-oflice, the ladies ex- 
 emplified the highest degree of spirit and pleasure, ^ith the 
 least appearance of annoyance at any discomfort; and these 
 were the two first white ladies. that ever ascended the great 
 St. John River. 
 
 Having examined the surroundings, and admired the great 
 contrasts of the heavens with the mountains, and the wide, 
 
 -4 
 
 ^ 
 
2M 
 
 Fishing in American Waters. 
 
 rapid, roaring river with its tributary of Rattling R;;n, and 
 while I was beginning to scan the lay of the grounds for de- 
 ciding where to pitch tents, behold our comrades ! They 
 came fishing along, towing four salmon on the gaff, while 
 the general played a fifteen-pounder all the way down from 
 the falls, a mile up the river. 
 
 It having become midday, we compared notes and took 
 dinner. At dinner we discussed the almighty salmon in all 
 his aspects — from his seclusion in corners of the earth, where 
 he is protected by flics and an almost impenetrable wilder- 
 ness, to his high game, and, finally, the epicurean appearance 
 he lends to the ainner-tablo. Our dinner consisted of 
 
 Saumon il la maitre cVhotel. 
 
 Saunion frit. 
 
 Saumon au gratin. 
 
 tTaniOo^i briilee. 
 
 Les 07'^nons de Bermnde. 
 
 Biscuit de mer. 
 
 Le X>ain et du beurre. 
 
 Du the et du sucre. 
 
 Having twenty -seven miles of rapids against which to 
 transport our stores, our potatoes and our claret were left at 
 the mouth of the river, besides our desiccated meats, soups, 
 vegetables, and fruits preserved in cans. Even our old Ja- 
 maica rum was left, and the only diifusible stimulant was gin 
 —Holland gin ! But, in order that our coffee, milk, and the 
 numerous luxuries laid in for the campaign should be on 
 hand for the glorious Fourth of July, we divided our men 
 and canoes, half to transport our provisions from the mouth 
 to the camps, and the other half to serve in the way of pad- 
 dling us to our places for angling, gafling our salmon, and 
 pitching our tents, waiting on us, cooking, etc. 
 
 The general and the doctor had so excited my friend the 
 banker and myself with stories of captivating sports, that, 
 immediately after dinniir, we hardly thought of a cigar, but 
 
Peepaeiho fob the Encounter. 
 
 226 
 forth«^th commenced .plicing oar rods. To save mo that 
 
 -. .*rM,r :r:xtt^t\:t.tdt 
 
 .-de me sit down i„ the river to ooo. 0^:1: UH:' tilt 
 
 -•endor it captivating in tl,at wide anr/apiZivor T 7 
 m,rcd the rivor; the breaks of salmon of from to to twonf ' 
 
 -.e^niLrrSr];:!--:!-^^^^^^^^^^ 
 
 pectcd the salmon were waiting for Cml ' *" '" 
 
 can had retnrnod to the m„„ h o I • "'"'f "' "' """" 
 again examined mv teckr I, , f "iV"'' i'™"™''s,I 
 fish average from ei!ht ' .hi, T" """'«'" ^'"""'^ 
 
 Lave take? a fo^lnd ,t ITl T'' ""'y' »"" ' 
 
 striped bass was /sCg 1 L7; Lc TeL':' • '"^'""""^ ''"^ 
 silk-worm gut " ' '""" '' '" ™'y ^ single 
 
 ». .0 examined t..aarn;raS:sC:^rht'r 7' 
 
 cast, abont half a, ll; the?, 7 '"'""' ' ''"" "' -"h 
 Tl-e fish did not tl t J y auZ" T"''', "^ '""• 
 tVom beneath, but ro.so over th, I 1 f '^ ""'""S "' " 
 H,. «n„„„ • : '"""y .'"'J 'ook it ongoing back 
 
 Ho soon convinced mo th»t he was thor,. 1. • • ? 
 
 ••...ove water, and ont fanhonntor :::er;;rt,:::r::: 
 
226 
 
 Fishing in American Waters. 
 
 was stronger. 
 
 When he leaijed, as he did numerous times, I 
 lowered the top of my rod as if bowing to his mandate. By- 
 and-by he suffered himself to be reeled up quite near me, no 
 doubt because his curiosity prompted liim to study the cause 
 of his difficulty, and to try, if possible, to reach its source. In 
 the mean time I was snouting for some man to come and gaff 
 my salmon. 
 
 After having scanned " tho head and front of the offend- 
 ing," he turned and ran off moderately until he arrived in the 
 swiftest part of tlie current, and then all I could do would 
 not stop him. I Avas therefore obliged to follow, and down 1 
 started along the stony shore for a quarter of a mile, when I 
 became fatigued ; and, as if to spell me, the fish halted and 
 remained until he rested long enough, and then he rose and 
 made a quadrilateral leap, or four leaps in as many directions 
 at the same time. Said I, " My chap, you are some !" " How 
 many lives have you got, anyhow ?" thought I. But there 
 was no use of thinking or speculating, for he had mounted his 
 high horse again, and down the river I had to follow. My 
 extemporized gaffer advised me to snub him. I replied that 
 I had, but it was of no use. Presently he halted again, and, 
 drenched with perspiration, I doffed my head fly-net and pre- 
 pared to do battle in open air. It was not long before he 
 gathered strength again, and started for the middle of the 
 river ; but a little harder play coaxed him to change his mind. 
 He then began leaping and cavorting, as if he wtus only in 
 fun all the time, and had as lief as not come in out of the wet. 
 In a few more turns, the gaffer made a pass at the fish and 
 missed him. The fish then showed great vigor, and acted as 
 if he would never say die; but after several efforts the gaffer 
 brought him up, and he weighed only twelve pounds. 
 
 With perspiration rolling down me and not a little fii- 
 tigued, I started back to where I hooked the salmon and com- 
 menced casting for another. It was not long before I liookcd 
 him, and without much make-believe he started down the 
 river and I after liim. Presently he waited to rest, and then 
 
Goma THROUGH A Course of Sprouts. 227 
 
 eat fpt "do^" h' '"^ "'"*' *''^ "'^'"'^'' "» «'"^<^ >^ 
 
 He weighed within a 
 
 mile below wliere I had hooJed him 
 pound of as much as the first one ' 
 Again I retraced my steps to the head of the pool to when- 
 
 ontly he slackened speed, and even ston,W f^ i ^ 
 against a .ook, a,u, U,. t^I^^ el'I^o .Ir; 
 the wove merely casual experiment. ,o wl.ot Im i,,. ', " 
 
 ith his other hand hnhl: 
 
 leg, the pig too 1 
 
 lar<> 
 
 "g a rope fastened to a pig's 
 
 for Pat to control. About that time 
 
1 1 
 
 ! I 
 
 I i 
 
 228 
 
 Fishing in Ami<;rican Waters. 
 
 did not think of black flies, nor rocks and sore shins. My 
 friend sometimes generously came near shore, and once I 
 thought I saw him throw his tail up, as a sure sign of grow- 
 ing weakness, but it was all sham. He was only studying 
 my tackle, and his means of escape by parting it. He was 
 up near the gaff several times, and eyed the instrument crit- 
 ically, but with a whirl of astonishment akin to anger and 
 disdain, as if in this age of negro suft'rage a man so cruel 
 could be found as to fight salmon with so unequal and hide- 
 ous a weapon. But he curled on the water, and while he 
 touched his nose with the end of his tail, ho looked askance 
 for an instant ; then he made a prodigious leap down stream, 
 :?nd planged some ten feet under water and came up five 
 rods above, thus forming a bight in the line, by which he ex- 
 pected to gain slack and extricate himself But it Avas all no 
 go. I thought he was mine, and preserved great care lest he 
 should unhook while bringing him to the gaff. He came for- 
 ward as willing as a pet lamb until within three rods of shore ; 
 he then made a turn, and with dips, dives, leaps, and other 
 'devices, liberated himself, and took my fly-hook with him. I 
 felt wilted ; worse, I was outgeneraled ; worse still, I was 
 vanquished. I once more mechanically walked nearly a mile 
 to the foot of the rapid, but I could not cast with hope and 
 confidence, and, as the sun was about setting and the musqui- 
 toes began their carnival, I repaired to the tent and to sup- 
 per, used up, though partially successful. 
 
 Thus ended my first afternoon's angling for salmon in 
 Lower Canada. 
 
 SECTION FIFTH. 
 
 tenting in the wilderness. 
 
 Our guides had pitched our tents, and carpeted them witli 
 fir -boughs which they clipped from the shrubbery back- 
 ground of the plateau. My bed consisted of two breadths 
 six and a half feet long of canvas, closed by a seam length- 
 p tlie centre, and hemmed six inches wide at each side 
 
 «r<tj'"» " 
 
 ■....4 
 
A BKFRPJSHING LlXUKY. 
 
 22J* 
 
 reived to fasten the poles to, thus forming a canvas bed 6^ 
 feet long, 3 feet wide, and a foot above the carpet or ground 
 of the tent. If preferred, the foot-log need not be so large I. 
 the head one; only have regard to stretching your bed hi..h 
 enon,^h to admit the circulation of air under it. The follow 
 mg .ketch may help illustrate. 
 
 Camp Bed. 
 
 The guides had also cut the poles and inserted them in the 
 hems of the canvas, which I bought and brought with me 
 from Quebec, and with stretchers across the ends of the can- 
 vas, they had fastened my bed to the head and foot logs 
 made my bed, and had built a smudge fire in front of my 
 tent. Oh, how refreshing the aroma of a tent carpeted with 
 hr-boughs! no one, without experience, can properly apnre- 
 ciate the luxury. ^ 
 
 After a social supper, we convened in a circle around t})e 
 smudge fire before my tent to discuss the mighty salmon 
 and to mform the ladies of the changes in the fashions up to 
 the day we left, being a week after their departure. Of 
 course the changes had been considerable, and the gentle- 
 men's forty-eight hours' advance in studying the peculiarities 
 of the salmon there had entitled them to the honors of Men- 
 torship. So, after summing up and being summed up, and 
 the tent smoked o. t with a smudge fire on a piece of birch 
 bark, I laid my rubber blanket on the bed, and was soon 
 dreammg that I had captured the beautiful salmon that I 
 had played so long, and was being serenaded l)y all the oth- 
 er milt salmon for ridding them of the dandy of the river 
 Being vociferously called on for a speech, it so shocked my 
 nervos that I awoke, and the light peering in through the in- 
 terstices of my tent, I forthwith 
 
 arose for the morning. 
 
230 
 
 Fishing in American Waters. 
 
 n 
 
 "The little landscape round 
 Was green and woody, and refreshed the eye ; 
 It was a spot wliieh you might aptly call 
 The Valley of Seclusion." 
 
 Bright and beautiful was tlio weather, and the two birds 
 whicli charm the mornings of that wilderness wild were pip- 
 ing their mellifluous notes, while the only responses heard 
 were the snores of our guides in a one-sided bark shanty, 
 where they lay on fir-boughs, toasting their feet before a 
 smudge fire. As it appeared to be about seven o'clock, I was 
 surprised to see not a soul moving. I walked a few rods to 
 the river, where I watched admiringly the salmon's leap, but 
 looked in vain for a seal. After having been up nearly an 
 hour, and perceiving that friends and guides were still asleep, 
 I concluded to- call up the gaffers and cidsinier, or cook. As 
 our cook was perfectly innocent of any language but a lui- 
 miek patois^ by which tongue potatoes or pommes de terre 
 are known as potack, of course I found it difticult to make 
 him understand either English or French, and that is an un- 
 pardonable fliult in a cook. 
 
 Well, as they lay snoring, and not one awake, I thought I 
 would see what time it was before arousing them ; and on 
 consulting my watch, I learned that it was precisely half past 
 three o'clock ! Well, said I, sotto voce, this is a strange coun- 
 try, and, lest I should disturb my lodging comrades, I re- 
 clined outside the tent, and tried to take another nap ; but 
 the black flies had also awoke, and began paying their dis- 
 tresses to me, much to the sacrifice of an amount of beauty 
 too scant to lose any without an exposure of its want. I re- 
 monstrated at the presentation of bills at such an unseason- 
 able hour, but they only shouted the louder, and called to- 
 gether so great a number as to oblige me to decamp. I 
 therefore resorted to Kattling Run to take a bath. While 
 bathing it was all very Avell, but between undressinji and 
 dressing they took me at a disadvantage, and by both nius- 
 (piitoes and black flies I was decidedly worsted. On mv re- 
 

 Y'lELDINO TO ClK0l'M6TANCEe. 231 
 
 »nore, tl,c noisos of hares, porcupines, and squirrels in the 
 ^ ove hard by, and the two songsters singing so .ner^Sy a 
 to dr .„, , i„ „,^„^ _^__^^_ .^^^^ Sn^examining ™; 
 «atcl^ I learned that it was five o'clock. I the.-efore deter- 
 mined on arousing the cook and the gaffers. They Ce 
 
 ...n s n, the river, and that was all the toilet-making needed 
 or they had slept with their boots and shoes on as protee-' 
 on against flies. John, the captain of the gang becaCof 
 Ins superior Milesian intelligence, who could sLk cZllv 
 
 lo^el had been the custom under Dr. Bluff, of the First Fiisi 
 oe.^ or any gentleman who had prcviousi; fished that it" 
 
 We then l"r TT' V° ™'"""'"" «*'"S "«'»- ■>-.' 
 Well, then, I replied, we Yankees will teach you a new lesson 
 
 But, upon aseertaining that my friends were opposed to ri"' 
 
 S^^Tc :k"s'^'°. 1 "■•^■"""•"^''^ y^oidedfand ti,:;:. 
 
 toi ward the cook and gmdcs suited their own comfort about 
 
 toes. "' '" ''™'' ""= '''"'''"' "f"'" "'"^q'"- 
 
 But it seemed that the noise caused from mustering the 
 men had aw.akcned the doctor, who crawled out of his t 
 with modest eare for fear of arousing the other two inmate 
 when he mildly saluted me with " G^od mornh,gn,reame 
 your eye out?" I replied that my eyes were ^^od nZh 
 to perceive that three or four bites from black flies had 
 . .anged his phi. into a picture of a Chinese monstl ity 
 ^ ou don't say so !" he ejaculated " Where ?" I pointed 
 
 g them he forthwith applied ammonia to the bites, and 
 bathed mine also with it. 
 
 Smudge fires were at once made before our tents and ex- 
 temporized breakfast-plaee. Our euisinier was soon cn^tTd 
 .'l fr.v.ng pork and Bermuda onions, broiling salmon, mlwng 
 
232 
 
 Fishing in American Watees. 
 
 tea, etc., etc. As we had not tasted potatoes in a week, we 
 began to long for them. Our table was set, and breakfast 
 about ready, when the general and the banker made their 
 appearance with their ladies, and, after mutual salutations, 
 we all seated ourselves for breakfast. Our plates and dishes 
 were composed of cast-iron outside and porcelain inside; and, 
 though nearly as beautiful as sets and dishes of figured china, 
 they were as durable as iron, and just the kind that should 
 be adopted for kitchen use in the metropolis. By each plate 
 a stone about the size of a goose-egg was placed, to use in 
 cracking our sea-biscuit. Good sea-biscuit is much better 
 than common bread in the wilderness, and when cracked uj) 
 and crumbled into a bowl of tea, or, by being first dipped into 
 cold water to soften it, is afterward fried in the fat of the 
 pan after pork and eggs, is excellent, especially in the absence 
 of potatoes. 
 
 I was almost shocked on perceiving that the right eye of 
 the banker's lady was closed, and a large lump on her left 
 temple, almost spoiling her beauty ; but I did not allude to 
 it until she mentioned that the flies had somewhat disfig- 
 ured me, when I asked her how she had rested. She replied, 
 " Very well ; but this morning, while bathing my face, I found 
 that I had a large lump on the left side of it, and my right 
 eye felt fatty. I called to ray husband, and asked him what 
 it was. He replied by asking me to shut my left eye and 
 look at him with my right one, and when I obeyed he said 
 he was surprised, for my right eye appeared to be enthely 
 closed. Neither my eye nor my face pain me at all, but the 
 general's lady has applied ammonia to the bites, and I expect 
 nothing more serious from them. Hereafter I shall wear my 
 head-net night and day, and my Esquimaux boots." I com- 
 plimented her philosophy, and imitated her example by wear- 
 ing boots every night for a month, though fishing in shoes 
 and wet trowsers, and, on returning to the tent twice a day, 
 doffing my wet clothes, and rubbing down with a crash tow- 
 el, and substituting dry clothes and boots until ready to start 
 
New Course of Tkaining. 
 
 23a 
 
 
 for the nver again, when I would doff the dry clothes and re- 
 place them by wet wading ones and shoes, with thick woolen 
 half hose— sometimes two pairs— in a very large pair of shoes. 
 Wide-soled pegged bottoms are the best. This changing of 
 dresses was our daily mochts operandi; and I waded, bathed, 
 changed dress, whipped, played salmon, and was bitten by 
 tiies until I reduced my weight more than twenty pounds. 
 I therefore suggest salmon-angling as the best training that 
 a person can indulge in whose adiposity preponderates. This 
 system has the advantage of " Banting on Corpulence," be- 
 cause, while it reduces the amount of fat or adipose matter, 
 it hardens the muscles, and thus improves the wind and phys- 
 ical power of a man. If a person desires training so as to 
 endure great flitigue, and render him more active and supple, 
 I advise him to forthwith apply for a salmon-river; and, aft- 
 er having secured a lease of it for the usual term of nine 
 years, to send a good, trusty man there next April, and let 
 him employ a couple of Canadian half-breeds, buy a couple 
 of bark canoes, to be had for fifteen dollars each, and let your 
 man build a couple of log huts at the foot of each of the prin- 
 cipal rapids or falls, and let him cover them well with birch 
 bark, and line them throughout with the bark, so as to keep 
 out the flies. A chimney is quite unnecessary, as a smudge 
 fire in the middle of the cabin will keep the flies away, if 
 musquito-netting covers each window or aperture loft to ad- 
 rait light. Then I should advise visiting the river as early 
 as the 15th of June, and angling until the end of July. This 
 plan will insure a month of good fishing, and no trouble 
 fr n the effects of flies worth naming. In fact, it will un- 
 bend the mind, invigorate the body, and renew your lease 
 of life. 
 
 Of biting flies, the following, written by the Bishop of 
 Quebec while on a journey up the Red River, in his "Songs 
 of the Wilderness," is truthfully expressive : 
 

 / 
 
 if 
 
 I 
 
 4 
 
 II ' 
 
 '2M Fishing in American Waters. 
 
 ' ' Among the plagues on earth which God has sent. 
 
 Of lighter torment is the plague of Hies : 
 Not as of Egypt once the punishment, 
 
 Yet such sometimes as feeble i)atience tries. 
 Where wild America in vastness lies, 
 
 There diverse hordes the swamps and woods infest. 
 Banded or singly, these make man their prize ; 
 
 Quick by their subtle dart is blood expressed 
 Or tumor raised. By tiny foe distressed, 
 
 Travelers in forest rude with veil arc fain 
 To arm the face ; men there whose dwellings rest 
 
 Crouch in thick smoke; like help their cattle gain.* 
 Oh wise in trials great, in troubles small, 
 
 Who know to find mementoes of the Full." 
 
 A morning's experience. 
 
 Our two solitary " birdies" were piping the peculiar notes 
 of the Northern wilderness, the salmon were leaping and 
 splashing, and I longed to tackle the mate of the silver beau- 
 ty lost the evening previous. 
 
 Having already soaked ray casting-line, I shouldered my 
 heavy and lengthy friend, the Castle Council rod, and march- 
 ed up the river about a hundred rods to where a bend in the 
 shore threw the current out around the eddy rock. I select- 
 ed a medium -sized fly with purple body, blue legs, brown 
 mallard wings, and golden pheasant top -knot for the tail. 
 Then I commenced casting out toward the middle of the riv- 
 er, and letting the fly float down and around to near the 
 shore. About my third cast brought a bite and a leap that 
 made my heart palpitate with anxiety. I played him about 
 half an hour, he once and a while running off" about two hun- 
 dred feet of line, and then coming back as ta'ne and cosy as 
 possible, until by-and-by his patience became exhausted, and 
 he thought he would start up the river a hundred miles or so 
 to the spawning-beds. He navigated the rapid about twen- 
 
 * It is asserted as a truth by border settlers that, when burning off a sum- 
 mer fallow, and the smoke no longer protects cattle in contiguous' pastures, 
 that they run lowing to the house to have the fire renewed ; and it is some- 
 rimes necessary that they shall stand in dense smoke to enable them to re- 
 main still long enough to be milked. 
 
/ 
 
 Get fairly Vanquished. 255 
 
 ty rods above, but I turned him, when he went down stream 
 nmch faster than it was convenient for me to follow ; but he 
 ■stopped to rest where I hooked him, and glad enough was I 
 tor the morning was oppressively warm, and my rest had not 
 been of the most refreshing kind during the previous night 
 Here I began to call loudly for a gaifer, and presently I saw 
 the doctor's demijohn form approaching with a gaff, and 
 closely following was the general. By the time they arrived 
 my friend had concluded to return to sea, and started- but 
 he soon found a resting-place, and, while playing nim here 
 the general msisted so strongly against playing him too gen- 
 tly that I put a little more stress on the line. The fish rol- 
 licked around the pool, and showed his whole size and beau- 
 ty, when my friends judged that he would weigh over thirty 
 pounds. I thought so too, and played with great care. But 
 the salmon became impatient of restraint, and started. He 
 had not darted more than a hundred feet before the hook 
 sprang back to me, and he went on his way rejoicing, while 
 my friends returaed to the tents. 
 
 I felt as if I needed a strong glass of lemonade with a stick 
 m It to sustain me ; but, being strictly temperate-that morn- 
 ing— I sauntered back to the point above the eddy where I 
 had hooked my recently-departed friend. There I examined 
 the fly and hook with care, and found it seeimdum artem 
 After becoming sufficiently rested, I made a cast, and at once 
 hooked another salmon about the same size as the one which 
 had just unbooked. On realizing that my fish was on, with 
 a slight jerk I fastened the hook, in order to play him ginoer- 
 ly if he wanted to « gallivant and cavort" some. Two or thr^^e 
 times he revealed his enormous size and great symmetry, so 
 tliat I felt quite sure I had hooked the mate of the first one 
 This also remained half an hour trying small tricks about the 
 pool, when all at once he dashed away across the current 
 and, on rismg to the surface, I distinctly saw the line wound 
 three times round him. After this he plunged and leaped 
 up, down, and across tJie river, until he liberated himself and 
 
236 
 
 Fishing in American Wateks. 
 
 took my fly. Well, thouj^ht I, salmon of st.ch ^reat size i„ 
 -^o large and rapid a river, should be fished for with leader. 
 ov casting-lines of double gut all tho way. I will return to 
 tent, and try to rig gut leaders to hold them. 
 
 The situation of our menaffe began to look invitincr- and 
 with the birch bark gathered by our gaffers, and the 'illus- 
 trated papers and magazines, our log cabin and dining-room 
 were cheerfully ornamented by the ladies, and the menu of 
 our dinner would nrt have dishonored a metropolitan hotel. 
 Ihe gaffers' shanty was finished, and the cuisine attractively 
 arranged in order. After dinner, numerous sentiments wor- 
 thy of the day wo were commemorating-it being the glori- 
 ous Jourth of July -were given, and we made the welkin 
 rmg with shouts and music. 
 
 The evening was spent in tying flies, and concluded by ex- 
 a^nining the lunar bow through the smoke of a camp-fire and 
 the bottoms of our punch-glasses until the near approach of 
 midmght, when we retired to fight again the battles of the 
 day m our dreams, and to mingle in them the faces of be- 
 loved ones far awa. 
 
 SECTION SIXTH. 
 
 HISTORY AND RUMINATION. 
 
 Neither the Greeks nor Romans knew anything about an- 
 gling for salmon. The Saxons knew not the real luxury oi' 
 angling. A thorough appreciation of angling can only be 
 known by man civilized. "Catch who catch can" is the 
 niotto by which savages are guided, and the surest means of 
 killing game is to them the best. Savages kill solely to eat 
 rhey know no better, and lack the genius of the civilized 
 poacher to mvent stake and concealed nets. Civilization en- 
 ables the true sportsman to adopt suitable means to secure 
 sport, and as civilized men enjoy a more prosperous condition 
 than savages, they are not so dependent on the fish or game 
 they take or kill. Hence the sportsmen of the civilized world 
 can afford to give the animal pursued some fair-play " law," 
 
Saw the North Polio. 237 
 
 supposing the nature of the prey entitled to it. But, in the 
 opnnon of an uncivilized people, to allo>v a quarry or a shoal 
 he smallest chance of escape would be considered great folly 
 o the ,g„oranc.e and cruelty of the poacher nmy be attribu: 
 ted the reason for the robbing of salmon-rivers of their life 
 |md beauty. Existence could not have been so enjoyable to 
 the angler m either the palmy days of Greece or Rome or 
 dunng any era since, while robbing the rivers of salmon ;as 
 pursued, as it is m our day, when science revives sport and 
 invents generous means for its perpetuity 
 
 Le, travaux sur ler, Poissons se sent singulierrnent multi- 
 plies clurant la periode qrd s^etend cle repoque de la mart de 
 Luvier au moment actuel. 
 
 Having flown in my cogitations from Greece to Rome, and 
 •trom thence to the British Isles and part way back to France 
 where I endeavored to think in French, and as if in dan^ei' 
 of being overcome by a fresh swarm of musquitoes, I supposed 
 myself aroused by their singing, when, to my surprise, on 
 lookmg up, It was the doctor at the door of my tent, insist- 
 ing m stentorian tones that I should get up. I asked him 
 the time of night, and he replied that it was beautiful 
 
 There is no use to contend with a doctor, and so I arose 
 when, before my tent door, he was complacently seated on a 
 bench, with a smudge fire and the boiling tea-kettle on one 
 Hide, a bowl of loaf-sugar on the other, and a bottle of old 
 Jamaica before him. Being already dressed, for I slept with 
 my overcoat, body-coat, and boots on, between army blank- 
 ets on an India-rubber one, and yet was generally cold to- 
 ward mornmg, I concluded to join the doctor and learn what 
 new system of philosophy or astronomy he was prepared to 
 propound. With looks of amazement, he pointed to the bril- 
 liant a^ivora borealis in darts shooting up throuo-h the lu- 
 nar bow like streams of gold and fire through a^-ainbow ! - 
 We viewed it with unstinted admiration until he composed 
 a hot rum punch. We then examined the aurora borealis 
 .md lunar bow through the bottoms of our glasses, and the 
 
238 
 
 J ' 
 
 Fishing in American Waters. 
 
 s>ght was really gorg^eous ! After three or four similar ren- 
 etitu)„s, we agreed that we saw the North Pole distinetlt 
 heading Su- John F.ankhn's grave, and the bow, spearH^^l' 
 
 hn'toir """ '""'" """ """^^^ '''' ^'^ ---^rank- 
 While the doctor was evolving a new theory.of mundan. 
 .matters, only to be understood by draining a dose of diff^s 
 
 ess. ho soon as he recovered power of utterance he said 
 ^ ^Gintlemen, bedad there's a bear just foment yees ! I seeVl 
 
 '' Well, John," we replied, " J,ow did he look ^" 
 J3edad he was as big as an elephant, and had a fiil -is 
 long as meself, and as big around, be gorr^h -" 
 How long was he ?" we inquired 
 ;; Bedad he was as long as I can reach with n.y two arms." 
 What color was he?" 
 
 " Was he green ?" 
 
 " Wo supposed so, John ; it is a fox." 
 
 "No no, yer honors! Dr. Bluff, of the First Fusileers sii.l 
 he'd ;,iten see'd bears here, an' I thiuk the beast I l^dt 
 
 ^ "This was .at the shoot, twonty-scven miles farther up the 
 
 nver, we rephed; and just then the halo of the rising s„„ 
 
 began to .Itamnate the eastern horizon, and teach „s to° , " 
 
 pa..e for the fresh-ruu salmon whiei, had arrived that mornin,, 
 
 rom then- v,s,t to the sea. Havi,,g consulted our wat s' 
 
 and learned, to our surprise, that it was only three o'ctock' 
 
 and as onr gaffers were still asleep, we reluctantly retired to 
 
 our tents .and to sleep until called to breakfast 
 As ,t was our custom to rest the salmon-pools durin.,- the ' 
 
 best part of the day for angling, in order to protect the ri™. 
 
 . 
 
 . 
 
.. 
 
 „ 
 
 Kacing along the River. 231 » 
 
 fi-om too great a depletion by our captivating flies, we start- 
 ed to fish our several pools at the time of the forenoon when 
 the salmon seeks the shady side of a rock in the river, and 
 which had perceptibly fallen during the previous night, so 
 that, from its clearness, we could distinctly see numerous sal- 
 mon lymg m pairs beside the rocks. They were very inter- 
 estmg to look at, but it was hard to induce a rise. Presently 
 the general, who had been angling at the flills a mile above 
 was seen approaching, and doing some pretty tall walking' 
 now m the river and then on the shore, following a salmon' 
 as best he could, for the fish seemed determined to return to 
 sea. Down they came, passing us, while the perspiration 
 streamed from the general's face, and he was too busy to re- 
 turn our salutations, but he finally brought th*e fish to -afi*. 
 
 In a short time thereafter the doctor was seen comino- at 
 the speed- of two-forty on his rejoicing way down the idver 
 from the falls, led by a large salmon. We soon saw that the 
 salmon was playing the doctor, who, finding that he was los- 
 ing strength, called lustily for help, which was instantly ren- 
 dered, and a twenty-four pound salmon was soon played out 
 and landed. The doctor retired to his tent and was not seen 
 agam until the next morning, when he said, « It's heavenly to 
 p ay a generous salmon, but when he turns the tables and 
 plays you, lie's worse than the cholera !" 
 
 It was the banker's turn next, and, thoroughly aroused and 
 divested ot his dignity, down he came, skipping over rocks 
 ana through brush at a very rapid rate. Down he came to 
 Rattling Run, and brought his fifth salmon to gaff that day 
 the largest twenty, and the smallest eleven pounds 
 
 The doctor's serious intent at evoking a reliable theory 
 for the brilliant coruscations near the northern horizon pre- 
 vented him from risking the play of another salmon until he 
 should quite recover from his last encounter. In the mean 
 time, every fresh contest with a salmon increased my respect 
 for the fish; and I lost so many in pronortiou to the -re'^t 
 number hooked, that I began, when my n- was first taken 
 
240 
 
 Fishing in Amekican Waters. 
 
 1 
 
 • * 
 
 to realize an indescribable sensation of nervous hesitancy ; 
 and the mm-Q gentle he appeared when fii-st hooked, the more 
 r dreaded the fight that I knew must come, sooner or later ; 
 for a salmon never surrenders until he faints. As the waters 
 settled until as transparent as ether, the fish became not only 
 more shy, but they gave better play and were harder to ex- 
 haust. They bit gingerly and short. I had ample opportu- 
 nity for testing some theories which had been told me by an- 
 glers with great seriousness. One of them is, that " if a sal- 
 mon rises to your fly and misses it, you should not cast again 
 immediately, because he is sure to settle back before rising. 
 Vou had better, therefore, light a segar and smoke half of it, 
 or take a glass of sherry, and rest the pool at least fifteen 
 minutes before repeating the cast." This I ascertained to be 
 all bosh. Once, in particular, a salmon took my fly at the 
 fourth cast, though having rose to it at every previ: us one 
 and missed it, while I repeated my casts with as little sus- 
 I)ense as, if angling for brook trout. A salmon will return to 
 the fly, if he rose to it in earnest at first, as often as will a 
 trout; but either fish, when pricked by a fly-hook, will refuse 
 to come again until he forgets it. Again it is said that " if 
 you hook a salmon and he parts your tackle, taking your 
 hook and a piece of the gut snell to wliich it was attached, 
 )»e will not rise to an artificial fly again that season." This 
 is also a mistake; for the gentleman who awns the "York 
 River," Gaspe, fished with a friend who. lost a hook and part 
 of a leader by a salmon one morning last July, and on the 
 evening of that day took the salmonVith the hook and gut 
 still in his mouth ; and what appears most singular is that 
 he hooked the salmon with the same kind of^fly that was 
 then fastened to the jaw of the fish. 
 
 .. 
 
 . 
 

 Hot Days and Cold Nights. 
 
 241 
 
 . 
 
 i 
 
 SECTION SEVENTH. 
 
 .TOLLY SPORT ON KATTLINO RUN. 
 
 "Oh ! not in camp or court 
 Our best delights we find, 
 13ut in some loved resort 
 With water, wood, and wind ; 
 Where nature works, 
 And beauty lurks. 
 In all her craft enshrined." 
 
 The clays were divided into four hours of night, made scin- 
 tillant by tlie aurora borealis, and the hinar bow more bril- 
 liant tlian daylight, but cool and huslicd so that no sounds 
 remained but the rushing waters, the splashing of the royal 
 salmon, and the piteous cries of seals ; three hours of morn- 
 ing, mild and serene, enlivened by the wild music of the birds 
 of the wilderness and the occasional sounds of animals forag- 
 ing for breakfast hi the mountain forests by which we were 
 surrounded ; fourteen hours of a day, when clear, ranging in 
 the sun from eighty to ninety degrees Fahrenheit ; and three 
 hours of mild twilight, with light enough to read. 
 
 The morning was clear and still; not a zephyr swept 
 through the gorge by the falls, or came up laden with the 
 fragrance of codfish from the Gulf The shrill music of our 
 two charming birds and an occasional splash of feeding sal- 
 mon Avere the only sounds which relieved the moiiotone of the 
 clear and rapid river. Our plateau, surrounded by majestic 
 mountains, steep and rocky, formed a vast amphitheatre. 
 The river was still falling, and as tliin and clear as possible. 
 Our assembling at breakfast proved that the black flies had 
 partially desisted from scoring us, and each member of the 
 party felt relieved of farther danger from that scourge. It 
 is w^ortliy of remark, that from the almost unbearable annoy- 
 ance caused by the punishment from black flies on our ar- 
 rival, we had in one short week become so accustomed to 
 them that they ceased to elicit our fear or attention. 
 The morning time to angle for salmon having expired, we 
 
 Q 
 
• ■t em af ' cf iw rm i 
 
 242 
 
 Fishing in American "Waters. 
 
 regarded the river as having been protected, and the pools 
 rested long enough, and so mounted our toggery and ar- 
 ranged our flies for the fray. It was the doctor's turn for 
 the upper pool, at the foot of the falls ; the general's for the 
 bend to Rattling Run ; the btmker's included all tho opposite 
 of the river, while my sporting-water was Rattling Run, and 
 I had never fished it. My gafter was wanted elsewhere, and 
 the doctor most generously consented to supply his place. 
 He led the way with gaif on shoulder, marching up to the 
 first pool with an elan and energy which meant that he was 
 determined to show me where salmon disported. After walk- 
 ing half a mile through the brush, we emerged opposite a sal- 
 mon-pool on Rattling Run. The run was about twenty rods 
 wide, with shallow water three quarters of the distance to 
 the opposite bank. The doctor pointed to the pool on the 
 opposite shore, and told me that a salmon made a feint at his 
 fly there two days previously. The water ran swift over a 
 pebbly bed, but it was not much above knee-deep on our side 
 of the pool, I waded to within casting distance of the head 
 of the pool, and commenced casting while moving slowly 
 down the stream, until, having made half a dozen cast -, and 
 swept the surface with great care, I delivered my fly just 
 above a rock near the foot of the pool, where a salmon made 
 its appearance and rose to take the fly, but missed it. The 
 next cast delivered the fly beyond and below the rock, in the 
 white-water foam, when the salmon accepted the fly, and fast- 
 ened good and strong. Instead of turning to tlie falls just 
 below, he shot up to within a few paces of me. The doctor, 
 seeing his move, ran below the salmon to pre\ ent it from 
 dashing down the chute. For a full half hour while the play 
 lasted, it was so amusing to see the doctor run and flourish 
 the gaff in his endeavor to drive the salmon to the pool 
 above that I could hardly restrain my laughter enough to 
 stand and steady the fish's head occasionally against the cur- 
 rent. But the doctor finally conquered, and the fish became 
 so fatigued that the doctor took him out of the wet with his 
 
 .. 
 
mymmmsrmm 
 
 "■ 
 
 Shaep Contest with a Salmok. 243 
 
 gaff, when it scaled twelve pounds; and, though not large, it 
 IS something to play and save a twelve-pound salmon with a 
 smgle gut in a swift and shallow rapid just above a chute. 
 
 We now proceeded to the second pool above, where the 
 doctor seated himself to rest on shore and watch my move- 
 ments. Here also the run was about twenty rods wide, with 
 the channel along the bank opposite. I therefore waded out 
 so as to cast across the main current, and let my fly sweep 
 round to the eddy, some eighty feet below. I had not made 
 many casts before a salmon deliberately swam up to my fly 
 and examined it, and then, as if suspicious, turned from it 
 like electricity, his turn forming a most exciting whirl. In 
 vam I cast several times more, but the run was too wide to 
 deliver my fly at the farther shore, where was a deep pool 
 from which I might have enticed him. But we gave up the 
 chase and commenced a return, the doctor walking along 
 the shore, and I wading and casting as I went. We had not 
 gone far when I hooked a very elegant salmon. There was 
 a pool on each side of the run, and the salmon took the fly 
 on the farther side. As soon as the fish realized that he was 
 hrmly hooked, he came across the run for the pool near us. 
 I stood in the water nearly between the two pools, but rath- 
 er above them. As the run was very rapid all the way be- 
 low until t entered the St. John, I requested the doctor to 
 tall below the salmon, and thus prevent the fish from run- 
 ning the chute. The doctor waded below the pool on the 
 eft, and as he saw the salmon darting for that pool, he ran 
 below, to prevent the fish from turning down stream after it 
 should learn that it was mistaken in finding protection where 
 It was gomg to seek it. The salmon came to the near pool, 
 and, finding no assistance, it endeavored to sulk a little, but 
 finally resolved to run the chute, or return to the pool at the 
 larther shore. 
 
 After a close contest of an hour's duration, in which the 
 -salmon passed twice between the doctor's legs, the fish was 
 brought to gaff; and weighed fifteen pounds. On returning 
 
>i 
 
 244 
 
 FiBIIING IN AmEKICAN WatEKS. 
 
 I 
 
 to dinner, we learned tliat onr friends had fished hard for 
 modest results. By the supervisory care of the ladies, the 
 dinner was served in the following order or menu : 
 
 Vegetable soup. 
 
 Boiled salmon and fried trout. 
 
 Roast mutton, green peas, and other vegetables. 
 
 Claret wine, tea, bread and butter, etc., concluding with r. 
 dessert of marmalade and dried fruits. 
 
 After dinner we concluded to rest the ^ ' (urn some to- 
 
 bacco, and tie some flies. When we first n^ogan angling, the 
 preference by the salmon seemed to be given to the Montreal 
 tly, or a purple body, brown mallard wings, and tail from the 
 top-knot of the golden pheasant ; but within the last two 
 days they would not touch it. Their next favorite was a 
 good imitation of the real salmon fly, body and wings light 
 gray ; but after a couple of days more they refused all flies 
 but those with a preponderance of bright yellow and orange, 
 tied on a very small hook. The double-hook flies were the 
 most successful in bringing salmon to gaff", but I never tried 
 them ; and it is contended by some that two small hooks fall 
 better, and are more attractive than a single one, Forrest, 
 of Kelso, is the favorite fly-maker with Canadian anglers, and 
 he generally ties on a double hook. 
 
 SECTION EIGHTH. 
 
 FLY-FISHING BELOW THE FALLS. 
 
 "Below the Falls of St. John, from deep crevice stealing, 
 , The bright salmon watches his prey, 
 
 And when 'mid the white foam some stray fly lies wheeling, 
 Slyly bears — slyly bears it away. 
 
 " 'Tis thus in this bright world, at joys without measure, 
 Unheeding, we ardently spring, 
 And forget that oft hid by the plumage of pleasure 
 
 Lies a hook — lies a hook in the wing." — Stood art. 
 
 To a man unaccustomed to the broad, rushing, tumbling 
 torrents which debouch in the Gulf of St. Lawrence from the 
 north, there are many subjects to inspire wonder, and some 
 
 ^ 
 
,. 
 
 The Angler and his Gaffer. 
 
 245 
 
 few to challenge admiration. The bold mountains of gray 
 rock, from which a few stinted fir-trees struggle into the 
 light of day above the fissures and dark gorges are sombre 
 to see and sublime to contemplate ; and the rivers, tumbling 
 down frantically in their narrow passage between high walls 
 of solid masonry, would appear frightful did they not contain 
 thousands of beautiful salmon and trout, which make their 
 way with great assiduity to clear themselves of sea-lice by 
 the action of fresh water, deposit their eggs, and, when warn- 
 
I' 
 
 V ! 
 
 246 
 
 Fishing m American Wateks. 
 
 ed by, fresh-water parasites, return to sea to recuperate and 
 fatten preparatory to another visit up the river to their 
 spawning-grounds. 
 
 One day, while fishing the pool below the falls, I felt a 
 tug, and as my reel spun round whir ! whir ! ! whir ! ! ! I 
 raised my rod to a perpendicular, when — the reel still con- 
 tinuing — I saw three leaps at once, each fish leaping fasten- 
 ed to my fly. Thought I, " If you make three leaps at once 
 there is small chance of saving you," and so it resulted. By 
 the mana3uvre, it formed a bight in my line and unhooked. 
 
 My captures were very fair that day, and it is a remarka- 
 bly interesting pool to fish ; but the river was so Ioav, and 
 its waters so transparent, that I could count scores of salmon 
 lying in pairs by the rocks, awditing a rise in the river to help 
 them surmount the chute. 
 
 The next morning I fished the same pool from the opposite 
 side of the river, and in response to my second or third cast 
 I hooked a large salmon, which ran out to the middle of the 
 river and took nearly all the line off my reel, when it made 
 a leap about twenty feet up the river, and several feet above 
 the water, and the swiftness of the current made such a bight 
 in my line that its weight parted the single leader, though I 
 dipped the point of the rod as I saw the leap coming. As 
 my line came back I felt despondent at losing such a beauti- 
 ful fish ; but I venture to state that no angler, under the cir- 
 cumstances, could have %aved it. Such is salmon-angling. 
 You must use a single gut for the half of your casting-line 
 toward the end, and tie your fly on a single gut, or you will 
 be regarded as a coarse angler, and all your large scores will 
 count you naught as an artist at angling. Here are salmon 
 in a broad, rapid river, large enough to try the strongest 
 striped-bass tackle ; and yet they are to be taken on a single 
 gut, and played from half an hour to three hours to bring to 
 gaff. Add to the delicacy of play necessitated from the light- 
 ness of tackle the fact, also, that the mouth of a salmon is very 
 tender. These are points to be noted if you would angle for 
 
 ■ 
 
 " 
 
'" 
 
 Salmon Leaps and Spray-bows. 
 
 247 
 
 . 
 
 sal mon. No one ever hears of a string of salmon, for the very 
 good reason that their bodies are so heavy and gills so ten- 
 der that they will not sustain their weight. 
 
 I put on another fly and cast again. For some time my 
 eyes were not blest with the sight of a rise; but by-and-by 
 a salmon accepted the fly in earnest and fastened. The prick 
 of the hook gave it such a shock that it bounded and leaped 
 three or four times, as quick as thought, several feet above 
 the water. Finding itself still hook.d, it came toward me, 
 and I retreated, for fear that too acute an angle of the line 
 and rod might enable it, by a salmon dash, to break the top 
 of my rod. I therefore walked backward, and the salmon fol- 
 lowed me until within five feet of the shore. It then turned 
 as quick as lightning, and whir ! whir ! whir ! ! went my reel. 
 Another leap showed it to be in the middle of the current, 
 with but little line remaining on my reel, and a reef of rocks 
 rising above the water between me and the salmon. I at 
 once saw that it might extricate itself and take my fly and 
 some of the line; but it misjudged its own situation, and 
 started to leap the falls. By its failure I turned its head 
 shoreward, and brought it within a rod of me, Avhen it took 
 fright again and started down the river. After checking and 
 turning it, back it came to me, gentle as possible, leaping oc- 
 casionally, as if it v/as its nature, for I should have thought a 
 fish so circumstanced would have swam low; but no — all 
 game fish are alike in that respect. Although the salmon 
 had become used to my aj^pearance, it still distrusted me, and 
 started out into the current again. There he leaped a few 
 times, and finally consented to be led back ; but when it gain- 
 ed sight of the gaff" it shot off" again, though I could both see 
 and feel that it was losing strength. After two or three 
 more visits to the shore it became weakened, and Duncan 
 gaffed it.^ The fish weighed only sixteen pounds, but it was 
 the prettiest salmon that I had ever seen. Above the line 
 from gill to tail, it was a light and brilliant salmon color, and 
 below it was like polished silver. I could not help exclaim- 
 
 11 
 
i ftpf 
 
 248 
 
 FisiiiNcj IN American Watkus. 
 
 If 
 
 iiig liow boautifiil! Tliorc is nothini? more hcfiutiful than a 
 trosli-nin salmon when Hrst taken, ncitluT is tlioro any |)on- 
 cil capable of crcatiiit^ its apparent^ counterpart. To feel a 
 salmon fast to your lly aL see its leap is alone worth a voy- 
 age to Canada to exi)erience. 
 
 Again I swept the pool with care and got a rise. As I 
 oould not allure the beauty to a second attempt, I concluded 
 to rest the pool and go to the foot of the plain water, where 
 I saw the salmon disporting like dolphins just above the 
 rapid. The bed of the river was about a <puirter of a mile 
 wide, and shallow on my side. I therefore waded out, and 
 after a few casts hooked a large, vigorous salmon. After a 
 high leap it struck out to the middle of the river. Then it 
 made numerous rushes and leai)s, Avitli turns and sweeps, un- 
 til fmally the hook sprang back to me, and let the twenty- 
 l)ounder go on its way rejoicing. Very soon I hooked an- 
 'other, and it attempted to run the rapid ; but I checked it a 
 quarter of a mile below, wlicre it stopped to sulk behind a 
 rock, and before it formed another plan, my man Duncan 
 watched his chance and gaifed it. 
 
 Again, after half an hour's j)layiug, I succeeded in losing a 
 very large fresh-run salmon. I felt mortiiied, and so con- 
 cluded on returning to the head of the stretch to learn the 
 intentions of the large lish which had oftered before I left, 
 and for which I rested the pool. I went to the liead of the 
 pool and swept it along down until I came to where I got the 
 rise before I left ; but it had eitber leaped the chute or gone 
 from home, and after a few rises but no strikes, I returned to 
 dinner. " Moving large fish, however, is held by every true 
 angler only second to hooking them ; but many persons are 
 apt to despise the most skillful and patient efforts unless 
 crowned with immediate success." This is the experience 
 of John Colquhoun and every true angler. 
 
 Next morning, by dint of perseverance and continued ef- 
 fort,! finally hooked a salmon at the foot of the pool, and just 
 at that moment a loud crackling was heard in the thick un- 
 
 ■■ 
 
 
f 
 
 DAY-lHtKAMS AND KXCITING Si'ORT. 
 
 240 
 
 (lorvvood nlong tlio Hhore, and Duncan called my attention to 
 a bear tljat,liaviiig <liKcovered us, was niaking off with all the 
 Hpeed i)()SHil)le. I could not turn to look i'roni my salmon, for 
 it had not yet decided upon what course of tactics to pursue. 
 After a ihw minuses, when the salmon had concluded to run 
 the hook out, 1 turned to see, l>ut the bear was no longer in 
 sight. After several runs, tacks, shifts, sweeps, and leai)-!, I 
 brought the salmon home as gentle as a kitten, so that it 
 seemed a pity to gall it. 
 
 My friends had been fully as lucky as I had, and, as the 
 flies were disappearing, and we had examined our plateau, 
 walled by mountains and watered by beautiful rivers, we 
 concluded to digest a good dinner by admiring the works of 
 nature and enjoying the cmrora borealis and lunar bow. 
 
 Itosy were our dreams ; but, be it remembered, one of the 
 party began to sigh for Husan Jane. 
 
 The following day, and for several days thereafter, the 
 sport was about the same. The river soon began to shrink 
 and clarify, and as the salmon became more scarce, the num- 
 bers of sea trout increased. Sea trout are precisely like those 
 of Long Island. Their voyage to sea renders them as white 
 and plump as are those of the Willows, below Oba. Snedicor's, 
 and perhaps cleaner and Avhiter; but tliey are the same fish 
 hi ichthyological peculiarity. 
 
 The next day that I fished Rattling Run I took two salmon 
 at its mouth, Avhere the eddy was formed by the confluence 
 with the St. John; and I cast again to the foot of the rapid, 
 where my fly was usually drawn into the eddy, and before 
 it fliirly touched the water a salmon took it, and leaped some 
 ten feet up stream, dropping it while thus leaping. As I saw 
 the fly fall, I was in the act of retrieving my line, when an- 
 other salmon was fast to the fly, and I broke the top of my 
 rod. This proved to mo that the movement of a salmon is 
 too swift to be followed by the eye. I played and killed the 
 salmon after the rod was broken, and niy gaffer landed him. 
 Before I could splice another top to my Martin Kelly (a 
 
250 
 
 Fishing in A>iekican W/tees. 
 
 great improvement on the Caatle Connell rod) the shoal had 
 either passed by, or otherwise had concluded to decline ray 
 flies, and I was obliged to ibrcgo the amusement of ao-yin 
 playing a salmon that day. * 
 
 As there ai)peared no prospect for the river rising soon, we 
 began to think seriously of dividing the party, and two of us 
 taking gaffers and canoes, and going to the upper falls, twen- 
 ty-seven miles above. The next morning, however, was show- 
 ery, and the river had risen more than a foot during the night; 
 we therefore concluded to defer going up the river until the 
 prospective rain should have subsided. The fitful showers 
 of the morning increased to a steady and lieavy rain in the 
 afternoon, and both the general and banker met with fine 
 sport, taking several salmon of fine size. This day the gen- 
 eral evinced a commendable perseverance, for, in the heaviest 
 shower, if a salmon part ed his line and carried away his fly, 
 he would forthwith stop where he Avas, and tie a fly in a 
 drenching rain, attach it to his leader, and proceed to casting. 
 He lost several large fish that day, and saved only three; 
 one of these he hooked in the pectoral fin of the left side of 
 tlie fish, on the opposite side from the general, as the fish 
 started down stream, leading the general at double-quick 
 time. I Avas sweeping the pool at the mouth of Rattling 
 Run when I saw the general hastening doAvn the St. Johir, 
 along the shore. The rain was drenching. Pie wore rubber 
 overalls, overcoat, and hat; the brim of his hat turned under 
 across the forehead, giving him the air of enthusiasm so fine- 
 ly represented in the picture of Napoleon when he commenced 
 crossing the Alps. Of course there was the slight difl^'erence 
 of our general being on foot; but, with his rod stretching 
 high in air, the storm catching liis loose garment, the ha't 
 with brim turned under and giving it the military chapcau 
 shape, the toia ensemble was all energy and action. Down 
 swept the general. Rattling Run had swollen considerably, 
 and was three feet deep and very rapid just above the mouth' 
 mto which the general dashed and w^aded across, holdino- on 
 
 

 Veuy Tall Walking. 251 
 
 to his fish, which he thought a forty-pounder at least I Hi^ 
 gaffer followed close behind, and was about to embark the 
 general in a canoe to foUow the salmon down the river; but 
 the fish stopped in the pool where I was angling, and after a 
 play of less than half an hour the general brought it to gaff, 
 when it weighed IVi lbs. This feat was the greatest of thJ 
 season ; and, had not the fish been hooked on the far side from 
 the general, so that it was hard to maintain an equipoise, it 
 would probably have torn away. I shall never forget t'he 
 picture of ardor and energy which rushed down along the 
 shore and dashed across Rattling Run, speechless with won- 
 der and excitement. At dinner we canvassed the morning's 
 sport, and, though the rain dripped slightly through the ba'^-k 
 roof of our dining arboi-, we began to realize that a home in 
 the wilderness possesses an indescribable attraction, and the 
 apparently settled rain seemed an omen for better fishino- 
 than we had yet enjoyed, and we parted that night to our 
 several camps with a renewed stock of hope and pleasing an- 
 ticipation. • ■ 
 
 SECTION NINTH, 
 
 THOUGHTS OF RETURNING HOMEWARD. 
 " 'Tis a midnight fair to see, 
 Wotulrous in slll)limit'^ 
 Lingering at our cabin door, 
 Fast beside the river shore. 
 Dazzled is my gazing eye 
 With the grandeur of the sky. 
 Clouds are flying in mad chase 
 O'er the moon's benignant face ; 
 In the blue concave of air 
 Stars like diamonds gleam and glare, 
 While with weird, celestial glow 
 Springs aloft the lunar bow. 
 See ! like arch triumphal, high 
 How it soareth to the sky ; 
 See ! like heavenly rainbow, bent 
 O'er a showery firmament, 
 How its gorgeous columns climb 
 With a majesty sublime. "—Isaac M'Lellan. 
 
252 
 
 Fishing in American Waters. 
 
 1 11 
 
 Our dreams of home were rosy. Though unlooked-for, 
 modest flushes of the great St. John, produced by summer 
 showers at its tributaries, caused temporary hope, yet the 
 stream kept gradually narrowing and falling so fast that sal- 
 mon refused to ascend to the fluvial part of the river. About 
 the 20th of July the grilse began to make their appearance, 
 and the parr rose to the fly in the most plucky manner, 
 evincing more courage than their grandparents. 
 
 "At length the morning for our departure has arrived," 
 said one of our party while returning from enjoying his last 
 bath of the season in Rattling Run. Instead of learning from 
 
 the 
 
 "Tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, 
 Sermons in stones," 
 
 we were about to exchange the scenes of nature, nnadorned 
 by art, for the crowded mart, and the hurry-scurry of aggre- 
 gated humanity. The thoughts which made bearable the re- 
 flections called forth by preparing to leave our home of free- 
 dom, and felicity of angling for salmon, were the dearest of 
 earth — home, family, and friends. For these we could en- 
 dure the sights of striking tents, and loading the bark ca- 
 noes for our departure to the mouth of the river. 
 
 Our tents were struck, tents, trunks, and rubber bags 
 packed before breakfast. None but the experienced can re- 
 alize how lonely appears the little spot of ground over which 
 his tent has been stretched for several weeks, but of which 
 nothing remains except the boughs of the fir-tree which rest- 
 ed him, and gave him pleasant dreams for many nights. We 
 still heard tiie salmon leaping and splashing in the river, and 
 the two lone birds piping their merry notes, though our tents 
 were removed and packed in the canoes. But, shaking oflT 
 the sense of melancholy Avhicli I felt to be gaining on me, I 
 rememberecj that the lines of true anglers always fall in 
 pleasant places, and so adjourned to breakfast. 
 
 As the general had decided to remain and see the salmon 
 season out, 'twere wrong to deny the fact that leaving him 
 
A Farewell View. 
 
 253 
 
 and his lady greatly deepened the shade of our feelings at 
 parting from the peaceful plateau. But we all put on cheer- 
 ful faces and mixed our coffee with anecdotes. Our break- 
 fast consisted of fried or broiled trout, broiled grilse, termed 
 in Canada ''dejeuner^' signifying "breakfast." By others it 
 is called the " white salmon." Then we had ham and eggs, 
 hot biscuit, etc. We enjoyed our last meal as well as "cir- 
 cumstances would admit under the conflicting feelings of a 
 hope to soon see our flimilies, and a regret that the luntr bow 
 and aurora borealis, with the singing birds, would have to 
 sing and shine without us. 
 
 As to the salmon which had played us, and at numerous 
 times sold us, we felt as if we would have liked another con- 
 test with them ; but as that was impossible then and there, 
 as we had not the time to spare, we promised those of them 
 which parted from us with our hooks as nose-jewels, and oth- 
 ers that— having played us long enough— sprang the hook 
 out of their beautiful mouths, that if we hook them again 
 they will not get off so easily. 
 
 After breakfast, and all being ready for our departure, the 
 stars and stripes were raised, and while the general Avavcd 
 his salmon-rod, we started, and a salute to our honor was 
 fired from our only cannon as we parted from view of the pla- 
 teau and disappeared from its remaining inhabitants around 
 the foot of the mountain, at the bend of the St. John, just be- 
 low the entrance of Kattlino; Run. 
 Our hearts were full as we responsively shouted hurra ! 
 
 Ye rivers, so haunted with myriads of flies, 
 Whose flashes of salmon-hreaks gladden the eyes ; 
 Scenes wliere the brown bear roams the thick brake ; 
 Scenes where the seals their gambolings make ; 
 When slmll I tread your fair precincts again ? 
 When kindle my camp-fires over your plain ? 
 When again cast my line and my flies, 
 Charming my senses— feasting my eyes ? 
 
 The river was low and the reefs nearly bare, so that navi- 
 gation was not so safe as when we ascended j but our guides 
 
II i 
 
 254: 
 
 Fishing m American Waters. 
 
 knew how to manage bark canoes better than to speak any 
 language, their jmtois being a medley of French, Indian, and 
 English. But they were all trusty and industrious, as all 
 Canadian guides are. It is best that each angler have two 
 guides and one canoe ; for, though one man only is needed to 
 .attend an angler for gaffing and rowing in the neighborhood 
 of the encampment, yet for loAg journeys up rapid rivers 
 two men are indispensable. Cabins for cooking and for lodg- 
 ing may also be soon erected, and they arc preferable to port- 
 able tents. 
 
 • The River St. John winds like a serpent between the moun- 
 tains, and as the fall from our plateau to the mouth— 27 miles 
 -^is more than 150 feet, the rapids ar- very swift; so that 
 many times in rounding a bend we surprised a family of seals 
 teaching their young to catch salmon, wild geese with their 
 goslings, ducks with their broods, and expected to see Bruin 
 but didn't, ' 
 
 The row down the river was most pleasurable. The thin 
 • bark canoe responded to the lashings of the tide, and we felt 
 as tae lobster-peddler said, "All alive ! all alive !'' The doc- 
 tor, who had taken a front seat in the canoe, with his coat on 
 and broad-brimmed hat, had found the passage so jolly that 
 -like Obadiah Oldbuck-he had turned over a new leaf by 
 takuig off both his hat and coat, and remarked, as we shot a 
 rapid, " Let her went !" 
 
 The Indians were returning up the St. John to their homes 
 m the icy regions, having disposed of their furs at the Mhi- 
 gan tair, and laid in a winter sui)ply of flour and salt. 
 
 It was all vain to look kindly to these Esquimaux squaws 
 who are really beautiful, with their olive complexions, raven 
 locks, and lustrous eyes. They are wedded to the forest We 
 met some twenty odd Indian canoes ascending the river to 
 their homes, who knew enough of English to ask "Salmon 
 plenty V" But very few would make so bold as to ask " Has 
 you nothing good for me?" Of course they do not supi.ose 
 It degrading to beg from civilizvd men, for they consider 
 
 ■ I 
 
Welcomed by the Dogs. 
 
 266 
 
 them as appertaining to the outer world. I was greatly 
 amused by their appearances. There were many young men 
 among ,, „,„ ^,5^^,^^^^, ^^^^^ ^^^^ ,^ ^^^ arrangfment 
 
 then- han-; and some of the squaws had heads of loclcs 
 worth diamonds, and for whieh many of our belles would 
 swap then- eye-teeth, of best manufacture, for similar heads 
 of natural growth. 
 
 On our arrival at the mouth of the river, the dogs eame 
 ftom some thn-ty cabins to welcon.e us. They were of all 
 
 come. The sight and hospitable bark of our own kind of 
 clogs g addened our eyes and ears, producing a ch.arming ef- 
 
 quarte.s of the government agent, while our guides attended 
 
 to landing our luggage and cutting fir-boughs for our bed, 
 
 we join ed our trout-rods, and walked a short distance f^m 
 
 he eabm to the sandy shore of the river, where, within tZ 
 
 y mmutes,we took over fifty sea trout 'aveiWing a ^o, d 
 
 each. I fi-equently fastened two at a time on the same cast ■ 
 
 of files with which I had last fished on Long Island. 
 
 SECTION TENTH. 
 THE SH,VEB OK SEJ TKOUT. 
 
 Tins fish mhabits for nearly half the year the tidal water, 
 of the streams m Canada, Nova Seotia, and Newfounlland 
 
 -:tc:e^t™L":tadS^^^^^^^ 
 
 I -t beg humbly to dissent; anTlfttf Xl: 
 oiiption I myite anglers to decide for themselves wht-tllr 
 the sea trout ,s not the Sal^nofonHnall., or brook trc^^ com 
 mon to the streams of the northern part of North Imeri" 
 
 nrs":n t' : rr: ■ ;:':r' ''-"n-' "~'™'-^ 
 
 X. *, , , a(Jo\e thu lateral lijiu arc like tlioso 
 
 of the brook treat, its vermilion, white, and amber dots "re 
 
 • II 
 
1 
 
 256 
 
 Fishing in American Watees. 
 
 ■' 1 
 
 like the brook trout's ; its fins are like those of the brook 
 trout, even to the square or slightly lunate end of tail. It has 
 the amber back and silver sides of such brook trout as have 
 access to the estuary food of the eggs of different fishes, the 
 young of herring, mackerel, smelt, spearing, shrimp, and even 
 the young of its own family and those of the salmon. Ow- 
 ing to this food, it becomes whitei- and brighter than those 
 
 The SiLviiK ok Hex THovr.—lrtitta Argenfina or Trutta marina. 
 
 trout which inhabit swampy winters impregnated and discol- 
 ored by decayed vegetable matter, where the trout are con- 
 fined without the power of visiting salt water. All the au- 
 thorities agree that the sea trout spawns at the heads of 
 fresh-w.iter streams, ascending from the estuary in August, 
 and not returning until the following winter and sprino-. 
 All brook trout visit the heads of streams in autumn, and 
 return to the lower waters at the close of winter. Brook 
 trout of mountainous regions, Avhere the streams run through 
 rocky defiles and mountain gorges, or through a sandy soil, 
 are always brighter thar. the black-mouthed trout of hemlock 
 and tamarack swamps. I am informed that, of fifteen trout- 
 lakes in a certain part of Scotland, there are not two lakes 
 which contain trout entirely similar. Even the famous Gil- 
 laroo trout, which some anglers suppose to have a gizzard, 
 has merely a lump in its stomach formed by the peculiarity 
 of the clay and other substances on which it feeds. In the 
 United States and the Caimdus we have the salmon, the sal- 
 
 ■■ 
 
Choice Heshsek of a Fiest Familv, 257 
 
 mon-t.-„ut of the lakes, the brook trout, the silver or sea 
 trout, w h,eh I believe to be the brook tro, t, the who trout 
 
 *-«.), the Maekuaw trout, the wi„„i„i.,h, and the red trout 
 of Long Lake. All these fishes have the adipose seeond do 
 .al, a e ,.n,kj..„eatod,and the laminary tiakes are separated 
 by a thin curd or creamy substance 
 
 The real salmon of different waters do not differ so much in 
 hape and surface-marks as do either the brook trout or the 
 Wc trout, though old fishermen in Canada can distin..u sh 
 by the app..aranee of a salmon to what river it belong: o 
 they say, ■ least. Twenty-five salmon of some rivers Im 
 m a barrel, while of those from other rivers from forty o 
 
 ^fdllr.™'^''"'''"™-'^''^'"^'--^^^^^^^^ 
 of ae St'^'T ™"*'r'' *" '"'^ "•""' '^""y »* the mouth 
 
 1*1 tt\tt;":s"ri;r^"Ti;rv '°"^"'' ^™' "- 
 
 beautifid, being^,h™; t^tun Vuri'ts'LUtd'" s'T' 
 gtaening brightly with a satin sheen ^lieh'sp S,!: 
 glowmg lustre in the light. Its superior condition Ld I 
 ''f""f' '"^ 'rl ™'-y ''"*y' ">"1 the play very vigorous 
 
 and leapiiiiv at them for a tisfo Tt « „ • • ^ ' 
 
 41 •' lasto. Jt was surpris no- to nnfp 
 
 he exeuement wineh fiy-fishing fortrout prodtleed a«e 
 
 eod.flsh„,g femibes. Men, women, and children followed us 
 
 incie was a fieet of some sixty sail of cod fishermen in the 
 place, and their hired hands " shammed Abram to be"dk" t 
 
 ;*; l7 '" '"'" '""' ™ "'"■ "'^ ''- "- -"-fto tf t 
 wate,. It ,,,, ^,,y ^_^^,^_. ^^ ^^^^ ._^ ^^^ 
 
 of trout running from half a pound to fourpounds. The wa 
 terwas so perfectly clear that we could occasionally perceive 
 
 II 
 
258 
 
 FisiiiNG IN Amekican Watees. 
 
 ;i lordly salmon move majestically amon^ the speckled beau- 
 ties, no doubt waiting for a sliower to swell the waters, and 
 enable hiiu to start on his j^erilous voyage to the spawning- 
 grounds near tlie head of the river. As we were fisiiing from 
 the beach which forms the breakwater at the mouth of the 
 8t. John, my attention was arrested by a thirty-pound sal- 
 mon swimming along slowly toward the mouth, and within 
 easy casting distance for my single-banded trout-rod. As I 
 was admiring him, he chanced to see my motion in casting, 
 and dashed away into tlio sparkling surf at the mouth of the 
 river. 
 
 Taking trout with the fly is always more or less interest- 
 ing, but, as a branch of sport, it dwindles greatly on return- 
 ing from a successful trip of angling for salmon. Uroadway 
 is beautiful to those Avho have never visited Paris ; but on 
 returning from the BoHlevards, the Champs Ely sees, and the 
 Bois de Boidogne, the beauties which he contemplated with 
 admiration before he loft New York lack the charm of artist- 
 ic finish and the picturesque variety which youth always per- 
 ceives, but Avhich age or experience can not discover even 
 with the aid of alasses. 
 
 1? 
 
 THE "VVIIITE TROUT. 
 
 While the fog is lifting from Schoodic Lake, 
 And the white trout are leaping for flies, 
 
 It's exciting sport these beauties to take. 
 Jogging the nerves and feasting the eyes. 
 
 This trout inhabits Schoodic and Grand Lakes in the State 
 of Maine. Although it is eminently a lake fish, yet it is found 
 in the tributaries and outlets near the lakes named. It is 
 similar to the hirling in Scotland in the peculiarity of its 
 mea^ arying from cream to mallow color. The average size 
 of the white trout is from three to five pounds' Aveight, and 
 in outline it is between the salmon and the brook trout, with 
 the top of head and color of dorsal and caudal fins black and 
 lustrous as velvet, the latter crescent-shaped, with jet spots 
 
"(f 
 
 Gamy asd Beautifcl. 
 
 2S9 
 
 with tooth on tl,o palato, tongue, vomorino, palatine, and max- 
 'llary, l,ko those of the brook trout, or as are nearly air^he 
 you„« of the Salmomace; but ,ts head i. long; tL ' , a 
 
 salmon .. Its s. ale, arc small, and the body is entirely white 
 
 mg »"!■ netalhc Instre. It is better game than any other 
 lak ianuly of the ycu.cs tialmo, and will readily take the fly 
 on the surface of the water Win, „ , i , , ^ 
 
 fifteen f,.„, l„ " two-handed trout-rod, 
 
 leTn f '=','"' "' »"'«•««" ""Skilled in fly-ii.l,i„„ ,,a, taken 
 over a hundred n, three hours of these transeend™t beauties 
 
 The Whitk ntom.—Salmo alius. 
 
 Some persons have supposed this 1 ' e beauty "a land- 
 locLod sahuon," than which nothing c.u be mucl, more ab- 
 suM lor It has the common egress of a commodious river 
 wnch debouches in Passamaquoddy Bay, while those of the 
 lakes m the provinces have equally favorable avenues of es- 
 cape. JS^o, It IS a comparatively new luxury to the American 
 angler, and well worthy his attention. 
 
 Though many anglers use a two-handed fly-rod for takin<r 
 the white trout, yet it is more artistic to use a half pound flv"- 
 rod and smgle fly; the cinnamon, Montreal with claret body 
 and brown mallard wing, with the yellow and blue profes- 
 sors are all the flies needed for any weather, though the 
 coachman of white wing and peacock's herl body is a ^ood 
 sunset fly, and the red ibis wing with silver body sometimes 
 tokos very well. 
 
 The late Kev. Dr. Rothiine regarded this flsh and its sport- 
 ive ways with enthusiasm, and the borders of Schoodic lakes 
 
St 
 
 lii 
 
 iii' 
 
 ! ; 
 
 260 
 
 Fishing in American Waters. 
 
 and the St. Croix River still retain many marks of his en- 
 campments. The approaches to these grounds are via East- 
 port or Calais, Maine. At either of these places the angler 
 will find guides to the aromatic groves which overlook the 
 waters where the white trout disport in shoals of thousands. 
 
 THE WINNINISII. 
 
 ** At early dawn, or rather when the air, 
 
 Glimmering with fading light, and shadowy eve 
 Is busiest to confer and to bereave. 
 
 Then, pensive votary, let thy feci repair 
 
 To silent lakes, or gentle river fair." 
 
 This fish belongs to the genus Salmo, and tenants the up- 
 per waters of the Saguenay, near the outlet of Lake St. John, 
 in Canada. The fish runs from three to nine pounds' weight ; 
 and as no very young members of the family nor the spawn- 
 ino--beds have been seen by the habitans and Indians of that 
 region, it is reasonable to infer that they breed farther north; 
 and as they have a dorsal fin like that of the grayling, it is 
 quite probable that it is the fish written of by an officer of 
 the expedition in search of Sir John Franklin, whose descrip- 
 tion made " Frank Forrester" suppose it to be an American 
 grayling. But it is neither the grayling nor the omble chev- 
 alier, but a rare delicacy of the frozen latitudes of the Cana- 
 dian forests. Professor Agassiz is said to have named it the 
 Northern charr. 
 
 The Winninish. 
 
 The fins of the winninish, being large in proportion to its 
 size, render it very gamy. It sails near the surface, with the 
 
 ■ 
 
 top of dorsal and caudal fins in 
 
 view, and when it takes the 
 
Ve;ry EAiiE Delicacies. 261 
 
 fly, leaps, runs, and plays more vigorously than a grilse. The 
 tish is gray on its back and sides, interspersed with white 
 scales, all of which are small, but brilliant. Epicures regard 
 the wmninish as a higher luxury than either the brook trout 
 or salmon. Its head resembles the trout, but the mouth is 
 larger, and equally tough for holding a hook. The meat is 
 pmk-colored. It takes either the minnow or the fly gener- 
 ously. Fish-culturists might with advantage turn their at- 
 tention to the winninish and the white trout. 
 
 Lake Teout of Moosehead Lake.— This trout is unlike 
 any other in the American waters. It is round in body, and 
 resembles the winninish in large first dorsal and large tail. 
 Its meat is straw-colored, and on each side below the gUls are 
 five or six dark spots the size of peas, and like those on the 
 shad. It IS clad in small scales, dark on the back, orange 
 sides, and belly like the doree or common river pickerel Be- 
 ing so excellent a dinner-fish, it is surprising that the markets 
 ot Maine continue to monopolize it to the exclusion of epi- 
 cures in other states. It is caught by the hand-line, as other 
 lake trout. 
 
 BED TEOTJT OF LONG LAKE. 
 " I see the bright trout springing 
 
 Wliere the wave is dark, yet clear, 
 And a myriad flies are winging, 
 
 As if to tempt him near. 
 With the lucid waters blending, 
 
 The Adllow shade yet floats, 
 From beneath whose quiet bending 
 
 I used to launch my boats." 
 
 This is the richest and most beautiful specimen of lake 
 trout known in the State of New York. In outline it resem- 
 bles the brook trout which have access to marine feeding- 
 grounds, except in the tail, which is forked. In color it is a 
 reddish-brown on the back, mellowing to a pink at the sides 
 and a belly of white with pink tinge. The whole of its sur- 
 face. fiYrpnf. it.a lioo/I 0-.-./1 'u^n^ ;„ ii-.-.i i -^ ,. -> . , 
 
 clotted with orange 
 
 specks about the size of pigeon-shot. Li 2 the trout of 
 
 all 
 
I ■ i 
 
 
 I ' f 
 
 I I! 
 
 262 
 
 Fishing iw American Watkrs„ 
 
 the lakes, its scales are so small as to be scarcely perceptible, 
 but its body is marked with fine, transverse diagonal lines' 
 forming diamonds or canvas like the surface of fine drilling 
 or marsoilles. This is an unfailing mark of peculiarity. Its 
 meat is pink-colored, with rich layers of cream between its 
 Hakes. 
 
 Red Trout of Long Lake. 
 
 The red trout will rise to the artificial fly, take a feathered 
 spoon or well-dissembled minnow. Trolling is the favorite 
 mode of fishing for this beauty, whose average weight is from 
 five to fifteen pounds. It is very gamy, displaying much 
 muscular force and propulsive power in its runs and leaps. 
 To angle for the red trout is worth a voyage to the Adiron- 
 <lacks in June and July. It is fine sport to use salmon-tackle 
 and take him on the fly until fatigued, when the exercise may 
 be changed to trolling. 
 
 There is a universe of pent-up luxuries for the sportsman 
 in that ninety-two miles square known as the Adirondacks, 
 in the heart of the State of New York. A hundred moun- 
 tains t^hade as many lakes, which teem with living beauties 
 too rich in coloring and symmetrical in foi-m to be copied by 
 the painter's art. All the American varieties of the Salmo 
 genus except the salar are found in these lakes and their trib- 
 utaries, with the palpitations of busy life shut out, and naught 
 but a simple tenting residence on aromatic boughs for a bod, 
 where the timid deer comes with her spotted fawn to the 
 margii; of the lake to drink, and hesitatingly trusts the cross- 
 paths of men. The eagles soar aloft in the heavens above 
 the blue summits of cloud-capped mountains which seem to 
 jostle each other. Imagination is not sufliciently vivid to 
 
 ■ 
 
■ 
 
 The Home of a Sportsman. 263 
 
 realize the sense inspired in the Adirondacks by a sunrise 
 scene. The owl has ceased to hoot, the whip-poor-will to 
 sing, the panther to scream, and the wolves to howl; but the 
 sun lights up each bush and spray, and the shadows and 
 mountains form majestic basins. Now the brook trout are 
 busy, and the day-birds are musical. 
 
 Here, in these narrow lakes of pure water, fed by trout- 
 brooks, the gentle angler takes his morning walk, where the 
 breaks of speckled beauties enliven the waters with hopeful 
 expectancy, and naught disturbs the tranquillity, richness 
 and grandeur of primeval nature. Here the poet, painter or 
 philosopher may inflate the soul and invigorate the body' so 
 that, on returning to the busy world, he may be the better 
 able to endure its chafings and contests for another year. 
 
 TROUT OF SENECA AND CANANDAIGUA LAKES. 
 '• The generous gushing of the springs, 
 When the angler goes a-trolling ; 
 The stir of song and summer wings, 
 The light which shines, and life which sings. 
 Make earth replete with happy things 
 When the angler goes a-trolling. "—Stoddart. 
 This fish spawns in October and November, or when other 
 faixuhes of tlie genus Salmo do ; is white-mouthed and pinky- 
 meated. Its qualities, outlines, and superficial marks are as 
 varied as are its edible qualities. All anglers know that 
 these depend much on the quality of water they inhabit and 
 the food they eat. In the latter ]3articular they resemble all 
 animals and fishes. There are salmon-trout in nearly every 
 lake within the State of New York; but the fish of Seneca, 
 Canandaigua, Skaneateles, and Long Lake are infinitely supe- 
 rior, both as game and for the table, to those of Lake Onta- 
 rio and the other great lakes. 
 
 The color of this fish is a drab, with pink tinge from the 
 back two thirds down each side, shaded with vermiculate 
 marks, and covered with infinitesimal scales, like the com- 
 mon LAKE TROUT. The fins are like those of the brook trout 
 
if 
 
 264 
 
 Fishing in Amkrican "VVators. 
 
 except the caudal, which is forked. Tlio head resemhles the 
 brook trout's, even to tlie teetli. By 8ome persons this fish 
 is supposed to be a land-locked salmon ; but it is a distinct 
 family of the genus Salmo^ though in principal outward marks 
 of characterization it resembles the salmon-trout of Ontario 
 and tlie other great lakes, diftering because of inhabithig lim- 
 ])id spring waters with better food. 
 
 Trout of Seneca and Caylg.v Lakes.— Aii'a///w cunjinis. 
 
 In May, after the waters become settled and clear, these 
 fish are taken by trolling with spinning-tackle and minnow 
 bait. It is necessary to sink the bait near the bottom, and, 
 as the trout remain near shore until June, a light sinker will 
 be sufficient ; btit when the weather becomes quite Avarm 
 they resort to a feeding-level from fifty to two hundred feet 
 below the surface, where they are taken by trolling with 
 feathered squids. The lino should be two hundred yards 
 long, of the size used for catching cod, and from twelve feet 
 above the hook to twenty-five feet leads an eighth of an inch 
 thick are rolled at intervals on the Hne, sometimes to the 
 weight of a pound. Row slowly, and let out line until you 
 get a bite, and then calculate the depth to the feeding-level, 
 as the water in some places is a thousand feet deep. 
 
 Baiting the buoy and fishing with a drop-line is also prac- 
 ticed with success, though none of these methods of taking 
 lake trout are very attractive to the angler. 
 
 THE MACKINAW TROUT. 
 
 This trout is the largest of the genus in American waters, 
 generally running from two to five feet in length, and weigh- 
 ing from fifteen to fifty pounds, though Dr. Mitch ill states 
 
A Luxury of the Noktiiwest. 265 
 
 that it sometimes attains to the weitflit of 120 ])ounds It is 
 Clark colored on the back, sides, dorsal and caudal fins, mel- 
 lowmg off from the lateral lines to a white or creamy belly 
 Vermiculate marks cover its back and sides. The second 
 •lorsal, like that of all the ^almonklw,, is adipose. Pectoral 
 ventral, and anal fins light cream color, as are also the irides' 
 
 The Mackinaw Tkout.— ,b«//«(, «/««/%*<««.— MitchiU. 
 As this trout inhabits the jdeep pools in the cold lakes 
 from Huron to the frigid zone, its meat is firm, and the fish 
 18 highly prized by epicures. It is sometimes taken as far 
 south as the Ohio shore of Lake Erie, either by trollino- with 
 a minnow or a feathered spoon, or with cisco and yount- lake 
 herrings-all captivating lures. There are many taken with 
 gill-nets and set-lines in deep water, as also with hand-lines 
 by previously sinking a large stone with a rope attached and 
 at the other end of the rope fasten a buoy, and for several 
 days cast in butchers' offal by the buoy until it is supposed 
 the fish are chummed to that place as a feeding-ground, when 
 —with large hook, heavy sinker, and codfish line— the 'fisher 
 with the hand-line takes them as fast as he can bait and land 
 them. This killing method is a favorite one with many men 
 who fish for lake trout to sell, but it is very unsportsman- 
 like. In winter it is taken on hooks baited with pork throuo-h 
 lioles cut in the ice for the purpose. The best places to ali- 
 gle for this luxury, either with the troll or hand-line, is in 
 Lakes Huron, Superior, the Straits of Mackinaw and Green 
 Bay ; from the latter water, Chicago, Galena, and many towns 
 m the mterior of Wisconsin are supplied. In fishing throu-h 
 the ice, when a fisherman gets a bite, he throws the line ovm- 
 his shoulder and walks away from the hole, drawing the fish 
 
2G6 
 
 Fishing in Amekican Wateks. 
 
 i 
 
 lii 
 
 rapidly uj^ and out on the ico, where it is left to freeze. Be- 
 sides the thousands of them transported every winter in a 
 frozen state, many are salted and shipped off in the sprino-. 
 This trout is the most voracious of all the species, fattening 
 on such delicate luxuries as herrings, ciscos, and whitefish. 
 
 SECTION ELEVENTH. 
 
 AMERICAN PICKEREL, OR PIKE. 
 
 By blue lake marge, upon whose breast 
 The water-lilies love to rest, 
 Lurking beneath those leaves of green 
 The fierce pike seeks his covert screen, 
 And thence with sudden plunge and leaj), 
 Swift as II shaft through air may sweep, 
 He seizes, rends, and bears away 
 To hidden lair his struggling prey. 
 
 This fish, like the brook trout, is almost universally known. 
 It inhabits nearly all the waters of the north temperate zone, 
 and varies in appearance accordhig to its food, and the vol- 
 ume and quality of the water in which it is found. The large 
 pickerel taken in the St. Lawrence River and in many Cana- 
 dian waters is called by some the " great Northern i)ike," of 
 the famWj Usocidce, supposed to be unlike the common pike 
 or pickerel, or Esox Lucius ; but throughout twenty years' 
 experience at taking pickerel, I have been unable to discover 
 a very marked difference between the Northern pike and the 
 pickerel south of the St= Lawrence. 
 
 Amkhican Pickerkl, oil Pike. 
 
 " The pike is the Englisli name of a fish belonging to the 
 order Malacoptcrygii, section Abdomiuales,' family Esocidte, 
 and genus Esox." 
 
 The pickerel or pike spawns in March and April, and should 
 not be caught between January and July. In England it 
 
 1 
 
 
i 
 
 
 One of the American Fishes. 267 
 
 sometimes attains to the weight of sixty pomids, and in Nor- 
 way it occasionally rises to a hundred pounds, and more than 
 eight feet in length, while in America it is quite rare to take 
 one ot more than twenty pounds' weight. 
 
 OF PICKEREL, AND ANGLING FOR THEM. 
 
 isH of this family are known 
 in the United States by the 
 name of pickerel, which is the 
 name in England for a dimin- 
 utive pike. All pike, after ris- 
 ing above the pickerel weight, 
 and under five pounds, in En- 
 gland, are known as " Jack," 
 probably named after a poach- 
 er by the name of Jack Pike. 
 In the waters of the East- 
 ern, Middle, and Western 
 States, as also throughout the 
 
 , . . Dominion of Canada^thepick- 
 
 uel IS ound m most of the lakes, ponds, and some rivers- 
 especially is it numerous fn ponds where surface-water pre^ 
 
 exruXr'' '"'^ ^^ '''''" '^""'^"''^ '^'' ''^'^'" families are 
 The meat of small pickerel is mealy, fresh, and without de- 
 cided flavor, when-because of its yellow color-it is called 
 doree; but those from three pounds upward, taken in pure 
 water, may be justly considered a good breakfast-fish. The 
 pickerel of Greenwood Lake arc good, because the food is 
 abundant, and trout rills drop into the lake from every direc 
 .1011. As the lake is only 00 miles from New York, I used to 
 take a seat ,n an evening train of the Erie Railroad, arrivino- 
 in Chester at 7 P.M., and drive down ton miles to the lake in 
 ime to give Jack-the baitman-orders to have all things 
 eady nnd call me at five next morning. Tap-tap-tup at my 
 chamber door announced that it was five, and nothino- more 
 
I 
 
 268 
 
 FisHmG IN American Watebs. 
 
 V' ■■ 
 
 Forthwith 1 mounted my toggery, took a cracker, and fol- 
 lowed Jack to the boat, where all things were in readiness, 
 and he sculled me out to a raft or tloat on the lake, which had 
 been anchored at one of the best feeding-places for the long- 
 noses. Leaving me with my half dozen poles, ten feet long 
 each, and a pail of live minnows. Jack returned to the shore. 
 
 Among the numerous methods of still-baiting for pickerel, 
 that from an anchored float is the most quiet and easy. As 
 I was attaching a line to each pole, a deer, Avith elegant but 
 timid tread, came to the margin of the lake and took a drink. 
 It was September — a month for excellent venison ; but then 
 he was too pretty and innocent-looking to kill, and, though 
 within short range, I had no rifle with me. Tlie god of day 
 had not yet appeared, but the merry songsters made the 
 copse and fields joyous. To each stout pole I tied a line, 
 three feet longer than the pole, and at the end of each I at- 
 tached a gimp-snelled hook, and covered the connection of 
 line and snell Avith a small strip of sheet lead. The water 
 was from seven to nine feet deep, and for a float I tied a piece 
 of pine shingle, which produced no resistance to a bite, but 
 merely kept the bait a foot above the bottom. The shingle- 
 float was ten inches long, two inches wide at the thin, feath- 
 ered end, and tapered to a point, being half an inch square at 
 the end where I made the notch and tied the line. 
 
 In still-baiting for pickerel, if the fish takes the bait, and 
 learns that it is anchored or not at liberty, the fish at once 
 rejects it ; but by means of the sharp-ended float no percep- 
 tible resistance is offered, and the pickerel swims off" toward 
 a convenient place to gorge it. Tliere were places arranged 
 on the float for properly setting the poles, and arm-chairs at 
 intervals invited to rest between bites. By the time I had 
 baited my sixth hook and set my last pole, I saw the sliingle- 
 float to one of my lines tip up a trifle, and glide along the 
 surface of the water, sinking gradually as it moved. I gave 
 a sudden jerk with the pole to an opposite direction from 
 that which the float was moving, aud thus hooked and landed 
 
How TO ENJOY A Bkeakfast. 269 
 
 on the raft a four-pound pickerel. Before I had baited again, 
 another float gave signs of agitation, and I landed another.' 
 Jack, who had observed my success, now sculled alongside, 
 and took the two pickerel to be prepared for breakfast." 
 
 I continued fishing and admiring the scenery, with the 
 tops of the mountains just beginning to be illuminated by 
 the rays of a bright sunrise, and the pickerel accepted my of- 
 ferings most voraciously, so that I was in the midst of a most 
 successful contest when the horn blew for breakfast. After 
 fastening my rods securely to the float, and seeing that each 
 hook was well baited, I sculled ashore for breakfast. 
 
 On that lovely morning the sun seemed to have decked all 
 nature in holiday costume. After a refreshing bath, on en- 
 tering the hall leading to the dining-room, in the fragrant 
 aroma of the coftee I scented a welcome. The pickerel, which 
 had been first ^roiled or singed on the flesh side to prevent 
 the juice from escaping, was turned, and with a renewal of 
 hickory-wood coals was " done to a turn." Fresh butter, red 
 pepper, and a dash of black pepper for its aroma, prepared 
 the melting delicacy for the table. The smoke of the viands, 
 fish, and of the tureen of mashed potatoes, with the fragrant 
 cofiee, greeted the senses like incense, and filled the measure 
 of my hope and ambition. 
 
 After breakfast, a walk on the veranda, the discussion of 
 a cabana, and a look at the morning papers, which had al- 
 ready been received from the city, made me again anxious to 
 try the metal of those sly and peering long-noses. Adjourn- 
 ing to the hotel at eleven o'clock, forty-four pickerel included 
 my mess, and, partaking of an attractive lunch, I returned to 
 New York City in time to dine at seven in the evening. 
 
270 
 
 FisiimG In Amekican Waters. 
 
 i 
 
 SKITTERING* FOR PICKEREL AMONG THE LILY-PADS. 
 
 ' • Now changed the tackle and the bait ; 
 For larger i)rey we're all elate ; 
 'Mong lily-pads none vainly tries ; 
 The line runs off — a noble prize ! 
 Give time to poach — now strike ! 
 
 " Now seeks his haunt the wounded prey, 
 And then begins the angler's play ; 
 rie lengthens out, now slackens line, 
 Till struggles past — a welcome sign — 
 He lands a glorious pike ! 
 
 Chorus. — The jolly angler's is the life, 
 
 Devoid of care, devoid of strife." 
 
 Angling for pickerel among the lily-pads and pickerel-weed 
 is very exciting sport. The angler should use u rod from 1 3 
 to 1 5 feet long, flexible, but strong. For skittering a float 
 is not used, nor is natural bait the best. Use Buel's or 
 M'Harg's spoons, mounted Avith red ibis feather, and white 
 
 ■" Skittering is a word which belongs to an angler's vocabulary, but not 
 found in a dictionary. It means drawing or jerking n bait along the top of 
 the water. 
 
Quiet Scenery and Active Sport. 271 
 
 tt'w Z ''" "" ""= """"' ^'"^ °f *•"= ^P-- stand near 
 the bow of year p„„t, and skitte,- the lure along the surface 
 
 of the water, near the margins of the lily-pads, and if yon are 
 on Sodus Bay, or tempting the fish from almost any of the 
 bayous of Lake Ontario, you will find eause for surprise that 
 w foree yon to ejaculate; for it will be questionable which 
 mil be the most astonished, the novice in the boat or that in 
 the water. A most important essential is to have a man at 
 the stem who can use the setting-pole and sculls so as to en- 
 able you to fish the border of the lily-pads without searing 
 the prey mto their hiding-places. '' 
 
 Cuffy says, "Uf we had de gun, we might git a mess of 
 .vooMuek." I reply, " Confound wood-duclc ! Don't you «e 
 hat the large p.ekerel is going into the weeds, and tha 
 can not prevent him ? Turn the punt from shore." 
 
 the bet'" n"°/'" ^"'?'"' '"* "™ ">i™°-.the shiner is 
 o sp,„n „g-tackle." Keep your bait in motion, upon the 
 
 s the favor-teplan of angling for pickerel in NewEn^and 
 and .s, moreover, essentially modern, and affords aetive°r«:;.t 
 
 STILL-BAITING FOR PICKEREL. 
 
 "The angler i.s free 
 From the cares which degree 
 Finds itself with so often tormented ; 
 And although we should slay 
 Each a hundred a day, 
 'Tis a slaughter needs ne'er be repented. "-Cotton 
 The primitive and philosophical method of an,li„g for pick- 
 le is with an ash or hickory pole. The bait '^ ali." W 
 Of course, while angling in this way, you may study n.turf .' 
 
 with you, for they are frequently unfathomable. Seek a place 
 on the margin of a solitary pond, shut out from th h'bt 
 tions of men by a dense grove. Seat yourself on son^e flii;: 
 
i 
 
 i 
 
 272 
 
 Fishing in Aaiekican Waters. 
 
 SX1LL-I5A1TING FOK JflCKEKEL. 
 
 tree of ancient renown, and there beside you place your books. 
 Then bait your hook, and cast it off among the lily-pads or 
 stumps which margin the pond, and gaze away on vacancy. 
 There is naught set down against smoking at such a place 
 on such occasions. Let the birds bill and coo in the grove 
 behind you, and if your mmd is intent on developing a new 
 theory, let your bait crocp up on a stump near yon. to the 
 
The contemplative Piiilosowiek. 273 
 
 envy of all kingfishers who mav covet it • nn^ i.. v . i 
 of yo,... afflatus .LHe H watched ^r :l;::t ^ Cpt 
 
 -id that sages had seen them D s'l^f^^ t r" -?''"'" 
 opinion who stated that the solitudeXh t IT ^ 
 
 ways „ea.. cities o- ia.,e towns. fJ' ^ ^ '" ^'" 
 
274 
 
 Fishing in American Wa' 
 
 TERS. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 TROLLING AMONG THE THOUSAND ISLANDS. 
 
 Here is the angler's paradise, 
 
 A dreaniiTig, Eden-like retreat, 
 With balmy perfume in the air, 
 And wild-flowers springing at the feet. 
 All the charms winch angling for pickerel confer are sub- 
 hmated and condensed into trolling among the Thousand L'- 
 •T \ T^^P^^''^^^^1 «f the thousand lucent streams and rap- 
 ids shaded by as many floral islands, are much better flavor- 
 ed than are those which dream out an indolent existence while 
 watching for frogs among the lily-pads, or darting, until they 
 wear themselves thin, after the minnows of pond^and rivers. 
 Ihe Thousand Islands extend from Cape Vincent to a few 
 nules below Alexandria Bay, or about thirty miles, and the 
 HvcTage width of river is about five miles. Imagination may 
 better picture than I can describe the hundred and fifty miles 
 of trolling and casting the fly on streams dividing picturesque 
 islands, or islets covered with greensward and enlivened by 
 
The Quiet and Beautiful. 27S 
 
 0„?W Tf "; ""'^ '-'vcnwa,-,,. This cl„.n„i„g Lnc I 
 ™I.vonc.a by tho wood-.luck anU other bh.ls ofgay phil. • 
 
 , ™" ^- ^'■'""" tl"' water streets of Ve.iice with their aoii- 
 aoas, nor the Hois ,fc y,„„,„,„, ,,„, ,,, „.,„„„„,, '^I," 
 
 l^h*;',: Tr,""" 'f;: '";" '"""^'""».-- =" «" eo,n„ara l 
 witn the Ihoufsand Islantls. 
 
 From Cape Vineent to within a few miles of Ogdensbtm. 
 there ,s fl.hn.g and shooting enongh to satisfy all tt.e opie u- 
 ean lovers of field-sports in Ameriea, did they but know 
 of the nches of land and water whieh their oxeellent fis 
 and game otter as attraetions. 
 
 The Thousand Islands forms the most extensive spawnin... 
 ground between the Atlantie and the great ehain If Taker- 
 there are numerous eddies and shallow sand-bars among' 
 these tslands where the wall-eyed pike and blaek bass spaw ^ 
 but the fishermen are eomplaining that the annual diminu- 
 t.on m ca ehes ealls loudly for a law of reeiproeal proteetion 
 between the Dominion of Canada and the United States. If 
 
 sandXt f ■*" """ """'*■*"' "''■'* '■'■■^°^' '" «- Thou- 
 sand Islands to spawn were allowed to breed-nnmolested by 
 
 net or spear-an annual stock of pickerel, blaek bass, Hass- 
 
 eyed p,ke, Oswego bass, and fishes of smaller varieties wouhl 
 
 ts':::!:""'' '" ^'■'*"'™' "™''^" '° ^^--^ »" «•«< 
 
 All the little towns .along the Thousand Islands have be- 
 come attr.act,ve summer resorts. It was here that Bishop 
 
 On visiti^^ig the Thousand Islands for a few days' reerea- 
 t.on, my advice is to go in p.airs. A gentleman eLpaX , 
 W.I1 answer, but , lady is better. Clayton, whieh is a town 
 
276 
 
 Fishing in America?. Waters. 
 
 nearly midway of the ishuuls, on the soutli side of the river, 
 is said to bt the most convenient point to select for trolling ; 
 for, in addition to the best '];ronnds being near there, its cen- 
 tral location enables angievs to niake a trip up or down the 
 river to the extremity of iLe inlands and to return the same 
 day. The hotels along the Thousand Islands are generally 
 comfortable, and the landlords reliable. Make known your 
 Avants to the proprietor, and he will engage a man and boat 
 for you. All the trolling-boats are , in k r in model for 
 speed and comfort. The boatman furnishes rods, lines, baits, 
 and rows his own boat. I prefer to use my own tackle, even 
 to spoons and feathered squids. Each row-boat is furnished 
 with two cushioned arm-chairs, in which yourself and lady 
 are seated near the stern and facing it. The bottom of the 
 boat is carpeted, and crimson is the favorite color. Tiie fish- 
 ing-rods are so set, by appliances in the boat and on the taft- 
 rail, that the troll follows outside of the track, as the rods are 
 held at right angles with the boat, like outriggers. The line 
 is from fifteen to twenty yards long, and the troller lets it 
 run from the reel as the gaifer rows along. The trollers soon 
 become so enraptured with the varied beauties of the shifting 
 .scenes that they lose the consciousness of being on a fishing 
 excursion until the oarsman calls loudly, " Bite on the lady !" 
 which sufficiently disenchants them for the lady to reel in a 
 pickerel or black bass, or perchance a niaskinonge ; when 
 " Bite on the gentleman !" is heard, and he reels in a fish to 
 the gaff of landing-net. 
 
 Parties leave the hotels in couples, agreeing upon a rendez- 
 vous for lunching on some island. The boatmen take bread, 
 ice, vegetables, and condiments, and couples sally forth upon 
 the waters, and adjourn at the appoint "d time in the midst 
 of groves of more than Oriental beauty. The fish are cooked 
 by an artist on an extemporized fireplace, while other gaffers 
 are spreading the cloth on the greensward, where the repast 
 is perved, and all goes on enchantingly. After luncheon they 
 repair to their boats, when they continue ttfolling, or cast an- 
 
Leader op the Clan. 
 
 277 
 
 
 chor on the shaay side of a floral islet, in a narrow, rapid elian- 
 nel, where they east the flies for blaek bass. Thus passes the 
 day, on waters where the air is laden with perfume from wild 
 roses and honeysuckles, and where the music of birds chimes 
 in with the running water, as the trollers alternate between 
 light and shade, now gliding along in gorgeous sunlight, an<l 
 anon tracing narrow channels, shaded by tall forest trees 
 where wild ducks and other winged game are rendered al- 
 most tame by the contiguity of civilizadon and the frequent 
 sight of gay and jolly fishing-parties. 
 
 SECTION SECOND. 
 
 THE MASKINOXGE. 
 Where'er Ontario's waters chafe 
 
 The rocky bhiffs that crown its shore, 
 And wlicre Canadian banks are green, 
 
 And crystal tributaries pour, 
 The savage maskinonge' doth roam 
 
 The tyrant of the watei v plain. 
 No rebel to dispute his claim, 
 No rival in his great domain. 
 
 fa Jn'v '"%l'Tt ■" "'"i""'' ""="•""■"' '1'"™™ of '■>« I'ik" 
 
 r„,ri ™'- V"'"'--" •'«™<l"y, and to m„.t of the lakes 
 ami „ve, . m the vast northwctem wilderness extending to 
 U>e ingKl zone The Ojilnva name of this flsh is " maskauo,.- 
 J«, mea„,„g"long-s„o„t." When Canada was a French col- 
 ony, the ha>Mans" named it m„,gu. Icwm, signifying Ion,. 
 v.sage I submit that the Ojibwa wa,^ entitled by priority t: 
 ho ,>ght of naming the flsh ; but as the Dominion of Canada 
 has named ,t again, and in all legal enactments there in ref- 
 orem- to n the name of the flsh is written " maskinon..,-. " I 
 w.lln,,ly aoo„pt the modiflcatiou instead of either the Ind an 
 or the i^rencii name. 
 
 .lod^r rti' T^l^"^^^«" «f "'--""^^ a fish which has puz- 
 zled most ichthyologists and anglers, «o that they have been 
 uncertam and dubiotis on the point. The name is Maski- 
 
 NONGE. 
 
278 
 
 Fishing in Amkbican Wateks. 
 
 Having hoard many anglers state tliat they could not dis- 
 tinguish the maskinonge from the jtiekerel, I invite them to 
 look at the diversities. The mandibles of the former are 
 longer, the tail more forked and larger, the dark gray back 
 and light sides arc dotted in black, the outline of the fish is 
 more delicate and elegant, presenting the appearance of 
 greater refinement and higher breeding than the pickerel or 
 pike. The surface difierences are palpable, but they are not 
 so marked as are the epicurean qualities. The meat of the 
 maskinonge is compact, white, tender, and peculiarly delicate 
 and rich in flavor, without i)artaking of any taint of extrane- 
 ous substance such as decayed wood and bark, which so com- 
 monly aftect the flavor of pickerel, and even trout. This 
 proves that the maskinonge inhabits springs; and when 
 taken in lakes where surface-water is supposed to preponder- 
 ate, is always found at points where the fountains gush from 
 the bottom. 
 
 ' 
 
 The Maskinonge. 
 
 Rice Lake, twelve miles north of Coburg, in Canada, con- 
 tains favorite feeding-grounds for the maskinonge. Its nu- 
 merous springs, its beds of wild rice miles in length, formhig 
 a ground shade, its row of islands rising high above the level 
 of the lake, covered with dense forests of lofty trees in whoso 
 shade the fish disport near the fountains, make this their fa- 
 vorite resort. These attractions, and the rivers which feed 
 the lake and teem with shiners and other tiny baits, render 
 Rice Lake remarkable for containing maskinonge which are 
 equal in game qualities to any known in America ; and I be- 
 lieve the fish has never been discovered in any Avater of the 
 eastern hemisphere. 
 
 This fish often attains to nearly seven feet in length, and 
 
' 
 
 A Study and a Luxury. 279 
 
 to the weight of from sixty to s..enty ponruls in the upper 
 lakes, as well as in Ontario and the River St. Lawrence. But 
 when so large they are less active than when from ten to 
 thirty pounds in weight, as in liice Lake, and the River Oitan- 
 abee, which enters Rice Lake opposite and about four miles 
 from Gore s Landing. The greatest number that I ever took 
 in one day on this lake and river was sixteen, and as I took 
 them egitimately-with rod and reel-the gentlemen at Ilar- 
 nss Hotel decided that I had won the spurs, and invited me 
 o their club. I there learned that it was the greatest num- 
 ber ever taken from the lake in one day with a single rod and 
 reel ; and as the club was chiefly composed of retired officers 
 ot the English army and navy, wit], a sprinkling of civilians 
 who own charming boxes on the margin of this beautiful 
 lake of thirty miles in length, I regarded the compliment as 
 a very flattering one. 
 
 Maskinoii-.^e are taken on a troll like either of those repre- 
 sented on another page, under the title of "Spoon Victuals for 
 Long-snouts." 
 
 Instructions.~Troll with a striped bass rod about ten feet 
 ong, and on a reel which will carry six hundred feet of fine 
 bass line place three hundred feet of the largest linen reel 
 line. To the end of this line attach your feathered squid 
 In trolling, let your squid be about sixty feet behind the boat 
 Ihe oarsman will regulate the speed. Then the first saluta- 
 tion that you will probably receive will be a shock.m<r jerk 
 and you will see at the end of your line, and about sfx feet 
 above the water, a maskinonge suspended like Mohammed's 
 coffin, only shaking the squid so that it jingles. In that case 
 don t get excited, for it is the last time probably that day 
 that you will see him. Row on ; do not turn to go over the 
 ground to retrieve your loss, but be ready for a new adven- 
 ture. After he hooks himself, do not play him with too stiff 
 a line, nor yet slack enough to let him get a bight in it Tire 
 hmi out, and bring him gently to gaff, and see that your gaff 
 
 be the best of the striped bass pattern. Keep 
 
 away from 
 
m 
 
 280 
 
 Fishing in American Waters. 
 
 him after your oarsman lands him in the botton;. of the boat, 
 where he always keeps a mallet or billet of hickory wood to 
 pound the fish on the head and prevent him from leaping 
 out of the boat, for his saltatory powers surpass those of the 
 salmon. It is said that a trout Avill rise a fall six feet high, 
 a salmon one of eleven feet perpendicular, and a maskinonge 
 one of nearly thirty feet. 
 
 Far where Lake Erie's billows glance, 
 An ocean-like immense expanse, 
 The sharp-teeth'd maskinongc abides, 
 The shark of the fresh-water tides. 
 Now in the dr.rk abyss of waves 
 He glides ; now where the shallow laves 
 The gratisy shore, and crisp waves break 
 O'er the white sands that gird the lake. 
 
 SECTION THIRD. 
 
 THE BLACK BASS. 
 
 Amid the Thousand Isles that gem 
 
 St. Lawrence like a diadem, 
 
 Where winds are soft, and waves are calm. 
 
 And pine-woods steep the air with balm, 
 
 riscator floats the calm abyss 
 
 'Mid scenes of most transcendent bliss ; 
 
 Wafted across that teeming flood, 
 
 His heart o'erfiows witli gratitude. 
 
 Many anglers think tiie black bass next to the salmon for 
 game. It is unquestionably high game. Being numerous in 
 many waters of the Northern States, it has come to be re- 
 garded as a commercial fish, and, through ignorance, many 
 confound it with the Oswego bass, which is quite an inferior 
 fish as to game and for the table. Some persons have ex- 
 ported the black bass both to England and France with the 
 view of propagation ; but whether they were the real black 
 bass is questionable, as they are diflicult to export after they 
 grow to be larger than fingerlings. 
 
 The black bass is supposed to belong to the perch family, 
 or rather order of fishes, because its mouth, gills, fins, and 
 scales are similar to those of the Percidm ; but, in order to 
 
Moke Gamy than Beautiful. 281 
 
 distinguish it from otlier fishes of similar color and apparent 
 organization, it should be remembered that the real black 
 bass has a red speck in each eye like a dot of carmine. It is 
 also more delicate in outline, and has a smaller head than the 
 Oswego and the Southern bass. The black bass spawns in 
 tlie spring, and, like most fishes Avhich spawn in that season 
 IS not supplied with a sac of nutriment attached to the um- 
 bilical cord. 
 
 The activity and muscular power of the black bass are suf- 
 ficient to enable it to liold its own and increase its numbers 
 in waters inhabited by the most ferocious fresh^ivater fishe. 
 such as the maskinonge, glass-eyed pike, and the pickerel or 
 pike ofthe great lakes. 
 
 The Black ^\ss.—Centrarchus/asciatus.~J)G Kay. 
 
 With a view to giving the angler a list of the principal 
 fishas m the fresh waters ofthe State of New York, I append 
 the following extract from a letter written by an old, intelli- 
 gent, and successful angler, who has resided in the central 
 part of the state, and fished for the most gamy part of the list 
 of which he writes for more than thirty years. His theory 
 of the black bass hibernating in clefts of rocks is corrobora- 
 ted by other authorities, and is doubtless true. But to the 
 extract.* 
 
 and Ca^i^rrTr ?/*'" ^^'I^-^^^^' 0"^''^"o Lake, Seneca River, Oneida 
 in thP.V T ^'^°?'/''^'-° ••^'•° f"""*! »'>« (>«wego and l,Iack bass, veiy siSl 
 >n then- shape and in some of tiieir habits, so much so thaf tbo- „..! a 
 mistaken for one and the same «nerips Thn n r ^""*.*'''^^ "'^ o^^en 
 
 are good biters, and are game to the last. ' 
 
^82 Fishing in American Waters. 
 
 THE OSWEGO BASS. 
 
 This fish is similar to the black bass in all outward marks, 
 except that it has a larger hea d, lacks the double curve at 
 
 "The black bass seldom attain to more than four and a half pounds^~I 
 have taken hundreds, and have never seen one weighing more They are 
 distinguished from the Oswego bass by a faculty of changing color in and out 
 water -sometimes yellow, or yellow with dark bands across, and often 
 black as mk. All these changes I have seen in the same individual after 
 landing him ; and they invariably emit a disagreeable musky odor. I have 
 never known them to be taken in winter, and I think they seek a particular 
 location and remain torpid during winter. My attention was directed to this 
 fact about thirty years since. At that time I was in the habit of spearing 
 fish in a miU-dam, on the outlet of the Seneca Lake, at Waterloo, in Seneca 
 County. From April to November I found numbers of bass ; from Decem- 
 ber to March I found all other varieties, but no bass. 
 
 " In the winter of 1837 the w; ar was shut off at the lake for the purpose 
 of deepening the channel to improve the navigation. This was considered a 
 favorable time to quarry the limestone in the bed of the river ; and upon re- 
 moving the loose rock in tlie above-named mill-dam, where the ledges crop- 
 ped out, there were found hundreds of bass imbedded in their slime, and pos- 
 itively packed together in the crevices and fissures of the rocks. My subse- 
 quent experience has done mucli to convince me that my theory is correct 
 The black bass appear in the waters of the Cayuga Lake in April. ' They make 
 their beds and spawn between May 10th and June 20th, and disappear in No- 
 vember. The trolling commences in tlie early part of May, and continues 
 until July 1st, after which time we find great annoyance from the weeds. 
 
 "In the Seneca and Canandaigua Lakes the ba'ss make their appearance 
 at a later dnte— usually about the middle of May— and spawn between June 
 1 0th and July 25 th. This is the best time to take them. They locate in 
 gi-eat numbers upon shoals and bars where there are large boulders. The 
 Seneca Lake, unlike other lakes in this region, is very deep. It has a clean 
 beach and bottom ; no weeds or grass except in the little coves and bays. In 
 these places we find small patches of grass filled with all sorts of small fry, 
 and it is about these grass patches that we have the finest sport in August 
 and the fore part of September. By the 1 st of October the bass have disap- 
 peared from their usual haunts, and the next we hear from them is at the 
 'Bass Grounds,' near Big Stream, where they congregate in immense num- 
 bers about the middle of October. The manner of fishing is with the hand- 
 line and rod and line, using crawfish and minnows for bait. Hundreds are 
 taken in a day in this place. This sport continues until the middle of No- 
 vember, when it ceases. The appearance of the bass in this locality I con- 
 sider as another fact in corroboration of my theory. The shore is a bold 
 rocky cliff, and the water very deep. ' 
 
 ' The bhick bnss of the great chain of lakes range from three to nine pounds.— G. C. 8. 
 
Habits of the Black Bass. 
 
 283 
 
 the end of the lateral line at the joining of the tail, and has 
 no red m the eye. Its flaky meat is soft and watery, and its 
 common weight is from five to ten pounds 
 
 Like the black bass, this fish is taken by casting the arti- 
 ficial fly, or by trolling with the feathered spoon, ^ith a min- 
 
 "Th^fi l! T "J""^ '^ ^'°^^' '"^ ^^^™^"S spinning tackle. 
 This fish inhabits most of the lakes in the interior of the 
 
 State^ofNew^York^the waters of Ohio, Kentucky, and 
 
 .ie^ to "if lZ° ™°,"'', °T°° ^°'"^' ''"» '-"'-y f'"-' I"" <"«"">'« vnrie- 
 S r„d "priS^^ke " • '"^^ ""'"• '""'"' '""^'■' '■"'' -*- The w„,e,. 
 " The Seiieea nncl Canamlaig,,,, Lake, are supplied with late tront ,vl,i,. 
 r.h, h„„„,.«,„,„„, pike.p,„h, black and rj\„.,, y^J^;:X':l^ 
 
 a;ii^;^Mt^jL;:i:xrdti, ^\r at '™"> '*r 
 
 Iiiindi-fxl foof ,!-,„. 1 . . -^ uoep, lake trout at sixty to one 
 
 ' inclietl feet deep-flhva.ys at the bottom, rowing moderatelv Wp „«« ? 
 
284 
 
 Fishing in American Waters. 
 
 Thk Oswego Bass. 
 
 those of many of the Western States teem Avith it, n^ do the 
 chain of lakes on our Nortliern border, and the rivers and 
 lakes in the w^estern part of Canada, and most of the waters 
 of ti. a Northwestern wilderness. In some places it is known 
 us the yellow bass, and at others as the white bass. 
 
 BLACK BASS OP THE SOUTH. 
 
 To the casual observer this fish very nearly resembles th. 
 black bass of the North. Its habits are indeed similar, and 
 so are its fins and color; but it has a larger head, and in all 
 ponits excepting contour it is like the Osv 3go bass. The 
 
 Black Bass of the South. 
 
 rivers in Florida are alive with this fish, and it is not diflicult 
 to take several hundred pounds of them in one day. It is 
 taken there in winter, wTien the sport may be varied by shoot- 
 ing deer, ducks, wild geese, an occasional brown bear, and an 
 alligator, and all from the same trolling-punt. 
 
f 
 
 i 
 
 -By SOME CALLED StKAWBEEKY. 
 
 285 
 
 he 
 1(1 
 rs 
 n\ 
 
 THE SPOTTED BASS OR SPECKLED HEN. * 
 
 This is a common fish in the fresh waters of the Western 
 Mates; it is also taken in the waters of the western part of 
 the Dommion of Canada, where it is known as the speckled 
 hen This IS one of the r.umerous small pan-fishes of the 
 Western waters which naturalist, have not yet classified It 
 ranges m weight from a quarter of a pound to two pounds, is 
 blackish-green on the back, greenish-yellow on the sides, with 
 u white belly, and dotted in black similar to some of the dace 
 0^'s of \V estem streams. It is an excellent breakfast-fish, 
 ei her rolled in flour and fried in butter, or in sparkling hot 
 fat of salt pork. Sweet or olive oil is the best juice for frv- 
 •ng fish in, but seldom used in America for the purpose ex- 
 cept by Israelites. 
 
 The Spotted Bass oe Speckled Hen. 
 EOCK BASS OF THE LAKES. 
 
 Tins is rather better game than the " s))eckled hen » bites 
 freely at a feaLl.-^red squid troll, or to any shiny revolvino- 
 spoon bait ; it also bites at the apple-worm, white grub grassy- 
 hopper, or shiner-. This may also be said of the speckled hen. 
 Ihe Buel feathered spoon of smallest size and brightest feath- 
 ers is a CI?)': iiing hire for both the spotted bass and the 
 rock bass T is fish inhabits all the lakes in the centre of 
 the state, or ' is regarded as an excellent pan-fish. It is green 
 on the back, orange at the sides, and cream-color on the abdo- 
 men; the mottled spots are black and green. This is emi- 
 
286 
 
 I 
 
 Fishing in American Waters. 
 
 Rock Bass of the Lakes. 
 
 nently a lake fish, where it is found in greatest numbers over 
 the shallows near the shores, and contiguous to the entrance 
 of sprnig streams. It ranges in weight from a quarter to u 
 pound. 
 
 SECTION FOURTH. 
 
 THE SUNFISn. 
 
 This little fish inhabits nearly all the lakes, rivers, and 
 ponds m the United States. Its habits arc very domestic 
 seldom lep,ving its spawning-ground out of its sight, but seeks' 
 some rock or large stone where it plays about ; and the re- 
 mamders of shoals of a single pair maybe seen disportincr to- 
 gether, gay and lively, while watching the bottom for mch 
 ground-bait as angle-worms, and the surface for flies and 
 grasshoppers. This tiny gormandizer is a great annoyance 
 to fishers with the fly or worm when it becomes numerous in 
 a trout-pond, for it will take both the worm and the fly • and 
 besides, it will steal the trout-eggs from the spawning-beds' 
 but It affords ladies and children much sport, and is withal 
 an excellent pan-fish ; and as it affords good sport for school- 
 boys, it should be tolerated. It never attains to more than 
 half a pound weight ; but the buffalo, a Western fish, which 
 IS snnilar to the spotted bass, is sometimes mistaken for this 
 fish, and in some waters ranges from half a pound to nearly 
 five pounds. The sunfish is dark greenisli- brown on the 
 back, greenish-yellow on the sides, lower end of gill tipped 
 
Greedy Small-fky. 
 
 287 
 
 The Sunfish. 
 
 With ml, and tlie belly orange and gold. It is to be fished 
 lor with perch tackle and very small hooks. 
 
 THE PERCir. • 
 
 Thi, foh is tl,e heart of the families of the Pccidm or Per- 
 «fe of Cuver. The p,-e„perem„m is dentionlated, the oper- 
 culum IS produeed behind into a flattened spine the infL 
 o.-b>.al, are obscurely denticulated, and the to,!gue'i smoo , 
 This IS the common fresh-water perch-tho Pe^ca prone. ^ 
 
 .';i:e~ itt:™" """"*■'"' •■' ^^^^^ =---- 
 
 y necessa.y. It ,s a very voracious fish, will bite to the ar- 
 
 ±t ''elT 1 "r"-'!:'^ '^ '" weakness, while it seems 
 equally well pleased with any bait which the angler may 
 adopt o, change to Its weight is usually about hatf a po d 
 
 cales as high as seven pounds, b„t rarely except in the large 
 
 The Pkkch.— Pcrta. 
 

 a i 
 
 288 
 
 Fishing in Amehican Watkrb. 
 
 Til Europe it is found dt'Hirublo to cultivate this fish, ;is it 
 is j((>ry prolific and an excellent pan-fish ; but in Anun'ica, 
 wluM-e it is no trick to take Iialfa bushel a day or. the ponds 
 in t)ie iininediate vicinity of the city of New York, it is not 
 deenu'd worth while to encourasj^e its propagation. Iiuk'ed, 
 so great a scourge is it regarded on Long Island, thut pouch- 
 cr.s' having a grudge against an owner of a trout-pond go in 
 the night-time and stock it with perch. 
 
 Of the fishes belonging to this order there are over twenty 
 families, including the numerous kinds of baas, and nearly all 
 of those fishes of fresli waters with the first dorsal spiked or 
 spinous rayed. Of these families there is scarcely a fresli- 
 water river ov lake on earth which does not contain a repre- 
 sentative. 
 
 The ovarium of a percli is one fourth the weight of the 
 fish ; and a i)ound pcnih has been known to contain 992,000 
 
 eggs. 
 
 THK (.LASS-EYED Oil WALL-EYHn IMKE. 
 
 This is one of the fishes of the Middle and Northern States. 
 vVt the Southwest it is called wall-eyed, while at the North it 
 is known r.s the glass-eyed pike, and by other local and un- 
 imjiortant names, such as the pike-perch, sand-pike, etc. Hut 
 its eyes being the most distinctive mark, it is more generally 
 known by the names given at the heading than by hny other. 
 It sometimes attains to a very great weight. Doctor JJuel 
 took one in the Kentucky Kiver which weighed nearly fifty 
 pounds. 
 
 They arc found in all the tributaries of the Ohio lliver, in 
 the range of jjreat lakes, and most of the rivers and lakes as 
 far east as New York, south as far as Tennessee, and west as 
 far as Wisconsin. They also inhabit many of the Avaters in 
 the western part of the Dominion of Canada. In Cayuga, 
 Seneca, and other lakes of the western part of New York they 
 are often taken, sometimes weighing as high as forty pounds. 
 In Oneida Lake they are numerous ; in fact, the glass-eyed 
 
Vaiuous in Sua™ anu Vuwm. 289 
 
 •miMKircial fislicH of tlio 
 
 |"ko is ono of t|„, most important o 
 lukcH. 
 
 Tub Gr-Ms-BVED on Wall-biku Vmi 
 
 Iho Klax,-„y„d ,,ikc of tl,o rivers in New York is very sat- 
 
 .a,t, an, ,» g„„„rally fo,„„l at tl,o .i,ot of a rapid, watchi„K 
 
 or any ame or disconcerted fish winel, appear' „. t to k "w 
 
 .ow to take care of itself: Ti,e best way to an.de for t. 7 
 
 tLerefore, ,s to anchor yo„r l,oat at the side or ahovc a rapid • 
 
 «e sh,ner l,a,t, and cast to the foot of the rapid, or let yo„; 
 
 "■!"«': "V .y^" "'«"''"■ »"'i(-J-l«»s tuekle and flfh 
 w,t a float The p,ke of the Moha„k River are supposed to 
 
 , , ''•''>^.''. l'»»s™»>"g a pecniiar flavor n.ost tempting as a 
 break ast d.sh. Those fish which run from thro .,'Z 
 
 at the Lutlo tails to the weight of nearly twenty pounds 
 and proved to he a superior fish for stuflin/ and baWn; ' 
 The scales of the glass-eyed pike are hard, close, and difli- 
 oult to detach. The mandibles are wider and the aws 
 - ronger than those of the pike or pickerel, while its teeth aTe 
 hor^r and closer set. It is dark gray, with greenish tir- o^ 
 fte back gray s.des with yellowish tinge, and white abdo- 
 
 renders It common and unappreciated, but it is really one of 
 the best table-flshes of the rivers / ^ne ol 
 
 anrWesttrv-'"- ''"^'y f SUs.-eyo:^ pike, known in Ohio 
 and Western Virginia as the salmon. It resembles the pike 
 
290 
 
 Fishing m American Waters. 
 
 of the Mohawk by being bluish-black on the bu.k, bluish-c^ray 
 «des and white belly. It is iound in the Kunuwha and^Mi 
 ami luvcrs, as also in many other streams of Ohio. 
 
 THE WHITEPLSH. 
 
 This sucker-mouthed, succulent delicacy is to be found in 
 most of the small lakes in the middle ofthe Sta.e of Xew 
 York, where It forages near the springs which ^^ush from the 
 
 of a most delicate flavor. The color of the back is gru and 
 the rest of the fish a clear white of most lustrous sh^^n; The 
 great lakes from Ontario to Superior produce millions annu- 
 ally, and it is supposed the fish near the nort, shores are su- 
 perior to those on the south side ofthe lakes, because a Great- 
 er number of cold spring streams debouch in the lakes on the 
 nor I side. The whitefish is leather-mouthed, and sometimes 
 akes the spoon or spinning bait. In weight it rur-s from 
 three to mne pounds, and there is less waste in it than in any 
 
 s'^n'if / 1v ', "". ^''' "^^'■'""^- ^^ ^ ^«Py sketched fV Z 
 still life by Walter Bracket, Esq., a Boston artist of merit 
 
 The WHiTEkisu.—Correffoms alosa 
 
 or 
 
 alb 
 
 'US. 
 
 It IS emmently an economical fish, requiring no butter to 
 try It; but, of course, those persons who unite a little knowl- 
 edge of hygiene with gastronomy never fry any but the 
 
 ^-"Ji^'lltJ^iWflBIMiaieaMHiM 
 

 ANOiHER BREAKFAST Bi.UCAOY. 291 
 
 smallest kiruls of pan-fishes. This is a broiler as truly as i. ;, 
 shad or a Spanish mackerel. 
 
 Though an alxh ■ninal, it does not belong to the ymm Sal- 
 mo any more than ioes the smelt, which some ichthyo'o^ri8t^ 
 classify with that cfenm, though the smelt spawns in sprin-, 
 and the whit( in summer or early in autumn. 
 
 Whitefish are taken with nets and placed in fish r ounds in 
 the fall, confined by an ater-fencing with nets or stone, whence 
 they taken with large scap-nets and sent to market. The 
 new process of dry -freezing is being resorted to at the West, 
 i^u as to enable the netters t< take them in the season when 
 they are best for the table, and preserve them in a certain 
 stage of refrigeration until it is thought desirable to market 
 them. This is til ^ Arable method, because, when confined 
 m pounds, closely packed, many of tbem get frozen, beini; 
 thus rendered unmarketable hv rea.Mii of their slow death^ 
 In the winter of 1808 ihere were 500 lost from one pound 
 near Detroit by freezing. T' le po and system should be abol- 
 ished by law. 
 
 ' ■ The fisher stakes his net and weir 
 The persecuted shoals to snare ; 
 The seiner runs his seines around, 
 Where'er their shining scales abound ; 
 Then, dragging to the neighboring shore, 
 The white sands strew with ample store ; 
 Yet, spite of foe, and net, and seine, 
 Unnumb( l myriads yet remain. "—Isaac M'Lellan. 
 
 THE LAKE IIERRINCr, 
 
 The herring belongs to the Clnpeidce family of fishes, and 
 is the fifth and last division of the ''Malacopterygiens ahdomi- 
 naux;' being the supposed link between the GadidcB and the 
 Salmonidm, without second dorsal or adipose fin. The lake 
 herring is quite similar to that of the salt waters, fis^bsisting 
 chiefly on animalcula3. Its back is dark gray with a greenish 
 tinge, white sides and abdomen, and covered with laro-e sil- 
 very scales. It is from nine to twelve inches in length, and 
 when fresh is a good broiler; but the world knows that' it is 
 
i^v^ ":^^> 
 
 ^>, 
 
 IMAGE EVALUATIOeSj 
 TEST TARGET (MT-S) 
 
 k 
 
 4o 
 
 A 
 
 «< 
 
 & 
 
 1.0 
 
 I.I 
 
 2.0 
 
 1.8 
 
 111.25 
 
 1^ 1^ 
 
 — 6" 
 
 Photographic 
 
 Sciences 
 Corporation 
 
 23 WEST MAIN STREET 
 
 WEBSTER, NY. 14580 
 
 (716) 37^-4503 
 

 
 ^^ 
 
292 
 
 Fishing in American Waters. 
 
 The Lake Hekking.— 67«/>ea harengus. 
 
 cured every possible way with salt and smoke, from the deli- 
 cate bloater to the shriveled, smoky-brown substance of a 
 smoked herring-box. Nevertheless, it has been truly stated 
 that "the ancients placed among their gods manv a worse 
 creature than a red herring." It is a great fish of commerce 
 and one of the indispensables to the poor in many parts of the 
 world. Thus far, although the lakes of the United Stateo 
 swarm with a fr< sh-water herring which is not inferior to the 
 best British, yet it has hitherto claimed little attention as a 
 fish for exportation; but the demand for it is becoming an- 
 nually greater, and the fishermen of the Western lakes are 
 now beginning to study the best net and management for 
 Its capture. The drift-nets will probably be found the best, 
 and the lake herrings-which are more delicate than those of 
 salt water — will soon become an important article of com- 
 merce. 
 
 THE CISCO OB CISCOQUETTE. 
 
 The Cisco is a small white fish similar to the lake herring 
 but differing from it by the addition of a second filmy dorsal 
 and m its meat being more delicate, and, when scaled, trans- 
 lucent as a smelt. It usually measures from six to nine 
 mches m length, sometimes twelve inches, but rarely longer 
 The scales are white as polished silver except on the back 
 which 18 greenish-gray like the caplin. ' 
 
 The Cisco is known in some places, eminently by fishermen 
 and fish-dealers along the great lakes, as the ciscoquette, and 
 IS just beginning to be regarded as a commercial fish great 
 quantities being taken with the whitefish by the fishermen 6f 
 
New Spoet on Western Lakes. 293 
 
 Huron and Superior. A letter from one of the principal Lake 
 Erie fishermen contains the statement that they entertain high 
 hopes of profitable enterprises in this modern luxury. The 
 Cisco is found in all the lakes belonging to the great chain 
 bounding the United States on the north, and in some west- 
 ern lakes of the interior; but, while the lake herring— its fre- 
 quent companion— is numerous in Seneca and Cayuga Lakes, 
 I have not seen a cisco there; but the large shiner of Canan- 
 daigua Lake may be the cisco. Both the cisco and herring 
 are favorite baits for lake trout, and, as food for game fishes, 
 the waters should be kept well stocked with them. 
 
 The Cisco or Ciscoqcette, 
 
 From a recent letter to t. Spirit of the Times from Camp 
 Steriing, on Geneva Lake, Wis,, it appears that "ciscoing"is 
 the principal June sport for man, woman, and child in all the 
 area formed by a radius of twenty miles round the lake. The 
 Cisco may be taken with bait or fly, though the latter is the 
 most natural food, as its small, square mouth and soft teeth 
 indicate that animalculm or flies are its natural aliment. At 
 Geneva Lake there is a fly called the " cisco-fly," which ap- 
 pears to be its natural food ; it is nearly an inch long, of gray- 
 ish-brown body and light gray wings, with tail and antennae— 
 probably a Phrijganea. The eel-fly is also said to be a favor- 
 ite lure ; but the cisco and cisco-fly both appear in great num- 
 bers at the same time. 
 
 The cisco is said to be excellent game of its size, and will 
 rise as vigorously as a brook trout, often meeting the fly be- 
 fore it touches the water. They should be fished for with a 
 single-handed fly-rod, like the trout ; though a sixteen feet 
 perch-rod is recommended, as perch and small black bass oc- 
 
294 
 
 FisiiiFn IN AMf:KicAN Waters. 
 
 cupy the same feeding-grounds, and often rise to the fly or 
 take the bait. The cisco of the great lakes resembles an ale- 
 wife, and sometimes attains the weight of three pounds. 
 
 THE SHINER. 
 
 This tiny white fish, with scales of metallic lustre, is from 
 two to four inches long, and the best bait-fish which belongs 
 to the fresh waters of America, where it is found in most of 
 the brooks, rivers, and lakes of the north temperate zone. It 
 is a greedy biter, and with a bit of angle-worm covering the 
 point of a minnow-hook it is taken as fast as it can be drawn 
 out with a supple willow wand. While fishing in rivers for 
 black bass, I have moored one end of my scull-boat at the 
 shore, and sat my waiter at catching shiners at the shore-end 
 of the boat, while I took black bass with the shiner-bait at 
 the other end. 
 
 Thk Shinek. 
 
 As a pan-fish, it is the sweetest, most juicy, and delicate of 
 any fish except the golden mullet ; and when fried to a crisp 
 in olive oil or fresh butter, it forms a mouthful more delicious 
 than any other pan-fish. Many epicures in country places 
 appreciate the delicious shiner ; but as it is too insignificant 
 in size to form an object of commerce, inhabitants of cities 
 are innocent of any knowledge of this succulent luxury. But 
 it is as a bait-fish that I would recommend the shiner, and a 
 bait-can is necessary for keeping it alive. 
 
 SECTION FIFTH. 
 
 BAIT-CAN AND BAITS. 
 
 A simple tin can or pail, large enough to contain from two 
 
Keeping Alive to Take Life. 
 
 to three gallons of water, with the lid 
 perforated to let air into the bait, is 
 generally sufficient; but some anglers 
 prefer a double pail, the inper one per- 
 forated all over in holes the size of 
 buckshot. In this case the pails are of 
 equal size at the top and bottom, or 
 cylindrical, and the inner pail may be 
 taken out and the water changed be- 
 tbre returning it, without the danger of losing bait. Another 
 plan is to have a can shaped like the foregoing cut, and, in- 
 stead of frequently changing the Avater, insert a siphon, and 
 <lraw the water up and let it fall back into the can, which 
 aerates the water and revives the bait. In carrying young 
 trout to stock streams, the cans may be of either wood or tin, 
 but they should be constructed with a pump to aerate the 
 water. Clean swamp-moss, asiu a small piece of ice in moss, 
 should always be j)laced in the water for conveying live fish 
 cpv^ral miles in warm weather. 
 
 SPINNING BAITS. 
 
 Spinning baits for trolling on all fresh waters have proved 
 the most successful for nearly all the game fishes which in- 
 habit them. I incline to the opinion that, if spinning minnow 
 squids could be made strong enough for trolling with along 
 our coasts and in our estuaries, all the surface-feeding fish 
 of those waters might be taken in greater numbers than they 
 are now by casting menhaden bait, and by all other fish- 
 ing appliances except the set-nets and pounds, which — as 
 they take all sizes of fishes — should be regulated by law, es- 
 pecially as to where they may be used, and under what con- 
 ditions, etc. Of course, the rig for coast-trolling would re- 
 quire to be made very strong ; for even the plain bluefish 
 squid fastened to a heavy hawser-laid line is often parted by 
 the jaws of bluefish, Spanish mackerel, bonetta, or cero. Even 
 a fifty or seventy-five pound atriped bass, or a twenty or thir- 
 

 296 
 
 Fishing in American "Waters. 
 
 I! I 
 
 
 ty pound bluefish, would make the line hum some. But how 
 would it be with a hundred and twenty pound bonetta ? I 
 have taken large striped bass by trolling for them on the Se- 
 connet River with a bone squid covered with white linen, out 
 of \«hich I formed the tail. The squid played by means of a 
 brass swivel. All swivels should be of brass or copper, even 
 if silver-plated afterward. Steel swivels rust. The leath orn 
 satchel for carrying hooks, screw-driver, pincers, porpoise-oil, 
 and all the appliances necessary for use in mending rod, reel, 
 or any part of tackle, should be framed with brass. Water- 
 proof canvas satchels are better than the leathern, and in 
 them hooks and other anglers' implements will take no in- 
 jury. Water-proof canvas is also preferable to leather for 
 gaiters, and for boat-fishing they are preferable for shoes. I 
 prefer Russia leather boots for wear when trolling off the 
 coast, as the spinous dorsal and pectoral fins of some fishes 
 are sharp and strong enough to pierce any kind of cloth. 
 
 Foreigners have frequently swindled the anglers of this 
 country by attaching hooks of inferior quality to spinning 
 baits; but the domestic competition in the fishing-tackle 
 business has become so strong that first-rate tackle of all 
 kinds can be had at home ; and the Buel feathered trolling- 
 spoon, and those of M'Harg, are the best in the world for 
 taking the principal fishes of our lakes and rivers. The sam- 
 ples which I submit for the use of anglers on American wa- 
 ters are supposed to be the best in use. Those just xef :ed 
 to I know are. If a plain spoon is used, it should be of sil- 
 ver outside and copper on the concave side. 
 
 HACKETt's spinning-tackle, cork, IRELAND. 
 
 This piece of spinning-tackle was noticed in the London 
 Field, and I think it a very good rig for trolling with a live 
 minnow for maskinonge, glass-eyed pike, black and Oswego 
 bass, pickerel, and the numerous lake and river fishes which 
 delight in spoon victuals or captivating artificial lures. 
 
 In baiting, put the large hook in at the mouth, and run the 
 
Disguises all the Go. 
 
 297 
 
 point of hook along the side, under the skin, bringino- it out 
 opposite the dorsal fin ; then draw up the fish on the shank of 
 the large hook, and insert the small hook through the upper 
 and lower lips, thus closing the mouth; let the bait settle 
 back so as to draw on the small hook, and you are ready for 
 action. The hooks, screw, and swivel should be silver-plated 
 It the snells are of gimp, they should be made very fine ; but 
 twisted gut snells, finely made, are better. The minnow 
 should represent a silver-side or a shiner. 
 
 This would be a killing bait to offer along the margin of a 
 pickerel-pond while spinning it among the lily-pads "with a 
 long rod. Just cast it as far as convenient, without sinker; 
 let it sink a trifle, and draw it along, when its spinning will 
 soon be stopped if there is a pickerel, perch, or glass-eyed 
 pike, or even a black bass near. Properly made and handled, 
 it must prove a very attractive lure and successful bait. 
 
 Haskell's trolling-bait. — No. 1. 
 The invention is patented, but may be had at most fishing- 
 tackle stores. It is made of three sizes. The largest is 5| 
 inches long ; medium size, 4^ inches ; small, 3 inches. This 
 troll must prove a successful lure if properly made. A whirl- 
 ing joint below the dorsal fin must require great care to ren- 
 der it quite free and yet sufliciently strong. I have heard 
 good reports of the bait, and should think it would prove 
 successful on the lakes of the Adirondacks and among the 
 Thousand Islands. 
 
298 
 
 Fishing in American Waters. 
 
 Thi« ba t IS intpndea to represent a live flsh with a screw tall. Its main feature Is an 
 InKonloUM roinbina ion of the xpinninp minc\i>\c with that of the well-known ''troll- 
 mj,' ininiiow. It is constructed of thin sheet metal, beautifully anil durably si - 
 mnit'nfri..,7'?<''t ''","• h"' 1"'".'""/,'"^ ''^ ^''^ e-'Kniyins, 'represents ^a Jerfect flsl { the 
 n." ?J 1^^ i." V m'** ^I'i^y is Stationary, and keens in a vertical position in the wa- 
 of the tafl, A and ll!° ' ' '■^^°'^^'' ** ^^"^ J"^"* by means of the turued ends 
 
 It is well to have but two hooks on metal trolls, but they 
 should be as largo as allowable for the size of lure. 
 
 Needle-pointed, finely tempered steel hooks, of the Sproat 
 bend, are as good as any. 
 
 Especial attention should always be paid to the quality of 
 hooks for all kinds of angling, but more especially for troll- 
 ing. 
 
 The brightest artificial disguises are generally the best for 
 trolling baits. 
 
 This troll, if made strong enough, would be a very success- 
 ful one for bluetish and Spanish mackerel. 
 
 THE PROPELLING MINNOW. — No. 2. 
 
 This minnow is made from gutta-percha, shaded and colored 
 to represent a live minnow. The pectoral fins are represent- 
 ed by screw propellers, which, with the curve of the tail, ren- 
 der the lure very attractive, as its motion in the water re- 
 sembles that of a living fish. This may be made of any size, 
 to suit the kind of fishing for which it is required. Andrew 
 Clerk & Co. have them of all sizes, from those for use with a 
 fly-rod to such as are large enough to troll with for the fishes 
 of our great lakes. 
 
 This bait has never been tried in our waters. It is similar 
 to the troll for salmon in the iakes of Scotland, and, I think, 
 will prove to be excellent for sea trout. It received a pre- 
 
Lures for Game Fishes. 
 
 299 
 
 inium at the World's Fair in Paris, and the boanty of its 
 make surpasses any spinning bait that I have seen. A small 
 brass swivel connects the gimp snell with the line. 
 
 BUEl's patent FEATIIEKEl) TKOLL. — No. 3. 
 
 Among the many eftbrts at making captivating metal trolls, 
 the one with a piece of silver, in the oval or fish-form, revolv- 
 ing at the head of the shank of the hook, proved, from the 
 year it was invented, the most successful ; and, when the ad- 
 dition of feathers was introdi;ced, I trolled with it at the 
 Thousand Islands, Rice Lake, ai.d on other waters, always 
 with great satisfaction. 
 
 The Iiooks should be heavy and well tempered. M'Harg's 
 troll was very popular at the Thousand Islands, chiefly be- 
 cause it was made with a pair of hooks ; but he tells me that 
 recently trollers prefer a cluster of three hooks. Mr. Clerk 
 says the same. It is a great mistake, because lai;ge fish crush 
 a cluster of hooks and disgorge them. 
 
 The feathers which I found the most taking were the red 
 ibis. The best troll that I ever used for maskinonge is a red 
 ibis feather for the top of the troll, and a small tuft of white 
 hair from a deer's tail for the under side. The white hair 
 from a deer's tail is brilliant in the water, and it disguises the 
 point of the hook, while the attractive red feathers extend 
 back of the bend of the hook from the top of the shank. I 
 prefer, also, plain brass trolls, trolls of silver for one side and 
 of copper for the other, and trolls of pure silver. The troll 
 for maskinonge should be oval in shape, and from two and a 
 half to three inches long, playing round from a shoulder on 
 the shank of the hook. The hooks should be rext to the lar 
 gest size represented on the plate of implements for taking 
 striped bass'. 
 
 SPINNING-TACKLE FOR LIVE BAITS. 
 
 The three desiderata in spinning rigs for trolling with and 
 playing live bait are, 1st, the strength and applicability of 
 
' 
 
 300 
 
 Fishing in American Wat 
 
 ER8. 
 
 Spinning-tackle fok Livr Baits. 
 
 tached to the gang; and, 3d, the delicacy necessary to form 
 t an at raction instead of a warning. No. 1 represents an 
 
 half knot fastening at the bend of the hook to the correct 
 length, to hold the fish by the lips and leave the gills free 
 ^ Always use shiners for bait when they are to be had In 
 impahng or affixing the minnow or shiner to the gang of 
 hooks, first msert the bottom hook nearly an inch afcve the 
 ^il, and run it down and out at the tail, as represented by 
 JNo. 2, so as to curve the tail; and, that the tail may have 
 precisely the correct curve, fix the next hook, at the top of 
 the shank of the large hook, in the skin at the side, so as to 
 hold the tail to the curve required ; then insert under the 
 skin the two middle hooks, which fasten more firmly the bait 
 and confine it to the requisite curve. Then slide down the' 
 ip-hook, or upper one, and insert it through both the lips of 
 the fish, shutting its mouth, but leaving the gills free for res- 
 piration. Take a half hitch with the snell round the shank 
 
The Biter Bitten. 
 
 301 
 
 of the hook at the curve, wind it a few times round the 
 shank, and run it through tlie hole at the top of the shank of 
 the hook. This completes baiting; and with a good swivel 
 at the top of the snell or snood, a few inches (say six) above 
 the upper hook, the bait will revolve in water, and remain an 
 attractive lure for hours while trolling, unless a bite inter- 
 venes, and then the biter is quite sure to be hooked ; for the 
 triangular gang, playing to a ring on the outside of the fish, 
 is generally sure to intercept the fish (which aims at the head 
 of the bait) befofe it is taken by the tail-hook. 
 
 Francis Francis, in philosophizing upon the superiority of 
 the spinning of artificial baits over natural ones, concludes 
 that it is " because they are stiff throughout ;" and that is 
 one of the reasons why they do not get out of proper shape 
 as do the living ones when not properly impaled and perma- 
 nently fixed on a gang of hooks so arranged as that nothing 
 but a bite will disturb or derange the bait. I have not the 
 slightest hesitation in pronouncing this spinning gang the 
 best arrangement of hooks that has thus far been presented 
 to the American angler. 
 
 Figures 3 and 4 illustrate what is termed the " dead snap." 
 Of courEe,all gangs for natural baits should either be fasten- 
 ed to single, double, or twisted gut snells, or to the finest pos- 
 sible silver gimp wire. They are generally wound to the lat- 
 ter with fine wire, but fresh-water trolls or spinning gangs 
 should be fastened on silk-worm gut. Regulate the number 
 of plies of gut to the size and power offish to be trolled for. 
 The present gang, No. 3, may be fastened to single gut, if the 
 gut be round and strong. 
 
 In baiting, insert the tail hook first, then the middle hook 
 just under the skin, and finally slide dovn the lip -hook 
 and insert it through both lips. Sometimes a baiting-needle 
 is used to insert the snell from the body out at the mouth 
 through the upper gill-cover. The upper hook should always 
 slide on the snell by a hole or small loop of gut at the top of 
 the shank. 
 
302 
 
 FisiiiNo IN American Wa 
 
 TERS. 
 
 All MiQs of tho f/e7ius Salmo are more readily captured by 
 trolling with natural baits, such as the shiner or the smelt 
 which is the salmon's natural food, to a troll formed of 
 burnished silver, with the hook disguised by gay feathers 
 while all families of the pike and perch prefer the feathered 
 squid. For trolling, the black bass prefers live bait; but in 
 July he will bite at almost any gay fly, if artistically pre- 
 sented. '' ^ 
 
 The troll is the most killing method of angling short of the ' 
 net and the pound, and yet it is not neady so popular in 
 America as in Europe. An American gentleman would hard- 
 ly consent to troll for salmon, and yet in both Scotland and 
 Ireland they cross-fish for them by two row-boats carrying, 
 each an angler with trolling-rods, and the lines of each anrrle" 
 are connected at the ends, where a float marks the division 
 To each line numerous flies arc attached, and the boats are 
 rowed along at a convenient distance, and when a salmon 
 bites, the angler on which side of tlie float the fish is fastened 
 reels and plays the salmon, while the other angler gives line 
 If the oarsmen, who gaff" the fish, get nervous, a snarl of lines 
 -ind hooks, and a loss of the fish, are results quite naturally 
 expected and frequently realized. 
 
 SPOON-VICTUALS FOR LONG-SNOUTS. 
 
 The larger sizes of feathered spoons are preferred in troll- 
 ing for the maskinong(3 and the great Northern pickerel as 
 also for the glass-eyed pike. The difierence in the two styles 
 of troll is illustrated by A and B. Troll A revolves on a 
 shoulder, to which two hooks are first wound with brass-wire 
 then soldered. On the shank, as represented, feathers arc' 
 mounted. Decisive colors are to be preferred, such as red 
 and white. Sometimes two swivels, one at the shank of the 
 hook and the other at the end of the gimp snell, six inches 
 above, are used to prevent the rapidity of the action of the 
 troll from kinking the line. 
 Troll B is so arranged that difierent fly-hooks may be 
 
Caitivating Trolls. 
 
 303 
 
 looped on by their wires at the joint, as iUustrated. It is 
 supposed by many that this rig is the best, because it permits 
 free play to the hooks. In all other respects it is similar to A. 
 Feathered trolls, like A and B, made strong, with stout 
 hooks, and heavy, strong gimp or wire snells, would be most 
 killing among such coast fishes as the Spanish mackerel, blue- 
 fish, and squeteague. 
 
 TROLLIN^G WEATHER AND BAITS. 
 
 Of weather for trolling there are several opinions. Some 
 think that the calm after a storm is the best time ; others, 
 that a windy day is be^t. It is good weather for all kinds of 
 angling and trolling when the mercury is well up in the ba- 
 rometer and there is a gentle breeze ; also when the sun looks 
 with a modest silver face, it is much better than when the 
 god of day is red and fiery, or glares with a golden or jaun- 
 diced stare. 
 
■ I li 
 
 H 
 
 304 
 
 Fishing in American Waters. 
 
 Trolling is a luxurious style of fishing. It is not very ar- 
 tistic until the fish fastens. Then the play of the fish calls 
 for the deftly-expert handling by an angler whose experience 
 has taught him the strength and tricks to effect escape pecu- 
 liar to each family of fishes. 
 
 Of bait-fishes, the river chub probably ranks next to the 
 shiner. It bites eagerly to a minnow-hook baited with liver. 
 Then there are the daces, both the horned and smooth heads^ 
 which are good for bait, and bite readily to a red fly, ano-le- 
 worm, or liver. The stone-sucker is often used for blit, but 
 It uas no other merit than being firm and lasting ; it is not a 
 taking lure. I am in the habit, when angling in the interior 
 of the country, and in want of minnow bait, to cut a two-inch 
 thick rod, with a fork at the end, trimming the fork, and cut- 
 tmg It down to the length of two feet, and then fasteninc. a 
 piece of bobbinet lace or musquito-nettina into the fork full 
 enouo to form a bag, and with that ext^emporized scap-net 
 I have always been able to scap up enough bait from the 
 brooks or backsets from the fishing waters. But it is more 
 desirable to carry a minnow-net on making these country ex- 
 cursions. The gaff-hoc:, landing-net, and minnow-net are es- 
 sential implements toward an outfit for an expedition for 
 general fishing. 
 
 FISH-HOOKS. 
 
 In the two rows of hooks represented opposite, the angle r 
 may see the two important bench, without reference to the 
 slight bend sidewise, and called the Ki-hy bend, which may be 
 given to either one. Some anglers prefer a Kirby bend, while 
 others contend that it is not so good for mounting with flies 
 for either salmon or trout ; but Mr. Hyde, the best amateur 
 expert in America, generally mounts his flies on Kirby round- 
 bends. Offish-hooks the shape is important,but scarcely more 
 so than are the qualities of metal, temper, and finish. Oh 
 how many aching regrets and hopeless feelings of momentary 
 desperation have been caused '■ - ■ - 
 
 ^'y 
 
 in a fish-hook. 
 
 or m 
 
 ''yflP^"' ■.iSMESi.lS'^^'*^*^'"'*"'"' 
 
Impoetance of Fish-hooks. 
 
 305 
 
 ' 11 
 
 
 I 
 
 14 
 
 15 
 
 I 
 
 its deficiency of quality ! As the quality of the hook is the 
 foundation of the general results for the angler, it may not be 
 a matter of surprise that I endeavor to impress the embryo 
 philosopher with the importance of fish-hooks. I remember 
 that, when a boy of seven summers, an extemporized bridge 
 for carting hay was cast over a trout-brook in front of our 
 dwelling, and that I baited a pin with a worm and lay down 
 on the bridge, which was but a few inches above the water, 
 and let the baited pin run under the bridge. In a moment 
 I experienced a tremendous jork, and pulled in my line, when 
 the trout struggled, and finally straightened my pin -hook. 
 Oh, what would I not have promised at that moment to give 
 for a real fish-hook! The store was near by, where Uvo 
 hooks might be had for a cent, but whore was the cent? I 
 have never forgotten the feelings of that moment, and never 
 will while life lasts. I would therefore plead for paternal 
 generosity toward youths who early contract a penchant for 
 angling. 
 
 V 
 
t ■ 
 
 306 
 
 Fishing in American Waters. 
 
 The rows of samples include the useful sizes to mount with 
 flies for salmon and large brook trout, or to use for bait in 
 the river fishings for commoner fish. The upper row repre- 
 sent Adlingtou & Hutchinson's needle-pointed round-bends. 
 This is also an excellent hook for small striped bass and black 
 bass, and generally for fishing when a float is used. 
 
 The lower row of Siiroat bend hooks are samples of the 
 manufacture of Hutchinson & Sons, intended for the same 
 uses as the foregoing. This bend is better than the round 
 one for fish with a small mouth, like the kingfish. The Sproat 
 bend appears to be the ne plus ultra in the form and quality 
 of a fish-hook. The Virginia hook is quite similar in its short- 
 ness of nib and low bend, while the Kinsey or Pennsylvania 
 hook is lower still in the nib and wider in the bend, and, being 
 shorter from the point of the hook to the bend or centre of 
 draught, is preferred by many ; but my experience in losing 
 large fish by their springing the hook out induces me to pre- 
 fer a hook of larger wire, finer finish, and tempered better. 
 These hooks enlarge gradually to No. 20, and in quality are 
 truly superior. 
 
 SALMON FLIES. 
 
 The flies on the upper row are tied on the Adlington hook 
 with Sproat hend, while those of the lower row are mounted 
 on the round hend^ of numbers from 15 to 18. 
 
 Fig. 1. Wing of diagonally barred feathers from under pide of snipe's wing, in drab 
 and black ; dark blue and black pig's-wool hackle ; gold tail. Fig. '.'. Mottled black 
 and white wing from a turkey's tail; body of olive-colored mohair iind black hackle, 
 with brown shoulders, and orange peacock tail. Fig. 3. Black and drab diagonally 
 barred wing, blue and cliirot hackle body, with gold shoulder; tail of gold and 
 green. Fig. 4. Brown wings and legs, drab body, all of gutta-percha; glass eyes. 
 Fig. 6. Ribb»d drab wing and antennie; legs and body of gutta-percha; reddish- 
 brown mohair shoulders, and black bcr.d eyes. Fig. 6. White miller; white ribbed 
 wings, drab body and legs, red glass eyes. Fig. 7. Brown gutta-percha wings, pur- 
 ple body wound with gold tinsel, reddish-brown mohair shoulders. Fig. 8. Black 
 hackle body wound with gold ; barred duck-wing tail ; argo pheasant wing. Fig. 
 9. Purple body with gold tail ; blue and purple hackle ; tail of the golden pheasant 
 top-knot; browu mallard wings. Fig. 10. Brown and white pheasant w:ng; gold 
 body tind tail ; brown hackle shoulders, and black hackle head. Fig. 11. Golden 
 body and tail; black hackle shoulders, with pheasant and burnt-brown wings. 
 
 Asia has contributed more material for artificial flies in her 
 
 linmerous families of pheasants than has any other quarter of 
 
 the globe. Neither the South American fox, the barred wing 
 
308 
 
 Fishing in American Watees. 
 
 of the wood-duck, nor the brown mallard feather are equal in 
 attraction and delicacy to the top-knot of the golden pheas- 
 ant, or the feathers of the argo pheasant. The two lower 
 rows of flies are copies of those used with success last year 
 in Canada by Dr. Clerk, of Andrew Clerk & Co. 
 
 FLY DRESSING. 
 TEOUT-PLIES. 
 
 Fig. 1. Preparatory to snelling your hook, which means tying 
 the hook to a ^ilk-worm gut snell, wind the head of the 
 shank with several turns of waxed silk. Wax for fly-tying 
 is the same as shoemaker's, only more clear and lighter col- 
 ored. Then wind three or four times from near the bend 
 of the hook up to the first thread at the head, and lay the 
 end of the gut on th^ inside of the shank down near to the 
 bend, and wind with the last silk thread down to the end, 
 and fasten end as directed on the page of" loops and ties," 
 leaving ends as 1. Fig. 3 is the same as 1, only the end of 
 silk at the bend end of the tie is cut short, whereas the 
 two threads of 1 are seen on 2 as follows : 
 
 Fig. 2. Place two hairs as antennae, and the hackle that you 
 intend for the head in the direction of the bend of hook, 
 and fasten them by several loops ; then fasten the end of 
 the dufling like 2 or 9, and wind it round the hook to form 
 the body, winding it afterward with a thread of gold or 
 silver twist, or a hackle feather like 4, fastened as at 10, 
 and wind round the body. Then add the wings like 5, 
 finishing ofi" like 8 ; or cut from a feather a pair of wings 
 like 6, and wind them from the head so they will maintain 
 their present spread shape. Many tyers of trout-flies tie 
 only one wing on, but it never falls so naturally as do the 
 two-winged flies ; and, to imitate Nature perfectly, some 
 flies require to be tied with four wings. Imitate the natu- 
 ral fly as shown on the plate of " natural and artificial 
 flies." 
 

310 
 
 Fishing in Ameeican Watees. 
 
 MOUNTING SALMON-HOOKS. • 
 
 Fig. 11. Wind oi your silk-gut loop, and wind the end of your 
 duffing and antenna, fastening it all at the head, and form- 
 ing the head of hackle as shown by 14. The hackle should 
 be doubled, as represented by 1 ; and, after the duffing is 
 wound, the hackle should cover it like 13; or the hackle 
 may be heavy like 12. Some persons use a vice to hold 
 the hook, as 14; but the best artists at fly-tying do not 
 use them. After the duffing, the antenna?, and hackle are 
 fastened, the body is usually wound with a cord of silver or 
 gold, as 1.3 and 15, when the wings are fastened like 12 and 
 15, the head and tail finished like the latter, and the ends 
 of threads covered and closed off with shellac. This also 
 fastens the tinsel at the head of the antennae ; but with all 
 your windings of hackle, duffing (the body), cord, or tinsel, 
 carry with each your thread of silk, well waxed with trans- 
 parent wax, and as nearly the color of the material you are 
 winding as possible. First fasten well your hook to the 
 snell, and then exercise taste and practice delicacy of ma- 
 nipulation. After all, an hour's instruction from an artist 
 is worth more than all the books in Christendom on in- 
 struction for making artificial flies. I prefer to purchase 
 flies from those who follow the art for a livelihood ; but 
 all anglers should be able to tie a fly when in a wilderness. 
 
 THE PONDERATING SINKER. 
 
 This recent invention is not in general use, or known to 
 many anglers. I have tried it. It may do for river and fresh- 
 water fishings witlyi float, but for bottom fishing the hollow 
 tracing sjaker is vastly superior. The object for thus in- 
 creasing the ponderosity of a sinker is to save the trouble of 
 carrying numerous sinkers of different weights when going 
 a-fishing, and to increase or decrease the weight without tak- 
 ing off the sinker. 
 
 Explanation of the Cut.—^o. 1 is the smallest size of the 
 
A NEW Combination. 
 
 811 
 
 set represented. In case a heavier sinker is required, No. 1 
 is unscrewed, and presents the appearance of Nos. 2 and 3. 
 The increased weight necessary is found in such wheels as 4 
 and 5, which are screwed on 3, and then 2 is again fastened 
 to 3 by means of the screAv. The sinkers are of lead, and the 
 screw of 3 and the hole of 2 are brass, in drder that they shall 
 be strong and not corrode. I can not recommend them for 
 the heavy fish of our bays and estuaries, as they are liable to 
 unscrew on the bottom and in a strong tide ; but as sinkers 
 for float-fishing, no invention, I think, could be more oppor- 
 tune. They are to be found at the principal fishing-tackle 
 stores. 
 

 -mssL 
 
art tijirtr. 
 
 COMMEKCIAL FISHERIES. 
 
CHAPTER I. 
 
 LAKE FISHERIES. 
 Statistics of a couple of Fisheries on the Western Lakes. 
 As I have before stated that this is not a school-book, I will 
 add that it is not intended for the counting-room. The few 
 statistics given are mere glimpses at a branch of industry 
 which is a sealed book to the public. The lake fisheries of 
 the United States are confined to the southern half of the 
 range of lakes to which the River St. liawrence is the outlet. 
 Later in the history of this country important fisheries will 
 be established on Lake Superior and at intervals fa: beyond. 
 At present the few fisheries are controlled by private indi- 
 viduals or companies, who have not cared for the publicity 
 which would enable reporters to make a correct estimate of 
 this industry. 
 
 FOOD-FISHES OF LAKE SUPERIOR. 
 
 The catch of fish in Lake Superior averages about ten 
 thousand barrels, of which nine thousand a^e whitefish, and 
 the remainder ciscoquettes (ciscos) ; but this only applies to 
 the fish which are salted for an Eastern market ; for large 
 quantities are shipped while fresh, of which no correct ac- 
 count is kept. In Detroit one firm alone ships annually some 
 three hundred tons of whitefish, which, however, is a portion 
 of the harvest of Lake Huron. 
 
 The largest whitefish are caught below Coj^per Harbor, in 
 Lake Superior, and weigh about 8 pounds, or 60 to a barrel ; 
 those caught above Copper Harbor average 1^ to 2 pounds, 
 and about 130 to the barrel. 
 
 From an estimate made in dollars by the dealers in Lake Supe- 
 rior fishes, the catch of last year, when salted, amounted to... $200, 000 00 
 300 tons fresh whitefish, shipned by one house, at 10 cts. per lb. 60.000 00 
 
 1(200,000 00 
 
316 FisiiTNG IN American "Waters. 
 
 My informant — who is one of the most intelligent fisher- 
 men of the lakes — adds that " ciscoqiiettes" (or the ciscos) are 
 supposed to be the finest of the fresh-water fishes taken in the 
 lakes. " They are something like a Spanish mackerel, very 
 fat, and becoming valuable. They are never found far away 
 from copper-mines, and wherever copper is found most abund- 
 ant there also are found the greatest number of ciscoquettes. 
 None are caught at the lower end of the lake. Fishing is yet 
 in its infancy, many places having never been fished before 
 last season," i. e. 1867. The ciscoquette is only like the Span- 
 ish mackerel in its flavor being free from any foreign taste ; 
 but it is more juicy, and, if possible, more delicate in flavor. 
 
 FISHERY OP SANDUSKY, OHIO. 
 
 This is one of the principal fisheries on the lakes, and the 
 following statement shows its annual catch, and the means 
 employed : 
 
 WHITEFISH. 
 
 Taken in pounds, 1,800,000 fish ; aggregate weight, 4,500,000 
 
 lbs.; price, 10 cents the pound, or $450,000 00 
 
 2000 lbs. daily, or over, for 200 days, taken in gill-nets 40,000 00 
 
 490,000 00 
 
 GLASS-EYED OR WALL-EYED PIKE. 
 
 4,400,000 pounds, of sizes running from 1 ^ to 14 lbs. each. The 
 wholesale price averages 4 cents the pound 170,000 00 
 
 BLACK BASS. 
 
 65,000. Average, 3 lbs. Price, 4^ cents per lb 8, 775 00 
 
 SAND PICKEREL OR SAND PIKE. 
 
 1,200,000. Price, 1 cent each 12,000 00 
 
 LAKE HERRINGS. 
 
 13,500,000 fish, weight ^ lb. each, at i cent per lb 33,7.')0 00 
 
 WHITE BASS. 
 
 1,200,000 fish, at a cent each 12,000 00 
 
 MASKINONGE. 
 
 500 fish, 10 lbs. each, at 6 cents per lb 300 00 
 
 LAKE TROUT. 
 
 20,000 Ibo. ci ,>p,; t , ,; Cape "Vincent, N. Y. , and 40,000 lbs. caught 
 
 at ColilTi.i'^rilisi . id ri,;enwood, at 10 cents per lb 6,900 00 
 
 Amount tot.^] $738,825 00 
 
 
Fisii Pounds and Food-fishes. 
 
 817 
 
 NUMBER AND EXTENT OF NETS EMPLOYED. 
 
 The fishery has 1/5'^. pounds or stationary nets, set in waters 
 from 20 to 42 feet deep. The length of each net is 100 rods, 
 and the cost $1000 each. Amount total, $150,000. The cost 
 offish-pounds are the principal expense, though the company 
 has in continued use 1000 gill-nets, twenty seines, and numer- 
 ous small boats. The fishery is very prosperous, and o-.vned 
 by men of energy and business capacity. 
 
 The extensive coast and estuary fisheries of the United 
 States, having been regularly worked ever since the eastern 
 border was first settled by Europeans, have to such a degree 
 absorbed the capital and enterprise of fishei-men and fish-deal- 
 ers that the lake and river fisheries were not thought of until 
 within the past twenty years, with one solitary exception. 
 Prior to that date the establishment of fisheries in the inte- 
 rior of the United States was not even spoken of. Now there 
 are many, from which I have selected the foregoing exemplars 
 to illustrate results of this growing industry. 
 
 Throughout the interior of our vast territory there is an 
 ornamental tracery of running, sweet, and healthful waters, 
 well supplied with food-fishes. The working of these wate'-s 
 is free to all fishermen, with the unimportant exception of a 
 few depleted rivers, consequent on their having been over- 
 worked, but which are now being restocked and protected by 
 legislative enactments during the process of recuperation. 
 These are all near the sea-board. The lakes and lengthy riv- 
 ers of the interior are still free ; and where no regular fish- 
 eries are established, the inhabitants take what fresh fish they 
 want, either with the angle, net, or spear. The poaching pro- 
 clivity of some indolent persons has induced them to use the 
 spear too freely in our small lakes during winter. In the 
 State of New York there is a law against it, with fine and 
 penalty attached, but it is still done in defiance of law. These 
 poachers erect a board shanty on sleigh-runners, furnished 
 
318 
 
 Fishing in American Waters. 
 
 with a foot-stove, and a hole in the ridge of the roof for the 
 spear-handle. This shanty they draw out on the lake, cut a 
 hole through the ice under it, lock the door, and commence 
 spearing all the fish that come near their hole. If the con- 
 stable raps at the door, no reply is meant to signify that the 
 occupant is absent. Thus poachers squat in villages on our 
 lakes in wintei* when the ice is thick, and sjjear the fish at a 
 season when they aie unwholesome for food. In Canada, for 
 attracting the maskinonge to the spear, in one hand the 
 poacher holds a line attached to an artificial minnow, which 
 he keeps ploying in the water, while with the other hand he 
 holds the spear. The maskinonge darts to within a foot of 
 the minnow, and, Avhile hesitating there, the spear takes him. 
 The great Western rivers swarm with fish, and all the way 
 for five hundred miles below the sources of both the Missis- 
 sippi and the Missouri every tributary is a trout-stream. In 
 addition to the pik*- and pickerel, the glass-eyed pike, doroe, 
 or sand pickerel, the gray pickerel, known as the Ohio salmon, 
 there are some half dozen varieties of bass in nearly every 
 Western river, besides perch, sunfish, chub, bream, eels, buf- 
 falo. There are also several varieties of catfish, the most im- 
 portant of which are the black, yellow, and channel cats. 
 The Missouri River is justly celebrated for the latter fish, 
 which runs from five to fifteen pounds each, and, besides yield- 
 ing excellent sport for the rod, is a choice table luxury, equal- 
 ing the sahire of the Danube, which is also a species of cat- 
 tish highly prized by European epicures. 
 
 The Hammer-headed Shark. 
 
An imi'oktajs't Need of Man. 
 
 319 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 COAST FISHES AND FISHERIES OF THE UNITED STATES. 
 
 The fisheries of the Atlantic coast from Chesapeake Bay 
 to the Gulf of St. LaAvrence are so extensive as to cause re- 
 gret that statistics in the catches of many important fislies 
 are not sufficiently reliable to form the data necessary to a 
 correct report of the numbers and weights annually caught 
 by the thousands of fishermen -who keep no account of their 
 takes, but sell them at retail or wholesale, and live on the pro- 
 ceeds, without keeping an account of their expenses. 
 
 THE MACKEREL. 
 
 Coasting New England's rocky shore, 
 Sailing where Southern sm-ges ponr, 
 The daring fisliers spread the sail 
 To Southern haze and North2rn gale. 
 Thousands of craft the ocean si)eck, 
 Thousands of seamen juice the deck, 
 Eager to follow to the end, 
 Where'er tlie mackerel shoal may tend. 
 
 This is one of the most important food-fishes of the seas, 
 as well as one of the most prolific. Nature, in the harmoni- 
 ous arrangement of the universe, and in turning all things 
 toward man's good, has made the duration and existence of 
 numerous families of fishes dependent upon their searching 
 out brooding-places and depositing their eggs in the neigh- 
 borhood of man's need. By the process of procreation, these 
 fish form, to a certain extent, home attractions, and dally 
 about the shoals near shore, where they are fished for with 
 the hook, and the more sure means of a drift-net twenty feet 
 deep by one hundred and fifty feet in length, Avell corked at 
 top, but with no leads at the bottom, for when mackerel are 
 
 ff 
 
 a 
 
320 
 
 Fishing in American Waters. 
 
 in a biting or a moA'ing mood they rise to the surface. Like 
 all sea fishes, the mackerel is more easily taken than fishes of 
 fresh waters. He foolishly dashes at whatever he sees before 
 him which he thinks will not devour him. But in this pecu- 
 liarity he does ncc differ from the royal salmon, which will 
 snap at flies when out of season, and evince the most culpable 
 rapacity when just returned from sea, even biting at an arti- 
 ficial minnow, or a fly unlike any thing in existence. 
 
 The Mackeuel. — Scombridce — Scomber. — Linn. 
 
 It would be difficult to find a fish more exquisite in form, 
 or more important in a commercial point of view, than the 
 common mackerel. It is also capricious in its movements. 
 It is not always to be depended on for visiting us in great 
 numbers, though it has never entirely deserted us for a sin- 
 gle season. It is in best condition on our shores in October. 
 Then it is most succulent, and orders for private tables should 
 be made of that month's catch. Catches early in the season 
 are lean. The catch of June is scarcely worth salting ; but 
 mackerel fiitten fast, and by September are very good. Oc 
 tober mackerel are preferable to those of any other month in 
 the year, for, as a singular fact in the nature of the fish, it be- 
 gins to deteriorate or lose condition in November, In gen- 
 eral, mackerel move away from shore gradually after the first 
 frost, and they finally settle off in soundings, not much influ- 
 enced by the cold weather along our shores. October is con- 
 sidered the closing month of the mackerel season ; but about 
 five years since, near the 1st of December, the fishermen of 
 New Providence, Massachusetts, were surprised by the sight 
 of the saltatory exploits on the bay of myriads of mackerel 
 leaping, shining, and gleaming in every direction. The boats 
 
The Conscience of Mackerel. 
 
 321 
 
 were supplied with bait, and manned in quick time for even 
 Yankees, and the take that day was almost miraculous. The 
 catch that season had been short, but that day made up the 
 deficiency of the year. The next morning indicated that the 
 shoal had stacked arms and rras prepared to march. But 
 few were taken that day, and less numbers each day for a 
 week that the fleet followed them, when the shoals all sank, 
 as by one general ordei-, off the coast of New Jersey. 
 
 It was matter of great surprise to the fishermen that the 
 mackerel voluntarily yielded themselves to appease the fish- 
 ermen and supply the fish-casks of human need ; but, having 
 done so, the shoals seemed to have retired with a glow of sat- 
 isfaction at having done their duty, even aL the loss of some 
 of their favorites. 
 
 In vain is the intimation to the pious fisherman that mack- 
 erel are as liable to mistakes in their calculations as men, and 
 so settled, before the regular fishing season was over, in too 
 cold a latitude, and rose during a warm terra to take a lunar, 
 and lay their course for more genial winter quarters. No ! 
 The fishermen believe that, smitten by conscience for not fur- 
 nishing the usual supply, the fish voluntarily yielded them- 
 selves to the sacrifice for conscience' sake. 
 
 Mackerel, to be fully appreciated, should leap as it were 
 from the water into the hands of the cook, and be made ready 
 for the gridiron, broiled, and on the table in half an hour aft- 
 er it has left its native element. Or a salted October mack- 
 erel can not be depreciated by a person of nice taste ; though, 
 of course, a fresh fish is better than a cured one, and the soon- 
 er it is cooked after its last shuddering flutter, and its ultra- 
 marine tints die aAvay, the better. 
 
 The mackerel frequents the Atlantic coast from Belle Isle 
 to Long Island. It spawns in spring in the bays, bayous, and 
 estuaries, and comes into season for the table in August.' 
 
 "Whether from the abundance of suitable food found at such times or 
 from some other causes wliicb influencQ the migratinnK of fisli it is J.-ird to 
 sav, hut expenem-e shows us that on the coasts of Ireland mackerel are 
 taken nearly all the year round. They are rarely very abundant on the coast 
 
 X 
 

 322 
 
 Fishing m American "Wateks. 
 
 i : 
 
 of Cornwall— although never entirely absent from it— much before March. 
 A little later thev visit the coast of Devonshire, appearing to approach the 
 land as the season advances. At Lowestoft and Yarmouth the fishing season 
 is still later, and is at its height during the months of May and June, whilst 
 in the Frith of Forth June and July are the months when they usually ap- 
 pear. In the Orkneys few fish are taken until the last week in July or the 
 
 first in August. , , ,-.1^1 
 
 "The mackerel family have an extended range, and are found most abun- 
 dant in warmer climes than the British Isles. The Sea of Marmora and the 
 Bosphorus at times literaUy swarm with them. It is extremely pictixresque 
 and exciting to see the light and graceful 'caiques' dancing like bubbles 
 over the clear blue sea, as, propelled by their lusty crews, they shoot here and 
 there amongst the circling nets. Meantime the cunning old cormorants, un- 
 dismayed by the bustle and splashing water, ply their occupation most dili- 
 gently As they grow audacious from long-continued Impunity, they make a 
 sudden raid over the corks into the thick of the struggling, fluttering fiy. 
 The fishermen shout, and by dint of admonitory pokes, liberally administered 
 with the oar-blades, the greedy, long-necked throng are ignominiously ex- 
 pelled, and retire beyond the nets, gobbling down at leisure their ill-gotten 
 plunder. Some idea of the abundance of fish to be found in this part ot the 
 world, and of the immunity from persecution enjoyed by these krds, may be 
 formed by watching the countless thousands of them which at times pass, m 
 apparently endless lines, between the Sea of Marmora and the Black Sea. I 
 have watched them for hours without seeing any apparent diminution in their 
 pf jsing hosts. Vast numbers of mackerel also frequent the coasts of the isl- 
 and of St. Helena, where immense quantities can be captured. I have taken 
 them with the hook and line until literally tired of hauling up and unhook- 
 ing, baiting with a little strip of salt pork-rind, and throwing biscuit-dust 
 overboard as an attraction. These fish, although of excellent flavor, are 
 rarely more than seven or eight inches long, and are much like the s/nners, 
 or young mackerel, found abundantly on the English coast during the sum- 
 mer months ; while in British waters, from fourteen to sixteen inches m 
 length, and two pounds in weight, is not an unusual size. , , , ^, 
 
 " Much importance appears in past times to have been attached to the 
 sale of mackerel in London, as we find that a law was passed in the year 
 1098 lego'hmg their being vended by a 'cry' on Sunday, which custom, as 
 Ave know, still continues. „ , , , . a- * i 
 
 " There are several modes by Avhich the capture of the mackerel is effected. 
 Seines, or long nets furnished with corks at the top an'l leads at the bottoin, 
 are dexterously carried by fast boats round the advancing shoal ot hsh, which 
 is inclosed as within a ' pound.' The ends of the net arc now secured, and 
 the fish eitlier taken from within the inclosure with a smaller net, or drawn 
 to the surface in the 'bunts' or bags formed in the larger seines, when the 
 leaping, struggling fish are dipped up literally by baskettu s (by men stationed 
 on the gunwale of the boat for the purpose) and thrown into a compartment 
 provided for their reception. Great numbers are at times taken in ground 
 seines or nets, which, although somewhat like those above described, are 
 smaller, and so arranged as to be dragged to the beach with their contents. 
 'Trammel' and 'drift' nets may be compared to curtains suspended in mid- 
 water, and are moored securely in the places selected for them by heavy 
 stones fastened to their ends. In them the heedless fish, not perceiving he 
 treacherous web, dart their heads, become hopelessly entangled, and are ulti- 
 
 ' """llook-fiffhing, too, lends its aid in thinning the rainbow throng. As a 
 matter of sport and pastime, few pursuits, I think, are more thoroughly en- 
 
 

 Yielding Profit and Spoet. 323 
 
 the boat occasionally when vvPfnnnHVJ^ f ^'=^«''^«'- , Tacking and Avearing 
 we killed thesrbeSS'a??rst ^J H^ bT"" n\'^°'^'' ^'^^ *^^'° ^""''^ 
 
 liilarating. '" "'"'^' ^' "^ ^'""^ ^'^""t it is animated and ex- 
 
 Hook-fishing for mackerel is very exciting sport. A brisk 
 breeze,_sky mellowed by fleecy clouds, gulls swooping and 
 screammg, every thing apparently in excitement. Under 
 such circumstances and surroundings, it is not strange if the 
 troller, whiffer, or still-baiter should inflate his lungs and 
 least his soul until the waning sun warns him to desist and 
 retire. 
 
 Excellent sport is sometimes to be had by rowino- or scull- 
 ing a boat into a thick shoal, and trolling for them with feath- 
 ered squid, twirling spoon, or casting to them a white artifi- 
 cial fly. 
 
 '^'''"tV{8rt'^T«r-'''^'tV'" ''^ ^'"''' "^^^"'"^ ""^ Massachusetts 
 Pom 18G3 to 18G/, and the average wholesale Prices per barrel. 
 
 ^'""6 90000 " 2100 isonnnnnn 
 
 • — irir^ 15 00 i,o.-)0,ooo 00 
 
 1,396,000 " mm^^O 
 
;}24 
 
 Fishing in Amekican Waters. 
 
 \ 
 
 Srule of Invlit^, 
 
 Hekring and Pif.ciiaei> Famua-.— 1. The Mossbonker, or Hard-head, Alom menhadru 
 (very abmidaiit on the shores of Long Island and Mass. It is s-eldom eaten). 2. 
 The Pilchard, Clupea piUhardm. 3. The Anchovy, EngrmdiK engramcolus. 4. Amer- 
 ican Shad, Alosa pramtabilU. 5. The Herring, Clupca harengus. 
 
 I 
 
 SECTION SECOND. 
 
 No. 4. THE SHAD. 
 
 By the rice-border'd Southern coast, 
 
 Where the Savannah River winds, 
 The shad-shoal, an nnnumber'd host, 
 
 Its earliest feeding pasture finds. 
 Thence northward where the Hudson sweeps 
 Connecticut's transparent deeps. 
 Their gleaming myriads seek a home 
 Beyond the surges and the foam. 
 
 The Shad, comincM-cially, is an important fish. It winters 
 in the ocean, dallies among the nets in the estnaries during 
 spring, after whicli it lays its ova in the sands above tide-wa- 
 ter, and returns to salt water to recuperate. It is very pro- 
 • lific, yielding from a fourth to half a million eggs annually 
 within the months of April, May, and Juno. Tlie Connecti- 
 cut River is supposed to contain the best shad, while those 
 of the Delaware and Hudson are excellent fish — vastly supe- 
 rior to those of the British Isles, or to the Alosa vulgaris, 
 which is numerous in the rivers of France, but so small and 
 lean as never to be seen on the table of an epicure. The av- 
 erage weight of shad hi Europe is less than two pounds, while 
 
19 
 
 Economical Ekiiakfast Delicacy. 325 
 
 in America it is double that weight. Tho Alosajlnta visits 
 «ome of the waters in France and Spain, and it is but recent- 
 ly that It has been duly classified in France. The superiority 
 of American shad in both size and quality over those of Eu- 
 rope IS probably caused by the purity of our rivers, and the 
 peater amount of the kinds of food relished by this tooth- 
 less sprmg delicacy of the breakfast-table. It feeds on ani- 
 malcule, and is exclusively caught with nets. 
 
 The shad season is comparatively short, but the principal 
 Northern markets are supplied with them from Southern Hv- 
 ers in March, and sometimes as early as February. They do 
 not enter the rivers of New York and Connecticut before the 
 early part of April ; and one of the most peculiar features in 
 this family of fishes was discovered by Seth Green, while 
 hatching them by artificial means at Ilolyoke, on the Connec- 
 ticut River, where he hatched nearly one hundred millions 
 of shad in less than six weeks. From the time when he strip- 
 ped the shad, and the ova and milt settled in the hatching- 
 boxes, not more than thirty-six hours elapsed before nineteen 
 twentieths of the eggs hatched, and the remainder within 
 twelve hours later. 
 
 THE SHAD FISHERIES. 
 Sixty days include the shad season in New York Bay and the Hud- 
 son liner, during which time the usual catch is 1,100 000 fisli 
 
 averaging each 25 cts. as price, or \^jr mn 
 
 The catch in Delaware ahout 750,000, 25 cts. . . 1 8? nio 
 
 Connecticut, 400,000, 30 cts ,^o'nnn 
 
 Kennebec, 140,000, 15 cts oornn 
 
 Penobscot, 20,000, 20 cts .' •"•• f'Z^ 
 
 North Carolina, 500,000,40 cts 20o'oO(l 
 
 Potomac and Chesapeake, 300,000, 20 cts "' fio'oOO 
 
 Norfolk and vicinity, 200,000, 30 cts go'ooo 
 
 iiJTlMHJO 
 Although the shad of Southern waters are inferior to those 
 of the Northern, yet, as the earliest in market, they command 
 the price of a rarity. The foregoing wholesale prices are 
 copied from the books of tlie most extensive dealers in Ful- 
 ton Market, New York. 
 
;J2« 
 
 FisuLNO IN Amekican "VVaters. 
 
 SECTION THIRD. 
 
 No. 1. — THE MOSSBUNKER OR MENHADEN. 
 
 On salt-sea borders, sound, and bay, 
 The twinkling spring-time sunbeams play. 
 And white with froth the billows shine 
 Where the mossbunkers lash the brine. 
 Above them flocks of sea-gulls swing, 
 Beneath the hungry bluefish spring. 
 And, deadlier still, the surfmen strain 
 The oars, and mesh them with the seine. 
 
 The menhaden is a white fish, with large scales of metallic 
 lustre. It disports, during spring, summer, and autumn, oft' 
 the coast and in the estuaries from Delaware to the Bay of 
 Passamaquoddy. It is from nine to twelve inches long, and 
 in shape resembles a diminutive shad, though not so wide or 
 thin for its length. It is a very oily fish, very bony, and 
 therefore never eaten except by fishermen, who frequently 
 salt it for winter use. Its flavor is like that of the shad. 
 
 The principal estimate of value put upon the menhaden is 
 for its quality as the best bait for attracting mackerel, striped 
 bass, bluefish, and even such of the Gaclidm as the haddock, 
 and of the Crustacea as the lobster. It is either ground or 
 chopped fine and cast upon the water to attract mackerel and 
 other food-fishes to the hook, while it is the best bait for lob- 
 ster-pots. The annual diminution in the numbers of mackerel 
 taken within the past five years— as shown by the statistics- 
 is justly attributable to the increase of the manufacture of 
 menhaden oil. About five years since some person conceived 
 the brilliant idea of making oil from menhaden by grinding 
 them to a pulp, putting them under a press, and squeezing 
 ou| the oil. He formed a company, which erected buildings, 
 introduced machinery, and bought sail-boats and nets. For 
 a couple of years, while menhaden were so abundant as to be 
 used for manure in some places along the coast, the menhaden 
 oil companies made generous dividends ; but no sooner did 
 this fact become known among enterprising geniuses than 
 
 
Calllno fob Legislation. 
 
 327 
 
 nearly two hundred manufactories were put in operation, and 
 the sails of menhaden boats enlivened Long Island Sound 
 throughout its length and breadth, their flocks of white wings 
 extending along the Atlantic shore for five hundred miles, as 
 if striving with the numerous shoals of porpoises to see which 
 could do the most harm to the fishing interest by robbing the 
 fishermen of the greatest amount of bait. But every "year 
 since the shoals of menhaden have decreased in number, so 
 that while the fishermen begin to find the price of bait op- 
 pressive, some oil factories have been compelled to suspend 
 operations. It may be a question worthy of attention by po- 
 litical economists and statesmen whether menhaden oil manu- 
 factories should not be taxed out of existence for the injury 
 they are causing to the public ; for the oil companies off-er in- 
 ducements which attract fishermen from their legitimate call- 
 mg, enhance the prices of most kinds of food-fishes, and thus 
 injure the public. 
 
 Laws which should adequately encourage by premiums the 
 capture of the black porpoise and the pufier would greatly 
 improve the coast fisheries. This course was deferred until 
 the porpoises robbed some of the rivers of Ireland" of their 
 salmon, by watching in large shoals at the mouths of rivers 
 when the salmon were returning to spawn. Already the 
 black porpoise-the most injurious to food-fishes of all the 
 mammal tribes-are becoming so numerous along the coast, 
 and in the bays and estuaries, that the fishermen rightly con- 
 sider them one of the principal causes of the annual decrease 
 of striped bass and many other excellent fishes. The valua- 
 ble oil of the porpoise would be a sufficient reward for its cap- 
 ture if the fishermen could be so encouraged as to induce 
 them to decline catching menhaden for oil mills, and brino- 
 their forces to bear against the porpoise, the oil of which is 
 the finest in the worid for jewelers' use, and the lubrication 
 of all machinery requiring a fine and pure article. 
 
 By some such means as I have hinted at the shoals of food- 
 fishes may be checked in their eastern migrations, and in- 
 
328 
 
 Fishing in Ameeican Waters. 
 
 ' 
 
 duced to forage in the waters of the United States, instead 
 of settling beyond their limits. 
 
 MENHADEN FOR BAIT. 
 
 The largest fleet engaged at catching menhaden bait ajong 
 the coast is at Gloucester, Mass., where twenty fast-sailhig 
 tishing-smacks are engaged six months of t ! year at netting 
 menhaden, and their annual sales of bait average hi amount 
 |i75,000. Of the pilchard, No. 2, and anchovy, No. 3, they are 
 European fishes ; but the herring. No. 5, swarms along all the 
 shores and inlets of the Atlantic during the s[)ring and sum- 
 mer months ; and whether it is the want of duly appreciating 
 the fish, or because American fishermen have better employ- 
 ment during the season which the herring visits our shores, 
 I know not, but it does not claim its proportionate share of 
 interest and attention among the numerous families of Ameri- 
 can food-fishes. 
 
 FROZEN herrings. 
 
 Late in autumn about fifty vessels sail annually from Mas- 
 sachusetts to Newfoundland for frozen herrings. Their aver- 
 age catch is one hundred tons each, and their wholesale price 
 in the New York markets is three cents a pound, or $300,000. 
 
 SECTION FOURTH. 
 
 THE CODFISH — CATCHING AND CURING IT. 
 
 Far oft' by stormy Labrador — 
 
 Far off" the Banks of Newfoundland, 
 Where angry seas incessant roar, 
 
 And foggy mists their wings expand, 
 The fishing-schooners, black and low, 
 For weary months sail to and fro ; 
 Seeking no home, no rest the while. 
 Till each is freighted full with spoil. 
 
 While visiting the mouth of the St. John River, on the 
 north shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, I spent some time in 
 examining the modics operandi of taking and dry-curing cod. 
 

 Industry of wokld-wild Iaipoktaxce. 329 
 
 Fishermen from the isles of Guernsey and Jersey, with those 
 trom the British American Provinces, had come from afar 
 with tlieir wives and little ones, and early in June settled in 
 log cabins, to remain during the cod-fishing season, which 
 they supposed, would continue until September, when with' 
 their freighted vessels, they would embark on their i,erilous 
 voyage ibr home and a market. Their fleet numbered sixty 
 sail, with a scull-boat (in which a sail might be hoisted in 
 case of necessity) for each vessel. This fleet emplo^a>d also 
 two sail-boats, with nets, to catch caplin for bait." Lar^e 
 shoals of caplin, smelt, and si)earing foraged about the^stu- 
 ary and along the bay and coast, wisely intended, no doubt, 
 as food for salmon, cod, and other members of the Gamce 
 family, besides the more ferocious monsters of the deep 
 which seem to stop at nothing. During my stay of a week 
 among these fishermen, and from what experience I before 
 enjoyed with the class, I am forced to conclude, with Victor 
 Hugo and others who have studied the habits of men and 
 deduced therefrom theories for the influence which their 
 avocations exert upon their dispositions, that fishermen are 
 the most amiable, patient, and obliging class of men in the 
 world. They are temperate, industrious, frugal, and aftec- 
 tionate among themselves, and hospitable to strangers 
 
 The Codfish. 
 
 The fleet sailed out of the harbor every morning, each ves- 
 sel taking a supply of bait as it passed the caplin-netters, 
 when they would come to anchor at certain distances apart 
 along the Banks, sometimes within a mile of shore, but more 
 generally from five to twenty miles, always following the fish 
 
330 
 
 rrsiiiNO IN Ameeican Waters. 
 
 n 
 
 r 
 
 i. 
 
 as they changed feeding - grounds. On tlieir return in the 
 evening they ran alongside the planked docks, extending into 
 the river from the salting and packing houses, ecected part- 
 ly over the water. From vessels the cod were pitched up 
 on the docks (with forks made for the purpose), where they 
 were beheaded, split, drawn, and cleaned, then pitched into 
 the salting-room, where salt was rubbed into them for two 
 days, and on the third day they were spread on the flakes to 
 dry. The " flakes" are tables of fir-boughs, made by driving 
 forked stakes into the ground, then laying poles across, and 
 covering them with boughs of the fir-tree. These flakes were 
 two yards wide, three feet high, and covered several acres. 
 The fish, after being salted two days, on the third day are 
 spread singly upon the flakes to dry. Here they are left four 
 days, when they are grouped into small piles on the flakes 
 of twenty-five fish in each pile, and left in that condition two 
 days to sweat, when they are again spread on the flakes as at 
 first, and, after two days more, are piled up two days as be- 
 fore. Then they are gathered from the flakes and formed 
 into round stacks, their necks at the outer edge of the stack, 
 which is usually about five feet high, and contains a ton of 
 fish. After leaving them a week in stack, they again distrib- 
 ute them on the flakes to dry, and after another week they 
 again stack them. They are thus continued on the flakes or 
 in pack about a month in summer, but only half that time in 
 autumn, when they are considered cured. The cod cured on 
 the north shore of the Gulf are dried harder than those on 
 the south shore for the United States market. Those cured 
 on the north shore are generally sold in South America, the 
 West Indies, and to ports in the British Isles. 
 
 The question of "What luck have you had?" is more espe- 
 cially applicable to fishers for the market than to the disciple 
 of rod and reel ; for, without bait, a perilous voyage and a 
 whole season's labor produce nothing but disappointment. 
 The caplin, spearing, and smelt are sometimes prevented by 
 rough weather from npproachino- waters where the'^ mav be 
 
An intpjkestino Variety. 
 
 331 
 
 taken with the seine, in which case there is no use of thinkini? 
 of substitutes for these baits, as the cod Ibllow them and foi" 
 age upon tliem far away from the ken of fishermen, or their 
 power to follow. Thus the career of the fisherman is both 
 liazardous and precarious. 
 
 The John Doity. 
 
 
I 
 
 SiSssaEis.. 
 
 332 
 
 Fishing in American Waters. 
 
 
 «•! 
 
 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 WIIALES— Ceta<^a— an order of aquatic mammalB which comprises the largest ani- 
 mated forms in existence : some of the genera composing it are phytophagous, or 
 plant-eaters ; others are zoophagous, or animal-eaters. 
 
 WHALE FISHING. 
 
 " \\Tiat though the wintry night falls dark, 
 And icy foes beset our bark, 
 And stiff our frozen rigguig stands, 
 Enclasp'd with rigid iron bands. 
 While sheeted ice, like solid mail. 
 Thickens each spar and stiffen 'd sail ? 
 
 Yet brave are whalemen's valiant hearts, 
 And stout are whalemen's hands ; 
 
 And strong the arm the harpoon darts, 
 And strong the arm that wields the lance. 
 When o'er the tides our whale-boats glance 
 
 To battle with the whale. 
 Leviathan may lash the tide. 
 But soon his floating, bleeding side. 
 And soon the spouting streams of gore, 
 That o'er the ensanguin'd waters pour, 
 
 Declare that all is o'er. 
 Right soon the precious oil is won, 
 Oiu- dangerous labors all are done, 
 And homewivrd — liomeward is the cry, 
 With all sails spreading to the sky." — Isaac M'Lellan. 
 
Spouting in favor of Gas. 
 
 33;j 
 
 ^ 
 
 ai- 
 or 
 
 WHALE PISHING. 
 
 HALING is the most ad- 
 venturous occupation 
 known within the cir- 
 cle of legitimate in- 
 dustry. It demands 
 not only the explora- 
 tions of most danger- 
 ous seas, but a resi- 
 dence upon them dur- 
 ing the most inclem- 
 
 ent seasons. For 
 many years very lit- 
 tle whaling has been 
 done in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and off the coast of Labra- 
 dor, but the whales are again returning to their wonted feed- 
 ing-grounds there, and the walruses or sea-cows nightly ap- 
 proach, and sometimes rest on the islands. 
 
 The Georgia shoals, and banks near Newfoundland gener- 
 ally, teem with nearly all the fishes of the Northern seas. 
 Fishes from afar visit those feeding-grounds, which are form- 
 ed into rich pastures by the settling of the debris washed 
 down from near the frigid zone. The heavy tides whose 
 swift currents sweep around Scotland and Ireland are met by 
 counter tides and strong currents from Baffin's and Hudson's 
 Bays, and these precipitate vegetable and mineral matters, in- 
 cluding the drift of large rocks in icebergs, and, being assist- 
 ed by the backing of the Gulf Stream, they have already form- 
 ed the island of Newfoundland, the Fishing Banks, and the 
 small islands which dot those waters, all of which will yet 
 rise into an extensive territory, connecting Newfoundland 
 \v ith the main land south of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The 
 waters of the Straits of Belle Isle, which form one of the prin- 
 cipal outlets to the gulf, are so deep, and the rise and fall of 
 tho tides so great, that they liave contributed to the forma- 
 tion of the island of Anticosti, Avhich is larger than Long Isl- 
 
inr 
 
 I 
 
 I 
 
 i 
 
 334 
 
 FismNG IN American Waters. 
 
 and, N.Y. With the great rise and fall of the tides, and the 
 consequent swift currents, many eddies are thus formed, and 
 for hundreds of miles to the south of Newfoundland, and ex- 
 tending to the west end of Anticosti, the feeding-grounds for 
 food-fishes form a larger fishing area than any other in the 
 world. 
 
 This meeting and mingling of the frosty Northern waters 
 with those more mild from the Gulf Stream are supposed to 
 form another attraction for fishes, and the bait-fishes are fol- 
 lowed thither by the food-fishes, and the latter by most of the 
 voracious monsters of the deep, and thus procreation and 
 depletion keep step with supply and demand. 
 
 A voyage by schooner from the north shore of the Gulf, 
 and turning the west end of Anticosti while boiind for Gaspe, 
 gave me some sights of whales in spouting groups which 
 would be worth a voyage from New York to those waters to 
 witness. Whales generally swim in i^airs, unless they have 
 a calf, when that swims between them for protection ; but I 
 saw several groups at a time of more than three in each, all 
 spouting like politicians. Our tub of a schooner, which kept 
 " bidding and bobbing" like Mrs. Toodles at an auction, re- 
 minded me of the following couplet : 
 
 " When to the wind we spread our sails, 
 Along the pathless ocean strolling, 
 Crammed in a tub stock full of nails, 
 Like Regains, we die by rolling. " 
 
 Having thus spent a few nights and days on the turbulent 
 Gulf of St. Lawrence, rising one bright morning unharmed in 
 our tub, ivhich seemed cast to the whales, as. they surrounded 
 us, we were elate with joy at the brilliant display which na- 
 ture afforded in the bright heavens, sparkling waves, whales 
 spouting in every direction, the light-house looming on the 
 Isle of Anticosti, and the appearance of numerous beautiful 
 birds swimming about our craft, which we learned were puf- 
 fins, a species of duck peculiar to the Gulf of St. Lawrence 
 near Anticosti. These birds are about the size of a mallard, 
 
 
An inteeesting Voyage. 
 
 335 
 
 but robed in scinfcillant plumage of green tipped with purple, 
 and farther ornamented with a beak shaped like a parrot's^ 
 of a bright vermilion color. 
 
 As the sun rose above the snowy peaks of Labrador, the 
 sails slackened, when half a mile to westward we saw sloVly 
 rise above the waves a white triangular fin, then an enormous 
 head M^hich spouted a large shower of spray high above the 
 waves, next a huge back, and finally the enormous tail of a 
 monster double the length of our schooner. 
 
 We were shocked at the appearance of the monster, its 
 great size, and the enormous volume of water it spouted, and 
 the wake and roaring splash which its breaking water and 
 diving produced. The sailors informed us that it was a sul- 
 phur whale, one of the Mammalia, so vicious and powerful 
 that whalers seldom or never attack that species. 
 
 In the book on ''Salmon-fishing in Canada;' by Colonel 
 Sir James E. Alexander, author of an important work on ex- 
 plorations, he devotes a considerable space to the once sup- 
 posed phenomenon of mirages. Those who have sailed near 
 the Mingan Islands have doubtless observed the singular 
 forms assumed by objects at a distance, which is causedl^y a 
 peculiar state of atmosphere, and the different degrees of 
 temperature and qualities of the waters intervening between 
 the beholder of the mirage and the objects seen through it. 
 The peculiar mil-age along the Mingan Islands is supposed to 
 be caused by the number of large rivers debouching in the 
 Gulf there, and, from their rapidity, carrying waters a great 
 way out on the Gulf which differ ih temperature and quality 
 from that upon which they apparently float on the surface. 
 
 It is stated that " the most remarkable mirages over wa- 
 ter have occurred in straits," as those seen by Mr. Vance at 
 Dover, and the celebrated Fata Morgana at Messina. In 
 the St. Lawrence they present greater and more interesting 
 varieties of ocular deception, as at Bic, Point des Monts, Min- 
 gan, and the Straits of Belle Isle. 
 To return to my subject. The sight of a whale-ship round- 
 
330 
 
 Fishing in Ajueric.in Waters. 
 
 
 ing the end of Anticosti, and several game-looking boats row- 
 ing away from lier, increased our anxiety, as the sailors said 
 that we were in the midst of numerous shoals of commercial 
 whales, including the " fenners" and " hump - hacks." The 
 white pectoral fin of the sulphur was seen to rise at intervals, 
 receding in distance, when all at once two huge black masses 
 arose before us and spouted. They proved to be a mother 
 and her calf, of the hump-back family. Nearer and more 
 near approached the boats from tlie whaler; and, after the 
 whales rose to spout, as they descended the boats quickened 
 their speed toward where they expected the next rise. This 
 was repeated several times, until at last, just as one of the 
 monsters rose, the man at the bow of the nearest boat plunged 
 the harpoon deep in his body near the heart. 
 
 "Laugh at fear! 
 riimge it Ac , the barhcd .spear ! 
 Strike the hince in swift career ! 
 Give him Une I give him line ! 
 Down he goes through the foaming brine." 
 
 The instant rush of the infuriated fish drew the b at hissinr. 
 through the waters at a speed which soon hid it from our 
 view, rendering the sight really sublime ; and when addino- 
 that the mother whale followed, lashing the waves with her 
 tail and leaping like a salmon, the reader may picture to his 
 imagination — fishing ! 
 
 The mother whale swam numerous times round her calf, 
 trying to entice it seaward away from its pursuers ; but its' 
 strength slowly fliiling with fatigue and los. of blood, it rose 
 to spout. Then might be seen the mother's tender solicitude 
 lor her young, as she all but cr.ressed it and coaxed it to fol- 
 low her out of harm's way, and several times persuasively 
 swam a little distance, and then returned to assist it. 
 
 The boatmen were meantime hauling in line and coiling 
 It carefully in a tub made for the purpose, when, like light- 
 ning, off the whale started again, more rapidly, apparently, 
 than at first. The mother cavorted and disported around 
 
Opinion of an eloquent Ikisuman. 337 
 
 her young, as if to bid it persist and escape the wicked whal- 
 ' ers. But th^ firmly-fixed liarpoon held the young whale to 
 the tether, and after several runs it rose to the surfiice in or- 
 der to make its last fight, to which all previous efforts seemed 
 tame. It lashed the waves with a noise like thunder, and 
 the spray caused by it and by the leap and writhings of the 
 agonized mother was carried more than a mile, causing a 
 bhndnig mist for many rods around. Finally, all efibrts fail- 
 ing, the young whale gave the final shudder and was dead 
 lying lifeless on the surface. Then went up the shouts of the' 
 boatmen, in which we joined ; but a hauser, lashed to the 
 tail of the dead whale, enabled the crews to float it slowly 
 toward the whale-ship, which had drawn near. But the moth- 
 er whale continued to lash the waters, as with snorting and 
 blowing she evinced signs of fury until long after the blub- 
 ber-spades had dissected much of the body, and a sea of blood 
 surrounded the ship. 
 
 I will conclude this chapter with the eloquent peroration 
 of the gifted Burke, made in the House of Commons in 1774: 
 "As to the wealth which the colonists have drawn from the 
 sea by their fisheries, you had that matter fully opened at 
 your bar. You surely thought these acquisitions of value, 
 for they seemed to excite your envy; and yet the spirit by 
 which that enterprising employment has been exercised ought 
 rather, in my opinion, to have raised esteem and admiration. 
 And pray, sir, what in the world ia equal to it ? Pass by the 
 other parts, and look at the manner in which the New En- 
 gland people carry on the whale fishery. While we follow 
 them among the tumbling mountains of ice, and behold them 
 penetrating into the deepest frozen recesses of Hudson's Bay 
 and Davis's Straits; while we are looking for them beneath 
 the arctic circle, we hear that they have pierced into the op- 
 posite region of polar cold— that they are at the antipodes, 
 and engaged under the frozen serpent of the south. Falk- 
 land Island, which seemed too remote and too romantic an 
 object for the grasp of national ambition, is but a stage and 
 
338 
 
 Fishing in American "Waters. 
 
 £ 
 
 resting-place for their victorious industry. Nor is the equi- 
 noctial heat more discouraging to them than the* accumulated 
 winter of both poles. We learn that while some of them 
 draw the line or strike the harpoon on the coast of Africa, 
 others run the longitude and pursue their gigantic game 
 along the coast of Brazil. No sea but what is vexed with 
 their fisheries — no climate that i? '.■ ^ witness of their toils. 
 Neither the perseverance of Hci ' lor the activity of 
 France, nor the dexterous and firm b.^acity of English enter- 
 prise, ever carried this most perilous mode of hardy industry 
 to the extent to which it has been pursued by this recent 
 people — a people who are still in the gristle, and not harden- 
 ed into manhood." 
 
 THE STRIPED RED MULLET. 
 
 The striped red mullet, a beautiful fish of a pale pink col- 
 or, but somewhat larger than the one known to the Romans, 
 is found in considerable numbers on the English coasts. The 
 mullets, like the cod and some other fish which feed in deep 
 water, are furnished with long feelers attached to the lower 
 jaw, supposed to be delicate organs of touch, by which these 
 fish are enabled to select their food on the muddy bottoms. 
 This fish is more gamy than the golden mullet of the Ameri- 
 can borders of the Atlantic, but it is vastly inferior for the 
 table. 
 
 Striped Red Mullet. — Mulltis sunmletus. 
 
 l^....^.. 
 
The Coast Industkies. 
 
 339 
 
 CHAPTER ly. 
 
 SALT-WATER FISHERIES. 
 
 COD-LIVER OIL. 
 
 Maine and Massachusetts 
 
 make annually about 
 
 5000 bbls, common oil, 
 
 iuch as is generally used 
 
 for tanning purposes, or 
 
 150,000 gals., at 80 cts.$ 120,000 00 
 
 n ^^^^^^^^^^^as 200 bbls. superior oil, used 
 
 ,, i^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^*^'' nicdical purposes, 
 
 IT^^^^^^^^^^^^^^BE and made at Gloucester 
 
 [| v!^T^^g^^^^^^B| and Rockport, 6000 gal- 
 
 \v^_:^^^Bl^^^^^B Ions, at $150 $9,000 00 
 
 Tongues and sounds. 
 The yearly catch of Glouces- 
 ter vessels averages 1000 
 bbls., at $8 $8,000 00 
 
 DRIED CODFISH. 
 
 Massachusetts. The av- 
 erage annual make is 
 
 350,000quintals, at$6 $2,100,000 00 
 
 Maine. The average annual make is 200,000 quintals, at $G.. 1,200,000 00 
 
 $3,300,000 00 
 
 HALIBUT FISHERY. 
 
 Halibut caught by vessels of Gloucester, Massachusetts, aver- 
 age annually, for five years past, 10,000,000 lbs., at 10 cts.. $1,000,000 00 
 
 Yearly catch by Boston vessels, 2,500,000 lbs., at 10 cts 250,000 00 
 
 $1,250,000 00 
 
 SMOKING SALMON AND HALIBUT. 
 
 Oi.e Boston house smokes 10,000 bbls. annually, at the average 
 
 price per bbl. of $38 $380,000 00 
 
 Do., 10,000 bbls., at $10 100,000 00 
 
 Do., 13,000 quintals* of smoked halibut, 9 cts. per lb 131,040 00 
 
 $611,040 00 
 
 THE EASTPORT FISHERY. 
 
 Fish caught and cured in the vicinity of Eastport, Maine : 
 
 30,000 boxes smoked herrings, 40 cts $12,000 00 
 
 ' A qniutal is 112 lbs. 
 
340 Fishing in American Waters. 
 ,,.„^J^^"f ^ ^«™"':f--; ii2,ooo 00 
 
 1500 bbls. herring oil, $30 45 qqq qq 
 
 8000 quintals dried cod, $3 ^ ' 24000 00 
 
 20,000 quintals dried pollock, $2 ' ' 4n'nnn nn 
 
 ;s,T, ," .,i„'-^'="'»'™- ■■"■"-""" ^^^ 
 
 500 bbls. liver oil, $30 15 000 00 
 
 3000 bbls. pickled cod, $4 l'>'ooo 00 
 
 5700 " " herrings, $4 'ZZZ:::Z 2^800 00 
 
 1200 " " mackerel, $15 I80OO00 
 
 500 " " haddock, $2 50 ZZ'. ],'2."o 00 
 
 $205,050 00 
 
 The foregoing statement is made by Captain S. Treat, of 
 Eastport, and is an average annual catch for the past five 
 years to 1868. 
 
 WHOLESALE FISH DEPARTIVIENT OF FULTON MARKET. 
 This includes fourteen establishments confined to the pur- 
 chase and sale of food-fishes. The average annual sales 
 
 by each is $150,000. Aggregate $2,100,000 00 
 
 In addition to these sales, they employ one hundred and eleven 
 fishing-smacks, the average annual catches by each amount- 
 ing to $12,000, or an aggregate of. 1,332,000 00 
 
 $3,432,000 00 
 
 SCOLLOPS. 
 
 The trade in scollops is annually increasing, but, like the other 
 vast water-fields of Crustacea, the business is still embryotic 
 and the trade undeveloped. East Greenwich, R. I., sup- 
 plies 100 gallons daily for half the year, or 18,200 gallons 
 at75 cents jg ^.^ 
 
 Southport, Matatuck, Cutchogue, and Jamesport, on Long Isl- • ' 
 and, supply in the aggregate six months 18,200 gallons at 
 
 75 cents 
 
 13,650 00 
 
 $27,300 00 
 
 SOFT-SHELL CLAMS. 
 
 Comstock & Co., of Fulton Market, sold last year 3,250,000 for $8000 It 
 IS estimated that this is about one sixth of the aggregate annual sale in 
 the United States, which would render the sum total $48,000 00 
 
 I could not get an estimate on the business done in hard 
 clams, though it is nearly or quite as large as that in soft 
 shells. 
 
 SMELTS. 
 
 Trade in smelts is confined to six months, or to the inclement 
 season of the year, for which time the sales in Fulton Mar- 
 ket averaged 1,352,000 at 16 cents $216 320 00 
 
 l^Z 
 
A Chesapeake Industey. 
 
 341 
 
 SALMON, FRESH AND SALTED. 
 
 One Boston house sells annually 10,000 bbls. salmon, the fresh 
 and salted fish averaging per bbl. $38 $380,000 m 
 
 i00,000 bbls. herrings, cured and smoked in the manner of Yar- 
 mouth bloaters, $10 per bbl 1,000,000 00 
 
 THE OYSTER INDUSTRY. 
 
 Of the delicious bivalve which "gets out of bed to be tucked in," it is impos- 
 sible to arrive at an appropriate estimate of all which are canned for the 
 interior trade, and those sold in the sheU f - consumption in the Atlantic 
 States ; but of the trade from Virginia to Massachusetts, it is computed 
 by the largest dealers in the industry that about 50,000,000 bushels are an- 
 nually sold at 50 cents per bushel $25,000 000 00 
 
 The following, copied from the Baltimore report of the in- 
 dustry in that single city for the past year, may give some 
 idea of the importance of this crustaceous bivalve : 
 
 OYSTERS AND CANNED GOODS, 
 
 This trade has been m fair activity throughout the year. The number of 
 houses prosecutmg it now reaches about seventy-three, of which some forty 
 are strictly in the packing trade. The hands employed equal probably 5000 
 of both sexes in the various departments of shucking, packing, peeling, pre- 
 serving, etc. Six to eight million bushels of oysters are consumed, one third 
 of which are packed raw, and the balance hermetically sealed. The cans re- 
 quired for these reach about 3,000,000 to 4,000,000 of half to one gallon 
 each, and require say 300,000 cases to pack them. The balance of the oys- 
 ters, say some 4,000,000 bushels, are put up in hermetically sealed cans of 1, 
 2, and 3 pounds each, of which during the active season some 80 to 100,000 
 cans are daily packed, so that some 12 to 1G,000,000 of cans are required for 
 this trade annually. It is estimated that some $14,000,000 to $16,000,000 
 are invested in this interest in and around Baltimore, and that the annual 
 product is worth some $6,000,000 to $7,000,000. 
 
 The number of vessels said to be engaged in that business 
 on the Chesapeake is over 1600, which give employment to 
 more than 6000 persons. Had the trade to California contin- 
 ued, the industry would have been greatly augmented ; but 
 in that land of abundance fishes of nearly all kinds are more 
 numerous than on the Atlantic coast, so that there salmon is 
 too common for food, and the sardine canning industry bids 
 fair to supersede that of the Mediterranean. 
 
U2 
 
 Fishing in Ajmeeican Waters. 
 
 THE CHESAPEAKE BAY FISHERY. 
 
 By the followino' .stimate, made by Messrs. Monroe & 
 Uemeny, of Alexandria— the largest fishery firm in the South 
 —I am informed that 25,000,000 herrings are caught in about 
 six weeks, and 5,000,000 shad are taken in the mean time, 
 being in March and April. These are caught by from 20 to 
 25 shad fisheries, giving employment to about 1000 men and 
 from 75 to 100 vessels. Of course, those include the fisheries 
 along the Chesapeake, in both the states of Maryland and 
 Virginia; yet I prefer to submit those samples of individual 
 enterprise to the state or national reports, because they tell 
 what may be done by showing what is "being done by indi- 
 vidual industry, instead of trying to deduce from the aggre- 
 gate estimates in elaborate national or state reports what 
 proportion of the income of all the states is derived from 
 their fisheries ; whereas these are confined to a small portion 
 of our borders, and comparatively few men and small means 
 are employed in them. 
 
 HADDOCKS. 
 
 The sale oC'Jinnan kaddies" per diem for six months of the year la 
 
 New York averages 1000 lbs,, at 10 cents ' |ioo 00 
 
 Uoston, 2000 lbs ' "' 20O 00 
 
 Portland, 1500 lbs iii."-!-!...!!!!!.!!!!!!!.."!!!!! 150 00 
 
 ,n. . . $450 OU 
 
 Ihus amountmg m six months for those three cities to $81,900 00 
 
 It is Stated by competent authority that 3000 lbs. of ''Jin- 
 nan hadcUes'" per day for six months in the year are cured hi 
 Portland, Maine, and that more than half of them are sold in 
 the Dominion of Canada. It is becoming so large an indus- 
 try in the United States that a brief account of its origin may 
 prove interesting. 
 
 FINDON HADDOCKS. 
 
 The luxury known as " finnan baddies" was first cured at 
 Findon, near Aberdeen, in Scotland. I can not iGarn when 
 
Yankee Invention of Dey-feeezino. 
 
 343 
 
 the industry was begun, but am informed tliat it was such a 
 favorite dish with George IV. that it was constantly on his 
 breakfast-table during the winter. 
 
 The curing of haddocks by moderately salting them and 
 then smoking them over a smudge made of smothered peat 
 was an invention of some pretty Scotch woman with— like 
 most of her countrymen of both sexes— more brains and loy- 
 alty than money. She was, withal, a woman with an excel- 
 lent goUt, as her invention proved ; for she had not followed 
 the business long before many persons usurped her invention, 
 and, instead of smoking them over the pure peat-reek fires, 
 they used green wood of any kind- that would make a smoke. 
 Thus the Findon haddocks lost favor in some quarters ; yet, 
 l)Oor as it was made by bad smoking, there was still left a de- 
 gree of delicacy, and the flavor was still so much admired as 
 to divide the interest with the Yarmouth bloater as a break- 
 fast-fish. Finally, as the " schoolmaster abroad" ascertained 
 that the waters on our Eastern coast teem with haddocks, he 
 intimated their value as a breakfast luxury, when several mem- 
 bers of Brother Jonathan's family were not long in seeing the 
 point of interest in the question. The result is that, within 
 the past five years, no industry has grown faster, according to 
 its pasture of short capital, than has the manufacture and 
 trade in Findon haddocks, the annual amount of which in the 
 United States is not much short of half a million of dollars. 
 
 PRESERVING FOOD-FISHES FRESH. 
 
 The Yankee invention for refrigerating salmon in an at- 
 mosphere of such a degree of cold as is desired, and from 
 which all dampness is ejfcluded, has greatly increased the 
 amount of consumption of fresh salmon in the border cities 
 of the United States within the past thiee years. Already 
 the Canadians are profiting by an invention which their prox- 
 imity to salmon-waters renders of iminense utility to them. 
 This invention requires to be used when the fiah are entirely 
 fresh, and have not been much handled. It consists simplv 
 
344 
 
 FisiiiNG IN Ameijican Waters. 
 
 in placing the fish in the dry retrigerutor the day that they 
 are caught, and the sooner after they leave the aqueous ele- 
 ment the better. Already the refrigoi:ating process is in o])- 
 eration on railroads for the transmission of meats, fish, and 
 fruits. 
 
 Of numerous other fishes than the salmon which are sold 
 in a fresh condition, no reliable estimate can be made. They 
 include thousands of tons of striped bass, cero, bonita, Span- 
 ish mackerel, sea bass, blackfish, squeteague, sheepshead, eels, 
 flounders, flukes, crabs, lobsters, and several other kinds of 
 coast and estuary fishes. It is, however, safe to state that 
 they include more than half the number of pounds offish con- 
 sumed by the inhabitants of the states on the Atlantic border, 
 and amounting annually to a value of many millions of dol- 
 lars. Throughout winter the netting of striped bass is pur- 
 sued along the shores of bays, sounds, and as far up the Hud- 
 son River as Peekskill, taking them at the latter place from 
 under the ice. This practice should be inhibited by law. 
 
 Those who feel interested in the commerce of fishes will 
 please excuse me for not condensing the statements by reca- 
 pitulation. The few examples which I have submitted of the 
 industry have been those of individual enterprise in a busi- 
 ness which is destined soon to become one among the leadino- 
 industries of the nation. 
 

 JPart Ionxi\). 
 
 ANCIENT AND MODEEN FISII-CULTUER 
 
CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE ART AMONG THE ANCIENTS. 
 
 MONG the many arts 
 founded on pure phi- 
 losophy peculiar to 
 China, we find that 
 of propagating fishes 
 by artificial means to 
 have been practiced 
 there for many cen- 
 turies, as is proven 
 by their works, and 
 the intimate knowl- 
 edge of the art pos- 
 • sessed by so many 
 of the inhabitants of 
 the Celestial Empire. • 
 
 Father Duhalde, one of the earliest missionaries from 
 France to China, was the first to reveal to the Christian 
 world that the inhabitants of China might teach those of 
 Europe the art of water - farming. "In the great River 
 Yang - tse - kiang," said Father Duhalde, " not far from the 
 city Kieou-king-fou, of the province Kiang-si, at certain sea- 
 sons of the year there assemble great numbers of vessels for 
 conveying away the fecundated eggs of fishes. Throughout 
 the month of May the river is barred at short intervals for 
 sixty miles with interlacings of osier and bulrushes, leaving 
 barely suflicient space for the passage of barks or double 
 chaloupes^ with lateen sails, which are engaged in transport- 
 ing ova." The reticulated weirs of osier and bulrushes are 
 close enouffh to catch and retain the ova, and the vendor 
 
348 
 
 FtsuiNG m Amekican Watehs. 
 
 knows how to distrnguish them with the naked eye when un- 
 1 iact.eed ones pei-ceive nothu,g in the water. He therefore 
 J.P8 up the water with a mixture of impregnated ova "hM 
 many purchase in that condition, while he lips and Ms Tal 
 for others who purchase the fishes when first hatched P„ 
 pie are said to come from all parts of the empire for the 
 
 Great care is bestowed on the vivified ec^gs placed in tl„ 
 vases, and those having them in charge takftu,™ n aUend 
 
 ng to «.em so that they are never neglected eithe; n gMo; 
 
 ay At the end of some days, as the eggs disclose life the 
 different species are removed into sepaiSe vases, and thd 
 prices fixed and published. Father Duhalde stated" 
 "ott gam was often a hundred fold on the expense and he 
 
 "dTfrsr ^^ '''- — ^ '-«-"-" 
 
 ot the Chinese m propagating fishes, but their explanations 
 were always more or less vague. Father Hue, the mTs ioa 
 my, .nfoi-med the French government that a great many mer- 
 chants of vivified fish-eggs came to the province of cLTou 
 and traversed the country for the sale of them to the propri! 
 etors of ponds and other preserved waters. Their merchan- 
 dise, being a sort of yellowish Mquid, was contained in a cask 
 t appeared to be oily water, similar to the color of the vase 
 (probably tcrra-cotta), in which it was impossible to distin- 
 ««.sh with the naked eye the least animaleula or living thin" 
 Kor some mfip,e^n,M coin-they purchase a oup of that 
 u^id water, which is sufBcient to stoek-a pond of Lnsider- 
 •ible size. They pour the contents of the cup into the pond 
 or lake, and in a few days the eggs hatch, and by having 
 their preserves properly divided they keep up their stock of 
 fish. For the young fishes of the herbivorous families, snch 
 as the carp, etc., they throw into the pond tender herbs for 
 food, augmentmg the quantity as the fish enlarge. Carnivor 
 
 r.mrmx!miwsmim;pm 
 
Growth of Heebivorous Fishes. 
 
 349 
 
 
 ous fishes require some kind of meat, or a mixture in which 
 meat or offal forms a part. 
 
 The fishes are fed in the morning and evening of each day, 
 and, as they grow very fast, it becomes quite " a chore" for 
 the boys and girls to gather them enough herbage, for they 
 are so ravenous as to be approjiriately compared to the silk- 
 worms when forming cocoons. Witli generous feeding they 
 attain to the weight of two or three pounds in fifteen days, 
 when they cease growing, and are sold alive throughout the 
 great centres of population. 
 
 The fish-culturists of Kiang-si raise uniquely fishes of a 
 goUt most exquisite. The sea-rabbit is the name given by 
 them to a species at once the most delicate and prolific. 
 
 Fish-culture, or piscicidture, seems natural to the Chinese, 
 who conduct the industry skillfully and successfully, culti- 
 vating numerous species of herbivorous fishes, which they 
 raise with great facilitj^ Herbivorous fishes acclimatize 
 much easier than the carnivorous. The French and other 
 Europeans have commenced to import herbivorous fishes from 
 Kiang-si ; the red and gold fishes, originally imported from 
 China, may be considered a luxury to the eye, and their sur- 
 prisingly rapid increase in numbers without expense has in- 
 duced the French to import such food-fishes as are prolific 
 and of excellent flavor. The fresh-water fishes of commerce 
 in China form much lighter and more digestible food than 
 any fresh-water fishes of either Europe or America. They 
 have cultivated their waters, and raised fishes for so many 
 hundred years, and perhaps thousands, that their system is 
 said to be much more perfect than any now practiced in Eu- 
 rope or America ; and as France has sent an agent to China 
 to study up the subject from an Oriental point of view, it 
 might be advisable for our government to instruct its embas- 
 sadors to make all the discoveries possible, and report tliera 
 for the benefit of fish-culture in the United States. 
 
350 
 
 Fishing in American Wateks. 
 
 i ; 
 
 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 FISII-CULTURE IN E, ROPE IN EARLY TIMES. 
 The date when fish-culture was commenced in Europe is 
 not definitely known. Its introduction there is generally at" 
 tnbuted to the Romans, among whom, it is stated by sell, 
 writers the art approached a remarkable degree of perfec- 
 tion It IS known to the student of antique inventions that 
 in the palmy aays of ancient Rome, great attention was paid' 
 
 rr""l7' i"'' '^ "^"" ^' ''''''' «"^ ^-- *'- -a'and 
 the Lay of Naples to the ornamental lakes and ponds of tlu- 
 
 wealthy patricians, eminently those at Tusculum, and at oth- 
 er vil as near Ea.e, the fishes of tlie sea were hivited by men 
 of taste to spawn in their preserves, which they did in great 
 numbers, as is related by J^u.al in respect to the extensiv 
 presein..s of Lucullus. But after the spawning season am 
 when the spent fishes sought a return to the sla, they Ce 
 intercepted by wicker weirs or wire gates, and theie cap- 
 tured and sold 111 the market ! This last fixct is sufficient ev- 
 idence to prove to the modern angler or fish-culturist that 
 the Romans knew little of the nature and habits offish or 
 
 !onferod """' ^'''''' P"''^^''''^ '^''''^ ^^'^' ^^'I"«'^ i« unwhole- 
 But in the evidence adduced thus lar we see nothing, to 
 warrant the belidthat the ancient Romans hatched fishes bv 
 the modern means of mingling the roe and mm of fishes and 
 placing them in a situation to be hatched. They did no moiv 
 than invite or conduct fish from the sea to fresh-water feed- 
 ing-grounds and spawning -beds. The Chinese had done 
 nriore, for they divided rivers into spawning-beds, and before 
 the^ spawn was hatched they removed it to hatchino-.yases 
 Among the articles exhumed from Pompeii and Ilercula- 
 
 pi*'/"— V— " - <r4. 
 
CoiUMENCEMENT OF OySTER-CULTUKIO. 
 
 351 
 
 neum, stored in the Treasury at Naples, I saw a glass vase of 
 fish-eggs similar to those of the genus JSalmo. Those eggs 
 and their mode of preservation induced me to believe that a 
 higher class of men inhabited Italy seventeen hundred years 
 ago than do now in this iron age of intelligence. Is it not 
 true that aggregations of high intellects— like celestial nebu- 
 laB, or the focal coruscation of rays of light and heat — cluster 
 at different times on different parts of the earth, to reflect in- 
 tellectual light to guide coming generations ? 
 
 Well, it is stated that the inventions in ancient Rome, first 
 devised . pamper the children of luxury, afterward wen; 
 employed to supply subsistence to the nation. Des viviern 
 having stocked their preserves with many ornamental fishes, 
 whose graceful gambols, beautiful forms, and colors chatoy- 
 antes had delighted the ladies of that interesting period, did 
 not disdain to encourage the increase of food-fishes also, with 
 which their preserves were richly stocked. 
 
 But, if the Romans did not hatch fishes artificially, that 
 they excelled in the cultivation of Crustacea can not be suc- 
 cessfully refuted. The removal of oysters from one water 
 and planting them in another was begun by Sergius Grata at 
 the commencement of the Christian era, by bringing them 
 from Brindisium and planting them in Lake Lucrin, which, 
 according to the evidence of the gourmet chief Crassus, 
 greatly improved their flavo)-. Grata finally covered Lake 
 Lucrin with reticulated paraphernalia made of wood, raised 
 at one end on stone piers, and placed in numerous positions 
 for the convenience of the deposit of oyster-spat. The Lake 
 of Fusaro also, between the ruins of CumoB and the promon- 
 tory of Miscnum — "the Avernus of the ancients" — being salt, 
 was planted with oysters; and the plans for oyster culture 
 adopted by the Romans were quite similar to those pursued 
 in France at present. * 
 
 My investigations of the rise and progress of fish-culture 
 by the method of stripping the ova from the female and the 
 milt from the male fish, and mixing them for vivifieation, in- 
 
352 
 
 Fishing in American Waters. 
 
 tlucos mc to impate its orit^iii to the monks — tlioso men of 
 s^cnius who invented eau da vie — and who were ever engaged 
 in investigations for ameliorating the wants of mankind. 
 They found the waters idle, while the needs of the Church 
 demanded that they should produce. They therefore ap- 
 l)lied themselves to the study of cultivating the waters, and 
 in the fourteenth century — according to Jiaron Montgau- 
 dry, nej)hew to Button — Dom Phichiou., abbe of Jieotne, had 
 <liscovered the plan of hatching ilshes in boxes, the process 
 described being quite similar to that now employed. The 
 needs of the monastic orders for complying with the require- 
 ments imposed by their religion may be justly considered the 
 motive cause which urged to this great discovery ; and the 
 monks not only cultivated the waters, but they left records 
 of their progress, and gave us their opinion that the carp is 
 ihe most profitable fish to propagate, and next in order is 
 the tench. The pike is considered very useful to prevent 
 the excessive multiplication of carps, for otherwise they soon, 
 become too nimicrous for their healthy condition in a pond. 
 
 At divers epochs the idea prevailed of introducing certain 
 fishes into barren waters. The Lake Lovitel, in the depart- 
 ment of U'lsere, never nourished a fish before IGTO, when M. 
 (rarden placed trout in the lake, and they multiplied so that 
 the lake has remained stocked with them ever since. 
 
 La pecherie of Comachio, on the Adriatic, is of very ancient 
 origin. Bonaveri, and, more recently, Spallanzani, professor 
 in Reggio, Modena, and Pavia, have described the very exten- 
 sive eel-fisheries there. In spring, when the eels ascend the 
 rivers, the fish-farmers open communications from the basins 
 to the lagunes of the sea, and the young eels penetrate in 
 great masses through all the free passes. Retained in the 
 basins, where they find nourishment abundant, they grow 
 rapidly. At the time when their instinct teaches them to 
 descend to the sea, the fish-farmers lead thein by small artifi- 
 cial brooks Avhereby they are conducted into chambers from 
 which they have no power to escape, and hundreds of thou- 
 
Cultivate Eels and Fkoqs. 
 
 353 
 
 sands of cols arc thus annually gathered and cured for mar- 
 ket, because tlierc is a greater number of fresh eels than is 
 necessary to supply the markets of Italy. 
 
 At tlie commencement of the decade of the eighteenth cen- 
 tury the brilliant discoveries of Spallanzani enriched tlie nat- 
 ural sciences, and proved beyond reasonable doubt the i)0S8i- 
 bility of developing the mysteries which tlieorists had from 
 time to time mooted, of impregnating tlie eggs of fishes arti- 
 ficially. He therefore took eggs of a frog, and impregnated 
 them with the semen of a male frog. This he did before nu- 
 merous witnesses, who saw the live frogs, and saw that from 
 these eggs young frogs were hatched, and the triumph of the 
 illustrious Italian naturalist was thus rendered complete. 
 
 In 17G3 Lieut. Jacobi announced through a journal of Han- 
 over the feasi])ility of the artificial fecundation of salmon 
 and trout. Before, however, publishing his successful exper- 
 iments, he f'ndeavored to promulgate his discovery through 
 the medium of celebrated naturalists, such as Buffon,De Four- 
 croy, and Gleditch, an eminent professor of Germany. "Les 
 savr Its" of France appeared too much jccupied to notice 
 the Hanoverian lieutenant, especially as his writings were in 
 German. Gleditch, who was not influenced by the same rea- 
 sons, appeared impressed with the work of Jacobi, and he com- 
 municated extracts from the work to the Academy of Berlin 
 thi-ough Baron Von Ilarbke. 
 
 In France the experiences relative to the artificial fecunda- 
 tion of fishes occurred some years later. The work of Jacobi 
 was published in Paris in 17V0. The Marquis de Pezay,'m 
 his Soirees helvetiennes^ signalized the fortunate results ob- 
 tained at Noterlem, including the information that England 
 wished to recompense Jacobi by a liberal pension. 
 
 Two years thereafter, and twelve years after the successful 
 experiments of Jacobi, Adamson, in his course at the Jardin 
 du Jioi in 1112, made known to his auditors the plan and 
 practicability of artificial fecundation, stating that it was ha- 
 bitually practiced on the borders of the Weser, in Switzer- 
 
354 
 
 Fishing in American Waters. 
 
 land, in the Palatinate of the Rhine, and in the mountains and 
 elevated parts of Germany. For this object, he said, they 
 take by the head a female salmon in November or December, 
 or a trout in December or January, the times when these 
 hshes deposit their ova. These fish are held over a vase with 
 a quart of water in it, and by a light pressure on the abdo- 
 men downward, the female vents the roe. They then take a 
 male salmon, and rub his belly down with the palm of the 
 hand in the same manner: milt falls on the roe and mixes 
 with it, when it is placed in a running stream and covered 
 lightly with gravel, and after several mouths the fish hatch. 
 
 The Course of Natural History, by Adamson, was repub- 
 lished in Paris in 1845, when its information on fish-culture 
 first attracted attention to the truths published by him sev- 
 enty years previously. 
 
 The copy ot the manuscript of Jacobi was sent to France by 
 German officials, and thus became finally translated. Those 
 who are educated to be courtiers or politicians do not always 
 read. Apropos of this truth: the artificial fecundation of 
 roe by Jacobi, imparted through his intermediaires, the Count 
 de Golds^ -'"i and the naturalist Gleditch, became neglected 
 and forgotten. During sixty years no one dreamed of read- 
 ing the "'Traits des pSehes de Duhamel,'' the veritable work 
 of Jacobi. The end of the eighteenth century did not retain 
 a souvenir of the success obtained at Noterlem for the artifi- 
 cial multiplication " des Truites et des SaumonsP 
 
 If the Chevalier Bufalina, of Cesena, had succeeded in fe- 
 cundating several fishes, no one saw any novel feature in the 
 operation not developed by Spallanzani; and if Jacobi had 
 invented a successful plan of artificial fish-culture in Germany, 
 and if, in the region of the Rhine and in Switzerland, where 
 fishermen -were successfully practicing fish-culture and enrich- 
 ing their streams by it, yet the world was as ignorant of its 
 true bearings upon the needs and prosperity of a country as 
 if nothing had ever been said or written upon the subject ; 
 so the progress may thus far be counted as nil. 
 
EXPEEIMENTS IN FiSU-CULTUKE. 
 
 355 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 FISH-CULTURE OF THIS CENTURY. 
 
 o D E R N fish - culture is 
 indebted to only thir- 
 ty years' practice for 
 all the wonders it has 
 achieved. The early 
 part of the present cen- 
 tury was unfavorable 
 ^^^ to the development of 
 industry. War en- 
 gaged the attention of 
 the civilized world. 
 Many improvements 
 known in France, Ita- 
 ly, Germany, and En- 
 gland ai the commencement of their revolutions, were lost 
 to this century ; but the calm which peace restored fructified 
 genius and utilized its discoveries. 
 
 In 1820, MM. Hivort and Pilachon, two inhabitants of the 
 Baute-llarne, fecundated eggs of trout. After hatehing, they 
 took, the ''alevins" (the young, before the umbilical sac is ab- 
 sorbed) to the waters which they desired to stock. These 
 facts, though confirmed by M. de Montgaudry and M. Jour- 
 dier, did not electrify the public mind, or even cause a single 
 government to put forth an effort for restocking depleted 
 waters to cheapen food. So the matter lay dormant again 
 seventeen years, when John Shaw, of Scotland, fecundated the 
 eggs of a salmon, and hatched them by artificial means, which 
 resulted in a memoir of his experiments r lative to the prop- 
 agation of salmon. Jiut this, instead of causing efforts to be- 
 
 
 I 
 
856 
 
 Fishing in American Watees. 
 
 ■ I 
 
 come more numerous and of wider scope, was merged in the 
 side issue of the " parr question," which absorbed attention, 
 as indicated by an important article in Blackwood of that 
 year upon the " Transmutations of the Sahnon." \ 
 
 The first person in France who seriously called general at- 
 tention to the study and practice of artificially stocking the 
 waters was Baron de Rivihre. He urged the peculiar advan- 
 tages obtained by leading the young eels from estuaries up 
 artificial streams, and capturing them, to distribute in con- 
 venient proportions throu'^hout the waters of France. 
 
 In the history of modern pisciculture a little event occurred 
 without noise in 1844, in the Department of the Vosges, which 
 gave rise a few years later to much excitement. 
 
 A fisherman oi La Bresse^'va. the commune of Remiremont, 
 situated in one of the most elevated parts of the canton of 
 Saulxures — Joseph Remy by name — having seen the trout, 
 at other times numerous in the streams of the mountains, di- 
 minishing so fast as to produce grave prejudice to his indus- 
 try, the rivers and the brooks in the Vosges having been 
 dried up by a long drought in 1842, sought from Nature a 
 remedy. This humble man, endowed with a spirit of obser- 
 vation, studied with intelligence the habits of the trout from 
 the moment of hatching, until he arrived at the idea of artifi- 
 cial fecundation, and, by numerous experiments, finally suc- 
 ceeded in arranging the hatching apparatus into compart- 
 ments, as it is done at this day, though commencing, like 
 Jacobi, by placing the fecundated ova in a trough, -with 
 wire-grating cover and ends in the trout-stream, letting the 
 natural running of the stream hatch the eggs, which were 
 slightly covered with gravel in the trough. 
 
 Remy, chagrined at not knowing any person with means 
 from whom he might hope for assistance by communicating 
 his discoveries, became melancholy and fell sick, when he 
 confided his secret to the keeper of the little tavern where 
 he boarded, by name Antoine Gehin. This inn-keeper was 
 to him a coUaborateur, and soon became full of zeal both as 
 
 |jsa_ 
 
Reasons foe Water-fabming. 
 
 357 
 
 a fisherman and pisciculturist. The names of liemy and Ge- 
 hin were destined to become indissoluble. They unveiled 
 the advantages of the discovery to a few notable persons ; 
 but our two poor copartners met with the difficulties com- 
 mon to those who discover any strange improvement by 
 means of a switch from tlie track of Nature. In the mean 
 time the inspector of primary schools in the Vosges received 
 information of the discovery, and communicated it to the 
 Society of Emulation. This society, being of high celebrity, 
 occupied itself at once upon the question. In u report by 
 M. Sarrazin on the recompenses accorded to agriculture and 
 industry by the Society of Emulation, the proceedings of 
 Bemtj and Gehin were described. M. Micard, General Guard 
 of the Forests, had favored the early efforts of JRemy, and 
 gave him in spawning-time the liberty of the brooks of the 
 forests. 
 
 In spite of the memoir of John ^h2iW—malgr& the results 
 which were vauntingly promised to England— ma^^re the 
 fortunate experiments of Eemy and Gehin, encouraged by 
 the Society of Emulation for the Vosges, all slept again. 
 
 The interest in the success of those men, whose ardor and 
 industry greatly multiplied the number of fishes, lasted no 
 longer than the transient sound of the murmurs of the rivers 
 and brooks which had proved the theatre of their exploits. 
 
 But on the 23d of October, 1848, M. cle Quatrefages, in pur- 
 suit of the development of certain animals, fished up the com- 
 munication of Count Goldstein, and read at the Academic des 
 Sciences a memoir demonstrative of artificial fecundation be- 
 ing the means for obviating the causes of destri^ction to the 
 eggs of fishes. 
 
 The lecture of M. de Quatrefages at the Academy of Sci- 
 ences was published by numerous journals, which projected 
 the subject into the air of public favor, and the assurance of 
 the lecturer that a pursuit of the subject would be the birth 
 of a new industry important to the world, decided the com= 
 mencement of action. All the world was at once going into 
 
 ^f| 
 
358 
 
 Fishing in American Waters. 
 
 the artificial fecundation project, aiid founded the most bril- 
 liant hopes of the new art oi pisciculture. 
 
 The information of Quatrefages' lecture reached Epinal, 
 and was seen by the Society of Emulation in the Vosges 
 about four months after it was delivered. On the 2d of 
 March, 1849, the secretary of the society wrote to 31. de Qua- 
 trefages that two fishermen of Za Hresse had been engaged 
 since 1844 at stocking the waters of the Vosges with trout 
 produced by artificial fecundation. 
 
 All at once, loud became the acclamation in favor of Remy 
 and Gehin, as if the echo had gained strength by the years 
 in which the truth had lain dormant. Next an English en- 
 gineer, M. Gottleib Boccius, announced the great advantage 
 which the inhabitants of the Vosges had derived from re- 
 peopling their rivers by the aid of artificial fecundation, and 
 hatching fishes in boxes where they were secure from nu- 
 merous enemies of both water and air. He had published a 
 small treatise in 1841 with the object of benefiting landed 
 proprietors in stocking their waters, and more especially their 
 artificial fish-ponds. But the French philosophers regarded 
 the discovery in a national aspect. Hence one of the savants 
 most illustrious, JI. Dumas, who was minister of Agriculture 
 and Commerce, charged the most authoritative naturalist, M. 
 Milne Edwards, to examine and give an opinion upon the di- 
 vers essays published in England, Germany, and France upon 
 the subject of stocking fluvial waters with fish. 
 
 On the 26th of August, 1850, M. Milne Edwards addressed 
 a report to the minister, in which he reviewed the work of 
 .Tacobi, and noticed the success of Hemy and Gehin with 
 marked commendation for their perseverance in perfecting 
 fish-culture, whereby they had restocked the streams of the 
 canton, besides having discovered a new industry for France. 
 He also named a dozen important rivers and lakes which 
 they had restocked with trout, concluding with impressively 
 recommending them to government favor. He said they had 
 done more than to stock the waters Math trout, for they had 
 
French Fisheries' Commissioners. 
 
 350 
 
 stocked them Avith fiogs also, because the spawn of these 
 time-beaters is an aliment which the young trout search with 
 avidity ; and the tadpole furnishes an excellent pasture for 
 trout more advanced in age. 
 
 For fifteen years Gehin had been working under the full 
 knowledge of what now engaged the sages of political econ- 
 omy. The subject enlarged, as they thought of stocking the 
 waters of France with all the choice fishes of the world ; and, 
 conformably with the view explained by M. Milne Edwards, 
 a commission was named by the Minister of Agriculture and 
 Commerce, dated September 28, 1850. The commission in- 
 cluded MM. Milne Edwards, Valenciennes, members of the In- 
 stitute ; Susanne, Inspector of Forests ; de Bon, Commission- 
 er of Marine ; de Franqueville, Chief of Navigation and of 
 the Ports, and Minister of Public Works ; Monny de Mornay, 
 Chief of the Division of Agriculture, of the Department of 
 Agriculture and Commerce ; Coste, Professor of Embryogo- 
 ny at the College of France ; Doyere, Professor of Zoology 
 at the National Agronomique Institute. 
 
 The decree was signed by Dumas, and in the spring of 1851, 
 M. Valenciennes — the ichthyologist — received a mission from 
 the Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce to visit and pro- 
 cure the large fishes of the rivers in Germany wherewith to 
 stock the lakes and ponds of France. He succeeded in ob- 
 taining several species, of which he conveyed to Paris the 
 living individuals, including sa?idre, genus Zucioperca, Lin., 
 the sihire, one of the most voracious fishes in creation, the av- 
 erage size of which is large enough to dine eighteen persons. 
 
 The silures (silurus glanis), with the sandres and a dozen 
 lotes (eel-pouts), were placed in the reservoirs at Marly. The 
 selection of fishes speaks unfavorably for the taste ofM Va- 
 lenciennes. The sandre grows large enough to dine eight per- 
 sons, but is a dry fish ; the eel-pouts are detestable, and dis- 
 gusting to behold ; the glanis is similar to a Missouri River 
 catfish ! Of this selection wherewith to stock the fresh wa- 
 ters of France, not one lived to leave any posterity. 
 
360 
 
 Fishing in American Watees. 
 
 M. Coste then advised that the numerous ponds of Ver- 
 sailles be employed as " stables" wherein to propagate fishes 
 for the waters of France, believing that in those spacious ba- 
 sins fishes which inhabit alternately the fresh and salt waters, 
 such as the salmon, shad, lamprey, and plaice, might be culti- 
 vated. The advice was followed with unsuccessful result. 
 In the mean time, two engineers of bridges, 3I3f. Uetzetn and 
 Hertoly made large profits by peopling the Canal du Hhdne. 
 They had been invited by the prefet of Doubs to verify the 
 method in use in the Vosges, Avhen, with assistants, they 
 hatched in four months 3,382,000 eggs of salmon, trout, perch, 
 pike, etc. On May 7th, 1 851, they placed in basins confided 
 to their care 1,583,111 fishes recently hatched. 
 
 The facility for hatching fishes by millions induced them to 
 calculate how many fishes might live in the fresh waters of 
 France. Estimating the actual population to be twenty-five 
 millions of fishes, they concluded that by four years' artificial 
 hatching the number would be increased to three billions, 
 one hundred and seventy millions, and yield a revenue of 
 more than nine hundred millions francs. 
 
 It was evident that they had consulted but one side of the 
 question, and that the least diflicult. Myriads of fishes may 
 easily be hatched, but the questions of greater import are, 
 how are they to be protected, subsisted, and made to grow ? 
 These are the questions which most seriously address them- 
 selves to the student of modern fish-culture. The brains of 
 Bertol and Detzeni were made dizzy by the presence of a cal- 
 culation which proved millions of revenue easily obtained, 
 and they exclaimed, '* Is it possible to endow France with 
 such a revenue ?" On the examination of results so unexpect- 
 ed, no member of the Fisheries' Commission evinced a senti- 
 ment of distrust, stating that they were aware the calculation 
 produces the same impression on all those who examine the 
 subject. 
 
 Bertol and Detzem, encouraged by the Minister of Agricul- 
 ture and Commerce, followed their work with sjreat zeal, and. 
 
Fish-food for Food-fishes. 
 
 361 
 
 established at Zoechlehmn^ near Huningue, continued the op- 
 erations of hatching trout and salmon on an extensive scale. 
 By their second report in March, 1852, they announced that 
 since the November preceding 722,600 eggs had yielded 
 700,000 fishes. 
 
 From the day when M. De Quatrefages called attention to 
 the advantages of artificial fecundation for repeopling the 
 waters of France, M. Coste occupied himself incessantly upon 
 fish-culture. He explained the experiments on alimentation 
 and growth of young eels, which ascend the streams every 
 spring. These fishes, nourished by the debris of the butcher- 
 shops cemented into a sort of pie, are fattened and made to 
 grow very fast, attaining to the ^^ eight of several pounds in 
 a single season. 
 
 In 1853, the Minister of Agriculture and Commerce, for 
 the object of founding an establishment of fish-culture at 
 Huningue, accorded a credit of 30,000 francs. This credit, 
 M. Coste stated, " is to be used in undertaking one of the 
 most grand experiments of which the natural sciences have 
 ever given an example." He also described the method for 
 preparing the food for young salmon and trout with a pie 
 formed of butchers' offal, or of horse-flesh boiled. A knowl- 
 edge of the advantage of this feed was acquired by the ex- 
 periments of Dr. Lamy at the artificial hatchings in the pare 
 du 3Iaintenon. 
 
 In 1856, the subject of fish-culture engaged more or less 
 the attention of a majority of the best minds in France, 
 whether men of state or of science, or men of wealth and en- 
 terprise. Though the felicitations and encouragement of the 
 fishermen of the Yosges had not been cooled or diminished, 
 yet the book-philosophers, having road up, became aware that 
 hatching fishes by ar^. had engaged the minds of sages in oth- 
 er ages ; and as that was the most simple part in the train of 
 successfully restocking waters, they were studying and exper- 
 imenting to acquire a more perfect knov/ledge of the nature, 
 habits, preferable haunts, and means of subsistence. M. de 
 
 m. 
 
 \;tpw 
 
362 
 
 Fishing in Al^.eioan Waters. 
 
 m 
 
 Tocqueville had determined that a strong light was injuri- 
 ous, and that a lamp or candle should not be thrust before 
 young fishes. This was one of the reasons for placing the 
 government breeding apparatus at Huningue under cover; 
 another was to maintain in the hatching-troughs nearly an 
 even temperature throughout the winter while hatchino' 
 game fishes of the genus Salmo^ that spawn late in autumn ; 
 for these, while young, are much more delicate than common 
 fishes, which (spawning in spring) hatch in a few days, and 
 require comparatively no care in the process or in the kinds 
 of feed ; for, as they come into the world without a sac of pro- 
 vision to last them a month suspended to the umbilical cord, 
 nature prepares them for fighting their way for food from the 
 moment when they leave the shell. 
 
 Gehin had visited Paris in 1850, and was presented to Lou- 
 is Napoleon, then president of the republic, as quite a person- 
 age, and received from the government, in compliance with 
 the promise of M, Milne Edwards, the mission to stock the 
 rivers of several departments. 
 
 There were 50,000 brook and lake trout introduced to the 
 waters of the Bois de Boulogne in 1856, where they grew 
 rapidly. At this time many of the public waters through- 
 out France, which had rested dormant, began to astonish 
 and delight the neighborhoods with the leaps above water 
 of amber beauties, which formed miniature rainbows in the 
 gleams of the sun, and many peasants regarded this novel 
 gift of life and beauty as a providential blessing on Napo- 
 leon's reign. 
 
 Reports of successes in pisciculture poured in monthly more 
 numerously from every department. The waters were ev- 
 ery where stocked with young fishes, which were doing well. 
 The ponds, lakes, and reservoirs in public parks were each 
 annually hatching 25,000 to 50,000 of the genus Salmo for 
 the benefit of the public rivers of France. 
 
 In the departments generally, the zeal of the pr^fets kept 
 pace with that of the government, and men of science and 
 
Impoeting Salmon Ova. 
 
 363 
 
 the Conseils Gknkraux voted the sums to successfully operate 
 the enterprises. 
 
 Thus the great work continued to proceed with unvary- 
 ing success until 1862, when the Minister of Agriculture and 
 Commerce published a history of the perfect success of Hu- 
 ningue, which includes seventy acres laid out into artificial 
 creeks, ponds, and hatching-houses. The statistics in this his- 
 tory were furnished by M. Courses, Ingenieitr en chef des tra- 
 vaux die Bhin, to whom application should be made for vivi- 
 fied roe wherewith to stock waters in the United States. By 
 my advice, Seth Green made such order in the autumn of 
 1865, and in the spring of 1866 the eggs came to the New 
 York Custom-house, where official and other delays detained 
 them until they died. The French government had gener- 
 ously presented Mr. Green 20,000 fecundated salmon ova, so 
 nearly hatched as to show the eyes of the alevins, carefully 
 packed them in moss, and shipped them gratuitously ! And 
 then to know that our government was so callous to the ma- 
 terial interests of the people as not only to have neglected to 
 make any eifort toward reducing the prices of food-fishes, but 
 to have actually rendered the revenue officers a barrier 
 against the efforts by men of enterprise who would embark 
 their own money in it, is humiliating ! 
 
 I humbly ask. Is it not the duty of Congress to authorize 
 the Minister of the Interior to appoint a commission for the 
 improvement of the fisheries in the United States ? Individ- 
 ual states can not, unaided by the federal government, im- 
 port either ova or young fishes of choice quality from abroad. 
 Without the seal of a United States commissioner, the col- 
 lectors of revenue have no discretion but to destroy the im- 
 portation by delay, exposure to heat or cold, or to the air. 
 Any authority given to United States consuls on the other 
 hemisphere woul '. prove ineffectual, for there are no consuls 
 near the great piscicultural establishments ; and, in fact, since 
 tlie fiasco of the Acclimatization Society in the preserves of 
 Mr, Francis Francis at Twickenham, there is no establishment 
 
 ,1 
 
364 
 
 Fishing in American "Waters. 
 
 of fish-culture left in Europe which supplies fecundated ova 
 ■ but the national one of Huningue, and by this one all appli- 
 cants are served— by order of the French government— free 
 of expense. 
 
 . The liberality of France in bestowing ova and young fishes 
 on all applicants did not prevent her from deriving the re- 
 spectable revenue in 1862 for her fresh-water fisheries of 
 14,000,000. In 1861 the Huningue establishment distributed 
 about 9,000,000 ova, and in 1862 about 12,000,000. 
 
 The paramount reason for artificial culture is based on the 
 known fact that of every thousand salmon or trout hatched 
 in a stream in the natural way, not more than one arrives at 
 marketable size ; and as a salmon yields about one thousand 
 ova to the pound, a pair of salmon would scarcely yield 
 twenty-five per cent, if hatching in a stream where the eggs 
 and ale-ins are unprotected, while if the 20,000 eggs were 
 hatched artificially and the young salmon protected, the in- 
 crease to marketable size would generally be two thousand 
 per cent. 
 
 The numerous successes resulting from artificial propaga- 
 tion, and restocking and newly stockmg waters in France, has 
 had a favorable influence throughout the civilized world, so 
 that within a few years Belgium, Holland, Switzerland, Ger- 
 many, Italy, and Spain have establishments offish-culture. 
 
 On the British Isles great results have been accomplished 
 near Galway and on the River Tay, so that the rentals of 
 some fisheries have increased fifty per cent. Through the 
 enterprise of Mr. Francis, of thei^^^W, some of the waters of 
 Australia have been stocked by ova transported from En- 
 gland—fifteen thousand miles! He has also succeeded in 
 stocking a river in New Zealand in the same manner. The 
 River Plenty, first stocked in Tasmania, has proved a success 
 in both trout and salmon. ' 
 
 That the gigantic rebellion has delayed action by the 
 United States government is quite natural ; but one of the 
 paramount duties of government is to increase the stock of 
 
FlSH-CULTUBE IN AMERICA. 
 
 365 
 
 food-fishes in the waters throughout the Union. Reports 
 from the French government have been forwarded to the 
 President, and by him they have been laid before Congress, 
 so that the subject will doubtless soon be acted on nationally. 
 
 Through the efforts of individual states, much has been 
 done within the past three years. Influenced by an intelli- 
 gent enterprise for which the states of New England are 
 justly celebrated, each of those states has appointed a Fisher- 
 ies Commission, and the following extract from a report of 
 progress in one state may be accepted as a fair sample of all : 
 
 " Of the 40,000 spawn recently placed for incubation in the 
 Cold Spring trout-ponds at Charleston, New Hampshire, for 
 the Connecticut River, the first salmon were hatched Decem- 
 ber 11th, 1865. The eyes of the embryo salmon were first 
 clearly seen in the egg about November 25th. The eggs 
 were taken from the parent salmon on the Miramichi Octo- 
 ber 10th, making 62 days as the period of incubation.* The 
 first trout which broke shell at these hatching-works this 
 season came out on November 9th, 35 days from the time 
 when the roe and milt were shed by the parent fishes." 
 
 Fish-culture is a success. It is not only triumphant, but it 
 is almost miraculous. Waters hitherto worse than useless 
 may be made a hundred fold as profitable as any equal num- 
 ber of acres of land, and with not a tithe of the labor. But 
 these truths, so palpably patent to many intellectual minds 
 of the present day, are almost a sealed book to the mass of 
 the rising generation. In view, therefore, of these facts, and 
 the depressing truth that the fishes of the coast and inland 
 waters are annually decreasing, while by immigration and 
 natural causes our nation is increasing in population faster 
 than any other on the globe, is it not advisable to make the 
 art offish-culture a study in the agricultural colleges?. 
 Up to the present time the inauguration of plans for pro-' 
 
 * Mr. Francis and other fish-cultnrists are not in favor of employing water 
 so wiirm as to hatch in .so shuil a time, believing that the young flsh are not 
 8 ) hiirdy as those hatched in colder water. 
 
366 
 
 Fishing in American "Waters. 
 
 tecting fisheries by laws, and increasing the numbers of fishes 
 by aqua-culture and fish-culture, are due to the efforts put 
 forth by sportsmen's clubs, scattered throughout the United 
 States as offshoots from the parent New York Sportsmen's 
 Club. Too much praise can not be awarded those benevo- 
 lent institutions, united solely for the public good, for which 
 they shun no duty through fear of the poacher's hatred or 
 the malevolence of dealers in stolen goods. The poacher 
 both hates and fears them, while they are the principal reli- 
 ance for guaranteeing the public that the laws for the pro- 
 tection of fish and game will be sustained. 
 
 If the national and state governments will unite in stock- 
 ing and protecting the fresh waters, they will soon arrive at 
 truths sufficiently luminous from which to form data for laws 
 adequate to g» ,• a rn the whole question. To the ignorance 
 of legislators may henceforth be attributed the lack of suit- 
 able laws for the protection and stocking of water-farms of 
 millions of acres, which might be rendered a means of recre- 
 ation for the improvement of health, while offering cheap and 
 luxurious food to the million. 
 
 I 
 
 Cuttle-fish. — Sepia officinalis. 
 
Killing two Bieds with one Stone. 367 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 NATURAL HISTORY OF THE SALMON. 
 Near head of stream, in crystal spring, 
 
 Or recess of the strand, 
 The salmon drops its precious eggs 
 
 Amid the pure white sand ; 
 And here tlie infant fish disport 
 
 Beyond the harm of tides, 
 Each swarming slioal resplendent 
 
 With dotted silvery sides. 
 
 the want of data, the 
 nature and habits of 
 salmon were a sealed 
 book to naturalists 
 until, through the dis- 
 covery and practice 
 of fish-culture by ar- 
 tificial means, some 
 mysteries in physiol- 
 ogy Avere interpreted. 
 In the natural his- 
 tory of the salmon, 
 two questions occur 
 which have presented 
 a good deal of difficulty to pisciculturists and naturalists in 
 arriving at just conclusions. The first is. How long do the 
 young salmon inhabit the fresh-water streams in which they 
 were hatched before they migrate to the sea ? The second 
 is. How long do they inhabit the sea before they return as 
 grilse to the rivers in which they were bred ? 
 
 A salmon has properly four stages of existence. The first 
 is when it is a parr, or a small bright fish with dark bars 
 across the sides, which are commonly called the parr marks. 
 
 
368 
 
 Flshing in American Watees. 
 
 I 
 
 3! 
 
 The Bccond is when it puts on the silvery scales of the grilse, 
 which occurs when it is about to emigrate to the sea. It ap- 
 pears as if the little pet, when in the parr state, Required some 
 provision against the novel effects of salt water which it is 
 about to encounter, for nature furnishes it with a new suit 
 of scales, bright and silvery as those of the parent salmon. 
 These begin to develop themselves just previously to the 
 first migration of the fish. The scales form apparently over 
 the old skin, and in doing so they obscure the parr marks, 
 and the fish becomes a smolt, or a miniature grilse ; L^t that 
 it is the same fish may easily be seen by rubbing off a few of 
 those new scales, when the parr marks are plainly seen which 
 were hidden beneath them. These scales are at this time 
 very lightly attached to the skin, and can be easily detached, 
 coming off 'even by the mere handling of the fish; and this 
 insecurity of the attachment of the scales continues through- 
 out the whole period of grilsehood, or until the fish becomes 
 a veritable and mature salmon, when whether it develops a 
 new suit of scales is not known, but the scales certainly be- 
 come much more firmly fixed to the skin, and are far more 
 difiicult to remove. But the point in debate is how long the 
 parr remains in the river before it becomes a smolt. Now 
 experiment has shown us thus much, viz., that a large por- 
 tion of the parr become smolts in about fifteen montho, that 
 is, supposing them to have been hatched from the egg in the 
 fall, or say in the winter. They live in the river over the 
 next autumn, and do not become smolts and migrate to sea 
 until the next succeeding spring. It has been found that a 
 very large proportion of them do not become smolts and mi- 
 grate even then, but stay in the river yet another year, and 
 so do not put on the smolt scale and migrate until the next 
 succeeding spring. Thus some remain in the rivers altogeth- 
 er two years and two or three months, and others remain 
 even for another year still, and do not migrate till the third 
 year. These facts for a long time puzzled naturalists, and 
 gave rise to the supposition that there was another fish of 
 
Clearing up the Question. 
 
 369 
 
 the salmon species which never went to the sea, called the 
 "Salmo samulus," because, after the great annual migration 
 of the smolts, parr were yet found in the rivers, and it was 
 thought that as all parr became smolts in fifteen months, 
 those which staid behind must be of another species alto- 
 gether. But science and fish-culture have dispelled this er- 
 ror, and it is now known that the " Salmo samulus" is a 
 myth. 
 
 When the smolt went down to' the sea for the first time, it 
 was generally supposed that it returned to the river again in 
 a period of from two to four months, and its extraordinary 
 and unusal increase was always cited as one of the most val- 
 uable qualities of the salmon; for, if it could grow from the 
 weight of only two to three ounces to eight or ten pounds in 
 three months, it was almost a lusus naturce. But, though 
 smolts do grow very remarkably under favorable circumstan- 
 ces, a strong doubt has been thrown upon the fact of salmon 
 growing quite so fast as this,/ro»i the smolt state, by experi- 
 ment and experience ; for it has been found uniformly— in 
 all cases where the waters were what are termed virgin 
 waters, that is, waters never before inhabited by salmon- -that 
 when such waters were stocked with young salmon fry, or 
 • with ova laid down for hatching, a period of fifteen instead 
 of three months invariably elapsed before the emigrating 
 smolts came back to the river as well-grown grilse of six or 
 seven pounds' weight ; and in the instance of much larger 
 grilse, as those which are at times met with of even eleven 
 pounds' Aveight, that a yet longer period may have elapsed. 
 This, however, is merely conjecture. In the late remarkable 
 experiments in Australia, where no such thing as a salmon 
 ever was known, it was clearly proved that the smolts were 
 a year and some months at sea before they returned, and in 
 other waters never before tenanted by salmon the same re- 
 sult has ensued. This is very strong evidence against the 
 two or three months' theory, particularly when the evidence 
 supporting that theory was gathered from well-stocked rivers 
 
 A A 
 
370 
 
 Fishing in American "Waters. 
 
 
 II 
 
 where there could not fail to arise great difficulties in identi- 
 fying the fish upon M'lvicli experiments had been tried; for 
 the uncertainty and diMculty of marking a parr of two 
 ounces, which is to grow to sixty or seventy times that 
 weight before it can be caught again and identified, can not 
 fail to be very great indeed. However, this is still a moot 
 question, and it has not been as yet satisfactorily determiried, 
 though it would seem that ^1 c souuueBt and most reliable 
 evidence is in favor of the fifteen months' theory rather than 
 the other. 
 
 When the grilse returns to the river, it spawns for the first 
 time as a grilse, in which, its third stage of existence, it is per- 
 fectly distinguishable from the salmon ; for not ( nly are the 
 scales loose and easily detached, but the fish is more slender 
 and delicate in shape than the adult salmon, and the tail is 
 much more forked. Having spawned, it becomes what is called 
 a kelt or fou! fish. The flesh is white, and the fish is out of 
 condition and unwholesome to eat. It then goes down tu the 
 sea by easy stages, and there, by the aid of the healthful salt 
 waters and plenteous food, it soon recovers its condition and 
 grows rapidly, often increasing four or five pounds or more 
 in weight. In the course of a few months (and this point is 
 clearly ascertained and settled) it returns again to the river,* 
 but in the mean time it has lost its grilse form and become a 
 veritable salmon. The scales now are hard and firm, the fish 
 of a hardier, rounder make, the tail has lost its forked shape, 
 and it has reached its fourth and last stage of existence. 
 
 This change in the form of the fish actually at one time led 
 to the belief that salmon and grilse were of a different spe- 
 cies, and some few persons stoutly .idvocated this view ; but 
 the ova of salmon have been found to produce grilse, and 
 marked grilse have been retaken as salmon, so that there are 
 not the slightest groimds for such a wild supposition now; 
 and, indeed, the belief always was a very partial one, and con- 
 fined to one or two wrong-headed individuals, so that it is 
 now entirely exploded. As a salmon, it continues in the same 
 
Pbgteot Fish at Spawning-times. 371 
 
 course of existence until it is cooked, or dies of old age or of 
 wounds and weakness from incessant fighting at the breed- 
 mg-time. It seeks the river very year, as is supposed, thou, h 
 this IS but assumption, which it is aln.ost impossible to prove 
 and whether it breeds every year or only at intervals it is' 
 hard to nay. The general creed, however, is, that it does 
 breed every year, and all that it requires from man is a little 
 reasonable forbearance, and better protection at the breedmg 
 season until it again reaches the sea ; and if it is able to reach 
 the higher, ranges of spawning-beds, it will speedily crowd 
 our rivers with delicious food, and the means of healthful and 
 magnificent sport. In these respect, the capacity of Amer- 
 ican rivers is second to that of none in the world. Our riv- 
 ers ought to'swarm with salmon; and when we hear of riv- 
 ers m England, ridiculously small by comparison with our 
 own yielding their $100,000 a year, and enormous revenues 
 besides, do we not feel it to be a sin and a shame that such 
 splendid capabilities as ours should be suflfered to be behind 
 them, and to fall into neglect and disuse, and that such im- 
 portant resources should be lost to the country and to the 
 consumers throughout the Union? If an American wants 
 salmon-fi. mg, he must go either to Canada or Scotland for 
 It, and this is disgraceful. We have many good coast and 
 estuary fishes, but none equal to the ^almon in all respects 
 Is there any reason why we should ot have the best, and 
 plenty ot it? England and France a.e both puttmg their 
 shoulders to the wheel. Have we less energy and determin- 
 ation than they ? 
 
 ■DEVELOPMENT OF THE SALMON. 
 PROCESS OP INCUBATION. 
 
 The egg of any fish of the ffenue S'lmo, before impregna- 
 tion with the milt of the male fish, is the color of the yolk of 
 a hen's egg, and apparently of about the same consistency 
 bemg a mixture of albumen and oil In tijis particular the 
 egg of the salmon differs from iliose of the families Clupeid(^ 
 
 'W 
 
372 
 
 Fishing in American Waters. 
 
 
 I 
 
 and GadidcPy which appear as infinitesimal atoms of albumen, 
 enlarging tenfold within an hour after impregnation, turning 
 entirely white, and the fish is hatched in a less number of 
 hours than it takes of days for the [/enus Salmo. Incubation 
 with all the salmon families is slow, the egg indicating no 
 appreciable increase in size by fructification ; but, being por- 
 ous, with tubes and globules, scientifically termed inicropyles, 
 the milt fills them,, and they present the appearance of white 
 globules in the egg, as represented by P^ig. 1, and enlarged 
 like Fig. 2. After the e^,^ has remained in running spring 
 
 Fig. 1. Salmon egg of natural size after fecundation. Fig. 2. Salmon egg enlarged, to 
 
 'cles and globules. Fig. 3. Salmon egg in which the embryo Is per- 
 
 Fig. 4. Alevin just hatched, enlarged, and showing the umbilical vesicle. 
 
 an 
 
 ceptible 
 
 Fig. 6. Natural length of the alevin, 
 
 water of temperatures ranging from 40° to 50°, the egg will 
 disclose the shape of the embryo salmon in from fifty to sev- 
 enty days,* as illustrated by Fig. 3. After the embryo be- 
 comes perceptible, and the eyes tolerably distinct, Avithin a 
 few days — say from five to fifteen — the salmon will hatch 
 into the shape of Fig. 4, as enlarged from the natural size, in- 
 dicated by the length of line, Fig. 5. Suspended to the um- 
 bilical cord is a sac containing aliment for the alevin, on 
 which it subsists by absorption from twenty-five to forty 
 days, when the tiny creature takes its second form. The egg, 
 
 * Salmon have been hatched in fifty-five days, and trout in thirty-five days, 
 in water 55° ; but Mr. Francis recommends spring water of from 40° to 45°, 
 while the Cold Spring trout-ponds at Charleston, N. H., are excellent hatch- 
 ing-waters, and they are said to be 60" as mean temperature. 
 
We Imi'rove itu Age. 
 
 873 
 
 from the date of fructification to the birth of the fish, varies 
 from 60 to 120 days, the time required being dependent upon 
 the quality and temperature of the water, with the condition 
 of quiet and shade necessary to accelerate incubation. 
 
 While the umbilical vesicle is attached to the tiny fish it 
 is called an "alevin" (name borrowed from the French), but 
 after its absorption it is known as a "fry," or "penk." Now 
 it sculls along and seeks its food from imperceptible particles, 
 as animalculaB of the stream and the tiny flc'dglings falling 
 to the surface, or rising from the bottom to burst from their 
 embryotic state and take wing at the top of the stream. Like 
 
 a 
 
 Salmon Fry— a, the natural length. 
 
 the young of the finest breeds of animals on land, it appears 
 more delicate and less able to contend for subsistence than 
 do those of coarser natures. In its second form it is not 
 beautiful, and few would suppose it a young salmon. Its 
 transverse bars are plainly marked, and within three months 
 after its birth it assumes lighter shades, and carmine spots 
 begin to develop, when it becomes a parr. 
 
 This specimen is half the natural length, retaining its natu- 
 ral proportions. Though only between five and six inches in 
 length, the parr from which I made this copy was taken by me 
 
 A Parr Eight Months Old. 
 
 on the fly and hook with which I had that morning brought 
 two goodly-sized salmon to gaff. This fact proves the real 
 
374 
 
 Fishing in Akeeican Wa'i...£s. 
 
 
 game of the pet. It was all life— a translucent thing of ac- 
 tion—having a dark drab back, barred sides, and seven dots 
 of carmine on each side, which were brighter than any buni- 
 ^ ished metal or precious stone, and about the size of pigeon- 
 shot. It was the most anxious and voracious creature that I 
 had ever captured, and so sat down at once on the bank of 
 Rattling Run to sketch this liveliest specimen of fish kind 
 that I had ever seen. During the month of August parr of 
 the last fall and winter's hatch take their places on the reefs, 
 and nip the wings of flies intended for their parents ; especial- 
 ly is this so of the part of the shoal intended to visit the sea 
 with the next spring freshets. 
 
 It will be perceived that while this fish has the parr rays, 
 or the horizontal bars peculiar to the parr, its head is taking 
 brtter form, the mouth apparently not so large, and the white 
 scales are almost beginning to appear; but this parr is not 
 
 A Parr Fifteen Months Old. 
 Half the natural length; proportions natural. 
 
 to visit the sea until it arrives at two years of age or more. 
 Those of the shoal which do not visit the sea until after hav- 
 ing spent two autumns in fresh water develop less rapidly 
 than do such as visit the sea after spending fifteen months in 
 the river. There being no longer a " parr controversy," the 
 )iext specimen, of the same shoal as this one, will illustrate 
 the difference in the development of those intended to become 
 voyagers on the second spring after their birth. 
 
 This fish, of the same shoal and age as the parr, is the part 
 of the same hatch intended for visiting the sea after remain- 
 ing only one summer in the stream of its birth. Nature, more 
 careful than man m protecting the fixniilios of animal creation, 
 
 ♦.5 
 
m 
 
 Getting Eeady foe Sea. 375 
 
 sends only half the shoal to sea at a time; the remaining 
 part of the shoal will follow next year, or i3erhaps a few will 
 remain three summers in the river before resorting to marine 
 
 A Smolt Fifteen Months Old. 
 
 feeding- grounds. In the mean time we lose sight of the first 
 detachment, which falls back from pool to pool, and descends 
 rapids and falls tail foremost until it arrives in the estuary, 
 where it faces to the right about and prepares to protect 
 itself from the monsters of the deep. For some days, and 
 perhaps weeks, it dallies in the lower reaches and estuary, 
 feeding on small caplin, shrimp, and the roe of coarser fish un- 
 til its burnished sides form an armor to protect it against the 
 briny deep. Where the marine feeding-grounds of the sal- 
 mon are it is impossible to state from indubitable data. Sal- 
 mon are sometimes found in soundings off the Isle of Jersey 
 several hundred miles from any salmon river, and yet in Can- 
 ada the netters capture all their fishes approaching their riv- 
 ers on the north shore of the St Lawrence li-om the west, 
 when the sea is at the east. That this ge?ire of fishes, like all 
 others habitually visiting fresh-water streams to spawn, re- 
 turn and enter the rivers of their birth, is well authenticated, 
 while it has been satisfactorily proven that if scared away 
 from the estuary by nets or other unnatural fixtures they 
 will enter other rivers. 
 
 In the physical transmutations of the salmon, from the time 
 it breaks the egg and hides about in crevices with a i)art of 
 the egg attached to its abdomen, to the time when it fully 
 matures into an adult salmon, there is no form it takes which 
 
 f 
 
 IS so 
 
 graceful and beautiful as that of the grilse, the last stage 
 
376 
 
 Fishing in American Waters. 
 
 short of the mature salmon. A slioal of them is like a joy- 
 ous ball-party in full costume. It lacks the embonpoint of 
 the salmon as much as tht young people of a gay ball-party 
 do that of their parents. The grilse— when attached to a 
 hook— plays more gayly and with less judgment than does 
 the full-grown salmon, skipping about and playing with great 
 energy, and never stopping to sulk, or, more properly, to study 
 the cause of its grief, until it gayly darts up to the gaffer and 
 falls an easy prey, as does the coquette to the practiced skill 
 of a heart-thief. 
 
 The Grilse. 
 
 The grilse is the same fish which left its river as a smolt. In 
 its ocean pastures, where it has spent one or two winters, it has 
 doffed the clumsy guise of puppyhood, and the top of its head, 
 dorsal, and caudal have become velvety, while the black beads 
 on its gills and upper mandible begin to appear. It lacks 
 the jetty intensity which the top of the head and some of the 
 fins of the adult salmon disclose, but its white is equal in 
 satiny sheen to the salmon of best condition. Its weight is 
 from five to eight pounds, and, having never spawned, it fol- 
 lows the salmon up toward the spawning-pools at the head of 
 the stream, reaching them toward the end of the spawning 
 season ; and after spawning, the next spring, during its early 
 rains, or in winter before, it falls back again over cataract and 
 rapid until it gains the estuary, to return to sea, and fatten, 
 and enlarge to a veritable salmon. 
 
 Thus the reader may have seen that the fingerling becomes 
 the parr, the parr develops scales to cover the bars on its 
 sides and becomes a smolt, goes to sea and returns a grilse, 
 then returns to sea and comes back a salmon. 
 
SuPEKioEiTY Unchallenged. 
 
 377 
 
 The Salmon. 
 
 I have endeavored to illustrate the marks and forms of the 
 salmon in its different stages, concluding that pictorial illus- 
 trations from life are more comi^rehensible than explanations 
 in letter-press, especially to the student at angling, who has 
 not enjoyed many summers since he first wet a line for sal- 
 mon, and heard the beautiful music of the reel, so charmingly 
 described by Stoddart : 
 
 " A whirr ! a whirr I the salmon's out 
 
 Far on the rushing river ; 
 lie storms the stream with edge of might, 
 And, like a brandished sword of light, 
 Rolls plashing o'er the surges white, 
 
 A desperate endeavor ! 
 Hark to the music of the reel ! 
 
 The fitfid and the grating ; 
 It pants along the breathless wheel, 
 
 Now hurried, now abating." 
 
378 
 
 Fishing in A:iekicak Wateks. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 FISH PROPAGATION ASSISTED BY ART. 
 
 As fish-culture assisted by art lias become a business of 
 magnitude in France, and in England in^n-eased Jie revenue 
 from salmon-waters over a hundred per cent.,* and as the 
 Northern and Eastern rivers and lakes of the United States 
 are well adapted to the rapid increase of the genus Salmo, 
 being wooded, shaded, and fed by living springs,f what excuse 
 is there for longer delay in restocking the rivers which used 
 to teem with salmon and trout, and stocking anew <^hose 
 many waters wherein fishes of the (/enus iSalmo would thrive? 
 It is true, the inhabitants of the New England States are 
 hopefully in earnest, and anxious to stock and protect their 
 salmon and trout waters, and have appointed a competent 
 Fisheries' Commission, including the following gentlemen : 
 
 Maine— Charhs G. Atkins, Augusta ; N. W. Foster, East 
 Machias. 
 
 JVew Hampshire- Hon. H. A. Bellows (chairman), Concord; 
 "Wo A. Sanborn, Weir's. 
 
 Vermotit—Fiot: A. D. Hagar, Proc.torsville ; Hon. Charles 
 Barrett, Grafton. 
 
 Massachusetts— Alfred K. Field, Greenfield ; Theodore Ly- 
 man (secretary), Brookline. 
 
 Connecticut — H. Woodward, Middlctown ; James Rankin, 
 Old Saybrook. 
 
 But this question is equally applicable to the State of New 
 
 * The fishing rental of the Tpv in 1853 was less than $40,000 ; in 1864 it 
 had risen to $75,000, and this year it is over $100,000. 
 
 t "Let any one look at the map of New England, with its thousands lakes 
 and rivers, and imagine what riches ought to dwell in those waters."— N. E. 
 Fisheries' Report. 
 
Clexu Stbeams and build Fish-passes. 379 
 
 York and the vast West, especially those waters running 
 northward and eastward, all ol" which may, with a trifling ex- 
 pense, be raarle alive with shining shoals of the mighty sal- 
 mon and the beautiful speckled trout. 
 
 It is also important to a:-.sist the propagation of other food- 
 fishes by anificial means. Legislatures should appropriate 
 sums for these pressing objects, which not only cheapen 
 meats, but add to the variety of food a source of health as 
 well as luxury, and so cheapen it as to bring it within the 
 means of all. 
 
 Next in importance to artificial propagation is the purify- 
 ing of rivers from the numerous pollutions incident to a care- 
 less procedure in manufacturing, where poisonous minerals, 
 tan-bark, sawdust, etc., drain into the streams, instead of be- 
 ing conducted away from them or consumed. Commensurate 
 in importance with the purification of the rivers are properly- 
 constructed fish-passes, to enable a salmon to surmount dams 
 and falls to reach their spawning-pools at the heads of streams, 
 for without such means procreation can not go forward, and 
 of the first stock few may be taken in the same river, but 
 the greater number will seek more accessible spawning-beds 
 at the heads of other rivers. 
 
 Of the numerous reasons in faxor of artificial propagation, 
 the following are not the least important : 
 
 It Las been proven by experiment that of salmon not more 
 than one in a thousand hatched naturally arrive at maturity. 
 Of trout, it iH ^}robable that double that proportion mature, 
 for the present experiment of propagating trout and salmon 
 side by side in Australia proves that trout thrive best, and 
 are what Lord Dundreary would call "the most wobust." 
 But thr n.. -is of the speckled beauties in our trout-streams 
 and por is !;ave been eliminated, and require filling up. This 
 can not } . done without the assistance of art. Let us sup- 
 pose that a pond which is supplied by streams suitable for 
 spawning is stocked wit]i five hundred trout, each of which 
 weigiis a pound. In tlie course of one season they will de- 
 
380 
 
 Fishing in American Waters. 
 
 posit 250,000 ova. Granting that a considerable pontion of 
 these are hatched, is it ever found that a fiftieth or a hun- 
 dredth part of tlie whole arrive at maturity? Far from this 
 being the case, the number of trout will continue almost the 
 same for years; without any perceptible increase. The rea- 
 son is plain. So soon as the fry are hatched, they are exposed 
 to the attacks of the parent trout. Within tlie limits of the 
 reservoir there is not the remotest chance of their ultimate 
 escape. It is true, if the fingerlings knew enough, they might 
 ascend the tributaries of the preserve to shoals where the 
 parent trout could not follow ; but they do not know, and 
 man, being placed over the kingdoms of inferior animals, 
 should preserve them for his own good. Salmon which 
 spawn in tho natural waters generally go to the heads of 
 the streams durir-fj the fall floods and deposit their spawn ; 
 when the waters subside, the ova is sometimes destroyed by 
 being left on dry land. Other fish deposit their spawn and 
 cover it on prior beds of spawn. Others spawn in the cur- 
 rent of the stream, and a freshet carries it down the current 
 as food for all the inhabitants below. In other cases the fe- 
 male salmon makes her spawning-bed, and deposits and cov- 
 ers up the ova, while the male fish is down at the foot of the 
 pool guarding it from the incursions of an army of water- 
 guerrillas. Sometimes the place in the stream selected for 
 the spawning-bed is very good while preparing the trenches 
 for the spawn, but by the time the spawn is deposited the 
 stream has become a torrent, and washes away the ova ; and 
 yet— just like a headstrong specimen of humanity — if the fe- 
 male makes up her mind that she will spawn at a place, the 
 rapidity of the flood of water never daunts her, though tlie 
 swiftness of the current prevents the roe from ever touching 
 bottom. Long Island is formed of a net- work tracery of trout- 
 streams, and yet there are but ten establishments for the arti- 
 ficial propagation of trout. Some proprietors and the poach- 
 ers of the island capture trout in winter to stock ponds which 
 are kept for the commercial advantages of letting them to be 
 
Subjects fob Consideration. 381 
 
 fished by amateurs with the fly, or the trout are fed, and then 
 netted and taken to market. There is no general attention 
 paid to the procreation of the speckled beauties. Many of 
 the best preserves on the island are depleted of trout by sheer 
 neglect. They should divide their ponds, and catch their 
 large trout and use them for f;tocking subsidiary waters. In 
 a word, they should tap their dams with pipes, and conduct 
 water into spawning-boxes. Where their dams are near a 
 road or turnpike, they should run the pipes underneath, or 
 place their boxes along the embankment of the dam in such 
 position as to form a rather swift flow of water throuohout 
 the line of boxes. Nothing can be more simple or safe '^ The 
 trout hatched in that way should be placed in small ponds 
 each brood by itself, thus necessitating three of these small 
 ponds. As each brood arrives at two years of age, it should 
 be turned mto the main preserve, and that preserve should 
 be swept annually with a large-meshed net, and all the large 
 trout so taken should be transferred to the pond of propaga- 
 tion, which should be watched during spawning-time -"in 
 September, October, and November-and when found ripe 
 ior spawning they should be netted, and the roe and milt 
 taken from them and laid in the breeding-boxes. 
 
 Before proceeding favthev, let me say here that what I may 
 state about propagating salm.>n is eoually applicable to 
 brook trout, for the only difleience in the treatment of sal- 
 mon and brook trout is found in the fact that trout will al- 
 ways prey upon roe and young fish-even its own-while 
 only the salmon Mt is so unnatural ; but this maternal ob- 
 tuseness is supposed to be acquired from not returning to 
 sea with her brood, and, thus left to the mercy of fresh-water 
 insects and the scanty food of the river, she becomes what 
 the habitans of Canada call a "mea^/r^," with no more soul 
 than a miser. 
 
382 
 
 FieiiiNG IN Amekican Waters. 
 
 BEST WATER FOR HATCHING S ALL: ON. 
 
 Spring Avater from 45° to 55° is probably the best. Spring 
 water is preferable, as being more pure than river water even 
 after being filtered, while its temperature is more equable, 
 being nearer the same throughout the year. Too much sur- 
 face or rain water is injurious, containing less vitality for 
 game fish, but more predaceous insects, so that their larva? 
 may be mixed with the eggs in the hatching-boxes, and prey 
 on the spawn before it is hatched. 
 
 In situations where spring water can hot be obtained in 
 sufiicient quantities, the river water should pass through a 
 filter of sand and gravel. If the spring is large enough and 
 the ground suitable, it may be divided into artificial rills, 
 with a pipe of two inches run of water to each. Under all 
 circumstances, a gentle, equable, and pure current is indis- 
 pensable. 
 
 HATCHING-BOXES FOR THE INCUBATION OF THE EGGS OF SAL- 
 MON OR TROUT, AS ADOPTED BY THE COLLEGE OF FRANCE. 
 
 These boxes are fed from a horizontal pipe two inches in 
 diameter, by faucets tapping it at every tier of five boxes ; 
 and to break the force of the jet so that it will not derange 
 the ova in the first box, and to assist in aeration, a perforated 
 zinc cap is sometimes placed before it, as the object is to 
 maintain a regular movement of the current throughout the 
 tier of boxes, which are about six feet long and two and a 
 half wide. A constant flow of water, of nearly equal temper- 
 ature, through the boxes is a necessity. At Huningue, in 
 France, all the hatching-boxes are in a Avell-ventilated build- 
 ing ; and as hatching-time continues from October until Feb- 
 ruary, a cover to the hatching-boxes is essential ; and in En- 
 gland, to protect the ova from thieves, Mr. Francis recom- 
 mended a cover of perforated zinc, with the ends which are 
 above the water of zinc also ; and in order to regulate the 
 temperature of the water, the horizontal pipe should be sun- 
 
A Link in aotmate Nature. 
 
 383 
 
 in 
 
 phed from a reservoir by a pipe running ,J„o„gh a dry-nir 
 .■efngerator (or through a ehest filled ^ith icel, by whic 
 modern American invention the temperature Jay Lr^t 
 lated at any degree required between freezing and ten de- 
 g^es Mow .ero. The pipe should be eoiiedl the tfrj. 
 
 The aquarium presented above is the one selected by the 
 College of France from numerous samples, and it has ,„Le1 
 a enccess ; but the object of it is more especially fo stiZ! 
 the eggs d„rn,g the time of incubation. \he watertth",? 
 
 I 
 
384 
 
 Fishing in American Waters. 
 
 fore nearly all husbanded after it passes through the boxes 
 by catching it in a marble trough and sending it back to the 
 supply reservoir by a pipe from a hydraulic ram, or a turbin- 
 like tliat by Avhich many reservoirs are supplied from rivers 
 or springs. These plans of aeration enable flsh-culturists to 
 run the same water several times over the hatching-boxes; 
 but it is thouglit by some professors that — for perfect safety 
 to the ova — the water should be continually renewed, and not 
 /low over them a second time. 
 
 In establishments of fish-culture like the government one 
 at Iluningue, they endeavor to imitate nat ire more perfectly 
 than it can be done by a tier of boxes. The}' therefore build 
 a race-way thirty feet long, a yard wide, and eight inches 
 deep, as the trout-brook, and the fountain of equal tempera- 
 ture feeding it by pipes is the spring. In this race-way are 
 placed crosswise numerous trays of terra-cotta, glazed inside 
 to prevent contact of "onferva) with the ova, and in wliich, to 
 a frame of wood, glass tubes are fitted, and called a grll, the 
 French name for gridiron. Tlie tray is six inches wido, four 
 inches deep, and as long as the race-way is wide. Both the 
 tray and the grille may be moved with ease to another race- 
 way, or the grille may be moved to clean the bottom of the 
 tray or for other purpose. The following cut may help illus- 
 trate. 
 
 vt 
 
 Fig. 1. Terra-cotta Tray, to tit crosswise in race-way. Fig. 2. Grille of glass tubes, 
 made to fit in tlie tray. Fig. 3. Race-way, as wide inside as the length of the tray. 
 
Prevent evil Contiguity. 
 
 38b 
 
 After the roe becomes fruetified by the milt, the case of 
 .i^TiJIes, l|,g. 2, IS ] ,ced in the tray, and then deposited croh 
 Wise in the raee-n ay, .vhere the tray is mechanically continod 
 whentheovn '.4. .od on the glass grille, and J ftfornature' 
 to do the rest, only seemg that the water continu. . to Ibrm a 
 stream hk. a natul-ai brook through the race-way, and that 
 he .Hjt be never glaring or the ten.perature of the water 
 too lugh,beanng in mmd that there will be several degrees 
 of difference between the water at the head and foot of the 
 way. 
 
 The grilles should be examined daily, and any addled or 
 •load eggs remo ' from eoniact with others. This should 
 >e done so as not to disturb the other eggs, as great quiet 
 •luring the months of incubation is, essai-y. 
 
 The following cut represent, the implements for removino- 
 dead Qggs. ° 
 
 Pig.l.TlieSiphou, used for uxiiminiu"- the e".rs y Pi„m.,.. r 
 
 3. Fine brass wi?e for taitug'up S 4gi"'='''"= °"' '^'^^ ^^fe'S. 
 
 The siphon is used in France to draw up the dead eggs- 
 but as It generally disturbs so many of the live ones, its o-en-' 
 era! use m fish-culture is now confined to examining the el^s 
 while pincers with sharp-pointed nibs are often used for p1ck' 
 mg out the dead eggs; but Mr. Francis states in his "Fish 
 Culture -a small but very useful volume-- Some use a 
 
 k 
 
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 iii 
 

 IMAGE EVALUATION 
 TEST TARGET (MT.3) 
 
 
 
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 1.8 
 
 1.6 
 
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 Photographic 
 
 Sciences 
 
 Corooration 
 
 23 WEST MAIN STREET 
 
 WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 
 
 (716) £7i2-4503 
 
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386 
 
 Fishing in American Waters. 
 
 small needle tied to a stick; but the toughness of the ova re- 
 sists the prod of the needle, and goes on slipping about. * * * 
 The best plan, by very far, is to twist up a piece of fine brass 
 wire into an eye just big enough to take the ova, tie it to a 
 fine-pointed handle, bend it to the most convenient angle for 
 lifting, softly introduce it between the ova and under the one 
 you wish to withdraw, and fetch it out swiftly, but steadily." 
 
 SPECIAL DIRECTIONS ABOUT PREPARING SPAWNING-BOXES. 
 
 The following explanations were made by one of the fish- 
 culturists engaged on the Tay, in Scotland : 
 
 The boxes for containing the ova were twenty-four in num- 
 ber, each being six feet long, eighteen inches wide, nine inches 
 deep, and open at the top. The whole were disposed in a 
 double row, parallel with the original course of the rill. Each 
 row consisted of twelve boxes, placed end to end, the beds of 
 the foremost commencing shortly below the lower end of the 
 dam. A piece of three inches in depth and nine in width was 
 cut from each log, in order to allow a free passage for the 
 stream through the whole series. At the junction of each 
 box was nailed a sheet of tin, with turned-up sides, to pre- 
 vent the escape of the water. A couple of pipes, a yard in 
 length and two inches in diameter, conveyed the stream to 
 the foremost box in each row, the end of the pipes inserted in 
 the dam being covered with fine wire gauze to prevent the 
 entrance of trout and insects. The whole were arranged on 
 a gentle slope, so as to avoid stagnation, and insure a tolera- 
 bly rapid flow of water. 
 
 The boxes being arranged, a strata on which to place the 
 ova was then formed. It consisted of a mixture of sand and 
 gravel, of the depth of several inches, upon which were de- 
 posited pebbles of the ordinary size of road metal. When 
 properly prepared for the reception of the ova, the stream av- 
 eraged two inches in depth above the pavement. 
 
 At a short distance below the dam two ponds were con- 
 structed to contain the fry, the one receiving the stream from 
 
I 
 
 New Eules in Domestic Cikcles. 387 
 
 the double row of boxes, and the other from the bed of the 
 nil. The superficial area of each was two hundred and forty 
 yards, bemg much too small, as finally ascertained, for the 
 hosts of fry with which they were ultimately tenanted. 
 
 SECURING THE OVA OF A SALMON. 
 
 The process by which a salmon is made to exude its roe or 
 milt is illustrated by the engraving; but the abdomen of the 
 fish should be kept under water, and a napkin is better than 
 the naked hand wherewith to hold the tail. It being diffi- 
 cult to hold a salmcn, three persons are frequently required. 
 But what says our authority ? 
 
 In order to obtain the spawn in a perfectly mature state, 
 the fish were taken from the spawning-bed in the very act of 
 Its deposition. They were caught with nets at night. When 
 taken they were instantly, and without injury, put into an 
 oval tub one fourth full of water. So soon as a pair of suita- 
 ble fis1> were captured, the ova from the female was immedi- 
 ately ch.charged into the tub by a gentle pressure of the 
 hands from the thorax downward. The milt of the male was 
 
 ejected in a similar manner, and the contents of the tub gen- 
 tly stirred with the hand. After the lapse of a minute the 
 
388 
 
 FlSniNG IN AlVtEKICAN WatEKS. 
 
 water was poured off, with the exception of sufficient to keep 
 the ova submerged, and fresh supplied in its place. This also 
 was poured off, and fresh substituted previously to removing 
 the impregnated spawn to the boxes prepared for its recep- 
 tion. 
 
 In discharging the ova from the abdomen of the female all 
 violence was carefully avoided. If, on examination, the ova 
 were found to be immature, the fish was immediately return- 
 ed to the river, and others in a more advanced stage taken. 
 When a sufficient quantity of spawn was collected, it was at 
 once removed to the hatching-ground. An amount propor- 
 tioned to the size of the boxes was carefully poured in at the 
 head of each, the action of the water scattering it pretty 
 equally among the crevices of the stones. A temporary in- 
 cr ased flow of the stream easily distributed it wherever it 
 might happen to be too closely crowded together. Out of 
 24,000 roe deposited in the spawning-boxes, 20,000 were suc- 
 cessfully hatched. 
 
 MR. JOHN GILLONE's PROCESS OF PROPAGATING TROUT AND 
 
 SALMON. 
 
 As owner of the " Longland Fishery," the opinion of Mr. 
 Gillone is received with much confidence and respect through- 
 out England. « In the first place," he states, " we have one 
 mill-dam becked at top and bottom." (As the word heck 
 means " an engine or instrument for catching fish," we sup- 
 pose that he means a peculiar net or singularly constructed 
 weir for preventing trout or salmon from passing it, and ren- 
 dering them liable to capture in the attempt.) The upper 
 part of the dam was laid with gravel suitable for salmon or 
 trout to spawn in naturally. There is also a very suitable^ 
 stream for trout or salmon to deposit their spawn, and, so 
 soon as our fishing season is about to close, we take the num- 
 ber offish required to fill our breeding-boxes with fecundated 
 ova, and put them into the dam, and keep them there until 
 we see them beginning to spawn. (Spawning is sometimes 
 
CiPHEEINO SO AS TO ESTIMATE. 
 
 389 
 
 continued for several days, and sometimes weeks, by a single 
 pair offish. The male trout or male salmon sometimes forces 
 the female to the spawning-bed before all the ova is sufficient- 
 ly matured for deposition.) We then shut down our upper 
 sluice, catch and examine all the fish, and keep in a large 
 wooden box all the fish ready for manipulation, returning the 
 rest to the dam till we see them beginning to spawn a second 
 time, and so on till we get them all spawned. 
 
 We spawn them in a box three feet six inches long, seven 
 inches wide, and nine inches deep, with as much water as will 
 cover the fish. We first take the female fish from a large box 
 filled with water clbse at hand, lay her in the little box as she 
 swims (that is, her back up), taking her by the tail with the 
 right hand, and with the left hand gently press from the neck 
 to the vent until you get all the roe exuded. We then pour 
 off about .':=af the water, and use the male fish the same way, 
 mixing the milt with the water by the hand. After mixing 
 the ova, we have a large filter that fits the neck of a bottle, 
 water-tight, with a rim of wire gauze two inches deep. We 
 then fill the bottle and filter with water; then, pouring off the 
 greater part; of the water in the spawn-box, we empty the roe 
 and water into th3 filter. The roe, of course, sinks into the 
 bottle ; the water runs off through the wire gauze, and pre- 
 vents any of the ova from being spilled. The bottle is mark- 
 ed off in divisions, each division holding 800 eggs of an aver- 
 age size. By this way we count our roe with little trouble 
 that we deposit in our breeding-boxes. In putting the ova 
 into the breeding-boxes, I have a tin tube that fills the neck 
 of the bottle, tapering to about a half-inch circle at the top. 
 This tube I place below the water in the breeding-box, and 
 gradually empty the roe into glass jars. Our breeding-boxes 
 are two in number, or rather a continuation of one. They 
 are laid quite level, so that the water circulates down the one 
 and up the other. The boxes are made of wood, four inches 
 deep, one foot wide, and the length of the two boxes com- 
 bined is 135 feet. .These boxes are supplied with frames in- 
 
390 
 
 Fishing in American Waters. 
 
 side each three feet long, filled with narrow strips of glass, 
 with the sharp edges ground off to prevent cutthig the young 
 fish. The glass is laid across the stream, forming gutters in 
 which the ova is placed in rows across the run of the water- 
 the glass is supported in the frames three quarters of an inch 
 from the bottom of the box, the water flowing freely both 
 above and below the ova. These boxes are capable of hatch- 
 ing at a time 15,000 salmon or trout. This season we have 
 24,000 salmon eggs deposited in them, and the eggs are be- 
 coming quite visible. In depositing the ova in the several 
 boxes, I keep each fish's eggs separate, and marked on the 
 boxes 1, 2, 3, etc, I keep corresponding numbers in a book, 
 with a remark on each fish's roe at the time of spawning ;' 
 and during the time of incubation, if I see any thing worthy 
 of notice, I take a note of the number and what has happened. 
 I pick out all the dead ova once or twice a week, and keep 
 an account of the number, and when the hatching is finished 
 I subtract the number of the dead from the number deposit- 
 ed, which will show about the quantity we have hatched. 
 
 CARE IN OBTAINING FECUNDATED SPAWN. 
 
 Whenever practicable, it is desirable to take the trout 
 from the spawning-beds by means of nets, so as to insure the 
 maturity of the ova. It can best be done in the night. So 
 soon as caught, the fish should h. placed in a large tub, or 
 other vessel, partially filled wii. water, till a milter and 
 spawner are taken. In ejecting the ova, the female should 
 first be held over a bucket or large tin can half full of water 
 the lower end of the abdomen being inserted in the water' 
 in order to prevent the exposure of the ova to the air. A 
 gentle pressure of the hand from the thorax down each side 
 of the abdomen will discharge the ova, if mature, without the 
 least injury to the fish. The water in the bucket should then 
 be reduced to three or four quarts previously to ejecting the 
 milt of the male. In expelling the milt the course pursued 
 IS precisely the same as that just described, the lower end of 
 
Gently urging Nature. 
 
 391 
 
 yxRippiNG A Trout. 
 
 the ahdoraen being in this case also inserted in the water. 
 After stirring the contents of the bucket with the hand, the 
 water should be poured off and fresh supplied several times 
 in succession, until no trace of the milt can be seen, always 
 taking care to keep the ova submerged. The spawn may 
 then be moved to the hatchmg-ground or boxes ; for the arti- 
 ficial spawning-bed may be made in a ditch, dug for the pur- 
 pose, and paved, and supplied through pipes with water, as 
 well as in boxes ; but experiments have giv n the preference 
 to boxes, as susceptible of forming thereby a stream more 
 equal in flood, volume, and temperature. In the removal of 
 the ova for a short distance, it is unimportant in what man- 
 ner they are conveyed, so long as they are not much shaken. 
 In transporting ova a great distance, it should be done in 
 the winter or spring, placed in tanks lined with sponge and 
 swamp-moss, with an aerating pump placed in it for frequent- 
 ly moving the water, changing it, and exposing it to the air. 
 Fecundated ova have been packed in moss by Seth Green and 
 sent by n ail a thousand miles, and then hatched with very 
 small loss. 
 
392 
 
 Fishing in American Waters 
 
 A SIMPLE PROCESS FOR PREPARING A SPAWNING-BED. 
 
 If you have a trout-pond, tap it at the sluice in the dam 
 with several pipes of two inches diameter, covering the ends 
 in the pond wi<h fine wire gauze to exclude youno- fish or 
 the eggs ofsuch fish or reptiles as are enemies to trott. Con- 
 duct the water through these pipes to rows of boxes about 
 two feet wide and six feet long, the boxes from the head one 
 nearest the dam resting two inches lower than the one which 
 immediately precedes it so as to produce a current sufiicient- 
 y swift in this artificial stream formed of a row, or several 
 lows of boxes, and each row formed of half a dozen boxes 
 One pipe to supply each row of boxes, and then you may 
 have as many rows of boxes as you have water to supply 
 always bearing in mind that the water must run continually.' 
 The waste water, after it leaves the boxes, may be conducted 
 by a ditch into the brook below the dam, or into a pond pre- 
 pared to receive the young trout. The bottoms of the boxes 
 are next covered to the depth of a couple of inches with sand 
 and small pebbles, upon which is laid a pavement of stones 
 trom three to six inches in diameter. The water should be 
 as much as two inches deep above this pavement, and fill the 
 boxes two thirds full. The boxes are open at the top. Then 
 pour the fecundated roe equally over the paved bottom of 
 each box, and it will soon find its way into the crevices of 
 the stony bottom, and within from sixty to seventy-five days 
 the trout will be hatched, and a bag connected to the abdo- 
 men by an umbilical cord contains sustenance sufficient for 
 torty days, after which the tiny creature begins to seek food 
 and should be removed to its pond. 
 
 FEEDING YOUNG TROUT OR SALMON. 
 
 After the absorption of the abdominal vesicle, the fry re- 
 quire food of a fine and nourishing kind-crumbs of boiled 
 liver m small particles, minced meat or fish of any kind or a 
 pate of the intestines of any animal or fowl; horse-flc'sh is 
 
Food of easy Digestion. 
 
 393 
 
 ^eiy good; cheese-curd, farinaceous food, may be mixed and 
 all put in solution, and fed to the tiny things through a syr- 
 inge ; maggots— called gentles— a bait :br sale at all the rod- 
 fishing places in Europe, and the larvje anr flies of the season, 
 form good food after the fish are two months old. 
 
 STOCKING OLD PONDS WITH TROUT. 
 
 Old ponds, even if inhabited by trout, are apt to fill with 
 weeds, which grow from all parts of the bottom except the 
 channel cut by the creek flowing through it ; and if the stream 
 be too small compared with the size of the pond, so that the 
 water is not renewed sufliciently often, then the eels, sunfish 
 perch, and pike are apt to accumulate, to the ultimate exter- 
 mination of the trout. It becomes necessary, therefore, before 
 stocking an old pond, that the water be drawn ofi" and the 
 bottom of the pond thoroughly cleaned. The expense of 
 cleaning a pond is partially paid by the manure thus ob- 
 tamed. Some persons, after cleaning a pond, sow the bottom 
 with hmo and salt. The creek should also be cleaned up to 
 Its source by sweeping it with small-meshed nets; but all its 
 shades on the margin of the stream, and its hiding-places of 
 rocks and stones in the stream, should be left, and pegs or 
 
394 
 
 Fishing in Amekican Waters, 
 
 o t r ,', . ''°"°'"' '""""S the top, of them a foot 
 0. 8o above the bottom, to prevent poacher, from netti,,,, the 
 pond or ,, The dam may or may not be eon,tr;ctod 
 
 so a, to permit the trout to follow down the stream to it, 
 estuary and return at will. This would depend upon agree- 
 ment between the different owners of the stream. But when 
 
 bhng dam offer, an mdueement to ,melt, herring, etc., to 
 spawn m the pond, and thus stock it with the best feed ^o,. 
 ,.ble for trout, for those trout which feed on shrimp, ,melt 
 spearmg, young herring, and the roe of fishes are always ,u-' 
 penor to such a, feed on worm, brought down the ,tream by 
 f, Zm / "'™SV- of the principal charms of the trou' 
 , that he feed, on the flies which swarm on the surface of 
 the water, thus enlivening and beautifying the water by 
 breakmg to the surface and forming numerous wake, of large 
 c^rc es, and sometimes rising above the surface and disclosing 
 
 Ten h?w ' "'?"'" ""'' ^''"'y"' "'^'■^ "- «™<^^ 
 touch a r T ;rf ■"S.""'™ ^bstantial, and will not 
 
 oast beef ",', IV ^ ""'"*'' '"'"'™"y' ^'''"^ -l"-^ 
 roast beef, a, well a, plum-pudding and omekUe sovMie. So 
 
 the trout requn.es hi,^te <fe ^i.^,,,, „f somethC more 
 ,ub8tantial than flies. sometnmg moie 
 
 Dubravius, Dr. Lebault, and many piscatorial professor, 
 
 caie of them. Wo therefore extract the gist of thHr advice 
 
 n<.rmmgled w.th our own, a, follow,: Ipond intended T; 
 
 ether profit or pleasure should be cleansed once every three 
 
 bvwhichTVT"'." '""'^^ "<""'"'^'='» "* '"e Stream 
 by which It 1, fed, or if sustained by more surface-water than 
 
 of spring-water. It should be drained and lie dry six or 
 
 twelve months, both to kill the water-weed, and the animals 
 
 which feed on trout and it, roe. The letting your pond dry 
 
 rottiTthTpor^''"""' '^ ''-"'-'' '--'* •<"'«- •"' 
 
 In reconstructing your pond after draining it, and havino- 
 
Habitations for Trout. 
 
 395 
 
 made tlie earth firm where the head of the pond must be,Le- 
 bault advises that you drive in two or three rows of oak or 
 elm piles, which should be scorched in the fire or half burned 
 before they be driven in the earth, for being thus used it pre- 
 serves them much longer from rotting; and having done so, 
 lay fagots or bavins of smaller wood between them, and 
 then earth between and above them; and then, having first 
 very well rammed them and the earth, use another pile in 
 like manner as the first were, and note that the second pile 
 IS to be of or about the same height that you intend to make 
 your sluice or flood-gate, or the vent that you intend shall 
 convey the ovei-flowings of your pond, or any flood that shall 
 threaten to break the pond dam. Then he advises the plant- 
 ing of willows and osiers about the dam, and cast in charred 
 logs not far from the side, as also upon the sandy places, in 
 order to protect spawning-beds and form hiding-places for 
 the small fry. All ponds should contain places of gravel bot- 
 tom, and places sandy and shallow, where trout may disport 
 themselves and burnish their sides. Fish should also have 
 retiring-places, such as hollow banks, or shelves, or roots of 
 trees, to keep them from danger, and to shade them at times 
 during the day in the extreme heat of summer, albo from the 
 extremity of cold in winter. If too many trees grow about 
 your pond, the leaves, falling into the water, will impreg- 
 nate it and injure the flavor of the fish. Although towering 
 trees form too dense a shade, and the foliage is bad for the 
 stream, while they yield cover to invite winged game and 
 the consequent gunner, yet shooting much about a fish-pre- 
 serve is injurious, and I would advise the planting of willow 
 and alder to partially shade the stream or pond, and render 
 firm the shores. 
 
 Two trout-ponds are more profitable than one of the same 
 area as the two, because they may be cleaned alternately, 
 and the trout turned into one while the other is under clean- 
 ing process. 
 In small ponds, or ponds where the small fry of common 
 
396 
 
 FisiiiNo IN Amekican Watkks. 
 
 hh often form f„o,l for tront, Lcbanlt a,lvi»e, the frclin^ „f 
 "out l,y throwms i.ito tho pond chipping, of broad, culd, 
 Sra,,. or the entrails of ehieken,,, or of any bird or beLt ; 
 bll to feed yourselves. On tho score of feeding trout in pre- 
 serves, our experience is that they are generally fed too mud, 
 In ponds where feed is scarce, living bait should be thrown 
 in siieh as nunnows, mummies, shrimp, and all Icinds offish 
 wh,eh nature intended for bait by forbidding them ever 
 
 should be done sparmgly. We have known several ponds on 
 tuTu^l :::; 't'-%'"^«^'- "'^O -■■"« ^^-y ^re l^d „m 
 tm„. We regret to state that some animals endowed with 
 
 tend that they are waters intended for the propagation of 
 t.out,when n. reality, they are pounds, or liqiidbas.iles 
 
 :^t:r:itjrc3i-rt^^^^^^^ 
 
 uoiiar and a half a pound has frequently been mid f^v f,..„. 
 
 bought at wholesale. It is said Lt th'ese Pet': F,mk ^b 
 
 he trout-streams of their neighborhoods by mean of „"! 
 
 thTZt o7 cr""rr"-^™ '"" ''-' o'^eptoXrr, 
 
 tne iHst of March-and deposit their stolen gains in liouid 
 pounds, w ore they feed them until the markft ope s Zt 
 
 eept f„, the p„,-pose of se.ence or the object of propagatiin 
 
The vkky» latest Methods. 
 
 397 
 
 SECTION SECOND. 
 ainswoktu's race and screens. 
 
 A. Top of Race. B. Water Level. C. Upner Screen, or Sieve. D. Under Screen E 
 Bottom of Race. G. Supply Pond. H. FilteriuK Gate. 
 
 The Upper Screen is represented from the pround-plan, in order to show the form of 
 
 he perfo.atert bottom, and the same alter paving it with pel/bles tTic bo torn of 
 
 SeenTs ^Vt^-^^f '^''^V^»' !^JVtJ!^j}^:- i^^ th| side oniy of the {j-^der 
 
 in construction, 
 
 -^.^u»,..v^.» ....ii, n.c i-iiiiic View , uuL lue Huie oniv or tne ilnnpr 
 
 ^ crstr'nXn' '"'''^- ^^^ '"'"''" ^' suggestive, calling for judgme^nt and science 
 
 The object of this invention is to induce trout to spawn wlierc 
 the fish-culturist may gather the eggs and protect tliem 
 until lie can transfer them to the hatching-boxes once or 
 twice a week, and it is a valuable step on the road of aqua- 
 culture toward husbanding all the resources of a stream. 
 The object is to form a race-way of water in a stream of 
 moderate flow, and divide this race into three compart- 
 ments. Those are the bottom of the race paved with cob- 
 ble-stones, E ; a few inches above ii, and of the same width, 
 is the lower screen or sieve, D ; a fow inches above which 
 is the upper screen, C. Trout have access to screen C for 
 spawning, and as tiie bottom of it is perforated with holes 
 twice as large as a trout's egg, of course the eggs laid on 
 it will run through the bottom of the screen and lodge on 
 the under one, which is perforated with very small holes 
 to drain it, but not pass the eggs. Screen C is divided into 
 trays, with handles at the sides for removing them by the 
 hand ; the bottom is then covered with pebbles, as indi- 
 
398 
 
 Fishing in Amerwan "W ateks. 
 
 13 
 
 I 
 
 lert 
 
 cated by the upper half of the screen ; the lower, or len 
 ^alf, merely represents the perforated bottom of zinc 
 
 lZ7^ Yr T^'''^ *^' fecundated eggs, is the same 
 width and length as C, divided into trays also for remov- 
 ing their contents conveniently. 
 The engraving represents the race' from the supply pond half- 
 way to the outlet of the race into the creek or lower pond 
 Screen C is open at each end, so that trout from the creek 
 below or the pond above may enter freely, it being an ar- 
 tificial imitation of a natural spawning-bed. The follow- 
 ing IS the inventor's description : 
 
 « This race may be built like the races made for the artificial 
 impregnation of spawn used by nearly all trout-breeders to en- 
 tice the trout up from the pond to spawn. It can be made 
 of any length from 10 to 60 feet, and from 2 to 6 feet wide 
 accordmg to the number of trout which are to use it, and the' 
 amount of water for the supply of the pond. It should be 
 made with plank sides and bottom, so tight as to keep out all 
 sediment. Paving the bottom nicely with small stones will 
 answer. The bottom, whether of plank or stone, must then 
 be covered with a half-inch layer of fine, well-washed gravel 
 When one has large trout to spawn in the race the water 
 should be 2 inches deep at the upper or supply end, and 15 
 mches deep at the lower end where it empties into the pond 
 with a gentle cui-rent throughout its whole length. This will 
 give good spawning depth to the water for trout of all sizes 
 from 6 to 24 inches long. Usually a race 3 feet wide, and 
 from 15 to 20 feet long, will be quite sufiicient for a pond of 
 1000 or 1800 trout. P"«a or 
 
 "The bo^tom of this race must be covered with fine wire- 
 cloth screens, of about 10 meshes to the inch, made of zinc 
 or galvanized wire, so as not to corrode, and thus injure the 
 spawn. ^ Iron wire, if painted, will answer where zinc can rot 
 be obtained. These wire screens must be nailed to wooden 
 frames, made of inch-square stuff, the frames to correspond in 
 length with the width of the race, and to be as wide as the 
 
Artificial Fish Pkopagation. 
 
 399 
 
 f-loth will permit— say 2 feet. Strips of three-quarter-inch 
 stuff must be nailed to the bottom of the race for the screens 
 to rest on, in such a manner that they will be raised one quar- 
 ter of an inch above the gravel on the bottom. This ia done 
 to give good circulation to the water under the spawn as 
 they fall on to these wire screens. These screens must be 
 laid the whole length of the race, side by side, to catch the 
 spawn as it is deposited by the parent trout. 
 
 "Now place over these another set of screens made of coarse 
 wire-cloth, of about two or three meshes to the inch, so that 
 the spawn will drop through easily. These screens must be 
 nailed on frames of the same length as the others, but of two- 
 inch stuff, and as wide as the cloth will permit. • These screens 
 must be strong enough to hold 2 inches of well-washed coarse 
 gravel from three quarters of an inch to 2 inches in diameter. 
 They should be so large that there will be interstices between 
 the gravel large enough to let the spawn pass down, if neces- 
 sary, to the lower screen. The upper screens should have han- 
 dles on each end to lift them by, as they will have to be taken 
 out and replaced every few days during the spawning season. 
 
 "When these two sets of screens are placed the whole length 
 of the race, and all is complete, the water will pass over all, 
 2 inches deep at the supply end, and 15 inches deep at the 
 lower end, with a moderate current through the whole race. 
 The reader will perceive by the description and diagram that 
 there is one inch of space between the two screens to hold the 
 spawn as they are deposited by the parent trout, with a gen- 
 tle current passing over and under them, and that the upper 
 screen prevents the spawn from being destroyed by trout 
 and insects, so that they are perfectly safe until removed to 
 the hatching-box. 
 
 "When the trout is ready to spawn she will enter the race 
 from the pond and prepare her nest. This she does by whip- 
 ping all the sediment from the gravel with her tail, and then 
 she whips or digs a hole in the cleansed gravel about 2 inches 
 deep, or down to the upper screen, and about 4 inches iu di- 
 
400 
 
 Fishing m Ameeican "Watees. 
 
 I 
 
 wate. in tto hole with h s M . , °? ' ■■' "'^"' ^^'»' ""^ 
 
 a.I di.ec,io,.s, so tCthr ^ t' Ta "J *a^.\r " "' """''" 
 screen or in the otovpI o i ! *^^ ^^^^^ ^^ the 
 
 then remove the lower ones mrl «o w^ ^ *'^-^' 
 
 raising the screen „p and down a few times ttv wnll ^ 
 down through the interstices. The race Z^f7 l . H 
 
 t^e spawn than hy handh'ng, and no pa^nttlT '„!"'' 
 As sahnon and trout spawn along at intervals o'^'eral 
 
Latest Fish-beeeding Impeovements. 401 
 
 weeks, it is natural to infer that all the eggs do not mature 
 at one time. That this is the case has been proven by the 
 officers of French fisheries. About the time when France 
 endowed the Institution of Huningue, and when the waters, 
 which had for many years remained still and dead, all at once 
 became enlivened by the leaps of trout and the splashings 
 of salmon, the "habitans" regarded the sight as supernat- 
 ural, and an evidence that Heaven was pleased with Napo- 
 leon's reign. About this time, when France had first voted 
 30,000 francs for the advancement of fish-culture, and then in- 
 creased the sum to 80,000, the study of all residents along 
 salmon-rivers and trout-streams was how to procure the eggs 
 of trout and fecundate them. They read all about Joseph 
 Remy's plan, and the result was that all the streams WQre rob- 
 bed of game fishes for procuring eggs to sell to the establish- 
 ment at Huningue. Of course the poor fishes were squeezed to 
 death in forcing them to exude immature ova, and the streams 
 becoming thereby depeopled, induced the unbelievers in fish- 
 culture to set their faces against the wanton destruction. 
 The French government then advertised that it would pur- 
 chase no more fecundated ova unless the roe and milt were 
 exuded by employes of government. Government agents 
 thereafter were notified by those who had trout ready to 
 spawn, and the agents visited the place, and took the ova 
 only which was exuded without pressure, leaving the reso to 
 restock their streams. Since then, water-farming has been 
 an uninterrupted success. 
 
 furman's natural hatching-race. 
 At Maspeth, ia Kings County, which is within or joins the 
 metropolitan district of which New York City is the centre, 
 Mr. William Furman has been propagating brook trout arti- 
 ficially for the past ten years ; and as he is a gentleman of 
 genius, energy, and means, and, withal, an excellent fly-fisher, 
 his devotion to the art offish-culture has hoon rather for love 
 than profit. In his hatching-race there are millions of fecun- 
 
 Cc 
 
402 
 
 Fishing in American Waters. 
 
 dated ova far enough advanced to render their eyes distin- 
 guishable, and they are hatching daily, thus proving its per- 
 fect adaptability to the objects intended of hatching and pro- 
 tecting the eggs. It differs from that of Mr. Ainsworth in 
 having but one race, with perforated bottom of zinc, with 
 three holes to the inch. The bottom is covered with pebbles, 
 and accessible to the trout from his pond during the spawn- 
 ing season, when may be frequently seen a dozen pairs of 
 spawners at a time. The water flows gently down the race, 
 and the spawners keep it constantly agitated throughout the 
 spawning season, so that the fecundated ova falls through the 
 pc'-^orated zinc bottom to the bottom of the stream, which is 
 made of sand and gravel, on which the eggs hatch. 
 
 It will be perceived that this race differs from the Ains- 
 worth one, which has two perforated races or troughs above 
 the bottom, from the lower one of which the fecundated eggs 
 are removed to hatching-boxes, while the Furman race con- 
 sists of but one perforated race or trough, from which the 
 eggs fall to the bottom, and remain during the period of in- 
 cubation, or until hatched. 
 
 I have not deemed it necessary to illustrate the form of 
 the Furman race, as it is similar to the Ainsworth one, onlv 
 it has but one screen, and the bottom is not formed of mova- 
 ble trays, but the eggs drop to the bottom of the stream, 
 where they hatch as in a natural stream, only that they are 
 protected from destruction by their parents or other families 
 of the finny race, which have no access to the compartment 
 of the stream. 
 
 These imitations of the natural stream and spawning-beds 
 are the latest invention in American fish-culture. Thus far 
 they have proved successful, and promise to render unneces- 
 sary the artificial fecundation by handling the spawner and 
 milter for forcing exudation of the seed. These plans sim- 
 plify artificial fish-breeding, and promise to prove a greater 
 improvement on the French grilles and hatching-trays than 
 were the latter upon the troughs with wire-cloth ends placed 
 
The Napoleon Fish-hatcueb. 
 
 403 
 
 in streams to hatch the fecundated ova by Lieut. Jacobi or 
 Joseph Remy. Messrs. Furman and Ains worth being both 
 gentlemen of leisure, who devote their time to fish-culture 
 pro bono publico and for their L/e of the subject, much ben- 
 efit may therefore be reasonably expected from their experi- 
 ments in water-farminsr. 
 
 " GENERAL DIKECTIONS," BY SETII GEEEN. 
 
 For the general management in propagating salmon and 
 trout, and the transportation of fecundated ova and the ale- 
 vins, the following advice, founded upon successful experi- 
 ment and entirely reliable, may be read with interest by 
 those who are about to commence fish-culture by artificial 
 assistance : 
 
 "Build your ponds according to the amount of water you 
 have. If you have but little, build small. The water should 
 be changed every 24 or 48 hours, and the oftener it changes 
 the better. The trout can be very plenty if they have suffi- 
 cient fresh water and food. 
 
 " I can send ova a fifty days' journey packed in a box with 
 moss. I place the moss in a tin pail, filled with sawdust, so 
 that the spawn will not feel the changes of heat and cold. 
 
 '-'Directions for handling the Spawn.— V'xok. the moss care- 
 fully ofi" from the top of the spawn Then put the box in a 
 pan of water and turn it nearly bottom-side up, and pick the 
 moss out very carefully. The spawn will sink to the bottom, 
 and you can pick the moss out of the pan. If there is a little 
 left it will do no harm. Then pour the spawn in your hatch- 
 ing-trough by holding the edge of your pan under water, and 
 ' place' them, without touching the spawn, by agitating the 
 water with the bearded end of a feather. The dead spawn 
 will turn a milk-white color, and should be picked out. Your 
 trough should be so arranged that the water will run in it 
 .ibout twelve feet per minute. The water should be filtered 
 by running through gravel or cloth screens to prevent the 
 sediment from reaching the spawn. I run about one inch of 
 
404 
 
 Fishing in American "Waters. 
 
 water over my spawn, and if any sediment gets on them and 
 is allowed to remain there long, it will surely kill them. Re- 
 move all sediment with the bearded end of a quill by ao-ita- 
 ting the water, without touching the spawn. 
 
 " Large ponds with but little water get too warm in sum- 
 mer and too cold in winter for trout to do well. It is detri- 
 mental to have any other fish with trout. Any kind of fish 
 or fish-spawn is good for feed. The young should be fed 
 twice per day, very slowly ; if fed fast, the feed sinks and be- 
 fouls the trough, and the trout will sicken and die. If fed 
 regularly, and the trough kept clean, with a good change of 
 water, and not kept too thick, they will live and do well. If 
 neglected, they will surely die. 
 
 " What is Death to SiMwn.—The sun, sediment, rats, mice, 
 snails, crawfish, and many water insects. 
 
 "My troughs are 25 feet long and 15 inches wide. The 
 water that feeds each trough would go through a half-inch 
 hole with a three-inch head. Use fine gravel that has no iron 
 rust in it. My troughs are three inches higher at the head. 
 The average temperature of the water is 45°, and the fish 
 hatch in 70 days. Every degree oolder or warmer will make 
 about six days difierence in hatching. Trout hatch the soon- 
 est in warm water. The sack on their bellies sustains them 
 for 40 or 45 days after hatching ; then they need food. 
 
 " When the fish are hatched, raise the water in the troughs 
 about four or five inches by putting on a piece of boaid of 
 that width on every cross-piece, thus keeping the fish sepa- 
 rate—about an equal number in each square. If you have 
 small streams of shallow water near the head of your pond, 
 put a few in a place in the stream and pond, and they will 
 take care of themselves better than you can. The object of 
 distributing them is that they will get more food. All old 
 streams and ponds have plenty of food for small trout and 
 large, which you will find by examining the moss, sticks, and 
 stones in your ponds and streams, as they are full of water- 
 insects. 
 
Amusement foe Ladies. 
 
 405 
 
 " The fish, after hatching, should be fed twice daily for two 
 or three months, then once a day— the grown fish once a day 
 or oftener. For the young fish, liver should be scraped and 
 chopped very fine, and mixed with water, to give it about the 
 consistency of clotted blood. Toss this to the fish a little H 
 a time, so that they can catch and devour it before it reaches 
 the bottom of the trough ; no more should be given than the 
 fish will eat, because if any is left it will settle on the bottom 
 and foul the water, and the fish will sicken and die. The fish 
 may be fed on curds, fish offal, or other animal matter, pro- 
 vided it be small enough for them to swallow.' 
 
 ?H 
 
 EVERT FARMER SHOULD HAVE A TROUT PRESERVE. 
 
 From a perusal of the foregoing descriptions for breeding 
 salmon and trout by the most celebrated and successful fish- 
 culturists, it will be perceived that they do not differ much 
 in the modus operandi. Nearly every farmer has a spring 
 on his place yielding surplus water sufficient to hatch trout 
 in boxes. If he does not wish to go to much expense in 
 erecting a dam to form a preserve, he might at least hatch 
 the trout in boxes and sell them, for they are as ready sale as 
 any product of a farm. Mr. Amsworth, of Bloomfield, N. Y., 
 said : " The original stock (of trout) was put in my pond, con- 
 taining 61 square rods of ground, 14 feet deep, supplied with 
 springs, three years ago, 1400 in number, age from 1 to 4 
 years. They weigh now from 1 to 3 pounds each. They are 
 about as tame as kittens — come at call, and show themselves 
 clear out of water in their haste for food by the five hundred 
 at a time, and some take it out of a spoon six inches above 
 the water. Think of seeing five hundred trout all at the 
 same instant, weighing from 1 to 3 pounds, and from 12 to 18 
 inches long !" 
 
 A two-pound trout will furnish about 8000 spawn, smaller 
 ones less in proportion. They commence spawning when one 
 year old. 
 
 In this way they can be increased and grown to any ex- 
 
406 
 
 Fishing in AaiEEicAN Waters. 
 
 tent, and all the ponds and streams in the country stocked to 
 overflowing. 
 
 We conclude with the statement of both hope and confi- 
 dence that the reader will find fish-breeding in boxes so sim- 
 ple and sure that he will at once prepare to engage in the 
 interesting and profitable occupation. 
 
 ' ! 
 
 GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. 
 
 Upon the breeding-times of different fishes, and their re- 
 sorts at certain seasons in the year to hibernate, there is no 
 fixed data. "We know that eels spawn in salt waters if they 
 have access to them, and visit fresh waters to recuperate and 
 fatten. On the other hand, salmon seek the heads of rivers 
 to spawn, and resort to unknown marine pastures to gain 
 strength and fatten. 
 
 Most white-meated fishes spawn in the spring, yet the fish 
 known as the whitejish spawns in early autumn. All mem- 
 bers of the genus Salmo spawn in autumn. 
 
 The striped bass, with which our anglers on the rivers en- 
 tering the coast are as familiar as with any other game fish, 
 spawns at indefinite periods. It is known that in the Chesa- 
 peake Bay it spawns in spring; that in the estuaries and 
 buys near New York and along the coast of Long Island it 
 begins spawning in April and continues until July. The late 
 Judge Morris and myself were once trolling in Hell Gate in 
 September, and suspecting that a striped bass which we had 
 taken contained ova in an advanced otage, we had the fish 
 eviscerated, when the ova was discovered to be nearly ma- 
 ture. Striped bass taken in the Vineyard Sound in autumn 
 are frequently found to be big with roe nearly ready to drop. 
 These facts present questions for solution by ichthyologists. 
 Do striped bass — like the hens — continue laying for several 
 months ? Or do they lay twice a year — spring and fall ? 
 
 Both the flounder and plaice, or fluke, spawn in winter. 
 Smelt spawn at intervals from February until April. 
 
The Emperok leads in ]*ee8on. 
 
 407 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 SALMON-PASSES, LADDERS, ETC. 
 
 ^.AViNG studied ancient aquaculture 
 and fish-culture, and examined the 
 modus operandi for water-farming, 
 with its profits a thousand -fold 
 greater than those from cultivating 
 the soil, the reader will have ar- 
 rived at the threshold of an im- 
 provement as necessary as are all 
 the previously-named operations. 
 
 One of the most important ques- 
 tions of the day in reference to the 
 fresh-water fisheries of the United 
 States — especially to those devoted 
 to the propagation of salmon and 
 trout — is how to expand and devel- 
 op them to the gioatest extent, so 
 as to interfere as little as possible 
 with existing arrangements as to 
 mills and proprietary rights. That 
 the salmon should breed, it is ab- 
 solutely indispensable that it should be able to reach the 
 heights and shallow portions of rivers, which alone afford 
 suitable gravel-beds for the operation of depositing the ova 
 and rearing the young. If it can not get to these, the breed 
 of salmon is soon extinguished, and this has been the cause 
 of its extinction in ninety-nine rivers out of every hundred. 
 Mill-dams, those terrible enemies to the salmon, are the prin- 
 cipal offenders in this respect. Commercial and manufactur- 
 ing interests being almost too strong for the salmon, the 
 
408 
 
 Fishing in Ameeioan Waters. 
 
 I ! 
 
 question which has been agitating the minds of the most en- 
 lightened pisciculturists of the age for years has been, H5w 
 we can best contrive that the fish shall have a free passage 
 up the rivers, in order to continue its species without any loss 
 of water-power or profits on the part of the mill owners ? If 
 we can show them that this is possible, we have a natural 
 right to compel those who have blocked up our rivers for 
 their own profit to give the fish a free passage as a public 
 benefit. The very best passage through a dam is an open 
 run by means of a good wide pass in the centre of the dam, 
 or, at any rate, in such part of it as will easily be found by 
 the salmon, in showers, when the water-power is generally 
 more than enough for the requirements of the mill and fac- 
 tory. There can be no great difticulty about this (proper re- 
 gard, of course, being paid to. the stability of the dam), ex- 
 cept on rivers where the power is at all deficient, when con- 
 trivances, such as ladders, etc., etc., are needed to prevent the 
 waste of any of the water-power. It is true that salmon can 
 jump up a fall of considerable height. Indeed, salmon have 
 been known tc T)artly jump and partly swim up falls of ten 
 or twelve feet in height, and even much more ; but the ca- 
 pability requires certain condi' .jns for its performance, and 
 chief of all these is a good deep pool at the foot of the fall 
 or dam as a starting-place, and the more arched or slanting 
 out of the perpendicular the fall is, the easier the salmon will 
 surmount it. It used formerly to be supposed that a salmon 
 jumped out of the water in the way that mites aiai seen to 
 jump in a rotten cheese, viz., by putting the tail to the mouth, 
 and then, by the exertion of a sudden effort of muscular ex- 
 pansion, forcing its broad tail to act upon the water so as to 
 shoot the fish ahead. This is now known to be fallacious, as 
 it is seen that the salmon is quite powerless to leap any dam 
 when the waters at the foot of the dam are shallow; and it 
 is known that salmon leap like all other animals (except 
 cheese-mites), viz., by acquiring the utmost attainable veloc- 
 ity by means of a run, and then, by a sudden and powerful 
 
How Salmon and Tkout Leap. 
 
 409 
 
 spring, giving the impetus. This spring must be made, of 
 course, by the assistance of every fin that can aid it, but chief- 
 ly by a strong stroke of the tail. Unfortunately, however, 
 the majority of mill-dams are so spread out across rivers 
 that the water runs over them in the thinnest possible sheet, 
 and the soundness of the dam requires a foundation on the 
 lower face. This foundation is assisted and protected by a 
 wooden sheathing called the apron, and this is placed as near 
 the surface of the water as possible, and extends down stream 
 for fifteen or twenty feet below the dam, so that the under- 
 standing of the dam may not be undermined ; and thus it 
 constantly occurs that while the pool below the dam is of 
 great depth and capacity, yet it only forms a sort of reservoir 
 for the fish, which tlie ownor of the dam catches at his lei- 
 sure, the fish being unable to approach the dam even so as to 
 swim or pass over it ; and a dam of this sort, if only thi'^e or 
 four feet high, would be as impassable to salmon as if it were 
 four times that height.- A salmon will scull up a pretty swift 
 stream that does not perhaps cover his back, so long as his 
 tail and pectoral fins, which are the propelling power, are im- 
 mersed,* provided in such waters he is not called upon to 
 make a perpendicular jump. This he can not do without a 
 run to start him. in considerable depths, for a short space, 
 a salmon can force his way through extremely rapid and 
 heavy waters, but there are limits to this capability ; and the 
 difficult^/ ichich jyi'Sciculturists labor under is the ascertaining 
 what weight or rapiditg oficater a salmon can stem. Some 
 salmoij, of course, can stem a stronger torrent than others, but 
 the problem must be taken as applicable to the weakest fish, 
 not the strongest, inasmuch as the object is chiefly to per- 
 mit the passage of female fish very heavily laden with ova. 
 A female fish, full of eggs, carries something like a fourth of 
 its own entire weight in that commodity, and unless suchjish 
 
 * The tail is the most important organ in this proceeding, the fins being 
 used chiefly for balancing and steering the fish, though they all aid propul- 
 sion on unusual occasions calling for great and sudden effort. 
 
410 
 
 Fishing in American "Waters. 
 
 
 are let itp, there is little tise in letting tlie others up. Therefon! 
 the easier these passages (of whatever kind they may be) are 
 made for the salmon, the better it will be for the fishery. 
 
 Now it has been ascertained that a slope of one in seven 
 or eight is very near the extreme of steepness which a strong 
 Halmon can make his way through — that is, for any distance. 
 It may be that by a sudden effort of the tail, /or a yard or 
 two^ he can flhoot almost any thing, but when he has been a 
 dozen yards or more of such gradient, unless he can .somehow 
 obtain a fresh starting-point, the effort fails, and the ii;=ii is 
 driven back by the weight of the stream. 
 
 Therefore it is desirable, in all passes which are long or 
 full-steep, to have a resting-place, or a quiet pool whence the 
 salmon can take wind and make a fresh start. It is impossi- 
 ble to lay down any definite rule for the construction of all 
 fish-passes, since the architect must be governed by the facil- 
 ities or difticulties presented by the dam or fall, and probably 
 few dams should be treated precisely the same. Various 
 methods have been employed where the water at the pool be- 
 low the dam is too shallow to offer the fish a good start to 
 leap the obstruction. One of the first and most simple plans 
 constructed on the New England and Canadian rivers was a 
 series of leaps from pool to pool, wnth a small dam thrown 
 across the stream below in order to raise the water enough 
 to give the salmon a start. 
 
 A stone pier is erected above the fall to break the ice in 
 spring, and to check the force of the timbers and the heavy 
 debris of the stream during " iiv^ freshets. 
 
 On small streams, a rough c >,. oi'big bou^i^.ers, logs, etc., 
 has been made a few yardt '1}q\o<^ ihd existing one; this will 
 probably be almost half the height of the other, and is com- 
 paratively easy to get over. It returns the water against 
 the lower face of the original dam, and so makes that much 
 easier, and by making a pool between them of some depth, it 
 gives the fish the start it requires. This, on small streams, 
 has been found very effective, and can not in the least affect 
 
Stone Pier to peotect Structure. 
 
 411 
 
 Salmon Leaps. 
 
 the mill-power; but upon large r>ers the plan is impracti- 
 cable. The same principle can be applied to a pass which is 
 imperfect, and it has been found to answer. A curving pier 
 has been built cut from the dam below, so that the water 
 falling over the dam is thrown back by it, and though it is 
 open at one end, yet it passes far enough across the bed of 
 the river just below the fall to so raise the water that fish 
 get a start to leap the dam. To increase the depth of water 
 between this pier and the dam, a large beam of wood, in slant- 
 ing direction from the top of the dam to the pier, conducts a 
 wide sheet of water from the top of the dam to between the 
 dam and the pier. This method for a salmon-leap can not 
 injure the water-power. In all cases, the importance of such 
 vital means of assistance to the salmon requires that the arch- 
 
412 
 
 Fishing in Asieeican Watees. 
 
 itect should be a man of natural genius as well as learning 
 m his profession, and bo, Avithal, a good angler, or know the 
 habits of his client. 
 
 When the mill-power is of so much consequence that no 
 water can be wasted, and if the fall be great, a fish-ladder is 
 mdispensable. Fish-ladders were first invented by Mr. Smith 
 of Deanston, in England, and were employed by him very 
 successfully, and the great secret of his success was in the 
 easy gradient which he gave them. His original plan was 
 something like a fall of one foot in twenty; but so easy a 
 gradient as this greatly lengthens the ladder, and adds verv 
 argely to the expense. The chief object of all ladders should 
 be to deliver the water they carry to the spot where the fish 
 are most likely to find it and to use it. This is, in all dams 
 close to the foot of the dam, and as near as may be conven- 
 ient to the strong main stream. If the foot of the ladder 
 should be carried too far down the stream below the dam 
 the fish which are at the foot ot the dam will be so far above 
 the entrance to the ladder that they will not find it; and if 
 It be in some wide eddy or part of the stream lohere U might 
 be more emy to construct the ladder, the fish will not go to 
 that part, out of the main stream, to seek it. When it is 
 necessary, by reason of the height of the dam, to have a long 
 ladder, it should be turned in the middle like a double pair 
 of stairs, with a landing or pool halfway, so as to deliver the 
 water close to the foot of the dam. The far-famed fish-lad- 
 der atBallysadare, in Ireland, is made upon this principle, and 
 by the aid of it salmon mai age to surmount a fall above 'thir- 
 ty feet in height. The opposite engraving will show the 
 principle. 
 
 A stone pier above the entrance of the water to the ladder, 
 as at D,is essential in American waters to protect the ladder 
 from the ice and the terrific debris of spring floods. The sal- 
 mon are all turning their pretty noses toward the ladder, and 
 many of them are ascending. They must think the Irish a 
 kind people to have erjc^ed such a convenience for them. 
 
Eesult of Study and Genius. 
 
 413 
 
 Ballysadake Salmon-pass. 
 
 The steps in the ladder extend three fourths its width, leav- 
 ing the stream and eddies represented. Tliis sketch illus- 
 trates a very important principle, Avhich can be varied at 
 pleasure. The gradient of a salmon-ladder sliould really not 
 be less than 1 in 9 or 10, and 1 in 12 is better still. The 
 chaml>crs between the steps are greatly improved if the bot- 
 tom—instead of being all upon the same slope as the gen- 
 oral gradient of the ladder-is broken into steps, «o that the 
 water is deeper immediately behind the steps, or little steps 
 
 ni 
 
 1 l^ 
 
414 
 
 Fishing in American "Watees. 
 
 or falls formed at the passage past the steps. Indeed, if it 
 be practicable, the more the chambers are hollowed out, so 
 as to deepen the water as much as possible in places, and 
 thus to break and deaden the force of the stream, the better. 
 Excellent results have been obtained by this arrangement. 
 Of course this adds somewhat to the expense, but people 
 should consider rent when they are making a salmon-fishery, 
 which, if it is made, may in all probability be worth a very 
 large sum of money annually, to risk the loss of which for 
 the want of any little precaution, which may cost but a very 
 trifling sum comparatively, is veiy bad economy, and hence 
 every possible chance should be given to the fish. 
 
 Salmon-ladders can be made of wood, but they ai-e far bet- 
 ter of stone, being less liaole to destruction or damage. It 
 is a question, however, whether a salmon-ladder could not be 
 better and more cheaply made and put together of iron. 
 Such a structure might be supported very easily and firmly 
 by means of light iron piles driven into the head of the river 
 below the dam, and made in lengths which could be bolted 
 on to the dam and riveted together, much easier than stone 
 or mason's work can be secured. 
 
 Among other passes, there is one which is perhaps better 
 suited to a natural fall, though it was in use formerly upon 
 navigable rivers, where locks and damst were placed to suit 
 the navigator. This was an artificial cut, coming into the 
 river at the foot of the dam, but let out of the river some dis- 
 tance above it, so as to make the ascent, which is broken by 
 the dam, gradual and easy. There are many contrivances 
 for helping fish surmount falls and dams, and they vary con- 
 siderably, accordino: to the nature and position of the ob- 
 struction ; so that, while it is impossible to lay down any gen- 
 eral rule of construction for all, yet the principle that a cer- 
 tain depth and head of water is reserved for the passage of 
 the fish, and that no fall of water up which a salmon has to 
 pass should have a greater incline than 1 in 9 or 10, are those 
 by which alone the construction can be guided. 
 
Plain Staibs foe Short Eises. 
 
 415 
 
 The Sligo ISalmon-stairs. 
 
 These stairs, of heavy timbers and mason-work, are intend- 
 ed to assist salmon and trout up small natural falls or dams, 
 and for such object are highly successful. A dam may be 
 necessary across tlie stream a few rods below, so as to deepen 
 the water below the fall, and give the fish a swimming start. 
 The height of this sub-dam should be three feet, and the 
 whole work well considered, and designed with much atten- 
 tion to the gradient, depth of water, and place for the foot of 
 the ladder. 
 
 The most important American ladder is the one adopted 
 by the Dominion of Canada, a sketch of which will be found 
 on the following page. 
 
4:16 Fishing in Amehicaij Waters. 
 
 6 
 
 ! 
 
 Canadian Salmon-stairs. 
 
 Pi'K. 1. Stone Pier to protect the Dam. 2. Plank and spike Dam, stone fonndatlon. 
 3. Bed of the Pass or Stairs. 4. Entrance to the Pass. 5. Egieaa from the Pass. 
 
Stairs foe the Fikst . Families. 
 
 417 
 
 This pass is built into the dam, and constructed of heavy 
 timbers filled in with stone, or all of solid masonry. It is in- 
 tended to be strong enough to resist and break up the acres 
 of thick ice, and to prevent the huge trees swept down the 
 stream by the spring freshets from injuring any material part 
 of the structure, which is so strongly erected, and of such 
 lieavy material, and imbedded so firmly, as to strengthen the 
 dam of which it forms so important a part. 
 
 Fig. 6 is the ground plan, and 7 the side elevation, with 
 dotted line showing the bed of the pass, and with the ends of 
 the steps indicated by 8 and 9. 
 
 The whole subject of passes and ladders is of extreme im- 
 portance to our fisheries, and it is one which calls for the 
 closest, most patient, and most scientific investigation ; for if 
 fish are not allowed to reach their breeding-places, it is use- 
 less to look for salmon; and the difficulty is how to deal with 
 the vested rights of mill-dams, etc., so as not to arouse the 
 opposition of the manufacturing sections. 
 
 The following account of foreign experience tells with 
 equal force in America : 
 
 "I watched the fish with a race-glass for some ten minutes 
 before disturbing them, anxious to observe v/hat Nature was 
 teaching me. There is a very deep pool at the point where 
 the waterfall joins the lower level of the water. The fish 
 came out of this pool into the air with the velocity of an ar- 
 row; they gave no warning or notice of their intentions, but 
 up they came, and darted out of the surface of the water with 
 a sudden rush, like rockets let loose from the darkness of the 
 night into the space above. When they first appeared in the 
 air their tails were going with the velocity of n watch-spring 
 just broken, and the whole body, sparkling it though they 
 had been enameled, was quivering with the exertion. They 
 looked as much like flying-fish as ever I saw any thing in my 
 life. As they ascended their tails left off quivering, for these 
 tails were machmes made to act on water, and not wings to 
 act on air. Their course was somewhat trajectory in form 
 
 Dd 
 
 1- 
 
 «, 
 
 I 
 
 llll 
 
 
 11 
 ~ Pi 
 
 l^i 
 
 1 i 
 
418 
 
 Fishing in American Waters. 
 
 but not so much as I should have expected. Not one single 
 fish, alas ! did I see get over; some of them jumped into the 
 body of the waterfall, and were hurled violently back into the 
 pool, like the pictures we see of soldiers of old thrown down 
 headlong from the ramparts of a besieged city. Other fish 
 would put on more steam, and were in consequence carried 
 by their own impetus right through the sheet of water, dash- 
 ing themselves with the force of a cricket-ball ai^ainst the 
 solid wall which formed the weir. These also, poor things ! 
 fell back into the pool half stunned, and with cut and bruised 
 noses. While the bigger fish were making these strenuous 
 efl:brts to ascend, their smaller companions were jumping dis- 
 tances more or less high up into the falling water. Many 
 had evidently given it up for a bad job, and were swimming 
 about with their little black noses projecting out of the white 
 boiling water, doubtless crying out, ' We can't get up, we 
 can't get up. Cruel miller to put the weir. Do what you 
 can for us.' 'Wait a bit, my dear fish,' I said; 'the Duke 
 of Northumberland is a kind man, and he is going to make a 
 ladder for you ; the plans are nearly settled, and you shall 
 then jump for joy, and not for pain. In the mean time read 
 this,' So I pinned a lai'ge piece of paper on the weir, which 
 read thus: 'Notice to salmon and bull-trout — no road at 
 present over this weir. Go down stream, take the first turn 
 to the right, and you will find good traveling water up stream, 
 and no jumping required.' " 
 
 Passes for trout over common dams may be accomplished 
 by building a tumbling dam, so that the fish may surmount 
 it by small leaps. That common fish should ascend dams is 
 as important as that trout and salmon should, for the com- 
 mon fish and their roe form food for the game fish. Smelts, 
 herrings, moss-bunkers, chub, dace, spearing, caplin, sardines, 
 launces, etc., are made as subsistence for salmon and trout, 
 and the stairs and passes should be so graduated as to enable 
 them to pass up and procreate their generations. 
 
 In propagating trout, it is frequently necessary that they 
 
A Limit to the Ambitious. 
 
 419 
 
 a cer- 
 
 should be prevented from running up a stream beyond 
 
 tarn point; hence the following screen is intended to prevent 
 
 them from leaping a small cascade. 
 
 The Horizontal Sckeen. 
 
 This may be constructed of horizontal bars placed three 
 inches apart, instead of lattice-work ; or it may be of copper 
 wire. 
 
 The Current Wheel. 
 
 This wheel will prevent fish from passing up stream, while 
 the horizontal screen allows the passage of floating food. 
 
 Concluding that enough information has been laid before 
 the student for enabling him to begin fish-farming and pur- 
 sue It with success, I will therefore proceed to another topic. 
 
 r4ii 
 
' Jlart iTiftlj. 
 
 A GLIMPSE OF ICHTHYOLOGY 
 
CHAPTER I. 
 A GLIMPSE OF ICHTHYOLOGY. 
 
 LL^rI'SE8 at the sciences ave 
 generally worse than 
 superfluous, and to 
 "drink deep or taste 
 not" is the true ad- 
 vice; but the angler 
 and the general fisher- 
 man may find it an 
 advantage to know 
 enough of ichthyolo- 
 gy to qualify them for 
 correctly describing 
 the fish they catch, 
 and it is for this ob- 
 ject that the following "glimpse" is submitted. The speci- 
 men of the pike-perch, being the fish known in Ohio and 
 some other states of the West as the salmon, is presented for 
 teaching the names of fins. 
 
 The Comsion ViKE-i'Encu.—Lucioperca Americana. 
 In describing a fish, the size, form, and color are given— 
 the number, character, and position of the fins — and fre- 
 
424 
 
 Fishing in Amkrican Waters. 
 
 (Iticntly the shape and character of the scales, the character 
 of the gills, and the number of the gill-openings. 
 
 The most important and easily recognized of these features 
 are thQ /ins ; and in describing them the names are given, 
 and the number of spmea or rays in each. 
 
 FIRST CLASS OF FISHES. 
 
 SPINE-RAYED BONY FISHES. {Acanthopterygii.) 
 
 ed Diploprioii, Diploprion bifamatum. 8. One-Hpottetl Mesopriou, Meaoprion uninit- 
 taUts. !). Ruby-colored Eteli.«, Etdis earbunndm. 10. Armed Enoplossu.a, Enoplos- 
 »ns armatus. 11. Lettered Serranus, ^erranus ncriba. 12. Spiued Serrauus, Serranus 
 anthias. 13. Red Surmullet, Mullus barbatm. 
 
 THE PERCH FAMILY. (CtenOlds.) 
 
 The spine -rayed bony fishes comprise more than three 
 fourths of all the various kinds that are known. From four- 
 teen to seventeen different families, some of them embracing 
 several hundred species each, have been included in this di- 
 vision. At the head of the whole stands the Perch family, 
 the most numerous of all. Most of them are salt-water fisli 
 
Aldermen and Police. 
 
 425 
 
 but about one fifth of the whole number inhabit fresh-water 
 atreains, or occasionally ascend them from the sea. 
 
 Si-alt IP/' liic/iea. 
 
 ^Fni^^,i 'if/J K^^ZJ"''''^ P«)rgee, Ejthmms fnber. 4. The Sheq shend (famed foi- 
 ls exquisite flesh) ,SV<^2"« o^''"- »• Streaked or Rock Gurnard, Tri,,la Uneata. « Ax 
 
 H^ w Ifl ^^''n" "? f't representative of the family of the Mainren, which includ"-* 
 pur WeakflsS, Corvinas/.he Ohul), Kingfl^h, and the I>rHr«, the latter noted for th,. 
 loud drunirniug noise whth it makes, and the cause of which is still amys cry ) 8 
 Common Mackerel, vScomftir scomfitf. 'o Di,uittuijbn.ry.j b. 
 
 The several species of the Pilot-fish, of which so many cu- 
 rious stories have been told, also belong to the Mackerel fam- 
 ily. The ancient naturalists asserted that the common pilot- 
 fish, which is a pretty litUo fish about a foot in length, joins 
 company with the tempest-tossed bark of the anxious mar- 
 iner, indicates to him his nearest course to land, and leaves 
 him as soon as it has fulfilled this kind office. 
 
 Others, with much reason, ieny this assertion, and allege 
 that the pilot, like the shark, ftllows vessels for the purpose 
 of obtaining a share of the gaibage which may be thrown 
 overboard. Certain, however, it is, that their perseverance 
 in this respect is very singular, as is narrated in the case of 
 an Englisli vessel which was accoapanied by two pilot-fish 
 
 
 
 ill* 
 
 ^fl 
 
426 
 
 Fishing in American Waters. 
 
 Scale of Feet. 
 
 during its entire voyage of eighty days from Alexandria, in 
 the Mediterranean, to Plymouth. 
 
 It is a current opinion among sailor? that this fish acts a 
 pilot's part to the shark, and accorapajiies and befriends it as 
 
 The Pilot-fish,— iVawcm^es ductor. 
 
 opportunity offers; and cerftinly there is a great amount of 
 evidence which goes to stow that there is something very 
 much like a confiding farotliarity between these two compan- 
 ions of the weary mariier. Numerous well - authenticated 
 
 / 
 
 / 
 
* 
 
 The Fate to Purvey for Others. 
 
 427 
 
 cases like that which we quote from Cuvier, respecting the 
 habits of this fish, might be given. 
 
 With the ancients, however, as described by their poets, 
 this little fish was the faithful companion of the whale in- 
 stead of the shark ; and Oppian thus alludes to the services 
 which these pigmy pilots render to their unwieldy associates : 
 
 " Bold in the front the little pilot glides, 
 Averts each danj' r, everj^ motion guides • 
 With grateful joy the willing whales attend, 
 Observe the leader, and revere the friend. 
 Where'er the little guardian leads the way. 
 The bulky tyrants doubt not to obey, 
 Implicit tnist repose in him alone, 
 And hear and see with senses not their own." 
 
 When, and on what grounds, the misunderstanding of the 
 pilot with his " fat friend" took place, history fails to inform 
 us ; but that he is now the ally of the dreaded shark, which 
 he escorts in safety through every sea, is matter of general 
 notoriety and almost daily observation. 
 
 In addition to the foregoing spike or spine rayed fishes, 
 many others of them among the food-fishes and those for the 
 angle will be found described in another part of the book, 
 under the names of the fishes. 
 
 The Roach and the Dace. 
 
428 
 
 Fishing in Amebican Waters. 
 
 SECOND CLASS OF FISHES. 
 
 SOFT-RAYED BONY FISES. {Malacopterygii.) 
 
 Scale of Inches. 
 
 '^^^Sf^^ Family.-I. Golden Carp, or Goldfish, Ci/prinua miratm. 2. The Roach 
 LeuciMciiarntnus^ 8. The Loach, or Beardie, Cobitii barbatula. 4 The Tench K«' 
 ca vulgariB. 6. The Barbel, Barh^m vulgaris! 6. New York Shiner, (^/MHnM™^^ 
 
 mrcommS™"'' ''"''P' ''''"''''''' "''^''- '• ^""^"^"-^ ^ew York sSr, cSo- 
 
 FISHES WITH ABDOMINAL VENTRAL FINS. 
 
 The carps may be placed at the head of the soft-rayed di- 
 vision. They are the least carnivorous of all fishes, and em- 
 brace, besides the common carp and its kindred, the several 
 species of the barbel, the gudgeon, the tench, the roach, the 
 dace and shiners, the minnows, the loach, and the American 
 suckers. They are the most abundant fish in the fresh-water 
 streams of Europe and America. 
 
 The carp, tench, roach, and kindred fishes are said by the 
 Abb6 Dom Pinchon— the original fecundator and hatcher of 
 fishes by artificial means— to be the most profitable to stock 
 ponds with ; and unless they should become so numerous as 
 not to find sufficient feed, introduce a few pickerel or perch. 
 
Vaeieties fob Bait asb Fly. 
 
 429 
 
 Scale of Inchei. 
 
 Scald of Inchei. 
 
 ^"^Z%.^Z^!F^^T Family.-I Whitcflsh of ihe Lukes, C<rreg<mm albim. 2. Commou 
 Sea Salmon, Sahao solar, 3. New York Brook Trout, Salmo fontinali^. i Tr^Uet 
 
 C. Great Lake Trout of Europe, Salmoferox. 
 
430 
 
 Fishing in American Waters. 
 
 Descriptions under each fish will be found in another part 
 of the book, including those of the Shad and other members 
 of the Herring and Pilchard family. 
 
 THE GADID^ family, OR PISHES WITH THE VENTRAL FINS 
 BENEATH THE PECTORALS, CALLED Suh-bvachials. 
 
 Scale of Inches, 
 
 The Con Family — 1. Three-bearded Rockliug, or Sea Loche, MoMla tricirrata. 2. 
 The Torsk, Broamiua vulqarU. 3. The Haddock, Morrhxm milefimm. 4. Coalflsh, 
 Merlan/jm earhonariufi. 6. The Ling, Lota molva. 6. Five-bearded Rockllng, Motel- 
 la quinqiuxirrata. 7. The Whitinir, Merlangm vulgaris. 8. Great Forked Hake, 
 Phycia furcatua. 9 Common Cod, jforr/ma vulgaris. 
 
 The cod and haddock are among the most important food- 
 fishes in the world. They are caught with the hand-line on 
 the edges of soundings, and visit the bays along the Atlantic 
 coast to spawn. The Georgia Banks and the Gulf of St. 
 Lawrence form pastures for millions of them, where they 
 feed on launces (small eels), caplin, and young menhaden. 
 The haddock is said to refuse all kinds of bait in stormy 
 weather. 
 
 The cod and haddock, as important commercial fishes, are 
 treated of in another part of the work. 
 
Luxuries in Disguises. 431 
 
 THE FLATFISH FAMILY. [Pkuronectidw.) 
 
 Scale 0/ Inches. 
 
 otZZ^r^'^e-^ar^:pl^A'l^^^^ ^- Oblon. monger, Platessa 
 
 coasts). 4. TheHalibuU^^r,Ji:^r^:e^ 
 
 The turbot of Europe is regarded as the aldermanic fish 
 answering to our sheepshead. Both the sole and turbot are 
 great delicacies, and even luxuries. Boiled sole, served in a 
 napkin on a hot plate, with cauliflower as a vegetable, and 
 fresh drawn-butter, is not easily refused by the most pam- 
 pered epicure. These fishes are generally taken with the 
 hand-hue and with the deep-sea casting-net. The meat of 
 the sole IS very white, and the taste pure and of delicate fla- 
 vor. It IS said to feed in deep waters along chalk cliffs 
 
 Fishes 2 and 3 are the common flounder and the fluke The 
 lower jaw of the flounder is on the right side of the head, and 
 that of the fluke on the left side. These are among the first 
 bitmg fishes of the early spring season in most of the estua- 
 ries on the Atlantic coast. They are excellent fishes, but 
 not sufficiently known or appreciated by epicures. 
 
 Until within the past ten years, it was supposed that nei- 
 ther the turbot nor the sole inhabited waters along the Atlan- 
 
432 
 
 Fishing in American Waters. 
 
 
 tic coast of North America ; but recently a few turbot have 
 been taken off the coast of New Brunswick, and it is thouo-ht 
 their feeding-grounds will yet be found along our shores. 
 
 THmD CLASS OF FISHES. 
 
 "TL\GINOUS FISHES. {Chondropterygii.) 
 
 Scale of Feet. 
 
 Sharkb.—I. Large-spotted Dog-fish, Scijllium catulm. 2. Tope, or Penny-dog, GaUm 
 vulgaris. 3. Bhi' '^Imrk (the most common shark on our coasts), Carcharius nlau- 
 ;:«*. ,■*• f ?''"?*!r i.^^*^"* comuhica. 5. Small-spotted Dog-flsh, Scyllium canicula. 
 0. Picked (or Piked) Dog-flsh, AearUMaa vulgaris. 7. Smooth Hound, Mmtelm Icevis. 
 
 Scale of Feet. 
 
 ^'Zf:^^'' o^^ CinM.eE/iPAMn.iKH -1. Common Sturgeon of the Atlantic, Acipenser 
 atuno. 2. Northern Chimera, Chimcera mnmifrnsn 3 Amer'can Iiik«> Stnrfrpnji 
 Ac'jemer rubicundua. '' " <"«'- "-""ocuu, 
 
m 
 
 Bottom Denizens. 
 
 433 
 
 tina anoclus. 5. Eagle r5'o\ W&XfS^a^wJfa ''' "' ^^^-k-flsh.^fua: 
 
 _ ScuU of Inches. 
 
 ruE Catfish Familt.-1. Bvo^n C^ifi^),, PimoMm pullm. 2. Common Catfish or 
 Homed Pout, Pimelodus catus. ^"""""n t^atnsn, or 
 
 The Catfish family embraces the numerous fresh-water fish 
 which are known in this country by the common names of 
 catfish, horned pouts, and bullheads. They mostly inhabit 
 muddy streams and lakes, are destitute of scales, sluggish in 
 their movements, and, like the famous fishing-frog or angler, 
 to which they bear some resemblance, depend more upon 
 
 Ee 
 
 A 
 
434 
 
 Fishing in Amekican Watees. 
 
 stratagem than swiftness to seize tlioir prey. The different 
 species vary in length from three or four inches to four feet ; 
 and some are said to have been caught in the Ohio and Mis- 
 sissippi Rivers measuring eight feet in length. 
 
 In addition to the brown or black and common catfish, 
 there is one called the " lady-cat," or channel catfish, which 
 tenants the Missouri River, and is not only a great table lux- 
 ury, but one of the most gamy fishes of the West. It usually 
 ranges from five to fifteen pounds in weight, is symmetrical- 
 ly formed, with smaller head, and finer in general outline than 
 the others, and is also lighter and brighter in color. This 
 fish remains in the swiftest waters of the channel, and feeds 
 on the chub, roach, and other small fry. It is one of the 
 greatest^ delicacies of the fish kind, and in play it affords the 
 disciple of rod and reel a treat long to be remembered. It 
 is fished for with minnow for bait, using lieavy bass tackle 
 with a tracing sinker. When hooked, its run is very swift, 
 and it is hard to turn and coax out of the channel, or to the 
 gaff or landing-net. 
 
 The following singular circumstance, going to prove the 
 aflinity between the common horned pout and the bullfrog, 
 may interest the naturalist : 
 
 n a recent occasion, 
 while with Matte- 
 son, the artist, he 
 informed me of the 
 experience of Dr. 
 White — one of the 
 principal physi- 
 cians in the central 
 part of New York 
 State — in fishing 
 for horned 'pout, 
 known throughout the country as bullheads. 
 
 The doctor, having a taste for angling, which he indulged 
 whenever the condition of his patients permitted, was on his 
 
True as Singulab. 435 
 
 return homeward from visiting a patient, when a summer 
 shower reminded him that it would sharpen the appetite of 
 the bullheads in the river which he was approaching, and he 
 therefore reined up under a shed near the river, hitched his 
 horse, cut an ash pole, found a line armed with a hook and 
 smker in his pocket, dug some angle-worms, and forthwitJi 
 went a-fishing. 
 
 There was a punt moored at the shore, and, leaving it an- 
 chored to the side of the stream, he stepped into it and be- 
 gan to fish. The bullheads put in an appearance immediate- 
 ly, so that withui half an hour he had taken some two dozen 
 fish, and as fast as he took them he cast them on the grassy 
 bank of the shore. Having a pretty good mess, he ''cut r. 
 switch and went to string them, when not one was to be 
 found. This surprised the doctor, and he at once concluded 
 to solve the mystery, and so commenced fishing again, and 
 throwing the fish on the shore as he had before done, but 
 keeping a sly watch of them. After he cast the fourth 'one 
 a large bullfrog leaped from the water, took hold of a bull- 
 head, and rolled into the water with it; leaping out imme- 
 diately, and taking another fish, he rolled in as before, and so 
 contmued until he had returned the four to the water. The 
 doctor continued fishing, and as fast as he had cast three or 
 iour fish on shore, the bullfrog returned and helped them 
 back into the river. 
 
 As Dr. White is an educated gentleman who enjoys the 
 confidence of a very wide professional and intellectual con- 
 nexion, I feel assured of the truth of the foregoing incident 
 and therefore report the case for Professor Agassiz or some 
 other naturalist, with the view to a learned decision on the 
 nature of the link which connects the bullhead and frog. 
 
 The bullfrog could not have helped the bullheads back to 
 the stream to feed on them, for the spiked dorsal and pecto- 
 rals of the latter forbid it. Even the pike-the most vora- 
 cious fresh - water fiHh in the world, excepting the .llurm, 
 which IS a species of catfish-is deterred from the attempt 
 
436 
 
 Fishing in Ameeican Waters. 
 
 The important question for the naturalist is, Why did the 
 bullfrog help the bullhead? Does the celestial quality of 
 charity influence the lower strata of vertebrates ? 
 
 SECTION SECOND. 
 
 THECOMMONEEL. 
 
 This apode is too common in both the salt-water estuaries, 
 and in the fresh waters throughout America, to require a mi- 
 nute description. Though many fishes come into fresh wa- 
 ters to spawn, the eel spawns in salt water when it can get 
 to it, going down stream in autumn, and returning in spring. 
 It is 'a bottom fish, and winters in the mud at the bottom of 
 -eddies or shallow still waters in streams, where the fisher poles 
 his boat along with the handle of an eel-spear, and jabs right 
 
 The Common Eel. — Anguilh. 
 
 and left in the mud, frequently impaling the writhing fish. 
 The silver eel at the mouths of the trout-brooks on Long Isl- 
 and is a great luxury when either fried hard or made into n 
 stew. It is regarded as so great a dish at Vandewater's, at 
 South Oyster Bay, as to be preferred to a trout in the trouting 
 season. In skinning the eel and drawing it, cut deeply each 
 side of the backbone, and from the vent, several inches down- 
 ward, cut off all the part which appears to be a receptacle of 
 
Offek of a new B.dustky. 437 
 
 clotted blood. Yarrel informs us that "the London market 
 18 pnncipally supplied from Holland by Dutch fishermen." 
 The cultivation of eels and lampreys is now rendered very 
 remunerative in Italy and in some parts of Germany. The 
 average weight of each is from one to three pounds, but they 
 Iiave been known to attain to fifteen pounds' weight. 
 
 THE LAMPREY. 
 
 A member of the Petromyzidce family, ccnstituting the sec- 
 tion cyclostomi of the " R6gne Animal," distinguished by an 
 imperfectly developed skeleton and want of pectoral and ven- 
 tral fins, combined with an eel-like form of body. The mouth 
 is circular, consisting of a cartilaginous ring formed by sol- 
 dering together the palatine and mandibular bones. The 
 branchiae, instead of being pectinated, are purse-shaped, and 
 open externally by several apertures. 
 
 %V- 
 
 
 The 'L\^\.VKEX.—Petromyzon marinus. 
 
 The lamprey is supposed to be the lowest of the vertebrate 
 animals. They are usually two feet in length, and the en- 
 graving is a fac-simile of them. Having no swimming-blad- 
 der, and being ako without pectoral fins, they usually swim 
 near the bottom; and, to save themselves from the constant 
 muscular exertion which is necessary to prevent them from 
 
438 
 
 Fisumo IN American Waters. 
 
 being carried along with the current, they attach themselves 
 by the mouth to stones or rocks, and were, in consequence, 
 called " Petromyzon," or stone-suckers ; while the circular, 
 purse-shaped form of the mouth induced the name " Cyclo- 
 stomes," or round-mouthed fishes. 
 
 The lamprey is highly esteemed for the table, and is there- 
 fore much sought after in the rivers where it is found. Like 
 the eel, it ascends rivers in the spring, and returns to salt 
 water in the fall. Sir W. Jardine supposes they spawn in 
 fresh water, but he probably confounds them with the river 
 lamprey, which is a more common fish, and less sought after 
 by the epicure. It is known that the marine lamprey at- 
 taches itself to vessels for traversing the coasts, rivers, and 
 canals ; and some Continental naturalists argue that, as the 
 lamprey is much slower than the eel, but visits the upper 
 parts of rivers about the time when salmon and shad appear 
 there, it must therefore attach itself by its mouth to the sal- 
 mon and shad, and is by them towed up the rivers. I think 
 the idea absurd, though it has the sort of sanctional belief 
 of Doctor Gunther, and that which Professor Agassiz gives 
 against the turtle's willingness to be turned on its back. 
 That the marine lamprey is a more active fish than it has 
 credit for being is probably nearer the truth. 
 
 Both eels and lampreys may be cultivated by cutting ca- 
 nals through soft marsh and swamp lands to connect with 
 tidal waters, as they redaily enter such inlets for food, and, 
 after they grow large and fat, and turn toward salt water, 
 close the copper-wire gates on them, and lead them by other 
 sluices to chambers from which there is no egress. 
 
 The eel fishery at Comacchio nets annually 170,000. The 
 Po is a shallow, sluggish river, which debouches into the 
 Adriatic by its legs of the Reno and Volano, between which 
 is a large swamp and numerous lagoons. Here eels, which 
 enter in the spring and fatten through the summer, are in- 
 tercepted on their way back to sea in the fall by closing 
 the main outlets, and leading them by devious channels to 
 
Another Fish Arrived. 
 
 489 
 
 pounds prepared for their reception. They are then salted, 
 •iome smoked, some roasted and salted, while the markets of 
 Milan, Verona, Padua, Venice, and other cities are supplied 
 with fresh ones. The same could be done along a hundred 
 rivers on the Atlantic coast ; but we do not yet realize the 
 Bcarcity of fish. 
 
 QUEER FISHES. 
 
 The estuary catfish is an oviparous abdominal, and • ue ^f 
 the recent visitants to our coasts and estuaries fron^ L - >l^ 
 hama Banks. The first rays of the dorsal and pectox. xins 
 are rigid; second dorsal adipose; head broad, and depressed 
 on the top, with small catfish eyes placed far apart; long an- 
 tenn£E ; two distinct nostrils at end of nose, with ear-vents at 
 the side, below the eyes. It is without scales, and its blue 
 back mellows to pink sides and white abdomen. Its colors 
 and brilliant sheen are like the Spanish mackerel's, without 
 its spots. It is leather-mouthed, and the mouth small, armed 
 with a cushion of fine, needle-pointed teeth round the borders 
 of both jaws, showing that it may forage on Crustacea and 
 the inhabitants of the waters generally. An individual 20 
 inches long weighed scant two pounds, and it seldom attains 
 to a greater weight than ten pounds ; and, from its great del- 
 icacy, it resembles both the lady-cat of the Missouri River 
 and the Spanish mackerel of the Atlantic coast. Though 
 generally captured in fykes, it is a bottom-biter to the angle, 
 with menhaden or shedder-crab baits. 
 
 The silnre is a native of the River Danube, and, from the 
 high esteem in which it is held throughout Europe as a table 
 luxury, acclimatizers and pisciculturists have introduced it 
 into most of the waters of Germany, some of France, and a 
 few of England. Bertram, in his " Treasures of the Sea," 
 says of the Silurus glanis that its character is rather under 
 a cloud, as its capacioufi maw has been said to contain the 
 arm and shoulder of a man ; and from the immense weight 
 to which it attains, of from 200 lbs. to 300 lbs,, and the 
 
 1 ]■; 
 
 I m 
 
440 
 
 Fishing in Amebican Waters. 
 
 i 
 
 knowledge that it is the most voracious of all fresh-water 
 fishes, the story gains credence. 
 It is a bottom-feeding fish, like the catfish, and, like that, it 
 
 No. 1. Estuary Catfish. No. 2. The Silure, or Sihirus glanis of the Danube. 
 
 IS a great gormandizer, thinning off the frogs, and provino- a 
 perfect terror to all young fishes of the ordinary famiires. 
 As fattenmg this fish for market is very expensive, it would 
 scarcely pay to import it for stocking any of the American 
 waters but the Mississippi and Missouri, wlicre it would form 
 one more family of the catfish species, and make up their sum 
 to SIX varieties of this ugly-looking delicacy. The London 
 Times states that the Silurm glanis rises to the ponderosity 
 of over 300 lbs., and " has been known to reach the enormous 
 weight of 54 lbs. in four years; that its flesh .o-mewhat re- 
 sembles veal in appearance, and partakes of one rich flavor 
 of the eel." 
 
 SECTION THIRD. 
 
 FISHES FOB acclimatizing IN AMEBICAN BIVEES. 
 
 The Lnde, a fish somewhat resembling the shad, grows to 
 the weight of nine pounds ; subsists on aquatic plants and in- 
 sects ; affords good sport to the angler. It is found in Scan- 
 dinavian waters. . 
 
Fishes might Impbove by Travel. 441 
 
 The Salmo Hucho, or the huchen, is a very voracious fish 
 and would do well in our Western rivers. It can be import- 
 ed Irom Huningue. It affords good sport to the an-ler 
 
 The Mountain Mullet is said by Mr. Francis to be « one 
 of the most delicious edibles to be found among fish." It in- 
 habits rapid streams, grows to the weight of two or three 
 pounds, IS fished for with light tackle, and is rapturous sport 
 for the angler. It is abundant in Jamaica, and the streams 
 of the Southern States may easily be stocked with it. 
 
 The Scandinavian Chakr is a delicious fish of from three 
 to five pounds' weight, is fine game for the fly, and might be 
 successfully introduced into the waters of the Northern and 
 Eastern States. 
 
 Ombee CHEVALiER.-This is regarded as the most rare Eu- 
 ropean fish delicacy. It is found in the Lake of Geneva and 
 many other waters of Switzerland, its eggs commanding a 
 cent each at the fish-cultural establishment of Huningue in 
 France. This fish, of the genus Salmo, and running from 
 eight to twelve pounds in weight, may be acclimatized, and 
 all the Northern waters in America readily stocked with it. 
 So with the Salmo umbla and the salvalmus. They are rath- 
 er more nearly related to the families of salmon and trout 
 than are the charr, and from what I have heard of the Moose- 
 head Lake trout, I should not be surprised to learn that it is 
 an ombre chevalier. 
 
 TLo GRAYLiNG.-Thls fish affoixls the fly-fisher as great a 
 treat as any fish belonging to the family of the genm Salmo, 
 provided it be fished for with delicate fly-tackle. It usually 
 ranges from fifteen to twenty-five inches in length, and from 
 two to four pounds in weight. The rivers of New England 
 and New York might be readily stocked with this white- 
 meated luxury. 
 
 A few rivers and lakes south of the St. Lawrence— emi- 
 nently those inhalnted by pike, pickerel, perch, and the fresh- 
 water families of basR-=might be economically stocked with 
 MASKiNONGii, which is the head of the (/enm Esox as well in 
 
 \ 'I t' 
 
 
 I ? 
 
 
442 
 
 Fishing in Ameeican Wateks. 
 
 edible qualities as in size, and in saltatory powers and gamy- 
 habits while playing on the angler's hook. 
 
 The WixNiNisH, of the upper waters of the Saguenay River, 
 in Canada, should by all means be introduced to the rivers 
 of Maine and New Hampshire. It is the richest game for its 
 size of any belonging to the genus Salmo, and a higher lux- 
 ury for the table than any other of the numerous salmon 
 families. 
 
 " But, after all," to use an American phrase of emphatic 
 significance, the brook trout and salmon of our Northern wa- 
 ters are among the best fresh-water fishes in the world for 
 both the picure and the angler. Add to these the numer- 
 ous delicacies of whitefish, cisco, black bass, ai'd the farther 
 armies of our lakes and rivers, with the teeming millions of 
 our coasts and estuaries, and we should be satisfied if we 
 can continue our present ample store until we can conven- 
 iently add a few kinds more. 
 
 The Shout Suni'ish. 
 
APPENDIX 
 
n< 
 cc 
 lis 
 
 jc 
 hi 
 
 w 
 
 th 
 
 in 
 
 CO 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 COOKERY ADAPTED TO THE RESOURCES OF SPORTSMEN 
 IN THE WILDERNESS OR ON THE WAVE. 
 
 ooKiNG in the wilderness is a 
 high art. It is not sup- 
 posed that these simple di- 
 rections will be of service 
 to that class of sportsmen 
 who take to the woods or 
 water a retinue of cooks 
 and attendants, but they 
 may be of use to those 
 who have a keen appetite 
 for the more rugged feat- 
 ures of such a life. 
 
 An officer of the Ameri- 
 can Army, who made me 
 several valuable contribu- 
 tions to this department, 
 states: "A sportsman ig- 
 norant of these matters is an entire stranger to that which 
 constituted in my day one of the most agreeable phases of 
 fishing and hunting life. With some knowledge of the sub- 
 ject, he can at least instruct others if he dislikes the practice 
 himself; otherwise he becomes a mere dependent on those 
 who may be more ignorant than himself On the plains of 
 the West, in the lake region of Canada, in the lower prov- 
 inces, and on the waters of Maine, he might, and would, of 
 course, subsist, and so would the Indian and the Esquimaux, 
 
 hi 
 
446 
 
 Appendix. 
 
 but with this difference, that while the latter are ignorant 
 of any better or more agreeable food, the modern sports- 
 man would be half his time hankering after his flesh-pots at 
 home." 
 
 BOILING POTATOES. 
 
 Wash them, cut off each end, put them in a pot of cold 
 water, with a tea-spoonful of salt for every quart, cover them 
 with a lid, and let the water merely cover them ; place them 
 over a good fire, and boil so fast that the water tumbles, un- 
 til you can stick a dining-fork easily through them ; then 
 pour all the water off, and take the lid off, placing the pot 
 on some embers beside the fire. Do not leave the least wa- 
 ter in the pot, or it will steam them, and prevent them from 
 drying mealy. 
 
 ROASTING POTATOES. 
 
 Wash and cut off the ends of the potatoes (especially the 
 seed-end) and, when dry, draw the coals of the fire forward 
 and place the potatoes on the embers, cover them with hot 
 ashes, then with embers, topping off with coals, and after they 
 have been roasting half an hour, try them. 
 
 QUICK-MADE YEAST. 
 
 Take a pint of new milk, a tea-spoonful of salt, and table- 
 spoonful of flour, and stir well together ; set it by the fire 
 and keep it lukewarm, and it will be ready for use in an hour. 
 It is necessary to use twice the ordinary quantity of this yeast, 
 and it must be soon used or it is good for nothing. It is suit- 
 ed to make biscuits in a hurry, but bread made of it dries 
 soon. . ' 
 
 QUICK-MADE ROLLS. 
 
 Mix well together one quart of fiour, two small tea-spoon- 
 fuls of cream of tartar, one tea-spoonful of soda, and one pint 
 of milk, and bake immediately. 
 
Appendix. 
 
 447 
 
 FRENCH ROLLS. 
 
 Take one egg, one cup of milk (or water in lieu of it), three 
 spoonfuls of leaven, one spoonful of butter, a little salt, and 
 as much flour as will make it a thick paste ; then make it 
 into rolls, and when well risen bake them in an oven, covered 
 dish, or fry-pan. 
 
 A PERFECT OMELET. 
 
 Take six eggs, leaving out the whites o^ two ; beat them till 
 they are very light, and add pepper and salt to your taste ; di- 
 vide two ounces of butter into small pieces and put them into 
 the eggs. 
 
 Put a quarter of a pound o^ beef or veal drippings into a 
 fry-pan, and when they boil put in the eggs ; fry gently till 
 of a light brown on the under side ; add parsley if you wish 
 it plain, and then double it over and serve. 
 
 If you wish it of cheese, beat it in with the eggs in an 
 earthen dish if y ' ive one. For veal, ham, kidney, or oys- 
 ters, they must u^ rirst cooked, and then put in just before 
 the omelet is doubled over. 
 
 SCRAMBLED EGGS. 
 
 Beat six eggs enough to mix white and yolk together; put 
 two ounces of butter in a pan set on the fire, and when melt- 
 ed, take off the pan, and add salt, pepper, and, if you like, a 
 pinch of nutmeg ; mix it in; then add the eggs, with a table- 
 spoonful of gravy or essence of beef; put the pan again over 
 a slow fire, stir constantly till cooked to suit, and serve warm. 
 
 TO FRY SALT PORK NICELY. 
 
 Cut it in thin sliced, and put it in a fry-pan covered with 
 hot water; let it boil up once, and then pour it off"; shake a 
 little pepper over it ; let it fry on both sides in its own fat, 
 then take out the pieces and add to the gravy a laro-e tea- 
 spoon of flour; stir it till smooth and free of lumps; then add 
 
 
448 
 
 ArrENDix. 
 
 a cup of milk; stir over the fire a few minutes; shake more 
 pepper over it ; then pour it over tlie pork, and serve ; or thin- 
 sliced boiled potatoes, or fried or boiled cold parsnips, may be 
 fried in the gravy when the pork is taken out. 
 
 CLAM OR OYSTER FRITTERS. 
 
 Open and dry them with a towel ; mix two well-beaten 
 eggs, somewhat less than half a pint of thin liquor and half a 
 ])int of milk (or the same quantity of liquor in addition if you 
 have no milk), with a pint of flour ; beat it thoroughly to- 
 gether till it is free from lumps ; then stir in the clams or oys- 
 ters ; cut up some salt pork in small pieces, and try it out in 
 a fry-pan, and remove the pieces of pork. When'the fat is 
 boiling hot, put in your clams or oysters with a large spoon, 
 with one or two clams, etc., and batter in each spoonful. Let 
 them brown, and then turn them over ; as soon as done, re- 
 move them from the pan, and lay them on a gridiron with a 
 dish under it to catch the drippings. There should always 
 be enough fat in the pan to cover, or nearly cover the frit- 
 ters. 
 
 ■I 
 
 
 SMOKED BEEF AND EGGS. 
 
 Shave half a pound of beef thin, and if very salt put it in a 
 fry-pan and cover it with boiling water ; set it on the fire and 
 let the water come to a boil, then pour off the water ; put in 
 a piece of lard, beef drippings, or suet cut fine, about the size 
 of two hens' eggs ; shake pepper over it to taste, and ;ry for 
 a few minutes over a quick fire ; then pour over it as many 
 well-beaten eggs as you please ; stir up all together till the 
 eggs are cooked to taste, and serve. In lieu of eggs, dredge 
 the beef over with flour, or add a tablespoon or two of canned 
 tomato, if you have it. 
 
 « 
 
 ' HAM GRAVY AND TOAST. 
 
 Take the remains of a ham ; break or saw the bones small ; 
 put them in a sauce-pan with hot vvater enough to cover 
 
Appendix. 
 
 449 
 
 them ; let them simmer slowly over the fire till the marrow 
 is extracted from the bones, then take the pan off the fire and 
 strain the contents ; add a little pepper, fine sage ; dredge hi 
 a table-spoon of flour previously browned in a fry-pan, and a 
 tea-spoon of butter ; set it over the fire again and stir for a 
 few moments ; lay your toast in a dish, and pour the gravy 
 over it, and serve hot. 
 
 CORN-MEAL FRITTERS. 
 
 Beat three eggs very light; then mix them with a pint of 
 milk, a tea-spoon of salt, and enough yellow meal to make a 
 tnin batter; have lard, beef drippings, or pork in a fry-pan 
 boiling hot, and then put in the batter with a large spoon, 
 and fry each side brown ; when done, put them in some dish 
 where the fat on them can drip off. 
 
 FRIED POTATOES. 
 
 Peel and cut raw potatoes, thick or thin ; let them lie in 
 salt water as long as convenient ; have your fat very hot ; put 
 in your potatoes, and as soon as brown remove them with a 
 skimmer into some perforated dish, or on a cloth where the 
 fat can drip from them and leave them dry and crisp. The 
 fat must be as hot as possible. 
 
 TENISON SAUSAGES. 
 
 Take equal quantities of the odds and ends of raw venison 
 (or other fresh meat) and old salt pork; chop fine; add pep- 
 per and sage, or other herbs to taste ; make them into small 
 cakes, and fry in a pan without any fat, that in the sausage 
 being enough. Venison is best ; the meat from the neck and 
 fore-quarters is as good as any other part for this purpose ; 
 three tea-spoonfuls of sage, one and a half of salt, and one of 
 pepper to a pound of meat is a good proportion. 
 
 
 f 
 
450 
 
 Appendix. 
 
 VENISON SAUCE. 
 
 Haifa i^int of port or other wine made hot, a table-spoon- 
 ful of pulverized white sugar, currant jelly, and a piece of 
 l)utter the size of an egg, will make an excellent sauce. 
 
 LIVER AND KIDNEY BROCHET., 
 
 Split the kidney (if of beef) lengthways in four equal parts ; 
 then cut them crossways into pieces about half an inch thick. 
 If they are of smaller animals, cut them crossways only, and 
 K all cases remove the fat and the stringy parts ; then cut 
 your liver and salt pork as near as may be of a size and thick- 
 ness of the pieces of kidney ; put a piece of kidney on a skew- 
 er or stift* piece of wire, then a piece of jDork, then a piece of 
 liver, then a piece of pork, then a piece of kidney, and so on 
 till the skewer or wire is full; press them well together; 
 drive two small crotched sticks into the ground before the 
 fire, and rest the ends of the skewer on each crotch ; put a 
 <lish under it to catch the drippings ; turn and baste from 
 time to time till the pork looks dried ; or bake them in an 
 oven with the ends of the skewers resting on the edge of a 
 tin dish. Either kidney or liver alone loith j)ork is just as 
 good. 
 
 SCALLOPED OYSTERS. 
 
 , Drain a quart of oysters from their liquor ; butter th'^ sides 
 and bottom of a deep tin dish, and put in the bottom a layer 
 of bread-crumbs or grated biscuit ; season the oysters with 
 pepper, salt, and a little mace or nutmeg ; cover the crambs 
 with a layer of oysters, and spread over them several small 
 lumps of butter ; then add another layer of crumbs, and 
 again a layer of oysters, and so on till the dish is nearly full ; 
 let the last or top layer be of crumbs, and fill up with the 
 oyster juice ; cover the pan with a tin plato (if you have 
 no bake-oven) ; then put live coals on and under it, and bake 
 brown. 
 
Appendix. 
 
 451 
 
 <r 
 
 FRESH MACKEREL A LA MAITRE d'hoTEL. 
 
 Split the fish along the back ; wipe it clean and dry ; pour 
 over it oil, with pepper and salt, and let it soak in this as lonj 
 as convenient— the longer the better ; then boil it first on the 
 inside (as all fish should be boiled) ; then turn it over, basting 
 it from time to time with the oil, etc. ; mix thoroughly a piece 
 of butter, some chopped parsley, salt, and pepper together, ' 
 and put it in a dish ; when the fish is done, put it on the mix- 
 ture and serve hot. 
 
 DANIEL Webster's chowder. 
 
 4 table-spoonfuls of onions, fried with pork. 
 
 1 quart of boiled potatoes, Avell mashed. 
 
 1^ lbs. sea-biscuit, broken, 
 
 1 tea-spoonful of thyme, mixed with one of summer savory. 
 
 ^ bottle mushroom catsup. 
 
 1 bottle of port or claret. 
 
 i nutmeg, grated. 
 
 A few cloves, mace, and alspice. 
 
 6 lbs. fish, sea bass or cod, cut in slices. 
 
 25 oysters, a little black pepper, and a few slices of lemon. 
 The whole put in a pot and covered with an inch of water, 
 boiled for an hour and gently stirred. 
 
 MAJOR HENSHAW'S CHOWDER. ■ 
 
 Cut up a pound and a half or two pounds of old salt pork 
 into small pieces, and put it in a pot that has a close cover. 
 Put in four table-spoonfuls of sliced onions when the pork is 
 nearly tried out, and when the pork is entirely tried out re- 
 move the pieces with a skimmer pr large spoon. 
 
 Then take six pounds of sea or striped bass, cod, or any 
 other firm fish, and cut it in slices ; a pound and a half of 
 broken biscuit ; twenty-five large or fifty small oysters (these 
 may be omitted if out of season) ; one quart of boiled pota- 
 toes well mashed; half a dozen large, or eight or ten small 
 
 ll 
 
452 
 
 Appendix. 
 
 tomatoes sliced (or half a bottle tomato catsup instead) ; one 
 bottle port or claret, or other wine (the two former are best) ; 
 half a nutmeg grated, a tea-si)oonful each of fine summer sa- 
 vory and thyme, and a few cloves, mace, allspice, black pep- 
 per, and slices of lemon. Put the first five articles in the pot 
 in layers, and alternately, in the order above stated; sprinkle 
 over each layer a portion of each of the other ingredients, 
 theu put in water enough to cover all. Cover close, and let 
 it simmer, and stir occasionally till done. It should not boil, 
 but simmer slowly, and the cover should be taken off as sel- 
 dom as possible; on this the flavor depends. When the fish 
 on top is done, serve up the chowder. 
 
 CLAM CHOWDER. 
 
 Butter the bottom and sides of a deep tin or earthen dish ; 
 strew the bottom thickly with bread crumbs or rolled crack- 
 er (soaked) ; sprinkle over it pepper and pieces of butter the 
 size of a hickory-nut, and parsley chopped fine ; then put in a 
 double layer of clams. Sprinkle also over them pepper and 
 pieces of butter, then another layer of soaked crumbs or crack- 
 er, and again a double layer of clams, pepper, butter, and so 
 on, the last layer being of crumbs ; add, finally, a cup of milk, 
 or, in lieu of it, water. Put a plate over the top, with coals 
 above and below, or bake in an oven three quarters of an 
 hour. If too dry, before it is done add enough milk or water 
 to moisten it. 
 
 Fifty clams, half a pound of soda biscuit or bread crumbs, 
 and a quarter of a pound of butter, is the quantity necessary 
 for this receipt. 
 
 PISH EN GRILLE OU EN PAPILLOTE. 
 
 Scale and draAV your fish, wipe it dry, but use no water. 
 Cut off the head, tail, and fins. Take dry, mealy potatoes 
 boiled and mashed, and mix plenty of butter with them ; 
 when thoroughly mixed into paste or dough, envelop each 
 fish in a coating of them, and broil it on a gridiron, till done 
 
Appendix. 
 
 453 
 
 or wrap it in oiled or greased v)hite paper, and bake in hot 
 ashes. Small fish are best by this process. 
 
 FISH SAUCE. 
 
 Take half a pound of anchovies, half a pint of port or other 
 wine, a gill of strong vinegar, a small onion, a few cloves,- a 
 little allspice and w)iole pepper, a few blades of mace, half a 
 handful of green or dried thyme, and a small lemon with the 
 peel sliced. Put all in a saucepan, cover it close, and stew 
 gently until the anchovies are dissolved ; then strain off, and 
 bottle the liquor for use when wanted. 
 
 "WHITE SAUCE FOR FISH. 
 
 Mix well together a lump of butter, a little warm water, 
 and a table-spoonful of flour, and add, if you have it, a little 
 fine-chopped parsley ; let it simmer slowly a few minutes, and 
 pour over or serve with the fish. 
 
 SAUCE A LA MAITRE d'huTEL. 
 
 Mix and knead well together in a bowl two ounces of but- 
 ter, a table-spoonful of chopped parsley, and the juice of half 
 a lemon ; add salt to your taste. Vinegar may be substituted 
 for lemon, but it is not so good. Pepper, chopped chives, and 
 some grated nutmeg may be added, if liked. 
 
 STEWED fish. 
 
 Clean and wipe the fish ; heat from two to six ounces of 
 butter in a pan (according to the size of the fish) ; Jieat hot ; 
 then put in your fish, and let it remain over the fire five min- 
 utes ; turn it over, and let it remain five minutes more, and 
 be careful not to let it burn. Take the fish out, and put it in 
 another stew-pan with a cover; dredge some flour into the 
 juice and butter, let it remain over the fire three minutes, 
 and pour it over the fish. Then take a quarter of a pound 
 of butter, roll it well in flour, and put it in with the fish also; 
 add two blades of mace, ten cloves, a little cinnamon, rod. 
 
 |i 
 
454 
 
 Appendix. 
 
 pepper, and salt, with just enough water to keep it from 
 burning ; cover close, and let it stew slowly. When half 
 done, add a pint of port or other wine ; when done, put the 
 fish in a dish, pour the sauce over it, and garnish with lemon 
 or horseradish. 
 
 BECHAMEL SAUCE. 
 
 Mix dry in a tin saucepan two ounces of butter and a table- 
 spoonful of flour; when well mixed, add a pint of milk, and 
 dissolve the butter and flour paste in it ; set it on the fire, and 
 stii constantly. When it gets rather thick, take it ofi" and 
 pour into it the yolk of an egg (previously well beaten in a 
 cup), and add a tea-spoonful of water ; salt and white pepper 
 to taste. Mix it all well again, and it is ready for use. 
 
 TO MAKE DELICIOUS BUTTER EASILY. 
 
 Spread out three clean coarse towels one over the other, 
 and lay a pint of thick cream on the top ; tie up all the tow- 
 els as close as possible, and bury them eighteen inches deep in 
 diy earth for twenty-four hours ; then take them up, put the 
 cream in a cool earthen basin, and stir it for five minutes in 
 summer or fifteen minutes in winter, and you will have a 
 lump of as cool, fresh, delicious butter as you could desire. 
 
 A EOYAL SALAD, 
 
 Let your lettuce be perfectly diy. First boil an egg fully 
 fifteen minutes ; then take the yolk, a tea-spoonful of salt, 
 three tea - spoonfuls of pure, dry mustard, a little Cayenne 
 pepper, half a dozen very young green onions chopped very 
 Jine: this must not be omitted; if not to be got, a due pro- 
 portion of the youngest onions must be used. Mix all the 
 above, except the onions, well together; then add and mix in 
 well a table-spoonful of vinegar ; then add two table-spoon- 
 fuls of oil, and mix it in thoroughly ; then mix in thorouo-h- 
 ly half a tea-spoonful of first-rate brown sugar; then cut up 
 your lettuce of a size to taste, and the white of the \}gg smalL 
 
Appendix. 
 
 455 
 
 and mix them with the onions, turning them over carefull} 
 till well incorporated ; after which mix all the ingredients to- 
 gether, taking care not to bruise the leaves of the lettuce, and 
 serve immediately. 
 
 When celery is used instead of lettuce, double or treble 
 the quantity of mustard is necessary. It can not be excelled 
 if the different mixtures are thoroughly done. 
 
 AMELIA SALAD. 
 
 Beat the yolk of a raw (ig% with two table-spoonfuls of oil ; 
 mash two moderate-sized boiled potatoes thoroughly; add 
 (according to taste) salt, mustard, and vinegar to the oil and 
 egg (and add more oil if preferred) ; then incorporate the 
 whole well together, after which cut your lettuce to taste, 
 and mix it in carefully, so as not to bruise the leaves. 
 
 In using celery, a larger quantity of all the ingredients is 
 necessary. 
 
 POTATO SALAD. 
 
 Take cold boiled potatoes and slice them ; rub the dish in- 
 tended for them with garlic ; make a dressing of oil, vinegar, 
 pepper, salt, and parsley, if you have it, or lettuce, cut very 
 fine, and mix all together. To the above may be added any 
 odds and ends of meat, fowl, or fish you have, cut into pieces 
 of the size of dice. Ham, cold veal, anchovies freshened, or 
 herrings are excellent with it; also any cold fish that is 
 coarse-grained and firm, such as porgee, sea bass, salmon, and 
 salmon-trout. 
 
 
 \ 
 
 FRENCH PILAU. 
 
 Boil your fowls or other birds in enough water to cover 
 them, and when done, take them out. Take out also a por- 
 tion of the liquor; then put into the rest of the liquor enough 
 rice (previously Avell washed) to cover the birds. When it is 
 done, take it out and butter it well ; put half of it in a dish. : 
 lay the birds on it ; add the liquor ; then cover the birds with 
 
 t 
 
 1 1 
 
456 
 
 Appendix. 
 
 the rest of the rice ; make it smooth, and spread over it the 
 yolk of two well-beaten eggs. Cover the dish with a tin 
 plate, and coals above and under, or bake in an oven, with a 
 moderate fire. 
 
 mm 
 
 QUAIL, RAIL, PLOVER, AND OTHER SMALL BIRDS, 
 
 are prepared and cooked as directed for snipe and wood- 
 cock, except that you cut off the head, and remove the crop 
 and trail before cooking. Some remove only the crop from 
 the very small birds. 
 
 'CRANES AND HERONS, 
 
 when young, are often stewed and broiled like chickens, and 
 are considered very good, but I prefer to make a soup of 
 them, with gumbo. 
 
 Pick and dress them like any fowl; cut them up with a 
 piece of fresh beef, or a gill of the essence of beef to two or 
 three birds, and put all in a pot, with a table-spoonful of lard 
 or pork, an onion, sliced or not, as preferred, and wate. enough 
 to cook the meat. After they have become soft, if you have 
 them, add 100 or less oysters, with their liquor, or soft or hard 
 crabs previously cleaned and cut in quarters. Let it simmer 
 a couple of minutes or so, if oysters are used with crabs, till 
 they are done. Just before serving, stir in, till the soup be- 
 comes mucilaginous, one or two table-spoonfuls of gumbo. 
 Okra is commonly called gumbo; their properties are simi- 
 lar, but one is a vegetable pod, the other a leaf. The only 
 place it can probably be found at in this city is Coolidge & 
 Adams's, John Street. It is cheap. 
 
 POTTED PIGEONS, CURLEW, OR OTHER DRY BIRDS. 
 
 Thoroughly pick and clean them; make a stuffing of one 
 egg, one cracker, and an equal quantity of suet or butter, 
 and sweet marjoram or sage; make small balls of the stuffing, 
 and put one of them, with a small slice of salt pork, into each 
 bird ; dredge the birds weli with Hour, and lay ihem close to- 
 
Appendix. 
 
 457 
 
 gether in the bottom of a pot ; cover them with water ; throw 
 in a piece of butter; cover the pot, and let them stew slowly 
 for an hour and a quarter; if they are old birds, an hour and 
 three quarters. 
 
 ENGLISH OR JACK SNIPE, AND WOODCOCK. 
 
 These birds live by suction, and have no crop, the stomach 
 being somewhat pear-shaped, and about the size of a bullet. 
 They should be cooked without being drawn, either by broil- 
 ing, or skewered, with the ends resting on crotched sticks or 
 on the sides of a small tin pan. A small, thin slice of pork, 
 covering the breast, should be tied round the bird, with a 
 slice or two of toast laid under it to receive the drippings. 
 Cook, fifteen or twenty minutes, according to size, before or 
 over a lively fire. Those who do not like the trail should 
 nevertheless cook the bird whole, and remove the trail after 
 It is served up, otherwise the flavor of the bird is nearly 
 lost. The trail, head, and uecL are worth all the rest to ep- 
 icures. 
 
 TO SELECT MUSHROOMS. 
 
 They grow in open pasture ; those near or under trees are 
 poisonous ; they first appear very small, round in shape, and 
 on a small stalk ; the upper part and stalk are white ; as they 
 increase in size, the under part gradually expands, and shows 
 a fringe fir of a fine salmon color, and so continues until the 
 increase in size is considerable, when it changes to a dark 
 brown. The poisonous kind have a yellowish skin, and the 
 under part is not a clear salmon color, while the fringe or fir 
 is white or yellow. The good smells pleasantly, the other 
 rank. 
 
458 
 
 Appendix. 
 
 GENERAL RULES FOR COOKING. 
 SOUPS. 
 
 Let them simmer rather than boil. Put cold water in the 
 pot, and let it heat gradually ; only uncover the pot to skim 
 the soup. A tea-spoonful of salt and a quart of water to each 
 pound of beef is a fair average. Remove every particle of 
 scum before you put in the vegetables. If soup is too thick, 
 always thin it with boiling water. Never put in green vege- 
 tables till the water boils. Hard or fa. t boiling makes meat 
 tough and hard. Put your herbs in when nearly done. All 
 soups require simmering from four to five hours. 
 
 BOILINGt VEGETABLES. 
 
 Cabbage should boil an hour ; beets, an hour and a half; 
 parsnips, an hour or an hour and a quarter, according to size ; 
 squashes, the larger end should boil half an hour, the neck 
 pieces fifteen or twenty minutes longer ; new potatoes, fifteen 
 or twenty minutes ; old ones, from half an hour to an hour, 
 according to size : never let them stop boiling (if you wish 
 them mealy) till they are done ; then turn ofi" the water and 
 let them dry. 
 
 BOILING MEATS. 
 
 Hard or fast boiling makes all meat dry, tough, and hard. 
 Corned beef should, after being cooked, be left in the liquid 
 till it is perfectly cold, or it will be dry. Fifteen minutes to 
 each pound of ham is a fair average. Hams and meat should 
 be put in hot, but not boiling water ; cold water draws out 
 the juices. Beef tongues of a fair size require full three hours' 
 boiling. 
 
 BOILING FISH. 
 
 Ten minutes to every pound of fish is a fair average ; if 
 large and thick, a iqw minutes longer; cover close; simmer 
 
Appendix, 
 
 459 
 
 rather .than boil; take out immediately when done. A fresh 
 cod of four or five pounds takes about twenty minutes to 
 Never put the fish in till the water is boiling hot. Salt 
 
 boil. 
 
 fish should never boil for a moment, as it makes it hard; it 
 should lie in scalding water two or three hours, and then be 
 allowed to simmer, and the less water you use and the lon- 
 ger it simmers the better it will be. The fish is done when 
 the meat is easily detached from the bones. 
 
 FRYING FISH. 
 
 Never put your fish in the pan till the fat is boiling hot. 
 Always cut your pork small, and don't try it out or otherwise 
 cook it too fast, as it will lose much of its sweetness. Score 
 the fish and roll them in flour before laying them in the 
 sparkling fat. In using lard, a table-spoonful of salt to a 
 pound is a fair average. 
 
 BROILING FISH. 
 
 Wipe your fish, and use as little water in cleaning it as pos- 
 sible. Put the inside of the fish to the fire first. Mix thor- 
 oughly in a dish a tea-spoonful of salt and pepper with about 
 four ounces of butter, and melt it. When your fish is done, 
 turn each piece over and over in the butter ; cover the dish,' 
 and keep it hot till ready to serve. 
 
 BROILING STEAKS. 
 
 Put the steak on the gridiron for a few moments, and 
 scorch both sides ; then take it off, and when perfectly cold 
 proceed to broil it to your taste ; this mode preserves the 
 juices of the meat. 
 
 No sportsman's larder can be complete now without a few 
 cans of the essence of beef, for making gravies and enriching 
 a soup, together with a ^QVf herbs and spices for flavoring. 
 
460 
 
 Appendix. 
 
 COMPOUNDING FANCY DRINKS. 
 EGG NOGG. 
 
 Take six eggs, a quart of milk, half a pint of brandy (or a 
 gill each of brandy and rum), or usej any other liquor, and six 
 table-spoonfuls of sugar. Beat the yolks of the eggs and the 
 sugar well together, and the whites very hard. Mix in the 
 brandy with the yolks, then boil the. milk, and add it to the 
 mixture. When well stirred up, crown the whole with the 
 whites of the eggs. 
 
 SHERRY-COBBLER. 
 
 Put in a tumbler a table-spoonful and a half of powdered 
 sugar and a slice or two of lemon; then fill it half full of 
 crushed ice ; thei> pour on it a wine-glassful or more of sher- 
 ry. Pour the whole from tumbler to tumbler till well mixed, 
 and drink through a straw, if you have it. 
 
 MULLED CIDER. 
 
 Take a pint of sweet cider ; reserve a tea-cupful of it, and 
 add to the remainder an equal quantity of water. Set it to 
 boil, with a tea-spoonful of whole allspice added to it ; then 
 beat three eggs very light, and stir gradually the reserved 
 cup of cider into them ; then stir this mixture gradually into 
 the boiling cider and water, and continue stirring till th( 
 whole is smooth; sweeten to taste; 
 over it, and serve hot in tumblers. 
 
 grate a little nutmes- 
 
 MULLED WINE 
 
 is made in the same way as mulled cider. 
 
 I 
 
 ARRACK PUNCH. 
 
 Mix four tumblers of Jamaica rum (Antigua is best), three 
 quarters of a tumbler of arrack, half a tumbler of lemon-juice, 
 and the rind of n lej-ton and a lialf; add sugar and water equal 
 
Appendix. 
 
 461 
 
 to twice the quantity of liquor. Before adding the sugar and 
 water, let the mixture stand some ten minutes or so. 
 
 CLARET PUNCU. 
 
 Take one bottle of claret or Burgundy, one bottle of plain 
 soda (some prefer two), one lemon, one glass of sherry, and 
 sugar to taste. Mix all well and ice it thoroughly, and at 
 the moment of serving add another bottle of soda. This 
 punch is excellent in hot weather. 
 
 * COMMON PUNCH. 
 
 Mix well together one tumbler of crushed sugar, half a 
 tumbler of any liquor, six tumblers of water, the rind of two 
 lemons and the juice of one, or half a tumbler of lemon sirup, 
 and ice if to be had. 
 
 AGRAZ. 
 
 Pound some unripe white grapes, and add some white sug- 
 ar and water. Strain till it acquires a very pale amber or 
 straw color ; then, if possible, freeze it in ice, and use. This 
 is a Spanish receipt, and is considered by many of that na- 
 tion the most delicious and refeshing hot-weather drink ever 
 devised. 
 
 REGAL PUNCH. 
 
 Peel twenty-four lemons ; steep the rinds for twelve hours 
 in two quarts of Jamaica rum ; squeeze the lemons on three 
 pounds and a half of loaf sugar ; add two quarts of dark 
 brandy and six quarts of water. Mix all together ; add two 
 quarts of boiled milk ; stir until the mixture curdles ; strain 
 it through a jelly-bag until clear ; bottle and cork. 
 
 FLIP. 
 
 Put the quantity of ale, porter, or beer you wish in a tin 
 cup, and add sugar to taste ; heat the end of a thick piece of" 
 iron red hot, plunge it in the liquor, and stir round till the 
 
462 
 
 Appendix. 
 
 liquor ceases to bubble, and drink hot. This is the most re- 
 freshing and strengthening drink either before or after a 
 hard day'? hunt that I know of. A piece of iron of the shape 
 and size of a large soldering-iron is the best. 
 
 GENERAL REMARKS. 
 
 Although sportsmen and mariners do not seek either the 
 wilds or the waves for the luxuries of the table, yet they set 
 a higher estimate on heaven s bounties than to suppose meat 
 and drink given to sustain life only. They consider them 
 rather as bestowals for strength and enjoyment to man, and 
 as such they are to be used intellectually and in moderation. 
 
 In the foregoing list of edibles, there is not a rare article 
 named, or one which is cumbrous to convey on fishing excur- 
 sions. Meats, sauces, and vegetables of nearly all kinds are 
 now canned or desiccated, and put up in convenient packages 
 to carry, so that for a camp life of only a fortnight on the ar- 
 omatic boughs of fir or hemlock it will pay to provide them. 
 
 Persons who have never enjoyed camp li.^ out of the reach 
 of primary elections are not expected to realize the great lux- 
 ury of satisfying the cravings of real hunger caused by sport- 
 ive -exercise in the forest, and especially are those creature 
 comforts -double blessings when storm-bound and confined 
 to the camp. 
 
 Thus much I have considered necessary to state as an ex- 
 cuse for adding the culinary and bibulous part as an appen- 
 dix, for ti. ore are not wanting those who consider eating and 
 drinking undignified duties. 
 
 Bermuda onions, potatoes, and salted side-pork are neces- 
 saries in the wilderness ; these, with eggs and flour, are about 
 the only articles to be sent in bulk. Trout are cooked only 
 four ways in the wilderness : the large ones are boiled, or 
 rolled in a sheet of paper which has been well buttered, then 
 protected farther by four or five thicknesses of brown paper, 
 when it is placed on hot ashes, and covered with hot ashes 
 
Al'PKIifDIX. 
 
 463 
 
 topped off with live coals, and thus left twenty minutes foi- 
 every pound weight. When taken from the fire the wrap- 
 pers are removed, including the skin, which will adhere to 
 the paper, and it is placed on a hot plate and seasoned to the 
 taste. The third way is to draw the trout, clip off the fins, 
 score it across on each side, roll it in flour, and place it in' 
 a pan of sparkling hot butter, or fat tried from salt pork ; 
 dredge with flour, and turr. it several times for a thick crust.' 
 The fourth way is to spit it, with a thin slice of salt pork 
 along one side, on a birch fork, turning it by hand over a 
 camp-fire until done. Lemon-juice is a refreshing luxury on 
 salmon or trout. In using sea-biscuits, soak them previously 
 in cold water; they are then good when fried in the gravy 
 left from frying ham and eggs. 
 
 To those who can explain the recondite harmonies which 
 subsist between the velvet calipash and the verdant calipee, 
 nothing farther need be added ; and for those who do not 
 comprehend them, words would prove superfluous. 
 
 NOTEWOETHY ITEMS. 
 Drying Lines.— Fishing clubs provide posts and hooks at 
 
 headquarters for drying lines, but 
 in wet or foggy weather they are 
 useless. Experienced anglers there- 
 fore generally carry a small reel 
 withthem,for linen bass-lines, when 
 in use, should be dried every even- 
 
 ing. 
 
 Reel for Drying Lines. 
 
 This reel, which is formed of 24 
 narrow slats, tied at the ends in 
 threes, and moving by a double 
 button or screw in the centre, 
 closes like an umbrella, being light, 
 and occupying very little room in 
 a trunk. For using it, fasten the 
 
464 
 
 Appkndix. 
 
 toot by a screw to a board or table-loaf; open it by 8li<liiig 
 up on the staff the lower base to which the slats are fastened, 
 autl fasten it, by the screw represented, to the centre-shatt or 
 staff. Hold the lino with one hand and turn the reel with 
 the other. The reel may be bought at most of the fishing- 
 tackle stores, such as Clerk's, Conroy's, Bates's, Pritchard's, in 
 New York, or at Bradford's, in Boston. 
 
 Cop AT, Y: j;n--h. — This is the best' varnish for tackle, hook- 
 dressings, etc. 
 
 WiiiTK Wax. — This is made like cobbler's wax, and 
 stretched until it becomes nearly white, dry, and brittle; or 
 mix beeswax, resin, and tallow ; pour into water, and stretch 
 and work it with the hands. 
 
 Spermaceti. — Good to dress lines. To take the kink out 
 of linen lines, darken their color, and not weaken them by 
 preparation, dip them into tanner's or lamp oil, and, v hen 
 saturated, hang them up until they dry, when pack then; in 
 mahogany dust, and leave thoi'i several days, or until the 
 dust has absorbed the oil. 
 
 India-rubkek Dressing. — This is recommended both for 
 dressing lines and for patching India-rubber boots. For 
 lines, cut into small pieces some white rubber and dissolve it 
 in turpentine— about tVtj rubber and -jV^ turpentine. Set 
 the vessel coiraining them in hot water, as you would glue; 
 or rubber may be dissolved in chloroform, llubber dressing 
 for lines is not liable to crack, and is therefore preferred to 
 varnish ; but spermaceti is preferred by our best fishing-tackle 
 manufacturers. Boiled linseed oil with u lump of resin, or a 
 little gold size, is preferred by some. 
 
 To DRi:<s Leather WADiNG-nooTS. — Cut into shavings 
 some black India-rubber (the vulcanized is not good for these 
 preparations), and place them in a vessel containing double 
 the amount o." spirits of turpentine ; place the' vessel in hot 
 water until the rubber dissolves, when mix, and let it cool so 
 as not to burn the leather, and rub the uppers and creases 
 above the sole, and they will be water-proof. 
 
Appendix. 
 
 4G5 
 
 Some sportsmen cut hlack rubber into shreds and mix it 
 with hot tallow until dissolved, when the mixture is supposed 
 to keep the boots both dry and soft. 
 
 To dress wading-boots in sumniei, nib them ver every 
 morning while they are in use witii a piece of bullock's scro- 
 tum. It will prevent them I'rom leaking, and render them as 
 soft as chamois-skhi. 
 
 To KEEP MoTii FROM Featiiers.— Placc them in ; close 
 case with the gum of camphor, or, what is better, witli vanilla 
 beans ; what is still better is scrapings of Kussia leather. 
 Boxes made of cedar or sandal-wood are the best. Tobacco, 
 and both black and red peppers, are good to sprinkle the 
 feathers with, or to place in large amounts in the boxes of 
 feathers. 
 
 To PRESERVE SiLK-woRM GuT.— Keep it neither wet nor 
 dry. A dry cellar forms the best store-room for it. Keep it 
 packed and out of the air. 
 
 Oil for Hooks and Reels.— That from the head or jaw 
 of the porpoise is the best. 
 
 Clearing Ring should bo about two inches in diameter, 
 and half a pound weight for coast-fishing; one fourth pound 
 for fresh-water fishing. The line attached to it should be 
 wound on a spool or reel, as shown on the cut in the title- 
 page, or that in salmon-fishing. In cas- the hook gets fast, 
 let the ring run down to dislodge it ; or i i salm* „ or striped 
 bass sulks, let tl, ring glide down on the line to his nose, and 
 he will generally change quarters. 
 
 To Stain Gimp.— Mr. Francis quotes "Book of the Pike" 
 hi stathig : " Bright brass gimp is easily seen by the fish. To 
 discolor it, soak it in a solution of bichlorate of platinum 
 mixed with water— one of platinum to eight or ten parts of 
 water; then dry before the fire." 
 
 Marine Glue is recommended for covering splices and 
 securing ties. 
 
 Silk, Tinsel, etc.— To preserve them, keep them dry, and 
 away from tlie fire and air. 
 
 Gg 
 
466 
 
 Appendix. 
 
 Preserving Water-proofs. — Do not hang them on a nail 
 or peg ; citlier liang them over a chair-back, or spread tliem 
 out on the tent floor. Do not dry either boots or coats near 
 a fire])lace or a stove. At our ])rinclpal club-houses there is 
 a drying-room ; but on fishing excursions it were better not 
 to dry boots and coats than to injure them. 
 
 FEET DRESS FOR FIELD-SPORTS. 
 
 Figures 1, 2, 3, represent the sole, front, and side views. A and U - how tbe laced lap- 
 piui; at the ankle, C the wide tuugue, aud D the Bule. 
 
 I copy these designs from a communication to the F'leld by 
 "The Forester," who is one of the Icarling sportsmen in En- 
 gland and Scotland. By the wear of these boots it is intend- 
 ed that the ankle shall not be easily sprained, and that the 
 alternate lacings on each side of the instep keep the shoe 
 more natural and firm than if laced on one side only; and, be- 
 sides, the lacing is less liable to gape. 
 
 In the first place, the last on which the boots are made 
 should be a shaving all round wider than the naked foot, and 
 then the sole should be a trifle larger than the bottom of the 
 last. The heel should be low, and extend forward in lii.e 
 with the front of the ankle-bone. The straps should be made 
 of soft leather, and, being broad and flat, they gather the heel 
 portion of the boot well up, and support the ankle and instep. 
 The boots should be large, to admit a heavy ribbed stocking 
 of wool, rather loose, for a weft too close causes the feet to 
 be too warm. This writer objects to water-tight boots, and 
 at night, after a day's sport, he drains his boots, wipes them 
 out, greases them to keep them soft, sets them in a dry place 
 
AlTENDIX. 
 
 467 
 
 very remote from the fire, and the next morning he dons 
 them over a pair of }ieavy, ribbed, dry stockings, and is a-ain 
 ready for the fray. Use small tacks, placed in threes on°the 
 soles, and as they lose, replace at evening. 
 
 "The Forester" is doubtless right foi^a shooting-boot, or 
 for a boot to fish along the stream for trout, or from the rocks 
 for striped bass ; but for wading, in summer weather, the 
 pegged shoe of the American army regulation is the best cov- 
 ermg for the feet. 
 
 Stiff leathern leggins, like those worn by the Zouaves, are 
 useful to protect the shins when threading rough under- 
 growth ol thorns and briers along a trout stream. For wad- 
 ing-boots I have found alligator-skin the best uppers for the 
 feet, and Russia leather the best for the legs. 
 
 Getchell's rubber boots, lined with clotl^ and with silk ex- 
 tensions above the knees, are the most perfect articles of the 
 rubber kind. 
 
 AMERICAN GAME-LAWS. 
 
 AMERICAN LAWS FOR THE PROTECTION OF FISH, GAME, AND 
 
 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS. 
 
 The leading features of these laws are included in those 
 for the State of New York and the Dominion of Canada, and 
 I therefore give them for the benefit of the remainino- part 
 of North America, as the laws for regulating the protection 
 and capture of game and fresh-water fishes should be similar 
 throughout the United States and their borders. 
 
 GAME-LAWS OP THE STATE OF NEW YORK. 
 
 An Act to amend and consolidate the several acts relating, to the Preservation 
 
 oj JJoose, Wild Deer, Birds, and Fresh-water Fish, passed May 13, 18G7. 
 
 The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assemble, 
 do enact as follows : •^' 
 
 MOOSE AND DEER, 
 
 Sec. 1. No person shall kill, or pursue with intent to kill, any moose or 
 mid deer save only during the months of August, Se])temher, October, No- 
 
468 
 
 Appendix. 
 
 member, and up to and inclusive of the 10th day of December, or shall expose 
 for sale, or have in his or her possession, any green moose or deer skin, or 
 fresh venison, save only in the months aforesaid, and up to and inclusive of 
 the 10th of December. 
 
 WILD FAWN AND GRAY BABBITS. 
 
 Sec. 2. No person shall at any time kill any wild fawn during the periods 
 when such fawn is in its spotted coat, or expose for sale, or have at any time 
 in his or her possession, any spotted wild fawn skin, or any gray rabbit, from 
 the 1st of February to the 1st of November. \ 
 
 WILD PIGEONS. 
 
 Sec. 3. No person shall kill, or catch, or discharge any fire-arm at any wild 
 pigeon while in any nesting-ground, or break up or in any manner disturb 
 such nesting-ground, or the nests or birdu therein, or discharge any fire-arm 
 at any distance within a quarter of a mile of such nesting-place at such pigeon. 
 
 WILD-FOWL, 
 
 Sec. 4. No person sliall kill, or exp^^e for sale, or have in his possession 
 after the same is killed, any wood duck (commonly called black duck), gray 
 duck (commonly called summer duck), mallard, or teal duck, between the 1 st 
 day of Febnuiry and the 1 5th day of August iu each year. No person shall 
 at any time kill any wild duck, goose, or other wild-fowl, with or by means of 
 the device or instrument known as swivel or punt gun, or with or by means 
 of any gun other than such guns as are habitually raised at aim's length and 
 fired from the shoulder, or shall use any such device, or instrument, or gun 
 other than such gun as aforesaid, with intent to kill any such duck, goose, or 
 other wild-fowl. No person shall in any manner kill, or molest with intent 
 to kill, any wild ducks, geese, or other wild-fowl, while the same are sitting 
 at night upon their resting-places. .But this section shall not apply to waters 
 of Long Island Sound or the Atlantic Ocean. 
 
 PENALTY FOU VIOLATION. 
 
 Sec. 5. Any person violating the foregoing provisions of this act shall be 
 deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and sliall likewise be liable to a penalty of 
 fifty dollars for each oftense. 
 
 INSECTIVOUOirS BIRDS. 
 
 Sec. G. No person shall at any time, within this state, kill, or trap, or ex- 
 pose for sale, or have in liis possession after tlie same is killed, any eagle, fish- 
 hawk, night-hawk, whippoorwill, finch, thrush, lark, sparrow, ycUow-bird, 
 lirown thresher, wren, martin, swallow, toiiager, oriole, woodpecker, bobolink, 
 or any other harmless bird, or any song-bird ; or kill, trap, or expose for sale 
 any robin, blackbird, meadow-lark, or starling, save during the months of Au- 
 gust, September, October, November, and December ; nor destroy or rob the 
 nests of any wild birds v/hatever, un%er a penalty of five dollars for each bird 
 so killed, trapped, or exposed for sale, and for each nest destroyed or robbed. 
 
 y 
 
Appendix. 
 
 469 
 
 This section shall not apply to any person who shall kill or trap any bird for 
 the purpose of studying its habits or history, or having the same stuffed and 
 set up as a specimen ; nor to any person who shall kill on his own premise, 
 any robm during the period when summer fruits or grapes are ripening, pro- 
 vided such robin is killed in the act of destroying such fruits or grapes 
 
 PINNATED GROlSE. 
 
 .v^'"'''/; •n'' P^"'"'" '''^"' "* ^"y ^-""^ ''''^''' ^«" J-«^'-« from the passage of 
 this act, kill ny pinnated grouse, commonly called the prairie-fowl, unless 
 iipon grou. ds owned by them, and grouse placed thereon by said owners, un- 
 der a penalty of ten dollars for each bird so killed. 
 
 WOODCOCK, RUFFL. GROUSE, QUAIL, RAIL, AND PARTRIDGE. 
 
 Sec. 8. No person shall kill, or have in his or her possession, except alive, 
 for the purpose of preserving the same alive through the winter, or expose for 
 sale any woodcock or ruffed grouse, commonly called partridge, between the 
 
 n„ 1. i" V """'^ ""f '1 ' '' '^^y ^*' September, or kill any quail, sometimes 
 calkd Virginia partridge, between the 1st day of January and the 20th day 
 of October, or have the same in possession, or expose the same for sale be- 
 tween the 1st day of February and the 20th day of October, or have in his 
 possession any pinnated grouse, commonly called prairie-chicken, or expose 
 the same for sale between the 1st day of February and the 1st day of July 
 under a penalty of five dollars for each bird so killed, or had in possession, or 
 exposed for sale. Provided, however, that in the counties lying along the 
 Hudson River, and Susquehanna River and its branches, and in the counties 
 lying south of the north line of the county of Greene, and the county of Co- 
 lumbia, and m the counties bordering upon the waters where the tide ebbs 
 and flows, it shall be lawful to kill, or possess, or expose for sale any woodl 
 cock, or rail, or ruffed grouse, commonly called partridge, between the 3d day 
 of July and the 1 st day of January. 
 
 TRAPPING PROHiniTED. 
 
 Sec. 0. No person shall, at any time, or in any place witiiin this state with 
 any trap or snare, take any quail or ruffed grouse, under a penalty of five dol- 
 lars tor each quail or grouse so trapped or snared. 
 
 VIOLATING the SABBATH. 
 
 Sec. 10 There shall be no shooting, hunting, or trapping on the first dav 
 of the week, called Sunday, and any person offending against the provision; 
 of this section shall, on conviction, forfeit and pay a sum not exceeding twen- 
 ty-hve dollars, or be imprisoned in the county jail of the county where the 
 oftense was committed not less than ten days nor more than twenty-five days 
 for each offense. .^ .» • 
 
 • TRESPASS. 
 
 Sec. 11. Any person who shall at ^ny time enter upon the Inwn '-arden 
 orchard, or pleasure-grounds immediately suiTounding a dwcliing-hcu^e. witi": 
 
470 
 
 ArrENDix. 
 
 any fire-arm, for the purpose of shooting, contrary to the provisions of this 
 act, or shall shoot at any bird or animal thereon, shall be deemed guilty of 
 tresnass, and, in addition to the damages, shall be liable to a penalty of ten 
 dollars. 
 
 POISONING FRESH-WATER STREAMS. 
 
 Sec. 12. No person shall place in any fresh-water stream, lake, or pond, 
 without the consent of the owner, any lime or other deleterious substance' 
 with intent to injure fish ; nor any drug or medicated bait, with intent there- 
 by to poison or catch fish ; nor place in any pond or lake stocked with or in- 
 habited by trout, black bass, pike, pickerel, or sunfish, any drug or other dele- 
 terious substance, with Intent to destroy such trout or other fish. Any per- 
 son violating the provisions of this section shall he deemed guilty of a misde- 
 meanor, and shall, in addition thereto, and in addition to any damage he may 
 have done, be liable to a penalty of one hundred dollars. 
 
 BUILDING AND MAINT.1INING DAMS. 
 
 Sec. 13. Every person building or maintaining a dam upon the rivers emp- 
 mng into Lake Ontario, the River St. Lawrence, or Lake Champlain, which 
 dam is higher than two feet, shall likewise huild and maintain, during the 
 months of March, April, May, September, October, and November, for the 
 purpose of the passage of fisli, a sluice-way in the mid-channel at least one 
 foot in depth at the edge of the dam, and of proper width, and placed at an 
 angle of not more than thirty degrees, and extending- entirely to the running 
 water below the dam, which sluice-way shall be protected on each side by an 
 apron at least one foot in height, to confine the waiter therein. 
 
 SPECKLED BROOK TROUT. 
 
 Sec. 14. No person shall at any time, with intent so to do, catch any speck- 
 led brook trout or speckled river trout with any device save only with a hook 
 and line; and no person shall catch any such trout, or have any such trout in 
 his or her possession, save only during the months of i\])ril, May, June, July, 
 August, and September, under a penalty of five dollars for each trout so caught 
 or had m his possession ; but this section shall not prevent any person or cor- 
 poration from catching trout in waters owned by them to stock other waters 
 belonging to them. But the counties of Kings, Queens, and Suffolk shall be 
 exempted from the provisions of the above section so far as to allow the tak- 
 ing or catching of trout in the counties last named during the month of March. 
 
 SALMON-TROUT. 
 
 Sec, 15. No person shall take or have in possession any salmon-trout be- 
 tween the ir.th day of October and the 1st day of February in each year, un- 
 ( er a penalty of five dollars for each fish so taken and had in possession. But 
 this section shall not ajjply to the waters of Otsego Lake. 
 
 BLACK BASS OR MASKALONOK. 
 
 Sec. 16. No person sliall take or have in possession ar.y black bass or mas- 
 
Appendix. 
 
 471 
 
 kalonge between the 1st clay of January and the 1st day of May, under a pen- 
 alty of five dollars for each fish so taken or had in possession. 
 
 NETS, TRAPS, ETC. 
 
 Sec. 17. No person shall at any time take any fish with a net, spear, or 
 trap of any kind, or set any trap, net, weir, or pot, with intent to catch fish, in 
 any of the fresh waters of this state, except as hereinafter provided ; and any 
 person violating the provisions of this section shall be deemed guilty of a mis- 
 demeanor, and shall likewise be liable to a penalty of twenty-five dollars for 
 each off"ense ; but suckers, catfish, eels, whitefish, shad, and minnows are ex- 
 empted from the operation of this section ; Provided, however. That nothing 
 in this section shall be so construed as to legalize the use of gill-nets in any 
 of the fresh waters of this state. But in the waters of Otsego Lake, seines 
 may be used from the first day of March to the last day of August, and gill- 
 nets may be used during the months of July and August ; but no such seine 
 or net shall have meshes less than one inch and three quarters in size. 
 
 VIOLATION. 
 
 Sec. 18. No person shall sell, expose for sale or purchase, or have i.i his or 
 her possession, any fish taken contrary to the provisions of this act, under a 
 penalty of five dollars for each fish so sold, exposed for sale, purchased, or had 
 in possession, with intent to violate the provisions of this act. 
 
 TRESPASSING. 
 
 Sec. 19. Any person trespassing on any lands for the pui-pose of taking . 
 fish from any private pond, stream, or spring, after public notice on the part 
 of the owner or occupant thereof, or of said lands, not to so trespass, shall be 
 deemed guilty of trespass, and in addition to any damages recoveiable by 
 law-, shall be liable to the owner, lessee, or occupant in a penalty of twenty- 
 five dollars for each offense. 
 
 HOW PENALTIES ARE RECOVERED. 
 
 Sec. 20. All penalties imposed under the provisions of this act may be re- 
 covered, with cost of suit, by any person or persons in his or their own names, 
 l)efbre any justice of the peace in the county where the offense was commit- 
 ted or where the defendant resides ; or when such suit shall be brought in the 
 City of New York, before any justice of any of the District Courts or of the 
 Marine Court of said city ; or such penalties may be recovered in an action 
 in the Supreme Court of this state, by any person or persons, in his or their 
 own names ; which action shall be governed by the same rules as other ac- 
 tions in said Supreme Court, excei)t that in a recovery by the plaintiff" or plain- 
 tiffs in such suit in said court, costs shall be allowed to such plaintiff" or plain- 
 tift"s, without regard to the amount of such reajvery ; and any District Court 
 judge, justice of the peace, police, oi other magistrate, is authorized, upon 
 receiving sufficient security for costs on the part of the complainant, and suffi- 
 cient proof by affidavit of the violation of the provisions of this act, by any 
 person being temporarily within his jurisdiction, but not residing therein, or 
 
 
472 
 
 Appendix. 
 
 by any person whose name and residence are unknown, to issue his warrant, 
 and have such offender committed or lield to bail to answer the charge against 
 him ; and any JJistrict Court judge, justice of the peace, police, or other mag- 
 istrate, may, upon proof of probable cause to believe in the concealment of 
 any game or fish mentioned in this act, during any of the prohibited periods, 
 issue his search warrant and cause seardi to be made in any house, market- 
 boat, car, or other building, and for tliat end may cause' any apartment, chest, 
 box, locker, or crate to be broken open and ..le contents examined. Any 
 penalties, v, lien collected, shall be paid by the court before which conviction 
 shiill be had, one half to the overseers of the poor, for the use of the poor of 
 the town in which conviction is had, and the remainder to the prosecutor. 
 On the non-payment of the penalty, the defendant shall be committed to the 
 common jail of the county fo- n. period of not less than five days, and at tht 
 rate of one day for each doUar of the amount of the judgment, where the sum 
 is over five doUars in amount. Any court of special sessions in tliis state 
 shall have jurisdiction to try and dispose of all and any of the offenses arising 
 in the same county against the provisions ot this act ; and every justice of the 
 peace shall liave jurisdiction within his couniy of actions to reco\er any pen- 
 alty hereby given or created. 
 
 POSSESSION OF GAME VRIOR TO PROHIBITED PERIOD. 
 
 Sec. 21. Any person proving that ti.^ birds, fish, skins, or animals found 
 in his or her possession during tne prohibited periods were killed prior to 
 such periods, or were killed in any phice outside of the limits of this state, 
 and that the law of such place did not prohibit such killing, shall he exempt- 
 ed from the penaltie of this act. 
 
 COMMON CARRIERS AND EXPRESS COMPANIES. 
 
 Sec. 22. In all prosecutions under this act, it shall be competent for com- 
 mon carriers or express companies to show- that the inhibiteil article in his or 
 their possession came into such possession in anotlier state, in wliich state the 
 law did not prohibit such possession, and such showing shall be deemed a de- 
 fense in such prosecution. No action for a penalty under the provisions of 
 this act shall be settled or compromi'?3d, except upon the payment into court 
 of the full amount of sucli penalty, unless upon such terms and conditions as 
 may be imposed by tlie district attorney of the county in which such action 
 shall have been brought. 
 
 i-AKE ONTARIO. 
 
 Sec. 23. Nothing in this act contained shall apply to fish caught or to the 
 taking offish in the waters of Lake Ontario, or an/ of its bays or estuaries 
 within the counties of Oswego, Jefferson, and St Lawrence, nor to the catch- 
 ing of fish in any way in the St. Lawrence Hive'' 
 
 ONEIDA LAKE. 
 
 Sec. 24. The provisions of this act shall not be deemed to apply to or af- 
 fect the taking of fish in One'da Lake, at a distance of one mile beyond the 
 shores thereof. 
 
Appendix. 
 
 473 
 
 KENNYETTO CREEK AND 8ACANDAGA VLAIE. 
 
 Sec. 25. It shall be unlawful to use or draw, for the taking offish of any kind 
 whatever, any seine or net in Kennyetto or Fondasbush Creek, in ihe county 
 of Fulton, or in the Saeandaga Vlaie, or in any part thereof in said county 
 above the covered bridge, near the village of Fish House, commonly known as 
 the " Vlaie Creek Eridge,"or in any of the streams emptying into the said 
 Vlaie. 
 
 VIOLATING THE PROVISIONS OF THE PRECEDING SECTION. 
 
 Sec. 26. Any person violating the provisions of the preceding section shall, 
 upon conviction tliereof, be deemed gm'lty of a misdemeanor, and also liable 
 to a penalty of twenty-five dollars, which may be recovered in the manner 
 prescribed m section twenty of said chapter eight hundred and ninety-eight, 
 hereby amended. 
 
 REPEAL OF PREVIOUS ACTS. 
 
 Sec. 27. All acts and parts of acts inconsistent with the provisions of this 
 act are hereby repealed, except chapter one hundred and seventy-three of 
 laws of eighteen hundred and sixty-one, which is hereby continued in full 
 force and effect. 
 
 Sec. 28. This act shall take effect immediately. 
 
 TassedMay 9, 1868. 
 
 State of New York, •» 
 
 Office of the Secretary of State, j **' •' 
 
 I have compared the preceding with the original law on file in this office, 
 anu \o hereby cerdfy that the same is a correct transcript therefrom and of 
 the whole of said original law. Homer A. Nelson, Secretary of State. 
 
 The following is the act of 1861, referred to in section 27 : 
 
 An act for the Preservation of Fish In Canandaigua Lake and the outlet there- 
 'if^ ^!J>n<J in the Counties of Ontario and Yates. 
 
 , The People of the State of New York, represented in Senite and Assembliu 
 do enact us follows: '' 
 
 Sec. 1. It shall not be lawful for any person or persons to take, catch, or 
 procure, m or from Canandaigua Lake, or the inlet tliereof, lying within the 
 Counties of Ontario and Yates, any fish, with or by means of any seine, gill- 
 net, or other net. 
 
 Sec. 2. No person shall knowingly sell, or offer for sale, any fish caught in 
 or irom said lake, or inlet thereof, contrary to the provisions of the first sec- 
 tion of this act, and it shall be unlawful for any person knowingly to purchase 
 any fish so taken in or from said hike or inlet. 
 
 Sec. 3. Whoever shall violate any or either of the provisions of this act 
 shall bo deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and shoU also be subject to a pen- 
 alty for each offense of not less than ten nor more than twentv-five dolW«. 
 to be recovered in ii civil action, with costs, as hereinafter : rovided. 
 
474 
 
 Appendix. 
 
 Sec. 4. Any person may bring or prosecute an action in his own name for 
 the recover}' of the fines or penalties imposed by this act, before any justice 
 of the peace of either of said counties, upon first giving to such justice of the 
 peace security for costs, satisfactory to such justice, in case he shall fail to 
 recover ; and in case of n recovery, the amount thereof, when collected, shall 
 be paid to the court before Avhich such an action shall be prosecuted, together 
 with costs of such suit. The court before which such action shall be brought 
 shall certify the reasonable costs and expenses thereof, and pay the same out 
 of the moneys so received, and shall pay the residue thereof, if any, to the 
 treasurer of the county in which such action is brought, for the support of the 
 poor of said county. 
 
 Skc. o. All laws inconsistent with this act are hereby repealed. 
 
 Sec. G. This act shall take ciiect immediately. 
 
 Passed April 12, 18G1. 
 
 THE GAME AND FISHERY LAWS OE THE DOMINION OF CANADA 
 FOR EIGHTEEN HUNDRED AND SIXTY-NINE. 
 
 (By Edwaed C. Babbkb, Esq., Ottawa, Author of " The Crack Shot," etc., etc.) 
 
 ONTARIO AND QUEBEC. 
 
 Since the last issue of the Year-Book, very considerable changes have been 
 made in the gamo-laws of the Provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The fish- 
 ery-laws of the Dominion have also been revised to some extent, and it is now 
 believed that if sportsmen will respect the provisions of the acts, and aid in 
 enforcing the penalty against the poacher for infractions thereof, game and 
 fish will again become plentiful. 
 
 It is greatly to be regretted that the Legislatures of the different provinces 
 have not provided the means for carrj'ing out their various enactments on the 
 subject of the protection of game, and herein is felt the inconvenience of these 
 mattei-s being dealt with in detail by the various provinces instead of by the 
 Dominion, Had the Dominion Legislature been vested with the power of 
 legislating upon the subject of game as well as upon the fisheries, the fishery 
 overseers might have been made eflScient aids to the different game-clubs 
 throughout the country. To those of Quebec and .Montreal much i>raise is 
 due for their efforts to protect game ; but it is absurd to suppose that indi- 
 vidual effort can stay the devastating hand of the pot-hunter. Much good 
 would be accomplished if the municipalities could be induced to aftbrd their 
 aid. 
 
 In Ontario, the close season for deer or fawn, elk, moose or cariboo, extends 
 from the 1 st of December to the succeeding 1 st of September, not to be trap- 
 ped ; the close season for wild turkey, grouse, pheasant, and partridge is be- 
 tween the 1 st of January and the 1 st of September ; for quail between the 1 st 
 of January and the 1st of October; and for woodcock and snipe from the 1st 
 of March to the 1 2tii of August ; and no wild swan, goose, or ani/ description 
 of duck is allowed to be killed between the L'ith day of April and the 10th 
 day of August ; neither is it to be trapped, or taken by means of traps, snares, 
 or springs, or killed by any other method than l)y shooting. It is also un- 
 
 bl 
 
Appendix. 
 
 475 
 
 lawful to use sunken punt* or batteries, or night lights. No eggs of any kind 
 of the birds above enumerated are allowed to be taken or destroyed at any time 
 No beaver, muskrat, mink, sable, otter or fisher, is to be taken or trapped be- 
 tween the 1st of May and the loth of November.* There is also a clause pro- 
 tectmg any particular kind of game that maybe imported by parties desirous 
 of breeding the same. The fine varies from $2 to $25 for each head of game 
 Illegally killed, and in default of payment offenders are imprisoned in a com- 
 mon jail for a tei-m not exceeding thirty days. 
 
 Speckled trout can be taken between the 1st of January and the 1st of Oc- 
 tober, but only by angling by hand with hook and line. Whitefisli or salmon- 
 trout are not to be taken by anij means between the 19th of November and 
 the 1st of December, nor by means of any kind of seine between the 30th of 
 May and the 1 st of August. The close seasons for bass, pickerel, maskinonge, 
 and other fish are to be fixed by the governor in Council, to suit difl-erent lo- 
 calities. 
 
 In Quebec, the close season for elk, moose, cariboo, deer, fawn, or hare is 
 from the 1 st of February to the 1st of September ; for grouse, ptarmigan, part- 
 ndge, woodcock, or snipe, between the 1st of March and the 1 st of September 
 No wild swan, wild goose, or am/ kind of wild duck is allowed to be shot at' 
 tiapi)ed, or killed between the 20th of May and the 1st of September, except 
 in that part of the province east of the Brandy Pots, where the inhabitants 
 are allowed, for food onl;/, to kill the same between the 1st of September and 
 tiie 1st of June. Neither is it lawful to kill any of the above between sunset 
 and sunrise. All the game animals and birds mentioned in the act except 
 hares and partridges are protected from trapping. No eggs of any of the 
 kinds of birds mentioned, or any specie, of wild-fowl, are allowed to be dis- 
 turbed, injured, or taken. 
 
 No lynx, wild cat, mink, or marten to be taken or killed between the ir.th 
 ot April and the 1st of November; no otter between the 1st of May and the 
 1st of November ; no beaver between the 30th of April and the 1st of Sep- 
 tember ; no muskrat between the 1st of June and the 21 st of October Nor 
 s uul u. y i,evson buy, sell, or have in his or her possession any unseasonable 
 skin 0/ any of the said animals. 
 
 Fines vary from $1 to $50, and in default of immediate payment the penal- 
 ly IS imprisonment m the common jail for a terra not exceeding three months. 
 No proceeding under diis act can be set aside by certiorari, an appeal onlv 
 lying to the Circuit Court of the chief place of the district wherein the offense 
 was committed. The jurisdiction is very summary, and the general provis- 
 ions very stringent. No kind of trout (or lunge) can be taken between the 
 1st of October and the 1st of Januaiy; whitefish and salmon-trout are not 
 to be taken m anyway between the li)th of November and the 1st of Decem- 
 beis nor by means of any kind of seine between the 31st of July and the 1st 
 ot December; between the 31st of October and the 31st of December it is 
 t.nlnwtul to kill shad or whitefish in Missisquoi Bay, Lake Champlain ; sal- 
 mon can not be fished for in Ontario and Quebec, or the River Restigouche 
 (N. B.), between the 31st of July and the 1st of May, excej.t by fly surface- 
 ' The close reason for hare is from the Ist of March to the 1st of September. 
 
476 
 
 Al'PENDIX, 
 
 fishing, which extends in Ontario and Quebec from the 30th of April to the 
 31st of August. 
 
 It is believed that much good has already been accomplished by the recent 
 act for the protection of insectivorous birds. By it^ provisions it is made un- 
 lawful to kill or snare, between the 1st of March and the 1st of August, any 
 kind of bird whatsoever except eagles, falcons, hawks, wild pigeons, kingfish- 
 ers, crows, and ravens. This act applies to both Ontario and Quebec. 
 
 NEW BRCXSWICK. 
 
 The law in this province is very strict as regards moose, the only game-laws 
 of the province being those relating to the protection of moose and partridge. 
 The close season only extends from the 1st of February to the 1st of May: 
 fine $40 ; and any one is empowered to kill any dog found hunting within 
 the prohibited time. No one is allowed to kill more than two moose within 
 a period of twelve months: $12 for each offense. The killing, except for 
 food, is prohibited ; and leaving the carcass in the woods subjects the offend- 
 er to a fine of $20. Partridges are not to be killed between the 1 st of March 
 and the 1st of September. There was an act making it unlawful to kill deer 
 on the island of Grand Menan for a peiiod of three years, but it expired June 
 8, 1 8G8. The fishery regulations are the same as those of Quebec and Onta- 
 rio, except that the close season for salmon is, for net-fishing, from the 15th 
 of August to the 1st of March, and fly surface-fishing from the luth of Sep- 
 tember to the 1st of March. 
 
 NOVA SCOTIA. 
 
 Chapter 92 of the Revised Statutes of Nova Scotia has also been amended, 
 and now reads that no moose shall be killed between the 1st of January and 
 the 1st of September ; no cariboo between the 1st of March and the 1st of Sep- 
 tember. The close time for partridge is from the 1st of January to the 1st of 
 September ; and for woodcock and snipe, from the 1 st of March to the 1st of 
 September. The prohibitions respecting the killing of cow moose, and the 
 l.mitation of the number allowed to be killed, have been removed. Pheasants 
 are not allowed to be killed. The export of moose and cariboo hides is pro- 
 hibited : fine from $20 to $50, and forfeiture of the game or hides. Otters 
 minks, and muskrats are not allowed to be killed between the 1st of May and 
 the 1 st of November, under a penalty of $8. It is absolutely forbidden to kill 
 robms, swallows, sparrows, etc. , and birds of song. Penalty $ I for each bird 
 so killed. 
 
 The anomaly of the game-laws being dealt with by the various provinces 
 in detail is strikingly apparent when the close seasons are considered, e. //. ; 
 In Ontario the legal time for killing deer ends on the 1st of December ; biit 
 in Quebec it is lawful to kill until the 1st of February. The same with re- 
 gard to ducks : In Ontario the sportsman is debarred from knocking them 
 over after the 1st of March, but his Quebec brother can pop away at them 
 until the 20th of May ; and so in other instances. This causes, and will con- 
 tinue to cause, a great deal of trouble to secure convictions against parties for 
 illegally killing game. These provinces being only separated bv the liiver 
 
Appendix. 
 
 47" 
 
 Ottawa makes it difficult to establish the fact of the illegal killing. Would 
 it pot be well to have a convention of sportsmen agree on close seasons that 
 would answer for all the provinces, and press the adoption of them in their 
 respective Legislatures ? Of course there are difficulties in the way, but these 
 could easily be got over if sportsmen would only approach them in a candid 
 and conciliatory spirit. 
 
 PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND. 
 
 The game-laws of Prince Edward Island prohibit tlie killing of partridges 
 between the 1st of Mai-ch and the Jst of October, and sahnon in the tall. 
 
 NEWFOUNDLAND. 
 
 There is only one game-law in this island, entitled "An act for the Protec- 
 tion and Breeding of WiJd-fowl and Game." It prohibits the killing, taking, 
 purchasing, selling, or possessing of partridges from the 20th of February to 
 the L>-;th of August, and applies a similar prohibition in the case of snipe, or 
 any other wild or migratory birds frequenting for the -purpose of incubation 
 (except wild geese), from the 1st of April to the 20th of August. 
 
 BRITISH COLUMBIA. 
 
 It is unlawful to buy, or sell, or exhibit for sale, any deer or elk between the 
 1st of Marcli and the 1st of August ; or any grouse, prairie-fowl, or partridge, 
 or to destroy or collect their eggs, between the 1st of March and the 10th of 
 August. Fine $30, or three months' unprisoument. 
 
 ^^Zi\^>v 
 
478 
 
 Appendix. 
 
 A WORD. IN CONCLUSION-. 
 
 And now, brethren of the angle— students in fish-culture— 
 men anxious to develop American fisheries and establish ef- 
 fective game-laws-farewell If true anglers, you are sure to 
 be gentle; and as the truly gentle are always virtuous, you 
 must be happy. But the best friends must part. 
 
 I have endeuvo nd to throw together some pleas in fax or 
 of the "gentle craft," and to hint at the importance of water- 
 farming. If my mite, contributed to the general stock for 
 the promotion of rational enjoyment and useful occupation, 
 shall be found worthy of those readers whom it is my pleas- 
 ure to honor, it will be a source of gratification to know that 
 my labors have not been in vain. 
 
 Let neither prosperity nor adversity deaden "the fresh 
 feeling after Nature" which tlic use of the rod and reel al- 
 ways heightens or confers. Wheth-r overladen with good 
 fortune or sufiering under the sliocks of adversity, forget not 
 to take the magic wand and repair to the murmuring waters. 
 "The music of those gentle moralists will steal into your 
 heart ;" and, while invigorating physical energy, your souls 
 will be charmed, and your minds soothed and tempered by 
 the music of birds, the sights of nature, and the sounds of in- 
 ferior animals above, around, and beneath the enlivening 
 waters. ^ 
 
 With rosy dreams and bright streams, breezy morns and 
 mellow skies, a light heart and a clear conscience, may "God 
 speed ye well." 
 
INDEX. 
 
 Abrams, Captain, 91. 
 Acclimatizing fishes, 440. 
 Adirondack bouts, 1G2. 
 Ain.' orth's race and screens, 397. 
 Albicore supposed to be bonetta, 134. 
 Alexander's "Salmon Fishing" in 
 
 Canada. 1335. 
 Amjjhion and the dolphins, 38. 
 Ancient and modern fish-culture, 347. 
 , Anderson, John, Esq., 75. 
 Angel-fish o, mk-fish, 433. 
 Antiquity of the "gentle art," 143. 
 Apogoi the Mediterranean, 424. 
 Ardent ut' ;ler, the, l'J2. j 
 
 Ar tin, GuDrge, fl3. 
 Australia, the salmon experiment in, 
 
 3G9, 375). 
 "Ave Maria," Canadian version, 218. 
 Axillary sea bream, 425. 
 
 Bait-box, 174. 
 
 Bait-can and baits, 294. 
 
 Bait-fisiiing for trout, 189. 
 
 Baits, 3(), 37, 07. 
 
 Ballysadare salmon-pass, 413. 
 
 Bamboo rod, L)r. Clerk's, 211. 
 
 Banded ephippus, the, 425. 
 
 Barbel, the, 428. 
 
 Barker an authority on angling, 179. 
 
 Barren Island, fidiing at, 97. 
 
 Basket, trout, 1 74. 
 
 Bass, angling for striped, 48 ; trolling 
 in Hell Gate for, 52; still-baiting 
 for, 58: casting bait for, ()4; an- 
 gling at the clubs, fi9 ; the sea bass, 
 106 ; the black, 282 ; the Oswego, ' 
 282 ; the black of the South, 284 ; 
 the spotted, or speckled hen, 285 ; 
 the rock bass of the Lakes, 285; the 
 striped sea, the black of Lake Hu 
 ron, and the black sea, 424. 
 
 "Bass grounds, "282. 
 
 Bearded umbrina, 425. 
 
 Beardie or loach, 428. 
 
 Bellows-fish, 111. 
 
 Bergen Point, reef-fishing on, 01 . 
 Berners or Barnes, Dame Juliana, 143. 
 Bethune, Rev. Dr., 259, 275. 
 Big porgee, the, 425. 
 Black buss of Lake Huron, 424. 
 iBlack flies, antidote for, 207. 
 j Black sea bass, 424. 
 iBluefish, the, 117. 
 Blue shark, the, 432. 
 Bonetta or bonito, 132. 
 Borelli, Professor, 45. 
 Bory St. Vincent, M., 34. 
 [Bottom fishing, rig for, 59. 
 iBruckett, 'Walter M., 146, 290. 
 Bradley, Professor, 38. 
 Breeding times of fishes, 406. 
 Brook trout, 146. 
 Brown catfish, 433. 
 Brown's, Dr., Angler's Guide, 109. 
 Buel feathered spoon, 285. 
 Buel's patent feather troll, 299. 
 Bullfrog and horned pout, 435. 
 
 Camp bed, 229. 
 
 Canada, hiring rivers in, 205 ; salmon 
 
 fishing in, 206. 
 Canadian salmon-stairs, 416. 
 Canandaigua Lake, trout of, 2G3 ; 
 
 black bass of, 282. 
 (^anarsie, fishing at, 90. 
 Caplin, the, 105. 
 Carp family, the, 428. 
 Carps at Rotterdam, 38. 
 Casting bait for bass, 64. 
 Casting-lines, straightening, 175. 
 Castle Connell rods, 212. 
 Catfish family, the, 433. 
 Caving Channel, fishing at, 98. 
 Cayuga Lake, trout of, 263 ; black 
 
 bass of, 282 ; pike of, 288. 
 Cero, cents, or sierra, 134. 
 Characterization of fishes, 17. 
 Chars, M.,37. 
 
 Chesapeake I^av fi.sherv, 342. 
 Childreti, angling for, 198. 
 
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 Index. 
 
 Chimaera family, the, 432. 
 
 Chinese fish-culture, 348. 
 
 Chinese fishing, 29. 
 
 Chinese hook, 22. 
 
 Chowder of sea bass and clams, 107. 
 
 Churn-spoon, (57. 
 
 Cisco or ciscoqiiette, 292. 
 
 Clams, trade in, 340. 
 
 Clergyman's contribution, a, 189. 
 
 Clerk (A.) and Co., 63, 179, 184, 211. 
 
 Clubs, bassing, 69. 
 
 Coalfish, 430. 
 
 Coast and estuary fishes, 46. 
 
 Coast fishes and fisheries, 319. 
 
 Codfish, the, 328. 
 
 Cod family, the, 430. 
 
 Cod-liver oil, 339. 
 
 Colquhoun, John, on moving largefish, 
 248. 
 
 Commercial values — Squeteague, 81 ; 
 sea bass, 1 08 ; of Lake fisheries, 315: 
 of mackerel, 323 ; of shad, 32.5 ; of 
 menhaden, 328 ; of salt-water fish- 
 eries, 339. 
 
 Coney Island, fishing at, 80. 
 
 Connecticut Kiver, 49. 
 
 Cookery for sportsmen, 445 ; general 
 rules for, 458. 
 
 Cosie, M., French commissioner, 40. 
 
 Crooked Lake, fishes in, 283. 
 
 Cross-fishing for salmon, 302. 
 
 Cruelty of fishes, 43. 
 
 Current v/heel, 419. 
 
 Cuttle-fish, 3G6. 
 
 Dace and roach, 427. 
 
 Daniell, Rev. W. B., 28, 36, 37. 
 
 Davy, Sir Humphry, 28. 
 
 De Blainville, M.,40. 
 
 Diploprion, the two-banded, 424. 
 
 "Doctor, the," fishing with, 69. 
 
 Dogfish, the large-spotted, the small 
 spotted, the picked (or piked), 432. 
 
 Dolphin of the ancients, 426. 
 
 Dressing flies, 308. 
 
 Dried codfish, 339. 
 
 Drops, knots, and loops, 166. 
 
 Dudong, the, 25. 
 
 Duhalde, Father, on Chinese fish-cul- 
 ture, 347. 
 
 Dumeril, M., 36. 
 
 Eagle or whip ray, the, 433. 
 I^^astport fishery, statistics of, 339. 
 Eel, the common, 436. 
 
 Egyptian fishing, 19. 
 
 Elizabeth Islands, 77. 
 
 Encampment on St. John River, 222. 
 
 EncyclopsediaBritannica, extract from. 
 31. ' 
 
 English Neighborhood bridge, 49. 
 Enoplossus, the armed, 424. 
 Estuary catfish, the, 439. 
 Etslis, the ruby-colored, 424. 
 Europe, great lake trout of, 429. 
 
 Fecundated spawn, 390. 
 
 Fecundity of fishes, 41. 
 
 Feeding, times for, 44. 
 
 Feeding young trout or salmon, 392. 
 
 "Field," the London, 159. 
 
 Findon haddocks, 342. 
 
 Finn, Mr., 30. 
 
 Fire Island, the fishing at, 94. 
 
 Fish-culture, ancient and modem,347; 
 in Europe in early times, 350 ; of 
 this century, 355. 
 
 JFish propagation assisted by art, 378. 
 
 Flatfish family, the, 431 . 
 
 Flies, artificial, 30 ; natural, for sal- 
 mon and trout, 31 ; for trout, 176 ; 
 select artificial, for trout, 1 84 ; for 
 salmon, 306 ; fly-dressing, 308. 
 
 Florida, black bass in rivers of, 284. 
 
 Flounder, the, 116 ; the oblong, 431. 
 
 Fly-fishing for trout, 1 54 ; on Massa- 
 piqua Lake, 162 ; on St. John Riv- 
 er, 244. 
 
 Flying-fish, 429. 
 
 Fly-rods, 1 73 ; modem splice for, 159. 
 
 Francis Francis on rods, 210; on spin- 
 ning baits, 301. 
 
 French commission on fish-culture, 
 359. 
 
 French hatching-boxes, 382. 
 
 Frog, the fishing, 42(5. 
 
 Furman's hatching-race, 401. 
 
 Game laws, 151, 467. 
 Garfish, common, 429. 
 Gaspe, horse mackerel in Bay of, 135. 
 Gaylor, Charles, 1 23. 
 Gehin, Antoine, fish-culturist, 24, 356. 
 Geneva Lake,Wis., cisco in, 293. 
 Gibson, Sandy, guide and gaft'er, 56. 
 Gillai'oo trout, the, 256. 
 Gillone's fMr. J.) process of propaga- 
 tion, 388. 
 Glisten, Mr., 123. 
 Glass or wall-eyed pike, 288. 
 
Index. 
 
 481 
 
 Gloves for trolling with, 121. 
 
 Golden carp or goldfish, 428. 
 
 Golden mullet, 100. 
 
 Grand Lake, trout of, 258. 
 
 Grayling, the, 441. 
 
 Greek poem— the Halieutics, 19, 
 
 Green's (Seth) "general directions," 
 
 Greenwood Lake, pickerel of, 267, 
 Grilse, salmon, 376, 
 Growler, the, of Virginia, 424. 
 Grunter, the, 99. 
 Guiana garfish, 429, 
 Gurnard, the maUed, 425; the streaked 
 or rock, 425. 
 
 Habits of fis'es, 22. 
 
 Hackett's spinning tackle, 296. 
 
 Haddock, the, 430. 
 
 Hake, the great forked, 430. 
 
 Halibut fishery, statistics of, 339. 
 
 Halibut, the, 431. 
 
 Harlem River, fishing in, 49. 
 
 Haskell's trolling bait, 297. 
 
 Hat for fishing, 208. 
 
 Hatching salmon, 382. 
 
 Haunts of fishes, 44. 
 
 Hell Gate, trolling in, 62. 
 
 Hibernating black bass, 282. 
 
 Hogfish, the, 98. 
 
 Hooks— Theban, Pompeiian, Chinese, 
 O Shaughnessy, Pennsylvanian, 22 ; 
 for bass, 55, 62; for sheepshead, 
 87; round-bend fly, 185 ; fish-hook 
 philosophy, 185; " Salmoniceps's" 
 opmions on, 187 ; fish-hooks, 304 ; 
 mounting salmon-hooks, 310. 
 Horizontal screen, 419. 
 Horned pout, the, 433. 
 Horse mackerel, 135. 
 Hue, Chinese missionary, 348. 
 Huchen, the, 44L 
 Hughes, Archbishop, 275, 
 Hughes, boat-builder, 56. 
 Huningue, fish-culture at, 362. 
 Hunter, Dr., 39. 
 Hutchinson's Sproat-bend hooks, 306. 
 
 Ichthyology, a glimpse of, 421. 
 Inde, the, 440. 
 Intelligence of fishes, 18. 
 
 Jamaica Bay, fishing in, 94 ; trolling 
 
 in, 123 ; Spanish mackerel in, 129. 
 Jardine, 8ir William, 42. 
 
 H 
 
 Johnson s. Dr. Samuel, plagiarism, 156. 
 Johnson's, of Boston, rods, 212. 
 Jones, William Floyd, 163. 
 Josh Billinjs, lesson by, 191. 
 
 Kelly's, Alartin, rods, 212. 
 Kingfish, the, 95, 
 King's Bridge, fishing at, 49. 
 Knots, loops, and drops, 166. 
 
 Lddd«ir, fish, 407. 
 
 Ladies, fishing for, 52. 
 
 Lady, catfish, 439. 
 
 Lake hen-ing, 291. 
 
 Lamprey, the, 437. 
 
 Landing nets, 173. 
 
 Leaping of trout, anecdote of, 417 
 
 Lebault, M.,39. 
 
 Lines, 64 ; for trolling, 121 ; salmon 
 
 casting, 212. 
 Loach, the, or beardie, 428. 
 Long Island trout, 147. 
 Long Lake, red trout of, 2G2. 
 Loops, knots, and drops, 166. 
 Lycoming Creek, anglers on, 193. 
 
 M'Harg's troll, 299. 
 
 Mackerel, the Spanish, 1 26 ; the horse 
 135; the common, 319. ' 
 
 Mackinaw trout, the, 264. 
 
 Mailed gurnard, 425. 
 Malay emblem of constancy, 25. 
 Marshfield trout, 147, 
 Maskinonge, the, 277, 441. 
 Massapiqua Lake, fly-fishing on, 162. 
 Menhaden or mossbunker, 326. 
 Mesoprion, the one-spotted, 424. 
 Middle Dam camp, 181. 
 Mirage on the St. Lawrence, 335. 
 Mitchell, Hon. P., of Ottawa, 205. 
 Mitchell, Professor, 83. 
 Modern fish-culture, 347. 
 Mollychumkemunk Lake, 181. 
 Monk-fish or angel-fish, 433. 
 Moosehead Lake, trout of, 261 . 
 Morland, Thomas, 135. 
 Morrison, Captain, 123, 124. 
 Mosier, the gaffer, 69. 
 Mossbunker or menhaden, 326. 
 Mountain mullet, 441. 
 Mounting salmon-hooks, 310. 
 Mouth, the, of fishes, 34. 
 Mullet, the golden, 100; the striped 
 
 red, 338 ; the mountain, 441 . 
 Musquitoes, antidote for, 207. 
 H 
 
482 
 
 Index. 
 
 Nerves of fishes, 26. 
 
 Nets employed in Lake fisheries, 317. 
 
 New York Bay, fishing in, 58. 
 
 Ombre chevalier, the, 441. 
 Oneida Lake, fishes in, 283, 288. 
 Oppian, the poet, 19, 111,427. 
 Outfit for salmon-fishing, 215. 
 Ova of the salmon, securing, 387. 
 Owasco Lake, fishes in, 283. 
 Oyster industry, the, 341. 
 
 Parr, salmon, 373, 374. 
 
 Pasque Island, fishing at, 76. 
 
 Perch, the, 287. 
 
 Perch, the white, 101. 
 
 Perfume bait of M. Chars, 37. 
 
 Philosophy, fish-hook, 185. 
 
 Pickerel, the American, 266 ; skitter- 
 ing for, 277; still-baiting for, 271. 
 
 Pike, the American pickerel, 266 ; the 
 glass-eyed or wall-eyed, 288. 
 
 Pike family, the, 429. 
 
 Pike-perch, the common, 423. 
 
 Pilot-fish, the, 425. 
 
 Pine Creek, Penn,, anglers on, 192. 
 
 Plaice, the, 431. 
 
 Poachers and poaching, 152. 
 
 Poetry of angling, 141. 
 
 Poisoning fish, 34. 
 
 Pompeii, hook exhumed at, 22. 
 
 Porbeagle, the, 432. 
 
 Porgee, the, 108, 
 
 Porgee, the big, 425 ; the three-tailed, 
 
 425. 
 Porpoise, the black, 25. 
 Porpus, the, 25. 
 Portugal, a fish-pond in, 39. 
 Prerequisites for fishing, 22. 
 Preserving food fishes fresh, 343. 
 Pritchard Brothers, 184, 212. 
 Propagation of fishes, 21, 378. 
 Propelling minnow, the, 298. 
 Propulsive power of fishes, 23. 
 Pugne Island, 75. 
 
 Rice Lake, the maskinonge of, 278. 
 
 Roach, the, 427. 
 
 Robinson splice, the, 159. 
 
 Rockfish or wrasses, 111. 
 
 Rockling, the, 430. 
 
 Rods, 54, 68, 66 ; modem splice for 
 
 fly-rods, 159; fly-rods for trout, 173; 
 
 for salmon, 208, 212. 
 Rogers, Sir Walter, 39. 
 Ruggles, Judge Philo T., 30. 
 Russell, Mr. Willis, of Quebec, 214. 
 Rusty dab, the, 431. 
 
 m 
 
 Queer fishes, 439. 
 
 Rapid River, trout fishing in, 181. 
 Rattling Run, salmon fishing in, 241. 
 Ray family, the, 433. 
 Reels, 64 ; trout reels, 172 ; salmon 
 
 reels, 212. 
 Remy, Joseph, fish-culturist, 356. 
 Reuiiie, James, 28, 33. 
 
 Salmon and trout family, 429. 
 Salmon, the, 202 ; outfit for salmon 
 fishing, 207 ; departure for fishing, 
 215 ; fishing in the St. John River, 
 218 ; a morning's experience, 234 ; 
 natural history of, 367 ; feeding 
 young salmon, 392 ; salmon-passes, 
 ladders, etc. , 407. 
 Salmon-hatching, 382 ; securing the 
 ova, 487 ; Mr. John Gillone's pro- 
 cess of propagating, 388 ; feeding 
 young, 392. 
 Salmon, trolling for, in Scotland, 302. 
 Salmon leaps, 411. 
 "Salmonia,"28. 
 " Salmoniceps" on hooks, 187, 
 Salt-water fisheries, 339. 
 Saybrook, 49. 
 Scabburd-fish, the, 426. 
 Scaling fish, instructions for, 99. 
 Scandinavian charr, 441. 
 Schoodic Lake, trout of, 258. 
 Scollops, trado in, 340. 
 Sea bass, the, 106. 
 Sea loach, the, 430. 
 Sea salmon, the common, 429. 
 Sea snipe, the. 111. 
 "Secrets of Angling, " by J, Davors, 37. 
 Seneca Lake, trout of, 263; black bass 
 
 in, 282 ; pike in, 288. 
 Senses of fishes, 24, 
 Serranus, the lettered, 424; thespined, 
 424, ' 
 
 Shad, the, 324, 
 Sharks, 432. 
 
 Shaw, Mr., of Scotland, 24. 
 Sheepshead, 84 ; angling for, 92. 
 Shiner, the, 294. 
 Shiner, the New York, 428. 
 Sierra, cero, or cerus, 134. 
 Silure, the, 439. 
 Silver or sea trout, 255. 
 
Index. 
 
 483 
 
 Sinker, the ponderating, 310. 
 
 Sinkers for slieepshead, 88. 
 
 Skaneateles Lake, fishes in, 283. 
 
 Sligo salmon-stairs, 415. 
 
 Smell in fishes, 36. 
 
 Smelt, the, 102. 
 
 Smelts, trade in, 340. 
 
 Smoking salmon, statistics of, 339. 
 
 Smelt, salmon, 375. 
 
 Smooth hound, the, 432. 
 
 Snedicor's, Oba, preserve, 158. 
 
 Sole, the common, 431. 
 
 "Songs of the "Wilderness," extract 
 
 from, 234. 
 Southern sea trout, 82. 
 Southside Club, 158. 
 Spanish mackerel, 15G. 
 Spawning-boxes, directions for, 386, 
 
 392. ' 
 
 Spawning times of fishes, 406. 
 
 Spearing, the, 103. 
 
 Spinning baits, 295. 
 
 Spinning tackle for live bait, 299. 
 
 Splice, modern, for fly-rods, 159. 
 
 Bpuyten Duyvel Creek, bass fishing in, 
 49,52. ^ ' 
 
 Squetecgue or weakfish, 79. 
 
 Squids— for bluefish, 120; for Spanish 
 mackerel, 131. 
 
 St. John's River, fishing on, 222. 
 
 Stain, how to, silkworm gut, 170. 
 
 Statistics of Lake fisheries, 315; of 
 mackerel catches, 323; of shad fish- 
 eries, 325 ; of menhaden, 328 ; of 
 salt-water fisheries, 339. 
 
 Stocking old pondc, 393. 
 
 Stoddart, Thomas Tod, on worm-fish 
 
 ing for trout, 191. 
 Stoddart's directions for obtaining silk- 
 worm gut, 171. 
 
 Straightening casting lines, 175. 
 
 Streaked or rock gurnard, 425. 
 
 Stream, how to fish a, 165. 
 
 Striped bass, 48. See also Bass. 
 
 Striped sea bass, 424. 
 
 Stripping trout, 391. 
 
 Sturgeon and Chimaera family, 432. 
 
 Sucker, common New York, 428. 
 
 Sulphur whale, 335. 
 
 Sunfish, the, 286 ; the short sunfish, 
 442. 
 
 Superior, food fishes of Lake, 315. 
 
 Surmullet, the red, 424. 
 
 Swordfish, the common, and the In- 
 dian, 426. 
 
 Tackle f>: taking smiall bass, 60; for 
 kingfish, 97 ; for sea bass, 108 ; for 
 bluefish, 120 ; for trouting, 159 ; for 
 salmon, 207; for pickerel, 270 ; for 
 maskinongd, 279. 
 Taste in fishes, 33. 
 Tautog or blackfish, 118. 
 Tautog, the American, 111 ; how to 
 
 cook it, 114. 
 Teeth of fishes, 34. 
 Tench, the, 428. 
 Thebes, hook exhumed at, 22. 
 Thombi! ' ray, the, 433. 
 Thousan. Islands, the, 274. 
 Thumb-stall, 67. 
 Tongue, tlie, of fishes, 34. 
 Tope or penny-dog, 432. 
 Torpedo, the common, 433. 
 Torsk, the, 430. 
 
 "Transmutations of the salmon,"356. 
 TroUing— in Hell Gate, 62; among 
 the Thousand Islands, 274; troll- 
 ing weather and baits, 303; differ- 
 ent kinds of tackle, 53, 54, 56, 295, 
 296, 297, 298, 299. ' 
 
 Trout, the Southern sea, 82; the 
 brook, 146; fly-fishing for, 154; 
 bait-fishing for, 189; silver or sea, 
 255; the white, 258; the winni- 
 nish, 260 ; the red of Long Lake, 
 262 ; of Seneca and Cayuga, 263 ; 
 the Mackinaw, 264 ; stripping, 391; 
 feeding young, 392 ; stocking old 
 ponds with, 393 ; the New York 
 brook, 429 ; the great lake trout of 
 Europe, 429. 
 Troutlet, 429. 
 Trumpet-fish, 111. 
 Trygon, the many-spined, 433. 
 Tunny, the common, 426. 
 Turbot, the, 431. 
 Tusculum, ancient fish-ponds at, 360. 
 
 Umbagog Lake, 181. 
 
 Umbagog range of lakes, trout of, 147. 
 
 Umbrina, the bearded, 425. 
 
 Vision in fishes, 26. 
 Voracity of fishes, 42. 
 
 Walcott's (U*-.) verses, 43. 
 Wall-eyed or glass-eyed pike, 288. 
 Walton, Izaak, 36, 37. 
 Weakfish or squeteague, 79. 
 Webster, the late Hon. Daniel, 158. 
 
484 
 
 Index. 
 
 Welch's (Robert) rods, 212. 
 
 West Island, fishing at, G9. 
 
 Whale fishing, 332. 
 
 Whip or eagle ray, the, 433. 
 
 Whitefish, the, 290. 
 
 Whitefish, frozen, 291. 
 
 Whitefish of the Lakes, 429. 
 
 White salmon of Virginia, 424. 
 
 White's CDr.) story of a bullfrog, 434. 
 
 White trout, the, 258. 
 
 Whiting, the, 430. 
 
 Wilkes, George, fishing with, 62. 
 
 Winninish, the, 200, 442. 
 
 Wolf-fish, the, 42G. 
 
 Worm-fishing for trout, 194. 
 
 Wrasse, the blue-striped, 111. 
 
 Wrasses or rockfish. 111. 
 
 Wright, Sile, the guide and gaffer, 56. 
 
 Xenarchus, " the purple of," 20. 
 
 Yellow perch, the American, 424. 
 
 Zodiac, signs of the, 18. 
 
 i * 
 
,56. 
 
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